We've all been waiting for it! | SEPHORA RELEASE

*This post comes from my blog The Stardoll Beauty Spot*

So it's heeeeereeee! I think Sephora has been the most talked about brand that users want brought back to the site, and well today is our lucky day! Stardoll has made a "Best of" store of some of the Sephora makeup that was available back in the day - now yesterday talking about it with friends, we were expecting great products however not at a very friendly price, so lets so how the store does! 

I think I may have spent 5 minutes drooling and staring at it before actually doing anything, to me it all just looks so beautiful and pretttttty! Haha =) Anyway, there's a great selection of all beauty products that we could need really, eyeshadows, eyeliner, eye pencils, eyebrow pencils, blush, lipsticks, mascara etc etc etc - I'm just a little sad there's only one lip liner and it's a bright shade, if it was a paler pink I would be using that all the time! There's also a good variety of colours and shades of everything, a particular favourite are those lip colours, I've spent a while just there trying them all on and falling in love with each more than the next, the colours are perfect and I absolutely love them on my doll!
So, on to prices - they range from 5 to 15 SD's, which I have to say is what I think I could have hoped, but didn't expect to get! However, I added everything that I didn't already have (I was around for the original Sephora so I already had a couple of these products) to my basket and I think I had a mini MI, I don't really want to pay over 400 SD's for all of that! So despite the above images saying I have 45 items in my basket, I didn't buy them all - I analysed each product that I thought I wanted and then made some tough decisions to cut that total down to 201 SD buying 17 items - which were all of the lipsticks (yes, pretty much every single one!) and the 3 blushes, which were something I had always wished I'd bought first time around! Ended up leaving all the eye products for now - I spent a lot of time comparing the colours to the ones I already have (which is too many!) and found that a lot were very similar, as the store is here for a month, I'm planning to spend that time looking at them more and comparing products to see if the colour difference would make a difference in makeup looks etc. plus if I want to part with those SD's!
Finally, just a few of the fabulous lips colours that I'm loving, that Kat Von D Dusty Rose is just amazing, don't you think? =D

So what did you guys think? Good release? If you bought any products and have worn them, let me know in comments and show me what you've done with your new products! 

LE - Review!

So yesterday at the pre-given time of 1pm (for me anyways) we got our latest dose of LE, and I have to say I think it was a mad rush, kinda like those ridiculous 7am Boxing day sales that I absolutely refuse to go to! I was online waiting, ok, I was in a study room at uni, shouldn't have been on Stardoll but had it open and sized it down small so no one would see (there were only 2 other people in the room though) and I like to have a good look through everything before making my mind up, and even then some things I was clicking were about down to half their numbers and the items had only been out 10 minutes, so I turned into a bit of a frantic clicker of the mouse and I'm sure the other people thought I was crazy (I kinda am though, lets face it =P)!!! But anyways, here's what all this fuss was about:

So we had 4 floors packed to the brim with designer-inspired LE clothing, including an outfit for the guys out there! I think there was a great mix of resort styled clothes with skirts and dresses galore, I do feel like there could have been a few amazing pairs of trousers there though! I really love pastels, but I'm not so sure about the abundance of black dotted in there, I think a little more cohesiveness between items could have worked out well. There was also a really good selection of shoes and accessories, sometimes they get forgotten about I think, but definitely not this time, although I only picked up a few, there were definitely accessories for everyone! 

Now onto prices, I believe them to be a lot more expensive than the collections have been in the past, with quite a few dresses breaching the 200 SD mark. Prices range from 30 for a necklace right up to 260 for a dress. I do think in the rush and madness that is LE people don't really consider the prices, if I had more time to clearly think through pieces and prices I do think things would be different and I wouldn't have spent over 1.5K on items! But I am happy with everything I bought and I do look forward to styling them when I have time =D That seems to be my new motto "...when I have time" =)

Here are some of the pieces that I chose to purchase from the collection, I would show you them all but my computer is being ridiculously slow and it's taking forever! I've not styled anything yet, but I will when I have the time ... in a month!

And finally for a whole lot of LE looks that I've spotted around the site:

B-S1997

Jennakorpas

LadyTiffannie

MandaMichalka

MilaDivaStar

Miloshki

SS-Diamond

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!

A Limited Edition Review (Part One)

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.

The Stardoll Advertisement (Issued 24/1/14)

On Thursday afternoon, 23rd of January, Stardoll unveiled the first hint of a new collection through the form of a colour palette image through Snapchat. Although it was such a minimal spoiler it was more than enough to get the majority excited for what was to come and admittedly, it did indeed look like a promising choice of colour from the design team. Later that day another hint, again shown through Snapchat, was given and on Friday morning Stardoll released the first official teaser, as shown above, for the coming edition. It was, and is, an undeniably beautiful spoiler and everything in the image seemed to be perfectly executed, which is a rather unusual feat for the dolly designers who have made a living out of meagre graphics and advertisements.

Hours later, the Limited Edition store went incognito and closed its doors for the first time in 4 long months while users waved goodbye to the dreadful plastic plaid mess which filled the Starplaza previously. Hours passed and not another hint or spoiler was released, with thousands upon thousands of comments accumulating on the Underneath Stardoll blog as perplexed fashion lovers tried to figure out what on Earth Stardoll was doing with their time.

Stardoll dropped the first reveal of the store interior on the social networking sites Instagram and Google Plus at around 2PM GMT. It is safe to say that the interior is easily the best backdrop that Stardoll has crafted since the beautiful floral LE scene created back in the summer of 2011. But yet, still no sign of the new collection everyone was so eagerly anticipating.

The store was finally released at around 8:50PM GMT, which was the latest a Limited Edition release had ever come. Certain pieces sold out in mere minutes and very quickly Underneath Stardoll had crashed and Stardoll was full of crazed fanatics filling their carts with the clothing they had been visualising for so long. I got to the store around 15 minutes after the initial release and around six things were already sold out. In fact, unlike prior collections which took between 7 days and 1 month to sell out, this edition took as little as 36 hours, with the vast majority of things gone after a mere 18.

More to the point though, how does this collection actually fare?
Check back tomorrow to find out!

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!

CALLIE'S PICKS, Store Review

**Warning: Like many of my posts, the following is subject to a hefty amount of swearing and finger-pointing. If you are uncomfortable with foul language, this is not a post for you . . . 

Today marked the opening of yet another store in the Starplaza. While I'm all for new collections, Callie's Picks was definitely not anything I was expecting.

And when I say, "Not what I was expecting," I mean it in the humblest what-a-piece-of-shit type of way. Now, it might just be me, but I'm not too keen on seeing doubles. Might I mention the use of mildly-rare items in this modern day collection?

Take the Tartan Cap Sleeve Dress, for example. Remember seeing that in Stardoll's Versus S/S 2011 collection? Ah, let the nostalgia sink in. And while we're at it, how about the Tartan Dress inspired by McQueen? If memory serves correct, at one point, that too, was considered valuable.

Though while I'm all for a re-release of something that suits my fancy, I'm not all that fond of rares releasing for round two. The very reason is in its name.

Lets start with why a rare is labeled a rare. Because it pertains to a certain value, therefore making it desirable. Kicking up the dosage of nostalgia: I can clearly remember asking my parents why the government doesn't make more money? To me, it made so much sense - hell, no one would suffer poverty; everyone'd earn a healthy dose of food each evening; and be able to afford all the 'wants' in life.

That's the thing, though. If money was spewing from trees, it wouldn't be seen as desirable. Same thing relates to Stardoll's rares. If everyone had lets just say, the DKNY Scuba Dress (Ah, yes, that'd be nice, wouldn't it?), it wouldn't be seen as a got-to-have item. And yeah, I'm well aware of the eye rolling; you don't need a lesson on value.

Aside from the point, though . . . lets not forget the other items featured in Callie's Picks.

To be completely honest, the entire collection makes my head spin at the sight of two completely different sides of Stardoll. I'm sure you're all highly aware of my - quite - obvious distaste towards newer collections of Stardoll's - hence the super shiny objects that appear as if they'd just gotten a hitchhike from Barbie. Often times I'll find myself wishing for elder feats of Stardoll - a little something I like to call quality. And yes, you can get that too, all here at Callie's most coveted closet. From the Gold Foil Plaid Dress (Which features the best of Photoshop's dodge and burn tools . . . ), to the Ruffle Hem Blouse (And ironically, doesn't even cater a speck of plaid), you can get all pieces of tartan known to man. Or dolls, in this case.

I'd also like to touch up on the fact that Stardoll seared the face of a fictional character into the seams of their "new" clothing. Cause' lets face it, Callie.Stardoll is just a myth in their game. If there was some solid proof that in fact Callie existed, then maybe I'd change my mind. Though, it's going to take a lot of convincing seen as it's been confirmed many times over that she's just a made-up name. That said, if it really is an invisi-woman making all the decisions, then how the hell is Stardoll translating her words of silence into a solid fourty plus items?

Also couldn't help but point out the cliche'd title of Stardoll's latest and greatest? I swear even "Original Future" is more original than that . . .

On a high note, however, I was actually thrilled by the little quick-fact article written up - all if you click on the "About the Trend" icon as featured in the store. It'll make up for some educated dollies as to this season's hottest trends, even if it's just the tip of the iceberg, at best. I'm just happy Stardoll brought in some facts strait off the runway - albeit the items featured come from previous seasons, and are so-called out of style.

Despite some - in my opinion - major flaws in Callie's Picks, I was alright with this release. I'd just wished it'd taken more than ten minutes top to create a collection of fourty-six misfits. And of course, add a dose of quality, and then I'll hand Stardoll over my seal of approval.

PMR: FIERCE MAGAZINE

I continually find myself wondering whether the old and original magazines of Stardoll, such as Style, Eternity and Fierce, really were better than the few magazines that stand in the current day Stardoll. Today, magazines from the hey day of Stardoll will be put to the test to see if they really are that much better than the issues of today.

Fierce Magazine owned by Hunnigall, was a magazine that started in early 2009 under the name of Sprinkle. Over time the issues improved hugely and by the end of Fierce's reign Alice was arguably the top graphic designer on the entirety of Stardoll. Sadly, the final issue that was promised by Alice was never given, but at least we can still bask in the glory of the magazine issues released before it's slow demise. Today, their final S/S 2010 issue will be trialled and tested to see just how it fairs against the issues of current times.

Cover: ★★★★★★★★  8

There is no denying that that this cover is both very intriguing and well made. I truly love the huge inject of colour and I find the cover model highly  interesting. The graphic is well constructed, though I could imagine it leaving something to be desired in present day graphics. Less is more? For this cover the mass amount of texts works very well, but I can imagine it looking messy on others. 

Graphic Design: ★★★★★★★★  8

Graphic designing is evidently Fierce's strong point and every graphic in this issue combines the perfect amount of Stardoll and realism. Each one of this issues 11 graphics are very strong and show off Alice's then graphic skill impeccably, with the amount of work gone into them evident.

Fashion Editorial: ★★★★★★  6

Sadly, there is no full fashion editorial included in this issue of the magazine. There are numerous articles alongside some graphics and a set of trend graphics (which could be included as a fashion editorial) but no full fashion editorial in entirety.

Trends Shown: ★★★★★★★★★  9

For the time of release, this issue showed a massive set of trends including future fashion, military madness and cool as a cucumber graphics, complete with six makeup pages. As well as this, there is page on the involvement of maths and shapes in fashion, an article on the legendary Spanish architect Gaudi, Emilio Pucci and Camilla Skovgaard. 

Writing Style: ★★★★★ ★  6

The writing in this issue is somewhat rocky and could do with some work. Although the articles are all relatively short and therefore interesting, there are numerous errors that proof reading could have fixed included in the issue. 

How did this magazine score?

37 out of 50,  at 74% or B-

Hot Buys "Summer Retro" Collection (Part II)

So it seems as if the nightmare hasn't ended for Hot Buys collectors. Just recently, Stardoll did another "re-release" of the old summer Hot Buys collections, rendering the pieces currently on sale essentially worthless in StarBazaars and collectors' Suites alike. I stand to the point that I made quite a few weeks ago, when I reviewed the pros and cons of the first re-release; Stardoll may be thinking a step ahead in regards to trying to minimize scams and hacks on some of these semi-rare items, however, not at a significant cost to users.

There's really not much to say that I haven't said already, so I'll leave you all here with some advice: I'd start getting rid of those Hotbuys if they're still worth anything. Considering the summer is almost over, and we've about a month (give or take), I wouldn't take any chances on them releasing another old collection, as this seems to be the trend recently. All I can do now is wait patiently in the hopes that Stardoll designers might release some decent collection in the coming months to make up for this disappointment. Maybe they're using the re-releases to buy them time for a big project? Only time will tell.

Hot Buys: "Summer Retro" Collection Review

Whether Stardoll's graphic designers have just become lazy, or finally given into the persistent demands of their Hot Buys consumers is a question that I have difficulty answering, especially with the release of the "Summer Retro" collection. While I do appreciate that some of the pieces I particularly coveted were brought back, I question the prices. 13 Stardollars for a simple shirt I could replicate in StarDesign for a fraction of the cost seems a bit outrageous to me; same goes for the Rose Denim Shorts priced accordingly. So, let us have a moment of silence for the users that paid an arm and a leg for any items in this collection on the Starbazaar.

This release has been increasingly frustrating to Hot Buys sellers, as highly sought after items such as the Minni Body take a significant plunge in their value. This may have been the icing on the perpetual cake "of doom" to collectors, especially since Stardoll's opening of the Archives store and the release the Voile bridal gowns. However, I do (somewhat grudgingly) have to commend Stardoll on their ability to find out how users were making money for themselves without raking in a direct profit for the company itself, and then do something like this that would benefit them and the users desperate to get their hands on a piece from the collection for cheaper prices. Though one might argue that when these items had such a high value, users would have to buy more Stardollars to afford them, thereby making a profit. It all depends on the user and what they would be willing to spend for a Hot Buys. For example, I've seen the green Head Bow go for 400 SDs in some bazaars, though I'm not quite sure who in their right mind would pay so much for it. If you did your research and read the trends, it ends up becoming user's own faults for making a purchase that would not pay off, though I do agree that Stardoll kind of screwed over the collectors with this move.

So all in all, I suppose this release was pretty bittersweet for a lot of us, and not one of Stardoll's brightest moments. Angering the collectors, who also apparently make up a huge chunk of the profit, probably was not one of the smartest things to do. This also puts a time cap on the collectors' sales, forcing them to wait a few more years before actually making a decent profit, and even then, if you've got the chance to get the Hot Buys now, do so. Then again, if you are buying them merely for the aesthetically pleasing view and not so much to make money, I'd say go for it! 

Burberry Menswear for Spring/Summer 2014 Review

As London Fashion Week continues, Burberry [Prorsum] hosted their first ever Menswear Collection in London after 10 years of Burberry shows in Milan. As normal, the celebrities came out for the highly anticipated show – with rapper Tinie Tempah & YouTube’s popular twins, Jack & Finn in attendance, oh, and I must say I was certainly not disappointed. 

In comparison to Bailey’s previous Burberry collection for the Spring/Summer months, a lot of thinking has certainly gone into making this collection one of London Fashion Week’s finest. When first streaming this collection live through Vogue.co.uk, Tim Burton’s 1950’s set of ‘Edward Scissorhands’ instantly filled my mind of the multiple pastel coloured houses’ - which then led to the working men of the cul de sac. It’s apparent that inspiration from this collection came from the 1950’s & the 1980’s. 

What I liked;

• ·         Firstly, I would like to say that I’m obsessed with the mint, pale yellow & black polka dot scarves featured in looks #14 & #15, though despite these scarves featured in a Spring/Summer collection, they seem quite complex – which gives you the opportunity to wear them all year around.
• ·         Look #4 & look #26 featured an incredible tailored, double-knit cardigan in luxurious ecru cashmere. Once I seen the jacket coming down the Burberry runway, I said to myself “Yay, cardigans on the Burberry runway”, but once Burberry released their items for purchase on their website, I done some research on the £1,795 cashmere gem, and it turns out that the supposed “cardigan” is actually a jacket. What I love most about the cardijack (jackets as cardigans) is that it will give the warmth of a jacket in a style of a cardigan – which I think is quite unique for Burberry.
• ·         Despite my love-affair of black & white clothing, I must say I love the numerous colours throughout. Whether it’s the “pretty” pastel tones of mint & cotton-candy or the boldness of both the reds, greens and blues. 

What I don't like;

• ·         I’m not too sure why big name brands like Marc Jacobs & Burberry create those hideous runway eyewear. Anyone who is familiar with me & my style would have already known, but these sunglasses are not commercial at all. Although, if the shades’ frames were such thinner; I believe they could have worked, but unfortunately the finished product doesn’t board well with me.  
• ·         The Burberry Duffle Pouch, don't get me wrong, I LOVE them, although, I would have also loved if they featured a 1980’s styled satchel in those crazy colours that are presented throughout. And apart from those two flaws, the collection was spot on.

To conclude, I adore this collection, and I believe those colours will be a huge trend for both men and woman in the season of Spring/Summer in 2014. In total, I give this collection 7/10,

Eamonn Collins (FashionnGirl.)