Whenever I think I've finally settled into a fashion and I'm happy with the way everything is, I stumble my way into something else that I want just as much as Lolita. I will never give up Lolita, don't get my wrong, but a lot of what I wear Lolita for is bigger occasions. I'm too over the top to be okay running errands in anything short of a puff ball wig, neon accessories, and ruffle rocking horse shoes and that's just not an easy thing to accomplish.
That said, I'm in love with Fairy Kei. Absolutely horrifyingly in love with it. I use tumblr to collect images of the cutest coordinates, drive myself crazy looking for vintage t-shirts for My Little Pony and Rainbow Brite and Carebears, only to never buy a thing. I cannot commit to buying items that are over 75% less than what I spend on Lolita.
Why is this? Why do I find myself incapable of spending thirty - fifty dollars on a few items when I can drop three hundred on a single dress?
Is there such a thing as having a Japanese Fashion lifestyle?
Living in Portland will make it easier to wear things like this, I'll be out doing things instead of confined to my tiny little place, but I'm having a horrid time encouraging myself to BUY things while I have the funds to do so. The greatest appeal is the mass amount of skirts that I can hand make. Spending five dollars on material to make an adorable skirt is more enticing than putting two hundred dollars up for a JSK.
I guess the most difficult issue I run into is the fact that I don't even know where to start, what to buy. I'm floundering where I don't in Lolita. I know what's a deal and where to get the best things, but for Fairy Kei I'm at a loss as to where's the cheapest, what's the best, who can I buy from without using an shopping service?!
Ooh please can I just live in Japan and be poor?
Monday, February 28, 2011
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Daily!Lolita post
I posted this to Daily_Lolita, but I don't often post to my blog with my lolita pictures [Silly me!] so I wanted to share a bit more!
Outfit one!
-Accessories & Headbow: Chocomint + Sanrio + handmade
-Blouse: Anna House
-Skirt: Angelic Pretty Dreamy Dollhouse
-Socks: Angelic Pretty Jewelry Jelly
-Shoes: Bodyline
I just received my newest skirt, Dreamy Dollhouse, yesterday, and decided to have a ton of fun just dressing up!
Cinnamoroll bag!
AP Boston Bag + Baby Bunny Bear. Trying to decide between purses for this outfit!
Outfit two!
Headbow, JSK, and socks: Angelic Pretty Jewelry Jelly
Accessories: Chocomint, Sanrio, + handmade
Shoes: Bodyline
Bag: AP replica bag [y/n?]
And a lot of fun with an old favorite wig.
I can't tell you why but this wig makes me feel so much more energetic!
Thanks for lasting through it! ;D If you did!
Outfit one!
-Accessories & Headbow: Chocomint + Sanrio + handmade
-Blouse: Anna House
-Skirt: Angelic Pretty Dreamy Dollhouse
-Socks: Angelic Pretty Jewelry Jelly
-Shoes: Bodyline
I just received my newest skirt, Dreamy Dollhouse, yesterday, and decided to have a ton of fun just dressing up!
Cinnamoroll bag!
AP Boston Bag + Baby Bunny Bear. Trying to decide between purses for this outfit!
Outfit two!
Headbow, JSK, and socks: Angelic Pretty Jewelry Jelly
Accessories: Chocomint, Sanrio, + handmade
Shoes: Bodyline
Bag: AP replica bag [y/n?]
And a lot of fun with an old favorite wig.
I can't tell you why but this wig makes me feel so much more energetic!
Thanks for lasting through it! ;D If you did!
Clobba Review [POSTIVE]
Clobba Order:
First contacted with order: Saturday, January 15th
Paid: Monday, January 17th
Contacted about an order update: Monday, January 31st
Problem #1: Tuesday, February 1st
Shipped: Friday, February 4th
Problem #2: Monday, February 14th
Received: Friday, February 18th
---
As you can see, ordering from Clobbaonline tends to take a lot of time, not due to any issues on their part but because they're ordering from Taobao shops who don't always have things premade, nor as as quick to ship things out. Martin, the man who does all the communicating for Clobba, is very kind and fluent in English and very quick to respond to any questions. I must have asked them four different questions between January and February regarding completely irrelevant things.
Unfortunately, Problem #1 came up after I asked for an update on my order: Dream of Lolita had failed to ship out one of the two purses I ordered. I was upset about this as it takes DoL so long to ship things but understanding as it wasn't Clobba's fault and Martin said that they'd send out everything else as it had all come in and would send out the purse seperately as not to hold up the order, and would also pay for the shipping of the second item.
This was very kind and I agreed, as I wasn't in a rush to get my purse [since I placed the order I'd bought about two others and really didn't need it at this point]. However the second issue came up about a week later, DoL was sold out of the purse I wanted and they wouldn't be available within a decent time-frame.
Martin was again apologetic and offered to refund me the amount for the purse, plus the shipping difference and they did very quickly, but I instead decided to purchase a Little Bear Cafe replica. I'd been eying the replica for a while and I was interested in the JSK however I didn't want to 200+ dollars for something I wasn't sure I liked. The difference was only about 30 dollars though, after he refunded me the purse!
A headbow and a jsk for 30 dollars? Absolutely!
Whenever my purchase was received, I was so excited! The shipping was honestly terrible [airmail is heinous, tracking is terrible and thus I didn't know when the order would show up because the tracking system didn't update once from when the item was posted to when it was delivered here in Walla Walla] but the package was beautiful.
Clobba is always terribly careful to make sure everything is very nicely wrapped. And it was, I had to saw through the wrapping with utility scissors just to get inside.
And inside that pretty, nearly air tight polkadotted plastic wrapping was another box that took another five minutes to saw into! Tada! Everything was padded in bubble wrap and wrapped separately with tissue paper.
Everything is gorgeous! I'm very happy with all our purchases. We got three pairs of socks, a Kodona jacket, and a lollipop bag! I haven't taken individual pictures of the items but I'm positive they'll pop up later ;D
All in all dealing with Clobba is always a treat, they're attentive and kind and I love purchasing from them!
First contacted with order: Saturday, January 15th
Paid: Monday, January 17th
Contacted about an order update: Monday, January 31st
Problem #1: Tuesday, February 1st
Shipped: Friday, February 4th
Problem #2: Monday, February 14th
Received: Friday, February 18th
---
As you can see, ordering from Clobbaonline tends to take a lot of time, not due to any issues on their part but because they're ordering from Taobao shops who don't always have things premade, nor as as quick to ship things out. Martin, the man who does all the communicating for Clobba, is very kind and fluent in English and very quick to respond to any questions. I must have asked them four different questions between January and February regarding completely irrelevant things.
Unfortunately, Problem #1 came up after I asked for an update on my order: Dream of Lolita had failed to ship out one of the two purses I ordered. I was upset about this as it takes DoL so long to ship things but understanding as it wasn't Clobba's fault and Martin said that they'd send out everything else as it had all come in and would send out the purse seperately as not to hold up the order, and would also pay for the shipping of the second item.
This was very kind and I agreed, as I wasn't in a rush to get my purse [since I placed the order I'd bought about two others and really didn't need it at this point]. However the second issue came up about a week later, DoL was sold out of the purse I wanted and they wouldn't be available within a decent time-frame.
Martin was again apologetic and offered to refund me the amount for the purse, plus the shipping difference and they did very quickly, but I instead decided to purchase a Little Bear Cafe replica. I'd been eying the replica for a while and I was interested in the JSK however I didn't want to 200+ dollars for something I wasn't sure I liked. The difference was only about 30 dollars though, after he refunded me the purse!
A headbow and a jsk for 30 dollars? Absolutely!
Whenever my purchase was received, I was so excited! The shipping was honestly terrible [airmail is heinous, tracking is terrible and thus I didn't know when the order would show up because the tracking system didn't update once from when the item was posted to when it was delivered here in Walla Walla] but the package was beautiful.
Clobba is always terribly careful to make sure everything is very nicely wrapped. And it was, I had to saw through the wrapping with utility scissors just to get inside.
And inside that pretty, nearly air tight polkadotted plastic wrapping was another box that took another five minutes to saw into! Tada! Everything was padded in bubble wrap and wrapped separately with tissue paper.
All in all dealing with Clobba is always a treat, they're attentive and kind and I love purchasing from them!
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Torn; JJ OP versus JJ JSK
I've got an issue in mind that I'm coming to you with. I'm looking for whatever opinions and feedback I can get.
I own this set
My best friend owns this set
She's been in love with my black OP for ages now, and ever since she's gotten her lavender JSK, she's been asking if I'd think about trading. And I have, quite a bit, but I'm still at a loss! So I've come to you for help. Here's my pros and cons.
Pros
- The lavender JSK fits me better because I have a small bust measurement and tiny shoulders, which means my OP doesn't fit me as well as it could, it tends to gape in the front if I move the wrong way.
- I like my black OP but ever since wearing it to Akicon, I can't help but feel like I've fallen out of love with it.
- I feel I look better in lighter colors.
- I have a pair of mint JJ socks that I'd be happy to coordinate with the lavender JSK.
- My OP fits my best friend better, who's much bustier than I am, which means her JSK doesn't fit her as well as it could.
- I'd also be getting about a hundred dollars out of the deal, as the sets aren't complete equivalents and my OP comes with tags, fabric swatch, etc.
- Both me and my friend has the perfect wig for... each other's dresses.
- We'll be living together shortly, so the clothing will be technically kept "within the family".
Cons
- My Jewelry Jelly black set was hard to come by, I stalked comms for about five months before finding all the proper pieces to it.
- It was my first BIG brand purchase [I'd bought JSKs and such before, but this was my baby]
- I feel that this set is kind of rare, thus making it difficult to want to give up.
- I'm proud to say that I collected the set myself, I'm a big pack rat and memory fiend, and the sentimental value just makes parting with it difficult!
Beyond this issue, I've been torn up trying to decide what to do with my Mint Milky Berry OP.
I had every intention of keeping it and making it one of my default pieces, but the more I look at it the less I'm entertained. I bought it on a whim to twin with my friend's black jsk and haven't felt right about it since. Angelic Pretty brand OPs tend to not fit me properly in the bust, this is made even worse and more noticeable due to the fact that this OP has nothing but an entire back panel of shirring, no corseting, no way to tighten it.
Now, I love this piece as much as I love all my brand pieces, but I can't help but feel it's lacking constantly. I tried offering it for trade to no avail and I'm thinking about selling it, however sentimental value begs I keep it, where as monetary value insists I sell it.
I have loads of dream dresses, and I've worked hard to stay on that list with every purchase I made, this has been the first and last purchase I made that wasn't on my list. I'm beginning to regret it. .__.
I own this set
My best friend owns this set
- The lavender JSK fits me better because I have a small bust measurement and tiny shoulders, which means my OP doesn't fit me as well as it could, it tends to gape in the front if I move the wrong way.
- I like my black OP but ever since wearing it to Akicon, I can't help but feel like I've fallen out of love with it.
- I feel I look better in lighter colors.
- I have a pair of mint JJ socks that I'd be happy to coordinate with the lavender JSK.
- My OP fits my best friend better, who's much bustier than I am, which means her JSK doesn't fit her as well as it could.
- I'd also be getting about a hundred dollars out of the deal, as the sets aren't complete equivalents and my OP comes with tags, fabric swatch, etc.
- Both me and my friend has the perfect wig for... each other's dresses.
- We'll be living together shortly, so the clothing will be technically kept "within the family".
- My Jewelry Jelly black set was hard to come by, I stalked comms for about five months before finding all the proper pieces to it.
- It was my first BIG brand purchase [I'd bought JSKs and such before, but this was my baby]
- I feel that this set is kind of rare, thus making it difficult to want to give up.
- I'm proud to say that I collected the set myself, I'm a big pack rat and memory fiend, and the sentimental value just makes parting with it difficult!
I had every intention of keeping it and making it one of my default pieces, but the more I look at it the less I'm entertained. I bought it on a whim to twin with my friend's black jsk and haven't felt right about it since. Angelic Pretty brand OPs tend to not fit me properly in the bust, this is made even worse and more noticeable due to the fact that this OP has nothing but an entire back panel of shirring, no corseting, no way to tighten it.
Now, I love this piece as much as I love all my brand pieces, but I can't help but feel it's lacking constantly. I tried offering it for trade to no avail and I'm thinking about selling it, however sentimental value begs I keep it, where as monetary value insists I sell it.
I have loads of dream dresses, and I've worked hard to stay on that list with every purchase I made, this has been the first and last purchase I made that wasn't on my list. I'm beginning to regret it. .__.
Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Bodyline Review
Order Process
Order placed - February 9th [Late Night]
Paid - February 9th [Late Night]
Received Tracking Information - February 11th
Shipped - February 12th
Received - February 15th
Let me just say that DHL shipping is the most trackable shipping I've ever encountered. The trip from Tokyo, Japan to Walla Walla, WA was done in 18 steps, which was shown every step of the way~!
---
My order was... in a trash bag? Ahaha, not really. The material it was wrapped in was definitely thicker than a trash bag, but I expected something like this, as I've seen previous reviews.
The bag was entirely intact but for this tiny bit of tearing, so I chose to cut it open right there!
All the items. Three pairs of shoes, two blouses, and two cardigans. The shoes were packed with hard cardboard and tissue paper, plus little plastic rods to keep everything in proper form and wrapped in tissue paper. The clothes all came in their own seperate Bodyline bags.
My first purchase was Bodyline's Baby Buckle Replica shoes in Enamel Pink, size 22.5
Despite the fact that I ordered the smallest size, the shoes are still slightly big on me, this is the gap that is in the back of the shoes if I move my toes clear to the front but with the addition of insoles they'll fit just fine.
They're adorable!
The shoes had a bit of glue? On the side of them that I tried to get off with a fingernail but instead I slightly dented the shoe. Ahaha. I'm not worried though, I spent only 19$ on them and I'm horrible at keeping my shoes in good condition.
Another pair of shoes! They're fabulous and fit a bit tighter than the Baby Buckle replicas, so they're definitely much better.
I love the look of them, my only worry is going to be running around in heels, which I'm less of a fan of than platforms or flats.
If they were miraculously flats, they'd be even cuter to the other shoes!
Pink cardigan!
Unfortunately the cardigans I ordered turned out to be too big on me! It's a huge disappointment, honestly.
The red one is my favorite, but again. Still too big.
It's exactly the color I wanted, and they're beautiful cardigans but there's just no way to fix the size mistake. I ordered the only size they stock: medium, and while I was within the bottom half of the measurements, it WAS supposed to fit. It didn't.
Lindsey ordered two blouses, a white one.
And a blue one. They're cute, however the collars are just absolutely HUGE. We're going to go about altering them into something a little less...crazy.
So there's my review! 22.5 fits my foot well enough that I'll be buying from Bodyline again, unfortunately the cardigans are just too big, but the blouses fit Lindsey perfectly. I guess it's just hit and miss when it comes to WHAT you order from Bodyline, thankfully ordering from them is cheap and very easy!
Order placed - February 9th [Late Night]
Paid - February 9th [Late Night]
Received Tracking Information - February 11th
Shipped - February 12th
Received - February 15th
Let me just say that DHL shipping is the most trackable shipping I've ever encountered. The trip from Tokyo, Japan to Walla Walla, WA was done in 18 steps, which was shown every step of the way~!
---
My order was... in a trash bag? Ahaha, not really. The material it was wrapped in was definitely thicker than a trash bag, but I expected something like this, as I've seen previous reviews.
The bag was entirely intact but for this tiny bit of tearing, so I chose to cut it open right there!
All the items. Three pairs of shoes, two blouses, and two cardigans. The shoes were packed with hard cardboard and tissue paper, plus little plastic rods to keep everything in proper form and wrapped in tissue paper. The clothes all came in their own seperate Bodyline bags.
Despite the fact that I ordered the smallest size, the shoes are still slightly big on me, this is the gap that is in the back of the shoes if I move my toes clear to the front but with the addition of insoles they'll fit just fine.
The shoes had a bit of glue? On the side of them that I tried to get off with a fingernail but instead I slightly dented the shoe. Ahaha. I'm not worried though, I spent only 19$ on them and I'm horrible at keeping my shoes in good condition.
I love the look of them, my only worry is going to be running around in heels, which I'm less of a fan of than platforms or flats.
If they were miraculously flats, they'd be even cuter to the other shoes!
Pink cardigan!
Lindsey ordered two blouses, a white one.
And a blue one. They're cute, however the collars are just absolutely HUGE. We're going to go about altering them into something a little less...crazy.
So there's my review! 22.5 fits my foot well enough that I'll be buying from Bodyline again, unfortunately the cardigans are just too big, but the blouses fit Lindsey perfectly. I guess it's just hit and miss when it comes to WHAT you order from Bodyline, thankfully ordering from them is cheap and very easy!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Puff Wig + Whipple Review
Last year around this time I bought a wig from Cyperous. I absolutely loved it but the style of it originally was not very flattering on my face. This is the wig I *think* I started out with. After a lot of dancing back and forth between my decision, I finally chose to straighten the wig [heat styling wigs are absolutely amazing, I encourage you to buy heat styling whenever possible!] and tease it.
My first attempt turned out as follows:
The wig was... alright. I was pleased with it at the time, but looking back on pictures of it, I'm less convinced of it's beauty. I suppose that happens! ^-^ Once the reality of my wig fiasco hit me I decided to slowly remove the teasing and see what shape the wig was in after wards.
It turned out pretty decently, if I do say so myself! The fibers were a bit battered, exacerbated by the straight iron I used to fix it up, but the result was cute! But due to my supposed "watching my spending", I thought I might once more need to make use of my beautiful blond wig and turn it into a loli-able style. And I turned once more to the teasing.
This time I decided to be much more patient and methodical about my teasing and styling. This was the tutorial I used, third down. And my result was this:
The bangs are now side-swept instead of blunt, which I believe are a lot more flattering to my face.
And the two teased up buns are much tighter and secure. The wig isn't perfect by far just yet, but I'm definitely happier with this outcome than the previous version!
Whipple Review
Whenever I seen that someone had found a deco kit at ToysRUs I was extremely excited. I could not think of anything I wanted more, and as a gift for Valentine's Day Shane decided to buy me the largest kit at the local ToysRUs when we went out this past weekend.
The box itself is very misleading. It's rather huge, bigger than a shoe box, but the amount of pieces that come with [10 different creations!] barely need more than a CD case!
The pieces it come with are cute, but much larger than I expected, especially as I've dealt with *real* deco supplies and those things need tweezers to really do anything with!
The strawberries and cherry that the kit comes with are absolutely adorable, and I do love the macaron pieces! My first attempts with the "Whipple" whip cream was annoying, frustrating, and disappointing. It had seperated in the tube and needed a lot of kneading to mix the ingredients. Unfortunately because the kneading motion had warmed up the whip cream it came out in nearly just white puddles!
The pieces the kit comes with are also large, which means they're HEAVY. Putting whipped cream between the two "cake slices" only results in the whipped cream oozing out because of their weight. Unfortunately there were a lot of issues with this kit. I'm glad I bought only one instead of all three that they had to offer.
The Whipple itself MIGHT be a decent investment because they sell the tubes separately for about 7 dollars. I'm still experimenting with the Whipple and the pieces they come with, but that's my opinion on the matter, for now! Perhaps further attempts will turn out better.
My first attempt turned out as follows:
 |
| Myself modeling for RidiKitty Designs during the Sakuracon '10 Lolita Fashion Show |
The wig was... alright. I was pleased with it at the time, but looking back on pictures of it, I'm less convinced of it's beauty. I suppose that happens! ^-^ Once the reality of my wig fiasco hit me I decided to slowly remove the teasing and see what shape the wig was in after wards.
This time I decided to be much more patient and methodical about my teasing and styling. This was the tutorial I used, third down. And my result was this:
The bangs are now side-swept instead of blunt, which I believe are a lot more flattering to my face.
Whipple Review
Whenever I seen that someone had found a deco kit at ToysRUs I was extremely excited. I could not think of anything I wanted more, and as a gift for Valentine's Day Shane decided to buy me the largest kit at the local ToysRUs when we went out this past weekend.
The box itself is very misleading. It's rather huge, bigger than a shoe box, but the amount of pieces that come with [10 different creations!] barely need more than a CD case!
The strawberries and cherry that the kit comes with are absolutely adorable, and I do love the macaron pieces! My first attempts with the "Whipple" whip cream was annoying, frustrating, and disappointing. It had seperated in the tube and needed a lot of kneading to mix the ingredients. Unfortunately because the kneading motion had warmed up the whip cream it came out in nearly just white puddles!
The pieces the kit comes with are also large, which means they're HEAVY. Putting whipped cream between the two "cake slices" only results in the whipped cream oozing out because of their weight. Unfortunately there were a lot of issues with this kit. I'm glad I bought only one instead of all three that they had to offer.
The Whipple itself MIGHT be a decent investment because they sell the tubes separately for about 7 dollars. I'm still experimenting with the Whipple and the pieces they come with, but that's my opinion on the matter, for now! Perhaps further attempts will turn out better.
Personal Reference
February 14th:
-Pink x Blond wig - shipped [Spokane, WA] [received February 17th]
-Clobba Order - shipped [Somewhere between Hong Kong and California] [received February 18th]
-Bodyline Order - shipped [Seattle, WA] [received February 15th]
-Pink x Mint headbow - received
-Jewelry Jelly Black Socks - shipped [Texas] [received February 16th]
-Miracle Candy JSK set - received
-Dreamy Dollhouse skirt - shipped
-Petticoat - shipped [received February 19th]
-Replica Candy Border socks - ordered
-Little Bear's Cafe Replica from DoL - ordered
-LBC socks - found
-
-Dreamy Dollhouse skirt - shipped
-Replica Candy Border socks - ordered
-Little Bear's Cafe Replica from DoL - ordered
-LBC socks - found
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Casual Lolita & Fairy Kei
My best friend and I made a trip to the mall into something of an adventure because we decided to dress up! The nearest mall to us is about an hour and a half drive, so it's kind of a big deal to go in the first place!
This is what become of the backseat once Lindsey and I settled in <3
Our matching Cinnamoroll bags!
Lindsey's outfit:
Angelic Pretty Miracle Candy skirt
Angelic Pretty Ribbon Jabot cutsew
Chocomint & Claire's accessories
Offbrand tights and shoes
Pretty much a ton of offbrand!
Angelic Pretty's Jewelry Jelly print socks
Angelic Pretty's Miracle Candy bow
Chocomint, Claire's, and handmade accessories
Antaina shoes
Make-up shots!
We got a lot of pictures taken of us at the mall, it was pretty funny, having people shyly come up and ask for our pictures! It was like being a celebrity!
On to the ridiculously useless pictures.
It was a really fun time! We went to Toys-R-Us and I bought a Whipple deco kit that I plan on reviewing once I actually use it! I wish the lighting was better for a lot of these pictures, but oh well! You get the gist of it! ;D
Our matching Cinnamoroll bags!
Lindsey's outfit:
Angelic Pretty Miracle Candy skirt
Angelic Pretty Ribbon Jabot cutsew
Chocomint & Claire's accessories
Offbrand tights and shoes
Angelic Pretty's Jewelry Jelly print socks
Angelic Pretty's Miracle Candy bow
Chocomint, Claire's, and handmade accessories
Antaina shoes
We got a lot of pictures taken of us at the mall, it was pretty funny, having people shyly come up and ask for our pictures! It was like being a celebrity!
On to the ridiculously useless pictures.
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