DIY Quick, Easy, Healthy Energy Shot

 Hey, hey folks! We're all about health and energy here at Ribbons and Pearls, so for a quick DIY here's how we like to power up a draggy evening/morning:   

Energy Shot Ingredients:

• Fill bottom of shot glass (or other small glass) with espresso or just a hefty tablespoon of instant coffee. 

 

• Scoop a teaspoon of your favorite energy/health powder like the vanilla whey protein powder (extra boost, plus vitamins.)

• Top it with a dash of milk or creamer, if you prefer.

What do you guys like using for an intense, quick pick me up? I'd love to read your shares and recipes!



P.S. This week we'll be reviewing a similar "pick-me-up" product called "Better Than Coffee," and folks, it's pretty awesome, so check back soon.

DIY No-Sew Panties into Bandeau!

 From this:        A pair of lace, stretchy panties

To This! A quick Lacy Bandeau to wear under tops

If you're like me, a collection of under garments is your BFF. I also like to have several bandeau style tops on-hand for tops that are too low or for when I don't want to wear a bra or the blouse/dress I'm wearing doesn't allow a bra to be worn without it showing. 

I have made my own easy, quickly-put-together bandeaus for a long time. You might be surprised to learn that the cost of making one far, far less than those you see for $5+ in stores. Seriously. It costs around $1 to make one. However, if you wanted to add a lining to keep your bandeau from being transparent (see-through), then the cost will be slightly more.

The good news is, if you aren't a perfectionist and you already have some scrap material (stretchy lacy undies, fabric that you can use as a lining, etc.) on-hand, then the chances of your new bandeau costing you no money is high! Mine actually costed me nothing to make, especially since the undies were given to me as a gift. 

The lacy underwear I used were stretchy boy-short style, which I found very uncomfortable as underwear, by the way.  A pair of these stretchy, lace boy-shorts are available at Wal-Mart and other stores for really cheap, and they come in all sorts of pretty colors. I have one in turquoise that made a gorgeous bandeau!

So, I'm going to show you how I did this. Take note! I am not a perfectionist, and it shows. If you are, you can make the necessary adjustments as you wish. 

Again, since these boy-shorts were stretchy lace, I didn't need to do any sewing. The method of turning them into a bandeau actually only requires cutting out the crotch! Unless of course you want to add to it by putting in a lining or something.

How I Do It
I laid them out, and cut the crotch straight across, completely off. I didn't bother trying to make it perfect. I kept the black bow that was on the top front of the undies, and wear the bandeau with the little bow in the front. You can easily cut panty-bows off, if you don't want them.

I'm not sure this would've worked so easily if I were not working with a boy-short style because other panties like briefs do not really have the squared shape. Also, these boyshorts (like most) have the crotch somewhat hanging, if that makes sense. Look at my photo of the undies to better understand what I mean -- the crotch comes down lower than the rest of the panties. This makes it easy to just cut the crotch straight across and be left with pretty much a straight edged square.
 

See how the crotch area "hangs" down further than the edges of the panties? Cut straight across, clipping the crotch right off. Then, you'll be left with this:

Crotch is cut out (the crotch fabric is seen on the left) and basically, it's just a rectangle of lace left.

You'll notice it isn't totally a straight-edged square as the crotch area leaves a little fold over area where it was cut out. Since this part of the bandeau will be under my shirts and not show (and really isn't noticeable in the first place), I chose not to add any stitching or anything to make it perfect. Like I said, if you are a perfectionist, a few stitches would fix this part right up.

*Forgive my less than perfect quality photos. The lighting was funny and my camera just wasn't cooperating with me well. I added another photo below (with a bit better lighting) in hopes of it showing the panties after cutting them better. The panties are actually a bold orange-like color, but they look red.

Of course I kept the little crotch strip because small lace left-overs always come in handy for patching up holes in jeans and shirts, too!

Lining -- Optional
I did not add any extra lining to my bandeau. Since it was a quick project just to wear underneath several tops and dresses, I really didn't feel the need to go all out and add a lining under the lace. But keep in mind, it is see-through without lining! You can use a matching or contrasting fabric to really spruce it up, if you plan on showing more of the bandeau off than I do. 

Another trick I've been using successfully for years is those little swimsuit top cups that you find in most swimsuit tops (the thin "pad" cups) -- I place those inside my bandeaus for a little more nipple coverage, so that those suckers don't show right through my shirts so much. 

*Look at the bottom -- you can see imperfection I mentioned from the crotch-cutting. It doesn't bother me since it doesn't show under my shirts. You can sew it up there, though.*

It's really helpul, and in some of my dresses that don't allow a bra, I've sewed the "cups" in! Built-in bra! You can use that method if you want more coverage in a bandeau.

I only took a photo of the back of the bandeau while on. There was just no way to show you guys a photo of the front without risking being too... bare. Sorry! Just can't get that personal with you. ;) I hope this was helpful for someone though. If you are like me and have a pile of boyshorts that are unflattering or uncomfortable, you should have a fun time using them to add another piece of underwear to your wardrobe.

I wear these home-made bandeaus with a lot of different tops, mostly tank tops that are very low cut. Most of us do not wear bras with such showy tops because it just doesn't look that great on some of us (just not flattering when bra pokes out in every direction, and it really takes away from a cute top). The good thing about a thin, lacy bandeau is I don't mind it peeking under the arm-pits of my tank tops, the back and the front area. It adds color, is subtle, looks cute and is still classy.

P.S. if you simply don't want to fork over a $5-$8 and up bandeau bra but you don't have any lace or un-wearable lace boyshorts to make your bandeau, I encourage you to still opt for a DIY version! I've bought a yard of lace for less than $2 at Wal-Mart, so even if you do have to buy your materials to DIY a bandeau, you're going to come out cheaper than if you bought a bandeau. Plus, if you go out and buy a yard of $1-$2 lace, you'll have so much left over that you could make dozens of these bandeaus or even use the remaining lace for another nifty project. 

Which brings me to this: you can never have too much lace. Funny, I have always said that about lingerie too! But it's true. You can never have enough of either. Lace will always, always come in handy and it's always in style. You would truly be amazed at what all items in your wardrobe you can finally begin to wear again just by adding a little lace. Shirt too short? Add a lacy bottom layer. Works for short skirts/ dresses too and spices them up! Holes in your jeans? Patch with lace.  Shirt too tight? Cut it down the middle in the back, add lace. Bam! It's a life-saver.

I hope you guys enjoyed this DIY post. I'm a cheapie and hate tossing clothes because I almost always manage to find a way to make them look nice again. So I like to share these little things with ya'll in hopes of helping other fellow bargainers like myself to get the most of the wardrobe they have. 

It really makes a huge difference just adding a little something to one or two old tops. So, what items do you guys throw together to pull off a look? Do you guys DIY bandeau? Do you know any other nifty uses for old, un-wearable underwear? I would love to hear from you! Leave me your suggestions, tips, thoughts and anything else in the comments section.

DIY Turquoise Pearl Necklace

As I've delved deeper into my experiences with crafting (jewelry, sewing, etc.) some of you expressed an interest in sharing tutorials of the projects I post photos of. Well, I've answered your prayers! I've really been working hard to deliver some brief tutorials on some of my most favored projects, so I hope you guys have as much fun with this new journey as I will. I also hope you'll share any of your tips or projects with me, too. Don't hesitate to message/comment for better detail/instruction. I always answer quickly. So, here I'm going to do a very brief show and tutorial of one of my favorite hand-made necklaces -- my turquoise pearls. This necklace is so easy that you guys probably don't even need directions, but I still have a few really helpful tips for you in the mix.

 Items used to make the Turquoise Pearl necklace:

- Fishing wire. I used probably 10" (just a guesstimate) for a long necklace, which I thought was so fitting for these beads. Use the length you desire.

*I've said this before, but can't say it enough: fishing wire is the cheapest, most reliable way to go if you're someone who beads a lot. It's sturdy, clear (in case the string shows or your beads are clear, there's no weird color sticking out taking the spotlight from your lovely beads). You can get a ton of fishing wire in the fishing dept. at Wal-Mart for like $3 whereas the craft section sells a very small amount of the clear stuff for far higher.

- 28 -ish Turquoise pearl beads. These are obviously not real pearls, but who cares when the color is this beautiful? These were actually my very first ever bead buy! My lovie and I stopped in Hobby Lobby and by chance, they were having a close-out sale, so we racked the F up! I bought these first, went back the next day and got tons of others. Lucky for you, even if your local HL doesn't carry these, you can still find them. Try here.

 If you aren't as madly in love with this color as I am, a strand of regular pearls is just as classy and gorgeous, so feel free to tweak it.

- 2 Crimp beads I've said before, I got a cheap pack of like 30 crimp beads at Joann for around $2.

- One black or color of your choice bead. You may not be able to tell, but the one black, round, but crinkly shaped bead I used on only one side of this necklace has little bits of turquoise in it -- matching the pearls perfectly. I just liked giving the one side this bead because it makes it unique and just fun to me. You can skip it or do as you like. I got this bead in a pack of various shaped, lovely turquoise-colored beads from Joann. It was one of the little clear plastic packs with an assortment of very eye-catching beads. Trying to explain here... Seems like the brand was "Bobbi Brown" or something.

- Clasp is optional if your necklace will be as long as mine. It fits over my head without the clasp, so I never even use the clasp I wasted on this necklace.

                 Instructions (if you need em')

I realize this is a very easy beading project, so most people won't need a tutorial. I'll be brief, just in case you guys want to know how to construct this baby.

1. Cut your fishing wire to desired length. As I said, mine was probably around 10". Long enough to slip over my neck and hang at my chest.

2. Start stringin' on the beads. 

Tip: I use one of those clips... I call them "purse clips" as I don't know the actual name for em', but there found in most any store, especially Staples, if that helps you understand what type of clamp I'm talking about. To hold the end of my strand so I don't have to knot it immediately. I just loop it under the clamp real good.

3. Add crimp beads to each end of string.

4. Add an O-ring to each end of string, allowing a good inch for knotting and tucking into crimp bead. 

5. Knot string around O-rings. Fishing wire doesn't hold knots well, so do a couple of tight ones or use the fisherman's knot. Your crimp bead will secure the knot, so it's no big deal if it isn't perfect.

6. Slide crimp beads up and squeeze em' down over (or right under) the knot. 

7. Open one of the O-rings and attach the other O-ring into it, if this makes sense. Diagram below may be more helpful. It shows one "ring" opened and the other ring being slipped into it. Forgive me. I'm no artist. 

Then using pliers, adjust the opened ring back into place so they're securely held together. This will hold the necklace together.

** If you want to use a clasp, just do that and clasp it rather than attaching the O-rings to each other. If I'm confusing you, let me know & I will clarify.


Well, folks, that's all. If you need extra help, have a suggestion, tip or want to ask me about doing a tutorial on something in particular, do get in touch!

Much love,
Kendra

DIY intensive & super cheap exfoliator.

 I sure wish I'd have remembered to get a photo of my finished product, it was lovely, but I forgot! I used a pretty glass jar (with a lid of course) and printed out my own label for the front that said "made by your sister with tons of love and natural ingredients". Hee-hee.

As you may have guessed, this was a body/face scrub I made as a gift for my sister's birthday. I've used this scrub myself for many years and have even told you over a year ago how to do it yourself. I thought I'd update you though. 

This is absolutely the best exfoliator I've ever used! You read me saying "cornmeal is the best thing for exfoliation" all the time. Now you know that I do practice what I preach! I'll give you a brief little DIY and if you have questions, simply message me. I like to try and keep these simple & short.

INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
 *add as much as you like, mixture ratio depends on the amount you desire to make*


-Cornmeal
-Coffee
-8 Tablespoons lemon juice

-Aloe vera gel, preferrably straight from the plant, but if you have the ol' sunburn gel, it will suffice.

-Vitamin E (capsule form will work, simply punch a hole with a tack or needle and squeeze into jar)

- Brown sugar. I filled my large jar with one part cornmeal, one part brown sugar and one part regular sugar.

-Tea tree oil & a crushed multi-vitamin (both optional)

-Fragrance (optional)

-And any healing essential oil you already prefer using. I added a teaspoon of pure antioxidants.

-Green or Black tea (you can use the grains straight from a small tea bag.)

-3 tablespoons honey. 

As you see, I used a mixing cup to mix things. The goal is not to blend, but to mix. After filling the large jar with my entire mixture, I added about an inch of water since the mixture is already so thick. 

Dump contents into the jar of your choice and then tightly put the cap on and shake. If things are left uneven, stick a straw into the jar and mix. 

Print out a label of your choice and punch a hole in the paper to thread some hemp or ribbon through, then tie it around the jar's neck in a bow. It looks beautiful once finished and is a gift everybody in my family loves! My sister has thoroughly enjoyed hers. 

This is a pretty intense exfoliator. If it's too harsh, limit the cornmeal and sugar and add more water. I like it harsh though as it works wonders on dry, cracked feet & elbows. It'll definitely leave your skin pink and clean! 

Oh how I wish I'd have gotten a photo of the finished product. It looked so nice guys! :( I hope you'll try this. If you do, tell me how it goes. Or do you already make your own scrubs? I'd love to hear about them!

Questions can be sent to my email. I'll answer quickly for you, my loves.



Much love,
Kendra

Michaels $1 pink storage boxes

Lovely Lace

  This feminine and sweet top is the Lovely Lace Top from the lovely Penny's Online Shop. You might recall a previous post I made on one of Penny's items - the Pleated Collar Dress with Circle Print. In case you missed that one, I'll go ahead and re-post a note from Penny (from Penny's online Shop)

A little about Penny's (FROM PENNY'S ONLINE)

"We began our journey in offering beautiful apparels to ladies from a blog shop in May 2009. Exactly a year later, due to the wonderful support of our customers, we have now migrated to this fully e-commerce enabled store front where it eases your shopping experience.

This is a safe and secure online shopping store run by World Of Wonders (a company incorporated in Malaysia), where our aim is to provide you with an exciting array of fashionable and affordable products. We also strive to offer our best service to you, to the best of our ability.

Feel free to contact us and leave us with your comments, feedback, testimonies or queries that you may have. We welcome them and look forward to hearing from you.

♥ Penny"

  Now that we've done that, I'm happy to be reviewing this most adorable, sweet Lacy Top. 

  In case you're wondering where this cami comes in, well you can thank God now because I'm gonna tell ya! Unlike any lace anything I've ever seen, the Lacy Top actually comes with a cami! No worries about having to wait and find the right colored cami to match the Lacy Top, it comes with it! It's just a white, comfortable, stretchy cami. It's cute and feels great on. 


  The cami could also be worn alone if you choose, but with a top as cute as Lovely Lace, it's hard to choose the cami to wear alone! 


  Cami's measurements :
From chest to bottom: 20" long
Bust: 16"
Waist: 15"
Hip- Very bottom part of top: 16"

The cami that goes underneath the Lovely Lace top will more than likely accomadate up to a medium, at least. It's a very lightweight, stretchy material.

  The Lovely Lace Top is made of a very soft lace, not the scratchy stuff. I worried that it wouldn't hold up well, but it seems to be able to withstand quite some wear. It's very comfortable and since the Lovely Lace Top is flowy, there's no worries with it sticking to my body or being tight.

 
  The Lovely Lace Top measures 25 1/2" Long. The entire neck, back and front is lined with a layer of lace, as are the sleeves and the bottom of the top.

Sleeves are 16 1/2 long from shoulder to elbow and they are lined in two layer of lace, adding to the beauty of this top. The bottom panel of lace alone is 3 1/2 inches long. This hits right below my hips perfectly.


  As you can see there is a drawstring under the bust that ties in a bow. This adds more to the top, in my opinion and it allows you to adjust to fit.

Bust: 14" 
Waist: 19"
Hip: 21"


  As you can see, with the top just hanging up and without the drawstring tied, it can clearly accomadate more than just a small. It would definitely fit a medium very nicely.


  Now, onto the details...


  Lacy, soft and feminine, this top is perfect for the ladies like me who love that feel. This works wonderfully as both day wear/work wear and night wear. It looks nice and paired with heels at night and suddenly you have a little sexy there as well! You can also add a pretty belt to the waist.


  This can be worn with jeans or with a skirt or possibly even shorts. I suppose it could be worn as a dress with a pair of leggings, but for me, it isn't long enough. No big deal as this is not marketed as a dress, it's a shirt, but if someone wanted to work it as a dress it may do. 

  I love the way the Lovely Lace Top fits. Like the other item from Penny's Online Shop, this too is a good quality, beautiful piece of clothing.  I had a couple of people comment on how nice this looks and I had a ton of people love the Pleated Dress with Circle Print from Penny's. I really love the items they have. 

  Penny's Online Shop carries a very nice variety of different styles and pieces ranging from casual to frilly, feminine to not-so-feminine (for lack of a better word).  The site is super easy to shop with. You have all your categories at the top and you can simply click to shop in the section you're interested in, such as casual wear. It's clean, easy to read and very informative! Instead of getting one small picture of the front of an item, Penny's Online Shop puts extra effort in to provide front, back, side and more photos of the product! That was something quite new to me when it comes to shopping online. Penny's makes it easy for you! You can also find the appropriate measurements for each item just by clicking on it! Kudos to Penny's!


 

 *See my honesty pledge at the top of the page!*

Konformity Clothing

                                     KONFORMITY CLOTHING

  My love for unique clothing landed me at Konformity Clothing's online store. I certainly love their style! Check out a couple of things I recieved..

                    

  This is my favorite. As you can see the shirt says Konformity with funky skeletons.

This is what the other Tee I have looks like.

  Konformity Clothing has a nice selection of "punk style" clothing. With several things to choose from, I am most drawn to the unique T-shirts they have. They sell both men's and women's clothing have some  fabulous designs. You can order any of their shirts "custom cut" which means they'll slice up the shirt any way you like! It's actually really cute. I've done my own before and the slices did turn out crooked so this is a good option to have if you're like me and can't do anything in a straight line.

  I really have to give kudos to Konformity for their oh-so-cool style and prices. Most shirts are around $16 which is really beyond a good deal especially considering the unique-ness of their items. I also received a few stickers from them. One with skeletons that said Konformity and a few others. I loved them so much, put em' on the back windshield of my car! I don't ever put stickers on my car. I've only ever put one on and it was a gift from my mother. Now it's rockin' it's cute-ness in between 2 Konformity logo stickers. Besides the cool stickers, great prices and really awesome shirts, I am very pleased with the fit and comfort and overall appearance of the items.

  At only around $16 each, you wouldn't expect good, durable material or an excellent fit. Most tops I buy for $20 don't even make it through 2 wears without holes. I'm very impressed with Konformity Clothing, to say the least.


  Go visit Konformity Clothing... Right. Now! I might add, they have both men and women and youth sections to choose from. You can buy hoodies, hats, tees, tanks, stickers and more. In the youth section, they have sizes for toddlers, teens and even infants! You better believe our kids will be rockin' the Konformity! We already love the tees. :)

 

Auric Blends - Incense Seduction and Egyptian and Water Goddesses!

  

  The lovely Auric Blends roll-on perfume oil pictured above is Water Goddess, a really nice, clean scent. Like many other Auric Blends fragrances, Water Goddess too is a scent that mixes so well with most people's skin. Water Goddess smells a lot like the name, water-y. This scent makes me picture a really pretty sparkling waterfall with tons of bright colored flowers all around. It's a truly beautiful scent. It smells so clean.

 Although it's hard to make out, the photo above is of a little packet of Seduction incense by Auric Blends. Like their fragrances, their incense too are handcrafted and smell wondeful. Seduction was a nice scent and filled the room well. I burned it for only 20-30 minutes before the room and other areas of the house had a light hint of Seduction. It's a sweet, but not overpowering sweet scent. It's one of the prettiest incense I've smelled. I've grown very fond of Seduction and would love to have it in a perfume too! I liked the sweet and woody scent it put off. It was very attractive, nothing like a cigar which is what I find most incense to smell of.

Then there's the super popular top-seller Egyptian Goddess. Upon first seeing the bottle I judged it to be very grandma-ish. That's not very nice, but for some reason I always associate fragrances with gold on the bottle as granny perfume! I know, it's terrible of me. The good thing is, I don't ever pass a perfume off without first giving it a chance, or a sniff. Every perfume deserves at least that much, right?

To my surprise Egyptian Goddess, while having a light, very light musky scent to it, reminded me nothing of my granny Lucille - who by the way, actually tends to have good taste in perfume thank you very much.

I'm more of a sweet, floral kind of girl so Egyptian Goddess was new to me and while I was very attracted to the way it smelled on my skin, I was a bit nervous at first of others thinking differently. Fortunately, I haven't recieved any un-kind remarks about my new scent.

It took some getting used to. When wearing it the first several times, it'd catch my attention abrubtly, but I've really grown to enjoy this scent.

To me, it's a very warm, very slightly musky (nothing like White Diamonds if that's the picture you're getting) with woody notes, maybe sandal wood? Or maybe it's just my nose, but I do detect some kind of fresh wood scent in there. It's one of the most unique scents I've ever came across and I like that. One thing that makes it such a rare, but beautiful scent is the mixture of warm musk, something woodsy and floral notes all in one. This perfume really works the mixture. I couldn't imagine many scents with this type of mixture smelling good, but the sound of musk, wood, flowers and powder sound cheap to me. Egyptian Goddess never strikes me as a cheap smell when I sniff it. That's why I say it really works such a rare mixture of scents. If you're into musks, but don't like the overpowering strength of most musks, then Egyptian Goddess is so worth a try, especially at only $7.50!

Fragrance Rebel's Ink'd perfume smells exactly like Ed Hardy!

                                     FRAGRANCE REBEL'S INK'D

Would you ever guess that this pretty bottle contained a scent no different from Ed Hardy's perfume by Christian Audigier?

Well, I'm here to tell ya, it does! I mentioned in my last Fragrance Rebel post a little about this perfume, but incase you missed it, I'll do do a little re-play.

  My twin sister is a die hard Ed Hardy perfume lover. The girl goes through it like crazy and that stuff ain't cheap. You're looking to fork over a good $70 dollars or more per bottle and when you use an entire bottle monthly, that gets expensive!

I'm a big perfume snob as you may know, but my sister is much worse. She's pretty serious about her perfume. While she was over sniffin' through my Fragrance Rebel stash, she picked up the Ink'd which smells exactly like Ed Hardy & fell in love. She said it smells no different from the actual Ed Hardy perfume that she wears and I thought the same. She's already decided to ditch the $70 perfume for the Ink'd at Fragrance Rebel for 3.99! I know it's gotta be good if she's willing to ditch her Ed Hardy.

  I have yet to smell a perfume from Fragrance Rebel that didn't smell identical to the designer. I still am shocked at the wonderful duplicates they have.

 For a 21 year old college student who spends a lot of her time watching after kids or working, blowing a hunk of my check on perfume is just not possible, not that I'd ever pay more than $20 for it anyways. But, it's so very nice to be able to have nice designer perfume for only a few dollars. It's more than nice, it's amazing! I am more than satisfied with each perfume.

  I also had my sister, the bf and my mother as well as the kids smell the fragrances from Fragrance Rebel and get their feedback. Here's what they said:

My sister and I both sniffed over & over and cannot tell a difference between Fragrance Rebel and the designers. The kids were more than excited to smell them & A, who is 11 years old (doesn't know much about designer perfume,but still!) He's begged me for days now to get him the men's cologne. There's 3 that he's about to have a fit over & the kid's only 11! He really liked it.

Then there's the precious M who's 6 & she's having a fit over Fragrance Rebel's 2HOT which smells identical to Britney Spears "Curious." She's asked me everyday to get her some. She says "If I be berry good will you get me the pretty candy smelling perfume!" The pretty bottle and sweet scent makes her think of candy.

  My mother is totally opposite from us, she does not like perfume because it gives her migraines like me, but not all of it bothers me. She's terrified to wear perfume due to migraines, but she loves the Ink'd from Fragrance Rebel & hasn't had any migraines with the others either. She thought they were all lovely & smelled nice. She too could not tell a difference between them & the designer perfumes!

I love their body sprays and will certainly be buying them over any others. I'm very glad that Fragrance Rebel's body sprays  are so identical to the designers that you can wear them and not tell a difference while keeping your paycheck. That is just outrageously amazing!

I totally give Fragrance Rebel a 10 star rating, heck I'd give them a 100 star rating! They're just that good.

                                                                                                      

Seven Til Midnight corset in red

RED SEVEN TIL' MIDNIGHT CORSET

Note: The Seven Til Midnight Corset does not come with skirt included. The skirt was my own and I paired it with the corset. It does go perfectly together though. This corset is the most comfortable one I own & it's flexible with a good bit of stretch. It's so far the easiest to slip in and out of and does much better for a night out than most.

The silky red material is beautiful while the feminie silk bows and ruffles add a lot of sexy!

Here, in the picture above, you can see the entire front of the corset. It has two strips of ruffly lace with bows at the bust and 2 rows to line the bottom, front to back. The bottom also has silky bows, one on either side. Looks very sleek and pretty!

You can't see the design on the corset in the photo, but it does have a pretty light little design on it in red.

I loved wearing it with the tulle skirt. It matched perfectly.

The comfort in this corset is outstanding. You can wear it out with a skirt or a pair of blue jeans and be absolutely comfortable. I like how easy it is unlike most that require wire pliers and a room full of people trying to get you in and out of the thing.

The back of the corset does not lace up. Instead, you have 3 rows of eye hooks to choose from. Use the last row for a smaller size and to expand/loosen, the 2nd or first row provides room. I hook with the last row so it doesn't slid off and even then it's still roomy enough to move around. I do like the sizing. It's hard to find lingerie that isn't a child's small, I'm glad this corset from Carrie Amber was truly made for a woman, not child. Mine is a small, but it would comfortably fit a medium as well.

   MATERIAL

I love the material of this corset. It's like silk, but even softer. The inside is smooth and soft too. The tag says 90% nylon & 10% spandex. It's very light weight.

The bones are very flexible and are not made of plastic so you don't have to worry about bending over and snapping one in half. They are thick and sturdy, but not hard.

I was pleased with the simplicity and the casual-ness of this corset. It's one that I will be able to wear out in public (at the right places of course) and still be able to breathe and move. It's perfect for someone who wants to add a really sexy, but conservative look when paired with jeans. It's not revealing, I really like that about the corset.

I can tell it's very well made and doesn't have that cheap look or feel. I would absolutely recommend the red Seven Til Midnight corset to anybody, especially someone who's not sure if they will like the discomfort that often comes with most corsets. This one holds up well and can be worn for long periods of time. It's great for those who are interested in trying corsets but are shy or intimidated by the tightness of them. It's a great first corset and seems to be one that will last for years to come.

  CARE & MAINTENANCE

The corset should be hand washed with cold water and of course should never be bleached or ironed. To best care for this corset, you should line dry it. I would not recommend putting it in the dryer. I can't say exactly what would happen, but I wouldn't even risk it.

It sounds like a lot of work, but really it's less trouble than most everyday clothing items. I just hand wash it which doesn't take long. Then I hang it up on the back of my bed room door or lamp post to dry. It dries quickly since it's not heavy.

Overall, my opinion on the red corset here, is a very nice one! I think it's a pretty piece. The comfortability is something I am beyond grateful for with. Seven Til Midnight is my favorite lingerie brand. They have so many different things that really suit my style and I love their products. I doubt I'd be disappointed with their items. They are certainly unique and all of the Seven Til Midnight lingerie items stand out from other brands. I'm sure you'll feel the same way! DO check them out. Also, I'd like to add that from what I've seen, they don't discriminate against the average sized woman! YAY! They DO make sizes that fit real women and not just size zeros. That's something I highly admire in a lingerie company.

WICKY TEES

                             WICKY TEES!                           

   You guessed it! The cute smiley t-shirt did come from the lovely Wicky Tees! How cute is that t-shirt?


   Yellow is usually not my color, but this is just too cute! It's actually very, very bright but doesn't show the color well in the photo. It looks even better in person or should that be in t-shirt?

  Wicky Tees has some very unique and adorable t-shirts. I love them! I like the crazy smiley shirt with the x eye, that's too cute.

  All of their tees look great and are very comfortable! You can throw them on with regular jeans and still look cute. I also like that they're a little bit baggy so that way you can wear them on the bloated days without it showing.

   Wicky Tees have some awesome graphic shirts too! They have humorous tees, offensive tees (love them!) and even t-shirts that light up! How cool! Right now they are having a great sale on the graphics & humor tees.

  They're prices are great especially considering how nice the shirts are. They always have great deals too. You can join them on facebook for a chance to win a free t-shirt too! It's definitely worth it & even if you don't win, you'll be able to stay updated on their news & know when they have new tees and there's always next time, right?

  If you like funny shirts, offensive shirts, etc. Wicky Tees have a lot to choose from & you'll more than likely find at least one or two that you just have to have! I do anyways.

  The t-shirts make the best gifts! I'm working on finding one for a father's day gift right now, but just can't choose which one is best! They're fun and will certainly put a smile on any dads (or other loved ones) face... well, unless you happen to be a female & get your dad the shirt that has an egg & a chicken F-ing. Lol That might not go over too well. Ha Ha. I have to admit though, I did consider getting that one for my dad! I'd love to see his face turn red when opening it! Their Tees certainly are good for striking a conversation! Lol

  CHECK EM' OUT! They're also on my post of 'best funny t-shirt sites" check it out. 

LUSCIOUS THRILL-HER

                     ULTRA GELLE LUSCIOUS THRILL-HER

   This Luscious Thrill Her vibe is an absolute pearl! I must admit, we had quite an adventure with this little guy.

  Upon first impression, the Thrill-Her vibe from Vibrator.com is nice looking and un-intimidating. I didn't expect any sort of mind-blowing experience with it. It's look is quite appealing. I honestly expected it to deliver a fun little foreplay, but nothing more. I was so in for it!

  I immediately fell in love with the touch of the Luscious Thrill-Her. It's very soft, a bit squishy. It's a jelly like material, but not packs more firmness than most jellies. Also, every jelly toy I've owned has had a very over powering scent. It isn't bad, but it's so strong that it does kind of get to me. The Luscious Thrill-Her was surprisingly scent-less!

  I had just recieved my Luscious Thrill-her and the same day I had to take a long trip to town. I'd say we were in the car for a good 2 hours at least. Thank God for the vibe! As always, I broke it out & sadly had no batteries.

  I decided to skip the vibe part since I had no batteries in the car. At first I said no because I didn't expect it to be exactly pain-less going in without at least using the vibes first. I was wrong there too!

  It glides perfectly. No grabbing or pulling and the material does not collect hair, dust, lint, etc. I honestly have no idea how this toy has such an amazing material and still doesn't pick up lint. I've never had a good jelly like that.

  The Luscious Thrill-Her became a favorite of mine in less than 5 minutes. I really love the soft ridges in the toy. Unfortunately, after about 25 minutes of fun, I must've gotten a little too happy because my knee bumped the gear shifter in my car while the BF was driving on the interstate & my knee knocked it in nuetral! Ahh! Scary, but so fun!

  The vibe is wonderfully made. The jelly part is a thick sleeve type thing that seems to slip off of the vibe if you tug and pull at it so I think you may be able to switch out different "sleeves" I don't think it was intended for that though. The jelly sleeve slipped right on easily after I'd pulled at it and it doesn't slide off or anything after a lot of use.

  I wouldn't say it's a large toy. It is quite small. I had no problems sliding and gliding even with no lube. I've never not had trouble getting a vibe inside. It's 1 1/2 in diameter (couldn't be a more perfect fit!) It can be inserted all the way to the base. The vibe is 5 1/2 long. It  is enough to please even a woman who prefers fat-ness. It isn't fat, but I would be surprised if it didn't please any person's preferences.

                                             
                                                   TEXTURE 

   The Luscious Thrill-Her is ridged all the way down. The ridges are noticeable. While not too textured, the ridges to add a nice surprise. Not many toys have this exact texturing and I can say, those ridges did make it a unique experience. I actually have really taken to the textured thing after using this one. I have had a toy that was twist-textured and I was highly fond of it too. Synergy Erotic got everything right in this one!

  There are 6 ridges I believe and they vary in size. As you get closer to the base, the ridges slightly get larger. This toy didn't cause me any discomfort or pain at all & that is a first for me.

  Another part of the Luscious Thrill-Her that I love is the little curved "nub" at the very end. It's not one of an intimidating nature though. I was more than shocked that this jelly toy reached the G-spot unbelievably well!

  I expected the jelly like material to keep the "nub" from being firm enough to actually give any G-spot stimulation, but... it was intense! It's right in between firm and jelly. It's got enough firmness to contour to your shape and reach the G-spot and just enough soft jelly-ness to be comfortable. It has a bit of a flexibility to it, but not much otherwise it wouldn't be able to provide such intense G-spot stim.

  This is actually the first toy that I've ever had that did provide G-spot stimulation. I was really surprised at how great it turned out to be. 

  It's comfortable for even me and I don't find that often. I would recommend this toy for any woman who's never experience G-spot orgasms or one looking to find a toy that does that. I'm pretty positive that this one would make it easier for anybody to find their spot or experience pleasure from it. 

                                   VIBRATIONS & SOUND

  It is waterproof and multi-speed, both a plus. However, the vibrations seemed dull to me. They weren't really intense, but would make good foreplay. Keep in mind though, I used old batteries. They were all I had and that could be the reason for the dull vibrations. It still wasn't disatisfying by far. The vibrations aren't the most intense and aren't likely to send you climbing the walls, but a lot of us prefer soft & light. If you have a really un-sensitive clitoris, they may be harder to work with. Still, even if used without the vibrations, this toy is a must have for me at least. It's such a good toy that even with no vibrations, it's able to hold its own and well!

  It's very quiet. I doubt it would ever be heard by others. It could probably accidentally be turned on in public and no one would ever hear it. 

  The Luscious Thrill-Her vibe more than met my standards and I'm 100% happy with it. I've had a great time with it & it is one of my favorites. I actually prefer this one over most unless I'm looking for extremely intense vibrations.

                                                       PACKAGING

  The packaging was very tasteful. It comes in a box (discrete.) The vibrator itself comes in a thick plastic container that snaps firmly allowing you to store it in the little plastic, clear container. I like that it came in that so I can keep it in it's plastic and be sure that it won't fall out or be exposed to other things such as other toys which can damage the toys and also it keeps it from getting thrown around in something like a purse where germs would easily crawl! I hate the idea of spiders crawling on my vibrators (or anything for that matter) so that's one reason I keep each one sealed well inside something.

  The packaging takes up little space & it seems to hold up no problem. I also really, really liked that the packaging didn't have seductive/nude photos littered all over it. Sorry, no offense, but that's not my taste. 

  Also, the package states that the toy is "kegel friendly." I'm not 100% sure what that means. I know it means that you can use it as a kegel excersiser and probably get results, but I've not tried that yet. 

  I'd rate the Luscious Thrill-Her vibe a 10/10. I have no complaints and am beyond satisfied with it. I think it's an extremely well made toy and clearly even the pickiest of females were in mind while the toy was designed.

  It's a beautiful blue color and clear. Mine is like a turqoise color, but I believe you can get it in pink and purple as well. I couldn't believe how amazing the toy was especially for the price. In this case, you get MUCH more than what you pay for!  I should also mention that it is phthalates free!

  You can read my honesty pledge at the top of the page!