Ann Taylor Necklace Giveaway!

As most of you know, I'm currently interning at Ann Taylor in the PR department. Well, I spoke to the social media department and they agreed on having a giveaway on my blog! There are so many things I adore from Ann Taylor's spring collection - especially these two necklaces shown in this post.

Well, I'm giving the lucky winner a choice of which one to win!
To Enter (Mandatory Entries!):
- You must be a follower of my blog via GFC/Blogger.
- Follow Ann Taylor on Twitter OR Like Ann Taylor on Facebook (extra entry if you do both)
- Tell me which necklace you'd like to win & leave me your email address

Extra Entries:
- Tweet: "Just entered @audreyallure's giveaway for a gorgeous spring necklace from @anntaylor! Hope I win! http://tinyurl.com/6thdwpx"
- Like my page on Facebook
- Follow me on Twitter
- Follow me on Bloglovin'
- Follow me on Instagram (audreyallure)

Open to US readers only. Contest ends April 19 at 11PM EST. Good luck!

*As a bonus, if you're not selected as the winner, I will give the first 15 entries a special $50 off discount for a full-price weddings & events purchase of $100 or more. (You don't have to be getting married to purchase from the weddings & events category! There are some cute cocktail dresses, shoes & jewelry) :)
Follow me on: Bloglovin' | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr | YouTube | Instagram: audreyallure

ABC Family/Jane by Design Style Challenge #6 - Pretzel-Inspired Designs

I hope everyone had a wonderful New Year's Eve, and I wish you all a blissful 2012! For my NYE, I spent it at my cousins' house with a feast of food & treats, chat, laughs, and my boyfriend even stopped by to ring in the New Year with us.

I planned to publish this post tomorrow, but I will be with my cousins on a shopping spree all day! So here it is now :) As you can see, here is the next ABC Family/Jane by Design challenge! (If you're just catching up, I'm one of the participants in this challenge & ABC Family/Jane by Design sent each of us a trunk full of goodies that are numbered, corresponding to the specific challenge, and we get sent an email twice a week letting us know what to do with it!)
Task #6: Find the bag of pretzels in your trunk. Get inspired and create something that will amaze me. Post a photo to your blog and write an entry explaining your design. Ask your readers to share ways in which they were inspired to make fashion out of unexpected items here and mention the name of your blog.

I was really drawn to the pretzel sticks and the snaps rather than the original shaped pretzel. I incorporated both into great jewelry pieces. First up, this pretzel grid necklace :)

Having limited resources, I simply used a black Sharpie and colored in the pretzel sticks after scraping some of the protruding salt. I used black thread and tied the three pieces together. Then, I simply just put the necklace chain through the two outside pieces.
With the sticks, it reminded me of spikes. I've been seeing this spiked cuff around lately, and well I thought, why not make my own? Like the pretzels from the necklace, I scraped off most of the salt and colored it black. Along with some white speckled branches I pasted it onto this tortoise cuff.

click images to enlarge

P.S. I have yet another exclusive clip from Jane by Design, which will premiere Jan 3!

______________________

Share with me & Jane by Design in what ways where YOU inspired to make fashion out of unexpected items are here & remember to mention Audrey Allure! Help me get to the end, and I'll be able to choose one of YOU as ABC Family's Trendsetter of the Week!

Follow me on: Bloglovin' | Twitter | Facebook | Tumblr

Belle Etoile Press Preview

On Tuesday, Oct 25, I was invited to Belle Etoile's press preview. The lovely ladies of Belle Etoile walked me through multiple collections of the jewelry line which included: Color Stone, Italian Enamel, Italian Resin, Italian Rubber, and Seashell Pearl.

My favorite pieces from the Color Stone collection - click images to enlarge

The Color Stone collection showcases CZs and synthetic stones. What I did not know prior was that CZs also have different cuts. Sometimes CDz can be rare, high-quality, and more expensive than genuine stones. The stones in the Belle Etoile collection are either hand-cut or laser-cut, then polished with the finest tools & technology available. They're also carefully set into jewelry and never glued in.
The pieces from their Italian enamel collection are all hand-painted. It's amazing how intricate some of the designs are & the stunning array of colors the pieces come in. Belle Etoile uses a state-of-the-art cold enameling technique as opposed to the traditional hot or baked enamel process. It allows the enamels to remain thick and gives the coats durability and color consistency, which can last owners a very long time. I had the pleasure of even receiving one of the enamel pendants, and it's absolutely gorgeous (shown on the left)!


I was very intrigued with their Italian Resin collection. Just the shapes of the pieces are interesting! The resin is carefully sculpted in a special molding process that gives each jewelry piece its unique & remarkable shape. It's surprisingly very light and comfortable.
Their rubber material are all imported directly from Italy. It provides superior smoothness, flexibility, durability, color consistency, and comfort. It currently comes in colors of chocolate brown, copper brown, adobe brown, jet black, winter white, and royal blue.

The Seashell Pearl Collection (a few pieces shown in the first image of this post) features onyx, mother of pearl, and the finest seashell pearls. The inner nucleus of the Belle Etoile seashell pearl is carefully carved & polished from giant fossilized deep sea oysters. It's then coated with a mixture of crushed mother of pearl and pigment to give the pearl its luster, hue, and sheen.

Belle Etoile is French for "beautiful star" and they create jewelry with the utmost quality provided for every type of woman of any style and price point.

Follow me on: Bloglovin' | Twitter | Facebook

Poshlocket Jewelry

Recently, I was sent some gorgeous pieces from Poshlocket. I've been looking for a perfect gold chunky necklace lately, and I'm so happy that I finally have one. Ever since I've been wearing their Jasmine Chunky Chain Necklace (also offered in silver), I've been receiving plenty of compliments in addition to lots of "oohs and aahs". It's the perfect amount of chunkiness - not too much to be weighing down your neck but enough to stand out.

I also picked out the Elizabeth Drop Earrings in Black below, which also comes in turquoise, white, and coral. I guess you can say I'm drawn to more classic looking pieces. It's chic & simple, and I love it.
Poshlocket offers a variety of other pieces of jewelry such as bracelets and rings. They have many types of styles for every type of girl, and their prices are just fantastic! Just browsing through the website, the average price of a jewelry piece is about $28. On top of that, they offer free shipping & returns on all orders. Poshlocket's jewelry are simple but edgy, elegant, and modern. They add the perfect touch to an outfit!

*I have been compensated for this post with the two jewelry pieces, but all opinions are solely mine.

Follow me on: Bloglovin' | Twitter | Facebook

Maya Brenner Designs

I was recently sent this New York state pendant (yay for being a New Yorker!) from Maya Brenner. She creates such simple but chic designs of states, initials, zodiacs, etc. You might have seen some of her pieces on celebrities such as Rachel Bilson, Eva Longoria, Lauren Conrad, Reese Witherspoon, Anne Hathaway, and Jessica Simpson among many more. Her work has also been featured in numerous publications such as Lucky, InStyle, Glamour, and Women's Wear Daily in addition to popular TV shows like Desperate Housewives, Sex & the City, and The Today Show.

Maya is also a designer for Stella & Dot -- which I'm pretty sure some of you may be familiar with. (I also own a few pieces from Stella & Dot, so I'm a fan of her work!)

Maya was a former social worker in NY, but has started in the jewelry business by creating pieces as a calming method. One day in a boutique in the upper east side, a saleswoman inquired about the handmade necklace she was wearing & even placed an order (what a lucky break!). There, her business was started. She now designs pieces & runs her business in Los Angeles.
I personally love that it's a delicate piece and shows the NY state proudly without being too much in-your-face.

Follow me on: Bloglovin' | Twitter | Facebook

ChenZ Designs

ChenZ Designs is a jewelry company that was started by designer, Chen Tucker, about three years ago. She first started making pieces for herself and her friends which evolved into an appealing jewelry line of personalized handcrafted pieces which are sold worldwide to boutiques. All jewelry is handmade in a studio based in Israel.

The collections are made with high quality materials including leather, Swarovski crystals, and metals plated with silver sterling and 24 karat gold. Some of her designs for the summer 2011 collection are made with pieces covered in 22K plated gold / silver plated and garnished beautifully with unique charms and stones. Additionally, some pieces in her collection are versatile! The leather wrap bracelets can also be worn as a necklace.

Not only does she offer beautiful handcrafted pieces, but she offers them at an affordable price. She strives to allow all types of women to be able to purchase her jewelry. Below is a video showcasing pieces from her latest collection.
Chen is also offering a special offer to Audrey Allure readers! There is free shipping for every purchase from the website until May 30!