[Sponsored] Review: Lashvillage Naturel 301 (Femme Classic) false eyelashes

 Hello beauties!

 

This is an old review from 2018 that I originally posted on my other blog, which has since been deleted, and that I'm now reposting here. This is an almost complete repost of the original blog entry with some smaller edits where needed.

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  Most people are familiar with LensVillage as a store that sells circle lenses. I've been collaborating with them since 2015 (I bought from them even before that!) and while I've only reviewed lenses before I got an opportunity to review a pair of false eyelashes back in 2018 when they were first introducing them to the store. Now it should be mentioned that I'm not someone who uses falsies much at all, except for cosplay sometimes, but I couldn't let this chance slip by as I got the opportunity to review something new. And I like trying new things.

The product I'm showing in this review was sponsored, but rest assured that I don't compromise my honesty nor true thoughts. This review is 100% my own opinion. All photos are taken by me.

Lensvillage has their own false lash brand called Lashvillage, funnily enough. The site says "Lashvillage lashes are made of 100% sterilized faux mink. Each lash strip is knotted and feathered by hand to achieve the highest quality." and that sounds pretty good to me. I'll admit I have zero to little prior knowledge of false lashes as this is literally my third ever pair, of which the two other ones are Dolly Wink lashes (I will review these eventually). I will have a hard time to compare these lashes with others as I don't really have any prior experience of quality norms and such. 

Lashvillage, at the time I originally made this review (2018), had five different pairs to choose from and I got number 301, which was called Lashes Femme Classic #301 on the site although the box itself just simply says Naturel 301. The naming seems confusing but I'm basing my review primarily on what the package I got had written on it (although it seems like the 301s were later changed from Naturel to Femme Classic). Whatever the real name is supposed to be, what we have at hand is a pair that I feel suits its name pretty well – these feel like a pretty safe bet for ordinary yet glamorous lashes.

EDIT: LensVillage seems to currently only carry three pairs of lashes, the 301s aren't among them. There is a "Femme Classic #101" but I don't think that's the same product because, while the 301 isn't available, it is shown on a promotional image (along with the Glam Luxe #502 that is also unavailable). I don't know why these two styles have seemingly been discontinued but it is how it is. Oh and yeah, I do think that the current 101s aren't the same as the 301s so please don't think this is a review for the 101.

 

These lashes cost 8,50 dollars at the time of writing this review (and also did in 2018) and my gut feeling says that it's a pretty decent price. I have no idea what random drugstore lashes tend to cost so I'm not gonna say so much more about the price. xD The package is really cute and elegant and has a window so that you can see what the lashes look like.

EDIT: Based on the current promotional image on the site it looks like, sometime after the initial release and now, that LensVillage has changed the look of the packaging. What I'm reviewing is the original, old packaging from 2018.

They are pretty soft to the touch and have a natural-ish shine to them. If I brush my fingers against the lashes they spring back to their original shape quickly enough. The lash count seems fine and the length of the lash itself doesn't seem to be absurdly long – I don't have to cut them to get them to fit my eye shape. I think these would fit most eye shapes and sizes. 

Lash glue is not included with these so you'll have to supply that yourself! 

 

Eye makeup, no mascara.

Eye makeup, with mascara.

Full eye makeup, colored lenses and false lashes.

I think it's because of my inexperience but I had a really hard time trying to get these on. They just wouldn't stick (could be the glue getting old, hadn't used it in a really long time) and it took me several tries to just get one lash on. I had some trouble getting them to stay like they should and not do the "half of the lashes point downwards and other half upwards" effect, which sadly happened a bit anyway, despite my best efforts to avoid it. I have no idea if my troubles could stem from the fact that I have ridiculously thick and long lashes naturally (someone wanna trade?) and so the falsies have to, err, fight for their spot lol. It was impossible to get them on the lash line. Another thing could be my neverending eyelids somehow pushing them out of place or something, I dunno. Luckily once I got them on they stayed on and so I won the fight and looked pretty for the remainder of the day!

I feel like the lashes are long, feminine and they give off this kind of luxurious effect. I think these could be seen as natural-looking to most frequent lash wearers but yeah, as I've worn falsies below 4 times total in all my life I am still not used to how I look with them on and so I personally think it looks unnatural. :'D I also need to mention that these are really lightweight when worn, I don't feel them much and they aren't annoying in any way! I don't feel like they'll droop down as soon as I blink etc.

Here's some close-up photos of the lashes in different angles and lights:

If there's anything that I feel a bit unsure about quality-wise it is that several individual lashes came off when I was trying to clean the glue residue (mainly peeling it off with my nails); it could just as well have been me being a bit too rough-handed or impatient but I don't know – my Dolly Wink lashes didn't lose a single strand with similar treatment back in the days so I dunno really? I have too little prior experience to really be able to tell if this is normal or not and yeah, I apologize if I am not all that helpful but this is legit my first lash review ever.

Super close-ups on one eye:

 

So yeah, despite me having a hard time getting these pretties to stay on and some individual lashes coming off perhaps a bit too easily, I am satisfied with this pair. It's a really pretty lash pair and I'm happy I took the chance to try these when they were launched. I think I just need more lash wearing practice to make application smoother in the future. xD It's a super cute, elegant pair with a comfortable design and I think these lashes could be very versatile in their use – school, work, parties, special occasions or just for fun!

Oh and yeah, shipping from overseas took about 2 weeks. I can't remember the exact time it took but the shipment was in one of those typical plastic bags/envelopes. I did not have to pay any additional custom fees.

I've never had any issues dealing with Lensvillage and I'd warmly recommend them to anyone who wants to buy eye fashion products. Lensvillage is one of the better known online circle lens stores out there but they also sell false lashes nowadays. Also, you get free worldwide shipping on orders over 40 dollars right now, which is a pretty generous deal! Truth be told I've been raving about them even before I was sponsored (they were my go-to shop already back then) so I really mean it when I say that I genuinely vouch for their store.

View from typical selfie distance.

Thanks for reading my blog and thanks for LensVillage for this opportunity~

~ Shiro Samurai out.

[Sponsored] Rosegal online fashion shop review!

Hello folks!

Remember this post I made a while back? Yep, this is what that was for. :) 

This is an old review from 2018 that I originally posted on my other blog, which has since been deleted, and that I'm now reposting here. I doubt that the products I'm showing are available anymore but I still want to share this review. This is an almost complete repost of the original blog entry, any new edits I will specifically mark with an edit note and italics.

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So, Rosegal contacted me a while ago and offered a collaboration; I took a quick look at the site, liked it and then I also did some googling, as I always do before I accept an offer. I was really concerned that several sites claimed them to be a scam as being honest is extremely important to me when I do reviews. I was wiggling back and forth for a while before I decided on taking the bait as I'd get a chance to see for my own eyes what they're like.

Rosegal is a fashion and clothing online store; the styles they carry vary from mainstream to alternative and everything in between. You are guaranteed to find something you like and the sortiment changes every now and then. There's also sales often! 

Kindly note that the items I'm reviewing in this post were sponsored by Rosegal but that ALL opinions and text is my own. I do not compromise my honesty. Ever.

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Shipping: I honestly don't remember the exact shipping time at all so I'm gonna refrain from mentioning that as I don't want to be terribly wrong, but it might have been around 2 weeks. Now I need to mention that I searched on their site but couldn't find any information about where they were located prior to agreeing to partner with them, which I thought was pretty weird. I ended up googling and found that they were from China, much to my expectations, and the package also confirmed it when it arrived. The shipment went through the Netherlands and I assume the courier was "PostNL" because that's what the printed label says. Not sure if they shipped from an European warehouse or if they shipped from China and just repackaged in Europe and took a different carrier.

The package was this kind of light gray plastic bag and inside the items were packaged separately. All the small accessories were in their own small plastic bags and the sweatshirt and the pants were also separate.
I regret to inform that I am 100% sure that I took photos of the package before I opened it but I've checked through my computers, the camera's SD card and everything and they're nowhere to be found! I have no idea where the photos went but if I have to guess I think the files either got corrupted (happens sometimes) or I might have accidentally deleted them when I was making room for more photos.

Products: Rosegal offered me products for a set price total and I ended up picking one sweatshirt, harem pants, two necklaces and a fake leather bracelet. I'll add product links below while I go through each piece of clothing. ^^ Enjoy!  
Edit: The links do not work anymore as the products have sold out and been removed from the sortiment since then.

I'm sorry I don't have one of those fashionable
houses and fancy mirrors to take photos on, lmao.

The shirt I got was the Water Drop Printed Crew Neck Sweatshirt (in size L) and I must admit that it's stinking cute! Rosegal's online shop has an insane amount of products for sale, you can literally spend hours just scrolling page after page! Needless to say I had a hard time deciding on what I wanted as there were so many options to choose from. I eventually settled on this adorable whale shirt and I'm so glad that I did – in case you have no idea I'll just mention quickly that I've always been extremely fascinated by the sea, ships, marine life and so on and yeah, whales are no exception. This print is just irresistibly cute and colorful!

Whale print close-up.

The color is a really dark blue and I had a surprise when I saw that the sweatshirt is actually 95% cotton and 5% polyester. I was dead-set on it being polyester as I've come to assume cheap clothing, especially from overseas, always is chemical fibers. It's soft to the touch and comfortable and I was just overall positively surprised. I must mention though that I am not completely convinced that it really is almost fully cotton as the touch of the fabric is a bit, different – it's almost as if the surface could have been processed or treated with something to make it more, err, slippery or silky, I guess. If I wanted to be sure I could always do a burn test but I have no fabric scraps so oh well. Yes, I'm studying to become a tailor and we've recently had a course on how to tell different fabric types apart by burning them and checking how they behave...
I did not spot any poor sewing, weird seams or such – it seemed completely normal. I have not tried washing it yet so I don't know how especially the print will behave; I hope it won't flake, crack or anything. 

Shirt worn. Sorry I was a bit tired. x)

This is the kind of clothing that I'd call a "fashion sweater" or "blog sweater", meaning that I wouldn't wear it for full days but mainly for photographing and such, to keep it from deteriorating too fast as I love the cute, water-spouting whale a bit too much for my own good...
The shirt's tag says it's made in China and should be washed in 30°C to prolong its life. I don't expect this kind of alternative fashion clothing to last very long as daily wear and so I use them gently.
 

Sleeve mouth is rib knit...

... and so is the hem.

I got some slight red rashes at the wrists after wearing the sweater for a while, I think it's because the sleeve ribs are a bit tight. The overall fit/pattern is okay but quite snug, even the L size. As an European guy who's below average height (the shirt is marketed for men?) and has a smallish build it's still tight-fitting so yeah, China size it is.

Next up is the pants, which are actually my first harem pants ever. It's the Vintage Geometric Print Casual Harem Pants. Not gonna lie, I've been wanting to buy harem pants for years as I love the look of baggy, slightly eccentric wear. There were several prints to choose from but I picked these mainly because of the color and vintage vibes.

Weirdly enough there is no tush tag at all, meaning I have no idea how to care for these or what material they are and where they've been made. I would assume made in China at least but the feel of the fabric is like medium-weight cotton or muslin but the product page claims polyester, which has me hella confused. Again, a burn test would easily show which one it is but if it really is polyester then damn, that's a good copy. *shrugs* Whatever it is it feels nice and the pants are really roomy.
They actually only come in one size and funnily enough I was concerned that they'd be too small (China size is always a risk) but they are really freaking big, like really. When I first pulled them out you should have seen my face, it was this mix of confusion and horror. xD Like I was sure I'd be able to fit me and my clone in it at the same time, lmao. I'm not kidding, they're really huge! Much bigger than I expected, although I have no previous experience with harem pants so I can't compare with what's usual.

Notice the elastic waistband.

The feet and waist has elastics to keep them in place. There's two butt pockets as well.
These are super easy to wear and will fit quite literally anyone, although I feel like they're a bit on the tall side. I probably could pull them up all the way to my chest if I wanted but that would look hella ridiculous so nuh-uh.
I actually wore these out when I went to visit an outdoor market and I had no problem with biking in them; I thought it would be hazardous because of the super low crotch but it was actually fine. Yes, the crotch seam is of course super low, which makes the typical look of cozy harem pants. Fair warning though that in some unflattering poses/angles it might look like you're wearing a giant diaper for a second, haha.

And now we get to the accessories. I've been a metalhead for most of my life so of course I checked if there were anything cool for my tastes too, as I like both cute and cool stuff. I ended up finding the Punk Faux Leather Wolf Printing Bracelet, a brown fake leather wristband with a wolf design!

It's pretty straightforward and what you'd expect. There's a notable fake leather smell but I actually like the smell, haha. You close it with the typical buckle and strap closure and the whole bracelet feels pretty solid. It's made in China just like almost everything is nowadays although much to my surprise this was actually quite generous in size and adjustable on top of that. This bracelet should fit just fine for most people.

Bracelet laid out flat.

The wolf head print is on both ends so it's pretty sure to be visible. I think it's a pretty rad accessory for punk fans, rockers and others who dig this kind of accessories! It seems durable enough, considering the inexpensive price and so I have no complaints. I'll most likely wear it for concerts and such.

Next is the Artificial Gem Moon Round Pendant Necklace. A moon shaped necklace with a fantasy feeling to it. I actually bought a really similar one years ago from SheIn although I can't find it. I guess I chose this as a reserve in case I lost my original one, as I did like it.

The site says that it's alloy but that seems a bit... unspecific to me? Oh well. The chain's a bit on the short end (can't be pulled over head, at least not for me) and the closure system is the typical one you see on a majority of all necklaces. It closes with no issues, doesn't seem to be flimsy or of poor quality either. It's a beautiful necklace and the blue "galaxy ball" is eye-catching. I don't worry that it would fall apart anytime soon and I feel like it will bring a lot to my outfits whenever I wear it out!

Last but not least we have the PU Leather Anchor Pendant Choker. I know it's meant for women but who the fudge cares? Breaking gender norms is lit. No but seriously, I picked this because of my marine fascination and yeah, I love anchors. The title says PU leather but that seems wrong to me, to be honest. It seems like fabric and has a soft, velvet-ish touch. It's not leathery at all.

I don't think I've ever owned a choker before but eh, gotta try something new every once in a blue moon! The pendant is super nice, no idea what material it is exactly but I hope that it won't rust. It's made in China too (surprise surprise) and was ultra cheap. For the price I really can't complain, it does it's job, looks nice enough and the closure system is the same as on the moon necklace. It's a bit snug so yeah, good thing I have a small build in this case because even just a slightly wider neck and it would have been unwearable so yeah, on that front it makes sense it's marketed for women.

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That about sums it up for this review on what I got from Rosegal and my experiences and impressions! Thank you for reading this far. 

Quality ★★★★☆

Price  ★★★★★

Value ★★★★☆

Shipping  ★★★☆☆

Customer service ★★★☆☆

Summary: I didn't have any trouble with their service or products at all and I'm happy with what I got! Everything was of generally decent quality (especially considering the price), the kind that you'd expect from inexpensive Asia based fashion shops – if you've bought from SheIn or similar shops you'll know what kind of quality to expect, although it can still vary a lot depending on what exactly you buy. "You get what you pay for" definitely applies.

My general rule of thumb for my own purchases is to focus on casual wear, like t-shirts and such, as that's much more likely to be as advertised and not a potential disappointment if the quality isn't up to par with your expectations. I certainly would think twice before ordering anything that I know is supposed to be expensive (let's say fancier dresses, suits and bridal stuff) but yeah, that's just me. Oh, and material information seems like it could be inaccurate too. 

Also, I can't really say anything about their customer service as I did not have to deal with it.

Edit: I've been wearing those harem pants a lot; washed them, took them on a trip to Germany in late 2019 where I wore them daily both indoors and outdoors. I've worn them in sunshine and rain and they are by far my favorite pants in my whole closet. The quality has held up after all this time and I'm amazed with them. I legit want to throw all my other pants into a fire pit and just buy a ton of harem pants lol. I've improved the overall quality score with one star.

Overall my experience with Rosegal is a positive one and I'd feel safe dealing with them in the future as well. I don't feel like I got anything of poor quality and even though the prices seem like a "too good to be true" case sometimes, I still feel like they're trustable and deliver products that match the stock images, at least as long as you use some common sense when shopping. I give major points for the absolutely massive selection of goods ranging from wigs and clothes to home decor as well – can't deny it's convenient to have everything in the same place. Although it does stir in me a slight feeling of "jack of all trades but master of none" haha.

I also feel a need to state that I am very well aware that, as a blogger and reviewer, that I'm more likely to be given their best service so yeah, I can't guarantee that they will give that same service to everyone. Any online website is always a risk, unfortunately. But my personal experience is a good one, based on this collaboration and the products that I chose. :)

Edit: I just want to clarify that I am very aware of how bad "fast/cheap fashion" is for the environment, but in my defense I extremely rarely buy new clothes. I mainly buy second-hand and try to only buy what I really want or what I need. Shop responsibly to save our planet.

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Thank you for reading. Thank you Rosegal for this opportunity!

~  Shiro Samurai out.