Links checked 12/12/13
Another of my Christmas presents was an order from TCP Global, a company that sells automotive paint, pigments and flakes as well as an array of other art and hobby supplies. I’ve never found any reviews on them that are polish related but they continued to pop up in my search for flakes and their SpectraFlair-like products caught my attention. Given the opportunity at Christmas, I placed my order, have tried out most of what I purchased and am now ready to write my own review.
As I said, TCP Global has a big inventory; of main interest to me were their automotive flakes. I already owned some of Alsa’s holographics but TCP Global’s selection is too good. Even better is that they are available in different particle sizes and packages sizes, with most prices being very reasonable. They also sell the typical types of automotive paint- candies, ghosts, pearls and color shifting in both liquid (not important to us) and in dry pigments. Price varies on these more depending on the finish but I still believe they are comparable to what's available from other places and of equal quality.
What I ordered were Kustom Shop holographic flakes, color shifting pearls and diamond crystal pearls- very similar to TKB Trading'sSparks
In the case of the pigments, you have the name, which serves as the description of the color shift (ie: Blue Green) and the picture of the pigment, usually layered over a black basecoat (I’m assuming). Pictures, names and what they look like in reality don’t always match. Several of the traditional pearls that have “shift” in their name don’t color shift at all; they are more like pigments with interference and some are ugly and/or unoriginal.
The flakes have no individual descriptions beyond their names and they should because some of those pictures are misleading as well. A few that are supposed to be holographic aren't in the way most of us think of holographic, instead they are transparent and color shifting. After ordering, I found ferretkingdom’s picture of TCP Global’s flakes and discovered several were transparent; had I known that, I wouldn’t have bought them. Only because my experience with color shifting glitters has been negative though. I can confirm that these are color shifting and they don't bleed.
Regarding their email communication, they are somewhere in the middle. I've emailed them on several occasions about different products and always received a response within a day which is a point in their favor. However, after placing my order, I didn't get an order confirmation from the company themselves, only from PayPal and I didn't receive a shipping notification either.
Regarding the shipping itself, I knew ahead of time it would be shipped via UPS Ground so the shipping fee is on par with what everyone else seems to be charging, $15 on the $200.00+ total. I didn't know when it was coming but the order was placed on December 14 and it was delivered the 22nd or 23rd, not bad considering the time of year.
Everything was packaged in containers, not bags- jars for the pigment and bottles for the flakes, the Kustom Shop label nicely printed. The ingredients list is somewhat generic because every item has the same one which lists ingredients for flakes and pigments both but that’s really a minor issue.
All in all, my experience was positive. I got what I paid for, it arrived quickly and I will be a returning customer. They have more I want but I will be expecting more variation in color than I did this time.
Another of my Christmas presents was an order from TCP Global, a company that sells automotive paint, pigments and flakes as well as an array of other art and hobby supplies. I’ve never found any reviews on them that are polish related but they continued to pop up in my search for flakes and their SpectraFlair-like products caught my attention. Given the opportunity at Christmas, I placed my order, have tried out most of what I purchased and am now ready to write my own review.
As I said, TCP Global has a big inventory; of main interest to me were their automotive flakes. I already owned some of Alsa’s holographics but TCP Global’s selection is too good. Even better is that they are available in different particle sizes and packages sizes, with most prices being very reasonable. They also sell the typical types of automotive paint- candies, ghosts, pearls and color shifting in both liquid (not important to us) and in dry pigments. Price varies on these more depending on the finish but I still believe they are comparable to what's available from other places and of equal quality.
What I ordered were Kustom Shop holographic flakes, color shifting pearls and diamond crystal pearls- very similar to TKB Trading's
In the case of the pigments, you have the name, which serves as the description of the color shift (ie: Blue Green) and the picture of the pigment, usually layered over a black basecoat (I’m assuming). Pictures, names and what they look like in reality don’t always match. Several of the traditional pearls that have “shift” in their name don’t color shift at all; they are more like pigments with interference and some are ugly and/or unoriginal.
The flakes have no individual descriptions beyond their names and they should because some of those pictures are misleading as well. A few that are supposed to be holographic aren't in the way most of us think of holographic, instead they are transparent and color shifting. After ordering, I found ferretkingdom’s picture of TCP Global’s flakes and discovered several were transparent; had I known that, I wouldn’t have bought them. Only because my experience with color shifting glitters has been negative though. I can confirm that these are color shifting and they don't bleed.
Regarding their email communication, they are somewhere in the middle. I've emailed them on several occasions about different products and always received a response within a day which is a point in their favor. However, after placing my order, I didn't get an order confirmation from the company themselves, only from PayPal and I didn't receive a shipping notification either.
Regarding the shipping itself, I knew ahead of time it would be shipped via UPS Ground so the shipping fee is on par with what everyone else seems to be charging, $15 on the $200.00+ total. I didn't know when it was coming but the order was placed on December 14 and it was delivered the 22nd or 23rd, not bad considering the time of year.
Everything was packaged in containers, not bags- jars for the pigment and bottles for the flakes, the Kustom Shop label nicely printed. The ingredients list is somewhat generic because every item has the same one which lists ingredients for flakes and pigments both but that’s really a minor issue.
All in all, my experience was positive. I got what I paid for, it arrived quickly and I will be a returning customer. They have more I want but I will be expecting more variation in color than I did this time.
I’ll be doing a review for the individual colors themselves, with swatches, in an upcoming entry so check back soon. -MK
Related Entries:
TCP Global Color Shifting Pearls
Related Entries:
TCP Global Color Shifting Pearls
Awesome! Can't wait to see your frankenings and swatches of these :)
ReplyDeleteim a new follower.. x
ReplyDeleteI'd love to see your swatches! By the way, I'll follow your blog ;)
ReplyDeleteThank you, always appreciated.
DeleteCheck the current entry
ReplyDeleteI just had a bad experience ordering online from TCP Global. They don't respond to emails, at all. The only way I was able to get a refund—was that I had paid for the order—through PayPal. Buyer beware: stay away from this place.
ReplyDeleteI didn't have a problem getting my order but I did note the lack of email confirmation. At this point in time, I don't feel that what I ordered was all that different and probably wasn't worth the price but it was 2 years ago and the stores that sell what I might want have become more plentiful. I am sorry you had a bad experience though, its quite disappointing.
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