I used to browse around on Amazon JP when I'm bored, and of course, there are plenty of things to buy from there. The beauty products, supplements and many more, but unfortunately, the only things Amazon JP does ship out internationally are mainly just books, and so I started googling to see if there's a way to actually buy things that don't ship out of Japan, and that's how I found out about forwarding service.

If you type Japan forwarding service in google search, you'll most likely end up at Tenso, another Japan forwarding service that's very reliable but a tad more pricey, so I continue to search for a cheaper forwarding service, and found Tenso Japan, which I'm not sure if it's related to Tenso in any way, but they are very cheap. They're currently having an on-going promotion and all you have to pay is for the shipping fee, but I've seen reviews on a small number of people who used their forwarding service and were unsatisfied about it because of the mistakes they made such as sending the parcel to the wrong address, and other complaints, which you can find it here (in the comment section). Hence, I decided not use Tenso Japan and continue searching for a cheaper forwarding service and it was then I discovered JPN Depot! -inserts hallelujah sound effect-

I'm surprised that there aren't much people who know about JPN Depot, it's handling fee is only ¥200 (per package), and trust me, I've searched for forwarding services with a good reputation and the cheapest price is at least, ¥350 (based on weight, 0.3kg and below)! Now, the other problem is that I've to be sure that this company is legit and do what it claims to do. There aren't many reviews about it as it's fairly new. It started its business this year in July and I digged as deep as I could and these are all the informations that I could find about people who had experience with JPN Depot forwarding service.


This is my very first time using JPN Depot forwarding service, so I decided to test it out by getting a few items only. When I first discovered JPN Depot, I've so many questions, I sent, like 5~8 enquiries, which I'm quite embarrassed, but to clear the confusion I had I have to do what I got to do as there are some things that were not stated clearly on the site. The person who replied all my questions was very friendly and did clear up my confusion as well. After signing up, an address is immediately provided which can be found in "My Account" page.

Before buying from Amazon, I used the shipping calculator in JPN DEPOT to get a rough estimation of the amount of money that I'll be paying, but as it turns out, the calculator is not accurate at all, and the same goes for the product details; shipping weight, in Amazon JP. When my items from Amazon JP arrived in the JPN Depot warehouse; which only took Amazon a day after I placed the order. I then received an email from JPN Depot to notify me that the items I ordered have arrived in their warehouse.



The next step is to request for my items to be shipped, where I get to choose the shipping method and other optional services. I decided to go for SAL small packet (Registered) instead of EMS because, yep, you probably guessed it, cause it's cheaper. Once I submitted my request, about 1~2 hours later, I received an email that listed the amount of money that I've to pay for the shipment. Talk about efficiency! Paid and package was shipped the next day, I'm impressed by how smooth and fast everything went!

When the package is shipped, I got notified by an email, but I didn't receive a tracking number for my package, I even checked the Order Details page, but there's nothing. I sent them an email on Thursday and received a reply on Monday, telling me that Japan Post mistakenly processed the package with non-registered parcels.


I waited for a week, but they didn't get back to me until I sent them another email on Monday night asking about my parcel. The next morning, I received an email, telling me that he just called to confirm about the parcel. To be honest, I was a bit frustrated, true, it's not his fault that the package got mixed up with the unregistered ones, but to only call to confirm about it after a week is... Well, no longer necessary.

It arrived on the 21st of November, I was home that entire day, but instead of passing the parcel to me, the postman decided not to do his job and left a note on the mailbox, telling me to get the parcel myself at the post office, so I got the parcel myself on the 30th. The parcel is a bit dented, but it's fine since the items I bought are still in perfect condition. All the items inside the box are tightly wrapped with a plastic with a cardboard underneath it, which makes it a bit more sturdy when it gets thrown here and there while it's on its way here. Unfortunately, I was wayyyy too excited that I forgot to take a photo of it before opening up the plastic that kept the things packed together.

• Ishihara Awa Foaming Net
• Canmake Lip & Cheek Gel
• Celejois Care & Protect Beauty Hair Treatment For Damaged Hair
• Rosette Cleansing Paste Kaidei Smooth (Sea Mud)
• DHC Vitamin C Supplement 
• DHC Vitamin B Mix Supplement

Overall Rating:  

Will I be using JPN Depot forwarding service again? Absolutely! Even though there's a payment charge of 3.9% + ¥40, which made me cringed a little, but looking at the free services it provided; the free package photo + package inspection, it's definitely worth it! I'm already planning what to get for my next purchase, once I'm done moving, I'll be placing another order with them.

I've been crazy about shopping online these days and before I know it, I've gotten quite a bunch of stuff; mostly beauty products. I also placed another two orders from Althea after having my very first order from them because of the reasonable prices and their prompt delivery; sometimes it can be fast. The most recent order that I've made only took 5 days to arrived. Longest it can take is up to 10 days or more...

• Laneige Lip Sleeping Mask
• Laneige Power Essential Skin Refiner
• Too Cool For School Egg Mousse Pack
• Skinfood Black Sugar Mask Wash Off
• Wonderuci Light Light Eye Balm
• Missha White Tea Lip & Tea Makeup Remover
• The Saem Saemmuel Real Tint [#1 Red]
• W. Lab Waterholic Lipstick [P2 Coral Pink]
• W. Lab Sebum Out Finish Pact 
• Nature Republic Botanical Cream Concealer [21 Light Beige]

• Celejois Care & Protect Treatment of Extra Quality For Damaged Hair
• Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner [Dark Brown]
• Canmake Cream Cheek [05]
• Lululun 7 Days Sheet Mask [Fresh Clear & Balance Moisture] 

Zalora is a famous online fashion store in Malaysia, my cousin had bought things from there and I've read a few good reviews about it but never thought of giving it a try. It was then I received a newsletter from them saying that they're offering free shipping for any purchase on that day. I immediately went to the site and these two items caught my eyes, not to mention it was cheap too, so I thought, "Hey, I should definitely get these!"

And now I'm sitting at a corner typing this post, oh how I hate myself for giving in to those offers because the things I got is just not what I've expected. Let's start with the flats, shall we? I measured the length of my feet, in the chart it says that I'm a 38 EU size, but it's not accurate at all because I need a size bigger. That's not the real problem actually, when I tried on the shoes, the back of my ankles hurts; the material being used for the flats are just not comfortable and it's without a doubt that wearing this pair of shoes could cause blisters and that's why I'm returning these instead of exchanging it to a size larger.

Moving on to the basic camis I got is just simply awful. I don't blame Zalora for this since it's my mistake for not bothering to look at the fabric that's being used to make these camis—which is Polyblend if any of you are curious about it. For its quality, it definitely doesn't match up to its price, it should be sold for the price of RM10 or below, anything beyond that is insane when I could get the same looking but better quality with stretchability and elasticity camis in Forever 21 with that same amount of money.

The items that I've ordered stated that it'll take 1-3 days to arrive, but instead it took them 5 days, weekend excluded, for it to reach my hands. It's quite a letdown, they shouldn't have stated that on the site if they're unable to deliver it in time, but the payment method covered that disappointment I had towards the unpunctual delivery, which is the cash on delivery payment method (for certain postal codes only). Where I don't have to pay beforehand and get all worry about what if it got lost in the middle of the delivery. I absolutely love that they provide free return shipping to the customers by including the paid POS LAJU slip—with their information all filled out—in the parcel.

The customer service is, by far, satisfactory. I sent my inquiry and gotten a reply in 20 minutes, I was surprised, really. Wasn't expecting to get a reply this fast from them, for that I give them a +1. There are 3 refund methods which are store credit, credit card, and bank transfer; for store credit, it'll only take 2 days for the refund to be done whereas the other 2 options will take 14 days. Now that I've submitted the refund form to them and am currently waiting for approval so that I can proceed to sending the items back to them. Hopefully, they'll pay me back in 14 days just like they've said.
Will I be buying from Zalora again? Probably not, because the clothing brands they cater are not really to my liking.

RATING:

UPDATE: 12 JANUARY 16

This is a rather late update because I've been having trouble dealing with them. So, in the end, I didn't get my refund, instead days later, I found that the RM56.90 is given back to me in store credit form.

Alright, so what's done is done, I decided to spend that credit and never will I have to deal with them ever again. Did it go as I've planned? Nope, no. I let my mom order what she wanted from the site on 12/12/15 and it just so happened that I didn't receive the package when it has been delivered for 3 times--which I think it's a lie, because there are days I was at home from morning till night, and I was ABSOLUTELY SURE I was home for the entire day for the second attempt of delivering the package, the courier service they use is just simply awful!

On 24th of January, I then received an e-mail from them saying that I'll get my credit back, so I ordered another dress for my mom and request that the remaining amount to be used on the newest order (since I haven't received the credit back yet). The next day, I was told that the order is not canceled and I'll not receive my credits back. SAY WHAT NOW? Yesterday, I was told that I'll get a refund and then the next day I get an e-mail saying the order is actually not canceled. I replied, two days passed, no reply from them as I sent another e-mail asking them about the status of my order, a day passed, still, no reply.

At this point, I was already beyond furious! Like, what the hell is wrong with their customer service? I know it takes some time to check, but by choosing to ignore the customer is just really unprofessional and rude. So on the 8th, I decided to send them a new email to their customer service, saying that I've been waiting for days and that I've gotten no reply. The next day I finally got a reply from them saying that they are very sorry blah, blah, blah... Gave me a 15% code, and asked me to wait for another 1 to 2 working days for them to get back to me. I honestly, don't want that damn discount code, all I wanted in the first place was to have my money back, and now I'm still waiting... It's the 2nd day already, and I haven't gotten any reply from them yet.

I got this as a gift from my aunt, and I was actually quite excited to try this product out because I've been seeing how many bloggers raved about this product but unfortunately, it isn't Elizavecca's which my aunt got it as well but I, myself picked this instead. 

PRODUCT INFORMATION:
Brand: Marion
Product: Collagen Gel Mask
Purpose: 5 in 1; Moisturizes, brightens, tightens pores, reduces wrinkles and firms the skin
Price: 128 HKD  59 HKD
Size: 100g
Country: Made in Korea
Description: Containing rich collagen ingredients, have 5-in-1 effect in moisturizing, skin brightening, closing the pores, repairing and compacting skin, at the same time, Have a super moisturizing and increase skin elasticity effect to make the skin moist and soft, reduce wrinkles and restore skin firmness elastic, pores also become meticulous. pudding-like silky texture and not greasy, and have sweet smell, a moist collagen film could be formed on the skin surface.

PROS:

• Moisturizes skin
• Nice scent
• Affordable 
• A pea-size amount is enough for the entire face

CONS:

• Not available in many stores

RATING:

OVERALL:
Would I repurchase this item? Probably not, because I'm a lazy person, plus it'll take me a long time to finish using this mask as a pea-size amount is all it needs for each use. It's not expensive and it does give me glowy dewy skin, but again, I'm not the type that likes to have something on my face overnight because I'm a crazy sleeper which might result in having the mask on my pillow or anywhere on my bed, but so far... There's no such problem. I definitely recommend this mask to people with dull or dry skin because this is like the inexpensive version of Laneige Sleeping Mask and does give your face that extra boost you need. Plus, I got mine when it was on sale, which only cost only 59HKD, how cheap!

I'll be going for a trip to Rawa Island for 3 days tomorrow, so I thought I'd share what I've packed in my bag for this trip.  

1. Nature Republic Skin Smoothing 3 Step Nose Pack Sheet
2. Etude House CC Cream #2 Glow
3. Banila Co. It Radiant CC Cream
4. Petitfee Black Pearl and Gold Hydrogel Eye Patch
5. Petitfee Gold & EGF Eye & Spot Patch

Korean skin care and cosmetics are the "thing" that has been going around for some time now, and you can see countless of Korean cosmetic/ skin care stores in Malaysia but unfortunately, the price got marked up twice when it's being sold in a physical store. I found out about this online store through my cousin and while I was browsing the site, like a million times because I doubt the authenticity of the product, I've finally came to the decision of getting a few items to test it out.

PRICING:

In the very beginning, after seeing the price of the items sold in the site, I doubt its authenticity, but again, I knew the price of those products aren't the same as it is that's being sold in the stores in Malaysia. Besides, the creator of this online store had stated that his purpose of opening this online beauty store is to make k-beauty products more accessible to those who live outside of Korea. Oh! And there's the ACTIVE DEAL section, where deals such as; buy 1 free 1 or price reduction on certain items.

PACKAGING:

When I received the parcel, it's wrapped in a pink plastic envelope bag, which got dirtied. I was expecting it to be nice and clean, but... I guess as long as the things inside of the box is fine, I'm good. Once I open it up, I see the light pink box being wrapped with a piece of bubble wrap. All the items inside the box were wrapped with bubble wrap as well and beneath those products was filled with small pieces of pink tracing paper.

SHIPPING + DELIVERY

The cost of the shipping depends on the weight of the parcel, but while I was browsing on the online store, there's a promotion going on, by spending RM150 or above there'll be free shipping and I thought, why not, I might as well buy that much and get free shipping rather than paying that extra for nothing, but shipping itself. Tracking number was also provided to check the status (which is quite in detail) instead of checking the order status on the site that just says "processing/ delivered", which is another plus 1 for me.

RATING:

Will I be buying from Althea again? Definitely! The only downside of it is that there's not much variety of products, but since Althea is fairly new, I guess I could expect seeing more new items being available in the near future? Will be keeping my fingers crossed.

The one thing that I'm really curious about is that when the package was its way to my house, will it be exposed to heat? Because, after all it's cosmetic/ skin care we're buying and it could affect the products if it's exposed to heat.

I didn't plan to have this as the first post for my blog, but what do you know. Life is unpredictable and just as soon as I thought to write something for my blog, this happened.

You know when you were a teenager, how you wish you had your own credit/ debit card. Yeah, it's like a step of you becoming an adult, legit one.

So, few days ago everyday went how it normally would and today I found out my debit card is GONE. Did I panic? Hell yeah! It wasn't in my wallet, I was in class and I thought, "Okay, chill, everything is gonna be fine." I went home and look for my debit card, here, there, literally everywhere (the dustbin in my room, fridge, etc.) and it's nowhere to be found. THIS IS NO FINE NO MORE!
I checked my online account, no money was lost and, of course, I feel a teeny tiny bit at ease. I walked down from my apartment to go to the bank, waiting for my turn, still frustrated and I was then told that I'll be charged 5 dollars and I thought, "Yeah, alright, 5 dollars it is then." I nodded my head as the person told me to stand there and wait for a moment.

After a minute, she came back and told me, "I'm sorry, but yours is a different kind of card and you'll be charged 20 dollars for a replacement card." She forced a smile on her face and asked me, "You sure you want a replacement card?"


I stood there, at that moment it seems like time had stopped. I don't know about you, but 20 dollars is kind of a huge deal for me because I could eat something nice with that money. In my mind, I was thinking, "You fucked up and now you have to pay, great." I nodded my head and waited for another few minutes, sign the paper and then she told me "The card will be sent in 7 working days." And I was like, alright, I'm done with this shit, but no! That's not all! "You also have to call in to stop your card personally." EXCUSE MOI? I thought the whole purpose of coming to the bank and report my lost card is already devastating enough and now I've to call and stop the card myself? Great, just great.