"Hey let's order glasses from Hong Kong over the Internet"- it sounds a bit crazy, kind of like one of those stories that ends with "it seemed like a good idea at the time". BUT with the husband and I both needing new glasses, and not wanting to spend $1000 or so we decided to try ordering from Zenni Optical. Zenni is based in Hong Kong, and they make prescription glasses for as cheap as $8. It sounds too good to be true, some of my friends questioned my sanity, but worst case scenario we'd be out $20 and have an interesting story to tell our friends. So, we took a chance and I'm glad we did.
We spent a weekend trying on different styles of glasses so we kinda knew what would work for us, then we measured our glasses, and ordered. I got a pair of bendable titanium half-rims with an "extra strong" prescription, and anti-reflective coating for $30, plus a pair of prescription sun glasses for another $25. Kris got a really nice pair of square frames, and a pair of aviator style glasses. He also got clip-on sun shades for both pairs, and anti-reflective coatings. The grand total for all four pairs with shipping was $95.
I ordered them on December 1, and they arrived yesterday- just a little over 2 weeks. The quality is impressive. The edges are polished nicely, the frames are sturdy, and they look very nice. Overall I'd say we got similar or better quality for about 10X cheaper than going to the eye doctor.
Then I put them on. I walked from my car to the office, and by the time I got there, I had a splitting headache. Luckily my eye doctor is just across the steet from the shop, and I had to stop in to pickup my contacts. After I got the contacts, I confessed my folly. He checked them out, and the prescription was perfect. He was gracious enough to adjust them, and I'm thrilled.
There are some drawbacks- not being able to try them on can be a bit hit or miss. The aviator style glasses that my husband got...well, they were downright kinda ugly- like really ugly. When he put them on I said "Wow! They invented new form of birth control!". But he'll keep them as a spare pair. The clip-on sun shades were worth the $5 we paid for them- but really nothing to write home about. They're kind of big and generic- so he really didn't need both pairs, but he'll keep them in the car. I also was off by just a little on my pupillary distance. I measured it myself, and in hindsight- I should have gotten the number from either my eye doctor, or somewhere like WalMart. I had read stories of people's eye doctors not parting with that number, so I just measured it myself. I was off by 3mm- but Dr. Henninger said that's not really enough to cause any issues. If it's really off- it can do some strange things, but 3mm isn't a big deal.
We also ordered from $39dollarglasses.com. They're based in New York. The nice thing is that they have decent customer service, a guarantee (Zenni really doesn't have one), and because they're much closer we got our glasses in about a week. The glasses weren't stellar. They left the anti-reflective coating off of mine, and there was a ding in the coating on my husband's pair. In all fairness, I haven't contacted them about it- and I'm willing to forgive a minor mistake. I've read nothing but good things about their customer service, and I'm sure they'll make it right. They don't have a huge selection- I had my heart set on a pair of Tina Fey-ish glasses, but none of the styles they stock are wide enough for me, so I'm still deciding what to do with the glasses from them.
This whole saga has also sparked a family debate. My aunt and uncle own Marich Music in Corning, NY. They've been in business for 34 years- and really have a great music store. In the past few years they've had a lot of competition from online places, and big box stores. When you get an insturment from them they take the time to work with you, to make sure you'll enjoy your purchase for years to come. If something breaks, my uncle can fix it, if you need guitar lessons- they'll teach you. They're kind, and personable, and they know their stuff better than anyone around.
That's the same sort of service I get from Dr. Henninger at Trumansburg Optical. He's the best eye doctor I've visited in over 20 years of wearing glasses, and I rely on him to keep my eyes healthy. Yes, there's a markup on the things he sells. He has bills to pay, and I can completely respect that. The big box stores that have overcharged me for crappy glasses with lousy service- I'm not worried about them. It's the Dr. Henninger's of the world that I worry about. I broke the nose piece off my glasses a while back. Dr. Henninger, not only noticed, but literally pulled me off the street, into his office, and fixed my glasses in about 5 minutes- no charge. Zenni can never and will never do that. So, I'll continue to go there- even buy the occasional pair of glasses from him.
I do like my cheap internet glasses- I think it has something to do with my lippie addiction. I love the way that lippies can instantly transform your look- you can go from femme fatale to innoncent school girl with a couple of swipes of a wand. Glasses can do the same thing. I've got my eye on a few pairs from Zenni- and when I'm feeling the urge to treat myself, I'll order them. Buying glasses just went from a huge purchasing decision to accessories shopping, and I'm excited to grab a few extra pairs- just for fun!
I'm a bit of a procrastinator when it comes to Holiday shopping...I still have to shop for quite a few people (including DH). I'm guessing there are more than a few people like me- so I've decided to extend our Holiday Sale.
I made some special lippies, and a new glow for this sale. The lippies are just what you need for the holiday season- they're sheer, light, fun, but still pretty and polished- and they're chocked full of very nourishing butters. Orders over $10 get a 3-gram jar of Crinoline Glow- our clone of MAC's Pettiecoat mineralize skin finish- it's a beautiful nudish pink with flecks of gold. It's gorgeous dusted on cheekbones, or lovely as a lippie. Orders over $25 get Peace- a very sheer shimmering pink with just a hint of gold- and flavored with vanilla and mint plus Crinoline. Orders over $40 get Joy a reddish coral peach color that's flavored with the most juicy, yummy peach flavor, plus Crinoline and Peace. Orders over $50 get all the free stuff, plus the Kisser Slicker of your choice for FREE! After that for every $25 you spend- you get another free Kisser Slicker!
There's still the $5.00 off shipping for orders over $100, and completely free shipping for orders over $150!
For truly last-minute shoppers- or the still undecided we've also added gift certificates to the site!
The sale ends December 20 so we can ship everything to you in time to put it under the tree.
Thank you again for all of your support- and have a wonderful holiday!
You can get your free lip glosses and glows from our web site www.silknaturals.com
Some genius at our hosting company decided to go fiddling with our server and switched the DNS entries. I make lipgloss- I'm not 100% sure what that means, but apparently our site is acting very odd. For a while it was down completely, and now it does seem to be back online.
Have a wonderful, safe and very Happy Thanksgiving!
The new collection is finally up! It's been quite a weekend- I went through 2- yes 2 digital cameras this week trying to get everything photographed, and online.
We have 55 new products- plus kits, makeup bags, and lots of other fun things. I wanted the skin care line to be bigger- but I've decided to hold on most of it for the moment so we can do some more testing, and make sure that everything is perfect.
It's our 2 year Anniversary this week- and we're having a sale! Until December 7 for every $25 you spend you get the free eye shadow of your choice- so if you order $25 you get one free shadow, $50 you get 2, $75 you get 3 etc. Orders over $100 get a $5 discount on shipping! Everyone who orders more than $10 also gets a free sample of our Brush-On Vitamin C Powder!!! Now is the time to stock up- it's our biggest sale of the year, and the only one between now and New Year's.
I think it's a new record for the number of contest winners. No one guessed 100% correctly- not even me- so I built in a margin of error. If you guessed between 45 and 65 and got your entry in by the Friday Noon deadline- you won!
Here's the official list:
Sam E- PA
Aurelie M- France
Mary Joyce O- Singapore
Andrea A- WA
Alejandra T- Alberta
Helena S- UK
Rayette B- CA
Tracey S- UK
Simone S-Germany
Sarah M- UK
MGMSRK- Canada
Terri Jo- Ontario
Whitney P- Ohio
Justine W- MA
Tuija H- Finland
Hong N- Australia
Congratulations to all of the winners- just put a note in with your order to let us know which lip gloss you'd like!
I know that the holidays are always a little crazy- and we're here to help make your life a bit easier. We will ship an order to anyone on your shopping list- and we'll include a gift receipt and a card. Just add their name to the shipping address section, write us a note on the checkout page so we know it's a gift and we'll take care of the rest!
We've been working and working on the new collection! The final count of new products is a little up in the air- but it's in the neighborhood of 50 new products! Even I get to play the guess the number of new products game- I never truly know until I get them all on the site. I'm working to get them on the site as quickly as I can- it should happen sometime tomorrow, or Sunday. I type pretty quickly- but it's a lot to coordinate, and get it all right.
I never really quite know what I'll create until I settle on the music I listen to as I make the new colors. My inspiration for this collection was classic swingy Christmas songs- old school, velvet-voiced crooners-with a little bit of the Sound of Music thrown-in just for fun.
There are 11-yes 11 new lip products. Twenty-one new/old eye shadows- including Vineyard's debut into the permanent collection- and lots and lots of other fun things. I wanted to make a collection that when you clicked on the site it brought back those excited butterfly feelings that you'd get waking up Christmas morning- and I think I succeeded.
Time to get back to work- but here's a little picture to tide you over.
We're full speed ahead on the Holiday Collection! It's our biggest addition ever! Shadows, and lippies- and lots and lots of surprises.
We're also bringing back some kits!
I've worked a solid 15 hours today so I'm a little bit exhausted- but I thought I'd have a little contest!
If you guess the correct number of new products (not including kits) you get a free lip gloss of your choice with your next order. Each person who guesses correctly wins- please send all entries to our usual contest email address:
sncontests@gmail.com
I'm hoping to have the collection up on the site by Friday evening or Saturday morning so all entries must be received by Noon eastern standard time Friday November 21. Please include your name, and your guess. Here's a hint- it's more than 10- but less than 100. Only one entry per person!
Well it's been a while. Last month, and the beginning of this one was quite interesting- and not always in a good way. It started off wonderfully- and ended pretty well too. We managed to raise $1400 for the Komen Foundation with our colors for a cure! But along the way there were accidents everywhere- but I'm happy to report that after totaling 3 cars- in 3 separate incidents- everyone in the extended SN family will be okay!
Susan is our shipping manager- and she's an incredibly hard worker who is essentially in charge of making sure the orders get out, and taking really good care of you. Her husband was in a really bad car accident- emphasis on the really bad. It was touch-and-go for a while, but he's at home,and he looks good. Eventually they're expecting that he'll make a full recovery. He's on the mend- and Susan came back to work this week.
My mother and sister managed to total her car- but are fine. My brother's car was parked pretty securely on the beach- but decided it wanted to go for a swim in the lake. After the other two- that one's just kind of funny.
Jamie and I held down the fort as best as we could, and we're in the process of getting caught-up and moving ahead. We all really appreciate all of your support, patience and understanding during this situation.
I've been planning a Holiday extravaganza- and with any luck we'll be releasing it next week! With new collections- it's all very minute to minute- there's a lot of different elements that have to come together- but I absolutely *know* it will be worth the wait.
In the mean time we've giving away sneak-preview samples with every order over $15. We're adding some very fun and interesting things to the site- and the samples are very cool.
Time to go make the lip gloss! Thank you again for all of your kindness, and support.
Today is my 32nd birthday! I used to get freaked-out about being another year older, but a wise person once said- getting older beats not getting older any day. Yes, it does- I embrace getting older, because it beats the alternative.
October is also Breast Cancer Awareness month, and I've known too many great women who have had to deal with this plague, so we're doing some very special Colors for a Cure with the proceeds benefiting the Susan J Komen foundation.
I am very proud to release our special Black Label lippies- 100% natural, over 80% organic, and one fortified with cranberry seed and passionfruit oils. I added 23k edible gold leaf, and made 2 very pretty colors. Carpe Diem is a golden berry shade, and Monarch, a golden copper with just a hint of pink. We used our standard black tube packaging, but I made little black velvet sheaths tied with a pink ribbon for each tube. It's the most luxurious lippie I can make.
I think you'll love the way the lippie feels- it's a variation on our lipstick formula, so it's creamy, and incredibly moisturizing.
They are $9.95 each, and $6 from each sale goes to the Komen Foundation.
I also made 3 limited edition eye shadows inspired by some very incredible women that I've been honored to know. Live, Laugh and Love are perfect colors for Fall or any special occasion, and for each trio that we sell we'll donate $7 to the Komen Foundation.
Think holiday shopping! These are absolutely perfect for gifts- they have great packaging, and are colors that should look good on pretty much everyone.
The Colors for a Cure will be available from today until October 31.
Our last sale was so much fun that I've decided to run a similar promotion all the time. With the price of everything going up all the time, and our already pretty low prices, a percentage off, or free shipping sale just isn't something we can do without raising prices first (and I don't want to do that)- BUT we always appreciate your orders- so I'm making a special limited edition color, and including it with every order over $25. We'll switch the colors every few weeks, and it will always be a new one. So you never have to wait for a sale, or feel bad that you just missed one- just spend $25, and you get a free, 3-gram jar of a special gorgeous color.
This month's color is Superstar. I got inspired by Halloween, and blended together the colors of a Jack-O-Lantern- it's a blackened golden peach with lots of shimmer. You'll feel like a Superstar every time you wear it! Superstar also goes perfectly with Live, Laugh and Love- our colors for a cure.
Please tell your friends about Colors for a Cure. This is an excellent chance to get some great colors to help a great cause.
As much as I loved visiting with my MIL, and taking a vacation- I really missed working. I feel lucky to be able to say that. I couldn't wait to get back to the shop, and I really missed visiting our forum, and emails while I was away.
We are so lucky to have truly wonderful customers. You make this fun, and it's a treat to get to go to work at SN every day. To show our appreciation for you we're having a Customer Appreciation Event.
I made 5 new, special lippies, all based on customer requests (we love customer requests), and they're the colors that we've been craving now that the nights are getting longer, and the weather is getting cooler. These are inspired by you- and the absolutely gorgeous Finger Lakes wine region where we're located!
Orders over $5.00 get a free bag of samples- there's a lippie sample, an eye shadow sample, and a blush sample baggie. You can keep them all to yourself, or share them with a friend!
Orders over $20 get a free LE eye shadow called Vineyard, and the bag of samples. It's a light, shimmery smokey plum with hints of blue, as well as green and tan shimmer. Vineyard was inspired by the grape harvest here in the Finger Lakes, and it's beautiful. It's a sophisticated dress up color that I like with green liner (Grassroots Green is my favorite with it- but they all work pretty well).
Orders over $40 get the samples, Vineyard, and a free eye shadow color of your choice!
Remember there is also the Friend code good for first orders!
Once again- Thank you so much for being great people. Each and every one of you has helped to build Silk Naturals, and we sincerely appreciate it
Edited to add- the sale ends on September 23
I'm back from vacation! We had an absolutely wonderful time visiting with MIL- she's so cool, and I'm so glad she made the trip over to see us.
Thank you all so much for your patience with the email situation. I had web access for the first few days at the rented cottage, but after that NOTHING. I'm officially caught up- I've responded to all of the emails!
Vacation was absolutely wonderful. We live in the Finger Lakes region of Upstate New York, and within about an hour's drive of our house there are tons of really fantastic places to visit. DH and I don't get to those cool places as often as we would like, so we love having company because it gives us a great reason to really savor and appreciate where we live.
The weather turned from Summer to Fall while we were gone...the first week I was grilling everything because it was just too hot to cook, and last week I was making chowder, and sitting near the fireplace. Driving around the Finger Lakes was absolutely inspiring.
We're in Wine Country, and it's harvest time! Everywhere we went the vineyards were just absolutely full of ripe, beautiful grapes.
After I caught up with everything, I couldn't wait to dive in and make some lippies inspired by the Fall Bounty.
I'm hoping to have them on the site tomorrow, along with a special offer- gift with purchase color!
Whoo- I'm beat for the day, but stay tuned for a very fun surprise!
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