Gmarket Haul #8!

OMG...I've had so many problems with Gmarket lately. The two items above are from two separate orders so technically this isn't a haul but I decided to put it together anyway. First off the items and then the problems.

GY8024 Black Lace-up Ankle Boots

29,800 won (~$28.45) (discounted price)

Seller

I finally got a pair of black boots that I was looking for, but they weren't perfect! I ordered a size 240 (I'm a US size 7), but these were tight when I first tried them on (my toes touch the front of the boot and the boot shaft is slim). I feel like these are more of a size 6.5. I wore them out the past two days and they loosened a teeny bit so I hope that they will loosen even more with wear. Other than that these boots are great! The quality is very good. They didn't reek of chemicals. The sides of the boot and the insole are cushiony! I'm thinking of buying another pair (maybe in a size 245 instead) because these boots are the kind I'm looking for and this seller actually has it in stock (compared to other sellers where I've tried to buy boots from, but I'll explain more later).

Innisfree Apple Juicy Cleansing Oil

12,800 won (~$12.30)

Seller

I bought this back in January. I haven't been using it a lot because I want to finish the Kracie Purenavi Cleansing Serum but I've tried this a few times. The oil is slick and not thick. It emulsifies easily and it cleanses well. I feel like I don't have to follow up with a cleansing foam when I use this. This has that fake apple smell like apple flavored bubble gum but it doesn't bother me. This also does not include mineral oil.

Ok, so now onto the issues:

1) The Long Frustrating Journey of Finding New Boots
In my previous Gmarket haul, I got a pair of black boots but they weren't the ones I was looking for because the boot shaft was too short. In my next order, I ordered a pair of boots from a different seller along with the Innisfree Apple Juicy cleansing oil. A few days later, the boots were cancelled and it was too late to return the cleansing oil so I only receive that. Luckily I had a gift certificate from the Top Bloggers so I just paid $16.32.

For my next order, I order another pair of boots from a different seller. I check a few days later and see that it is "On Delivery". After a week I send an inquiry to both the seller and the Gmarket help center telling them that it's been a week and it still hasn't arrived at Gmarket and I receive an email saying the order was cancelled. I feel like if I didn't email them, I would be waiting forever for them to finally notice anything. Finally, I made the third order with the boots shown above. When I made the order I also added an item from Etude House but a day or two later, I put in a return request for it because I was so afraid of the same thing happening again. Luckily it didn't but I didn't want to take any chances.

Overall, it took a few times just to get the kind of boots I was looking for. One of the downfalls of Gmarket is having the item go out of stock and being cancelled even though it was "available" at the time of order. It wouldn't be so bad if I had ordered a bunch of other things, but nowadays I only order a few items. What I do now is wait a few days before placing my order in case an item becomes out of stock.

2) Not being able to pay
I feel like this is a technical issue, but sometimes I'm not able to pay. For example, when I click the "Pay Now" button it doesn't load or go to the next page. It happens when this shows up:



I find that it only goes through when this is shown:



Really random and weird but I've had this issue and it's extremely frustrating because you just want to buy the stuff and receive it already.

Gmarket Haul #7!

Finally posting this Gmarket haul 2 months after receiving it! I made this order back in November on a Thursday, it shipped the following Wednesday, and I received it in the usual 3 days. This time I was able to use my Cash Balance along with Paypal to pay for my order.

It was a bit tricky trying to use my Cash Balance the first time, but all you have to do is click the "Use" button next to Cash Balance under section 3 (Discount Applied) when you check out. A box will pop up where you can choose to use all of your Cash Balance.

In the following picture, you can see that I used all of my Cash Balance thus I had 34,660 won (or $32.97) to pay with Paypal.

Final Receipt:

Leather Sleeved Coat

Originally 39,800 won, paid 35,030 won (~$33.32) after discount

Seller: Real Coco

After seeing some stylish bloggers wearing the leather sleeves trend, I wanted one for my own and where else to look for it other than Gmarket! I found a few options but got this one because it was simple, stylish, and a bit cheaper. The quality of this jacket is great! It makes me feel very stylish. I also love the pockets! It's a bit long for me, but I don't really mind it and I could get it hemmed if I wanted to. One thing that bothers me is that it doesn't have a collar which I prefer, but I didn't really think of that when I purchased it. 

Black Lace Up Booties

Originally 23,800 won, paid 20,520 won (~$19.52) after discounts

Seller

Total fail here. I checked the height of the boot shaft and thought "Yeah, 4.7 inches is near 5 inches, so these will be okay." Nope. I find that a boot shaft of 5 inches is perfect for me: high enough to tuck in my pants, but not too high for my big calves. These were too low and because of the boot height, it was awkward to walk in. I ended up selling it to Crossroads, so it wasn't a complete fail. Also, these boots seemed like they were good quality, but it had the Made in China chemical smell.

Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ No.31 Brown Beige

Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50+ PA+++ No.31 Brown Beige

Finally reviewing this BB cushion I got in November! I purchased it on Gmarket for $27.63 (29,900 won). There are other BB cushions out there, but I bought this one because they had a third shade (the other brands only have 2). 

Description:

"New Concept Cushion-type BB: A new-concept cushion-type BB with five active ingredients for Whitening + Sunscreen + Sweat-proof + Soothing + Makeup contained in the cushion to maximize the refreshing and soothing sensation. Every time you touch it, the air pump in the cushion contains air bubbles for thin and skin-friendly makeup. Also, it is provided in two separate containers to preserve the active ingredients and their functionality. The formulas can be used fresh and safely from start to finish."

"Cushiony Soothing Cushion Puff: The special puff designed to feel the refreshing soothing sensation absorbs moisture less than ordinary puff to deliver the refreshing sensation of moisture to the face and stay clean and sanitary. The formulas apply smoothly without irratation and even a small amount can spread to cover a large area."

This product is gimmicky in my opinion, but I wanted to try it out because I loved the dewy look it gave. Even though it's gimmicky with all of it's claims it's easy to use. I find that I apply this faster than a regular BB cream. One gripe is the cushion. It gets dirty easy and it takes a long time to clean. After a week of using it, I felt like I needed to clean the cushion already. I use Daiso's detergent for my makeup brushes and even though it is pretty strong, I had to wash the cushion 2-3 times for it to be completely clean. This can be a problem for germaphobes. Also, the inside of the compact can get pretty dirty/messy. 

I would say that the shade is close to an NC30, maybe even lighter. The shade is very close to Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream in No.27. It has beige undertones.

Left: without product Right: with product

Sadly this shade doesn't work for me because my face and neck are different shades. When I was first using it I thought it worked out well because it was sheer, but after finding out that it matches Missha No.27 I stopped using it because Missha No.27 is too light for me right now. 

(Gimmicky) Claims:

-Whitening: "contains White Plus Renew ComplexTM...for bright and clear skin"

-Sunscreen

-Sweat-proof: "High molecules strong against sweat and sebum form a network to form an elastic barrier on the surface of makeup to hold makeup and UV screen for a long time. Also, highly elastic cushion powder holds up the makeup barrier that can easily be collapsed by sweat and sebum for long-lasting makeup even with one layer."

-Soothing

-Makeup Effects: "The spherical powder with similar refraction rate as the skin controls oil absorption and light diffusion to prevent excess shine and creates a natural and clean skin tone with medium coverage."

This product does give me that dewy look which is great everywhere else except for my T-zone! After I apply it, my T-zone looks really oily/greasy so I have to apply powder. Unfortunately it doesn't last long. After 4 hours my face gets greasy/oily. I find that my face gets oily faster using this compared to other products. It does feel nice applying it, like a cool sensation. I also appreciate the high SPF. I can skip that step when using this. I also like how it's sheer. I think that it can be built up to medium coverage.

Overall, I wouldn't buy any more refills for this (this already came with an extra one). I feel like this would be great for the summer because it is light, easy, travel friendly, and has high SPF, but I can't use it over the summer because that's when my skin gets darker! The only time I can use it is over the winter when my skin lightens up, but by then I prefer a thicker BB cream/foundation for more moisture. 

Gmarket Haul #6

I had some problems with this Gmarket order. Finally coming around to posting it two months after I put in the order! First the haul:

It arrived in the usual 3 days. The estimated weight and shipping cost was 3.00kg and $44.07. The actual weight was 2.68kg. Shipping per item was $8.81.

Mizon Toners in Chamomile and Bulgarian Rose

9,900 won (~$9.15) + 2,500 won shipping fee

Link

This was the other rose toner I was talking about in the Meishoku Organic Rose post. I got it because it was a rose toner and it was really cheap. I haven't used it because I have all the other rose toners to go through. I did take a whiff and I can barely smell any rose scent. It is very subtle. It contains 210ml.

Laneige Snow BB Soothing Cushion SPF50 PA+++ in No.31 Brown Beige

29,900 won (~$27.63) + 2,500 won shipping fee

Out of Stock

I first saw BB cushions while looking at some Gmarket hauls online. I wanted to try it because of the dewy look it gave. I was thinking of getting the Hera one, but the shades they had were too light for my complexion. When I saw that Laneige had a third shade (the other brands only had two), I immediately searched Gmarket to find one for sale. I was able to find one seller who had the shade and could ship worldwide, but unfortunately it is out of stock now.

I am going to make a separate post reviewing it, but what I can say now is that it matches very closely to Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream No.27. It is also very sheer and does not have any oil control. 

The seller also gave me a bunch of samples!

Black Faux Leather Jacket
41,000 won (~$38.71)
Shop: Migunstyle (Link)

I've been wanting a black leather jacket and looked around Gmarket for one. I found other shops/sellers with the same jacket, but Migunstyle had the cheapest price. I got a size 66/Medium. It looks big in the picture, but I prefer it loose. I think that if I got a Small it would have been tight around the shoulders. I can layer underneath this jacket and zip it up all the way without it being too tight. Overall, it is exactly what I was looking for. The only con to it is that one of the zippered pockets in the front is small so I have to dig my hand into there and my hand gets caught against the zipper. Ouch >_<.

Black Circle Skirt

6,900 won (~$6.38)

Shop: Migunstyle (Link)

I was looking for a simple black circle skirt as well. Other shops/sellers had black circle skirts, but I got it at the same shop because it was cheap and I was getting the jacket and other items as well. It is an okay skirt. I would say it's good for $6.38. 

So onto the issues with this order:

1) It took a long time to ship out

All of the orders I've made with Gmarket before have shipped out a week after I made the order. This order shipped out two weeks after I made the order. 10 days after I made the order, I sent an inquiry asking why it was taking so long. They replied back the same day apologizing and saying they "would contact the person in charge of the matter". After 3 days my order finally shipped. A few days later I saw in the News section that they were having delayed worldwide shipping orders because they were having an increase of them. I just made another order recently so now I know to keep that in mind.

2) Out of stock item and wrong item sent from the shop "Migunstyle"

One of the items I ordered (this grey Beatles tee) became out of stock so I was refunded the money. When I received my package, I received the wrong skirt from the same shop/seller. I looked at their shop and they weren't even selling the skirt -__-. First, I sent an inquiry to the seller, but they replied back in Korean. I put it through google translate and it said something about sending it back for a refund. 

Next, I sent an inquiry to the Gmarket customer service. They said to email them attachments of pictures of the wrong item sent. After a week of not hearing from them, I sent another inquiry and they answered 3 days later. That same day I got refunded for the skirt. Overall, it took a long time to finally get it resolved. It is frustrating emailing back and forth and waiting for their answer. I'm just glad it's over with, but now I'm weary of buying from that shop now that I've had issues with it.

Other Gmarket news:

YOU CAN COMBINE CASH BALANCE AND PAYPAL! WHOOO!

I saw in the News section that you can use multiple payment methods. On the order I just made, I used my cash balance and paypal. 

Here is a screenshot of the payment page of the order I just made:

This is pretty good news considering that we couldn't use our cash balance unless it covered the entire order. 

So overall, not a smooth Gmarket order. Hopefully I won't have any problems with my next one!!!

Gmarket Haul #5!

Made another order at Gmarket to get things for back to school and fall! Everything shipped a week after I ordered it and it came in the usual 3 days. Estimated shipping was 5.23kg at 55,600 won and actual shipping was 3.09kg at 45,400 won. I got 10,200 won credited to my Cash Balance. Shipping per item was $3.17 with the actual shipping cost.

Etude Haul

(Etude House is having a 10% off sale until October 3rd!)

Etude House Happy Teatime Aloe Tea Cleansing Foam

on sale for 2,700 ($2.45)

Etude House is phasing out the Happy Teatime Cleansing Foams (being replaced by the Happy Cleansing Foams) so I picked up the Aloe one. I love the Peach one I'm using right now. If they had all of the varieties I would have bought them all!

Etude House Hand Bouquet Rich Vitamin Hand Cream SPF15/PA+

on sale for 4,500 won ($4.09)

I actually wanted to get the Missing U Bee Happy hand creams, but they became out of stock : ( so I picked this up instead. I really like how this has SPF in it. I should have got this a long time ago to use over the summer! The smell is so-so (not overly sweet/fragrant smelling). It smells like lavender to me. It's a good size at 50ml, but I feel like I'm going to run out of it quickly because I use it 3-4 times a day!

Etude House Blackhead Heating Deep Clean Gel

on sale for 7,200 won ($6.54)

Tried this once and I was kind of disappointed because I didn't feel it heat up. It was also a little bit hard to squeeze out of the tube. I did like the ghassoul clay and scrubbing particles in it though! 

Etude House Princess 3D Mask in Red Wine and Honey & Milk

on sale for 1,800 won ($1.64)

So excited to try these out! I'm a little worried about the neck part though. I've never tried a sheet mask with a neck part. I feel like it may be difficult to work with. I also got the Pearl Extract sheet mask as a gift.

Holika Holika Haul

Holika Holika Pig-Nose Clear Blackhead Steam Starter

4,900 won ($4.45)

I tried this once and it really warmed up compared to the heating gel from Etude House. It has a thick gel consistency and it smelled citrusy like grapefruits. It didn't open up my pores that much but I think it was because I only left it on for a minute. It contains 30ml. I also didn't get a sample from Holika Holika : ((

Holika Holika Jewel-Light Waterproof Eyeliner in Pink Topaz

4,900 won ($4.45)

This eyeliner is really cute! I use it at the inner corners of my eyes to brighten them up. When I swatched it the pink color showed up (it doesn't show in the picture), but when I apply it to my eyes it doesn't really show up. Maybe it's because I don't apply a lot? I haven't worn this out for a few hours, but I did rub the swatch vigorously and most of it stayed except some glitter came off. It is VERY glittery. I read some reviews that said they use it in their waterline which makes me squirm!!! I wouldn't want to put glitters in my eyes in fear of irritating it. 

The Saem Mom's Nagging Mini Doll Hand Cream in Peach and Rose

on sale for 2,100 won ($1.91)

Bought these two because The Saem was having a 30% off sale and I needed hand creams to stock up for fall! The packaging is very cute and contains 50ml which I think is a good size. I haven't tried these out (using up the Etude House hand cream first), but they smell very good!

M3117 Backpack (link)

6,900 won ($6.26)

Ordered this backpack to use for school. It was only $6.26!!! I like to think that most of my shipping cost went to this (instead of dividing it evenly among my items) because it's so cheap! The downfall: it smells like old, used sponges!!! The smell reminds me of hobos -__-. I feel so self conscious in class and on the light rail lol. I hope the smell goes away. The good thing about is is that is made of durable material and has plenty of pockets! 

Black Motor Money Clutch (link)

15,900 won ($14.43)

I saw this on zipia while window shopping online. Definitely look in gmarket if you like something from zipia! Most likely they'll have it. This is a really cute and functional clutch! It came with a short and long strap to use as a wristlet or cross-body. It has two big pockets inside on the sides and pockets for cards. The front zipper is a functional pocket! It also came with bobby pins and hair ties from the seller. I got black to go with everything, but this comes in a bunch of other colors as well.

Pleated skirt (link)

18,700 won ($16.97)

I really like this skirt! It has an elastic waist and a slip underneath. The color doesn't really show up in the picture, but it's a mustard yellow kind of color. It's a bit long on me because I'm short, but I fold the waist. It's a pretty skirt but I feel like it makes me look wider because of the pleats. I think the price is good and they have a bunch of other colors!

Black Ankle Strap Flatforms (link)

21,000 won ($19.87)

I saw these shoes on zipia as well. When I was looking for it in gmarket I found a pair that was the same style, but the bottom sole was a different color. I found the one I was looking for in another seller's shop, but it was $30! I kept on looking and finally found this one at $19.87. Woohoo right? Nope. When I opened these, it REEKED of chemicals. It makes me sad because these shoes remind me of the cheap wholesale ones from China and I bought these for $20! The shoes I have bought from Korea are usually better quality than the wholesale ones from China and don't reek of chemicals. I'm leaving them outside to air out, but I have a sinking feeling that the smell will never go away. Time to sell these to Crossroads lol!!!