Taobao Haul!~♥ (PIC HEAVY)

I've finally gotten through the spring semester and had time to finish my Taobao Haul post (which is a few weeks overdue, I apologize!)

I hope you enjoy!~

As with my past Taobao orders, I used Bhiner! 

Timeline 

 ♥ Order/First Payment: 4/9/2015 ♥

 ♥ Second Payment (after items all arrived at the Bhiner warehouse): 4/20/2015 ♥

 ♥ Shipped: 4/21/2015 or 4/22/2015 ♥

 ♥ Delivered: 4/30/2015 ♥

When I received the box it was really heavy! It was about 4 kg, which is roughly 8 or 9 pounds. (shipping was a nightmare, a bit more than $70 ha)

This is everything out of the box and the shoes I took out of their shoeboxes! I usually have my shoes shipped without shoeboxes, but without the shoeboxes the overall weight of my package didn't change much, so Bhiner just shipped them with the shoeboxes. 

(heh you can see my bra! thinness test we'll call it~)

The first item I opened up was the cream/white top! It really needed to be ironed haha, but it fit surprisingly well, the sleeves weren't too short, and the overall the style was extremely cute and pretty! It was thin, but not in a bad way! I'll happily wear this on chillier Spring days and especially during the Fall time~ This was around $9 so it was well worth the price!

♥ I give this a 9.5/10! ♥

The next item I opened up was this American Apparel knockoff backpack c:! The original AA backpack is somewhere up to $50 while this knockoff was around $14! The quality is AMAZING and the denim feels really similar to the original. The zippers work cleanly, there was a sort of smell that easily went away a few hours later, and it even had a "Made in USA" tag much like the original! This knockoff was really great and I've been using it for the last few days of school, I bring it to work with me, and I'm planning on taking it with me to Anime Expo in California!~

It's easily found on Aliexpress for around $20-30 if you don't want to go the Taobao route~

I give this bag a 10/10! ♥

The next item I opened was this Angelic Pretty Cosmic Series (?) replica! I fell in love with the print as soon as I saw it and was really excited to receive it! In person, the print is really clear, the dress is a nice chiffon and a cream/beige color, and the collar is really ruffly and cute! It also had dress ties on each side!

The only thing I didn't like was how puffy the sleeves were..

The dress also came with two different detachable bows and they were both a sparkly black c: 

Here's a few photos of me in the dress:

Without the tie, the dress is really shapeless (even more-so than a babydoll-style dress) and with the tie, the dress seems too tube-like :c The puffy sleeves will make it harder to wear normally but with my oversized cardigans it seems like it'd be a cuter look! I'm not sure if I want to sell this or keep this, but for now I'll be keeping it! 

Since it's such an open fit (and I believe meant for Lolita coords and petticoats I suppose?) it looks a bit awkward on my petite frame, but I'm sure that if I wasn't wearing it so casually it'd look much better so I don't blame anything! 

I give this a 7/10! ♥

I also got these American Apparel knockoff spandex croptops! I've gotten a polka dot once from Taobao before and it's one of my favorite shirts ♥ They're comfortable, quality, and I needed basic colors and I'm happy that I got these!~

I give these a 10/10! ♥

The cosplay glasses were around $2-3 and I can't really say anything for or against them! I found it strange that they didn't come with lenses, but since I'll be wearing circle lenses and false eyelashes, it's probably for the best that they don't!

I give them a 7/10 ♥

My cosplay for Seo Yuzuki was also something I looked extremely forward to! It was a ready-to-ship already made cosplay in sizes S-L, and I ordered L after looking at the size chart~ (Chinese sizing is small than US sizing haha). 

The fit of the cosplay is just a wee bit bigger than me, but it's nothing a few alterations won't fix in like an hour or so ♥ 

Aside from the sizing, the quality of this cosplay is really great! 

There weren't any loose ends on any of the fabrics or pieces, my pleated skirt was sewn perfectly and the pleats were nice and crisp! I'm most likely going to buy my own white button up shirt (especially with short sleeves) because this white button up was really huge on me! The jacket was huge on me too, but like I said it's nothing a few alterations can't fix ♥

Seo's wig was EXTREMELY voluminous, the color was spot on with the listing photo, and it was really thick and pretty! There weren't any tangle issues and it could be used right out of the package! (I'm going to style the bangs a bit better though because the side piece was a bit long and I had to tuck it behind my ear.)

The indoor shoes were really quite inexpensive ($2-3) and for the price I didn't expect much! They're comfortable, helped me realize my correct Chinese shoe sizing (I'll get to this in a second!!!), and the only flaw that I could see with them was the blue glue stain at the front! They're really lightweight and comfortable, like I said, so I can't wait to wear these with my cosplay (and future cosplays!)

I give the cosplay an 8/10 ♥

I give the wig a 9.5/10 ♥

I give the indoor shoes an 8/10 ♥

Here are some test photos!:

My apologies for using repeat photos, but I wasn't able to remember to take photos of the bow shoes that I ordered! I had hoped that I ordered the correct size, but I didn't once again haha;; They were a bit too small for me wide feet and they were really uncomfortable! I have since sold them to a friend and ordered a new pair from Aliexpress in the next size up! They were way cheaper from Taobao, but considering fees and shipping it would've been around the same price if I had reordered from Taobao instead of Aliexpress!

The indoor shoes I ordered were a size EU 40, while these were a size EU 39! I'm normally a US Women's 8, but I sometimes go up a half size, depending on the width of the shoe! Since Chinese shoes are usually very narrow, I mistakenly thought that ordering my US size counterpart (EU 39) would be ok, but it wasn't! They fit my feet PERFECTLY, which is personally a huge issue for me because I like my toes to have space! The indoor shoes gave me that space and made me realize my actual Chinese shoe size! The EU 40 counterpart is roughly a US 9, so I'm sure that it'll fit! 

The shoes were of perfect quality and quite perfect! I just ordered the wrong size and can't wait for my new size shoes to come in a few days  ♥

Without my error on sizing in this mix, I give the shoes themselves a 9/10! ♥

I hope that this post was a sufficient start to the summer (well summer for me anyway)! I'm hoping to write more and more since I'll have a bit more time on my hands, but we'll see because I'm trying to get a second job to save up more money!

Also, please look forward to upcoming posts as I'll have a few reviews of items that I've purchased!
Here's a few more things I've added to my "upcoming posts" list to review on the left side of my blog (if you're on desktop mode, not mobile you'll see it!)!

I'm planning on reviewing these shoes once they deliver to me! 

My next blog post will either be another short filler like the last or another picture heavy post! If all goes well, my "Tips on Starting a New Wardrobe/Style!" will be next!!!!~

Thanks for reading and if you have any questions/comments leave them below or send them here!

Taobao Haul #2~ (Pic Heavy)

Hello again babes c:~ My Taobao order arrived this morning and so I decided to start writing my haul/review of my items c: unlike my last post this won't be super long or flooded with a price or formal timeline c:!~ If you have any questions not including the total shipping price and whatnot, feel free to ask here c:

I once again used Bhiner for my Taobao agent, I used EMS shipping, and my package weighed 2kg!

The first item I'll do a small review over is my "BABY" hoodie dress! I've wanted it since the moment I saw it and luckily when I began plans to start a new Taobao order, I found it easily! It's one size!

The dress itself was pure white and there were no stains whatsoever on it c: The BABY word print was a light blue and was kinda sparkly in a subtle way which I loved.

I have really long legs and arms but even with them the dress fit comfortably and was really soft and REALLY stretchy!!! The only issue I had with this dress was that one of the sleeves was slightly shorter than the other?? It was strange, but it's no big deal to me c: 

The dress was about $11 (USD)! 

The next item that I bought was this White Sailor Dress! I knew it'd be kinda short (it was on the model!) so I'd been planning to wear this with leggings c:

The material with extremely sturdy and there were no stains on it when it arrived c: It's one-size, but it fit me perfectly!~ Always make sure to check the measurements though!!! I wore this dress yesterday and it was super comfortable! I'm about 5'2.5 or 5'3 and this hit right under my butt c:

This dress was about $8.30!~

This dress caught my eye with the detailing of the bodice!! This dress is also one size, but I bought it because the straps were adjustable and I wanted it to fit my bust!~There's a lot of adjusting that can be done on the dress straps so it eventually fit me like a glove c:

This dress was around $10!~

This pink gingham dress was actually the dress I wore today!! It comes in three different sizes (S,M,L) and I opted to get the small! It also comes with a little tie to cinch the waist c:~

This dress was about $7!~

This T-Shirt was one that I had to have and I was so lucky to have gotten one of the last two sold ;w; It was onesize and fits like a Men's small I guess?? Baggy and comfy c: The only thing that bugged me was that the print was upside down in the front, but on the back it was the correct side up? I got over it though! c:

Unfortunately, shortly after I bought my shirt the last one was sold. It's no longer sold by my seller :c 

This backpack was one that I came upon by chance and it was really cheap so I bought it to carry around during my anime convention in July!~ It was SUPER soft and the zipper had this adorable pink pom on it, and it was bigger than I thought it would be so that was a nice surprise :3

It was about $9!~



And that's that c:! In total, this entire process including the ordering, arrival of items to Bhiner, payments, and arrival to me took a little less than 2 weeks. Which is really great to me c:~

I will not be telling anyone how much I paid total or how much my shipping was. You can estimate it yourself with the info I gave before the post with Bhiner's shipping calculator. I also refuse to tell because my first Bhiner order came with a HUGE 4-part tutorial. The ending part came with the pricing of my order and the shipping. The 4-part tutorial is linked here. 

I know this was a bit shorter than the last haul, but I was also explaining many things c: this haul didn't need that!~

I hope you enjoyed this and if you have any questions, please ask here!

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First Taobao Order Pt. 4 : The Haul~!! (Pic Heavy) ♡ ♡ ♡

HOORAY!!! So the haul is finally here!! This is the end of my Taobao series!! I'm so excited!!~ 

What I'll do in this post

1) Talk about the package and how everything was packed inside~

2) The items and small reviews/outfit photos

3) Taobao order timeline/pricing

4) Shipping time and advice for what to choose!

5) 15-minute video haul overview!! (wow so amaze my first video oh)

Ok first things first: the package! Bhiner had a few options that you could do for the package! One of my favorites was about the shoes! Bhiner tries to packages everything in as small a package they can, and to help make the shipping cheaper for you they have a checkbox that you can choose so you can just add your shoes (if you order any) WITHOUT the shoe box! I chose that and I'm sure it made my package lighter and in turn it made shipping cheaper :3

The package came to me on March 19th and I signed for it! This is the package box unopened c:~ It was a nice size!!

After I opened it I laid out all my items c:~

Since I opted out of the shoe boxes, Bhiner placed my shoes in super thing bags and added them in the box with my package c: if you wanted to know my package was 2 kg!! (roughly 4.4 lbs)~

NOW ON TO THE REVIEW/PIC HEAVY PART OF THE POST!!! :-)

The first thing I opened up was my American Apparel Cities bag replica! Obviously, it's not the actual American Apparel one! It's $36 on AA's site, but I got mine for around $6-7!! c:

AA Cities Bag Replica

The bag had two different sets of cities on each side, but it didn't bother me at all! I have no idea if the original has it this way, but I prefer it with two different sets c: 

The entire bag is a heavy, thick canvas along with the strap which I was extremely hopeful for! There were no loose threads and the strap is a good length (around 15 in/38 cm) and the bag itself is pretty deep!

All in all I give this bag a 5/5. 

Sailor Moon Case // Pompom Purin Case

The next two items I opened up were my iPhone 4S cases! They were both from the same seller and after finding the Sailor Moon case I've been wanting since I spotted it on JList (for $22, crazy right?) I found a Purin case!! The Sailor Moon case is a knockoff of the official release! It was a little less than $5, while the Purin case was around $4! 

The print on the SM case is pretty nice and I'm extremely happy with it! Here it is on my phone!

There's not much to say about either of these cases! They're pretty good quality and cheap! The seller did include a few extras like screen protectors and home button buttons c:~

I happily give these cases a 5/5!!

AA Polka Dot Crop Top Replica

The next item is one I've seen from some of my fellow bloggers who've shopped on Taobao! (Thank you babes Beckii & Kiyomi!!!) This top has GREAT quality for the price (which is around $5?)!! This is meant to be another American Apparel knockoff and the original is about $30! I am super happy I bought this since I've wanted it for around 2 years or so c:~ 

I bought a Large size because Chinese sizes tend to be smaller than US sizes! I suppose the equivalent size to this Chinese large is a Medium? No idea! But this fit me perfectly and was quite stretchy and thick!~

I was expecting this top to be thin and super long like the model's photo on the actual product page but it wasn't! It was the perfect length! (I got the shoes from Taobao too, I'm covering them in a bit :3)

I give this top a 5/5!!

The next two items were my white and pink blouses! They were super cute and a little less than $8 each!! The quality on each blouse was pretty good for the price, but the buttons are a bit wonky/loose? Easily fixed, but I might just change them into heart-shaped buttons altogether c:!! The blouses obviously came with a few extra buttons c: 

I bought a size Large in both blouses and the fit was nice! Wearing any sort of push-up bra made the buttons open up super easily, so I wore my simplest bra (a demi!) so it'd fit more comfortable/natural!~

 (my puppy in the background)

White/Pink Blouses

The shirts were quite wrinkly out of the bag but I didn't bother ironing them in the photos c:! 

I give these blouses a 4/5!! 

The next items I got were blue and pink gingham skirts!~ As you can see above there weren't any tags and it came with a sort of slip! I'm still gonna wear my safety shorts underneath them though! 

These skirts were pretty ok for the price that was paid for them (a little less the $10 each!) and the print was very, very cute! The band was elastic so it was easy to take off and put on, plus many sizes can wear them! The taobao product page has each size and sizing details to go along with it! I bought a size Large in each skirt! I could've bought mediums, but I didn't want the skirt to be too short!! 

 (yes, the shoes have wings, cute right?!?)

 (it was SO windy today!!!)

Pink/Blue Gingham Skirts

I loved the length of the skirts! They were super comfortable and they didn't hike up in the back much! They were also quite poofy by themselves! It was super windy today which is why they're so full, but they were plenty poofy alone c:~ 

I give these skirts a 4/5!!

The final item I got from Taobao were these Winged Cross Platforms! I've wanted them for a very long time but never got them because eBay sellers and Storenvy sellers tried to sell them for around $45 with $15 (or similar) shipping! These were on Taobao and I got them for less than $20 and I'm in love with them! c:

Winged Cross Platforms

The wings were kinda bent in from the trip but they were securely on otherwise and extremely adorable!

I wore them in the outfit photos above so go check them out and see them on c:! They are platforms so they were a bit heavy, but I have a few platform shoes already so it wasn't hard to get used to them c: 

I give these shoes a 5/5!!

Here's the video overview of all my items :3 sorry in advance for my awkwardness haha!

(if the video doesn't load for you please let me know!! i'll add a direct link to the video below!) ♡

Now it's time to break down the order timeline and price!

 February 28th: Added items to cart to get quoted (Bhiner asks seller if items are still in stock).

March 1st: All items confirmed quoted by Bhiner and moved to checkout cart. 

March 1st: Paid for items and domestic shipping

March 2nd-March 11th: Items arrived to Bhiner and they weighed it (2kg).

March 12th: Paid second payment (shipping to me)! I used EMS.

March 13th: Bhiner shipped my package and gave me tracking number.

March 19th: Package arrived!!!

That's a rundown of my entire Taobao order! Bhiner was a wonderful service and while the message replies were a bit slow at times, they were EXTREMELY fast when I messaged them on Skype c:~ My first experience with Taobao and a shopping agent was a complete success! 

My first payment was $88.23

My second payment was $53.38

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Total Taobao Order: $141.61

I would definitely recommend Bhiner as your shopping agent of choice! Their website was super easy and on Skype they were a wonderful help! I can't wait to shop on Taobao again c:

To learn how to also shop on Taobao using Bhiner I broke it down into a 3 part tutorial! Links are below :3

Part 1

Part 2 

Part 3

Taobao Haul Video Link

If you have any questions/comments/concern about my Taobao order or tutorial, please feel free to ask them here!! I would be happy to help you c:~

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Now selling some clothing from my closet for cheap!

Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed! Please leave comments about your favorite items or any questions c:~