New Release: Bikinimania

The 20th edition of Callie's Picks (yes, we are somehow already on number 20) has just been released to the starplaza. The release, titled 'Bikinimania' is full of a large variety of bikinis from numerous years of summers on Stardoll. This time around there aren't as many rares, but there is a pretty big selection of previous hot buys. The prices are far too high on some items, though reasonable on others that were worth quite a lot pre re-release.
For some reason, Stardoll is charging 17 stardollars for an ugly zebra bikini (that doesn't fit) that used to be a freebie. Overall there are a few nice finds in there, my favourite being the Summer clutch, and the store looks very nice as per usual. Personally, I would like for them to go for monthly releases like Archive instead of releasing each fortnight. What do you think?

Gone With The Wind

Every few months Stardoll grants us access to multiple floors of top new hairstyles. Whether they're good or bad is of course always debatable, but it's always nice to be able to purchase some new looks for your doll to wear. This time around we were presented with a 'Tress Up: Gone With The Wind' collection, priced between 11 and 20 stardollars.

Unsurprisingly enough, more than a few of the 'blowing' hairstyles make your doll look somewhat insane, with their hair blowing in all directions while they stand as still as ever with motionless outfits from neck to toe. Although some of the styles are maybe slightly too exaggerated, a few do look good and work as a blowing hair piece. 

Priced at such prices I would expect better hair as some look unfinished, and in comparison the winter collection previous lack detail and style. The Loretta style for example, priced at 14 stardollars, looks undone at the top for light hair, while it has slightly more detail when put into darker dyes. The majority of hair styles available look better in the dark colours on offer, which is a slight annoyance for all of us bleached dollies out there. 

Ultimately I'm sure you can find a style that you like, however in comparison to previous collections that task may be a whole lot harder. Even though the store is packed with 15 new styles I find that I am uninterested in a good 5. Though at least we got a gorgeous advertisement to drool over the wonderful facial features which we are all so desperate for.   

Ink'd!

With an ever growing fan base but a failing blogging scene it's always exciting when Stardoll introduces a somewhat useful and interesting feature. There are of course a few things that people would like to see on Stardoll, but aside from that few Stardoll are somewhat limited to the features they can add and how often they can add them. Instead, users have to make do with what they've got until Stardoll are ready to unveil their latest addition to their beloved site.

Today, Stardoll's brand new tattoo and piercing studio Ink'd was released. When Stardoll first unveiled through the store through a youtube video of an artist sketching I was somewhat skeptical about the release, but the awesome store put me to rest, never minding the tattoos themselves.

I'm somewhat obsessive when it comes to the interior of new stores, hence why I was probably so disappointed with the recent collection of the growingly mediocre Limited Edition in that ever so wonderful backdrop. However unlike LE, this collection has some substance as well as style.

The tattoos Stardoll can offer are obviously slightly limited, but the designers have given a reasonable selection of tattoos and piercings. Annoyingly, some of the smaller tattoos go over clothes and hair, but the larger ones on a whole are fine. Prices range from 2 - 13 stardollars, which is reasonable considering a regular bag can now set you back 13 - 16 stardollars.

Interested in tattoos and piercings? You should definitely check the store out. Not interested? Take a look anyway; the shop is pretty!

New Release: Subcouture

After a disappointing first start to what could have been a fabulous first couture collection, Subcouture is back with a second official release. This time, masked with two '2 hour only' dresses, the store takes inspiration from designers such as Zac Posen, Camilla Skovgaard, Chanel and Alexandre Vauthier.

The store, which is priced between nine and thirty stardollars, was released on the 28th and is once again only available for 48 hours. The two sequinned black dresses which were only available for the first 2 hours after general release are shown in the above advertisement.

Although both the graphics and designs have taken a step up (although they still aren't particularly great), I still find the entire Subcouture store and concept to be somewhat underwhelming. Nothing as of now has thoroughly impressed me and I am waiting for the day that the shop will pleasantly shock me with a new collection.

What do you think of Subcouture's second collection?
To view the real life versions click here!

New Release - Nelly

On Friday we were treated to a new release of Nelly floors:

Two new floors of clothing and shoes for us to enjoy! I think it's an interesting mix of things, but I have to say I prefer this collection a lot less than previous ones, I find a lot of the things are quite unwearble and wouldn't fit too well into my style or current wardrobe. I did buy several pieces though, so it wasn't a totally disappointing release =) Here's the things I did buy:

I fell in love with the jeans and white shoes as soon as I saw them, so they were no brainer pieces for me! And I felt some weird attraction to the hat, it's very un-me and although I like some hats, I never really wear hats on my doll at all, but I kinda felt like I was missing out on something if I didn't get this? Hmm, we'll see, lets hope I manage to wear it! I don't really own many grey tops, so it was quite nice to pick these two up, looking forward to wearing them too =) 

So I've done a quick styling for you guys to see the jeans - they're a piece I've yet to see being worn around Stardoll, so many some inspiration might help?

I seem to have gravitated to pairing them with paler pastel colours, but I think they do look fab with that bright pink cardi! I really like all the looks, and they look good with heels, flat sandals and trainers, which is a definite plus - I did have a pair of wedges to style them with too, but I though 3 looks would be enough =) 

And now a couple of looks that I spotted around Stardoll of members wearing the new items:

 ^AngelOoops wearing the Medley Jacket in a formal manner, I think it looks great with the maxi!

^Marbum may only be wearing the Celfie Hat, but it's a fantastic look none the less!

So what do you guys think about this new collection? Let us know in the comments =) 

Strike A Pose!

*Sorry for the lack of posts this week. I've had an extremely busy few days and I haven't managed to access the blog a lot!*

Last Monday brought us the release of Strike a Pose, an interesting new store with the aim of creating limited posed clothing items. Throughout the years on Stardoll there have been a few posed clothing pieces released, but none have ever amounted to a full store even with all the demand for posing on and around Stardoll.  With this new release we were treated to a selection of non posed items all priced around the 20 - 40 stardollar mark, along side a large variety of jackets, dresses and pants with different poses up to 175 stardollars.

Admittedly, I'm not impressed by many of Stardoll's limited collections - Instead of them being the utmost quality, I often find that they're a lot worse than even Stardoll regular real brands. Strike a Pose for me combined great graphics, an interesting concept and fair prices. I thought the regular items were priced well and the most expensive were worth the money. The store looked fresh and unique, and ended up selling out in around four to six hours, which is if I'm correct is the fastest ever full collection to ever sell on Stardoll. 

I'm very excited to see what's next for this exciting new brand on Stardoll, and I hope with time that it can only get better and better. What are your thoughts on Strike a Pose?

HB #10 - Stiletto Sandals

We have reached the end of February and we have made it to the final hot buy of the month. February isn't quite going out with a bang, however I'm sure these pretty pair of shoes, inspired by Louis Vuitton, will suffice. They are available from Bonjour Bizou and they are priced at 12 stardollars - I'm not going to give a lengthy review purely because they are simply a pair of nice shoes and not a lot more. They are possibly a tad overpriced at 12 stardollars, but the design is nice and the colour adds a lot more than the original black design by Louis Vuitton. Thank you to Stardoll Real Brands for the image - one of our newest media partners!

HB #9 - Sparkly Fringes Bag

It's almost the end of the month and we are officially on the ninth and penultimate hot buy! The Sparkly Fringes Bag costs 10 stardollars and can be found in Rio. It appears to be inspired by the Stella McCartney fringe bag (view here), which is also available in clutch form.

The bag is in no way a disappointing hot buy, however the fringe seems to attach oddly to the bag itself and the strap lays awkwardly on the doll. The awkward laying strap may make it awkward to incorporate into outfits purely because it won't fit well around jackets, or just long sleeves in general. In saying that, I enjoy the bag and I think that it looks pretty good on my doll!

What are your thoughts on the latest hot buy?
Let us know in the comment below!

★★★★★★★★★★

HB #8 - Valentin Jacket (incomplete)

HB #7 - Little Kiss Earrings

The seventh hot buy of February has just been released - Costing 7 stardollars and available at Epiphany. They are another nice addition to this months collection, although I wouldn't say they were a necessary or particularly amazing one.  At 7 stardollars I was interested in purchasing them, however they didn't fit my ears so I decided against the purchase. What are your thoughts on the latest hot buy release?

HB #6 - Paris Love Clutch

The sixth hot buy of February has just been released at Bonjour Bizou. The clutch is available for 13 stardollars and is inspired by the brand Kayu, which you can view in its real life version glory by clicking here. The bag is undeniably nice and I would consider it a great edition to the months collection, however it isn't something I am rushing to spend my stardollars on. I am pleasantly surprised to see how similar Stardoll's take is in comparison to the real life version however, as Stardoll are somewhat known for ruining what was a nice piece in real life.

★★★★★★★★★★

HB #5 - Valentin Dress

We are now officially half way through the Hot Buy month of February and the fifth item is the Valentin Dress, inspired by Marc by Marc Jacobs, for 16 stardollars and available from Pretty in Love. I am yet to be majorly let down with any February hot buy and this dress certainly does not disappoint. I easily prefer Stardoll's rendition over the original because of their own take on the lace used and the cute heart belt added. For what it is, I have no complaints at all. Have you included this new release in one of your outfits? Comment below for your outfit to be entered and a chance to win a stardollar prize at the end of the month!

★★★★★★★★★★

HB #4 - Organza Skirt

The fourth hot buy of the month has been released, available for 15 stardollars at It Girls. This hot buy was another one that I didn't really expect to love, but after trying it on my doll I'm a fan. The quality, as with all of the hot buys so far this month, is very good and it compliments a lot of outfits well. The little hearts could possibly limit the skirts use, however they also add a feminine touch to an otherwise simple skirt. Have you included this new release in one of your outfits? Comment below for your outfit to be entered and a chance to win a stardollar prize at the end of the month!

★★★★★★★★★★

A Limited Edition Review (Part Two)

To many the excitement of getting your hands on a new piece of Limited Edition clothing disappeared while Stardoll implemented many new and mostly unpopular changes a few years back. However the newest collection of everyone's favourite stardoll shop, prior to its downfall that is, revealed a glimmer of hope in the revival of Stardoll's signature LE tag brand.

..............................

After the collection had sold out and I had taken some time to digest my thoughts about the new release I found that although it was no show stopper, the collection was undeniably a step in a positive direction. The clothes, although not particularly well made nor ultra stylish like so many had hoped for, were presentable and far more 'LE' than previous seasons. 

If Stardoll were to take more time perfecting a lot of these pieces, this collection really could have been a lot better. For example, the skirt in the picture above has some interesting ideas and a nice shape, however Stardoll's LE logo ruined the piece. Limited Edition should be able to look like Limited Edition without having to have the logo of the brand plastered onto it. Sure, some brand logos are iconic and a statement piece with a logo on it is lovely, but you certainly do not see real life designers plastering every runway with their own logos. 

Personally I would like to see LE grow up a bit. It began more than five years ago now so it is obvious that over this period Limited Edition would have gone into a new direction, however I feel like out of every store in the starplaza, Limited Edition should be the one that takes direct inspiration from the runways, in both quality and design.

All in all Stardoll still has a lot to do until they perfect this brand once again, but for now this collection has been somewhat of a breath of fresh air in what had been a devastatingly poor timeline of releases. A good release? Yes. But is 'good' really enough for a brand like LE?

★★★★★★★★★★

HB #3 - Heart Shoes

The third Hot Buy of February has just been released, available for 10 stardollars at Pretty in Love. I can't say I'm a fan of these heart shoes, although I definitely prefer Stardoll's take on the shoes over the Vivienne Westwood real life version. I can't say that I will be purchasing these, or attempting to make an outfit with them either, but if you have then comment below with a link to your outfit and you could be included in a competition to win stardollars at the end of the month!

HB #2 - Heart Shirt

First of all, my apologies for the bad quality images once again - I have no idea what's going on with blogger images at the moment. The second hot buy of February was released today, for an insanely cheap 6 stardollars. Not only is this item of top notch quality, it is also cheaper than the hot buys we got back in 2008/09. It is inspired by the Burberry and at the price I think it's a must have for everyone. If you're wearing this item I'd love to see how you styled it in the comments below!

HB #1 - Heart Necklace

★★★★★★★★★★

The first hot buy of the month has been released in the starplaza - costing a reasonable 10 stardollars. You can find it in Stardoll's prime jewellery store Epiphany. I can't say I was particularly excited for this necklace when the month preview was first debuted, but it does surprisingly look very nice on my doll. Have you made an outfit with this necklace? Comment below if so and you will be entered into a competition with stardollar prizes at the end of the month!

Username: 

Outfit link:

Entrer Hot Buys - February 2014

There was an unusual lack of Hot Buys collections last year but Stardoll have appeared to reverse this trend and are once again back into the swing of their monthly collections. Though whether they're good or not is a completely different question it is always somewhat exciting to peer into the fashions from that coming month.

After an interesting yet mediocre collection of January hot buys (which you can view here), Stardoll have released their February edition, which are unsurprisingly embellished in hearts and jewels galore. However similar to the January collection they are laid out beautifully, aside from the rather creepy model and her somewhat intimidating glare.

Personally I am fond of quite a large selection of the monthly picks and there is nothing which I can immediately say that I dislike. Every item looks well crafted and I am especially excited for the Hearts Shirt, available on the 4th of February, which takes direct inspiration from the beautiful Burberry real life version. Alongside this, The Valentin jacket also looks very on trend and I can see the Paris clutch and accompanying jewels going down a treat too.

All in all, February looks like a very promising month for Hot Buys and I am excited to try on all of the above items. Stay tuned throughout the month for a review of each and every Hot Buy on their day of release, starting today!

TTT WEEKLY #1

THE PERFECT JEANS

Callie's Picks was a somewhat controversial store when it was first released - with Stardoll once again using their trusted method of rereleasing for the new shop. Two weeks on, and the second edition of the store has been released, this time paying homage to none other than denim.

Quite honestly, this release is surprisingly underwhelming. After a pretty solid first release and a cool vibe on the spoiler of the new edition - I was left disappointed with the higher prices and poor selection of items.

Quintessentially Callie's Picks is Stardoll's attempt at repackaging Archive so that they can charge higher prices and release items of moderate rarity (...not that they didn't already attempt that). Prices in this collection have sky rocketed to 40 stardollars and unsurprisingly there are a very small number of starcoin items which are mostly tagged at 100sc+.

What are your thoughts on the second release of Callie's Picks?

UPDATE: The Archive store has just been removed from starplaza. It seems as though I was correct when saying that Callie's Picks is just archive repackaged for a higher price.