Seventeen versus Teen Vogue

    Hello, hello!

     Awhile back, I started a subscription to Teen Vogue. I wasn’t an avid reader of the magazine, but in one issue, I saw a mail-in “Subscribe!” card with an adorable bag on it and decided, why not? If you’ll recall, I never got that free bag.
    Since then, I’ve compared two incredibly popular teen-girl magazines, and the details are seriously important to realize. Read on for the epic battle: Seventeen versus Teen Vogue. (Note: I took Girl’s Life out of the running, simply because I believe it’s aimed at a somewhat younger audience: up to age 14 or 15.)

    Seventeen Hard Facts

• Around since 1944
• Life-style magazine
• Meant for ages 12-19
• Currently published by Hearst
• Around 7-8 million subscribers

      Teen Vogue Hard Facts

•  Around since 2003
• Fashion magazine
• Meant for ages 13-19
• Currently published by Conde Nast
• Vogue‘s “little sister”
• Around 1 million subscribers

   Aside from tips, tricks & articles..
   
    Seventeen Reader Benefits: Monthly contests, occasional coupons, and a free gift every issue! (Below is September’s free full-size “Paris Amour” lotion!)
               
                              (Apologies for the low quality)

 Teen Vogue Reader Benefits: Heads-up for the latest Teen Vogue Haute Spot  

   In-the-Mail Extra Important note: Seventeen always delivers the magazine to subscribers before it hits stands. Teen Vogue, however, does not. I usually find Teen Vogue on stands before it’s in my mailbox.

   Where does this leave you, the consumer? Here’s a summary for each magazine, to help you decide which is best for you.

     Being in the game since 1944, Seventeen has teenage minds down pat. Delivering what every young American girl wants to know monthly, Seventeen is ideal for information on style, love, fashion, academics and more. It’s the ultimate monthly bible for every young girl.

   First premiering with Gwen Stefani on the cover, Teen Vogue knew what young fashionistas wanted right away. With Vogue as it’s predecessor, Teen Vogue took clothes off the runway, made them wearable, and put them in young girls’ closets everywhere. Delivering a monthly fashion report, Teen Vogue is the ultimate guide for budding designers (and models!) all over the country.   

  Subscribe away, young readers!

   xoxo,
       Zoe

   Products mentioned were bought by myself.  I am not getting paid by any companies mentioned for this post, nor am I affiliated with them. Any opinions are honest, as always.

Recently Purchased + (super brief!) KeraStraight update

      Hello.

    Apologies for the lack of posting! School started, so I’ve been pretty busy. I’m banking in on that excuse, so I’ll be posting more often now. That aside, let’s get started.

 I recently bought a few things online from Forever 21.

     
     What I Got (but you might not see): Two “BodyCon” skirts ($5.50 apiece, man!), oxford flats (my first), a cheetah ring, a koi ring, anchor earrings ($1.50), a teeny feather necklace ($1.50), a bow ring, and a plain black top hidden under it all. Forever 21 is the place to get inexpensive accessories(just don’t expect them to last forever).

   Other Things I Got Recently:
 

•    Necklace and bracelet set (clearance!) with free Kohl’s $10 giftcard

                                                      

•      Staples Landmark Pushpins & Pixi Water Blush(Target; $4, sale)
                           
•     Hobby Lobby notebook + key ring($1!) + Bath & Body Works lotions and lipgloss (Free full-size! Read my upcoming post Seventeen v.s. Teen Vogue to find out how!)
                       

(Super Brief!) KeraStraight update

      You know how I recently got a KeraStraight smoothing treatment. Well, here’s my first update, short as it may be. Since I’ve had it for about two weeks, I’ve noticed important changes (and important nonchanges) in my hair.
    The good news? My hair is shinier and smoother. Also, after I straightened it, it stayed straight for a longer time than ever before.
   The bad news? My hair is weaker. I bought some hair-strengthening pills (I’m too young to be bald!), and I hope they’ll deflect the damage. My hair is also not as straight naturally as expected.
    If you’re thinking about getting a straightening treatment or just got one, don’t be discouraged! I have a pal with ultra-frizzy hair who had a treatment done, and her hair is flawless. I think the worse your hair is, the better the results.

  
 xoxo,
      Zoe

 

   Products mentioned were bought by myself.  I am not getting paid by any companies mentioned for this post, nor am I affiliated with them. Any opinions are honest, as always.
 

My Birthday (with KeraStraight details) + End-of-the-Month Haul: July

   Hello.

                          

   So, yesterday was my birthday. Hooray! With that birthday came festivities, and with those came presents.
 What did I get? Well, aside from Katy Perry concert tickets + meet and greet passes(you’ve read about it here), I got a ukulele(with maracas!), a “World’s Greatest Sister” trophy(hehe), and a gorgeous little ruby ring. My cake was made out of cookie, I saw Crazy, Stupid Love, ate a Mexican dinner, and had a great time.

 
     Also got my all-time favorite Sabriel and cheap shoes at Target (:
 
    The day before my birthday, I went to Ulta. Not to buy any products, but to get a KeraStraight Smoothing Treatment. What is a smoothing treatment? It’s where your hairdresser basically paints your hair with special product. This product is supposed to make your hair smoother, shinier, and straighter for the next 3-5 months, as well as make it easier to straighten(which is part of my daily routine when school kicks in). My mother had a coupon, and offered it to be part of my birthday. Anyway, WARNING! This is not for the tender-headed! This pulls, yanks, and tears your hair when being brushed at the salon. It’s incredibly painful and time-consuming(THREE AND A HALF HOURS! Of  just sitting there! My hair isn’t even damaged or color-treated, too). I’ll document the wins and fails of this treatment for the next 3-5 months.
    So, maybe I should’ve made a post exclusively for my birthday, but it would’ve been awfully small. So here’s my End-of-the-Month haul for July, made of various little groups of things.
 

     Sephora
   
      
    
   
     What you see here: a StarterKit Brush Set by Sephora(sale: $10 originally: $25); Happy Birthday: Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath by Philosophy (free: Beauty Insiders birthday gift), a MiniMergency Kit for Her(no sale: $13); CLEAN Perfume 3-pc set (no sale: $10) 
        I was originally excited about the idea of a TokiDoki sale in the Sephora store. Sadly, it’s online-only, apparently. Figures. However, I did do some major scoring in sale with the Starter Kit Brush Set–I’ve been needing a new eyeshadow brush, and I’ve wanted to try a foundation brush, too (definitely sick of sponges). After more browsing, I found the CLEAN brand of perfume. Oh my gosh, it smells like it sounds. To my surprise, there was a $10 three-piece set. Just what I was looking for!! I can try it without the splurge. Oh, happy happy happy. As we(my mother and myself) were looking through the Beauty-on-the-Go items in checkout, I picked up the MiniMergency kit. It had sixteen little items in it! Whaaaa?! I stared at it blankly for a few moments (trying to decide if I was going to buy it or not), when my mom volunteered to pay for it, stating it was a back-to-school item. It was quite the “Awwww! MOM!” moment. I got my free birthday gift at the cashiers’ desk before we left.

    Ulta

   
    What you see here: Almay Blemish-Heal foundation, Revlon Siren lipstick, Ulta charcoal automatic eyeliner, Ulta camel eyeshadow.
     So I’ve been dying for new foundation, but since I just started using it, I’ll have  to review it later. I got the Ulta-brand eyeshadow in Camel, because I needed a highlighter. I had a coupon, so the Revlon Siren (orange) lipstick was a must. The eyeliner was on sale for $1, so I got it in charcoal. Using it for the first time: It’s the best eyeliner I’ve used to date. No kidding. 

     Other little things I’ve purchased recently:

• Seventeen’s Guide to Style
• Rimmel 084 Amythst Shimmer (purple) Lipstick
                     
• U by Kotex wristlet + tin (on sale at Target); the tin is ideal for my iPod.
                      
• Forever 21 Online -Clothes & Accessories, has yet to arrive
• Target shoes on clearance (in birthday picture with ring & trophy)

  That concludes this glorious post.

   xoxo,
       Zoe
 

 Products mentioned were bought by myself, my family, or gifted from my family.  I am not getting paid by any companies mentioned for this post, nor am I affiliated with them. Any opinions are honest, as always.

Vacation/Recently Haul

     Hey hey.

   I know I’ve been putting this off. Sorry! It’s here now, though.

     So you know about my vacation and how I bought many things. Let’s start with that.

                   

      What do we have here?
         2 feather headbands, regular headbands, two coin purses, hello kitty scarf, Venemous Villains MAC lipglass, Honeydukes Every Flavor jellybeans, American Pro information, Treasure Put-Put business card, H&M bracelet, Black Angus menu, various receipts. That’s Florida for me, except for all the clothes bought.

   Recently, I went shopping here at home, too. Target, of course.  
 
 

     I picked up this new little bag for $10, on sale. The strap broke on my other one. Anyway, I also got the BRILLIANT Better Off Dead, which I just watched. Read the little blurb about it on my upcoming This Week’s Obsessions. The movie underneath would be 2009’s Fast & Furious. The best of the series…well, second best. Fast Five absolutely blew my mind. Beside the DVDs are little paper lanterns(that don’t light up), clearanced for 70%, but my lovely cashier mistakenly marked them as 90% off. That’s .20, meaning it’s the ideal item to feed my recent anchor obsession(they’re in the second picture; for a better view). Beside the purse is my Vitamin Water “Glow” wrapper–I collect them; I’m trying to drink every flavor. Anyway, delicious. And beside that? My first birthday gift and card this year. Hooray!

    While that concludes this Haul, make sure to check back tomorrow for an in-depth look into mind– what I’ve been thinking about, listening to, and watching this week…also known as my Weekly Obsessions.

    xoxo,
       Zoe

Products mentioned were bought by myself.  I am not getting paid by any companies mentioned for this post, nor am I affiliated with them. Any opinions are honest, as always.

Yesterday & Today & Tomorrow: Shaving Cream & Warhol & Strangers

    Hey there.

   So, since I didn’t post a post I meant to post yesterday, which was quite long, I’ll sum it up for you quickly. I realize now that it isn’t exactly worth an entire post, for it’s just a small way to make something look more interesting, like a wooden plaque or white notebook. After this, it’s Andy Warhol time! And after that? A website I found.

   I recently acquired some small wooden plagues. Obviously, these plaques were plain and ugly. I made them look less plain and ugly(in my opinion) by mastering the art of shaving cream mixed with food coloring. The result and how-to is below, mathematical form.

+ = + +
= + =
                                                                            Get it?

   Alright, moving on to today. After weeks of anticipation, I finally got to see the Andy Warhol exhibit! It was rad. Super rad. My love for him grew tenfold. Anyway, the gift shop wasn’t as rad, but had some rad items for sale. Rad rad rad.

   A paperweight/super magnet, a little notebook (the famous Campbell’s Soup photograph, with a quote on the spine/top: “Everyone and everything is interesting.”), and a quote sticker set(which I’ll make into magnets). The experience was incredibly rewarding, mentally and materially.

   Arriving home, I found a small package that came in the mail. Inside was a full-size lipgloss…I hadn’t ordered anything online, though. So after some brief thinking, I realized that I had entered for this, it was that Jordana lipgloss that Seventeen was giving away to the first thousand people! Jeez, it was from April. They sure took their time. (: I’m super grateful, though, obviously. It’s a color I’ll wear and everything, so I’m excited.

I might do a review, since it’s not a well-known brand yet.

   As for the Tomorrow bit of this post, I just have a website to keep you entertained for a short period of time. Ever heard of Omegle.com? It’s where you “Talk to Strangers!” And strangers they are. I love the no-commitment, total anonymity of it. Problems? Of course. Occasionally, there are some FREAKY FREAKS on there. Hey, it comes with the territory.

   Anyway, I guess that’s the post. Sunday’s the True Blood and Leverage premiere, and Monday’s Weeds. Not much else going on, except next Thursday I’m getting braces (the dentist said they’re pretty late on it; I feel old), Friday’s a haircut, and Saturday we might go canoeing for the first time? Oh…no.

   And with that, I leave you with this:

  xoxo,
     Zoe

 

Products mentioned were bought/won by myself.  I am not getting paid by any companies mentioned for this post, nor am I affiliated with them. Any opinions are honest, as always.