Review: Ilcentimetro Bracelet

Review:

Ilcentimetro

When the opportunity arose to review one of the ilcentimetro bracelets recently, I jumped at the chance. I've known of the brand for little while now, but just never got round to owning one of their stylish 'measuring tape' bracelets for myself - until now.

What I love about the bracelets is that they are made of genuine Italian leather and clasped easily with a magnet. They're comfortable on, lightweight (apart from the metal clasp) and are quite a quirky way of adding a little humour and style to your outfits. 

There's also the slightly humorous side to the design, in the sense that the fashion industry is known for its fashionistas being more than concerned with their weight and constantly measuring themselves to obtain that ideal look. I know that I do it myself and have done for the past God knows how many years, so it's a design that I particularly like and can relate to. You can get them in a variety of colours, with designs either having a gold or silver clasp to them and are completely unisex. They even have a watch version which is rather nifty if i'm honest.

 In terms of sizing, you can choose from XS - L which starts at 16cm and goes up in 2's to reach 22cm. The bracelet I received was a M and will only fit without slipping if I place it a little higher up on my forearm, but even then I think it looks alright. 

Pricing. That's what everyone wants to know. Well, I'm pleased to say that the bracelets are actually fairly priced given the fact that they are made from Italian leather; £32 - £55. After showing the bracelet to my uncle today, I was informed that the design is a huge trend over in Italia at the minute (my family were over in Sorrento visiting for a couple of weeks recently), with market stalls and independent shops copying the bracelet and selling them for a reduced price. You won't get a fake with the metal clasp on it though and to be honest, £32 is hardly going to break the bank balance, now is it?

If you want to get on the trend early (I can see celebs of all sorts wearing these within the next few months), then you can purchase the bracelets from the Ilcentimetro website by clicking here.

Photo Credit: Images are my own and taken by myself. 

Christmas Review: Pandora Moments

Christmas Review:
Pandora Moments Charm Bracelet

When I received an email from a representative at John Greed Jewellery a couple of weeks ago asking if I would be interested in writing a review for their Pandora Moments range, I immediately said yes. Pandora is a jewellery brand that I have been aware of for years now but I've just never gotten round to owning any of their collections - until now that is, and I have to say I can see where the buzz comes from!

*Slight disclaimer here, I don't agree to reviewing products left, right and center - I actually have to like the brand for starters and then I'll proceed to give a justified and fair review on whatever the product may be. A sell out fashion blogger is not something that I'd like to be known as.*

I'm more a lover of the concept behind charm bracelets, than the actual bracelets and charms themselves - purely because anything that dangles from my wrist and gets caught on just about everything known to man will start to piss me off after about two seconds. Pandora charms on the other hand however, are beads - beads that don't get caught on things or get in the way of my daily tasks. There are some charms on offer though with little dangly bits and bobs hanging off the bead, but it's entirely down to your own preference and there's plenty of selection if you're a little like me and just want some dainty beads on your bracelet. 

The second factor I switched my attention to with the bracelets was the size. I have quite small wrists, so anything that isn't re-sizable will probably be a little big for me. This was sadly the case with this product. I did however notice that on the website (John Greed Jewellery) you can select various cm sizes, so it's nothing really to do with the design of the bracelet itself, it's just unfortunately the size that I've been sent!

Third factor: the material. You can't go wrong with sterling silver, so this was always going to add points from the beginning. It's durable, won't turn black (if you take care of it properly) and looks expensive. And at £99 a pop, expense and durability are things that you'll be taking into consideration when making your purchase. If silver isn't really your thing though, you can opt or a wovan leather band in a variety of colours: this is actually a perfect way to add a little more personality or colour to your outfits and I actually think I prefer it to the silver! 

Which then takes us into the fourth and final factor: the price. You can purchase individual bracelets and charms from JCJ, however what's pretty handy is their starter bracelets which is what I have. Due to their sale at the minute, these are now only £99 due to their current sale (RRP £125-145) - don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that £99 is just spare cash, but considering that the sterling silver bracelet on it's own is £55 and charm prices range from anywhere between £15 and £420, I'd say that a starter bracelet is a pretty good investment both style and price wise if you're wanting to start your own little charm collection, or even if you're just looking for that super last minute Christmas gift for someone special - it's perfect no matter what the reason is for buying it.

REVIEW: Cutey Shamballa Bracelet

Cutey Shamballa Bracelet

"Inspired by the mythical kingdom known as Sambhala in Buddhism, regarded as a place of peace and happiness our shamballa bracelets are designed to bring a little happiness to your life. Made from the highest quality materials and available in a range of sparkling colours, these fully adjustable bracelets will fit any wrist like a match made in heaven. All with a total of nine beautiful jewel encrusted clay beads." - www.cutey.co.uk

This week I had the pleasure of reviewing a pair of Shamballa bracelets courtesy of Cutey. When the bracelets arrived in the post this morning, I was looking forward to checking out the quality of the bracelets: As a birthday present earlier in the year, I was given a lilac Shamballa bracelet from ROX which, after some research, retailed in at around £80. With Cutey offering their range at just £18.99, I was looking forward to comparing the two in terms of quality and appearance.
As first impressions go, the Cutey Shamballa bracelet is gorgeous. Sparkly, eye-catching and comfortable when on the wrist. Compared to the higher priced bracelet from ROX, it measures up nicely. There are nine jewel encrusted beads, with a further four plain beads towards to end and on the draw string, which is exactly the same as ROX's version. 

One factor in jewellery that tends to show an item as being of lower retail price is the weight. Take ROX's Shamballa bracelet for example: when you hold it in your hand, you can feel the weight from the diamonds, beads and general overall product. I don't know about you, but especially in jewellery, I find that heavier products have a much better quality to them. Now, due to Cutey's bracelet being a much cheaper retail price, I wasn't expecting the bracelet to be all that heavy, or as high a quality, but I can definitely say that I was pleasantly surprised. The bracelet has quite a substantial weight and feels as though it is of good quality as well, which is definitely a plus.

As a test, I actually showed the bracelets to my mum to see what sort of price she thought the bracelets retailed for. Her reply? "Well, considering what I paid for yours in ROX, and the fact that those are just as nice, I'd say around £50+?" When I told her that they actually only cost £18.99, she couldn't believe it. She's now wearing the white bracelet and has no intention of giving it back!

All in all, I definitely think the Cutey Shamballa bracelets are great value for money and are absolutely stunning when the jewels catch the light. I can't stop twisting my wrist from left to right just to see them sparkle!

Buy your Cutey Shamballa bracelet by clicking here!

Contact Cutey:

Twitter: @cuteyjewellery
Facebook: facebook.com/cutey.co.uk
Email: support@cutey.co.uk
Web: www.cutey.co.uk


Photo Credit: Taken by myself using a FujiFilm FinePix S2980

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"The boundaries between clothing and accessories become blurred whilst retaining a contemporary functionality" - Maria Francesca Pepe

Maria Francesca Pepe

A/W'12 Look Book
Image via Maria Francesca Pepe 

As I was casually browsing the web for some inspiration, I happened to stumbled upon some images from an A/W'12 Look Book campaign. These images showed a young girl with lilac, yellow and pink roses in her hair/bustier/everywhere really, and covered in lots of jewellery (crucifixes, hearts and chains). After some more research, I found the images to be part of the new collection by Maria Francesca Pepe - a "jewellery-wear" designer, inspired by pure London avant-garde, who oversees all of her collections being produced entirely by Italian artisans and small factories. She takes traditional jewellery and pop symbols, distorts and then reinterprets them in their forms and meanings for them to be conceived as amulets that convey inner strength and beauty.

MFP is a designer who is fairly knew to me personally, however she is very well known to celebrities and fashion magazines alike, incuding: Rihanna, Lady GaGa, Elle, Vogue, Vanity Fair, Glamour, Dazed & Confused, Cosmopolitan, In Style, Jessie J, various XFactor contestants, Jennifer Lopez, Florence & the Machine, Sienna Miller, Sarah Jessica Parker and Cheryl Cole to name but a few. Maria has also won various awards such as: the British Fashion Award, New Gen & Topshop, White Club & Fashion East Sponsorships, Argos Hippium Award (Italy), Tannan Fashion Award (Japan) & was nominated for the Swarovski Emerging Talent In Accessories award in 2009.

It is no wonder that MFP has won so many awards and been featured in many magazine editorials once you look at the products on offer. They are edgy, contemporary and slightly gothic, (right up my street!) and along with the styling in the A/W'12 campaign shoots, it's safe to say that I am a new fan!

A/W'12 Look Book - Images via Maria Francesca Pepe

For more images from the Look Book, click here. As for the website (where you can also buy some of the collection), click here!

What do you all think? Would you wear these pieces?