Pattern Mix + Firmoo Review

Howdy All, can you believe February is almost over?!?

It has been such a blur. Though it shouldn't be a shock that February felt just as busy as January was. I haven't had time to read any blogs in what feels like weeks!! Thanks for sticking with reading this, I promise I'll catch up soon! :)

I have been doing a really fun IG challenge called #StyleMeFeb with stylist @HilaryRushford, each day gives you a prompt and it has been a blast coming up with fun outfits. This is one of my favorites, and it happened to be from the day I got my Firmoo glasses in the mail.

I just love this striped t-shirt with my utility vest. And since it's been rather chilly in my work place... I've been layering on lots and lots of scarves.

I love the way this one looks with the stripes. Finding a pair of clearance leopard flats at Target topped it all off. A steal at just $8!

Tee: TJMaxx, $20 - Old

Skinnies: TJMaxx, $16 - Old

Scarf: TJMaxx, $10 - Old

Vest: TJMaxx, $10, Clearance - Old

Flats: Target, $8, Clearance

Glasses: c/o, Firmoo

Total: $63

Recent Total: $18

A few weeks ago I got the chance to review a pair of glasses from Firmoo, being a girl who loves glasses... I was jumped at the chance! I used their custom online ordering system to find a pair that would look right on my face shape and size before ordering. Minus the fact that I always raise one eye brow.. can you see it? haha :) 

The online system is very cool. You upload a photo of yourself and enter your PDI (look it up here) and then you can see what it will look like on you. Once I figured out the PDI thing, and how to get my pictures to upload rotated the correct direction this tool was really useful.

I selected these round sort of frames, something unlike what I currently own, but in a tortoise - my go-to color. While ordering I was trying to verify that I was getting 'readers' and I must have spaced, and ordered burgundy instead. Oh, well. The customer service team was very helpful and said that I could review again sometime and get a tortoise pair. I hope so, the burgundy isn't my best color. Lemonade, right?

The glasses themselves are very nice, they are sturdy and come with quality protected lenses. Along with the glasses you receive a hard case, cleaning cloth, and toolkit. Very smart. :)

The prices are excellent and the shipping is quick! I would highly recommend using Firmoo, though I would caution you all to quadruple check your info before ordering, I found it difficult to edit the items in my cart! - I'm told this process is being improved. :)

Check out their First Pair Free Program.

What do you think? Have you ever ordered glasses online? Have you tried Firmoo?

What is your go-to pattern mix formula?

XO,

Alexandra

Rivet & Sway // Try-on #3 // The Last One!

Ok, so I did it.

I ordered one. more. try-on kit.

I know it might seem excessive... but I ended up finding glasses that work for my face-shape and that are really fun!

It helped me eliminate.. and I don't have to do that "but what about that one pair..." Now, I just have to pick one of three pairs that all look good on me! 

But before I can get to that I've got to post about my last try-on kit. 

1. Punchline in 'Neapolitan', 2. Layer Cake in 'Saltwater Taffy', 3. Ticker Tape in 'Pink Confetti'.

Punchline in 'Neapolitan'

Sad, Sad, blurry pictures... :( Oh well, it happens. Anyhow, this frame is super cute, I love the colors. It ended up being just a bit too narrow for my face, so i don't think I'll end up getting them.. but I'm glad to know! I don't have to wonder about what they would have looked like anymore! This is their most popular frame, which explains why it was out of stock for my last try-on kit. If you've got a narrower face, go for it! :)Layer Cake in 'Saltwater Taffy'

When I first started using Rivet and Sway, I was sort of opposed to blue framed glasses, mostly because my eyes are blue and I thought that might be overkill... but I really love these! They are so fun, they've got the two-toned thing like Punchline, but also have a wider retro shape. They aren't too stylized though, which is good so I don't feel like a character. I was very pleasantly surprised by these!

Ticker Tape in 'Confetti Pink'

This pair was definitely my favorite of the three! The burgundy color is so fun but not too crazy, and the inside of the frame is pink which is a nice pop of color. I think that the frame is flattering and the angular shapes create contrast from my super rounded cheekbones. :) I really liked this pair!What do you think of these three pairs?

Have you tried any of them before?

Send me your comments and links!

Missed the first two try-ons?

Try-on #1

Try-on #2

Let me know what you think!

Coming next: My top three choices and choosing which one to order!

Thanks for reading!


Alexandra

Rivet & Sway's Fall 2013 Line // Try on #2

Remember a few months ago when I was (desperately) trying to get votes on new glasses? (link here) Well, I didn't get many... and I really need to go to the optometrist (still). So in the meantime, when I found out that Rivet and Sway came out with a fantastic fall line.. I had to order another at home try-on kit. (I know, I know.. everyone else gave me a hard time about it too..) But you have to understand, these new frames are Works. Of. Art. 

All of the frames are gorgeous, but I picked three that I thought might flatter my round-ish, heart-ish shaped face better than the last ones. 

The three I ended up ordering (2 from the fall line, one from the original line). 1) Pillow Talk in Tabby Cat, 2) Character Study in Mardi Gras and 3) Checkpoint in Coral Reef.

Photo Credit: Rivet & Sway

1) Pillow Talk in Tabby Cat

Pillow Talk is such a cute bold square shape, really good for my round-ish, heart-ish face. I love the bold frame and the tortoise color. I think it works really well with my coloring! Plus how sassy and adorable are the frame and color names? Pillow Talk & Tabby Cat... oh boy.

2) Character Study in Mardi Gras

Character study is a fun little frame, very delicate and almost costume-y. I feel like a 1950's secretary when I wear these! I think black would be so classic, but the mardi gras color makes them a little more modern, which is fun! I like the subtlety, but I'm not sure if I want a subtle pair this time around....

3) Checkpoint in Coral Reef

Check point is a really cute thinner square shaped pair. I love the shimmery brown color of the frames which is about the same color as my hair, and the coral is a really fun contrast. At first I thought that they were not wide enough for my face, but I kept going back and forth. They come in another color combination that is black on the frames and tortoise on the sides which could also be fun.

Overall I like all three pairs better than the last three pairs. Do you? I think that my favorite so far is Pillow Talk in Tabby Cat. I might order these last three pairs to try on before I choose my final pair... 

I was going to order the Punchline in Neapolitan (1), but they were out of try-on pairs. I would still like to try 2 other new frames: Layer Cake in Saltwater Taffy (2) and Ticker Tape in Confetti Pink (3) too. 

Photo Credit: Rivet & Sway

What do you think? 

How adorable is Rivet and Sway's Fall 2013 line??

All for now,

Alexandra

The Rivet and Sway Way, Part II

Ok, so I finally ordered my Rivet and Sway try-on kit!

If you need caught up, see my first post here.

How cute is the packaging?!? Plus, it's pretty darn green. You save the box that they come in and it seals back up for when you send them back! They also re-use the individual glasses boxes! I love the eco-initiative Rivet and Sway! :)

After much debating, I decided on these 3 pairs to try: first, Core Strength in "Confetti", in the middle, Rizzo in "Crushed Velvet" and on the bottom Spitfire in "Galapagos Green".

Photo Credit: Rivet & Sway

Now for the try on:

First, Core Strength in "Confetti"....

I thought that this pair was pretty cute, but overall just ok. The frames are a little small for me, and the coloring is pretty much the same as the pair that I already own.

Second, Rizzo in "Crushed Velvet"...

I really liked this pair! They are a gorgeous burgundy color and light pink on the inside. They fit pretty well and the remind me of Lorelai Gilmore's glasses. What do you think?

But maybe, hers are more of a mix of the rizzo and the spitfire...?

My last pair is Spitfire in "Galapagos Green"...

These are quite a bit bigger and quite a bit different. I keep going back and forth on whether or not I love them, and I sort of want to try them in Black. Kyle likes these best, and most of my family members and friends that I polled liked these best as well. I like the cat eye for sure, but I can't decide if they are too big..

And, I'm still wondering about the Punchline in "Neapolitan"

Photo Credit: Rivet & Sway

What are do you guys think?!?! Votes please!

See my Fall 2013 try-on kit here!

All for now,

Alexandra

The Rivet & Sway Way, Part I

Remember the Girls with Glasses Event? Well one eyewear brand that they recommend is Rivet and Sway. They have adorable glasses with fun names. All designer frames exclusively for women. I love them! So I thought, why not pick out a new pair of frames! It's been a while and I wear my glasses often enough to own two pairs.

Here is my current pair of glasses:

I actually really love these glasses! They are readers from Foster Grant. I just picked them up at Barnes and Noble one day for $15! I love the shape and the classic tortoise frame. (Don't these pictures make you think my face is heart shaped?)

The first step to finding a pair of Rivet and Sway glasses is to use their online Style Advice Resources. This helps you determine your face shape. I'm still unsure. Perhaps it is because I am between shapes.

Then you can fill out a survey and send in a picture of yourself and the stylist Ritzy will write you back with her recommendations. Here is the picture that I sent her. Now my face looks like an oval...

She sent me three frame recommendations in several colors: 1)Core Strength in 'Confetti', 2) Je Ne Sais Quoi in 'Water Lily' and 3) 'Amber Glow', and 4) Six Shooter in 'Copper Penny' and 5) 'St. Tropez'.

Photo Credit: Rivet & Sway

I narrowed it down a little by deciding that I don't really care for Je Ne Sais Quoi in 'Amber Glow' or the Six Shooter frames at all.

The email also contained three more frame recommendations: 1) Rizzo in 'Crushed Velvet', 2) Ruby Red in 'Heartthrob', and 3) Spitfire in 'Galapagos Green'. 

Photo Credit: Rivet & Sway

I really like all three! I had looked at the Spitfire before and love the pop of green, plus a larger frame could be really cool. Then again, it could look strange on my face. I never would have chosen the Rizzo or the Ruby Red on my own, so I liked those recommendations! I really love the Rizzo, the pinks are great! The Ruby Red is hard to see.. but it is a red-er tortoise.

I also have my eye on Punchline in 'Neapolitan' which I tried on at the GWG event with Brooke White. Here is the image.

Photo Credit: Rivet & Sway

I like the vintage shape and the fact that it is half tortoise-y, and half brightly colored. Kyle said I looked good in them, but I couldn't see very well because Brooke's prescription is pretty strong! :)

 The next step is to order a free at home try-on kit. In the kit you can try up to three pairs for free. The problem, as you can see above, is that I want to try six! What are your suggestions? I thought about automatically weeding out number 1 in the first set and number 2 in the second set since they are pretty standard tortoise, like the pair I currently wear. But that still leaves me with one too many! - maybe I can do two free try-ons?

I would love to hear what you guys think!

In the last step you can choose to order frames, or not. Each pair is $199 and includes prescription lenses, frames and coatings. Shipping is free!

I'm anxious to order a set of three to try on and post pictures for you guys to see!

Leave me your feedback!

All for now,

Alexandra

Girls with Glasses Event // Phoenix // March 2013

Soon after we decided on the Southwest for our vacation, I saw a tweet from The Girls with Glasses saying that they were doing an event in Phoenix while we were there.

If you haven't heard of Girls with Glasses, visit their blog through the link above. It is hands down one of my favorite blogs.. ever. It is a compilation of Brooke White (singer/songwriter, former Idol contestant) and Summer Bellessa (Eliza magazine Editor, former model). On the blog they cover many lifestyle topics like fashion, home décor, entertaining, music, movies and shopping. All things I love.

Most of their posts are in the form of videos. Always cute and fun. Recently they have started to talk about glasses because they had received a lot of questions about finding the right glasses for your face shape and coloring. So they added segments in response!

When I saw that they were having an event in Phoenix I was really excited! I have been a fan of Brooke's music ever since her idol days, and I obviously am very inspired by the GWG blog. When we found out that we would be in the area we bought tickets right away.

We drove in to Phoenix the night of the event and grabbed dinner. The event was in Biltmore Fashion Park's new area called Union. It is full of fun and unique shops which is a nice contrast to the rest of the shopping center (think Vera Bradley, Brooks Brothers, Macy's and the like). For all of you KC people the Biltmore area is very Country Club Plaza.

The group of people actually ended up being really small. Maybe 20 people. Sadly, most of the people at the event did not know who GWG were, and didn't give them a courteous amount of attention. I thought that was really too bad, but appreciated that Brooke and Summer were really flexible and went on with their presentation very gracefully.

After the presentation we had the opportunity to talk to Brooke and Summer and have them help us with our face shapes and finding glasses that worked for us. Summer had to run back to check on her kids, so I worked with Brooke. She was super sweet and thought that I had a round/heart shaped face. She showed me a few pairs that would work for me, including her own pair of Rivet and Sway's 'Punchline' in Neapolitan. After talking with her, I told her that I was a big fan and asked if she would take a picture with me. I told her that she was my favorite on idol and that I was so sad when she got voted off. I felt so silly with things just coming out of my mouth, but she was so cool about it and took a picture with me anyway! :)

I was so grateful that we got a chance to see GWG speak, and for the tips that they shared about finding the right glasses for your face. Check out their blog for video tips about finding your own glasses. It was a fun event, and clearly meant to be!

I am so excited to find a pair of frames for myself in the next coming weeks. I'll keep you posted on my progress!

What do you guys think about my face shape? I usually think it looks more heart shaped, especially in pictures where I am smiling. It's hard to tell! :)

All for now,

Alexandra

Coming Up Next: The last stop of our trip and my glasses recommendations from Rivet and Sway.