​One thing I love about the digital age and online banking is that if you have an issue, a lot of times it can be resolved online without having to wait on hold on the phone for ages. I found this to be true with a recent issue I encountered regarding a charge on my Discover Card. 

Birkenstocks have been popular among travelers for quite some time, but the classic style was not appealing to me. In recent years, however, Birkenstock has branched out into a number of great looking styles. I decided to try the Gizeh model for my first pair. Yes, I said first pair. As in I can totally see myself getting more Birks in the future..
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I recently treated myself to a Hannah Everly skirt which I ordered from Etsy.
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I've been meaning to write this review for such a long time. I have had a Gaiam "Yoga Ball" Chair for probably 5 years now. The idea is that this chair helps to improve back and core strength because you have to be more focused on your body positioning to stay balanced on it. Except, you kind of don't... 
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 The market for almost any product today is very competitive and to me customer service is what really stands out and makes me want to be a loyal customer of any given brand, service, or company that fits my current needs and budget. That being said, periodically when I reach out to companies, I would like to share my experience with their customer service in case it helps protect you from a bad situation or gives you confidence to make a necessary purchase knowing the company really backs their product or service. Click here to see more in the Customer Service Series.

I recently signed up for Dollar Shave Club (*love*) and I recently had a question about my account, something I wanted to have adjusted. The chat agent was really friendly and eager to help. She let me know it would be no problem and the IT people would have to handle it, but that she would send me an email when it was completed.

Later that afternoon she sent me an email apologizing that IT was no longer able to make the adjustment I had requested. (Bummer) Because of the inconvenience she added a $5 credit to my account so I could add something to my order before my next box ships and get $5 off. (Surprise!)

I think this is great customer service. The initial interaction was great and efficient. The agent didn’t ignore me after the chat ended. She promptly kept me informed about the situation and when her hands were tied to deliver, she gave me a credit. As a customer, it made me feel valued. As a company it is smart because when I add a product whether it costs $5 or more, if I love it... I will keep buying it. So the credit is a good investment in their part ;) Either I will spend more money with them or, even if I don’t, I feel more loyal after the interaction.

Thanks, Dollar Shave Club! I look forward to receiving many more of your blades in the mail. :) 

Click here to see more in the Customer Service Series.

Can I just say I love this little cart? Ikea sells the Raskog cart in their kitchen islands and carts section and it currently comes in beige, black, and red/brown. I swear it used to come in a gorgeous mint/blue shade at one point. 

Anyways, I have it in black and it is awesome! Yes, you can use it as a kitchen cart. You can also use it as a bedside stand (Think PJS on a shelf, books on a shelf, and charging tech on another shelf, as just one example.) You can use it as a movable art cart. Keep all your supplies in one place and pull it to wherever you want to work that day whether the kitchen table, sofa, outside, wherever! Use it as a little TV table/end table if you don't have one. Cart cleaning supplies around on it. Display books, CDS, etc at a garage sale.  There are endless options.

The Raskog cart costs $24.99 on the Ikea website plus shipping if you don't live close by to pick it up. Shipping varies. 

You can also order it on Amazon with Prime shipping. The cost goes up to $50, but you will get it delivered to your door step in 2 days and have the awesome Amazon customer service behind you. It's big price difference, but for some people it may make sense. 

Do you have any other creative ideas for using these carts?

I recently did a post about Wool Dryer Balls. You probably knew about them already. BUT did you know about SOAP NUTS?!
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GreenBlender is a smoothie subscription that ships farm fresh ingredients weekly (or less often at your request) right to your door to make super-for-you smoothies. 

I was  given a coupon code for a free box from a friend and I was eager to try it because I love smoothies. 

You have probably heard of Dollar Shave Club already, but if you haven't... It's a razor subscription service that starts as low as $1/month (+$2 shipping and handling) for a 5 stainless steel twin blade cartridges. Awesome deal. If you want a few more blades you can upgrade from the Humble Twin to The 4X for $6 (free shipping) and you'll get 4 stainless steel 4-blade cartridges each month. If you're really serious about shaving you may like the Executive. You'll get 4 stainless steel 6-blade cartridges every month. 

I couldn't resist buying purple potatoes recently, but once I got them home I wondered "What can I do with purple potatoes?" I mean, really, you can do anything with purple potatoes as any other color potato. Mash them, bake them, whatever! But I definitely google searched "purple potato recipes" and found this recipe for Purple Potato Latkes. I highly recommend trying it! I shredded the potatoes in my food processor so that was a snap and then fried the mixture until it was delightfully crisp on the outside and full of potatoey goodness on the inside. If you need a fun new recipe, give these a try! :) 

Click here to see all my Ipsy posts.

1. It Cosmetics Bye Bye Pores Pressed Powder
2. Blaq mask
3. TonyMoly Peach Hand Cream
4. Tarte Lifted Sweatproof Mascara
5. Nail Medic Charcoal Infused Polish

I received an email that my bag had shipped on August 10th.  I received my bag on August 14th, right on time. 

I have been using the It Cosmetics powder to set my underage concealer and then to set my entire face. I feel like it adds a slight white cast, but otherwise works well. The trial size works fine with my brushes and can be put into a travel palette if you have one. The blaq mask will definitely go traveling with me instead of scooping out my current mud mask into another container. You need to put this mask on pretty thick because you are supposed to peel it off and if you put it on too thin you can't really peal it off. Avoid areas with a lot of face peach fuzz because it kind of hurts to peel off. It's like a mini face wax. But great for nose and other areas with blackheads. I'm not a huge fan of hand cream in general, butthis TonyMoly one does smell deliciously like peaches and absorbs in quickly. The Tarte lifted sweatproof mascara is going to be great to take for beach days when I use atinted SPF and just want a little accentuation of my lashes for the day without worrying when I go swimming.  I was surprised that I actually liked the gray nail polish color on. 

If you wanna try Ipsy, this is my referral link. I think we both get points if you sign up for this link? You can use points to buy products from the ipsy website!​

Click here to see all my Ipsy posts. 

Click here to see all my Ipsy posts.

The market for almost any product today is very competitive and to me customer service is what really stands out and makes me want to be a loyal customer of any given brand, service, or company that fits my current needs and budget. That being said, periodically when I reach out to companies, I would like to share my experience with their customer service in case it helps protect you from a bad situation or gives you confidence to make a necessary purchase knowing the company really backs their product or service.
Click here to read more from the Customer Service Series

I recently reached out to Oreo to give some feedback on cookies I purchased. Have you tried the Golden Oreos? I decided I was not impressed with them. What's more, I noticed inconsistencies in the amount of cream in the package. If there is a quality issue or a consistency issue, companies are interested in knowing. They would rather get feedback and make adjustments if needed and keep customers than have someone quit buying the products. 

The parent company, Mondelez International, responded promptly and mailed out a coupon for a free product to replace the one I was dissatisfied with. I think that is great customer service! Needless to say, I got a family pack of Double Stuf ;) 

You can read their full response below: 

Click here to read more from the Customer Service Series

The market for almost any product today is very competitive and to me customer service is what really stands out and makes me want to be a loyal customer of any given brand, service, or company that fits my current needs and budget. That being said, periodically when I reach out to companies, I would like to share my experience with their customer service in case it helps protect you from a bad situation or gives you confidence to make a necessary purchase knowing the company really backs their product or service.

See all of my customer service posts here.

Several years ago I switched from Bare Minerals Foundation to Youngblood Cosmetics. I really like Youngblood’s loose mineral foundation so I wanted to try some other products of theirs. I tried their Pressed Mineral Rice Setting Powder thinking it would be perfect to keep in the car for touch ups on a hot day.. Turns out I didn’t really reach for it often when I was out and about so I took it inside to use to set my makeup look. After a couple uses it caved in the center in the weirdest way. It’s not like I hit pan. It’s not like I dropped it. It just caved in in the middle, that’s the only way I can explain it.

Finally I reached out to their customer service. I explained the situation and asked if it was common. Here’s the response I got:

”Thank you for your feedback. I haven’t heard of this happening. How long have you had it? Did you purchased the rice powder from us?

The Rice Powder is also great to use with your loose foundations. Especially for touch ups throughout the day. It absorbs excess oil and sets your foundation.”

I replied to this email in April of 2017 and now in November 2017, almost half a year later, I still have not heard back!

I think that is bad customer service.... The product costs $33. That’s a lot of money in my book. I’m sure the markup is really high on these items. If they didn’t want to offer a replacement, fine. But the least they could have done was offer a coupon for a future purchase as they know I use their foundation... I have a few containers of foundation left because I switch it up depending on the season to match my skin tone better, but poor customer service really does make me wonder if I should still keep purchasing the product. What would you do?