I am WAY overdue on writing this post! bareMinerals kindly sent me my first-ever PR gift late last year (THANK YOU, bareMinerals!!) while John and I were in the middle of doing work on our new home prior to moving in. I started incorporating the products into my skin care routine but with all the house work, then moving and settling in (plus I’m having trouble using the computer much due to ulnar nerve issues in my right arm), it’s taken me forever to sit down and actually review these products. But here we are, finally!
1. Overtone: I’ve been super bored with my hair lately. So I got about three inches cut off last week and also tried an at-home color depositing treatment by a brand called Overtone. First, I got a sample of their Extreme Purple Deep Treatment and tried a strand test; to my surprise, the color actually took! So I used the rest of the sample on my hair and it lent it a subtle purple tint. Which was exactly what I was looking for! The color has faded since I took the below shot, but I ordered the Purple for Brown Hair Conditioner and will use that at least a couple times a week to help maintain the tint. It’s fun to do something different with my hair for once! I’d like to try the Rose Gold for Brown Hair at some point too.
I’ve skipped Friday Five for a few weeks because I’ve had other posts to write and didn’t want to overload myself. But I’m back with five things from the past week!
1. Peak Cherry Blossoms: I absolutely love seeing DC’s cherry blossoms at peak bloom! The predicted peak bloom date was this Monday, April 1, so that morning I got up, got dressed, and headed straight to the Tidal Basin. I will confess that I struggled to convince myself to go because it was was chilly and windy…but I did it! The cold and wind aggravated my skin for the next couple days, but it was still worth it. I only spent about 15 minutes there because my fingers and toes were starting to freeze, but I was very happy that I went.
Happy April! How excited are you that spring is FINALLY here? This past winter felt utterly endless.
I ended up emptying quite a few products last month…some were even full sized! And I’ve even included a couple makeup empties, which is quite rare for me. Keep reading to find out which products I’d repurchase.
Just like last year, I headed to my local Whole Foods yesterday morning when they released this year’s limited edition beauty bag. The bags cost $20 and are only available while supplies last. They have two bag options this year: blue (Self-Care Sunday themed) and black (All-Day Beautiful themed). Apparently each bag contains slightly different products, which I didn’t know until later. But I’m happy with the blue bag I picked out!
My Spring FabFitFun box finally arrived this week, and it’s chock full o’ goodies! I received eight full sized beauty and lifestyle products with a total value of $271.99….for $49.99. I mean…come on. Up front, I want to point out that this post is not sponsored, but it does contain referral links to FabFitFun. So if you sign up for your own subscription using my links here, you’ll get $10 off your first box and I’ll receive a $15 credit to spend with FabFitFun!
My latest Stitch Fix is my 25th! Can you believe it?! I sure can’t. My box arrived last week and I waited a couple days for good enough lighting to take photos. I’m still working out where and when to get the best light in our new home. Currently we’re getting some really nice late afternoon light in our living room, and I’m pretty happy with how my pics turned out this time. MUCH better than last time!
I was excited by the mix of colors and patterns of my items when I pulled them out of the box:
What is Stitch Fix?
In case you’re not familiar with Stitch Fix , it’s a subscription-based personal styling service for women, men, and kids. It’s free to create an account and complete a style profile. Once you schedule a Fix, a stylist selects five pieces of clothing, accessories, or shoes for you. When the Fix arrives you have three days to try the items on and decide which ones you want to purchase. You’ll find more info on how it works at the bottom of this post.
March 2019 Styling Notes
Stitch Fix assigned Jennifer to style me again. I didn’t input any notes or specific requests prior to this Fix; I kinda wanted to just see what my stylist would come up with. Jennifer sent me two tops, a cardigan, a dress, and a jumpsuit. Everything looked super promising on the styling cards…three different floral prints? Yes please!
Top #1
The first piece I tried on was the Fun2fun Zahari Split Neck Blouse ($38), a super cute, sheer red top with a small black-and-white floral print. Honestly, it’s not something I would be drawn to in the store but when I tried it on I liked it. The cut is a little boxy, but it looks good with a half tuck like you see below. I don’t even mind that it’s sheer—I actually think it looks cute over a black bra. So the verdict on this blouse was KEPT!
I didn’t bother with shoes, so please enjoy my Valentine’s Day socks.
Top #2
Next I tried on the Colette Romey Cold Shoulder Knit Top ($34). I’ve been interested in cold shoulder tops and have tried a few on at H&M but none have worked out. I really liked this one, though! The top is super soft and I love the sage green color. This one also looks better styled with a half tuck rather than hanging loose.
Here’s a profile shot where you can see the shoulder slit and detail. Super cute! Obviously, the verdict on this top was also KEPT.
The Cardigan
I tried the Pixley Abriella Waffle Knit Cardigan ($48) over the cold shoulder top and it looked really cute. The cardigan is SUPER soft and has drapey pockets, which I love. I also like the slightly purple-leaning slate color. This will be a really good layering piece as we move from winter into spring. Clearly, the verdict on the cardigan was also KEPT. I mean, POCKETS!
The Dress
Next up was the 41 Hawthorn Cristen Shirt Dress ($78), which is basically the same shirtdress I kept from my December 2017 Fix and absolutely love. I actually saw another woman wearing that dress out at a bar recently and told her I had the same one from Stitch Fix. So we bonded over the dress for a moment…look at Stitch Fix, bringing people together! 😛 Anyway, I don’t always love receiving another version of something I already have, but in this case I was thrilled. The color and pattern are different enough for me to justify having another in my closet. I absolutely love this dress too! I’m really feeling teal these days so the color and florals are perfect. The verdict? KEPT, duh!
The Jumpsuit
I’ve requested jumpsuits in past Fixes and have received a couple short rompers that didn’t work out. They can be difficult because I have a long torso, so if they’re not long enough I get camel toe, which is a big nope. This time around, Jennifer sent the Loveappella Valentina Crochet Trim Knit Jumpsuit ($78). And I’m in love with it! The floral print is right up my alley. I also like the wrap top style, the crochet detail along the shoulders (which you can’t see in my photo), and the ruffly sleeves. The jumpsuit is super comfortable and the torso is long enough to avoid even a soupçon of camel toe. It’s a little loose around my waist, but not to the point where it looks bad. I do wish it had pockets, but otherwise it’s fantastic! So yeah…the verdict was KEPT.
Closing Thoughts
Peeps, I kept the whole shebang this time! Jennifer totally knocked it out of the park, so a big thank you to her. Because I kept all five pieces, I got a 25% off my order. Without the discount my total would have been $276, but instead I spent $199.42 (minus the $20 styling fee, plus tax). That’s an average of just under $40 per item. I’ve already worn the red and green blouses and I can’t wait for the weather to warm up enough to wear the dress and jumpsuit!
Have you gotten anything you love from Stitch Fix lately?
Sign up at Stitch Fix and complete a style profile by filling out your clothing and shoe sizes, what sort of styles you like, color preferences, and more. They offer plus sizes and maternity wear as well! You can even specify a price range you’re willing to spend per piece. The style profile is comprehensive, and you can include a link to your Pinterest style board (here’s mine) to help guide your stylist. They’ve added a rating feature to the website where you can give a thumbs up or a thumbs down to specific items so your stylist can better tailor Fixes to your taste. You can request specific items via your Pinterest board or by leaving a note for your stylist on the Stitch Fix website, though there’s no guarantee you’ll get them.
Then you schedule a Fix (you can get one as often as you’d like). Ladies: you can now add Extras (e.g., intimates like bras, underwear, camis, etc) to your order before your stylist starts working on it! Stitch Fix will send you a box containing five items selected for you, along with a stylist note and outfit ideas.
You have three days to try everything on and decide what to keep or return. If you keep any items (even just one), they’ll deduct a $20 styling fee from the total cost. The styling fee can be applied to your extras. Even better? If you keep all five items, you get a 25% discount on everything! You only pay the $20 styling fee if you send everything back. What happens if you don’t like some of the items? Stitch Fix makes it simple for you to return whatever you don’t want to keep. Each Fix includes a pre-addressed, USPS postage-paid envelope for easy returns. Schedule your first Fix today!
My March Play! by Sephora box arrived last week but I’ve been having issues with using the computer because of my ulnar nerve problem. Sometimes it’s tolerable but lately it hasn’t been, so I’ve been trying to use the computer less…which is HARD. Anyway, here I am! And I did film an unboxing video, so you can check it out below. Apparently I’m living in the past because in the beginning of the video I say it’s March 2018. Face, meet palm.
John and I received an invitation to a coed baby shower in Orlando on March 9. So we turned the trip into a mini southern vacation! We seriously needed a break after our move. We flew to Orlando on Saturday morning and attended the baby shower that night. The shower was good times and it was so fun to see our friends prior to their new arrival. The next morning, our vacation really began.
SUNDAY
After visiting our friends’ home Sunday morning, we hit the road in our rental car and drove about 35 minutes to EFG Orchids in DeLand, Florida. Because of my orchid addiction, we like to visit orchid greenhouses on our travels whenever possible! The place had lots of beautiful orchids, along with other plants, and we spent awhile wandering and marveling. And I didn’t even realize until I saw this pic of myself that I had worn the perfect shirt for blending in:
1. The Shining Pillowcases: I think I came across Etsy maker blvckfly on Pinterest and was instantly smitten with her Shining carpet-inspired pillowcases. I ordered this set of three pillowcases and I absolutely love them! The orange-and-brown one is the well-known classic carpet pattern, but the purple-and-green pattern is my favorite. The hedge maze pillowcase is pretty awesome, too. These are made with velveteen and they’re super soft! Definitely one of my favorite recent home decor purchases.
2. Dr. Jart Dermask Foot Smoothing Mask: I bought this $12 foot mask from Sephora recently and showed my feet a little love. This isn’t a foot peel (though I love those), but my feet were looking a little rough so they definitely needed some smoothing. You wear the space age-looking booties for 20 minutes and they’re supposed to feel warm, but honestly I didn’t experience any warmth. They were fun to wear, though, and after I removed them I massaged the excess essence into my feet. They felt much smoother and softer afterward! I do prefer a foot peel, but this is a good product to use if it’s not good timing for a peel.
