Has anyone tried cosmetics from www.evilshades.com ?

I've contacted the lady who owns the store (and makes the products herself) and she's going to try to make a custom colour lippy for me (dark red that is almost black).

I'm just wondering if the pigments in all her cosmetic products are really strong? I don't want to waste money and time ordering stuff from overseas if it's not what I really want.

Oh, and I love the eye shadow from Ali Hamylton (Australia) in Bulla (black). Super strong pigment and you can use it wet or dry. I don't even own a black eye pencil any more as this does a much better job. They just don't have anything else that suits my gothy make up desires.

Here are a few reviews, maybe a bit outdated but hopefully helpful.

Store: Heavy Red
Items bought: Skirt, sleeves, shirt
Estimated shipping: 4-7 days (US to UK)
Actual shipping: Skirt was 5 days, shirt was 7 days, sleeves... well...

Came across Heavy Red whilst browsing some of the lines in some online shops, and I was rather impressed with some of the designs (I quite like the 1920s-1940s Parisian style). However, it is a bit pricy for what you see.

First purchase was a very nice skirt - length on a long skirt is very important to me as I'm small (5'1'') and the person I corresponded with at Heavy Red was very helpful. The skirt arrived in time, looked nice, but I noticed it was a bit grubby (some dark marks on it) and the stitching had come away in some parts.

Now, as I wasn't really in the mood to play the expensive 'international shipping paying' game I decided to wash the skirt and repair the stitching myself. No problems after that.

Second purchase sadly is where it came down. I ordered some sleeves and they never arrived. I was initially told that they would try sending me them again, and when that set didn't arrive - I was told they were out of stock and they would refund me. Did they bollocks They did give me a coupon code as a sorry but I didn't have anything I wanted to spend it on.

So why on earth did I buy from them again? I think they moved storage and changed a few things with how they did stuff. The shirt arrived in good time and customer service regarding size was good.

Final rating: 3/5

Maybe I'm being lenient, but I think they've improved a bit. However, I've not been too impressed with recent designs and pricing - I guess it's expensive as it's their own line and not mass-produced, but I don't really want to pay £30-40 for a blouse (not including shipping) which seems to have pointier sleeves/collar than blouses you can get at a high street store for a fraction of the price.

Also... the sizes are a bit on the small size. I've never bought a size large in anything. Except for Heavy Red stuff. When they say 'heroin chic', they really mean a heroin waif.

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Store: The Dark Angel
Items bought: 1 overbust corset with custom modesty panel, 1 cape, 1 waspie
Estimated shipping: 1-2 days (UK), 7-14 days if custom
Actual shipping: Corset was 7 days (custom), cape and waspie were 2 days

I love this place. I'm not really a fairytale type but I liked the look of the corsets. Okay, I admit, the dresses and coats look fascinating too! The customer service is wonderful and they'll customise stuff for you if you need the item shortened/lengthened or in my case, a modesty panel. The items look just as lovely in person as they are on the website. Corsets and waspies are steel-boned.

Final rating: 5/5

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Store: Moonmaiden Gothic Clothing
Items bought: 2 skirts, 1 dress (all slightly customised)
Estimated shipping: Within 14 days
Actual shipping: 5-7 days

Again, another place that does it right. Moonmaiden customise to size and have their own range at decent prices, as well as some clearance stock of another range (I bought one of these skirts and it's lovely). Customer service is fantastic, and they'll customise their own designs to your liking.

I'm not sure how they'll work on constant wearing though, so far I've used them for occasions and they've held up fine.

My only issue is of personal taste - the corsets aren't steel-boned, and tend to involve PVC (I'm not a fan of PVC). But then, I haven't bought one of their corsets so it doesn't factor into my final rating.

Final rating: 5/5

I was going to wait till I have the product, but I'll do up a review and edit it later...

Store: www.clubwearaustralia.com
Location: Australia
Purchase: Demonia boots (Disorder 301 boots with chains)
Shipping time: 14 days

I ordered late last night but they called me this morning to say they can't get that style from their suppliers for a long time (up to 3 months). Lose a point for having something on the website without being available.

BUT they offered me 3 suggestions for substitution, 2 of which were more expensive, at no extra charge to me and I decided on the Gravel boots, which I can't find on the site, but I'm told are leather so must be more expensive (maybe a new item coming soon?) and I actually like them better. Gain back the point for that.

If the boots arrive in 2 weeks in the correct size and leather like they said in their email I'll be giving them full points. They said the boots will be shipped to me in 10 days.

WOW - I got my boots today (technically yesterday) - shipping time was about 10 days from order AND they are indeed real leather...

I LOVE them!

10 out of 10!

Perdita:

I have bought Heavy Red clothing- although it was imported by Angel Clothing...and I find it a bit it and miss. The stuff is so expensive yet hard to get hold of if Angel don't stock it (as the shipping fees out of the US are very high). I also had good experiences with Dark Angel and as for Moonmaiden, they are a lovely husband-and-wife team and while I don't have a huge amount of their stuff, I am always happy to buy from them (I hesitate with a lot of online stores because I have problems with sizing). I was really glad to see someone else has had a good experience with them n_n

Store: Evil Shades
Location: USA (I'm in Australia)
Items Purchased: Cosmetics
Shipping Time: 7 days from posting
Overall Score: Full marks!

Very customer focussed. Operated by single person who makes, packages and posts items. Unfortunately she got really sick just after I put my payment in, but she emailed me when she was well again and apologised for the wait. I like the cosmetics and even with terribly expensive shipping are a reasonable price (why it costs $27 to send such a tiny parcel is beyond me - Australia Post are no better). She even made a lipstick just for me (look for "Corset" under Deviate lipsticks in her store).

That, I have to admit, is extremely cool.

I've ordered from Heavy Red before and had a hideous time trying to find out where my items disappeared to... I think I might have even posted in this thread a while (years) back, but I never received the items I ordered. I can't remember what happened as it was so long ago now, but I don't remember getting anything from them as repayment for my missing items. I never ordered from them again, regardless.


Red Corset, impressive service. It's sometimes hard to find these days.



~N

I am not sure whether this is the right place to post this but did not want to start a new thread.

Has anyone ever used www.the-gothic-shop.co.uk.I would like to order something off there but think it might be a scam because the prices seem far too cheap(steel boned waist reducing overbust corsets at around £50) and the overall layout seems a little unproffesional and after learing that drac in a box.com dissappointing its customers.So has anyone used it?Are my suspcions groundless?

Yeah I've used it before, only bought a tshirt but I don't think it's a scam, got the shirt promptly and with no issues. Should be ok. Hope this helps. I think it's 'unprofessional' looking because it's uk based, and for some reason a lot of uk websites(especially niche ones like goth shops) don't have particularly good web design. But anyways I don't think there's anything wrong with it, as far as I know. They have a sister site which sells jewellery, too: http://nocturnis-gothic-jewellery.co.uk
Not a corset person myself, but £50 sounds like a good price.

How rude am I? I forgot to review a couple of stores that might interest my fellow Gothlings!

Store: As Cute As A Button

Items Bought: Silver Spider, Web and Fly buttons x 5. Seen here!

Estimated Shipping: 5-7 days

Actual Shipping: Two weeks, but they emailed me to let me know they had to order the buttons I wanted. The site owner was quick to communicate and answer questions.

My coat is now a destinctive pieve in my collection. It is a joy to wear with its gigantic buttons!

Score: 5/5

Store: ELF Cosmetics

Items Bought: e.l.f. Studio 11 Piece Brush Set(in Glitter, wot?).

Estimated Shipping: 5-7 Days

Actual Shipping: 4-5 Days

I love my brush set! They are silky-soft and apply cosmetics beautifully! They are synthetic so they won't wear out as fast as natural fibers and there's none of that hideous shedding of hair like with drugstore brush sets. Baby shampoo and gentle agitation get them squeaky clean.

Score: 5/5

I honestly don't believe the Heavy Red stuff is worth the price. To be honest I've no idea why I went back again for the shirt... I guess I just get charmed by the designs on paper. I honestly believe that their sizes are unrealistically small. I think Angel Clothing is the only other place that stocks them online in the UK - but they never seem to stock the stuff I like on the Heavy Red site!

Good to hear that someone else likes Dark Angel and Moonmaiden too!



Good to see that I wasn't the only person in that boat.

-- Sat May 21, 2011 1:14 pm --



I've used The Gothic Shop before and had no issues - had good customer service too regarding refunds and swaps. Although... I don't think the website layout's bad? I never expect to see Amazon for the more niche shops - hell, eBay's layout is ugly and Facebook has probably the worst website programming in the world when it bothers to work

I've only bought one thing from Drac In A Box and it arrived fine, although I've heard horror stories too. Plus I think it's a bit overpriced.

I also used the Gothic Shop before...Minigoth, are you referring to the taffeta corsets? I have a purple and black one and its lovely. They're not quite as adjustable as a custom made one, but I thought I'd give it a try and it was lovely. I had to go down a size because it transpired that I had compensated too much, but do email and ask them for help if you need to, I found them really helpful and they were very helpful in swapping the corset for a new size too.

Perdita, all my Heavy Red things are from Angel. I have a corset from there that i don't wear a lot now...its odd actually because you're right, the sizes are quite small...now...I would now be an L-XL, but the corset is an M an I get away with it ok. Sadly, I don't think they last too well. My Heavy Red hoody (has a heart over the chest) is lovely, but the lining isn't quite as soft anymore and its gone all bobbly on the front...I only ever handwashed it too (which was a pain in the arse to drip-dry). I still wear it in winter but it doesn't feel quite as pretty anymore I do see things on their site I want, but I don't think I'll bother too much from now on. Maybe if I had the money I wouldn't mind a corset or something, but its very expensive...

This is a review for an online store called The 1 For U. They sell various items like rocking horses, climbing frames, handmade Victorian nightdresses, insect paperweights and also lace parasols and fans.

I placed my order for a black lace parasol and fan set yesterday. They arrived this morning!! I am stunned to be honest, especially as there is free delivery in the UK... I was expecting them by the weekend, maybe even early next week, but the items arrived here neatly packaged inside a postal tube less than 24 hours after I placed the order! Amazing considering that they had to come up from Devon which is about 200 miles away from me. I received the confirmation email (telling me it would be dispatched in the morning post) at 6.23pm last night.

The parasol is beautiful, smaller than I thought, but then I've never actually seen a parasol made of lace before and I was no doubt judging the size using umbrellas (which are bigger to keep the rain off). It also came in a black, drawstring bag to store the parasol when not in use.. The fan is also beautiful and gives off a lovely cooling air and it doesn't feel flimsy in the hand, either.

All told I'm very impressed, and the speed of delivery still amazes me (maybe Superman works for the Royal Mail and not the Daily Planet as the media would have us believe? )

10/10 and highly recommended All I need now is for the sun to come out... as soon as I took the parasol out of it's protective bag it snuck behind the clouds and hasn't come out since )

Ooooooooooooookay. I've ordered so much stuff since I was gone, it's kinda ridiculous, but a lot of it was from the same store, so I'll start with the most recent.

Store: http://www.faerie-queen.com/ (a.k.a. http://shop.daisyviktoria.com/)
Item: White Lace Split Halter Top (it's not pictured anymore since I assume that I got the last product, so here's the link to the similar Black Lace Split Halter Top)
Estimated Shipping: -
Actually Shipping: About 3-4 days

I've glanced back and forth at their products, because they're all so enchanting and classy, but kinda pricey. Luckily, the White Lace Split Halter Top was on sale for $30 dropped from $60, so I seized the moment by asking my sis for this as my b-day present. I got it in the mail a few days ago but only opened it yesterday because it was my birthday.

Now, while I do like the product (it's very classy but also sultry with the slit in the bust region, and another reason why I wanted it was because I thought it would do nicely as part of an ensemble for an Asuka Kazama cosplay) there were some things that made me go "hm." First, when I pulled it out of the package, there was no invoice or receipt for the product. I assume that Ms. Viktoria sent my sister an electronic invoice, but it would have been convenient if I were to receive one along with the package as well. Also, the product seemed very "aged." No, there weren't any stains or cigarette marks on it or what not, but there were some minor stains around the strap part of the shirt. Plus, it smelled more aged than looked it (smells like an outfit that your grandma or great-aunt would pull out of her attic wardrobe to show how she dressed when she was younger. In that case, I would have thought, "da-mn grandma! You dressed pretty fly!"). On a minor note, the presentation/packaging was unimpressive. It was just kind of thrown in the box. Not that the shirt was going to get hurt.

But she did send a thank you note with the package, so she was considerate. And it fits well, despite it being a one-size-fits-most article of clothing.

All in all, I'd expect a tad more class from a shop that has a lot of classy price tags.

Rating: 3/5

Store: http://www.orchardcorset.com/
Item: Authentic Busk Front Tight Lacing Premium Satin Underbust Corset in Jet Black
Estimated Shipping: Ships within 1-2 business days
Actual Shipping: About 3-4 days

Got my underbust corset exactly as pictured, along with a set of instructions.

Rating: 5/5

I got a few items from Chicstar these few months.

Store: http://chicstar.com/
Items: Black Triangle Collar Bowknot Jacket, Black Gothic Victorian Punk Corset Satin Jacket, Black Gothic Victorian Lace Long Skirt

I got the Black Gothic Lolita Ruffle Corset Top and the Black Jacquard Long Coat and loved them, so I definately made up my mind to order from them again. The absolute best thing about Chicstar is how you can get products for a significantly lower price by gaining store credit, but I think I already went over that...

The only thing I had go wrong with an order was the sizing. I should have gotten the skirt one size larger. It can fit, but not around my waist. I have to wear the skirt higher toward my belly button. Other than that, good service, and I'm waiting for my other birthday present to get here.

Rating: 5/5

This is a bit different, since they're an online store but they had a booth at the World Steam Expo this year (which I attended. Yay!).

Store: http://retroscopefashions.com/
Items: Steampunk Button Blouse, Gothic Dolly Bustle Mini Skirt

If customer service for Retroscope Fashions is praised online, they're excellent in person. They allowed me to try on all of their products before I made my decision. The bustle skirt I got really lucky with, since I would normally wear a size "M", but they ran out and only had size "S" left - and it fit like a glove! That was the only item I meant to get at the convention, but I ended up splurging on the blouse the next day. I almost bought the Black Victorian Sleeveless Blouse, but I opted for the former.... until the next day. Unfortunately, they were all out! But luckily, another vending booth had the same blouse, but it was made by Fan Plus Friend and was an extra $5. And that's how I blew all but $2 at the World Steam Expo (or at least, how I partially blew all of my money there >.> ). I would love to see them again at next years convention.

Store: http://alittletouchofmagick.com/
Item: Millicent's Madness
Estimated Shipping: 5-10 days
Actual Shipping: About a week and a half

Good customer service as usual. Ms. Liliith's (the store owner) only problem seems to be shipping out the package on time. She gets tied up in other duties (this time, she was training new interns), but the good thing is that she responds to all of her email, and when I mailed her asking if my order finished processing, she immediately got to packaging it and shipped it out. I got the product about three days later. That's why the actual shipping was about a week and a half. Other than that, good service.

And I love how I get confetti whenever she sends me a package.

Rating: 4/5

I think that's all.... for now....