Disclosure: I got this product as part of a review opportunity.
Not to knock Tomoson, but I've gotten few products that I truly find useful or enjoyable to review. It may be because the cost to request a review is relatively inexpensive for each company who participates, meaning companies who are struggling can participate, but also that the risk of creating a campaign is lower. While I often talk about products I've randomly bought myself, I also am a member of another review group, which almost always sends high quality products and offers a lot of support during the campaign. The quality of what I'm offered is like night and day.
Recently, I received products from two companies. One has been awesome and I'll post about it later in the week. The other... well, read and tell me what you think.
The Request:
Majestical is an eCommerce jewelry site. When posting their review opportunity, the statement was that they are a "high fashion online only jewelry store specializing in handmade jewelry and statement pieces." They included a few sample images so I could have a sense of what I'd be reviewing. The samples looked like nice costume jewelry, bold necklaces with a lot of color. I didn't know exactly what I'd be getting, but I figured it would be in line with what was displayed.
The Product:
What I received was a "gold colored" pair of long feather earrings. I appreciated the packaging, which included a little gift bag and box, but to be honest, if they are an online-only store, why did they also use a traditional store display earring hanger?
I am more accustomed to receiving earrings a little differently (studs in a padded insert, for example), so this aspect of the packaging seemed a bit "Claire's" to me.
The earrings I received are listed as What An Earring on the Majestical website and sell for $12. The list price is set at $25, though I'm not sure what the list price purpose would be if they're selling direct to consumer and not acting as a reseller. This makes me think that perhaps they are rebranding and reselling, but since they have a wholesaler section of the site, I'm likely wrong on this.
The Second Opinion:
The earrings are approximately 4-1/2" long, which is too long for me. I'm short, so when I held these up to my ears, it was clear they would hang below my shoulders. I can't do that or those feathers will get caught on my clothes. They are really lightweight, which is nice in that they won't pull your ear down, but I knew I couldn't wear them without looking ridiculous. I didn't want them to go to waste and did want a second opinion about the quality, so I sent them to my friend, Kiersten, who loves jewelry.
Kiersten let me know what she thought and I appreciated her honesty. She said she wasn't a fan and that they look cheap (I concur). She felt the lightweight was nice, but she'd prefer a little more weight so they won't look so cheap. An important point she made, one that I wouldn't have known since I didn't put them in my ears was that they aren't good for sensitive ears. Her ears itched.
I also have sensitive ears and usually wear real gold or sterling silver unless it's for a very short time, like a quick dinner out. My ears turn red and get puffy otherwise. So these Majestical earrings are a definite no for both me and Kiersten. Bummer.
The Wrap-Up:
Truth is, I haven't a clue what these earring are made from. They are "gold colored" which tells me nothing. They're cheap costume jewelry, which is fine if that's what you want. I have no problem with cheap jewelry if that's what it's advertised as. However, the review request implied they would be at least a step up from what I received.
What is unexpected is that if you visit the Majestical website, you'll find higher priced items and real gemstones. Usually a small company has a strong target market, like "women who want to look nice and spend less" or "women over 30 who spend $$$ on jewelry each year." But Majestical seems to want to reach anyone who wants jewelry, whether they're a college student on a $10 budget or an upper-middle-class mom looking for a $400 necklace. After seeing the earrings I was sent, I wouldn't feel comfortable spending more than $15 on Majestical jewelry.
I did some digging and see that many people have been reviewing Majestical jewelry and quite a few like the pieces they received. Chrissy at Crash Beauty likes the feather earrings, so perhaps they do suit others well enough. So it's fair to say that maybe I received the one piece of "junk jewelry" on their site and others are much nicer. I'm not sure what I'd have thought if I received one of the sample necklaces like was shown in the original request. If you are curious, look at this similar piece on their site.
If I liked the earrings, I'd probably go back and try their styling service. Majestical reps will help select jewelry if you send them a photo of an outfit and you can even ask to see a piece on a real person to gauge size. That is quite cool and I wish they'd push that service more on their homepage and focus less on the cheap jewelry. Ditching the cheap stuff and creating a boutique shop with customized service would be fabulous and unique in the jewelry market.
I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers and in this case, I found the product I received not up to my standards. You can use your own judgement of course, but be sure to read product descriptions carefully before ordering so you know what you're buying.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com.
Not to knock Tomoson, but I've gotten few products that I truly find useful or enjoyable to review. It may be because the cost to request a review is relatively inexpensive for each company who participates, meaning companies who are struggling can participate, but also that the risk of creating a campaign is lower. While I often talk about products I've randomly bought myself, I also am a member of another review group, which almost always sends high quality products and offers a lot of support during the campaign. The quality of what I'm offered is like night and day.
Recently, I received products from two companies. One has been awesome and I'll post about it later in the week. The other... well, read and tell me what you think.
The Request:
Majestical is an eCommerce jewelry site. When posting their review opportunity, the statement was that they are a "high fashion online only jewelry store specializing in handmade jewelry and statement pieces." They included a few sample images so I could have a sense of what I'd be reviewing. The samples looked like nice costume jewelry, bold necklaces with a lot of color. I didn't know exactly what I'd be getting, but I figured it would be in line with what was displayed.
The Product:
What I received was a "gold colored" pair of long feather earrings. I appreciated the packaging, which included a little gift bag and box, but to be honest, if they are an online-only store, why did they also use a traditional store display earring hanger?
I am more accustomed to receiving earrings a little differently (studs in a padded insert, for example), so this aspect of the packaging seemed a bit "Claire's" to me.
The earrings I received are listed as What An Earring on the Majestical website and sell for $12. The list price is set at $25, though I'm not sure what the list price purpose would be if they're selling direct to consumer and not acting as a reseller. This makes me think that perhaps they are rebranding and reselling, but since they have a wholesaler section of the site, I'm likely wrong on this.
The Second Opinion:
The earrings are approximately 4-1/2" long, which is too long for me. I'm short, so when I held these up to my ears, it was clear they would hang below my shoulders. I can't do that or those feathers will get caught on my clothes. They are really lightweight, which is nice in that they won't pull your ear down, but I knew I couldn't wear them without looking ridiculous. I didn't want them to go to waste and did want a second opinion about the quality, so I sent them to my friend, Kiersten, who loves jewelry.
Kiersten let me know what she thought and I appreciated her honesty. She said she wasn't a fan and that they look cheap (I concur). She felt the lightweight was nice, but she'd prefer a little more weight so they won't look so cheap. An important point she made, one that I wouldn't have known since I didn't put them in my ears was that they aren't good for sensitive ears. Her ears itched.
I also have sensitive ears and usually wear real gold or sterling silver unless it's for a very short time, like a quick dinner out. My ears turn red and get puffy otherwise. So these Majestical earrings are a definite no for both me and Kiersten. Bummer.
The Wrap-Up:
Truth is, I haven't a clue what these earring are made from. They are "gold colored" which tells me nothing. They're cheap costume jewelry, which is fine if that's what you want. I have no problem with cheap jewelry if that's what it's advertised as. However, the review request implied they would be at least a step up from what I received.
What is unexpected is that if you visit the Majestical website, you'll find higher priced items and real gemstones. Usually a small company has a strong target market, like "women who want to look nice and spend less" or "women over 30 who spend $$$ on jewelry each year." But Majestical seems to want to reach anyone who wants jewelry, whether they're a college student on a $10 budget or an upper-middle-class mom looking for a $400 necklace. After seeing the earrings I was sent, I wouldn't feel comfortable spending more than $15 on Majestical jewelry.
I did some digging and see that many people have been reviewing Majestical jewelry and quite a few like the pieces they received. Chrissy at Crash Beauty likes the feather earrings, so perhaps they do suit others well enough. So it's fair to say that maybe I received the one piece of "junk jewelry" on their site and others are much nicer. I'm not sure what I'd have thought if I received one of the sample necklaces like was shown in the original request. If you are curious, look at this similar piece on their site.
If I liked the earrings, I'd probably go back and try their styling service. Majestical reps will help select jewelry if you send them a photo of an outfit and you can even ask to see a piece on a real person to gauge size. That is quite cool and I wish they'd push that service more on their homepage and focus less on the cheap jewelry. Ditching the cheap stuff and creating a boutique shop with customized service would be fabulous and unique in the jewelry market.
I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers and in this case, I found the product I received not up to my standards. You can use your own judgement of course, but be sure to read product descriptions carefully before ordering so you know what you're buying.
I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com.
I received a necklace and earrings from them that were not at all in line with what was advertised in the offer. I would have never chosen anything like those myself - or the feather earrings. What a disappointment.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure what the company was going for, but I wonder if they expected a paid editorial advertisement rather than a traditional product review. If they were looking for an ad, they should have been very specific and provided the talking points and some form of payment. The cheap earrings were not worthwhile compensation and I'm a bit embarrassed for even posting about them.
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