#Blogmas GIVEAWAY & Fascino Boutique: The Grand Opening

December 10, 2015 by Bree Fesh in Events, Giveaways

For those of you who have been following me for awhile, you know that I am obsessed with the Pittsburgh based, online boutique Fascino, seriously this little shop has the cutest clothing and accessories for great prices! And I have news for my Pittsburgh readers, they're not only online but now have a storefront located on Mount Washington, just a block down from the Monongahela incline. (And coincidentally across the street from my old apartment building, was my love for this store meant to be? I think so!) Recently I attended their grand opening party and as I expected, their boutique was chic and flawless (and of course there was champagne!). Before I get to the giveaway details, here are some highlights from opening night:

Have to love a crafty DIY jewelry holder.

A sign I definitely need in my apartment.

Owners Stef Christiana & Kelly Williamson

Fascino is located at:

128 Wyoming St, Pittsburgh, PA 15211

And their shop hours are as follows:

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: 5:00PM-9:00PM

Wednesday: 5:00PM-9:00PM

Thursday: 5:00PM-9:00PM

Friday: 5:00PM-9:00PM

Saturday: 12PM-5:00PM

Sunday: 12PM-5:00PM

Now, about that GIVEAWAY:

So in honor of the giving season and Fascino's grand opening I figured what better way to celebrate than with a giveaway? Though I have partnered with Fascino for the grand prize, I also have partnered up with Bijoux USA again as well!

What can you win?

Here's the deal: I will be giving away 7 different Bijoux USA jewelry items (pictured below) to 7 of my contestants and one lucky contestant will win all 7 jewelry pieces along with a $100 gift card to Fascino! So that is 8 prizes all together. (For my international readers, unfortunately you're not eligible for the grand prize because Fascino does not ship internationally yet, however don't fret because you can still win some super cute jewelry which I will be shipping internationally!!)

TEARDROP CRYSTAL DECORATED DOUBLET CUFF BRACELET

WIRE ROSE MOTIF DRAPED LAYERED NECKLACE SET

FEATHER DETAIL TEXTURED TWISTED WIRE OPEN CUFF BRACELET

FACETED DOUBLE SIDED GEMSTONE CHAIN TASSEL NECKLACE SET

CHEVRON CUT OUT METAL BAR CUFF BRACELET

ASYMMETRICAL CRYSTAL BALL TRIPLE LINE CUFF BRACELET

ROUND FILIGREE NECKLACE SET

GRAND PRIZE: $100 Fascino Gift Card + All Seven Bijoux USA Jewelry Pieces

Rules:

The entry rules are exactly the same as my last Bijoux USA giveaway and are as follows:

The first step of entry is commenting on my post with what item you would like to try and win along with your email so I can reach you if you win to discuss shipping matters and such. However, if you are uncomfortable posting your email here, you can email me directly at starkravingchic@gmail.com with the same requests.
Please only ONE email/comment per item entry, this means you are allowed to try and win multiple items in the giveaway, but please only one email per item/contestant. (EX: if you want to try for more than one prize, you would list them in one comment.) Unfortunately if you do not follow this request, you will be disqualified.

How will the winners be chosen?

The drawings will be at random, basically I'll just be pulling names/email addresses out of a hat for each given category, this means there will be 8 separate drawings for each item listed to win, to guarantee the authenticity of the contest. And of course as I stated above, once my winners are picked I will notify you via email to get your address for shipping purposes.

Dates The Contest Will Be Running:

So the contest starts today with this post (AKA Thursday, December 10, 2015)! And you will have a little over two weeks to enter (meaning the end date will be Friday, December 25, 2015) and the winners will be announced that following Saturday, December 26, 2015 bright and early at 9AM US Eastern Time.

Just so you have it straight:

Start Date: Thursday, December 10, 2015
End Date: Friday, December 25, 2015
Announcement of Winners Date: Saturday, December 26, 2015

Before I sign off just another reminder, and as stated earlier, all of these items will be shipped internationally except for the grand prize of the $100 Fascino gift card and 7 jewelry items which will unfortunately only be offered for my U.S. readers due to the fact Fascino does not ship internationally yet! So again to my international readers, I'm very sorry about that, but as stated above you can still enter for any (and for as many as you want!) of the 7 jewelry pieces which I will be shipping globally!

To all my readers, thank you so much for reading and participating. You are all seriously the best and I am so happy to be hosting this giveaway this holiday season, you all deserve it and I truly appreciate each and every one of you!

Best holiday wishes everyone, and good luck!! :)

Xx, Bree

Studio RAW (Feat. outtakes from my next #OOTD, coming soon!)

December 08, 2015 by Bree Fesh in Beauty

If you are familiar with my blog or follow me on Instgram, you are aware my hair doesn't stay the same for very long and is hardly ever a natural color. This being said, I'm not going to lie, doing my hair myself was quite the task and very hard to maintain. That's why this past October (you know, when I decided to become a mermaid) I began letting my friend Chris, a stylist at Studio RAW, begin styling my hair. It is honestly the best decision I've ever made beauty wise, I mean how can you argue with theses results from my last appointment?!

However, enough about my fabulous dye job for now, and let's talk about how awesome the salon Studio RAW really is!

The Backstory

The owners of Studio RAW were originally Dan Burda, his partner Rohn Neugebaure and Dan's mum, Laraine. However, Dan's partner passed away two years ago and ever since it has just been Dan and his mum running the salon, since its grand reopening in 2013.

Though Studio RAW has been in business for 6 years, two of those years are as the revamped version of "Studio RAW 2.0" which is probably the one my Pittsburgh readers are familiar with today. The 2.0 version came about after a devastating fire that the company had back in 2012. To read more about it you can feel free to click here.

Studio RAW 2.0 is located in the same building that the original salon was, however it is much larger. When Dan and his mum Laraine remodeled they had bigger and better things in mind for their new salon. For instance originally their salon space was only 2,700 square feet, however since they now had the entire building to work with and had no other tenants, they expanded their salon to a luxurious 8,000 square foot one of a kind space. Honestly, I'm telling you, I've never seen anything like it! The other awesome thing about Studio RAW is not only do you get a kick-ass hair style out of the deal, but you also get complementary food (think finger foods and a peanut butter and jelly bar) as well as a well stocked, self serve bar, including spirits, wine, and beer!

Not to mention you can't help but love their sense of humor:

My Stylist

Lastly, of course I have to mention my friend and amazing stylist, Chris Angelo! Chris and I met back in 2012 when we were both in college, we had a digital printing class together and we were both high achieving, artistic, and each had a fascination with the darker things, such as making illustrations depicting the effects of abuse or mental disorders. Needless to say we hit it off right away after sharing a printer.

In 2013 Chris started working at Studio RAW as a front desk boy. Then in August of last year he began attending Empire Beauty School for hair styling. Naturally, of course he's moved into being a stylist at RAW. Chris comes by his talent naturally, due to the fact his grandfather was a barber and his cousin, Taylor, is also a stylist at Studio RAW. So I guess you can say a love of styling hair runs in the family!

Chris and his cousin Taylor outside of Studio RAW

The last thing I asked Chris in my brief (okay who am I kidding my hair takes 4 hours to style) time with him is what he loves most about styling hair and his response is as follows:

"I love being able to be creative and see it come to life right in front of me. Also through styling I've had the opportunity to meet so many fantastic people! I also just love making friends, family, and strangers feel good about themselves, that's the best part!" -Chris Angelo

In the Pittsburgh area and looking for a new salon?

Studio RAW is located at:

3185 Babcock Blvd, Pittsburgh, PA 15237

Their hours are:

Monday: 12:00PM-8:00PM

Tuesday: 9:00AM-9:00PM

Wednesday: 9:00AM-9:00PM

Thursday: 9:00AM-9:00PM

Friday: 7:00AM-7:00PM

Saturday: 7:00AM-7:00PM

Sunday: CLOSED

To book your appointment today call: (412) 367-2444

Have a Studio RAW experience you would like to share? Tell me all about it in the comments below!!

Merry #BLOGMAS: Fun, Fashionable, & Useful Stocking Stuffers (Oh yeah, did I mention affordable?)

December 05, 2015 by Bree Fesh in Lifestyle/Travel

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas! So here's the deal, throughout the month of December I will be posting on a holiday related topic every 5 days until Christmas! These of course will involve some wish-lists, some OOTD's, holiday gift ideas, and of course in the spirit of the giving season I will be offering a giveaway!

So as the title implies, today's holiday topic is stocking stuffers! I've been doing some research with the holiday coming up and have comprised a list of 16 great items perfect for your girl squad, or your very fashionable aunt. And of course, though it is the thought that counts, I can't stand giving useless gifts! So the unique thing about these stocking stuffers is, they are all 100% useful and/or wearable. Now, let's get to it!

1. A Cute Pair of Sunnies

The reason sunnies have made this list is because I feel everyone can use a cool fashionable pair of sunglasses! I mean they can be fun, mysterious, and even iconic. And if there is one thing we learned from Jackie O. it's fabulous sunglasses are a must.

Love the ones you see above for the Jackie O. you know? You can get them here for $9.99 at Versona.

2. Amika Spoil My Hair Kit

One of my all time favorite hair kits, and honestly the only hair care products I use! The reason the Amika Spoil My Hair Kit is such a great gift is because this shampoo, conditioner, leave in cream, and oil quartet do wonders for your hair! It's also sulfate free meaning it is also safe for color treated hair. Have that cousin in your family with blue hair? You can get the kit for them here for $39 at Birchbox.

3. Clinique 3 Step Facial Cleanse

I'm pretty sure we all have to agree that the gift of clear, glowing, and healthy skin is a gift we would all like to recieve. That's why I've put Clinique's 3 step skin care routine on this list. This treatment is perfect for ALL skin types making it a perfect little present for someone's stocking. Want to give the gift of a good skin care line? You can pick up the three step kit for $45.50 at Sephora.

4. Nice Is Just A Place In France

Witty, funny and charming? That's the only way to describe this satirical novel by The Betches. This is a perfect gift for anyone who has a good sense of humor. Is your bestie a bookworm? Pick them up Nice Is Just A Place In France over at Amazon for $16!

5. Guess Midi Rings

Ahh the midi ring craze! This gift is perfect for anyone who loves jewelry and is up on the latest ring trend. This set of five Guess midi rings is just so charming and has the perfect mixture of sparkle and shine. Know someone who would love these? You can snag them for $25 over at Zappos!

6. Harper & Blake (formerly Iconemesis) Phone Case

Recently (post coming soon) I had the opportunity to work with two of my favorite U.K. bloggers and designers of Harper & Blake! Formerly known as Iconemesis, these ladies are known for designing fashionable phone cases! I have one myself that I will be doing a post on later, and am really considering getting the London themed one pictured above because though it's nearly a year away, I'm very excited for my trip to the U.K. next year! Wanna get your girls some super stylish phone cases? Click over to Harper & Blake and check out what they have to offer for about $15 each!

7. Lip Balm

Lip balm is obviously a winter essential and themefragrance on Etsy is literally the place to go for it! With awesome flavors, luscious feeling balms, and adorably decorated tubes you can't go wrong. Most products are $4.

8. Jeweled Earbuds

If you're anything like me, regular ear buds just don't cut it and you want something with a little more feminine flare when shopping for your girls. Well you're in luck because these Juicy Couture earbuds are stylish, pretty, and have great sound quality. Love these ones for the music lover in your group? I found them at Kohls for $18 (originally $30!)

9. Lint Roller

I know this seems like an odd gift, but if you have a friend with furbabies you know how pet hair can stick to outfits. So getting your dog or cat mum friend this adorable pattern lint roller is definitely giving them a gift that keeps on giving by helping keep their wardrobe pet fur free! Love this adorable little lint roller? You can find this oone and tons of other cute ones for $1.90 at Forever21.

10. Monogrammed Hair Brush

A good handmade brush is always a good gift for a girl who loves their locks, and a personalized, colorful, monogrammed one is even better! You can check out the Etsy shop to get one of these cute brushes here for $15.

11. Pretty Gloves

I think a gift anyone can appreciate is the gift of warm hands! And what better way to do that than an adorable new set of gloves? You can find these pretty pink ones and many more over at Amazon prices may vary but these specific ones are $30.

12. Compact Mirror

Nothing beats having a compact mirror when having to do your makeup in the go. (The struggle of being a busy blogger is real isn't it?) It's even better when the compact's message tells you what to need to hear! That's why I chose this wise little mirror by Kate Spade as one of my stocking stuffers. You can get this compact mirror for $30 as a treat for yourself over at Kate Spade.

13. Makeup Brushes

Firstly, mum--I mean Santa, if you're reading this I've been a real good girl this year, and this BH Cosmetics brush kit is at the top of my list! And the cute little case it comes in makes it perfect for placing in a stocking! Love it or know someone who will? You can get it here for $15.50 (Originally $29).

14. Hanging Jewelry Organizer

This gift is perfect for the girl who keeps way too many of her Rocks Box sets. It's a nifty jewelry organizer that you can hang just about anywhere for easy access to your necklaces, bracelets, and rings! Love it? You can find one for as low at $7 at Walmart.

15. Cute Coin Purse

Whether you use it as a change purse, wallet, or small makeup bag, these cute little bags on Etsy are just a hands down versatile gift. Check them out here! (Prices vary from $10-$20)

16. Pen/Pencil Holder

I think this is simply something anyone with an office or desk can use. This gorgeously crafted case by Anthropology is a perfect piece for that working girl you know. Love it? Click it. ($48)

Have a great stocking stuffer idea you want to share? Tell me about it in the comment section below or tweet me at @StarkRavingChic. Snapped a pic for those who are more visual? Tag me on Instagram, @StarkRavingChic! Thanks for reading dolls, be sure to stay tuned for my next #Blogmas post coming December 10th because it involves a pretty big giveaway! Until next time, keep it chic.

Xx, Bree