Taobao is one of those vast, seemingly endless shopping platforms on which you can browse your entire day away. However, Taobao is entirely in Chinese, so you’d have to have a decent grasp of the language if you’d like to be able to navigate your way around, and especially so if you’d like to buy stuff yourself.
We’ve already done the hard work for you and came up with a list of Taobao hidden gems before, but there were simply too many to squeeze into one article!
We know you wanted more, so this time, we’ve trawled around Taobao itself to find even more of these hidden beauty products you never knew you wanted until now.
I can’t read Chinese! How do I order from Taobao?
Ordering these goodies from Taobao isn’t reserved only for those more well-versed in Mandarin Chinese! There are now many shipping agents around that offer freight forwarding services.
Many of them also offer to do your shopping for you, so you don’t need to go through the relatively complicated process of shopping directly from Taobao.
However, do take note that many of these freight forwarders charge agent fees, credit card surcharges, clearance fees, and high weightage parcels!
Freight forwarding services
- Ezbuy: They have a Buy-For-Me service, in which you simply need to copy and paste the product URL into their search bar, and the product page will pop up automatically translated into English.
- SGShop: They have a Buy-For-Me service, which works in the same way as Ezbuy’s.
- Buy2Taobao: They have a Buy-For-Me service, and also offers a point reward system for frequent Taobao buyers.
- Oops: Their agent fee is amongst the lowest, at SGD 1 per kg, and may be worth checking out especially for those new to Taobao.
- Peeka: They have a Buy-For-Me service, and their agent fees are calculated as a percentage of the product price.
Taobao-integrated forwarders
Taobao has affiliated with some forwarder companies, and offers an integrated guide to getting your parcel shipped to you. The downside to this is that you have to navigate Taobao yourself. Shipping fees may still apply.
The list of forwarder companies may change as Taobao monitors customer satisfaction with each of them, and replaces those that are not up to par with better ones.
The two most popular forwarders on their list are:
- 4PX: They are the only Taobao forwarding agent that has collaborated with Singpost so you can opt to have your parcel delivered to POPStations.
- PRouter: They have a higher weight limit than other forwarders, and also offer a cheaper rate for bulk purchases.
1. Mascara guard and comb
There’s nothing more annoying when applying mascara than when you see a speck of pigment on your eyelids that’s going to smudge but is impossible to remove entirely. Even worse if you’ve already carefully blended your flawless eyeshadow!
This mascara guard will circumvent that problem by providing a curved template that hugs the contour of your eyes while shielding the rest of your eye makeup from that stray mascara wand.
It even comes with an eyelash comb on the other end so you can separate your lashes and comb out any mascara clumps!
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 4.50 (approx SGD 0.95) each
2. Fish tail makeup brushes
You may or may not need makeup brushes in your routine, but can you actually resist such beautifully designed ones? These come in a range of colours for you to choose from, but all of them come with these irresistible ombre mermaid fish tails.
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 131.90 (approx SGD 27.30) for six brushes
3. More fish tail makeup brushes
We couldn’t resist finding more fish tail makeup brushes, but hey, these ones are different from the ones above! They come in fish tail designs, but the high-gloss metallic finish and the multifaceted faux gemstones give us a serious Sailor Moon vibe as well.
These are densely packed, short bristled brushes which would be perfect for applying liquid foundation.
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 35 (approx SGD 7.25) each
4. Brush pouches
We’ve introduced mesh netting brush guards in our previous article, but what if you’re looking for something that affords more protection for your brushes while also keeping the rest of your makeup pouch clean, this is it.
You’ve most definitely seen these plastic pouches before, since they’re commonly used to package items for sale, but with Taobao, you can now purchase as many as you want in brush-appropriate sizes!
These come in two sizes: small and large.
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 7 (approx SGD 1.45) for two pieces
5. DIY face mask kit
Masking is a great way to pamper yourself after a long work week, but many masks come in tubs and many of us don’t like tubs. They’re inconvenient, and dipping your fingers into product is a surefire way of breeding bacteria.
This DIY mask kit will ensure that you don’t have to deal with the stress of all that when all you want to do is relax with a good mask. This comes with a bowl, a spatula, as well as a brush so you have all the tools you need.
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 8.50 (approx SGD 1.45) for one kit of three items
6. Makeup sponge holder/dryer
Makeup sponges have become more and more ubiquitous in the beauty world over the past few years, but storing them cleanly is a headache and washing them can be quite a chore.
That’s why we were so excited to find this brilliantly innovative invention, which is shaped like a globe-holder. It is perfect to hold your makeup sponges, whether to dry them after washing, or as a hygienic way of storing them so they do not have to come into contact with dusty surfaces!
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 11.80 (approx SGD 2.45) for two sponges and one sponge holder
7. Brush tree
The one above is for makeup sponges, and there’s also one for brushes! After you’re done cleaning your makeup brushes, it’s often annoying trying to find a suitable rack to dry them on.
You also need to dry them with the bristles facing downwards, so that water does not accumulate and break down the glue holding the bristles to the brush barrel.
This brush tree is the perfect way to let your brushes dry after a well-deserved cleaning session. It comes with holes of varying sizes to accommodate different types of brushes, and features hard plastic “valves” to keep a good hold on your brushes as they dry.
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 18 (approx SGD 3.75) each
8. Brush cleaner
If you’ve ever dabbled in eyeshadows, you most probably have experienced the headache of finding enough clean brushes for each new colour you want to use on your lids.
Most of us don’t have time to wash our makeup brushes every single day, so this brush cleaner – essentially a dry sponge in a tin – is the perfect solution. It grabs on to the eye shadow pigment and leaves your brush ready for the next colour you want to use.
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 2.40 (approx SGD 0.50) each
9. Acrylic brush pot
If you happen to have a lot of space on your vanity table and are wondering what to do with it, this brush pot would make an Instagram-worthy way of storing your makeup brushes.
These are acrylic containers with lids, in which you fill with faux pearls that will keep your brushes standing when you stick them in.
Do note that the containers are sold separately from the faux pearls within, and the containers also come in 2 sizes!
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 45 – 66 (approx SGD 9.30 to SGD 13.65)
10. Nail polishing hand rest
Painting your nails yourself can be quite a pain, especially when you can never get the angle of your hands and nails right. This little hand rest is here to help!
Most of it is made with a soft foam material, but it actually has wooden inlays on the bottom. You don’t have to worry about it moving around when you’re painting your nails!
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 15.90 (approx SGD 3.35) each
11. Falsie tweezers
These are so ingenious, we cannot even. If you’ve put on falsies before, you’d know that keeping a steady hand while adjusting them precisely on your lash line is one of the most difficult part of its application.
These falsies tweezers are shaped exactly to give a better, more precise hold on your falsies as you push them on and adjust. It also comes in three fun colours: matte green and orange, and chrome silver!
Item listing: Taobao
Price: RMB 5.50 (approx SGD 1.15) each
Just a few final words
- We have not ordered any of these items ourselves and cannot vouch for their quality or efficacy. We hope that this guide can nonetheless give you options that you may not have otherwise know of if you don’t have the time to browse around these e-retailers yourself!
- There are usually many vendors selling the same product at varying prices. These are the ones we’ve found, but there may be vendors selling it at lower prices out there – browse more and your determination may pay off, literally!
- Note that these prices are only for the items themselves and do not include any other fees, such as those for shipping and agent.
