Showing posts with label March 2014. Show all posts
Showing posts with label March 2014. Show all posts

Friday, March 28, 2014

SocialBliss Style Box Review - March 2014 - Paris!

Yay for Gai Paris!
Sans vous je ne suis qu'un ver de terre.

That's all the French I remember after 5 years of classes. Gotta love public schools and teachers you can manipulate into allowing French food days instead of real class at least once a week.

Luckily, my French-themed Social Bliss Style Box showed up yesterday to remind me of all I had forgotten! This is one of the many sleep deprived subscriptions I signed up for last month. They send a variety of one size fits all accessories for $39.95. I signed up because I liked the looks of previous boxes. 

I'm good without a theme, but it was cute.

It's heeeeere
I love it when my poor decisions try to woo me
Here are the contents in order of least to most exciting.

French Milled Lemon Verbena By South of France ($1)
Ooh La La Baumes Pour Les Levres ($1)
It's soap! And chapstick! Horribly out of focus!
Giving these long French names just really change the fact that they are soap and chapstick. These are valued at a fair $1 apiece. I suppose I had better hold on to the already opened chapstick. It's soft and hydrating, as chapstick should be. I have a lip gloss addiction so I don't know how much it will get used.

The soap will go into the guest bath. It's surprising how tough it is to find soap that size outside of a hotel room - so I'm happier than I should be about this item.

Flourishing In Florals Headband ($14)
Wish I could wear stuff like this without feeling like Blossom. Or 12 years old.
This is cute and would look adorable on an H&M model. I appreciate the trendiness of the pastel spring florals, but it's not the type of accessory I can pull off. I've tried headscarves many times, and I always feel like I'm wearing the costume of a much freer spirit.

Eco - Chic Beauty Brushes Set ($25)
Score!
This is going in my travel toiletries immediately. I have a paranoia left over from my cat-owning days that my makeup brushes will disappear, one by one, only to be found years later when moving a dresser. 

This set is incredibly soft and the case is handy. I'd like to know, though, whose idea it was to make the case light colored? A much better choice would be fake bake orange, with streaks of black, blue and purple, and maybe some mud colored shimmery smudges to accent. It would always look dirty, but at least you would have an excuse.

These have synthetic bristles and bamboo handles, and are a decent variety of brushes for powder, concealer, eyeshadow and brows.

Spring In Paris Mattie Bag by Melie Bianco - Blush Pink ($80)
I'm a sucker for exposed gold zippers
Conveniently laid out interior
This pretty little top-handle purse also comes in creamy ivory. At approximately 12" wide and 10" tall it's medium-sized (> clutch, < tote), and has a great interior with a handy cell phone pocket. It's perfectly on trend with all the pastels showing up this spring. Unfortunately I tend towards larger purses with over the shoulder straps. It doesn't really matter since I'm currently trapped in the diaper bag only zone, so this little guy hasn't found his forever home yet!

Zooey Deschanel called and wants her box back

It's tough to find accessories that appeal to a mass audience with wildly varied tastes. Especially handbags. They can go with what's currently trending, like the floral headscarf. The other option is to go safe and boring. This box was about half and half.

Like most of these subscriptions, this box appeals to a fairly specific audience. If that's you, mon petite chou, you can sign up to get the next SocialBliss Style Box here

The contents were surprisingly high quality and beautiful. I think this is a much better deal than the beauty box subscriptions that give you dozens of tiny samples (a skin cream would have to be pretty miraculous to work in two days!). I preferred this month's POPSugar Must Have box, but I appreciate the quality and love some of the stuff I've seen in past boxes. I'll continue with this one for a bit and see how it goes, collecting some great gifts for other people along the way.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Stitch Fix Review #1 - March 2014

***I've Moved! Come visit the new blog at Http://mywhitepaperpackages.com!***

For the most part, I plan to write about things I really love. However, I've really enjoyed reading other people's Stitch Fix and box subscription posts, and I find them helpful. So, regardless of my opinion on an individual subscription, I'll offer it here.



My first Stitch Fix box arrived yesterday (you can see what it is and how it works here). The contents were posted online once it shipped; but I'm a sucker for surprises, so I gritted my teeth and waited. I'll just cut to the chase, I was a bit disappointed.  Not in the quality or fit of the clothes, but regarding the overall style compared to what I was looking for.
Nice clothes, not what I was looking for (mostly)
I recently went through a massive closet purge, which I haven't done in the nine years since I moved to Arizona. During that time I graduated from my 20s to my 30s, started a career in software consulting, got married, finished a career in software consulting and had a baby. It was time. I either gifted, consigned or donated everything in the following categories:
  • Didn't fit perfectly
  • Hadn't worn in two years or longer
  • Was yellow or brown (intentionally or unintentionally). These are horrible colors on me!
  • Wasn't flattering on my body type
  • I purchased thinking I was 5 lbs away from really rocking it. Oh, I went those 5 lbs. In the opposite direction.
  • Gave me that feeling in my tummy that I also get watching the opening credits to M*A*S*H.
As I pulled each article, I realized I felt better and better without reminders of money poorly spent or weight never lost. I was left with a closet full of pretty good, well fitting casual pieces, with some nice dresses and jackets. Looking over what remained, I realized it was time for my closet to MATURE. What I lacked were standout pieces. I needed high quality staples, and I wanted some unique glam and funky pieces to add interest.

I signed up for Stitch Fix and filled out my style profile, anxious to see what fabulous stuff they would send. High on the request list were a great pair of jeans and blazer. I said I would invest more than my guideline budget for really fantastic pieces. I made sure my Pinterest board reflected my taste and hoped for the best.  My only concern was that every blogged Stitch Fix review I read seemed to reflect very similar style and price point. I wondered if most people fill out their profile similarly or if Stitch Fix tends to cater more to one style demographic.

When my box arrived, this is what I received: 
Wrap Dress, Tunic
Blazer, Bracelet, Jeans

I apologize for the poor lighting and lack of truly full length pics. I would have had to interrupt my husband's battle with influenza to have him snap pictures of clothes I wasn't keeping. I couldn't figure out how to word that request!

Bay to Baubles Lory Rhinestone Circle Wrap Bracelet ($32)
Meh
This leather bracelet has a ring of tiny rhinestones. It just isn't my style. I'm tall and like bigger, statement pieces for balance. Plus the magnetic clasp means I would lose this within 5 minutes. 

RETURNED

41Hawthorn Melinda 3/4 Sleeve Blazer ($78)


The blazer is a beautiful aqua color, but the silhouette is a little square for my taste. I feel a bit boxy with it hanging straight down. I like the pics better than the reality. It was perfectly adequate, but I'm only going to buy stuff I LOVE from now on.

Collective Concepts Esten Button-Up Sleeveless Tunic ($68)



Once again, beautiful aqua fabric (sale at the textile mill?) but clearly this tunic does nothing for me! It hangs straight down from the girls, hiding any shape I have. Belting it at the waist just shows off my horrible belt collection and emphasizes my short waist. I'm not against getting things tailored, but the length is also too long and cuts me in half vertically. Couldn't even pull off an artfully sloppy tuck. I asked for longer tops but this was too long and too shapeless for me.

RETURNED

Lily Emelda Zig-Zag Wrap Dress ($108)

Great silhouette from the side
Too Peg Bundy from the front
This dress had the opposite problem, it couldn't contain my shape! Totally not their fault that I'm nursing a baby and pretty much out of control on top, but it couldn't even fully cover my bra. My son would appreciate the easy access, but I don't want to have to turn my porch light off on Halloween.

It also had a horizontal pattern (don't need that optical illusion) and thread unraveling on the tie.

Overall the shape and fabric are great for me, but true wrap dresses are tough for obvious reasons and the print, while pretty, is not what I'm looking for.

RETURNED

Just Black Jake Slim Bootcut Jean ($88)

Winner! Winner! Chicken Dinner!
Wouldn't it be great if you could actually see them?
Loved the fit, length and leg shape. They have a perfect rise and are an incredibly soft stretch denim. I needed a dressier jean and this is it. I love that I can comfortably wear silk tops and black with this midnight blue denim. I am really impressed my sorcerer, err stylist, nailed jeans in one try with no fitting room.

KEPT

In Summary

In order to have a lucrative business Stitch Fix probably orders bulk for wholesale pricing. Including pieces from their proprietary clothing line would increase margins (41Hawthorn - I'm pretty sure they include at least one piece in each box). I'm still concerned that so far what I've seen of their inventory is all pretty similar in style. This would be a dream come true if it's what I was looking for.

I was pleased to discover that the fabrics were nice and the colors beautiful.

My closet already comprises decent basics, and I was hoping to take everything up a notch and discover some edgy glamorous stuff that I would be hard pressed to find at my local department store. After re-reading my style profile, I understand why each piece was selected, even if I had a different vision in my head. Updates have already been made!

Other blogs have warne
d that it takes a couple of boxes of feedback to nail down your preferences, so I'm not giving up just yet. I am very happy that the jeans were totally worth the whole box and my $20 styling fee didn't go to waste. Stitch Fix is extremely convenient and a great idea; it just may not be as custom as I was hoping for!

If you're thinking, "This chick is crazy! I loved the contents of her box!" Then by all means, sign up here!