I
find it hard to believe that I used to be among the most
wary-of-online-purchasing people that I know. Needless to say, those
dark days are over and I have fully welcomed and gone into overdrive in
the fantastical limitless world of online shopping. Of course,
especially in the case of some websites like Sheinside, Aliexpress and
Ebay, what you see on the pretty webpage is not always what you get, and
you need to do a little bit of ‘research’ to make sure what you’re
buying is legitimate. One of the reasons I started my blog was to return
the kind service that I felt so many other bloggers provided when they
posted real-life photos and reviews
of the items they bought online. I have added the links for other items
too, wherever I found them still available online. Without any further
ado, the photos please:
SHEINSIDE:
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Silky lightweight jacket Sz M
$20.34 w/i FB 20% discount- Sheinside here
Light blue bandeau AU$3.00 - Factorie here
Cord trousers - H&M |
|
I
love this jacket, it is soft and silky, and looks as good in person as
it does online. The size 'M' seems to fit me (sz 8 or 'S' usually) quite
well. It is unlined which makes the inside look a little cheap, but it
adds to how feathery light it is.
One
of the things I love about the Sheinside website is that other
purchasers put their own photos up so that you can see what it looks
like in everyday lighting and styling. Out of the three online outlets
reviewed here, Sheinside is the only 'clothes store.' It is similar to
Romwe, Chicwish, Shechic & Choies, and if you're looking for a
particular item, you might find it in more than one of these stores at
varied prices.
EBAY:
 |
Floral Kimono M $16.86 - Ebay here
Red ponte pencil skirt - Glassons
Bailey value burgundy crop top - Missguided |
|
| C |
I
got this summery kimono in the mode of 'Youtube makes me buy things'
after watching a video by Izzi's Daydream (you can find her here). I love it, it's light, easy to wear and adds that little bit of cover that can 'modestify' and outfit.
When
shopping on Ebay it's very difficult to see other reviews on the
particular item you want. You can check out the seller's feedback as a
whole, though, and sometimes I use Ctrl+F to see if I can find a review
of the item I'm looking at.
ALIEXPRESS:
 |
Blue cotton and lace shirt $12.98 - Aliexpress here
Bella floral print skater skirt AU$20.98 - Missguided here |
This
lace panelled shirt is cute and very flattering, but it is super itchy
as well. It is not denim but rather a thin cotton and scratchy
plastic-like lace. I still wear it and like the way it looks, but the
material is very cheap. The back is completely sheer so I wear it with a bandeau.
 |
Blue ombre fluffy cardigan Sz M ‘green’ $18.79 - Aliexpress here
Burgundy crop top - Missguided
Beige high waisted shorts - H&M
Light blue bandeau AU$3.00 - Factorie here
Dreamcatcher T-shirt Sz Free $7.80 - Aliexpress here
Black velvet skater skirt AU$14.95 - Factorie here |
I
love the colour and feel of this soft gradient cardigan, but the
sleeves are a bit too short. If I could buy it again, I would go for an
'L' as the sizing was a little small. I bought a whole bunch of the
T-shirts in the bottom left picture, so will do a seperate review, but
will just say that they are awesome if you're looking good quality
oversized T with a pretty print.
 |
Light blue deer head with antlers sweater Sz Free $12.99 - Aliexpress here
Amela daisy print hotpants AU$45.98 - Missguided here
Nude crop bandeau top Sz 6 NZ$7.80 - ASOS here
Kitten ears - Ebay
Bella floral print skater skirt AU$20.98 - Missguided here
Mint mustache necklace - Diva |
 |
| Skeleton ribcage sweater Sz Free $12.99 - Aliexpress here
|
 |
Roses sweater Khaki Sz L $10.99 - Aliexpress here
Belt Aliexpress Pink $4.69 - Aliexpress here
Lace Skirt Sz Free $7.37 - Aliexpress here
Peacock fob watch necklace - Trademe |
I
got three of these distressed Wildfox ripoff sweaters. They are soft,
versatile and give an 'I'm not really trying, I just look this good when
I roll out of bed' sort of feel. I'm not sure if you can tell from the
pictures, but the ribcage on the black sweater is made of sequins.
Surprisingly, they do not detract from the comfort. The light blue deer
sweater actually has a Wildfox label in it - those cheeky guys! The belt
is super cute, a nice nude pink with laser cut details and is
adjustable. The skirt is pretty with quite nice lace but the 'free' size
is just too short to wear outside. <Although he looks terrified,
Okami insisted on helping with his persistent meowing.>
 |
| Pale pink chiffon shirt Sz M ‘khaki’ $13.99 - Aliexpress here |
Some
of the stitching has been done in dark blue thread which looks like ink
stains along the collar, the buttons are discoloured and the whole
thing is a bit cheap, but this is just a circumstance of 'you get what
you pay for.' I love the fact that the back has a tailcoat-esque opening
and the amount of detail for the price (please excuse the
desperate-for-an-iron look).
All
in all I am so happy that even though I live in a tiny town in New
Zealand I can buy beautiful clothes online. I just wanted to share a few
notes:
- All three of
these sites offer free shipping most of the time (which I am a sucker
for). The free shipping takes about a month to arrive so I would
recommend giving yourself plenty of time if you need something for a
particular event (or you can copy my style and buy nice clothes with no
place to go).
- All prices I stated were in USD unless I wrote AU or NZ $. The prices on these sites go up and down constantly!
- Sizing usually
always fits at least one size smaller than stated. I always size up to
an M or L. Because of the sizing discrepancies I have found that buying
things that are meant to be casual or oversized stand a better chance of
not disappointing (that was kind of obvious, but I have been
disappointed before with shorts and things that you really need to fit
right).
- When searching
the sites 'mohair' is used to describe a fluffy synthetic eyelash knit
(not actual angora mohair), 'plus sized' is used for clothing that is
loose fitting, 'hollow out' means open knit, 'khaki' is a peachy or
beige colour and 'chiffon' is used to describe almost anything!
Have a completely amazing day, and don't hesistate to ask me any questions about shopping online. I love to be an enabler.
