b is for benefit cosmetics

I was first introduced to benefit while living in England (and, in fact, wore it when I got married).  Since that time, it has become one of my firm favourites - I pretty much love everything of theirs that I've ever bought, and am particularly fond of their tinted moisturiser, posie tint, mascaras and boxes o' powder (am currently using sugarbomb, which is fab - once it's finally finished, I plan on trying out the bella bamba). The fact that their packaging is divine is just a bonus.
 
http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/

Upon returning to Australia, I decided there was no way on earth I could justify paying the ridiculously inflated prices charged here, and took myself off to their website.  To my delight, I discovered they posted internationally, and that is how I've purchased my benefit beauties ever since.  Of course, it is handy that I can pop into Myer to check out any new products, as well as test out lip gloss colours etc., that I'm interested in before I commit to buy.

If you spend over US$115, postage is free, although it does take rather a long time to get here, as appears to be the case for pretty much all post between the US and Australia.  Given the current strength of the Australian dollar, it also makes it even better value when compared to prices charged here.  As already mentioned in the Peter's of Kensington post, they have a newsletter subscription, which lets you know of upcoming sales, new products, freebies and so forth (for instance, I lashed out and bought a new mascara - no pun intended - that won't be released here until some time next month, and got a bonus tote bag valued at $30 free).  Every order comes prettily packaged with a few free samples and a shiny catalogue thrown in for good measure. 

Having shopped from this site regularly for at least four years, I can highly recommend it (and, of course, do!).  Just make sure you don't need anything urgently, as it can take a good three or four weeks to get to you (and, truth be told, sometimes it's even longer than that..).  Enjoy! 

p is for peter's of kensington

While my husband is busily assembling yet another set of shelves from Ikea (from past experience it's best to either let him do it alone or drink a lot ahead of time in anticipation which, unsurprisingly, can lead to other problems...), I thought I'd pop in a post about this most fabulous site:

http://www.petersofkensington.com.au/Home/

My mum was the one who got me onto it (can you see where my love of all things shopping originated from??) and, having used it a few times now, I can safely say it is absolutely fabulous.  They have a wide range of wonderful, shiny things, from kitchen appliances to beauty products to my favourite enviro-bags, at great prices (quite handy that they have the recommended retail price compared to their price).  Delivery is reasonable (and, I think, weight- and/or size-dependent), dispatch is prompt and packaging is lots of potato peanuts to ensure nothing breaks en route.  Mum assures me that you can dissolve the peanuts in the sink, but I just popped them in the bin...

As with all good sites, they have a newsletter subscription that lets you know of upcoming sales, what's currently being promoted and so forth.  Definitely a good way to spend a rainy afternoon (not to mention the fund that is apparently supposed to accompany such days).

e is for elk accessories

Today is my Friday, thank goodness.  Nothing that a few Kahlua and cokes won't fix, of course, but it's lovely to know that for the next four days I can do what I want (or, more aptly, what the cats will allow me to do).

Anyway, I wanted to take this opportunity to rave about the fabulously divine elk accessories.  They're a Melbourne-based company that design simply beautiful accessories made predominantly of wood, resin and/or silver, as well as delicious leather ballet flats, knitwear and other things.

www.elkaccessories.com.au

Having drooled over their pretties for quite some time, I was delighted (hubby not quite so much, unsurprisingly) to discover from a friend that they have an online shop.  So, of course, who was I to resist the call of supporting a local brand?  Not me!  I purchased some gorgeous red ballet flats, as well as chunky wooden beads and delicate bangles, and got the complimentary felt-and-wood house brooch that is currently on offer.

After brief deliberation, I decided to get it sent to work (as it must be signed for), however, upon re-reading the delivery information, realised that perhaps I should get it sent to home, given I am having an extra-long weekend this weekend.  When I rang up to ask whether I could change the delivery address (having already submitted my order), I spoke to a most delightful lady who said she'd dig out my order, get it processed that same day and delivered to me at work the following day.  And guess what?  That happened - definitely the highlight of my Wednesday (went to work without a sea-green, three-stranded wooden-bead necklace, ended the day with one - brilliant!).  Everything was beautifully presented to boot and colleagues cooed appropriately - what more can a girl want?

The only sad thing is that, contrary to the popular expression, the shoes do not fit (curses to my clodhoppers!), however, I will be venturing the wilderness known as Preston on Saturday to change the size - huzzah!  I will endeavour to resist the temptation to purchase other goodies while there, though...

So...happy perusing and drooling.  And for those in other climes and hemispheres, they send interstate and internationally, postage, processing and delivery seem to be reasonable, so get to it!

d is for doctor (martens, that is)

Well, here I am again.  My bestest dearest has chastised me for not updating lately, however, having just returned from a trip to the wonderful Wellington and then returning to work, to say I've been lacking in motivation to do pretty much anything is an understatement!  So, at her request, tonight's will be short and sweet.

For those of you who know me (and for those who don't), I do love shoes.  A lot.  Same goes for handbags and pretty much anything shiny, though I digress.

When at uni I used to live in my docs (I got my first pair of 8 ups - navy - for my 21st, and was most upset when I had to finally retire them).  Lately, I've had a hankering for another pair.  After much searching, I settled on the grown up version (that is, a zip-up boot rather than 8 ups) and bought them from the following place in Perth (a bit random, but there you go!):

http://www.wellingtonsurplus.com.au/

I bought a fabulous pair of red boots (with a sexy wedge sole and bouncy inside) as, having perused different sites and shops, found theirs to be the best price (even factoring in postage).  Postage was reasonable (around $15, from memory, in an express post bag), my order was processed quickly (with some lovely email updates) and my wonderful boots got to me within a few days.

These boots are made for walking, and that's just what they do...having taken me all around Melbourne and Wellington!

m is for music

As you can see from the title, I don't tend to do things consecutively or particularly conventionally (on occasion, anyway!) - my thought processes tend to jump around a fair bit, resulting in some rather interesting (not to mention disjointed and confusing) conversations.

I just received a couple of CDs that I ordered from a fabulous site last Tuesday and as they arrived in record time (that is, today, which gave me great joy until I scuffed my lovely Camper shoe in the dark, which did take a bit of the gloss off - not to mention damaged the toe of my shoe, which is most sad indeed) I felt it appropriate to talk about music today.  I am listening to one of them as I type (Pretty hate machine - remastered, by nine inch nails), so hopefully I won't start typing the lyrics to 'Head like a hole' instead of waffling on about this particular site.

www.cdwow.com.au

• pretty cheap (for instance, the CDs I bought were a good $5 to $10 less than on amazon.co.uk)
• an eclectic range of old and new CDs
• prompt dispatch (I think it is from Hong Kong)
• free delivery on everything
• cater to a wide range of international clientele (that is, they have lots of different country-specific sites)

They also sell DVDs, books, cosmetics (which seems a tad random to me, but such is life!) and a few other bits and bobs, although I've only ever bought CDs from them.  If you sign up to their newsletter, they also send through discount codes and vouchers, too.

a is for amazon

Unless you've been living under a rock for the past decade or so, I have no doubt you're well aware of the joys of amazon (both the US and UK sites - I have looked at the German site, however, my school girl German is in the dim and distant past, and the English translation function is not always that...helpful).

Having shopped at both sites fairly frequently (much to the dismay of both my husband and our credit card), I thought I'd let you know of my experiences with both.  I predominantly purchase DVDs and CDs, as they are generally cheaper (especially as the UK site does not charge VAT, although the US site is pretty affordable given the currently strong Australian dollar) and have an extensive range that is not necessarily available here.  I find delivery time from the UK pretty speedy (generally a week or so), while items from the US tend to take longer (anywhere up to about a month, so I don't suggest this if you want something urgently - unless you're prepared to pay lots of expedited post).  The US site now sends a lot of kitchenware here, which is fabulous as, again, it's much cheaper than here and has many more exciting things on offer (particularly of my favourite brand, KitchenAid), even when compared to other online kitchenware retailers. 

Lastly, the UK site has just extended its promotion of free delivery to Australia when you spend 25 quid (no pound sign - apologies) or more on certain items (generally books, DVDs and CDs), so I think it's time to do your bit to bolster the currently sad economy of the UK and go shopping!  Think of your online retail therapy as a form of community service...

Update: alas, the free delivery to Australia has finally been discontinued.  Tragique!

So, in summary, here are the pros (and minimal cons) of both sites (according to me, anyway) in no particular order (and, as I'm feeling lazy, some points have been duplicated):

www.amazon.com

• extensive range of DVDs and CDs (and lots of other things) at great prices
• now send kitchenware to Australia, which I for one think is fantastic (shiny red saucepans and accessories, here I come!)
• shows purchase total and allows payment in local currency
• excellent customer service and prompt updates as to delivery or anticipated delays
• the only real downside is the length of time it can take from dispatch to delivery - yes, geographically we're far away, but unless things are coming by courier pigeon I don't see why it takes as long as it does!
• if purchasing across a range of items (such as books, DVDs and CDs) in the same transaction, postage can become quite costly - I generally stick to just DVDs and CDs

www.amazon.co.uk

• items are not taxed (huzzah!)
• have exclusive DVD sets/packs that are not available elsewhere
• shows purchase total and allows payment in local currency 
• currently have a free delivery special on with a minimum spend
• generally fairly quick delivery (no courier pigeons used here...)
• excellent customer service (I have had to return faulty items in the past and they have been fabulous every time)
• prompt notification of delivery advice/delays etc. 
• if purchasing across a range of items (such as books, DVDs and CDs) in the same transaction, postage can become quite costly - I generally stick to just DVDs and CD, although have included books with the current delivery promotion

And so it begins...

One of my lovely friends laughingly suggested I start a blog about all the wonderful sites I've purchased from.  The more I thought about this, the more I liked the idea.  I love a bargain (and looking for them), I love shopping from the comfort of my own home (no pesky crowds to contend with) while wearing my favourite attire - pyjamas (hence the title of this blog) - and I love passing on the exciting news to others.  So, here goes....

Hopefully this will be of interest and an occasional source of entertainment (as I do have a tendency to go off on rant-esque tangents).  Some of these sites will no doubt be known to many, some to few, but hopefully you'll have some fun hunting for items at a fraction of the price charged in Australia (don't even get me started on that one!).  Enjoy.

I would like to add a little disclaimer here - I am not particularly technically minded (my idea of fixing a technical difficulty is threatening the computer with immediate, violent destruction, swearing loudly or thumping it, or a combination of all three), so please bear with me while I come to grips with the whole process of blogging...