[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.

Lens review: Princess Pinky Green Werewolf

Rawr!

Nah, just kidding. I will do a circle lens review today and it's a funky monster lens known as Princess Pinky Green Werewolf! :D You might remember that ages ago, back when I first started using lenses, I reviewed the Orange Werewolf lenses – it was a bit nostalgic to try these bad boys on, haha. In fact that previous review is my most viewed lens review to date.

Let's do this!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.5 mm

Water content: 38%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

So unlike that previous review with the GEO Animation CP-A3 these lenses are what I expect when I grab myself some crazy lenses! These are fearless, bold, have insane opacity and there's not an inch of doubt that these wouldn't show from a long distance. In fact it wouldn't surprise me if I scared the crap out of my perpetually drunk neighbor with these. xD

I suspect the Princess Pinky brand is unique to Pinky Paradise, that's where I got mine. I don't remember buying these for any particular cosplay, although I can definitely see these used for some characters. I actually just bought these because I simply wanted to try them.

One lens in.

I popped one into my eye and was blown away. These are so intense and vivid it's nuts! No regrets! I absolutely love these babies, the green color is unapologetically opaque and it's monstrous in a good way. That yellow inner circle adds to the creepiness and, while it looks a bit silly up close, it actually looks cool from a distance. The only slight minus is how abrupt the pupil hole is but I can't really complain because that's quite standard on crazy and super opaque lenses in general.

There is also a very distinct, rather thick black limbal ring which frames the eyes and makes them stand out even more. Also, you might notice that unlike most crazy lenses these are actually quite big, aka there is a notable enlargement boost.

Lens photos ahead ~

All photos taken by me during a June morning with a clear sky.

There's no color filters or such on the close-up photos and that's so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Indoors, natural room light.

Indoors, yellow room light.

Bathroom light.

Flash photo.

Unlit corridor. Poor distant natural light.

Facing window. Not sun side.

Outdoors, back against sun. Facing wall.

Outdoors, facing sun while standing under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing sun directly.

I regret not getting around to these earlier because by the time I did this review these lenses had already expired, sadly. :'( This means that I had to discard them as soon as I was done taking the photos crai evritim and that also means that my comfort grades are based solely on a single first impression and a rough estimate on wearing time which, in this case, I think might be somewhere around 3-5 hours on dry eyes. But from what little time I wore these I can tell that they were overall comfortable and invisible to wear except for that the left lens was a bit stingy directly after insertion but that it disappeared soon enough. These lenses give me colored corners at the edges of my vision, especially in poorer lights (indoors) where the pupil is dilated. This is very common with crazy lenses in general because they often have a smaller pupil hole than your average circle lens.

I would recommend these lenses for Halloween parties, funky fashion, punk rockers, monsters, cosplayers, evil skeleton lords of the dead and anything else you can imagine that would be better with some absolutely ballistic eyes of madness! Oh, and werewolves of course, probably radioactive ones. In all honesty – if you like flashy, batshit crazy lenses that turn heads then you'll want these in your arsenal. 

Distance photo!

Check out my other review! It's here: Orange

Short summary:

Color: 10/10 

Hyper bold, as green as green can be and all over your face. HELL YEAH.

Design: 8/10 

It might not be detailed but it mimics a wolf's eye and it works for the intended purpose.

Opacity: 10/10

You won't get any more opaque lenses than this. Very dense pigmentation, no transparency.

Enlargement: 5/10 

For a crazy lens these are big but it's still not a lot.

Comfort: 7/10 

Comfortable, I barely feel them except for colored corners in my vision. Rough estimate 3-5 hours on dry eyes, which is solid.

Naturalness: 0/10 

I really don't think so lmao.

Hope you enjoyed this review, stay tuned for more!

Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: GEO Animation CP-A3

Yoo!

It's been a while since I last did a review for an animation style lens so today I'll do just that. I will review the GEO Animation CP-A3, a pink/violet anime style lens!

Let's go~

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 14.2 mm

Water content: 40±2% 

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

I've reviewed several of GEO's Animation style lenses before so if you are curious about other designs you can find my previous reviews over here, just scroll to the end of the list.

As with any GEO lenses make sure that your pair has the correct authenticity stickers before you proceed to wear them because yes, fake lenses exist and especially counterfeit GEO lenses as it's one of the most popular brands. Always buy your lenses from a reputable online store.

One lens in.

So I tried these lenses on and I'm not gonna lie, my immediate reaction was disappointment. These feel notably more "washed out" and lackluster than the other GEO Animation lenses I've tried. They don't really 'pop', so to say, and when you look close you can clearly see the net-like pixelation and to be honest it's rather ugly and looks fake. I mean yeah these look fake regardless but when I buy this kind of animation/crazy lenses I've come to expect an intensely opaque lens that borderline jumps at you. xD These just feel very tame and boring to me, idk really, your mileage may vary.

Regarding the design itself it's the type that I'd call the "shoujo manga" style, a pinkish violet base color with white light flecks scattered about to mimic teary eyes I guess. These are rather small, there's only a modest enlargement effect and the dark limbal ring is barely noticeable – it doesn't really provide any additional cutesy points.

Lens photos ahead ~

All photos taken by me during a June morning with a clear sky.

There's no color filters or such on the close-up photos and that's so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Natural room light indoors.

Yellow room light indoors.

Bathroom light.

Flash photo.

Unlit corridor. Poor distant natural light.

Facing window. Not sun side.

Outdoors, back against the sun. Facing wall.

Outdoors, facing the sun while standing under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing the sun directly.

As with most other lens reviews I've been doing lately I only got around to do this review once the lenses had expired sadly, which means that I immediately discarded them once I was done taking photos for this review and that also means that I can't really grade comfort properly. Thus my comfort grade is based on first impressions only and a rough estimate for wearing time, which I deem to be around 4-5 hours on dry eyes. Yes, I know I've been trashing these lenses but the comfort was surprisingly good in fact. They were comfortable, thin and I barely felt them at all. There were no notable colored corners or vision blur.

I'm not sure if I would recommend these lenses, it depends on if you need this particular design for a cosplay or not. I mean if you plan to cosplay like something from Sailor Moon or the like then sure, get these, but otherwise I'm not sure because I doubt these would really show up that well on photos tbh. On close-ups they are fine and you can clearly tell my eyes have an unnatural color to them. I think the CP-A3 would work for kawaii fashion styles though, maybe even more so than for cosplaying. Arrgh I can't decide if I like these or not.

Distance photo below.

Short summary:

Color: 6/10 

It's a nice pinkish violet color but for a crazy/animation lens it isn't bright enough.

Design: 6/10 

It has a teary eye design inspired by Japanese cartoons. It's cute.

Opacity: 6/10

My eyes turn pink alright, but the pigmentation is rather sparse as you can clearly see the net-like pixels and gaps if you look closer.

Enlargement: 4/10 

There's a tiny size boost but it's not really noticeable unless you only wear one lens.

Comfort: 7/10 

Comfy, thin and I barely feel them. No tunnel vision or colored corners. Estimated 4-5 hours on dry eyes.

Naturalness: 4/10 

Well, I guess this is the highest natural score I'll ever give a GEO Animation lens lol.

Thanks for reading my blog!

Shiro Samurai out.

Lens review: I.Fairy Tofi Blue

Hello peeps!

I will continue doing circle lens reviews (yes, I have a lot left to do) and today I will show you the I.Fairy Tofi Blue, a really big and cute lens! 

Let's do this!

Base curve: 8.6 mm
Diameter: 16.2 mm

Water content: 55%

Life span: 1 year (I recommend 6 months)

If you are familiar with the I.Fairy brand you know that they pretty much exclusively have big lenses and these are no exception. When you look at the lenses in their vials they have a really pretty medium light blue color and the design itself is darker at the center and lightens outwards.. and then there's a black limbal ring to add that 'anime' look. I think the print somewhat resembles flower petals but I'm honestly not sure what exactly it's supposed to portray but yeah, regardless it looks pretty.

One lens in.

Popped one lens in and WHAM, it's huge! The color looks very nice on my eyes, it's a vivid shade and there's a lot of pigment making them very opaque. The pupil hole's edges are very pronounced so there is a bit of a 'clashing' effect going on in the center since these lenses don't try to blend into light eyes at all. And I clearly have blue-gray eyes lol. It's honestly no big deal though and these are rather cosplay-ish anyway so I'm not expecting naturalness.

Lens photos ahead ~

All photos taken by me during a June morning with a clear sky.

There's no color filters or such on the close-up photos and that's so that the colors would be as true to real life as possible.

Natural room light indoors.

Yellow room light indoors.

Bathroom light.

Flash photo.

Unlit corridor. Poor distant natural light.

Facing a window. Not sun side.

Outdoors, back against sun. Facing wall.

Outdoors, facing the sun while standing under a shadow.

Outdoors, facing the sun directly.

I can't really grade comfort properly as these lenses were expired by the time I did this review, so I literally just took the photos for this post and then immediately discarded them. But from what I can tell based on first impressions these were thin and seemed comfortable although I did feel them slightly at first, possibly due to the big size. My rough estimate is that wearing time could be around 3-5 hours on dry and sensitive eyes like mine, which is pretty good. They were not uncomfortable at any point but I definitely do not recommend wearing expired lenses for longer durations due to the potential safety risk.

In conclusion I like these lenses, they are beautiful and they definitely stand out. The color shows up well but I do low-key wish that the shade was maybe a tad lighter (they did slightly darken on my eyes once worn) but it's really no big deal at all, just me getting picky over the years lmao. xD This is a fancy circle lens, suitable for cosplay and j-fashion etc – maybe not so much a daily lens. There is some moe moe vibes due to the big size and the dolly design. I would recommend these if you like this type of lenses!

Distance photo!

Want to see these in another color? 

Check this out: Gray

Short summary:

Color: 7/10
A pretty blue shade, very colorful and fresh although it appears a tad dark from a distance.

Design: 9/10

Flower petal-ish print with a lot of personality. Artistic and 'anime'.

Opacity: 9/10

Very solid color coverage. High pigmentation for a non-crazy lens.

Enlargement: 8/10

These are big in all senses of the word.

Comfort: 7/10

Appears comfy. Thin and almost invisible to wear. Rough estimate is 3-5 hours on dry eyes.

Naturalness: 3/10

Too bold and big to be even remotely natural, but you deffo don't get these for a natural look anyway...

Thanks for viewing, I hope you found this review helpful!

Shiro Samurai out.