rinnah’s consumer views|what a consumer really wants and thinks about products and services

I’m absolutely drawn to beautiful, elegant jewelry. Sparkling gems, pearls and all sorts of metal always get my nod.

So you can just imagine how delighted I was to hear about Sweet Contemplation Accessories!

Image credit to Sweet Contemplation Accessories

Designed and hand-crafted by Australia-based blogger Christine Wang (who happens to be a friend of mine), each piece of jewelry from Sweet Contemplation Accessories is made with love and an eye for the tiniest details that make each piece so special; in line with Tine’s vision of designing jewelry for the modern woman who encompasses femininity, strength, charm, style and grace (just to name a few). All the designs from Sweet Contemplation Accessories are so wearable, I’d reckon that you could take any piece from day to night with ease!

I heart the little extra touches that Tine adds to the packaging. Like the little robin-blue (some would say Tiffany blue!) and black handmade boxes all tied up with black ribbon. Simply tres chic! And stamping the Sweet Contemplation logo on the inside of the box cover. Finally, inside the box, carefully tucked away in a layer of robin-blue tissue paper is a little velvet pouch containing your treasure!

Personally, I was immediately smitten with these two gorgeous designs which I picked up recently – Call Me Old Fashioned (AUD 30.00) and Byzantium (AUD 30.00) – and I already know how I want to wear them and which clothes they’ll match in my wardrobe, which is just about everything!

Image credit to Sweet Contemplation Accessories

Shipping is free anywhere within Australia and international shipping is charged at a flat rate of AUD 10.00 (or free if you purchase above AUD 100.00), no matter where you are in the world. In case you were wondering about the efficiency of the Australian Post and the local mailman, I’d say it’s pretty good, considering that the package arrived in good condition and relatively fast too, within 1 week from the date Tine shipped it off till I received my goodies.

Once you’ve been converted into a Sweet Contemplation Accessories fan, it can be pretty hard to resist treating yourself to just one more piece of pretty jewelry. *wink*

Read other blogger reviews here :
Beautifully Glossy
Beetrice
Connie
Elle
Giddy Tiger
Indulgent Reviews
Nikki
Paris B
Ponikuta
Pretty Beautiful
Sesame

It isn’t all that often that I find a store or brand of clothing that I really, really like. (Because my mother claims that I am a fussy shopper and which I admit to being. Heh.) Most of the time my wardrobe comes from a variety of places and brands, although like any other shopper, I have a tendency to keep on going back to where I know I’ll find clothes that I like and that fit me well.

And I never thought the day would come when I would actually find a local blogshop that I would repeatedly patronize!

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It’s called Cocktails & Martinis (don’t you just love the elegant sounding name?) and I think I first discovered Cocktails through a link on Frocking Around. I liked what I saw so much that I put myself on the email subscriber list straightaway so that I wouldn’t miss out on the latest offerings. (Good for my ongoing retail therapy but not so good for my pocket! LOL.)

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What I like most about Cocktails is the selection of clothes. If I were to open a boutique of my own, these are exactly the styles and fashions that I would pick, which explains why I keep on coming back for more, over and over again. If I were to describe the style of Cocktails I would say : elegant, timeless, flattering, feminine and tasteful.

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It’s all fine and dandy to have a great selection of clothes, lots of blogshops have that too. With Cocktails, what you see is what you get. The photographs are accurate representations of the real item itself, if anything, when I get my hands on the real thing itself I find the quality to be as good as, if not better than the pictures and the details.

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When you’re an independent blogshop, it’s important that you can offer your shoppers with quick and good service too. This improves the chances of satisfied customers and repeat sales, especially since it’s all about trust in the world of online shopping. I’ve had nothing but prompt and efficient service when dealing with Cocktails, thus my number of repeat purchases!

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There is also a Cocktails Sales blogshop where you just might be able to pick up a bargain or two that was originally featured on the main site.

Oh, and the pictures you see in this post are pictures of clothes I’ve been tempted into buying from Cocktails.

Cocktails & Martinis
Email : kayc[dot]cocktails[at]gmail[dot]com

All images used in this blogpost are taken from the Cocktails & Martinis blogshop.

I like to think of myself as a savvy consumer. Make no mistake, I don’t mean being a stingy consumer, just a smart consumer who knows value when she sees it. So, how can you ensure that you end up with the best deal that is just right for you, the savvy consumer? Let’s have a little demonstration of what I mean.

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Sometime last month (in January), I knew I was running out of my Clinique Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief. And I definitely knew that I needed to repurchase this staple in my beauty routine. Instead of waiting till the very last moment to repurchase, I decided I needed a plan of action. I would use the time I had between when I decided to repurchase and when I would run out of my moisturizer to ensure that I got the best possible deal.

I already knew that the regular sized jar (50ml) retailed for MYR 160 at all Clinique counters. Was there any way that I could get a better deal? I was willing to pay the full retail price of MYR 160, but yet I wanted assurance that I would get the best possible value for my MYR 160. Let’s see what I did.

Firstly, I checked out the price of online retailers. From friends’ recommendations and good experiences, Strawberrynet seemed the ideal place to start with. Unfortunately, they were having no special promotions and it would have cost me MYR 166 (with free shipping) when purchasing from them. Strawberrynet was a no-go.

At the recommendation of another friend, I checked out BestBuy World. Although the prices there are much cheaper, the product is not the full sized product, but rather travel/sample sizes as a discounted rate. The different type of packaging did not bother me, but unfortunately, they had no ready stocks of Moisture Surge then.

So, at that point of time it seemed as though I would need to pay the full retail price for my moisturizer. No problem, since I was already prepared to pay MYR 160 for the product. The next question was : Where to buy it? I decided to make my purchase at Parkson, since they have a retail program with Bonuslink which allows you to collect reward points for all purchases. In this way, I could be assured of accumulating reward points for future redemption against shopping vouchers. At least there would be some return on my money spent.

Then, as luck would have it, I received a flyer from Bonuslink informing me that there would be a members’ day at Parkson, which would allow me to collect 5 times reward points on any purchase. Even more value for money, right? So I deferred my purchase for a few more days while waiting for the members’ day to roll around.

During the time between the Bonuslink flyer and the members’ day, I received an email from Clinique, informing me of their latest promotion to redeem a sample of their new anti-aging moisturizer. I decided that I would redeem my free sample at the same time when I made my purchase.

When I visited the Clinique counter, I was able to accomplish a number of things at the same time – restock my moisturizer, redeem my free sample and I also asked the consultant for another sample of Clinique’s best-selling All About Eyes eye gel. Even though I did not purchase enough to meet the Gift-With-Purchase limit, I’m satisfied with getting samples on top of my purchased item.

Better yet, since I made my purchase on the members’ day, not only did I get the 5 times reward points, I also got MYR 20 worth of Parkson vouchers for spending above MYR 150 in a single day. Can you say score?

Total haul on that day :
Moisture Surge – MYR 160
Youth Surge sample redemption – free
All About Eyes sample – free
Parkson vouchers worth MYR 20 – free

Wouldn’t you say that’s a good deal? And all that for just waiting 1 week extra.

You might think that I unnecessarily spent a lot of time comparing prices and still ended up paying the full retail price for my moisturizer, but when I look at all that I managed to get for just one trip, to me that’s worth much more than randomly going out shopping.

So, plan your purchases ahead of time and save money.
Getting additional satisfaction in knowing you got a good deal? Priceless.

I’ll admit it. I first clicked over out of sheer curiosity after reading this post on online blog shops at shoppingNsales. Little did I expect to be charmed by what I saw…

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Choobs is family-run by Hwee Yen together with her sister Hwee Mei and their mom Jean. I like how transparent and open they are about letting you know just who put so much loving and effort into the pretty trinkets you see on the site. I also like the little write-ups describing each individual design because it’s not just any piece of jewelery, it’s personalized! There are three product ranges at Choobs – Chica, Sophistica and Mamasita. I like all their designs, but my favorites come from the Chica range.

I was instantly taken when I saw this charm bracelet named Love It Like It Is (from the Chica range, picture below). So many pretty hearts a-dangling and it comes with pink Swarovski crystal embellishments too! It was just calling my name and I had to get it, so I dashed off a quick email to place my order.

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The ordering process is fairly straightforward and easy too as Hwee Yen has explained everything clearly in the pages for Ordering, Payment and Shipping so you just have to select what you like, how you’ll pay for it and how you want it shipped and send her a line. Response is prompt and friendly too.

I was amazed at the level of thought Hwee Yen has placed into packaging the items for delivery. Firstly, the charm bracelet was safely tucked away into a small plastic seal-lock bag with the Choobs logo. This was then placed into a pretty gauze drawstring bag for aesthetic purposes. The little bag came to me resting inside a padded envelope, which is artfully disguised with its covering of themed wrapping paper – so very handy if you were getting this as a gift to give away, it’s all packed and ready to go! And all of this was packed into an outer normal paper envelope so I was one very happy girl unwrapping her present.

Since then, I’ve had another charm bracelet custom-made for me by Hwee Yen, and I’m still eyeing a couple more designs for myself. If you’re into charms and custom jewelry, do check out Choobs.

Read other blogger reviews here :
Beetrice

I first read about the online boutique Paperdoll from this post on Kimberlycun’s blog. I did think that the dress Kim bought was really pretty but didn’t do anything more than that. Hahah. Lazy mah! *wink*

Then last week, I heard from Beetrice that Joanna, the babe behind Paperdoll, would be at the same do I attended last Friday. It sparked my curiousity again and off I went to see the website, which looks like this…

Image credit – screen capture pic of the Paperdoll website

If you like sweet, girly and dressy (like I do!), then Paperdoll is the place for you to shop. I think Joanna has a good eye for what sells well with the online shopping crowd, and it’s a testament to her taste that I am actually more than tempted to buy online! *wink* Normally I ooh and ahh over clothes I like and then do nothing about it. LOL.

One of the dangers of buying online is that you never know if the stuff you get will fit you. It’s a risk you have to take, and one that I’ve never wanted to take on. The major difference with Paperdoll is that you can input your measurements at the point of order and those measurements will be matched by the staff to see if the clothing item you want to purchase really does fit! That’s like 50% of your worries gone instantly. Poof!

Image credit – pic taken off the Paperdoll website

So, I’ve just put in my online order this morning for the sweet maxi dress you see above and got a very prompt response from the staff confirming my order and membership (which is free, btw).

I can’t wait to see my purchase in the flesh and try it on!

Tagline : the perk-me-up pink powder

Description : Start your day the “perk-me-up” way, and keep them guessing how you look so pretty this early in the morning. Dust on our soft, pink, perk-me-up powder for instant radiance and a youthful appearance. It’s the perfect shade of pink that brightens everyone’s complexion without looking powdery or chalky.

Tips and tricks: Sweep the brush across the powder a few times, then tap off any excess. Brush lightly on to the apples of your cheeks in an outward motion. For the final touch, lightly brush all over your complexion.

Packaging : 10.0 g net wt / 0.35 oz

Recommended retail price : USD 28 (online) / MYR 129 (local)

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My review :

Having heard so much about this product of Benefit’s from a number of beauty bloggers, I decided to give this a try-out when fellow blogger Paris Beaverbanks invited me to join in on a group online order (purchases above USD 100 from Benefit online get free shipping). I’m not sure how fuss-free the whole order process was since I was not the one shopping, but the delivery turnaround time was pretty quick.

I was very happy to note that my Dandelion arrived in perfect condition – the packaging was intact (just like brand new!), with no traces of having gone through international shipping, which was a major concern of mine because the powder is not packed in a plastic case like other brands but instead in a sturdy cardboard box. Other reviews which I’ve read (see below for links) assure me that the box will stand up to repeated daily use and not suddenly cave in on me one day when I’m using it. That’s a great relief to know but I’m not too sure that I want to carry my Dandelion around with me in my bag, knowing how prone I am to rummaging around for my keys and what-not inside.

Once you open up the box, there is a brush provided by Benefit on top of the pink colored powder. Having used it, I prefer to use a brush with softer bristles simply because it feels better on my skin and less poky/scratchy. So unless I’m rushed for time, I grab my blush brush and use that instead.

Dandelion is also lightly scented, so you get a nice pleasant fragrance when you open up the box, but you don’t smell anything after you have it on – an important plus point for my sensitive sinuses!

Now the thing that confuses me about Dandelion is whether to classify it as a highlighting/brightening powder or a blush. You see, it works both ways for me but the way I use it may not work for everyone.

I generally dust on Dandelion all over my face, after my foundation/finishing powder but before my blusher. I find that a single sweep of Dandelion gives a lovely tinge to my skin, a hint of did-she-or-did-she-not have make up on kinda look. If I want to use it as a blush, I just keep on layering Dandelion on until I get a pale pinky glow on the apples of my cheeks. It looks very natural and not at all like a blush so if you’re looking for an extra pop of color, Dandelion is not the product you need.

Dandelion is a staple in my make-up arsenal whenever I need that extra glow and I’ve gotten compliments on how well I’m looking when I use it as a highlighter all over my face. In fact, I’ve even used it for wedding dinners with minimalist eye makeup and still looked more put-together than my make-up efforts for past dinners.

Since I’ve had a good time with Dandelion, I just might pick up Georgia and see whether that suits me too.

Yes factors : Lovely highlighting effect, minimal effort required – just dust and go!
No factors : Brush feels poky/scratchy, prefer more conventional packaging, local price a bit on the high side

Read other blogger reviews on Dandelion here :
Paris Beaverbanks
Tine

It’s a dreary, rainy Monday, but I found another Shoe of the Week to brighten up my day!

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These gorgeous wedges are available only in one color, and that’s the champagne gold you see above. I can imagine that it would be perfect for a variety of looks, and the ones that keep on reappearing in my mind would be a breezy sundress for a weekend wedding or paired with classic slim-cut pedal pushers and a silky camisole for those shopping sprees.

Nine West is currently offering Sonya on sale at USD 109.99 (before shipping charges).

This is going to be the start of a regular series of blogposts I’m calling the Shoe of the Week. (Actually, it’s just an excuse for me to indulge in virtual shoe-shopping and highlighting my favorite designs that I covet in my shoe collection. Haha.)

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This is the Everless strappy open-toe heels, under Nine West’s Boutique 9 series. I am so in love with the dainty 3″ heel and the triple straps across the front. Although this design comes in black and beige also, I think the reptile skin makes it stand out in a class of its own. It would be perfect with a little black dress and a matching reptile skin clutch for a cocktail party.

This beauty retails between USD 89.99 to 130.00 (before shipping charges).