There are some age-old questions that constantly plague my mind. What came first; the chicken or the egg? Why won’t Leonardo DiCaprio realise he loves me? And is SHEIN a scam? I’ve spent hours of my life watching SHEIN, Romwe and Zaful hauls, trying to decide whether to spend my money with them. A lot of the videos are hit and miss; the sizing seems off, the material is cheap, or the item turns up completely different from the pictures.
I’ve never managed to reach a conclusion from the countless videos and reviews I’ve watched, so I decided to splash some ca$$$h and see for myself. Now, I haven’t bought any swimwear since my TRIANGL bikinis, and I’m going round Europe this year, so I really needed some fresh cozzies to strut around in. I checked Zaful, Romwe and SHEIN, and the cheapest options were on SHEIN, so I placed my order.
I found the SHEIN website easy to use, although I was a bit put off by the random product images. Some items were on a model, others were just lain out in a flatlay. There didn’t seem to be much continuity, and it did get me wondering if the products I’d be sent would be the same in the images. Also, most of the item’s prices are ‘discounted’. It’s a little bit cheeky because obviously you can’t apply discount codes to already-discounted products, so my 20% off student code was no use. Despite this, the items are very affordable, even if I don’t necessarily believe that their original prices were ever true.
I chose three bikinis, selected my shipping, paid by card and went on my merry way. A week later, the parcel arrived! The plastic bag that the three bikinis came in was quite small and had no branding at all. I didn’t even realise it was my SHEIN order until I opened it up. Inside the white plastic bag was three smaller bags, which were all clear, but each had a different set of stickers. One of the bikinis had a red sticker, the other two had white stickers with different product codes (I guess) in different fonts. It did make me wonder if all three bikinis had come from the same warehouse, but I was glad that they all came in the same parcel.
First up is the Detachable Strap Bikini Set in Grey. I think it was the first one I added to my bag because I had my eyes open for a bandeau-style bikini as I’ve never owned one before. It costs £7.99, although it says its original price was ‘£13.99’. I absolutely love this bikini. I was worried about buying a strapless bikini because of my lack of chesticles, but it stays up absolutely fine and it feels like it’ll stay put. The bikini has some round, spongey pads in the boob-area that can be slipped out the side. I quite like them though, because they save you from nipple-visibility and add a little bit of volume to my miniature chest. I’ll be removing them to swim, however, because I don’t know how the cheap sponge material will behave if it goes in the water.
The bottoms are definitely cheeky, but feel comfortable. I’d recommend booking a seeeerious wax, buying a new razor or dunking yourself in a vat of hair removal cream before wearing any of these bikini bottoms, though, because they don’t leave a lot to the imagination. This bikini came with removable straps which I’ve slung straight in the bin, because I can’t be arsed with any tan lines, and I think the bikini looks great without them.
Next, we have the High Leg Bikini Set in Green, but I’d personally call it Mint. This one is probably my favourite of the bunch; I adore the colour because it’s so unlike any colour I ever wear, and I think it makes my skin look quite tanned even though I am yet to set foot in the sun this year. Again, it was £7.99, and also comes in yellow, grey and a gooorgeous brown which is currently top of my next order list.
The top feels the most secure out of the three, which is probably down to the thin spaghetti straps. It’ll definitely be my choice if I want to swim. This bikini also has the little round pads in the boobs, which I guess I’ll have to take out if I go in the water because I have a sneaking suspicion they’ll go a funny shape if they get wet. Another small gripe about this one is that the clasp at the back doesn’t shut fully, but I think it feels like it’ll stay put.
The bottoms on this bikini are the cheekiest of the bunch. So cheeky, in fact, that I may have to refer to them as a ‘thong’. Again, these bottoms don’t leave much to the imagination, but all that really means is that you’re maximising tan-opportunity. Another little grip about this bikini is that the lining is white, and where these are all obviously cheaply-made bikinis, the seams can move around and expose the lining, which isn’t particularly cute. I still love this bikini, though.
Finally, we have the Knot Bandeau Bikini Set in Pink. I’d say the pink is slightly more of a pastel-coral in person, but still very pretty. It’s £7.99, but says it has been reduced down from £9.99. I thought this bikini was sooo pretty, but was a bit disappointed that it only came in pink. I usually avoid pink clothes like the plague, and would’ve liked this particular style in white, or maybe a striped pattern. I was surprised how much I like it, though.
I really like the ‘sweetheart’ neckline of this bandeau bikini, because it adds a little bit of an illusion of shape to my chest. The knot at the back can be undone and tightened as and when you need to. This one also comes with those funny sponge-pads, but you can take them out easily. It’s the smallest top out of the three, so it’ll be great for sunbathing. It stayed up fine while I was trying it on, but I’d be wary of diving into a pool because, without straps, it might go flying.
The bottoms, again, are very cheeky. The lining is pink in these ones, so there’s no need to worry about pesky lining peeking out. The material feels slightly thin, and I’m slightly concerned about potential see-through-ness if it gets wet. But, with all that being said, I’m really pleased with the fit because I think the bottoms are soooo flattering despite them being teensy-weensy.
So, in total, I bought three bikinis for £7.99 each. The shipping cost was £4, and I added an optional shipping insurance for 72p, which I definitely recommend doing, just in case. The total was £28.69, which I think is peanuts when you look at the bikinis I’ve got. Even though they’re cheap and some of the lining is a bit funny, I don’t think they look particularly cheap. I feel really confident with what I’ve received, and can’t wait to wear them on my holiday. And I’m definitely intrigued to purchase from SHEIN again!
I’ve also filmed a YouTube video to go with this blog post, so you can see me trying them on and hear a little bit more about what I think about them.
Lots of love,
Jasmine x
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