Collective Online Haul: Aliexpress, Ebay, Sheinside

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:

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.