review

My First Lucky Pack

/ lolitaland / 2 Comments

Sorry about the brief hiatus; I have been so busy with school and such. Finally, I can tell you about my first Lucky Pack! I was lucky enough to join a group order for the Metamorphose Winter Lucky Pack (2013/2014). I have never purchased a Lucky Pack before because I was always nervous about getting items that I disliked or did not fit me. (And I do not think I am very lucky… I almost never win raffles, giveaways, and the blind bags I have purchased in the past have been disappointing.)

In any case, I do not regret getting the Meta Lucky Pack! My friend Emily ordered three Lucky Packs (total cost: 34,300 yen), and then we split up the items among us. There were three of us, so we each got a full Lucky Pack in the end, but we mixed and matched items to best suit our tastes.

The tote bag that I got!

The tote bag that I got!

All three of us got the same exact white blouse, but we each got different skirts and accessories.

Here is what I got:

I love this skirt!

I love this skirt!

  • A beautiful bordeaux skirt with an all-over print and a lace trim.

All three of the skirts had the same exact lace trim. My friend Emily observed that none of the skirts have a border print or border detail, other than the lace trim. Perhaps the skirts were made with surplus fabric. All three of the skirts have fully elastic waistbands. In my opinion, this is great because the skirts will fit a wide range of sizes (and I can eat lots of food when I wear this skirt!).

Meta LuckyPack Skirt

  • A white blouse.

I have not tried on this blouse yet, but my friend Lisa told me that the fabric is quite sheer. So I think this blouse would work well under a JSK, but it may not be so great with a skirt unless I wear a camisole under or a vest on top (or both). I wish the fabric was more opaque! The style looks very nice and versatile though; I think this blouse would work for a variety of lolita substyles.

  • A black bow hair barrette.
  • A crown cameo necklace.
  • Black socks with a trump-themed print.

I love these socks but I have no idea how to coordinate them yet. XD I really want a trump-themed skirt or dress to go with these socks. I think I can coordinate these socks with a plain black skirt and black blouse though, if I use some red and gold accessories.

  • A zippered cream tote bag

Meta Lucky Pack

Classical Puppets Petticoat Review coming soon!

/ lolitaland / Leave a comment

I’ll write up a review as soon as I have time.

This is the Classical Puppets petticoat I purchased: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?id=3401713800

It’s an A-Line super fluffy petticoat. I was afraid that it was squished during shipping because it came wrapped up in such a small package, but it definitely floofed up immediately after removing it from the package. (Floofed should be a word, by the way… but it’s not. Oh, well. I’ll use the word “floofed” anyways. xD)

I don’t have time to write up a in-depth review yet because I have only worn the petticoat with one coord so far (the Chocolate Bar meet coord)… and also, I have two long essays I need to write for Monday. So I’m rather bogged down with work. 

And I’m also sick with a cold. 😦 I’ve been sick since Sunday, so it has been about a week. I really hope I’ll feel better soon. I might dress up in Lolita fashion tomorrow to cheer myself up (if I’m feeling up to it). Maybe a casual coord?

Now… BACK TO ESSAY-WRITING.

Taobao Experience

/ lolitaland / 5 Comments

I just received my Taobao package!

I’ll be posting reviews of the items soon. Maybe I’ll even post a video of me opening the package? >w<

In any case, I used Taobaospree as the shopping service to order from Taobao. I did a lot of research on various shopping services and Taobao stores before placing my order. The agent who worked with me spoke fluent English and was very helpful. She answered my questions clearly and promptly. At first, communication seemed slow, but it was because of the time difference. I started checking my email around 11 pm to 1 am, and usually I would receive responses around that time. (Night time here is day time over in China, I presume.) Taobaospree was a great shopping service, and I will definitely use it again if I ever make another Taobao purchase. If anyone is curious, the shipping I used was EMS. I had no problems with it – no issues, it didn’t take too long, no customs fees. I know some people use DHL, but I’ve never used DHL before. This was my  first overseas purchase, so I’m in no way, shape, or form an experienced shopper, however, I thought maybe someone will find this useful.

My Taobao shopping experience was pleasant. Although also difficult because there are so many wonderful items on Taobao that I wanted to purchase.

My Taobao shopping process:

  1. I browsed through Lolita Taobao shops. Here’s a list that I found really useful: http://egl.livejournal.com/15204857.html
    (Also, feel free to check out these Lolita items from Taobao; I posted items that I found cool/cute/nice but not all of them are still in stock: http://xiaorawr.tumblr.com/tagged/taobao%20wishlist)
  2. I emailed myself a list of products I liked. I narrowed it down to things I thought were great deals (cheap, but seem to be good quality). I added a staple (a Classical Puppets petticoat). Then I decided to browse cosplay-related items to see if I could find some deals (since I’m a cosplayer too) and decided to purchase two sets of false eyelashes (they’re so much cheaper on Taobao than in the US!) and a few wigs (also so much cheaper than wigs from the US!).
  3. I researched the companies that these products came from. I read reviews, both specific product reviews and general company reviews.
  4. I narrowed down the list further.
  5. I emailed my order form (an Excel spreadsheet) to Taobaospree.
  6. I received a response. (Sadly, some items were out of stock by this point. But the agent gave me recommendations and I looked into them.)
  7. I confirmed the order. Taobaospree accepts payment through Paypal, which makes things a lot easier. 🙂
  8. And today, I received the package! 😀

To be honest, I’d love to order from Taobao again… but I don’t think I will any time soon because I currently can’t afford it. Maybe in 2 years? (I love how cheap items are on Taobao, but the international shipping fees are REALLY expensive… I still think my order was worth it though. But I won’t be making another overseas order anytime soon)

I hope someone will find this helpful! Feel free to ask me any questions.