A Few Things That I've Recently Returned.
or that I tried and was underwhelmed by.
Ever since I could remember, one of my favorite things in life has been to share the things I love. Even before starting my blog in 2012, I was active in various beauty and fashion message boards. This was to discover new things and share what was working (or not) for me. If there’s a new mascara or new brush that I was (and still am) enthusiastic about, I want my people looking for that information to know! That quality birthed my blog and, later on, Instagram.
However, I got to a place where, more often than not, I share what I love, but not as often the things that don’t work for me. Here and there, I’ll post a story, but sometimes, I want to dive deeper.
Here are a few things I purchased that did not work out for me.
The Ōura Ring
One of the more random purchases that I ended up getting during their Black Friday sale. If you’re unfamiliar with it, it’s similar to the Apple Watch (which I do not own) that gives you data on your sleep, fitness, and other personalized facts.
Quite honestly, it wasn’t even on my radar a week before purchasing, but there I was, checking out after reading rave reviews from several people online. Several weeks after owning it, I decided it wasn’t for me. Aesthetically, I didn’t love the look of it. It was messing with my jewelry and my overall vibe. From a data standpoint, it was pretty cool, but if I didn’t get a restful night, I would panic and get unnecessary anxiety over my poor score.
Some people love it, and I understand why, but it wasn’t for me.
Nili Lotan Iman Cropped Jacket
A couple of weeks ago, I was at a coffee shop in the West Village and a woman walked in with an outfit that made me do a double take. It was simple, yet utterly fabulous. She had on blue distressed wide-leg jeans contrasted with a structured jacket that had gold buttons and the most beautiful detailing. On my way out, I told her how great she looked and that I needed to know who made her jacket: “Nili Lotan!” she replied. Obviously, I found myself doing a late night google search to find said jacket.
I wasn’t able to find that exact style, but I ended up ordering the above, that looked similar. I took it out of the box, tried it on and was disappointed that it didn’t cause the same reaction on me, that I had when I saw it on her. Don’t get me wrong. It was beautiful, but for the price (and I get a Shopbop partner discount!), I wasn’t blown away. The style didn’t feel quite like me and I wasn’t about to force it. Back it went.
On another note, I did get these corduroys from Nili Lotan that I happen to love very much. They feel like a nice change from my typical denim.
Favorite Daughter Denim City Dress
The denim dress pictured above is not the one I returned. It’s a dress from Pistola Denim, but it is the reason I returned the Favorite Daughter one. I really don’t need two denim dresses, and after trying both on, I prefer the fit of the Pistola one.
Hair Treatment Serum Amazon Capsules
A few of my favorite follows on Instagram, including many of their people (according to the story reposts), utterly swear by these hair capsules. Sadly for me, I don’t have the same excitement about them. They’re nice but don’t do anything special for my hair. However, people seem to love them, so I may be in the minority.
Victoria Beckham Fragrances:
On my quest to find new fragrances that I love, one of my purchases was the Victoria Beckham fragrance discovery set. It came highly recommended, and I had high hopes given how big of a fan I am of her style, makeup line, and, generally, of her. The set came with three fragrances, and aside from the citrus woody Portofino ‘97, which reminded me of one of my favorites, Byredo Bal d’Afrique, I wasn’t a huge fan. They were almost too overpowering for my taste, and given their hefty price tags, I was hoping to be blown away. On the topic, here are my current favorites.
Of course if you’ve had any of your own returns, please share. Even it’s something I recommended.
xo,
Helena
Love love love updates like this.
I’m lol-ing at the hair capsules... I see those everywhere and I always think to myself that doesn’t seem like it would do anything 🤣 I appreciate the honesty and always think it’s helpful to see a balance of likes and dislikes