Taiwan shopping haul

As some of you may know, I was in Taiwan last week for a little holi-holiday. It was a much needed break away from work. And as with most of my holidays in Asia, retail therapy was a big part of it.

I took these shopping haul pics diligently every night, upon returning to our hotel, even though I was knackered most of the nights. So I hope this satisfies your curiousity and serves as a shopping guide of sorts.

Before going, I had already done some research online and also asked my Taiwanese friends (whom I met during my University days), so it was pretty mapped out where my focus should be.

My purchases were made all over the place; Shihlin Night Market, Ximending, Taipei Main Station underground markets, Wu Fen Pu, Hualien, Danshui, Jiu Fen etc. Most were purchased from night markets and street vendors. Needless to say, I'm not the kind of girl who can afford to shop at the likes of Taipei 101 hehe *sad* sigh... #poor

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

As you can see, I got lotsa studded stuff (I loved studded items even before it was a trend! *proud*)! I was also on the lookout for bejeweled items, but the trend hasn't yet hit Taiwan, it seemed, except for some stalls where the owners obviously flew to Japan to source for the items.

Oh, oh, the shop where I bought the peach coloured, leather biker jacket also had items from Emoda, Rose Bullet, LagunaMoon and other famous Japanese brands. The shopowner was super impressed that I knew the brands, "Ni men Ma Lai Si Ya (Malaysia) ren dou ting guo hor?" (Even Malaysians have heard of these brands?). Haha of course la, which kampung you think I come from? kekekeke...but no la, if I didn't read as many fashion blogs as I did, I wouldn't have heard of the brands. See, reading fashion blogs opens up your mind *lol* #joke #humour

The pics above were my shopping inspirations taken from Vivi magazines (Malaysian edition)*click*

Here's a closer look at what I got:

I find that accessories in Taiwan in general aren't as cheap as I thought; at least the ones I liked weren't. It seems like a lot of their accessories are imported from South Korea, hence the higher prices. They are really pretty, don't get me wrong and the quality is definitely better, if you don't mind forking out extra. Yes, you can find the lower end NT$100 for 3 pairs of earrings sort of range, but there are already tons of those in KL, anyway.

I do highly recommend one particular accessories shop, though; PierMei. The accessories here are a bit more within my price range with earrings going for NT$50 and mobile phone plugys/minipols for NT$100.

The bottom four bracelets I got at Wu Fen Pu and were NT$150 a piece (original asking price was NT$190), but I think I overpaid just a little bit, I'm not sure. The top 2 friendship bracelets (from Danshui) were 2 for NT$50, so at least those were pretty cheap.

Tattoo tights were everywhere and I had to get some. The quality is pretty good and they are pretty cheap. I hauled some for myself and for friends.

I think my biggest haul has got to be facial sheet masks. I stocked up on my favourite My Beauty Diary ones and also got persuaded by a SA to try Sasatinne ones haha. Well, why not, the Sasatinne ones were like NT$150 a box. Mad cheap! I don't think I went overboard at all considering some of the above are for friends/family hehe

MBD is super crazy cheap in Taiwan because well, they are actually Made in Taiwan. Hong Kong sells them pretty cheap, too. I'm never, ever, ever (getting back together...sorry #lame) buying MBD masks in Malaysia, again. Ever. *cough*unless it's limited ed*cough*

These iPhone cases were NT$200 a pop and I did hesitate, but thought the prints were too pretty to ignore. I was actually hoping to stock up on cheap iPhone cases, so I was pretty disappointed to see that most of the ones I like were selling for NT$300 and above. Even the really old designs which can easily be bought at RM10 (NT$100) in KL are still sold at NT$300 over there.

These kong ming deng I bought as souvenirs. They are so pretty and I think they stand out from the usual keychains or magnets type of souvenirs. You can find Made in Taiwan versions and Made in China versions. The difference is pretty obvious as the fabric used in the Made in Taiwan ones are much nicer and of better quality. Each kong ming deng has a wish written on it like good health, happiness etc.

One of my Taiwanese friends said that she doesn't bargain when she shops, but being kiasu, I did anyway haha. Sometimes it worked, sometimes it didn't. I guess the prices are already very reasonable to them unlike say, Bangkok or Hong Kong where we'd slash it down to half price.

Overall, I think I had a pretty good haul from Taiwan, but I think I could have done better!

Shopping at Markets@Jaya One

Pretty iPhone cases

Bracelet and earcuff

Set of bracelets

Arm party with some of the bracelets I bought

Creepers

Shoe store I bought my shoes from

Markets is a quarterly event which brings together blogshop vendors. I must admit I have never been to one of these before, but since I miss going to vintage/craft fairs and random outdoor markets, I decided to go to Markets@Jaya One 6. These markets are not the pasar pagi/pasar malam variation mind. This is where you get to actually see only blogshop stuff in person. I noted many blogshops I've been browsing through while I was there. I even saw some bloggers and YouTubers (Joseph Germani). I didn't take pics with them, though, because I was looking horrible and terribly unglam. The weather was extremely hot and I was all sticky and sweaty while browsing through the stalls. I do wish it could have been held indoors with the aircond at full blast. How I wish this was in the UK where I can browse for hours and hours without getting tired.

New purse from Vincci

Instagram Images 006

Yes, yes, I know. The Instagram Images series initially started on my blog as a weekly thing, then I decided to change it to a monthly thing and here I'm turning it bi-weekly. I'm so fickle because I'm a woman. Yesh.

I spent one lunch hour browsing the aisles of Guardian, testing out foundations, lipsticks and reading labels. Ended up getting some Biore Cleansing Oil Cotton Sheets refills, a Revlon Lip Butter (finally!), a Maybelline BB White and the limited edition My Beauty Diary x Hello Kitty facial masks.

I wanted to buy more stuff, but I didn't have enough cash with me. Bother.

My colleagues and boss brought me to a vegetarian place for lunch and my boss recommended the char siew (roasted pork) noodles. You must be wondering what kind of vegetarian place sells char siew, right? Well, see those pieces of char siew? Made entirely out of beancurd! Looks pretty much like char siew, but tastes nothing like it hahaha

Malaysia's 3 layer tea. Tea on top, evaporated milk in the middle and palm sugar at the bottom.

Famous beef noodles at Petaling Street. Haven't been to Petaling Street (KL Chinatown) in like 6, 7 years. Can't say I miss that place, even though it's also well-known for its plethora of good food in that area. Don't like how claustrophobic it is. It's a popular shopping street for tourists, but I really don't know how they shop there. I much prefer the usual pasar malam (night markets).

Went for tea with a friend and ordered a Creme Brulee cheesecake. Heavenly!!

Sweet and spicy crabs.

I know most of my instagram images consist of food, but I can't help it because Malaysia truly is a food haven. Also, I've been away for so long, so I really have to have a taste of everything. However, besides our cuisine, we do have world-famous architectures like our Petronas Twin Towers #promo

Finally, got to watch The Hunger Games. Though not a new concept, I really enjoyed the movie. I'm going to try and get my hands on the books. Books are so frigging expensive here, though! Arghhh seriously, books cost like less than a fiver in the UK. And if I get books from charity shops like Oxfam, I just have to pay like a quid or something. Madness!

I know that the PM admitted to being addicted to Angry Birds (God only knows where he finds the time considering he has to, you know, run the country), but I didn't know he was on Platter, too. Of course it's not really him, but I found it amusing all the same.

@joey_wongby

I have picked and emailed the winners for the Ceebeery giveaway.

Congratulations to

Sydney

Laura

Maii

Gmarket haul and giveaway [CLOSED]

[CLOSED]

Ceebeery contacted me some weeks ago regarding the possibility of a collaboration. I checked out their Facebook page and Lowyat thread and was pretty intrigued. In a nutshell, Ceebeery offers Korean Gmarket sprees.

I have heard a lot about Gmarket and have always wanted to shop there. However, no matter how many times I try, I end up giving up because it's just too complicated to me. Even though there's an English site for Gmarket, a lot of it is still in Korean. The whole registration, pricing, discount and payment system just boggles my mind. I'm slow, I know. So to have a spree service like the one Ceebeery is offering would save hours of my time.

Anywayz, Ceebeery kindly offered to giveaway some vouchers to my readers in exchange for a blog post (please read to the end for the giveaway). After some thought, I decided that the only way I can write a proper post would be to participate in the spree myself.
Please note that Ceebeery did not force me to participate, I just wanted to take this opportunity to test out Gmarket and to haul some stuff.

Chiffon shirt: True to picture

I have adapted some of the information below from their Facebook page*click*

ABOUT CEEBEERY [WHO?]
Ceebeery originates from the word ‘spree’ (try to pronounce it slowly).

SPREE [WHAT?]
'Spree-ing' is the latest shopping trend in the 21st century. Some of you may know it as 'surveys' or 'pre-orders'. What it does is virtually gather shoppers on to the same platform so that postage/shipping costs can be shared among the 'spree-ers'.

SPREE [WHY?]
Basically, shoppers are buying more for less. Spree-ing is a smarter and more cost saving way of shopping compared to individuals who needs to bear all the expenses alone.
Spree-ing with Ceebeery is hassle-free! You literally just pick the stuff you want and Ceebeery will quote you the price and do everything else!

SPREE [WHERE?]
At the moment, Ceebeery only carries out Korean Gmarket sprees. However, there are big plans for US and Europe sprees in the future, so do bookmark them and check back!

SPREE [HOW?]
1) Browse Gmarket and pick the items you want
2) Copy shop and item url
3) Email the information to Ceebeery 
4) Wait for a reply with quote within 24 hours. 
5) Make payment
6) Wait happily for your purchases to arrive at your doorstep

T-shirt: True to picture, but extremely thin

I must say I am very impressed with Ceebeery's customer service. All my enquiries were answered within 24 hours and they were always professional and courteous. Even when I asked for the price quotations for 6 items and only ended up buying 3, they were still friendly and patient in their replies.

My whole shopping experience was fantastic. I didn't have to worry about clicking on the wrong button or not understanding the discount system or wonder if an item is out of stock because Ceebeery will do everything for me and inform me of things I need to know.

Postage rates will depend on the weight of your items, but for my haul, EMS from Korea was RM15 and for local postage (PosLaju), it was RM11.

Parisgraphy journal/diary: True to picture

Now the moment you've all been waiting for...the giveaway!!
Ceebeery is offering not 1, not 2, but 3 Malaysian readers a RM30 voucher each to be spent on their next spree.

How to enter:
1) 'Like' Ceebeery's Facebook page
2) That is the only compulsory step, but if you'd like an extra entry, tweet this [ Ceebeery and @everydayoutfits is having a giveaway! Click to win Gmarket vouchers http://bit.ly/H4hj7U ]
3) Fill up the Rafflecopter form below for your entry to be recorded (You can either log in with your Facebook account or email address. I will be the only one able to see your email address, so I can email you if you win)

3 winners will be randomly selected and announced on the 8th of April 2012. Remember to check back!

This giveaway is only opened to my readers in Malaysia (sorry, sponsor's rule).

Shopping at Sg Wang

Bat wing-sleeve shirt: Random blogshop
Bird cage necklace: Gift
Skirt: Singapore
Vintage bag: Singapore

 

Birthday gift from the bestie

A couple of days ago, a Uni friend came to visit, so we went shopping. It was my first proper (clothes) shopping trip since I got back. Most of you know that I've been job-hunting, so I didn't have the money nor the need to shop seeing as I'm home all the time (diligently refreshing my email), so there really is no need for fancy clothes.

However, I have landed myself a job (yay!) and decided to allow myself this little shopping trip before my first paycheck. Hey, hey I was using my angpau (red packet) money from Chinese New Year, ok? :P

We headed to Sungei Wang and this is my little shopping haul.

I really needed some new shorts because I've been wearing the same two pairs of denim shorts. I decided to not be boring and venture into colourful shorts. The yellow pair was a bit of an impulse (I mean, yellow? Really??), but hello, at RM15 I couldn't exactly not buy it. It'd be an insult!

Hello Kitty ear caps

I seem to have quite a bit of Hello Kitty stuff for someone who never used to like Hello Kitty...

Bloggers Do It Better...Red

I quote Kristina at Pretty Shiny Sparkly,
"Bloggers Do It Better is a movement. An initiative to showcase real girls, with real style, wearing real trends. Think of it as inspiration from the girl next door."

The latest instalment is simply entitled, Red. Bloggers were asked to interpret it however they wished to. Here is my interpretation of it.

Red shirt: Bugis Street, Singapore

Paperbag skirt with heart prints: H&M
Ladybug ring: Random market

While this colour is really apt for today, Valentine's Day, I actually wore this one day while visiting relatives during the Chinese New Year period. Red is of great significance to the Chinese and it is tradition to wear red during this festive season. It symbolizes good luck and is the colour for celebration and happiness.

This was actually the first time in 5 years I've visited my relatives around Malaysia and collected angpaus (red packets). Chinese New Year in the UK is a sad affair and it can feel terribly lonely, though I've gotten used to it. Still, it was a delight to be counting and spending my lucky money.

This is where some of my money went.

My 1st blogiversary giveaway is over. I've randomly selected a winner and the winner is...

Alexandra

CONGRATULATIONS!!