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Wednesday, July 31, 2013

My First Pair Of Jimmy Choo + My Designer Shoes & Net-a-Porter Experience

Daydreaming is one of my favorite things to do. I often daydream about having a closet filled with many pairs of Louboutins, Jimmy Choo and other designer shoes. I am sure 90% of girls dreamed of having a pair of red bottoms like I do. Sadly Louboutins are so expensive that it's not worth my money if I have to starve myself for one month straight.

I come from a family that is not rich and not poor either, we can afford food, clothes and many other things; but sometimes when I am out shopping, I always have to think twice before buying a piece of clothing or makeup, I have to ask myself if this is what I really need?! to avoid wasting money.

I have been eyeing up this pair of Jimmy Choo for the longest time. I remember going back and forth and asking myself these: "is it worth it?", "should I get it?", "oh my god maybe I shouldn't, it's way too expensive for me", "but I really want it, can I just treat myself to an expensive pair of shoes for once?" and many more question marks. I have been working hard, saving loads (without starving myself) and I finally decided that I should make my own dream come true and treat myself to a pair of designer shoes.

On March 9th, I placed an order on a pair of Jimmy Choo Amelia Patent-Leather Pumps on Net-A-Porter. I have been eyeing that up for so long because I wanted a pair of kitten heels suitable for everyday wear in an office (I work in a law firm) and plus that pair of shoes was the cheapest out of the whole Jimmy Choo range, I just had to have it. I bought it for £289.90 and free shipping ($551.79NZD). Delivery was so fast I think it took about a week to get to New Zealand and they have provided me a very reliable tracking number.

When I received the shoes, I died a little. I was so overwhelmed I cried. I couldn't believe it, I finally own a pair of designer shoes like oh my god! The shoes were packaged very well and pretty, it came in a brown box, inside is obviously my Jimmy Choo shoes box and they used layers and layers of black papers to protect the shoe box.


I bought a size ITALY35.5 which fit me perfectly. In the first two weeks of wearing them, they hurt my feet so badly, I remember going through so many packets of band-aids but it was worth it cause I had so many compliments, everyone loves them! Probably cause it's Jimmy Choo ~

I last wore this to a colleagues' wedding and it broke after I came home :( At the time I had it for less than a month, I was so disappointed! I think it broke while I was walking out of the church and the rubber thing on the bottom came off.


I contacted Net-A-Porter's customer service on April 7th with the above picture attached, I told them I have only had the shoes for a little over 3 weeks and they broke and I was sad. Net-A-Porter replied my email within 12 hours and helped me to solve my problem, they have asked me to send the shoes back with their free return post and they will fix the shoes for me at no cost.

On April 25th, Net-A-Porter sent me an email to confirm they have received my shoes. I was glad cause I was worried that they may just ignore my request. After waiting for what feels like months, no really it was nearly 3 weeks of no email confirmations I emailed them and again and they replied on May 13th and said they know I am concern about my shoes being fix but they will let me know as soon as they have some information. Okay so I was already impressed with their customer service, I waited for another month and asked them for some update, they replied my email on June 12th and said they have already sent my damaged pair of shoes to the vendor to get it fix. Okay so even thou it takes a long time to get them fix etc, Net-A-Poter replies your emails and gives you updated to make sure you're not thinking, worrying too much. And again I waited for another month, asked them for more updates, they replied on July 15th and said the shoes are on the way back and they have asked me to confirm my address.

On July 29th I finally got my shoes back. It took Over 3 months to get my shoes fixed, at least I got them back and I am very happy with their customer service and everything. When I received the shoes on Monday, they came packed very pretty again, so I am very happy :)

People always asks me why don't I just buy it in the shop?! Saves all the time wasting, writing emails and worrying about nothing. I wish ~~ We don't have a Jimmy Choo store in New Zealand, or at least not I know of. I think we have Jimmy Choo in duty free stores but the prices there is nothing compare to Net-A-Porter when it's on sale.

I reckon this is a very good designer shopping experience for me. I remember telling a friend that I can't believe my Jimmy Choo broke within a month and he told me designer shoes are just like any other shoes, they are expensive on the brands and they break like normal shoes does. Well ~ not really *shakes head*, I bought this pair of ankle straps heels from ASOS for only $80.00 NZD and I have been wearing it to work every single day for 2 months straight, it hadn't broke on me and still very comfortable! This is an amazing experience but I may have to think twice before spending that much money on a pair of designer shoes from now on. I do still want a Miu Miu bag, maybe the bag won't break on me easily ;)





Thursday, July 18, 2013

Sample Bar July Glam Box and Reasons Why I Cancelled My Subscription

For those of you who have never heard of Sample Bar, today I am going to share some of my experiences I had with this company and also to review the products that came in my July glam box.

Sample Bar is as stated on their website this is New Zealand's first luxury beauty service delivering a package to your door every month for only $25.00 including shipping. Each glam box will cover a range of products from skin care, hair care and makeup. This is pretty much like Birchbox, Glossybox and Ipsy Myglam Makeup Bags in America.

I received my first box in October 2012, which is also known as the Sample Bar "Launch Box". As soon as I heard of New Zealand having its own beauty subscription services I rush to get my own! I was that excited :") My plan was to write a monthly blog post and also upload a monthly vlog to my youtube of the subscriptions, but obviously I got lazy, the only post I have written was the March 2013 Glam Box and the only video I had done was the February 2013 Glam Box (this was one of my favorite boxes).

During October and January my glam boxes were okay, it wasn't bad but it wasn't good as I expected (maybe I have too high expectation?!). My first glam box was perfect cause I have been waiting for something like this to happen in New Zealand for a long time and it finally happened so I was very happy. The boxes then becomes very... bad? To the point where I wondered if I should continued my subscriptions. I remembered when I signed up to Sample Bar I also filled out a beauty profile where it asked all sorts of questions like what type of skin color / conditions you have, what do you like more makeup, skin care or hair care and all sort of things. In between October and January all I get was tanning products and I got sick of that because my skin color is already yellow enough, I don't ever tan in my life so at the time I felt like I throw that $25.00 down the drain :(

At the time I told myself I am going to wait and see what's in my next glam box to decide if I want to continue my subscription... I guess Sample Bar could read my mind haha the next glam box (February 2013) was perfect! As stated above it was one of my favorite glam boxes! So I thought okay will give this one more go. March 2013 glam box was okay, it was filled with natural skin care products which I am not a fan of but whatever. It was so hard to let go of the Sample Bar subscriptions, I was loving it but also hating it at the same time so I couldn't decide if I want to cancel or not. April's glam box was bad again and May's glam box was PERFECT!!! P E R F E C T / A M A Z I N G / B E A U T I F U L / MY FAVORITES OUT OF ALL GLAM BOXES I RECEIVED!!! May's Glam Box was the limited edition Life Pharmacy box, I think it was to celebrate Mother's day so Sample Bar made it so perfect. May's Glam Box came with amazing products such as Lancome volume mascara, Shiseido pore smoothing corrector (I love the sample so much I went and get a full size from Farmers ^^-), Prevage anti aging daily serum (don't need it), Viva La Juicy eau de parfum (I think it's only a 4ml sample but I still love it so much!) and Clinique matte eyeshadow. May's glam box was just too perfect that I have decided to stay and continue my subscriptions.

Sadly the happiness did not last long, June's Sample Bar glam box was lame, all I remembered was more natural, organic skin care and I've made the decision to cancel my monthly subscriptions for good. I emailed the Sample Bar staff that I want to cancel and they told me I will get my July glam box as my last box.

At the beginning of this month (July) I received a small package from Sample Bar, I was surprised, I thought my July glam box came early cause I cancel last month! But no, I opened it to see little gifts from Sample Bar, to thank me for being a good customer etc.. They sent me a full size Orly magnectic nail polish, 2 x sample of bath salt and a little pot of hand cream sample. It's pretty sweet of them but still, I feel like $25.00 is not worth a bunch of organic skin care that I will never use.

On Tuesday (16/07/2013) I received my July Glam Box :) I am always very impressed with their delivery times, but still not happy with what's in the box :( I don't know, I don't want be mean and diss the company etc cause let's be honest, Sample Bar's customer service is very good and that is one of the most important thing when you spend money etc...


























Sample Bar "Mid Winter Glam" July glam box came with the following products:
Samples size of Dr Hauschka Rejuvenating Mask and Moisturising Mask
"Pamper your skin with two of Dr Hauschka's most popular cream masks. Rejuvenating Mask: soothing, enlivening, deep cleansing and pore mimimising. Moisturising Mask: for winter dehydration and dryness, skin will feel silky soft and nourished. - FULL SIZE: RRP range from $85-$95 (30ml)".

Skinfood 50ml
"New Zealand's own natural based skin care. Feed and nourish your skin, it has never tasted anything like this! Environmentally friendly with no artificial perfumes or paraben preservatives to cleanse, nourish, protect and perfect your skin. - FULL SIZE: RRP $13.99 (100ml)".

Full size of Designer Brands Kohl Eyeliner Pencil"This eye pencil will glide on gently, allowing great eye definition or easy blending for sexy, smoky looks. more afforadable than expensive brands without compromising quality. Dare to compare? - FULL SIZE: RRP $8.99".

Angel Professional Hair Soften Spray
"Enriched with deep-sea nutrients, this softening spray rejuvenates dry and stressed hair to make it shiny, smooth and moisturised. Just spray on towel-dried or dry hair thoroughly after shampooing and leave-in (shake before use). - FULL SIZE: RRP Range from $21.50 - $34.50 (80-250ml).

Manicare Glam Eyes Lashes
"Beautifully designed Glameyes Eyelashes are perfectly shaped to accentuate your eyes and enhance volume and length. The reusable, 100% natural lashes create instant glamorous eyes for every occasion. - FULL SIZE: RRP$12.49".

Esteem - $20.00 off your next Esteem purchase!

Alright ~ I am not a fan of any of the products in this month's glam box :( grrr once again I felt like I just throw $25.00 down the drain! I've made a right choice of cancelling my Sample Bar monthly subscriptions and I am very proud of myself to finally being able to let this go. I figure It's better to spend the $25.00 on a full size product that I like than to spend it on a monthly subscription that I won't know what I will get and may end up not liking any of the products.



Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Pretty Princess Gems Dress


I bought this dress at the beginning of the year for a friend's wedding and I love it so much, but I was told by my mother that I shouldn't wear it cause I may outshine the bride and she may be angry at me. So I end up didn't wear this to her wedding and I haven't got a chance to wear this pretty dress since I bought it! Boohoooo.

Anyways, I just came across this picture while deleting files off my phone (running out of space) grr hate when this happens :/ I really like this picture so I thought I should share :) Dress from Dolli, shoes from Wildpair and necklace from Equip.


Saturday, July 13, 2013

E.L.F Studio Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Review

I have never in my life regret buying a beauty product until I used the E.L.F studio tinted moisturizer 'BB cream'. I am quite disappointed in myself about this because I always do my research and make sure that the product suits me before I buy the product, I obviously have not done enough research when I bought this BB cream or I probably just felt like spending and bought it without thinking.

I personally love E.L.F cosmetics, I think their products are very affordable and some of their products suits me very well. I was pretty mad when I found out the only Bling (jewellery & E.L.F makeup store) has moved away from my nearest mall and there is no other stores that sells E.L.F products unless I drive 30mins across town and that's not worth it. So now buying E.L.F products I have to get them online.

One day I was online shopping and I have always wanted to try a non Asian brand BB cream but I didn't want to spend 50 dollars on an Urban Decay one so I ended up trying out E.L.F cause I like some of their products.

When I received my parcel I was excited to try it, the packaging is simple and budget. The price was only 10 dollars NZD and I got one in the color 'nude' which suits my Asian skin color perfectly.


In my first week of using this I thought it was an okay tinted moisturizer. The product makes my face feels fawless in the first two days, it goes on my skin very smoothly, it does not give me the shinny effect since I have oily skin. I was just... loving it, until it gave me a very big pimple on my eyelid, my nose and all over my face! When I first notice the pimple on my eyelid I thought oh maybe Im just breaking out, I thought nothing of it so I continued to use the E.L.F tinted moisturizer. Five days later I notice another pimple on the side of my nose and I was just so curious, I thought to myself am I breaking out because Im not drinking enough water?! Or is it this BB cream I am using?! But it can't be because I never break out from using makeup, well hardly! So again I ignore this and continued to use the tinted moisturizer. At the time I was loving it, I thought that was the best non Asian BB cream I've ever used.

About two weeks after my first use I started to notice more pimples on the side of my face and so I googled this product and many people said it made them break out so badly and that is when I realized I am getting these cause of this BB cream. Now a month later, everytime I see that pimple on my eyelid it just makes me so angry that I bought the E.L.F tinted moisturizer, Oh my gawd what was I thinking?

I highly do not recommend anyone to try out the E.L.F studio tinted moisturizer, just because it's inexpensive and it makes your face looks fawless and all that, the pimples are just not worth it. I would rate this a 1 out of 5 star. Im just so mad :/