All posts for the month January, 2017

Anime: Grand Magic Games Arc Review from Fairy Tail

Disclaimer: This review is based on opinion and observation of the lead writer. Please respect her opinion and beware that there may be spoilers hhead!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Finally I finished watching the Grand Magic Games arc of Fairy Tail. I know it’s been out for a long time on DVD but due to not having the funds and FYE tending to sell out of the parts I need to watch, I had a hard time. Heck, even some of the conventions don’t have anime DVD stands anymore unless you go to the really big conventions like MegaCon and AFO that is where you can get the DVD selections but we haven’t been back to Mega since 2012 and looking into press for them again this year and you already know our story towards AFO. Anyways, let’s get to the review!

Synopsis: After being gone for seven years over on Tenro Island, Natsu and the rest of the crew in Fairy Tail have found out that they are the last place guild due to how they keep on losing the Grand Magic Games while Natsu and his buddies along with Makarov being gone. The top guild title belongs to Saber Tooth and they have won every Grand Magic Games. Even though Makarov was a little hesitant, they do enter the games in order to get the first place title back!

The games have been tough and Fairy Tail has a lot of competition and even reunite with with guilds they have met before like Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale. They even meet new ones like Mermaid Heel and Cuatro Cerberus. Did Fairy Tail get to the top again and what is this evil force that may take place during the games?

My Thoughts: Holy moly! This was the best arc and longest one I have ever seen! Yes, the last filler arc kind of took forever to finish but this one was the better arc due to it continuing the story after Tenro Island. I do like the voice acting because it it felt like the voice actors were in one room doing a huge conversation with each other with every episode. There was one DVD in one of the sets at the beginning of the arc where you see Cheramie Leigh recording the episode that Lucy goes up against Carona which was awesome! I think it was mentioned that Tyler Walker almost brought in someone to cover her mouth where Lucy had her mouth covered as well but Cheramie did it on her own which was amazing! I know there are times in recording sessions where ahe actors have actual food in their mouth to convey eating or swollen cheeks (lol, Vic Mignogna from the original FMA days) with powdered donuts.) They need to show more of these recording sessions because it not only gives you an idea of what happens in the booth but it shows what is expected if you want to go into voice acting. Well, that’s how I see it anyways.

Speaking of voice acting, there was an awesome fact with one of the voice actors I did not know after seeing the commentary and that is the voice of Chippoti Lola, the main announcer for the Grand Magic Games, is done by Larry Brantley. For anyone who watched PBS in the 90’s which I admit I did after school and remembered the show WishBone, he did the voice of the dog in that, WishBone! I did not know that until I watched old episodes on YouTube and I felt like when Tara Strong told me she was Timmy Turner. (You can read that in my book!) Because if you listen to him as WishBone and then as Chippoti, the pitch is kind of higher as WishB one due to him being younger back then and now he has gotten deeper but you can hear it! Larry Brantley, you must come to a convention in Orlando! That is why you get… ::takes out pawprint stamp and stamps:: the Voice Acting PawPrint of Approval from Nerdy Shique Universe!

Favorite Moments: Besides the voice acting, I do have a few fave moments in this arc! Not only it is just one arc, which I forgot that there was a second part to the arc and that dealt with dragons of the past returning all thanks to a threat. Don’t want to spoil too much for anyone who is new to Fairy Tail but I may be having it as a fave moment:

1. The Maze Challenge: First is the very first challenge of the games where all the guilds competing had to go through a huge maze in the sky in order to thin out the competition in the games.
2. Lucy’s Fight Against Corona: Next is the fight Lucy had against one of the other guild members! She had a pretty good win at first when she used her Celestial Spirits like Scorpio and even used Cancer to cut Corona’s hair which did piss her off. Even when she tried to use her big spell, it was blocked before it was even casted.
3. 3. Erza vs. Minerva: Next moment is how Erza fought Minerva from Saber Tooth in the final round of the games. This was a very awesome fight because at first you were seeing Kagura go up against Erza and all thanks to Minerva appearing and taking out Kagura, Erza did take on Minerva. I can see why Minerva was a challenge to beat even for the past games. Too bad she was gone for the rest of it.
4. Natsu Uses His Uncle to Go Against Future Rogue: Finally, Natsu versus Future Rogue with his own dragon! Yes, the main threat had to do with Rogue coming back from the future due to Frosh dying and he went to the dark side. He ends up calling on the dragons of the past to Fiore through the Eclipse Gate and Natsu got to meet Atlas a dragon that was nothing but fire! Not only that, he knew Igniel due to the same magic Natsu used and now was referred to as uncle. The fight was dragon on dragon and slayer on slayer and man it was awesome to see and hear! I bet Todd Habercorn had fun recording and the writers had fun writing these episodes!
Music: I had to comment on the music because it took a change from what we heard during the first few seasons of the show. I think there is a second volume of the soundtrack already because I can tell that that the music came from that by the looks of it. The music still kept up with the River Dance sound mixed with metal and even some of the fighting tracks diud have more of a Celtic sound to it. I give major props to the composers for the anime yet again! One song that I did mention in my Top Ten Songs for this month and I will mention again is the song “Strike Back” by Back On! You can just read the reason why in that post but will also mention again. I was glad that Back On not only had a new song but it was made for this series! I heard of them back during Air Gear and even surprised David Walde when I brought that complete series for him to sign, of course Back On is still a favorite no matter what!

Rating: 5 PawPrints Out of 5! I gave this arc a five out of five because not only it was long and also compelling but it did continue the story just right! You get to see a lot of awesome fights including Erza vs. Minerva, even Natsu and Gajeel vs. Rogue and Sting for one of the competition battles. Plus the music was even fitting and did show a mature sound to it! I am hoping the next big arc is as good as this one because I heard that some really awesome stuff does happen all thanks to Gondras reading the manga. I can’t wait to see the rest of the story and how that gets animated. I also still give Funimation props in how they dub this series! They have been doing this for many years and they are still going at it and I know the volumes are up to 20 or 21 in the anime from what I have found in FYE. I am hoping to keep collecting the anime as time does go on. I have to see PsychoPass 2 since that is a new one and hoping NetFlix has it like the first.

Well, that is it for this review! I am hoping to get Part 18 and more soon because how much Funimation has been working on this. If I didn’t give the series a chance all thanks to Todd, which that story is in my book, then you wouldn’t be seeing my reviews. What is next though? A cosmetic controversy dealing with retrun policies as promised! Stay tuned!

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by moonleopard85 on January 30, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on January 30, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/01/30/anime-grand-magic-games-arc-review-from-fairy-tail/

Top Ten Songs: January 2017!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back fo Nerdy Shique Universe! I am back with a new post and it’s a new series or idea! My best buddy Stellarnana thought we should have our top ten songs of the month. I think it is a good idea and it can be anything! So, January is now on!

10. “Strike Back” by Back On: Starting this list off with a song I fell in love with ever since I knew the band Back On released a new one. Who is Back On? Think of them as a Japanese version of Linkin Park since they are mostly rock with a hip hop edge to their music. They have done music for anime such as Eyeshield 21 and Murder Princess but the one that I really loved was the one they did for one of my all time titles, Fairy Tail, and that is “Strike Back!” This song is opening sixteen for the anime and I have heard it both in english and Japanese and still sounds good! Plus, I did just finish watching part 17 of Fairy Tail where this opening starts playing.
9. “Karate” by BabyMetal: Next is another song by another Japanese band and that is BabyMetal. I heard about these girls all thanks to fans of them in Daytona Beach and decided why not listen to them? I am a fan but the song that really gets me pumpin’ is “Karate” from their album Metal Resistance. I would say give them a listen and if you find the video where they perform with the lead singer of Jusst Priest, watch it!
8. “Last Chance” by Cascade: Lately I have been getting into acts that were invited to Electric Daisy Carnival and to tell you the truth, I rather go to EDC than a convention rave. Why? Well, the music is not as great even if we went early. I do hear the MetroCon rave is pretty good. Anyways, the song that gets in my head is by Cascade and the song is known as “Last Chance.” It has a very soothing beat and I do like the chorus line of “This is my one last chance to breathe.” Which I can see why the DJ at EDC Las Vegas have everyone in the crowd to sing this line. Also, the beat is very catchy and good to dance to! Anime Sushi, why don’t you play this one at Cyberia during MegaCon? Or just get Cascade to do it.
7. “Dangerous Woman” by Ariana Grande: Next is a popstar that I remembered since her Nickelodeon days and that is Ariana Grande. Don’t judge me, can’t help that I sometimes listen to pop despite my lovin’ rock and metal. So, “Dangerous Woman” seems to get stuck in my head and doesn’t help that Ariana appears in Brave Exvius which is the mobile Final Fantasy game, which people are wondering “Why?” Well, she is big in Japan. This song is a almost jazzy-like song and it it is the title track on her album. I can see how she grow up from the other songs she has done already including what she did on Victorious.
6. “I Believe in a Thing Called Love” by The Darkness: I know this was an early 2000’s song but it does get into my kitty ears time to time and I have been listening to it a lot in January. When I first heard this song I cracked up a lot because of how the lead singer goes into this operatic sound in his voice. I can imagine how painful it can be when playing this on Rock Band. I am not kidding! You an download it in the store for the game.
5. “Ohio Is For Lovers” by Hawthorne Heights: Okay, back to rock and lately on my I Heart Radio list this song has been coming up and it’s by Hawthorne Heights. I got into these guys around 2005ish and remembered hearing them throughout our walking Warped Tour 2007. I do like it since it has a nice balance of screaming and it is a good song to even have on the Hot Topic playlist.
4. “Circles” by Pierce the Veil: Another band that has been showing up on my I Heart Radio playlists is Pierce the Veil! I decided to kill my kitty curiosity by seeing other songs by them. I forgot the song that pops up the most on I Heart Radio but the one that I like that sometimes play is called “Circles.” I just like the chorus because it has a very awesome hook and rhythm. I would love to see these guys live at some point!
3. “Paper Moon” performed by Pellock: Well, we are in the top three and this one made me happy! So, there is this guy on YouTUbe known as Pellock and he does covers for a lot of songs in Spanish, English, and Japanese. The one that made me happy the most was when he did the cover of “Paper Moon” the second opening of one of my other most fave anime titles, Soul Eater. The guy did a pretty good cover and his band did make it sound like the original! Now I want to watch Soul Eater again!
2. “Heart Killer” by HIM: Another song that was played throughout January on I Heart Radio and that is HIM’s “Heart Killer.” They are usually known for slower songs but this one is a very good and upbeat song they have done. I think it was on the first Rock Band for the downloads store. No matter, it does get my second slot.
1. “You Are” by Paul Oakenfold: Remember when I mentioned EDC earlier? Well, another artist from that known as Paul Oakenfold and in his Las Vegas set from last year he opened with a song called “You Are” and that got me searching. You can hear this song in the video that will be included. I preferred the version that he opened his set but this one also sounds very good too.

That is it for this month’s list of top ten songs! Let’s see what February brings! Stay tuned for my next post!

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by moonleopard85 on January 30, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Favorites, Music

Posted by moonleopard85 on January 30, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/01/30/top-ten-songs-january-2017/

Convention Spotlight: Omni Expo 2017

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It is time for another Convention Spotlight and we are going back to a favorite that will be in March again!

Convention: Omni Fandom Expo
Dates: March 3-5 2017
Location: Florida Mall Resort at the Florida Mall in Orlando, FL

We are back for another year at Omni Expo and it is on its fourth year, which includes us doing a fourth year of press! Yes! Makes us happy since we have done press for them since year one! Things had to be changed around and etat includes location, let’s get started!

Location: Florida Mall Hotel! I bet you are wondering, wasn’t this supposed to be at the International Palms Resort over on International Drive? Yes, unfortunately the story is that they were supposed to be there but International Palms got bought out and is going through renovations and being changed. Awww, that would’ve been a nice wedding place, but oh well! So, due to months of no contact nor news from International Palms, the staff saw the news about what had happened to this hotel and they knew they had to pull out. Once they got out, they had to find a new location and they found the Florida Mall Resort that had a time slot open for the weekend they wanted which is March 3rd through the 5th this year! Which is a sweet relief then they would’ve skipped a year.

I bet you’re also wondering, “Wait! There is a hotel at the Florida Mal?” Yes there is! I never been there myself but I know they have had nerd events there and I did remember the MAC Cosmetics do hold their interview seesions there. I tried applying for MAC a while back. Also, this hotel is known as the Florida Hotel and Conference Center. Sorry guys, I don’t have the rates since the website is not working at the moment, I would say go to Omni’s website and try to reserve a room, which when I talked to them during Holiday Matsuri, they really want people to stay at this hotel! So, make your reservations!

Guests: This year not only brings new people but a return of two favorites!

Paul St. Peter: Returning for 2017, Paul St. Peter! If you remembered last year during the Convention Impossible that we have gone to his voice acting panels and his pirate panel and if you have missed them then you have another chance. I highly recommend going to these panels because the voice acting ones do have a lot of pointers in how to get into it and how to sound for many scripts that audience members get to try out. Gondras was one of them all three days so let’s see what happens this year. Also, he is one of the guests we want to interview after not getting the chance to do so last year. For anyone new to the name, for anyone who has played Kingdom Hearts 2 he’s Xemnes and the Kyuubi in Naruto.

Bruce aka No Ordinary Ballon Man: If anyone has been to the first two years of Omni you may have remembered the titans from Attack On Titan made out of balloons. I sure had and even was at the 18 Plus panel with Matthew Mercer and Jessica Calvello during 2015’s Omni where they signed one one of the titans and extra ballons to be donated. They were made by this guy and he known as the No Oridnary Ballon Man! It’s been two years since he has been back, let’s see what he has in store for this year’s Omni!

Chris Rager: Now onto new people! First up is Chris Rager who plays Hercule in all things Dragonball! Well, not the Abridged Series.

Josh Martin: Josh Martin is another new guest for this year and you may have remembered him as the voice of Magen Buu in Dragonball Z and games!

Lisle Wilkison: Another new guest for anyone who loves Tekken and that is Lisle Wilkison who the voice of Nina Williams. Any Sanrio fans, she is also the voice of Batz Maru!

Brian Muir: Next is a sculptor and that is Brian Muir! He has been working on many movies for forty plus years and some movies include Star Wars, Captain America, and of course, Guardians of the Galaxy. You can find his full list of movies he has sculpted on over at Omni’s guest page.

Tiffany Siper: Next is an artist and that is Tiffany Siper. She is the co-founder of Epicycle Studios two years ago and worked on the art for the web comic Alien Spike where a new threat of an alien and a robot comes to Earth when it has recovered from its past threat. Now I am curious!

Noflutter: Next is another artist and that is Noflutter. She is a native Floridian and studied at the Orlando International Academy of Design and Technology and you may have seen her work brought to life on the show Heroes of Cosplay.

Masumi Sempai: Next is a cosplay guest and that is Masumi Sempai. A hardcore cosplayer from the turn of the millennium and grad student from here in Orlando and a Lolita as well. I definitely have some questions on Lolita for her.

Besides these guests we also have the 500 First appearing again and a Michael J. Fox impersonator known as Rob Simms showing up this year. You can get full details on these guests at Omni’s webpage!

Events: Knowing that all conventions do have events and panels by guests and attendees! One event that is returning is of course the Suicide Karaoke event. Hoping to show up for that to see what it’s like! Then we have the costume contest and also have an announcement here!

We will be hosting an Assistive Technology panel known as Devices from the Dark! Since it is a technology convention as well, I thought why not do a panel on it since I am planning to teach it. I will be demonstrating apps I use, even the Braille Sense that I tend to surprise the guests we interview. Check the schedule as time gets closer to the event to see when this panel happens along with many other panels and events!

Well, that is about it for this Convention Spotlight! You can see the details on Omni at:

http://omniexpo.com/

We can’t wait to bring you coverage from this event and new interviews from it as well!

What is up next for Nerdy Shique Universe? A review on the Grand Magic Games arc from Fairy Tail since I finally finished watching that arc and of course another book review and Cosmetic Controversy! Stay tuned for all that! Catch ya on the universe side!

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by moonleopard85 on January 29, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in anime, comics, conventions, cosplay, Internet, Television, Video Games

Posted by moonleopard85 on January 29, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/01/29/convention-spotlight-omni-expo-2017/

Books: Chasing Embersby James Bennet

Disclaimer: This Review is based on observation and opinion of the lead writer of this blog! Please respect her thoughts and feelings. Also, spoilers may be ahead!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! It’s been a while since I done a book review since I have been reading books on my Victor Reader Stream, now I bring you a new review!

Title: Chasing Embers
Author: James Bennet

Synopsis: We meet Ben Gaston in this tale who is known for a bad attitude with a leather jacket and always bar hopping. There is one thing that not everyone knows is that he is known as Red Ben and has a secret underneath his skin and that is he is a fire breathing dragon! When an old rivalry re-surfaces, he ginds out that not only he is endanger from an old legend that exists in a desert but his once girlfriend, Rose, also gets taken and he must save her and his own life before things become dicey in this rivalry.

Thoughts: I think I did a better job with this synopsis since the website had a confusing one in my opinion. I did say it took me a while to finish this book since I had new reading device during my work experience but managed to get back to it once the New Year arrived.

I think the book was good but at the same time some of the parts were skipped over due to how Kindle likes to skip when you do the double finger swipe down on the screen. I did get the idea that this story deals with how Ben signed a pact that keeps all magical beings in control and not to cause any trouble and this was made after his story back in the old days when he used to know a girl that ran off with him and died when her lover caused major damage to the region they lived in by trying to kill the dragon when the lover didn’t know it was Ben who whisked her away in the first place. The pact did get broken when a girl ends up taking on the spirit of a dragon from Egyptian times as part of a prophecy. It did feel a bit complicated with this part because I can see how witches appeared to cause trouble but the girl taking on the spirit of a queen dragons spirit was out of nowhere. I think the book would’ve been better off without that part and just focus on Ben due to how the rivalry started in order to preak the old pact that was signed many centuries ago. They did resolve it in the end which I felt like it was fitting. I know I am a bit of a rookie author myself, putting too much into one story can make it hard to finish reading and there were points where I did have a hard time to continue the book, which towards the end I did have to take a break and digest what was going on with the final fight. Bennet should’ve just stick with the Ben and his current lover story and why the bad guys wanted her instead of adding on the queen dragon bit since I did see the love story part more than the B-plot. TAlso, there was a lot of Ben’s back story being told more than the ideas behind the witches and one other character, I did think they talked about the guild a little bit if I remembered from reading it earlier. I did say I have to take a break at certain points due to how much story this carried.

To me, this book should’ve been better to just focus on the love story bit than making it so action packed and focus on the legend parts itself to keep the story going. It could’ve been better…

Favorite Character: Khadra! It was hard to pick a favorite character since there were so many involved but I would have to say Khadra herself, the one who takes on the Queen Dragon spirit wiuthin. I was confused with how her story got involved since this did deal with a prophecy too. I didn’t get it as much because it only went back to things with Ben more than Khadra herself. If this book was split and would have Khadra’s story separate then that would make a better book. I did like how she was unsure of what her duty was and she did become stronger in the end after she let go of the Queen herself because Ise didn’t want to get hurt anymore than she had before when she took on the spirit back in the beginning. That is why I liked her a bit more than the other characters since it seems like was going through a growing up phase from what I’ve seen at the end of her role.

Rating: 2.5 Cat Paws Out of 5! This was hard especially with how complicated the story felt. I needed the breaks to digest this story but it felt like there were too many things going on in this book. I wished it was split into two with focusing on Ben and Rose in this one and then Khadra and the trouble with the rivals in the sequel itself because Ben was mostly focused upon in this one. Still, I feel like it would’ve been a better story.

That is it for this review! Next book from my titles from Net Gally, Come Winter!

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by moonleopard85 on January 22, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in Books, Reviews

Posted by moonleopard85 on January 22, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/01/22/books-chasing-embersby-james-bennet/

Cosmetic Controversy: MakeUp Company Etiquette

Disclaimer: This post is based on opinion and observation from the Lead Writer herself! Please don’t read if you don’t like what she has to say!

Hello Shiquers and welcome back to Nerdy Shique Universe! Welcome to a new year and it’s a new controversy! ::dun dun dun!:: It deals with independent companies and even one company in how they deal with customers. I know we tend to get really good customer service especially with how we review them as well when we have a good experience and have a bad review after a bad one. There are some brands that can’t handle the criticism when it comes to the bad reviews or what people find in their products or even if they break and let’s see what I noticed.

The Controversy Inspiration: Lately, I have been subscribed to Drama Channels on YouTube but the main ones I love to watch include Rich Lux, John John Cuckian, Karina Kaboom, and….please don’t kill me when I mention him…Sanders Kennedy! I know that we as consumers can make up our own conclusion when it comes to what we like to buy but when I heard about this scandal I was surprised and it dealt with a customer who has bought Jeffree Starr Cosmetics items and she found a hair in the Ice Cold skin frost once she hit pan. Apparently, she went to the Jeffree Starr Twitter and she did get a refund but it started getting ugly where she was seen as a bully and was blocked by Jeffree himself when he said that she was bashing on him, his products, and his followers when she didn’t say of those things. I read the article from Seventeen Magazine which shown the tweets and man it was messy! Here is the link so you can read it yourself:

http://www.seventeen.com/beauty/news/a44327/jeffree-star-customer-finds-hair-in-highlighter/

In my opinion after hearing all this and reading the article, Jeffree should’ve handled it better after handling it professionally in the beginning. As in, keep the professionalism to talk to the person or ask them to PM him directly rather than going into an ugly fight like this. Also, watching one video which had me asking on Facebook and Twitter that on Read It that people have said that they are scared to buy from Jeffree’s company with what kind of attitude he presents. I can see where a lot of people are coming from since I have heard what he had done such as racist comments, sending negative comments to a YouTuber due to a broken skin frost, and even some products smelling like drugs due to his man smoking in the lab once. Also, they would be afraid of his wrath or his followers wrath if they say anything bad about his items which you have to be positive about. Which brings me to my next point!

Constructive Criticism = Good Criticism: This is one thing when it comes to makeup and sometimes it can be our best friend and our weapon. As a fan fiction writer and have hosted a panel on it which one tip goes “Constructive Criticism = Good Criticism” which helps improve on writing but it also helps improve on product quality whether that review is bad or good. I have seen a lot of beauty videos where some of the items I have bought were reviewed and got me to try for myself. This even includes brands themselves and one brand that I got to buy over the past year was Colour Pop which I heard through Coffee Break With Dani, Kathleen Lights, and Young Wild and Polished on YouTube. All thanks to the good reviews, many people have bought from Colour Pop and even mentioned Dani’s name in some of the reviews at how they heard of their company which does help with their business.

Even though some companies do grow from the amount of business that they get from YouTube there are the kinds of brands that grow from what they see in their products and what they should work on and one good example is one brand I got a few products in BoxyCharm and that is MakeUp Geek. This is one brand where the creator, Marlena, gets a lot of criticism from her customers in how they like the products and if some items don’t sell well or if the item needs to be fixed then she starts working on improving some things. One example is her blush line that was re-done last year and released last spring where she re-formulated and re-packaged into compacts. When they were just pans before. Good thing is she does mention in her videos about the newer items why it takes all this time to produce is due to how she wants to make the product feel right for her customers.

What about brands that don’t like bad reviews? Well, there are those that can’t handle some criticism that not only gets deleted but the creator really doesn’t like the person making it. Besides Jeffree, another person that seems to have a lot of controversy under her belt is DoeDear of LimeCrime. Not only her brand had a lot of bad things happeneing such as a major hack in her brand’s website from October 2014 through early 2015, she did have a bit of a recent scandal and it dealt with her duo chrome shadows that were released last year. I seen a review of how these shadows were amazing and if you haven’t seen them they are two shadows in one that are very glittery and shiny and are activated by water on your brush and this brought up a problem where people commented that they found mold and/or rust in their shadows which the pan is tin. I did mention this product as a runner-up to my “Worst MakeUp Product According to YouTube” where I did ask how can it be okay when this appears? Which LimeCrime responded to the comments that “It’s okay to use these products and the mold is harmless.” Again, you are putting this near your eyes. Back to my point, in the past comments on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook have been deleted by LimeCrime due to how she didn’t like the negativity towards her products. Usually, comments that deal with quality not being that great does help the company improve their formula and release the re-formulated version. Plus, a lot of users do become honest with their reviews which another product that was released last year from LimeCream was their Diamond Crushers which is a clear coat for your lips that has glitter that you can put on top of lip glosses, lipsticks, or even wear it on their own. Someone who used to work for the company snapped about and even mentioned they swollen her lips and was told to take it down by LimeCrime. She may have swatched six of them and I have seen lip swatch videos where people didn’t have the same reaction as she had. I even swatched two lipsticks once when I bought Ion from Kat Von D and had worn my Hot Topic lipstick and my lips didn’t have a weird reaction when I switched between the two. LimeCrime was trying to cover this up when a review like this where a lip product causes swelling should be a signal to the company to take the product off the shelf and improve the formula even if not everyone’s lips had the same reaction. I would pull my own lipstick if that were to happen if I had a company myself or make sure the item’s formula was good to go before releasing. Still, reviews do help with improvements.

(Note: I meant Super Foils guys!)

Customer Service: Now onto the biggest part of this whole entire thing and of course pointing back to the latest scandal with Jeffree Starr. The thing that really makes brands survive, whether independent or in malls, is the customers and how they are treated. We do go for the bright and shiny things that do get sold and many do listen to the reviews and lead to them buying the item as well. What really brings the customer back is how they are treated too. I admit I had some customer problems with some companies and one experience really involved E. L. F. Cosmetics back in 2015 with two incidents at two different times of the year. First, during the summer I ordered some products that was during their Free Shipping Sale and had gotten the wrong products two times and that was in the original order where I got someone else’s items and contacted them about it through email which they responded right away and said they were going to send me my products and then when package number two came some of the items were missing which I found their phone number after emailing again and they picked up by saying, “Sorry! We will send you the items that you told us that were missing in an entire new package and a $5 gift card!” Which was some of the amazing customer service of all and did get my actual products on the third package. When winter came around E. L. F. decided to put a bundle on sale and ordered it and said it was shipped but nothing was updated and it was December when I kept checking and I tried contacting them through email and phone which was odd when during the summer their customer service was really great and they said that their phones are no longer being used just email them. I finally got my answer and got an apology and was told my items were on their way. They did arrive by mid-December rolled around and it was disappointing which got me thinking that I should just purchase items in stores instead of the website. This does seem similar to what had happened with Too Faced recently where people ordered the Sweet Peach collection when it launched online and nobody got their packages until recently when they were told that it would arrive before Christmas. People did try to call but phonelines were down and this caused major worry and even people wondered if they should buy from them anymore. I have ordered from Too Faced before but it was in September when the Power of MakeUp set was online still and did get pretty good customer service when I talked to them over the phone and that did hearing about this did make me wonder that customer service should be around in case things like this do come up. Delivery problems do happen and I have heard Too Faced did fix the problem and they still should have a way of getting in contact a lot more whether through phone or even email by answering right away. Not only that, Christmas time is also the hardest time for mail delivery services because of how people order tons of gifts online instead of going to the store. Heck, I had a brush set delivery problem and received the original and the replacement when it came overseas, which customs can also cause delivery problems too. Still, sustomer service should be handled accordingly.

Besides product problems when it comes to delivery, Companies should also consider their customers when it comes to problems that take place on the products when their websites crashed or hacked into. I did mention LimeCrime’s hacking scandal. I remembered years ago when I ordered from Lush’s UK website for their Smell of Weather Turning perfume and they were hacked a month later. I did get a call when people were trying to charge on my card and couldn’t due to lack of funds on there and it was handled pretty well and got a new card. LimeCrime, on the other hand, they were hacked due to not updating their security license which is important for a website when you purchase items. They didn’t notify customers until the beginning of 2015 when the website got hacked at the end of 2014. People noticed that they were being charged double and their account went to zero, even some YouTube videos mentioned some students couldn’t pay for college because of what happened. This was majorly scary for many and if LimeCrime noticed early enough then they would’ve notified customers. A lot of people were mad at them and DoeDear, heck it even caused their social media to be switched to private due to people posting negative comments. Even around the same time a petition was made to keep the company out of a New York makeup show coming up since customers were not too happy about the lipsticks with a running unicorn on them. I admit I did have Airborne Unicorn and got it on EBay and did toss it since it smelled weird recently, I did hear when people did buy some or the products that they don’t look like they are supposed to as well. I can see where LimeCrime got in trouble even after one scandal where the FDA even slapped a warning for using an unapproved product in one of their Velveteens. Still, I can see where customers are straying away even with a contest issue at the end of last year, where people had to buy products to refer a friend and win over a thousand bucks in product and people asked if there is any other way of entering and were told on Facebook “No, this is the only way.” To me that is not worth entering. Sorry for rambling but with how DoeDear and her crew treat customers it’s something that can cause wary customers to stay away. Plus, there are dupes out there and cost less when it comes to a bright pink lipstick and even blue ones. What should they do to keep their customers? Well, definitely treat them better and have free contests even with reviews because not everyone will be liking the product and of course people prefer an honest company with customer service that helps rather than blame someone for purchasing their product.

Now, finally, the recent scandal with Jeffree Starr. I did mention how people are starting to become afraid of buying from his brand. I bet you’re wondering am I afraid of buying too? Weeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeellllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll! I am stepping out of my box of my comfort colors of pinks, reds, and purples and some nudes in lipstick, I have heard that his liquid lipsticks are amazing and want to try them out along with his skin frosts, and did hear how he pushed back the release of his Androgeny pallet to make sure the formula is good to go but….but….I am iffie on buying his items because of seeing what went on with his customer service. I am subscribed to him on YouTUbe and enjoy his content with his makeup reviews and tutorials, heck I did my pastel goth look off of his but I am kind of thinking that what if my products do have the drug smell or if I find a hair in my skin frost if I were to buy it. If I were to find something like that, what if I was treated the same way as he treated some of the people who found issues with their products, heck I saw the video of Rocky Road Kill’s King Tut skin frost being broken and how he was treated, which yes Rocky should’ve contacted Jeffree first for the replacement but he didn’t talk anything else bad since he did mention that Jeffree is his idol, well was his idol and Jeffree should’ve worded his comment to: “Sorry that your skin frost was broken! I would gladly replace it, just email my company and we will arrange something.” As in, acted more professional rather than yell at him. I did see that he handled the recent problem professionally at first when I read the article but it could’ve been handled even more professionally by the end and understand that shipping from Ontario would’ve taken too long and just send a replacement anyways. I had replacements sent to me when it came to makeup brush sets from Amazon and and did have one of my Lucy keys replaced when one of them was missing from the package and I had a great time talking to the seller who sold me the keys and the key pouch that I bought later. I would ask when it comes to bad customer service treatment…Where’s the How to Treat Your Customers Right Class? Anyone? Anyone!? It should exist!

So, yeah, that does it! In my conclusion, some of these companies need to work on their customer service etiquette and even find other ways for them to communicate when ordering and product issues arise. Heck, even working on customer issue timing should also be something that can be worked on. I remembered having some problems with that with a few places. Anyways, whehther independent or not, the creators of the ones that can’t handle criticism well or customers well should at least know how to chill for once and realize that they are also people too and should treat them nicely. Remember that old adage of “Treat people the same way you want to be treated.” Yes, some of the followers can be bullies, they should also follow that adage as well. In the end, customers are what makes the company grow and succeed and that is how a lot of them still exist.

What is next for Nerdy Shique Universe? Well, I still have my Convention Spotlight on Omni Expo 2017 coming up! I am announcing that I will be getting my January Ipsy bag! YAY! It will be on YouTube when I get the bag.

Also…if any of you guys are Jeffree Starr Cosmetics followers, please respect this post and what I said in my disclaimer and what I wrote. It is my opinions and I know he tends to block people, which I don’t want to cause any drama with him. Also, anyone who doesn’t like him, don’t bash his followers please. I am already respecting them and plus I do feel sorry for the ones who got bullied by him or his followers. Thank you all and til next time see ya on the universe side!

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by moonleopard85 on January 10, 2017  •  Permalink
Posted in beauty

Posted by moonleopard85 on January 10, 2017

https://nerdyshiqueuniverse.com/2017/01/10/cosmetic-controversy-makeup-company-etiquette/