Angelic Pretty Paris Order (Facebook Store) September 2012- Neutral

Today I will be reviewing an order I did with the AP Paris Facebook store this month. As I have ordered from this store before, I thought it was going to be simple. But I was wrong. 

Ordering Process

I fully intended to order these items way back near the start of August. I was waiting for some money to clear and I was stalking the AP Paris Facebook every day, just to check the items I wanted were still there. Unfortunately, 2 days before I got my money, AP Paris decided to do some sort of update on their page. I didn't really think anything of it and I placed my items in the cart. Only when I put my address in, it kept saying that it didn't ship to my country. I thought this was a bit strange seeing as I had previously ordered from here and I knew they did ship to the UK. I tried to do different addresses, under different names and nothing worked. So I tried to email AP Paris to explain the problem I was having. They never bothered to reply to me, and I did wait a couple of weeks as I thought that maybe they didn't have English speaking staff available to answer me. But I got absolutely nothing. So I couldn't place my order and I couldn't contact AP Paris. I was essentially 'locked out' and unable to place an order. I was not impressed!

If you have ever brought anything over Facebook then chances are, you may have heard of Payvment. Well Payvment are now connected to lish.com which is a website that requires you to be invited. So we contacted Lish just to double check that it wasn't anything to do with them, and it wasn't, but we got given an invitation anyway. So AP Paris was at fault. Eventually, I randomly decided to try ordering again about 2 weeks ago, only to discover it now worked. So I placed my order.

We paid using Paypal via Lish and this time I remembered to pay in Euros. We were not too happy with using Lish as although it was secure, it publishes what items you have brought. It would be nice to have a bit of privacy. What if I had been ordering a present? And sometimes you simply don't want anybody knowing what you are buying as it is not really their business.

Shipping

I had to track my order through Lish. I noticed it took AP Paris a week just to process my order, which seemed longer than last time. They did remove the items off their page right away though, so I knew my order was safe. I wasn't really happy tracking my order through Lish as it was a bit vague and although I had a number, we couldn't find anywhere to track it. I knew AP Paris used La Poste, but we couldn't track it there and that stops working when the package leaves France anyway. So again, it was a case of waiting and seeing what day my parcel turned up. This is really frustrating, as I like to know where my parcel is. Once AP Paris had finally processed my order it took 2 days to get to me. My husband James answered the door but we were surprised to find we didn't need to sign for the package. Even the postman remarked it was a bit odd.

I couldn't help but smile when I saw the box because it is not the usual bright pink packaging that I was expecting! I read on the side that it had previously been used to hold risotto packets so it is good to know AP Paris recycle and the box was clean anyway. The box was very sturdy and sealed well with parcel tape, so it was quite secure. I thought it was a bit big considering how little I ordered, but I think getting a box is better than just using a postal bag or something.

 I opened the box and was greeted by loads of pink! The items inside had a bit of room to move around, but they were well padded. I didn't order anything too fragile anyway. AP Paris used quite a few sheets of tissue paper.

My order! It was wrapped up inside an AP shopping bag. I was glad to see that my points card had been updated (but there is no way I am going to fill that book up in time!). I also got given a Milk and an AP postcard, plus a leaflet about the Maki AP Collection. 

I ordered the Dreamy Horoscope barrette in navy to go with my Dream Sky skirt because I couldn't find the DS one anywhere and when I finally did, it was out of my price range. The navy is a bit darker than Dream sky but not noticeably. I am may finally be able to make an outfit for Dream Sky soon! The barrette was a bit bigger than I was expecting, but I actually prefer it this way. The fabric used is lovely and soft. I really like the star studs on it. The barrette looks a bit wonky in my photo but it is not wonky in person.

Oops! Blurry photo! The back has your standard barrette clip.

I also got the Glass Bottle of Tears necklace in pink. I had a really hard time deciding between pink and blue, but thought pink would match more of my wardrobe. It was on my wishlist and I figured I should get it before it sold out! I really love this necklace. All the parts feel strong and secure and I don't think it is going to break any time soon. It is quite see-through and I had problems photographing it, but in person you can see the pink colour quite well. I think the bow detail is really sweet. My favourite part though, is the crown. It is so pretty and detailed! I kind of wish I brought the matching ring as well. Maybe next time (if there is a next time). The chain is a really good long length. The chain is also decorated with beads near the perfume bottle which is a nice finishing touch and I think it is better than a standard gold chain.

I was also pleased with the thickness of the necklace. You get a good thick chunk of plastic. I was expecting the plastic part to be really thin, so this was a nice surprise.

So I have to give this order a neutral feedback. I am totally in love with the items I ordered, but the whole ordeal with ordering it was a nightmare. I am not saying I wouldn't order from their Facebook store again, but it did leave a bitter taste in the mouth. I tend to view AP Paris as a last resort option when the other stores have sold out of items anyway. But seeing as AP Paris appear to have fixed their initial problem with locking people out of ordering, maybe next time things wont be so bad. Just watch out for any updates!