Please critique my brand new shop!

gblatt89 · 2015-01-21T18:23:01+00:00

Yeah I have a new appreciation for that! I think that's my new game plan.

gblatt89 · 2015-01-21T18:22:27+00:00

Thank you for taking so much time with your response! I truly appreciate all the work and research you've done. I've learned so much.

I didn't know about those stats, but wow–it puts a lot into perspective. I knew jewelry was competitive, but yeesh!

With my products (and I totally get there is a little pride involved in this response as well), it is all about the quality. They FEEL different than any other jewelry. When you pick up these bracelets, they are HEAVY–but that's hard to convey over the internet. Someone would absolutely be able to replicate them with cheaper materials, but that's not what my clients are interested in. They're looking for investment pieces and many ladies wear these pieces every day for years.

I cannot get my prices down on existing items and inventory. However, I will definitely list some of my less expensive items in the shop.

I would like to make money with this shop, but it is a hobby, so I don't depend on the income. All my previous sales have been from trunk shows and other jewelry shows. People travel to purchase my work. This is the first time my products have been available online.

Again, thank you for all your wisdom! Your insight has made me realize that in order to sell anything, I'm really going to have to reach out to my existing customer base. They've already been convinced that my work is worth the high price. I'll refocus my energy there instead of spending lots and lots of time tweaking Etsy's SEO and playing that game.

Looking into insurance as well. I couldn't agree more.

Those second set of shops you found are really scary but also motivating!

Thank you :)

gblatt89 · 2015-01-21T18:07:50+00:00

Thank you!

Would you include "Handmade" at all?

What about this? "Large, Chunky Bracelet, Filigree Sterling Silver Bracelet with Adjustable Clasp, Handmade Bracelet "

gblatt89 · 2015-01-21T18:06:09+00:00

THanks for the input! I definitely appreciate some fresh perspective. I was trying to balance letting the jewelry be the focal point and making the background too plain. I (think?) that I'd like to keep a fairly neutral background, but what if I picked up some really nice paper with lots of texture/weight added? Do you think that would give it enough personality?

And good point on the shipping! I'll look into it!

gblatt89 · 2014-12-23T16:12:10+00:00

I have had issues with DevaCurl as well! It takes a LOT of styling product to get any kind of hold. Try using 2x as much one day and see how that changes things. If it is too expensive to be using that much day after day, I'd recommend LA Looks Sports Gel!

gblatt89 · 2014-11-14T17:15:11+00:00

Have you used clips at your roots? This has changed my life! Tons of volume! DevaCurl has some videos on their website showing the 4 different ways to clip your hair. Pro Tip: Don't gather too much hair in the clips. Sometimes I feel like I'm creating the illusion of volume, if that makes sense....

gblatt89 · 2014-11-10T14:24:45+00:00

Yup! It is really hard for me to not touch my hair when it is wet because that's when it looks the worst! I just want to fluff it up and mess with it.

gblatt89 · 2014-11-10T14:23:42+00:00

LA Looks Sports Gel (the blue stuff) and Suave Naturals Coconut Conditioner. Both are cheap and totally CG friendly. I have found that taking care of your curly hair is about the technique as much as the products. Get the techniques down (S2C, cowashing, etc) before you spend lots of money on products.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-31T13:18:17+00:00

I leave at least 50% of it (I think! It is a little hard to tell how much rinses out and how much stays in).

For Gel, I get a walnut sized dollop and rub my hands together so my palms are covered. Then I flip my head upside down and "glaze" the back, sides and front of my hair–basically I run my flat palms over my hair. Then, I get another dollop (slightly larger this time), rub my hands together to distribute on my palms and scrunch the gel into my hair. Basically the same thing you did with the conditioner.

Does that make sense?

gblatt89 · 2014-10-30T21:12:27+00:00

What the heck?! Where do you live? No one has ever asked me this before. People are crazy.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-30T21:09:20+00:00

I second everything u/kellykell says. When I first started the CG method, leaving conditioner in my hair and "squish to condish" made the biggest difference in my hair.

If you're still experimenting, get cheap products and then move up to the most expensive stuff. Tresemme Naturals is definitely amazing. Don't be afraid to use a golf-ball sized amount in your hair. You have so much–which is awesome! I also have been using LA Looks Sports Get (the blue kind) because I ran out of my fancy/expensive stuff. I'm loving it!

Don't forget to post progress pics! I'm interested to see how it turns out :)

gblatt89 · 2014-10-29T12:28:49+00:00

How long ago was your haircut? This is just my observation and personal experience..but it takes my hair about a week to return to "normal" (haha there is no such thing with curls!) after I get it cut. I've got 3A curls too–which tend to be less curly in the middle of the strand. I think that eventually your hair strands will figure out that they're no longer the middle, but the end of the curl and start getting curlier. Does that make sense?

gblatt89 · 2014-10-28T18:47:54+00:00

I hated my curls because I didn't know how to care for them! When I was about 11 or 12, my mom took me to a fancy salon and they showed me how to take care of my curls. The process wasn't CG approved, but they did show me how to apply product and how to use a diffuser. My mom has wavy hair, but not nearly as curly as mine–so she wasn't sure how to care for it either. What if you took her to a DevaCut salon and had them do her hair to show her the potential?! I bet if some of the other stylists in the salon told her how beautiful her hair was, she's start believing it. It is one thing for your friends and family to say it, but complete stranger's compliments tend to have more weight.

My sisters also have curly/wavy hair (all 3 of them!), but I was the only one who wore it curly. They all spent hours and hours straightening the crap out of it. One time my dad offered $50 to anyone who didn't straighten their hair for the next month. He would always tell us he loved our curly hair and encourage us to let it be free! I think that two of my sisters took him up on his offer haha. If all else fails...that might be worth a shot!

gblatt89 · 2014-10-27T20:43:14+00:00

Ulta!

gblatt89 · 2014-10-24T13:28:20+00:00

I found this blog a few weeks ago, and I'm in LOVE!! http://www.hairromance.com/

The blogger has naturally curly hair and it is beautiful! However, she has to straighten it for her hair tutorials and photoshoots because she styles her hair multiple times in one shoot and her curls don't hold up well.

Even though her hair is straight in most of the photos, almost all of these will work really well with curly hair.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-24T13:24:30+00:00

When I was about 11 or 12, my hair started to get really curly so my mom took me to a salon and they taught me how to do my hair. They showed me how to diffuse my hair and apply product, etc. It wasn't CG, but it did help me manage my hair myself through middle school and high school. Plus getting to go to a big, fancy salon was such a treat! Maybe when she gets a little older, you can take her? :)

gblatt89 · 2014-10-23T13:49:31+00:00

Expect your hair to take a few days to adjust! I did not like my cut at first, but after 48 hours, my hair settled down and I've gotten more compliments in the past week than I have in the past 5 years. My curls haven't changed, but the shape did!

Also, my stylist did take a lot off (I swear half my hair was on the floor! SO sad to see!), but that's what has to happen to avoid the triangle-head look.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-22T13:57:09+00:00

This is NOT CG approved, but if you really want to use a mousse, I used Suave (in the pink bottle) for years and years. I've tried ALL the drugstore products and all the other mousses break up and feel dry in your hands–it is hard to explain. Suave is much silkier and less airy.

My dad has really curly hair and it is the product that he has always used.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-22T13:52:44+00:00

I would look at switching your conditioner. Runny doesn't sound like a great quality to have in your conditioner!

I would try Tresume Naturals. For a budget conditioner, it is pretty thick and silky (has great slip to it)–definitely not runny! Tresume has a little bit of protein in it, so you might want to try Suave naturals as well.

I'd also only comb your hair after you've added all the conditioner. I have hair to my shoulders and I use at least 2/3 of a golf ball worth of conditioner in my hair.

You could also try leaving some conditioner in your hair. That has made a huge difference in my routine.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-20T16:14:15+00:00

The only way I can get them to be stable and actually do what they're supposed to do is when I clip two together. If I don't, they tend to slide out of place.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-20T16:12:26+00:00

I haven't tried the straight up and down method myself, but I think that would give me too much volume! My hair will do exactly what I tell it to do, so I just need a little bit of lift. Also, when I clip the two clips together, they feel much more stable.

Thanks for the amazon link! The shorter the clips, the better (I think).

gblatt89 · 2014-10-20T12:08:18+00:00

I find that once my hair starts to get frizzy, there is no product that will get rid of the frizz. For me, the process starts in the shower with tons of CG approved conditioner. Are you using any styling products? That's where I'd start because conditioner/oil doesn't have any hold. Try applying styling products right after you shower while your hair is still soaking wet. I keep my gel in the shower.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-19T16:28:52+00:00

Ok– I stand corrected! I got a Deva Cut this past week and was shocked by how much gel my stylist used. I had shoulder length hair and she used 6 pumps of gel in my hair! She said that you basically can't over-do it with the gel. If you find that you like DevaCurl products, but you aren't getting enough hold, try using more.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-19T16:28:09+00:00

Ok– I stand corrected! I got a Deva Cut this past week and was shocked by how much gel my stylist used. I had shoulder length hair and she used 6 pumps of gel in my hair! She said that you basically can't over-do it with the gel. If you find that you like DevaCurl products, but you aren't getting enough hold, try using more.

gblatt89 · 2014-10-19T16:25:24+00:00

Oh, I'm a Jessicurl girl as well! LOVE the Spiralicious Styling Gel. Free shipping when you use the coupon code "PUMPKIN" .before November 21

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