Taobao Haul- May 2016 (picture heavy)

It is time for another Taobao haul! This is actually the first of 2 orders I have placed recently. The 2nd order is currently in the post, so you can expect that haul review soon. 

Despite hinting that I was going back to Taobao Spree, I actually ended up using Taobao Ring again. I figured I wasn't getting anything that fragile and it didn't seem like there was anything that could go drastically wrong, so I decided to risk it. I still feel that Ring need to work on their packaging. I received my order in a small box, which was smaller than a shoe box. Considering how much was stuffed in that box, it did feel a bit too small. It sort of confirmed my fears about Ring and when I opened the parcel up, I came very close to actually damaging my blouse. Despite being as careful as possible, I sliced though a bit of the inside packaging when I was opening the box up. This is not a good sign at all and I was really unimpressed.

First up are these Adios Eden wrist cuffs. Size-wise, they are quite big, but not quite as big as the wrist cuffs from Bodyline. For their size, the cuffs do have a good shape. The lace is of a good quality and it feels soft. The ribbon bows are a cute shape and the ribbon only has a slight shine to it.

The elastic is very gathered, but the cuffs feel very comfortable on. I do wonder how big the cuffs will stretch to. They certainly don't feel tight on my wrists at all, but I have very small wrists. For me, these cuffs are perfect and I am really happy with them.

I also ordered some wrist cuffs from Red Maria. I have actually ordered these cuffs previously as part of a giveaway I held, but since then Red Maria has slightly changed the design on the cuffs, now using white material for the base part of the cuffs. I feel it is important to mention that the price is for 1 cuff, so if you want a pair, you must order 2. The cuffs are very small in size, but I actually quite like that. It is a very different look to the Adios Eden cuffs! My main complaint is that I ordered the "vanilla" colour and I was expecting a nice, cream sort of colour. Instead I got a grey colour, which is the top pair in the above photo. They do not match a single thing in my wardrobe and I am so glad they were really cheap. I am probably going to sell this pair on. The other 2 pairs were exactly what I was expecting though.

The cuffs felt very comfortable on. They have a little bit of stretch, but not a great deal. The ribbon used for the bows only has a slight sheen to it. I like that the ends of the ribbon have been properly sealed. The pearl chains are nice, although I think the ends could have been hidden better.

Next up are these butterfly brooches which I got from here. These initially gave me a bit of a panic, as Taobao Ring warned me these brooches were fragile. Thankfully, they did arrive in one piece, although I didn't get the colours I wanted. The Taobao store has this very odd grid system, which makes it very difficult to work out what colour you are getting. It is a shame, because there are some really cute brooches in this store and I really want to recommend them, but you have to be so careful when ordering. And even after I spent ages carefully selecting the colours, TBR informed me that they got one of the colours wrong anyway! TBR showed me a photo of the wrong colour they sent me and as it was similar to what I had wanted, I agreed to accept it. I was annoyed though. The brooches I got were very nice. I love the retro look. The colours are gorgeous and the design is well executed.

This is the style of the back of the brooch. I was kind of hoping it would be a pin style back, but they are stud backs. I had a bit of trouble un-doing it, until I realised you are meant to squeeze the 2 little bits together to release it!

They are not that big in size. I was expecting them to be around this sort of size though. Picture is to give a rough idea of how big they are. This one is roughly 5cm. I am really pleased with the brooches I got, but to be honest, I found the store a bit of a hassle. So I guess my advice is to proceed with caution.

Next up are these butterfly clips which may seem familiar to my long-term readers, as I have previously brought some navy blue coloured ones from the same store.

The design on the butterflies is crisp and I like that I am able to spread the wings or leave them closed. The colours are pretty vibrant too. I don't think this photo really does them justice.

They are simply stuck on to the clips with a bit of glue. Thankfully no glue is visible. I really like these clips, especially at such a cheap price. I recommend getting lots to make it more worthwhile.

I also got these socks from Baby Piggy. Sadly, they are another disappointment. I got the ones on the right thinking they were going to be gold and ivory, but as you can probably see in the picture above, they are pink and gold. And the gold colour is also a bit of a stretch, as they look a bit brown in person. I am really annoyed, as the photos on the listing do not match the colour of the actual product. The navy and white ones are a little bit better, but the navy could do with being a darker shade.

You can also see little loose threads and loops along the edges of the diamonds. Sadly, this is not just a one-off and I found almost all of the sock was like this. It is not too noticeable when worn, but it is still frustrating.

Size-wise, the socks were good. They were very stretchy and they reached mid-thigh on me (I am 5'4'' for reference). The socks were also a reasonably good thickness.

And sadly, here is another photo showing how messy the socks are. You can see all this navy thread poking out underneath the white. I think it is safe to say that I will not be ordering from Baby Piggy ever again.

Finally, I got a blouse from HMHM. My first impression was not good. As I pulled it out the plastic packaging, I realised just how thin the material was. It has a really cheap look to it. On a more postive note, the materials are very soft. The material also wrinkles very easily, which is worrying given how flimsy the fabric feels.

I really hate the lace on the blouse too. The actual quality of the lace is alright, but there is something about the way it looks which doesn't seem right. I also found the collar shape a bit awkward and the ties were difficult to tie nicely.

The gold trim is nice though. I do like the crown design on the buttons but annoyingly, they don't all face the same direction. It feels like little care was taken with the buttons.

The back has these little ties to help make the blouse smaller. Generally, the size and fit of the blouse was okay. My only complaint is the sleeves were too long.

Hopefully this will give some idea of how thin the fabric is. I wasn't expecting a completely opaque blouse, but I was expecting it to at least be a bit thicker than this.

The stitching is quite neat though and generally quite tidy.

I am a bit puff off by the cuffs as well. I guess I was expecting something a bit better fitting. And the lace completely swamps my hand. It is hard to put in to words, but it just doesn't look quite right. Originally I was intending to get this blouse in black as well, and I am so glad I held off. I went with HMHM because they are a well-known Taobao store and some people seemed quite happy with their quality. This blouse does not have me convinced. I had been eyeing up a nice looking chiffon bolero from HMHM, but now I am not sure that I want to risk it.

So this order has been a bit of a mixed experience. The blouse and the socks have been a real disappointment. I guess the smaller accessories were a bit more positive though. But as I mentioned, I did have troubles with ordering the wooden butterfly brooches and I am still trying to work out how on earth Red Maria thought that 'vanilla' was somehow a mushroom grey sort of colour. This has probably been one of my most disappointing Taobao orders. I am just really glad I didn't order more from HMHM for the moment. Oh well, here is hoping I have a bit more luck with the 2nd Taobao order.