Fallen Princess Review

Buy it HERE

Fallen Princess Store is run by two young ladies in Sydney Australia that started up their business this year. Steph & Jasmine contacted me and generously offered me one of their products for a little review of their store.

Shipping:

After making my request Fallen Princess was pretty fast to making and posting it off. The item arrived over night for me once it was posted too as I also live in Sydney. It arrived to me in a paper letter envelope, the envelope was unopened. The parcel was small and discreet.

Item/Quality/Size:

My favourite item in their store is the lavender fallen cherub garter and this is the item I chose to review. Fallen Princess will also customise your item a little by letting you choose the colour of the satin flowers. I chose the lavender flowers. Inside the envelope the garter was packaged very sweetly in a little pouch with a thank you note. 

The garter is made of black elastic with a satin-like surface. The back of the garter is plain while the front is decorated with 5 flowers and a little cherub charm. It is stitched together well, I can't see it falling apart easily as the stitching is pretty secure and cleanly done and does not affect the stretch of the elastic.

This garter comes in sizes XS to XL with measurements but they also offer custom sizes. I measured my thigh and chose a small for myself. It sits securely around my mid thigh. So far it has not fallen down while wearing it, though I feel like it could be a little tighter.

Overall:

The garter is a nice simple accessory. They are well made and affordable. Steph and Jasmine are super easy to talk to and flexible when it comes to their designs. I really like this little piece, I am so happy with it. I can't wait to wear it more and I think it will add a sweet but cheeky touch to plenty of my outfits.

A big thank you to Fallen Princess for their generosity and thank you for reading lovelies!

What's in my bag?

BOUGHT: HERE~ 

on Aliexpress

I've been holding out for a new bag, this one had caught my eye ages ago. It sold out however, very quickly. I hoped the seller would restock but never did. It wasn't until recently when I got frustrated with the size of the everyday handbag I was using that I started to look for one again. This is my first time buying from Aliexpress.

Shipping: Free

It arrived in a grey envelope, inside a plastic wrap. The buckles had been padded and the strap wrapped up. In two days it was processed then shipped. It took 10 days to reach me after it had been posted. It was in perfect condition when it arrive. Super happy with the shipping service.

Price/Item/Quality: $17.50

I am really happy with what I got. It is the perfect size for an everyday bag. My biggest worry was the material. The photos showed PU leather but the product description described it as canvas. I wanted PU and hoped that the description had been mistaken. Happy days, it is made of PU leather. The inside is lined with a canvas like material though.

(Hard to see in above picture) The bag has one main pocket, that is separated by a panel which divides it into two, one pocket can secure shut with a snap button which connects to the separating panel. In side the secured pocket there is a zip pouch and a small open pocket. The spotted panel of leather is also a flap concealing another major pocket to stash your goodies in, secured shut with a button. I'd advise using only this pocket or the main pocket for the things you use most, like wallet and keys. It can be easy to leave either open and you might risk having things fall out.

Don't let the compact size of the bag fool you. It can actually pack quite a bit. This is what I carry with me most days, plus extra things like keys and sunglasses. It holds them all well with room to spare most days. It is light, doesn't add weight to what you are carrying, unlike the old bag I was using. The shoulder strap sits comfortably and doesn't strain me when I carry it for long periods of time.

I carry detol hand sanitiser, Tony Moly: Mini Bunny hand cream, Tony Moly: Moist Mist face spray, my blue phone/money wallet, compact notebook, Tony Moly: Bunny lip glosses, Paul Frank Lip Smackers, Nivea: Lip Repair balm and my strawberry chocolate comb.

Overall:

I use this bag every day. I really love it. A bargain for that price. Now that I have had this good experience I think I can feel more confident about shopping on Aliexpress (so long as sellers have a good rep, of course). I would recommend anyone to buy this bag, from this seller. They were fast to ship and it really is a great bag.

Much love ~

Meet Marie ♥

I've been saving up for a new Alpacasso to join our little family. As soon as I saw the eden series I knew she was the one. I have two pink boys, Toulouse, from the earmuff series, and Berlioz, from the gorgeous series.

(A cookie for whoever can guess where their names are from~)

Bought: HERE!! (Anime-Dolphin eBay)

Anime-Dolphin sells a range of plushes and merchandise, mostly related to Japanese animation. They have cute ghibli, pokemon and disney collections plus lots of other series. 

Shipping: $3

When she arrived she was packed into a padded, yellow, paper envelope. In that she was sealed in a plastic bag. A little squished as you can see but being a plushie, it just took a few squishes to get her back into shape. She arrived a lot sooner than I thought she would. She was posted within 24 hours after payment, on the 15th of April. Estimated delivery was for the 30th of April but she arrived on the 24th. That is almost a week early, so I was pleasantly surprised when she arrived.

Item/Quality/Price: $39.99

She is a white, female, 17 cm Eden Series Alpacasso. She has little pink cheeks and stitched eyelashes. She has an amuse alpacasso tag on her tummy towards her back leg.

My main concern in purchasing her was that she was going to be a bad knockoff. If she is a knock off, the difference seems very minor to me, she is a very good one. I don't know if she is or isn't a genuine Alpacasso. She does have a label, and a tag, however the only thing that makes me suspicious she is not a genuine one is her label is not an 'eden series' label. I'm no Alpacasso expert so it's only a suspicion. Everything else to me screams genuine. She is a really good quality plush, knock off or not.

I was hoping for a genuine one, but the places where I know to get them had sold out of the eden series. So I took a chance on Anime-Dolphin and I love what I got.

Overall:

I love her to bits. She will get lots of cuddles and fits in wonderfully with Toulouse and Berlioz. I would advise anyone of thinking to buy from Anime-Dolphin, look at the store through the american eBay site. Her Australian site has a lot less available, this product isn't even listed in her Australian store. If you do this there will be price differences, better keep an eye out for that :)

Thanks for reading ≧◉◡◉≦

(Sorry for the terrible lighting in my room)

Creepers Review

In my little home town we have an annual rockabilly festival called Lady Luck. It's a great day of kitsch stalls, sexy vintage cars, sick tatts and of course swing cats. This post has been a little delayed, the festival was actually in January but I finally got the time to write about it.

Every year I go around checking out stalls, taking photos of people, cars and buying little bibs and bobs I come across that I can't resist. This year I found a gem of a stall.

Baby Creatures.

This business makes rock n roll adorable. Selling things like tees and bandanas with skulls and tatt designs printed on them. How are they adorable? Well they are for little bubby greasers rather than adults.

Now you might be wondering why this store would catch my eye? I don't have a baby, I don't really know any babies, especially babies that are cool cats. Not only did they have baby things on they were also selling T.U.K creepers. Specifically Mondo Lo Sole Brothel Creepers, with leopard print and studs.

I've been hanging out for a good pair of creepers for a long time. T.U.K is one of the brands to look for, so just how good are they?

Price: $90 AUD
At the time this pair could be bought for around $86 USD, once converted to AUD it was over $90 AUD, and that's not including about $20+ shipping. So this price was amazing! I was so happy. They are great quality shoes, $90 is quite a bit of money for someone on my current income but well worth it.

Item/Quality:
Amazing! They take a little getting used to I will admit, not so much because they are a platform but because they are a lower cut shoe than what I am used to. Also the suede is quite firm at first so I found it dug in under my ankle a little. Though they have softened now so I wear them a lot. I walk pretty much everywhere and these haven't given me any pains, even when I have been walking for kilometres in the city. They are really comfortable, perhaps not the best for support but, again, they have not given me any trouble. None of the studs have fallen off either, which worried me a little but they seem to be fastened on well.

Service:
The man who was running the baby creatures stall was very friendly and personable. He helped me try them on, we had a chat and even held them for me while I went to the bank.

Overall:
Love these babies to bits. They are really versatile in style too, I can coordinate them with heaps of styles. They are pretty much my go to shoes right now. Very comfortable and if you can get your hands on a pair I would definitely recommend them.

As for buying these yourselves you may have to do some hunting. I'm sure if you are in Australia and wish to buy a pair you might be able to grab some from baby creatures if you contact them on their facebook or through their website.

Thanks for reading ♥

☽ KILLSTAR Crop Top Review ☾

☯ Ouija Crop Top - £24.99

☯ Third Eye Crop Top - £24.99

Shipping: Free, special promo.

My order was posted 2 days after I paid for it. It arrived in 6 days which is super fast. I have bought from KillStar in the past and paid for shipping so I know it is pretty reasonable for a fast reliable service.

Item/Quality/Price:

I got a small in both and they fit me great. I paid £24.99 each, a little over $40 AUD each. I think that's great for designer shirts, the fabric is also great quality. It's pure cotton, it breathes so it's great for hot weather and is cut as a crop to expose your tummy. The designs are awesome, I can't pick which is my favourite which is why I decided to get both. The print stretches, so it shouldn't crack. I can't wait to wear these more.

Extras:

This time it came with what I think are stickers for the tag. The KillStar logo, the inverted cross, looks to be a sticker. If not I'm a label hoarder, I love using them for scrap booking. The detail of the designs is great once again, right down to the labels.

Overall:

Love these crops to death. Super excited to have them. Once again, KillStar has provided a great service. Really pleased with everything. I recommend them and hope you check them out.

❤

Guide to Confidence in Online Shopping ~

I know shopping online can be a bit scary to some people. There are a lot more risks than buying something from a physical store because you only have a profile and pictures to go from. However, if you can get it right, online shopping can be pretty easy and convenient, it opens up a a much bigger variety to what you can buy and if you know what to look out for you can feel a lot more confident in what you purchase.

Here are 11 simple tips that are good to practice when deciding if something is safe to buy:

1. Research. This is probably the most important thing you can do and is linked to all the other points. If you find a product you are unsure about research its name and brand. ALWAYS research the name of the store, the brand, the product itself. Use google, tumblr, blogger, facebook etc to find the store and search for information.

2. Reviews. In your research you should look for reviews. These are a good indicator of how trustworthy a shop is and the quality of their products. Multiple reviews would be best as one bad review should not reflect the entire reliability of the shop or the product. It may have just been a one off mistake or honest miss in quality control.

3. Price. The price of the product is an indicator of the quality. If you buy, for example, a belted dress for $10. It sure looks cute, but don't be disappointed if when you get it it has lose threads, poor stitching or has the probability it will fall apart quickly. It annoys me to no end when I see people reviewing a product negatively for these reasons and they don't acknowledge the price of the item. You can't expect top quality for virtually nothing.

4. Feedback. Some marketplace sites have a feedback system be it written reviews or ratings. Etsy, ebay, amazon, even taobao have feedback systems. High ratings for a high amount of sales is good. Low rating for any number of sales is bad. If it is based on written feedback read the customers comments and get a generalised idea of how reliable the store and product is.

5. Sales. Again number of sales is important. Especially for places like storenvy which do not have a rating system. The higher the number of sales you can assume the more reliable they are and the likely you will be able to find a review or information from past customers.

6. Sizing. Always check your size. Don't go off generalised/standardised sizes, go off measurements and compare them to your own measurements. If there are no measurements offered you can always ask for them.

7. Communication. Don't ever hesitate to ask the seller questions. They should get back to you fairly quickly, if they are not quick they will usually excuse themselves. If you have already bought the item you can ask for updates on the purchase, most will do that themselves, but if you are ever worried just let them know your problem or request help from them, you are within your right to do so.

8. Payment. Paypal is probably the most secure and safe method of payment. I personally prefer to use it, if the site does not accept paypal I find that a deterrent to shopping there. Paypal makes it really easy to keep in contact with the seller and you are much more likely to get your money back if anything goes wrong, so long as you open your dispute within 45 days of paying.

9. Materials. Materials can tell you a lot of things about the product. How sturdy it is, how comfortable it would be to use/wear, if it is toxic, if you are paying too much for it. Cheap fabrics can make you sweat, they can damage easily, it is a good thing to keep in mind if you are paying a lot of money for something made out of polyester. Or if you are buying something that actually has harmful ingredients.

10. Photos. Photo quality is a good indicator of if you might be about to get ripped off. If the photo is of low resolution it is most likely a picture that had been copied from the internet many times. If it is a crisp clean photo then it is more likely to be an exclusive picture to that store. If it has a watermark or signature, that does not belong to the store selling it, it may be a replica or the seller may have permission to use the images. It is more reassuring if there is a photo credit in the description. This is not always the case, taobao resellers will often use the same image because they are being supplied from the same place and taobao images often have a watermark or logo with the shop number. If it looks like an image of a well know brand at a much lower price then the item is most likely a replica.

11. Policies. Sellers and buyers should be aware of their shop policies. When someone buys from a seller it is like entering an agreement for both parties. Be aware as a seller that you must be true to whatever policies you have given and as customers read them so you know what you are agreeing to when you buy the item and what to do if you need to make a return or exchange.

There are exclusions to these points but these are things you should always look for if you are unsure about something. Alway go with your gut, if you have done your best research and you are still unsure don't buy it. If you are happy to risk it then give it a shot and you can always fall back on paypal disputes and claims. 

I hope this will help you!

Black Cat Boutique - Buyer Beware (DO NOT BUY)

So this is the rant/warning I was talking about. I might do a full explanation on a video or this post would be a mile longer than it already is.

Let it be known, I am not pointing fingers, this is just my experience with this situation and is not the same with everyone else involved. I do not have all the information from the person in question as to why this happened, I am just relaying what I know.

The parcel I got today is a cat dress. I bought this dress on the 27th of August 2012 from Black Cat Boutique (BCB) on storenvy, Sufinkusu on Tumblr, Kirsten Amanda, or Kirsten Amanda Brown on other social networking sites, paid for it and all. It is now the 15th of March 2013 and I finally got it. It was initially promised to take 3-4 weeks to arrive, instead it has taken 7 months.

After a month I had not heard anything so I contacted her, I was assured they were on the way from the supplier to her. Another month passed I expressed concern again and was reassured again with the same thing and that there was not anything she could do at this point, despite being suggested to contact her supplier. Unfortunately I left it too late and could not file a paypal claim so I could not resort to paypal to get the money back.

A few weeks passed and on the facebook page for BCB more complaints and questions about peoples orders started to come up. People, including me became suspicious of a scam.

So I looked for the dress elsewhere. I went to Brave on storenvy and explained to her my situation. She was extremely helpful, gave me advice on filing claims on paypal and when I asked for the dress she said she could get me one in a few days, so I bought it. It arrived in just 4 days.

BCB posted that she would give refunds as she realised people were being made to wait too long. However no one got a refund because people had filed too many claims and she had been reported too much so paypal locked her account. She could not access the money. We suggested finding other funds she told us it wasn't possible. Our items finally arrived to her but again she could not post them to us because of the financial difficulty. However she did post pictures of the items to prove she at least had them.

She disappeared for a while too, closing down the store and she did not reply to emails or comments on the facebook page. Everyone was very worried that it had all been a scam at that point. She returned sparingly now and then, finally giving the excuse that she did not have a working computer, again when she went on holiday. Let's just say there were lots of excuses for delays.

Someone finally suggested doing pay on delivery to domestic customers. So we would have to pay extra postage to get our items at the post office once they were sent. This was suggested a while before the seller actually went with this option. She always seemed very reluctant to actually tell us what she was doing to resolve the situation. When asked her usual answer was a vague "I'm doing the best I can".

All in all the communication was the worst. People getting angry didn't help because the seller got frustrated and replied with an equally irritated response. I never sent any aggressive comments however, as frustrating as it was, I actually defended her on occasion. When she was being accused of being a scammer I did point out if it was a scam she would have packed up and left by now with no communication at all.

Her disappearances made it hard, and from her excuses and the time it took it felt like getting this issue resolved was barely a priority to her.

However, I did receive my dress. What I paid for. She has promised to refund the postage money when her paypal is working again, but who knows how long that will be. She was never snappy at me, but I guess that's because I was not snappy to her, so I was usually received with politeness. I also now have two of the same dress, I will probably sell one.

If she was to open her store again I might consider buying from her but only if I knew there were other satisfied customers for that product. Just keep an eye out and be wary of this seller, I think people have a right to know this is the history of this seller but as always it is your judgement whether to buy from her...

UPDATE: She has removed all past comments on her facebook page making this post even more important for people to read so they are aware of the issue.

UPDATE#2: I did end up getting my postage back but it took 3 months more so this. So the whole ordeal took 10 months to sort out completely. Since then she has opened her store again and closed it. Her facebook page is still there for you to see the comments and complaints, it is the same thing all over again. It seems she has not learned her lesson like she assured us. I'm doubtful the people who made orders on the second opening of the store will get what they paid for or a refund this time. It's 2014 now and these issues have still not been resolved since 2012.

:c