Taobao Haul November 2014- Picture Heavy

It is time for another Taobao order review! This review is actually going to be a 2-part review, because one of the stores I ordered from is being a real pain. I wont go in to too much detail yet, as I am still hopeful I am going to get my items. My Taobao Spree agent Ray has been really patient with me and keeps contacting the store for updates, so fingers crossed I get some good news soon. I really hope I do, because there are Christmas presents still to come and I don't want to be forced to give people IOU notes with their presents! So here is hoping I can review those other items soon, but I know already the review is going to be very negative.

But on to the items that have already arrived! Ray split up my order for me so I am only waiting for those items from the last store now. Obviously I can't review certain stuff at the moment, just in case certain people see what I got them for Christmas. But I will just say that everything that arrived in this parcel got to Taobao Spree super quickly, was well packaged and I am excited to see if people like their presents.

My order arrived in a very sturdy box, which was taped up well. So there was no real risk of my items getting damaged. I was also very impressed with how neatly packaged my order was. The cardigans I ordered made suitable padding and all that was needed was a little extra bubble wrap for my hat.

I got given some free stuff with my order as well! I don't know for sure, but I think the bracelet is from Aiyou and the velvet bow rings from Ciciwork. The bracelet reminds me so much of Chocomint and is in colours which feature heavily in my wardrobe, so I will probably get some decent wear out of it. The velvet bows are not that well made and have been tied in to a bow quite messily, but considering this is a free gift I am certainly not complaining. It is always nice to get a little extra something.

First up is a necklace I ordered from Aiyou- Store Link Here who mainly make hair accessories. I was actually looking at another Taobao store when the necklace came up as recommended at the bottom of the page. So I clicked on the link and decided to place an order. I was really impressed that the necklace came packaged in a little box. Inside the box, the necklace was additionally placed inside a plastic bag.

The first thing I noticed about the necklace is how heavy it is and I definitely felt it when I put the necklace on. It is a bit chunkier than I was expecting although it is still very pretty looking. When I placed the order, I was warned that there was some flaw with the necklace. After examining the necklace, I can't find anything wrong with it, so now I am paranoid I am randomly going to discover the 'flaw' at some point! I really can't see anything wrong with it at all. The necklace has a long chain and is fully adjustable. I found that even when I did it up on one of the smallest loops it was still quite big. So I doubt that it could be worn as a choker and it is definitely intended to be worn as a necklace. 

The star charm is very cute. On one side there is the store name and on the other a prettier looking store logo. You can't really see the writing on the star when worn, although the writing doesn't actually bother me that much anyway. 

The pearls are a mix of textures, with the smaller pearls being 'frosted' design. The pearls are quite well spaced out. When the necklace is worn the pearls spread out really well and sit nicely on my chest. Overall, the design is very cute. Aside from being a bit heavy, I can find no faults with the necklace. I would definitely give their jewellery a go again.

Next up is Ciciwork- Store Link

First up is this thin lace headdress. I wasn't intending to get this but because I was buying from this store anyway and it was quite cheap, I decided to go ahead and get it. Although it is quite pretty, I do feel it looked a bit better in the stock photos and is quite plain looking. But I think with a few added details or flower clips added on to it, it could make an interesting base hair accessory. The hair band is very generous and will fit an adult sized head comfortably.

The main head band is decorated with flower lace. The lace is of a good quality. The flowers are nicely shaped and I like how every flower is decorated with a pearl in the centre.

I am not so keen on the lace used for the lace tails. The lace is not the most attractive looking and the quality is not so good. The lace tails are also a bit longer than I was expecting and only one side has a ribbon bow. I don't know if there was meant to be a ribbon bow on both sides or not, but I do feel it looks a little unbalanced. Also, the lace tails are a harsh white whereas the lace on the hair band is slightly more ivory in shade. So I do feel this hair accessory is a bit of a disappointment, but it was very cheap and you get what you pay for. I don't think it is entirely unusable but I will probably be making some adjustments to it first. 

I also got this witch hat from Ciciwork when I realised I had managed to obtain Meta's Megical Moonlight! I feel this first picture demonstrates the hat to veil ratio. The hat is so tiny! As beautiful as the veil is, it is also very heavy and it feels a bit unbalanced.

I feel that the hat could do with being a bit bigger, just to help balance things out a bit better. The base hat itself is quite simple but has been decorated well. The ribbon used is of a good quality and there are no fraying ends anywhere. The chain is pretty and is also detachable. I like the subtle hints of gold. 

Whilst I do like the veil, I feel the massive shiny bow isn't really needed. I also found the bow sits really weirdly when worn and you have to spend a bit of time adjusting the hat to get it in a suitable place. The bow is also not tied very well and could have been done a whole lot neater. However, the bow does conceal the join between the hat and the veil. Maybe a smaller bow with short tails would have been a better option.

The hat features 2 alligator clips. It felt reasonably secure on my head but I worry it will fall off if worn for long periods of time. I will definitely be using extra bobby pins when I wear this. Again, I feel this is because the veil is far too heavy.

The veil part is made up of different types of cheap tulle. I quite like how it is a mixture of plainer looking tulle and then this dot tulle. My main complaint about the tulle is the ends haven't been finished properly. Then again, it isn't really that noticeable unless you are looking up close. Overall, I am quite impressed with the hat. I am most concerned with how I am going to keep it on my head.

The final item I got from Ciciwork is a pair of black gloves. The sizing was generally quite generous. I found the fingers are a bit long for me but I usually have this problem with gloves anyway. In this photo I had pushed the fingers all the way down, which is why the gloves look a bit baggy in this photo. The elasticated wrist fitted quite snugly. It gripped my wrist quite firmly so this may not be a good option for those who have bigger wrists, as it may become uncomfortable.

I feel the bows on the wrists could do with being a bit smaller in size. The bows are also quite sweet looking compared to the gothic looking gloves and perhaps the check ribbon wasn't the best choice. I think solid coloured ribbon would have been better here. The ribbon used is also a bit shiny. Aside from the size, the bow has a good shape to it. The black beads are a nice finishing touch.

Here is a better shot of the lace. I personally think the lace is pretty good. I have seen gloves made of much worse lace than this and for the cheap price you pay, you get decent materials. Also, the material feels very soft and it is lovely against my skin. It doesn't feel the slightest bit itchy, which you can get with some cheaper lace gloves. 

So overall, I feel like Ciciwork is a good option for cheap accessories. However, there is the odd thing here and there I would change. Perhaps in some cases, like the hat's veil being too heavy, the execution could have been a bit better planned out. You definitely do get what your money's worth though, and the gloves actually turned out better than I was expecting. Ciciwork is a good Taobao store for building up a collection of accessories for a low price. Just bear in mind that you do get what you pay for and if you are looking for quality, there are better options out there.

Finally, I ordered 2 cardigans from this Taobao store- Store Link Here Sadly, the cardigan design I ordered is no longer available but it is still worth a look. There are some very cute designs. At the moment I am especially fond of this cute Cat Cardigan 

The cardigans I got features some really cute moon embroidery and I had to have it! It is another one of those occasions where I was searching Taobao for something else and stumbled upon this by accident. I got the cardigan in navy blue and lavender. Both are really nice colours, although I like the navy blue a whole lot more. The lavender one reminds me of the colder lavender shade that Angelic Pretty has been using a lot more lately. The material feels super soft and when I tried it on I loved how it felt against my skin. It is quite a lightweight material, so this is definitely more of a Summer cardigan. It wont keep you very warm but is good for when you just need that tiny bit of extra warmth. Size-wise, it fitted me reasonably well. On top I am about a UK 8-10 with wide shoulders, and I had no trouble with doing the buttons up at all. The material is quite stretchy and I feel it could fit somebody slightly bigger than me. The arms were a decent length and the sleeves reached my wrists perfectly. The torso was a little bit short on me though, so it isn't tall friendly (I am only 5'4'' but I have a long torso). 

A close up of the embroidery. Yes, the moon does say "Fint" on it. I didn't realise until afterwards that it was a replica cardigan. However, I am really struggling to find the original cardigan online anywhere, let alone find one for sale. I am sure it must exist somewhere out there. The embroidery is generally quite neat. You can probably see there is something a bit wrong with the bottom star in the photo. If I remember rightly, it is just a loose thread. The lavender cardigan's embroidery was perfect with no faults at all. 

The buttons are covered with fabric, which gives them a softer appearance. It matches up with the white moon in the embroidery as well. The gold trim around the neckline, cuffs and bottom is a tiny bit itchy but bearable. There were a few small loose gold threads, but apart from that I could find no further faults with the cardigans. 

I am so happy with the cardigans and they are my favourite part of the order. The design is so cute. I do feel a bit bad, knowing it is a replica, but I didn't realise until they arrived. Despite searching, I couldn't find the original anywhere, so I don't know how it matches up quality-wise. But what I do know is that the cardigans I received are of a decent quality with minimal flaws. I am looking forward to wearing them once the worst of the Winter chill is over. I would definitely purchase cardigans from this Taobao store again.

Despite the odd little niggle here and there, there is nothing in this order that I am unhappy with. I think I got reasonable value for money and I would definitely use all of these Taobao shops again in the future. Hopefully at some point I will be able to review the final part of this Taobao order (it isn't looking promising) but that review is unlikely to be featured on here until January now. We will have to see how things progress!