Late night bloggin'
Past couple days have been fairly uneventful, which makes this Halloween weekend all the more exciting! 
/
Just went out for errands and a mandatory sweet drink
Here's less edited photos of my blush process, as mentioned last post. 
Colorpop blush stick
Then topped with Candy Clouds!
/ Errands more errands! Rolled out of bed not wanting a complex outfit and ended up making one of my fav codes so far!
Popped by Goodwill and found NOTHING. It was like, really rough man. 
I did however see THESE beauties and stopped in my tracks. I tried them on bc I'm gross but they did not fit at all. Plus, they were 30 dollars at Goodwill and that kind of goes against my moral code.
I feel a little regret...Ended up getting some jewelry--cute black bangle and candy-colored bead necklaces. I'll probably give the blue to Ray
I have some weird error that disallows me from replying or commenting at all. So I will reply to all comments en masse here!
Thank you everyone for the compliments on my codes and new blog! It warms my heart
As for miss Kiri, here's the exact Ali listings as well as some advice!
I searched "candy heels", and looked for solid-toe, shiny, solid color, short heels.
When looking for gal wardrobe pieces on primarily western-aesthetic dominated sites (Amazon, Depop) I hardly EVER use any gal buzzwords in my searches. Here's why:
In Depop, this is what will come up when searching, for example, "Agejo Gyaru"
Handmade items like bows and bags (which are cute! but not usually what we're looking for)
We also see repetitive boosted posts due to the smaller amount of listings for this search criteria. This one dress going for $55 is a common Ma*rs style knockoff you'll see on any site, and for much MUCH cheaper...
The ! labelled dress is okay...but its from SHEIN. I don't know about you, but buying SHEIN second hand for anything more than $10 feels steep.
The $100 dress IS real brand, which is a rare occurrence. These sellers KNOW what they have, and probably bought the item for either:
A. similar or higher price on sites like MercariJP or Depop
B. much cheaper on a different site/off someone in the comm and are selling for higher market price
The other problem that comes from listings using images of real brand are that they are usually ISO's (In Search Of), which people use to advertise items they would trade for. This clogs up our results even further.
Scrolling further we see something promising. Could be brand, and at half the price what a similar piece goes for!
We see "Sugargloss" and get excited!
Then we see the description.
This is the other problem--brand names being used in the item listing (not just as a descriptor, LITERALLY being listed as an item FROM the brand) for more eyeballs on their post, followed by "its giving" and other disclaimers. Now this dress is fairly cute and technically a "Harajuku" brand, Milk...but again, that's not what we're looking for.
All of this to say: I never recommend these sites to find brand.
I do however like to find SUPPORTING pieces thru these sellers. Approach it like you are looking for CLOTHES, not an "aesthetic".
Instead of searching for a specific style that is, in truth, NOT understood by the majority of people, use simple descriptors. To me, secondhand buying is supposed to be CHEAPER, and people sell things for cheap for a few reasons:
1. The item looks, feels, and costs cheap enough that it is easily recognizable to the customer
2. Damage, wear, or other factors diminish the original cost
The real kickers are these:
3. Seller wants the item GONE
4. Seller doesn't know the value of the item in the eyes of the customer
Are those last two sellers going to spend their time researching fashions in order to reach a niche audience? Not likely. The descriptions will be concise enough to pop up on anyone's search.
Including specific items rather than "vibes" as well as narrowing down by size, color, category, etc, you will have a much more pleasant scroll.
Here we see some great build-upon pieces at reasonable secondhand prices. Lots of them are boosted for the reasons listed above--these sellers want to SELL them. But since there's more to go through, it isn't as bothersome.
Skirts, tank tops, blouses, dresses, and even bras/bralettes will not only be at a cheaper price for what you get (not brand, but can beef up your outfits), and MAY even come in bundles. More bang for less buck.
Brand does not a polished co*de make. It's good to step outside of the "collecting" aspect of gal when you're a lifestyler. It's clothing, not always a trophy. And in this economy, I don't know about you but I can't afford many trophies!
Brand does not a polished co*de make...but it IS like saying money can't buy you happiness; it wont buy the personal taste and genuine care to research, but it CAN buy the specific, outdated stylings that make the "Look" really look.
I digress.
Here's what my likes look like, amassed over weeks and weeks of casual searching.
Last Depop tip--USE THE LIKE SYSTEM. You will get better recommendations that you might not know to search for. I've found Depop recommends based on frequently liked items by color, pattern, and category (I like posts with skirts, I get more skirts; I like one post with a phone case, I get three phone cases) as well as keeping listings within a similar price point.
AMAZON
Honestly I don't use Amazon all that much. The price point is usually much higher for the same exact items. Plus, we see the same problems as on Depop.
Anything seem familiar?
Now these are just sad.
Amazon I really use only for getting packs of basics; socks, tank tops, underwear even. That's where the best value is for cheapskates like me.
Aliexpress is the wild west.
On sites like Ali, using gal buzzwords can help, since it is rife with dupes that are aware of their source material, as well as being labelled as such in reviews. The algorithm will bring up what you are looking for and its up to you to discern quality/other concerns before purchase. PICTURES in reviews are gold for this reason.
Ali launches anything and everything at you after one cursory look at their site, so the recommended products can...go downhill quick. Use the like system here as well, moreso to just keep track of what you ACTUALLY like and intend to buy.
When using any site, make sure to have references on hand of specific pieces from looks you like. It's fun to just shop and see things that might work, but going in with a game plan will result in less regrets after purchasing something that doesn't style quite right.
Let me know if this was helpful! Or if you disagree/want to add on, comment below as I'd love to hear your thoughts 
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