H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | December 2017

It's that time again, revisiting the Hotbuys from last year! They were very much party themed, with a choice of dresses and associated accessories to choose from. Most of these pieces weren't so much my thing as they're not so much everyday-pieces, so I've passed on some of the items to better homes - however I have made good use of the Miu Miu Inspired Platforms surprisingly, platforms aren't normally my thing but these ones are pretty nice, I think it's because they're metallic! So this time I'm styling up the Bow Front Glitzy Dress and the Faux Mink Hoop Earrings:

So I still don't think this dress is a piece for me - I really like this styling, I think it works well for the dress and I think the bag is a great pairing for it, but I still can't see versatility in it. I do want to like it, but I think it's just not for me, so I'll probably sell this piece soon. I do very much like the earrings though, there have been a lot more green pieces released in the past year so there are a lot more options for pairing these earrings and I think this skirt is an awesome one^ I liked coming up with a winter based styling for the pairing and I really like it! So I'm definitely keeping a hold of these =)

Wearing | DECEMBER

While I was thinking about the theme for this month I looked back over my last WEARING December posts and I found that I like a little bit of white in my winter wardrobe, and also wearing skirts and fun length-pieces too, so I've mixed and matched some of my past favourite themes for this post today! And of course, the touches of animal printing aren't forgotten, these are still high on my current favourites list to wear! I get so much wear out of leopard print, it's unbelievable =D

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | D&G Inspired Box Bag

Here we are, the end of December 2017 and the end of the 2017 Hotbuys, what a ride! Tomorrow you can check out our 2017 Hotbuys Top Picks, featuring our top 10 HBs of the year, but for now enjoy this final HB! This is the D&G Inspired Box Bag from Fallen Angel costing 15SD's. It's a cute little bag that's in a seasonal deep red colour and has great golden accents. I love the strap over the bag with the padlock and flower keychain, they're great little details that really do stand out. Overall, it's a pretty good piece I'd say^

And as well as being cute and seasonal, I found this piece a really easy one to style^ Lots of other reds involved in all of our looks, but there's glimpses of some great versatility with this piece. I also think it's the perfect style for Spring, so I look forward to getting use from it in the next few months. And now for the final poll:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Miu Miu Inspired Platforms

Back to the HBs now, with our penultimate one for 2017! These are the Miu Miu Inspired Platforms from Velvet Orchid costing 14SD's. These are a great New Year celebration shoe, perfect for those party looks with their silver straps ad those cool studs on the platform. I'm not a typical platform fan, but these don't look too bad from the outset!

Black and silvery tones are winners in clothing pairings for these shoes, which I think is obvious given their design^ They were an easy shoe to style, even though I don't get on well with platforms, but I think I could give these a go again, I have plenty of silver clothes to pair them with! Anyway, please vote in the penultimate poll of 2017:

H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | December 2016

So unlike in 2015 we didn't have a Hotbuys Calendar in 2016, just the regular 10 Hotbuys! While these are alright pieces, at the time I do remember being a little disappointed that they weren't hugely related to winter or to the party season. As a whole, not great as a lot that isn't my style but there are some sweet additions - the bags are nice, and I've worn both the Pastel Box Bag and Bao Bao Clutch in the Bag It Up Challenge (#101 and 187 respectively) and enjoyed them. However while I still have the jewellery, the Lilac Tassel Bracelet and the One Of A Kind Earring, they're not pieces I've used at all since getting them. So today I've decided to style up the Chloe Inspired Velvet Platforms and the Denim Pencil Skirt for you guys:

I'm very pleased with these two looks from the selection of Hotbuys! Stuck with the navy's in my first styling which is perfect for these shoes. I like the cropped length of the trousers to allow some ankle highlighting the shoe area of the outfit. There's a lot of navy tones in the look, but I think the shoes definitely do pull through =) I've been meaning to style this skirt for quite some time, so this was a good opportunity to do so. I really wanted to get it in a winter styling with boots, it was a challenge to get boots that came up above the whole skirt slit, these ones just about do, and I love the lightness that the boots paired with the furry jacket add to the skirt. I kept it light with this cream sweater too, I like the chunky knit style with the fitted denim skirt!

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Bow Front Glitzy Dress

Here is our last HB before Christmas and it sure is perfect for a Christmas party! This is the Bow Front Glitzy Dress from It Girls priced at 24SD's, which is pretty reasonable for it. It's a pretty and glamorous party dress in a very nice silvery shimmery tone and texture. On this piece I really quite like the deep V front and the large bow belt, I think they're great features for a party dress. The length is to the knee, which almost seems a little odd, as these are always a bit of an awkward length to style with shoes, but lets see how we've gotten on =D

I'm really so pleased with all of these looks, just look how versatile this piece is! That was a completely unexpected finding from this HB! We've got a complete range of styles for this dress and a reasonable range of colours, with some more combinations possible, like looking more into pink with the piece too^ And as always, please vote in our poll:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Double Chain Mass Of Gold

Not too many HBs left now, the first half of the month was pretty packed with them^ This next one is the Double Chain Mass Of Gold, another Beauty Parlor piece from RIO priced at 11SD's which I think is pretty reasonable for what it is. I like that the two chains are really delicate on this piece, I think that for one sure helps make a necklace wearable, and it also contrasts with the heaviness of the gold mass that's on the end of the necklace - I'm not sure how I feel about it, I'm not sure it's something I'd remember that I had to then style it, but lets see how we've gotten on for now:

So quite the contrast in styles, with two all black looks with one bright and blue at the end! It just shows the options for this piece! I did find it a little inconvenient being a Beauty Parlor necklace as it means you can't layer with outerwear or other clothing, which may be a deciding factor for some of you. I love the set of looks though, I think it did seem reasonably easy to style, but then again I didn't do something too creative! And as always, you can vote in the poll:

H O T B U Y S R E V I S I T E D | December 2015

Taking a step back 2 years in this post, revisiting the December 2015 Hotbuys! This one is a litttle different as that year Stardoll combined the Hotbuys and the Holiday Calendar and made the 'Hot Hot Buys Calendar' - we got 31 Hotbuys over each day of the month! A great idea, but also one that adds up in cost, however we got some great items that year =D As a whole I think it was successful and actually there are a couple of pieces that came out of it that I wear a lot, like the Hot Hot Buys Cream Coat which I really do wear a lot! And there's also the Hot Hot Buys Chunky Florals Bag which I wore for the Bag It Up Challenge this year too^ So as there were so many pieces in these Hotbuys I decided to style up 3 of the pieces that I still have from that year, and also a beauty look with one of the jewellery pieces. First up wearing the Hot Hot Buys Lattice Dress and the Hot Hot Buys Tailored Pants (sadly not previously styled at all!):

I absolutely love both of these stylings, I styled them seasonally, going for a more party-type look and I think I successfully achieved that goal! With the dress, I love the blue sparkles to it, and having a base of white makes me view it as an easy one to style. These boots are fantastic and I don't think a look has ever failed when they're involved, they're the perfect height for the dress length too^ And the second look, something more formal-party with all the black, but these trousers are formal and have the perfect fit for it. I love adding to them with texture like these shoes, the fur coat and the metallic top - silver and black are such a classic combination! Plus you'll see I made use of two of the bags from my December Plaza Picks post with these stylings =D

And then secondly wearing the Hot Hot Buys Bandeau Top and then the Hot Hot Buys Black Gem Earrings:

I will be the first to say I'm not really much of a bandeau top person, they're an item I find tricky to style and work into the trends and pieces that I like, but I think I've done a not-bad job with this piece! It goes really nicely with this skirt in terms of style and colour and with some minimal black accessories I think it makes a pretty and almost feminine dressed up look! I really like the colours on this top, and think I should definitely try it out again =D And then my beauty look with these earrings! I loved working on this makeup, the reds are so fun to play with and they're perfect tones for these earrings with the ruby gems. The black liner works well with the black gemstones of the earrings - and overall I think these are an easy piece to work with! 

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Bright Red Midi Dress

Next HB of this week, and still 2 more to come - this is the Bright Red Midi Dress from Pretty 'N Love costing 26SD's. I really liked this piece in the advertising, and had high hopes for it, well it definitely lives up to expectations! The red is a perfect party colour, and amongst the green tones of the rest of the HB's it stands out well. I love the midi length, it's beautiful and the design is fabulous and very modern while keeping to well-loved styles. It fits the doll perfectly and has such a flattering look =D

So pretty! This dress really does look amazing on everyone, and I really kinda wanted to just wear it on it's own without anything else as that would just look great =D I can't wait to see how other people work with this piece, I hope plenty of people buy it^ And remember to vote in the poll too:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Faux Mink Hoop Earrings

The next Hotbuy is here - and there's quite a few coming this week! These are the Faux Mink Hoop Earrings from It Girls and they are priced at 10SD's, which I think is reasonable. These are another pair of earrings that come as two individual ones, which works well. The size sure is large, I was expecting these earrings a little smaller and a little less furry, but it makes for an interesting angle for styling =D

So cute, I love all of our looks, and I really wasn't sure how these earrings would go once on the doll, but I think they're a success! My only negative is that they're a Beauty Parlor piece and it means I might forget about them, but hopefully they will make a good impression! And remember to vote in the poll as usual:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Prada Inspired Feather Heels

Our next Hotbuy has been released! These are the Prada Inspired Feather Heels from RIO and costing 16SD's. These are definitely an individually designed pair of shoes and they definitely have a lot of unique features to them making them stand out in the Plaza. I really like the emerald green colour and the straps across the feet, I think they're great and stand out, and also the cool texturing to the heel, it's super stand out for the piece =D

There's a clear theme going on with our stylings of these, black is an awesome colour to pair these shoes with^ No complaints from me, if the shoe fits, as the saying goes! I've seen a few other members wear these today too, and there are so many awesome options for them, so they are reasonably versatile, even if it doesn't look like it from our stylings^ And vote in the poll too please:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Valentino Inspired Stud Bracelet

Here's our first HB accessory of the month - the Valentino Inspired Stud Bracelet. It's from It Girls and is very reasonably priced at 8SD's, thumbs up for that! This is quite a small piece, so while I think it could easily get lost in an outfit, I think it's quite sweet and stylish. I like the red colour to the banding of the bracelet, and the square stud is quite typically Valentino =D

So much red and so much black! These colours typically look good with this bracelet, and there's so many pieces in those colours out there that I'm sure every single reader could wear a completely different red or black look with this bracelet, making it a fairly versatile piece^ I really love all of our looks so I'm sure you'll have a hard time choosing which to vote for in the poll:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Mod Shift Dress

Our next HB and our next dress - this is the Mod Shift Dress from Pretty 'N Love costing 28SD's. I do think this is an expensive price for the piece, especially given that we've had a very similar dress before in terms of the design with the collar and the lace and the shift style, which is a little disappointing. The green colour is really nice though, and the red bow is a cute festive addition =)

This dress wasn't a hard one to style, in fact it was easy, but I don't think it's that great a piece - it has nothing that really makes it stand out much, especially not in this particular month of Hotbuys so I think it goes to the bottom of the pack sadly. But do remember to still vote in our poll:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Chiffon Long Dress

And here is our first December HB, how exciting =) It's the Chiffon Long Dress from RIO priced at (an eye-watering) 39SD's, yes, very expensive, and I don't think it's all that necessary to be priced up there, but it is Christmas and the season of pretty party dresses ... lets hope the rest of the month is a little more affordable! So price aside, it's a pretty dress, the green colour is beautiful and I like the design in the top half of the dress with the mesh and the neck tie, and also the detailing down the sleeves. It's clear a lot of time has gone into this piece and I'm glad to see the effort!

Such a pretty piece and so versatile! I just wore mine as a plain gown, but from the other looks you can see the options that this piece has! And the colour works pretty well with other tones too =) Plus with this HB post we welcome our December Guest Writer, hankipankidoni! Going from this look, I have a feeling I'm going to be completely thrashed in the HB polls this month - so remember to vote: 

Wearing | DECEMBER

O V E R C O A T | D E N I M | B O O T S

Those are the themes of this month's Wearing post, I'm all about pairing my overcoats with some classic denim jeans, and it's winter, I'm a solid fan of boots with everything as you probably have been able to see from the styles I was posting in November and that's sticking for December =) I had so much fun putting this post together, it was easy and enjoyable once I knew what I was going for! I think I've really captured a range of at least a couple of different styles. And while darker tones were the focus, pink is still a huge hit in terms of trends so I really couldn't ignore it!

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | One Of A Kind Earring

I can't believe the final HB of 2016 is here! It seems very early in the month but these last days will no doubt be filled with plenty of other special things^ This is the One Of A Kind Earring from Original Future costing 15SD's, and I think it's a pretty good fit for this months pieces, especially the Lilac Tassel Bracelet! It has an almost glittered effect on the fringing, and I love the golden detail at the top, I'm pretty happy with this piece, so lets see our looks:

We've each taken a different direction with this one, and varied between using just the one earring (as it's sold) or going with two, there's definitely plenty of options there for this HB for you to choose between =D Vote in the poll too:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Chloe Inspired Velvet Platforms

Another HB today, and can you believe it's the penultimate one?! Just one more left for the rest of 2016, that's crazy! These are the Chloe Inspired Velvet Platforms from Bizou costing 28SD's, let's just not even discuss that price^ I really like the navy colour, I think it helps make the piece stand out against other platform styles that we've had and I do quite like the idea of platforms as a party pair of shoes!

I was definitely surprised that this was a quick and easy styling for me, I was expecting at least a bit of a challenge but I enjoyed styling them into a look =D And vote in the poll too:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Denim Pencil Skirt

And here is our second HB of the weekend - the Denim Pencil Skirt! It's from It Girls and costs 23SD's. I love getting a midi skirt in denim, I've really been looking forward to styling this piece, although for me it's the perfect spring/summer item and not December, so I do look forward to brightening it up next year at the right time^ Love the fit of the piece on my doll though, I'm very pleased with that =D

Quite different looks I think, although both going with darker tones - I still think this piece will look best in springtime and summertime styles =D Vote in the poll too:

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Pastel Box Bag

Quite a few HBs coming in the next few days or so, here is the first, the Pastel Box Bag from Pretty 'N Love which is priced at 20SD's. This is such a cute piece, I love the design, I for one don't have anything like a little box like this, so I'm looking forward to adding it to my collection and styling it again soon! The way the keychain is placed too means that you can easily wear it with or without showing it, which is a feature I really like =D

Love this set of looks, the bag goes well in them all - I think the poll might be quite tight with this one, so get on and vote for your favourite one =D

We Wear Hotbuys D E C E M B E R | Tom Ford Inspired Glasses

Another accessory HB today! These are the Tom Ford Inspired Glasses from RIO and they cost 15SD's. I have to say, these are really kinda cute, and I love them on my doll, which I didn't really expect! I really like the pinky-nude tone the glasses have, and the ombre colouring is super effective and they really are a stylish piece =D

Absolutely love our looks, and we've all gone with the pink tones in different directions, I'm not sure how you guys will pick who to vote for in the poll!