Showing posts with label Bags. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bags. Show all posts

Friday, August 20, 2010

Review: Lovelyshoes.net Shoe & Bag Haul (pic heavy)



Hey everyone! I was contacted by Lovelyshoes.net AKA Lovely Fashion awhile ago to see if I'd like to particiapte in their affiliate program. For those of you who haven't heard of them before, they are a company which sells "Made in China" shoes and bags at wholesale prices. I was a little hesitant because I had heard quite a few less-than-thrilled reviews about inconsistencies in their quality, packing, shipping, and customer service. So I decided that I would make an order of my own so I could judge the quality and service for myself. And I am pleased to report that my experience with Lovely Fashion was a great one and I would not hesitate to order from them again :)

I ordered 2 pairs of flats, 1 pair of wedges, 1 pair of boots, and 2 bags so I could have some variety. One of the items I origianlly wanted was out of stock (even though it went through when I placed the order), but I was in contact with a customer service rep the entire time and was easily able to switch items. I was kept informed of my order status throughout the entire ordering process. The reps were all very helpful and accommodating (despite the Engrish! :P). It does take a few days for them to process your order (collecting all the items that you want from different suppliers) and can take longer if some of your items were out of stock and you choose new ones.

Shipping is both good and bad. Because shoes and bags are quite heavy and take up a lot of space, shipping ends up being expensive -- sometimes, almost as much as the total of the items you order. While it does seem a bit disappointing when you see the shipping cost, it actually is fair because the shoes and bags are only around $8-15, so, when the shipping is factored in, it's like you're paying, say $15-17 per shoe... which is great compared to how much shoes normally cost at someplace like Macy's. I've bought regular Roxy slippers from there for over $20 and the quality is just as good as from Lovelyshoes. The good part about the shipping is that I went through UPS, and my package got to me (Hawaii) from China in SIX DAYS. I thought it would take like... a month. So I was VERY pleased with how quickly it got here :)

My order came stuffed in a small, thoroughly taped up box. I had heard often that the shoes come squished out of shape, sometimes with rhinestones and such falling off, or fabric creasing. I was a little worried about that.


Each shoe was individually wrapped in plastic and neatly stacked on top of each other. The bags were also wrapped in plastic (not shown in the picture below). For me, everything came intact. Nothing missing, falling apart, creased, etc! Everything was kind of squished, but easily straightened out. The rhinestones on the pair of flats in the top right of the picture below were even wrapped up in tissue paper -- a thoughtful touch.

I got all the shoes in size 36, which is equivalent to a size 5.5 -- I usually run anywhere from size 5, 5.5, or 6, depending on the type of shoe / brand. 36 fits me pretty well. All the shoes fit perfectly except for the wedges, which were just a teeny tiny bit too big.

Another thing to note, once the box was opened, there was a really strong chemical scent. It was mostly from the bags, rather than the shoes, but they all needed to be aired out for the smell to fade.

And here's what I got!

2010 hot demanded star models of Roman style low-heeled plus size women’s sandals Z-XSD-318 (lol, what is up with the name?!)

Stock picture from the website:
What they look like in real life:


What they look like on:


Overall: 4/5 -- I like these flats a lot! I chose them because they were unique looking (to me) and are totally different from anything I currently own. The back is zippered so you can easily slip your feet in. I think they look pretty much exactly like the stock picture and are very comfortable. The only thing is that the bottom of the flats is uneven... like... not totally FLAT. So they kind of rock from side to side. But it doesn't affect my ability to walk in them at all. It just feels kind of weird if you're standing still :P

Chief cute flower diamond decoration flat heel slippers
Z-WLY-B-6 rice

Stock picture from the website:

What they look like in real life:


What they look like on:


Overall: 4/5 -- These flats also look pretty much just like the stock picture. They are super cute and also a unique style to me. The only "flaw" was that the rhinestone strips are noticeably crooked... not perfectly centered on the strap. However, all the rhinestones were intact and none fell off. Also, these flats are really rigid... the soles don't bend or flex at all, so they are a tad uncomfortable at first. I did wear them all day yesterday though, so they just take some getting used to.

Lovely bowknot decoratived boots
QZ-MY08 black

Stock picture from the website:


What they look like in real life:


What they look like on:



Overall: 4.5/5
-- I really wanted to get these boots because I thought they were just too cute! I've only had one pair of boots before these, believe it or not. Well, I mean, where and why would I need to wear boots in Hawaii anyway? :P But they're adorable and I've been wanting me some cute ankle boots for awhile now. They're made out of a cheapy suede material which will probably become really gross if they come in contact with water and looks like it can get dirty easily. But other than that, they are solid black (flash washed out the first picture) and look exactly like in the product picture. They fit perfectly and are super comfortable. The bow decoration in the back is perfect and looks just like in the stock picture too. There is a little bit of visible glue attaching the heel to the boot itself, but I only took off .5 for that because it's not visible unless you're looking at the bottom of the boots.

Wedges QZ- WLY888-1 white

Stock picture from the website:
What they look like in real life:


What they look like on:



Overall: 4/5 -- Most of you know that I pretty much never wear heels anymore because of falling down a few more times than I'd like to admit :P But I still drool over heels all the time. Other than heels, I love wedges. But still, not HIGH ones. These wedges are the perfect height for me... about 2 inches, so I don't feel like I'm going to be tripping in them. I thought they were going to be solid white, but they are this kind of silvery metallic white color. Still, from afar, they look white. They are super adorable with the bows, however, the size of one of the bows is uneven (no biggie, because they still look like the stock picture). Also, these shoes had the most imperfections, they were several marks on the back of the shoes (small marks, but still marks nonetheless). They are also a TEENY TINY bit too big. I still can walk in them though and they are very comfortable, but if I had to walk really fast, my heel would probably slip out of the shoe.



And now, on to the bags! First thing I wanted to note is that they bags are made out of what I think is faux-leather... pleather? It is very soft and doesn't hold the shape of the bag very well. Also, the bags have a slick, almost oily feeling on the surface... dunno what's up with that :S I've been airing them out for the past few days and the chemical smell and slick surface are starting to dissipate... but I think they'll take quite some time more before they stop smelling entirely.

R491 Sweet bowknot square bag

Stock picture from the website:


What it looks like in real life:


Overall: 3/5
-- I had originally wanted this bag in black, but it was out of stock so I chose brown. As you can see, the color is quite different from the stock picture. Don't get me wrong, it's still a nice taupe shade; but it's just not like in the picture. For the most part, the bag itself does look pretty much exactly like the stock picture. It's just that the material is so super soft that the bag won't hold its shape like in the stock picture (unless that bag is stuffed). Also, the print on the inside lining of the bag is blue in real life. In the stock pic on the website, it looks more dark gray to me. Still, it is a nice, roomy bag with pockets on the inside and outside. The last "flaw" I wanted to note is that the braided handles are inconsistent. One strap's braid really tight, and the other is loose; making the handles slightly different lengths -- Not terribly noticeable from afar, but still bothered me a bit.

Lovely fashion Bow diagonal belt bag
L513 M

Stock picture from the website:
What it looks like in real life:



Overall: 4/5 -- This bag pretty much looks just like the stock picture, except the bow on my bag is not as tight as in the stock picture. It's still very cute and roomy though. And pink pattern interior! Pink = always a plus. Very cute. Not much else to say about this one... I love how it looks. If only it wasn't for the strong smell and slick feeling of these bags, I would have liked them a lot more and worn them right away :(



The last few things I wanted to note before summing up my shopping experience with Lovelyshoes.net were some things I learned while keeping in contact with a customer service rep:
  • They have recently cut back on some of their suppliers due to quality problems. Maybe this explains why some people in the past had poorer quality items? I was quite satisfied with mine.
  • They are working on improving packing methods in order to pack the shoes better for the same shipping cost. International shipping is very expensive, but they are trying their best to keep the cost as low as possible while still safely packing your order.
  • There is no longer a minimum order amount. Maybe if you've visited the website in the past, you would have seen that you had to purchase a certain amount or else pay higher shipping costs for less pairs of shoes. Now, you can buy however many items you want at all wholesale prices.
I really do believe that they have been doing their best to improve the shopping experience with their customers. I honestly thought I might end up being disappointed because I had heard about other people's bad experiences in the past. But it was the exact opposite -- I was very pleased and happy with my order -- which leads me to believe that they really are following through with all the things they told me because I had MINIMAL problems with quality, fit, and the way my order was shipped.

To sum everything up:
  • Their customer service is very helpful and accommodating. They do write in "Engrish" though it is not hard to understand :P
  • They keep in constant contact with you to update you with the status of your order.
  • It takes a few days for them to process your order.
  • If there are out of stock items in your order, they will email you and you can have the option to choose another item or get a refund for the OOS item.
  • Shipping through UPS can seem pricey, but is actually fair AND fast.
  • Shoes are packed neatly, though only in plastic wrapping. Rhinestones and delicate detailing will be wrapped in tissue paper to prevent falling off.
  • Great wholesale prices. Very affordable yet the quality is still good.
  • Shoes/bags have a strong chemical smell that fades.
  • "Leather" bags can have a slick, oily feeling and stronger smell than shoes.
  • Shoe and bag quality is generally very good, inconsistencies were minimal.
  • Sizing equivalent is accurate and actual shoes do look nearly identical to the stock picture.
  • Most shoes were comfortable or easy to get used to.
  • Nothing was missing or ripped or falling apart or dirty, etc.

The Rundown:

Packaging:
4/5
Bare minimum, but sturdy and safe enough, keeps the price of shipping as low as possible.

Product:
4/5
Despite the strong smell and weird feeling of the bags, the items I ordered were all nearly identical to the stock photos and had minimal flaws. Shoes were comfortable and/or easy to get used to.

Price:
5/5
Wholesale prices -- very affordable. Shipping seems high but in reality, it's like you're paying $15-17 per shoe which is fair.

Overall:
I would not hesitate to order from them in the future :)
[
click here to read about my Review & Rating System ]

I hope this post will be helpful if you've been interested in ordering from Lovelyshoes.net but was unsure if it would be worth it or not. I think the best idea is to try to pick styles of shoes that are unique to you or you think you wouldn't be able to get in the USA. I think to get your money's worth, it's best to buy different types of shoes (flats, heels, wedges, boots, etc.) and bags so you can see the differences in quality and which kinds you like best. While the product pictures are probably taken from Japanese/Korean fashion websites, the actual shoes themselves are pretty darn identical to the stock photos and the quality is rather good. However, the color, especially, can be quite different so don't expect EVERYTHING to be perfect -- Remember to take the wholesale pricing into consideration.

Here are some other reviews of Lovelyshoes.net which I found particularly helpful before I made my order :)

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Review: My experience with CSN Stores + Product Overviews

Hello everyone! Here today to share my experience with CSN Stores and review one of their products. I have never shopped with CSN Stores before, so I wanted to have the whole customer experience, first hand!

As I mentioned in the Review Preview post, CSN Stores is made up of OVER 200 STORES and they are one of the top 3 online U.S. retailer of home and office goods. CSN Stores offers furniture, home decor, housewares, home improvement, outdoor, baby & kids, shoes, bags, & luggage, health & fitness, pet, office, and school-related products. They have everything from beds to bakeware; strollers to shoes; handbags to home decor, and more! They even have FREE SHIPPING on just about everything!

The good stuff:
  • User friendly website. Easy to navigate; everything is categorized
  • HUGE selection of products; over 200 different stores to choose from
  • Reasonable prices, hassle free returns, and free shipping on just about everything.
  • Great customer service!!! Very helpful, patient, and willing to go the extra mile.
The low-down:

  • Not everyone is eligible for free shipping :(
My take: since I have never shopped with CSN Stores before, I was eager to find out how they would compete with my other online shopping experiences -- which often times, were negative.

Since I live in Hawaii, I'm constantly subjected to surcharges, higher shipping rates, and no free shipping or other affordable shipping options. I didn't read CSN Stores' fine print until AFTER I had decided what I wanted to buy. So no, I do not qualify for free shipping :( -- But you mainland people do!!!

Aside from the no free shipping, I was having trouble placing my order. I was getting an error telling me that since I was shipping to Hawaii, I needed to choose "only HI shipping options." Uh, I wasn't quite sure what that meant. Ground shipping, Next Day Air, and 3 day shipping prices were ASTRONOMICAL (3 day ended up as like $11K for some reason!! WTF?!) So for whatever reason, 2nd Day Air was the cheapest option. But even when I selected that option, it gave me the same error message and wouldn't let me place my order.

So here is where CSN Stores' great customer service comes in. I've griped here quite a few times about dealing with poor customer service from big-name companies such as Forever 21 (especially!), so I wasn't really expecting anything impressive from CSN Stores. However, I called customer service (toll free) and was quickly connected to a very helpful, patient, and understanding CS Rep. He said he had never encountered such an error and that it probably was a glitch with the particular item I wanted to buy. I could either wait until possibly Monday for their tech team to fix the problem, or he could try to put my order through from his end. Since the item was low stock, I decided to put the order through.

He had to do some major workarounds to get me the correct shipping price and allow the order to go through -- So although I did not get the 2 Day Air shipping, I got the same low price; except with ground shipping.

The Rep was very understanding and willing to take the extra steps to fulfill my order. Was on the phone for nearly 20 minutes and didn't feel rushed, pressured, or hassled the entire time. He assured me that they would get the shipping issue resolved as soon as possible.
My order was all set and ready to go, and this is what I was going to get:


Kathy Van Zeeland Crown Princess Nappa Belt Shopper in Platinum...because it has been on my wishlist for awhile.
However, here's the sad, sad, SAD part... several days later, I got an email stating that my order had been cancelled because apparently, the bag had been discontinued by the manufacturer and CSN Stores hadn't updated their stock -- Also probably what had caused my previous ordering issues. Not gonna lie, I actually wanted to cry, since I've been having THE WORST luck with online shopping lately. And most of you know that I'm a bag-whore... so it was pretty devestating for me :( So anyway, I had to scrap that idea and make a new order.

...Which I guess was a "good" thing because I decided to choose more things that I could make better use of and were a better value for the price. But that was STILL not the end of my ordering problems. I was still having trouble putting my new order through. So Jess of the CSN Promo Team offered to put my order through for me, so I wouldn't have to deal with any more shipping and ordering hassles myself. She put my order through the very next day AND upgraded my shipping with no extra charge, so my order came within a few days. Case in point why I am so satisfied with their customer service -- they truly do go the extra mile for you.

I got my order in two shipments through UPS. Everything was packed up securely and nothing was damaged or missing when I received it.
So here's what I ended up getting:

Post it note tabs and mechanical pencils for the upcoming school semester, Aveeno Essential Moisture Lip Conditioner with SPF 15, and a bottle of Greenworks spray cleaner (not pictured... gave it to my mom).

Will do a review on the Aveeno lip balm in a bit. So far, so good... except for the taste. But other than that, it is buttery smooth and uber moisturizing!
And two Goodhope bags in gold and black.

I'm a sucker for quilted fabric!
Was planning to add some deco-touches to these bags... ribbons, bows?
Not sure what I'm gonna do yet.

I did not anticipate these bags to be so HUGE though. I am tiny (5'0") so I kind of look funny when I carry around a huge bag. I guess it's a good thing though because I can carry my laptop around now :P


The lining is a faux Burberry-esque print. Cute deviation from the norm, solid color interior. Very roomy with one zip pocket on the inside that can fit pens pencils, phone, etc... a lot of stuff. The top zips up as well. The entire bag is very sturdy and feels well made. I can fit my dog in here! The straps feel strong as well and are a good length.

The only thing with these bags is that THEY SMELL!!!! Really bad. They have a very strong chemically manufactured scent. Not pleasant at all. So I'm airing them out at the moment and hoping the smell goes away before school starts :(



In the end, I am glad that I chose to do a review instead of a giveaway because I was able to go through the entire customer experience for myself. Even though I encountered several issues with ordering, I still would consider my experience with CSN Stores a positive one. I discovered that:
  • Their free shipping does not apply to everyone
  • Sometimes they have glitches with shipping costs
  • Sometimes they have out-of-stock items
  • Their customer service is fantastic
  • They will do their best to make your shopping experience a pleasant one
Disclaimer: CSN Stores sponsored this purchase. I was not paid by nor am I affiliated with this company.
This review is based upon my honest experience with CSN Stores and my honest opinion about their products.


Sunday, April 11, 2010

Craft Fair haul & news, Kona hauls, & Swatches: Revlon ColorBurst Soft Nude & ELF Baby Lips

Hello loves & new followers!

Just wanted to share what I hauled since I finally allowed myself off my self-imposed spending ban : ) Also, some quick news from the craft fair! I was approached by another vendor, asking if I would want to have a job designing new characters for their clothing line! We haven't worked out all the details yet, but it's an exciting start! Anywho...

I picked up these two bags from the craft fair we were at! ♥ I also found out that the lady I bought them from actually has a shop down the road from ours! She said she does not make them though, she just brings them in to sell... but she said they weren't selling! What?! How can bags THIS CUTE not get bought out?! They were a great price too... I know I'll be getting myself more in the future! (;



They are very spacious, sturdy, and feel well-made.
Lots of pockets and storage space!


We also went to Kona today to visit my Grandma (mom's side). She is recovering from knee surgery and is doing really well : ) So I got to do some shopping while we were there!

2 tank tops from Costco:

Shoes from K-Mart! I love going there JUST to look at shoes.


Yes, while having small feet is mostly a huge disadvantage (is it THAT hard to make size 5?!), sometimes, it is TOTALLY AWESOME. Yes, those first 2 pairs of super cute flats are little kid shoes! Size 3! Apparently, that is equivalent to size 5, which are the slippers on the right. And, they were on sale! So I got the black & pink pairs for $4.99 each! (Lol, yes, I am loving me some black and pink lately)


And my small beauty-related haul:
Revlon ColorBurst Lipstick in Soft Nude and ELF Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Baby lips.
I waited patiently for a really long time to get both of these!


After hearing sooo many good things about Soft Nude, I just knew I had to get me one! The packaging is slick and sexy... fishnets, anyone? The lipstick itself is super creamy and smooth. Starts out sheer but easily builds up to pigmented, shiny, pale-pinkish nude love. Definitely my new nude staple, in addition to my fav, NYX Orange Soda. ♥


Hand swatches. I really wanted to try Baby Lips because I have it in Natural Blush, but the color doesn't really work with my skin tone. Baby Lips is a super sheer, baby pink. It mostly shows up clear and takes like 57416283 layers for a hint of color to show up. However, for only $1, what I really like about this "liquid lipstick" is the texture. It's super smooth and creamy. It's thick but I wouldn't say sticky (but yes, your hair will get stuck in it), it feels comfy and moisturizing on the lips. It does have a shiny finish though, and is great for layering!