Taobao Haul November 2016- Photo Heavy

I decided to get one last Taobao order in before Christmas, so today I will be reviewing what I got (minus Christmas presents!). First though, I would like to apologise for the quality of a few of the photographs in this post. With limited daylight and a cheap camera, getting decent photographs proved difficult!

First up is this Haruhi Clover beret. The beret is soft and a good size for an adult head. I really like the colour, which I felt was represented well in the stock photos.

The bow is made of good materials. I love the rose themed ribbon, although it is slightly shiny. My only real complaint is that the bow seems to be upside down. The way the pearls were attached to the bow suggested that it is meant to be the way up I have displayed it in the photo above. But to me, this looks incorrect, as I feel the smaller bow parts should be at the top. I reattached the bow the other way up and managed to get the pearl chain to sit in a way that I liked, but it still feel that something about the way the pearls have been attached isn't quite right.

The back of the bow has a simple pin clip and the way the pin was placed suggests that the bigger bow bits should be at the top. But the clip feels quite secure when done up, so I am sure it will be fine to wear it either way up. There was a small loose thread on the back, but it was too tiny to get in the photograph. At least it was hidden at the back, and I was able to just snip it off.

These shoe clips are also from Haruhi Clover. I am not really sure how I feel about these, but as I was ordering from this store anyway I decided to chuck them in with my order. The bows are made from standard shiny ribbon which you can get at any craft store. It does mean that you would have to be careful wearing these in wet weather, or they will get stained easily. The star charms keep tucking themselves away and are a bit hidden when worn (worn photos are at the bottom of the post). Also, everything about these clips are too big. The bows need to be smaller and maybe the pearl chain needs to be a little shorter too.

The metal clip is simple and I like that a bit of ribbon has been placed inside to reduce rubbing. It is a shame a little bit of ribbon wasn't put on the outside of the clip as well. The metal clip is hidden reasonably well when worn, with only a very small bit of metal visible at the top.

Next up is this necklace and bracelets from My Little Song. The necklace is 'light purple' and the bracelets are 'light purple' and 'transparent'. I think the general quality of the jewelry is reasonable. It is a similar level of quality to a lot of plastic Japanese brand jewelry to be honest. The beads are cute, especially the star beads. There is a bit of size flexibility too, which is useful.

This is a close up of the light purple bracelet pegasus charm. As you can see, it is quite a delicate shade of purple. I would have maybe liked a bit less of the star shaped glitter inside the charm, as it looks a bit crowded. But overall, I am very impressed with the quality of the bracelets.

The 'light purple' colour of the necklace is darker than I was expecting though. I wont be able to use it the dresses I wanted to, although I still think it looks quite cool. The glitter inside is at least a bit more evenly dispersed. The chain on the necklace is super long, and features a cross charm, so you can double layer the chain. I completely forgot to photograph the cross charm, but it looks of a decent quality. Although it wasn't quite was I was expecting (I was expecting the colour to be more like the purple bracelet) I still really like it. So it has not completely put me off buying from this Taobao store again. The quality is good, and they arrived at my shopping service quickly. It can be difficult to find decent jewelry on Taobao sometimes, especially resin jewelry. Their store is definitely worth checking out.

I also got these shoe clips from here. The star parts are the exact same padded stars you see used for star clips from loads of different Taobao stores. The edges of the stars are neat. As for the wings, I like how the individual feathers are well defined. The shape is cute. They are a bit more flimsy than I was expecting. If they had been firmer, they would probably be less likely to bend and flap about.

The backs are identical to those used on the Haruhi Clover shoe clips. This time there is no ribbon to decrease rubbing at all. I also spotted that the wings were obviously originally a pair, that had been cut in half. The edges of the wings could have done with a bit of sealing to prevent them getting damaged. Worn photos are near the bottom of the post.

Next up is this cape from To Alice. The main cape material feels a bit cheap in quality. As you can see from the photo, it wrinkles pretty easily as well. The ribbon tie neck means that the sizing is a bit flexible. I think I was perhaps expecting there to be a bit more lace on this cape. The lace looks a bit more prominent in the stock photos.

The lace is of a so-so quality. It could have been a lot worse, but it is not spectacular. The ruffles are lovely though.

The stitching generally looks pretty neat. I saw no big flaws. However, there were a lot of loose threads coming off this cape. I feel the materials are what really lets this cape down. They are fair for the price, but I know I could have gotten much better quality products for just a little bit more money.

I got this top also from To Alice. My intention was to wear it as sleepwear and given how thin the material is, I am glad I had no ideas about wearing it outside the house. The thin material is perfect for wearing during Spring/Summer nights, but when I tried it on I could see the outline of my bra. So there is no way I would wear this as an actual top! The material at least feels really soft, so it will be pleasant to wear in bed.

The ruffles are done neatly and are a lovely way to finish off the cuffs and bottom of the top.

The duck face applique has crisp edges and I think it looks very cute.

When I turned the top inside out, the stitching looked very neat. I couldn't find any mistakes. Unlike the cape, there wasn't a load of loose threads. So I am more impressed by this top than I am the cape. I think in the future I will be a bit more hesitant about buying from To Alice. Their stuff seems to be of low-average quality and a bit hit-and-miss.

Finally, I got this cropped blouse from Infanta. Sorry for photographing a lavender blouse on a purple duvet! I wanted to give this blouse a go because the sleeves (see below) reminded me of my favourite blouse design by Baby the Stars Shine Bright, but at the same time it was different enough to not be a direct replica. And the Baby blouse does not come in this lavender colour either. The material is of a reasonable quality. I think the lace used throughout was excellent quality for a blouse of this price. The elastic has plenty of stretch and the blouse is very comfortable to wear. 

The princess sleeves flare outwards plenty and are a nice shape when worn (worn photos are further down). I think the seam has been done quite neatly too.

The only thing I find a bit confusing about the lace is the use of star themed lace and floral lace. I don't think the 2 themes really gel well together. Although at a quick glance, the lace is not that noticeable.

The sleeves are attached using a button system, which is fairly straight-forward. The loops could do with being a bit bigger though.

And now I shall show some worn photos of everything.

These are both sets of shoe clips. I found the bow ones dug just slightly in to my feet. I wouldn't recommend using these with your favourite socks of tights. The wing clips rubbed much less, although that could be down to them being placed in a different location. 

As you can see, the Infanta blouse sleeves flare out generously. I really like how the neckline sits on me too. It reaches under my bust comfortably, although it wont suit a much larger bust.

Here is the To Alice duck top. It feels very comfortable.

However, as you can see there is no waist definition. There was a load of loose material at the sides. My hand shows where my waist is and you can see there is a lot of baggy excess material.

Finally, the cape. I found it was a good length on me and sat nicely. The cape is one-size but as I mentioned, the ribbon tie neck means the size is a bit flexible.

So overall, this has been a bit of a mixed bag. Haruhi Clover still remains one of my favourite stores for accessories on Taobao. I am also impressed with My Little Song. To Alice however, was a bit disappointing quality wise. It is fair for the price, but there are so many other options out there for general cute clothing like this. I am not sure if I would buy from them again. As for the other stores, I will be keeping all of them in mind when I place future orders.

Recent Haul- Late June/ Early July 2016

So as I sort of promised, I am doing another haul post of things I have purchased outside of my usual Taobao and other shopping reviews, mainly my auction buys and anything I have brought from shops I have purchased from loads and no longer feel the need to dedicate a blog review to. 

Lately I have been pushing myself to fill in the necessary gaps in my wardrobe. Although I have lots of off-white and ivory blouses, this Innocent World blouse is my first long sleeved off-white blouse that isn't chiffon. As much as I love my chiffon blouses, it is very awkward wearing them with skirts, as you then have to wear a camisole underneath to stop your underwear from showing. Although I have been okay with doing this in the past, I just wanted to own a good, cotton blouse that I could just wear by itself. Also, I find I don't always want to wear a super floaty chiffon blouse, as it doesn't always fit the overall feel of an outfit. This Innocent World blouse had been hanging around on the Japanese auctions for ages and I finally decided to go ahead and get it. I initially put a bid on, despite the buy it now being reasonable, as I see no harm in trying to get something for a little bit cheaper. Unfortunately, the second I put a bid on, it seemed to spur other Japanese bidders to have a go for it as well (typical!). So I ended up doing the buy it now anyway. There was a bit of confusion, as the seller accidentally got 2 auctions mixed up and sent Japonica the wrong blouse. Luckily, Japonica were able to handle the mix up brilliantly, and I got the blouse I won eventually.

My initial thought was that the cotton felt super soft. I have so many crispy paper-like Bodyline blouses, that I had sort of forgotten how lovely brand cotton blouses can be. The lace is lovely too. I got one of the trump button blouses (I don't know the exact release, as IW have done a few of these trump button ones). The buttons are so pretty, but I have to admit that I found them really annoying to actually button up! They can be a bit fiddly.

Once I had conquered doing up the buttons, I was relieved to find that the blouse fitted me okay. This blouse was missing the ties that help make the blouse smaller, but I seemed to have gotten the ideal size for me anyway. As you can see, the arms are a good length on me as well. I think the blouse is ever so slightly see-through, but not so much that a camisole is needed. I will be testing this out with a nude bra and the camera flash before I wear this out though!

I love the rose lace on the collar. The collar is perhaps a bit bigger than I was expecting, but I quite like it.

I had a bit of an accident with my long-sleeved black Bodyline blouse which saw the colour run, so I got this Angelic Pretty blouse as a sort-of replacement. It was only when I put this AP blouse next to my Bodyline one that I realised how faded my Bodyline one had become. The cotton was again very soft, as was all of the lace.

A picture with the flash, just to show up all the details. The ribbon has buttons to detach it. As this blouse is a little bit sweeter than my Bodyline blouse, I like that one of the cutest details is at detachable. Perhaps I will be able to use this blouse in a more varied way. 

There is even lace running up the arms! 

The collar is again maybe a bit bigger than I was hoping, but I think it looks pretty good worn. Please excuse the hastily tied bow.

I have to admit though, that I am disappointed with the fit. The blouse is maybe a bit smaller on me than I would have hoped, but my main issue is the torso length is quite short. I decided to add this photo to demonstrate this point. I have a feeling I will mainly be wearing this blouse under JSKs, rather than with skirts... Although weirdly, the arm length was absolutely fine on me. I guess I will just have to be careful.

Who doesn't love a bit of AP logo lace?

I also managed to get hold of AP's Cosmic necklace in navy x gold, which came shortly after my last haul post. Well, it is meant to be navy, but in person it actually almost looks black. If you hold it up to the light you can see a slight tinge of blue. I am not going to lie- I intend to wear this as if it were black! The cluster of stars on the chain is a nice touch too, and the star charm at the top is stamped with the AP initials as usual. I absolutely love this necklace and I want to get it in clear x gold as well. I am also still on the lookout for the matching ring. If you see it then please let me know.

Finally, I got a pair of Bodyline shoes in beige. The style number is S519. A part of me was secretly hoping they would be less beige, as they look almost off-white in the stock photos. I suppose it serves me right for trusting Bodyline stock photos. I was very annoyed to discover that my shoes had arrived with marks on them, and one patch was even a bit sticky. The marks came off okay with no damage, but this is not acceptable. This is why I very rarely order from Bodyline now, because the quality control is appalling. 

The bows are quite well shaped, and I like the heart scalloping. The stitching is generally quite neat. There was a slight glue mark on the inside of one shoe, but it was quite small.

I like that there is a slight heel. The heel has generally been done to satisfactory level. It feels quite sturdy.

The straps are a good length with plenty of holes to adjust them. These shoes have poppers like pretty much all of the major brand and Bodyline shoes. Size-wise, I found this style ran true to size. I got my usual 25cm size and they fitted me fine. I have only worn these for a few hours around the house so far, so I can't really judge how comfortable they are yet. So far, they seem quite comfortable and on the same level as other Bodyline shoes. 

So I have managed to successfully fill a few wardrobe holes and tick yet another item off my wishlist. The shoes were a little disappointing though, with the colour being quite a dark beige and them coming with those stains. I am also pleased to say that I went and brought a bottle of YSL's Black Opium Nuit Blanche, after featuring it in my recent post about perfume. I have done pretty well shopping-wise lately, and I am eager to go out and find some bargains soon.

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.