Sunday, March 7, 2021

Taobao Order #2 Opening!

 Hi friends! <3

It's been quite a while since my first taobao order. I still have everything I ordered before with the exception of the sleeping beauty set. I ended up selling that since I didn't like it as much as I thought I would. Anyways... The petticoat I had bought back then was my first proper one and has held up quite well over the years. However, recently I noticed that it was starting to lose its poof. I figured it was time to get a new one. I thought I'd get a few other items too. Once I figured out what I wanted, I had a friend place my order with their shopping service so their items and mine could be combined for shipping later on.


Stock Pics

Miss Point: Vintage Garden Blouse (Beige. Size 2XL)

Miss Point: Vintage Garden Blouse (Cherry blossom, Size 2XL)

Loris: Star Bag (Laser)

Morning Glory: Strawberry Bag (Size L, No bow, Bright red)

Aurora & Ariel: Rainbow Petti (43cm, Catwalk, Full color)


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The package(s)...



First one up...


Inside we have both blouses and a bonus small cloth bag...


The beige blouse came with 3 little detachable bows...


Front and back views...



Beautiful lace and trim details...



The pink blouse also came with the little bows...


Front and back views...



More of the same lace and this time a beige color for the trim...


 

Next package...


Inside...


Front, back, and side views...



Zipper on top...


Roomy inside with a small zippered pocket...


It came with two different straps. One short and one long. The clips are a nice quality metal and attach to the metal loops at the top of the bag. I love the fake pearl beads...




Here's the short one. More of a handbag style...


And the longer one is more of a crossbody or over the shoulder style...


Third package has a cute cat design...

Opening it up...

Inside...


All wrapped up...


Front, side, and back views...




Roomy inside...


This bag came with two straps *and* a keychain. The short strap has fake pearl beads. The longer one has some of those same beads with a cute bow. They also have nice metal clips and fasten with metal loops on the top/back of the bag... 


Short handbag style...


Keychain details...

Longer crossbody/shoulder strap with an adjustable buckle...


Can also be worn as a backpack...


Last package...


Opening it up...



Look at those colors. So pretty...


Hanging up...


So many layers...



Try-on pics...

Blouses





Petticoat


Everything together <3



Thoughts:

I am happy I got all of these items. The blouses are gorgeous and will get worn a lot with sweet and classic looks. I sized up in the blouse because I was concerned it might be too small. It ended up being slightly big but that's alright. The sleeves are super long which was a pleasant surprise. Being on the tall side, I find it difficult to find long sleeves that are actually long enough . The lace/fabric is lightweight and soft. The bands in the sleeve are elastic and stretch a bit. I plan to get the black colorway next time.

The bags are very nice. The silver one is seems to be plastic-y with some cardboard underneath. I like the bow on the front with the fake pearl chain. I am worried about the bag getting scratched/dented with use but I'll be extra careful with it. Stars are one of my favorite shapes and this will go great with my coords. And the strawberry one, omg! I love it! The fabric is sturdy with a plastic coating over it. The words appear to be embroidered in golden thread. Strawberries are one of my favorite themes in lolita. It can hold a lot and will match with many of my dresses. The postcard and hand fan are cute extras.

The petticoat is so fluffy! I love how colorful it is <3 It fits me a bit tightly at the waist, but the elastic should loosen up a bit with some wearing. This is the same petticoat that was featured in FluffyKawaiiJo's The ULTIMATE lolita petticoat comparison video. I went for the full color option which was a few dollars extra but I think it was worth it.

Tuesday, March 2, 2021

Tea Time: Totally Nutty!

 Hi friends! <3

Today I'm trying out a tea from Bird & Blend.


$7.90-Bird & Blend: Totally Nutty- UK


Loose leaf tea inside...


All steeped up...


Such a nice dark brown color...


Mmm...


Added a little creamer...


Thoughts:

This was pretty good. The taste reminded me of Life cereal; nutty and with a hint of cinnamon. I think it would be better iced or maybe as a latte. It was mildly better when I added some creamer. I might get this again.

Stars: *** (3 out of 5)

Monday, March 1, 2021

February Sip Down Progress & March Goals!

 Hi friends! <3

Continuing with the sip downs...






In February, I finished caramel shortbread. scottish caramel, gojiberry blueberry pomegranate, strawberries & cream, and strawberry moringa. Continued with holiday chai, raspberry matcha, and grand cru matcha. Tried da hong pao, but wasn't a fan and gave the rest to my roommate. It smelled like hay, but there wasn't anything to it flavor-wise. The scottish caramel was my least favorite. It tasted like dirt with a slight hint of caramel. Adding the leftover cereal milk from my Dunkin' caramel macchiato cereal helped somewhat. 


I purchased some new teas, including this one from the Asian grocery store...


I got these for free from a tea fan group online; since someone didn't want them...


I got another tea from Cuppa Culture, and a couple from a new place called Purr-fect Tea which was near an antique mall...


I also got some teaware from thrift stores. I thought the little pitcher would be perfect for doing cold brews...


The mug on the top right looks like a fox and says "cuddle buddy"; so cute...


I saw someone online using the blender bottles for making matcha and decided to try it out...


For March, I plan to finish holiday chai and sticky rice oolong. Start totally nutty, ankara apple, berry berry, chai french vanilla, jasmine green, earl grey in the garden, and white blossom #257. I will probably use most of the single tea bags up in the tea mail exchange I'm doing in an online tea fan group. Between what's left of those plus the new ones I'll be receiving, it should keep me busy lol.