This
was the first quality perfume I bought, one for which I have to save, because, in those days, I was poor and Tresor was a very expensive perfume. Although I don't use it
regularly nowadays, I always keep small samples and travel size bottles
at hand because, the time has passed, the world of perfumes has evolved and changed, but Tresor is still today one of my favourite fragrances.
Lancome has reinvented Tresor in the last years, but the fact remains, the original Tresor, is still a great fragrance that smells of groomed woman, that is feminine and seductive. Tresor is a classic for a reason. In a world that discards perfumes every two years, having a perfume like this still being sold, says something about any perfume. For the younger generations, Tresor smells of their mothers and grand-mothers, so it will have an old-lady sort of attached prejudice; yet, if they didn't see the bottle and smelled the fragrance in a blind testing, many of them would still like or love the scent.
Tresor is the essence of femininity: intoxicating, velvety, powdery, warm and floral. It has an unique distinguishable scent that you won't find matched anywhere else. While I have found that some scents by designer houses smell the same, I mean the same, as other perfumes with different names from another designer house, I have still to find a perfume that smells like Tresor. It has never been and will never be. Amen.
This is one of those perfumes that I don't overdo, because, if I do, I
get a headache and I cannot stand it. A tiny amount of spray or rubbing
on the usual spots goes the long way and brings up the woman in you even in those days that you feel a bit crappy.
I have three perfumes that people I don't know ask me about, and Bottega Veneta EDP is one of them.
Bottega Veneta EDP was Bottega Veneta's first ever perfume and the result was a brilliant contemporary fragrance and an instant classic.
We leave in a time in which perfumes are launched every six months, a time in which fashion trends have turned perfumes into another accessory, and in a time where mediocre or bad perfumes are packaged in pretty bottles and sold at high prices. Discovering Bottega Veneta made me belief that there is still room for old perfumiers' savoir-faire, there is the space to take the time necessary to develop an unique fragrance that is not discardable in six months or smells like any other. Old perfumiers used to take years to work and develop a perfume, and you would get something unique, a great scent and a great quality one. This is what Bottega Veneta just did with their first ever perfume for women.
Bottega Veneta EDP is classified within the Chypre family of perfumes but smells more of an light oriental woody floral turned mutant on me. The
scent is sophisticated, timeless, seductive, and feminine. It has a very distinctive smell that is modern and classic at the same time. It is nobility luxury not bourgeoisie luxury. If I had to describe the smell I would tell you a story that captures the world that this perfume transports me to. Imagine you have a hut in the forest somewhere in Western Europe, and your hut is furnished with very comfortable leather furniture that smell of new; your hut is surrounded by bushes, wild berries and moss are everywhere; you have a small lemon tree in your backyard and a jasmine plant on the ledge of your window; a small breeze enters through the window and you smell everything at once and you get a multilayered earthy organic smell that is fresh and deep at the same time, something that you feel all around you.
Every essence in Bottega Veneta EDP makes sense, complements each other organically, and it is not overdone. The fragrance tantalises your senses but does not overwhelm them. A priori, I am not a fan of patchouli because it reminds me of the stinky hippies of the 70s. A priori, leather is something that I would not want to smell in a feminine perfume. Although I love citrusy fragrances, I consider them summery, fresh and not very elegant. I usually define perfumes with jasmine as 'stinky'. Moss is something wintry that smells funny. Alas! All of those ingredients are part of Bottega Veneta EDP and this is one of my all-times favourite fragrances.
This perfume has a day-long longevity and, at least on me, it changes little from first outing, once of the lemony horses run away, to when the scent is sealed onto my skin. In a way, the fragrance is flatter than others I have, but also less deceiving when you smell it at first. The sillage is medium, enough to leave a trail when you pass by, but not too strong to
make it unbearable to others.
I find this perfume perfect for autumn and winter, from morning to evening, and also good for night outings if I am not doing anything too formal. I have used for work as well, and it suits a lady-like suit.
The minimal packaging is elegant and timeless, it does not target any age, any class, or any type of woman. It makes you look inside, to the perfume. Nothing to show off, for sure.
Bottega Veneta EDP is timeless modern classicism, so the perfume is an honest representation of what the Bottega Veneta fashion house is.
The following variations on the perfume and the latest Bottega Veneta perfume suffer from the same sin as other fashion houses -- they are an object of commerce, not a perfumier's perfume and cannot compete with this little wonder.
The 30 mls bottle starts from 100+ dollars. It is worth it.
I've bought two large appliances from Appliances Online, top brands, and at a better price than on any other online store I checked before buying them. I ended there just because of that, because of their free delivery policy, and because of their promise of next day delivery if the product is in stock, which was indeed fulfilled.
The guys who brought the appliances were lovely, They SMSed me early in the morning to give me a bracket time for their delivery, and then again half an hour before arrival. They installed one of the appliances, for free, as well.
Their website is very easy to navigate and shop from using your credit card or PayPal. There is plenty of info regarding measurements, materials, brands, pricing, in stock or not, and anything else. They have short videos with people showing most of the products, individually, mentioning their main features, something that I found really helpful. If
the appliance needs of some work to be installed they quote pricing
beside the price so that you can add it or not. Simple washing machines are installed and
connected for free.
All the reviews are legit, as they email you the request for a review a few weeks after your item has been delivered, and you cannot review it without that invitation.
Appliances
Online operates from Ebay as well, not just from their website. That's good news because they offer
the same products, pricing and service, but if Ebay is running any
promotion, you can save big. That was my case, I saved 80 bucks in one of my purchases
just because of a promo on the site.
Their
refund and exchange policies are more than good. I never expected that to be possible, i.e. to be able to
buy a washer and be able to exchange if it didn't suit my needs. They
give you 14 days from the day you request the exchange.
DOWNSIDES
The main downside of Appliances Online is that they have limited models of each appliance, and that they favour some brands, while good ones are missing. An example: you won't find a Hoover vacuum there, but you will find Hoover washers and dryers, which was puzzling to me. The same happens with other appliances.
Not all appliances have good quality shots of the electric panels, something I consider necessary.This is especially important for washers and dryers. The information on the site is collected from the appliances manuals, but some of the manuals are generic for the line not the exact model you've bought, so some of the information can be misleading.
IN SHORT
I wish they had more brands and more appliances. But they are really fantastic. I will buy from them in the future, for sure. Great products, great pricing and remarkable customer service both upon delivery and on the phone, if you have to call their Customer Service operators.
Website
I've had a terrific experience with Target Australia online store, from where I've purchased many items, many times.
Their website is very simple, easy to navigate, and to shop from. You can use Paypal or any major credit card, which is what you get everywhere. You can save your fav items on your wish list and go there, directly, without having to browse for them again.
Dispatch takes a couple of days but, once is done, it takes barely two days for a metropolitan order to get home.
They send you your shopping for free if you spend 80 bucks. Other similar cheap retailers don't offer free delivery at all. So that is great.
I actually prefer using their online store than visiting my nearer store because they online store can provide me with items that might not be in my local store, and they send them to me from wherever they are stocked. The downside of that is that your items might arrive separately in different days.
If you cannot be a home, they will take the parcel to your nearest post office. I have never had a parcel lost or mistaken. And the fact that they have teamed up with Australia Post is good news because you will receive SMS with info about your parcel being on the way or being out for delivery.
Free click & collect (if you spend 20 bucks or more), a good refunds & exchange policy, and a variety of everyday non-fancy items available online, and terrific prices, make me go back to Target online quite often.
The reviews on the site are all legit. Once some time has elapsed since your product/s were delivered, they send you an email asking for your honest review.
They were previously called Zurb.
This is a legit company, it is just that, while they wait for you to receive a test, if any, they will profile very accurately, with your help. Genius!
Easy to join. Very fun and likeable website, with that lovely cow walking while you reply to the site queres.
They start profiling you, hard core, from the beginning, in ways that I don't think I would like to be profiled or I am comfortable with.
Of course, they might come and say, it is all voluntarily, you do it because you want (no, I need money, mind you, that's why I am here). Supposedly, they are getting your info to provide you with the right test or survey. Questions are very specific about you and your finances.
I suspect that they are data collectors, a la Google, just done in a more fun way and having you replying directly to the questions, no machine involved. I know for sure that they don't need of all that info for you to take a test. Their privacy policy also seems legit, but if you read between the lines, you will see that very personal information is collected through the tests themselves, and also that they can share your data, just removing your name and personal details. It smells fishy. My impression.
They might provide legit work, but that sort of profiling shouldn't be allowed or legal! So, needless to say, I left soon after joining. I might be totally mistaken, for sure, but the questions about my bank account are too precise to be random or innocent.
Avoid.
To be accepted you have to perform a free test, which will be examined. If you are considered fit, you will be part of their panel of remote testers. You need to download a program that will allow them to record your screen and voice and tests will be done in real time. Tests are paid well and you won't spend much time on each.
They are the most didactic of the bunch. Before you start your acceptance test, they explain to you how the system work. You have to download a mini program, very easy to use, that will do the recording and uploading, so they take the time to explain to you how it works. None of the other companies bothers, so that's really cool and considerate.
These is a legit company, but if you are remote tester, might not find any source of income here.
They
do email tests according to your demographic, but there are so many
people waiting for them, that you'll be lucky if you get any.
It
happens to me, all the time: I takes me barely three seconds to open the
browser with the emailed link and I get the message that someone is
already taking it, or the test is no longer available. So I guess the
other person received the mail before I did.
It might be my
demographic, but the only test I did, for free, was the entry test. I've
been there for some weeks and I was able to open a test that wanted a
question answered, and after doing so, it said that it didn't fit the
profile they are looking for.
So, money earned, zero.
They
work this way: There are a bunch of hungry dogs in a pit separated by
fences. The bosses throw a steak and decide that the white dogs are the
ones will better benefit from it, so they do so, and the bunch of white
dogs fight for the steak. The one who gets it, gets fed, the rest of
white dogs, black dogs and brown dogs will get nothing. Would you want
to be there or move to a place where there are more steaks and the dogs
are not in a pit? Your choice.
It might work for you, if you are student, or have children, or who knows what is the most popular demographic. Otherwise, you will be receiving emails that never lead to anything.
I quit.
I love the site, really easy to browse, and what you have to do is really easy and enjoyable, if you like music. Some new bands are really great to discover and listen to, and that's the good bit.
The problem is that being paid 0.01 to 0.05 for review is just unacceptable. Right, you don't have to do it, nobody forces you, but if you are there is because you really need cash now.
They don't have enough tracks to keep you reviewing all the time, either (don't believe what they say).
If they paid at least 10 cents per review, that would be something. To get to those insignificant 10 bucks you probably have to review hundreds of tracks, most of them of music you would never choose to listen to voluntarily, so you have a hard time reviewing them and coming up with something long and creative. You just want to say, I hate it, next.
They, the site and their people, do the following: if their automated system detects a decrease in quality of your reviews (that could be a pathetic singer who has no talent rebutting my review on their horrendous singing, probably), they immediately reduce the payment; the contrary is also true, but it is more the decrease what you get than your increase because, I repeat, you must listen to whatever they have up, therefore, you could be listening to the genre you hate the most or songs or singers that are horrendous. They blame the algorithm, but they chose the algorithm, not the other way around. An algorithm has no brain.
Another trick, you cannot withdraw any money until you reach 10, but that takes ages to achieve, hundreds of reviews. My informed guess is that many people get bored after reviewing for a while, and leave after having produced 50+ reviews, no payment for their work, and the site has another bunch of free reviews.
According to the site people, they upload songs all the time. I don't know if it is intentional, but my area was barren for days, not even a song, zeo, nihil, so you don't have anything to listen to, to review or money to earn.
Reviewers barely benefit from being on Slicethepie. They simply don't benefit. The slice goes to the site owners.
I would be interested in knowing how much the upcoming artists pay for review and whether they would be comfortable knowing that their reviewers are people being forced to listen to their tracks even if they don't like it, and knowing that they are paid a misery to do that, or their reviews are rejected for repeating words. Yes, what you expect if I don't like your song? I will be polite and say generics because I am not allowed to move onto another track or sincerely honestly say, I hate this song, it's a very bad song and singing, or it's amateurish.
You start at 0.01 and get up, but really, 0.05 or 0.10 is still ridiculous for 10 minutes of your time, or more.
You won't earn any money on this, and will waste a time that you could use, say, picking your nose.That's overall better for your health and more entertaining.
Avoid. Totally avoid. They're short for scammers.
