5/17/2013

SilverBeauty (Online Shop, Australia)


SilverBeauty Is a family home-based business settled in NSW that commercialises a few lines of Natural, organic and Arjuvedic beauty and body products (men, women, and babies) that are fabulous in quality but low and mid-priced: Reniu (Fiji), Shahnaz Hussain (India), and DesertPea Australian Native Skin Care (Australia).

RENIU is what brought me to them. Reniu's body and hair products are produced in Fiji and use as a base organic virgin coconut oil that is then infused with natural fragrances of Tiare, Frangipani, Watermelon, Pineapple, White Gingerlily, Passion Flower, Star Fruit and Coconut. David Jones used to sell Reniu, until they decided to discontinue the line to the dismal of a large group of devotees, me among them. Reniu smells of what they package says it is, and the scents are fresh, natural and noticeable; if you don't like any of these scents, the brand might not be for you. If you like them, you'll be in heaven. Still, the coconut scent is wonderful, and the most subtle and neutral of the lot. The pineapple and watermelon scents are great for shampoo/conditioner and natural soaps and if you want to use the products on children. I have used all their products in the past, and my number one, without a doubt, is their coconut sugar body scrub, which is fantastic and leaves your skin like the one of a newly-born baby. The  whole range of products is great.
 
SHAHNAZ HUSSAIN'S herbal Arjuvedic cosmetics are renowned in India. Her cosmetics creams are emollient, very rich, well priced (for Westerners, at least) and luxuriously packaged. However, their rose scent is markedly pungent, not my liking, and can put off anybody with a delicate nose. If you decide to try them, use them as night creams, as the scent won't bother you as much.

I have never tried the Aussie brand.  


THE SILVERBEAUTY'S WEBSITE is very simple in design, but very effective. It looks a bit amateur, but it is very practical and easy to browse and shop from. This is a home-operated business, so I don't expect their website to be as professional, good-looking or well designed as those of a big business.

SHOPPING ONLINE from SilverBeauty is very easy, and you can check-out as a guest or as a registered customer, and pay using your credit/debit card or PayPal. Even if you check out as a guest, SilverBeauty will open an account for you and let you know, just in case you decide to use it; it comes handy for checking your order status and having a wish list. 

An order confirmation email is sent right after you make your purchase. They dispatch your order very fast using Australia Post as a carrier, and you will get your parcel in four or five working days. They claim an average of 72 hours, and this was the case with my order. 

The shipping and handling fees are quite low, but they are not clearly stated in the website, and you will find them while checking out. Ordering a bunch of products instead of individual ones always pays off, always. You can return your order and get a refund if you send them within seven days and the products are unopened.

SiverBeauty's customer service is very friendly and prompt to reply any query. I always have queries!

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
> The welcome page in the website should be revamped, so it looks more professional and appealing.
> They should include more details about shipping and handling in the Shipping area. It does not cost much explaining ways of shipping, costs of shipping, and that sort of thing. 
> They should make sure that once orders are dispatched, customers receive an email confirming that this is the case, and also that "your order" status is updated in Your Account area. 
> Their privacy policy sounds a bit dodgy.

MIND
/ They only sell to Australia. If you live in Australia, this is kinda of great :)
 / The body oil and body scrub by Reniu have a high concentration in coconut oil, natural one. This means that in winter the product tends to solidify and in winter is liquid. A bit of a bother, but you know this is how natural oils naturally react to temperature changes, and you buy the products because they are natural, right?

5/08/2013

The Perfume Shoppe (online shop, USA)

"The Perfume Shoppe" is a family-operated American perfumery located in Stottsdale Arizona that also sells online. They are specialised in exclusive, hard to find, niche male and female perfumes. They sell perfumes from about 30 different world-class perfumiers. Some of those can be found in similar Australian online sites, or in exclusive shops in your city - "Mariposa" sells some of those (not all) in Perth. However, TPS is excellent for something that we crave in Australia, and in Perth - vials and pre-packaged samples of exclusive perfumes. This is one of the specialities of the TPS, and what brought me to them. 

The price of an average bottle of these exclusive perfumes is so high that you do not want to buy anything you haven't tried a few times. It is difficult not to love perfume samples, especially when each of us have a specific reaction to and relation with the perfumes we wear, and fashion has little to say about the ph of your skin and how a perfume smells, precisely, on you. On the other hand, samples are great to test perfumes you have never tried, to build up a perfume wardrobe (to use in different seasons, events, mood states, outfits, and so on), to use them while travelling, or carry them in your handbag to  spray on any time.The TPS's sample program allows you to do any of those things. I love the fact that you can get sophisticated products within a budget. That sounds like heaven to me.

You have different shopping options and all of the samples are shipped worldwide for free:
1/ Five scents of your selection from their whole range for $20.00. They use decanters to fill in mini-vials (no spray), which come with handwritten labels. 
2/ Pre-packed samples, provided by the original perfumiers, usually five, for an average price of $25.  TPS doesn't make the selection, they just send them. 
 
3/ Six scents from the family of perfumes of your selection (floral, gourmand, fruity, oriental, marine, and so on) for $25. The mini-spray samples are pre-packed by the original perfumiers, but the guys at the TPS choose the perfumes for you depending on availability. I ordered the female gourmand and fruity collections, and I am quite pleased with the quality, presentation and smell of most of them; you can give away those you do not like.   
 

4/ Fill in a travel or trial spray atomiser with your choice of perfume for, about, $30. It contains 4-5ml, which lasts for about 60 sprays.

The TPS  staff are very kind, and they always add an extra free sample to your purchase and attach a Thank You card. The staff are also very nice and promptly reply to any of your queries by email.  

The shop does ship to Australia, not only samples. Alleluia! Once you order, you receive two emails, one confirming the payment and another the order, and a third one will arrive after dispatch. Parcels with samples take about 15 working days to reach Australia (or at least Perth).

THE ONLINE SITE
The TPS's website is SSL protected, so you can shop without any worry. You can save your personal details in Your Account, and the system will automatically fill-in the check-out forms next time you shop. Shopping from there is truly hassle free.


Colours and style are nice, but the navigation lacks functionality at times due to the structuring of the site; moreover, some of the photos have been badly inserted, stretched beyond their size capability, and some of the icons need a transparent or black base to match the site's background. 

The site does not have a logout button. A logout link does exist, but it is a faint grey line, not even underlined, written at the bottom of Your Account area, barely distinguishable per se. You can also see a blue underlined logout link while you are checking out, but you are checking-out, therefore processing your payment, why would you want to sign out from there? Helloooo web designers!

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
= They need to make their website more customer friendly. Simplicity is a great virtue, but good organisation and good design are also good ones. Creating an specific logout button or clearly visible logout link in all private areas, inserting icons properly, and removing photos that aren't clean and good are simple tasks that will improve the site enormously and are easy to implement.  
= They should create separate areas devoted to women and female perfumes, perfumes by categories (floral, marine, citrus, oriental, and so on), and create an area devoted to things that aren't strictly perfumes, like perfumed candles for example.  

THEIR REWARD SYSTEM
They have a points rewards system. You get one point for each dollar spent, and you can exchange 10 points for 1 dollar discount at your next checkout.  You can redeem all or some of your points from "Your Account" area. Do mind - the points are allocated to any purchase in which you are not redeeming points. If you spend, say, 100 dollars, and use a reward point discount on that purchase, you do not earn any points on it instead of the 100 points you could have earned if you had not claimed any of your points. Therefore, use your points wisely! 
 
MIND 
> You need to register to order. No shopping as a guest allowed.
> No Paypal available as way of payment.
> No tracking link is provided after dispatch of samples. You can get one on full bottles depending on the shipping method you select.
> Do not order with a hurry, because your parcel takes a while to get to  Australia. Dispatch, according to the site, takes 24 hours. My experience has been of nearly 48 hours every time. Add to this the about fortnight you need to get your parcel.
> You might not like some of the perfumes you receive in the pre-packed lots. But you know this beforehand and you are a risk taker, right?

***
The Perfume Shoppe, despite the little flaws of its website, provides male and female perfume lovers with a great customer service and awesome fragrances delivered at your doorstep. This is especially important in Perth WA, where getting perfume samples is difficult, and finding samples of exclusive perfumes is like a miracle. Imagine if you live in a little town or in rural Australia. You can get 5/6 vials for 20-25 bucks and brands that you cannot get in Australia at all. A bit pricey for samples, but they are worth the price. And everybody is going to be asking you about your perfume. 

Let us smell divine for the sake of our own un-royal noses.

5/07/2013

Jetstar Australia

Jetstar Australia, despite being a low-cost carrier, does a great job without being cheap in service. They travel all over Australia, and to a good number of Asian countries, plus New Zealand and the USA (just Honolulu). I have never used them for International flights, just for domestic ones within Australia. 

Their website is easy to navigate, allows you to book a flight and manager it afterwards with great easiness. 

Prices are super-cheap if you book flights without check-in luggage, just hand luggage. In general, even if you have check-in luggage, pricing is very good. Prices go up, also, depending on hours of departure, the most inconvenient being the cheapest. But you expect this to be the case, no? 

The planes are as comfortable -or uncomfortable- as any other plane you take if you fly economy class. Yes, a tin of sardines, not good for tall people, medium people or small people. Still, OK. My experience has always been excellent regarding punctuality within Australia. It might sound superficial, but I love the crew uniforms and the mix of colours that the airline uses; I think they give a serious but trendy image of the company. 

The crew are efficient and very helpful at organising the on-board luggage in the cabin, which can be tricky, because everybody seems to bring fully packed mini-not-that-mini hand luggage. Me included!

You need to pay for your meals and drinks on board. However, Jetstar flight meals are tasteless, tiny and overpriced; nothing you would want to spend your money on, unless you buy chips or nibbles. However, you can eat before boarding and/or taking a sandwich, cookies, nibbles and (not smelly, please!) food with you. If you are flying domestic, don't waste your money on their food.

My main complaint about Jetstar would be that the crew is matter of fact, a bit pushy at times, and not that smiley. They do a great job, but a bit of more friendliness wouldn't hurt anybody. A final thing that annoys me a bit is the fact that, at least in Perth WA, we usually get to/from the plane from/to the airport through the tarmac, up/down steep stairs, luggage in hand, instead of using one of those covered jet bridges that make a whole of difference. 

Jetstar Australia is a decent low-cost carrier that does what one could expect from them. I'd rather flight with Jetstar than with Virgin because, for similar or identical prices, you get better service and a more caring and efficient crew. That is my experience. However, I think, overall, Qantas is still cheaper for domestic if you take into account what they offer for their pricing.

SOMETHING TO BE AWARE OF
Whether you book through Jetstar's own website, Expedia or through any other online booking site, Jetstar will charge you, just because nobody is stopping them, 7+ bucks in fees just for paying with your debit/credit card, which, according to new Australian legislation is abusive and even illegal. I recently booked a trip that has the departure with Qantas and the return with Jestar merely for schedule reasons, and Qantas charged me only 2 bucks for the credit card payment. Really, this sort of things unnerve me and the law should prevent this from happening.  

5/04/2013

Answers to the Liebster Award

Lee from the blog Coffee Couture was kind enough to nominate this blog for a Liebster Award. It requires of the nominees posting 11 random facts about themselves as well as answering the questions posted by any of the other nominees.

The Liebster (favourite in German) is more of a way to get to know bloggers than it is an award. The one rule is that the nominated bloggers must have less than 200 followers. This is very much the case with my blog. I have a few followers, but they do not follow me officially, they watch in silence, which is fine with me. Hello voyeuristic stranger!

Here are a few things about this "bloggeree".

11 Random Facts About Me
1 - Teo Degas is an alias I have been using for years for anything that is not professional. I wanted an alias that wast Artsy but close enough to the phonetics of my real name. Voilà!

2- I have a tendency to buy things I don't need without worrying about the price, but I tend to delay buying those I do need and I  worry about the price.

3- I am a geek. I have always found easy using and teaching myself computers and software. Still, I have difficulties with simple electric things. Ha!

4- I love, with capitals, original unique jewellery, beautiful china tea cups and tea pots, artistic Tarot decks, shoes, handbags, and anything that it is well designed, artistic, delicate and colourful.  

5- I have tried, unsuccessfully, to teach myself Swahili, Finnish, Arabic, and Japanese, but I still speak several languages. 

6- I am a mediocre cook because I don't enjoy cooking. That it is my excuse!

7- I try to improve myself every single day, so I can be a refined soul when I die at the age of 93.

8- My favourite colour is red, but I tend to buy and wear anything purple, orange, blue and black.

9-  When I was a child, I wanted to be an Astronaut. 

10- I cannot live without my laptop. This is my window to the world, my work tool, my communication tool, my artistic tool, my reading tool, my writing tool, an extension of me little robot.

11- I was a coffeeholic until five-six weeks ago. After a nasty long stomach infection, I have switched to tea, and I have discovered that my addiction was mostly a psychological hook. I have killed the "oholic" in me, but now I am obsessed with T2 teas. Oh Dear! 

Questions Asked by Cafecouture

What did you eat today? 
For breakfast I had a milk Monk Pear tea, a mini-bowl of peaches with skim natural yoghurt, and a toast with cream cheese and bacon.
For lunch I had a glorious meal at Must: lamb rump dish, truffle and a coffee.
For dinner I have had half a cake slice I bought yesterday and two cups of tea.
Oh Jeez, I should keep a food diary. Perhaps... not.

Cappuccino, Long Mac or Espresso?
Long Mac.

Your favourite thing to do on the weekend?
Eating out, shopping, reading, watching movies, blogging and anything that is chores free. 

Where do you want to go on your next holiday?
South Korea. Hopefully North Korea doesn't start a war!

What inspires you?
Amazing human beings. 
Talented people.
Eye-opening books that make me grow as a person and expand my view of the world.
The Arts.

What is your favourite blog/website?'
- I contribute and enjoy reviews platforms like Urbaspoon, Yelp and Tripadvisor. 
- I like randomly browsing Tumblr or Flickr for illustration and digital Art posts and artists.
- I cannot live without IMDb and Amazon.

A memorable event in your life? 
Oh, so many! I will share three.
- Being born was memorable. Not that was aware of at that very moment :D!
- Publishing my first academic book.
- My first trip overseas, to Rome, alone, to study Italian, poor and with a big suitcase. I was robbed on the metro in my first hours there. I was lucky enough that the Police caught the guy at the exit with all my money. My second day in Rome was spent in Court, where the guy was taken, just in case my declaration was necessary. The rest of my stay was great! 

Favourite movie?
I have a huge list of favourite movies and I can't choose one.The last two ones I loved were Django Unchained and Mr Nobody (the later on DVD).

What do you buy online and where from? 
OMG (Online My Guilt) I buy online a lot: handbags, cosmetics, books, jewellery and anything in between. Some of the sites I buy from are Nordstrom, Revolve Clothing, OzCosmetics, StrawberryNet, Boticca, Etsy, the Book Depository and Amazon. I do buy regularly from Coles, Officeworks and Undiewarehouse, too. Oh, I buy from so many places online that it is embarrassing, or perhaps exciting.

Do you love Winter or Summer? 
Winter!

What camera or phone do you use to snap pictures?
A touristy cheap compact Coolpix Nikon. You can buy one for about 60 dollars. I have it on automatic settings and I use it mostly for super-fast snaps in restaurants/cafés.



4/30/2013

Fiorentina (North Perth, Perth WA)

44 Angove Street, North Perth, WA.
(08) 9328 7442
Website 
Facebook
Hours:
  Mon - Sun: 07:00-17:00
  Fiorentina on Urbanspoon 

L'amore per la vita dolce" -Love for the sweet life- is the motto of this family operated Italian patisserie, gelateria and café located at the bottom end of Angove St's café strip.

THE GOOD
+ Some of their hot dishes are very good, tasty and good sized. I especially like their baked eggs breakfast (eggs, white beans, home-made tomato sauce, chorizo, fresh tomato, baby spinach, cheese, and parsley plus toast), which makes a terrific brunch. They are very good and very filling, and the best baked eggs I have eaten in Perth so far. My opinion. Their Thai and vegetarian capsicum salad are very nice, too.
+ Their selection of sweets and cakes is impressive with a mix of Australian traditional favourites, authentic Italian sweets, and European seasonal desserts. Their cabinet is a heaven for dessert-o-holics, and it is difficult to choose just one thing. Their macaroons are amongst the most popular item. They have wonderfully pre-packaged macaroons and cupcakes for Mother's Day, and other seasonal festivities, the last one I bought, a gorgeous china tea cup and saucer with a cupcake. 
+ Portions are decently sized. 
+  Food and coffee are better than in some of the cafés around. 
+ The Coffee is good. They use Bonissimo Beans, which are among my favourites, as they produce strong flavoursome coffee that is not bitter. Their mix is not as flavoursome or strong as in other cafés, but it is is still good, and the coffee is very well prepared, even artistically finished at times.
+ They have very good quality cutlery and strong decent paper napkins. Little details make a difference.
+ Most of the staff are attentive, polite, friendly, and eager to serve. 
+ Service is relatively fast.
+ No hype here. This is a family friendly place, with patrons from all ages (although mostly +30y.o.).
+ They have plenty of newspapers for customers. 
+ Their cooling system for their alfresco area is super-cool (literally!) with a  aspersion system that sprinkles cold air above the seating area. That is soooooo appropriate for Perth scorching summer!
+ They cater for functions, design your wedding or birthday cake, and sell ice-cream tarts.
+ I love their sweets and cake slices. They seem to have a new one each week, and they use seasonal produce. All of the ones I have tried were amazing. 

  
THE SO-SO
- Their sweets are really tiny in size and a bit pricey. Some of them are really nice, but others are just average and not worth the price.
- Their lamb chunks can be very dry and hard, and difficult to cut with a normal knife.
- Although they have air-con inside, the place can be humid and hot in +30-degrees days.
- I have found isolated examples of staff rudeness and unfriendliness. It is a pity, because one person can ruin the reputation of the whole place. I have also found a sort of lack of organisation in the service at times. 
- Service can be disorganised at times.
- The place is always crowded, and it can be tricky finding a place to seat during weekends.

ROOM FOR IMPROVEMENT
= Provide sharp knives when serving steak or dishes with thick pieces of meat.  It makes a whole difference!
= This is just a personal wish. I do not like elongated plates for my food, They limit the movement of my hand and moving the food around. On the other hand, how to put it? a round plate improves presentation and comes prettier in the photo...
= I think service need to be a more systematic. In the sense that one person takes care of one thing, so you don't have three people asking your if you have been served or three people not paying attention to you. One person at the cash, one person serving coffee, a person serving sweets, a waiter serving food on the tables, that sort of structuring of the service.   

TIP
- Go for the lunch specials, macaroons, and coffee and you won't be disappointed.
- Seat outside in hot days. It sounds like a joke, but it will be cooler than inside!
- If you have a birthday or seasonal event and want a sweet gift for somebody walk in and check their special packed items for Mother's Day, Valentines, and other seasonal festivities.

4/16/2013

Restaurante Botánico (Granada, Spain)

Calle Malaga, 3
18001 Granada
Spain
Ph. 958 271 598
Website in English
Facebook

 El Botánico, as it is usually called by locals, is an icon in the Granada food panorama. This café-bar-restaurant opened 13 years ago, and is still as contemporary and modern as it was when opened. They were like an electroshock to the Granada dining scene, as it was one of the first café-restaurant in the city to avant-garde in fusion cuisine, started the tradition of brunching, and started opening and serving food all day long, at times that are not traditional in Spain. No wonder, the place became soon a favourite among local foodies and hypsters, and foreign tourists and expatriates. Despite that, there is no hype around the place any longer, as the hype is elsewhere in the city. This is, still, a trendy café despite the pass of time.
 
I love the fact that the place is located in the heart of Granada, but a bit hidden, just in front of the tiny Botanical Garden of Granada. The interior is very modern, with clean lines and an elegant mixture of white, orange and blues, and functional pine tables, adorned by the artistic exhibition on display at the time you visit. There are two distinct areas, the café-bar at the entrance, and the dining area properly speaking, which is located at the rear back of the long corridor.  

The recipes are a mix of fusion food (Mexico, Japan, Middle Easter, Morocco, Italy and France among other influences), modern contemporary Spanish cuisine and the traditional tapas culture, which has its roots in this very city. Everything I have tried here is delicious and well prepared, from the soups, to the mains to the desserts. The red wine of Granada (terroir denomination "Vino de Granada") is one of those wines that got me hooked, after trying it here last year; it has started to get a name among foodies for its smoothness, silkiness, colourful flavours and richness of colour. 

If you live in Perth WA, el Botánico is to Granada what Bivouac is to Perth, but it opened more than a decade ago!

El Botánico has great prices. It is a bit pricier than other places in the city, but not much really, especially if you choose the set menu, which is great. The set menu is a tradition amongst Spanish cafés and medium range restaurants, and includes bread, water, one alcoholic drink of your selection, a starter, a main course, and a dessert) for the ridiculous price of 12 Euro inside and 13 on the terrace (taxes and service included!). Otherwise you can eat a la carte. They have special prices for breakfasts and brunches during weekdays. If you compare these to Perth prices, you could be clapping out of joy, or thinking, is that really possible? Good food, nice place, cheap? Yes, it is, if you have hundreds of bars, cafés and restaurants in a tiny city competing for your visit.

The service is friendly, and decently paced, but it changes from person to person.  The restaurant hosts temporary exhibitions and musical events inside.

To be fair and honest, if I was a tourist, I would rather immerse myself in the delicacies of the real Spanish gastronomy elsewhere, in a city that is renowned for his hundreds of tapas bars, traditional and contemporary Spanish restaurants at very good prices. However, El Botánico is still great place for escapades into territories that are quieter, more cosmopolitan and more flexible regarding eating hours, and culinary styles.

TIPS
- If you go at the traditional Spanish eating hours, the place can be quite hectic. But very quiet otherwise.
- They do takeaways!
- They have pre-arranged set menus for groups. 
- They have vegan and vegetarian dishes.

Swarovski Boutique (Perth WA)


Shop 3, 140 William St
Perth Western Australia 6000
(08) 9481 0047
Hours   
   Mon - Thu: 09:30 - 18:00
   Fri: 09:30 - 21:00
   Sat: 09:30 - 17:00
   Sun: 11:00 - 17:00
Website
Facebook

If you love good bling, you certainly love Swarovski crystals and Swarovsky exclusive branded jewellery, accessories and decoration figurines.

The shop at 200 Murray Street (also listed as 3/140 William St) replaced the now closed  small shop at Carillon. The boutique is large, with ample space to move around and browse the numerous wall and table cabinets. Most of the pieces are locked, except for some of their charms range. Their shopping windows are always beautiful and eye-catching.
The pieces at Swarovski range from the utterly beautiful and timeless to the daring baroque, from the classic to the just this season outrageous, and from the old lady to the spoilt-rotten little girl.

Prices are high, but you pay quality crystal from a renowned brand. However, they have seasonal sales and discounts, some of them considerable when new seasonal items are brought into the shop. The timeless pieces, though, are rarely reduced. They packaging and shopping bags are beautiful.

The service is good but a bit lacking and uptight at times. I think it can be explained by the fact that a huge amount of visitors enter the shop just to browse around. I do so regularly. However, once they see your interest, even if it is just to try something on, the guys are very helpful and nice.  

They accept exchanges within a 14-day period, if they are returned in their original packaging and tags attached. However, they do not accept returns for change of mind or during sales.