Monday 31 March 2014

I'm Your Present Review!

Recently I ordered a necklace from I'm Your Present, an Etsy shop that has got quite a huge following! They specialise in really cute and interesting handmade clothing and accessories, and I was drawn to the Japanese street fashion aesthetic of a lot of it.

I decided to get myself one of their necklaces, a nautical one that is very collar-like. Here's their stock photo:
I really liked the look of the bronze chain and the subtly pastel colours of the necklace, and looked forward to receiving it.

It only took about a week or so arrive. Everything was wrapped up in pink tissue paper which I thought was adorable. Let's start with all the extras I got in my package:
Free dolphin earrings! I really wasn't expecting that. I also got a lollipop, a discount code for my next purchase, a cat sticker, and a postcard sized business card for the shop.

This is the underside of the card:
How sweet is that?! I thought that was a really simple but thoughtful gesture. So in terms of the packaging and personalised service, this shop definitely gets full marks.

Now, onto the actual necklace. Let me start off by saying that when I opened the little cardboard box it was in (carefully placed in fluffy protective padding) I was immediately surprised because I didn't expect the colours to be like this.
The actual colour of the chain is a rather gaudy gold, and the assorted charms are white rather than various shades of pastel. Now, I can totally understand editing the colours of photos. I do it all the time. But when it comes to representing the product you are selling, you have to be more careful. I don't think you should have to carefully read an item description when the photo should tell you what you need to know about the product, at least where the colours are concerned.

After deciding I still did rather like the necklace (I'm not a fan of bright gold at all but figured perhaps I could make this work) I incorporated it into a very basic coordinate for a quick trip to the bank.
It matches the gold details of my bag well, and there are other clothes I have (plain black tops especially) that I think will be complemented by it. Top marks for how nice it looks worn!

Here's a close up picture of me wearing it:
The colours in this picture came out a bit instagram-ish but it still hasn't affected the fact the necklace is clearly bright gold with white charms. The side of the mermaid charm you can see here came with weird grubby marks on it and I'm not sure what they are. I'm going to have to try to get them off somehow.

I do really like this necklace, and I think the charms are simply adorable. The construction is faultless, and I do like that it's a statement piece for sure. But I think it's important for stock photos to be accurate, and for any small imperfections with the parts to be clearly stated, so I'm Your Present loses some marks there for me. 

Would I order from them again? Yes! Their prices are very reasonable and as far as online shopping issues go, the ones I outlined in this post are pretty minor. I was impressed with the service, and I do believe I'm Your Present value their customers in a big way. I don't think I've ever received such a cute package before!

So, what do you guys think of the necklace? And have you ever received something that wasn't quite what you were expecting it to be? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for reading! 

Thursday 27 March 2014

Hey Chickadee Review: Pusheen!

Today I thought I would review the Pusheen merchandise I got in the post earlier this week.


I don't know about everyone else but I absolutely love Pusheen! I think people into kawaii stuff tend to love Hello Kitty (me included), but I always found her a little lacking in substance! Pusheen on the other hand has a lot more personality and is overall adorable. I use the moving stickers in my Facebook messages far too much...

Anyway, I decided to get myself the Pusheenicorn t-shirt, career pins, and pretty phone charm from Hey Chickadee.

Everything took about a week to get to me, and there was no nasty customs charge. Yes!

First off, the phone charm:
Eeek, it's so cute! I do wish it was double-sided though. As it is, the back is just plain black. Still, this charm adds some cuteness to my very boring plain black phone case. I love her little bow!

Onto the badges:
Again, super cute! They're a bit on the small side, but I was expecting this as the measurements are listed on the website. I can't wait to pin them to my clothes.

Finally, the t-shirt!
This picture shows the colour quite accurately-- moreso than the website which made it seem like it would be a standard baby pink. I'm actually glad it turned out to be a pale peachy pink colour, as I think the print looks much better against it. I really love this top!

Really naff worn picture (I'd just got out of bed) but oh well! I finally have something to go with the weird peachy pink tights that never seemed to quite match anything! I don't think they even match here but close enough!

Overall, I'm very happy with my order and would definitely use Hey Chickadee again.

I hope you enjoyed this review! Do you like Pusheen? Let me know in the comments