Taobao Haul Review March 2017- Picture Heavy

It has been a while, but today I have a new Taobao haul to review. I ended up using Taobao Ring again, even though I vowed to try a new shopping service. I just really like how convenient the quick order function is. There doesn't seem to be much point me reviewing Taobao Ring again, so I will just get on to the items I got.

First up today is this hat from Ayl. I am so pleased with the deep red colour of the hat. It is a proper burgandy shade. As you can see the fake flowers and ribbon are a different shade of red, but they compliment the main hat colour. It is a lot more flattering than my photos make it look!

The fake flowers themselves are of a reasonable quality. They could be better, but they are not the absolute cheapest fake flowers either. I was pleased to find no traces of glue anywhere. I really like the crimped edges of the ribbon. It has a slight sheen to it, but it isn't too shiny. I think the ribbon quality is okay.

I was initially a bit confused by the random trails of ribbon coming from inside the hat, but it turns out you can pull them to alter the lining of the hat so that it fits better. I have never seen this detail on a hat before! It does mean that I am going to have to pin this ribbon out of the way when I wear the hat though. I don't think it looks very attractive having this random black ribbon sticking out.

I thought I would include a worn photo (apologies for the blacked-out face. I was really tired). As you can see, the brim of the hat is quite wide. It took me a bit of time to position the hat in a way which I felt looked good. Apart from the slightly too wide brim, I really love this hat. It feels really comfortable. With this in mind, I would consider buying from Ayl again.

Next up are these Sailor Moon inspired charms that I got from here. I got these with the intention of taking the charms off and making some jewellery with them. I actually found that because of the jewellery clasps on the chains, you can sort of join the 2 charms together and make a bracelet anyway. I might still stick with my original plan and take the charms off though. Considering how cheap these charms are, I think they look quite cute.

Despite being such a low price, I feel I do still need to warn you all that the colour of the charm was a bit patchy on the moon. Hopefully you can make it out in the picture. You can see a bit of swirling in the yellow which suggests the colour was not mixed well enough. Overall though, I do think you get what you pay for, and I could find no faults on the cat and moon charm at all.

I got all 3 of these clips from the same Taobao store here. I have ordered from this store previously. It is where my wooden butterfly brooches came from. This store has a lot of interesting and quirky pieces, some of which could work with J-fashion, so they are worth keeping an eye on. The colours on the 2 wooden brooches are lovely and the design is really clear. The fleur de lys charm in the middle could have possibly done with some better definition, but you can still see what it is supposed to be.

The rose and fleur de lys clips have a badge back, whereas the fairy has a stud back. I found the back of the fairy one a bit fiddly at first, but it is still lovely when worn. The backs on the other 2 were easy to use. The pins are generally pretty neat, although if you look at the rose clip on the left, you might be able to make out some small strings of glue. I am not too worried about these, as they are in no way visible when the brooch is worn. It would have been nice if it had been done a bit neater though, like it is on the other 2.

Next we have these over-the-door hooks which I got from here. These hooks allow for a decent door width (they went over my doors with plenty of room to spare). The metal feels strong and sturdy. There is also a small hole in the metal so that you can place a small nail in the top to keep the hook steady. Be careful not to use too big a nail though, otherwise you wont be able to shut your door! 

There was a small mark on one of the hooks but after giving it a quick wipe it is almost completely gone.

The ducks are not actually attached to the hooks. There is a magnet there. Despite being such a small magnet, it was surprisingly strong. This feature means that you can also alter where the duck goes, which I think is a nice touch.

And here is the duck over my door! The ducks are well painted and I think the design is really cute. They feel really sturdy and I think they will be able to hold a good amount of weight. So far, they are doing their job perfectly.

This is my new wig, which I got here. I got the ZH colour, which to be honest looks a lot darker in person than it does on the product listing. I don't think the listing really gives that accurate an idea of what colour you are going to get. Thankfully, I don't mind the colour too much, even if it is darker than the colour I was hoping for. The wig fitted my head okay. I don't have a worn photo just yet, because the fringe was a slightly annoying length and I couldn't get it to sit right for a photo! I need to give it a trim first. Sadly, I don't think the bangs are long enough for me to do proper side bangs, so I am going to have to do straight bangs instead. The wig only needed minimal brushing out of the packet and I like how well formed the curls at the bottom are.

The colour is very multi-tonal and natural looking. This makes it look a bit more realistic. The fibres are soft with only a tiny bit of shine to them. I was pleased with the thickness of the wig too. It doesn't feel too thin at all. Overall, I think it is going to be a nice casual wig once I have sorted the bangs. 

It is pretty standard to get a free wig cap with wigs, but I was surprised to see I got a free brush as well. I thought this was a nice touch.

Finally, I got this top from here. Much to my dismay, this top features some sparkly pink sequin writing which I had not been expecting. If you scroll down the listing, you can see the sequin writing is indeed there, but it is so washed out in the majority of the photos that I somehow managed to miss it. I was not expecting the sequins, so I am now going to have a fun afternoon picking all these sequins off. The top is of a low enough quality, that I really wonder if it is worth it. I am so glad that I brought this top when it was heavily discounted, although that huge discount should have maybe set off some alarm bells.

Here is the sequins in all their glory. Do not be fooled by the listing- these sequins are indeed the bright pink colour that you see in my photo. In their defense, I suppose the sequin writing has been quite neatly done. I just think the overall look is really tacky though. It reminds me of those cheap tops you see flogged on market stalls, which are aimed at little girls.

At least the top came with care instructions and a spare button for the back!

This is the reason why I decided to buy this top. The back of the collar is shaped like angel wings. I was intending to layer this top underneath another top so that just the wing collar is visible (I am not sure how successful I will be, but I am going to give it a go...) so it doesn't bother me too much that the top itself is of a low quality. However, I do feel the need to stress the low quality, just in case somebody reading this thinks the top is cute enough to wear on its own. The material is thin and you can tell just by handling the top that the materials are cheap. The wings however, are a really cute shape. You might be able to see a slightly untidy edge along the top of the wing in my photo though. This little bit is thankfully not too noticeable until it is pointed out. My main grievance with the wings is that they don't hold their shape very well. The material creases really easily and I think the edges of the wings needed to be a done with a firmer material so they are a bit sturdier.

The shirring at the bottom of the top is very stretchy, although I don't think the rest of the top has enough room for a plus-sized wearer to wear it. I guess the shirring does at least make the bottom more comfortable when worn, which is good because unlike in the product listing, this top ends on my waist line instead of the bottom of my torso. It is more like a crop top. The stitching is a bit messy in places and I think better elastic could have been used.

Here is what I mean about the top being more like a crop top. You can quite clearly see a bare strip of midriff.

Here is a shot with the top layered under a t-shirt to show what the wings look like layered over a different coloured background. I think once I have removed the sequins I will hopefully be able to wear the top as I intended. But overall, I am really unimpressed with the quality and I would be wary about buying from this Taobao store again.

Aside from the top, this was a relatively positive Taobao ordering experience. The quality is the level I have come to expect from Taobao. I especially like the brooches and the hat. Apart from the colour being a bit different from the listing, I am impressed with the quality of the wig too. Hopefully I will be able to bring you all another Taobao haul in the near future.

A Small Taobao Order From December- Picture Heavy

Back in December last year, I managed to fit in a small Taobao order before Christmas. As I didn't leave enough time to review it then, I shall be reviewing it now instead! I used Taobao Ring again and to be honest, I think I will be going back to using Taobao Spree.

The reason why I want to switch back is that my parcel was over-stuffed once again. I know the hat was easy to reshape, but Taobao Spree have never squished any of my items in a too-small box. When I got the parcel it was literally bulging and I was scared to open it, in case I accidentally cut in to any of my items!

I got myself another Haruhi Clover bowler hat. I wont review it again, as I think you all know by now that I really like them, but I thought I would share a photo anyway.

I also got this beret from Haruhi Clover. I am on a bit of a burgandy binge at the moment! I was having issues with the lighting for the photos in this post, but the colour of this beret is really nice in person. 

The bow clip is detachable, so you can move it about. There were a few little strings of glue visible on the back on the bow but the bow was otherwise well done. 

The ribbon used for the bow has a pretty design. It is a little bit shiny, but not too bad. The shape of the bow is alright. It could be better, but it could have been a lot worse too.

And here is a worn photo (I was too lazy to put some make up on!). My initial impressions are that the beret itself was comfortable to wear. My only slight criticism is that I think the pearls look a bit bulky. Perhaps smaller pearls could have been used here? I do have this slight concern that if I end up walking too fast the pearls are going to be swinging and then whacking me on the forehead, but at least the bow can be re-positioned.

I also got these socks from here because anybody who knows me well will tell you I love anything with ducks on it! I ordered 3 designs and I found that it was quite easy to select the designs I was looking for. For example, the duck with the question mark above its head was labelled "?" and as none of the other designs had a question mark, I knew I was selecting the correct design. I was really pleased to see that these socks are meant to fit up to 25cm, as usually they go up to about a 24. I usually go for a size 25 when I am ordering shoes, so I am happy that this time I wont have to stretch the socks too much. The colours of the socks were every bit as vibrant as I was hoping. The design on the socks is quite clear with neat lines.

I did notice one pair of socks had a slight bit of dirt on them (which you can barely see, so I added some arrows) but I usually wash items like socks before I wear them anyway. It looks to me that it was some sort of mark that got on the socks in the factory or warehouse, rather than somebody wearing the socks. The mark came out really easily when I washed them.

I was really pleased with how the socks looked when worn. You can maybe see a tiny bit of white on the toes where the fabric has stretched, but apart from that they are perfect. They fit my feet quite well and feel lovely and soft.

Next up is these feather clips from here. I was really pleased to see that the Taobao store made the listing super clear, so I knew I was definitely getting a pair of clips. I've had issues with ordering stuff like wrist cuffs from Taobao in the past, where I have only received one cuff, so it is good to know exactly what I was ordering with these clips. I was relieved that the Taobao store sent the clips to Taobao Ring in a box, given my experiences with Taobao Ring and their lax attitude to careful packaging. It also means I have a box to store the clips in.

The feathers are generally quite nicely shaped, although inevitably they are a tiny bit messy in places. I found I was able to tidy them up a little, just by twisting the feathers back in to shape.

The brooch charm at the bottom of the clips is really pretty. I love the gold frame and the pearls arrived in perfect condition with no scratches on them.

The clips on the back are at an angle, which makes it a little bit easier to place them on my head. I did find that I had a bit of trouble getting the clips off my head though, as it was hard to get a decent grip on the clip without disturbing the feathers. 

And here is a rough idea of what they look like when worn. I think the sizing looks pretty good. They are quite a bold hair accessory and make a big impression with little effort.

And finally, I ordered this necklace. It definitely looks a lot better in person than it does in my photos. The first thing I noticed though, was that the necklace has a bit of a smell to it. It smells a lot like Vicks Vaporub! It sort of makes me wonder how they made the necklace... The chain is a good length and has a simple clasp to do it up.

The necklace has such a beautiful design to it. I don't feel my pictures capture the colours and the shimmer very well. I love all the little charms and the way the crystals have been placed.

The backing has a lovely design to it too. Despite the slight smell, I am really pleased with how the necklace turned out.

So this was overall quite a pleasant Taobao order and I am really pleased with every single item I ordered. I will definitely be keeping an eye on the shop I ordered the feather clips from in the future, as I am excited to see what other sort of accessories they come up with in the future. I have decided though, that I will probably be trying Taobao Spree again. After a few orders, I am still not convinced I like Taobao Ring's service, especially with their dodgy packing. It is a shame, because Taobao Ring's ordering process is a lot easier. But I am willing to go back to Spree if I have the peace of mind that my items will arrive packaged better.

Taobao Ring Review and Latest Taobao Haul- Picture Heavy

Today I have a new Taobao order to review, but first up, you may have noticed I have gone with a different shopping service than my usual go-to of Taobao Spree. When I placed my last Taobao order I unfortunately had one seller who was holding things up, so I split my order in to 2 packages. But in the time after my first parcel was shipped and I was waiting for my last items to arrive at their office, Taobao Spree decided that they were no longer accepting Paypal payments and now you have to "order" through this store to pay for your orders. So I went through this process and to be fair to Taobao Spree, I did get my items and I was able to pay my last shipping part okay. However, it does feel like an added hassle and so, I decided to give a different shopping service a try. So I went to another well known shopping service- Taobao Ring.

Ordering Process and Communication

One of the things I really hated about Taobao Spree was having to fill in that spreadsheet and even when I copied and pasted my details from my last order, it could get very time consuming. Taobao Ring on the other hand, have a "quick order" where you simply paste in the links and then the colour, size options, etc just come up. If you have any further comments it is really easy to add them on. Once I had created an account (which is very simple to do) I was able to fill in my quick order form with ease. I got emailed when payments were due and the process was explained on the site so I always knew what the next step was. What I really liked about Taobao Ring was that you could log in and see which of your items had arrived at their office. So it was easy to see if the stores were delivering their items on time. I can say that all the stores mentioned in this order delivered on time and one shop even sent their item weeks before they were due to arrive. However, one of the things I did dislike about Taobao Ring is that it felt a bit impersonal. With Taobao Spree you are assigned an agent and some of their agents (especially Ray!) were really easy to talk to and it felt like they genuinely cared about your order. With Taobao Ring you don't get told who is looking after your order. I suppose the only time you would really contact them personally would be if there was a problem with your order. As my order had no issues, I had no reason to contact them. So I can't really comment on how they handle problems.

Shipping and Packing

I went with the EMS shipping option. I liked how the Taobao Ring website had a shipping calculator so you could get a rough estimate. Taobao Ring do not automatically mark your package down, so I assume you have to ask if you want this done. When the package eventually made it through customs, I was a bit surprised at how small the box it came in was. Although the box was well taped up, it was obvious the box was too small for the contents, as it was bulging outwards. There were a couple of holes in the box. When I opened the box, there was a layer of bubble wrap placed on top but nothing else. The 2 hats I ordered were very badly squished.

First up today is this hat I ordered from Haruhi Clover which as you can see, got a bit bashed in the box. Thankfully I was able to simply pop this hat back in to shape. 

As you can see, the hat is as good as new. I think that says a lot about this hat because it can quite clearly handle a bit of bashing about. I have previously ordered this hat in navy, so I knew exactly what to expect. The hat is an okay size, but perhaps not suitable if you plan to wear a very thick wig. 

The ribbon used for the bow is a little bit shiny (although I should mention this photo was taken with a flash) but otherwise it is lovely. The edges of the ribbon were carefully and neatly sealed. The bow is well shaped and the pearls are a nice finishing touch.

The lace used is of a good quality and it is placed neatly on the underside of the rim. I did notice the ribbon seemed a little bit loose around the base of the hat compared to the hat I ordered previously, but it is nothing to drastic and this is barely noticeable unless you are looking for it.

Next up is this strawberry hat that I ordered from Infanta. Unfortunately, this hat also got a bit squished in the box and part of the rim has warped slightly. I have been trying my best to mold the hat back in to a shape I am satisfied with and although this has worked slightly, it still isn't quite right. I don't know if it was already like this when it reached Taobao Ring, but given that both hats got squished this time and in a previous order with Spree my Haruhi Clover hat was packaged very well, my guess would be it was probably Taobao Ring's packaging that is at fault. 

One side of the hat is topped with fake berries and flowers. I personally don't feel like the materials used were of the best quality here. The fake roses look a bit shabby and some of the petals are even a bit threadbare. The fake berries do not look very realistic and I feel they need a bit more of a sheen to them as well. But my main issue is that it feels as though these details are a bit overloaded. I have noticed that one of the berries will frequently pop out and over the side of the hat and I think it is because there is not enough room. 

The ribbon used on the hat is very cute though and I love the vibrant colour. The ribbon has been used very neatly along the base of the hat and also for the bows. The lace used is of a good quality too. I love the little lace hearts! There were a few small loose threads but nothing too substantial.

I am a little confused by the inside of the hat. There is one single alligator clip placed on one side but nothing on the other side. I think if you are going to use these clips inside, you need one of both sides because if the wind blows your hat off, one clip is not going to be enough. I am actually tempted to remove this clip altogether as I found it awkward to use and it just got in the way. I feel like I got what I paid for with my hat, but some of the details are definitely a bit too low quality for my personal tastes.

Next up is the first of many neck accessories I got in this order (I felt my wardrobe was sorely lacking neck details). I got this rose themed necklace from Ranka.  I was really impressed with how well Ranka wrapped up the necklace. It arrived pinned down on this display board and was then thoroughly wrapped in bubble wrap. The necklace is mostly made up of beads and clear plastic thread. It is not the most sturdy of materials but it should be supportive enough that I will get a good amount of wear out of this necklace. The length of the necklace is good and the chain is long enough to adjust the length. 

I was really impressed with the quality of the fake roses used. The petals are well formed and there is a slightly glossy finish. The beads are well positioned around the fake flowers. The overall composition of the necklace has been well thought out and it looks very balanced. I am impressed enough with the quality to say with confidence that I would order from Ranka again.

Next up is a lot of items from Ciciworks, or as they now like to be known- SweetDreamer. First up is these ribbon brooches. Sadly, these brooches were also a victim of some bad packing, so the ribbon is going to need to be flattened out somehow (any suggestions on the best way to do this will be most welcome. I am thinking I will sandwich the ribbons inside some heavy books). Apart from that slight issue, I am impressed with these clips. The colours of the ribbons are so vibrant. The ivory one is perhaps a little more yellow than I was expecting though.

The ribbon used is gorgeous with a pretty rose design to it. All of the materials are of a good quality. My only slight gripe is that little effort was made to tidy up and seal the ends of the ribbon, so that is something I will have to take care of before I wear them. 

The back features a pin and clip, so it can be attached 2 ways. I am really glad about this (I thought it was just going to be a pin on the back) because it means I can now use this accessory in more ways. The back of the bow on the red clip does look a bit messy, but the bows are otherwise well shaped.

I was pleased to see that the charms in the centre arrived in perfect condition. As you can see, the crown is not missing any diamantes and the jewels on the other 2 clips are perfectly framed in a neat gold frame. The pearl chains are a good length and aside from one side of the ivory clip (on the right hand side of the picture) the chains have been attached to the bow neatly. These clips are very beautiful and I am so glad I ordered them. But it is a bit annoying that I am going to have to seal the ends of the ribbon myself and there are a few small flaws in places.

These chokers are also from Sweet Dreamer. I got them mainly because they were cheap if I am being honest. The chain is long enough to alter the size of the choker, but I did have some problems (see below). 

The lace used for the chokers is lovely with a really pretty rose design. The ribbon threads through it perfectly and I like that the ribbon is only slightly shiny. The charm in the middle of the choker is pretty, although I feel the velvet bow could have been shaped better.

The chokers looked great laid flat, but I wasn't so impressed when I tried them on. I found that no matter how tightly I did the choker, it was still loose on my neck (and I wouldn't say I had the smallest of necks either). I managed to get a photograph before it started to fall south. Another issue is that despite the charm being pretty, it is too heavy. The charm tilts downwards and the weight encourages the choker to fall down. I also had a bit of an issue with trying to get the pearl chains to sit right and they kept bunching up. I am debating removing one of the pearl chains because as it is, it looks too clustered. Hopefully that will help with the weight problem too. Overall this was quite a bad buy and I am glad I didn't spend too much on them.

The last item from this store is this white veil I got. I was impressed by the shape and it falls nicely when worn. I personally would have preferred a softer main material choice.

The lace used has a pretty design and it is of a good quality. You can see there is a lot of lace where it has been gathered at the corners but I don't think it looks too bad. The lace could have been done neater but it looks reasonably okay.

The veil is secured by 2 small grips. I do feel that I would need some extra bobby pins, just to make sure it sits better on my head. But actually, the grips worked better than I was expecting. When I went to take the veil off, the grips refused to let go of my hair!

I apologise for not doing a full worn photo, but I have been feeling unwell after my flu jab and I didn't want to show my puffy, drowsy face. I opted for the shorter length which is about chest length. I am glad I picked the length I did. The veil fell nicely around my head and I like the shape. I found the veil was easy to put on and I had to do minimal adjusting. I think with this veil I got what I was expecting. Sweet Dreamer's quality can be a bit hit and miss, but I would still recommend them for padding out accessories.

Next up is these ballerina style ribbon socks, which I got from here. The store name-drops a couple of different brands, so there is the possibility these may be replicas but I don't follow the brands in question, so I have no idea. The socks arrived in a mesh bag and came with a free tube of sock glue. Very handy! The socks were a good size for my wide 24.5cm feet. They could probably go a little bit bigger, but not much more. 

The details on the back are so cute. I love the soft, fluffy appearance. The ribbon used for the bow is a bit cheap looking but I was otherwise very satisfied with the materials.

I love the ballerina charm! It is so pretty. It does get a bit lost underneath all the other details though.

Although the socks did come with sock glue, I decided to see how long they would stay up without sock glue (answer- just over 5 minutes). I found the ribbons were long enough to cross over my legs twice. I probably could have tied them up a bit neater than I did here!

This is what the back details look like when worn with shoes. I would worry that with very flat shoes there would be the possibility of the tulle getting caught underneath or dragging on the floor. But the bows do hold their shape fairly well. I am not 100% sold on these socks but I think they are an interesting idea and I will be keen to see how well they last.

And finally, here is a head chain that I got from here. I was curious about the head chain trend, but I had a lot of concerns about them, so I wanted to try a cheaper alternative to the ones Baby the Stars Shine Bright have done. Straight away, I found some random little bits inside the bag. I can't find anywhere where these bits could have fallen off, so I am hoping they are just extra bits that got in to the bag! 

I was initially very intimidated when I got the head chain out of the packet. It was quite tangled and I spent about 10 minutes trying to figure out how to put it on my head. There are just so many strands of pearls that it is easy to get confused. Eventually I was able to get it on the right way, but it was a little bit big for my head. I had to adjust it to get it to sit on my head in what I felt was the best position, which caused my hair to get a bit messy. It does look a bit prettier in person than it does in my photo. The pearls look good. One of my worst fears came true though- when I tried to get the chain off it got really tangled in my hair! So my verdict is that I wont be extending my head chain collection any time soon. I do feel that this Taobao version looks as good as the Baby ones though and it is definitely worth the price. I guess I just need to learn to how wear it a bit better!

So overall, I had a bit of mixed luck with this order and I am feeling torn about which shopping service to use for my next order. I am really not convinced that Taobao Ring's service is as good as Taobao Spree. I am going to give Taobao Ring another chance before I go back to Taobao Spree though. There are some things which I feel Taobao Ring do better and I love the quick order option. As for the items I received, I feel some could have been better but some of them are definitely worth the price I paid. I was especially impressed with Haruhi Clover and Ranka. The socks are going to be fun to try out as well!