Xianyu — Updated method to get the product URL

It's been more than a year since my post about buying on Xianyu for the first time. I had not bought a second time on Xianyu until yesterday evening. That wasn't planned. I had actually gone shopping earlier in the afternoon and had tried a cape-trench coat, that even though didn't fit me, made my figure look not that bad. So I went on Xianyu to buy a Bobon21 sort of trench coat I always liked but thought wouldn't look good on me (I have some hope now).

As I was making the purchase, and relying on what I had written in that blog post, I realized the section "Getting the product URL" is obsolete. In fact, yesterday, the method described wouldn't work, on Yoybuy at least. There seemed to be a bug when I pasted the link in the entry field and it wouldn't display the item*. I tried a couple other stuff for 15 minutes, got really frustrated with the website interface and finally gave up to head over to TaobaoRing (that is now 42agent). Then I came up with another method to instruct the buying agent to successfully purchase the item in the Xianyu app. It's more reliable, a bit longer, but definitely worth it IMO.

*The said bug is a no-brainer to solve. I don't know why I didn't think about it at the time. Please scroll down to "Edit August 29th 2021" for the fastest way to get the product URL.

Updated method

(can be used with any proxy I guess, but here I used TaobaoRing aka 42agent)

1. Go on the item's page on Xianyu. Click on the "three-dots icon". A menu will appear.
2. In the menu, click on the icon contoured in yellow:

3. This gives you the item's QR code. Take a screenshot of it or click on 保存在相册 ("save in photo album"):

4. Transfer your QR code picture to your computer (I need to do this because I can't upload a picture on Imgur—I'm guessing it's cuz I don't have the app nor an account. Personally, I just share the picture with my Google Drive to make the transfer which is fast enough for me.)

5. Once the QR code picture is on your computer, go to Imgur and upload the picture

(I just realized maybe Imgur would be banned from China, but it seems not!)

Copy the link Imgur gave you.

6. Go to the proxy's website (whichever one you chose). In the order form, paste the link from Imgur:

When the buying agent clicks on « LINK », it leads him/her here

Then confirm/submit your order, and that's it!

The coat I had ordered was successfully purchased some hours later (after receiving the OK to pay the first charge and paying it):

I was pretty satisfied with the smoothness of the transaction

Note: I will be posting the stuff I got on Xianyu in another blog post in the future.

Enjoy shopping.

Edit August 29th 2021

As 42agent adapted this post for their blog, they made me discover another way to lead a shopping agent to an item in Xianyu. I then realized it's the same method I once used and which I thought didn't work anymore (it does still work, actually). Thus I suggest following the three steps below instead of the six steps above.

1. On the item's page on Xianyu, click on the "three-dots icon". A menu will appear.
2. In the menu, click on the icon contoured in purple:

3. Then, just paste the link in the order form of the proxy you chose.

To clarify, here's what the copied link looks like:

The portion I highlighted in blue is the "working link" (I believe the buying agent is already aware of this). I have no clue what the leftover part is for.

Anyway, if you copy-paste the blue part of the link into your browser, you should be able to see your item on the Internet:

Trying out a hair moisture treatment from LHC

Last update on my hair was this post. Since then, my hair has considerably grown, but my ends are starting to thin out again. I've been trapped in that infernal cycle of thinning ends for a long long time now. If I trim the ends of my hair, I will again have to grow out my hair, and when my hair will have grown in a couple months to a year, I'll be facing the exact situation as right now.

To prevent the above circumstances from happening, I've decided to try caring more about my hair. My current hair routine is fairly simple: washing hair every day (mostly around 8 pm) with shampoo and conditioner, then Moroccan oil application on the roots + ends of my hair after washing. I also occasionally use dry shampoo. I flat iron my bangs and very rarely my entire head (maybe 1 time every three weeks).

I recently bought the Apple Cider clarifying shampoo from Live Clean because I wanted to wash my hair less often, and with the dry shampoo, there would unwanted product residue that I'd want to wash off. However, my hair still looks very greasy on the second day even with dry shampoo, so I've mostly been continuing my bad habit of washing my hair every day (except during the weekend when I don't work and can wear a winter hat to go outside).

I've also wanted to use hair masks or hair treatments. Even though my hair is far from being dry, moisturizing it one time a week cannot be a bad thing, and can maybe do something for my ends. 

Back in 2011, I once used a repair mask from Paul Mitchell to repair my damaged bleached hair. I don't really remember how my hair felt after the mask, but I don't recall any bad memories from using it and one thing I do remember is that it made my hair smell extremely nice as if I had just came back from the hair salon. However, I read on the Internet that professional hair products weren't worth their expensive price and that DIY hair masks could do the same job.

Two weeks ago, I found this moisture treatment on Long Hair Community (LHC). People were raving about it and I thought why not join the party. But because I couldn't find pure aloe vera gel in stores, I decided to get an aloe vera plant to get the gel from the real source! I didn't find aloe vera plants in stores near me so my mother bought me one. I waited until I visited home (March 2nd) to try the treatment.

Second-day hair, you can see the thinning ends

and some overall greasiness

My new aloe vera plant

I never liked plants and I surely don't have a green thumb but I'm making an exception for this one since I get something very interesting out of it.

Getting the gel out of the leaf is hard, messy and time-consuming. The gel is very slimy and sticks to your fingers. Maybe I used the wrong technique but anyway, I really hoped the hair treatment would be worth this hassle.

It took 5-6 leaves to get a little less than 1/4 cup...

I used 1/4 cup of honey and 1/4 cup conditioner,

and a little less for the aloe vera gel

I forgot to heat the mixture in the microwave before applying it on my hair, but it seems heating serves to prevent the hair from going lighter and doesn't have an impact on the effectiveness of the treatment (but anyway I'll try the treatment again and write an update here.)

After applying the treatment in my hair, I wrapped it in a shower cap and waited two hours before washing it off (no shampoo or conditioner).

The above picture was taken the morning after the treatment the evening before. My hair smelled really good, but it's because I used 1/4 cup of conditioner. Apart from the amazing smell, I didn't feel my hair easier to detangle, softer or shinier, nor did I notice anything different. However, my hair became extremely greasy later in the day (which was to expect cuz of all that conditioner and my thin hair being easily prone to greasiness).

I also had some white stuff which I'm not sure comes from the aloe vera gel or the honey:

In sum, this hair treatment was not much worth it. It didn't mess my hair, but it didn't improve it either (from the outside, at least) and made it very greasy. I'll try it one more time with a little less conditioner, a little more aloe vera if I'm patient enough and won't forget to heat the mixture in the microwave before applying it on my hair.

Have a nice evening.

Edit March 9th 2019, 17.47: I did the hair treatment yesterday and kept it for about 3-4 hours in my hair (washed it off around 7 o'clock). Still had a lot of white stuff in my hair and can confirm it comes from the aloe vera gel that isn't perfectly liquid when applied in the hair (there are some more solid, gelatinous stuff—I know some people mix the aloe vera gel from what I've seen on YouTube though). 

Added less conditioner than aloe vera gel and honey. Didn't forget to heat the mixture 15 seconds this time. Didn't notice anything different in my hair. Had to take a shower the morning after because the roots of my hair were very greasy. Although a lot of people are praising this hair treatment, I will personally not do it again.

Edit May 31st 2019, 22.02: in foresight of the upcoming blog post, thought I should update this one. Actually, I did make this hair treatment again, about 2-3 times, because my aloe vera plant still had leaves that had to be used. The last time I did this hair treatment, which was like last week, was surprisingly not as bad as the previous times. I washed the treatment in the late evening, and I was able to go the work the day after without the need to take a shower – and not that greasy hair.

Liz Lisa pieces, keyboard stickers, perfume...

During the month of December, I ordered two Liz Lisa items from the brand itself, which is uncommon (since I usually buy secondhand on Fril or Mercari). I bought the strawberry bonbon sukapan (red) on Tokyo Kawaii Life website (for international customers) and the macaron bouquet OP (white) from Liz Lisa's eBay official store.

For the first time in ordering Liz Lisa items, I had to pay customs fees when I received them. This was the first time I had ordered with the international TKL website, so I told myself to be cautious next time... As for Liz Lisa's store on eBay, I had already bought the ribbon check stole before and did not have to pay customs fees, so I was perplexed. The scarf did cost much less than the OP though, so maybe that is why.
(Btw—and knocking on wood—I've never paid customs fees when buying through a proxy before.)


Liz Lisa strawberry bonbon sukapan ボトムス > ストロベリーボンボン柄スカパン
I've always loved this sukapan but found it too expensive. I was thinking on buying it on Fril or Mercari when I would find one for sale, but there are very few of them (I think I saw one or two since their release?) I once saw one at an okay price but hesitated too long and someone else ended up buying it.

In December, I checked TKL's IG story and learned there was a sale (I don't remember on what exactly) but I saw the strawberry sukapan on the background image. I immediately opened my computer and rushed on the website to find it and buy it. I got it on sale for a very respectable price, but since I ended up paying customs fees (which was a considerable amount, though not as much as the OP x_x), it wasn't that great of a deal.

Love the check pattern hem of the skirt;

the hem and the waist are the main reasons why I love this skirt

There's an organza/tulle layer and then the shorts

The sukapan is smaller and shorter in real life which surprised me but in a positive way. Most of LL today's sukapan are too long for my taste.

I like the fit. Nothing negative.

I don't really have something amazing to coord this with... but I will definitely find something, I'm not worried. I had planned to wear this with an Amavel blouse and the collar bow, but because there's already a bow on the skirt at the waist, it doesn't look that good if the blouse also has a bow. Yesterday, I was looking at Amavel blouses on Fril and saw one model that had cherries on the collar. I think it would look really cute with this skirt (or any embroidery text/image on the collar, really.)
I could also replace the usual bow on the collar by a criss-cross tie (though I'd need one first.)
Another great match would naturally be with a red cardigan and I've been wanting to buy one for so long. The red one that was paired with Liz Lisa's strawberry jam OP (back in 2016) is the first on my list, though I never made the move and bought it when I had the occasion to.


Liz Lisa macaron bouquet OP マカロンブーケ柄ワンピース
While I had been wanting the sukapan for a long time, the OP was kind of an impulse purchase. I don't even remember when Liz Lisa released it or if I noticed its release. I think I just saw it a few times in the newsletter, but then I saw a model try on on IG (in white); that is when the dress really caught my eye and I wanted to buy it. I was actually hesitating between the white and the pink one but finally went with my first choice. On some pictures, the pink OP looks really nice (it's a very light pink shade—maybe the filter?) but on others (such as the official pictures on TKL), the colour looks like a darker dusty pink which I dislike.

The following pictures don't really do justice to the beauty of this piece.

There's French also on the strawberry bonbon skirt

You can't really see, but there's a pink ribbon

all around the hem of the dress

Again, organza/tulle layer, this time with a frill layer

that picks up the gingham pattern on the collar

With low heels

With high heels

I am so disappointed with the fit because the dress looks really big on me. Nothing fits nice except for the sleeves. I had yet taken my measurements before purchasing the dress and everything seemed fine (except for the 87 cm length that was longer than my other LL dresses, which worried me a bit.) Turns out the length isn't such a big deal for me compared to the bust area, it's loose. My other LL dresses are definitely smaller.

Example: comparison between LL macaron bouquet and LL x My Melody piano OP:

..

I'm really sad to say this but I'll probably sell the dress. There are actually LL sukapan I'd rather buy and wear (such as the black gingham one released a couple of weeks ago) instead of keeping this dress in the closet.


Keyboard stickers
Told you in my last post I had bought keyboard stickers for my new laptop in December. I was really happy to receive them this week.

I like the feel of these bubble stickers, they're foamy and bouncy. I tried to not buy the ones I had previously (normal flat stickers, not bubble) because they had ended up fading as I typed more and more on the keys. It was like typing on ugly white stickers.

Before & after:

..

As expected, not all the keys fit because I have a French keyboard and obviously, the stickers aren't shaped the same as my keyboard keys. I had to cut the Space sticker, the H and the B letters (B isn't even recognizable anymore...). I also had to stick some random ones on some to avoid weird emptiness, but as you can see, there are still "naked" keys (except for the top keys, the arrows, the AltCar and the Ctrl keys that do have a sticker, but they are way too big. I actually tried to cut the Alt one but messed up.)

Overall though, I'm satisfied. It's so hard to find keyboard stickers on the Internet today; this set is the only cute one at the moment that every seller seems to sell.


Perfume - Bamboo by Gucci
Well, it's actually an Eau de Parfum that I bought last weekend at The Bay.

The vendor told me Nomade (by Chloe) fit me better, but I preferred the scent of Bamboo. She also told me that I would definitely seduce a man with Nomade instead of Bamboo. I wasn't convinced and as a guy, would personally find the smell off-putting. But maybe that lady spoke the truth, I really don't know.

I got other small gifts for purchasing the perfume:

Perfume (bottom), Bamboo perfume body lotion and shower gel (top),

samples of two other scents released along with Bamboo (sides)

(Big) Liz Lisa Haul (& stuff from Christmas)

For the past months, I did not feel like taking the time and effort to update and write on this blog, mostly because of a project (at work) that has been assigned to me in September (and it took loads of time and energy). But though I was not very active here during that period, I still shopped and bought clothes online. I bought on Fril, Mercari, and also eBay. As usual, I used the proxies From Japan and Japonica Market to deal with Fril and Mercari.

Below are the items I received in September, October and December (note that I ordered these items one month/one month and a half before receiving them.)

September

Liz Lisa glen check OP with cape (Fril)
I have been wanting this OP from the time I saw it a few years ago. I managed to find one in good condition, with the tags still on and at a reasonable price.

These imperfections appear a bit everywhere on the OP,

but I believe the pattern was made like that

The fit is not terrible, but the cape makes my shoulder even broader. Maybe replacing the cape with a bordeaux cardigan would fit better. Even though I love this piece, if I do not wear it, I will have to sell it.

October

Liz Lisa x My Melody x Little Twin Stars collab bag (Mercari)
I have also been wanting this item for a long time, but few people sell it. I found it for sale on Mercari in new condition and did not think twice before buying it.

My mom sewed on the front bow a Liz Lisa charm

I took off an ivory stole (got in December)

I love everything about this bag: the pattern, the size, the ribbons' criss-cross, the bows. It also goes well with pretty much any outfit.


Liz Lisa ribbon check stole (Liz Lisa eBay store)
I had originally bought this scarf to go with a brown coat, but I found it surprisingly goes well with my new Liz Lisa pink coat received in November (I thought a pink scarf would make the outfit look too pink, but it actually does not.)

I have been wearing it for several weeks now, and the bow still remains solidly in place. I often receive compliments when wearing it. The bow really gives the scarf a unique look and I have not seen someone else wear a similar one. It is also very warm.

November

Liz Lisa ivory sukapan (Fril)
I was a bit disappointed by the colour since I thought it would look white/ivory instead of such a yellow shade.

The fit is not bad though and the condition is really good. After wearing it during my trip to New York, I came to like it more. However, it might be a harder piece to coord.


Liz Lisa white sukapan (Mercari)
I was first deceived by its overall look, but now I like it. I also used it as safety pants under a dress during my trip to New York, so it's great this sukapan has a double-use.

I was out of shirts to try the sukapan with (hence the ugly shirt),

but I'm confident it will look good with any cardigan or top.

Liz Lisa floral OP (Mercari)
I had never seen OPs alike from Liz Lisa and I thought it looked really cute.

It is evident this dress has been often worn (but it was already stated in the item's description, so I was expecting it.) There is a lot of pilling on the white sweater, but nothing to complain about.

The fit is a bit weird though. The elastic is very loose and it is longer on the right side than on the left. Since then, my mom repaired it; she replaced the elastic with a tighter one and sewed a part of the right side so that it is as short as the left. The fit is better now, but still weird.


Liz Lisa white coat (Mercari)
This purchase was kind of an impulse as I didn't plan on buying a white coat so soon. But after seeing someone wearing in on a picture, I instantly liked it.

The sleeves had some dirt, but I managed to get them off:

If we compare the replacement button with the current buttons on the coat, they have changed colour over time. Even though I prefer the replacement button colour, it is not a big deal.


Liz Lisa pink coat (Mercari)
I was supposed to buy this coat last winter, but I chickened and didn't buy it. I took the "risk" this year and purchased it on Mercari. I was very hesitant to buy it because I was not sure if the colour was a beautiful pink or a beige pink (sellers' pictures varied a lot). Also, I had seen some try on pictures with the coat and found it looked a little too big on some people, so was afraid it might not fit my 156 cm height.

Turns out the coat fits lovely. The length is significant, but maybe because I wear this coat with wedge boots, it does not look that long on me. The bottom part of the coat poofs a bit too much sometimes (I noticed especially when wearing dresses under), but this is a detail.

I was quite pissed out to see a stain so obvious,

but managed to get most of it off. Almost unnoticeable now.

December

Liz Lisa blue knit hoodie (Fril)
I do not really remember when I saw this hoodie for the first time, but I do remember that I was not sure if I liked it before seeing an IG picture of nicoyuipi wearing it. Now I think it looks really cute.

The inside is all moko moko fur (I have no idea what to call this kind of "fur", but I saw a lot of Japanese labelling such items with this term). But this thing makes the hoodie very warm and comfortable.

I wore the hoodie at work and it stirred up all sorts of reactions. One could not help but laugh (I don't think they meant to be mean, I do admit the fur hoodie makes it somewhat extravagant), some complimented it, one said they should wear something as warm at work, some said it looked comfortable...

I plan on buying this hoodie also in pink.


Liz Lisa Ivory Stole (Fril)
I was quite disappointed when I received it because I thought this scarf was the same style as the pink one I had ordered from the Liz Lisa eBay store. However, the scarf actually has two bows on its extremities (it was not pictured as such on the item's page, only the bow with the charm was visible.)

I think that design was weird and I didn't know how to wear it nicely. My mom tried to unsew both bows and create a scarf similar to the pink one, but it did not look as good. So I only kept the scarf, without any bow on it.


Bundle 12 pieces (Yahoo Auctions)
This was my first time buying a bundle.

I usually never buy bundles since I only like 1/3rd of the clothes or less (and this is the same for fukubukuro). Although for this one, every piece looked nice—or at least the major ones, because there were three items that I did not fancy much:

• The two barrettes: they feel very stiff and I don't know how I will pair them.

• White tank top: it's like a tube top. The fabric feels cheap as do the bows on each shoulder.

• White Tralala sweater: I was already not feeling this sweater on the seller's pictures, mainly because of the frilly/lace stuff on the shoulders. When I received the package and tried it on, I still did not like it (plus it had a brown stain on). I washed it multiple times in hope the stain would go away because I wanted to sell it, but it never went away completely so I donated it.

However, I considered these three items as "minor", so it does not sadden me that much. Furthermore, the nine other items compensated for those three:

• Liz Lisa white tank top: the fit is a bit tight but I still like it.

• Liz Lisa pink tank top: fit is a bit high under the armpits, but besides that, it's not that bad.

The bows on each shoulder look nice

• Tralala black sukapan: I didn't have a black sukapan, so I was happy to have it. I like the layers and the polka dots. The sukapan does not have a tag (so I'm not sure if it really is from Tralala) but I don't really mind. It fits nicely.

There was some white lint on the elasticized waist,

but I guess a lint roller will do the trick

With Liz Lisa pink tank top

• Liz Lisa scallop collar blouse: very cute and delicate design. Seems to have been worn a lot but can still be worn.

• Penderie lace blouse: I will have to be a bit more creative to find ways to pair this blouse with what I already have, but its fit was not as bad as I had imagined. 

• Liz Lisa white tunic: it does not look bad, but the bottom part that "fans out" is really poofy, like a tutu. Also, it has a lot of static. I'm not sure yet how to coord this tunic... I'm thinking it might come from a setup, but I'm not an expert in Liz Lisa so I can't be sure.

Paired it with a sukapan I got in December

The upper part only showing looks great, but I'm afraid to make

the elasticized waist looser by tucking in the very poofy part in the sukapan.

• Penderie cardigan-blouse top: this top was really intriguing on the picture because it was not shown in its entirety. I suspected it to be an ugly piece but was pleasantly surprised to see it was far from being awful. I love preppy tops like that. It's even cooler that the blouse and the cardigan are only one piece together (more practical).

• Penderie pink sweater: this sweater is so soft and comfortable. I usually don't really like bows on the back of shirts, but I don't mind for this one. They are pretty small.

• Liz Lisa brown coat: I would have probably never bought this coat individually, but it came in the bundle. After trying it on and pairing it with some stuff, I started to like it more. I wore it in New York for three days and I absolutely loved it.

My only small complaint is that the pockets are a bit too small for me. I also did not think the fur looked good on the hoodie (maybe because it looked used), but since it is removable, I just had to unbutton it.

In sum, this first bundle experience was a positive one. There are very nice pieces I had never seen from Liz Lisa and am very happy to have acquired (such as the scallop collar blouse and the preppy top). Also, there are pieces even though I would not buy individually still am very happy to own now (such as the brown coat).

I believe this bundle was 100 % worth it. However, because international shipping was more expensive than I thought, I just need to make sure I really like the items (or can sell the ones I do not like) before buying a bundle, because it ends up being quite expensive with international shipping (although still cheaper than if I had bought them individually).


Liz Lisa white setup (Mercari)
I have seen a couple of times the sukapan for sale and came to find out it was actually part of a set. I saw a girl on Xianyu wearing the set in blue and thought it looked really nice (I thought it was an OP until I realized it was a Liz Lisa setup). I was happy to randomly find it while casually surfing on Mercari.

I really like the sukapan and the fit is nice. It makes the waist smaller and the hips wider.
As for the fit with the tunic, it is not so bad, but I find the tunic makes the outfit a tad too poofy. But I believe something over, like a long cardigan, will tone it down a little. The tunic details are particularly beautiful, I love such lace-up designs. Another piece that shows Liz Lisa's dedication to every small detail on their pieces.

AFAIK this setup also exists in blue and pink. If I ever found the pink version, I am thinking of buying it.

On another, but similar subject (now that my haul exhibition is done): Liz Lisa's 2019 Spring collection looks beautiful. I absolutely love the black gingham sukapan and the sweets pattern. The JSK also looks nice. I just don't like the frill things sewn on the shoulder straps, but I guess they can be easily unsewn.

Also taking the opportunity to mention other stuff I got during Christmas. My parents bought me an electronic kettle to boil my water (since I do not trust my tap water). I used to boil my water in a saucepan but it was a real hassle.

They also got me the 8th volume of the comics Les Nombrils.

I really like reading these. They are also translated in English, in case you are curious (The Bellybuttons). I think the authors truly succeed to caricature the harsh reality (notably in high school) to make it funnier and lighter but still savage. I also like how they put work in every detail, even the ones in the background:

On the school wall is written in bad English "fuck the school"

In class, one guy is sleeping while the other picked out a booger from his nose

Your usual teenage guy with sexy posters plastered on his bedroom wall

These two are friends; notice how their financial situation differ from each other

It is written "porn star" on her shirt (it's the impoverished girl's little sister)

Cue also the bathroom wall tiles that are falling off, again saying a lot about the girl's socioeconomic situation

While a lewd conversation takes place, in the background is a lady

catching her SO checking out the woman on the left.

Lots of corpulent people at the buffet and big portion in the plate

Finally, I bought a new computer and am currently writing on it. It's a Lenovo Thinkpad T580. It works very well so far, but transferring files from my old computer to this new one and installing programs takes some time. As I did for my previous computer keyboard, I will put stickers on my new computer keyboard (once they arrive).

So that is it for this very materialistic post!