These photos are from a few weeks ago so my little baby bump is much smaller : ) I was only about 13 weeks at this point! Anyway, I’m doing something a little different today! I recently discovered an online brand called SheIn.com after watching a YouTube review by Gerry (she’s an awesome Canadian YouTuber)! SheIn.com is an asian brand that has super affordable and trendy clothing that’s very similar to Forever 21 or H&M. I decided to order a few things to review the shipping/delivery process and see what the quality of the clothing is like.
I was inspired by my blogger friend Nancy to do an expectation vs reality post. She has been doing similar posts on her Ebay hauls for years (seriously check them out, they are awesome!) and I love seeing how the products compare to the photos online!
First let’s start with the shipping. I got standard shipping which was free because my order was over $30. It says to expect your order within 10-25 business days so I figured it would take 3 weeks at least. I am happy to say that I got my order exactly two weeks after placing my order which is much faster than I thought! It was held at customs in Vancouver for a few days but it still made it to me in a timely fashion. However, I think that is because I chose items that were labelled “Ships in 24 Hours”. I would suggest looking for items with this label, otherwise processing can take an additional week or more!
Please do not judge my pasty white legs. They have not seen much sun this summer so compared to my face they look super ghostly. I need to get my hands on some self tanner STAT. On to the review!
Black White V Neck Striped Slim Dress, Size Medium ($10.19 USD)
Expectation:
Reality:
This dress is almost exactly what I expected. After reading many reviews I sized up and got a medium instead of a small. I’m glad I did because a small would have been way too tight in the hips and stomach. It’s a little baggy in the back but overall it fits well and the fabric is a nice thick cotton.
Downside? I’m only 5″2 and this dress was very short on me. I had to wear shorts underneath in order to feel comfortable wearing it! However if I wear it over leggings it’s the perfect length. It started to pill quite a bit after only 2 washes so I’d suggest hand washing this if you order it. Also, you can also see my little baby bump in this photo – I was only around 13 weeks when I took these photos but already my belly was growing : )
Verdict: I’m very happy with this dress!
Grey Long Sleeve Casual Dress, Size Medium ($12.33 USD)
Expectation:
Reality:
The fit is flattering (once again I sized up to a medium) and it’s flowy without looking like a mumu. The colour is also exactly what’s shown in the photo which is nice.
Downside? The fabric of this dress is much thinner than the website photo suggests. The website photo make it look it it’s almost a thick wool-type fabric but in person it’s quite thin. It’s not see through or anything, but if you are expecting this to be warm you’ll be disappointed.
Verdict: The fabric was a bit deceiving but overall I love the colour and fit.
Navy Short Sleeve Shift Dress, Size Small ($16.99 USD)
Expectation:
Reality:
This was the biggest curve ball. I originally ordered this because I saw a review from a pregnant woman and it looked so cute with her belly! In person this dress is HUGE and I ordered a small (reviews said it ran large and they were right – this is a small!) It’s totally see through and you need to wear a slip or shorts underneath for it to be appropriate. It’s sort of a crepe-like material that’s not very soft and very translucent.
Downside? Everything I just stated, plus it’s definitely on the shorter side. If you are taller than 5″4 you might not even be able to wear this as a dress! It clings to my chest area and then just hangs. It makes me look much wider than I actually am, which is never a good thing. I need to play around with it more and see if I can belt it or pin it in the back to make the shape more flattering until my baby bump starts to show more. Meh, I’m lukewarm on this one.
Verdict: I’m unsure if this was worth the purchase but I’m going to try to make it work!
I hope you enjoyed this post! Let me know if you’d like to see more of these types of reviews and I’ll keep ’em coming : )
Rae // theNotice says
This post was awesome, Megan! I’ve always been curious about super-cheap online fashion retailers like SheInside — I think I might just be brave enough to give them a try, now. Thanks for the review!
Megan Joy says
Yay! I’m so glad you found this post helpful. It’s definitely hit and miss, just like Forever 21 can be sometimes. But I am really happy with the first two things!
Victoria Stacey says
I love this! I haven’t heard about SheIN, but it’s cool to see another store like this! I’ve bought from Ebay a bunch of times though.. shipping waiting is just so long!
Victoria Stacey says
I did try Romwe once, and it was pleasant. I bought a pair of cat leggings for my friend and she seems happy 🙂
Megan Joy says
I’ve heard similar things about Romwe. Sometimes their stuff is totally fine and other times the sizing is really weird or the fabrics are not what they expected. I might try Romwe next!
Beyond Blush says
Such a great post idea! I kind of hate ordering clothes online, because I don’t want to be stuck paying for return shipping or with clothes that don’t fit perfectly. Thanks for the review!
Megan Joy says
I’m happy you liked it! I am always hesitant buying things online but thankfully 2 out of 3 worked out this time : )
Michelle Nicole says
I love that you did this Megan, and congrats on the pregnancy btw!! 🙂 I’ve bought from SheIn back awhile ago and was really unhappy with the quality of my stuff for the price + duties I paid. But honestly, it looks like they’ve change their name and gotten a little better! I am in love with the first 2 dresses you picked up! I’ve been thinking about trying to get something from them again and you just enabled me haha.
Megan Joy says
I read a TON of reviews before I ordered and it seems like people had really back experiences with “SheInside” and I believe you are right they have rebranded. They new “SheIn” seems to have better overall reviews.
Chantal says
Love this post! I’m actually working on a similar post for a different online site. Things can be so deceiving sometimes.
I love the second dress on you!
Megan Joy says
Thanks Chantal! I am always interested in seeing how things compare to what’s advertised so I thought it would be fun to try it out myself. I am excited to see your post! Is it a beauty comparison or fashion?
Chantal says
Mine is fashion too! 🙂 I’m just waiting on my 2nd item to arrive and see how it fits (they were shipped separately for some reason).
Shawna F. says
Great idea for a post, Megan! ps – more bump posts – they make me so happy!
Megan Joy says
Thanks Shawna! I will be posting more bump style posts for sure. Hopefully people doesn’t get sick of them : )
Sarah M says
This is just a cool post, and so useful. Glad to hear at least one product was a hit, even if the others weren’t quite.
Megan Joy says
I’m so glad you found it helpful! I want to try and do more of these types of posts for sure. Online shopping can be so tricky sometimes :/
Kristina says
Thanks for the review! I wanted to try buying something from this site, but am a little hesitant. Were you charged duty on your purchase upon arrival?
Megan Joy says
I can only speak for my experience but I did not get charged any duty!
Amanda says
Hi. You said that the order for held up in customs in Vancouver. Do you know approximately how much the duty charge was? I had ordered something online that came from oversees and there was an $80 duty charge so just curious how much the charge was for these items?
Thanks
Rebecca Maldonado says
Oh my gosh I just placed two huge order on their site and i’m hoping and praying everything comes in okay. I didn’t think it was going to take THIS long to get my clothes which is such a downer 🙁
Divya Nair says
It is such a nice post. I have been thinking to order some clothes from here for quite sometime but was unsure how they would turn out to be. Any idea about how well their return policy works?
Megan Joy Radillo says
I was googling SheIn reviews. One of the first that popped up was by Megan Joy on October 23. I am Megan Joy and October 23 is my birthday. I thought I was in the Twilight Zone for a minute!
Keelin Filjeski says
Does shein ship to canada?
Megan Joy says
Yes!