If you follow me generally, you probably have noticed I’m a big Aliexpress fan. Items are super cheap, and a bit unusual. You’ll often see these things sold in big stores, here in the UK – but with Aliexpress, you can cut out the middle man.

It’s my nieces birthday, and she (like every other little girl) is obsessed with mermaids, unicorns and stationary in general – so thought I’d pick up a load of little bits and put them together for her birthday in December.

• Glittery Shell Brush – $2.88 (£2.23), delivered

From the point of ordering, to getting most things delivered, it took about two weeks. But remember, these items come from China, so can take a while.

If you’re thinking of getting things for a certain date, or Christmas – give yourself plenty of time for delivery.

• Mermaid brush – $4.91 (£3.80), delivered

• Sparkling notebook planner – $13.48 (£10.42)

A couple of tips when it comes to Aliexpress. The items come directly from China, so don’t pass through EU safety standards like items for children are now (though I don’t suppose they will when we finally Brexit).

So really bear this in mind if you’re buying for tiny ones who might put things in their mouths etc. You don’t want bits falling off etc.

• Glittery clamshell mermaid bag $3.91 (£3.02), delivered

• 3D fashion stickers – $2.39 (£1.85)

• Other I forgot to take a picture of – $2.51 (£1.94)

That said, I’ve shopped at Aliexpress a lot and am often pleased with the quality.

Make sure you check the reviews of the products first to see what people say. It’s especially good if people post real pictures too.

• Mini cat notebook – $0.16 (12p), delivered

• Cat post-it note – $0.55 (43p)

Another thing to consider is delivery. Most of the time, delivery is included in the price. However, now and then, they’ll add a dollar or so on to cover it.

Make sure you double-check when paying, to make sure you’re happy with the final price.

• Shell – $0.97 (75p)
• Starfish hair clip – $1.98 (£1.53)

• Liquid mermaid tail pen – $0.76 (59p)
• Mermaid pen (with chain thingy) – $0.89 (69p)

• Cute stationery tapes – $1.64 (£1.27)

One last thing – be careful about how much you spend from one shop. If it’s more than £15, you might be charged import tax on your package (though I never have been charged).

That’s from ONE store. You can buy a load of things from lots of different little stores and can spend however much you like, but make sure you break it up into different spends ideally.

• Milk corrective tape – $1.67 (£1.29)
• Drink corrective tape – $1.18 (91p)

• Unicorn memo pad sticky notes – 0.76 (59p)

If you’re a bargain hunter generally, make sure to join my Luxury on a Budget Facebook group and come and say hi.

In fact, if you ever get anything from Aliexpress, drop it in there if you think it’s any good for others to buy.

*There are affiliate links in this haul*