Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Clairvoyant & Jade Dragon




I lub flakies. They are the bestest.

And Cult Nails Clairvoyant is about the bestest of them. 2 coats of Clairvoyant over MAC Jade Dragon.


Jade Dragon, 2 coats.


And then, of course, I added a topcoat on the last day of wear.
 I preferred it glossy but funnily, I got the most comments on it when it was matte.

Monday, July 30, 2012

New Freddies Jeans!


I'm short. Very short. So every pair of pants needs to have a mile cut off and taken up. I finally got my dressmaker to take up all my pants so I can wear them properly and this included 2 pairs of Freddies jeans!


Even tho I love them, I'm not convinced I can pull off 1940's jeans, because I am so short and a little dumpy.

What do u guys think?

Jeans: Freddie's Of Pinewood via Miskonduct Clothing
Leopard Cardi: Best n Less
Boots: Wittner

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Cult Annalicious & Nfu 49




I got my Cult Nails collection in the mail last week!  I love Cult's formula, everything just glides on, it's never gloopy or thick and every color dries to an incredible shine. 

This is 2 coats of Annalicious.


Just 2 second before these photos, I bumped my pointer and chipped it.  Grrr!  I couldnt be bothered fixing it as I was on day 2 of this manicure!


I added a coat of Nfu-Oh 49.  Australia recently got a new stockist of Nfu-Oh, Crush Cosmetics , and they retail at $14.95 each.  A good price for us Aussies.  I finally got a backup cottle of 51!!

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Not All Indies Can.......

Indie nail polishes have taken over the nail polish world at the moment.  They have given us what we want...lots of holographics and glitter galore.

 I have LOVED all these new polishes hitting the market and flooding my polish drawers with their sparkly goodness. But not everybody should be making polish, and after a long hard think I've decided to rant about one Etsy brand: Rockstar Nails.

Her glitter range looks to DIE for in the photos and in real life they are wonderful to look at...in the bottle. The application is another matter but even that can be forgiven if the colors are FAB.

I purchased 3 colors: With Love, Mardi Gras and Night Sky.


With Love.
Huge hearts in my fav color combo of black red and white? Yes please!
BUT the black glitter bleeds. I redid my nails to get rid of most of it but you can still see some black smudging on the side of my middle fingernail. VERY careful placement of each heart was needed so that the black hexagons didn't smear.  I've seen the same thing in other bloggers photos of this color, so I know my bottle is not a one off.


Mardi Gras.
I did really like this one, even tho the glitter curled and wouldn't sit flat. I think the term is 'Taco' glitter! Even with 3 coats of Seche Vite, my nails were high and bumpy which drove me insane.



Night Sky.
As you can see, it arrived broken. The silver moons in the glitter had bled clear, and were curled and horrible.  The pointy bits on the stars were curling.  The polish was impossible to apply with all that curled up moon glitter.

After all of the formula annoyances I was still OK. I never mentioned the broken bottle to Erica. They were all wrapped well and I didn't feel it was her problem to deal with.

BUT.....

When I emailed to nicely let her know that she had better check her Night Sky bottles as the moon glitter in mine was faulty, I wasn't satisfied with the follow up service.   
I know for a fact that any other seller, and any standard procedure for customer service, would have been to immediately offer a refund or to replace the bottle.
 But she didn't.

Firstly, she asked for the bottle to be returned. I pointed out that 1): Airmail from Australia to the USA was going to cost $10.50, and was she willing to pay that for a $10 faulty bottle of polish THEN refund me the bottle price as well?
And 2): It is now against Customs laws for Australians to ship out nail polish Internationally. Especially a broken bottle.

After several emails back and fro she finally asked for photos to back up my claim and THEN after that we will talk about refunding.   I didn't respond to the photos request, I felt absolutely no need at all having to justifiably do this.   And I was extremely insulted at the veiled insinuation that I was lying.

The above responses was AFTER she was told by me that I write this blog, so obviously not refunding somebody $10 is MUCH more important than having that person tell over 3,5000 people she is not happy with your product. 

As I said at the start, most Indie polishes are fantastic.  But we all need to remember that just because you can thrown some glitter into a clear base does not make you a nail polish cook extraordinaire.

 The average price for an Indie made polish is $8- $10.  This price is an above normal price,  in most cases it is above the price bracket of a proven quality and well established, Internationally sold brand.   It is actually of the utmost IMPORTANCE that the quality of a polish of this dollar amount MATCHES these other proven brands.  

Indie cooks also need to realise that just because you think your product is da' bomb, it may just not be the case.  If something is lacking or faulty and you get told about it, you guys need to make changes to the formulas and make sure you refund for faulty bottles.  If it means contacting all the previous customers who brought from that color line and refunding, then you need to do it.
Because if you don't, consumers who know their product, just like me, will not make a second purchase from you and your business/side hobby will not survive.  Guaranteed.

And consumers, just like me, often have a blog.

Am I the only one who thinks this is shocking customer service?  Or am I over-reacting?

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Shop My Wardrobe!

Welcome to the first blog cleanout of my closet!  It's time to move some things on and I would rather offer them here first before resorting to the dreaded Feebay.


Irregular Choice carved Tiki hut sandals.  Worn one for an hour, they are just a tad too big for me.  Rhinestone strawberry clasps!  Sz 37, 6.5 US, 7 SOLD

Brand new in box Miss L Fire Kaui 40's style shoes in size 37. $65.00



50's style novelty printed skirt. 30" waist. SOLD


Vintage 50s color block cocktail dress.  Bust 39", waist 30". SOLD


Vintage 50s Pop Art circle skirt. 30" waist. $39.00


Vintage Deadstock 1950's pink floral cotton garden party to cocktail party dress with tags. Bust 40", waist 31.5". SOLD
Vintage 50s dress with full skirt and beautiful bust detail. 38" bust 30" waist SOLD



Irregular Choice sky high 40s style wedges with carved wooden and painted Hawaiian heels. Size 37, worn once. Parrots on tops! $45.00




Vintage 80s does 50s embroidered sundress. Killer Lime green color and will fit from busr sies 37" up and 30" waist up due to shirring. SOLD


70s does 50s red circle skirt. 30" waist. $20


Vintage late 40s dress and bolero set. Gorgeous triangle detail neckline and pockets.  Bust 44" waist 33". SOLD


50s cat eye Lucite sunglasses with bead and rhinestone design.  2 rhinestones missing and overall good, wearable condition. SOLD
 

50s sunglasses with blue rhinestones. As new condition.SOLD


Vintage 50s extreme cat eye glasses with a light prescription lense.  Gorgeous marbled lucite and in great condition.  SOLD



Vintage 50s extreme cat eye frames, child sized or very small adult face.  As modeled by Miss 4.  Gorgeous condition and just plain gorgeous!  SOLD


Le Bombshell, 50s style floral dress with padded, darted boobs!  Sz L, 37" bust, 29" waist. $19


Nitty gritty:
 Prices are in Australian dollars and do not include shipping. I will ship anywhere but shoes will be expensive to ship outside of Australia. Please leave comment on this post with any purchase enquires.
Thanks dolls!

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Jessica Iridescent Eye


 

 

Just look at the loveliness of it all. 2 coats. All photos taken in shaded natural light.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Recent Vintage Buys

Um...all my recent vintage buys seem to be clothing. In me defense, I did clean out my wardrobe and sell a HEAP of stuff on Facebook...so it all evens out in the end!

Here are a few new pretties to help me look Fabulous:


A skirt exactly like this was on eBay for over $100 and altho I loved it, it was way too much to pay for a skirt.  When THIS one came up on eBay, a few days later at a buy it now price of $30, I nabbed it as quick as lightening.  The halter dress version in this print has always been highly sought after, even more so when Carrie wore it on an episode of Sex And The City.


Novelty clip on hat earrings from the 40's!  I am in total love with the gloves and glasses pair.



I love my new 50's orange cardi with novelty leopard racing around the side. 


I got this Koret Arabian inspired blouse and skirt set on eBay recently.  I can't wait until it's warmer so I can wear it with some jangling earrings, wedges, a wide black belt and piles of bangles.


This 60's satin dress and bolero dress was marked down to $40 on Etsy.  It fits like a glove and makes me look like I have some hips and butt swaying back there. 



2 novelty skirts to add to my collection.  A tip for Etsy purchasing:  if interested in 2 or more items from the one shop, always ask the seller if they offer a multiple purchase discount.  I've NEVER had anybody say no and have always been given a discount.  I got 15% off these skirts.


I also emailed the seller asking for a discount on this dress, even tho it had only been up for sale for a few days.  She gave me $20 off and I was happy.  I have huge blue roses in mind for my hair, blue bangles and my Miss L Fire blue flower wedges.  HURRY UP SUMMER!!!!

Tell me what you guys have scored lately!