Bauble Bar Order #1

I "recently" decided to place an order on BaubleBar.com (I know it's been around for awhile!) after seeing Bauble Bar mentioned in several magazines and seeing the lovely promo pictures for the Man Repeller Arm Party bracelet set ($50)!  I was curious as to whether the quality and/or style of the jewelry justified the prices--which are rather expensive compared to Forever 21, but luckily there is a $10 new customer discount that I used to bring down the price of the set to $40.  I excitedly placed my order on 6/2/12 and waited impatiently for roughly 2 weeks, when I received it on 6/14/12....

Here's the order form and my responses for the Man Repeller Arm Party.  I should note that I was expecting golds, bronzes, espressos, corals, and turquoises as per the promo pictures.  

However, when I received my Arm Party set, I was less than thrilled.  In fact, I was rather disappointed since the set was $40.  Specifically, I wasn't a fan of the white enamel mixed with the turquoise and coral.  I also didn't like the tiny rhinestone bracelet, which seemed to get lost amidst the other larger bracelets.  Although 3/5 bracelets were okay, it was still not enough to warrant the cost.  Moreover, there was something stuck in the white enamel bracelet, which made it seem messy.  So, I decided to contact customer service to exchange the set, which according to the website, an entire set had to be exchanged rather than individual bracelets.  

I contacted Bauble Bar's customer service, and received a prompt reply.  Customer service was very helpful and even offered to help create my ideal set!  Excitedly, I decided to mail back (return shipping is free!) my first Arm Party set along with a note with my ideal color choices and await my second set.  I waited a bit longer than I had expected due to slow shipping:  I mailed my return on 6/15/12 and it arrived at Bauble Bar on 7/5/12!  However, exchange shipping was much faster as my exchange shipped out that very day (7/5/12) and arrived on 7/9/12!!

My new Arm Party set!  I was very excited to see how it turned out with my specific requests!

My new set!  I love that there are warmer colors and bigger bracelets!  I think the set "fits" better together, but each piece is detailed enough to stand alone.  Also, I love the back detailing on the turquoise stone bracelet--it has a gold filigree-esque design!  The only issue I had is that wearing the Arm Party all together results in a lot of ties, which I tucked, but that is a little time consuming.  Other than that, I really love this set. Although, after wearing it once, the coral rhinestone-studded bar bracelet broke--the cord came undone.  :/  However, I think I'm going to look for a metal chain to put it on since the jewelry piece is still intact.  The other bracelets are all okay, so perhaps it was just defective?  In any case, it is something to consider since cord is not as sturdy as a metal chain bracelet.

Also included in my second set was a handwritten note, which was very sweet and also demonstrates the friendliness and helpfulness of Bauble Bar's customer service team!

Overall, despite not liking my first bracelet set and even having a bracelet in my second set break, I had a really good experience with Bauble Bar.  I enjoy their jewelry designs, which are a bit more "grown up" than Forever21--or at least, I find them easier to incorporate into more looks (but that could just be me).  I appreciate their free shipping and return shipping.  And lastly, their customer service is very responsive and good at problem resolution.  In fact, before I even received this "first" Bauble Bar order, I had already placed my second and third orders--I placed these separately as to immediately use the "reward points" that Bauble Bar awards for every purchase that is relative to the amount spent.  And, since this post, and the next two Bauble Bar posts, are several months late, I have already become an avid Bauble Bar fan.  I will attempt to post a collective haul post soon with pictures and brief reviews of the pieces I have bought.

Pretavoir.co.uk Chanel Sunglasses!

Ever since I saw Chanel's 5171 sunglasses with their cute white bows on either side of the temples, I fell in love!  The sunglasses were adorably cute and flirty--the bows are just the right amount of sass for the otherwise simple and classic oversize frame.  However, I did not like their price tag.  The sunglasses retail from upwards of $250.  :(

After a bit of online "window shopping" I happened across Pret a Voir, an online (they also have a physical location if you live in Glasgow, Scotland) sunglasses and glasses seller that had them for cheaper!  The catch?  I had never heard of Pret a Voir and it is a UK-based business--it would be very difficult if there were problems with my order and I wasn't sure if they were selling legitimate Chanel sunglasses.  However, I did my research and there were several sites with good reviews of Pret a Voir, which coupled with their fantastically (relatively) low price, ultimately led me to purchase from them.  I bought them for about $230 USD after shipping and currency conversion, whereas in store and after tax it would have cost me around $305.

That being said, and without further ado, here are my Chanel 5171 sunnies!

They came in a Chanel cardboard box filled with a lens cleaning cloth, cloth bag, hard case, warranty information, and authenticity card.

 They also had properly spelled lettering and coding on the inside of the arms which tells the manufacturing location (Italy), product number (5171), and product color (C5013C).  

 According to my research on fake Chanel 5171 sunglasses, the Chanel logo on the case is glued on and there is no indentation so that the logo lies more flush with the surface of the case.  Also, although I didn't take a picture of it, authentic Chanel sunglasses have writing etched onto the lenses themselves.  I believe they etch Chanel onto the lenses, but I don't have my sunglasses on hand to verify it.  :x

Cute little white ribbons!  This style comes in a variety of colors, including one with a black frame with black bows, but the most popular is the black frame with white bows.

The Chanel logo is on both of the white ribbons in authentic pairs.

In any case, after tons of research (kudos to this forum), I'm confident that my sunglasses aren't fake and I am very pleased with my purchase.  I will definitely consider buying my next pair of sunglasses from Pret a Voir!  Oh and a few things I forgot to mention, customer service was very friendly and helpful, and international shipping (~12.95 GBP) was rather quick.  The only caveat was that I had to call to place my order since Chanel (and I believe one other brand) does not allow online selling of their sunglasses.  Other than that, the service and convenience was terrific!  One final consideration, if you decide to buy from Pret a Voir, consider going into a store to try on the sunglasses to see how they look and decide on frame colors.  Happy shopping!!