Shopping with Aliexpress

I blame Luzanne from Pink Peonies for putting Aliexpress on my radar. I thought I’d try them out with a small purchase, so if I lost money, I wouldn’t be minus a bond payment.

So what did I get?

Heart shaped brush cleaning ‘mat’ – $1,38

I’ve always wanted a brush egg or a brush cleaning mat, so when I spotted this, I had to give it a try. It’s heart shaped!! Super cute is totally a reason to make a purchase right?  I tried it on some of my brushes yesterday and I really can’t complain for +/- R20. My brushes were clean and it got the job done.

Brush egg – $1,23

Seeing as these items were so affordable, I thought I’d try more than one variation of the brush cleaning ‘egg/mat’ options on offer on the site. What I love about this smaller one is that the grooves are quite deep so they really get into the bristles of the brush to give it a good clean.

All in all I was really happy with both of these, as they got my brushes much cleaner than when I just use my hands.

3 in 1 Mascara shield – $0,49

I can’t even answer the question you’re probably asking…Why Simone? It was 49c (about R8) for petes sakes….seemed as good a reason as any to buy it. I tried it once, I got mascara all over my eyelid as if I was a 3 year old. I just don’t have an explanation for this purchase.

Smartphone Selfie Flash – $2,80

Okay so this is the one I was MOST excited about. I wish I bought more of these as gifts, because I really love this. My sister will tell you, I’m not a selfie person at all, and I’m not saying this flash has converted me, but I do like my selfie attempts a bit more since using it.

It comes with a small USB cable which is for charging it and then it connects to your phone via your earphone jack (is that what it’s called?). On the right side it switches on and off, and on the left side it has 3 settings depending on how bright you want the light.

I’ve only charged it once, but haven’t had it die on me yet. I reckon this must have gotten popular as it now retails for $6,99 and there’s nothing in stock.

Some points about using Aliexpress:

• Always check the ratings/feedback of the seller you want to purchase from.
• I would not buy any makeup from the site, as I’m 99% sure most of it is fake/knock off versions of more popular brands.
• I purchased these 3 items from 3 different sellers, which meant that I had to wait for 3 different packages to arrive. I’d suggest you look if one seller has a few items that you are interested in buying.
• The waiting time is long. I waited about 8 weeks for 2 of the orders and then about 10 weeks for the last one to arrive.
• Look for sellers that offer free shipping. All the items I bought came with free shipping and on top of that, they came directly to my post box at home.

All in all, I’d definitely purchase off the site again 🙂

Have you ever used Aliexpress? What are your favourite online shops to buy from?