Recent Buys & Spring Picks

Today I'm making a blog post to discuss my most recent purchases, most of which are items I have chosen especially for spring. Some of the items on this list, though, are items I have not yet purchased but would like to purchase or consider good spring picks. I will list and discuss why I bought these items below!

- The first item I want to talk about is my Dreamy Kitty Sweetheart Dress from Bonne Chance Collections. Pictured in the top left above, it had lots of ruffles and has a cute cat print. I've been wanting a Bonne Chance dress for months, and this design was just too cute to resist, so I took advantage and ordered it for the main piece in my spring wardrobe. It is great for both casual and relaxed-formal occasions.

- The second of my most anticipated items this spring is the Moe Crewneck from OMOCAT APPAREL. Omocat is my favorite artist, and I find their style, tweets, and overall influence very inspiring. Again, an Omocat crewneck was something I had wanted for a while, and back in December when this crew was previewed I knew it would be perfect for me. So I jumped on the chance to order one on the night the spring collection was released.. It should arrive this week, and I am beyond excited for it. 

- Pictured in the top row are two items from Valfre. The Girls Rules Journal, and the Holy Chic Tote. I just discovered Valfre's website last month, though I had heard good things about her totes before on instagram. After what I saw on her site, I was tempted to buy so much, but settled on my two favorite designs in the form of a tote and journal, two items I had been wanting!

- I preordered this Crying Hearts shirt from artist Beth Rich just yesterday when it launched! I love Beth's art (see it for yourself at @beth2rich on instagram!) and am looking forward to wearing this cute design on a shirt. I already have so many outfits planned to incorporate it into.

- I purchased two spring bottoms from Forever 21, the Rose Skort and Chambray Skirt (no longer stocked). They don't have the color I bought in the skorts anymore, but mine is black with peach roses. Very cute, and nice flowing material. The chambray skirt didn't fit as well and feels a bit awkward, but since it goes really well with some of my shirts I overlook it.

- I grabbed this super, super cute beanie from The Secret Society of Ex Mermaids (shhh....) the other week. Despite just discovering the brand through Nylon Mag, I thought that their premise and pretty logo items were very intriguing, and purchased this beanie. I have worn it almost every day since receiving it. It's very warm in the chilly wind, and came with some cute bonus goodies.

 - I haven't actually bought the peach crop top from eBay yet, but I thought it would look great with my floral skirt. A bunch of people I follow on twitter are adding them to their spring collections, so I think it would make a good addition. It's super cheap too, haha. I will probably buy it either tonight or tomorrow.

- I also have some makeup scattered throughout this collage. They are all NYX items that I found on Funk N' Frost. Two are lip butters, in Strawberry Parfait and Tiramisu shades, and the tiny green packet is a set of 100 Green Tea blotting papers for makeup smears and oily skin! I am planning on grabbing these items to stick in my new tote, as I am short on makeup lately. 

So those are my spring picks for 2014! I got to pick out a lot of nice things, and was fortunate to have leftover money from my birthday in January (as well as rolling all my spare change) to be able to spring for a bit of extra shopping. There are some other things I am hoping to look at for the late spring/summer season, and will make a wishlist post about all that soon. But for now I'll say goodbye, and wish everyone a happy start to their daylight savings time.

Introduction Post ~ Favorite Brands and Place to Shop!

Hello, I'm new to Blogger. I'm Kerstyn, I'm 18 years old and from Canada, and I wanted to make a blog to review and talk about clothes and books, among other things that hold my interest. I think the best way to start off this blog would be to talk about my favorite brands and places to shop!

Clothing, which is what I mostly buy for myself since I got a job back in October, is the first thing I'm going to feature. I'm listing these brands/sites in order of how much I use them/how much I recommend them.

Stay Cute - If you know me already, or as you come to know me on this blog, you will soon see that Stay Cute is my absolute favorite brand. I wear their clothes (nearly) every day and find that their cute prints and pastel colors reflect my style really well. From their online store I have ordered two shirts, one hoodie, a dress, and a pair of sweatpants over the course of three separate orders. All the items fit well, looked super cute, and were well worth the (very reasonable) prices. They also offer a really convenient shipping rate to Canada, which was only twelve or thirteen dollars (I think?) on each of my orders. The only thing was that one of my larger orders took a long time to arrive, but the clothes were so great I didn't mind in the slightest. I'm planning to buy from them again very soon to get a spring windbreaker, and maybe a hat. Overall I rate them 10/10 and highly recommend.

Feather Hearts - I love Feather Hearts when I'm looking for something that looks a bit edgier! Their designs are really eye-catching, and the material their shirts are made from is probably one of the softest things I've ever felt. Their 'Fuck You' cropped muscle shirt and Witching Hour tees were my favorite releases. I can't say anything about their shipping as I've only personally purchased their clothes in-store via Urban Outfitters, but their website is very easy to navigate if you're curious about ordering online. They advertise a $10-20 international shipping rate. Overall experience has been 9/10 (only because I find their sizes a bit confusing between releases) and I definitely plan to buy from their online shop sometime soon!

LIFE Clothing Co. - Ah, LIFE, creators of my favorite shirt of 2013. The Nasty Lips (I think it was called) crop that I got via Urban Outfitters last summer has become one of the most essential parts of my wardrobe. It's comfy, fits great, and goes with nearly anything. Despite it's array of bright colors, I've managed to wear it with pastel outfits in varying shades of white, pink, and purple, as well as dark and light denim, and find it matches EVERYTHING to a T. Though their website has a somewhat limited selection, they sell more designs through Urban Outfitters and NYLONshop, and I recommend them. I haven't tried buying directly from their site, but I've been lucky enough to interact with their instagram account very directly and definitely  trust this brand. 10/10.

OMOCAT Apparel - I absolutely ADORE Omocat's artwork, and think that their crews and tees are so pretty and unique. I've been eyeing them for months, but jumped at the chance to buy a shirt featuring Pretty Boy from the popular comic (the booklet of which is also for sale on the site!) when it was released. The clothing is sold in unisex sizes, and I got a size S which fit great. I was a bit paranoid about it shrinking in the wash, but it didn't shrink even a little bit, and the discharge print is durable and really stylish! I had a lot of questions about the clothes before they shipped too, and the customer service was incredibly fast and informative. The only thing that I wasn't a fan of was that I never received an email to notify me when my order shipped, so the order getting to me when it did was a bit of a surprise. Overall 8/10.

Dr Martens - I bought a pair of Docs last year when I was in Montreal and really love them. I'm sure you probably know enough about them by now that you don't need my testament, but their in-store service was honestly the best I've ever received and the product was amazing. 10/10 overall.

Out of Print - I really love books, and clothes, so what's more fun than books printed on clothes? Or their covers, anyway. Out of Print clothing carries shirts and accessories in a variety of sizes and fits stylishly printed with the covers of some of the world's most beloved books. I have their Great Gatsby shirt in Ladies size L, and it's so comfortable I almost can't stand to take it off once I'm wearing it. I'm planning to get some of their 1984 merch someday in the future. You can get their clothes direct from site, from Urban Outfitters, or sometimes be lucky like me and find displays of their clothing set up in larger bookstores like Chapters. 8/10.

While those are the main brands I'd like to talk about, I browse a number of different sites regularly and visit stores in person from time to time. Others that I enjoy but do not have the experience or need to write a semi-large blurb on are as follows:

Urban Outfitters (I like their physical and online stores and have bought several shirts from them. Recommended.)
Forever 21 (I buy many skirts from them, and the occasional blouse or sweater. My mother and I both really like this store and I'd recommend it if you're looking for fun and cute casual clothes. Also has really good online service. Recommended.)
H&M (I used to buy all my clothes here, but now mostly go for casual dresses and skirts, and some of my basics for school i.e. solid color shirts and pants. I have experience with their physical stores only. Recommended.)
Melty Dream (Their physical store doesn't have much of a selection at the moment, but their prints on Skreened are for sale. I ordered the 'Soft Anime Body' print on a white hoodie and it should be here any day now. Their designs are cute, and assuming the print on the shirt will be just as good, I recommend them.)

Nasty Gal (Haven't actually ordered from them, but their selection is really cute and fits my style super well. I talked to one of their sales-people via the live chat option on their site, and they were fast and friendly with their replies, and very helpful. Planning on buying a crop sweater here for spring.)
Dolls Kill (I've been hesitant to buy from them because of the shipping costs to Canada, but really love a lot of their clothes. I have a few friends who use this site regularly and really enjoyed buying from them.)
HUMAN (Their clothes have a lot of sayings that can range from vaguely sketchy to cute and funny. They also have some fandom shirts, which caught my eye, particularly their Puella Magi Madoka Magica stuff. I don't know if I will buy from them anytime soon, but their site is fun to browse!)
milkbbi (I love this brand's cute style but just missed out on their 2013 collection. I know lots of people who buy from this brand and swear it is the best clothing they have ever worn. I am eagerly awaiting their 2014 collection so I can try them out for myself.)
NYLONshop (I found this shop via instagram, and it stocks many of the brands I mentioned above, including Stay Cute, Feather Hearts, LIFE Clothing Co., and others. I haven't bought from them but would like to in the future, and recommend their instagram account @nylonmag)

Thank you for reading my first post. I look forward to interacting on this blog more often in the future!