Alexander McQueen Wannabe Swallow Scarf from AliExpress Review

I was looking for a new winter scarf.  I love my old scarf however I feel like everybody and their mother has this scarf below.  I cringe a little bit when I walk by somebody that has the exact same scarf as me.

The scarf I wore virtually every winter day last year!

This year I wanted something unique but still stylish and affordable.  I started my hunt on AliExpress and saved many on my wish list.  I finally settled on this one and below is the picture that was used on aliexpress.

New scarf as pictured on aliexpress

I like the blanket scarf idea and this seemed big enough and with the word thick in the title, I assumed it could keep me warm.  It's size is listed as 200*65cm.  I paid $20 CAD and it took about a month to ship to Canada.  

I didn't really realize is it was an Alexander McQueen knock off.  Only realized it when I saw the logo when the scarf arrived.  I googled and am not even certain that there is an actual AlxMcQ scarf that exists out there that looks like this.  Here it is laid out on the ground.  As you can tell, it's quite large.

Scarf laid out on the ground

When I wear it, you don't even see the logo so I don't mind it.  I am not one for flashing logos especially when it's not even the real deal!  It's big enough to wear and hang right while keeping me warm & cozy.  It doesn't shed which was a big problem w/ my previous plaid scarf and it's also quite soft.  & I haven't seen anybody else with it yet!

Scarf on!  You can see that the logo can't even be seen anywhere

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CoverGirl LashBlast Clump Crusher Review

I was fortunate enough to participate in BzzAgents CoverGirl LashBlast campaign. What did that mean?  I basically got to test out one of Covergirls Lash Blast mascaras & provide feedback.

The bzz kit I received included 1 clump crusher by lashblast mascara & several $2 coupons to give out

I got to try out CoverGirls Clump Crusher Mascara by LashBlast which totes itself as a no clump mascara.

The wand with its silicone bristles is probably what contributes to the lack of clumps

The wand makes it very easy to apply and with no clumps even after several coats.

Before Lash Blast Mascara

After Clump Crusher Mascara

I need a new phone so I wish the before picture was as clear as the after picture but you can see that I already have kinda long lashes to begin with.  In the after picture you can see they are filled in a bit more.  You can tell this by looking at the lash line before where there were lots of gaps and you could see my skin at the base of the lashes but not so much in the after picture.  Other than that, it's hard to tell a significance difference.

Pros:

• Easy clump free application
• Doesn't flake throughout the day
• Did fill in lashes a little bit

Cons:

• Not enough of a difference in the lashes to purchase.  I'd rather spring a few extra dollars and buy one from Sephora.  Truth be told, I normally just use mascara samples I get and haven't bought a mascara in eons.

Overall I felt like this mascara was a little on the disappointing side.

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Chunky Indian Necklace from AliExpress review

I am on a aliexpress.com tear!  Why? Because I had such a positive experience with my last few purchases & it doesn't hurt that most of the items on there are affordable.  It's a little overwhelming to navigate the site at times.  I spent about $200 on there the other night.  I need several things for an upcoming fancy/smancy wedding I have to attend out of the country plus clothes for travelling.  I am crossing my fingers that 80% of the items work out.  Hey I am a realist in knowing some of the items might be a miss.  Most importantly I am hoping the dress I ordered for the formal attire wedding night works out because I don't want to spend $100 in a retail store here for the dress.

Anyways, up for review is the following necklace.  I've wanted a statement necklace to wear with button up shirts & also for dressy occasions such as weddings.  I've eyed several similar items in store for much more money.  As you can see even at forever 21, similar items were easily ~$20 & that's as cheap as it gets.  Cheapo me, not wanting to spend that much on something I wouldn't wear that much except for times when I get dressed up, I always rationalized not purchasing it.  Well at $5, I figured I would give it a shot.  I wasn't sure the earrings would be included because they were not in all the images.  However, I was making the purchase mostly for the necklace so I was OK if the earrings weren't part of the purchase.

The item arrived here in Canada a few weeks after I made the purchase.  The earrings were included which were a pleasant surprise.  I must the say the item looks identical to the item featured on the site.  The quality is pretty awesome as well.  It doesn't look plasticky or cheaply made.  Since there aren't any specific colors in the necklace I find it goes well with lots of different outfits.  I've used it in a super casual outfit with jeans & a tshirt to a work outfit as seen below.  Well worth the $5.

Rocking the aliexpress neckalce

Closeup of necklace.

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AliExpress Sheinside Red Crotchet Lace Dress to Canada Review

I purchased the following dress from Sheinside on AliExpress for $20.  It was one of their best sellers & I have a wedding to attend shortly & didn't want to spend >$50 on a dress that only gets worn a handful of times.  At $20, I figured I didn't have much to loose.  Before making the purchase, I made sure I had enough time for it to arrive since it takes anywhere from a month to 2 months to arrive.

It took about a month to arrive to Canada.  It came via regular post & I was pleasantly surprised that the seller provided a tracking number I could use on the Canada Post website to see where the item was once it crossed the border.  I wasn't worried about having to pay duty since the item was so cheap.  I actually also purchased a shirt that wasn't as much of a success so lets not talk about that for now.  It arrived in one big envelope with each of the items wrapped individually.

My deliveries packaged.

I was a little worried about the item not fitting me since it was rather fitted.  I ordered a small & well it fit almost perfectly.  There is a little puckering in the back where the zipper is but for $20, I won't complain.  Also if I was to gain 10 more pounds or so, I would have to size up.  It's rather snug but again for $20 fast fashion that I am happy with getting a few wears out of it.

Picture of what the dress looks like on the site

So yes, I will be wearing the dress to the wedding & yes I'll be happy knowing I spent only $20 on the dress.  So overall there are some good deals to be had on alixpress but also some bad deals. See that shirt to the left of my red dress above.  Well it wasn't such a hit as the dress that it's already in the donate to salvation army pile.  You can't win them all.

Picture of me in the dress

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NOTD: SensatioNail Gel Nail Polish Jade Treasure after a week of wear

Hi there.  I've been wearing this nail polish for about a week.  I feel like with neutrals, I could wear them forever but with vibrant colors, I am always itching to change it up fairly quickly.  But then, there's this thing called laziness and I realize there isn't any noticeable chipping, so I just deal.  First world problems huh?

I bought the SensatioNail nail polish in Jade Treasure at my local Rexall.  I feel like gel nail polish selection in Toronto is seriously lacking.  Actually scratch that, it seems like quo has a decent selection of gel nail polishes at SDM, however with their fully black bottles and lack of swatches online, it's hard to tell what the colors translate into real life.

NOTD: SensatioNail Jade Treasure Nail Polish after a week of wear

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Crotchet Top From Hong Kong To Toronto

I saw a youtuber with a crotchet top similar to above from Express and I had been looking for it ever since.  I found a similar long sleeved version at Forever 21 but it wasn't exactly what I was looking for.  I still bought it because I figured it was as close as I could get to the original top I wanted. 

Then I saw the tops above on Ebay for ~$10 shipped form Hong Kong from this seller.  I've bought electronics (car chargers, phone chargers, phone holders, ect.) from Hong Kong before.  Besides it taking forever, I have been happy with what I've gotten.  I mean half the time what we're buying from the store is made overseas anyways.  This however, is the first time I've ordered clothes from yonder.  I figured I didn't have much to loose at the price.  Buying something similar from here would be more than double what it would cost me from Hong Kong.  I bought a white sleeveless, black sleeveless & a white sleeved crotchet top.

I was pleasantly happy that it only took 2 weeks for it to get here to Toronto, Canada.  It arrived sealed and individually packaged as below.  Arrived via regular mail and showed up in my mailbox.  No driving somewhere to pick up a package.  Also no customs needed to be paid.  Booya!



1 White Crotchet Sleeved Top, 1 White Sleeveless Crotchet Top & 1 Black Sleeveless Crotchet Top

Small hole in one of the tops

Everything looked as I had hoped except one of them had a hole in it.  I emailed the seller not expecting much to come out of it, but the seller fully refunded me the money for this top & allowed me to keep the item once I sent a picture of the damaged item.

I am wearing the black sleeveless crotchet top today.  I am a happy shopper.  One thing to keep in my mind when purchasing items from china/hong kong/ect. Keep in mind they are typically smaller and items that look large on their models will likely be a lot smaller here.  I ordered expecting this but often see people complaining about sizing once they purchase an item overseas.

I also just made a few purchases on AliExpress.com.  Will report back on how comparable they are to the pics.  Hopefully it doesn't end up like this pic below that's been all over the interwebs.

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Zoya Sam Gel Manicure Sandwich

I recently purchased the gelshine At Home Gel Colour System which allows me to do gel manicures at home by myself.  I love getting gel manicures but not the price so I limit my cheap self to do them only if I find a great deal or if I am going on a long trip that deserves long wearing nail polish.  With regular nail polish, I chip the manicure typically in about a day or two because...well real life (washing dishes, zipping up jackets, cooking ect.)  So after much research, I purchased the At Home Gel kit from sephora since it was discontinued and on sale.  You can purchase the lamps for much cheaper but seeing as how I was starting out, I wanted the whole kit where I didn't have to buy any additional products.  Well I am in love!  My at home manicures now last at least a week - 2 weeks.  The thing that I didn't like was having to purchase an additional gel nail polish color since my regular ones aren't made for the lamps.

Well I read about making a gelly sandwich.  No, it's not what you think.  It's where you use your gel base and top coat to sandwich a regular nail polish color getting rid of the need to now buy compatible gel nail polish colors.  I tried out the first one with Zoyas Sam and slept with the regular nail polish overnight before I did the top coat.  I read several reviews that suggested this saying you need to make 100% sure your regular nail polish is dry before putting on the top coat.

& the results?  My gelly sandwich is a great success as Borat might say.  You have to read it in his voice for the full effect.  I washed dishes, lifted weights, transported a bunch of stuff and it seems to be wearing like a regular gel mani.  So I am pretty pumped at being able to use up my regular nail polishes rather than having to buy more nailpolish and letting the old ones sit there unused.  Especially because, I would probably end up buying the same colors I already have in gel form.

Zoya Sam gelly sandwich on day 2

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