Coming Up: Guide to Bangkok

SAWADEEKA!

I'm back from a weekend trip to Bangkok and the experience was definitely unlike the previous. Will be writing a mini guide to (shopping in) Bangkok based on this short trip, and hopefully also generate a haul video of some sort to go together.

Semester has started and it's only a matter of time before I lose my sanity again so here's a big sane hola to everyone who has been reading this space and checking my YouTube channel out. Thank you sooo much!

Also, do watch my latest video featuring beauty products which I feel were a complete waste of money. It includes items from: Benefit Cosmetics, Maybelline, NYX, The Face Shop.

You have a better day tomorrow!

How to shop Taobao?

Does the idea of getting quality tops at $5 and bags at $10 entice you? Check out my video below so you can judge for yourself the quality of products I recently purchased from Taobao. (This sounds like those cheesy TV ads selling magical kitchen equipments lol)

A little background for people who aren't familiar with Taobao. It is basically a massive online shopping website based in China. There're many shops selling clothes, shoes, and even household items like sheets or curtains. The prices are really competitive which's why I'm so attracted to the site such that I shop there more than necessary. Even developed a tendency to stop myself from shopping locally because I know I can definitely find something similar on Taobao for a quarter of the price. A challenge most people face is the language barrier. The entire site is in Chinese which means people who don't know the language are pretty much excluded from this awesomeness, and there's only so much Google Translate can do.

I was approached by a Taobao agent, Yoybuy.com, to get to know more about their established website. Please note that I was not paid to write this nor did I benefit in any way by talking about Yoybuy here. All opinions are my own excluding the background information of the site which's provided by them.

The only reason why I'm sharing it is because I'm hoping this would be of help to those who don't understand Chinese and are looking for a reliable agent which they can trust to help them with shopping on Taobao. Good things should be shared! I did talk a little about Yoybuy in my video so I'm just going to add on some other information I feel is important.

Yoybuy.com makes the Taobao shopping experience extremely easy and fuss-free. A few examples:

• Service fee is fixed at 10% of item price + China domestic shipping
• Attention: Certain sites may state that they charge lesser for service fee but because they calculate it based on the product's entire price including international shipping, it is actually more expensive!
• Products on Taobao are already on-site, and sorted by categories in English
• Besides searching for items on Yoybuy itself, you can also paste a Taobao product URL to the search form to access and purchase it
• Yoybuy provides reliable shipping methods e.g. DHL, EMS, Aramex

Another thing I am going to emphasize on is the level of customer service. If you've been reading this space long enough, you'll already know horrid CS is a major pet peeve of mine. As I've worked in retail for quite a bit and did really well at it, I expect the same of staff in CS out there. It's called customer service for a reason right?! So anyway, I am so glad that Yoybuy promises efficient CS.

• Emails to their customer service department (service@yoybuy.com) usually get answered the same day within 24hrs
• Live chat during Beijing business hours from 0930-2000 for urgent enquiries
• Yoybuy's Facebook pages (in English, Spanish, and French of course) as well as their VK.com page (Russian) introduce new Taobao products and updates on information about Yoybuy

Based on all the information provided, I would give Yoybuy.com a try should I want a speedy Taobao experience without having to slowly read descriptions in Chinese. Should you require any form of assistance, I'm sure the ever-ready team at Yoybuy would be glad to help you too.

A huge thank you to everyone who has dropped me an email asking how to shop at Taobao (you inspired this blog post!) and I hope I have provided enough information for y'all here.

Happy Hari Raya Haji to my Muslim friends and have a lovely day everyone!

Room Envy: Pretty Little Liars (Part II)

Hanna Marin is a diva and she isn't afraid to let people know it. Despite how dark the show is becoming, her comebacks never fail to make me snort. Wish I had the guts to say half the things she says to people.

Her room reflects her tres chic wardrobe. She never fails to inject just the right amount of glitz and glamor to her outfits, for e.g. a plaid shirt with a chunky bedazzled necklace paired with skinnies and sky-high booties. Unfortunately, the photos captured below don't show any of that so maybe her room will do the talking.

The main color scheme of her room seems to lean towards the lighter side of the purple color spectrum, namely lilac. The pop of color seen throughout is yellow, which I wasn't sure about but it sure works for her room.

In the couple photos above, you can see pillow mountains both on her daybed and her bed. This is something which I'm gradually learning about. Pillows don't have to be the same shape, color, and design in order for it to work in a pillow mountain. The key is to identify the main theme of the room, and use pillows as accents. For e.g. Hanna's pillows are mostly silky-looking, which adds that glamorous touch, and they stick to the purple color theme except in different shades which keeps it interesting.

Her dressing table looks like an organized mess. It works because the main pieces of decor like the tall jewelry holder, tiny jars, and table lamp are all white or glass which always makes decor look so effortless. What I love is the filigree mirror, in lilac of course, and the vase with purple, white, and yellow flowers. I'm a sucker for things that match okay.

By the way, there's so much purple going on in the photo below lol.

The next couple of photos show Allison's room but I'm not going to analyze it. Just wanted to say that I OWNED THAT TABLE LAMP WHICH WE BOUGHT IN AMERICA (Target I believe) BUT MY MOM HAS BEEN CLEANING OUT THE HOUSE AND SHE THREW IT OUT BECAUSE IT WAS DUSTY! The fangirl in me wants to scream I HAVE THAT TOO but alas that's not going to happen.

Goodbye pretty lamp. It was glamorous while it lasted.