Bauble Bar Review

 

INTRODUCTION. My close friend, Rachel, inadvertently introduced me to this week's Spotlight Site: BaubleBar.com. While searching through her Pinterest boards looking for birthday gift inspirations, I noticed a sweet little pair of turquoise earrings. Following the link led me straight to Bauble Bar. Sometimes I wish I taped myself trolling the Internet with the sole purpose of capturing my histrionic facial expressions. I’m sure when I was browsing Bauble Bar for the first time my eyes were as wide as saucers. Bauble Bar is the perfect site for a jewelry fiend! Amy Jain and Daniella Yacobovsky, who co-founded the site, are dedicated to quality, style, customer service and offering high end jewelry at reasonable prices.

Custom Charm Ring, $55.00. Wirecraft Nameplate Bracelet, $38.00.  

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Mini Triple Nameplate Bracelet, $165.00.

STYLE. Bauble Bar offers a wide range of styles from various designers. Their selections are hand picked by an established creative team keeping all of their pieces very on trend. They offer new styles every Tuesday and Thursday. Bauble Bar also carries those adorable (yet slightly narcissistic) personalized bracelets, necklaces, and rings. So cute.

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Michelle Trachtenberg

PRICE. By shopping at Bauble Bar you can avoid the astronomical mark ups you might find at a major retailor or a boutique. Bauble Bar works directly with the designers so there is no middleman to pay and they are strictly web based so there is no overhead cost of a store. They do all this so they can afford to offer their items at excellent prices, which is good news for poor students and starving artist with expensive taste, like me. The price range is roughly between $25 - $300. Bauble Bar also offers a simple incentive reward system. It works like this: for every $1 dollar spent you receive 1 point. Every 10 points earned equals $1 to put towards a purchase. You can use your points however you like. You can save them up and eventually get something for free or you can use them gradually to receive a few dollars off each purchase. Bauble Bar also awards 100 free points when you first create your account and 150 free points for every friend you refer who makes a purchase. So overall I think the girls at Bauble Bar go farther out of their way to offer us reasonable prices than most. -->

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Into The Sun

WEARABILITY. Bauble Bar is perfect for ladies who don’t always know how to pair jewelry together... i.e. "are these earrings to much with this necklace" or "can I mix silver and gold?" (p.s. the answer is yes, you can mix silver and gold, brown and black exc.). Each month the creative team at Bauble Bar arranges beautiful collections of pieces revolving around color stories and styles. Bauble Bar has Jewelry for just about any occasion and they offer a very helpful “Occasion” filter to guide you in picking out appropriate pieces. I’ve never seen this done for jewelry before. Simply open the filter while shopping and check an event type and "TADA!" you are given a number of options to choose from that are perfect for said event. 

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Gilded Square Ring, $88.

SIZE&FIT. Because we’re talking about jewelry this week, there’s not a whole lot to add about size & fit. I will say however, Bauble Bar does not offer a size chart so if you are planning to order a ring, it is important to know your ring size. Here’s an article to show you a simple way to find your ring size at home. -->

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Beetle Studs, $26. Ram's Head Pendant, $58. 

Gold Zebra Bangle, $26.

QUALITY&CONSTRUCTION. When Rachel and I first opened her birthday package, the first words out of my mouth were "oooh, I can't believe how heavy they are!" For some reason my mother always equated quality jewelry with weight. The heavier the metal, the better the quality? I'm not sure why she thought that way, but my mother had beautiful taste, so I believe her.  I asked Rachel to give me the honest truth as to what she thought about the earrings. "Don't lie to me just because I gave them to you as a gift." She told me "they feel really durable" (important to this pick-up drivin', four wheeler ridin', country girl). Rachel is a collector of turqoise, so she knows the look and feel of the real thing. She told me she thought Bauble Bar's turquoise was "really well simulated. The quality is better than I expected." 

Turquoise Sky Drop Earrings $22

I also searched the Internet for consumer reviews on Bauble Bar's quality and I found that everyone seemed to be quite pleased. "They have reasonably priced stuff for what seems like quality pieces" claims Michelle, authur of The Fierce Glamour Blog. In my own humble opinion, I belive that Bauble Bar offers gorgeous costume jewelry with the detail normally found in fine jewelry.  -->

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Duo Bow Cuff, $86.

SHIPPING&RETURNS. Shipping is free both ways at Bauble Bar (hurray!). Based on my experience, the standard shipping is typical for what you would expect. I placed my order on August 13^th and received my item on August 20^th. Exactly 1 week? Not bad y'all. Unfortunately, I ordered a tad to late to give Rachel her gift on her actual birthday and Bauble Bar does not offer express shipping.

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Rihanna

The return policy is straightforward and typical. You must return the unworn merchandise, with tags attached, within 30 days of the ship date for a full refund or credit. They place a pre-paid USPS return label inside your package to make it easier to return your item (is it weird that I feel sorry for the USPS? I feel like they're dying along with newspapers and bookstores). As I have not had to deal with the issue of returns I did some highly skilled investigating and discovered many consumers had pleasant experiences when returning to Bauble Bar. There were good remarks about customer service and the promptness in which the consumers were refunded their money.

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Tortoise Collar, $56.Button Stud Earrings, $22.   Coctail Ring, $78. Tang Brick Bracelet, $26.

RECAP. I think Bauble Bar will satisfy the cravings of any jewelry fiend, regardless of taste or budget. Interested in shopping at Bauble Bar? Click here to create an account and use my code: 9918986 when you sign up.

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TIP. Internet safety is paramount in knowing how to successfully shop online. If it hasn’t happened to you, I’m sure you know someone who’s had credit card information stolen. Watch out for phishing attacks. Only shop at familiar and trusted websites (like the ones I recommend!) Stay away from using search engines to find shopping sites. Search engines can give rigged results that lead you to phishing attacks. Shopping at any major retailor like Target or Best Buy is typically safe. Beware of misspellings or different top-level domains, like Target.net instead of Target.com. Please shop safely and always be suspicious of a deal that seems too good to be true. Follow me on twitter and share pics of cute stuff you buy online! I'd love to see what other shopoholics are getting! Don't forget, do you love it?

ASOS Review

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Fellow shopaholics and readers of blogs, I was very excited/shocked to see how many people checked out my blog last week. Thank you! I'm posting one day early this week, because honestly, I just couldn't wait. However, classes start next week so this will probably be the one and only early appearance. In appreciation for my many new readers I am happy to introduce you to this week's Spotlight Site, ASOS.com!  

                                                 Olivia Munn 

INTRODUCTION. ASOS.com is by far the site I frequent most often. I was turned on to ASOS while living in Manhattan in response to my complaint that I couldn’t afford 5^th Avenue prices and after I buy a piece from H&M, I’ll soon see 3 girls on the street wearing the exact same item.  In short, I couldn’t afford originality but I was tired of the norm.  ASOS not only solved this problem for me, but it pushed me in, head first, to online shopping. They have a huge range of sizes including petite, plus size and maternity. ASOS carries over 800 fashion labels and they claim to add 200 new styles a day (I don't know if I believe the "200 new styles a day" bit, but they certainly do have a lot). The site is quite easy to navigate and for the most part the price tags are very affordable. I’m not the only one with a crush on ASOS; tons of celebrities have been photographed rocking ASOS. Ashley Tisdale, Kelly Rowland, Olivia Munn (love Olivia), Taylor Swift, Kate Hudson, Emma Roberts,  Eva Longoria … I could go on, but you get the idea.  So ASOS is the perfect place for regular girls to get celebrity style. 

                                             Emma Roberts

STYLE. ASOS is extremely trendy. This is not The Gap (a great place to shop for basics). Go to ASOS when you’re looking for the latest fashion fads like this falls pretty Peter Pan Collar. ASOS is a great place to “Be trendy not spendy.” Or if you like, you can be trendy AND spendy at ASOS, not only do they carry affordable items from designers like French Connection and their own ASOS line but they also have pricey designers like House of Holland and Camilla & Mark .

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Chalayan Gray Line Sleeveless Shirt Tunic Trapeze Hem, $306.54

PRICE. The price range is enormous; roughly $5-$1000 and they are always having sales. Which in my opinion is fantastic! Please take a look at this adorable ASOS top with Peplum for only 20 bucks and some change… or for my readers with plus size wallets check out this to die for Chalayan Grey Line Sleeveless Shirt Tunic Trapeze Hem for a mere $300.   Yes that’s American dollars… not pesos. So in short, the prices at ASOS can adhere to really any budget. 

                                                 Dakota Fanning

WEARABILITY. ASOS has a HUGE selection. They define wear-ability. They have everything from lounge clothes to cocktail dresses in sizes from 1 to 22. I bought the shirt I slept in last night from ASOS and I also bought my NYE dress from them. They market to almost every age. I’ve seen images of Dakota Fanning (who I’m pretty sure is just perpetually 12 years old) decked out in ASOS all the way to our beautiful First Lady, Mrs. Obama looking lovely and sophisticated in ASOS clothing. So I’d say the clothes are about as wearable as they come.

                                    Michelle Obama

SIZE&FIT. I have never had trouble with size or fit from ASOS. One note I will make is to please be sure you are purchasing US sizes and not UK sizes. They are different. If you are a size 10 in the US and you order a UK size 10, when you receive this item you will be super sad because it will be about two sizes to small and probably mad at me because I told you ASOS stuff usually fits great! So don’t do it! Also, do not be discouraged by the horribly underfed, ghastly models. I try not to look at them because it makes me feel sad for them. My advice is to just look at the clothing and try to ignore the starving models.

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ASOS CURVE Wide Leg Pants, $51.09

QUALITY&CONSTRUCTION. Because ASOS carries a variety of designers it is difficult to say with certainty that all items are good quality and well made. I can say with complete honesty that I have been very pleased with the items I’ve purchased from ASOS. Like all garments, it is important to read the care instructions sewn in to the seam, but if the instructions are followed the pieces will look great even after several cleanings.

SHIPPING&RETURNS. ASOS claims, “Free shipping both ways. Everyday.” That means they offer free standard shipping. When I was living in Manhattan (close to their state-side warehouse) I would receive my items with in days of my order, but since I’ve moved back down south I can expect my delivery closer to a week and a half from my purchase date.  They are really good about shipping within 24 hours of your order and they are always spot on when predicting the delivery date. I’ve never had to play the “when will it be here” guessing game with my deliveries. If you just can’t live another week with out your special new piece you can pay an extra $12 per order for express 2 day shipping. Which I think is pretty reasonable.

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ASOS Maxi Skirt in Spot Print, $47.68

Now for returns, While, I personally have never had to return any items to ASOS, I’ve read that doing so is not an easy task.  While it is true that they do not charge you for return shipping, based on consumer reviews it takes quite along time for ASOS to add the money back to your credit card. One consumer reports “Returning anything is horrible… Bought a cute expensive Bathing suit, returned it and 30 days later still no refund!” So, if you are not an experienced online shopper and you are concerned about having to return items to ASOS, please see the TIP section of this post for advice.

RECAP. Over all, I have and would recommend shopping at ASOS.com. They are by far my current favorite. Even though they didn’t get the best reviews for returns, I still think this a good place to shop for even the most novice of online shoppers. I hope you all found my review helpful! And please feel free to comment and ask questions! 

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1. ASOS Round Sunglasses, $20.44. 2.

-->ASOS CLOVER Leather Knee High Boots, $102.18. 3. Nishe Mannish Tailored Blazer, $170.30. 4. A Wear Polka Dot Wrap Dress, $59.60. 5. -->ASOS Felt Doctors Bag, $102.18. 6. -->ASOS Cross Earrings, $10.22.

TIP. The most common complaint I hear about online shopping is “Oh but I need to try things on.” Well you can still try things on; and here’s the upside: you can try things on in the privacy of your own home with the benefit of having your own accessories available to mix and match. The down side is that if it doesn’t fit you will have to mail it back. Usually most sites, like ASOS.com and Zappos.com,will cover the cost of return shipping. To avoid the heartbreak of having to return a gorgeous item that doesn’t fit, you should make use of the size chart each site provides you before you purchase. You’ll need to invest

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And don't forget, do you love it? Happy Shopping! Scottie Key