I'm so excited! I'm finally pushing through with my first Taobao order. Technically I've ordered from Taobao before, but this is the first time I'm the one who's dealing with the shopping service. The other times I've ordered anything, my friends were the ones who dealt with the service.
Anyway! This is just going to be a vain shallow post to show what I'm ordering. If you want something deep, just skip this one, I guess. If you want to get a feel for my taste, keep reading!
Oh, and I'm including a few links to the shops I ordered from!
Before we begin...
Let me explain what Taobao is for the uninitiated! Basically it's like a great Chinese Ebay/Amazon/Rakuten/TradeMe. You've got individuals selling items (they have EVERYTHING), and you have businesses selling too. Some are handmade, and some are mass-produced. Okay, most are mass-produced.
BECAUSE TAOBAO IS CHEAP.
If you factor in the fact that a) China sells cheap things and b) the exchange rate is most definitely in your favour, then all signs point to... Taobao = cheap = happy fashionista!
I'll go more in-depth about Taobao some other time, but for now note these things.
Why should you care about Taobao?
BECAUSE TAOBAO IS CHEAP.
If you factor in the fact that a) China sells cheap things and b) the exchange rate is most definitely in your favour, then all signs point to... Taobao = cheap = happy fashionista!
I'll go more in-depth about Taobao some other time, but for now note these things.
- Choose which shops you buy from carefully! Some are more reputable than others.
- Don't forget to factor in shipping! If you live in an Asian country, your shipping is wayyy cheaper than shipping to Europe, Australia&New Zealand or to the Americas.
- You need to use a shipping/shopping service unless you have a Chinese address!
- Taobao has everything. EVERYTHING.
- The website is in Mandarin Chinese (Or is it Cantonese...?). Unless you can read it, use Google Chrome for awesome translations!
- If you need help, you can tweet me or ask for help on Tumblr. There are plenty of people who are infatuated with Taobao and would love to help you. :)
Here are the things I'm ordering!
Not all of the items I wanted to order were accepted. :( It makes me really sad, but oh well! I guess that gives me an excuse to try out a different shopping service!
If you know a shopping service, that gives a discount on shipping like Yoybuy does, let me know!
And here are my precious.
As for the brushes, I have a few already from my friend's Avon biz! But I wanted to have a complete set for cheap, so I thought I'd try buying some from this store because it had a great rating. (And it was cheap.)
I forgot what colour of scarf I ordered, so I shall be surprised when it arrives!
As you can see, my tastes are pretty eclectic. One the one hand, I love punkish/rocker stuff, and I also love cute things, sophisticated items, whatever. It makes for a fun wardrobe but also one that may take time to work with. Ah well. C'est la vie!
I admit I went nuts with the jewellery! Maybe I'll come to my senses and not keep everything... In which case we could have an international giveaway coming up!
There are a couple of items I didn't showcase because it didn't fit my 2x2 picture format! (OCD much?)
Beauty-related
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| LR TB - Upper lashes, scarf (Nowhere else to put this...), brushes (YES!), lower lashes |
Every gyaru needs a never-ending supply of lashes, right?!
Well, I am ashamed to say I don't have any sets of lower lashes. :( I kept ruining mine while trying to figure it out. Then my cheap side came out and said "STOP BUYING THIS STUFF. IT'S EXPENSIVE." So I waited for a Taobao order to buy them in 'bulk'.As for the brushes, I have a few already from my friend's Avon biz! But I wanted to have a complete set for cheap, so I thought I'd try buying some from this store because it had a great rating. (And it was cheap.)
I forgot what colour of scarf I ordered, so I shall be surprised when it arrives!
Jewellery
The Hunger Games items aren't for me! I got them for a couple of friends for Christmas. :) (Plus I already have HG pins) I'm in love with the Superman ring, so I hope it fits my fingers! The necklace, I have no words for. It's just cute.
As you can see, my tastes are pretty eclectic. One the one hand, I love punkish/rocker stuff, and I also love cute things, sophisticated items, whatever. It makes for a fun wardrobe but also one that may take time to work with. Ah well. C'est la vie!
I admit I went nuts with the jewellery! Maybe I'll come to my senses and not keep everything... In which case we could have an international giveaway coming up!
There are a couple of items I didn't showcase because it didn't fit my 2x2 picture format! (OCD much?)
Wigs
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| LR TB - Split wig, natural wig, natural with highlights, crazy super awesome w/ poofs |
What do you think of these babies?! I am so keen to have them sitting in my room and most especially... On my head! I only have 3 wigs at the moment (one straight blonde, one cosplay and one cury split red and black), and of those I only wear one regularly.
These wigs will be a welcome addition to my life!
Okay, okay, enough about me and the beautiful things that will be coming into my life. Here's a little something for you!
Since I know Taobao can be a bit of a monster for first-timers...
You can have a look at a couple of links! This is just a teaser list really. I'll post a more comprehensive one some other time!
Check out these links!
To be honest, I don't know if the names I'm listing these shops under are correct, but the links are definitely right!
Vivian Wig
This shop was recommended to me by a friend! They sell a variety of different styled wigs, but they focus on a more natural look. I doubt you'll find any crazy rainbow coloured or ombre-style hair in this shop. BUT you'll find a lot of gorgeous wigs for a more natural look.Water Dance Lufthansa (水舞莎)
I found this shop while I was on a taobao window shopping spree! I think I was desperately looking for wigs with gorgeous but unusual hair colours and styles (You know, so I can try different looks out without committing?!), then I stumbled upon this one! This is the shop that carries that fiesty purple-pink-rainbow-streaked pastel goth-esque wig from a couple of pictures back.Luosha Baby (洛莎宝贝)
If you love looking at cute cuddly things, you definitely want to pop by this shop! They have a fantastic selection of cute things like Rilakumma coats, pillows and plushies, among a lot of other things. I was planning to get a few items from here but the shopping service rejected it because Rilakumma is branded. :( Next time!
Those are the shops! When I said a few links, I really did mean it, you know. ;)
Caida Sanjiang (财达三江)
And if you're on this blog, you probably have a love affair with girly things. If that's the case, you might want to check out this shop since they offer a variety of goods like tights, leggings, hair accessories and jewellery. I went nuts in the jewellery section.Those are the shops! When I said a few links, I really did mean it, you know. ;)
So what do you think of my soon-to-be-very-own lovelies? Have you heard of Taobao before? Bought anything?
By the way, this post is linked to Loving Lately! The link will bring you to one of the hosts of this blog party, Glossy Blonde! :)
By the way, this post is linked to Loving Lately! The link will bring you to one of the hosts of this blog party, Glossy Blonde! :)
Let me know what you think in the comments below (or on Twitter since I'm addicted to that too!)
