Hello Ladies,
We've got a rendez-vous with letter J this week, for which I chose another one of my back-ups: Catrice's jade polish King of Greens. Yes. I have been a lame, lame lawyer. I got lost into the oceans of papers I need to read, review and summarize and when I found myself in front of my stash I just couldn't find anything more interesting than my new Kiko Mirror effect in Lavender. Fitting that in letter J felt too much like cheating, so I raped my archives once more ;)
Another shimmery beauty. Flawless aplication. Yet I confess I am completely out of love, so I'll let the pictures do the talking.
Let's move to the obvious and undeniable evidence of my bad luck, "recently" proved by my last purchase to Illamasqua. Yup, remember the sales? Back in January? Right then! I dedided to indulge myself and acquire three Illamasqua beauties that I am still waiting on. It all started when the Queen of England decided (yeah, right. She personally did. *irony*) to pass a new law regarding the exporting of hazardous items from England to other European countries, right in the middle of the post-Christmas sales. Optimum timing, you'll see. Hazardous shit, I was saying. Ya' know, cocaine, dynamite, guns, nail polish. That sort of things we should all work to erradicate from the surface of the earth. But whatever, no one informed Illamasqua and its fellow companies of the passing of such law (bad!) and when the royal mail service detected hazardous parcels it considered more advisable to destroy them than to return them to the sender (very bad!). Illamasqua informed me that my parcel had been destroyed for the first time.
Next up, Illamasqua had to speedily resend all those destroyed parcels, and I am guessing they probably ran out of stock with something I had bought, for they took a good month to ship the package again. I am not blaming them at all, I can just imagine how costly this must have been for the brand. So, at the end of February my package was sent to me again. With a private company, this time, which assured Illamasqua they would send the packages following Her Majesty's new rules. Bullshit. Illamasqua just contacted me yesterday: my package has been destroyed a second time. Made my day.
Illamasqua needs to re-send everything for the third time, at its own expense. Again. They informed all the customers affected by this that they would send everything in "express delivery", and sent us a 20 pounds vaucher.
Okay, so my bad luck has been scientifically proven by this series of events beyond all reasonable doubt.
And seriously now; from Illamasqua's perspective, this implies a shitload of negative accounting stuff that I honestly don't think they should be responsible for, and I am feeling sorry for a brand that I have come to value because it stands out for imperfection and uniqueness in this fake and impersonal world we live in. Thus, I don't think I will let my greed aggravate their situation by using the vaucher I have been sent. I need to think about it. Any thoughts?
Have a nice day!
M.
Check out below what the other ladies have come up with for letter J :)
Oii that sucks for them. -_- I'd be royally screwed (HAHAHA) if that happened to me.
ResponderEliminarLove this shade. I'm addicted to glitter, so I love a simple mani that still sparkles.
Hahaha, Ketlyn! Loved your play on words :)
EliminarThank yoU!
Aik, well ups and downs in the business world. Still, it was really great service that they are offering. Perhaps when situations gets better, you could use that voucher! ;D
ResponderEliminarThe green is beautiful! I love how it looks a little blueish! And definitely loving the shimmers in that polish too!
Yup, first world problems... Thank you for the compliments ^^
EliminarOh damn, I didn't know about all that (not even the new "rule") :( It really sucks. But I think I would still use the voucher xD
ResponderEliminarThe nail polish looks really pretty! Thanks for introducing us so many nice polishes, I've already bought one of them! :D
It does suck, my patience is coming to an eeeeend! ;) Waiting for polish is a no-no!
EliminarOhhh wow which one did you buy? Thank you!
Arrrgghhh, the polishes i shopped on January 10th haven't been resent the second time yet...
ResponderEliminarKing of Greens is a pretty green!
Wow, still not? I seem to have been lucky after all!
EliminarThank Maria ;D
I really like this idea for challenge!
ResponderEliminarlove this mani :)
Hey! You still can join the challenge if you sant to :) Just let us know!
EliminarFirst - that jade is pretty. I think you could do more with it, but I do understand your time issues. How thoughtful of me... LOL
ResponderEliminarAs for the Illamasqua fiasco, when this whole thing broke the first time, I thought like you - poor company, why do they have to suffer from all this shit blah blah blah. And I think that you know already how much I like this company and how high I thought of their polishes.
However, I can tell you two things:
1. I think the way they dealt with this situation was beyond horrible. I would even dare to call it - they completely mocked their clients. I have seen so many of those letters they sent to people, clearly without even reading what people were saying to them. And that sort of customer service makes me very angry.
2. With all do respect, illamasqua is not a $1.99 polish company. They want to see themselves as a high end brand and they charge for their polish accordingly. Sadly, they do not behave accordingly. And i do not approve of this one-sided relationship at all.
So! I seriously think that you should not feel sorry for them. They have their insurance and I assure you - their financially damage is very very small. While us - the customers - get shit in return.
Did that answer your hesitations? ;-)
oops... sorry for the novel... when I get angry I tend to repeat myself terribly LOL
EliminarHey! Well apparently I seem to have been lucky after all, because they handled my case fairly well. I got a reply on the same day I enquired and my package has been sent three times with me being informed of it. With that said, I think they should lower the shipping fares, it's beyond expensive and clearly not effective.
EliminarAll in all it might be a bad moment for them, but they have insurance and will recover damages from the shipping company. So yes, I used the vaucher and got a blush. Un-hazardous stuff, haha!
Pretty Color! I'm a new follower, would love if you would please follow me back on my blog aswell: http://myprettynailz.blogspot.com
ResponderEliminarThank you Deriniti!
EliminarUff! Pues si que has tenido mala suerte con esos esmaltes al menos! No entiendo para nada por qué el gobierno inglés destruye estos paquetes que vienen de una empresa?? quizá lo entendería si fuera de Juanita Perez para Petra Sanchez pero...lo único que han hecho es afectar a negocios de su país (y de afuera también!)
ResponderEliminarRespecto al voucher, primero sentí como tu que no debías usarlo, pero la verdad Jin Jit tiene razón, sus esmaltes son súper caros y tu ya llevas dos meses esperando una mercancía que ya pagaste! No es justo.
En fin, ese Catrice luce divino! Muy buena elección :)
Sí, tienes toda la razón. No ha sido coste-efectivo para nada... Al final usé el vale y me compré un colorete. Como bien dices, llevo esperando dos meses. Gracias! :D
EliminarKing of Greens is absolutely beautiful!
ResponderEliminarI placed an order at Illamasqua last January and it was sent two or three days after the new rules became law. I ordered six or seven items, including a nail polish (Scorn). I was very lucky, and my package safely and fastly arrived. Anyway, a couple of italian friends placed an order too and they weren't so lucky. As Jin Jit wrote here above, Illamasqua dealt with this situation horribly - they haven't answers to emails for entire weeks, they told that they resent package but they didn't and so on. I was so sorry to read about this, since I love Illamasqua products and they usually worth every penny.
Thank you Cristina :D You've been lucky! I am happy for you :) Waiting for polish is awful... I barely remember which ones I bought, haha! My personal case was handled fairly well, I have to say, so I don't feel the same way as Jin regarding Illamasqua. With that said, that doesn't mean they behaved well towards their customers. I used that vaucher :p
EliminarThat green is very pretty on you! :-)
ResponderEliminarAs for the Illamasqua thing, I don't think you should feel bad at all about using that voucher. While I hate the mailing restrictions that sees nail polish as a dangerous item, it is Illamasqua's responsibility to know all the regulations and to ship according to them. The fact that they had to send your package three times while not responding to you is just stupid. So yep, use your voucher and don't feel bad at all. :-)
~ Yun
Thank Yun! :D
EliminarYou're right, they should have been aware of this in time. I might think about joining their legal team :p
They did respond to me, I have been receiving at least 4 informative mails, one of them directly related to a complaint of mine. But heck, they still have me waiting, so I did use that voucher to get a goooorgeous blusher! :D
So pretty! Such a gorgeous shimmer~ And Illamasqua... man, I honestly don't see why England would set up such a rule at such a bad time too... And nail polish? Totally sooo veryyy hazardous lol.
ResponderEliminarHaha right! It's quite ridiculous, from my point of view. But whatever, that won't stop me from buying polish! :p
EliminarI feel very lucky that I do not have these kinds of restrictions on mailing of nail polish - I get the majority of mine through the mail. My wallet would be happier though!
ResponderEliminarAs for the manicure - it is just a beautiful color
Me too, actually! Excepting Kiko and Catrice, most of my polish is bought online and shipped to me. Patience, patience! This kind of events totally discourage me... ;)
EliminarI like that they stuck behind their customers and did actually reship not once but twice. Especially since it's not really their fault in the first place. Not every company would do that. Raises my esteem for the brand all the more, though I own not a single product of theirs...yet! Lovely polish by the way ;)
ResponderEliminarYes, they haven't let their customers down completely :) it raises my esteem for them too :) Plus I want those goodies in my stash! Haha!
EliminarThanks, Natalie!
Wow what a story, I really applaud that they are continuing to try and send you your purchase instead of refunding you, that's amazing. Now, to use or not to use, that is the question!! You might run into as many problems as your facing now, is it worth it? Free polish, or no free polish, I would say go for the free polish but don't be sad if the same issue happens again!! That color looks great on you though!!
ResponderEliminarI agree with you, it says a lot about the brand :) They thought about that dilemma in the first place, so the vaucher cannot be used to purchase polish nor fragrances. I got a blusher instead :D Whatcha think about that?! ;)
EliminarThis whole Royal Mail mess was almost incredible. I must admit I don't like Illamasqua, but I feel sorry for Adina over at A-England for the same reasons you mentioned. She honestly behaved much better than Illamasqua!
ResponderEliminarThat said, King of Greens is one of the shades I keep leaving in the counter. For some reason it just doesn't call my name. Which is unusual because I feel I have to own every green on the Earth surface!
Well I totall get you about everything you said :) Poor Adina must have suffered quite a lot about all this. I hope this will be over soon!
EliminarKing of greens didn't call my name either, except in the store apparently... Bad luck! ;)
Hmm,, the Illamasqua fiasco is my fear realized. There is a big sign at my post office for international shipments with hazardous materials and nail polish is included with a big red slash through it... I cringe when I look at it. They say that at high altitudes and heat that nail polish will spontaneously explode and may cause a fire so......interesting to know that they are looking at packages and what they are doing with them. Illamasqua should just give you your money back. Or just order something else with your voucher. Anyhow, the jade polish looks very smooth.
ResponderEliminarI know! What a bummer, those regulations... I prefer that Illamasqua sends me my package again, I NEED those goodies in my hands sooner or later. Don't need no more lemmings :) With that said, I bought a blusher with the vaucher. Safe stuff.
EliminarGreat color! I'm also doing an ABC-challenge right now :)
ResponderEliminar^^ Cool! Thank you!
EliminarSo pretty!
ResponderEliminarI just started a blog too! Please check it out and follow if you like what you see! :D
El tono es una preciosidad, me encantan los verdes la pena es que aunque use bases siempre me acaba llegando a la uña y tiñéndola, aún así sigo usándolos jaja
ResponderEliminarBesos!
Cierto! Ese es el gran problema de los verdes! Pero bueno, como siempre llevo las uñas pintadas, acabo cediendo a la tentación de ponérmelos. Creo que mi base funciona bastante bien, no tengo las uñas casi teñidas. Es All in one Base de Essie ;)
EliminarI love king of greens! Gorgeous polish, and it really is upsetting about the illamasqua, I had never thought about illamasqua because of the price here in the us but just picked some up when they had a sale. I hope your last parcel arrives safely!
ResponderEliminarMe too, thank you! Did yours arrive safely (and on time)?
EliminarEste comentario ha sido eliminado por un administrador del blog.
ResponderEliminarGeez! What a freaking polish nightmare. Holy chit.
ResponderEliminarI'd have a hard time using the coupon, but that doesn't in any way suggest that those who take advantage are doing anything wrong. Just feel awful for the company. They're boxed into a place where they need to placate their customer base in the hopes of stemming the blood loss.
Awful situation. How absolutely lame of the British postal authorities, and how positively knee-jerk simpleton-bureaucratic-idiocy.
PS...the mani is lovely
:)
Haha, just like you said! A nightmare! I finally used that coupon..! :p
EliminarLove the green.
ResponderEliminarThis Illamasqua drama is the stuff nightmares are made of for all involved really, but they have managed to piss alot of people off with the way they have handled things, esp with communication to their customers. I really hope they sort out the problem and you get your polishes soon!!!
Thank you ^^ I just realized they pissed a shitload of people off... Not me though. Let's hope for the best, I don't like to see such a brand drown because of this.
Eliminarque preciosidad de color, personalmente estos tonos son de mis favoritos! tenemos que hacernos con él!
ResponderEliminarun beso guapa!
"Hazte con todos" ;) Nailmaníaca a lo pokémon... Qué friki.
EliminarGracias y un beso!
Oh nooooooooo how could they destroy all those beautiful polishes! I dont understand why polishes are considered hazardous. I've called my postal office once since I wanted to send some polishes abroad, and they said that they were flammable, which I said it was bull**** because if they were they should contain an warning icon on the bottle, which wasn't the case. So they agreed with me and the polishes arrived safely. Hopefully 3rd times the charm for you!
ResponderEliminarWow that was lucky of you! And yes... when I think about all those goodies being destroyed... whatever. I hope they will arrive safely this time :)
EliminarI feel your pain! I'm sitting here still waiting for my Illamasqua order too. Got the same email and £20 to spend on their store. That is just insane and I feel really bad for them :(
ResponderEliminarThanks Ria :) So we're on the same situation... It's so frustrating.
Eliminar