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Reviewing Luxury Scent Box

June 5, 2019

This post is sponsored by Luxury Scent Box. All thoughts and opinions are authentically my own.

Hello, loves!
I know I’m not the first one to say it, but I can’t believe it’s June already! Granted, it’s still raining here multiple times a week, but I am starting to get used to the spastic weather. Always dress in layers is the general rule of thumb!
Today, I’m reviewing Luxury Scent Box, a subscription service for fragrances. Y’all know I live for subscription boxes… Likely because I love the feeling of getting “presents” in the mail, but also because it allows me to always try new things. I’ve never used a service like this before, so I was excited to try it out.

A couple facts first about the brand. They’re based out of Orange County, CA. You can create a profile and have a certified fragrance specialist help you select your fragrances. Or you can do what I did and just pick the ones that sound interesting or pretty! They send out your fragrance in a reusable spray bottle and replace it monthly or quarterly, depending on your plan. Memberships are annual ($198) or month to month ($15-$18/month). With annual, you get a month free. No shipping charges and no tax. With each tube of fragrance, you’ll get about 30 days use. You can plan out which scents you get for the rest of the year if you like.

Now for the good stuff! So navigating their site is pretty easy. You can scroll through all available fragrances, or narrow down by brand or specific notes that you like. I’m a big fan of Bergamot, Tuberose, and Oud, but honestly jump around a lot too. I immediately gravitated towards the Jean Paul Gaultier Classique, something I’d tried multiple times in my teen years, but not at all since. Such a classic, as the name would suggest! Next, I wanted a couple more unique scents that I’d never tried. I loved that they carry some of my favorite brands like Lollia and ToykoMilk. I decided on the Chloe Roses de Chloe and Flora Gorgeous Gardenia from Gucci. I guess I was on a designer scent kick!

Note you will only receive one fragrance at a time, but for testing purposes, I received all three of my selections. I must say that I’m really impressed at the quality of the spray bottles. Each scent was in a different colored tube (black satin, black and metallic gold, black and metallic pink). It took me longer than I’d care to admit that you twist the top away from the bottom to get the spray nozzle to appear on top. I’m blonde, what can I say?! At first I thought I wouldn’t be able to tell which fragrance is which, but the tubes easily pull out and are labeled.

Why I like this service… I LOVE testing out perfumes to find new favorites, and also to revisit past obsessions. I can not, however, afford to spend $130+ on a new bottle every time I feel like it. I adore that these are travel-friendly, the packaging is super sleek and low profile, and super easy to just grab and go, unlike some of my fragrances.. I’m looking at YOU, Versace Bright Crystal ?

So, is it worth it? Yes, I believe so. I think you’d end up spending less with this service and get to try new, exciting fragrances without having to spend money on large bottles or worrying about not using it all before the scent turns. My only critique is that I wish they had a 3 or 6 month shipping plan. That way you could have a couple different scents to rotate, and could cut down that carbon footprint just a bit from less shipping so frequently.

Tell me in the comments.. What is your favorite subscription service? Have you ever tried one for fragrance?

My Epic Bachelorette Weekend

April 25, 2019

This post contains affiliate links. Purchasing items through them may provide me with a small commission. Some items pictured were provided to me for reviewing purposes. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thanks for supporting the brands that support Dressed for Time! 😀
Hey loves, spoiler alert!
I got married earlier this month!! I know, you might already be sick of hearing me talk about it, but if not, keep reading!

I’m not going to lie, any chance to go back to my home town of Southern California and I jump on it. When a couple of my bridesmaids offered to throw me a bachelorette party, I instantly thought of Palm Springs. It’s close to almost everyone I wanted to invite, relatively inexpensive, and there is always so much to do. We booked a couple of rooms, planned a few meals, I hopped on a plane, and my epic bachelorette weekend was on. It made the most sense for me to just stay out there until the wedding, and I was more than happy to enjoy a week and a half in my old stomping grounds.

Duster / Nordstrom Rack (sold out) // Tank / Madewell // Jeans – STS Blue // Sandals / Steve Madden // Bag / Philip Lim for Target (old)

I landed in San Diego on Friday morning and decided to beat the weekend traffic and drive up to Palm Springs with my bridesmaid Jessica that afternoon. The weather was everything I needed! I left 40 degrees, windy and overcast/raining for 75 degrees, sunny and gorgeous! Jessica and I had dinner at her friend’s house, some light bar-hopping, then home to rest up for the next day.

I will say that check-in at our hotel, the Infusion Beach Club, was less than smooth. They surprised us with extra parking charges, a 45 minute delay in the lobby to get in to our rooms, and no elevators. Normally, I wouldn’t mind taking the stairs, but I was carrying a 49.8 lb bag that held all of my outfits for the trip. It was not pleasant.

We got settled, munched on charcuterie, sipped on rose, and got ready for our first outing… A scavenger hunt in downtown Palm Springs! It took us from the Palm Springs Museum past several landmarks and bars, which we had to stop in to, of course! TBH, we didn’t end up finishing the hunt, but we did find a tiki bar, and that’s winning in my book!

Back to the hotel to change for dinner at Lulus! I had been crushing for months on this tiered, pleated white midi dress from, ironically, also Lulu’s. I paired it with a chunky turquoise necklace, silver heels, and my trusty round woven bag. Ha, and I can’t forget my headband/veil combo that I also rocked!

Dress c/o Lulus (sized down to a L in this) // Bag / Shop Daily Belle (currently on sale for under $40) // Necklace (thrifted) // Sandals / Urban Outfitters // Veil / Amazon // Sash / Oriental Trading Co.

Not going to lie, we were all feeling pretty wiped from a day of drinking and running around in the sun, so we only made it to one bar before calling it. That wasn’t the end though! A group of us got into our swimsuits and headed to the hotel’s jacuzzi to chat and drink until we got kicked out. Such rebels, right?!

Magically, and I mean this wholeheartedly, none of us were hungover the next morning for brunch! I was amazed, at even myself. Mixing Patron, wine, and champagne can frequently go oh-so-wrong. We turned it out though, check out my gorgeous crew!

Dress / Olivia Culpo for Le Tote // Clutch c/o Sharon Threads (DM to order) // Sandals / JustFab (love these for a slightly wider foot without being “wide” and I wore them EVERYWHERE on my trip)

Last thing on the schedule was to clock some serious time poolside. If you can imagine, I hadn’t see a pool in over 8 months, so it was a very welcome change.

My coverup is from Forever 21 and is a couple years old. My suit, which I wish I’d have gotten a better shot of, because it’s adorable, is from Adore Me.

That’s a wrap on my epic bachelorette weekend, folks! After the hours spent lounging poolside, Jess and I headed back to San Diego and I met Mark and his family at the airport in the morning.. Wedding post is coming soon, stay tuned!!!

NYFW A/W ’19 Recap Part Two

March 20, 2019

This post contains affiliate links. Making purchases through them may provide me with a small commission.
Thank you for supporting my blog!

Whoa, doggie, as my mom would say! It’s been a heck of a rollercoaster, planning this wedding. And with 10 days before I leave for California, it feels all the more rushed. Trying my best to enjoy the ride, though. I realized this morning that I hadn’t yet shared part two of my recap for NYFW. At the end of the day, I’m sad to say that sometimes my blog gets left behind to focus on other things. Thankfully, in my downtime, I’ve been making lists of posts to write, things and places to shoot, and topics I’m excited to cover. After the craziness settles, of course!

So without further ado, read on for my NYFW A/W ’19 Recap Part Two!

Let’s see, where did I leave off? Ahh yes, back to the shows!
ICYMI, Custo Barcelona was one of my absolute favorite shows last season. I had an even better seat this time (thanks, Custo!), and my jaw was basically dropped as design after gorgeous design came down the runway. The only bad thing was that the lights completely blew out the clothing, so I wasn’t able to get any good videos or pictures. Their PR rep never got back to me with pics of the collection like they did last season so I could share them here, but you can see the full Custo Barcelona spring collection through that link.

At Spring Studios
(Outfit details below)

After Custo, I headed by myself to Spring Studios for the Son Jung Wan show. I have to say it, this show is now battling for my favorite of the season. Extraordinary pieces that definitely make a statement but in an unfussy way. Understated, yet breathtaking. It may make me a terrible fashion blogger, but I was so in-the-moment at the show that I forgot to post a single story from it. I think I’ll go do that now.. You can check out the full Son Jung Wan collection here.

Following my only experience at Spring Studios this past season, I met up with Alyssa for our first ever front row seats at Mac Duggal. This was the brand’s first plus size runway, and I was honored to be front and center to watch all of the gorgeous ladies and stunning designs just a couple feet from me. Check out my Instagram stories for copious footage. I tried to only post my favorites, which ended up being about 20 looks, not even kidding. Their collection was called Fabulouss, and the models all walked at the end of the show holding up posters with inspiring words on them. Such a fun moment. Even though their line is marketed as prom, there are still some dresses I would be happy to rock as eveningwear to my next big event!

With the designer, himself! Such an honor!

With Maddie Baillio, from the film Dumplin’, who modeled in the show! She was so lovely!

Obsession doesn’t begin to describe my love for this sequined dress. It was one of the last things I bought for this trip, and it came just in time. I felt like a princess. And @lizzieinlace said she loved my outfit, which is a high compliment in my book!
Dress (under $75!!) / ASOS // Coat // ASOS // Belt (under $20) / ASOS // Heels / Calvin Klein // Bag and earrings / vintage // Necklace / Kyle Chan Design

After Mac Duggal, we were on our way to the Oxford Fashion Show. So, let me say that I know this accumulation of designers is regularly highly acclaimed and noteworthy. This season, for me at least, there were too many political statements, impractical pieces, and just nothing I would care to wear myself. I am probably in the minority on that, but I can’t lie! Neither of us enjoyed the collections. After that, we were beat, so we just grabbed a bite and headed home.

Sunday was supposed to be a crazy busy day for us, but it turned out to be one of the least. Partially, my fault. I had added the start time for my first show (Alyssa had one at Spring), as 12:30. Turns out, it actually started at noon, a fact I learned at 11:00 while still in Brooklyn and not done getting ready. So I missed it. The second one I was going to meet Alyssa at, but the address I’d added to the spreadsheet was off of the first email the PR company sent to me. Apparently, that was their offices, not where the show was being held. IDK if it was my bride brain, but I felt like I had royally screwed the pooch on shows that day by not triple checking the details.

We walked around for a bit to get some shots in, before heading to Blank Slate. If y’all remember my visit there last season, you’ll know it’s a must stop in while in NY. So girly, the best tea lattes, and just a nice place to sit and chill for a while. Lee from @legalleeblonde also stopped by to join us for a bit. Always lovely seeing her!

Coat / ASOS // Sweater / Forever 21 // Skirt / Miu Miu // Sneakers (currently under $20) / Old Navy // Pearl Pin (under $10) / Full Line Collection // Hair bow & Phone case / Forever 21

Next, we headed to the Nocturne Landeros show at Scandinavia House. We were crammed in a room full of hundreds of people, with no visible runway or platform. After about 45 minutes of waiting, a gentleman came out and started singing. And singing. When the third song started, I looked at Alyssa and told her “I need to leave.” I was getting claustrophobic, and the club-level volume and club-level amount of packed it was in there was not good for me.

I ended up heading to meet up with Laura from @lauraadney/Have Need Want. We went to dinner at Nomo Kitchen and OMG were their Brussels sprouts amazing. Everything else was OK, and priced on the higher side, but those sprouts I would definitely return for. Home to Brooklyn, this time a $28 uber because the train was still down.

Monday was our last day in town, and Alyssa and I had decided to book a photo shoot in the morning, since we hadn’t had too much luck photographing our outfits on our own. My camera kept dying, and the phones weren’t cutting it. I was about 20 minutes from being ready (actually a half hour ahead of schedule!), when I get a text message from Southwest, saying that my flight was cancelled. Since Mark booked it, it wouldn’t let me change the flight online or through the app. The estimated hold time was 22 minutes, and it ended up being 59 before someone picked up. She told me I was getting the last seat on the last available flight that day, now at 2:00 instead of 6:00 PM and that inclement weather in Chicago was delaying/cancelling flights from everywhere. What else is new?!

So I missed the shoot, and had to start packing. I made it to the airport 2.5 hours early, and my flight continued to get delayed until 5:45. I honestly thought I was going to have to get a hotel room, but thankfully, the last one pushed out. I landed at Midway and had to take another uber home, because Mark was out of town. That one was not cheap either, if you can imagine!

I like to keep it real on here, and even weeks after this trip, I felt defeated. This was my third time attending NYFW, and as much as I thought I’d properly organized everything, SO many things just didn’t work out. I guess after having two amazing visits back to back, it was time to shake things up! ?
Regardless, I’m always thankful that I even have the opportunity to attend each season, and look forward to the next more than you can imagine!

I’d love to hear.. Have you ever been on a trip that didn’t quite go according to plan? What did you learn from it?
I’d love to implement your tips! ?

NYFW A/W ’19 Recap Part One

March 7, 2019

This post (NYFW A/W ’19 Recap Part One), contains affiliate links. Clicking on them or making purchases through them may provide me with a small commission. This post is brought to you in part by VB Studio, Valley NYC, DreamDry, Pucker, SuperJeweler, and Atrium Dumbo. All thoughts and opinions are, as always, my own.

Well, hello, loves!
Let’s cut right to the sparkly pink elephant in the room. Yes, NYFW took place almost a month ago, and I’m JUST NOW getting my posts up. If I had known how much stress I would be putting on myself by planning a wedding almost entirely solo, I probably would have skipped it altogether. That’s real talk! All of the behind-the-scenes stuff that goes in to a successful NYFW trip is no easy task! But regardless, I went, I had lots of fun, attended some amazing shows, and I’m so thankful that I was able to be part of all of the magic that is NYFW.

I’ve decided to just do two posts to include my time in New York, partially because I’m sure y’all don’t want 4 lengthy posts documenting what most of you have already seen on stories. Also because half of the designers whose shows I attended didn’t get back to me with pictures of their collection. I digress..

My first day was a logistical nightmare. I landed at LaGuardia at 11 AM and after a half hour of password-resetting attempts, my phone wouldn’t let me log in to Juno (an NY-only based ride sharing service). It’s cheaper than Lyft and Uber, but I ended up having to book one of them. I plugged in the address of where I was planning to store my luggage temporarily, and we were on our way! A few minutes into the ride, I got an alert that the location was closed. Long story short, the driver told me he couldn’t change the destination and let me out of the car basically at the freeway offramp somewhere in Brooklyn. I had to call another car, and finally made it to Williamsburg to the new storage spot. Cute area, great bagels, moving on..

I took the train into the city, grabbed the house key from my roommate for the week, and took the train back to get my luggage. Another Uber, and I landed at my temporary home, in the Flatbush area of Brooklyn. Side note, I had NO idea how big Brooklyn actually is. More on that later. I steamed all my clothes, settled in, showered, and got ready for dinner. I wanted to treat my roomies to a nice dinner, so we headed to Peaches. So good, highly recommend them. But easy on the shrimp and grits, it’s half cheese and made my tummy hurt from trying to eat it all, so definitely split that with someone.

The next day, I took the “Q” into the city and met up with my girl Alyssa from @lifeandstylebyap. We’d planned on doing 90% of things together, and I was SO happy to see her lovely face! We grabbed coffee, and headed to our first appointment of the day at VB Studio. Super cute, no frills spot. We were treated to blowouts (and champagne!) and Alyssa made an appointment to come back later to get her extensions re-done. The weather unfortunately took a toll (it was drizzling) and my hair was flat about 30 minutes after we’d left. My hair HATES humidity, and never holds curl or volume when it’s around. Not the salon’s fault, just crappy timing.

Outfit details:
Coat (under $100 and one of my faves of the season) & Dress (doesn’t the dandelion print give you all the Gossip Girl vibes!? Just me? OK…)
Bag (linking similar) / Loeffler Randall // Booties (I sized up to a 7.5) / Target // Necklace / Kyle Chan Love Initials

A quick walk and train ride later, we were at Valley Nails. Their space is SO adorable, and I was finding something new and pretty to stare at in every corner. My tech did a great job at applying the gold holographic foil. Y’all know I love my gold everything! Over the next couple days though, I noticed staining, chipping and peeling. Alyssa had a similar issue, but was able to go back to have them fixed. Apparently, her second set didn’t stain and lasted a lot longer, not sure what happened with that first round! I’d try them out again, just maybe go for a darker color.

Ring (comes in a set of 3) / Gorjana

Yay, onto our first show! And I have to say, one of my favorites of the season. Jiri Kalfar opened with legendary supermodel Paulina Porizkova (said in my best Tyra Banks voice), and continued on with such energy, and truly beautiful designs.

We learned a sneaky little trick, since the next show was at the same venue… We hopped to the front of the newly formed line to go back in, instead of going outside and waiting for check-in to start again. Hogan McLaughlin was the next designer to have his pieces come down the runway, and while the clothes were stunning, they were a bit high concept for me. I still appreciated the art of his designs, and it was another great show.

Off to the final fashion event of the evening, a presentation by Celestino Couture. They gave the incorrect address on the invite, and Alyssa & I, along with 6 other guests, were wandering around for 20 minutes before we learned of the new location. Gorgeous, intricate designs, breathtaking embellishments and embroidery, and a show-stopping pink gown as the highlight (it’s saved to my, ahem, highlights). Worth the hassle of finding the spot ? Most of the designs I felt had a vintage, almost time period quality to them, but made current for wearing today.

Alyssa was off to dinner with friends, and I was supposed to head to a shopping event, but your girl’s feet were done. Like bleeding ankles, done. I hobbled to the train after chowing down some pizza, and got off a couple stops from home to walk around Target barefoot until I found my favorite new (lifesaver) pink sneakers on the clearance rack. Oh, the glamour….

Friday was probably my most stressful day of the trip.
Blowouts at DreamDry and makeup at Pucker were exquisite, as always, and I will continue to work with and support them. The artists are always so talented, and actually work with you to create the vision you dreamed of.

The details!
Lightweight Trench / Nordstrom // Midi skirt (also comes in plus) / Nordstrom // Bodysuit / Free People // Belt bag (under $30) / Steve Madden //
Necklace / Kyle Chan Design // Earrings / vintage // Sneakers / Target (yay!) // hand warmers / Alpaca farm in New Jersey

After that, we headed to the Fashion Hong Kong runway show, and even though we arrived 15 minutes before the show started, we were 6 people deep in the standing section and couldn’t see a thing. Like not even a sliver of the runway. Hey, it happens sometimes. We decided to leave so Alyssa could get to her extension appointment, and I went home to change and rest. I believe this is when I learned that the “Q” train would now be down for maintenance the rest of the weekend, causing me to take… alternate means of transportation.

We met up again around 4 to shoot near the Manhattan bridge, to mixed results. About 30 other bloggers and their photographers had the same idea, and the sun was already pretty far set. Earlier is definitely the way we’ll go next season! Oh, and it was trash day. And windy AF.

Those deets!
Bodysuit (super comfortable to wear and under $60) / Nordstrom // Skirt / TopShop // Bag (sold out, linking similar) / Zara // Bracelet c/o SuperJeweler // Booties / Forever 21 // Ring / Aurate NYC // Earrings / vintage

On to dinner at Atrium Dumbo. I didn’t know if I was going to mention this or not, but I think it’s important to share, for any bloggers out there reading this, how important being accountable is. When you commit to a business or brand, it’s your, and sometimes other’s reputations on the line. I hate to sound like I’m scolding people here, but I spend hours planning meet ups so bloggers and influencers can connect in person, and also to bring exposure to awesome restaurants, and when people don’t show, it’s like a slap in the face!

So Alyssa and I planned on meeting three other bloggers there at 5:00 for a dinner I’d coordinated. One of them even said she was currently getting in a cab after stopping by her apartment to change, and was on her way. Alyssa and I waited until 6:00, and no one else showed. I also learned that even though we’d finalized a lunch for the following day at another restaurant more than a week prior, those girls had no intention of showing to that meet up either. We were disappointed, embarrassed, and hungry, to be honest, because they were waiting for the rest of our party to arrive before serving us. We explained the situation to the manager, offering to pay for the cheese plate we’d picked at, and he was very understanding and invited Alyssa and myself back another time. I think for future meet ups, I will require a deposit to hold people’s spots, which hopefully will have them actually respecting everyone’s time by showing up!

I will say that the space is stunning, the service was attentive, and the vibe was unpretentious and utterly romantic. Alyssa and I both remarked that it would be the perfect spot to be proposed to!

We then headed to Ciccio for wine and for something to eat (they forgot to ring in my food, even after being reminded when Alyssa’s food arrived, so annoying!), before meeting up with a large group of fellow bloggers at Bar Hugo. Such a cool space, and they actually let us enjoy a complimentary drink and private space so we could all chat and FINALLY see each other in person! I talked to @girlmeetsbow, @miss_alk, @payt_reed, whom I’d never met before, along with @kristinacatherinemcinnis and fellow Chicagoan @caitpatton. So many fantastic ladies in one place! So I will say that the night did end on a high note.

Stay tuned for the rest of my NYFW experience in Part 2!

And don’t forget to check out my past NYFW coverage from last season, and last year!