"Cute Kawaii Deco" Phone Cases and Accessories.

Hey guys! Sorry it's been such a long time since the last review. I've been super busy with moving house and working at my new job! However, I'm back with a review for you to feast your beautiful eyes upon. 

Background Information about the purchase

I came across Sarah (the lovely girl who runs the company) on Tumblr (I'll post links at the end of the review), after a picture she'd taken of herself appeared on my dashboard. I visited her blog and began talking to her. She was really friendly and we got to know one another a little bit. Then I realised she had a shop - and when I told her about my review blog, we decided to collaborate and do something to help one another's endeavours out! She asked me what sort of things I like, and she generously offered to make me three phone cases for free, for me to review! Elated - I agreed. A few weeks later, I received an email asking me for my home address, and the cases arrived safely, just a couple of days later via First Class post :). 

Review time!

Here's what the packaging looked like:

Appropriately labelled - just to make sure!

And this is what the box and soft packet held! The two bundles on the right in the bubble wrap were in the soft packaging. I had no idea what was in them, because the three bundles of the left were my phone cases! More on that later...

 These leaflets were also included! At first, I thought she'd sent me two of the same ones, but after a closer look - I realised they were different. The top one is particularly helpful because it gives you tips on how to keep your cases looking in tip top condition for as long as possible! The leaflets are really lovely, bright, and eye catching. They capture the nature of her store really well and the photos really don't do their prettiness much justice!

And now I'll show you the contents of the packaging! Including the "mystery bundles." Oooh!

All three cases are absolutely gorgeous and I'm so pleased with them. They literally look good enough to eat! 

I told Sarah that I love Rilakkuma, and so she came up with this. Her eye for detail and her ability to match things is impeccable. They're incredibly well made - and there's no doubt that she has an eye for creativity.

Again, I told Sarah that I love Pokemon - and she captured my love for Jigglypuff and Wigglytuff fantastically. They look like they just belong on this case. This case is the heaviest of the three and it does add some significant weight to the phone when it's on. So if you're looking for a fairly lightweight case - then perhaps the "whipped cream" designs aren't for you.

I think Sarah let her imagination run wild with this one. Due to her meeting me through my Tumblr blog - I think she took her inspiration from the content that I tend to post on that blog and turned it into a cute and creepy-based phone case. This case is the lightest of the three in terms of weight, and mainly consists of rhinestones. So this may be a case to consider if you're looking for something that doesn't weigh much relative to the other cases that Sarah offers.

Here's the undersides of the cases - just so you can get a feel for how they sit and what the actual plastic cases look like. 

And here's what the mystery bundles contained! I'm so pleased with these and they were such a lovely surprise. They're gorgeous, and I can't wait to wear them with my outfits! I really appreciate the generosity and thought that went into my packages! Thank you!

More detail:

I'd just like to say that I didn't take any pictures of my phone actually in the cases, because I thought that you wouldn't see anything that you haven't already. However, I'd like to reassure you that my phone does fit in the cases. 

Unfortunately though - the black one (the cute and creepy one) seems slightly ill-fitting. This meant that when I came to take my phone out of the case, I actually struggled to the point of damaging the case a little bit. Furthermore, I was really worried that I was going to scratch my phone during the process (but I didn't - phew)! It was a huge shame that this happened - but luckily, it's just a little crack in the case and you can't see it/tell. I also believe this to be beyond Sarah's control, as the actual cases themselves aren't made by her. I do wonder if perhaps her choice in base cases could be changed to something that's a little bit more consistent in terms of quality - just to reduce the chances of this happening with other customers.

The Rilakkuma and Pokemon cases actually fit really well, and they're very easy to put on and take off. I'm not sure if they're from a different supplier, or whether the black one is just a part of a bad batch - but I think that when I want to use the black one, I'll just have be a little bit more tactful when trying to take it off. So this is perhaps something to bare in mind if your case seems to be a little more "snug" than perhaps you'd like.

As for the designs, and decorations though - they're all absolutely fabulous and seem very well attached, expertly made and fantastically attractive. I'm astounded with how beautiful they are. Especially when in the flesh. The weight of the cases doesn't put me off either. In fact I prefer a slightly weightier case, because it makes it feel a little bit more sturdy. The textures of the two "whipped cream" designs offer a "non-slip" effect, which also feels a little reassuring. And the 3D effect that's achieved on all three of the cases also means that they're easy to hold. I'm also very confident that the different decorations are extremely secure, and with the right amount of care, I don't expect that I'll experience any decoration casualties in the near future. I believe this to be important because I'd be much less likely to use these cases on a daily basis if there was any evidence or doubt to suggest that they won't last for very long.

I'm incredibly grateful that Sarah made these cases for me - and they capture my tastes perfectly. I couldn't have asked for anything more. If you're looking for something quirky, cute and a little bit unusual - then these cases are definitely for you. 

To Conclude:

Sarah was wonderful to work with. Her communication was consistent and I found her to be very reliable. She offered a service that was effective, personal and informative. Her packages arrived quickly, and safely. I have absolutely no doubts in my mind as to whether I'd purchase any of her products in the future. Her prices seem completely reasonable based on the materials, time, effort, skill, imagination - and most importantly - the love that goes in to creating each and every one of her products. And, in an ideal world - I'd buy everything from her shop, because I simply adore it. Thank you so much, Sarah!

Efficiency: 10/10

Packaging: 10/10

Fit: 8/10 (ill fitting black case)

Quality: 8/10 (ill fitting black case)

Service:  10/10

Value: 10/10

Information: 10/10

Communication: 10/10

Imagination: 10/10

And here are Sarah's links:

Website: http://www.cutekawaiideco.com

Tumblr: http://ispysarahxo.tumblr.com/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cutekawaiishop

Email: sarahhh_xo@hotmail.co.uk

And of course - thank you so much for reading! <3. Have a magical day!

Lostkeys handmade garters by Shelley Busby.

Hooray! It hasn't been an eternity since posting last! How good is that!? And I now bring to you - the review!

Background information about the purchase.

As many of you will probably know - I have a Tumblr blog. On there I have met an array of interesting, quirky, fun and incredible people. One of which was Shelley (her URL is l0stkeys). We've been talking now for quite a few months and over those few months, I've really enjoyed getting to know her and being a part of her Tumblr blogging experience. So imagine my pure excitement and joy when she announced that she was going to start making handmade garters and wanted to send me one for free to review (normal prices range from £5 - £8)! Not only was I completely flattered, but I really wanted to help to do my bit to promote her store and get her the custom she deserves. Some of you might be sat there like "come on now, Lucy. Your review is obviously going to be biased if you're friends with her." However, let me assure you that I fully intend on reviewing this product as if it were any other - because ultimately, I wouldn't be fulfilling the purpose of why I started this blog in the first place! So, after a few text posts on Shelley's blog notifying me/other customers of the status of our orders, my product was sent out on Friday 7th June by second class post. I received it in the post on Monday the 10th June - safe and sound! :)

Review time!

The contents of the package (and the package itself) went like this:

 The packaging looked quite professional. 

 Oh look! A personalised message :)! A lot of you will probably have noticed by now that I love orders that come with personalised messages. It just highlights that someone has taken the time to think about the little details and that you're actually dealing with a person, rather than the package simply being conjured up out of nowhere and being sent to you without a second thought! 

Here's the lovely garter itself!

And there's the contents of the package.

So how does it look when on?

It fits nicely! Before starting to make my product, Shelley asked me for two measurements - the first being where you want the garter to sit on your leg, and the second being a measurement a little higher up on the bigger part of your thigh. 

And here's another picture! I decided to put a pair of tights underneath. The only thing with doing that though - is I found that the smoothness of the tights meant that the garter shifted around a little more than it did against my bare leg. So that might be something to consider when ordering your garter. If you intend on wearing it with tights more often than wearing it without - perhaps adjusting your measurements to make them marginally smaller might be a better course of action. Unless, you'll be wearing thick tights. In which case - that may not be necessary.

To conclude:

I really enjoyed this experience and I'm glad that I was picked to share it with Shelley. I think she has been very brave in starting something like this because I think people can often overlook the commitment, time, thought and effort that goes into operations such as these. Despite only just starting out though, Shelley has done a marvellous job and I'm very pleased with my product. I was very impressed with her attention to detail and willingness to include me in every step (with text posts informing me/her followers that she was making our products, packaging them, and sending them etc). It really added to the novelty of ordering online. The product arrived promptly and safely. And finally, the product itself is well made and very attractive.

Efficiency: 10/10

Packaging: 10/10

Comfort: 10/10

Quality: 10/10

Service:  10/10

Thank you so much to Shelley for allowing me to do this. I wish her all the very best with her online shop endeavour, and I'm really pleased I got to be a part of it.

Oh, and here are Shelley's links: 

Tumblr: http://l0stkeys.tumblr.com/

Etsy: http://www.etsy.com/shop/ShelleyBusby

And if you're going to order from Shelley off the back of this review - please let her and I know! I'd be over the moon to hear that my review had inspired people to make purchases! As usual, thank you so much for taking the time to read this, and of course - happy shopping! :).