Castle Mountain Designs Hairsticks

[Hairstorm]

http://www.castlemountaindesigns.com/default.asp

These lovely creations are by our own Elle!

I give these beautiful hairsticks a "10+" rating all around!

From the moment my new hairsticks arrived, I felt so pampered. My hairsticks arrived in a long rectangular box, and I immediately knew what was inside.



My excitement grew as I unwrapped each layer, 5 layers in all, including the box. The attention to detail was incredible. The completely handmade (even the tassels and cords!) plush velvet and satin jewelry bag was sumptuous.



When I finally got to the hairsticks, I could barely contain myself. They were in perfect condition and I was wowed by their beauty. The colors, the design and craftsmanship are perfect. I know my praise sounds rather effusive, but I swear I am not exaggerating. The wood is graceful with feminine curves, with a perfectly smooth finish. (Elle rejects any sticks with the slightest flaw.) All the beads are perfectly centered, not just the focal bead. The result is a true work of art.

Without further ado, here are the pictures:





The website is also very nicely done, with lots of helpful information! You can find a description of the materials there. They do a much better job of describing it than I can. Check it out!

ETA: I took some more pictures (scroll down to middle of post for the new pics): http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...975#post911975

[Liv]

Fantastic! What beautiful hairsticks - I'll have to run and hide my money.

[Elyce]

Wow, Elle, great hairsticks, beautiful website, lots of hair info, what a super job you have done! Added you to my essential links, I'll be visiting again!

Thanks for letting us know, Hairstorm!

[Sally]

What beautiful, beautiful sticks. I dashed off to the website and there were more beautiful sticks to be found, as well as a well-written, informative set of pages. A lot of care has gone into all of it.

Great work, Elle, and thanks for point it out to us, Hairstorm. Now if only I had as much wonderful hair as you two have. Sticks just fall out of mine. Do you ever make really short, fine ones?

[GlebeGirl]

I am stunned by how beautiful those sticks are! Elle, you and RL have created such beautiful art together.

The website is also FANTASTIC. So professionally done, easy to navigate and informative. You've covered all the bases, it seems, with regards to what customers want to know, and what they'll be happy to discover. I'm just so impressed!

[icydove]

Very pretty I hope she offers some set in gold in the future. I'd love to try some!

[Caldonia Sun]

Very, very pretty. I hope I can get my hair to the place where I can use one!

[Koala Kim]

Great review Hairstorm!

Okay- here are my impressions:

The sticks arrived beautifully and carefully wrapped. The bag is simply stunning! And sooo soft

The sticks are very smooth with a nice, not too shiny or 'fake' finish. Both glided into my hair like a hot knife in butta.

I don't have pictures of both (just the dangle), but- they are in Elle's portfolio on the website.

The first one I test drove was the denim lapis kitty head stick. It glided in and stayed put all day without moving around or falling out. It felt weightless; I honestly forgot it was in.
This is a big bonus because there are times when I take my sticks out and do a beebutt with a scrunchie instead because for whatever reason- the stick(s) is pulling.
What I particularly like about my kitty head stick is that Elle 'funked' it up a bit with the kitty head, but the bead does not take away from the beauty of the denim lapis in the least. It's a wonderful everyday stick.

Here's a picture (not great; but at least it's a picture) of my absolutely stunning dangle stick in action:



As Hairstorm stated- they are truly pieces of art for your hair.

[Elle]

Wow! What a raving review, Hairstorm & Kimmy! Thank you so much for all of your wonderful compliments! I'm really happy that you found everything to your liking. It sounds like RL and I have achieved what we set out to do.

Our goal was to put out quality hairsticks that make you feel good when wearing them and that are not only beautiful but strong, durable and (this is where being a longhair myself came in handy!) great for wet/damp updos! I also wanted to make sure the hairsticks were well protected. I know how much I appreciate it when opening a package that includes special attention to detail and I wanted everyone who purchases one of our sticks to feel special and pampered which is why I make our velvet bags. I'm glad you appreciate the extra care taken in presenting our sticks.

Thank you to everyone who visited CMD! The fact that you all appreciate our work and website makes it all worth it! And for those of you who don't know, my husband is the technical director of a web solution/development company and he put a lot of time and effort into our site. Personally, I think he did a great job.

Sally - You were wondering if we make shorter, lighter hairsticks. Yes, we do. I know that some people have very fine hair and really need a lighter hairstick. Last week my husband turned a pair of pins that are just under 3 1/4" long. They're being finished at the moment. It can take awhile to finish hairsticks. To make sure they're well-protected and water repellent, they are coated 3 times.

Icydove - Will we be making hairsticks in gold? Yes! I decided to start with sterling silver and include gold-filled and vermeil at a later date.

Once again, thank you everybody! You all made our day!

[nastasska]

Those are beautiful
Off to the website

[justgreen]

Oh Elle, they are just beautiful. RL is talented! And your beadwork is stunning! Would you happen to have another kitty head? Different colors, maybe? Since they are one of a kind. I'm off to drool over them again.

[Hairstorm]

Kimmy, that's gorgeous! The stick and your hair complement each other sooo beautifully!!!

[Koala Kim]

Originally Posted by Hairstorm

Kimmy, that's gorgeous! The stick and your hair complement each other sooo beautifully!!!

Elle did a wonderful job, didn't she?

Oh! I should mention that my friend and I went into a Coach store (like we can afford Coach ) Friday and all of the sales ladies were admiring my dangle stick. They couldn't get over the fact that someone had made it by hand, and that only 1 stick was holding everything up.

[rasarani]

OH MY GOSH!! Your work is absolutely amazing. I am DROOLING over this one: http://www.castlemountaindesigns.com...ail.asp?pid=10

Elle, I noticed it said to view the ebay auction. Is it possible to purchase these through you directly? I do not have paypal and am not comfortable with setting up an account.

Thank you!!!!
Rasarani

oh my gosh! When I saw my post I noticed the little graph with the member ratings. I did not mean to rate it! I have not purchased this yet and am not familiar with this rating system. I am so sorry. Is there any way to remove my rating? I do not want it to reduce the rating of these beautiful sticks!

[Hairstorm]

Originally Posted by Koala Kim

Oh! I should mention that my friend and I went into a Coach store (like we can afford Coach ) Friday and all of the sales ladies were admiring my dangle stick.

I've got to visit a Coach store! Did you give them Elle's website?

Originally Posted by rasarani

oh my gosh! When I saw my post I noticed the little graph with the member ratings. I did not mean to rate it! I have not purchased this yet and am not familiar with this rating system. I am so sorry. Is there any way to remove my rating? I do not want it to reduce the rating of these beautiful sticks!

Don't worry Rasarani, I don't think the ratings get added up and averaged, so I don't think the ratings will get lowered. (Someone please correct me if I'm wrong!) By using the edit button you can change your ratings, but not remove them. But FYI for next time, I think you can avoid posting a rating by clicking the small "reply" button in any person's post, rather than the larger "reply" buttons at the top and bottom of the thread. HTH!