Taobao Haul June 2017

It's been a while, but today I am showing my latest Taobao Haul. There were some bags which I had to wait for, so it took a little longer to receive this order. But I kept an eye on the order and everything arrived promptly. The bags finally arrived on schedule near the middle of June.

First is this bracelet which I got from here. This is something I actually brought on a whim, as I was ordering earrings from the same store anyway (see the earrings below). Although it is meant to be a bracelet, the ribbon is so long that it could easily be worn as a necklace.

The macarons are made from very lightweight material and are a little bit soft. I think I would have preferred something a bit firmer, but I guess that would have made the bracelet heavier. Given how large the macarons are, weight is important to factor in. The star beads in between are cute, but they are your bog-standard beads. I really like the colours of the whole bracelet. They would fit in really well with a lot of well-known sweet AP prints.

This is how the bracelet looks when worn. I think the macarons could do with being a bit smaller. They look a bit bulky in comparison to my wrist. A thinner ribbon could have been nice too, although I am pleased that the ribbon chosen is not shiny.

There is no fastening, you simply tie the ribbon. This looks a bit messy, although I suppose it does mean that there is a lot of size flexibility. I tied the bracelet as small as possible and found it fitted me okay, but it also meant that there were long dangling bits of ribbon. I think I am going to have to experiment with different ways to tie the ribbon so it looks a bit tidier. But the bracelet was quite cheap anyway, and it meant I had more stuff coming from the same Taobao store, which meant the shipping cost from that store was more worth it.

This necklace came from the same store. It wasn't until after I placed the order that I realised that this might be an Angelic Pretty replica. It looks a lot like the necklace for Cinema Doll. The main difference is that this necklace doesn't have the metal bow charms and the bows on this necklace are bigger. The quality of the pearl chain is very basic. You can tell it is cheap. The necklace is a good length, but there is no metal chain to make the length adjustable. The clasp is simple, but easy to use.

I personally think the bows look a bit too big. They are made of lovely velveteen material though. With a cheap necklace like this, I expected to find flaws (maybe some strands of glue on the back of the bows) but there was none to be found. Overall, this necklace was cheap, but you get what you pay for.

Also from the same store are these cherry earrings which sadly, don't seem to be available anymore. These were my main reason for using this particular Taobao store! I love the design, which reminds me of designs from popular Larme stores.

The cherries are made from clear red beads and also feature a leaf charm. I could see no flaws with the earrings at all. 

They only have cheap plastic backings, which I suppose is to be expected from the price. But they do their job of holding the earrings firmly in place.

Here is a worn photo. The earrings are a good size. Surprisingly for such cheap jewellery, they did not leave a green tinge after being worn for a while. This is fantastic! As these earrings have turned out so well, I have decided I will keep an eye on the store in future. I wasn't overly impressed with the bracelet or the necklace, but these earrings are fantastic. So I would say this store is a bit hit and miss. Also keep an eye out for potential replicas.

Next are these bags from Whale Fall which I had to wait very patiently for the pre-order to close for. Initially you could order certain colours in different materials (I can't remember exactly, but I think the other material was suede) and I went for the cheaper material option. This cheaper material turned out really well though! It has a canvas-like feel to it, which suggests that it may hold up to a light rain shower. I wouldn't want to use it in a really heavy downpour though! It has been quite dry here lately, so I have not had a chance to try out their water resistance. Living in a rainy country, it would not have made much sense for me to go for the suede option anyway. The colours are spot on. I was especially impressed with the size, although I don't think the handles would be strong enough for a exceptionally heavy load. But for everyday essentials it should be fine.

The bow on the front is a little floppy, but I think it looks pretty cute! If I was being nitpicky, then I would say it would have been nice for the material to be less creased. This could have been fixed by putting more care and attention to how the bow has been formed. The pearl and star charm is adorable.

The embroidered logo has been done very neatly. I like that the logo is not too dominant and is just tucked away neatly to one side.

There is a pocket on the back of the bag, which has a WF logo heart charm. I like that they have not just used the cheapest plain heart charm. It shows some effort has gone in to the design.

As you can see, there is lots of room! Although the depth of the bag is not that wide (you can see this in the next photo) the bag can hold a surprising amount of stuff. There are also additional pockets on the inside as well, with one having a zip. This will help to keep your stuff a bit more organised.

The stitching is generally quite neat. There are a few places where I think the ruffles could have been executed better, but overall they have been done well. I am really pleased with how these bags turn out. I don't have any similar bags from Larme brands to compare them to, but I think these Taobao bags are good value for money. I am confident they will hold up fairly well and I can't wait to try them out.

Next we go to a favourite Taobao store of mine and this hat from Haruhi Clover. Amazingly, there was only a tiny bit of warping to the hat brim during shipping. I did notice a few flakes of straw coming off the hat though. I went for the ivory colour (known as 'generate') and was very pleased with the soft, ivory shade of the ribbon. Although the lace is a bit whiter, the colours don't clash too much.

The ribbon used is matte in texture. I like the simple, yet well formed shape of the bow. 

I really love the floral lace used. It has a pretty pattern and it also feels soft to the touch. This is quite good quality for Taobao. Some of the lace did get a bit folded during shipping though, so I am going to have to see if I can find a way to flatten it.

The bow at the back has a pretty key charm. I think the bow could have been tied a little bit better, as the tails look as though they are fighting for space! This bow is detachable and is removed by undoing a simple pin style clip. I am going to leave the bow on, but it is always good to have the option to take it off.

Here is the hat worn. The hat fitted comfortably on my head. There was a fabric band inside the hat to help it fit better. It also means there is a slight barrier between your head and the potentially itchy straw. I still prefer my Haruhi Clover bowler hats, but this straw hat is a really decent offering. I can't wait to try it out. I need to shake up my headwear a bit and try new things!

Also from Haruhi Clover is this double star brooch and chain. The stars are those same puffy stars that you see used a lot in J-fashion accessories. They are cheap, but they have neatly stitched edges and the end result is pretty cute. The chain is a good length and I think the charms are well spaced out. However, I do think it looks a bit messy having a random bit of chain dangling down on one side.

The star charms are really cute! They break up the pearls nicely.

I was very pleased to see that the back had both a clip and a pin. This makes the clip a whole lot more versatile. The listing suggests wearing it as a hair accessory, but it could easily be worn in other ways, such as attached to a dress or blouse as a brooch. I do worry that maybe the clips are a little bit too big for the stars though and that they might show when worn. There was also a few strands of glue which I needed to pick off the backs. You might be able to see one of these strands in the photo, just below the clip on the left hand side of the photo.

Here is a very quick worn photo, just to try it on. This is not how I intend to wear it. I found the clips a bit fiddly to position at first and it took me a few attempts to get it to look right, which resulted in my hair getting messy in the process. With a bit of practice it will hopefully get easier to simply put them on and get it right first time. I am still really glad that I got this accessory though because as I already mentioned, it is very versatile. I think it has a lot of potential.

Also from Haruhi Clover are these shoe clips, which I have previously purchased in white. I wont do a full review of these, as I have previously reviewed the white ones on here. So I will just comment to say that I really like the navy colour. I wont be buying any more colours though because despite the cheap price, I still feel the bows are a bit big and the clips on the back could have been better hidden.

Finally, I got this skirt from here. This purchase was a bit of a gamble, but I got it because... rainbows. If I am being honest, I don't think the skirt looks as pretty in person as it does on the item listing. You can judge for yourself in the worn photo below.

The skirt is made up of purple, peach and sax blue fabric underneath and a peachy tulle overlay. The materials were quite disappointing. Not only is the fabric thin, it looks really cheap. I have seen t-shirts in budget stores with better quality than this. It also wrinkles very easily.

The stitching was surprisingly well done though. The hems and seams were all very neat on the inside. I couldn't spot any obvious flaws anywhere. The waistband was fully elasticated. I was a bit wary of buying a 'one-size' skirt but this skirt really does have a lot of stretch to it. When I tried the skirt on I was able to stretch the waistband out so far that you would be able to fit more than one person my size in to it! The waistband also felt very comfortable and put very little pressure on my stomach.

With the tulle overlay, the stitching down the sides is obviously going to stand out more, but it has been done quite neatly. The bottom hem was left plain though, which is a bit messy and could easily be damaged.

Here is the skirt worn. I am really not sure if I like it or not... I don't think it looks too bad in this photo, but when you see the skirt in person I don't think it looks as good. Also, the material seems to stick out a lot at the waistline, making me appear bigger than I actually am. The skirt was a good length on me though (I am about 5'3'' and a half). I think the skirt looks a lot better on the listing. If the tulle overlay had been white instead, I reckon that could have possibly looked better maybe? Or possibly pink? The skirt reminds me a little of the skirts you get as part of cheap fairy dressing up costumes. There was a fairy related event coming up which I was interested in, so maybe I will wear it there! It looks as though my gamble didn't pay off though. Thankfully my parcel miraculously escaped getting hit by customs fees, saving me roughly £35, so I am not too bitter about this slight disappointment.

So this order has had a couple of hits and a few misses. My favourite items from this order are the cherry earrings, the bags and the straw hat. I can't wait to try out the bags properly. I really hope they are as good as they seem. Ordering the skirt didn't turn out so great but I think it is still wearable. I am not entirely convinced though! Feel free to leave your thoughts on it, or anything else in the order.

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.