DreamV/Yumetenbo/夢展望 Haul Review

Hey everyone! Can you believe that it's nearly the end of April already? Spring is almost or practically over for those of us in Southern California now. We've been getting high 80's and early 90's degree fahrenheit weather here! Despite the typical warm ups, I can't help but still shop for things that are for colder weather :P. Another thing I can't help is seeing or getting cute things on sale! 

So I'm sure a vast majority of girls into asian fashion have heard of the awesome Japanese website called DreamV. Well I'm one of the late-comers on discovering this awesome site that has a bunch of cute and girly clothing and shoes that are all reasonably priced. First I did some research after constantly reading about them from other blogs and finally decided to take the plunge in making an account with Rakuten to make an order. Second I had to browse through pages and pages and pick out what I wanted! Third I ordered and waited for my order which took exactly a week from the day I ordered to when it arrived on my doorsteps.

Now I'm sort of bargain hunter at certain times as in I browse through things to check what's on sale and compare it to other places and sites. So naturally I just picked out a bunch of things that were on sale, which was pretty neat since DreamV ships by how much you spend rather than by weight! So in the end I got 2 pairs of boots and 3 pairs of shorts! My whole total? Around $55 or 
5674 円. 

Shoes

I've always wanted some knee high boots and sadly never got to own a pair! Well finally I now do :). Honestly I picked these since they were only a whopping 500 円. Since they were on clearance they only had the green and navy colored ones left. I chose the navy since the green reminded me of something that belonged in the toilet (-_-;). 

These boots are really cute and honestly I can't wait to wear them when it's Fall/Winter again! Sometimes I just wish I simply lived in a colder place (Ｔ▽Ｔ). They pretty much look exactly like the pictures. One thing I'm surprised about is how light they were! That makes walking in them easier. The materials are a little strange though. It's like lined with fabric foam though I assume it's to keep them insulated for colder weather. 

Sizing for those who have purchased or stalked other DreamV hauls before will know that they're funky. I got these in a small after checking out the measurement table on the sale's page and they fit beautifully! I was a little worried since according to most other bloggers and comments that their shoe sizes tend to be a size smaller than usual. Luckily I didn't have a problem with these after hours of checking the table, measuring my feet, and measuring other shoes that I got from Asia. 

Alright these ones are my favorite out of the haul <3. First they're exactly the type of knee high boots I've been looking for and have always wanted for years. Second, just like the previous boots, they're really light, easy to walk in, fits me perfectly, and cute to boot! Sorry for that lame pun couldn't help myself heh (　´∀｀).

I got these in the dark brown color. I kind of wanted the camel color, but some reviews for it said it sometimes came out more orange than the pictures. These were only 1500円. For that price I'm extremely happy with them considering that the cheapest I've seen boots like these are around $30 on sale at my local mall. In fact I can't even find some for that price even on Taobao. Unlike the previous boots though I got these in a size medium. Once again I had to take the time to read their measurement table and compare it with what I had. I also used the models' measurements for help since I discovered I was the same size as they were and they were wearing the mediums. 

I was able to wear them out for a day and I love the look of them. The zipper though is a little more prominent than I would like them to be, but they blend in after awhile (or I just got used to them and forgot about it haha). They fit just right and they stay up, though I don't think I can wear them with jeans, but I think they look cuter with shorts or skirts. Unfortunately I have to be careful with what I pair them up with though since according to some of my friends or rather what here in the States tend to call or view knee high boots, Hooker Boots (*￣m￣). 

Clothes/Shorts!!!!

I accidentally bought two pairs of these shorts, same color same size. Luckily they were only 477円 each. This was another item that was on sale hence the cheap ass price too and they only had this one color left. Luckily I liked this color! I also sort of didn't care since all of the colors seemed really cute and flower patterns are in right now  (✿◠‿◠).

The material isn't too bad, same stuff for like any patterned or colored non-jean shorts or pants. I got them in a medium size and they fit perfectly! I find it funny that they jump in sizes for example, S is for those with a waist of 23 (double 00) and medium is a 25 (size 1). I fall in between 24-25 (0-1) depending on brand and style. Now I know that most other shoppers and bloggers recommended a size up anyways for the clothes here, but that's not the case for everything just like the shoes. I'll elaborate more on that in the next piece and my overall verdict! 

                                    

These were like my only item that wasn't on sale or clearance yet at 800円 it was still cheap. Now I got these in a small! At first I almost immediately went to click on the medium, until I decided to also do the same for them as I did for the shoes and look at the measurement table closely. What did I find? Completely different measurements than the other shorts I got! Now the small is a size 24 and a medium is a size 26. 

They also fit me perfectly and despite having the rose pattern in white, they're not see through. The material is extremely light, thin, and stretchy. Now most of you might think that is a bad thing, but actually I don't find it to be made cheaply or anything. I'll now explain in my overall verdict on why :). 

Overall Verdict

DreamV has a lot to choose from, so much that sometimes I got overwhelmed. It's easy to navigate and it's a bonus that they ship internationally! Couple things though or rather tips to remember when shopping through them based on my experience: 

* Make an account through Rakuten's Global site and then use that to sign in on the Japanese version. This is helpful if you want to check out using the Japanese version since I tried to use the Japanese version w/o signing in first and I had trouble trying to check out. The way the Japanese website's shipping address part is set up is for domestic addresses. I'm assuming for those who were able to shop using the Japanese website's cart is when they signed up first through the global website and then signed in on DreamV's afterwards. I'll have to test this out more myself though.

* Be careful and make sure to choose between checking out using the Japanese website or the global rakuten's version, don't use both! This was why I accidentally bought two pairs of shorts as it caused a double checkout etc.

* If you want to check out using the Global version then I suggest looking up what you want through the original site first. The global will track what you looked at previously, which will give you links to add those items to your Global/English cart. Reasons for this is because I noticed not everything shows up on the English page especially items on sale!

* Read the measurement tables! This is super important as I know most other bloggers just say to buy a size up. This is not the case for everything! Read those tables that they provide and know you're own measurements. It's a pain, but in the end I think you'll get more things that will fit and that's satisfying!

* Quality of the clothes are another you get what you pay for sort of thing. Some will be more overpriced than others. One thing to note that not a lot of people talk about or mention is that a majority of clothes from Asia are made for their own weather. The shorts that I got are made perfectly for the hot and humid weather that a majority of East Asia experience during the summer (believe me I lived through it before!). They're super breathable, don't stick to you, and dry fast. Of course there are things that are simply made cheaply and sold cheaply and I admit the zippers and buttons they use are pretty cheap. 

* Clothing care to keep those clothes lasting longer! A thing to note is that a majority of clothes from East Asia are hand wash only or hang dry only. Dryers don't really exist there except in more western areas or they're too expensive. Places are also too small to even have them so most of these clothes are built for a more delicate wash. So if you want to make them last longer I suggest hand washing some of it (/◕ヮ◕)/. 

I really liked my experience and haul. I would say though that it's a place to get shoes more than clothes for me. The shoes are more reasonably priced and since the shipping is based on how much you spend rather than weight makes it an even better reason to shop there for them!  Another awesome thing is that they are always and constantly coming out with new items! They also come out with tons of sales hee hee ^ω^. Have to admit that I'm guilty of always checking them up to see what's new and totally obsessed with buying more shoes! 

Thanks for reading and till next time! 

Primark (Penneys) Haul

Hey everyone! Happy Spring! 

Today I want to share with you all my Primark haul. For those in the US Primark is a huge retailer in the UK that is similar to Forever 21 and H&M. Just recently (early March) I took a family trip to London, England, which was a lot of fun! Now London is pretty expensive considering that the Pound is much stronger than the US dollar (exchange rate at the time was about $1.68 to £1. Everything was almost twice as expensive in England compared to what we pay here, but despite that I still wanted to squeeze in some shopping! Hence while I was there I discovered Primark right on Oxford Street, near the Marble Arch subway station. This place was crazy, packed with people from locals to other tourists and just full of the latest fashions and all between £1-£15! I bought a lot of things, but only a few of them will I review here as most of it was lingerie XD. 

Bags! 

First thing up are the bags that I bought at Primark. 

First bag I got was this large black side bag. The material is pretty light, but quite durable and it can fit a lot inside! It's probably as large as a regular sized backpack. I like it since it's great for casual wear and traveling (can fit my DSLR in it <3 ). This was probably my most expensive buy too at £12.

Second bag I got is this vintage looking cutie here. I love this one. It seems small but can fit everything I need inside of it! It also looks like it's made with real leather, but it's synthetic. Also smells like leather too! Overall there was some super amazing quality that went into this bag for just £8.

Inside is nicely lined too. Love what I think is a 60's - 70s type pattern. 

Last bag is one of those recyclable/reusable bags for shopping. These were  £1.50 each and came in a variety of patterns. Of course they all had London related designs, which made them perfect for souvenirs for family and friends! My mother and I bought a couple of them, but this is the one I kept for myself. Yay for saving the environment and for cute shopping bags!

Clothes/Jammies/& Others!

I don't normally buy Pajamas or sleepwear often least not since I was in high school which was nearly 10 years ago! I normally just wear a lot of concert and other random shirts from conventions etc to sleep so when I was in Primark and saw all the cute stuff I just had to buy some new pajamas and some other random bits. 

Besides rabbit related things, I also love robots! I tend to collect things with robots on them too so the moment I saw these I just had to get them. These were £5.

I'm a fan of Winnie the Pooh. I grew up reading and watching the show as a kid and now I just like anything related to him and his pals in the Hundred Acre Wood. My favorite designs or illustrations of him are those done my E. H Shepard so this was another pair of bottoms that I had to buy! I also got a set of underwear to go with them hee hee. Bottoms were £7. 

My Little Pony! To be honest I'm not much of a MLP fan, but saw this more vintage design and liked it for it's cute factor. This is actually a sweater that was in the sleepwear section of the store, but it can just be worn as a sweater shirt too. Perfect for some Fairy Kei type coordinations and at £8!

Scottish Terriers! I got this since the pattern looks like my dog! Though mine is a Schnauzer, it was similar enough that I really wanted it! Also couldn't complain when it was just £3! Also I like having some normal t-shirts around for my lazy days. 

Jammie Set! This was actually my second time going to London and when I went the first time I bought a pair of Union Jack boxers. Well now I wanted another pair of boxer/sleepwear shorts and so I picked up this cute obviously so touristy jammie set. Together it costed me £5. 

Union Jack tank. Every girl needs one even if you don't even live in England haha. Also at just £3 so why not! 

Last, but not least are these pair of black bow heels! They're really low so they're more like flats. These were about £10. They're sort of big on me at a UK size of 4, which was the smallest they carried (so I'm more of 3, yea I have tiny feet).  With thick tights or socks they fit and since they're pretty low they aren't too hard to walk in. I just really wanted some nice low heeled shoes for certain occasions and while they're hard to see in the picture the bows on them are really cute! 

Overall Verdict 

Primark is a pretty awesome place. Relative to the prices in London, it was considerably cheap and reasonable. The quality was also really great as they're on par with stuff you find at Forever 21 and H&M. In other words you get what you sort of pay for though for me I was completely satisfied with what I found and bought. Primark is a great place though for basics or super casual wear like T-shirts, tanks, leggings, jeans, etc. I have read though that they have exclusive designs made for them though and they have a lot of licensed goods with Disney, MLP, and Marvel. So for those who are not in the UK and visit it one day I would highly recommend checking out a Primark! You'll spend hours in there shopping! 

Have you guys been to a Primark before? What are your favorite things from there? Feel free to comment and share! 

Thanks for reading everyone! Look out for more blogs in the future soon as I have a lot to share, upcoming hauls, Dolly related reviews and more! I promise to update and share more!