International Stores: Reviews, Tips and Tricks!
As a college student, I am always looking for ways to save money! This can be kind of difficult when you're as addicted to shopping as I am. One of the ways that I love to save is by buying things online, especially at international websites like
and
. These types of websites are great because you can make $60 go really far, but they do have their downsides. Sometimes it feels like for every three things that work out, you get one that doesn't. I got together with Samantha of
to bring you some tips and tricks to ordering from sites like this in order to help you avoid disaster (or disappointment, I guess I didn't have to get
that
dramatic).
1. It really helps if the item your thinking about ordering has reviews on it. This has helped me with a lot of the pieces I wrote about below. Sometimes buyers will even include pictures of themselves in the piece, so the reviews can be
amazingly
helpful. SheIn tends to have reviews on most things, but I don't think Choies usually has reviews.
2. A lot of the time you're going to want to size up. I learned this the hard way. The clothes on these sites do run kind of small sometimes, so when in doubt, size up. Especially with rompers.
4. If something looks too good to be true, unless there are reviews on it, it probably is. Know that a lot of the time the fabric isn't going to be the best quality. I usually tend to avoid anything that involves lace or looks super delicate, because chances are they won't look good in person.
3. Shipping takes a while with these websites, so don't order something for an occasion that you have coming up in the near future, because there is no guarantee that you'll receive it in time. I've found that my items usually arrive anywhere between three weeks and a month after I order them. On that note, don't order something for a special occasion unless you have a backup plan. inevitably, sometimes things just don't work. You don't want to be stuck with nothing, so if you are buying something for an occasion, have a backup plan!
To help you out, I reviewed a few of the items that I've bought in the past, most of which I've loved!
White Half Sleeve Bird Print Loose Dress
I loved this dress, and since it's such a statement piece I got tons of compliments every time I wore it. It is super thin and super short, but for the price that didn't bother me too much, I just threw a tan tank top and tan lace shorts on under it. One thing I love about this dress is that with all of the colors in it it can be worn with wedges for summer, or you can style it for fall like I did in this fun shoot I did with
last summer.
Neon Blue Seafoam Lace Crochet Shift Dress
I am absolutely in love with the back of this! I expected it to be super see through because of the reviews, but I really wish it was a little more opaque so that I could wear it as a dress instead of just as a swimsuit coverup. I might eventually get a tan tank dress to wear under it, but for now it's super cute as a swimsuit coverup!
I ordered this shirt because I loved the casual, slouchy look to it when I saw it online. It does look pretty much like the picture, but the material is kind of a weirder almost shiny material. Originally when I got it I was a little bit disappointed, but I've actually worn it 3 times since, so I guess I like it more than I thought I would. It is really comfortable, and if you don't mind the material it is a good thing to casually throw on with shorts, leggings or jeans.
Black Plaid Print Flare Long Sleeve Backless Romper Playsuit
Honestly this romper is just an all around no. It looks nothing like the picture I originally saw online--so much so that when I went back to find the picture for this post I found that they had actually changed the picture, so they must have gotten in trouble. Had I seen the picture they have for it now I would not have ordered it. The original picture made it look a little more structured, kind of on the nicer side. For the price, I had a feeling the original picture was too good to be true, so I wasn't really surprised when I opened it, but it's definitely something I won't be wearing again. I also have a longer torso, so I really should have sized up to large.
V Neck Florals With Belt Romper
I LOVE this romper. Like so much. It has a zipper in the back so unlike the other romper I ordered it's not too hard to get on and off, and the colors are super bright. I do wish I had sized up to large just because I do have a longer torso, but this one is still wearable in spite of that. It is super low cut, so I wear a white lacy crop top under it.
Blue Off The Shoulder Peplum Hem Dress
This dress is one I actually bought last summer, but I thought I'd include it because it's from SheIn and it's still available for under $20. I have gotten SO much use out of this dress. I think that my only issue with it at all is that it's a little on the shorter side, but it's not too bad. I love the color, and the material is actually pretty good for the price!
For more, check out Samantha's post over on The Samantha Show!
This post is not sponsored in any way by SheIn or Choies, I just love saving money online and thought this post might be helpful!