My reviews

All in one sleepsuits - Cute or Creepy?

My verdict is: Cute. 

Maybe I have some sort of middle child syndrome and I am craving a return to being the baby again or maybe I am just fed up of being head to toe cold, but I think the all in one sleep suits complete with feet are genius. Ok, so they’re no Ann Summers super slut range lingerie and I’ve not doubt my man Chris won’t be too thrilled with it but he has to take comfort in the fact I will no longer be warming my ten icy cocktail sausages on his thighs. 

This is the fleecy suit I’ve ordered: 

It’s due to arrive today actually. I paid £9.99 for it and I can’t wait to look like a giant freaky baby in a panda suit because I will be a WARM giant freaky baby in a panda suit. 

I will write up a detailed review of the product and the seller when my sleepsuit arrives.

Now, if only there was cute thermal underwear you could buy….

Ang’s Attic - A Jewellery Maker’s Go To Friend

I’ve been making jewellery as a hobby for about two years now and I simply ADORE this seller. It’s a family run business and as such it has a friendly interface. They’re mainly based on ebay but also has a very active Facebook Page which I recommend “liking” for great deals and promotions.

When I buy from them, they usually dispatch same day and things tend to arrive the next day. Out of the dozens and dozens of packages I’ve bought off of then, there’s been only one mistake which was a human error and it was fixed within 24 hours which I was impressed by.

All their goods meet EU regulations (I once asked) and is great quality. I’ve had a good look and Ang’s Attic is always the cheapest seller for what they provide.

If you are a jewellery maker you simply must check them out: http://stores.ebay.co.uk/Angs-Attic

The Dogs Doodahs - Does exactly what it says on the tin

Thedogsdoodahs.com are an exemplary company and they really are the dogs’ doodahs. Their costumer service is fast, efficient and oh-so honest. They have an engaging Facebook page with regular competitions and give-aways. I have bought several cards from them and I own an amazing customised apron and mug. 

The quality and craftsmanship on the apron is well worth the money. I sew and know good stitch work when I see it. It’s taken such a battering. I’ve spilled all manner of foods and sauces on it and its withstood my vigorous washings and abuse. Guests often mention my fun and quirky apron.

I also own a mug from them. 

The strange thing is that after about a month of owning my mug one exactly the same came through the post. When I enquired about it they told me they’d had issues with the first mugs fading and had sent out some with anti-fade coating just in case. I didn’t even have to ask! I was very impressed.

I also buy most of my (adult) cards from them and they are shipped out really quickly and usually arrive the next day. They’re good quality and the recipients love them!

In short, I’d recommend this site. They’re costumer orientated, respond to feedback and do good quality bits and bobs

Homeserve Hell!

About a week ago a wet patch appeared on our kitchen ceiling. Luckily our landlord is a plumber so knew exactly what needed doing. Unfortunately, he lives in Saudi Arabia. When the local plumber we booked bailed on us we called this company.

A pipe had cracked on the join in the back bedroom. The joint needed cutting off and replacing. However, Homeserve’s contracted plumber, who charged us £95 for the honour, decided to replace the whole pipe leading back into the boiler. When he found it difficult to connect the new plastic pipe into an existing lead pipe he rectified it by yanking the lead pipe from the beam under the floorboard and forcing them to connect. In the meantime, he caused a whole new leak in the pipe he yanked. Our living room with its new plaster ceiling got soaked.

If you look at the horizontal beam there are two “fresh” holes which have been made in the beam. This is where the bracket has been torn off the beam.

The plumber, rather than admitting what he had done, made out that there was a second pre-existing leak and charged us £115 for somebody to return the next day. The landlord’s wife turned up and looked at the issue. Being a savvy woman she realised what had happened and complained. 

The customer services representatives were rude and denied any liability. They passed us from pillar to post via the phone. They eventually agreed to refund the £115 (because we wouldn’t let them come out a second time) but we’re planning to fight for the £95 we initially paid because they messed up big time.

I won’t even bother giving this company a rating because they’re just a badly organised joke. Save your money and find a local reputable plumber.

Saks Hair Salon, York on Davygate review - update

I got this response from head office this morning:

“Following correspondence regarding Saks York, we were extremely sorry to hear that you were unhappy with the results of your appointment.

As previously explained, as we are a Franchise Group, the final decision regarding your complaint is the responsibility of the Franchisee at Saks York.
We have contacted the salon and ensured that all of your valuable feedback has been given to the Salon Manager. This information will be taken on board by the team and used to ensure that any necessary improvements are made to the services offered by the salon in the future.

The usual procedure would be to revisit the salon for the team to look at the hair, they would then be more than happy to rectify any problems, where necessary. We are very sorry to hear that you felt that you did not wish to return to the salon and that your hair has been corrected by an alternative salon.

As a goodwill gesture and as a thank you for your feedback, we would like to send you 2x £10.00 tokens, which may be redeemed in any saks salon nationwide.
We would therefore be extremely grateful if you could provide us with your address, to enable us to send them to you.”

I was pretty annoyed. The two ten pound vouchers wouldn’t cover the cost to see even the most junior stylist (one of which made the error.)

So,I have just come off of the phone to the manager of the local branch - Claire. The reason it had taken so long to resolve is because the head office hadn’t passed my complaint on. My “nudge” had prompted her to call the manager.

The manager was a nice lady but explained she was in a sticky wicket. Because she hadn’t seen the cut, she couldn’t offer me a refund. If she had seen it and I’d asked, I could have got one. At the time I got my haircut looked at I was pretty angry. I really didn’t want one of their stylists near me again. So, is it any wonder I didn’t want to go back?

She explained that she was bound by salon policy. She couldn’t refund a faulty cut if she hadn’t seen it. I explained that I wasn’t lying. It would be ridiculous to lie. I even offered her the name of the woman who had to fix my cut so she could verify it.

In the end, we came to a compromise. She is going to have my hair cut by a senior stylist and I won’t have to pay. That way I can get the cut I originally wanted. I am still out of pocket £49 for the haircut (which includes fixing it) but I’ve conceded I’ll have to cut my losses. 

The lesson learnt here: if you get a wonky cut, go back to the salon. Even if you won’t let them fix it you can demand a refund.

Saks Hairy Salon, York on Davygate review

First off, it’s worth mentioning that Saks is a franchise and therefore probably varies from branch to branch. 

Saks has a reputation for being a high quality salon and its prices certainly reflect that. So when groupon were offering a £50 haircut for £19 I jumped on pretty fast.

I went for something drastic. I had my hair cut from well below my shoulder blades to this:

I went into the Salon which was bright and spacious and was assaulted by a wave of noise. The music was played at the sort of noise level you would expect in a night club. 

I checked in with reception and waited patiently for my stylist. My stylist was 4 years my junior. A tender 19 years old. Newly qualified. I was a bit annoyed. Saks had promised £50 worth of haircut for £19. A senior stylist rate. But I thought I would give her a chance. Surely they wouldn’t give me somebody who didn’t know what they were doing. 

The stylist was very softly spoken and I could barely hear her over the music. She looked nervous and unsure as she chopped into my hair. Not a look you want from somebody you have trusted with you hair. 

After the cut was done it didn’t feel “right.” I’m not a hairdresser. I don’t know about hair so I couldn’t pin point what it was. Eventually it bothered me to the point where I went to a different hairdresser. I saw a stylist with 20 years experience who was alarmed when she examined the cut. She informed me that it was wonky - one half was an inch and a half longer than the other. I had to have my hair redone brutally short to rectify and it’s only now - 4 weeks later that I’m okay with the length (although it’s still short than I’d like).

I immediately emailed Saks with the following:

“On 6th April I went to your York branch for a haircut. I can’t remember my hairdresser’s name. I only remember her saying she was 19 and she was very softly spoken.When I left the salon I had comments from friends that the cut didn’t look “right.” I went to another hairdresser who looked at it and remarked that one side had been cut a whole inch and a half longer than the other and the layers were wonky. I’ve had to have my hair redone far shorter than I would have liked to rectify the situation. As you can imagine I am exceptionally disappointed. I expected better than this from a Saks salon. The independant hairdresser was surprised when I told her I’d had it done in Saks too. People expect higher standards than that.

As you can imagine I was reluctant to go back to the salon to rectify - once bitten twice shy. However, I do feel I should be compensated as I paid for a haircut, put my trust into your hairdresser completely and have ended up with something which is far from what I wanted.

I look forward to hearing your response.”

Two days later I received this:

“Dear Rebecca,

Re: Saks York

Thank you for your email.We take customer care very seriously and are sorry to hear about your experience at Saks York.

As we are a franchise group, any decision regarding your complaint is the responsibility of the franchisee and owner of Saks York. We shall, however, contact the salon directly, and make every effort to ensure your complaint is handled efficiently and satisfactorily.

We shall advise you of any progress as soon as possible. If you have any queries in the meantime please contact me on ******”

Well, as she had informed me that they would make efforts to ensure my complaint was handled well I waited for a response. I still haven’t had one although I have emailed and asked for an update. Maybe as they are a franchise the manager decided to deal with my complaint by not dealing with it.

In short I had a poor experience, a bad haircut and the management of the shop is shoddy. 

I was promised a £50 haircut for £19. When you account the £30 I had to spend to fix it I got a £50 haircut for £49. Bargain? No!

Overall rating: No stars.

A poorly run franchise with poorly trained staff and no discernible customer services. The only silver lining is that I discovered a good stylist in the place which fixed it. I’ll give them a seperate review at some point soon.

Find out the resolution here.

Eyeko makeup review.

Being one of life’s more persistent skinflints I am not easily parted with my money. Which is why I love groupon. I can get things for a fraction of the price I normally would. 

Recently they had an eyeko offer - £8 for £20 worth of goodies. Bundle that in with free UK postage and they had themselves a deal.

When I went onto their site I was a bit sad at their limited range. However, they made up for lack of quantity with quality.

My items were packed up, sent out and I had them in about five days in total. They were well packaged. I was really impressed by the way eyeko present their goods. Most of the bits were in their own little boxes. It makes them absolutely ideal for wrapping and giving as a wee gift to the glamorous girly in your life. They were so cute and funky I hardly wanted to use them. But I did.

Incidentally, if you spend over £15 and enter an “ambassador code” you get a free gift. If you’re after a code, I have on over to the left of my blog. ;)

Here’s what I bought, and what I thought:

Eyeko Cream with Extra Glow £8.95

I have always had a pasty face. I’ve always looked drawn and poorly - mostly because I usually am drawn and poorly. So the idea of a cream which could add some vibrancy was really quite appealing.

First of all a little of this cream goes a long way. I can see this lasting a very long time. When you apply it, it gives you a delicate sheen which is attractive and perfect to create the illusion of a healthy glow.

However, it didn’t mix so well with my make up. I had put a bit of concealer here and there and it mixed in with it to make a strange white paste which was unfortunate. 

I popped a bit on yesterday when I was haggard and sleep deprived from exams and you could barely tell that I was dying of exhaustion.

Overall rating: ☆☆☆☆

A nice product but it would be better if it mixed nicely with make up

Eyeko Liptastik Loudmouth £6.50

I’ve always thought bold coloured make up can sometimes tie a bold outfit together nicely.

This pencil is one of those colours and is too cute to be a allowed. It is a chunky pencil with a vibrant pink shade. It goes on nicely and with a lot of accuracy. 

It has a great deal of staying power and stains the lips beautifully.

Overall rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

An amazing idea, product and it has superb sticking power!

Eyeko Raspberry Fat Balm £6.50

This product is amazing. I love lip balms. My lips just love drying up and they are particularly fond of burning in the sun. So with a built in SPF of 15 this seemed a sensible buy. 

It’s not only a gorgeous moisturising lip balm but it also gives your lips a flattering tint and smells (tastes) completely edible. 

The only downside is the product’s chunkiness. While endearing aesthetically it’s not very practical and accuracy was a little bit of a problem. If Eyeko could consider bringing out a “slim balm” I would be all over it :)

Overall rating: ☆☆☆

It doesn’t quite have the sticking power I’d like. It’s also a little bit awkward to use but apart from that it’s amazing.

On my browse I came across a blush called “Glow Getter” and would have put it straight into my basket had it been in stock. Evidentially popular, and for good reason. I clicked the “email me when in stock” button and waited.

A few days later I was informed it was back in stock and snapped myself one up (free delivery again, wee!) It arrived really quickly.

Eyeko Cheeky Colour, Glow Getter £6.50

When it comes to blush I am so difficult to please. I have skin like a porcelain doll and achieving something which doesn’t make my face scream “clown” isn’t easy. I have two blushes in my collection and it took me 7 years to find them and I stick to them religiously. This is now the third in my collection and I think it’s here to stay.

First of all, a little goes a really long way. I just dipped my brush into the pot and that was all I needed. It left my cheeks with a delicate and warm hue which didn’t look overdone and added a sweet sheen which perked my whole face up.

If you want a louder look, you can build up a few layers - yay!

It left me feeling radiant and looking healthy. A must for poorly people and for hiding hangovers! I now realise this was out of stock for good reason. I cannot recommend snagging a pot of this enough - it’s magical.

Overall rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

It’s perfect. It’s fantastic value for money and it’s subtle but flattering.

I’ve had this tumblr sitting here for a while. Useless, unused, unloved - completely redundant. As I get older I am finding myself more and more inclined to complaining about products or services.

It’s quite often I search for reviews of local restaurants/services and I am completely unable to find a comprehensive review.

So I intend to use this as my sounding board to give other prospective consumers an idea of what to expect. I’ve eradicated my old and more useless posts and I’ll update with any good or bad services I feel should be mentioned.