Review: Unboxing Longchamp Roseau Tote

This bag is full of regrets. Given another chance, I probably would not have bought the Longchamp Roseau tote. Instead, I would have saved up for the heritage version. The difference is the material used - split cowhide vs calfskin. The split cowhide gives off a plasticky cheap look.

Another regret is the choice of the longer handle over the shorter handle. The long handle makes it look more dated than it really is. The reason why I chose the long handle version was that I prefer carrying my bags on my shoulder and freeing up my hands.

Longchamp also had the reversible version for their roseau line. While the reversible ones look more modern and young, it doesn't come with an internal pocket. This lack of security makes me decided against the reversible.

For a work bag, I would still give this bag a nod, but if you are looking for feel-good work bag, this might not be for you.

Pros:
- Affordable considered it's 'branded'
- Roomy, with expandable snap sides
- Clean look with the bamboo closure adding a personality to the bag
- Storage pocket for storing loose items
- Light-weight
- A functional bag

Cons:
- Split cowhide material has a plasticky feel to it
- Dated design
- Bamboo closure might give you some problems if you are in a rush
- Looks slouchy and flat when empty

Watch the unboxing video here:

Review: Introducing the most comfortable heeled sandals...

M.gemi has always been high on my list of to-buys, but the shipping cost to Singapore always held it back. Was it worth to ship shoes which are considered heavy items all the way here? In my mind, I made a promise that I will buy when I see THE SHOE that I really like.

Here comes The Attorno, seemingly the perfect shoe for me with it's medium height block heels and in neutral tone. M.gemi has it in 3 colours - black, spice and taupe.

I'm always looking for apparels that are versatile so that's how The Attorno caught my eye. Some of M.gemi's designs were too flashy for my liking while others too caught up in curent trend. The Attorno seemed effortlessly classic and nailing it in all technical aspect.

I chose spice, although taupe (as seen above) looks great too. If I were in the states, I'm pretty sure I will be buying both colours!

The sandals arrived in the best packaging I ever come across for online shopping. Each shoe was wrapped in foam and stuffed to protect and retained it's structure. It was then wrapped in a pretty paper before being enclosed in a neat box. When opened, the first thing you see will be a personalised note from M.gemi. How cool is that! It is no wonder the entire package weighed more than 2kg and costed me quite a bit for the shipping :( That's basically the only cons I have about this purchase.

The sandals were P.E.R.F.E.C.T. no joke. I was very surprised with The Attorno and how comfortable it felt despite it being a heeled sandals. The heels were of perfect height, just to give me the extra height without being taxing on my feet. The inner leather lining and padded soles made it so comfortable to wear. I had also no problems with the leather straps being too loose or too tight since it's adjustable.

I know some of you wanted to know how does M.gemi stack up against Everlane's loafers and flats. While the Everlane shoes that I bought were quite different in style to The Attorno, but I can safely say that M.gemi's Attorno is much more comfortable than the two Everlanes that I own. If I'm looking for my next pair of shoes, it will probably be M.gemi instead of Everlane. That said, Everlane's other products are still pretty top notch and the design of their shoes does me feel like owning one!

I wish M.gemi would offer free international shipping or sale/discounts for international customers. The shipping is crazily expensive and is holding me back from buying out all colours of The Attorno haha.

Review: Everlane's The Modern Point

If you followed my blog you would have read my review on Everlane's Modern Loafer which I said I was pleased with the look of the loafer.

Now, the very first shoe at Everlane that caught my eye wasn't the modern loafer, but the modern point. I was hesitant to get it because of the price but ultimately, the need to have it overcame my hesitancy. I was looking for a comfortable and basic shoe for everyday work wear and Everlane's The Modern Point just looks to be the one.

When I first opened the box and took out the pair of modern point, the first thought was 'wow, it's huge'. For a moment I thought I could have gotten a size larger. However, when I put it in, it fitted like a glove.

Like what the other reviews said, the leather used in the modern point is definitely softer than the loafer. Design-wise, it probably won't be much of a head-turner as compared to the loafer but at least it's sleek and clean-cut. For the record, I ordered half a size up from my usual size and it was the right decision. The modern point is more suitable for semi-formal and casual wear with the pointy toes giving it a more upgraded feel.

The soles are still an issue. You can see it has a plasticky shimmery look, so I added some anti-slip stickers to the front part. I would highly recommend buyers to do that as it can get slippery at times. I do appreciate the white strip design at the heel as it adds a touch of elegance to a otherwise standard looking pair of flats.

So far so good, I like how it looks on me though I have yet to walk long distance on my modern point, Hopefully it performs better than the loafer!

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Update: I figured I needed to size up by another 0.5! I'm a standard 6.5 but have gone with a 7 for the modern point based on Everlane's recommendation. Still, I feel it's a bit pinching on my heels and toes for one of my feet.

Review: Linjer Doctor Bag in Navy

The long-awaited review of Linjer's doctor bag. Ordered this from kickstarter almost half a year ago and finally received it in March.

First look
It came neatly packed, with the Linjer box nestled within a standard cardboard box. One look and you know this packaging is definitely fit for gifting. Everything was packed so neatly, from the padding of the bag down to the tying of the drawstrings on the dust bag.

The Bag

The leather smells divine and smooth to touch. The brass metal parts added a touch of elegance to the bag. It was slightly bigger than I imagined, and because it is a structured bag, I figured petite women might have an issue with it. Nonetheless, I have nothing to complain about the look of the doctor's bag.

After admiring my bag, it was time to open and see the insides. Like I said in my earlier post, the major problem of this bag was the hinges. It was so darn hard to open. In fact, I couldn't open it at all. I wasn't sure whether I should apply more force sor was I opening it the wrong way. I decided not to risk damaging my bag and drop Linjer an email.

Roman replied pretty fast, and suggested some ways to loosen the hinges. His reply did gave me some reassurance that things will be solved somehow. It made me feel that a real person is actually trying to help me solve my problem so I really appreciate that.

Here's a screenshot of Roman's message for those who are facing the same issue. Hope it helps.

So... I did try the above but it didn't help at all. I even got my mom to help with it and no matter how hard we pull or press or push, it didn't bulge a bit. At one point, the flap even sink further in until it was really hard to have a good hold of it to pull open the bag. Because of the pulling and pushing, my bag ended up with some finger nail marks :(

I dropped Roman another email, telling him that his methods didn't work. He was very apologetic and said he will send a new one over together with a small token that is not available on the webshop.

It took another 2 weeks or so before the new bag arrived. The small token wasn't there but that wasn't my motive so it didn't really bother me much. I tried opening the new bag the usual way and it still wouldn't open! Twice in a row, could it be that I really didn't pull it hard enough? I got my mom to help me again. We tried until our arms were aching and it didn't move a bit. 

My mom suggested putting some 'lubrication' so she got out her needle oiler and carefully put some at the hinges. We tried again. This time, it seemed there was some progress with the slightest creaking sound of two layers rubbing against each other. We worked on it for almost half an hour before it finally opened! The hinges were seriously too tight and it wasn't easy to close it too. Once closed, it took us a long time to open it again. 

While I appreciate Roman's effort in helping me solve my problems, the technical aspect of this bag is one major flaw. What's a bag if it's not functional? I have decided to take it out once in a while to open and close it to loosen the hinges before I dare to bring it out. I cannot imagine if I'm rushing for time and I had to struggle to open the bag just to get something from my bag! I do believe that over time it will loosen and it will be a lovely bag, but having to overcome this first obstacle is a big problem.

Overall

More photos of the bag's interior and close-ups can be seen below. Tight hinges aside, it really is a lovely and quality bag. The bag is spacious, sturdy and thoughtful. I would definitely see myself carrying it to work or a dinner. 

Linjer's next step is to really work on solving the hinge issue.

Preview of Linjer's Doctor Bag

Has anyone else received their Linjer doctor bag yet? I did!

Haven't seen much reviews on their doctor bag, except on purse forum. Shall do one real soon. Heads up, it's like what people said on purse forum, it is really difficult to open. Hmm...

Review: Yuul Yie's YY Cream Pumps 16 Spring

When I first saw these pumps on instagram, I knew I had to get it. I love the shape of the toe box and the cream colours.

The price point seemed expensive for a brand that isn't that well-known on the international stage yet. I have heard of Yuul Yie from Kpop idols wearing it, however, there wasn't much international review of the quality their shoes. Their main line 'Yuul Yie' is the more lux version and also more expensive. These pumps are form their YY line which I think is their more affordable range. Still, it costs about US$150 for it.

After debating for some time, I finally placed my order at their international site. It wasn't the most user-friendly of sites. With a shipping fee of about US$20, I would expect the delivery to be faster. The status remained as 'getting ready to ship' for a week and I had to drop an email to them. No reply from them, but a tracking code secretly appeared beside my order status a few days after my email.

Here's a look at my pumps and a low-down on it.

I got the orange-red one. Accordingly to the specs listed on their website, the outer material is made of cow and sheep skin while the inner material is made of PU. Heel height is 6cm. I usually wear a Korean size 235 and YY's pumps are generally true to size.

Pros:

- design, when seen from the front and the side is love!
- orange-red colour (although more red than orange) is exactly like in the photos
- comfortable enough without causing major blisters on first wear

Cons:
- a bit pinching on the toes
- design when seen from the back not that great because of the chunky heel
- leather quality not that great

The reason why I said the quality of their leather isn't that great is a scratch line appeared after a gentle brush against the left of the table (see below).

Review: An honest review of Everlane's Modern Loafer

Was excited for my first purchase at Everlane after being lured by it's 'transparency' motto. Everlane does not provide international shipping currently, so I had to use a forwarding agent to get it in Singapore.

For my first purchase, I wanted to play it safe even though I heard many great reviews about Everlane. I decided to get something which was on 'offer' and another white v-neck tee which was their cheapest item. They did a 'Choose What You Pay' for their black-brown Modern Loafer in patent leather so that's what I got.

The Look
True to the description, the pointed toe and sleek silhouette gave it a very elegant look. It has a slimming effect on one's feet. Given a choice, I would not have gone for the patent leather simply because many times it will end up looking cheap, but this is definitely not the case for Everlane. Thumbs up to Everlane on the design which was what I was looking for in a pair of loafer. I ordered half a size up accordingly to the recommendations by Everlane and it fitted me well.

Comfort
When I first put it on, it wasn't as bad as I thought. It is definitely far from being super comfy, but I thought it was bearable given some break-in period. I wouldn't try wearing it out for a long period in the early stages. Till now, I have only worn it around at home to break in and for a short walk outdoors (say 15mins).

Besides the usual friction against the heel part, I also experience the sides of the shoe pressing and rubbing against my ankle bone. I wished the shoe wasn't so 'deep and the sides of the shoe were not so high. It resulted in this blister from that 15mins of walk.

Quality
I felt that the quality of Everlane's shoes needed a bit more attention. For the price, it was reasonable, but he soles wouldn't last as long as everyone thinks. From that 15min walk, there were already holes on the rubber soles from tiny stones pressing against it.

Also, there were some sloppy work with the stitching, or maybe I just got a slightly defective one. I noticed the sloppy stitching on my left shoe when I first tried on it because it jutted out and causes some friction against my feet. It is acceptable to me if this sloppy stitching appears at just one part, but that's not the case. I have since then feedback to Everlane's customer service.

Wear-abilty

Lastly, I would want to talk about it's wearability. This shoe is very versatile and works well with both pants and skirts. It gives your whole look a bit more edge even if you are say, wearing a sweatshirt out to the market. I can foresee myself wearing it with casual wear or in an office look. I would think it suits people with narrower feet, although with it's supposedly slimming effect, it will improve the look for those with wider feet. For my height of 1.69m, my shoe size is usually a US6.5, which is kind of small. I also have thin ankles and many shoes make my feet look bigger that it actually seems. This shoe will lengthen my feet without making it look wider.

Having said that, given that it's almost entirely made of leather, wearing this outdoors in a tropical climate like Singapore without socks will tend to make your feet sweaty and slightly uncomfortable. The half-size up from my usual size will only allow room for me to wear a thin sock.

Overall Verdict

I really like Everlane's Modern Loafer for it's design and wearability. I just hope the loafers will break in soon and I can wear it often enough.

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Update: I have taken my loafer out for a good number of times now. The last time I tried it, it still caused some blisters on my feet. I also added anti-slip stickers to the soles as the front part is really slippery.

2015 Taobao Double11 (双11) Bargains!

Come midnight, more than half of China's population will be stalking out at Taobao for their annual big sale. The Double11 (11 Nov) sale. This is the time where things on Taobao are sold at remarkably low prices. Let's examine some of the bargains, and see if it is really worth the effort and the shipping cost.

1. Etude House Eyebrow Pencil + 2 pc Mask set (RMB 19 = S$4.30 before shipping)
Etude house has several set offers but this seemed to be the star item of the year. The offer was being prominently placed on Etude House's Taobao site. I compared with the prices on Qoo10 as well as Etude House official SG site, this set is definitely cheaper. However, as much as I like the eyebrow pencil, I don't really fancy the mask... so it's like buying something which I don't need just because it is cheaper. It is still worth buying if you needed the mask, because the cheapest I have seen on local sites is $4.90 for the pencil only (including shipping).

2. Uniqlo Unisex Sneakers (RMB 149 = S$33 before shipping)
I included this item because it is great for pairing with various outfits and not available in local uniqlo stores. Although it is just a dollar cheaper than if you buy it in Japan, but for those who won't be traveling to Japan any time soon, this is a deal. The only other consideration is the shipping, because shoes aren't the lightest of items, but Taobao's shipping deal to Singapore will probably only cost you an additional S$5.

3. Kate Trap Impact Eyes Eyeshadow (RMB 74 = S$16.50)
I was looking to get a simple eyeshadow palette this Double11 and chanced upon this Japanese brand with good reviews. It is about the same price as you would buy in Japan. The brand has some lovely tutorials on how to apply this eyeshadow here.

4. Staccato Shoes
This is a Chinese brand so for sure it will be cheaper than any where else unless you are from Chian, Hong Kong or Macao. They have a wide variety of ankle boots (cos it's the winter season now) priced at around S$130 during this sale period. Heels and stilettos are in the S$90 range. Good deal considering the quality and comfort of their products.

You will notice that I mainly lists down Asian brands. Reason being they are more likely to be significantly cheaper in China than anywhere else because of the geographical proximity. There are some good deals, especially for clothings, for American and European brands, but you will need to surf through it yourself to see if it suits you.

My black friday American Apparel haul!

Got these during the black friday sale via the American Apparel Singapore online shop! Have long wanted to get that flex terry headband, but it costs S$10 and the shipping is a flat rate of S$10 if total purchase is less than S$100.

The parcel took about a week to arrive. The items arrived neatly packed individually.

Gmarket Haul #2

frankly speaking, this should be my 5th gmarket haul, but being the lazy me, i didn't blog about the 2nd, 3rd nor the 4th. this haul was ordered during the gmarket black week, aka 1111 (11 Nov). gmarket was having massive discounts, big coupons (20,000W off) and giveaways during black week.

i shall state up front that this was my most disappointing gmarket experience, and i will explain it shortly. before that, let's take a look at the items i bought this time round! shall start with the purchases that pleases me the most.

1) sleeveless turtle neck flare dress (US$15)
this dress fitted me so well! because of my long neck, i like tops/dresses with high neck or turtleneck. a very simple and classic little black dress. i'm on the tall side so many korean one-piece dress tends to be too short, but this was just nice. it doesn't look impressive in my lousy photo as it does when one wears it. i just hope it doesn't shrink after washing!

2) ecole lucy waterproof longwear eye shadow + roll-on makeup remover + lip tint (US$13)
this was such a steal! all these for only US$13, can you believe it?! it's a customizable set of makeup, and the makeup remover was the additional optional item. sorry, didn't manage to get a shot of the orange lip tint, but i will definitely do a makeup review when i try it on. these items were neatly wrapped in bubble-wrap and came in a big box.

3) IPKN starlight eyes (2 colours) + remover (US$9)
i couldn't find any english review of IPKN waterglow starlight eye shadow on the web, but decided to purchase it because of the subtle glittery effect it was supposed to give. their spokesperson is girls generation's tiffany! i did a swatch of one of the colours on my hand, seems pretty cool! again, like all korean cosmetics, it came neatly wrapped and in a big box.

4) henry tee (US$11)
a very simple looking tee, but i don't quite like the material. it doesn't feel like pure cotton and wrinkles easily. although it was neatly packed, but when i opened it, it was all wrinkly.

ok, now back to why i was disappointed with gmarket this time round. out of the 4 items, 3 were very good while 1 was just alright. the problem wasn't with my purchase, but those that i place an order for, but was subsequently cancelled. besides the above 4 items, i also ordered a colourful knit sweater (from same shop as the henry tee) and a checkered sundress. these two items were the most expensive out of the six, so naturally i applied the biggest discount coupons to these items.

for the knit sweater, they changed the status to 'preparing for delivery', only to change it to 'cancelled' a few days later. the money was refunded straight to my credit card. what makes me annoyed is i wasted my biggest coupon on this item which i could have use it on other stuff, and for a in-season item, i wouldn't expect it to be unavailable so soon. btw, they didn't give me the reason for the unavailability, and even after they refunded me, they continue to list the item on their page for people to order.

the sundress was still understandable because it is a off-season item and after they cancelled it, they changed it to "out of stock". the problem is they refunded me in the form of cash balance to my gmarket account. as i have mentioned in one of my earlier posts, such form of cash means you will have to make a purchase from gmarket again to utilize that money. sure you can withdraw it, but currently they only support withdrawing to a korean bank account.

11st Haul #2

following the previous 11st haul experience, i decided to on another spree on 11st! it was a much smoother experience this time round! placed the order for 5 items on 6 aug, received it on 14 aug.

i noticed that 11st consolidate and package the items very neatly and carefully, with bubble pouches to protect fragile items. i was surprised that it came in a big box even though i ordered only 5 items and with the exception of the shoes, the rest are small items.

a review of some of the items i bought from 11st:

rating: 4/5

fashion vintage sunglasses. true to image. comes with a pouch and a hanky. not much complaints except that it didn't look as good on me than i expected it to be. 

rating: 3.7/5

pleated mini skirt. what i like about this mini skirt is that it has an inner safety shorts. its comfortable and more suitable for outdoors and sports, although the material is slightly on the thin side.

rating: 4.5/5

strappy heels. my best buy this haul. its a decent quality shoe, nice design and great comfort! love the buckle part, which you don't really have to buckle, but just hook it over for easier wearing. highly recommend buying from this brand. if not for my budget, i would have bought another pair from them.

Gmarket Haul #1

this was my first time using gmarket but navigating through the gmarket website was a breeze. since it was my first time, i didnt really have any strategy and it was really to get a feel of what gmarket has to offer.

after placing my order and paying for it on 4 march, the vendor proceeded to ship the items to the gmarket warehouse. one of the vendor informed me right away that his item will only be available for shipping a few days later. thats fine with me. most of the items were received within

the package arrived neatly packed. each of the item was either wrapped up in plastic wrapper or in a box. i hvae no complains on the delivery or the package in general!

so here's part of my haul! sorry, might not have real photos of some of the items because i have no time to take photos of them!

1) leggings with mini skirt (US$ 11)
i have a wide hip so the H-line skirt version doesnt suit me well. opted for this flare skirt instead. i was so satisfied with this item. its not too thin, the quality is good and it fitted me so well. initially i was afraid it will be too short, like many leggings which i have previously bought, but this was long enough without the leg ends keep moving upwards. you can wear it with a sweater, long blouse or a jacket!

2) knit sweater with bow and split back (US$ 22)
quality is there, nothing major to complain just that the cutesy-ness of the bow makes it feels like a cheap wear at times.

3) sweater with ruffle collar and ends (US$ 24)
saw this style on korean tv often so i guess it was the trend there. it gave off a more feminine look as opposed to your usual sweater. wore it twice ever since i bought it... comfortable and warm enough for spring weather. the only bad is the ruffles part seems to form creases easily as the material is not good quality as the sweater part.

11st Haul #1

a month ago i wrote about my first experience with 11st, but i havent had the time to update on the final outcome of that first experience.

after receiving that email notifying me of trying to push for a quick delivery from the seller, i received a call from 11st. the customer service guy informed me that one of the delayed item was out-of-stock and asked if i wanted to cancel or wait. as i was going on a overseas trip soon, i decided to cancel the item. the guy sounded apologetic over the phone and told me the money will be refunded to me. his english was clear so thats a plus point. i would have been satisfied if they just email me to confirm, but the fact that they did this long-distance call showed that they were more responsible. the problem this time round was quite minor, but imagine if im having major issues, i would think them initiating a phone call would be easier.

ok, so things really did speed up after that phone call. within less than an hour, i received another auto-message email informing me that item has been cancelled and the money refunded. i paid for my order by paypal, so the money was refunded straight into my paypal. this, to me is very important. i know of e-commerce websites, especially korean sites, refunding back to your account which you can either withdraw it to your bank account or use it for future purchases. i dislike the idea of the refunded money being left in the site's account because it sorts of force me to have to buy something if not my money's going to be just left there. the other option of withdrawing to a bank account is very troublesome and most of the korean websites will only support korean banks or credit cards.

my order then proceeded to ship out by ems. ems is usually very fast. from past experiences, shipping by ems will take no longer than 5 working days (on average it was 3) to reach my doorstep. if the parcel reaches singapore at 2-3am on a working day, i can receive it on the same day (by noon). if it reaches singapore in the afternoon, im able to get it the next morning. really fast!

items i bought

rating: 4.7/5
mint green flare skirt. i bought this as a working attire and it didnt disappoint! my most basic expectation of such skirt is that it shouldnt crease or crumple easily. this skirt doesnt. in fact, the material used was above average, though there was minor fray ends. the skirt ended up slightly above my knee (im quite tall), so its still length-appropriate as a working attire. i have since wore it once to work, and my friend complimented it! the mint green is a lovely pastel shade!

rating: 4.7/5

grey glitter slip-on. i really have nothing negative to say about this shoe! its comfy and fits snugly on my feet. i wore it twice so far, never gave me any blisters. its well crafted, shimmery without being too bling. no flaws that are obvious to the naked eye. the only reason why i didnt give it a 5/5 was i think i saw similar slip-ons going at a cheaper price but of cos i can't be sure of the quality of those.

Korean Online Shopping Malls

no doubt, i love korean fashion. they have really unique yet asian-focused items which suit me. there's also a wide variety of items and the attractiveness of korean fashion can be partly attributable to the 'natural' feel their models pull off. with korean pop (kpop) being so popular and internationally recognised these days, it is hard not to get attracted to their style.

being one of the most wired country in the world, korea has many online shopping malls and domestic delivery is usually quick and comprehensive. you can deliver anything from food, snacks, groceries to fashion items all at a click of the mouse.

problem
despite the huge number of online shopping malls (blogshop equivalent), it is hard for people living outside of korea to purchase. here's some of the reasons why:
- some websites require verification of korean identity in order to register
- webmasters can't speak/communicate in english and website are in korean
- items for sale are usually made in small quantities, not enough for international demand
- selling to international customers require certain approval from authorities
- parcel forwarding service for korea products is rare

my experience
i have looked into many of the korean online shopping malls. there's so many beautiful items which i would love to have, but only a handful of such malls cater to the international community.

most of the malls require you to verify your korean identity which makes it impossible for non-koreans to register. although the main page of the mall is usually full of english links/words, but once you clicked in on the item, you will realised the details are all in korean. i have sufficient knowledge of korean to navigate through the website and to purchase, but as i have said earlier, most of these sites are not opened to international customers.

if you really really want to get the item, i supposed emailing the webmaster might work, provided they can speak decent english. the downside is that because they have no structured delivery system for such adhoc international orders, the delivery is usually expensive and payment mode might be limited (e.g. wire transfer which is extremely troublesome). additionally, you will miss out on any loyalty programme that website had to offer as compared to korean buyers.

i did bought a shoe directly from one of the korean sites before. i had to do wire transfer and the entire cost (including the shipping cost) was not worth it. i specifically told the webmaster to give me a brochure (which has my fave idol on it), he agreed, but ended up didn't packed it in the package.

this kind of situation frustrates me. that item looked really good, but yet i cant buy it. sad.

this prompted me to source for more effective way to get similar items... but i shall talk about it another day!