REVIEW: Murders and Cats Mini Haul from YOYOMelody (Old review from 11/23/14)

10/22/2015 Edit: This review was made on November 23rd, 2014 and some of the links could be outdated. I am currently in the process of transferring my reviews from tumblr to this blog as backup. From now on, I will be posting reviews both on tumblr and here. If you'd like early access on reviews though, more than likely they will be on my tumblr. 

Hello! I’m doing my first review over a few items from a clothing site called YOYOMelody (or “You’re On Your Own Melody)! They not only sell casual wear, but also dresses for special ocassions, accessories, and shoes.

Note: This is not a sponsored review, but this is an affiliate of mine and I earned all of my store credit. 

~Review below the cut~

Stock Photos:

So I guess you can say the theme of this haul is "Murderers and Cats” which describes my aesthetic 

Harley Quinn Tights - $9.90

Blood Splattered Tights - $9.90

Christmas Cat Sweater - $19.90

Cat Family Sweater - $20

Total: $59.70 + free shipping (because they had a free shipping on +$50 orders promotion for a while). I got it all for free because I had $60 store credit!

Shipping and Packaging:

I promise the packaging was 10x more neater than this; I just decided to open the packaging before the review I made my order on the 9th but because of how there were complications (I had to pay through Paypal and Paypal was refusing to process because the total was 0) I had to message YOYOMelody about it and they processed the order themselves so I think this probably delayed the order a bit. My order was finally shipped out on the 16th and it arrived to me on the 27th. They estimate shipping to take 10 - 25 days so the shipping was pretty fast! The clothes arrived in a regular grey bag and all the items were individually wrapped in their own plastic wrap so nothing could be damaged or dirtied in the process. 

My Photos:

Worn Photos

I apologize for the poor quality; the lighting was not in my favor

This is the sweater that fit me the least comfortably - specifically around the upper arms. It’s a batwing jumper so the sleeves tightens around the upper arms and then then loosens up on the lower arms. As far as the bust, the measurements of it is 51 inches, which is my exact bust measurements, so I did stretch it a bit but it loosened up after a few minutes and it started to fit perfectly. 

This sweater was the most comfortable of the sweaters! It wasn’t too snug on me and stretches better despite it being the same material as the other sweater. It is also a batwing sweater but it doesn’t tighten around the upper arms like the other sweater. It is comfortable to sleep in but what I found out days after I took pictures is that when I slept in it and kept stretching it, I tore the collar (the neck hem) of the sweater. It’s a quick fix by simply removing the entire collar in general (which I’ve done to shirts whose collars ripped) and they are way more comfortable after that. This isn’t a huge issue for me but the collar tearing is something that should be expected if you’re stretching this sweater out and sleeping in it.

I apologize for the poor quality of this photo. I didn’t take a nice photo of these tights so I had to zoom in and crop a mirror selfie So these tights stretch a lot! Their max stretch (hip measurements) is supposed to be 39 inches. I forgot my hip and waist measurements but I assume it’s around 46 - 50 inches - so it stretches farther than its given measurements.

These tights are the same deal as the Harley Quinn tights when it comes to how it stretches! And oddly enough they make my legs look thinner. 

Side note: I only took front photos of these items because their backs were either plain or (in the blood tights’ case) the print was repeated!

Final Verdict:

Shipping and packaging: 10/10 - The shipping was fast and nothing was damaged!

Items/Quality: 7/10 - I personally love these items so much! But for the sake of this review, I did have to lower the rating because of how the Christmas kitty sweater’s collar ripped (and I’m sure the cat family sweater will do the same eventually). There were a bunch of loose strands at the cuffs of the sweaters. Both tights quality were nice and the material was soft for it being just elastic 

Comfort/Fit: 8/10 - The sweaters were a tiny bit itchy because of the fabric used. As I mentioned above, with the cat family sweater I did have discomfort around the upper arms area and it didn’t stretch as good as the Christmas kitty sweater did. The tights did fit me comfortably depending on where I let them sit (ex: if I let the Harley Quinn tights sit above my waist, they’re not as comfortable, but if they sit right on my waist or on my hips, they’re comfortable). 

Customer service: 10/10 - They are an affiliate of mine so their customer service is always kind and helpful to me!

Plus size friendly: This is something I will be adding to my clothing stores reviews from now on! I won’t give a rating but just a little info about the store’s size rage. When it comes to YOYOMelody, I find that the store is plus size friendly depending on what you’re looking for. For shorts and pants, you might not find anything plus size friendly, but as you can see their tights are very forgiving and stretch a lot. Their oversized sweaters are also very forgiving and can fit those who are plus sized.

Overall: 8/10 - I am pleased with these items and service and I will be shopping at YOYOMelody again! Expect another YOYOMelody review in December!

A big thank you to YOYOMelody for being a wonderful affiliate of mine and also letting me host a giveaway! Right now I am hosting a YOYOMelody giveaway for $20 store credit on their site; for every 50 participants, there is a new winner. So the more participants the more winners!

[SPONSORED] REVIEW: Geo Mimi Cafe Latte Brown Circle Lenses from Pinky Paradise (old review from 11/15/2014)

10/22/2015 Edit: This review was made on November 15th, 2014 and some of the links could be outdated. I am currently in the process of transferring my reviews from tumblr to this blog as backup. From now on, I will be posting reviews both on tumblr and here. If you'd like early access on reviews though, more than likely they will be on my tumblr. 

Hello! I will be doing my second review over Pinky Paradise but this is the first time I’ve been sponsored by them! The circle lenses I have chosen to review are the Geo Mimi Cafe Latte Brown (on dark brown eyes).

~Review below the cut~ 

Back in September, Pinky Paradise had a Halloween sponsorship promotion offer that bloggers could “apply” for and if they were qualified enough, they were emailed back and given a half off discount code to spread to followers for a limited amount of time and an opportunity to review a pair of their lenses. Unfortunately, I did have some complications when it came to shipping so that’s why this review is delayed and I wasn’t able to do vlogoween and a Halloween makeup tutorial like I wanted to. ;~;

Stock Photo:

Brand: Geo

Series: Princess Mimi Cafe

Color: Latte Brown

Diameter: 15.00mm

Duration: One year

Price: $21.90 + shipping

Shipping and packaging:

So as stated before, I did have complications with the original lenses I wanted. I believe I was supposed to receive some bright green Halloween/cosplay lenses from Geo to go with my Beetlejuice costume and they were shipped out around September 18th but I notified Pinky Paradise on October 20th about how the lenses haven’t arrived to me and a day later they told me the the lenses probably got lost. They offered me to select a new pair, considering those lenses were sold out. Those lenses were sent out around October 21st and arrived to me November 7th. As the picture shows, the lenses were packaged in a standard bubble wrap lined envelope.

Package Contents:

The package contained a lens case, the circle lenses wrapped safely in foam wrap, and an extra goody (AKA velcro strips that help pull back your hair from your face). 

The lenses are supposed to look like macarons (it’s my first time having this type of lens case so it’s nice to have something other than cute animal cases).

Lens vials

Geo’s authentic seal

The color/series’ code (WAMM-506) and correct power (plano, 0 power)

Lenses in their vials 

Worn Comparison Photos

One lens in, one lens out for size comparison

With flash

Both in, indoor lighting

Outdoor lighting

Final verdict:

Color: 8/10 - I would have liked if the color popped out a tiny bit more because of the interesting design it has (AKA a latte swirl). The inner parts of the design where it blends in with my (REALLY) dark brown eyes does appear slightly grayish and turn turns into a lighter brown than my own eyes. I’ve seen these lenses look beautiful on lighter (green and/or hazel) eyes. Color wasn’t a huge feature I was looking for because I expected as much for the color outcome and was more interested in the comfort and enlargement.

Enlargement: 10/10 - I love the Princess Mimi Bambi series due to their enlarging effects and I expected as much from the Mimi Cafe series. Because of how natural the lenses are, the enlargement doesn’t look so dynamic as the Bambi series, however, it is a pretty big noticeable difference considering the diameter is 15mm

Comfort: 10/10 - Once again, due to my experience with PM Bambi, I expected these lenses to be super comfortable and they were. However, I did not wear them longer than +20 minutes so I can’t speak for hourly comfortbility (however, if they’re anything like PM Bambi series or Geo lenses in general they would feel comfortable if being worn for long periods of time).

Shipping/Packaging: 7/10 - This is an overall score for the shipping not just the second time the lenses have been shipped (because in that case, I would’ve gave them 9/10). As stated before, the first package did get lost. Also, it makes me feel uncomfortable that I wasn’t given a tracking number for either packages sent (but from what I’ve learned afterwards, Pinky Paradise’s tracking codes don’t seem to work properly/doesn’t update at all, so….)

Customer Service: 10/10 - for the reasons stated previously in this post and below.

In general: 8/10 - I loved the lenses (although once again, they could’ve been a little more vibrant) and these will be my go-to lenses for everyday looks. There were a few complications but I do appreciate that Pinky Paradise helped resolve the issue by immediately replying, allowing me to chose a new pair and sending out the new pair very fast.

So you guys should really check out Pinky Paradise! They sell a wide variety of contact lenses (from normal circle lenses to special effects lenses such as sclera lenses and even torrid lenses) AND offers prescription on a majority of their contacts. On top of that, they do have a few cosmetics, circle lens care stuff, and accessories. 

.And finally… worn photos/selfies!

Sponsors/Discount codes!

Discount codes: 

Plus Cutie - Kawaii plus size fashion store. Free worldwide shipping. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 10% off orders over $30

Spreepicky - Kawaii fashion + plus size fashion (wigs, accessories/jewelry, Custom sizing for some cosplay items available. Free worldwide shipping (on +$15 purchases). Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 10% off orders over $30

Spreepicky (storenvy) - Kawaii fashion + plus size fashion (wigs, accessories/jewelry, Custom sizing for some cosplay items available. Free worldwide shipping. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 10% off orders over $30

Cute Harajuku - Asian fashion store. Use the code “ RINIHIME " for 10% off all items

KeuTokki - Asian fashion and cute stationary. Free shipping. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 12% off all items. 

PallidusFolius - Handmade resin jewelry + plushies. Use the code “rinihime ” for 10% off all items. currently closed

Fashion Kawaii - Asian fashion store. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 10% off all items

MahouStars - Handmade accessories (fairy/pop kei, cult party kei, pastel goth/creepy cute, etc..). Use the code “ rinihime ” for 10% off all items currently closed

The Lace Kitten - Asian fashion (clothes, accessories, wigs, etc..). Custom orders for bottle charms and chibis available. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 10% off all items (besides handmade. When ordering handmade items, mention “ rinihime ” in the order comments/notes as a referral, please!)

Shinjiru - Asian Fashion. Use the code “ rinihime ” for 10% off all items. currently closed

Milk Club Shop - Asian fashion. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 5% off

PerfectWorld - Asian fashion. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 10% off all items.

CreatBoutique - Asian fashion. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” for 10% off all items.

W2Beauty - Use the referral code “ 241828807 ” when registering for a 5,00 € voucher 

HIMI'Store - Asian fashion + free shipping. Use code “ RINIHIME " for 5% off.

CutieMori - Asian fashion. Use code ” RINIHIME “ for 5% off

AsianCute - Asian fashion and cosplay store. Use the code " RINIHIME” for 10% off all items.

WomenFashion - Western and Asian fashion store. Use the code “ RINIHIME ” or for 10% off all items.

Cutie Pie Apparel - Cute fashion store and various items and accessories. Use the code “ rinihime ” for 10% off currently closed

Rage On - All over print clothing. Use code " RINIHIME “ for 10% off

Shop Kawaii Kawaii - Kawaii clothing, accessories, authentic plushies and trinkets. Use code " RINIHIME ” for 5% off. 

High Finds - Clothing, accessory, vintage items, and more. Use code “ REDRUM ” for 15% off

Pastel Sekai - Handmade resin accessories and phone cases. Custom orders available. Use code “ RINIHIME " for 10% off

Pastel Kitty - Asian fashion (shoes, accessories, wigs, etc..), cosmetics, stationery, etc.. Use code ” RINIHIME " for 10% off

Pocket Tokyo - Anime and Asian fashion (shoes, accessories, wigs, etc..), cosmetics, stationery, etc.. Use code “ RINIHIME ” for 5% off.  Free shipping. 

Alternative Fox - Plugs, chokers, collars, accessories, and other alternative related clothing. Use code “ RINIHIME “ for 20% off.

Shop Glare - Cute clothes,bags, accessories,etc.. Free shipping. Use code “ RINIHIME “ for 10% off

Fashion Cute - Cute clothing and accessories! Use code “ RINIHIME “ for 10% off!

Sanrense - Cute clothing, bags, accessories, and more! Use code “ RINIHIME “ for 10% off!

Shop Nemo - Cute jewelry, accessories, phone cases, etc.. for under $20! Use code " RINIHIME " for 10% off!

Shop Wallflower - Cute jewelry, accessories, and phone cases. Use code " MAGICALSHOPPING " for 5% off!

JVNQ - Clothing, jewelry, accessories, phone cases, and bags! Use code " RINIHIME " for 10% off +$25 orders!

Harajuku Alien - Harajuku inspired clothing, accessories, and lifestyle products. Use code " RINIHIME " for 10% off!

Zombiee Creations - Handmade beauty/cosmetic products and accessories. Use code " RINIHIME " for 10% off!

Sponsors/Affiliates:

Pinky Paradise - Cosplay and daily contact/circle lenses and cosmetics! Prescription available. Free lens case with every order.

Beautiful*Halo - Fashion store (casual, shoes, elegant, accessories, etc..). Free shipping on orders $29 and over.

REVIEW: MuchNeededMerch's Sailor Mars Skater Dress (old review from 11/13/14)

10/22/2015 Edit: This review was made on November 13th, 2014 and some of the links could be outdated. I am currently in the process of transferring my reviews from tumblr to this blog as backup. From now on, I will be posting reviews both on tumblr and here. If you'd like early access on reviews though, more than likely they will be on my tumblr. 

Hellur. I’m doing a review over the Sailor Mars skater dress from MuchNeededMerch.They offer skater dresses of the main sailor senshi in both a normal print and a galaxy/starry print and they have sizes S - XXL. They also offer various “geeky” accessories and clothing that’s anime, tv show, or gaming related.

~Review below the cut~

So, I recently discovered Much Needed Merch when I was desperately searching for those popular sailor senshi skater dresses for a cosplay. Because of my size (and how, for some reason, I couldn’t find skater dresses of Mars), I initially thought my only option was buying the $90 skater dress from Living Dead Clothing. BUT ALAS! I have discovered MNM! Not only have I fell in love with their skater dresses, I fell in love with their entire store and I will be purchasing their LOZ Link costume hoodie for my little brother.

Stock photo:

So far, they really only have the print/digitial mockup of the dress as a stock photo and no worn pictures. This dress is $39.99 on their site but I purchased this dress in size XL for $35.99 (with free shipping) because I used their 10% off discount code. 

Shipping / Packaging.

I purchased the dress on the 11th of October. It was shipped out to me on the 14th and arrived on the 29th (therefore it took 15 days so it arrived within the expected time). As you can see, the dress arrived in simple white packaging and was neatly folded (better than the given image because I actually opened it before the review) inside a clear bag with a paper that contains your order. 

My photos:

Front and back 

Closeup of the front and back bows

A few printing mistakes on the side and a random itty bitty white spot on the bow

I’m not easily bothered by printing errors, to be honest, so these mistakes were no issue to me.

Final verdict:

Shipping/Packaging: 10/10 - Everything arrived perfectly fine and on time. 

Item/Quality: 9/10 - The design is so cute and I enjoy the cartoon-realism of it, I just wish the back bow stood out a little more! I also enjoy how the “pleats” legitimately look like pleats because of how the dress falls. The quality is very nice. Even though I had no issue with this, there were the slight printing errors on the sides that made this rating lose points. 

Comfort/Fit: 10/10 - I thought it would be very spandex-y (like leggings) and that it would stretch in an unflattering manner but it’s actually very flattering and stretches nicely. It hugs my curves in a nice way. The size chart said it would at max fit a 46" bust but it looks really decent on my 51" bust and I’d give it another 1 - 3 more inches until it looks unflattering but it will stretch even farther than that. The dress also falls perfectly on me and isn’t too long and falls weirdly like LDC’s sailor skater dresses are. 

Customer Service: 10/10 - I did communicate with their customer service because I was very worried about my size choice. I originally chose to size down because this dress is for a cosplay in April and I assumed I would’ve lost weight by then. Because of how I am an anxious person, I assumed the worst and thought my sizing choice was bad and I contacted customer service and asked if I can switch to a 2XL. They replied to me a day later but by then they had already placed the order to their manufacturer and gave me the option to send the item back if it didn’t fit. So, their reply was pretty fast and they were really nice enough to let me send it back when there was a no return policy in their FAQ.

In general: 10/10 - This store is very plus sized! As I mentioned before I will be shopping there again because I’m buying my brother the Link costume hoodie and since I really want the Sailor Moon galaxy/starry skater dress I might save up to buy that as well. Their store looks like it caters a lot to LOZ fans so I suggest LOZ fans the most to check them out.

And finally… a worn Photo:

Shoes are from Bodyline - Review can be found here.

Wig is from eBay - Review can be found here.

REVIEW: Bodyline Shoes (Old review from 11/10/14)

10/22/2015 Edit: This review was made on November 10th, 2014 and some of the links could be outdated. I am currently in the process of transferring my reviews from tumblr to this blog as backup. From now on, I will be posting reviews both on tumblr and here. If you'd like early access on reviews though, more than likely they will be on my tumblr. 

Hello! Today I’m doing my second Bodyline review, however, this is my first time reviewing their shoes. These are my first pair of shoes for lolita as well. These shoes are shoes161 (size 270) which are currently sold out on their site.

~Review below the cut~

Stock Photo:

So I ordered these shoes on September 30th during Bodyline’s ongoing 1000 yen off shoes sale (and free AIR shipping promotion). Because of the sale, the shoes were $21, however, I used the yen currency trick and the shoes came out to ¥1,599 (or $15).

Shipping & Packaging:

The shoes came in a taped down shoe box. The box was a little banged up in the corners. Nothing was inside covering the shoes, as you can see. The shoes were stuffed with tissue paper and thosebendy stick things  that prevent the back of the shoes to be bent out of shape.

My photos

Side

All the buckles are adjustable and the last/back buckle is detachable. The site says the heel is 9cm high and the platform is 3cm high (their measurements are excluding the bottom [black part] of the shoe which makes the heel 9.5cm and platform 3.5cm)

Front

There were no scuff marks/scratches on them at all.

Back

Inside of one shoe

The soles of one of the shoes is a little bumpy and out of place. I didn’t feel it when wearing them though. 

Worn Photos:

Final verdict:

Shipping/Packaging: 9/10 - Because of how I ordered exactly on a Tuesday, I had to wait over a week and the shoes were shipped out October 8th. They arrived on time on October 28th (AIR shipping is estimated to take 7 - 30 days). I do think there should have been at least some paper or a sheet of foam wrap between the shoes to prevent them from getting scuff marks during shipment (which luckily I didn’t get any). When opening the box you did get hit by a wave of plastic smell which will go away after a bit. 

Item/Quality: 10/10 - The item is as expected. The only deviation from the stock photo is the color is more pearly white than the stock photo that seems more like an off-white or light beige (which isn’t an issue at all). For some reason, I expected the quality to be way cheaper than it actually is. The quality can be considered “high quality” for the price you get them for.

Comfortability/Fit:9.5/10 - The shoe itself is true to size and isn’t tight or uncomfortable. The straps are a different story because I have fat ankles. <~< It sort of shoes in the pictures that the straps were a little tight around the ankles (nothing that can’t be fixed by adding a new hole into the straps). I struggled with putting the straps through the buckle while they were on my feet, so I just detached the buckle and strapped it in while the shoe was off and put on the shoes back on then reattached the buckle. Even though I haven’t worn these shoes out, they are very comfortable and it seems like it would take a while for these heels to start hurting your feet.

Customer service: 8/10 - This isn’t a rating on their customer service but Bodyline in general: I’m not the only one that has noticed this but Bodyline is not sending out the email that confirms that your package has been shipped like they used to. Now I have to go to their tracking page to track my shipments. Maybe I’m just overreacting but the “item shipped” email is very comforting to have. I actually had to go through forums to see that I wasn’t the only one who wasn’t getting their emails and luckily they posted the tracking page otherwise I would’ve been so worried about why my item hasn’t shipped. ;~;

Overall: 10/10 - I didn’t have an issue with the shipping time or shoes which is what matters the most. These shoes are the cutest and I’m looking forward to wearing them out with a cute outfit.

I’m sure my view is a little bias because these are my first pair of shoes for lolita and I’m inexperienced when it comes to getting shoes like these but I hope this helps someone! c: