First, the really-really exciting news:
I've placed my first two orders on E-Bay!!!
The first one was for a Bourjois Effet 3D Coctail Lip Gloss in Cassis Tropical that I mentioned in my previous post. Yeah, you heard it right: Cassis Tropical. I know I wanted Rouge Sunset, but I got this one so cheap, and I've been seriously eyeing this gloss too for a while now. Don't worry, I'll get the other one too, especially after reading Someone Loving's opinion about it. ;-)
"Hi, Izar!
Yeah, the Bourjois lipgloss in the middle is the getter. I have one, it's my favourite lipgloss ever, and it's the one that I'll definitely repurchase. It's not that red on the lips thought, it just gives them this perfect fresh look that works best for my skintone (from what I've got very close to yours ;-))"
The second was for...
...
Well?
...
Yeah, you guessed it:
It's Clinique's Naturally Glossy Mascara in Jet Brown (02)
The seller (themersey01) was super-sweet, and incredibly helpful, which was especially important for me, because these were my first E-Bay purchases (I registered specifically to get these), her responses were incredibly fast (think minutes here), she adjusted the shipping price to reflect fees for Hungary, and promised to dispatch my long-awaited mascara tomorrow morning, throwing in a free gift while at it. How cool is that??? :-)
Once again, please girls, cross you fingers for me, and pray that these two items arrive safely to my home! I do believe in the power of thought, so I actually think it would help a lot. ^_^ Thanks!
All in all, I loved shopping on E-Bay: it's sure as h*ll more exciting than anything I've ever tried before! Won't be the last time either.
Has any of you ever got anything off E-Bay? Do share our experiences with the rest of us! If you haven't just yet, what do you have your eyes set on?
***
Moleskine
Moleskine
All right, one lemming has arrived already, and ensconced itself into both my heart and my bag.
Come to think of it, my kitty-poo seems to like it a lot too... :-)
"If I'm cute, will I get one too?"To those of you lusting after these black little beauties (Grayburn, Seeker), I can only say it's worth investing into one. Besides the extras that set this apart from an average notebook (to which extras I will get to shortly), there's just something about having your own Moleskine to whip out of your purse and sitting down under a tree in the park to write down a brilliant idea you've just had, or do a sketch of above mentioned tree. I guess the brand name, the look(and let's not mention the price tag) all speak to that decadent part of me which demands to keep a journal and write it into the most expensive piece of notebook it has ever come across... Yet, I don't mind, because there's just something more about these notebooks that first meets the eye. It's kind of difficult to put into words, but I'll try anyway...
As you can see, what I bough is a Moleskine Large Sized Plain Notebook.My notebook:
- is covered in hardwearing black synthetic 'Moleskine' Acid Free paper
- is threadbound
- has elastic enclosure
- has an expandable inner pocket (in which there's an info card on the history of Moleskine)
The cover is hard, which comes handy when you want to write a journal entry sitting in your favorite sofa with no writing surface available. Its texture is quite difficult for me to describe, although I've come across it many times before, used as cover for calendars, folders and other stationery. Here, take a look. There's also an elastic band which keeps it shut all the time, thus reducing the chance of crinkling at the edges. By the way, the fact that it has rounded corners does help too.
When you open the notebook, you find smooth paper with a slight yellowy tinge, which adds a kind of aged effect to the entire thing. Not a bad thing in my opinion, especially if you're the romantic type, dreaming of getting to sit next to Wordsworth and compose poems together in companionable silence. (I must confess, I don't dream about such things, as I'm more fascinated with the future, but my best friend, who's a huge fan of castles, princesses, and knights in shining armor, couldn't keep her yes off this thing.)The good thing about this paper, other than making my friend drool all over it (Wait. Is that a good thing???), is that it doesn't soak up ink like a drunkard and makes it spread, but instead the ink from my Parker fountain pen (which, by the way, is cr*p: it's dark gray instead of black) stays on top just for a second and then dries to a nice, even line.
I must admit though: I prefer to write into my Moleskine notebook with a UniBall Signo 0.38 black gel pen. They say gel pens are best suited for Moleskines and they draw a smooth, thin, pitch black line, which I'm personally fond of.
When it's open, the pages don't fly and the notebook doesn't close, but stays flat and remains the way it was.
Attached (glued?) to the back cover of it is an inner pocket, into which you can put some necessary, good-to-have-at-hand items, like a spare bill of money (in case you need some), some Post-Its, spare bits of paper, your library card if you're a student, or anything that's good to have with you at all time.There is, of course, a dark violet colored bookmark string in it too, the advantages of which there's no need to list, I hope.
All in all, I really can't find anything to fault here. The Large Size Plain Moleskine Notebook is a a great notebook with a long history, and the ability to make you feel special every time you open it. As Brian Jones from Cranfield, UK so nicely put it:
“Notebooks do not get better than the moleskine. They are an inspiration in themselves.”This says it all.
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on Monday, June 16, 2008
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Oh man, I didn't get a chance to go to Lush this weekend or for my Weleda rose oil so now it's 3 things on my list for the upcoming weekend! You really have convinced me that I need this (since I have some big meetings coming up) and it will probably impress the heck out of these people when I 'whip' it out! hehe...
you review stationary with passion my dear :)
Grayburn
Aww, too bad, but then you'll have more things to be happy about this weekend. :-) Do you have fresh face masks in the Netherlands, by the way. We don't (of course...), whereas I heard they actually have them in Venice, Italy. Strange...
Yay, I'm sure their jaws will hit the floor. ;-) Not so in Hungary though: I have a hunch that only about a hundred or so people actually know what a Moleskine is...
Oh, do believe me, my relationship with stationery is quite passionate (got that from my Mum) but I remember you telling me that you feel the same way about them too.
Take care!
Ooops, I meant fresh face masks at your LUSH store.
Your cat is incredibly cute :-)
Yeah, Cassis Tropical is very pretty too. It's just that the red one is... well... happier! :-))))
Oh, about LUSH freshmasks. As far as I understand, since they are FRESH, LUSH does not actually export them, it's only in the countries where they have their own LUSH production, that they sell them. Oh, and as far as I know, they may use very small local factories - that may consist of just 5 people, which is enough for the whole country - to produce only the product with the shortest shelf-life. Such as masks Angels on Bare Skin, Aqua Marina and such.:-)
Someone Loving:
Thanks, we love our cat so much! She's 3 years old already but she still has such a baby-face. ^_^
I absolutely agree: Sunset would be perfect for summer, whereas Cassis is more sort of a wintry shade. And for some reason we both disregarded the third shade, the light pink one, the name of which eludes me right now. :-)
Oh, now I understand! I never though that even Angel or Aqua Marina are produced locally, but come to think of it, it does make sense. In any case, I heard that some Hungarian law or regulation is what makes it impossible to have the masks here, but I also heard another rumor, according to which there's some ingredient that's not available locally. I guess it's more likely that the latter is the case, judging by what you just told me. We had them once or twice at special LUSH events: they were really cool, epecially cupcake. :-)
Oh, I didn't put it quite right, I'm afraid.
Angel or Aqua Marina are produced locally only in case there is a local production as such. Otherwise they ARE exported. As for the fresh face masks they are either produced locally or are not available at all. Which is the case in Russia unfortunately. But they say that there is going to be a local production sometime soon, and we - all LUSH addicts, are hoping and praying that it happens sooner rather than later :-)))
Well, I never bought a thing at E-Bay, to be honest I'm a bit afraid of doing that (also I don't know the rules), because I had some bad experiences with some shopping on-line.
Oh dear thank you for the mention, and what a great review you made about Moleskine.
Now I'm more interested then ever.
It seems really great, I'm dreaming with one...
How can I get one?
Your kitty is so cute, so nice :D
love
xx
I looove readin' about your goodies! Seee...eBay isn't so bad.
Someone Loving:
Ah, okay, it's clear now. I have a hunch we get them imported too, but they say we're not going to have fresh face masks anytime soon. Too bad, but I'm keeping my fingers crossed for you Russian girls! :-)
xoxo
Izar
Seeker:
Hi dear!
We hear so many horror stories every day concerning how people were cheated online that it's no wonder you're reluctant to buy online. I understand you perfectly.
Whenever you want to know the basic rules just tell me and I'll help you. I'm planning to write a post about my experiences on E-Bay (as soon as I gain some), so maybe that'll come useful too sometime. :-)
I think you can find some info on how to get a Moleskine in Portugal here and here. And this one seems to be a blog that discusses Moleskines, but I'm not sure. Let me know if these turned out to be helpful.
Here in Hungary there is one store I know of which sells them, but not the entire assortment. The best way to start would be for you to either pick up a notebook (if you wish to keep a journal), or a 12 months (or even a 18 month) planner. The 18 month planners just came out and go from July, 2008 to December, 2009.
My kitty thanks you! :-)
Love,
Izar
Brit:
Aww, you're sweet!
Right now I'm still in the process of dicovering E-Bay and its wonders but I'm already hooked! I mean, there are so many things there that I've always wanted and so many great deals! Let's see how shipping and receiving my items turns out... The Hungarian postal service is notoriously unreliable, I'm afraid.
Whatever, I'm an optimistic girl (wouldn't have tried E-Bay if I weren't) and trust I will get all the stuff I ordered. :-D
Love ya,
Izar