Another month, another really late entry of The Cut. (I apologize; wedding planning and other things have taken up most of my free time lately, but I'll get back to posting more on time soon.) But we have some great products to talk about this month, so better late than never.
Made the Cut
Dryel At-Home Dry Cleaner Starter Kit
If you have a lot of dry clean only clothes, Dryel is your friend. I did a number of job interviews in August and wore my favorite vintage wool blazer to one of them. Between being really hot that day and being a bit nervous during the interview, the blazer definitely needed to be freshened up under the arms. Being both impatient and distrusting of other people with my stuff, I wasn't thrilled at the idea of taking it to the dry cleaners so on a whim I googled whether at-home dry cleaning is a thing.
Somehow, it took me until the age of 31 to discover Dryel but once I gave it a shot I started digging through my clothes to see what other dry-clean only items I could wash with the system. I bought the Starter Kit ($10.99) at Target, which comes with four cleaning cloths (which can clean up to 20 items in a single load), the stain pen, odor- and wrinkle-releasing spray, and the cleaning bag. The system comes with a comprehensive list of the fabrics that can and can't be cleaned with the system along with instructions. Refills of the cleaning cloths can be purchased separately.
I was nervous to use my blazer as a guinea pig because it would be really hard to replace if I ruined it, but it came out smelling clean and fresh and wasn't at all ruined and didn't shrink. Since the blazer, I've also washed a wool sweater and a 100% silk dress and both came out just fine. If you have a lot of dry clean only clothes, this is a really cost-effective (and just effective overall) method of cleaning them as opposed to spending way more per item at a dry cleaner, having to wait days for it to be done, and having to trust that they won't damage or lose your clothes.
Jenny Yoo Lucinda Dress | Ivory
I celebrated my bridal shower in late August in the Lucinda Dress by Jenny Yoo ($345), one of the most beautiful dresses I've ever owned. This style of dress, with the flutter sleeves, v-neckline, and covered buttons down the front, was actually the style I really wanted for my wedding dress (until I found my wedding dress, which is a very different style, and it blew me away). Getting my little white dress for the bridal shower in this style was a great way to have both styles as part of my wedding.
If you're getting married and need a little white dress (or just want a beautiful white dress as part of your wardrobe), I'd suggest sizing up one on this one. I found that this ran pretty small in the waist, but a little large in the bust. The bust was fixable with some Hollywood Tape (which I tried for the first time with this dress and now plan on keeping on-hand at home at all times), but you can't do anything about a waist that's too small and I just managed to get the zipper closed. I ordered it in my usual dress size of 0 but would've ordered it in a 2 if I'd been able to try these on in-person somewhere.
This is a gorgeous, flattering silhouette. I actually ordered the Luna Dress in Mahogany (basically the exact same dress, just with a different pattern on the fabric) prior to the Lucinda because I loved this cut so much, but the Lucinda was sold out at the time. When the Lucinda came back in stock, I ordered it and kept the Luna so I could have the dress in a beautiful, deep plum shade. I paired the Lucinda with the Freya sandals from Intentionally Blank, which we'll jump into next.
Intentionally Blank Freya Heeled Sandal | Sage
I knew I wanted a strappy heel to pair with my little white dress, but I wanted to mix things up a bit instead of going with either a nude or white heel. I considered a brighter pop of color, but figured something a little more subdued would give me the visual interest I wanted without taking attention away from the dress.
I found the perfect heel in the Freya Heeled Sandal from Intentionally Blank in Sage ($129.00). That muted green color was a great shade that I knew I'd be able to wear with a lot of outfits beyond the bridal shower and complimented the ivory dress well. The lower heel was better for a day of mingling than a higher heel would've been. My only complaint is that these aren't the comfiest shoes in the world; these are definitely more of a "doing more sitting than walking" pair of shoes, mainly because of the part that goes between your toes. Just don't try to do a ton of walking around in these sandals and you'll be fine. Since the bridal shower, I've paired the Freya with a number of different outfits and have found them to be versatile and so stylish with the square toe.
MERIT Bronze Balm | Clay
I was initially a little wary of MERIT's Bronze Balm bronzer when I heard it would be a cream formula. For bronzers, I prefer powder both because I feel it's easier to build and blend and because I feel it lasts longer on my skin. But having tried everything from MERIT aside from their brow products, I knew I wanted to give this one a shot. I went with the shade Clay ($30) (and appreciate that MERIT makes it easy to choose your shade by pairing each with a range of Minimalist shades that they'll work best with) since I wear the Minimalist in Ecru.
At first I hated this product and thought it was useless; after applying directly to my face, I then went in to blend with MERIT's brush and found that it made the product completely disappear from my face. Instead, I changed up my technique and dabbed the brush rather than blending in circles like I do with powder bronzer and it made a total difference. I still have to go in with two layers to get a more noticeable bronzing effect, but the end result is a natural-looking warmth and glow that looks like my skin. Overall, I still prefer powder bronzers, but this is a very nice cream product that, once I got over the learning curve, I found compliments my face and skin tone really well.
Didn't Make the Cut
GXVE Original Me Matte Lipstick | Lovable Me
I bought this lipstick on a whim on my way out of Sephora; I'd heard that Gwen Stefani recently launched a makeup line and saw it for the first time on display as I headed out the door. I swatched the Lovable Me shade of matte lipstick on the back of my hand and thought it looked good in-store. It appeared to be a warm, soft brown shade, right up my alley, so I took it home and put it on for the first time. I instantly regretted the purchase.
It's described as "brown peachy natural" in Sephora's product description of the color online, but on me it pulled more ruddy and reddish and just didn't look like the color when I swatched it on my hand in the store. It wasn't flattering, so it went right back to the store. And at $26 a bullet, I just don't think there's anything special about these lipsticks nor am I a big fan of the color range. The formula is nice and applies and blends easily, but I wasn't excited by this product and was disappointed by how different it looked on my lips.
Be sure to check back next month for another round of products that made the cut and didn't, and thanks for reading my monthly series, The Cut.
Note: none of the hyperlinks in this post are affiliate links. They're included merely for your convenience.
Comments