Beautiful Scarves Black Gray and White Winter Scarf with Gift Box

You want to talk about timely? How about this gorgeous “Beautiful Scarves” Winter Scarf they sent me to try? Winter has arrived in Southern California, and it’s wet, windy and cold for a change. And there’s few better ways to beat the cold than a toasty, soft scarf. And Beautiful Scarves sent me one that is just to die for, and it’s so unbelievably soft I find myself wearing it around the house.

This cotton/acrylic blend scarf is not only soft, not only beautiful, it’s functional. Not like those loops of fabric that pass themselves off as a scarf, because I find them functionally useless, a fashion accessory above all else. Not this one. Drape it, wrap it, pull it over you nose to keep warm, it does the job a scarf was meant to do, keep you warm. It’s not so bulky that you find it unsettling your clothes or have to take it off all the time, and not so thin as to not keep your chest neck or nose warm. The color goes with just about anything, and the tassels on the end are reminiscent of your favorite blanket at home. It’s also unisex, so don’t be surprised if your significant other snatches it away and wears it themselves. At about 64 inches long, it’s sufficient to bundle yourself up snugly too. It was delivered in a sturdy white gift box that will double as a storage box for me when the usual hot and nasty weather returns to California. But for now, I’m reveling in this oh-so-soft and lovely Beautiful Scarves Winter Scarf. At just $12.99 delivered you should probably pick up two so there’s no fighting over who look the snazziest or feels the warmest this winter!

I like this scarf. No, actually I love this scarf. I think you will too!

 

Connect with Beautiful Scarves:

• On Amazon
• Buy yours right here!

 

I received the above product(s) free of charge from .  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

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Amazon Kindle Fire HD6 Review

I am no stranger to tech. Even though it isn’t featured much on my blog, tech tools have been invaluable to me in almost every facet of what you see on here. So when I was offered a chance to review an Amazon Fire HD6 tablet from Third Voice Marketing, I said “You betcha!”. I’m always on the lookout for things to make my life a little easier, and a multi-tasker like a tablet is a sure fire way to get many things done, even on the go.

I may have been spoiled by hubby’s Nexus devices. While only sporting 7″ screens, they make the most of the real estate and have fabulous visuals and specs to boot. Sadly, the Fire HD6 fails to meet my lofty expectations. From the start, it feels thicker, clunkier and heavier (though it is lighter!) than the larger Nexus 7. The screen almost looks to be set further into the device. It’s resolution is 1280 x 800 (252ppi), which is a far cry from the 1920 x 1200 (323ppi) I’m used to. For a stand alone reader that would be fine. When a major selling point is full access to Amazon Prime features like the HD VOD service, that isn’t so fine. More on that later. Both sport Corning Gorilla Glass, both have front and rear cameras, both have quad-core processors,wi-fi, bluetooth and access to a wide array of apps. So, since one is more expensive than the other, you’d be inclined to forgive the screen issues and focus on what Amazon got right. Right?

What amazon got right was the price. Sold for as low as $84 recently, you’d be hard-pressed to find a quad-core device of equal build quality for less. and with 1GB of RAM, it should handle light mobile games, email and some light web browsing with aplomb. But when you get to the software, that’s where things go off the rails for me. Amazon skinned over the lovely Android Kit Kat OS with their own proprietary features, much to the detriment of the user experience. Perhaps it’s because I’m used to a pure Android experience, but the devices seems seriously hamstrung by the Fire OS. You lose access to the Google Play store, you lose access to a synced Chrome (and all it’s bookmarks with no way to import them), you lose access to the device synchronicity you’re accustomed to, and you’re forced into an ecosystem that is geared towards Amazon consumption at the cost of being truly user friendly.

I found myself constantly frustrated by trying to do what I’ve been doing with my Android devices for years now, only have to try to learn Amazon’s way of doing it instead. Yuck. What’s worse is when you get into heavy web browsing, downloading, or typing, you get so much lag you want to fling the thing into the nearest wall. All the ports are at the top of the device, the single rear speaker is absolutely awful, and the camera, at 2MP, is positively anemic. Though it does sport an HDR mode and a wide array of editing tools, the pictures will never be anything to write home about, especially in low light conditions. The screen size is frustrating for me tapping and touching with normal sized fingers, and Hubby couldn’t do squat with his much bigger Hubby paws. Amazon does sport it’s own app store, but more than a few of the versions of the apps available, while seemingly identical to their Google App and Apple App Store cousins, are usually a few versions behind. Because, let’s face it, there are two big dogs on the app block, and it doesn’t make sense to spend a bundle on development for the two little dogs with very little market penetration, Amazon and Windows. Amazon has also locked the bootloader, which means no third party development is available, which is another huge upside for normal Android devices, and a liability for Kindles.

I like having access to my Amazon Prime benefits. I like being able to stream my free video and audio benefits seamlessly. I like the Kindle features that go above and beyond the Kindle apps available for all my other devices. I like that it is small enough to drop in my purse and not know it’s there. It seems to be very sturdily built with unobtrusive buttons that don’t get hit accidentally. And I like the price. Aside from that, there is also plenty to make me say that I doubt I’d buy a Kindle on my own any time soon. The proprietary, frustrating nature of the OS. The ads on the lock screen. The focus on the “Amazon experience” and not the customer experience. The lack of synchronicity. The screen. And some personal experience. The memory on my first device was corrupted, and the charging port was borked. Amazon sent a replacement next-day air. But after several rounds with their “customer service” chat to figure out how to connect the device to my TV for a true HD video experience (6 different chats got me 6 different failed methods), I eventually gave up and resigned myself to a 6″ sub-HD screen for the foreseeable future. I also don’t know how I only have 3.5 GB of space on a 8GB device when it arrives. Too small to download a movie, and very little space for apps, media, or really, anything.

I’ve used Samsung Galaxy Devices, LG devices, Asus devices, and Nexus devices. Kindle is dead last in my user experience.I wanted to like my Kindle. I wanted one for some time. Amazon shot for the moon with their Kindle devices and instead, for me, shot themselves in the foot. Perhaps I expected too much. As I stated, for a reader, it’s awesome. If you don’t mind the screen or speaker, the access to Amazon’s Instant Video and Music is phenomenal. And Amazon gives a you a 30-day, 100% satisfaction guarantee, but return shipping is at your cost. If it’s for youngsters, you have a relatively well built, relatively inexpensive device that they can stream the occasional video, play a few games, and read a few books. For a grown up, you’re better off buying a grown up device.

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I received the above product(s) free of charge from Third Voice Marketing.  I am not obligated to provide a positive or favorable review, just my honest opinion.  My review is based on my experience with the product and/or brand, which may differ from yours.

If only Sole Socity could bottle up their Customer Service and sell it in a shape of a Shoe

I am very fortunate in being able to have 95% positive experiences with companies, brands and most of their products. Very rare is the time where I receive a product that exhibits manufacture defects or was delivered to me is less than prime condition (aka:New). These companies want to flaunt with pride that their product is the best and this is why they send it to me so I can then echo the same, if I AGREE.

Well, I have my first real ugly Disagree! I love Influenster (www.Influenster.com) because they introduce me to great items that I would have not tried in the past just because I was unaware of their existence or had zero connections with them in the past, so I had no idea if they were good or bad. Being stuck in that unknown middle is not a nice place so I like when companies shake me and make me sway towards a Yay or a Nay!

I give Sole Society a Nay! It’s that clear, that black and white. I ordered a pair of Black leather heels using their code for $25 off, with tax making the total $38.01. I checked every source out there from on-line to brick and mortars and no genuine leather pair of pumps (that was pretty) was available for that price point. In my research, I noticed Sole Society is featured on Nordstorm’s site so that seemed like a good sign. I associate good quality and excellent service with that company. I did some googling and I find that Sole Society is pretty much a “spin off” from Hautelook, which again is another Nordstorm connection. I place my order for the heels they have named Cameron.

Well, Cameron was ordered on Sunday (1/06 after 10:00 PM) after I think I even tired myself debating it. I get a shipment notice with a tracking number, plus a delivery date of Tuesday, January 8th. Wha…? Now, that is QUICK service. UPS driver and his wonderful brown truck pulls up and I was online so my husband gets the package. He kindly opens it up and I hear from the kitchen, “Dang, this shoe box has seen better days”. My response, “seriously, how bad….I don’t keep shoe boxes so let me know how the heels are”. I hear some paper and then silence. Now, a few seconds passing when it comes to something like this seems like minutes so I just know he took TOO LONG to say something. I start speaking and I hear, “Babe, these shoes are used….but like REALLY USED”. I stop what I am doing and we meet half way. I will make it short and clear, these should have never been accepted as a return in that kind of shape and then resold. The girl that walked in these heels should stick to sneakers because not only are they scuffed on the sides and front, but on the back of one of the heels. Each heel has a sticker with what seems to be the model number (just a theory). Cameron is model number 7B/37 and on the right shoe, the sticker has been “walked off”. You have that sticky smear where the sticker came off and everything on the floor/ground stuck to it. It gets worse, one of the heels has the foot (rubber bottom) glued on crooked. Um, I know whoever abused these shoes and then had no shame to return did not do that, that is a manufacturer defect! The shoes have glue spillage where the upper joins the sole and there is an unknown stickiness to them in spots. I just convinced myself it was soda (don’t make me think about it). Nonetheless, the deep wrinkles in the leather from walking, the asphalt pits on the bottom of the heel, and all the damage pictured…..these shoes were accepted as a return and then RESOLD as brand-new to a new customer. I was buying shoes, not renting them! Not only is this not sanitary by any means but truly disgusting when I see two other post on Sole Society’s Facebook page with other clients getting the same and even worse than I did.

I am a “fix it” kind of person and it’s not my business where the shoe fell with Sole Society when it comes to returns. If it’s the return’s department obligation to check this……well, you know when employees are slackers! Thank goodness I did not purchase one of their “Final Sale” pairs because that is how their BOGO sale worked. The site states, Free Shipping and Free Returns” with no asterisk (*) but be advised that if you return a pair and want a REFUND to your credit card, well there is a re-stocking fee of $7.95. Now, you can always waive getting back the real money you used and opt for a Sole Society credit, and only then do you not get charged a restocking fee. I was not paying a restocking fee after I received used and dirty product, nor was I playing the back-in-forth game after seeing the manufacturer defects alone poor Cameron had.

I use their contact form and press enter to submit for it just to clear my text and not send anything. Don’t you love that? I remembered to highlight and hit “copy” before hitting the doom button, thankfully. I sent a direct e-mail and the following day, I received a response. The e-mail apologized for the “mutilated” shoes, (representative’s words…not mine). Great service and quickly tells me there would be no re-stocking fee. I get a UPS label e-mailed and on Friday, January 11th, my Husband makes the trek to drop off the box (I appreciate it). I get a notice from UPS that the shoes will be delivered on Monday, January 14th and then another notice when the shoes arrived at their facility. On Wednesday, January 16th, my credit card reflects a credit in full!

If Sole Society could bottle up their Customer Service and sell it in a shape of a shoe….I would support them 150%! As we stand at the moment, whoever is accepting and selling USED shoes has got to (with a cherry on top) GO! I don’t believe there is any malice from the company to do this because it is not smart business but it’s purely disgusting to have a person or people that would allow such things to happen when you then have Customer Service shining like this. A waste indeed! I wanted to like Sole Society and Cameron, but it seems we were not meant to be.