Re: Reviews

Just a note. Any of the items that have been reviewed on my blog were items I purchased with my own hardworking funds. Nothing has been given to me free or in a trade etc. The only way it was free is if a friend or family member gave me a gift for a holiday or such.

I think Suzanne Somers has the right idea!

I think Suzanne Somer's has the right idea. You need to take control of your body and become your own doctor. In my experience I've had more than one test re-taken for the simple error of the medical professional not taking enough of a sample on a pap smear or not taking proper pictures for a mammogram. Having to retake some of these tests seem to take years off my life with worry. Hmmm this time is there really something wrong with me etc. In the end I've been lucky in most aspects. It makes me wonder though... this has happened multiple times with me through various doctors... is this a scam of sorts for insurance money on some level? All these retakes add up. Just a thought. Also to get a doctor to actually listen to your needs is pretty hard to find. Most lump you in on whatever the masses seem to do well on regarding medications. Most times I know what's up with my body and I pretty much give the Doc a blueprint of what's going on. I'm met with crazy attitudes and looks. I'm coming to a doctor for their educated knowledge and a cut to the chase answer. Honestly why should I have to google my symptoms and diagnose myself...that's a doctors job! Unless you are "someone" it's more of a "next person" attitude. Don't get me wrong I've had some great doctors and have lost them to other insurance networks and have had a heck of a time finding replacements. And what is up with having to change your personal care provider on your insurance card before going to a doctor? Such a waste. Why can't we just choose a doctor in our provider book and go. Ahhh these are the things I think about.

Suzanne Somers -pic from entertainment.blogs.foxnews.com

http://www.suzannesomers.com/

Made In USA

Dressbarn- Made in the USA clothing :0)

www.dressbarn.com

This is the jacket I purchased. I took a picture with my camera and unfortunately  there is something on  the inside of my lense that shows up as an orb. Don't get me started on Best Buy and the Geek Squad. Anyway this picture (only) is from off of the Dressbarn website. I did notice that on the website the item says that it is Imported but as you can see below in my pic the item clearly says Made in the USA. 

 To my excitement I found an actual piece of clothing made in the USA! It is so hard to find clothing made in the USA at any of the local chain clothing stores. I visited my local Dressbarn today and tried on some items and while doing so I have a habit of checking the tags to see where the garments were made. Dressbarn sells different brands of clothing but they also have their own brand and that brand is made in the USA! I will definitely be stopping in the store more often just to check for more clothing made in the USA. Most items in the Dressbarn are in the $30 range and most dresses are under $100.

hmmm after doing a little bit of research it's possible this is nothing more than a confusing ploy by the manufactures in the clothing industry. Example-found on Wikipedia: Goods produced in American Samoa (a United States territory) are entitled to attach a "Made in USA" label, as this is an insular area of the United States. This area has until recently had few of the labor and safety protections afforded United States workers, and there have been a number of cases of sweatshop operators exploiting labor forces imported from south and east Asia. The Northern Mariana Islands is another U.S. possession in the Pacific that was exempted from U.S. wage and labor laws until recently,^[when?] where the use of the "Made in USA" label was likewise controversial. The label is controversial also since all U.S. insular areas, except Puerto Rico, operate under a customs territoryseparate from the U.S., making their products technically imports when sold in the United States proper.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Made_in_USA

So which is the real deal....Made in USA or Made in U.S.A. ??? I think my excitement is fleeing :0(

Wedding Gown Preservation Company- Since 1913

This review is on the wedding gown preservation company called "Wedding Gown Preservation Company -Since 1913

http://www.gownpreservation.com

From afar dress appears to be fine. Up close you will note the wrinkled appearance of both the decorative band and the the tulle is roughed up and not placed flat in the box. It has an angry appearance. Also you will note that the left sleeve is pulled down to a normal stance and the right side is all bunched up.

After the horror story of my wedding gown I debated on if I should have my dress preserved or not. I was under the assumption I may never see the dress again if I let it out of my sight. I mean seriously my dress had went through customs three times and took years off my life prior to my wedding. I didn't get to have much time with my dress and I didn't have all the fun fittings etc...where I could admire myself and really enjoy the process. Most of my friends have done nothing with their dresses. Some have consigned theirs, others have just hung it up in their closet and others have stored it in Rubbermaid only later to open the container and find that their dress had molded! After weighing all the options I decided I wanted the dress preserved. I chose to go with the lady who finally fixed my dress. I had little information except that she had used this company for a long time. Only once I had gotten the dress back did I know where it had went. My dress traveled to New York. Here's the part I have mixed feelings about. My wedding was in August 2012. I made an appointment to drop my dress off at the Seamstresses home shop on Sept 29, 2012. I received my dress back this month Feb 2013! I was originally told it takes 10 weeks from start to finish. Now when I look up the company who did the preservation it says 10 to 15 days??? What??? Believe me I called the lady who set this all up and started asking if my dress still existed. When my dress finally came in I was so happy to finally see my dress again I didn't really take inventory of how it looked in the box until I got it home. I was a little disappointed in that the band on my dress did not appear to be steamed out. It was all wrinkly. I also noticed the sleeves on my dress were just kind of jammed in the box and and were positioned uneven in display. The tulle of my dress appeared to be mashed underneath. When the dress was preserved one of my sequins broke and stuck to the inside of the plastic wrap so there is no getting it out of the preservation window. It looks like a bug at first glance. I paid up front $169.00 for this service. All in all I guess it is better than just hanging the dress in a closet, but at the same time it's those little things that make me wonder...was this dress ever cleaned or was it just shoved in the box. The time frame has me baffled. The sticker on the box shows that the company said they received  my dress in January 2013??? Because I did not directly deal with this vendor I have neither a negative or positive review. 

This is the broken sequin that is stuck to the inside of the  box and looks like a bug. 

This shows the decorative band showing to be creased. In my opinion it does not appear to have been steamed. If anything  maybe an iron was placed on it and creased. Not impressed. 

Eye Make Up Removers

Now that I use waterproof mascara I definitely have to have some sort of oil based remover to get it off my lashes. In the past I've used baby oil but it leaves residue. I've used Vaseline, but eye make up is still hard to get off my skin.  I used for a while the Target brand Up and Up Eye Make Up Remover. I've purchased it several times and felt it worked really well until I decided to try the Neutrogena brand Eye Make Up Remover. I think the Neutrogena brand is more gentle on my skin and a lot less tugging to get my make up off. Both are great, but I think I prefer the Neutrogena brand.  I'm willing to pay a little more for the Neutrogena brand to save the tugging on my skin when removing heavy eye make up. I feel I use more product when I use the Target Brand. Both are pretty comparable, however it comes to personal preference on this product for me.

1000 Negative reviews for Casablanca and Diane's Dream Brides

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. Looking at these pictures should be worth 1000 negative reviews. This is the reason I say DO NOT PURCHASE from Casablanca Bridal or Diane's Dream Brides of Livonia, Michigan. 

I purchased a strapless dress and wanted illusion sleeves added to the dress. Sleeves that were barely there.

Does this look like an illusion sleeve to you?  This was four layers of tulle. It came with elastic that was suppose to hold the sleeve just on my shoulder. However they slipped off my shoulder and were practically down to my elbows. The sleeves were the wrong circumference. I could not even fully get my arm in one of the sleeves. It was useless. I was too traumatized to take decent pictures. I was told this was exactly what I wanted even while the dress was on and clearly did not fit. It horrified me while I had it on. This sleeve did not match the original dress sketches at all. (Casablanca's Error)

Apparently they thought I should have bell sleeves too. This design made me look like a line backer.  I wanted to look tiny not wider than I was. (Casablanca's Error)

You could have fit a large Solo brand cup in the front of my dress. I was told this fit me perfectly.  A running stitch does not fix this. If you are normally a size 12 on top and a size 14 on your bottom but you have to purchase a size 16 dress and no alterations are done to the top of the dress...I would say It's not going to fit...wouldn't you? (Diane's Dream Brides alterations.) 

This is what is considered custom bust work at Diane's Dream Brides. Tacked with three threads. Hmmm this looks more like what comes in my bathing suits...Really??? Custom you say??? (Diane's Dream Brides alterations)

I was told to walk down the isle in a dress like this by Diane's Dream Brides. I had ill fitting sleeves that had a  Holly Hobby pucker! They actually tried to fix this with wig tape! I was horrified when Diane put wig tape on my shoulder and started smashing the fabric down onto me! Seriously this is professional. I was told sorry there is nothing more that can be done. Thank God I found someone else that thought this was as much of a nightmare as myself and fixed it for me. Of course I paid for it out of my own pocket and Diane's had no problem not paying for a dime of my happiness. I can not believe Diane would want to put her stamp of approval on this dress and send me out the door like this. (Diane's Dream Brides alterations) 

As a side note : My dress had been through customs 3 times! When I purchased my dress I asked Diane's Dream Brides where the dress was to be made...I was told in Europe. They didn't know what country. When I started to have issues and wanted to know where my dress was the truth came out...China. When I was told it was made in Europe I thought Germany, Italy, France no idea of China. I thought it very misleading of a retailer to say such a thing. It was definitely a sales process you would have had to be there to understand the feeling and the sales pitch. 

*****No I will not get over it...why should I! And if you are a Bride and want to be beautiful on your special day you shouldn't settle for what others think you should deserve. Would you have walked down the isle in this? I think not! I didn't ask for much. What I was given was nothing short of bad craftsmanship and horrible customer service.*****

Want affordable flowers...think Krogers

Picture found on honeymoon on Mackinac Island. Table cloth I made. Drinking pitcher given as gift by my Mother and  Flowers from mark down section at Krogers. Don't they look fake, but they are real :0)

Do you need nice flowers for a special event or an inexpensive pick me up? Think Krogers! If you aren't too picky in the style of flower you want you may want to check out what your local Krogers grocery store has to offer. I've had good luck even in the mark down section. I go the day before my event and see what they have to offer. I usually can find something that can work and is affordable. People were amazed at what we were able to purchase for our house warming party. Sure they may not look so pretty taking the bunches home in plastic but once home tear open that packaging and place them in dollar store finds, vases, juice glasses, jars pitchers you name it and waa-la instant pretty :0) 

Dollar store bird. Birdcage from Krogers that we later painted and used as part of our center pieces for our wedding. Vase was an oversize coca-cola glass from the dollar store.  And last but not least...flowers from Kroger

Purchased for Christmas party at home. Reused wedding vases and  birdcage votive candles.