• black friday sales

    Haul | 2022 Black Friday and Holiday Sales

    December 8, 2022

    Hi everyone!

    Today, I’m sharing what I got from Black Friday and Holiday sales! In the past two years, it seems like I do the most damage in October and November because I just can’t resist a Black Friday sale!

    I’m not going to put the prices up because I’d rather not see the grand total of what I spent during the sales, but I will include the discount.

    Sephora – 20% off

    • First Aid Beauty KP Bump Eraser Body Scrub with 10% AHA
    • bareMinerals Original Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF15 in Light

    Shiseido – 30% off when you spend $200

    • Eyelash Curler (comes with replacement pad)
    • 2 x Eyelash Curler Pads (2 replacement pads per pack, so I got 4 in total lol)
    • Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer in 202 Light
    • Synchro Skin Self-Refreshing Concealer in 203 Light
    • Overnight Wrinkle Resisting Cream (for my mom)

    Kiehl’s – 25% off

    • Centella Sensitive Facial Cleanser
    • 2 x Ultimate Strength Hand Salve
    Bottom left is Blondo, middle is Skechers

    Mejuri – 20% off when you spend $150 (I believe this is the only sale they have throughout the year)

    • Twist Ring in 14k White Gold
    • 2x Single Mini Hoop in 14k White Gold

    Last year, I bought the Single Mini Hoops and I’ve been wearing them ever since. I decided to get 2 more for my second piercings. To bump it up to $150, I also got the Twist ring. Last year, I got the Braided ring. I haven’t worn it much though, because it looked a bit plain on its own. So now I have the twist one to stack. Their diamond huggies are super cute too.

    Old Navy – 50% off code for being a Navyist Rewards Member

    • Creaseless Hair Clips 4-pack (Tortoise shell/Coral pink)
    • Dynamic Fleece Pullover Hoodie in Icelandic Mineral
    • Vintage Long-Sleeve Sweatshirt in Inkwell
    • Printed Flannel Pajama Pants in Red Fair Isle

    La Vie En Rose – 2 for 1

    • Soft plush Robe in Lilac Cloud
    • Soft Plush Robe in Black Buffalo Plaid

    Naturalizer – 30% off

    • Blondo Skylar Waterproof Combat Boot in Black Suede (wide)

    I have wide feet unfortunately and I’ve realized it’s ridiculous to put bandaids on my pinky toes when I wear my winter boots. I was on the hunt for a nice pair. I got these Blondo boots in wide. I read a few reviews, but it’s hard to decide based on a few website reviews, so I just decided to try them. They were definitely not wide. I know Blondo is known for having a narrow fit, but I thought maybe these would be okay. These were probably what would be considered a regular fit for other brands. I was wearing regular, thin socks and while my foot fit into them, they would be super uncomfortable. You could also see the shape of my foot in the boot and it just didn’t look nice. Unfortunately, they only accept returns online which means they charge $8 to ship it back to them (taking it off your refund).

    The Shoe Company – 30% off?

    • Skechers On-The-Go Glacial Ultra-Woodlands Wide Winter Boot in Black Suede

    Skechers is a brand that I own quite a few running shoes from. Even with their regular fit, they’re very comfortable. I recently purchased a wide fit sneaker and they are super comfy for me. So I got these knowing that Skechers is a brand that I like.

    Spanx – 20% off for regular priced items, I think. I got something from the sale section, so it was 50% off

    • Spotlight on Lace Regular Waist Brief in Vintage Rose
    Clockwise from top left (gray): ribbed cotton, cotton cable lace, pointelle high cut, cotton eyelash lace, period underwear

    Aerie online order – 30% off sale or something

    • AerieREAL Period Underwear (I will be posting a review on this once I’ve tried it out)
    • AF Super Cropped Scoop Neck Cami in Black
    • Wrap One Piece Swimsuit in Black
    • High Neck Henley Tank Top in White

    I bought the swimsuit because I realized I sold all of my swimsuits on Poshmark. Even though I haven’t gone swimming/to the beach in 6 years lol, I thought it’d be good to have one just in case. I was disappointed when I tried it on and ended up returning it. I don’t think I have a particularly long torso, but the body was so short (it was cutting into my butt). I can’t imagine a taller person wearing it. Even though you can adjust the straps to make it a bit longer, it would make the bust lower and the wrap part just wasn’t flattering to begin with…It wasn’t giving any lift to the girls. When I was thinking about buying it, I was a bit worried about whether it would stretch from wrapping it all the time, but I wanted to try it anyway since they have free returns. Back to the drawing board for this one. 

    Aerie in-store purchase – 10 for $40

    • Pointelle High Cut Bikini Underwear (high cut, peek of cheek)
    • Cotton Cable Lace Boybrief Underwear (regular rise, no cheek peek)
    • Cotton Eyelash Lace Boybrief Underwear (low rise, no cheek peek)
    • Ribbed Cotton Boybrief Underwear (low rise, no cheek peek)

    I have previously purchased Aerie underwear a few years back and the boybrief underwear were really stretchy and too big. I got the same size in all of the underwear I bought and it just didn’t fit right. I’ve had time to try all of the underwear I bought and they all fit nicely. The Cotton Cable Lace ones are my favourite. A lot of my underwear are low rise and I’ve realized how much I like a regular rise.

    With all of the online orders, I managed to get about $20 cashback from Rakuten.

    (not sponsored or anything, but this is a referral link to sign up. You get $30 if you use the link and I will too).

    Did you pick up anything during the Black Friday sales?

    Love,

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  • h&m style democracy warehouse sale

    Style Democracy H&M Online Warehouse Sale Review & Haul?

    July 28, 2021

    Hi Everyone!

    I was scrolling through Instagram and the Style Democracy H&M Online Warehouse Sale came up. I took a look and ordered some things.

    Originally, this post was supposed to be a haul, but it has turned into more of a review…keep reading to find out why.

    I wanted to buy some loungewear because my current loungewear consists of old gym shorts and old volunteer t-shirts that I’ve received over the years. I was hoping to find some tshirts, sweatshirts and maybe some shorts or pants. I was excited because the sweatshirts looked cozy. I was also going to buy a belt for my mom, but the only ones available were thicker belts that are more for style than function. There were a few cute dresses on sale too, but

    1) I have no use for them

    2) I have too many clothes that I’ve never worn

    3) they weren’t available in my size anyway

    Here’s what I ended up ordering:

    The total was about $85 which isn’t too bad for 7 items. Only the sweatshirt dress and the black sweatshirt with zippers were over $10. I know I only chose basic colours, but I’m plain/neutral when it comes to my style. My closet mostly consists of black and dark blue. It said it would take 10-14 business days to process…

    July 16th (13 business days later) – My friend received a shipping notification for her order. She made her order on the same day as I did. 

    I decided that I would wait until the 15th or 16th day before sending them an email to ask for an update on my order.

    July 21st (16 business days later) – I sent them an email asking for an update.

    July 26th (almost a month placing the order) – I receive an email saying that my order has been cancelled and a full refund has been issued. See below

    July 30th – Paypal refund is still pending. I’ve read it could take up to a month for a Paypal refund? Also, I have yet to receive the discount coupon/free shipping for the H&M site.

    Aug 4th – received full refund, but have not received the ‘discount coupon/free shipping.’

    This would’ve been my first clothing purchase in a year. I haven’t bought any new clothes, I’ve only been selling my old clothes (check out my poshmark blog post). I’m not trying to complain about it since I did get a full refund, but it is disappointing that I had to wait almost a month until I got any information on my order. I know Style Democracy runs a ton of warehouse sales in collaboration with other brands, so I don’t know if it was because this was H&M’s first warehouse sale. I feel like they should have some idea of how much inventory they have. I ordered seven items and I didn’t even get a single item shipped.

    When it comes to warehouse sales, it’s probably best to go to the in-person ones. As long as you’re making sure to follow all the safety protocols in place. For me, it seems like the only warehouse sales that I have had a good experience are beauty ones. I’ve been to a Nordstrom Sale and I purchased a few items. From what I remember, that was before Nordstrom was in Canada (we might’ve had a few Nordstrom Rack stores in Ontario). I’ve also been to the Designer Shoe Sale in Markham (in 2019) and also popped into a Puma one that was there too. The MAC/Estée Lauder and Shiseido Warehouse Sales were the best.

    Love,

    *Pictures were taken from the Style Democracy website.

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  • Poshmark Canada

    Selling on Poshmark Canada

    April 10, 2020

    Hi Everyone!

    Today, I’m going to talk about selling clothes on Poshmark.

    I started selling in late August. I’ve only sold items that are from my own closet and my family’s. Most items are/were gently used. There are/were a few items that still have tags. If an item is still in good condition, list it! It doesn’t cost anything to list on Poshmark. I’ve sold a number of Forever 21 items that I didn’t think anyone would want. It’s great to give your clothes a second life and they’re going to a new home where they will be worn. Especially if you were planning to donate them, why not make a few dollars?

    I live in Canada which unfortunately means that we don’t have access to free boxes from UPS. Also, if you’re a buyer on Poshmark, you have to pay $12.99 for the tracked shipping. Luckily, my mom hoarded all the boxes from my online purchases so I haven’t needed to buy any boxes yet.

    Ask family and friends if they have clothes to sell or if they have boxes that they don’t need. If you do ask others if they have clothes to sell, make sure to talk to them in advance about how you will split the earnings. Whether it’s 50/50, 70/30 or 100/0, it’s best to come to an agreement first.

    As a seller, if you sell something for $25, you don’t earn $25 because you have to pay taxes on it and Poshmark takes a commission. You’ll earn just over $19 if you haven’t offered any shipping discounts to the buyer. If a sale is under $20, Poshmark takes a flat rate fee of $3.95. Any sale over $20, they take 20% commission. If you offer a discount on shipping to the buyer, you will earn even less.

    As a seller, you should:

    • Have boxes or polymailers, a printer (to print out the pre-paid mailing label), packing tape, tissue paper, scotch tape, bubble wrap or those air pillows to pad anything that’s fragile
    • Share your own listings
    • Share other people’s listings and follow other people daily
    • Add new listings at least once a week. If you’re just starting out, don’t add everything all at once. Add them gradually.
    • If you’ve had a listing up for a while and nothing is happening, delete it and re-list the item. Maybe you need to add more to your description or lower the price a bit.

    For your listings:

    • Make sure to inspect your clothes thoroughly and write any flaws in the description. BE HONEST because you’re less likely to get a complaint. There are still people out there who might make a complaint even if it’s in your description, but that’s not on you.
    • Steam your clothes (This isn’t a must, but it does look nicer when your clothes aren’t wrinkly. It shows that you care)
    • Use natural lighting or lighting that isn’t too cool or too warm so that the colours are accurate.
    • Write good descriptions – If your item is still available from where you bought it, use the pictures and descriptions from the store’s website.
    • List your items at a slightly higher price than you expect to sell for. Also, remember the Poshmark fees. If you want $20 for something, you’ll have to list it for $25 or more. 
    • Don’t forget that the buyer has to pay for $12.99 shipping. Say you have a pair of jeans with the tag on. You paid $100 for them. Don’t expect to get that $100 back because 1) You’d have to list them for over $100 because of the Poshmark fees 2) The buyer isn’t going to pay $100+ and $12.99 shipping on top of that. Especially if the jeans are still available in stores.

    Optional:

    • Own a clothes steamer or iron
    • I like to store my clothes with dryer sheets so that the clothes smell nice and fresh
    • Buy a fabric shaver. These are great even if you’re not selling clothes. They can make old sweaters look good again. It won’t always make clothes look brand new, but they do work! They have cheaper ones on Amazon, but I just recently bought the House of Wonderful Wonder Lint which is great. It reminds me of a hand mixer for baking. It’s not quite as big, but it’s still bigger than the 1st fabric defuzzer I bought which was $10. The $10 works great as well, but if you want to cover more surface area, the Wonder Lint one is bigger than the usual battery-operated ones.

    Congrats, you’ve made a sale!

    • Package them up nicely (I use tissue paper) and when necessary, I will add brown paper or bubble wrap to pad the items.
    • Add a little thank you note for the buyer. It doesn’t have to be a fancy ‘Thank You’ note. You could make your own cards or even use blank index cards to thank the buyer for choosing your closet.

    At this time, I’ve put my closet on a vacation hold. I would say I’ve been getting at least 5 sales every month since I started selling. It wouldn’t be social distancing if I go out to the post office for a non-essential business. I made the decision to do this, but I understand that many people (especially full-time sellers) are continuing to sell because it’s their main source of income. I had several reasons why I put my closet on a vacation hold:

    Just because I’m not selling at the moment doesn’t mean I’m not on Poshmark every day. I still make an effort to share other closet’s listings and follow people. This is the perfect time to continue taking pictures of inventory and writing descriptions for listings to be added. It’s also a great time to go through old listings and re-take pictures if needed.

    Some of you may have questions about income taxes in Canada. It’s best to consult with a professional as I am not an expert on the topic. I don’t want to misinform anyone.

    If you are thinking of starting a Poshmark closet, you can sign up with my invite code JENC26 and you’ll earn $15 CAD for your first purchase! Once you’ve made the purchase, I will also receive $15 credit for a purchase of my own 🙂

    Check out my Poshmark closet!

    Follow my Instagram account for my Poshmark Closet!

    If you have any questions, feel free to message me on Instagram or fill out the contact form.

    Love,

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  • Haul | 2018 Black Friday

    November 28, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    I did a bit of spending on Friday and Saturday. I bought quite a few things, but none were huge purchases (didn’t buy a coat or TV or something). Here’s what I purchased during the Black Friday Sale!

    Tarte Maracuja Oil (supersize) – purchased online

    I love the Maracuja Oil, and it’s much cheaper to buy the super size version. It’s twice the size, but only $20 more! It’s an especially good deal when it’s on sale!!

    Mighty Mug Go Stainlesss Steel (Blue & Red) – purchased online

    The mugs were Buy 1 Get 1 Free

    UPDATE (Jan 15/19): I still haven’t received the Mighty Mugs! I’ve emailed them twice and got a reply saying there was a delay with DHL. Stay tuned for second reply (if it comes).

    2nd UPDATE (Jan 18/19): I was issued a full refund, they also offered to give me the BOGO deal if I wanted to repurchase in the future. They mentioned that Canadians could be charged duties upon arrival, so if you’re Canadian, don’t order from them.

    The first travel mug that doesn’t fall over is now available in Stainless Steel. This vacuum-insulated, spill-free travel mug truly stands up to all others. Using Smartgrip Technology, this mug takes hold on any flat surface and won’t knock over if bumped into making it ideal for car trips and on-the-go coffee sips.

    Sephora – purchased in-store

    Smashbox Holidaze Photo Finish Primer Mini Trio

    • The Original Photo Finish Smooth + Blur Primer
    • Photo Finish Primerizer
    • Photo Finish Primer Water

    I split the set with my friend; she took the smooth + blur primer. I haven’t tried the primerizer or the primer water, so I will write a review once I’ve tested them out.

    Steve Madden Elouise Slip-on Sneakers – purchased in-store

    I’ve always liked the slip-on sneakers and I found one that I liked.

    For an easy-breezy sneaker, look no further than ELOUISE! A perforated upper provides this classic slip-on with fresh surface interest, as well as comfortable ventilation.

    Reitmans- purchased in-store

    A striped Cashmere blend sweater and a striped midi dress

    Hollister – purchased online

    Ribbed Sweater Dress, Faux Leather Skirt, Low-Rise Jeggings (in black and denim) and a PJ set

    I returned the Faux Leather Skirt because it didn’t sit right on my hips – there was too much material where I could fold it over to fit me better. I also returned the denim jeggings because for some reason they were really tight (even though they were the same size as the black ones). I went in store to try on a larger size and even went up a few sizes, and they still felt super tight. So, maybe that’s how those ones fit, but I didn’t want something so tight.

    What did you get during the Black Friday/Cyber Monday sales?

    Love,

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  • knix sport seamless panties

    Review | Knix Seamless Underwear

    April 10, 2018

    **This is not a sponsored post, I just thought I’d write an informative post about it since I’ve tried some of their products**

    **Since writing this post, they have obviously updated their products. They no longer have the Everyday line and they now offer bras, lacy underwear, swimwear, loungewear**

    Hi Everyone!

    I first heard of Knix a few years ago and in 2016 when my sister was getting married, I wanted to get a seamless underwear so I wouldn’t be showing any panty lines! Both of my dresses were made of chiffon and lined, but when I wore regular underwear underneath, you could definitely see the seams.

    Trying to figure out which underwear to buy? Let me help you! I’ve gone through their website and gathered some information to differentiate all the different types. I was a bit overwhelmed myself when trying to decide which ones to choose from.

    This is going to be a long post, if you want to read about my opinions, it’s in the first part, if you want to read about the different categories and styles, then scroll down!

    So, are these seamless underwear worth it?

    Absolutely! I wouldn’t have written this post if they weren’t! They are especially great for weddings (whether you’re the bride or part of the bridal party!)

    I’ve bought several pairs over the past few years and I have several different types: Everyday Leakproof Boy Shorts, Athletic Cheeky and Athletic Bikini. I think the Everyday Leakproof Boy Shorts and the Athletic Bikini that I have are a bit older and they have since changed the gusset. Now they have a quick dry gusset, but the ones I have are regular 100% cotton gussets.

    I’m not going to lie, Knix underwear is expensive, but they are super comfy and will last you a long time (especially if you only wear them if you have to). I don’t see my self wearing my Everyday Boy Shorts underneath a pair of jeans. I’ll be saving it for whenever I have a special event or something. The Athletic ones are a different story- I’ve bought them in bulk and they didn’t cost me $25. I’ve only bought the Athletic underwear on sale, I bought the Everyday ones for my sister’s wedding and it’s not like I could anticipate when they’d go on sale. Back in 2016, they didn’t even have knix.ca, so I could only buy them from Hudson’s Bay. I got two Athletic Bikinis from Hudson’s Bay (before they stopped selling them). They were on sale for $9 or something.

    I also have a few pairs of No Show Cheeky Panties from Hollister’s Gilly Hicks line. They’re on sale right now (at a 1/3 of the price of a Knix underwear) and they are also super comfortable. In the past few years, a lot of other brands have come up with their own seamless underwear, but it seems like they’re all thicker and similar to the Athletic line. I haven’t seen a lot that are seamless and thinner like the Everyday line.

    Athletic underwear- Cheeky in the purple, Bikini in beige (Left pic- Back, Right pic- Front). Cheeky is a lower rise underwear than the bikini.

    All of the fits are comfortable – it feels like you’re not wearing anything. I think I prefer the boy shorts or bikini. I like the cheeky underwear too, but because the bum coverage isn’t as good, it does that thing like when you wear bandeaus. Let me explain…when your bandeau is tight (because you don’t want it to slip down) and you get the dreaded ‘quad boob’ look aka your bra cuts into your boobs and then it looks like you have four boobs. It’s the same with the cheeky underwear if you’re standing a certain way- you get a ‘quad bum.’ They have it as a ‘quad ass’ on Urban Dictionary, but I’m trying to make it sound nicer. Since the underwear is a bit tighter so that it can create a seamless look against your body, and it’s cheeky, it gives you the illusion of having four butt cheeks. It’s fine if you’re standing with your bum sticking out (no one stands like that normally though), but if you lean to one side, then you get that effect. For this reason, I think the boy short, bikini, high rise or thong is the best bet.

    UPDATE: It’s been about a year since I’ve started wearing them more regularly. I’ve noticed that one of the Athletic pairs have stretched a bit. Comparing them to others, the waistband is almost half an inch longer than one of my newer pairs. I think it’s because of the Lycra material.

    Which Do I Choose? Athletic or Everyday?

    The following are my opinions on which underwear you should get depending on what you plan to wear them for, of course you don’t have to take my advice, but these are my suggestions:

    Knix Underwear

    Everyday (left in the 1st pic, 2nd pic), Athletic (right in the 1st pic, 3rd pic)- You can tell that the Everyday underwear are more sheer and pinky and you can see my hand under the Everyday, but not the Athletic

    • Choose Everyday line if you want a seamless underwear to wear under a dress, skirt or pair of pants.
    • Choose Athletic if you plan to exercise in them.

    Whether you choose regular or leakproof is up to you. I bought an Everyday Leakproof Boy Short because it was on sale at Hudson’s Bay. If I had the choice, I think I would’ve chosen regular because there is a built-in panty liner which makes the gusset a bit  thicker than the non-leakproof underwear and the gusset is also wider than my regular underwear from La Senza.

    When I built a set to get 5 pairs on Black Friday, I was given a random selection of colours. I assume that they bring out different colours as limited edition. I was sent the following 5 colours: Black, Grey Heather, Reptile, Bourdeaux and Gravity.

    The care instructions for all of the underwear: machine wash cold with mild detergent, do not bleach, lay flat to dry.

    They all have a Quick Dry Gusset- Dries 2-3 times faster than regular cotton and carbon cotton fights odor.

    Knix has different categories: Athletic & Everyday and Regular & Leakproof. Then each offer different styles: Bikini and Boyshort are available for all and then there are Thong, Cheeky and High Rise. Check out my table below to see which styles are available in the different categories:

      Bikini Boyshort Thong Cheeky High Rise
    Athletic x x x x  
    Everyday Performance x x x   x
    Athletic Leakproof x x x    
    Everyday Leakproof x x     x

    Athletic & Athletic Leakproof will relax a bit more than the Everyday line because of the stretch tech which means that the Everyday & Everyday Leakproof underwear hugs more snugly than the Athletic line.

    They also have a long underwear called the Thigh Saver Short. It looks similar to Spanx, but it’s made from a thinner material. They use the same material as the Everyday Performance Underwear. It’s worn to wick away sweat, create a seamless look and eliminate chafing. These are not shaping underwear.

    Bikini- A classic mid rise silhouette with medium coverage through the hip and bum.

    Boyshort- Extra coverage through the hip and bum, and sit slightly higher than our bikini silhouette.

    Cheeky- The cheeky is our lowest rise with light coverage through the bum.

    Thong- Our thong provides a mid rise silhouette with minimal coverage.

    High Rise- Our high rise sit at the natural waist and provide medium coverage through the bum.

    Thigh Saver- The thigh saver sits just below the natural waist and provide coverage down to the mid thigh.

    The Selection of Underwear

    Athletic

    Our moisture-wicking performance underwear maximize movement and comfort during your most intense workouts. And seamless technology means no panty lines will ever distract you from kicking butt.

    Body: 77% nylon, 23% LYCRA®

    Gusset liner: 86% cotton, 10% spandex, 4% carbon

    • Bikini- $22 USD
    • Boyshort- $23 USD
    • Cheeky- $23 USD
    • Thong- $20 USD

    Athletic Leakproof

    High-performance underwear with an ultra thin, built-in panty liner. Absorbs up to 3 tsp of moisture (approx. 2 tampons), great for light bladder leaks and as back-up period protection.

    Body: 77% nylon, 23% LYCRA®

    Gusset Liner: 86% cotton, 10% spandex, 4% carbon

    Gusset: Fresh Fix Technology®

    • Bikini- $25 USD
    • Boyshort- $25 USD
    • Thong- $25 USD

    Everyday Performance

    Our desert-island underwear. Light-as-air fabric gives you that naked-but-better feel, while seamless, bonded construction and soft velvet flocking hug your curves and vanish under clothes.

    Body- 65% nylon, 35% spandex

    Gusset Liner- 86% cotton, 10% spandex, 4% carbon

    • Bikini- $23 USD
    • Boyshorts- $23 USD
    • High Rise- $28 USD
    • Thong- $20 USD

    Everyday Leakproof

    Essential, go-anywhere underwear with an ultra thin, built-in panty liner. Absorbs up to 3 tsp of moisture (approx. 2 tampons), great for light bladder leaks and as back-up period protection.

    Body: 65% nylon, 35% Spandex

    Gusset Liner: 86% cotton, 10% spandex, 4% carbon

    Gusset: Fresh Fix Technology®

    • Bikini- $25 USD
    • Boyshorts- $25 USD
    • High Rise- $30 USD

    Thigh Saver Short– $38 USD

    Our seamless long leg underwear wick away sweat for silky smooth comfort that eliminates chafing. We love these invisible, forget-they’re-there shorts under our favorite summer dresses.

    Body: 65% nylon, 35% Spandex

    Gusset: 100% cotton

    **UPDATE**

    There’s also a Knixteen which sells period underwear for teens (similar to the leakproof underwear for adults). The underwear is cheaper, but you’ll have to figure out your sizing because they’re sized for teens’ bodies. Some people said they just ordered a size up from the usual, but others said the fit of the underwear didn’t work with their bodies.

    I’ve ordered Knixteen underwear in a size Medium (I’m a small in Knix) and they fit well. They started out a bit tight, but they’ve relaxed a bit and fit well.

    Do you wear Knix? What seamless undies do you buy?

    Love,

    jen

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  • My Prom Story | It’s Not Like the Movies

    May 20, 2016

    Hi Everyone!

    It’s almost prom season! Most ladies will probably be looking for their prom dresses or have already found one. It’s been a number of years since my prom, but I’d like to share my experience at prom. I wish I could say that I danced the night away, but it’s not like the movies or tv shows you watch. Especially since Canadian proms are different from American ones- we don’t have a prom court where we vote for Prom King and Queen. Maybe other schools in Canada do, but ours didn’t.

    Prom is a rite of passage for finishing high school, so even if I don’t sound like I enjoyed it, I had fun with my friends and got to dress up. It may not seem like it, but prom is expensive. You spend hundreds of dollars for one night. Now, I know what you’re thinking…a wedding is the same, you spend thousands of dollars for one night too, but at least at your wedding, you’re the centre of attention. At prom, you just get mixed in with the rest of your classmates. For my prom, I think I spent about $500-700…or rather, my parents spent $500-700. Thanks mom and dad! I’m sure other people spent a lot more. Some people spend that much on their dress. The following is a list of costs that I racked up for my prom:

    CategoryCost
    Dress$380
    Shoes$30
    Accessories$30
    Hair and makeup$0
    Mani/pedi$15
    Prom ticket$100
    Limo$45
    Total$600

    I bought my dress from BCBG MaxAzria. I had a hard time finding shoes. I wanted silver ones. I would’ve spent more if I could find a pair that I liked, but I found an okay pair for $30. I already owned the earrings I wore, but I bought a silver clutch. I did my own hair and did eye makeup with some concealer (this was before I used foundation). The limousine was $45 per person with a group of 14. Our school held an after party on a boat. I didn’t attend and I can’t remember how much it was (maybe $20-50). My date chose not to wear a jacket, so I didn’t get a boutonniere for him. He let me order the corsage (for which he paid me back, that cost about $12-15) so I could choose what I wanted.

    The Dress

    The search for the prom dress took a while, I dragged my mom to multiple stores for two months. Originally I got a black tulle strapless dress from Mendocino, but it was a bit loose and I was afraid it would fall down. Also, after some thinking, it wasn’t really my style. I think I started getting desperate and settled for it. I ended up returning it.

    We even went to a bridal store and considered getting a custom one, but by the time I started looking, there wouldn’t have been enough time to order one. So we went everywhere else. I first saw the one at BCBG and I liked it, but wasn’t absolutely in love with it, so we kept looking. After a few weeks, we couldn’t find anything and it was cutting closer to prom, so we went back to BCBG and I bought the dress.

    In the past few years, it’s become more popular for girls to choose long dresses. For our prom, more of the ladies opted for short/tea length dresses. Only a handful had long ones. I used to think I was too petite for long dresses and they’d make me look shorter. Now I love maxi dresses, especially after wearing a long bridesmaid dress for my sister’s wedding (check it out here!). You just need to know how to accessorize and flatter your shape.

    I wish I accessorized with a necklace. Since my dress was strapless, my shoulders and neck were pretty bare. The selfie below is from when I recreated my makeup look. Surprisingly, I didn’t take any full-length solo shots at prom. The selfie is a better quality than cropping a pic with my friends.

    I recreated my prom makeup look and also did an updated look on what I would do today. Check out the post!

    NEW JC TITLES.png

    The Date

    Back when I was in high school, promposals weren’t a huge thing like they are today. Originally I was going to just go with my group of friends, but it seemed like most of them were getting prom dates. Plus, I thought it’d be nice to have a prom date anyway, so I asked a fellow classmate. I asked him on MSN- I’ve always been more outgoing when communicating with people online. I tend to open up more to people because I’m more of a writer than a talker. Plus, I was shy and didn’t know if I would get rejected or not. I remember I was talking to my friend and asked if I should ask him or not…she said to go for it, so I did. Either way, I would’ve been going with my friends, so it didn’t really matter if he said no. One day during English class, my classmates and I were chatting about prom and I found out that my prospective date wasn’t planning to go to prom. Later that day, I asked him if he would go to prom with me. I told him that I understand if he didn’t want to go. It was close to the day and he’d be shelling out $100 for a ticket and other expenses. To my surprise, he said yes! My closest friends knew I invited him and when we got to prom, I think some people were kind of surprised that we showed up together. We weren’t in the same friend group and we were probably only seen talking about schoolwork by our classmates. We had multiple classes together and we would chat on MSN. 

    The Day

    On prom day, my friends and I went to get manicures and pedicures. I’m very ticklish, so I just got a manicure. I’ve always had the fear that I would be getting a pedicure and accidentally kick the lady in the face from being too ticklish.

    Everyone came to my house to get ready together and take pictures. I don’t have a pool like most prom pictures include, but we took pictures on my front lawn and porch which was good enough for us. My friends plus dates were a group of 9. I think it was an awkward number to have, we either had too many for a smaller one or not enough for a bigger one. So we asked another group of friends who lived close by to share a limo with us.

    Our prom was at the Design Exchange– it was really nice and the food was okay (chicken, potatoes and veggies). I think I was the only one to finish my plate- I was hungry after the hair and makeup prep. We didn’t really dance that much at our prom, but we mingled with other friends and took lots of pictures. We got the professional prom date picture that everyone takes.

    After Party

    The school rented a boat for our after party. A lot of people went to the after party, but two of my friends and I decided not to attend. We had a sleepover instead. We watched some movies and played games. I think we had more fun than if we had gone to the after party. Some of my friends went. I remember they quickly got changed and rushed over to get to the dock on time. Parties aren’t my thing and I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the water with a bunch of drunk classmates.

    It wasn’t like proms you see in movies like She’s All That and Never Been Kissed (lol those are really old references) but I still enjoyed myself because I was with my friends. So if you’re on the fence about going, I think it’s something that everyone should experience, even if it’s not what you expect!

    Did you go to your prom? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!

    Love

    jen

    The Day

    On prom day, my friends and I went to get manicures and pedicures. I’m very ticklish, so I just got a manicure. I’ve always had the fear that I would be getting a pedicure and accidentally kick the lady in the face from being too ticklish.

    Everyone came to my house to get ready together and take pictures. I don’t have a pool like most prom pictures include, but we took pictures on my front lawn and porch which was good enough for us. My friends plus dates were a group of 9. I think it was an awkward number to have, we either had too many for a smaller one or not enough for a bigger one. So we asked another group of friends who lived close by to share a limo with us.

    Our prom was at the Design Exchange– it was really nice and the food was okay (chicken, potatoes and veggies). I think I was the only one to finish my plate- I was hungry after the hair and makeup prep. We didn’t really dance that much at our prom, but we mingled with other friends and took lots of pictures. We got the professional prom date picture that everyone takes.

    After Party

    The school rented a boat for our after party. A lot of people went to the after party, but two of my friends and I decided not to attend. We had a sleepover instead. We watched some movies and played games. I think we had more fun than if we had gone to the after party. Some of my friends went. I remember they quickly got changed and rushed over to get to the dock on time. Parties aren’t my thing and I didn’t want to be stuck in the middle of the water with a bunch of drunk classmates.

    It wasn’t like proms you see in movies like She’s All That and Never Been Kissed (lol those are really old references) but I still enjoyed myself because I was with my friends. So if you’re on the fence about going, I think it’s something that everyone should experience, even if it’s not what you expect!

    Did you go to your prom? I’d love to hear about your experience in the comments!

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