August 2019 - EATME pink/black items & longan picking

I was excited about my big EATME purchases this month, but didn't have a whole lot going on. Hope you'll enjoy this quick update! I've been moving a bit away from social media again and am not currently trying to force myself to blog for the sake of blogging.

Purchases
EATME Sheer sleeve decolette OP in pink
シースルースリーブデコルテワンピース

EATME releases something similar to this pretty much annually, but this is the first year that I had significant interest to pay attention to the release + pay full price. I was a bit torn because I love all three colorways (pink, black and mix), but pink seemed less seasonal and a bit more unique (although stereotypical and par for the course for larme-type items).

EATME Side lace up skirt in pink
サイドレースアップスカート

There was a longer version of this skirt that was available in the previous spring/summer releases, but that sold out before I was able to make up my mind about it. The shorter version I think suits my personal style a bit better anyway and will be slightly more versatile for me. Although I liked the black version the best, I reasoned that I have many other similarly cut black skirts in my closet already, so I decided to go with the pink. I'm also considering the mix version if this ever makes it to a sale!


EATME Garter off shoulder OP in pink
ガーターオフショルワンピース

I purchased the khaki version of this OP back in June and really adored it. I had paid full price for it and didn't regret it for a second. However, seeing it on sale, I realized that I would love to have it in another color because I thought the design was super cute. Again, I like the look of the black version but if I was going to get another, I figured pink was the most different from the khaki which photographs dark grey/close to black in bad lighting.

Overall quite happy with my order. I did quickly wear the black/pink OP to work one day but didnt manage to get a photo with whatever else I had going on. The other two I'm definitely planning to wear in September with a purse I'm planning to get so look forward to that!

Work Outfits
I fell off a bit on this this month because I wasn't quite feeling up to it every day and sometimes when I was wearing a travel or super lazy outfit (depending on what else we had going on that day), I decided not to photograph or post. However, this exercise has been otherwise pretty motivating for me and I think I wore most of my work appropriate Liz Lisa dresses and skirts since starting (maybe 1-2 non-seasonal items left!).

Liz Lisa message ribbon sailor blouse, Liz Lisa ice cream skirt, Liz Lisa watermark cardigan, Liz Lisa knot wedge sandals, Samantha Vega pass case purse

Liz Lisa back cross midi OP, Liz Lisa back lace up sandals, Liz Lisa big ribbon woven bag

Marilyn Monroe collection for Macys dress, Ank Rouge key embroidery cardigan, DreamV cross strap pumps, Kate Spade New York purse

Liz Lisa flower embroidery off shoulder OP, DreamV cross strap pumps, Samantha Thavasa purse

Ank Rouge gingham off shoulder midi dress, Liz Lisa many ribbon boater hat, Liz Lisa back lace up sandals, Liz Lisa heart lace up purse

DKNY fitted dress, Jessica Simpson Dany sandals, Liz Lisa heart lace up purse

Liz Lisa fishtail long dress, Flag J sandals, Michael Kors purse

Tralala bi-color dress, Kate Spade New York bijou cardigan, Tralala bi-color hair clip, DreamV cross strap pumps, Liz Lisa heart lace up purse 

Delyle Noir choker top, Delyle Noir watercolor flower skirt, Delyle Noir bijou belt, Liz Lisa bijou cardigan, DreamV cross strap pumps, Michael Kors purse

Liz Lisa floral ribbon OP, Paris Kids ribbon clip, Liz Lisa glitter pumps

Forever 21 ribbon tie blouse, Banana Republic geometric fitted skirt, GAP cardigan, DreamV cross strap pumps, Michael Kors purse

Forever 21 V-back dress, Liz Lisa cardigan, DreamV cross strap pumps

Liz Lisa sweet latte OP, Liz Lisa sweet latte cardigan, Liz Lisa 3-strap pumps, Samantha Vega pass case purse

Liz Lisa pleats puff OP, DreamV cross strap pumps, Samantha Thavasa purse

Liz Lisa bow tie blouse, Liz Lisa glen check pleats skirt, Liz Lisa cardigan, Liz Lisa 3-strap pumps

Charlotte Russe heart dress, Flag J sandals

Liz Lisa Emma plumeria romper, FlagJ sandals

Liz Lisa floral lace border dress, Liz Lisa lace peek cardigan, Liz Lisa lace wedge pumps

Miscellaneous life stuff
We went to Hilo again but this time to pick longan! It's somewhat similar to lychee but definitely not as big or sweet. This was my first time harvesting this fruit and they don't have as many trees, but it was pretty easy to pick compared to this season's lychee crop. We were able to get all that we needed and more in just one weekend with three people picking.

We went for a short hike with my coworker and her boyfriend at Moanalua Valley Trail + a little more but didn't (purposefully) go all the way to the back of Stairway to Heaven. And ofc had to have shave ice as a treat from Shimazu.

Sorry for the photo dump and go but hoped you enjoyed this short update! This month was so humid and miserable that I can't wait for fall weather :)

Hey Silky Skin review - *spoiler alert* DO NOT BUY

tl;dr - Product doesn't work. "100% money back guarantee" not as simple as advertised on home page. Customer service brushes me off. Won't publish my 1 star verified buyer review.


I got suckered in by Facebook ads, what can I say? I also very much expected this to be a positive review, and yet here we are.

Background:
I've been half considering laser hair removal treatments for a while (like from high school 10 years ago when I first heard about it), but never seriously enough to sit down and spend time researching a good local salon for it. Lo and behold, after mentioning it to my bf, Facebook "reads my mind" and I start getting tons of ads for "Hey Silky Skin" which is advertised as at home handheld laser hair removal device.

I read a ton of the Facebook comments (and noticed that the Hey Silky Skin facebook page seemed to be very responsive which I liked), hesitated for weeks and then finally bit the bullet around Mothers Day. The original retail price is $229, but there was a coupon/special and I was able to get it for $179 with free express shipping.

Hey Silky Skin had great communication from time of purchase. I got order confirmation, shipping notification and then also out-for-delivery and delivered updates by email as well. Since this is a somewhat pricey product, I liked that there was a lot of information about when to expect it to arrive. It came in a padded USPS envelope that seemed to secure and protect the product well enough.

The packaging is simple but sturdy and seems thoughtful and indicative of a product that the company cares about displaying nicely. There's just 2 components to it - the handheld laser device and a power cord which make it extremely simple to use.

Using the product:
I read and followed the simple instructions and warnings in the small pamphlet and, after shaving, I was ready to use it.
I started on May 14 with just a few areas on my body to test it out - stomach and left leg (wanted to leave my right leg for comparison) and underarms. On this first day of using it, I tried only Level 1. There is a small heating sensation during the laser blink but it's nowhere near a burning feeling. It took a little while to get adjusted to it, but is not painful.

To use the product, simply plug it on, turn it on (button on the back), adjust the intensity level and then it's essentially ready to use. The big button on the front triggers the light and it will only flash if the entire front area is covered as a safety feature. This is a little problematic for areas like my knee but super easy for flat areas. You need to press the button and move the handset along your body, pressing the button as you go. It's not a continuous laser. As such, it can take a little while to get your entire leg from thigh to ankle compared to shaving.

Feeling a little more comfortable, I decided to try it on my bikini area next on May 15.

I've been shaving in between the weekly treatments and always directly before. I also started increasing the intensity level depending on the area to be between Level 3 for more sensitive areas and Level 4-5 for less sensitive areas although no where does the product mandate that it must be used on the highest level in order to be effective. In fact, it's typically advertised to be "pain free" and that customers should be using the product at whatever level is comfortable for them.

To be clear, I have a skin tone that is acceptable for the laser treatments according to the instructions (equal to or lighter than "Clay 2-3") and the hair that I'm targeting is black, so I'm not trying to use it on blonde or light brown hairs.

Discontent:
After my 7th treatment (week 7), I realized I wasn't seeing any of the results I saw discussed on the thousands of comments on their sponsored Facebook ads - most of which mentioned seeing results in as early as 2-3 sessions. Remembering the "90 day 100% money back guarantee" logo on the website, I went back to check for it and just saw the "shop now" button at the bottom of the page.

Since the initial order email from the company said "Feel free to send an email to us at Hey@HeySilkySkin.com if you have any questions at all or just want to say hey :)" I figured I would do just that since the website wasn't giving me the answers I wanted.

Their reply was simply that they don't accept returns on used products for sanitary reasons (completely understandable) and that the 90 day money back guarantee could only be processed if their guidelines are followed in full, directing me to the Hey Silky Skin homepage (http://www.heysilkyskin.com/) which I had already visited. 
I figured there must be something I missed there, but scrolled down the homepage and saw only the message that if you're "not happy? no problem". Looking around more, I found the the side menu which is hidden by default, and there was the Money Back Guarantee page which had a list of guidelines you had to follow including emailing them on the day your order arrives.

Of all of these guidelines, of course I missed this and would never typically email a large company after receiving an order on my own.

I reread through the home page to see how I could have made this mistake since I'm usually very cautious about making large $ amount purchases. It seems like there's no obvious link to the money back guarantee page despite numerous mentions of it when "shopping" for the product. 

I emailed customer service again just for clarification. They confirmed that nothing could be done and they just encouraged me to continue to use the product as I may not see "complete results" for 12 weeks based on the 4 stages of hair growth. 

Let me tell you. It's now been 13 WEEKS of consistent use of the product and I have still yet to see ANY, even minor results, much less "complete results" on any of the body parts I tried (leg, bikini area, underarms, stomach). I know this for a fact because I used my right leg as a control and the hair on my left leg (which received the treatment) is in exactly the same state. I would have thought maybe at least the fine hair on my stomach would have been affected, but even that is still stubbornly growing in as usual. 

Please believe me, especially after hearing that I was not eligible to get my money back, I desperately wanted this product to work so I've been extremely diligent in following the instructions and staying on the schedule. And yet, here I am, still needing to shave every couple of days and basically just flashing light on my body for no reason.

Bottom line: Long story short, this product does NOT WORK and the Money Back Guarantee is not automatically built into your purchase! Please learn from my mistake and do not purchase this item. Or if you do, at the very least, please go to the Money Back Guarantee link (<-- here, I'll directly link you since it seems the company won't go out of their way to ensure you can access it easily) and follow the instructions to opt in. 

Note: I did try to leave this product a 1 star review using the email they sent me as a customer, but it doesn't seem to have been published (yet). When I try to submit again (in case it did not process correctly), I get a "Review has already been submitted" message so I know it was received. I have DM'd the company on Facebook (claims to respond within 2 hours but haven't heard back in over a day).
I don't usually like to write blog posts to complain about bad products, but since it seems they won't accept my direct review of the product, I figured this was my only way to share my piece.

UPDATE (March 2020) - After publishing this blog post, I ended up continuing to use the product weekly (once a week which is the recommended interval) until the 25th week. That's 25 treatments total and I saw absolutely no results. In fact, I can say now, months later, that the hair in some of the areas I treated (like my stomach) has increased from what I started with which is super annoying.
Since I had paid for the product through PayPal, I tried to file a claim as a comment had recommended but, in the end, PayPal ended up siding with the vendor and I did not receive any of my money back. To reiterate, I really gave this product a fair shot and it DOES NOT WORK.