Bondi New York Update and October Colors

There is some news on the Bondi subscription front. It came out maybe 2 weeks ago, but this is the first I've thought to post about it. You may have noticed I have not posted a review for my September Bondi box. Well that's because it hasn't come yet...and it won't be coming for another month. All subscribers received an email that said that the company received the shipment in, but was not happy with the quality of the product so they sent it back and have to wait for the new shipment before they ship the boxes out. This means the September and October boxes will be shipping around the same time. I was a bit disappointed, but I admire their dedication to high quality products. I also appreciate the transparency. They gave their customers the opportunity to either cancel or wait it out. If you don't cancel your subscription, they'll be giving you a $15 voucher that you can use for anything in the store with the exception of future subscription boxes. I thought that was pretty fair, and I'm a patient person so I decided to wait it out.

In the meantime, they released choices for your October box. You can choose from any of the September colors in addition to these new colors:




You can find the September colors on my previous post here or on their page here. I really like Cuff Me, Girl On Top, and Glitz n Glam. I may take those three for my box. I'm going to take some time to think about it.

In other news, Bondi has been doing pretty frequent facebook contests to give away some of their original collection. My sister won Teal Magnolia, and I won Chasing the Sun.



I stole Teal Magnolia from my sister and wore it all last week while I was on vacation in Louisiana. It's a great color that goes with everything. I was a little hesitant about how orange Chasing the Sun was, but I rocked it at church and ended up really liking it. It will definitely be great when Halloween rolls around.

It's clear Bondi is having some growing pains, but I think they are handling it to the best of their ability. I can't complain about how they treat their customers, and I definitely think the tardiness of the boxes is forgivable considering all the extras they are throwing in to try to make it right.

If you're interested on signing up for their subscription, you can find it here.

What I Wore To Church - Bird Print Blouse and Pencil Skirt

Top: Old Navy Printed Chiffon Shirt
Skirt: JC Penney
Shoes: JustFab Juanita

I absolutely adore non-traditional animal print (meaning pictures of animals for the print). So I was super excited to find this top at Old Navy. I used one of their coupon codes so I didn't pay the full $32 for it. If you're interested, they currently have a 25% off code for non-card holders and a 30% off code for ON card holders. Use code BDAYGIFT. I also love that flowy tops are in right now. They work really well for hiding the tummy without looking frumpy. Make sure to pair them with something fitted on bottom to balance out the proportions.

I got the skirt at a Black Friday sale at Penney's years ago and it's been one of my favorites ever since. If you don't have a black pencil skirt in your closet, you should definitely look into buying one. They are such a versatile piece. For awhile pencil skirts and blouses were my "signature look". They never go out of style.

The shoes are JustFab Juanita from the sale I posted about awhile back. 1/2 size up fits perfectly. They were my pop of color for the outfit, and it was mentioned to me that combined with my orange nail polish, my outfit had a Halloween feel. I may have to recycle this look when it gets closer to Halloween.

BIRCHBOX Review - September 2013

I received my ipsy bag and BIRCHBOX around the same time, but have had a much harder time wanting to do this review because the products weren't nearly as convenient to try. Makeup can be worn daily, but I have to actually set aside time to try out a "facial peel".  Personally, I don't like to do my reviews until I've actually tried all of the products (with one or two exceptions).

So here it is. The theme for this month was "heritage" since it's their 2 year anniversary month, and they chose to feature brands that have "fascinating histories".

I'll start with the good, but I'll be honest. These are the items I had no complaints about. I don't feel like I have to have any of these items, but they weren't bad and they were a step above "meh".


RUFFIAN Nail Lacquer in "Foxtrot" (sample size).  I tried this out of my toes. The color was a nice shimmery red-orange. It went on smooth and only took one coat. After almost a week it's still in tact with no chipping. Good quality, good color. Everyone this month got a sample of the nail polish.


Serge Normant Meta Luxe Hair Spray (sample size).  I wear hairspray everyday in my uniform so this was fairly easy to test. The spray was super powerful. I don't mean the smell (which was pleasant). I mean it came out of the can super fast. It was quite startling the first time I tried it. It created a bit more of the "helmet head" effect than I prefer, but it smelled nice and it held my hair in place. If you're looking for a "flexible hold" this is not for you since it made my hair quite stiff.


Juice Beauty Green Apple Peel Sensitive (sample size). It took me some time to get around to testing this. I used it this morning after my shower, and it wasn't bad. The smell wasn't overpowering. It didn't smell good per se, but it didn't smell bad either. It went on easy, and a little went a long way (so the sample size is good). It's a good thing it was for sensitive skin because I definitely felt the heated tingling when it went on, but it wasn't painful like the mask I got from ipsy last month. I put it on and then got dressed and ready. After about 10 min I rinsed it off and then put on my minimal makeup. My skin seems to be pretty smooth as a result (not that it was super rough before). Overall a thumbs up. Easier than I thought it was going to be.


Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Riviera (sample size). When I opened the box and saw this I was disappointed yet again by the fact that they sent me really red shade. I decided to try it anyway and to my delight it was very sheer. It gave a very subtle red hint to my lips instead of making me look like the joker. It went on pretty sticky, but seemed to smooth out as I was wearing it. I can't say it really moisturized my lips but it didn't dry them out so that's a thing.

There really wasn't any bad in this box so I'll move onto the meh.

Borracha Wine Wipes (2 wipes). My first question was "what on earth are wine wipes?" Turns out you are supposed to wipe them on your teeth and mouth before (or after) drinking red wine to keep the wine from staining your mouth. Good concept, but there's one problem. I don't drink wine. Like EVER. I don't drink any alcohol so there's no way I'm ever going to use these. I really wish there was an option on the site to specify that you don't drink certain things so I don't end up with stuff like this (or any of the teas that they sell). I would've much preferred the other Borracha product, Pearly Wipes, which are a wipe that you can use to freshen your mouth and whiten your teeth throughout the day if you need a "brushing touch up".

Overall, the box wasn't bad for the month. As I said, I don't plan on rushing out on buying any of this, but I didn't hate any of it. I may splurge for the Lip Gloss just because I have a weakness for lip products, but that's about it.

If you're interested in signing up for the waitlist, you can use my link here. Even if I don't NEED all the products, I always enjoy the adventure of trying new things (and the happiness of getting a box every month).

For last month's review see here.

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore To Church - Pairing Black With Brown

Who says you can't wear black and brown together? Throw those fashion rules out the window!




Skirt: eShakti Smocked Heart Print Crepe Skirt (currently on sale!)
Shirt: Express
Shoes: Jessica Simpson Eclair

I found this absolutely adorable heart print skirt at...you guessed it (and probably saw it above), eShakti!  I customized the length to "below knee length" so I had a little bit more flexibility with which part of my waist to wear it on. I absolutely love the smocking in the front. It's stretchy (!) so there's always that bit of breathing room when you need it. The material is so flowy and fluffy and fun! The super cute heart print pattern helps, too! (Can I use any more exclamation points to show you how much I love it?!) Did I mention pockets?

This outfit will work great when it gets cooler, too. I'll just add my mustard cardigan and boots or some non-sandal heels.

I talked about these shoes in a previous post but was so excited to find the perfect outfit to pair these crazy comfortable shoes with. They really pull together the black/brown pairing. eShakti has a BOGO 1/2 off sale going on (ending today) that works on their sale items so don't be shy! Check it out. Did I mention new customers get $30 off when they register? If you've missed my other eshakti posts, find out more about the company here. Happy Shopping!

Ipsy Review - September 2013

It's that time of the month again. I got my ipsy bag, and I'll say I was pretty happy.

It looks like a lot of stuff, doesn't it? It's not nearly as much as it looks like but it was pretty good. The theme this month was "Classic Beauty".

We'll start with the good:

The bag this month was super cute. It's a great color with a cute lace pattern.


Elizabeth Mott "It's So Big" Volumizing Mascara (sample size). I was actually quite impressed with this mascara. It went on smooth, added quite a bit of va-va-voom to the lashes, and stayed on without flaking. It washed off pretty easily too.


Freeman Beauty Facial Paper Mask (full size). I tried the Purifying Mask. I'd never used anything like this before. You take it out, and it's a very drippy piece of paper-like material with holes for your mouth, nose, and eyes. You place it on your face and dab it down so it sticks. Then you leave it on for 5-10 min. When I put it on, I looked in the mirror and looked like leatherface from the Texas Chainsaw Massacre movies.

(Actual pictures may be forth coming depending on how brave I am the next time I use one of the masks) I definitely felt silly but I stuck it out for 10 min. It smelled great and felt refreshing so it wasn't hard. Just don't look at yourself. Once you take it off, you're supposed to dab the excess serum into your skin. No rinse required. It was quite nice! It felt so fresh. I'm definitely a believer. I don't know how much it did for my skin, but it was fun and it felt nice.

The bad:

J. Cat Beauty Fantabulous Lipstick (full size). I liked the fact that it was full size, but I didn't like the color. At all. I have naturally pink lips, so putting nude colored lipstick on makes it look like I'm trying to hide my lips. I'm already pasty white. I don't need to wash myself out more. Also, the formula felt rough going on, not creamy and nice like most lipstick. Just not a fan at all.

The meh:

Starlooks Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil (full size). I was so happy to get a full size eyeliner in my bag. Unfortunately this one isn't for me. It went on smooth and I had high hopes, but by lunch it was smudged all over the place and some of it had transferred to the upper part of my lid. Maybe I should've used a primer. Or maybe I just have oily eyelids. Either way, this isn't for all day wear for me.


NYX Eye Shadow (full size). I gave this a "meh" for the same reason I gave the eye shadow a "meh" last month. I just don't wear it. I'm sure this color would work out great for a smoky eye (if I knew how to do one), but I never go anywhere nice enough to warrant putting on that much eye makeup. Maybe I'll save it for a special occasion.

Michelle Phan The Life Palette (sample size). This looks huge but really it's just a piece of cardboard with a small sample at the bottom (the shiny part of the bottom panel. It's a cute idea, and I like that it gives you instructions on how to apply. That's what I need for makeup. Instructions! Maybe one of these days when I'm feeling adventurous, I'll use the sample and try to spice up my look.

Overall, I was impressed with the number of full size products, even if I didn't necessarily like the products. I also thought the products went well with the theme.

What did you think? If you want to get added to the waitlist sign up here! And thanks to those that have already signed up through my link!

(Leatherface image from http://www.nightmarefactory.com/leatherface/. All other images are mine)

Street Moda Haul

Since I'm not feeling well today, I didn't go to church. Besides the obvious downsides to not going to church, it also means no "What I Wore to Church" segment, which makes me sad. Instead, I decided to try to cheer myself up by blogging about my newest pretty shoes.

I posted about the Street Moda coupon code a little over a week ago, and I seriously took advantage of this one. All the shoes I ordered were from Jessica Simpson's collection, and I couldn't be happier.

Jessica Simpson Devin. Normal retail $89, I paid $16. I've been looking for a good black suede pump that's comfortable, and these fit the bill perfectly. I would've ordered Waleo in black since I know how they fit, but they were out of my size. They are a little more round-toed than Waleo, and just as comfortable. These will be a nice staple in my closet. I ordered 1/2 size up.

Jessica Simpson Waleo. Normal retail $89, I paid $18. As I mentioned in my previous post, I love my coral waleos and had been keeping an eye out for other colors. This is the "emerald" color although they are definitely more blue than green as you can see. Also, it just occurred to me these are very similar in color to my JF Ivana I posted about weeks ago. Either way, they are a great, rich color, and I'm sure I'll find an outfit or five to match with them. They'll be perfect for the winter. I ordered 1/2 size up.

Another color of Jessica Simpson Waleo. I paid the same price for them. This is the "nude kid suede". These were quite the surprise. I got this color because I LOVE the detailing on the bottom. Little did I know, the detailing sparkles quite a bit. It's like a disco ball for my feet. I tried to get a better picture but I'm not sure if I succeeded.
You can kind of see the sparkling. It's super fun.

Jessica Simpson Britt. Normally retails for $98, I paid $24. These were clearly more expensive than the other 3 (but still quite the steal). They were worth every penny. Are those not the cutest shoes you've ever seen in your life? I love the retro look of the gingham and the t-strap, and the bows just kick the cute into overdrive. The gingham part is a pretty satiny material, and you guessed it, they are COMFORTABLE. I will never stop saying how great Jessica Simpson shoes are. I went with my true size on these, which seems to be the case for most of JS's open-toed shoes. I can't wait to come up with an outfit to pair these with (yes, usually I pick the shoes first and work an outfit around it).

So there you have it. Four pairs of designer shoes that I paid less than the cost of one pair.

Total retail value of the shoes: $365
Total cost with the coupon code (SAVE60): $76

Not sure if the code still works, but it doesn't hurt to try. Happy Shopping!

Julep - September Review

I didn't feel the need to get a September Julep box because I wasn't interested in any of the pairs of colors (I'd like one from one box and one from another, but none as a pair). So I thought it'd be fun to bring in a guest to do the September review. I bring you my friend Shawn! Ta da! 

My September Julep  Box:
The deets: Classic with a Twist=Julep BARE FACE Cleansing Oil, polish in Florence, and polish in Padma.

The low down: This is my second Julep box and I loved the first month—a lovely light lilac polish (Helen, I think), a super cool orangey-brick red (Catherine…methinks and currently gracing my piggies), and some minty exfoliating foot lotion—score! So I when I saw my September box I was a little bummed but I’m better now. Let me explain….

The polish first—I love, love, LOVE Padma. It’s a super dark purple that went on well with only one healthy coat. Like any dark polish, it stained my nail (and surrounding skin—I’m a sloppy polisher) immediately but a base coat and some polish remover easily remedies that. I can’t wait until winter to rock it on my nails and until then, it will be in my regular rotation for my toes.



Florence, on the other hand (well, on the index finger in this case), not so much, and I was really looking forward to this one. I love a good beige neutral but this one (the photo is not doing it justice) is more of a khaki so not good for my skin tone. I can probably pull it off as a toe polish, maybe with a thin coat of something sparkly over it, but sadly, I’m still on the hunt for the perfect beige for my hands.

Finally, the oil wash. I have crazy oily skin. I live in Colorado where the dry air sucks the moisture from your body faster than you can replenish it and my skin is STILL an oil slick. So, when I saw this I did a Scooby Do “HUHHHHH?!?!?!”—did they make a mistake? Nope, a check of Julep’s website and a quick scan of a couple reviews assured me this is for all skin types. Still skeptical, I dove in and there is photographic evidence to document it.

 

The first picture is me, fresh from a weekend road trip—sweaty, sunburnt, and grimy. The second…me with the oil smeared on my face and rubbed in really good. Finally, me post-rinse, all squeaky clean. This stuff is some kind of magic! It easily dissolved the makeup and grime from my face and rinsed off easily. My skin felt moisturized and not too oily. The downside…an hour or so later my face felt a tad TOO moisturized (a.k.a. oily) but one of the reviews I read claimed my skin would adjust over time. End result for me? This will go in my travel to-go bag because it’s a great multi-tasker but I’m still afraid to use it every day. Having said that, I might bust it out again if I’m feeling brave this winter when it’s even drier in my neck of the woods.

For those folks with “normal” oily skin—I say go for it, I bet you’ll love it.

One final thing…I’m not sure if I got this in my first box—if I did I’m bummed I missed it…the quote! I am a connoisseur of quotes so the Julep elves really found the way to my heart with this…and what a great choice! “If your dreams do not scare you, they aren’t big enough” (Ellen Johnson Sirleaf)---loved it and it totally made up for the heartbreak of Florence.

Thank you so much Shawn for doing that for me. (Isn't she adorable!!) Also, "the heartbreak of Florence" sounds like a good romance novel. Thanks for reading! 

What I Wore to Church - Transitioning Florals to Fall

Happy Sunday!  Time for my "What I Wore to Church" segment.

Dress: Jessica Simpson Asian Flower Dress (bought on ebay)
Cardigan: Tilly's Essential Elbow Sleeve Cardigan
Shoes: Kelsi Dagger Linzy (they can also be found here for cheaper but not in this color)

Now I know it's not fall yet, but it's right around the corner. It's definitely one of my favorite seasons. I just absolutely love fall colors. I found this dress on ebay not too long ago and after an adventure for it to get to my door (I didn't update my shipping address, and it went to one of my old addresses before being forwarded to me), I was so excited to finally get it. One of the reasons I love floral-patterned dresses is because they usually give you multiple colors to work with for accessories, I was excited to see the green in this one because I knew I had the perfect pair of shoes to match, and they happen to work great for taking a normally springy pattern and transitioning it to fall. I've talked about that previously with my floral denim from JustFab, but it never hurts to give more than one example.

I know I've talked about the cardigan before. It really is an "essential" cardigan. I wear it all the time in whichever color works that day.

The shoes were an absolute steal. I got them on 6pm.com for pretty cheap. They are so classy! Hunter green was always a favorite color of mine, but I didn't own any shoes in that color. The Kelsi Dagger brand was fairly new to me, but I'm glad I went with it. They are pretty comfortable, and I now own at least one more pair of KD shoes.

Well, that's all for now. Thank you for reading, and a special thanks to those that have been signing up for the various sites using my links!

Sale Alert - Street Moda

Quick sale alert. Street Moda is one of my favorite sites to get name brand shoes for cheap. They closed their site down for awhile, but upon reopening, are offering 60% off with the code SAVE60.

Might I suggest these:



Jessica Simpson Waleo, $18 with the code. These shoes retail full price for $90 so this is an absolute steal. I already have them in spiced coral. I may have purchase them in this color, as well as the nude kid suede (and by may have I mean I did). I LOVE my spiced coral ones. They are such a versatile shoe. A very classy silhouette in a wide array of colors.



I went 1/2 size up because I have weird wide, short toes, but if you don't have wide feet your true size should work.

There's also a ton of other great deals. Like these



BCBGeneration Parade, $11.20 with the code. I'm a big fan of cheetah print shoes and I think every woman should own at least one pair.

Not sure how to wear them? I like to go with the classic pencil skirt and white blouse to let the shoes do the talking.



(The heels in the picture are from ShoeDazzle and no longer available, but you get the point.)

Moral of the story, check out Street Moda (don't forget the SAVE60 code). I'm sure you'll find something you like. Did I mention free shipping right now?

Happy Shopping!

What I Wore To Church - Houndstooth Dress

I bring you another edition of my favorite blog segment: what I wore to church. We'll jump right in.


Dress: eShakti Houndstooth Print Colorblock Dress
Shoes: JustFab Ivana

You may notice I'm not in front of my bookshelf like usual. My sister and her family were in town this weekend, and we decided to take the kids to the park. I thought it would be a good opportunity to take a picture in the sunshine. The only downside is you can't see the shoes as well in the grass.

I absolutely love this dress. I got it in eShakti's last sale (it's still on sale for $44.95). I'm pretty sure I've never paid full price for any of their dresses which is one of the MANY, well-documented reasons I love them. It was a ton of fun to twirl in. I seriously love the twirly dresses. If I had a choice (that didn't cost money), I would've put longer sleeves on it since I'm not a fan of the inset cap, but I made it work. When it gets a bit colder, I'm going to have fun accessorizing with colored cardigans!

The shoes were, you guessed it, a great pop of color to the dress. They're not as bright as the pink ones I wore last week, but they were still a nice addition to the dress. The best part was that because they weren't crimson shoes, I didn't get any "Roll Tide!" comments at church. Mission accomplished.  These were another JustFab sale purchase so they cost me about $10. (If you're interested in signing up for JustFab, use this link.)

Again, I'd like to thank all of those that took the time to vote for me in the eShakti Summer Moment contest. I still can't get over the fact that I won.

Have a great week! Happy shopping!