3 posts in a month about Stylenanda, you'd think I was sponsored! But that is not the case, I'm just a wee bit obsessed with this brand at the moment. l promise I'll shut up about this site for a while right after this post.
I hauled some clothes and a couple pairs of shoes from them in addition to the lipsticks and the eyeshadows I reviewed earlier and wanted to share some thoughts about the overall experience of shopping from their site.
WHAT I HAULED
I picked up a pair of relaxed boyfriend jeans for my weekend wardrobe and these fit the bill at $43. I couldn't pass up this black pinafore dress for $49. The blush pink mini skirt in real leather was $52. The all black outfit comprises these skin-tight high-waisted pinstripe denim leggings for $40 and a basic black slim-fit rib knit for $27. The black creepers with a beige trim just above the sole were $60.
Not Pictured:
a white slip dress (because it's basically lingerie)
a blue chunky bell sleeve turtleneck sweater dress (returned due to fit)
a long ribbed turtleneck sweater in cream and a platform white sneaker (were backordered)
a houndstooth sheer white mini dress (out of stock, though it remains on the site)
STYLENANDA.COM: A REVIEW
Quality/True to Photos?:
I was extremely happy with the quality of the denim and leather items. The dresses and tops were also very slim-fitting which was nice as I am on the petite side. There was a nice weight to the fabrics and the seams were perfect. They're definitely higher quality than your bottom rung of the fast fashion chain - your Forever 21's and your H&M's. I believe SN is more on par with Topshop and the more expensive items on ASOS website (not the designer area). The shoes however look a tad cheap in real life, but once I wear them in and give them that scuffed up well-loved look I believe they will look much better. I prefer the look of aged shoes and bags. Their handmade shoes are a different story, they look very high quality. One of the cotton items (a sweater) had an awkward weight and did not hang very nicely.
If I assigned a score to the haul, it would be about an 8.5/10. 8 items met or exceeded my expectations in both quality and fit, 1 item was okay, and 1 item was slightly disappointing but passable.
THAT'S AMAZING compared with my average order on ASOS or Topshop. With those stores, I'm usually happy with about 50-60% of the items. They do have their finer points as well which I'll mention later).
Do's and Don'ts of Ordering:
- DO pay attention to garment fabric and measurements. The measurements are thorough and meticulous. Compare the relevant measurements with items you already own to understand how the garment will fit you. Also, to note, if you are interested in purchasing a handmade shoe, those cannot be returned. Check out their forums
- DO pay attention to the model's measurements with respect to your own. Adjust your expectations according to the difference between your measurements and hers. For example, if an item is extremely short on the model, it will likely be longer on you, etc.
- DON'T think that just because you paid for an item, that you have the item 'in the bag'. I was able to check out and pay for a dress on the site only to receive an email from Stylenanda a few days later informing me that the item was not actually in stock and could not be backordered.
Shipping:
There is free shipping to a few international countries if you meet a minimum order value of $200. If your order does not meet that amount, you have to pay $20 if order value under $100 or $10 if your order value is under $200. Obviously this does not stack up to the amazing shipping deals you can find on the web from American and European sites.
Do order ahead of time. You must not expect to receive items right away. It can take up to 10 business days for them to even ship out the first shipment in your order. I say first shipment, because it is likely your order will be split into multiple shipments as many of the items will be backordered. For example, I ordered a pair of white sneakers and though 21 days have passed, it still has not even left the warehouse!
Have someone be available to receive the package. Each package requires someone to be at home to sign for the package or you will deal with the hassle of getting to the post office during business hours.
Returns:
Stylenanda has one major fault and that is that it is a pain in the tush to return items to them.
First, you must email them stating your intent to return anything.
Next, they will inform you that the customer must bear the cost of posting the return unless there it is a defective product. (If the product is defective, take a photo and email it to them for return postage approval.)
So say you decide that's fine and rather than keep an item that's below par, you want to proceed with the return and so you send it back to the warehouse, you are not guaranteed a refund until it is approved by the warehouse. They have a quality test where the items are reviewed and can be rejected if there are any marks or stains, smells, or stretching out of the item. While it's likely that none of these have occurred, this is very different from most western sites which are more lax in their return policies. Hell, some sites even let you return used makeup!
Customer Service:
They are pretty responsive and will respond to your inquiries politely and professionally within 24 hours.
It is also within their policy to replace melted or defective cosmetics as long as you send a photo with your inquiry.
In summary, I am happy with the quality of the garments at Stylenanda.com but there is much room for improvement in both their shipping and returns policies.
-Joan
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