Outfit #5: The Cool Coral

OOTDs are back! With some good changes. No more messy backgrounds (and even more messily whited-out pictures :P).

Today's OOTD centrepiece is a lovely orange/coral romper. Aren't rompers just the best invention since sliced bread? Perfect for lazy people like me, just throw on and go go go. The romper in this OOTD is from Boohoo.com, my latest shopping obsession. Let me know in the comments if you guys want a review on this site!

Aveline Wrap Front Jersey Playsuit in Orange [ BOOHOO ]

Preppy Legend Crossbody Mini in Cloud Blue Multi [ THE BAY: MARC BY MARC JACOBS ]

Black Minimalist Heels [ ZARA ]

Nylon Drop Earrings [ ASOS ]

Review: Blogilates DREAM BELIEVE ACHIEVE Detox Timer Bottle

The weather was HOT this last week. And I mean Baywatch-style, running-down-the-sandy-beach-in-a-red-swimsuit-in-slow-motion HOT. What better time than now to review the Blogilates Detox Timer Water Bottle when we could all totally use a refreshing, heat-chasing drink of cool flavored water?

The majority of you probably don't need an introduction to Blogilates and its creator, Cassey Ho. Chances are if you're reading this post, you already know about this amazing entrepreneur and her legacy. For those of you who don't know about her, you're about to gain an idol. Blogilates is an organization/community created by fitness instructor Cassey Ho. Her online presence started with her blogging and posting free workout videos, workout schedules, recipes, and much more, as well as selling her own merch (hence the water bottle). More recently, she's launched her own workout clothing line, and even published a book. She is just an all around successful, fun, and positive influence. You can read more about Blogilates on her official website here.

So before we dive into the good stuff, I just wanted to post a disclaimer: this water bottle that I am reviewing was ordered a couple months ago, when Blogilates was having a Memorial Day sale with 20% off. I was prepared to review it at that time, but after that sale I noticed that the site was no longer selling this item, and it would be pointless of me to review something that you guys couldn't purchase. Now it's back, baby! But not without some slight changes. You'll notice that the text design on the water bottle has been updated. The infuser piece is also different. But otherwise, the bottle itself and its functions are still the same.

This bottle is sold for $18.00 USD, or, if calculated at the current exchange rate at that time I purchased it of 1.263114, $22.74 CAD.

Shipping and Duties (2/5)

Oh, no, why so low? We're starting off with a low rating in this category for a couple reasons:

1) Blogilates has a $10.00 USD shipping charge per EACH water bottle for international orders. I know, its a bit much. I'm not sure what kind of arrangements they've made with their carrier, and I completely understand that Blogilates isn't a retailer-focused company so it may not be worth it for them to offer free shipping over "X" amount spent, but $10.00 USD per item is just...kinda crazy. And you know what's even crazier? I purchased two water bottles, so I paid an additional $20 USD in total for shipping my order. I could have purchased another bottle with that amount. (I wasn't just buying at random quantities, though, there was a method to my madness that I shall divulge later on.)

2) Not only did I have to pay more than the original cost of one item for shipping, it also took what felt like a longgg time to actually reach my doorstep. The order first went via USPS, traveling more than I ever have along a small strip of coast somewhere in California, and then finally made its way through Canadian customs and into my highly impatient arms. I placed the order on a Sunday night, and received the "shipment confirmation" on Tuesday. I say "shipment confirmation" like that in quotes because this was really just the creating of the label. Nothing was actually sent out until another 2 days later. In total, it took the package 1 whole week to reach Canada and then another 4 days to clear customs and be delivered to me. So in total, I waited a little more than 1.5 weeks to receive my bottles.

There were, thankfully, no duties charged on the order, which I find is typical of orders when they go the regular snail mail route, as opposed to express.

First Impression and Quality (4/5)

The bottle is made of a hard plastic material. The printing on the bottle also seems like it would last, I lightly scratched my fingernail against it a couple of times but it didn't come off. I don't think I've used it long enough yet to witness any peeling or flaking. The infuser part is made of a flexible, soft plastic material, to expand and contract to the amount of fruits/veggies you put inside.

There was also a paper card in it with instructions and info included:

The bottle itself is manufactured by a company called Vision USA, so while the print on it is designed by Cassey, she didn't design the actual bottle shape, materials, etc. You can take a closer look at the original bottle here on the Vision USA website.

Design and Function (4/5)

After the package arrived at my door, I delicately cradled it in my arms and set it down gently on the table. Then, I whipped out a pair of scissors and and ninja-sliced through the tape to open the box. Some skepticism sank in as I laid eyes on my purchase for the first time, as the bottle looked like a regular ol' water bottle. But after using it for about a week, I started to enjoy, and even look forward to, using it.

Size matters here, as the bottle can hold a relatively large amount of water (27 ounces, which is even more than the Starbucks Venti cold cup), while retaining an ergonomically sized radius for me to grip the water bottle while drinking. And speaking of grip, the bottom of the bottle has an anti-slip ring, which I felt was a thoughtful detail. I wouldn't have expected an item used by a custom printing company to include such details, since most swag cups and mugs are usually very cheap and basic.

As for the "timer" markings on the bottle, how "useful" is it really? Theoretically, you're supposed to follow the guidelines and drink the portion of water outlined from blank to blank o'clock, but I found that I didn't really follow the lines down to a T. I just drank whenever I had the chance to pick the bottle up and take a swig, which was pretty often, due to aforementioned grip-friendly shape of bottle. That being said, the lines could be helpful if you're making a conscious effort to follow them and make yourself drink enough water every hour, on the hour.

The water bottle has a hinge top which you flip open, and the bottle is tilted to drink from the spout. The cap that opens and closes has a little "plug" that keeps the water from leaking and is pretty air tight. I have noticed that with this spout design the inside of the spout is difficult to clean, unless you own one of those minuscule straw cleaning brushes or something of a similar size. When using this bottle to hold smoothies or juice with pulp, the residue may be left on the spout and once it dries, you'll really have to dig in there to clean it thoroughly. Otherwise, this spout is a good small shape to drink from, no awkward sucking or having to carefully level it so that water doesn't spill down your clothes.

Finally, we get to the actual infuser part. The infuser is a separate piece of plastic that you can pop off, shove all your goodies in, and then pop back onto the cap again. Easy as 1, 2, 3. Because the infuser on this older water bottle version that I have does expand a bit, I noticed that it is easy to get greedy or overlook the amount of fruit you have and want to stuff into this tiny little cylinder. When it comes time to clean the bottle, I always end up having to knock the infuser against the sink or tap it against my hand to get the over-stuffed produce pieces out.

Tips and Warnings

• You may notice that there is a tiny small rubber ring on the inside of your bottle cap. Or, it may have fallen out when you twisted open the cap. DO NOT LOSE THIS RING! Remember how in the beginning of this post I mentioned I had purchased two bottles? Well, my initial reasoning was that I could perhaps interchange between the two bottles, or use one anytime I had an outside activity and the other at home. I tested out one of the bottles and everything was going awesome. Until one morning, I filled up the bottle as usual and tossed it into my bag. When I whipped the bottle out to drink from it I noticed that the bottle had been leaking the whole time and about 1/3 of the water was gone. I thought maybe the cap wasn't screwed on tightly enough, so I just twisted it a bit and then titled it upside down to swig from it. As I did, water went drip drip drip all over my clothes. Oh no! Was the bottle already cracked and broken from less than a week of use? Perhaps the plastic quality was so bad it had just changed shape in the varying temperatures. Turns out that this tiny piece of rubber/plastic keeps the pressure in and the water from trickling down from between the cap and bottle, and I had lost this piece in one of the times when I opened the cap to rinse the bottle. * SEE UPDATES AT BOTTOM OF POST! *

See that thin, little plastic ring all snuggled up in there? Don't lose it!

It keeps the bottle leak-free!

• I leave mine infused in the fridge overnight, so about 8-10 hours. But to achieve just a bit of flavor, I think 2 to 3 hours should do the trick. It is also said you can infuse up to 12 hours, but I'm not sure if this makes a huge difference from infusing overnight.
• You can use frozen fruit, but for obvious reasons, fresh fruit is the best.
• You can refill the water bottle a second time without changing the fruit, but you will have to wait the 2-3 hours again, and the taste will be fainter. That being the case, it's better to always just start off with fresh fruit. Also, this will depend on the type of fruit you are infusing, as strawberries look quite unpleasantly mushy just after the first infusing.
• Plastic bottles do absorb whatever you put inside, so make sure you rinse out your bottle well after each use (some vinegar added in the water may do the trick) or else there may be some remnants of the previous taste left in your water. One morning when in a hurry I dumped out the fruit and water I had used the day before, quickly rinsed the bottle out once with water, and filled it without any fruit. When drinking I realized the water still had the taste of the fruit from the previous day.

My bottle just "chillin'" in the fridge (ha, ha).

"Recipes" I Tried

The possibilities are endless, but so far I have only tried a couple of variations.  In my pictures I'm using lemon and berries, which has the nice, refreshing taste of lemon but also a slight tangy background berry taste.

I've tried the water with just strawberries, since I've seen BubzBeauty rave about this in her vlogs, and no wonder. It tastes absolutely delicious. It has a "stronger," pleasant aftertaste like you're drinking sweet strawberry nectar and could definitely be considered a good replacement for fizzy drinks/fruit juices.

I also tried lime with cucumber, and this smelled sooo good. Next to lemon this would probably be the most refreshing thing you can reach for on a hot summer's day. I tried it with just lime, but it just didn't taste the same without cucumber.

I think next I would want to incorporate some oranges, and maybe some mint. I'm not sure how strong the flavour would be with anything that has leaves inside it, but I'm sure if you chop the leaves in half or anywhere to expose some of the inside juices, the flavour will seep into your water as well. As I said, the possibilities are endless. Leave in the comments below what types of combinations you have tried, and share with us if you have some "unusual" but delicious recipes!

Verdict (4/5)

In total, I paid ($18 USD + 20% discount) + $10 USD For Shipping = $24.40 USD. Converting it at a rate of 1.263114 from when the order was processed in my credit card, the total amount I paid for one bottle was $24.40 x 1.263114 = $30.82 CAD.

Let me lay out my cons first:

1. If we were to speak in general terms, you can make fruit/veggie infused water with pretty much anything that will hold water and has a large enough opening for you to chuck pieces of fruit into, for a fraction of the cost. I've seen people throw a slice of lemon into their regular reusable plastic water bottles. You could do the same with those reusable cold cups that have a plastic reusable straw. I've seen people use armies of mason jars (the acidity in the fruits won't erode the glass like it does with plastic bottles).
2. Shipping on this item was quite high and it took quite awhile (relatively) to reach me. If you're ordering from Canada it's already a week and a half. Likely it will take even longer if you're ordering from somewhere else in the world.
3. Also, what if you lose the rubber ring? Maybe you could find a replacement from another water bottle, or maybe there is a slim chance that Vision USA would send you a bag direct from the manufacturer,  but it would mean extra hassle and ship time/costs. And if you can't replace it, then the bottle is kaput.

BUT:

1. Unlike other infuser water bottles I've found here in Canada, this holds the most water, which is a big plus for me since I don't want to have to constantly refill my bottle. The flavour would be flushed out anyways with all those refills.
2. Also, ergonomically speaking, the bottle is a good shape to my average sized hands, easy to grip and swig. It is also not heavy, even when filled, since it is plastic. And it does not have that weird plastic smell that I have experienced in other new plastic water bottles.
3. The design on it is super cute, as you guys would know, minimalist in varying bright colours is all the rage now. The motivational phrases are a nice touch to an otherwise plain drinking device. I am someone who will dish out that extra money for something that looks better. After all, if you are going to be drinking water all throughout the day, or you're trying to get yourself to drink more water, you want something that looks appealing so you'll keep reaching for it.
4. Finally, if you like Cassey like I do and appreciate all the work she does to put out free workout videos, recipes, and tips on staying healthy, then buying this is a way of supporting her and saying thanks, I guess.

Overall, I'm giving this a 4/5, because while it is something you can live with or without, depending on the individual, it is a nice thing to have. This may not be something that everyone would dish out the money to pay for. I can already hear a LOT of my friends' exasperated voices in my head saying with disbelief, "What, you paid that much for a water bottle?" And my answer to that would be, "But but - I like things that are purrrdy..." I guess you can think of this as a "designer" water bottle.

Where to Buy

The Detox Timer Bottle comes in 7 different motivational phrases, and you can buy them on the Blogilates Designs website here.

Congratulations, you made it through yet another one of my insanely long reviews! I tried to cut it down as much as possible, but you know I'm all about the details.  Let me know if you guys have any other questions in the comments below. See you all next week!

Updates and Rating (3/5)

• 9/1/2015: After the ring falls out from inside the cap, you have to really try to get it back in the exact same place...or else the bottle gets drippy. It doesn't leak per-say, but it gets drippy.
• 9/10/2015: I've tried to place the ring back into place to the best of my ability, but the bottle is still dripping. You have to screw on the lid really tight, and it still drips. I'm going to have to dock a star for this review, which is really sad since I loved this bottle. Technically, I should be giving it a 1 out of 5, since I can't really use it anymore without dribbling water all over the front of my clothes, but I'm not sure what other people's experience was with this bottle. Maybe I just didn't fit the rubber ring back into the lid properly, and there are still gaps in between the ring and lid, therefore causing the dripping. But even so, it shows that this bottle is more high maintenance to use than I previously thought.

Review: Kate Spade Hello Notebook Set and Painterly Cheetah Notebook Set

Goooood morning, guys. Happy Saturday, we made it to the weekend!

I have a mini review today, just something simple that I thought I'd share with you. I was on the hunt for a light, portable, but still pretty notebook that I can just toss into my usual purse and use to jot down ideas here and there. So I paid a visit to what is one of my all time favourite stores now...Chapters. (Ahem, Chapters, if you're reading this, I would love to be the official endorsed reviewer for all your paper and home products, okay? Please, pretty please? Sugar with sprinkles and chocolate fudge on top?)

Anyways, I had a pleasant time browsing the sales table where laid out before me was a buffet of notebooks on sale, and that's where I found these babies:

Kate Spade notebooks in sets of 2 on sale? Yes, please! Originally, they were $12.00, but on sale they were $8.00 CAD.

There was another set with the bookshelf print on it, but I didn't find myself drawn to that design as much as these two sets. Also, that one is currently not on sale.

These notebooks have a soft cover with a pretty bold or pastel colour inside the cover.

The size of these notebooks is quite on the small side, which is perfect for me to carry around, because not only do they fit in the side pocket of my relatively large Paul's Boutique Maisy bag, they can also fit into some of my smaller sized bags. And even my larger clutches.

Now to put it to the writing test. The pages themselves feel quite "creamy." I used three different types of writing instruments: Sharpie pen (dark pink), Paper Mate ComfortMate Ultra 0.8 F (blue), and Paper Mate Flair (purple). The smoothest to write with was the ComfortMate, then the Sharpie Pen. The Paper Mate Flair was a little more choppy to write with.

The only downside to these notebooks is that 1) there is an imprint left on the other side of the page, even when writing with a ballpoint pen - so keep that in mind. I think because the notebook is so small and thin, they had to make each individual page thinner as well. And 2) because of the small size, you may run out of pages very fast - so don't expect to use this as an everyday thing if you're writing a novel.

These are sold out online on Chapters, but you can find out which Chapters stores still carry these by typing in your postal code.

You can also purchase these from the official Kate Spade page (not on sale, though).

That's it for me today, guys. I hope you all have a great weekend. See you next week!

Outfit #4: The Marine Biologist

Happy Friday everyone!

As you guys know, I can't say no to a good print, and this shark tank top from American Eagle was no exception. Kind of a hipster scientist look. Let's say a hipster marine biologist.

Cropped Blazer in Nimbus [ DYNAMITE ]
AEO Factory Printed Sleeveless Shirt in Navy [ AMERICAN EAGLE ]
Jeggings [ UNIQLO ]
Boat Shoes [ GREENPINE ]

Speaking of hipsters + scientists + sharks, have you guys seen the new Jurassic World movie? I have! (Twice, actually.) Let me know if you guys have seen it, and what you thought of it if you did.

Outfit #3: The Tough B*tch

'Allo my lovelies!

Ughhhhhh, I know, I know, outfit of the day usually implies that there will be an outfit picture every day. I tried, I really did, in my spare time I even drafted up some awesome outfit ideas. Maybe I will try for posting OOTDs three times a week first, or every other day, and see how that works out.

I've had a lot on my mind lately - tough times, people, tough times. But you know what you do when life throws you the tough times? You get tougher. And you throw on a leather jacket. (I mean, no one can not look effortlessly tough in a leather jacket, right? Am I right?)

Cropped Pleather Jacket [ GUESS ]

AEO Soft & Sexy Swing Cami in White [ AMERICAN EAGLE ]

High Waisted Shorts [ GARAGE ]

Maisy Patent Nude Bag [ PAUL'S BOUTIQUE ]

CENAJA Shooties in Taupe [ CALL IT SPRING ]

It was actually super nice and warm outside today that a jacket was totally not necessary. But doesn't it just complete an outfit. I can't get enough of layering with jackets (evidently). Let me know what clothing items/shoes/accessories you guys can't live without in the comments below. Step up and don't be shy, leave a nice comment, you know you want to...

Review: ASOS.com Sizing and Customer Service Experience

(Image Source: www.asos.com)

The site is crisp and beautiful, easy to navigate. The pieces shown on it, even more alluring. The search bar actually works, unlike some other clothing websites where you type in "white T-shirt" and you get search results of black socks on sale. You see online advertisements and their items all over social media. Their clothing pops up in Google search when you're looking for a new dress to wear to a party. You feel amazed as this is one of the few sites you can see a model strutting down a white runway showing you what the item you want to buy looks like from every angle. You feel like you've found a true online shopping gem.

So you finally take a chance and place an order for a lovely dress that is right above the shipping minimum (free shipping over $45 CAD). You wait excitedly. And then you continue waiting - somewhat less excited. And then you wait some more. A month passes. Two more weeks pass. Your excitement has pretty much withered away. Now you're sure A) they never shipped your order or B) they messed up your order so that it went to someone else or C) your order got lost by a Mr. Postman or D) is stuck in customs prison.

And yes - this story is very transparent - the "you" is actually a "me" - the story is about yours truly and how her single order from ASOS has been lost in the mail multiple times.

To get a better idea of how things work with ASOS, I have to start from the beginning. Gather around, my children:

ASOS was pretttty much my online shopping gateway drug. I have placed more orders on this website than I have for any other clothing site, I think. I was enticed by all that was mentioned above - the crisp white pages, the to-die-for pieces, the way the models show you how every inch of fabric looks so you don't have to worry about any unpleasant surprises hidden in the design.

Sizing (4/5)
There were some puzzles to solve along the way, however. When I was placing my very first order for a clothing item, I had to first figure out my size. I watched the Catwalk Demo over and over again, but I was still unsure. I mean, not everyone is 5'10 with a model physique. True, a 360 degrees viewing is helpful, but I wondered at the accuracy of the models demonstrating how the pieces fit. Even though they always proclaim on the side that the model is wearing "UK 8/EU 36/US 4," if they slapped a smaller or larger size on the model to have the pieces fit better, we would never know.

(Image Source: http://www.asos.com/Women/dresses-size-guide/?szgid=1&szgtid=1)

I took a gander at the ASOS Size Guide and measured myself at the indicated points. Here is the confusing part. I measured myself with very basic attire on (undergarments, thin tank, and leggings), and I got (approximately) Bust: 36 inches, Waist: 30 inches, Hips: 37.5 inches. Based on these measurements, I should be somewhere between a size 10 and 12. I thought, that doesn't sound right, I generally wear US Size 4 and Small in a regular retail store, so technically I should wear the equivalent in UK size, which is UK 8. After much inner debate, I took a stab and placed the order for UK 8. And guess what - it fit perfectly. EVEN THOUGH my body shape is nothing at all like the models (obvi some of us are much shorter and perhaps pudgier), I wear the same size that ASOS proclaims them to be wearing. So whenever I see an item on a model I try to picture it being more filled out and perhaps a bit lengthier. But my conclusion is that generally speaking, ASOS clothes are pretty true to size.

But then - sometimes this happens. Sometimes UK 8 is listed as XS. And in my mind this mathematical equation surfaces:

If:
US 4 = UK 8
And
US 4 =  Small (Generally)
Then
US 4 Actually = X-Small??

Mind blown!!!

(Okay, not really. But you guys get the point I'm trying to make here.)

I am giving ASOS sizing a 4 out of 5, because the general rule is that you should follow your regular size. I know, I know, all that "true to size" bull can be so confusing, and every brand/store has its own sizing standards (like at Gap X-Small always fits me like a Small). But when shopping here, the general rule of thumb is to take your regular size (aka the size you mostly buy when you shop...and if this is your first time shopping ever then, um, I suggest you try some store-fronts first). And if anything does say "UK 8 - X-Small" and you wear a US 4/Small, then order the UK 8, even though it is listed as X-Small.

(Image Source: http://www.asos.com/vero-moda/vero-moda-shirt-dress/prod/pgeproduct.aspx?iid=5134196&clr=Babyblue&SearchQuery=vero+moda+dress&pgesize=36&pge=1&totalstyles=183&gridsize=3&gridrow=4&gridcolumn=1)

Quality (4/5)
I think ASOS only agrees to carry brands that are of relatively good quality. Some of my favourites are River Island, MinkPink, Oh My Love, Vero Moda, and the list goes on. And of course, the ASOS brand itself, I also really like. Their items are of pretty good quality and I think they have been getting even better as of late. This is going to sound like total common sense - but a good indicator of item quality on ASOS is the pricing. The higher the price, the better quality. Again, this is generally speaking. (There are always those pieces where you looove the style and color but you just can't dish out $100 for that flimsy material.)

Shipping and Duties (3/5)
Uh oh...someone's got a three-star in this category! There's a reason I left this category for last, because boy, do I have a lot to say about this. As previously mentioned, ASOS kick-started my love for ordering things online. (It's just so exciting to come home to presents, as my friend says.) My first order from ASOS was a Paul's Boutique bag that I had been coveting for awhile. I thought hey, a bag is safe, there won't be any sizing issues. So I ordered it, it came in about a week or so, I paid some duties on it, and I have been loving that bag ever since (you will see pretty often in my OOTDs).

So I started venturing into ordering clothing, and pretty soon, I was placing ASOS orders left, right, and dead centre. Now, this was back in the day when ASOS had free shipping on everything, no matter where it was going, no matter how much the item was. You could order socks for $3.00 and there was free shipping worldwide. The good ol' days!

What about duties? Well, what about duties? Duties is a mysterious thing, my friends. From experience, I was only charged duties when 1) I used the Express DHL service (you will always be charged duties on this, and that added with shipping costs makes it crazy expensive, so this is totally not recommended unless you really need that dress for a wedding or something) and 2) when the order was higher than $100. So I ordered one item at a time, in order to not have all the items add up and be more than $100 CAD. And it worked! I would come home and see my order in my mailbox about a week after placing the order. The longest it ever took was a week and a half, two weeks, tops.

There was, however, a one time where I was charged duties on a single shirt worth about $40 CAD. And another time, I received a package close to $200 CAD and there were no duties on it. As I said, duties charges is a mysterious thing. There is no way around this, but try to decrease your order value and separate your orders if you can. And avoid express, no matter how tempting it may be to have your package speed to you on the fast lane.

I was happy. I was getting my ASOS fix without having to pay an extra arm and leg. But one day, tragedy struck.

Customer Service (4/5)
Let's go all the way back to the beginning to my story about never receiving items from ASOS. I forgot to mention one little detail - if you ship by regular, free shipping, there is no tracking number. I don't know what arrangements they have with their carrier, but it is total bull, I know.

So one day I was doing my ASOS thang, I placed an order for a single item as I usually do...and it never showed up in the mail. I still remember which item it was - a dark green dress. I played the waiting game until I couldn't anymore. A week after the "Expect By" date ASOS sends you in the order confirmation email, I shot an inquiry to their customer service. They have a standardized procedure where they will first tell you to wait a couple of days more. Then they will explain that there may be delays in your area due to postal service errors. Then they will ask that you check with your neighbours and the closest post offices to see if they are holding the item. Then, if at that point you still can be bothered, they will say they can either reship the item for you or credit you for the amount you paid. I had to go with the latter, even though I really wanted the dress, but there was no stock left.

I thought this was probably a one time thing, a fluke. So not before long I placed another order for a single item. You guessed it. It never arrived, either. And to this day I still have no idea where these two missing orders are or where the fault was - was it ASOS, who didn't even ship these orders, or was it the carrier, who had left the order in a truck somewhere/dropped it somewhere by accident on their route/delivered it to the wrong address (and that person said "whoop-ee, free clothes")? Or does the package gremlin appear here and there to pick off unsuspecting stray orders?

After this, I was waned off from ASOS and I went to explore greener online ordering pastures.

Recently, I was on an online window shopping binge (get it - Windows shopping - har) and something drew me back to the ASOS webpage. That's when and where I laid my eyes on an absolutely gorgeous dress. I had to have it. This is where we are connected to the beginning of my post. I waited for ages but it never arrived. I was messaging Customer Service more than I did my friends and family. Back and forth. Finally, they agreed to re-ship the dress and I wouldn't be charged anything for it. Yay, finally, some results!

Shipping was fast and there was a tracking number attached to it (although originally the person helping me out had told me there may not be a tracking number, but I guess they didn't want to make the same mistake twice, or perhaps they just weren't sure about the tracking info themselves). It was shipped out at the beginning of the weekend, and on the following Monday I received a notice that it would arrive at my doorstep soon and I had to pay for duties. Drat, I thought, couldn't avoid the whole duties thing this time.

But when I got home, the dress was there. Whaaat? I asked my friends and family if this had ever happened to them, if they received something in the mail even though they hadn't paid duties. Everyone shook their heads. I had half the mind to not pay the duties at all, since here was the item in my hands, but I thought nah, better be a good girl and stick with the rules. I also didn't want an enormous envelope being sent to me later on with a huge bill inside it.

The duties were paid, the dress was in my hands, and it was more beautiful than I'd ever imagined. I was finally satisfied.

Two days later, another package from ASOS for me arrived. I was confused at first. I hadn't ordered anything else from ASOS lately. I dove towards the package and ripped it open - and out fell - dun dun dun - the exact same dress in the exact same size.

Based on my (albeit feeble) powers of deduction, here is what happened, guys: The first dress that had arrived for me was the dress I had originally ordered and I thought would never get to me. It just so happened that it showed up at my door the exact date that the second replacement dress had arrived at customs. That's why I was so confused about having the dress delivered already when I still had yet to pay for customs - it was because this was the original dress. The second dress I received was the replacement dress customer service had agreed to send out. (This is also another example of how if you separate your orders you are less likely to get hit with duties - but if you get it express delivered, which customer service did for me, then you will always have to pay duties.)

In conclusion: I am giving ASOS customer service a 4 out of 5, because even though they ask a lot of questions that are seemingly pointless at that time, they eventually do help you out. Just take note, you will be passed from one person to another, it won't be the same person assisting you the whole time. But of course, there is that email trail there that they can follow. I think it's awesome that they replaced my order and credited me back for when my previous missing order was out of stock.

Of course, don't abuse this generosity, as I'm sure they have some "greedy customer" protocol.

Whew! I think it's time to go plan some new OOTDs. What did you guys think about this entry? Was it detailed enough or not? Do you feel like placing an order with ASOS now? Let me know in the comments below. See you at the next post!

[Disclaimer: I tried to include as much information as possible, but sadly I have yet to order pants/undergarments/shoes , or selections from the plus and petite. But if you have a question and I didn't cover it please leave me your inquiry in the comment box below, and I will try to answer it the best I can. Cheers!]

Outfit #2: The Evening Blues

Another outfit post! I pat myself on the back.

It's hard to see from the picture, but the blue in this outfit is pretty in-yo'-face. I don't usually gravitate toward blues, but the peplum top fit me so sweetly, and I am a big fan of flower prints. Top it up with a cardigan, and we have ourselves the perfect outfit for a cool summer evening out.

Open Stitch Shrug Cardigan in Natural/Black Combo [ GARAGE ]

Floral Babydoll Cami [ FOREVER 21 ]

Jeggings [ GARAGE ]

CENAJA Shooties in Taupe [ CALL IT SPRING ]

Maisy Patent Nude Bag [ PAUL'S BOUTIQUE ]

I've been pretty busy these past few days, but I am getting into the swing of posting OOTDs. I want my reviews to be detailed and organized so more time must be spent on them, but another one is coming soon, I promise!

Outfit #1: The Magician's Assistant

Hey guys! My first outfit post. Are you excited?

Feather Earrings [ ALDO ]

Faux Leather Overpiece in Black [ DYNAMITE ]

AEO Soft & Sexy Tie Dye Cami [ AMERICAN EAGLE ]

Shiny Leggings [ ARITZIA ]

FONGARA Shooties [ CALL IT SPRING ]

Purse [ TORY BURCH ]

Many more OOTDs to come, stay tuned!

Review: Ban.do Florabunda Large Agenda

The story starts with a girl who really, really likes agendas. And gets a new one every year, whenever new ones come out, around May. And since it's the first week of June - a fitting date for the first review entry ever on this blog - Mama's got herself a brand spanking new agenda to share with you all.

Yes, I purchased a Ban.do agenda. This agenda seems to be trending a lot on social media. Let me know where you guys originally spotted/heard of this agenda! :)

Here is the beautiful baby itself:

I wanted to take advantage of the sunlight and make it look all pretty in the grass for you guys, but it was still wet from the rain - hence the tacky cardboard base

I discovered this gem on Chapters.ca when I was browsing around for a new agenda. My first impression and what drew me to this was the cover - absolutely gorgeous (IMO). I am a lover of flowered prints, and pretty much any bold prints, so this agenda may not be your cup of tea if you like something more solid and classic-looking. And just a note: the pink flowers on the cover are pretty much that neon in real life as you see in the pictures.

Back view of the agenda.

Chapters.ca never gives enough information and pictures on product details and what the inside really looks like. But I needed to see more of this beauty and what she beheld. So I hopped onto the official Ban.do website.

The second impression of this agenda that hit me, upon visiting the Ban.do website, is that this company is FUN. No, not fun. And not fun. But FUN. And it's no secret, I mean, plastered all over their website pages are slogans like, WE ARE SERIOUS ABOUT FUN. Their website includes very beautifully photographed pictures of all their products, which includes the inside of the agenda and what you can expect. Now, that's what I'm talking about! (Take note, Chapters! Or, hire me as your official photographer/product spokesperson/reviewer...)

Okay, onto my personal review of this product:

Shipping (4/5)

As previously mentioned, I purchased this item from Chapters online. It retails for $32.00 CAD (Chapters has free shipping on orders over $25.00 CAD, so that works out if you want to order just this agenda). I placed the order late on Sunday night and received it the following Wednesday. It took only 1 day to receive my Shipping Confirmation email from Chapters, and then another 2 days for the item to arrive via Canada Post. All in all, not bad.

Quality (5/5)

This agenda is pretty dang good quality. The cover is SOLID (I just gave it a good knock but you guys couldn't see.)

Tabs indexing each month, as well as some other sections (e.g. important dates and mini calendars)

Colourful printed illustrations at the beginning of each month

The material of the pages themselves and the printing on them are both good quality as well. I used my Papermate Flair pen to write my name in the agenda and you can barely see it on the other side (there is a tiny dot where I applied more pressure, though). It seems that the pages would work well for most writing instrument types - ballpoint, ink, gel, and marker-type pens. But personally, I still stand for ballpoint pens being the best writing instrument for this type of paper in the agenda, as they will write smoooooth.

The only teeny weeny downside I noticed in terms of quality is that the gold band that's supposed to hold the agenda closed seems a bit flimsy. I doubt it will break if you don't do anything extreme to it, but you probably shouldn't be grabbing your agenda by the band and doubling it as a yo-yo. I think for design reasons, they decided to go with the same band that is on their smaller agendas (you can see those here), which might suit the smaller agendas fine, but I think for the bigger agenda they could have considered a thicker, larger gold band. Again, it's not a big issue, I mean even if the band does break, it doesn't affect the usage of the agenda itself, although it would not be as aesthetically pleasing.

The gold spiral binding matches the gold band, and it seems to be quite solid (definitely not floppy like the ones on those 80-page Hilroy notebooks I used for school).

Content (4/5)

As I mentioned earlier in the post, in alignment with their company motto, this agenda screams FUN. It starts off with a bright blue pocket page and then a sticker page. To be honest, I think its contents are targeted for a younger audience, or at least for someone with a young heart/mind (like me). While the cover could pass off as being sophisticated, the contents of the agenda is filled with things that may appeal a great deal more to a younger crowd, or someone who is still in school. For example, on their website they advertise that in the monthly views the holidays are all conveniently highlighted. However, more than half of these highlighted days are all made-up holidays, such as "National Ice Cream Sandwich Day" and "National Thrift Shop Day." (But hey, I'm not judging, maybe these are real holidays in some places. I certainly don't mind celebrating them!) The "actual" holidays are highlighted with a light pink colour. I am not saying that someone who is older can't enjoy this agenda, but depending on what type of environment you will be utilizing this agenda in, you may not want to be flashing "National Ice Cream Sandwich Day" to your boss while taking notes in a serious business conference.

On the Ban.do website they show pictures of confetti flying out this pocket - so I was a little disappointed when I fished around inside and there was no confetti :\ They did say that there was a "surprise," after all!

After the monthly illustration, you get these two pages to write notes

After the notes section, you get this monthly/calendar view

Close up of the highlighted "holidays"

Weekly view

Each weekly view comes with their "suggestions" on how to have even more fun, and the "holidays" are also marked in pink text

This agenda showcases various illustrations, some of them accompanied by phrases, on the beginning-of-the-month pages. I think some of these pages would make great print decorations; all you need to do is throw them into a frame, and voila! Brand new artwork for your wall. Just something to consider once you're done using the agenda. I love re-purposing items, don't you? But again - while I am loving the bold colours and the brightness, the designs can be deemed, in the worst sense, "childish." The same applies to the "compliments" and "weekend to-do suggestions" throughout the agenda. And in the best sense, FUN.

Function (4/5)

We know this agenda is big, bold, and beautiful - but is it practical? I guess it largely depends on what you will use this agenda for. If you're in school, this agenda has tons of weekday space to document everyday assignments and projects. The monthly view would be very good for exams. The agenda also runs August 2015 to December 2016, so you can choose your semester.

What if you're not in school - would this agenda still be useful? Being someone who falls into that category, I would say that this agenda would still be a good thing to have. Again, it depends on what you need it for. This agenda has ample space for writing down appointments/meetings on the monthly views, and everyday to-dos on the week-by-week views. If you have kids, you could always colour-code each child and write down their schedules on the week-by-week view. For me, I plan on colour-coding the bills to be paid each month in the monthly view and then writing out all my daily to-dos and maybe appointments in the weekly sections.

The agenda is indeed 8 inches wide (as described on the site) -

- and 10 inches long -

- and almost an inch high. Just providing a rough idea in case you don't feel like making a trip to the store to touch/see/buy this agenda :)

One downside to this agenda is that it is relatively heavy. It is a hard-covered book, after all. This might be something to think about for all the students out there who have to keep changing classes, or people who have lots of meetings and need to bring their planner with them. You might want to consider the smaller version. I actually did previously purchase the smaller version from Chapters, but returned it because the month-by-month views were much too small for my personal use. The squares for each day in the month were maybe about an inch or less in size. As it is important for me to use the monthly view, I swapped the smaller agenda for this larger one.

Each monthly square is approximately 1 and 1/10th of an inch wide -

- and 1 and 1/6th of an inch high. Size does matter here!

Overall (4/5)

My final verdict is...drum roll...this agenda is a keeper. The outer shell is beautiful, and the inside is colourful and nicely illustrated. It has a good layout, making it functional. The only thing you would need to decide is if you need the smaller or larger version - weight versus more/less space to write in. Also, the smaller versions have more cover design options (maybe bold, floral prints aren't your thing) - something else to think about. You can see the smaller versions on the official website here.

By the way, you may have noticed in my review that I didn't show pictures of all the monthly illustrations and every single page that has an interesting detail - that's because I wanted to retain a little mystery so that you guys can enjoy the little surprises in the agenda when you get it. There's a page in the very back of the agenda that's quite fun, and you may have already seen it on other review sites, but I decided not to include it since it doesn't really have to do with the usage of the agenda.

Oh - one last thing for you agenda lovers out there - have you guys noticed how the interior layout of this agenda is very similar to Kate Spade and Lilly Pulitzer agendas? Is it the same publishing house that designs these agendas? If any of you know about this, leave it in the comments below!

Where to Buy

For my fellow Canadians, you can buy this beauty on Chapters.ca here. Chapters also carries all the other small versions, so be sure to check that out if you're interested in a teenier version.
For my U.S. peeps, you can purchase the agenda on the official Ban.do website.
International buyers: You can get this agenda from the official Ban.do website too! They ship international. Shipping rates will vary depending on the address you are shipping it to.

Since this agenda starts August 2015, there's still two whole months to decide if you want to purchase it or not :)

This was my very first review post! What did you guys think? Let me know in the comments on what you think I should review next. Until the next review!