Wednesday 25 September 2013

Light in the box Shopping and Infanta Cinderella JSK REVIEW!

This is a review about my shopping experience with Lightinthebox.com and the items that I bought there!

I ordered my first Lolita outfit from Light-in-the box:
JSK - 89.99 USD
BLOUSE - 49.99 USD
OTKs - 7.99 USD
Package and insurance - 24.85 USD
Total - 172.82 USD
JSK, blouse and stockings
I placed my order the 11th August and received the items the 18th September (total 6 weeks).

The 12th September I received a funny email from Light in the Box, that the order was delayed and if I answered the email within 24 hours I would be refunded the postage that I had paid. 


Luckily I did see the email in time, so I did receive my refund, but what if I had missed this email? Would they just send the package late with no discount?

Good packaging. Cardboard box and plastic bag.
All items individually packed
The JSK. Shopping picture to left, actual received item to the right.
Infanta Cinderella Embroidery JSK
I was very pleased to receive my dress! It is just as beautiful as on the pictures and I got a chance to wear it to my first Lolita meet!

Good embroidery, good lace, matte gross grain ribbons and pretty detachable bows!
The details of this dress are absolutely stunning! The cloth of the dress is heavy and textured, which adds to the luxury feeling. The fit was accurate too.

Defintiely 5/5 for the JSK! For the very good value :)
The quality is 4/5 - because of the polyester lining (cotton, linen and silk materials would have been preferred), and a fairly good pattern matching, but it was slightly (0,5 cm) off at some parts.
But still, since it is a lovely Lolita dress to very good price, I think it deserves a 5/5.

The Blouse. Shopping picture to the left, actual received item to the right.
The Blouse
If the JSK was the great Heroine of my package, the blouse was the evil Nemesis...

I mean, look at the beautiful, crisp eggshell white blouse with amazing lace and great tailored fit - and then look at the piece of rags the dog dragged in?!

The blouse isn't the same as on the picture. It is plain ugly. First of all, it isn't the right shade of white, so it looks awful with the beige in the JSK. Secondly the blouse I thought that I bought has a different texture and lace to the blouse I received. Obviously I got the cheap boot leg copy of the most certainly stolen brand blouse photo on the left... *sigh*

I didn't recognise the photo from any brand, so I thought it was the real deal... and then I ended up with that...

The fit is AWFUL - I have carefully measured my body, ordered one size larger than usual and I have received a blouse that is 2 sizes too small?!

Total waste of money :( and it lead to a coordination crisis, since I needed a new blouse to match the JSK.

This is my first 1/5, mostly because I payed for a high quality blouse, and received a fake.

The Stockings.
The OTKs
The OTK's where perfectly alright, although it was difficult to discern the actual white hue from the picture on Light in the Box.

They dropped down when walking, but I've noticed that is very common amongst all OTK's.

The length was just above my knee, which is good with regard to my long legs and common Asian petite sizes...

So nothing extraordinary, they receive 3/5.

Overall review
As for my shopping experience at Light in the box, I would give them 2-3/5 Hazelbelle Nuts. I mean the JSK is absolutely stunning (5/5, since it is such good value!), but the blouse was positively horrifying (1/5). The stockings where alright (3/5). The prices at Light in the box are not that cheap, so don't fall for their "20% OFF" and "Today's Sales" - you can find better prices elsewhere and the "sales" are ongoing all the time!

If you find an Infanta dresses at Light in the Box (oddly enough, you can't search on Infanta, and it doesn't specify that the dress is actually from Infanta on the website) you may get good value.

However, before checking out they will ask if you want to buy insurance and stuff... I wouldn't dare to not tick that box, since they have all my money before I recieve the package... And that's just plain ol' mafia bullying.

I would actually NOT recommend Light in the Box. I would rather order from Taobaospree or such a Taobao shopping site, and order directly from the good Chinese Lolita brands, then at least you know what you are receiving. 

I'm struggling between giving Light in the Box 2 or 3 out of 5 Hazelbelle Nuts (cause I really love the Infanta JSK), but since they actually made me pay for a terribly ugly blouse that I didn't order, I am going to have to give them 2/5 nuts, as a warning for cheating with photos...


Light in the Box as an Internet seller: 2/5 - Delayed delivery, suspected stolen brand photos, sent wrong size.
Did the product match the selling photo? 3/5 - Yes and No. Yes for the JSK and the Stockings. Definitely No for the Blouse, I clearly did not receive the same blouse as on the picture and it was 2 sizes too small.
Quality: 3/5 - Nothing extraordinary. The Infanta JSK receivs 4/5 in quality.
Price compared to quality: 1/5 - Really awful that 1 out of 3 items is completely wrong and that I can't even wear it because it is too small :(

I DO NOT recommend this seller.

Sunday 22 September 2013

Korean Pocky at Hemköp! Lotte Pepero REVIEW

Today I tried out the Korean version of the fabulous Pocky biscuits: 

Pepero


Pepero in my store comes in 3 different chocolatey flavours:
Plain chocolate, Almond chocolate and Soft chocolate filling.

Inner safety bag for freshness.

Plain chocolate

Almond chocolate

Soft Chocolate filling aka "Nude"

Nam-nam!

The taste is similar to the Pocky version , but for the Plain Chocolate I do prefer the Pocky version. The chocolate doesn't quite taste like real chocolate... it tastes more of vegetable fat and colourings than of dark chocolate ^.^

The Almond Chocolate is very nice, light milk chocolate wipped together with chunky almond slivers. Very nice, rich taste and the almonds give a good crunch to the biscuit.

The Soft Chocolate filling stick (aka "Nude") reminds me of Nutella! The taste is great :) I really would buy these again.

The original Pocky - Is Pepero a bootleg version? ;)

Copyright Sweet Blog
 It's far from my favourite Pocky flavours (Litchi, mousse, Matcha etc.) but is is alright, and fun that it is available in an ordinary Swedish food-store! :)

3/5 Hazelbelle Nuts to Pepero for great tasting Almond Chocolate and Soft Chocolate filling!


Tuesday 17 September 2013

Soft Lilac Lace on Etsy REVIEW! Handmade Lolita skirts

It is not without a heavy heart that I am writing this review.


Soft Lilac Lace on Etsy makes handmade Lolita clothes to what seems like amazing prices.
Jennifer and Jessie-Lee from Lowestoft in the UK has a good business concept.
Affordable, wearable, made after your measurements - Lolita clothes.

I fell for this dirt-cheap skirt, since I wanted a perfect everyday Lolita garment. 

Custom Made Plain Colour Pleated Bell-Shaped Lolita Skirt & Bow

Picture from Etsy
For £20 for the skirt + £6.50 for postage (total ca 275 SEK) that is amazing value.
There was several colour choices, I chose brown, and Soft Lilac Lace made the skirt after my measurements.

Good package
Cute note
Matching head bow, skirt bow, bracelet + free gift bracelet! :)
The skirt comes with a detachable bow, and I received 50% off on the head bow (only £3), + very cheap bracelet (£1)!

I ordered the skirt August 25th and received the skirt September 10th (total 3 weeks).
Which is very quick, considering the Taobao Lolita brands may take 1-3 months.

So, I REALLY do WANT to give Soft Lilac Lace five Hazelbelle nuts. But... I just can't and here is why:

Really bad zipper... This is just when I opened the parcel, I haven't even worn the skirt yet!
As you can see on the picture, the first thing that I notice with the skirt is that the zipper is really bad sewn on. I mean REALLY carelessly and unthoughtful "sewn" on. They might as well have used an office stapler. 

And the lack of quality simply continues...

Terrible seam
The seams in the skirt are awful. Sloppy made and simply put - lousy sewn.

WTF?!
Loose lace...
The cotton lace is of absolutely OK quality, and the colour match is perfect - but seriously?! WHY would you just sew ONE brown seam over white lace?! The perfect choice here would have been to sew two white seams, on top and bottom of the eyelet lace. 

Raw edges
All the edges of the cloth is raw, meaning Soft Lilac Lace has not zig-zagged or used overlock to seal the cloth. This is inferior quality, which will result in loose threads and eventually the seams will fall apart.

The skirt is of a good design and has a beautifully soft underskirt, which really is weird - since they choose good cloth, good lace, a good design and end up with this piece of junior school sew-mess...

I'm just going to say it: I could have done this so much better myself.

Obviously Soft Lilac Lace was in a hurry to put together this skirt. I know now, that if the price is "to good to be true" it probably isn't even worth it.

I'll have to finish of all the sewing myself (zig-zag raw edges, attach the zipper properly, detach the eyelet lace and sew it back on with better seams) and it is going to take time... :(


There is nothing wrong with the design, just terrible achievement and commitment to sewing :(

Skirt with Dear Celine Marshmallow Petticoat
Pretty but terribly made.

It is totally unacceptable to send a half-made skirt to a customer, when you promise something else. I am going to have to do a lot of extra work on this skirt, just to make it wearable (so the zipper doesn't fall off during a meet :(.

I'm very sad, because it feels like Soft Lilac Lace could have done this SOOOO much better. I would rather have waited a month more to get a diligently sewn skirt than this poor executed heap of threads.


2 out of 5 Hazelbelle nuts, if the skirt had been sewn properly it would have received 5/5.

Review:
Did the items match the pictures on Etsy? 2/5 No. The low quality was not perceived through Etsys pictures.
Where the items of good quality? 2/5 Poor seems, carelessly made. Good quality cotton and lace. Great with a magically soft underskirt.
How was the sellers communication? 5/5 Very good.
Cost versus quality? 1/5 Terrible!

Wednesday 4 September 2013

LUCKY PACK! Til the last petal falls on Etsy

Two huge Lucky Packs! USD 19 (including postage!)
Yäj! I recieved my Lucky Packs that I've ordered from two accessory stores on Etsy :)


I'll start off with a post on Til the last petal falls.


I never ever rate lucky packs :) I simply describe the contents - since no Lucky Pack ever is the same. Lucky Packs are of so good value and they are a great way for the seller to get rid of their old stuff (that no one else wants LOL ;) - so they really are a hit or miss - and often both!

Most often there's always something you love  - and the rest you can either give away to a friend or sell! Lucky packs are great for Christmas gift shopping to those you never know what to give... ^^

Mystery Bag - Destash Princess Accessories SEK 33.47 (USD 5)

I bought two lucky packs from this seller - since they were so cheap :)
I expected something very princessey, and the seller had beautifully packaged the lucky packs in my favourite colour - PINK! :)

Lucky items in pretty Organza bags and a cute letter :)


20% off coupons!
Lucky Pack 1 content
Lucky Pack 1 contained, 2 necklaces, 2 rings, 1 pair of earrings, 1 hairclip, small cute erasers and stickers.

Princess scrabble and frame necklaces
Stickers! Tink unfortunately suffered some wrinkles during the transport.
Erasers in a bag, 2 rings, 1 pair of stud earrings and a hairclip.
The ring needs some more glue :)
Princessy stickers!
Lucky pack 2 contents
Frame and scrabble princess necklace
Two rings, stickers and erasers
Stickers, hair clip and earrings!
My favourite pieces are the green heart earrings (I'm wearing them as I write this ;) and the Tinkerbell frame necklace! I love the green chain :)

I'm very pleased with my Lucky Packs and I'm looking forward to using the coupons in Til the last petal falls store :) :) :)
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