Style Contest - Win Szul Jewelry!

Hello guys! I'm incredibly excited to announce my first Style Contest. The prize is a gift certificate to Szul, a trendy jewelry boutique with unique options -- and great prices.

Here are the details:

From Sunday May 18th through Sunday May 25th, just browse the Szul website and find your favorite piece of jewelry. Then, email me a description - written, linked, or jpeg - of the outfit YOU would wear with your favorite piece of jewelry.

On Memorial Day - Monday May 26th - I'll pick my favorite entry and that lucky and talented stylist will win a $50 Gift Certificate toward purchasing the item of their choice from Szul!

Bonus points go to participants who style a look based on a piece by designer Kipepeo, Szul's current choice for "New York Featured Designer."

I've personally received countless compliments on my Kipepeo 'Dahlia' earrings, but more about that tomorrow when I review Szul, my new favorite site for everything shiny.

Love. Want. Need. ~Square Window Cuff~

I don't really own any cuff bracelets and I've been wanting one. This isn't exactly what I had in mind, but I absolutely love it. I think it could be the single shiny item in a casual outfit or blend well with fancier clothes when I'm playing dress-up. And hey! It's on sale for $24.99. Almost ten bucks off. I also love that it will go so well with my two-tone watch.

ELF (Eyes, Lips, Face) Order

Okay, here's what I got from E.L.F. (asterisks indicate items my sister ordered):

7105 - Berry Mix Qty: 1 $1.00
7106 - Black Licorice Qty: 1 $1.00
6307 - Bliss (soft blushed pink) Qty: 1 $5.00
*6306 - Coral (peachy coral) Qty: 1 $5.00
1809 - Defining Eye Brush Qty: 1 $1.00
2605 - Earth Rose Qty: 1 $1.00
1006 - Gilded Qty: 1 $1.00
2506 - Golden Glow Qty: 1 $1.00
2503 - Ivory Qty: 1 $1.00
6602 - Large-Sheer Qty: 1 $8.00
*6202 - Light Concealer (for light skin Qty: 1 $5.00
and golden undertones)
3103 - Lilac Petal Qty: 1 $1.00
*1004 - Midnight Qty: 1 $1.00
1401 - Noire Qty: 1 $1.00
5101 - Peony Petal Bath Gel Qty: 1 $4.00
1203 - Persimmon Qty: 1 $1.00
4207 - plum Qty: 1 $1.00
2907 - Ruby Kiss Qty: 1 $1.00
2401 - Sun Kissed Qty: 1 $1.00
*1804 - Total Face Brush Qty: 1 $1.00
1712 - White Qty: 1 $1.00
*2501 - Wisteria Qty: 1 $1.00
*cstmpalett - Custom Palette Qty: 1 $0.00
*2567 - Compact Qty: 1 $1.00
*2608 - Guava Qty: 1 $1.00
*2505 - Mocha Qty: 1 $1.00
*2606 - Nude Blush Qty: 1 $1.00
cstmpalett - Custom Palette Qty: 1 $0.00
2567 - Compact Qty: 1 $1.00
2504 - Sage Qty: 1 $1.00


So far I have not received any inordinate spam, no one in my address book has been emailed, and I received a service receipt after my order went through. My card has already been charged in advance for the total order.

I paid $40.45, which was my total after applying the code ECTAPAY for "Buy Two, Get One Free." My original total I found the code here where you'll find several others.

I've been told my order will leave the warehouse in 7-14 days and be sent via UPS.

I will keep you posted.

Stalling and Scams

Still getting used to my new residence and new job.

BUT I finally heard of the Nordstrom/Bloomingdales ELF cosmetics scam, in the worst way possible.

By buying some stuff and then researching the brand afterwards. Sigh.

And then I told my sister. And then she told her friends. And they all made big orders, too.

So... what am I going to do? Maybe I wasted some money and have to learn the hard way to Google first, buy later.

But for now to make something good come from a potentially bad event, I'm going to report back with a COMPLETE disclosure of my process and experience so people will have a review out there that they can trust. In the next day or so I'm also going to post what I ordered and such so you can follow along with my process.

Odds 'n' Ends

In case you were wondering, the Style Bard is pulling yet another one of her insane annual moves all around the country. This time, back to Florida (from NY). So my posting will be a bit spotty for a few days, but I'm going to try to stay close to schedule. (Somehow I'm always moving to FL in the summer and up north in the winter, sigh.)

I just mentioned Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique, and it seems you can actually now get Free Shipping -- in time for Mother's Day. I thought you'd want to know, so here's the scoop: order by Tuesday, May 6th and enter code MOTHER at checkout to get Free Priority Shipping on your item(s). You can also get a 15% discount with code STYLEBARD, but I'm pretty sure you can't combine offers. Great idea if you're a procrastinator like me (although I am actually set this year for my mother; I'm getting her -- as if I'd tell you here! Hi, mom!). Remember two years ago when I got her these?

Last but not least, I wanted to let you all know that I've been working on some exciting contests for you -- and trust me, these are pretty good prizes! I'm going to keep you posted, of course. My move actually pushed one of them back but it should be kicking off in about a week, max. So keep an eye out!

YSL Knows How I Like It

Remember how I said I like to buy big, bold, crazy accessories or not spend the money or exert the effort at all? These 'Monaco' t-strap sandals by Yves St. Laurent are the perfect example of a piece I'd love to save for - if not just to squirrel them away for very special occasions while I wear TJ Maxx sale heels day to day. Siiigh, only $688.00 (or one sugar daddy or winning lottery ticket) away from owning these brassy beauties.

Two Sisters Jewelry

Calling themselves "handmade, contemporary, hip and stylish; fun, funky and feminine; and a great value," Two Sisters Jewelry is, well, exactly those things. Gina and Jennifer are twin sisters who design and make unique pieces of jewelry with silver, gold and semi-precious stones.

Because they're a web-based company, I like that the site for Two Sisters Jewelry Boutique is clean and user-friendly, while giving off a real essence of the down-to-earth family tone that I believe Gina and Jennifer capture in their craft.

Greeting you from the front page, you immediately understand what this company is about: an intimate commerce between artists and their customer, with pieces that are lovingly handled and created with care. Unsurprisingly, the sisters are cordial in communication and willing to create custom pieces to compliment the style and preferences of their individual customers. This is exactly the kind of niche, intimate, small-business boutique which I love to discover, shop and endorse.

One of my favorite items from their collection is the Kai necklace in sterling silver:

It seems like a timeless statement piece, the type one would be known for wearing, and not quite like a necklace anyone else has. The chain comes in 16" or 18", and the stone is Faceted Smokey Quartz and Grey Onyx.

As the owner of the Emilia earrings, I can tell you that people will notice and compliment these pieces.


The Emilia earrings have an elegant goldfill wire drop-down hook, which stays on without a clasp. The hook is incorporated as a part of the design, like an unclosed hoop. Dangling down and sparkling in the sun are two gorgeous, simple black onyx stones.

All of their items, while mostly delicate and softspoken, have the dual ability to proclaim themselves as statement pieces. Two Sisters Jewelry agilely walks the line by offering pieces that meet the requirements of current fashion trends while being strikingly one-of-a-kind. This ability is something which makes me want to continue to visit the site to see what's new and what's on sale.

Two Sisters does offer a "Sale" section, but all of the pieces are affordable, ranging from about $25-$95. Other sections of note on their site are "Mother's Bracelets," "Infants and Toddler Bracelets," and "Prom." Gift Certificates are also available.

Because their pieces are diverse and age-spanning, I would recommend these for young, fashionable girls and established women. Almost anything from Two Sisters Jewelry would be a great idea for Mother's Day.

Enter code STYLEBARD to take 15% off your purchases!