February 2017 Haul

Despite telling myself I was going to spend less in 2017, I am today presenting my latest buys from Japan (and there will be a Taobao review soon too...). I ordered from Swimmer and Angelic Pretty, and also got a pair of AP socks on auction.

First up is my Swimmer order. I wasn't actually intending to place this entire order but I accidentally discovered a replica of the bags on Taobao and saw that the original was from Swimmer. I decided to take a chance and look on Swimmer's site to see if they were still available. To my surprise, they were still available. So as I was having a hard time deciding between 2 colours, I ended up getting 2 colours and a pair of socks that I thought looked cute. I added the AP stuff afterwards.

You probably wont be surprised to see that it is a moon design! Considering the price, I thought the bags were worth it. You can tell by the feel of the material that it is not top quality, and I will be super careful to take care of these bags to make them last longer, but Swimmer's prices are pretty cheap. In fact, they were only a tiny bit more than the Taobao replica. So it was definitely worth double checking Swimmer still had them! I don't think they will hold up that well in heavy rain, but they should be able to withstand a reasonable amount of bad weather. Some of the metal rings holding the beads looked slightly open, meaning the pearls were at risk of falling off. I was able to take a pair of pliers to them though to close the gaps. The scallops were well shaped.

I was very pleased to see that my bags had at least some cardboard to help protect the bag in transit. I forgot to photograph it, but the metal parts underneath the card were further covered in a bit of protective plastic, just to keep them a bit more safe. The bag was stuffed as well to hold its shape.

There is a small pocket on the back of the bag, but I don't think I will use it because it feels a bit tight and there isn't much room to put anything other than a couple of tissues or hair pins in there. As you can hopefully see in this picture, the stitching on the bag is really neatly done.

After lifting the flap, I found there was another popper in place to help the bag keep its shape. I thought this was a nice touch.

The bag was actually a lot bigger than I was expected. It seems really roomy inside and there is an additional pocket on the inside as well. The bag is lined well. I am also happy to report that this bag did not have that distinct smell that a lot of cheaply made bags seem to have!

I got the bag in black as well as off-white. I didn't want to risk either colour selling out before I made a decision, so in the end I got both! Both colours are really lovely, although I think I like the black one slightly more. The straps were easy to clip on and are adjustable, so you can change the length.

As I was ordering from Swimmer anyway, I added this pair of constellation ankle socks to my order. The label had some washing instructions on them. Even though I can't read Japanese, the symbols were pretty straight-forward and easy to understand. 

The socks were a bit darker in colour than they appeared on the site. They almost look black, although in person you can tell that they are dark blue. The constellation pattern was crisp and very clear to make out.

The socks felt very soft and were a decent thickness. They fitted my wide feet comfortably. I think some lace around the ankles could have looked cute, but as they are, they are a lovely pair of casual socks.

I also ordered these British Crown socks in wine from Angelic Pretty. Japonica very kindly included the shopping bag that AP give with each of their purchases. I really wanted to get these socks in ivory and possibly black as well, but I left it too late to get those colours. But I am still really impressed with the wine colour, which is quite vibrant and bold. 

The pattern is very crisp. I absolutely love these socks, even though I complained a bit about the upside down crowns when I discussed this series on this blog.

The one part of the design I am not so keen on is the bows on the ankles. It is a cute idea, but the bows have not been well formed. The shape of the bow looks a bit rushed. Also, unless you are wearing low backed shoes this bow is not going to be on view anyway. 

I have noticed with more recent AP socks that they seem to be a bit thinner and shorter than they used to be a few years ago. They are still reasonably thick, but when I tried on the other pair of AP socks I got (see below) I couldn't help but notice that these newer release socks are very obviously thinner in comparison. As you can see, these socks do reach over my knees, but only just. There is no way I could stretch them further. I am still impressed with the quality, but they don't quite match up to the quality of my older AP socks.

I thought I would include a photo of the ankle bow. I don't think they look much better when worn. I am actually tempted to take the bows off.

Finally, I got this pair of AP Holy Night Story socks on auction. The socks were like new and I could tell they had barely been worn. I really love the bold colours. In case it is not obvious- I love royal and emblem themed legwear!

The design is super clear. Even from a distance it is easy to make out the sock design right away.

These socks are a couple of years old, which is why it is interesting to try these on after trying on my British Crown socks, which only came out about a month ago. As you can see, these socks are a bit longer and ended a couple of inches above my knees. I can also confirm that the material is thicker, and therefore warmer than the newer release socks. Despite both pairs of AP socks being of a good standard, I do think it is a shame that their quality has appeared to take a bit of a dip in more recent times. I have noticed it with my other newer AP socks as well. I suppose because I tried these 2 pairs of socks in such a short space of time, the difference in quality was a bit more noticeable. But despite this, I still think the newer AP socks are worth it. Angelic Pretty do some really lovely sock designs and come up with interesting patterns, so it would be a shame if the quality were to deteriorate any further.

So that concludes my impromptu spending spree. I am really glad that I discovered those bags and then made sure to check if Swimmer still had them. Overall I am really pleased with all of my new purchases. Despite a bit of negativity in this post towards the more recent AP socks, it has not put me off buying from Angelic Pretty at all. I also feel the Swimmer items were good value for the price paid. I have made a mental note to check their site more frequently from now on. I am looking forward to pairing my new items with my royal and cosmic themed outfits in the future!

Taobao Haul August 2016- Picture Heavy

It's time again for me to do a review of my latest Taobao haul. My folder of Taobao wants has gradually gotten a lot smaller! I think that this will be the last time that I use Taobao Ring, and this time I really do mean it. Taobao Ring charge you a base rate of 15 yuan shipping from each Taobao store, regardless of how much they actually paid for shipping to their office, which does add up if you order from lots of shops. I also had an item missing, which I will get in to later.

First up is this wig from Kyouko. I wanted a twin tail wig which looked a bit more subtle in comparison to some of the larger twin tails you see. Twin tails are not really popular in lolita anymore, but I find twin tails suit me better than single pony tails. Apologies for the slightly washed out photo- it has been pretty much constant sunshine in my neck of the woods lately. As far as the colour goes, the listing is fairly accurate. The actual wig is maybe just the slightest bit blonder than it appears in the photos. Interestingly, this wig has turned out to be very close to my own hair colour! The bangs are super long. I found that the base wig fitted my head okay, but it would have been a better fit if it had been a little bit bigger. 

The part looks fairly natural. I found that the clips for the twin tails gripped on quite firmly. Maybe the tops of the twin tails could have done with being a bit fuller and a bit better disguised so that they looked a bit more realistic. 

The fibres feel soft and I would say the softness was on a similar level to my older Lockshop wigs. There were a few straggly fibres and a slight bit of tangling, but I found they brushed out easily enough. The curls on the twin tails looked better with a bit of brushing out as well. The other good thing about the twin tails is that they are the ideal length for styling in to buns, as demonstrated in the product listing. More than anything else, I wanted to give Kyouko and Taobao wigs a go because I hadn't really been happy with the last Lockshop wig I ordered (Mermaid Beachy, which tangles like crazy and the fibres are not well blended) and I wanted to see what else was on offer. I would say that this wig is good quality for the price paid. I got a free wig cap as well.

After getting these constellation clips in gold in my last order, I decided to go ahead and get some in silver in this order. Unfortunately, one of these was missing from my order with no explanation from Taobao Ring. I looked on the listing and at the time, it looks as though the missing design had gone out of stock. However, usually there would have been a note left on my order page to say that it had become unavailable, and this was not done. It is a bit frustrating, because just one clip was missing and it was super cheap, so I don't feel it is worth me complaining to Taobao Ring about. They probably know that I wouldn't kick up a fuss over something that small as well. As I am unlikely to use Ring again, there is not much point them offering to take it off my next order, seeing as there wont be a next order. As for the clips themselves, the 4 that did arrive were as good as expected. They clip very firmly in place and have a very sturdy backing to them. Again, I had a bit of trouble un-doing some of the clips because of the style of clasp. But the clips are otherwise perfect and I am very pleased with them.

Something else I have ordered again, is this Miss Moe Bolero which this time I got in navy blue. Instead of repeating myself, I will just link you to the full review I did of the bolero here. The colour of the navy bolero is a bit darker than it appears in the photos. I had to turn the flash on to get the details to show up properly.

The ruffles were once again done very neatly. I couldn't really find any faults anywhere.

I am glad Miss Moe decided to use black elastic instead of white. You cannot see the elastic at all when the bolero is worn. 

On turning the bolero inside out, the stitching has been done very neatly here as well. I could not find a single fault. There were no loose threads or anything. I love that this chiffon design is light and airy and I hope to get the chance to wear these boleros before Summer ends.

I also ordered some socks and tights from Mu Fish, who are my usual go-to for Taobao leg wear. I have purchased these lacy ankle socks multiple times before. The wine coloured ones are a new addition to their listing, so I decided to give them a go. Weirdly, the quality of the wine ones seems to be a bit different to the standard I have come to expect from getting these socks previously. 

The first thing I noticed was these weird loose threads on the socks, which were quite thick. These appeared on both socks and seemed to be there deliberately. I carefully cut them off, as I think they make the socks look messy.

The fit was the same as usual and they had plenty of stretch. The socks felt soft and pleasant to wear. I think the wine colour looks a little bit brown in person, although you can definitely tell what colour they are supposed to be.

I did notice the socks seemed to be a little bit thin along this seam. You can see my skin slightly where the material is obviously a little bit thinner than the rest of the sock. I have never noticed this with any of my ankle socks from Mu Fish previously.

The lace is of a reasonable quality. It is good enough for a cheap pair of ankle socks like this. I will continue to buy my ankle socks from here, as and when I need them, although I don't think I will be getting the wine ones again.

I also got these constellation tights as well. As you may be able to see, they are completely identical to the navy constellation tights James got me for my birthday, which is interesting because those were supposedly from a different Taobao store (Yidhra). The fit is the same, the mesh is the same and the feel of the tights is the same.

They even have the same Popo Shop logo near the bottom, by the ankles. At least with these tights I feel the colour was a bit more accurate. With the navy ones, they look so dark that they could be mistaken for black. I am curious to see if any more designs appear on both Mu Fish and Yidhra, as they are clearly using the same supplier.

Finally, I got myself this macaron umbrella from here. After taking the umbrella out and undoing the velcro, I accidentally set off the spring-loaded mechanism and got a lovely big bruise on my knee for my trouble. So I can confirm that the sping-loaded action is very powerful! Putting the umbrella up was super quick with just that one press of the button. Getting the umbrella down proved a little bit more tricky. The spring is so powerful that you really do have to forcefully push the umbrella down and make sure it is all the way down. I liked the matching carry bag, although it could do with being a bit bigger. I did the umbrella up as neatly as I could and I was really struggling to get it back in the bag.

Here is the umbrella up. The material is a bit wrinkled, as you can probably see, but not enough to make me not like the fun design. As I mentioned, it has been super sunny lately, so I have not had a chance to test this umbrella in wet weather. The material seems decent enough, like any standard umbrella.

The colours of the macarons are so vibrant and fun. I really love the print.

The frame feels very sturdy and I am very hopeful that it will not turn inside out in strong winds. I am keeping my fingers crossed!

There were a few small marks under some of the deepest pink coloured macarons. It seems some of the dye may have rubbed off a bit, which you may be able to see underneath the macaron in this photo. I have high hopes for this umbrella and hope it does a good job as its intended use. If nothing else, it makes for a very powerful and painful weapon. 

The umbrella store also gave me a free pair of slippers. Usually I love free gifts, but I feel these slippers may have contributed a bit to the hefty shipping fee I had to pay to ship my order to my place. The box I got my order in was massive, and it was completely stuffed. I would hate to have paid extra just for a free gift I didn't really ask for. I don't really use slippers either, so I doubt I am even going to keep them. They are probably going to end up going to a charity shop unless I find somebody who really wants them.

So this was generally quite a positive order, although not everything ran smoothly. It looks as though I am now on the search for a new shopping service, or I may just go back to Taobao Spree and put up with their weird payment system. I was especially pleased with the wig and bolero. I am also excited to see how well the umbrella does with the UK weather, although my poor knee hurt for ages after I accidentally set it off! The socks and constellation clips were okay as well, so I am confident I will get a fair bit of use from everything in this order.

Birthday Adventures!

Last Thursday was my birthday! There has been a bit of a heatwave here in the UK and I am the sort of person who wilts at the first little bit of heat, but I was determined to get out there an enjoy myself. I am really glad I did, as I had a fantastic day in London with James, and then a fun Saturday with Sammi and Shalisa. 

For my actual birthday, I went to One Aldwych in Covent Garden for afternoon tea. I didn't wear Japanese fashion because I was a bit concerned the staff would take one look at me and turn me away. I wouldn't usually go for an afternoon tea as expensive as this one, but it was Charlie and the Chocolate Factory inspired, and I thought the menu sounded fascinating. Besides, we were allowed seconds on literally anything we wanted. We ended up with 2 lots of savouries and I feel that if we had really wanted to, they would have given us a third round. With the exception of the ham and horseradish on rye, the savouries were all lovely. I would say this was the nicest salmon sandwich I have ever had.

But the real fun came with the sweet half of proceedings! Here we had scones with hedgerow sauce, berry compote and clotted cream, blueberry brioche, chocolate financiers, chocolate and caramel milk, rhubarb and custard candy floss, golden chocolate eggs filled with vanilla cheesecake and mango coulis, lemon cake pops and Eton mess. My favourite item had to be the rhubard and custard candy floss. I cannot put in to words just how intense the flavour was, and it really did taste like the sweets you sometimes get in pick 'n' mix. The staff were friendly too and there was also air-con. I would definitely do this again, although I was almost in a food coma. I couldn't eat another thing, and I was so grateful when we were given a doggy bag for the leftovers.

Afterwards we went to the 40 years of London punk exhibit being held at the British Library. I was very pleased to see that my favourite band were acknowledged for being the main inspiration for the UK punk movement! 

When we got home, I had time to open my presents. As far as J-fashion related stuff goes, I got given these Mu-fish socks and Yidhra tights from James. I have to be really careful at the moment to not buy any more main pieces and some other things, as my wardrobe needs a bit of a clear-out, but accessories were totally fine. I also got given a load of budgie related stuff, as I have turned in to a crazy budgie lady as of late. I will just do a mini review, before people complain this post is not really that J-fashion related! The socks fitted me perfectly and ends a few inches above my knee. I wouldn't recommend them for plus-sized wearers though, as I get the impression the socks don't have that much stretch. The ivory colour is quite obviously white and the pink has a very slight peachy tone to it. The pink is a good match for several items in my wardrobe though, so I am quite content. The tights were a bit of a let-down if I am being completely honest. They fitted me, but it was a bit of a stretch. The navy blue colour is also quite hard to distinguish and they look almost black, although the blue shade is a bit more obvious when worn. The main issue is that when you put them on, the colour almost completely disappears, as does the constellation pattern. It was so faint and became to transparent in places, that could could actually see my skin tone in places.To get a decent colour, I would have to layer navy tights underneath. They are also a weird sort of mesh and they are almost like fishnets. So they are not completely unwearable, but I would not recommend them. I got lots of lovely other presents though, including the sweetest little locket from James. I opened it to discover a feather from both of my budgies inside. It was so thoughtful and I started welling up when I opened the locket for the first time!

On the Saturday, I met up with Sammi and Shalisa. It was another quite hot day, so I didn't want to wear lolita. Yet weirdly, you can still see the lolita influence a little in my "casual" outfit! I am not really sure what this outfit would be labelled as. There are definite retro, sailor and lolita aspects to this, but I am just going to call it casual street fashion! I used a skirt from Primark, which I decorated with some Sugar Trampoline bows. The cutsew is Cherie Cerise, and the rest is a mix of Bodyline and off-brand.

When we got to Reading, there was a "beach" that had been constructed temporarily by the train station. Aside from putting a bit of sand down, it was dire. I would say it was more like a fairground than a beach. There were a couple of stalls where you could win prizes and an over-priced pick 'n' mix stall, but that was pretty much it. The website had promised donkeys, but we never spotted any! The worst part was the ferris wheel, which overlooked a construction site! Isn't the main point of those sort of attractions that you can see a glorious view? After assessing the situation, we left abruptly.

After seeing how full most of the eating establishments were, we ended up getting a Maccy D's and eating it outside the Abbey Ruins. It turned out to be a good call. The food was far better than the disappointing meal we had at the Outlook last time and I got to have my beloved toffee sundae. It was also lovely being sat outside in the shade. There were a lot of Pokemon Go people going by, but we were mostly left in peace. We saw the prettiest little dragonfly flying around as well. Sammi also brought some mini cupcakes, which were much appreciated.

With our recent foray in to perfume buying, Shalisa got given some samples by her mother, who works at a department store. So she bagged them and labelled them in this cute manner! 

Sammi made this adorable budgie themed rosette! It looks a bit like one of my budgies. I pulled the most embarrassing reaction face whilst opening this. It was pretty hilarious, but I wasn't confident enough to share it here! 

During our perfume sampling session, Shalisa inflicted on Sammi the most horrendous smelling perfume ever. She had already tried it and knew how bad it was, but I think she wanted us to join in her previous suffering! Sammi's reaction? She said "it smells like death". The worst part is, this scent was very long-lasting! It was supposed to smell like lilies, but I have never been a fan of lilies and it reminded me of a crematorium. It definitely had a smell of funeral about it! Not even Sammi's strawberry laces smelling hand sanitiser could save her from the death scent.

As we had discussed it previously, Sammi and Shalisa were in casual fashion as well. I liked Shalisa's Banana Fish top and Sammi had layered this lovely dress over a green dress to create a pretty mint shade. I really like how we each took the more casual theme and went very different ways with it. I had to take off my petticoat eventually though, as it was getting way too hot.

I didn't get a good shot on the day, but these are the bloomers that Shalisa gave me. I have been meaning to get a pair for so long. If you would like a pair, you can get them from Shalisa's store Sugar Trampoline. I can tell you that they are very comfortable. As I have a digestive system condition, I can't stand having lots of layers pressing down on my stomach. But these bloomers don't dig in and they are very comfortable to wear. I also found that the elastic stretched comfortably enough that I could wear the bloomers low-slung if I so desired. These bloomers also featured a cute little rose detail at the waist and some bows on top of the gathering at the leg holes. I cannot recommend these bloomers enough and I will be buying myself another pair at some point.

I would like to say a huge thank you to all the well-wishers. I know a few of you who left messages may be reading this post. As you can see, I had a great time and I was so happy to spend some quality time with some much loved friends. I even got to do the Crystal Maze experience the week before with another group of friends, which was incredible. I haven't had the easiest of times recently, so I am so grateful that I have these happy memories to look back on.