Shifting Over to WordPress

I'll probably continue posting the review series over here but then I feel that I'll be shifting all of my writing over to the new WordPress version of this blog.

You can expect a few more changes in the very near-future as it's time for me to kick this up a notch!

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BIOTHERM Lait solaire: A Review

As previously mentioned, I'll be altering this blog's course as of June and, in the meantime, I am providing you with a series of summer product reviews. My criteria will vary, depending on the product, but I will test each out for a minimum of three consecutive days.

I have nothing but praise for Biotherm's Lait Solaire. While I intend to use a higher SPF on my face, as the temperature rises, this is absolutely perfect for late spring/early summer. While I was in New York City, last week-end, I forgot to apply some lotion to my arms and they burned, whereas my face remained protected and moisturized.

I love how this smells, I love its fantastic texture (not oily, nor runny) and I love how smooth my skin continues to feel hours after I've applied it. I was almost reluctant to move on to the next product on my list and will be happy to return to this, once I've gone through them all.

You'll generally find the body lotion to be around $36.00 CAD and the facial one to go for $29.00 CAD.

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SPELLBOUND Nail Lacquer by Liberty Republic: A Review

For years I have been on the quest for the perfect red lipstick (I'm still looking!) but it had never occurred to me that I might want the perfect red nail lacquer. Then I received my April Wantable box and, quite unexpectedly, I found myself with just that, a colour called Omen, by Liberty Republic.

I honestly have no interest in buying any other red nail polish again.

The first coat is opaque and dries within just a few minutes and, once the second coat dries, you're left with a beautiful, wet-look finish that will make you crave delicious red things and make you want to make any motion that will put your nails on display.

In addition to all of this, I happen to love the packaging.

I'll be picking some more of this up and, at $14 USD, I will definitely try out some of their other colours.

photo source: www.wenrylynn.com

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More Musings: Where This Blog is Headed

I've mentioned this many times in the last year-and-a-half but, when I first created this blog, I knew what I didn't want it to be. While I can clearly see that what tends to work for style bloggers is for them to frequently post photos of themselves standing around in whatever it is they are wearing. I do get complimented on my style on a regular basis and I think I could probably be successful enough if I chose to follow suit but, in addition to the fact that I'm never been one to bleat along with with the rest of the flock, I think this is an empty path for a writer to take.

As for as what I actually want goes, I've gone through a series of opinions. When I began blogging, I was sure I would be posting about DIY projects I've taken on, creating shopping guides, sharing sewing tutorials, occasionally covering what's going on in the Montreal fashion scene and I knew I would definitely have a street style series. Since then, I've posted several shopping guides but only one street style photo, one style profile, no sewing tutorials and I've barely touched upon some of the DIY stuff I've been working on. More to the point, this is no longer of interest to me. Actually spending time on these things, yes, but sharing them with you, here, no. Oh and I have indeed been covering local events but for someone else's blog.

This has slowly been morphing into a lifestyle blog. I'm a fashion designer, a stylist, a writer, an aesthete, a traveler, a foodie, an amateur photographer, a mom, a weight lifter, an on-and-off musician and DJ, an entrepreneur and a rocker. This should reflect all of that and, more and more, it has been.

Things to look forward to:

I'm moving this blog to WordPress in July. That's the month I'll also be launching my new clothing line and another project I've been working on (that had been scheduled for a June debut but has been pushed back by a few months due to web development snags).

I will, on occasion, be inviting guest bloggers to post.

I have an instagram account  but I'll be posting more photos over here, very soon.

I will soon be kicking off a product review series that will carry us into June and end when the blog has been revamped. I have a wantable box to review and another one on the way but the most exciting news I have to share, with regards to this, is that a friend of mine showed up for Mother's Day Brunch at my place with the bass guitar I was buying for my daughter but also with a gift bag for me. Can you imagine my joy when I opened it up to find more than $450 of beauty products in there?! Cynthia works at L'Oréal and had a hunch I might appreciate some skin and hair care products. I think I was a little bit shocked upon receiving it but I went a little bananas last night when I pulled everything out and started sampling, smelling and reading. I feel so immensely blessed and I look forward to trying these out and sharing the results with you!

I'm trying out each product for three days in a row and taking notes but, thanks to my last wantable box, I'll be ready to post my first review as early as tomorrow.

Check this out! One of the Baby Lips and a mascara are missing.

This was the best Mother's Day ever! Brunch was made for me and I shared it with friends, their kids, my daughter and her father, under a bright blue sky, in my new yard. My kid got her new bass, I got the aforementioned treasure trove and I then went out to get tattooed by a really awesome friend before dinner was made for me. I'm still glowing from this fantastic day!

Here is my Mother's Day gift to me, done by the ridiculously rad Angus, at Sin City Montreal. I'll post better photos once they've healed.

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Vaunte: A Mixed Review

When I got my tax return, last week, I decided it was time to buy myself a pair of designer shoes. I'm over shoes that hurt and smell like plastic and I want to start replacing what I own with quality goods. I decided I'd purchase a pair of Sergio Rossi heels, which were at a fraction of the retail price. I could see that there were a few tiny markings on the shoes but nothing major. All other photos in the listing made the shoes look like they were in great condition.

I received my shoes today and was shocked and angered to discover that the two angles not shown in the listing were hidden for a reason. The inner side of the right toe and the entire left side of the shoe bare large and unsightly grey marks. I've added a filter due to my office's yellow lighting:

This should be a simple enough problem to solve, except that my invoices states that Vaunte currently does not accept returns from outside of the US. It's one thing to not be set up for sellers from other countries but if you sell to me, I should be able to return a product, especially when the original listing was very misleading.

This morning I wrote to the seller and to Vaunte and I await a response. If I'm going to spend this much on a pair of shoes from a site that claims to double-check quality, then I'm looking forward to some excellent post-sale customer service.

I'm cautiously hopeful because, worst case scenario, I hand them to Vaunte in person when I'm in New York, next week. I'll add an addendum as this unfolds.

Addendum:

One day later:
Today I sent the seller and Vaunte a third email each. This time I included a link to this post. Within four minutes, Vaunte wrote me back and I was told they are willing to make an exception in this case. They asked for photos of the markings, which I sent. Hopefully, this will go smoothly!

A little over a week later:

The shoes have been stuck at customs since the day they were shipped out because Vaunte never sent me a commercial invoice to go along with the waybill. Now I need their VAT number and a phone number or the shoes can't move. Waiting for news.

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