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!

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.