Randomness: Naked Basics Eye Look and Jewelmint Mystery Box

Good Lord, it has been a day! I had planned to do a December faves, but that'll have to wait. Instead, I give you TOTAL RANDOMNESS!! I know you're excited...

Anyhoo, to further test out the Urban Decay Naked Basics palette, and how well it coordinates with the larger neutral palettes, I put together this quickie eye look. It works beautifully with a deep berry lip (like Revlon Lip Butter in Red Velvet). Leave it as is to wear to work or shopping; toss a little sparkle on top, and you've got the perfect holiday party look.

Lid: Venus (Naked Basics)
Crease: Naked (Naked 1)
Blending: W.O.S. (NB)
Lower Liner: Naked (N1)
Brow and Inner Corner: Virgin (N1)
Upper Liner: Zero 24/7 Glide-On Pencil
Mascara: Buxom Lash

I also received my Jewelmint Mystery Box!!! About a week and a half ago!!! I'm posting this not to brag or show off, but because the Mystery Box is still available. If you were thinking of purchasing, here is an example of a typical box. Each box is different and pieces are chosen at random, but it'll give you an idea.

From Top: Evening Star Bracelet, Crystal Gazer Necklace (not available on site/discontinued), Lover's Locket Silver, and Calypso Island Earrings (not available on site/discontinued). You might be able to find the discontinued pieces on Ebay, but I can't guarantee that.

I was beyond thrilled, because I'd already been eyeing the Evening Star Bracelet. It, alone, was worth the $29.99 price tag, but there was no promise of that piece. The Mystery Box is a gamble, and one that you won't necessarily win if you're not completely enamored with the majority of the Jewelmint product line--past and present. Sure, the bracelet was a favorite, and the locket has already made it into regular rotation in my daily wardrobe (I'm wearing it today, actually). The other two pieces...well, they've been more challenging.

I did manage to wear the earrings. I paired them with a black sweater over a gold tank, and pinned my hair in a messy bun. The earrings were the main focus of the look, and I received a few compliments on them. They're decent quality, not too heavy, and really made my outfit look "styled", rather than "thrown on". The Crystal Gazer necklace is still in the box, but I think will work well with a low-cut black wrap dress and my leopard flats with pink crystals (much less tacky than they sound, I promise!).

All of the pieces are well-made. The clasp on the bracelet is very secure, which is extremely important given the weight of the piece. It's not light. The locket does open and close, with both a magnetic and button closure. The minimum amount of four pieces came packed with three items in a signature Jewelmint box, and the bracelet in a velvet Jewelmint pouch.

Do I recommend the Mystery Box? Absolutely, as long as you are prepared to possibly end up with pieces you HATE. I have gotten a dud or two in the past, but there are normally enough pieces that I genuinely love, that it all comes out in the wash. I don't get every Mystery Box that comes along, but the ones that I have received have given me items that I never would have purchased on my own, but offer new opportunities to be creative, and maybe even breathe new life into some old wardrobe pieces. 

Mystery Solved!: StyleMint Mystery Bag Review

Quick ranty question before I get into today's entry: Why has no one invented tinted sunscreen? Not tinted moisturizer with SPF, not bronzer with SPF, but actual tinted sunscreen? That way, you could put it on from tip to toe and have perfectly even skin. No more messing around with "skin perfectors" or "tone-enriching ribbons" (a.k.a. glitter); just a sheer tint in the sunscreen itself. Why does that not exist? /end of rant.

Okay, so yesterday I received my StyleMint Mystery Bag in the mail, and since the last review I did of a Mystery Bag was so popular, I thought I'd do one on this bag, too. Plus, I've noticed that a lot of the ladies on the StyleMint Facebook page have been interested in seeing how the shirts look on "normal" people. Well, I'm pretty average, so I took some photos that you can use as reference, if you want. I'm 5'3", and on the StyleMint sizing guide, I'm a 3 (Medium).

First, a review:
StyleMint runs this kind of promotion about once a quarter. Normally, they coincide with a holiday or special event (i.e. the Academy Awards, Halloween, Christmas), but this one was just for the fun of it, I guess. I expected to hear, somewhere along the way, that they were Olympics-themed, but that didn't happen, and that's fine by me. The themes never mean anything, anyway. This "bag", like all the ones before it, came as an envelope stuffed with brown paper-wrapped shirts. No bag, no theme, no fuss, no muss. This is not a criticism, by the way.

In the past, the bags have tended to be either a shirt and a JewelMint item (JewelMint is a sister company, and normally runs a similar promotion alongside the StyleMint one), or a shirt and another StyleMint item (sunglasses, leggings, tote bag, etc.), with maybe a coupon code or two tossed in for good measure. That's not a bad deal for $29.99, and I've been happy with those bags in the past. This bag, though, took the cake. For the price of one shirt, you received three StyleMint items. Now, those items could be pretty much anything in the StyleMint catalog, but you'd get three of them, so the bag was definitely more than worth the pricetag.

Now, some ladies have complained that they didn't like what they got. You don't get to pick your items, so you could end up with things that aren't to your taste. One lady even received an item she'd previously returned (I mean, not the same exact shirt, but the same style of shirt. It was a new shirt. Oh, you know what I mean). That is the gamble. That's also why you get so much for so little, so it's a trade-off.

I'm thrilled with my bag. I now have six StyleMint shirts and StyleMint dress, and all but one shirt and the dress were Mystery Bag purchases. They're all excellent quality, feel amazing, and look really cute on. Sure, you might have to put a little more thought into how you'll wear your shirt, but I think that just adds to the fun of the bag. My only complaint is with the shipping. I never got a tracking notice, and it's not the first time. All I had to do, though, was ask customer service, and they got the notice to me ASAP. I will say that StyleMint (as well as JewelMint) has excellent customer service. I'm continually impressed by them. The shipping is generally pretty slow, but the customer service makes up for it.

So, let me show what I got. These pictures are not styled in any way. I just threw the shirts on over a pair of Sweetheart jeans from Old Navy and a pair of CL by Laundry flats. I also didn't try the shirts on before taking these photos. We're all seeing them for the first time together, folks.




Photo Credit: StyleMint

 The first one I tried on was the Brooklyn T. Admittedly, when I first saw this, I was a little less than impressed. I haven't been into fussy florals since the very early 90s, when none of us knew any better. What was I going to do with this old lady shirt?

I was going to rock it, that's what! This may be my favorite shirt out of the bunch, now that I've tried it on. I wore it to work today, that's how much I love it. I shot from the side, instead of full-on, because I wanted you to see how it's lower in the back. For me, it's a really flattering cut. This is very lightweight with a wide scoop neck, so you could layer with it, but it's dark enough that you don't need anything underneath it. The red is also much more muted in person than in photographs. It's a lovely shirt, and nothing like the chintz sofa cushion I thought it was going to be.



Photo Credit: StyleMint



Next up, the Savannah T in black. I immediately liked how the stars are made to look like sketches and doodles, and not like cookie-cutter stamps. To me, that's more interesting.

I like this a lot, but it's not grabbing me the way the Brooklyn T did, which is weird, because, between the two of them, I'd have picked this from the online pictures before I'd have picked the Brooklyn. It's just a basic tee, albeit a really soft and high-quality basic tee. Scoop neck, level hem. I think this is going to look really cute layered under a black cable-knit hoodie this Fall and Winter.

Photo Credit: StyleMint

This last shirt just made me giggle. I need to wear it on-set, sometimes, or maybe to rehearsals. Heck, I need this tattooed onto my forehead. I showed it to Thomas and he laughed out loud. In case it's too difficult to read, it says, "I'm Almost Not Crazy".

Okay, there are two shots here. This one shows how the lettering falls, and the one below shows the snug fit and sheerness of the tee.

                                        

I love the way this is made. The material is super-soft and lightweight, and it feels like it custom forms itself around your body (I know it doesn't, but it's just that soft and flexible). It's also cut with a longer line, so you never look short-waisted, or feel like you can't bend over with confidence. I hate shirts that creep up in the back, and leave you wondering if you're *ahem* exposed anywhere you shouldn't be. No worries with this.

So, that's my Mystery Bag, folks, along with my thoughts and, hopefully, a little sizing reference. I apologize for all the camera-in-the-face photos, but you work with what you've got, I guess. Did anybody else get a Mystery Bag? What did you think? Let me know in the comments.