Hi guys! If you're on Facebook, you have undoubtedly spotted those Zaful FB ads. Gorgeous babes in super cute swimsuits, what's not to like? Well, for one, Zaful has been getting some mixed reviews. I've heard of long shipping times and low quality, but also very positive impressions of customers. I have quite some experience with Asian webshops (as a blogger, it sort of comes with the territory), so when Zaful contacted me for a collaboration, I figured I could do an honest, thorough review of my experience with Zaful to help you guys decide whether to take the gamble!
So, full disclosure: they sent me a document with a list of suggested bathing suits I could pick three options from. Now, this suggests one of two things: either that these are the styles they want to promote to a prospective audience because these suits are very on trend, or that these are the suits that they know are better quality than some of their other items. I can't give you a breakdown of which of these two it is, but I have seen bloggers feature cute pieces that were not listed in the doc I received, so I'm guessing that the promo-of-trendy-styles angle at least plays a part here.
I picked three tropical print suits: one bikini, and two onepieces. Two of these had a shorter shipping times, and the order was split up automatically so that I received two first (about two and a half weeks after ordering), and then the last one a week or so later. All three suits were professionally packaged in a ziplock bag, and delivered by Bpost.
Now, let's move on to the actual product.
First suit I ordered is my favourite out of the three, this palm tree print onepiece with mesh cutouts. I ordered this in the size I usually pick in swimsuits: a medium/EU38. Zaful shows measurements of every clothing size in inches, if you hover over the sizes, but since swimsuits are stretchy to different extents going on measurements still doesn't make it easy to figure out what size to get. However, I lucked out by going for my usual size because this palmtree onepiece fits me pretty perfectly.
It looks exactly like the pictures on the webshop, it's lined and comes with removable foam cups, and it fits comfortably and flatteringly. I could have sized down, but medium fits me fine. Such a cute suit!
OK, one down, two to go.
Second, I got this low cut palmtree print onepiece. I liked how the cut was different from the swimsuits I already owned, I enjoy a swimsuit that is cut high along the legs and reveals some cleavage, and you can't have enough palm tree prints. Again, I picked a size medium, however, the sizing posed some issues here.
As you can see, the suit is really cute and super sexy. However, it is also wayyyyy too short for my torso, despite fitting fine overall. Being so short makes it pull in the back instead of following the curvature above my butt, and it also poses coverage issues in the boob area. Just a bit too much sideboob for me to feel comfortable in if I pull up my hair. Too bad, since the suit is really cute! I'm going to try and find a way to fix these issues, any creative suggestions? Apart from this suit being made for a much shorter torso (something I often experience with onepieces), the quality is absolutely the same as regular, good quality highstreet brands. Lined, removable foam cups, stitched nicely. No issues.
Finally, I picked this leaf print keyhole bikini. I liked it because, yeah, another tropical print, but also because these types of bikinis can be worn in multiple ways depending on how you cross the straps etcetera, as you can see in the pics. Again, I ordered a size medium.
The size of the bikini is perfect, the pieces are lined and the quality is fine. One issue I had with this bikini, however, is that the stitching on the bottom is not stretchy enough, or less stretchy than you'd imagine in a swimsuit. Almost as if they used a stitch that wasn't meant for stretchy fabric? I don't know, it just means the bottoms feel a bit more "stiff" than I would ideally like, but it's not really a big issue. I only tell you guys about it because this is the only piece of the three that felt a bit cheaper in construction.
So! Zaful, what are my thoughts? The quality ranges from great to fine, so if you buy one of these three suits you will be getting exactly what the pictures in the webshop show you. However, I can't vouch for all of the pieces, of course, so my advice still stands: stick to those items that have been reviewed by others, just like I'd do with any Asian webshop.
The sizing is listed correctly, but when it comes to onepieces you obviously run the risk of having the garment be too short or too long for your torso. Not that big a deal normally, you can obviously just return it, but Zaful is located in China, and unless they mess up your order you will have to pay for the return shipping yourself. Not very convenient, so that's a gamble you take since the webshop doesn't list the length of the onepiece swimsuits.
All in all, Zaful has some really cute stuff on offer if you shop wisely. I would advise you to always pay with paypal so you have buyer's protection in case items don't show up, but keep in mind that most Asian webshops go through a time period where they're still developing, making their service feel a bit more "amateur". However, if you look at Shein, for example, I've seen the website evolve to the point where they have live chat and a warehouse in Belgium so return shipping has become so much cheaper, easier and quicker.
People are always quick to yell "scam" when dealing with Asian webshops because there is some amateurism and cultural difference there when they first start out, but I personally don't think this is a scam website or that there's reason for distrust. However, you'd do best to be critical of bloggers that give rave reviews because obviously they get these products for free, and because may be getting items from a selection of "approved" products that are higher quality. Be smart, and you won't get burned.
Anyway, I hope this was informative, and if you have any questions about Zaful or Asian webshops in general: shoot!
No comments