Bitchy Fashion Review: Shoedazzle

In addition to my growing addiction to various subscription box services like Birchbox, I have also been looking at other sites like Little Black Bag, Shoedazzle and JustFab. I heard about LBB from a beauty guru on YouTube, I saw a commercial for Shoedazzle on tv and I only knew about JustFab because Kimora Lee Simmons is the Creative Director and I love her to pieces. lol I was on the hunt for some new stuff this summer after I got my last refund from school and I figured I'd treat myself to a new outfit, complete with shoes because I have more shoes that I can't wear (because they're uncomfortable and don't fit) than shoes that I can wear. On the regular, I only wear two pairs of shoes. One pair of Converses and some ballet slippers. Summertime is limited to flip flops and no shoes at all. lol I haven't owned a pair of sandals since my mom bought me jellies as a kid. OAN, who remembers those? LOL

Anyway, I stumbled across Shoedazzle while I was looking for a cute pair of shoes to wear with my dress and being the cheap-o that I am, I zoomed right in on the 'Clearance' category. I have easily given away hours of my life to that site and daydreaming about all the shoes I'd toss in my virtual cart if I had the money. Online shopping is the devil, I tell ya. I can see how so many people end up getting sucked into draining their money shopping online; it's so easy...and almost too tempting...to just click on junk and pretend you can afford it. For me it wouldn't be pretending, it would be straight up lying because I know damn well I can't afford that stuff in mass quantities. lol That's a splurge site for someone on as strict of a budget as I am and that's perfectly fine with me. It makes the purchases I am able to get feel more 'ooh la la how special.'

Anyway, I ended up picking up two pairs of shoes on clearance. This was the first pair.

Original photo from Shoedazzle has been removed; this image is from OMG buy me THIS

These are the Crush wedge sneakers by beau+ashe; they originally were retailed at around $60 but were on clearance at Shoedazzle for $15. I really liked the silver velcro strap going across the front of the shoe and the style of leather that they used; it gave me a bit of a throwback feel with the old high-top pump sneakers. I've worn them once so far (I haven't gone many places where I feel comfortable wearing these for extended periods yet) and I'm not really a wedge/boot/heel kind of girl because I'm clumsy as all hell, so they weren't as easy to walk in as I originally anticipated but only because I personally am not comfortable. As weird as I'm sure this sounds, the shoe was just fine. The inside is very soft and comfy. I was only uncomfortable because I wasn't used to it. Many of the users who picked these up and left reviews advised to get one shoe size larger than the regular size because the insides were rather narrow. When I went to order my pair, I saw that the only ones left were one size above my regular so I called it fate. I even refreshed the page to make sure that I wasn't seeing things and when the little black circle saying "Only 1 left!" popped up again, I ordered them with a quickness. $60 dollar shoes...on clearance for $15....one pair left...just one size above mine? Come on now, tell me you can't see how fate intervened for me here!

 I took these pictures myself because I guess the designer is in-house at Shoedazzle, so there was no independent site to get the photos from after Shoedazzle stopped carrying these sandals.

I don't know if you can tell,
but there's a very tiny wedge. 

The front of these strap up
a little like gladiator sandals.

These are the Padua sandals from Izabella Rue Italy and they originally retailed for $64 but I also got these on clearance for $15. Fortunately it wasn't quite as much of a race to get these as there were still a number of them available, but they were removed from the site not long after I purchased them so I'm glad I got them when I did. I can't find them anywhere else either so again, it's good that I got them when I did. I loved that the sandals were reminiscent of gladiator sandals, didn't appear too fussy and most importantly weren't heels. lol The sole of the shoe is narrow and a little too smooth for comfort, so due to the fact that I am usually barefoot my feet have gotten a little wider than normal so there were a few occasions throughout graduation day where I was walking and my foot just slipped off the side of the shoe. LOL One complaint I had though was that the leather for these shoes was pretty stiff and it got to be a little painful after awhile; after a morning in the sandals I had to take them off because the straps at the top were starting to cut into my ankle. That could be because I haven't broken them in yet, I'm not sure. Sandal season's finally over here in Texas so I won't know until next spring sometime. 

I ordered the shoes at the same time and while the total should have come up to around $124, I only paid $30. The shipping was free as a gift from Shoedazzle for first-time buyers. I immediately received a confirmation email after placing the order, then another when the order was shipped. I didn't have any hidden fees or charges (which I was really afraid of), I didn't have to worry about being signed up for a subscription or running into any sort of recurring fees, and there were no problems with either the condition of the shoes when I received them or the delivery. The only thing I got asked if I wanted to sign up for were emails, which I did end up signing for but it's completely voluntary. In terms of the actual ordering process, I got exactly what I asked for, before the date I was told I'd receive them, and in the end paid less than half of what I should have. A $124 value for only $30?? That was God and excellent timing. LOL

Bitchy Review:

Needless to say, I was immensely pleased with Shoedazzle's service. I have gone back on many occasions to browse since buying my shoes this summer and while I have yet to find any deals quite as enticing as the one I had, the prices aren't all that bad. While I'm more financially challenged than the average Jane now that I'm out of school, I wouldn't mind buying something from the site again. There was nothing misleading during the purchasing process, something that is a large fear for many people when buying online, I received exactly what I wanted and in timely fashion to boot. The quality of both pairs of shoes is excellent and while I usually do not wear sandals or wedge sneakers on the regular, it's only because I'm a klutz. lol I feel like Shoedazzle does a great job of bringing a little sophistication to the average chick by making the prices more affordable for high-end materials and I appreciate that. And they don't just sell shoes, I believe they also sell jewelry and handbags, both of which have a large catalog of high-end, chic looking items. So if you're in the market for one of the three, want to go with a trusted online retailer and don't want to spend your life savings, I highly recommend going with Shoedazzle. 

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Bitchy TV Review: Witches of East End

My sister and I waited for months before this show finally premiered on Lifetime earlier this fall, and we haven't been disappointed. This show is about a family of witches in the fictional(?) town of East End, with two sisters who recently have come into the knowledge that they are witches and now, with their mother and aunt, still have to deal with regular life and its challenges.....oh yeah, and someone trying to kill them. #newwitchproblems, right? LOL

In the midst of all the other supernaturally-themed trends going on right now (superheroes, werewolves, vampires, zombies--although I guess that's not exactly supernatural but whatever) this show kinda snuck in the back door and I appreciate that it didn't go the route of the categories I listed above. As the vampire craze (which my sister and I were full-heartedly on board with--hello fellow Twihards!!) finally begins to die down and the zombie craze has taken its place (Walking Dead, although too gory for my taste, is the shiz) it was actually pretty nice to see a show that had none of those things. The main characters are below, and I had to include those promo pics because they're freakin' stunning.

Joanna Beauchamp (played by the awesome Julia Ormond) is the matriarch of this family. She is very powerful and unfortunately very cursed as well. Immortality, a quality usually coveted by various supernatural creatures, is actually part of Joanna's curse as it will force her to watch her daughters, Ingrid and Freya, continually be killed young over and over again. Before finishing the grieving process, she spontaneously becomes pregnant and the cycle starts all over again. Due to this curse, Joanna finally has enough and decides not to tell her girls they are witches in order to protect them and give them the chance to finally live full and happy lives as this opportunity was always taken from them in the past. She is a very cautious sort, having been through so much, but this comes to bite her in the ass as she now has an unknown shifter out to destroy her and those she loves. By not telling her daughters of their true identity during this lifetime, she has actually left them more vulnerable as they now have to learn a lot very quickly. Joanna is often the voice of reason, the calm within the storm, during stressful situations. She's very straight-laced and sometimes I find it annoying lol, but I can see why she is the way she is. 

Wendy (played by my newest girlcrush, the stunning Madchen Amick) is Joanna's younger sister and she too is cursed. Their father came to power in their native land and became corrupted, then banished Wendy and Joanna, cursing them in different ways. Wendy's curse was to take on the ability of shifting into a cat (which has benefitted her in more ways than one), however, towards the end of the season we come to find that Wendy is on her ninth and final life. Due to accidentally killing one of her nieces in one of their past lives, she is out of the loop for the next hundred years and suddenly shows up on Joanna's doorstep after being killed, but she comes to find her place within the family very quickly. She's much more mischievous and reckless than Joanna and this gets her in trouble on many occasions. She is irresponsible where Joanna is not, but she is free whereas Joanna is uptight. She balances the family out with both her knowledge and her charm but you can see that she's got her own set of problems. She's probably my favorite of the bunch. 

Ingrid (played by Rachel Boston) is the older of Joanna's daughters and according to Wendy, the most powerful. In addition to being cursed to constantly die and be reborn, not only will she not remember any of her past lives but her and Freya usually end up dying on the same day. Ingrid is a librarian and much like her mother, uptight. She prefers a very safe, quiet existence where she can blend in. However, one of her past lives reveals a time where she was anything but responsible and safe. Ingrid also has a stubborn streak a mile long and is very headstrong, which is actually a good deal of the reason why she ends up in the situations she does throughout the season. The irony with Ingrid is that before discovering she was a witch, she was logical and rational to the level that she did not even believe in coincidences. Becoming a witch challenges all of her previous beliefs, and she has been shown to struggle the most with coming into this new identity and discovering more about herself. She coincidentally is also an expert on matters of witchcraft, having written a dissertation on it and researching it for a number of years. My sister and I are in full agreement that Ingrid is easily our least favorite of the bunch, but I think I love Rachel Boston. lol 

And finally, Freya (played by the gawgeous Jenna Dewan Tatum) is the younger of Joanna's daughters and a close second for my favorite character on the show. We have another day/night situation here as Freya is very passionate, where Ingrid is rather cool (for now). Freya is also very intuitive and thinks with her heart, whereas Ingrid thinks with her mind and doesn't often lose control of herself. Freya is engaged to a hot doctor (Eric Winter) and all seems well, until his younger, smokin' hot brother Killian (Daniel DiTomasso) rolls into town and shakes Freya's world up. With two men vying for her affections and being told one of them is her soulmate while the other is her destroyer, sounds like Freya's got some tough times on the way! An extra piece of drama here is that the boys' mother Penelope (played by Virginia Madsen, an excellent casting decision for this role) has been outed--to the viewers--as the enemy that wants the Beauchamps dead as well as the daughter of a man that Joanna killed (in some twisted stuff, in the lifetime that Wendy accidentally killed Ingrid, she was actually aiming for Ingrid's fiance; Penelope was in the way and in shielding her, Ingrid absorbed the blow and fell off of a balcony to her death) AND the person that stole Freya's powers last week. Busy woman, right? 

Bitchy Review:

I really like this show. As I said earlier, supernaturally themed shows have always had a bit of a place in tv and movies but within the past few years it has really been kicked up a notch, especially in the vampire-zombie-wolf realms. A show about witches hasn't been around since Charmed, which is still on my favorites list today, some 7 years after its finale. People who aren't really aware of the premise of this show tend to compare it to Charmed and while I can see some of the similarities, ultimately Witches of East End is its own show and makes its own impact. The differences between East End and Charmed are very significant in the fact that 1-it's not just about demons; 2-East End's plot and storylines are a little more complex to me, 3-East End is fictional I believe while Charmed is set in the very real city of San Fran, and 4-the Charmed Ones had to stay alive because they were fully mortal, while the East End witches are cursed with a sort of immortality, but this in itself provides a different layer to the drama of the show. 

While the Charmed Ones had an ultimate destiny of protecting mankind and the good in the world, we have yet to see what fate has in store for the East End Witches. The acting by all involved is very solid; I have no complaints with any of the casting which is a rarity for me. The imagery is amazeballs, and the plot has a few smaller storylines that ultimately weave themselves into the overall plot, creating something that is new, fresh and very layered. As this first season comes to a close, not only do I find myself wishing that Lifetime had ordered more than 10 initial episodes, but I'm already anticipating season two. I feel like we're just scratching the surface of everything there is to know about these four ladies and the people surrounding them. I don't see recycled plotlines from other shows, I don't see an overwhelming amount of campyness(sp? idk lol) which is refreshing especially considering this is a show about witches, and I don't see becoming bored with where the various storylines are going. There's too much I don't know yet, and I'm interested in finding out about all of it. If I had to come up with any complaints, I guess I would say that we haven't yet seen more of the girls' previous lives, we haven't seen a little more magic involved, and sometimes an episode can move really slowly. I guess the latter is a good thing though because when the shockers do come up it's like boom!-boom!-boom! LOL Don't judge me, that's the only way I could think of to describe it. 

Other complaints that I have are more character-related....and mostly involving Ingrid or Joanna being uptight lmao....but these are character flaws that hopefully they will work through as we see the show continue. I can say that the stubbornness in these characters is annoying because it is the reason for a lot of the drama on the show because they make things more complicated than they probably should be, but what's a dramatic show without bad decisions, right? In short (you know, other than this novel I just wrote LOL), this show has a lot to offer. It has a lot of layers, all of which have intrigue and are worth exploring, and the actors chosen to carry this out do so with a layer of reality to it to make it believable. I love that this show is carried by women and that even the main villain is a woman and they are all strong enough to carry the weight of this show without resorting to catfights and other foolishness. They cry but they're not weepy women and I appreciate that. I enjoy the actual interactions between characters because it's refreshingly real, with real issues that don't always concern magic or witchcraft and that's also great to see. I hate when supernatural shows forget about human interaction and human problems in lieu of magical problems and situations. I think this show is a good balance; I would actually prefer a little more magic. lol But if you want a break from the other types of shows out today, you want something exciting and sexy to watch on Sundays and are still reading this review (LOL) then I strongly suggest you check out Witches of East End. 

Bitchy Rating:

5 out of 5!

This show comes on Lifetime on Sundays at 10pmEST, 7PST but if you want to catch up on the rest of the season before the newest episode on Sunday, you'd better hurry up because there's only one episode left before the season finale! The only place you can find it is on Hulu Plus but it's web-only so no mobile or console watching for this show! I found this out the hard way....twice. I forgot the first time. lol 

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Bitchy Review: November's Birchbox

I forgot to review last month's Birchbox, but if you give me enough time I'll probably be able to round everything back up and do a good review. I do have this month's though, so without further ado....

November's Birchbox, official photo from Birchbox's website

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1. Color Club Professional Nail Lacquer in Top Shelf

$8 for 0.5oz.

The picture doesn't do the color justice so I'm sorry about that (the lighting in my room isn't the best and I took this with my phone camera so I had to put on the flash), but it's not silver. It is rather metallic, however, but it's more of a frosty tan than silver. I'm still not crazy about it though. I went through my metallic phase awhile ago and I'm just not into it right now (I say this as I sit with silver polish on two of my nails LOL) but I do like the color for a good accent. It's got a solid formula and a pretty sturdy brush; the application was rather even and didn't clump up on the brush. I didn't have to brush too much in order to even out the coats of polish. I've got really small nailbeds so that's a big one for me. lol The polish doesn't take a long time to dry at all even after a couple of coats so that's another plus. The initial coat was a little too light for my taste so the other photo with my thumb lol is two coats. I would have gotten my whole hand but the bottle is pretty small so I couldn't wrap my fingers around the bottle and still get a good picture. The struggles of trying to take your own picture and failing, I guess. LOL


2. Tiossan Body Cream in Terranga, 1/4oz.

$38 for 8oz. 

I tried this body cream on my face last night after I got out of the shower and while I didn't like the smell at first, after I rubbed it in the secondary scents (if that's what they're called lol) changed my mind. That scent was much more favorable to me and remains fragrant for quite some time after applying. There are different scents you can order; the sample that I received was Terranga, which is a combination of mandarin, apricot and rose scents. The cream gave my skin a lot of moisture, which I liked. My skin is usually prone to dryness anyway but during the colder months its worse so the cream was great on my face after the shower. Another good thing about this cream is that it's animal cruelty free, so for those of you who prefer these types of products this one is on the list. It has more of a creamy rather than greasy feel once you rub it in, and the texture is nice as well. It's not watery or too thick, rubs in very quickly, and you don't need a lot to cover one area. I wish the sample size was bigger, only so that I could use it everywhere without using the entire portion at once. lol


3. Vasanti BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator

$34 for 4.23oz.

I haven't tried this face wash yet so I'll have to update this post when I do. I didn't want to 'one and done' it since the directions instruct you to use it 3-5 times a week, so I'm assuming that it will take multiple applications to receive the intended benefit. This wash is supposed to improve the texture of your skin using a gentle exfoliant and soften it using a combination of aloe and coconut. It smells a bit like a toner to me. I'll try this out for a couple of days and update the post.











4. Pop Beauty Aqua Lacquer in Flowering Fuchsia

$14 for 0.34oz.

I wasn't really looking forward to trying this at first, to be honest. It just looked a little too pink for my complexion and from past experience with lacquers I just found the formula to be a little too heavy on my lips. I was pleasantly surprised, however, when I put this on and it was more of a slightly pigmented gloss instead. Because of the type of applicator this lacquer has, it allows for the color or gloss intensity to be built, and even after a couple of coats the color still isn't too bad. I can also wear this over lipsticks without interfering too much with the color and I like the versatility as well. The applicator was a new one for me; now when you look at the container you're probably expecting the hole applicator, where you have to push the gloss up to the hole, or even the swab-like applicator, but this was more like a stick applicator. I think this style of applicator is what allowed the color and gloss intensity to be buildable. The lacquer was pretty smooth and not sticky on my lips, and I loved the subtle pop of pink on my lips as opposed to the sticky, glittery pink that I was expecting. It did tingle a little after I put it on though; but that could have been just my reaction. All in all, I really like this lacquer.




5. Ahmad Tea London Trio--Raspberry Indulgence, Jasmine Romance & English Tea No. #1

$7 for two boxes, 40 teabags total

With colder temperatures rapidly moving in, I'm finally willing to start moving on to warmer drinks. I usually stay away from them because I have a number of stomach problems so hot drinks tend to upset my tum, but these seem rather gentle so I guess I'll give them a go. The English and Raspberry teas are black teas and the Jasmine is a green tea, but I really like raspberry tea so I'm looking forward to trying it. I've also heard that herbal teas like jasmine are calming so I could try that one night and see if it helps me to get to sleep. I've never had English tea so I'm not sure what to expect there. If I woke up with an English accent though I wouldn't complain. LOL I'll update the post once I've tried one. I'm not too picky about tea; I don't care for extra strong tea, I don't like bitter tea and I don't like heavy teas that leave a film on the tongue. Even when it's hot I prefer a lighter tea that is refreshing, not heavy on the pallet.
UPDATE: I tried the Raspberry last night and OMG I love it! The first thing I noticed was how fragrant the Raspberry smell was and it wasn't like a manufactured smell either; this smells just like raspberries. Even cold the tea isn't too thick and doesn't leave a bad taste in my mouth afterward; it was very light, very fragrant and I loved it.

*Extra: Birchbox Holiday Gift Guide*

Pardon the janky cut job I did at the top.
LOL

This was the extra included in this month's box; a gift guide to (you know it) Birchbox products. What I liked about this was that it wasn't just a booklet of random things for you to get, it was categorized. I struggle with finding gifts for the people in my life; I'll find something but be unsure that it fits for them. Now truth be told, I can't afford the full-size product of practically every sample I have ever received from Birchbox. LOL So responsibly speaking, I can't take advantage of the exact offerings in this booklet, but I can find more affordable replacements. They've got categories for the foodie in your life, for the tech groupie, for the cheap-o like myself (a couple of the categories are gifts only under $25), and a number of other categories for the various people in your life. This little booklet is helpful enough to at least point me in the right direction and on an unrelated note, gives me some good color pairings, fashion and hair inspiration for the holidays. And you can't go wrong with that. lol



My Personal Fave:
If I had to name a favorite from this month's box, it would probably be the Tiossan cream, as it is the product I've used the most. It is wonderful after the shower, the secondary scent notes smell amazing and are pretty long-lasting, and most importantly my face does feel worlds smoother afterward. I didn't have a greasy texture to my face after putting it on, it worked well underneath a full face of makeup, and I didn't have to use a lot to cover my entire face. If I could afford the full-size of this product, I would definitely get it. I love it.

The Dud:
I don't think I can find a dud in this month's edition. I haven't tried two of the products yet (the tea and the face wash) but the products I did try were great. If I had to come up with a dud, it would be the price. LOL I have no complaints about the items that I did try; the body cream is amazeballs, the lacquer is a hidden gem and the nail polish is both a color I didn't have before and great with a number of other colors.

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Bitchy Review:
November's Birchbox wasn't bad at all. Again, an array of products I had never heard of and the little extra booklet was another diamond in the rough with helping me come up with holiday-appropriate ideas. I didn't come into this with any expectations, so I'm pretty pleased with the products I received this month. As always, I thought the list of products was pretty well-rounded; I got some tea for the chilly weather, stuff for my nails, something for my face and body, and something for my lips as well. Even though when I first started getting Birchbox I was anticipating nothing but beauty products, I actually enjoy the well-roundedness of the products I receive every month. This month's offerings were pretty good. No complaints.

Did you order from Birchbox this month? If you did, what was your favorite and what was your dud?

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