Bargain Brag: 5.99fashion.com Haul and Review

Hi everyone! Today I would like to share with you a haul from one of my favorite online shopping guilty pleasures... 5.99 Fashion.com.

So, on to my haul...

5.99fashion Haul

Floral Off-the-shoulder Skater Dress- $5.99

This dress is one of my favorites EVER from 5.99fashion! It is a light scuba-type fabric and it is so flattering and pretty. 

Printed Deep-V Mesh Back Skater Dress-$5.99

This dress is so cute! I saw a similar dress on sale at urban outfitters last season. The fabric is a soft thin blend and the mesh is not too sheer.

Floral Print Basic Skater Dress- $5.99

This dress is so pretty on! It has a nice clean line and beautiful fit.

  

Black and Tan Chevron Print High-Low Dress-$5.99

This dress is so stylish and versatile.  Alone, it makes a nice dress for going out because it has a sexy open back.  Throw it with a jean jacket for a casual look or a cardigan for work.  The fabric is a little thin, but still a great item!

Pink Tweed Dress-$5.99

I was really surprised by how heavy this tweed dress is! With a cardigan and tights, it is perfect for colder weather. It is way nicer quality than I expected, and I love the Chanel-inspired look it gives.  

Derek Heart Black Stonewashed Crop Sweatshirt-$5.99

This cropped sweatshirt is a great winter basic from a brand I'm familiar with.

Gradient Red Sweater-$4.99

I got this sweater on sale. Yes, $5.99fashion has sale merchandise, too! I worried this sweater would be scratchy, but it is actually super soft! I also saw a very similar sweater featured in People StyleWatch this month. 

Faux Suede Low Bootie-$5.99

I grabbed these little booties because they seemed like great comfy shoes for work. I ordered them in tan as well, but they sold out before my order was processed. 

Tall Faux Suede Roll-down Boots-$5.99

I chose these boots to replace the tan booties that were out of stock.  I like that they can be worn two ways. It's like getting 2 pairs of boots for $5.99! 

Silver Filigree Circle Necklace-$1.99

This necklace is very cool. It looks like something I would find in Urban Outfitters!

Rhinestone Statement Necklace-$1.99

This one is just ok. It is pretty and sparkly. I plan to wear it with a white button down shirt or a black dress.

Gold and Pearl Charm Bracelet-$1.99

This little bracelet is so cute! And the link of the chain is heavy and nice. This is one of the highest quality jewelry pieces I've gotten from 5.99fashion.com

Large Gold Link Bracelet-$1.99

This was my least favorite item of the haul. It's ok...but it looks like it cost $1.99 and the clasp doesn't stay closed very well.

Pearl Choker-$1.99

This was my favorite jewelry item. I like its trendy Chanel-inspired style and it's way cheaper than Zara's version!

So, to sum it up...

I got:

5 dresses

2 sweaters

2 pairs of boots

3 necklaces

2 bracelets

All for $59 shipped to my house!

See why I love 5.99fashion.com???

5.99fashion.com Review

First, I'd like to say, I've seen some reviews online where 5.99fashion.com provides three items to bloggers for review purposes.  This is not one of those reviews. I bought all of the items in this haul with my own money.  Since I shop this site pretty often, I just thought I'd let my readers know about this fun online store.

I have been shopping 5.99fashion.com regularly since about 2011.  They are an online-only store located in Los Angeles, CA.  They sell junior's and plus size clothing, shoes, and accessories.  They also carry some children's and men's clothing.  Everything they sell is $5.99 or less.  The clothing all starts at $5.99,and many accessories are less.  They also occasionally mark down prices of older products. Merchandise moves really quickly on this site, so order it when you see it! Even if you order quickly, be prepared for the possibility that one of the items you ordered will be out of stock. Because they add new items a couple times a week, it's easy to become addicted to shopping this inexpensive site.

5.99fashion.com offers a huge variety of clothes. Most are brands I've never heard of, but very occasionally I have found a more common brand in my order.  I've gotten a couple Derek Heart items, and a couple of "Dot's" store brand pieces (I got those before Dot's closed.)  In general, the quality of their merchandise is way more than you would expect for the price.  I have gotten some items that were cute, but the fabric was on the cheaper side.  Even though that is not generally the case, it's good to be aware of that. 

My favorite items to buy from 5.99fashion are their dresses and shoes because they are fairly easy to fit and a great value for the price. Really, how often can you find a $5.99 dress or shoes? My least favorite items from 5.99fashion.com are the jewelry. The jewelry prices, in my opinion, match the quality, and they are not an especially great deal.

My tips for shopping the site are to examine each item very carefully before buying, especially in regards to the fabric and the length of dresses.  5.99 fashion has very good pictures and gives measurements for all their models.  They also list fabric details. Before ordering, check their website for discount codes that can range from 3%-10%. Finally, don't keep anything you don't like. They have a very easy free returns policy, so if something doesn't work for you, it's free to exchange it for another item.  I have returned a few things. It really is very easy and you don't pay anything.  

The one thing that keeps me from ordering from 5.99fashion more regularly is that they don't offer free shipping.  In the past, they had free shipping on orders over $100, so I made a couple of $100 orders. (That's A LOT of $5.99 clothing!)  They stopped that (and my wallet rejoiced). Now, they offer a shipping deal that they call "free shipping".  If you spend $50 and your order includes 5 jewelry items, you get free shipping.  Shipping on a $50 order is $7.99.  Their accessories are mostly priced at $1.99.  So, you can spend $8 for shipping and get nothing, or spend $2 more and get 5 pieces of jewelry.  As I mentioned, I'm not a huge fan of their jewelry, but I usually do the jewelry deal when I order. 

***UPDATE: 5.99fashion.com has lowered their shipping cost at each price range! And orders over $50 that include only 3 jewelry items qualify for free shipping.

Here is the link to their website and Facebook page if you would like to check out 5.99fashion.com for yourself.

So what is your online shopping guilty pleasure? What's the best thing to buy on your favorite site?

New In: Sandals/Shoe Factory Store Review

Hi everyone!  I recently bought these two pairs of sandals at Shoe Factory, a local Philadelphia shoe store.

These thick strapped gladiator sandals are right on-trend and were only $9.99! 

My pictures do not do these shoes justice-they are so cute on!

  

Not only are these stylish, the material of the straps is straps is very soft and the shoes are really comfy.  

These nude sandals were also $9.99. They are made of a soft microsuede fabric embellished with plastic studs.  I like how they kind of blend into my feet, giving a very neutral and minimalist look.

I decided to write this post after I realized there was barely any information about Shoe Factory online!  This is a local family-owned Philly store that I have been shopping at my whole life.  So, I wanted to do a quick review on this awesome store.

Shoe factory is located in Northeast Philadelphia at Castor and Tyson Avenues.  It is within walking distance of the Roosevelt Mall.  You can check out their Facebook page here.

Shoe Factory sells discount women's shoes and some girls' sizes as well.  The prices are really reasonable, with their shoes averaging about $15 full price. (Their winter boots tend to be more in the $30 range full price.) They also regularly mark down their merchandise throughout the season.  Sometimes there are sales where the whole store is marked down.  Many times, I have picked up some cute shoes there for $4-$7!

Their selection is really random.  They offer shoes in every imaginable color and style.  This store is a great place to check out if you need to match a certain outfit or want some sexy shoes for a night out or a formal event.  They carry many fashion-forward and over-the-top styles.  You can find anything from basic to attention-grabbing, flats to stilettos.  Most of their shoes are unknown brands, or inexpensive brands like Bamboo, Qupid, or Classified.  Occasionally, you might find a store brand like Charlotte Russe or Forever 21.  As a size 5.5/6 I find the selection hit or miss.  Often, they don't have my size, or the sizes run too big for me.  My sister who is a 7.5/8 fares much better.

They only have one location, and the store is cramped with tables stacked with shoes.  It is almost always crowded.  When I can, I like to go on week nights when it is a little more quiet.  There is not much space to walk or try on anything on, but I consider the less-then-perfect shopping experience a small price to pay for such a huge variety of cute and inexpensive shoes!

I also saw a number of bad reviews of Shoe Factory's customer service on store review sites.  This has not been my experience, but I have witnessed moments of tension between staff and other customers while shopping there.  I personally think that this stems from two things: Shoe Factory's bag-check policy, and their return policies.  The staff asks that all larger bags are checked-including handbags!  This is not a common store policy, so I think it leaves some shoppers feeling disgruntled.  I consider it an inconvenience that I'm willing to accept in order to get a good deal, and I simply leave my handbag in the car if it is large.  Also, Shoe Factory's return policy is very strict.  I'm not sure of the details, because I don't do returns, but I think returns are only issued as store credit and many sales are final.  These policies tend to annoy certain customers, but since Shoe Factory is a small privately owned store, it is the owners' prerogative, and being demanding and pushy will get you nowhere! I have been shopping there since I was a pre-teen and never had an issue with customer service.

Shoe Factory is one of my favorite places to shop for shoes, because there are so many great deals to be found.  Just leave your big purse and your attitude at home, and try not to go on Saturday afternoon!

You can also check out a Shoe Factory review from PhillyDiva19154

      

Gemzstyle.com Review and Haul

Today I have a review of my experience with Gemzstyle.com, as well as a haul from the site.

Awhile back, I was contacted by Ashley at Gemzstyle.com to do a review of some items from her site.  Gemzstyle.com is an online store that sells many types of women's clothing, accessories, and jewelry.  They have recently added some home decor items as well.  You can see a post that features some of my favorite Gemz picks here. 

When I first checked out Gemzstyle.com, I was impressed by the stylish items that they sold and the reasonable prices.  I was even more impressed that Ashley and her sister, Meagan, had formed the company together in order to immerse themselves in what they love the most: beauty and fashion.  I loved the idea of being able to help support two young women who were working hard to create their own small business, so I quickly agreed to do the review.

I received the items featured in this article for review purposes, but I was not compensated for this post.  The opinions stated are (as always) my own. 

I was super-excited to receive my order...it came neatly packaged in this Priority Mail box.

When I opened the box, it was packed with pretty tissue paper, a packing slip listing all of my items, and it even included a sweet handwritten note from Ashley and Meagan, since I had communicated back and forth with Ashley while setting up the review.

When I peeled back the tissue, these are some of the goodies that I found!

First, was this cute striped fabric-covered headband.  As you can tell by my recent post featuring striped looks, this is just my style!  Inside a silver box, was this gorgeous jewelry:

This set of earrings is great individually, or for mixing and matching, if you have multiple earring holes.  My boyfriend really likes the long spike pair, as do I! And the studs are so super-sparkly and pretty.

My pictures do not do justice to how sparkly, gorgeous, and fierce these rhinestone and gold spike earrings are! From the front, the glittering rhinestones give them an almost formal look, but catch them from the side and they are spiky and wild.

This set of two gold-tone bangles includes one plain gold-tone bangle, and one rhinestone bangle.

This is how they look on. These bangles are so versatile, and I think they go perfectly with the gold and rhinestone spike earrings in this haul.

Then, there was an animal-print makeup bag that was filled with beauty goodies! It contained 2 L.A. Colors nail polishes (purple and silver), "Wizard Pads" nail polish remover pads, and some original Lula Missy cosmetics.  

Color: Prom

Color: Summer's End

Swatches of the shadow: L-R Prom and Summer's End

  

This purple scalloped belt looked exactly like the picture from the gemzstyle.com site!

Gemz.com Picture

My Picture

The belt is really versatile.  It is great to have one of these to cinch the waists on maxi dresses, button down shirts, and skirts. I love the rich plum color and the gold accents.

Here are a couple of ideas that I came up with for styling this belt:

Tucked under the first layer of items was this striped tote.  Here it is pictured in red/white on the Gemzstyle.com site. 

This tote comes in red, blue, black and brown.  I got it in blue.  As you can see, this tote is huge! It is perfect for the pool or beach.  My sister really liked this bag...she was totally plotting on it. Too bad for her, though, because I'm keeping it! I plan to use it to carry my towel etc. when I go to the pool club this summer.

This is a beachy styling idea for my new tote.

Finally, was this lovely purple dress, my personal favorite from this haul.  It is a strapless style with a sweetheart neckline and bubble hem.  It is made of a soft floaty chiffon.  It is fully lined and the great thing is, while the shape of this dress easily allows for a strapless bra, it also has a slightly padded cup, so it can be worn alone, if you choose.  I love the way the chiffon is pleated and drapes gracefully across the bodice.  I plan on wearing it to the next wedding that I attend.  This would also work great for a semi-formal dance or other similar event or occasion.

Picture from Gemzstyle.com

My Picture

Look at the beautiful pleating and draping!

This dress looks even better in real life than it does in the photos! In person, it is a deep and rich eggplant color, not quite as bright as Gemz' picture, and not as dull as mine.

Because the style and color combination is quite simple, there are innumerable ways to style this dress.  Here are just a few that I came up with:

Overall, I was quite impressed by the service and the quality of the products that I received.  All items were exactly as pictured and described, and Ashley answered any questions that I had promptly and professionally.  I would highly recommend Gemzstyle.com.   

Gemz has great items that you aren't likely to find elsewhere.  I personally love their dresses...They have quite a few styles that are perfect for semi-formal special occasions.  So, if you are looking for something that is unique, but without high boutique prices, you should definitely check out this site! When you shop Gemzstyle.com you can be assured that you will get great service to go along with their stylish merchandise, and you can support a small business in the process. What a win-win! And, for my international readers, Gemzstyle.com ships internationally.  

Please take a minute and like Gemz on facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/lulamissy

So, what is your favorite item from my Gemzstyle.com haul?

  

Review: Clothingloves.com-Lion's Head Chain

Today I would like to share my experience ordering from clothingloves.com. 

I recently received this awesome lion's head chain from Clothingloves.com for review purposes.  I previously wrote a post about the site which you can check out HERE.  

In case you have never heard of Clothingloves, it is an online store that ships world-wide.  They sell a huge variety of discount clothing and jewelry items.  You can find anything from wholesale dresses to women's leggings, or even men's jackets.  Clothingloves has tons of really adorable and inexpensive clothes!  The style of women's clothing they sell is youthful, trendy, and fashion-forward.  And, if you like Asian-inspired fashion like I do, check out their sweet and pretty "Korean" style clothes and jewelry.  Here are just a few examples of items I like from Clothingloves.

So, on to my review...

My experience so far with clothingloves has been excellent.  They had good shipping and a great product.  I will definitely order from them in the future.  I recommend that you check them out!  

I placed my order and received my necklace in about 3 weeks.  This is quick considering that the company is based in China and I live in the US.  The amount of shipping time was about what I expected, or a little faster, based on my experience with Chinese sellers on Ebay.  (If it is your first time ordering internationally, it is good to keep in mind that the shipping will likely take longer than you are used to within your country.  This is also why the shipping charge might seem high compared to other domestic websites.)

My necklace was shipped in this bubble mailer to protect it.

It came neatly packed on a hanging card and in plastic wrapping.

The necklace was exactly as pictured on the clothingloves site!  My pictures don't even do this chain justice.

What was most impressive about this necklace is the weight.  The links and lion are solid and heavy.  It feels sturdy and high-quality.

This necklace has been showing up on all of the fashion blogs.  When I first ordered it, I had yet to see it in a local store.  Since I got my necklace, though, I have seen some similar chains popping up in discount junior's stores.  The price of those necklaces was similar to the price of mine, but the chains had thin cheap-looking links and the gold color was really orange.  The overall quality of the pieces could not begin compare to this one from clothingloves!

Here are some pictures of one of my favorite Lookbook contributors, Lua P., wearing a similar lion chain. I absolutley LOVE her style.  She is PERFECT! (Photos from lookbook.nu)

And here are a few of my own styling options for my necklace:

lion 3 by artaslife featuring a long chain link necklace

lion 2 by artaslife featuring a round cap

lion 1 by artaslife featuring retro-style dresses

So, have you ever ordered from Clothingloves?  What is your statement jewelry piece of the moment?