Yankee.co.uk - Order & Review

I thought since I had included my review of the rather poor service and pricing I got from Busy Bee Candles I should also include one for a similar order I placed with Yankee.co.uk.

For a start, the pricing was much better.  I made a slightly larger order this time (20 tarts / £23.29) which meant that each tart worked out at £1.16 each, including P&P, far better than Busy Bees £1.30 per tart including P&P AFTER a 20% discount.

I placed the order at around 3pm on Monday afternoon, received an email to say it had been dispatched late Tuesday afternoon and the parcel was with me in Wednesday morning's post which I was really pleased with, super fast delivery.

The packaging was, again, not what I expected.  It too arrived in a padded envelope and bubble wrap rather than a box, this time however the tarts were wrapped snugly and all of them arrived in one piece with no breaks or bashes.

I ordered a 10 pack of Vineyard tarts, a fragrance I had previously had in a sampler candle and loved, they smell exactly like grape candy from America; 2 True Rose, another scent I have had previously and loved, these ones smell exactly like roses still on the bush, and a selection of other tarts I had either smelled in store previously or really liked the sound of.  The smell from the envelope when I opened it was heavenly, not a hint of synthetic horribleness just fresh, fruity deliciousness. 

Based on previous experience of Yankee Candle tarts I can't wait to burn these, any I have had before have had lovely strong fragrances which I can burn for at least 2 evenings before having to change them.  The whole flat ends up beautifully scented and still smells great the following morning.

So, all in, a much better, cheaper, quicker shopping experience and one I will definitely be repeating in future.

My only complaint, which is directed at Yankee Candles and not Yankee.co.uk is that I am desperate to try some of the US scents and they're not all available in the UK, I've made a list though and plan to track them down somehow, particularly Coconut Bay and Fresh Mint since I really want a proper wild garden mint smell and a real, non synthetic, coconut fragrance.

Here's my current US wishlist:

Let's hope Yankee UK starts importing them soon or I am going to have to find a tart mule to smuggle them into the country for me!

Essie @ T J Hughes

I'm not sure how many branches of T J Hughes there are left as I know a lot closed a year or so back when the company went into administration, for some reason the Glasgow store survived and continues to stock the same sort of things it always did.
Previously I've had long since discontinued Revlon Skinlights and a whole host of Sally Hansen products, most of which are for the US / Canadian market and not usually easy to get hold of in the UK so I like to pop in occasionally and see what they have on offer.  It's very hit and miss but there is often the odd gem so I always like to check.

Today's find came in the form of Essie nail polish for £2.99 a bottle.  There was a fairly large selection of colours and I think I did exceptionally well to come out with just 1 and not one of each.

The one bottle I chose was Ballet Slippers, I have heard a lot of good stuff about this colour online.  It's supposed to be a perfect light nude shade for making your nails look like natural nails but better so I decided I had to grab a bottle.

There were probably about 12 different shades available, 3 others similar to Ballet Slippers and then a selection of brighter more vivid shades.  I am very tempted to go back and pick up a few more...

One problem though, a light pink, sheer almost jelly finish isn't going to be able to hide the disaster that has recently befallen my nails...

So, in conclusion, it's definitely worth checking out T J Hughes if you have one near you and always wear a base coat or you'll end up with zombie nails like me. ;)

Double Stamping - Take 2

This double stamping attempt was a bit less successful than my last one.  This time I stamped over yesterday's Ruby Emerald using Barry M Denim and a bronze polish from the George at ASDA (which I am not sure of the name or number of, sorry!).  The stamping images came from Bundle Monster 321, for the flowers on the bottom and BM 310 for the bronze mesh effect over the top.

Denim didn't show up as well as I had hoped and gets a bit lost on the dark background, here's some pictures:

Korres

I've been after one, or two, or indeed all of the Korres EDT for a while now but was unsure which to choose as almost every one I had tried in store was really nice.  My local stockist had been out of testers for months now so I've been holding off buying one scent in case I decided it wasn't my favourite when I did get the chance to try them again.

Generally they retail for around £27 per 50ml bottle but recently Brand Alley (an online discount shopping outlet) had a selection of Korres products available at really good, discounted prices.  The EDTs were £17.50 each and I had a £10 voucher to use up so I decided now was the time to grab the scents I wanted most.

Here's what I ordered:

The packaging is gorgeous, I'd never seen a box opened before but when I received my order I discovered the whole box unfolds and is printed with details of the Korres brand and details of the individual scent notes which I thought was a nice touch.  It's good quality packaging which feels expensive.  The bottles are a nice chunky, solid shape and clearly labelled.

Now, on to the scents!  The first Vanilla, Freesia, Lychee is lovely; it's a sweet, sugary, floral scent which is an almost exact copy of Flowerbomb.  Possibly not to everyone's taste as it is very sweet and quite strong but being a Flowerbomb fan I love it, it last for a good long while and doesn't wear off after a few hours as some scents do on me.

Next, Paeonia, Vanilla, Amber Pear; this one is light, floral and fruity.  It's a gorgeous soft scent perfect for every day and also last rather well.  It's a great daytime scent, not too overpowering but still strong enough to notice and delicious smelling.

Finally, Pepper, Jasmine, Gaiac Wood; this one is a far more masculine scent but I still love it.  It reminds me hugely of a far more expensive Tom Ford scent which I have been lusting after, Tobacco Vanille, which at £135 for 50ml is a touch out of my price range. 

This EDT is a warm, woodsy scent with a hint of spice.  It would definitely be wearable for men, and initially my intention was to give it to my partner, but on receiving it I don't think I can part with it so we'll have to share.

Overall I am very pleased with my purchases and even more pleased with myself for holding out until a good deal came up, generally I rush out and buy anything I want immediately but in this instance holding off clearly paid off!

Sally Hansen - Ruby Emerald

This is really just a base colour for me to stamp over tonight but it's definitely pretty enough to wear alone for the day, if a little conservative for my own personal taste.  3 coats for full opaque cover.

Kiko 614 Silver Rock-top / Shatter Polish

Today I am showing you Kiko 614 which is one of their Rock-top (shatter) polishes.  For some reason this colour doesn't feature on the Kiko UK site.  I bought this polish in Spain so it could be that it's not available everywhere or it might just be a mistake on the UK site.

Anyway, I applied the polish over last week's double stamped manicure as I couldn't stand to take it off while it still looked ok and I figured covering it would make it easier to change completely.  I was right, mostly because I'm not too keen on how it turned out so I'm quite happy to take it off later.

Outdoor lighting:

Indoor Lighting:

New Cheeky 'Summer' Image Plates Pre-Sale!

I've been waiting for these plates to be released for what seems like ages now so when I woke up this morning and saw on Cheeky's Facebook page that they were on pre-sale with free international shipping I had to order right away.

The set I am most excited about are the new Summer plates, 26 image plates with 161 new designs.

This time around Cheeky have decide to package their plates a little differently, they come in a cute little box for storing your plates and you also get a bonus 'manicurist's business card' which double as an emergency scraper.

 The new packaging is nice but I would have been just as happy to have them come in the old packaging which was just little plastic bags.

There have been quite a few comments on various nail sites about the price of these plates and how they are very expensive, I'm not too sure where these people are living because it certainly isn't the UK where a single Konad image plate costs £5!  The Summer collection is $24.99 which works out at about £16 which I think is a great price for 26 image plates, especially when they are currently available with free international shipping meaning the $24.99 is all you pay.

Since there was free shipping and I've heard nothing but good things about Cheeky's plates I decide to also order the first set they do too, 2012 Collection.  Another 26 plates with 160 designs.

As the new collection is still only on pre-sale at the moment Cheeky are estimating 10-20 days before the plates are delivered from China, now all I need is another 14 pairs of hands to try all the designs out on and the patience to last the next 3 weeks!

Expect more information and manicures as soon as these beauties arrive.

XL Stamper

I've read a fair amount online, on various blogs, nail forums and groups, about the XL Stampers that are available.  They are apparently much better for full nail images or larger designs as they have a bigger stamping area.  Also, the fact they are made from a much softer silicone means that they will mould all the way round more rounded nails, like mine, ensuring full, even coverage from your stamps.  This video on YouTube show off how it works.

 

I got mine from this eBay seller, who it turns out I had previously bought from under a different name via her e-crater store.  Delivery was fast, the item was well packed and a good price so I wouldn't hesitate to recommend her if you are looking to buy one.

 

In the set you get the stamper and two plastic scrapers.
 

As you can see it has a large surface area, large enough to pick up the whole of even the biggest full nail designs without cutting off corners.

Initially I struggled a little to get this stamper to work well, I had to lightly file the surface to make it grippy enough to pick up the images and I also had to wedge it harder into the base to stop the top stamping surface from popping out.  Both of those issues are well documented online and are not too hard to sort out.

Now that I've had the chance to use it a few times I do really like this stamper, it is great for full nail designs as you can just push your nail onto and into the soft stamp to make sure it's fully covered rather than having to roll back and forth.

I do still use my regular Konad stamper sometimes as I find it a bit easier for some smaller designs and certain polishes pick up better onto it but in general I am very happy with the XL stamper and can't wait to try it out on the new larger Cheeky images which are being released soon.

Double Stamping

I stamped again over yesterday's stamping and I am so pleased with how it turned out.  Again the pictures, or photographer, aren't doing it any justice but these give you a rough idea.  Before stamping a put a layer of Max factor's Fabtasy Fire over the roses.

I used Bundle Monster plate 311 and Barry M Gold Foil.

Stamped Roses

I did, as suspected, give in and stamp over yesterday's Warwick Way.  I used the pink version of Barry M's Chameleon polish which was incredibly good to stamp with, so opaque and easy to work with (ignoring the fact it has dyed my stamper lilac).  The roses are from Bundle Monster plate 323.

I love it, it reminds me of flock wallpaper, although the colour combination is a bit odd...