Mint Condition

The start of a new month always makes me feel like new opportunities are available, but recently I've had another reason to look forward to the 1st: JewelMint, StyleMint, and the days-old BeautyMint. Jewel Mint, a collaboration between actress Kate Bosworth and stylist Cher Coulter offers creative, statement jewelry pieces; StyleMint is the place to get fashion-foward t-shirts designed by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olson (think great pieces to layer under jackets or tuck into skirts, not concert memorabilia); and BeautyMint is the newest launch with Jessica Simpson that is currently offering skincare.

While I've not had the opportunity to try BeautyMint (and given to my ravenous Sephora habit, I'm not sure that I will) I can attest to the greatness of JewelMint. I have a few of the pieces and they are distinctive, have great presence, and are well made. They're my go-to when I'm wearing a basic outfit and want to jazz it up without effort. I hesitated a bit to join StyleMint, (1) because the Olsen twins themselves generally look like shrunken homeless women, (2) because many of their items appear to lack a defined shape, which is murder to a 6'0'' woman. However, I came across one of their November pieces that at least looks to be a winner, so I'll let you know how that goes.

Regardless of what items are offered, these groups all work the same way - you sign up, fill out a short quiz that helps them program specific items to show you, and each month you get an email with your new selections. You can always see more items for sale if you aren't interested in those that fit your original profile. There's a semi-weird system involving a $29.99 monthly "membership" fee, but you have the option in the first 5 days of the month to skip the month and they don't charge you. Should you have a change of heart, you can always go back and buy a piece from the collection. Yes, as I said, it's a little weird and I think this is an area that could be improved. The good news is that promotions such as Twitter Tuesday and Facebook Friday offer frequent discounts on items.

Regardless, I definitely look forward to the beginning of each month to see what new items will be available for perusing and possibly purchase. If you are interested in signing up, simply do a web search for the Mint you are interested in, and follow the instructions.