Tuesday, July 26, 2016

New York City is the place where... Day 2 10/10 Optics!

Day 2 in NYC!
We woke up to our beautiful loft mate Lola in our Airbnb,
she is so pretty and sweet and I miss her a lot! 

** BTW- this may be my favorite post that I've written, 
mainly due to my amazing experience at 10/10 Optics .
 I know it is a long one but it is worth it. **

We started Day 2 walking around and exploring!






What I Wore: glasses- GlassesLit, lips- Tarte LipSurgence in "Wonder" via Ipsy, necklace- Betsey Johnson {gift from my hubby}, dress- Mindy Maes Market, loafers- Modcloth, bag- Rebecca Minkoff {gift from my hubby}



Found an awesome market and a perfect coffee on our walk in the Essex Street Market

An iced cappuccino that was hot on the bottom and cold foam at the top = perfect coffee!
Thanks Porto Rico Importing Co!




On my way to my eye glass appointment, I had to tag the city a little bit...
{stickers from StickerMule}

Had so much fun with my mom and big!



We stopped by Mexicue for some margaritas and tacos!

So good!
Great tacos and a very spicy margarita

A couple of weeks ago,
 after my Humble Beauty Opinion #31: Special Feature! 
Makeup Tips for Chicks in Glasses {feat. Samaries from MakeupForGlasses}

Ruth from 10/10 Optics reached out to me after that collab post
 to do a feature eyewear makeover / update the next time I was in NYC.
The timing was perfect because we were already staying for three days to see
the ladies from Guys We F#@$!D
{10/10 Optics Instagram}

I was honestly a little nervous to go into an eye glass shop and meet with a new optometrist.
A little bit about my history with eye glasses:
I have been wearing eye glasses since the 8th grade. About 11+ years ago.
I was so excited when I was prescribed glasses,
on the other hand, my mom cried on the car ride home and was upset that I needed glasses.

I wanted to go right to the eye glass store to pick out my first pair.
I distinctly remember asking for a pink pair of glasses
and I kept hearing "we don't have anything like that here".
I searched and searched and found nothing.
I ended up going with a tortoise pair with a teal interior as my first pair of glasses.

Those experiences are not remembered favorably as I felt like I was being judged
for wanting something different from everyone else.

After starting this blog over 5 years ago,
 and discovering the world of online shopping for glasses,
I have been intimidated by eye glass shops since my first experiences.

I was immediately blown away by their selection and friendliness,
my mouth must have been hanging open the whole time!

I met with Dr. Rozenberg to update my prescription
{I haven't done that since my 2013 wedding prep...}
He was very nice, patient and helpful.

I get intimidated at the eye doctor because it requires immediate decisions
 based on the slightest differences.
If you have never been to the eye doctor, this may be hard to explain,
but it takes a lot of concentration.

I am so excited to update my prescriptions and actually see clearly again.

After my eye appointment, Ruth got started right away!
She clearly knew the way to my heart with these brights!

Ruth started by saying,
"I need to give you glasses that make you feel pretty and want to go out in the world"
& OMG did she deliver.

It was immediately evident that Ruth is an absolute PRO!
I was fascinated by her styling skills
and had to ask her some questions about her background and experience.


Q: What made you start a career in eyeglass wear?
Ruth: "I was 16 and my Optometrist needed a receptionist and I needed a job. By the time I had graduated college and was preparing to go to Law School, I had realized over time, and different employers in the Optical Industry I had learned a career."

Q: How long have you been an eye glass aficionado?
Ruth: "I have been wearing glasses since 4th grade. Every year my mom would get me three new pairs, (2 clear and 1 sunglass) so I would feel pretty in them and consider them part of my wardrobe. We looked for optical shops that had cool frames and my friends always wanted to try on my glasses! I guess you could say, I fell in love with glasses from a very early age!"

Q: How long have you been on Madison Ave?
Ruth: "I have been a professional since I was 19. I opened my 1st Optical Boutique with my partner Dr. Stephen Rozenberg when I was 20 in NYC on 2nd Ave. Madison Ave is our 4th location to date and we have been here at this location for 8 years."

Q: How many pairs of glasses do you own?!
Ruth: "I own about 9 pairs that I rotate, delete and add too. I changed them also based on the season as well as the occasion."

Q: How would you describe your job?
Ruth: "I am a curator of artistic and well designed collections, from around the world. It is so exciting to find collections that are beautiful, unique, wearable, functional and technically designed for wear and tear. We specialize in color, looking for tactile styles that are exciting and interesting. I adore eyewear made from stones, leather, silk, granite and wood for example. There are many new eyewear designers creating the most outstanding choices in eyewear artistry."

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?
Ruth: "Helping someone find the perfect look that they never would have found on their own, and build an exciting functioning spectacle wardrobe is part of the enjoyment, but making choices that bring correct and clear optics into their lives is the best! The combination of these two aspects are what I do best!"

What really separated this experience from other optical boutiques / online eyeglass shopping
{well besides my spirit animal/now idol, Ruth}
is this awesome computer camera "Makeover" system that takes pictures of you actually in different pairs to compare and contrast different pairs, including the glasses you came in wearing.

It is awesome to discuss the aspects of your face that are accentuated by certain frames and colors,
while seeing it right in front of you!
Ruth makes you feel so comfortable, she is so helpful and complimentary the whole time.

We went to town trying on some of the coolest glasses I've ever seen!
Ruth said, "If you come in here looking for 8 pairs of glasses, I can give you 8 totally different looks"





SO MANY AMAZING PAIRS!

Some of these you just need to see first hand to believe how sweet they are!

Ruth even helped my big, Amanda, with a mini makeover!


I love these cat eyes on her!
Totally uplifts her face and makes her look perfectly smart and still sexy!

Ruth also showed us "our colors"
I have never done this type of activity to see what compliments your skin tone and eyes.

Big looks great in jewel tones,
which she already knows and uses to her advantage in her wardrobe.

I also look better in jewel tones {on the right} compared to the earthy tones {on the left}
The earthy tones wash me out

We played around with glasses for mom too!
Her colors are earth tones, it was awesome to compare.

Ruth started breaking out the extreme glasses!
How cool are these?!

It was around this point in our makeover that Ruth said
that she would love to make me a pair of glasses
and that I needed to make a decision and pick a pair.

Needless to say---- I DIED.
I mean, this was fun trying on these awesome glasses
and meeting with someone who shares the same love for eyewear that I do,
but picking a pair?!
I was not expecting this and was so excited I thought I might explode.

These were the pairs that I was between,
mainly the two pairs on the right:

When I first tried on these Faniel glasses, I immediately fell in love.
I have never seen glasses with this shape of the frame and the addition of JEWELS!

Ruth said, "Pick the glasses that speak to the inner you"
I knew these were them!

Ruth said, "Glasses are about the face, not the frames and those are great on you. Delicious!"

A HUGE thank you to Ruth from 10/10 Optics for all her help,
this was one of the highlights of my blogging career, for sure!



We finished our appointment with a device to measure pupillary distance,
I told Ruth that this process was very comprehensive and made me rethink the single number that I put in for pupillary distance when ordering glasses online.

Sometimes when I order glasses online, the prescription seems to be off and I think that the PD distance may have something to do with that feeling. Ruth said that the online eyeglass industry has been great for business because people come in to get glasses corrected and fix similar issues.

I learned so much in this makeover and am so happy that I met Ruth!



Even the bathroom was inviting and fun!
This is the face of, "Woah, what just happened. That was awesome!"


I was on cloud 9 after, and we continued our adventure at Barn Joo for happy hour!


I loved my lavender honey cocktail!


Perfect sculpture to show off our Best Friend Tattoos!

We met up with my mom's best friend too!



We went to Vic's for some drinks and light dinner


We had the "Spaghetti Alla Chitarra" that was very delicious,
even though this is the large portion...


I loved the flamingo wallpaper in the bathroom!




We stopped by Slainte, an Irish pub for a beer

& realized that the music playing was LIVE!
I love NYC, live Irish music on a Tuesday at 11 PM!



Our original plan was to go to a rooftop bar and we happened to stumble on one right by our Airbnb!
Rooftop 93

Stunning view!



On our way home, I noticed a ton of people standing around a small park in China Town and my mom said, "Are all these people playing Pokemon Go?!"
Yes, yes they are at 12:17 am on a Tuesday.
3 Poke Stops will with lures, Pokemon is serious business in NYC!

It was awesome to see everyone out and about!

I am still smiling from this trip!
Especially from my 10/10 Optics experience!
If you are every in NYC you need to stop by and meet Ruth and get an eyewear makeover,
you will learn things about yourself you never knew
and learn how to really accentuate your look with the perfect pair of glasses!

Thanks Ruth! <3

Tomorrow- World Trade Center Memorial Recap

Shameless Promotions :)
Special coupon code from my  Olio.fm interview
{you should listen to my interview!- starts around 30 mins in}
use password "puglove" to unlock the coupon for $5 off my Etsy Shop: InTheLeopardCloset!

Check out my vintage finds: InTheLeopardCloset on Etsy
Shop my closet: PoshMark
Use coupon code "BUSSI" for $5 off your first PoshMark purchase


Next Trenton Punk Rock Flea Market is Aug 7th from 10am-5pm & InTheLeopardCloset will be selling!
Stop by to see my vintage and modern items in real life! 

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