Vanity Box order

While browsing the web I happened to come across Vanity Box, an online store that stocks Korean items from clothing to accessories. I'm not a Korean (or Japanese, just to clear it up) clothing/fashion fan at all, in fact I actually despise "cute", "trendy" etc. in general but some items on Vanity Box were styles I could pass off without gagging at myself (I'm terrible, I know). So I placed an order.

I think I must be the only person in the world who doesn't get excited over free samples. It is very kind of anyone or any company to include free samples and I guess it's a plus for them but to me it's somewhat annoying as I don't like them and I don't know what to do with them. Except give them away in the hopes someone else gets a massive "squee!" out of them.

I've been looking for a good sort of cardigan that I can take with me at the end of the year since the ones I have are probably close to being moth food. I don't trust anything in Australia anymore, seriously. Not to be a total bitch about it but I can't count how many items from different brands I have purchased that deteriorate within a few months. It's as though items here are made to only last a year! Gr. I think I'm spoiled as I'm so used to the quality of items in Hong Kong where you pay less but the quality is still good enough that it lasts longer than a few months.

Rant aside, I found this cardigan from Vanity Box and thought it looked all right. Upon receiving it I was a bit surprised to find it had shoulder pads (I've grown up learning from Mummy that shoulder pads are very grandmother-ish and therefore should be avoided like the plague) but they aren't too bad. On a hanger. I might cut them out later. We'll see. Other than that I like the material, it's warm enough but light enough that I won't be too hot or cold but just right (porridge, anyone?).

Apparently Vanity Box stocks a well loved makeup brand called Ameli. I have nothing more to say since I don't really know much about Korean makeup. Everyone seems to think the prices are reasonable but somehow the prices (that range over three different types) seem a bit too much for me. This shadow I got on sale for AUD$10 (looking on the site now it's gone up a dollar). Reasonable I suppose but I still found myself grumbling a bit! Maybe I'm just thrifty. Anyway I got this as I wanted another color but that was about $15 which is definitely too much for a single shadow so I settled with this one instead.

Packing is nice enough that I feel half of the price must be going towards it (talk about a thrifty-rant-y post huh, sorry). It was nice to get something in packaging for once since I no longer buy many branded eye shadows. The case of the eye shadow is pretty study and travel safe. Not sure whether it is shock absorbent but that would be wonderful as I got this shade to take with me traveling at the end of the year too.

The color I got was #215 Cinnamon Dust, a color I thought would be easy to slick on without a primer or any other colors. As you can see by the photo I did a test run as soon as I got it (I literally got my package, tore it open, put the cardigan away, put the next item to use and tried out this eyeshadow) and it was so pigmented I left a lot on my brush and figured I could just pick up my brush the next day and it would have enough on that I wouldn't have to worry about getting more on. Kidding, I wiped it off  after I was done. Anyway the shadow is smooth, pigmented and a lovely texture. I'm not sure this will be crease proof as it claims to be but I should test run it with some primer maybe.

Can you see the gold specks?

Unfortunately I thought this color would be more brown than yellow but it's not a big deal. As it says on the description, you could use it as a crease color instead of a lid color.

Er, excuse the tired face. Or grumpy face. Whatever.

I used brown eyeliner so you could see how it really is more of a dusty khaki color than a brown. Almost green? Kind of odd how green it suddenly seems.

Anyway, moving on (sorry if this entry is a bit snappish, I really don't know why I'm not motivated to write about this!) to the part I'm most excited about: the new love of my life.

Percy. Oh how I love this bag. I have been needing a new "university" bag for a while now and finding one that is big enough to lug books in, comfortable on my shoulder and fashionable so that I don't look like I'm using my high school backpack - well, it has been a pain in the arse to find. When I first saw Percy I thought I would buy him on a whim. I wasn't expecting much, I was actually expecting him to be too big (oh, giggle). I still figured he would be nice to have. And when I got him I was pleasantly surprised to find out I was wrong about his size: he was perfect!

What I love about Percy is that he is adjustable: he can have a narrow opening or a wide opening which is great as sometimes I just need a big bag but other times I'd like to have that extra security so the narrow opening works better.

This is how you do it, change his opening I mean, by means of a clip strap thingy majig in the middle.

Vanity Box described the interior as "leopard print" but it looks more like flowers to me. Still pretty and probably a lot better than having leopard print as everyone from your grandma to your kid sister has leopard print slathered on in every crevice they have.

This is how Percy originally came, with a small bag on the handle. I thought it looked a bit awkward so I took it off and now little Percy lives inside big Percy. I figure he can hold the loose items like mints and whatnot.

All in all I was quite happy with my order and think I might just order from Vanity Box again. Oh! Important note: they were having a 20% off sale and I didn't see the code on the home page so after placing my order and paying for it the owners mailed me saying they had refunded me for the 20% off that I didn't put into my order! That I think is marvelous, for owners to be so considerate as to apply a sale on your order when you were silly enough to have missed it. Definitely earned them HUGE brownie points in my books!

I would definitely recommend you check out their clothing as well - some great stuff there that actually seems practical enough but still cute enough that it could appeal to all sorts of people.