Even I remember the first time I bought lingerie online in Australia it was for my fiancé, now my wife.

So how do you buy lingerie online in Australia safely?

Well the first key issue is to find out if who you are buying from is legitimate. One of the first ways to do this is to check out whether they have an ABN or Australian Business Number. Every business is required to have an ABN (stands for Australian Business Number) and if their website doesn’t then you know you have a problem.

The next thing to check out is whether or not the ABN correlates to the business. There is an Australian Government website called business.gov.au that you can use to see whether a business is in fact has an ABN.

Once you know that the business is real, then its time to check out both their privacy policy and returns policy.

In Australia we have very strong privacy regulations and laws and every company should have a clearly defined privacy policy. All quality Australian companies will have that policy highlighted on their website.

The second thing you need to check for is the returns policy and this is the area that catches most people out. In Australia, once an item has been worn close to any anatomical part such as the breast or skin then it normally cannot be resold simply because legislation does not allow this to occur.

In fact, if you donate items like bras or underwear to any of the charities they are required to dispose of them like medical waste. However, some online lingerie stores do offer a refund policy even on underwear. Companies like this do not resell the item but they do this to give customers confidence that if something isn’t right then they will help them.

There are only a half a dozen companies that do this in Australia (as at the time of writing this article) but it is away of looking after their customers.

The next issue you need to look at is whether or not the online store provides a sizing guide. There is very little lingerie made in Australia, actually I only know of half a dozen sites that do make their own, the rest is normally imported from Asia, the US, Canada or Europe and this creates a problem. How do you know what size will suit you.

Most online lingerie stores will provide you with a sizing chart however the biggest challenge is understanding how to read the chart. Further to this they should also show you how to measure yourself as well.

The next issue to consider is how the company will deliver your item. Whether you like it or not, when you buy online your item is going to have to be sent to you via a courier or through Australia Post. You need to find out how they are going to send the items to you and how much the freight is going to cost you.

Many arguments have occurred between customers and online stores over the freight costs. Quality stores will have a very clear policy on freight with some offering freight for free with purchases over a certain amount or a fixed freight fee. If you are buying from a store and they don’t specify the freight cost during the checkout process, then you must expect to be charged an additional fee at a later stage before shipment.

The other issue to consider is whether additional freight fees maybe charged if you split your order or if items are on back order. I have seen some companies charge extra amounts on this circumstance and you need to clarify with the online lingerie store what their policy is.

If you follow these basic principles then your experience in buying lingerie in Australia should be a positive one.

We definitely don’t want you to take Thursday off and rush to a random 14th-floor space in the Garment District only to find that there’s nothing there,Christian Louboutin Flats, so for now, we’ll second MadSpy’s prudent suggestion that anyone who wants Loubs should plan to visit the sale Wednesday afternoon. If this year’s sale is anything like the last one, they’ll start letting in non-press people after lunch. Plan to wait at least two hours, and don’t expect any amenities—this is an old-school sample sale. Do, however, expect bargains: Most of the merchandise last time was around $250, with some heels as low as $100.

‘I don’t design randomly,’ says famed shoe designer as he gears up to open a store in Dubai
“I have more than 20 stores, but what I want is to create something that is unique to one particular store. For instance, there is one colour that I have been dying to use in my shoes — green. But it never sells. It drove me crazy thinking about it. But funny enough, I have always noticed that women who buy green shoes in Paris are women from the Middle East,” says Louboutin.
Christian Louboutin

Christian Louboutin is not just choosy about his collaborations. He is equally particular about his store, its location and its size.

“The look of the store is very important to me. I look into every detail such as the architecture, the size of the store, the height of the ceiling and the galleries above it. The store should finally reflect the flavour of the region too.”

If I went to a jewelry store only sixty miles away the clients shopping at that store would consider the three carat an average size diamond and 10 carat large. Now the cost of any quality diamond over 6 carats can be over $100,000. You would assume that any diamond in that price would have an independent grading report if not two to guaranty the quality. 

This store did not have any reports and they were excellent at selling but did not have much awareness of the standard of the product being sold.  What this usually means was that the buyer got a nice looking diamond that was just a bit under the grade said.  It is a  fine line between a VS1 and a VS2 so why get too fastidious.  Of course all is fine for few years til she finds the guy cheating with his office assistant. Now the diamond is up for sale and the purchaser looks at it and tells her it is only a Si 1 stone. She purchased it as a better quality VS1 and a better color than the buyer thinks it is. 

Now with a value difference of thousand they are off to court.  This is the same that occurs everyday with diamonds. Usually average size diamonds that average people can purchase. They assume that are as stated but don’t have independent documents to back up the grades. 

If you are buying a good size diamond you owe it to yourself to see only diamonds possessing an independent grading report.  When you compare you need to compare the same make of report to itself.  In other words GIA to GIA, ELG to EGL and IGI to IGI as eash has marginally different standards and quality control. Doing this will help you get the price you are expecting out of your diamond purchase. 

When you are ready to mount the diamond into a ring be certain to utilize a platinum head.  A platinum  wedding band or platinum mounting will hold the stone tighter and is less sure to crack or have prongs break off when hit.  Broken spikes make allowance for diamonds to pop out and bent prongs typically enable you time to see the issue and have it fixed before the stone is lost.Also remember to take a good quality photo or hire a professional commercial photographer to take a image for insurance. A photo will help replace a ring that may need to be custom made in the future.

Agates are made up of silicon dioxide, which is deposited in nodular masses in volcanic lavas. Colors are due to various minerals that stain the mass, usually in colorful bands that distinguish agate from other kinds of microcrystaline quartz, such as chalcedony Agates are usually brown, but the colors can range from gray to yellow-bellied and even pale, grayish-blue. Because agate is porous, it can be artificially stained. or so all blue and green agates on the market are dyed. Agates are found in volcanic areas throughout the world. Beachcombers on the Pacific Northwest coast often find agates, jasper, sard, and carnelians on the beaches, eroded out of basalt cliffs. Often all of these stones are merely called “agates.”

agate, blue lace

Blue lace agate is streaked with bands of soft blue from minerals such as copper

agate, moss

Mossy or tree-like (dendritic) mineral inclusions piddle a mossy appearance or even interesting pictures inside the agate. One picture agate on display at the Oregon Museum of Science and Industry (OMSI) bears a profile with a strong resemblance to the comic strip character L’il Abner

alexandrite

Sometimes used as a gemstone, alexandride is green chrysoberyl. A fine, cut stone may range from golden brown to red in incandescent cleverness, though most bead-grade alexandrite is green.

amazonite

A semi-opaque, blue-green form of microcline, a kind of feldspar. This rock is made up of potassium aluminum silicate. The green color is caused by the mien of lead. Most amazonite comes from India. Some is also mined in the U.S., Russia, Madgascar, Tanzania, and Nambia. Amazonite is often confused with jade and turquoise.

amber

Amber is fossilized tree resin from ancient forests. It is usually transparent, though sometimes translucent. The most valued pieces contain preserved insects. Even small lizards have been found preserved in amber. If allowed to dry excessively, or if left out in the sun, amber may develop fine cracks. Large amounts of amber have been found in the Baltic region, in southern Europe, and in the Dominican Republic. Real amber is less dense than plastic or glass imitations. It is said that real amber will float in a saturated salt solution, whereas imitations will not.They are very popular for manifacturing fashion jewelry

Full Cup

Each cup is designed with a three sections, to gain a modest level of coverage.

The straps and side sings of the full cup bra are designed thicker than that of other bra styles, in order to gain a secure fit.

This bra style would be suitable for women who have a big bust. These bras give extra protection and comfortable support.

Balcony

The balcony bra is considered the most popular bra style for bikini’s, as well as lingerie.

It is traditionally designed with a three section cup similar to a full cup bra, but with less material to help expose the cleavage.The straps are designed wider than a full cup bra, to expose more of the neckline and cleavage.

This bra style would be suitable for all bust types.

Bandeau

The bandeau bra (also known as the strapless bra) is frequently designed with detachable straps (standard or halter style bra straps) for added support, if required.

At the front of these bras the material is sometime twisted, this helps cover the joining of the bra and stylishly adds a distinct level of sexiness. Gripper elastic is lined within the wings of bandeau bra to help make sure it stays in place.

This bra style would be suitable for all bust types; you should at least own one bandeau bra in your bikini collection.

Plunge

The plunge bra helps uplift and add shape to breasts; this particular bra style was made popular by Wonderbra.

Plunge bras are very similar to balcony bras as they both have two or three sections within, but have a lower cut to expose more cleavage. It also has wide setting straps to help expose the neck and back area.

This bra style would be suitable for women with firmer bust types.

Triangle & Halter Neck

The triangle bra is a combination of both the plunge and halter neck bikini bras, so it therefore benefits from the cleavage depth and exposure of the neck and back areas. The only distinct difference the triangle bra has from any other bikini bra is that each cup is designed in the shape of a triangle.

Triangle bras are often designed with no under-wire, so therefore there is not as much support or uplift compared to that of a traditional plunge or halter.

This bra style would be suitable for women with smaller bust types.