Before I go into a few reviews on a few cosmetic items, I need to show you another customer service email I received.
This. From J. Crew Factory. Let me backtrack. On Saturday, Bonaparte and I went to J. Crew Factory because I had seen a couple of items that I wanted to check out. I also had a “Rewards Card” and coupon and was itching to use both.
While I did purchase the two short-sleeved sweaters I wrote about in my previous post, and a pair of shorts that were on clearance, I had to pass on the one item I really wanted—a pair of shorts in a Pink Flamingo print.
I honestly cannot begin to tell you how much I love these sweaters. The sleeve length is the greatest on earth!
Yes. Navy shorts with Pink Flamingos standing in all their glory. Those shorts were meant for me. Until I tried them on. At 3” length, I had to come to terms that they just were not appropriate for me. I would need a bikini wax if I sat the wrong way. Lord knows if I had to bend all the way over, I would need more than a bikini wax.
These shorts. I’m so in love. Those pink flamingos. *Sigh* I wanted to make them mine–if only they were an inch longer!!
And when I went home, as is my usual routine, I went on the J. Crew Factory site and wrote reviews. I wrote glowing reviews about the sweaters and a sad review about the shorts:
My sweater review was filled with love….Below is the actual review on the J.C. Crew Factory site and the correspondence that transpired.
Not mature woman friendly
May 21, 2017
Ok, JCFactory. When I saw these shorts I wanted them because the Flamingo print stole my heart and the pink/navy thing melted it. At 3″ I didn’t care. I tried them on anyway.
At 62 years old, 5’6″ and 140 lbs, the 8 was a great fit –but wayyyy to short !! I would need a bikini wax to be running around in these!!!! Couldn’t you have offered this adorable print in longer lengths??? 4″ and 5″ would have been perfect for the older ladies!!!!show less
I never ever expected a response:
Hello,
I’m so sorry to hear about the disappointment in these shorts – I’ll be sure to pass along your comments to the appropriate teams for you. I’d be happy to see what I can do to help, but I wasn’t able to locate any online orders for these shorts under your email. Did you happen to use a different email address to purchase them? Or, did you happen to purchase these in store? If so, do you happen to recall the date of purchase, the store you bought them from, as well as the last 4 digits of the credit card used? With this information I’d be able to look into this further for you.
I look forward to your response!
Best,
Marisa Z J.Crew Factory Customer Service
I responded and then I received THIS:
Hi Catherine,
Thanks for getting back to us! Please know that your comments about the shorts have been shared with my team – hopefully we can offer the same print in a longer length in the future. In the meantime, we have 5″ Chino Shorts in solid colors (item 21760), the 5″ Printed Chino Shorts in Pink Multi, Navy Pineapple, Ivory Navy, Blue Ivory, and Deep Navy Red (G2319).
Please let me know if I can help with anything else; have a wonderful week!
Best,
Marina, J.Crew Factory Customer Service
Comments about the shorts will be shared with Marina’s team. How can I not be happy with this?? Especially after the response from the Urban Decay company about the eye pencil.
I’ve been pleased as punch with the customer service at J. Crew—they are the ones who “found” my Stewart plaid Lady Jacket when it was on sale. Kudo’s to my favorite store for stellar customer service. This older lady thanks you!
The beautiful Stewart Plaid J. Crew Lady Jacket. FOUND by the J. Crew Customer Service Folks!
Ok. Now for a few reviews….
First. I’ve “rediscovered” this Illuminating Palette by Wet ‘n Wild. I’m using it as summery eye shadow. It hit me the other day when the thought of a lighter, brighter eye might look good for the warmer weather.
I’ve had this about a year…it’s a great lower end product..
Blended together they make a nice illuminating product. But…
Separately, the colors make a nice summery eye look!
The notable thing is that this is a multi-tasking product. It’s an illuminating product but can double as eyeshadow and at a price point of fewer than five dollars, it is a great summer travel item!
Nice and bright–right? Don’t pay attention to the lips–I didn’t put lipstick on yet!
Next up is the Charlotte Tilbury Mini Miracle Eye Wand.
Tilbury’s Mini Magic Eye Wand–I like it as a lip treatment as well!
This is a two-step product. On one end, the first step is a hydrating eye cream. It does go on smoothly and is hydrating.
This is step 2 and the photo is way out of focus!
The other end is a highlighter—a twin for the YSL Touché Eclat, which I have. The difference is that with the Tilbury product, you get a cream as well.
I decided to use this on my lips instead. I like the way it hydrates the area around my mouth and I can “line” my lips with the highlighter. A two-for-one product which makes it excellent for travel. An eye and lip product!
I use it on my eyes then apply step 1, cream, to the upper areas of the lip then line with step 2. Works for me!
Since I’m running low on blush, I thought it would be an excellent idea to try the Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick in “Las Salinas”. This is a beautiful, bright, pinkish-coral color stick for both cheeks and lips. I’ll stick to using it solely as a cheek color.
Las Salinas Beach Stick is probably one of the prettiest cheek colors I’ve ever seen and used!
Here’s another view of the color..
..and how it looks on my pasty-fish belly white skin!! (this is the inside of my wrist)
I dot it on my cheeks and blend with a soft brush. I’m really diggin’ this. It is a great summer color. At $45, it is a bit pricier than the NARS Multiple stick but It’ll last a long time.
Dot, dot, dot and blend, blend, blend…
I have the Nars in “Riviera” and love it. I’ve had it for over two years and have hardly put a dent in it. A little goes a long way. It’s a great winter coloor. Same with the Beach Stick—a little goes a long way. This is a fantastic summer color and the price per use will be pennies!
I’m wearing the Las Salinas Beach Stick in this photo. It is so subtle and not clownish at all. Very natural. I’m also wearing the Model Model “Storm” wig!
And last of all—a little tip. You know how much I love my Chapstick and use it as a “blur” product. Lip Balms have a ton of uses. Well the other day I smudged mascara while applying it. I hate when that happens. I grabbed my L’Occitane lip balm and wiped the mascara off in one fell swoop. The L’Occitane is a bit creamier than the Chapstick and worked like a charm. It really worked wonderfully to get rid of any smudges or eyeliner “mistakes”!
More than a lip balm. Last summer I picked up the GREATEST lip balm of all time for one euro. I’m going to load up on it this summer!
Try it—it works!
Any multitaskers for you? Do you have a favorite product that does more than one task? Share it with us!!!
Do you remember this song by Carly Simon? Coming Around Again? It reminds me of all the multi-tasking we did when our kids were younger…
You look stunning!! I’m so glad to hear they took great care of you in the store!! That truly is the best customer service! The pink flamingo shorts are adorable!!
Hi Ruth! Thank you! I was shocked that finally my voice was heard!! Most companies ignore the voice of the older women. This was a great step!!! Aren’t those shorts the cutest???? XXOXOXOXOXO!!!
Yes it is great to hear a company vauled their customer!
I know I just started following you but I am already truly enjoying your blog! So I went ahead and nominated you for the Liebster Award! Come check it out!
Love your lip balm tip! Eyeshadows as liners and lipsticks as blushes are as creative as I get. I use cosmetics from all price points too, when you find the perfect shade you gotta have it! Your new beach stick is a beautiful color, and the wigs you’ve been showing us lately look so natural. I would have a hard time deciding which ones to take on your trip! Kudos to JCF, that’s the kind of customer service you don’t see much of anymore. Love those flamingo shorts too, they remind me of a pair I bought from Vineyard Vines years ago. These days I only wear shorts around the house, I’m more comfortable in pedal pushers or capris. Thank God we have options!
Hi Margaret. Lip Balm is a great, great multitasker! I love multitasking products especially for travel–you can pare down. OMG. Those shorts are killer. I would wear pants in that print!!! True–it’s great that we do have options.
JCF deserves a definite Kudo for customer service–that’s what its all about. And the comments were not patronizing either!!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
I have some 3 inch pull-on printed shorts from JCF (don’t know what I was thinking!) but I only wear them over a swimsuit. Are you going to try the 5 inch option? I love the pink paisley ones and the navy with the red border would be adorable for France, IMO. My personal preference is for shorts that practically cover my knees but that’s an issue I’m trying to get over! Ha!
Hi Teril. Nah. I think I have enough shorts for now. If anything, I’ll look for some denim bermuda shorts. I swear to you, my favorite ever shorts were a pair of denim cuffed faded Bermuda shorts I got in the early ’90’s or late ’80’s from Gap. The tight was snug but they fit like a charm. I LITERALLY wore them until the ass ripped and fell apart. I don’t think I’ll ever find a pair like that again!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Nice post Catherine. I’ve also always been pleased with the customer service at J. Crew. -Dominique
Hi Dominique. Great customer service is becoming something of a rarity these days but boy, J. Crew is definitely on top of the game!!! XXOXOXO!!!
Good customer service is EVERYTHING. On a trip recently, we paid for a shuttle to the airport at our hotel. The hotel didn’t have its own shuttle but contracted with a 3rd party company. They never showed up! We waited and waited. Front desk first told us they were probably just running late. Later, they told us they had been there but WE weren’t, which was a total LIE! We had to rush and get a cab to the airport. I had to go online to request a refund. The did give it to me, but their letter was obviously a form letter. The last paragraph said something like “we look forward to serving you in the future.” NOT BLOODY LIKELY! They obviously never even read my angry letter.
On the other hand, I’ve had instances where something goes wrong and a company goes above and beyond to make it right. I am more than willing to give those companies another chance. Amazing how so many companies just don’t get it.
OMG. Maid—reading about your debacle “maid” me so angry!!! How can a company–especially hospitality, lie like that?? Ughhhhh!!! It’s true though–form letters abound and nothing is personalized. My money always goes back to the great customer service!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Customer Service is everything but only the really great retailers figure that out…what a wonderful response by J.Crew…that response just bought them a new customer (in me). On the flip side, J.Jill should take a hint…horrible customer service…and I won’t be back. Love that your voice was heard.
Jeanne. Right??? Nordstrom has great customer service and even though I couldn’t stand working there, I will always be a loyal customer. J. Crew–same! I stopped purchasing ANYTHING Tory Burch after I went into the Tory Burch Boutique at KING OF PRUSSIA MALL–I was treated like shit. I will never make another Burch purchase ever!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
Catherine, I truly enjoy your articles!
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Hi Eleanor!! Thank you!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! XOXOXOXOXO!!!
Wow – THAT is the right sort of customer service, you should send them this blog post so they can see how positive all the comments are (and yes I will go and look at the UK site after this). I don’t have many multi tasking product tips, but Baby shampoo – that is useful. Think about it – something like Johnsons Baby Shampoo has been around since forever, so if there adverse effects we’d know by now, it has to be really gentle – sensitive skin, it has to wash out without leaving residue, it has to be really effective, and the formula doesn’t really change… therefore I have used it for hair (obviously) body wash, but it is also super for washing handknits, silk items or other delicates and also of course make up brushes/sponges etc. Really useful
Hi Juliet! YES. Baby shampoo is excellent for makeup brushes. I have a lot of siblings so growing up, we always had baby shampoo in the house. My mother swore up and down that it was the best anti-dandruff shampoo of all time!!! XOXOXOXO!!!
I have wanted to buy the Charlotte Tilbury Beach Stick for a long time (yes I am lazy) mainly because it has the word beach in the product. Glad it has your endorsement and I will have a look at it next time I’m at “the shops” which isn’t often in DC with no car. The flamingo print shorts are gorgeous and hopefully they will re-release next summer at the designed length. Fabulous Carly Simon song and cannot think of her without visualising the cover of No Secrets with the seventies hair, floppy hat and jeans. She is stunning.
Hi Yvonne! Ohhh I’m glad that you are going to purchase the beach stick. Tilbury has free shipping so you can check out her website too! Those shorts–those shorts!!
Oh..and that Simon album cover was also great because she wasn’t wearing a bra and has a nice set of ta-tas!! XOXOXOXO!!!