September 2017 Haul- Casual Bits and Bobs Edition

Happy Shopping! Knowing that I will probably have to start thinking about Christmas present planning soon (urgh...) I decided to try and get one last haul in before all the holiday madness kicks in. The under-current of this month's haul was 'Will I, or Won't I?' because of customs fees, but I spread out my ordering so that I was always prepared to get hit. Luckily, only my Lolita Desu order got hit. Anyway, these are the J-fashion related items I purchased...

First today is a bag I ordered from Spreepicky. I would have ordered this bag from Taobao, but I was having difficulties locating it. So Spreepicky was the easier (although slightly more expensive) option. But the service was very convenient. I went for Airmail rather than EMS, because the EMS fees seemed ridiculous for ordering just one bag. This meant shipping was a little bit slower, but my bag arrived well within the estimated shipping time. The bag was well packed and there was a protective mesh bag inside for extra protection.

I absolutely adore this tarot card design! The embroidery parts are done neatly and the design is very crisp. I was torn between ordering the white or black bag, but I am happy with my choice. I like the gold colour on the white version. 

The bag is fastened with one simple popper. This is probably the biggest disadvantage to this bag. It doesn't feel overly secure and there are open bits at either end. This means that I probably wont be able to use this bag in very wet weather, as the rain will just enter the bag at the ends. 

The bag is of a reasonable size. It is meant to be a clutch bag. When fully opened up, I was able to fit 3 fingers width inside. So it is big enough to hold the absolute essentials, but not a lot else. The bag is well lined and has an inner pocket. I was also impressed that the bag didn't have any strange odors coming from it, as a lot of my Taobao bags have been a bit dodgy smelling on arrival. The little silicone packet inside was obviously doing its job well!

The strap and chain feel very sturdy and I think it will hold up well. It is a decent length and there is a bit of room for length adjustment too. I am now debating whether or not I want this bag in black... I was given a store discount coupon, although it doesn't last very long. I would say this bag was worth the price paid, even if I could have gotten it a little bit cheaper with better Taobao sleuthing. 

I also placed an order with Lolita Desu, as there were a few bits there which caught my eye. I got a few bits to make the order and shipping price more worth it. I went with Airmail again, which was just a few days longer than I would expect if I had gone with EMS. The tracking still worked, so I was happy with the service. Also, because I am a repeat customer, I got a slight discount. Nice bonus!

This order was also well padded and wrapped up. I even got a little thank you note, sticker and free candy in the order (although I purchased the Blueberry Cheesecake Chupa Chup because we don't have that flavour in the UK and it sounded nice). This made the order feel a little bit more personal, which is unusual for a company of this size.

The first thing I got was this Strawberry Jam Jar brooch which is by Swimmer. I really am going to miss Swimmer now they are closed... Their accessories were so affordable and the designs were very cute. This brooch was quite well made. The embroidery is well executed. I love the little details such as the ribbon and bow on the lid. There is even a little fake pearl on the polka dot bow. The stitching around the edge keeps things neat. As this is a felt brooch, the material is quite flimsy and bends easily. But with reasonable usage, this is not really an issue. The back has a simple badge pin. A 2-way clip on the back would have been a nice touch, but I am happy with just the badge option. I will be keeping my eye out for more Swimmer goodies on Lolita Desu in the future, as they seem to get quite a lot of their stuff and I imagine it will get harder to find as time goes on.

I also got this skirt by E Hyphen World Gallery. This was out of curiosity more than anything else, because it was super cheap and this is my first item from the brand. As I am getting in to Larme more, this is a brand I keep hearing about. The skirt is made out of very stretchy fabric. It reminds me of cutsew style material, but even stretchier and slightly thicker. The colours are really lovely. They remind me of mint ice cream.

There is no opening or shirring in the waistband, but it is so stretchy that sizing is not an issue. I had no issue stretching the skirt to get it on. It probably wouldn't be ideal for larger wearers though, even though it can stretch further. 

It is very fitted and clingy when worn. Obviously I wont be tucking my top in when I wear it properly, as it causes an unsightly bump in the fabric. I am generally quite happy with the skirt for casual wear. My only disappointment is in the length. It ended a lot higher up my leg than I thought it would and I kept having to pull it down at the back. It did keep all the essential bits covered, but I like a little bit of length at the back for added security. The skirt came with the original tags attached, so I could see how much it originally cost. It was quite cheap to begin with, but I admit I wouldn't pay full retail price for this skirt. I am happy with the skirt, but only because of the really low price it was being sold at. It is a fun design though, so I will be keeping an eye on E Hyphen in the future, even though I am not 100% convinced.

Finally, I got a F.i.n.t skirt for casual wear. I first saw this months ago, and the store discount was enough to convince me to take the plunge. The ivory colour was a bit darker than I was expecting, but otherwise I really like the colours. The material this skirt is made of is very strange though. It is very lightweight, but the strange part is that it reminds me of the material used for umbrellas. It has that sort of weird feeling when you touch it. 

I bet you can all guess what drew me to the skirt! I love the print so much. The moons and stars are well dispersed.

There is a ruffle of tulle at the bottom. I am sad that it is left unfinished. Hopefully it wont get damaged. The tulle used also feels quite cheap. This definitely seems to be one of those skirts which looks good, but when you get up close and handle it you realise it is cheap.

This skirt also doesn't have an opening, but there is shirring this time. It stretches quite far. I found I was able to pull it over my hips with ease with a bit of room to spare.

The skirt is lined. Given how cheap some of the other skirt details are, this was a pleasant surprise.

And a worn photo. The skirt felt comfortable to wear. I was surprised that it almost reached my knees. Seeing this picture, I think I would wear a light petticoat with it. It looks a bit sad and droopy here! 

And so ends another haul post without any obvious lolita in it! There hasn't been a great deal available that I have really wanted lately. I am thinking about saving up for a bag that I want, but otherwise I am focusing on casual daily wear more. But as a lover of all things strawberry related, I am sure you will be seeing the brooch in a lolita outfit from me soon!

July 2017 Haul- Pre-Birthday Edition (picture heavy)

I always find the period just before my birthday a bit of a strange time with regards to shopping. As my mum was going away around the time of my birthday she gave me my birthday money a few weeks beforehand. But I had to be very careful what I brought in case anybody had gone ahead and brought things for me! There were a couple of things that cropped up that I knew I was unlikely to get as presents, so I had a bit of a shopping spree. I suppose I just wanted to use my birthday money to treat myself, so that is what I did. The majority of today's haul is Larme influenced, although there are a couple of Baby necklaces in the haul as well.

Firstly, I noticed that New Look was having a sale, so I decided that this would be the perfect time to order a couple of skirts that I had my eye on. I also got myself these really awesome lilac coloured jeans (not pictured, but you may have spotted them in my birthday blog post) in the sale too. I am sort of still trying to figure out what sort of Larme style I would like to wear and I liked the look of this skirt in the stock photo. As it was so cheap, I got 2 colours! They are made of a crepe style fabric, which gives them a very interesting texture. I really like how it feels. The colours of the skirts were exactly what I was expecting and looked similar enough to the photos on the website.

They have these little side strap details which I think help to stop them from looking too plain.

The zip line was done neatly and well concealed. I have to admit I did have a little trouble undoing the zip at first, as it was a bit stiff, but it seems to be getting easier with time.

I am really pleased to see that the skirts are lined. The stitching on the skirt is done neatly. I feel these skirts were definitely worth the price paid.

Here is a worn photo. There is just one slight issue with the skirt- where I have lost weight, my waist measurement is now considerably smaller than my hip measurement. So this means that I had to order the size based on my hips and the waist is a little bit baggy on me. I found the skirt looked better once I had fiddled about with re-positioning it, but you may be able to see in the photo that it is sitting lower than my waistline. I am not too concerned about this, but there is no way for me to wear a belt with the skirt. This is something I am going to have to consider when ordering in the future. Luckily, New Look offers free returns so I am still able to order with confidence.

Next is a BTSSB necklace that was on my wishlist. But before we get on to the necklace, look at how massive the box that Japonica shipped it in was! I am holding the necklace up to the box for a size comparison. It is no wonder Japonica charged me so much for shipping! I find it a bit wasteful, but there wasn't really anything else on auctions or Mercari that I particularly wanted. The awkward thing about having a smaller wishlist is that things can pop up out of nowhere but then it will be ages before you find anything else. So it makes shipping stuff a bit of a pain, because if you combine orders you have no idea how long it will be until the next item comes up.

Anyway, here is the necklace! I have wanted the Chained Berry Memoir necklace ever since the series came out. This is maybe the second time I have seen the necklace appear on the 2nd hand market, so it doesn't seem to be that common. 

I absolutely love the design. The antique silver colour is so lovely. It really suits the CBM print as well. The strawberry charm is so cute. It makes a slight jingle noise as well, which one of my budgies approved of! 

The chain is of a decent length and there is a bit of room to adjust the length as well. What I really like though, is the small Baby logo charm on the chain. I thought that was a really lovely finishing touch.

Next we have another Baby necklace, this time purchased from Closet Child. I had a bit of a dilemma about purchasing this. Those of you who are familiar with my wishlist on Facebook may be aware that I really wanted the Twinkle Constellation and the Stars of Confeito necklace. This necklace is similar, but it is not the same one (I think this one is called Kitty Constellation or something along those lines...). The main differences with this necklace is that there are fewer stars, the edges of the stars are more pointy and there is a big ribbon on it. So I had to decide if I was happy to settle for this necklace, or wait and try to get my wishlist necklace (which very rarely comes up and usually sells quick when it does). As you can see, I went ahead and got this necklace and I was really pleased that I did. The design is really cute in person. In actual fact, I have made getting the Twinkle Constellation necklace a very low priority now, as I am really content with this necklace.

Going by Closet Child's description, I would say the condition of the item was as expected, maybe even slightly better. My only complaint is that the ends of the ribbon are not properly sealed, so there is a slight bit of fraying. That is easy to seal up though. The stars are so cute and they look a whole lot better in person than they do in my photos. I love to multi-coloured beads as well. It looks really pretty when worn. I am so glad I took a chance on it.

In the same Closet Child order I got this Katie badge. It still had the original Katie packaging and price tag. Although the box was a bit battered, I was still pleased that CC included it when they sent it to me. The original price tag was a bit scary though! I love Katie, but I feel their prices can be a bit steep sometimes, so I am always keeping an eye out for good deals on the 2nd hand market.

The badge is absolutely perfect and looks brand new. There are no scratches or damage anywhere. The design is crisp.

The back has a simple pin. There is no glue residue visible anywhere. So I am pleased I was able to add this to my order. I am still reluctant to pay retail price for Katie though!

Next we have an Aliexpress order. It's been ages since I have ordered from there because I wasn't that impressed with the service last time. But I decided to give this shop a go (I think it is called Adomoe? I will try and find the link) as it has some pieces which can work very well for Larme. There are even a few Mon Lily replicas (including this skirt) on there. I don't really wish to promote buying replicas, but as Mon Lily is by DreamV and I have mixed feelings about their quality (especially for the prices they charge for some things) I didn't feel as guilty about buying this replica as I would usually. The skirt I got is very shiny, but you could see that from the stock photos anyway, so I knew what to expect. The materials are a decent quality for the price paid. However, the only issue is that the material creases really easily, as you will see in the worn photos.

The details on the side were executed reasonably well. They could have been better, but they also could have been a lot worse! I like the use of velveteen for the bows. It offers a fun contrast with the shiny main material.

There is a small shirring panel, which is really well hidden underneath a ribbon on the outside. This panel is not overly generous, but it is nice to have it there. I found the sizing guide on the product listing to be pretty accurate.

The stitching is quite neat. I could find no obvious flaws on the skirt.

And here is a worn photo. Do you see what I mean about the creasing? I haven't checked to see if you can iron this skirt, but my guess is you cannot. Creasing aside, I am otherwise impressed. The skirt was comfortable. It hugged my waist well without being too tight.

I think the ribbon topping the shirring emphasises the size of my bottom a bit more than I would like, but overall I am very happy with the skirt! I just need to get those creases out!

Finally, I got these 2 lacy tops from the same Aliexpress store. They have a cute heart cut out detail. I am not that blessed in the bust department, so I have always been a bit wary of the cut-out trend in Larme, but the hearts on these tops are small enough that it isn't really an issue.

The heart cut out was done quite well. The edge is neat and you can easily make out the heart shape. Although the lace quality is a bit questionable, it actually feels surprisingly soft. It is not itchy at all! 

There is a small ribbon loop on the back to make putting on the top a bit easier. I thought that was a nice touch.

The stitching is very neat and once again, I found no obvious flaws or mistakes.

The size guide on the product listing was spot on and I found the right size easily. The top is comfortable and feels nice against the skin. I like how the neck doesn't cling too much and the way the ruffle around the neck looks when worn. As you can see, the heart shape is easy to make out too. I love that it is subtle and sits well above my bust. The only thing I am going to do is cut out the labels inside. Having a see-through top means the labels stick out like a sore thumb.

And so that is my latest haul. I am really pleased with every single thing I got. My larme wardrobe is really starting to shape up now, and I have added some nice accessories for lolita as well. I am really looking forward to extending and experimenting with my style a bit more and these pieces are really going to help me achieve this. Plus I got some absolutely fantastic birthday presents from my friends as well (thank you!!!). I am feeling very spoilt right now, but also very loved. This has been a really positive time in my life and I can genuinely say I am feeling happy. This is mostly due to the wonderful experiences I have had lately, although a little bit of retail therapy can be good from time to time!

Haul May/June 2017- Oh Look, There is Some Lolita in There Edition

Today I bring you my latest haul and guess what? This one actually has some lolita in it! Although I couldn't resist a couple of Larme inspired and general J-fashion pieces, so they are included too. I also just got my latest Taobao order this morning, so there is a Taobao haul review coming soon.

The first of my recent purchases is the mook that Angelic Pretty recently released. I am going to be completely honest here- I got this purely for the bag. But I am pleased to report that the mook actually has some content to it, unlike previous mooks which were just like small leaflets (My Cinema Doll umbrella 'mook' was just a few pages). There is a Paris photoshoot featuring Risa Nakamura. I was especially impressed that all of the locations were listed. There is a hotel with incredible decor pictured in the mook which I am now keen to stay in! I ordered through Amazon Japan, which is really simple to do if you already have an account. The mook came shrink wrapped. I was a bit sad that the bar code sticker was placed slap bang in the middle of the mook (actually on the mook and not the shrink wrap) but thankfully it peeled off really easily without leaving a mark. Some of the pages of the mook were a little bent because of the way the bag had been inserted inside.

Here is the bag. It is so cute! As is the case with a lot of these cheap gifts in mooks, you should not expect the items to be up to the brand's usual standards. As you can see in the photo, this bag is very small! As a rough estimate, it is only about 15cm tall. But apart from the small size, I was pleasantly surprised by the quality. The materials are thick enough to rival my other AP bags. It feels pretty sturdy and I am also confident it will hold up in a typical rain shower. 

The depth of the bag is also very narrow. I found I was able to fit my phone inside with a smaller purse and some room for a few tissues as well. You might be able to cram some small make up bits like lip gloss in as well. So if you are the sort of person who carries a lot of stuff, then this bag is most definitely not for you. For small errands though, the bag could work out well. 

The clasp holding the bag shut is very good. I actually had trouble opening the bag at first! So I think it is quite secure. It has a long strap (not adjustable) which is long enough that most people will be able to comfortably wear this with the strap across their body. The stitching on the bag is pretty neat and I found no flaws anywhere. As you can see in the picture, the AP text is pretty crisp as well and has a nice font. So considering the price, I am really impressed with the bag. I wont be using it at any big lolita meets, but for casual everyday use it is ideal.

Next we go more Larme with this tulle skirt from H&M. It is a simple skirt with a tulle overlay and a ribbon-like waist. I really like the soft blush colour. It is the perfect shade. The skirt also has a good amount of length to it. I think the proportions of under-skirt and longer tulle skirt are spot on. 

Due to the type of material, it does raise a problem with what to do with the ends. Here H&M have decided to just leave the edge of the tulle as it is. I suppose there isn't a great deal they could have done to it without it affecting the soft, free-flowing feel of the skirt. At least the bottom has been cut relatively neatly. It does mean having to be a little bit careful when it comes to washing the skirt though. 

H&M has notoriously dodgy sizing, so I made sure to try the skirt on in store. I tried on my regular clothing size and found that the skirt did fit me correctly. However, if you are considering buying this skirt, or anything else from H&M, then still go and try it on! I found the zip was a little bit stiff, but it has gotten better after undoing the zip a couple of times. Maybe it has loosened up a bit now. It doesn't go all the way to the very top though. If I was being a bit nit-picky then that may have bothered me. I really love the ribbon style waistband. It fits in with the style of the rest of the skirt. Simple, yet effective. I will be keeping an eye on H&M for future Larme style purchases, but will be proceeding with caution.

Next is this bag that I got from DreamV. I had intended to order more stuff with this bag, but I have always been a bit sceptical of DreamV's quality. Some items turn out great, whereas others have the odd flaw or a general 'cheap' feeling. Not wanting to push my luck (I was going to get the bag in pink as well but decided to wait and see how the purple one turned out) I just stuck to the one bag. The purple colour turned out to be lovely. It is a nice, cool lavender shade. I'm not too worried about matching it to anything in my lolita wardrobe, as I loved the bag design anyway and just wanted it for everyday use.

There was a very small bit of damage where the colour had rubbed off a bit. I tried to point it out using my finger in the photograph, but it was very small. You may also have noticed that there is an obvious open end around the edge of the bag, where the white is. I was a bit annoyed that this hadn't been done a bit neater. I ended up painting the damage with some matching nail polish I had to hand.

Aside from that oversight on the front, the rest of the stitching had been done very neatly. I really like the gold heart shaped zip pull too. 

I love how the clear window has glitter in it! The Lovehearts style message is cute too. I am not really in to Ita Bags, but I suppose if you wanted a low-key Ita Bag then this bag could be an interesting option. I think what surprised me the most about this bag was that it didn't have that unpleasant strong plastic smell that you find with a lot of cheaply made bags.

The strap length was very easy to adjust. The length of the strap is reasonably generous too.

The bag has a decent amount of room inside. It certainly will hold the same amount as your typical lolita bag, maybe slightly more. Now that I have painted over the flaws, I am really pleased with my bag. It has put me off going and buying the same bag in pink though. I am just not sure it is really worth me getting it in another colour. Maybe I would consider it if I was placing a DreamV order anyway and the price of the bag dropped.

Finally, I have a new lolita skirt and it is one I am super excited about! I missed the reservation for this Le Miroir print last year by mere hours and have been hopelessly searching for it ever since. Well finally I managed to get the skirt in my top colour choice. I would have preferred the JSK, but I was so desperate for these cute birdies that I was happy to settle for the skirt. If anybody sees the dress for sale though, I may still be interested. 

The print is lovely and crisp. I really love the bold colours. These bright lovebirds are my favourite birds in the print! I am loving the dusky pink too, which I think is a good fit for the print instead of something more sugary pastel.

It has this gorgeous lace on the bottom hem. Considering this is a Taobao brand, I am very impressed with the lace quality. It even has the LM initials for the brand in it, so Le Miroir obviously went to some effort with their lace. The bow design may not be as original as some of AP's custom laces, but it is still pretty decent.

The stitching was generally very neat with the only exception being a lot of loose threads around the buttons. This did make undoing the buttons a bit harder, but I have cut some of the worst threads off now and it hasn't done the skirt any harm. The back of the skirt waistband is shirred. I was worried that the skirt would be too big for me, but the elastic is quite strong, so it hugged my waist okay. In fact, I would recommend being more than a few cm under the suggested measurement because although it will stretch to the given measurement, it might be uncomfortable. My waistline is 7cm under the given garment waist measurement and I found the skirt fitted me well. The one thing I find a little annoying about the skirt design is how the waist ties attach to the skirt. The waist ties do not have their own designated buttons, so the waist ties attach using the same buttons which you use to do up the skirt. So to take the skirt off, you need to take the waist ties off first. It is only a small criticism, I guess. I don't think I will be using the waist ties anyway, so it wont affect me. I was really pleased that my waist ties have the print on both sides. They even managed to fit a bird on to the ends of both ties. The buttons have a pretty pearl design as well.

I was very pleased to see that the skirt came with a lining. Although the printed fabric is opaque, I always feel that having a proper lining is a sign of more quality.

I also got the matching hair clip. The bird cage actually has a mini bird charm inside it! I thought that was pretty cool. The back has a simple alligator clip. An additional badge clip would have made it more versatile (if you wanted to use it as a brooch, for example) but for a hair accessory the simple clip is fine.

Here is a worn photo I took just quickly chucking the skirt on. It holds a fair bit of petticoat and only ends a tiny bit above my knees. It is no worse than some of my shorter AP pieces. The skirt materials felt nice and soft. Overall I found it very comfortable. I am very happy to be able to take another item off my shrinking lolita wishlist!

So this has been a very positive haul, although I have tried to be careful, which may have contributed to my happy vibe. In case you haven't guessed, the bird print skirt is my favourite item from this haul! I was devastated when I missed the reserve, so to get the skirt a year later has been a lovely start to my Summer. I am loving my new bags as well. The quirky designs are going to be fun to wear. And I will have a Taobao haul post on here very soon, so be prepared for more new purchases!