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Additional Boohoo Purchases

October 21, 2017October 16, 2017 MstldelanoLeave a comment

I added a few additional items from Boohoo to my wardrobe. Previously, I purchased several dresses from the company and I’ve enjoyed them. But, I needed a few more items with longer sleeves and that are better suited to the cool weather. I ended up selecting four new dresses: Flo Ribbed High Neck Long Sleeved Midi Dress in lilas, Lucy Rose Print Sleeveless Midi Dress, Eva Tie Waist Fitted Dress in fuchsia, Eloise Gathered Waist Midi Dress in navy.

The grand total for my purchase? $51.

Here’s a look at the dresses I got (as of today, the Flo dress in lilas is no longer available, however, it does come in several other colors).

Flo dress

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Lucy dress

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Eva dress

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Eloise dress

I’ve worn two of the dresses so far, and, similarly to the other Boohoo dresses, I’m pleased with the fit and construction. I can’t wait to see how these hold up over the next few months!

Review: Kimberly New York “Indigo Love” Perfume

October 4, 2017September 30, 2017 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Hello friends! I previously reviewed Kimberly New York’s Dimple fragrance (as well as the others available through the perfumier). But in late August, Kimberly New York released a new fragrance, Indigo Love, and I had to try it. It just arrived last week, after a bit of a shipping delay (the product was mailed out of Florida, and it seems that it got caught up in the Hurricane Irma delays). But it’s here now, so it’s time to review!

The product describes “Indigo Love” this way:

FREE-SPIRITED. EASY. FLORAL.

“Indigo Love” is an easy-going, bright floral. Sweet tangerine adds a bit of zest to mildly floral honeysuckle blossom. Warm cedarwood anchors this whimsical scent in grown-and-sexy sophistication.

Eau de parfum

Notes:
top – sweet tangerine
middle – honeysuckle blossom
base – cedarwood

It starts off bright and citrusy, but there is a sweet mellowness that settles in after the first few whiffs (must be that honeysuckle essence). After that, the cedarwood whispers softly and smells warm; it gives me the feeling of lazy, faintly humid summer days.

Just like “Dimple”, this one has to be reapplied frequently to retain its power. But the fragrance is beautiful and the name – “Indigo Love” – is fitting. This would be just as perfect with a pretty sundress as it would be with a t-shirt and jeans.

My final thoughts? I really like it! I would purchase it again.

Have any of you had the chance to try some of the Kimberly New York fragrances? Let me know in the comments below!

beauty · style

Classy Looks for Less: Boohoo Clothing

September 25, 2017September 20, 2017 MstldelanoLeave a comment

Happy Monday, beloveds! What’s more fun on a Monday than discussing fashion and beauty?

This post is all about a Boohoo haul, and the classy looks I scored for under $75.

I know, I know. The words “Boohoo” and “classy” generally aren’t listed in the same sentence, unless also coupled with the words “is not”. Before you all think that I’ve lost my mind, let me assure you that I’ve ordered multiple times from Boohoo, so I’m aware that the clothing on that site caters to the young, partying crowd. Many of the styles are the antithesis of “classy”.

But I love a good challenge, and I wanted to refresh my wardrobe without spending too much. After all, I’m still deciding on what clothes should be included in my fall/winter capsule wardrobe.

(squeals)

I ordered four dresses from Boohoo few weeks ago. The styles I ordered were the Eva Tie Waist Fitted Dress in Cobalt, the Cesca Split Sleeve Detail Wiggle Midi Dress in Berry, the Hollie Fitted Midi Tailored Dress in Silver, and the Karina Tie Waist Midi Dress in Rose.

Here’s Cesca in Berry (photo courtesy of Boohoo)

Here’s the benefit of these dresses: the styles are classy and perfect for the office. These come in a variety of colors, so if you find a style that is particularly flattering, you can always buy more. These dresses are very inexpensive: Boohoo frequently has sales on their items (when I purchased these, they were 50% off of the advertised price). Also, Boohoo is an eBates affliate, so you qualify for a cashback percentage for your purchase. Every Boohoo purchase gives you the opportunity to get money back on top of the savings you’re receiving by purchasing items during their sales.

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Hollie in Silver (photo courtesy of Boohoo)

The grand total for my four dresses: $64, after all discounts are applied. There were also no shipping fees, so there were no hidden expenses when I checked out.

Disclaimer: as with anything, you get what you pay for. The clothing is inexpensive for a reason: the dresses aren’t lined and the material feels thin. While the items aren’t completely transparent, you will need a slip or camisole to prevent from showing every dimple and fold (if that sort of thing doesn’t bother you, then disregard it). I am concerned that these may not hold up to normal laundry cycles, so I’ll be sure to use a lingerie/delicates bag when washing these dresses. Only time will tell if the colors remain true, as well. These dresses have no zippers, which isn’t necesssarily a dealbreaker. However, no zipper means the dresses will have to be pulled off and on over the head, which can lead to stretched out, misshapen necklines.

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Karina in Rose

Overall, I feel that the products I received were worth the prices that I paid. I’m estimating my cost-per-wear (CPW) at 67 cents per dress if I can wear each dress at least 24 times over the next year (averaging 2 times a month per dress). Assuming that these dresses last for 24 wears, I feel that I would have easily gotten my money’s worth. It’ll be even better if I can get these dresses to last beyond 24 wears! In fact, if these dresses hold up beyond 3 washes, they will probably comprise a good portion of my capsule wardrobe. I’ll keep you all posted on how these hold up during the winter (I plan to layer these with cardigans, blazers, leggings and knee-high boots so that I can stay warm during the colder months).

Thanks for stopping by, and make sure you drop by tomorrow, when I discuss one of my recent hotel stays!

beauty · luxury

Review: KoyVoca Highlighter

September 21, 2017September 19, 2017 Mstldelano1 Comment

As I mentioned previously, I went a little overboard (in a good way) while shopping for beauty products. At the same time that I purchased the Nicolet Beauty lip catnips, I purchased a new highlighter from KoyVoca. Like I’ve mentioned before, I love supporting indie beauty brands, and KoyVoca is another small business that specializes in cosmetics that flatter demographics that are traditionally ignored (primarily women of color).

For the record, I generally avoid highlighters. I don’t want to look like every other 20-something on Instagram. And since I have oilier skin, my pores tend to look larger and many products can amplify skin texture. Highlighters are some of the top offenders when it comes to putting the spotlight on textured skin.

But, in the interest of keeping a more modern look, I looked for a highlighter. I didn’t want a very warm, golden product, because I have cool/neutral undertones and warm tones tend to be unflattering on me. So this product needed to have neutral undertones, preferably cool ones, but I didn’t want it to make me look like a corpse (a pretty common occurrence with cool-toned products).

This highlighter had to come correct, or I would never use it again.

I took a chance on $1,000,000,000 (Billion Dollar) Babe.

I’m officially a highlighter convert.

This shade is the perfect neutral: warm enough to make my skin look alive, but cool enough that I don’t look sallow when wearing it. It looks amazing on the skin, too: it doesn’t make my pores look enormous.

Don’t let the swatch fool you: it is far more neutral than the camera is capturing. Here’s another view of the product in different lighting (it captures the cool tones a little better).

I’ve worn this product on my cheekbones, nose bridge, brow bone, and inner corner. I got so many compliments on my “glow”! I really loved how it looks on the skin. So, I ordered some more stuff from KoyVoca, including the face powders, foundations and another highlighter.

Aside from the actual product performance, I was pleased with KoyVoca. The product arrived quickly and were well packaged. I found the prices were extremely reasonable, as well.

Are you all enjoying the highlighter trend? Tell me about the highlighters you enjoy in the comments below!

beauty · luxury

Review: Nicolet Beauty Lip Catnips

September 16, 2017September 15, 2017 Mstldelano2 Comments

During my beauty binge a few weeks ago, I came across Nicolet Beauty. I was intrigued by the line, because they offer vegan lip products in both glamorous and unusual shades. They offer both lipsticks and lip glosses. But that’s not the only thing that lured me in.

Look at the container. LOOK. AT. IT.

Nicolet Beauty sells “lip catnips” (intensely pigmented lip gloss) in both the standard lip gloss tubs, but they are also offering a few of their shades in these limited edition special containers. Now tell me: wouldn’t you just LOVE to have these on your vanity?

I ordered two of these limited edition glosses in the shades “Florence” and “Norino” (there are two other shades, as well: Delphia and Zona). The website describes “Florence” as a “Metallic Berry lip gloss”, while “Norino” is described as a “Rose Gold metallic lip gloss”. I found both of these descriptions accurate, and the pigment was intense and true to what is shown on the website.

(Florence on the left, Norino on the right)

I. Loved. These. Catnips! The coverage is gorgeous and these smell like cupcakes! I’m a bit more partial to “Norino”, mainly because this is the one that I’ve worn more frequently. I have gotten compliments on the rose gold shade when I wore it. I anticipate that “Florence” will be an absolute hit this winter (I usually go a little deeper on my lip shades during the cooler months, so this one will be a perfect change from “Norino”).

(Florence and Norino in their pots)

Now, a few disclaimers are in order. These are both shimmery shades, so if you love your mattes, this isn’t for you. Also, while the website lists these as lip glosses, the website also cautions that these are highly pigmented. So these colors apply like a lip gloss but have coverage and finish like a lipstick. These do not apply as sheers and, since they don’t dry down to a matte finish, they blend well with lip liners (you don’t have to rush and blend because the lip catnip doesn’t dry completely).

Since these are glosses, you can expect that these will remain a little “tacky” and retain their sheen throughout the day. Funny enough, I found that the colors looked a tad shinier when unmanipulated, and took on a more matte look when I pressed my lips together. If you want a shinier look, you will have to layer a clear gloss over the lip catnips, or just remember not to press your lips together too much.

The unexpected surprise of this order was the fact that I got the glam lip brush along with the catnips. I can’t promise you that everyone receives a lip brush (it wasn’t mentioned on the website) but I was delighted to see this coordinating accessory in my package.

Oh yes, about the package: it arrived quickly (within a week) so I was pleased. These glosses are ordinarily $16, but as of September 15, 2017, these are on sale for $12 each. This is a great way to get some affordable luxury in your life!

That’s my review of Nicolet Beauty. I hope that the company continues to produces these luxuriously packaged items, because they are unique and help me to quickly tap into my inner glam.

What do you think of Nicolet Beauty? Let me know in the comments below!

luxury

Review: Kimberly New York “Dimple” Perfume

August 30, 2017September 24, 2017 MstldelanoLeave a comment

I scoured the Internet to find some indie perfumes to try. I love beautiful scents and I was eager for a fragrance that would be unusual but have some staying power.

Enter Kimberly New York perfumes. The scents have adorable names – Artsy, Bubble, Dimples, and Poetry – and my interest was piqued.

Fortuitously enough, the perfumer had a sale on the scent “Dimple”, so I purchased the full sized “Dimple” perfume, as well as the “Spring Street” 4-vial set, which had trial amounts of all four fragrances.

While I did purchase only one full sized perfume, I had a chance to wear them all, so I will review the entire line, but give my most in-depth opinions about “Dimple”.

Here is “Dimple” ‘s description, straight from the Kimberly New York website:

SEXY. EDIBLE. WARM.

Dark chocolate almond biscotti, and mint chips snuggle sweetly. “Dimple” is as alluring as a heartfelt smile.

Notes:
top – mint
middle – sprinkled sugar cookie
base – dark chocolate

I can comfortably state that I smelled all of these essences in the perfume. The chocolate base reminded me a bit of Thierry Mugler’s “Angel”, but the mint top note was a refreshing spin. Honestly, when I first sniffed Dimple, I immediately thought of my favorite ice cream, Mint Chocolate Chip.

I wore it and LOVED it. I asked a few men what they thought of the smell, and they gave it a thumbs up, too!

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Here are some of my takeaways from this line:

Pros: This line ships SUPER fast. I had my products within 3 business days. The products were affordable ($15 for the vial set, and $45 [regular price] for the full-sized fragrances). Also, the perfume bottle and promotional inserts/materials were attractive.

Cons: You can’t accurately gauge the sillage of some of the fragrances using the “Spring Street” vial set. These are eau de parfums, but when I wore “Artsy”, I noticed that I could barely smell it on my skin. I applied nearly half of the vial initially, and then I had to reapply every two hours (normal reapplication for eau de parfums is about 4 hours). Funny enough, I wore “Bubble” and the sillage seemed more accurate (only used about 1/3 of the bottle, and I could smell it with ease).

In addition, you MUST reapply during the day. I’ll admit: wearing more luxurious fragrances spoiled me a bit LOL! I don’t have to reapply my higher-end perfumes very often. But these needed to be reapplied every 4 hours, or the scent would be lost. That’s not a “con”, per se, but just something to note.

Overall opinion? I’d definitely order again, and I’m looking forward to trying all of the fragrances. And when I do, I’ll be sure to review them!