April's 10 Online Finds

01: Madoka & Homura nighties
(Taobao Link)

I've said this once and I'll say it a hundred times more if need be- I LOVE cosplay-inspired "regular" clothing items. These are just too pretty and I would love to see someone do a cute cosplay photo shoot with them :)

02: Rice ball Pouch
(Taobao Link)

Cute tiny pouch for storing things! I do recommend using cute tiny pouches like these to keep your purse or bag well organized. This one seems just the right size for things such as lip balm and small things like nail clippers and such. Though due to it's depth it could probably fit a fair bit.



03: Love Live UR purse
(Taobao Link)

Uhm, cute! Perfect purse for any Love Live cosplay! I want to see tons of these at cons. The detailing and lining is such a nice touch and I am so tempted to buy one despite how small it seems. It's just wonderfully fun for cosplay uses ^^;;

04: Chiffon Maxi Skirt
(AliExpress Link)

I've been really loving chiffon maxi skirts for this coming spring and summer season. I made sure to check reviews for a ton of similar skirts and this one seems like a really great deal! Free shipping and 15 different colors as well make it hard for me to choose just which one to get. Though of course I'm totally drawn to light minty blue (color 14) I'll probably go for a darker blue or neutral color to get more wear out of it.

05: Pokédoge Purse
(AliExpress Link)

Mash-ups tend to result in overly hilarious and endearing products. I don't know who would buy this and why- other than as a gag gift. But it made me chuckle enough to include it in this month's list.

06: Sailor Moon Pocket Watches
(AliExpress Link)

Cute an functional fandom merch!? My fave! (as I keep saying lol) Though I don't expect a lot of people to carry around conventional watches of any sort anymore I do think it'd be a cute addition to any Sailor Moon cosplay :)

07: Love Live Acrylic Keychains
(Taobao Link)

I know TONS of people that love buying fandom keychains and especially ones with fanart on them from artist allies at conventions. These ones are super cute not only in style but also for the fact that they have so many different outfits unique to each girl <3






08: Poof Ball Ice Cream Cone Purse
(Taobao Link)

SO CUTE. SO FLUFFY!
I'm almost certain this would be real fur though (usually rabbit) because of just how fluffy it looks. So keep that in mind if ordering!


They also come in purple and have a shoulder chain strap. Seriously cute and whimsical but they also look really small.






09: Holy Lantern Bows
(Taobao Link)

Cute small handmade bows that match all the different colors of Angelic Pretty's "Holy Lantern" dress series.

Considering the official accessories and hair accessories can be expensive and difficult to find second-hand this is a super cute alternative~

(This particular shop also has a lot of other cute accessories!)

10: School Uniform Ties & Bows
(Taobao Link)

A must-have for any participant in the nanchatte seifuku style as well as useful for various cosplays; and overall cute accessories in general!

Not included in the photo here are ones that have chocolate block patterns in pink or brown that are super adorable! I don't dress nanchatte but I love these little ties and hope to get the chocolate ones. I could see the blue, green, and red striped ones being used for Love Live school uniform cosplays as well to add a more realistic touch to the outfits~

2016: [ Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec ]

March's 10 Online Finds - I love shoes edition!

Shoes shoes shoes! Cute shoes everywhere!

01: Literal Ballet Flats
(Taobao Link)

Not the simple slip-on shoes so common in American fashion. Yes- actual, literal, made to look like ballet shoes, flats.

I don't know how easy or difficult they are to walk in but I love the idea of them so much~!

02: Cut-out Detailed Ankle Boots
(Taobao Link)

Simple, sophisticated, and yet still cute! I love all the little cut-out details and how versatile these possibly could be in all the given colors. Really attracted to the red but they totally wouldn't fit into my wardrobe :( regardless I do find them tempting but maybe in a lighter color.





03: Constellation Shoes
(Taobao Link)

Lots of Sailor Moon vibes with these! I honestly think of Luna when she turns human in the movie. An over-arching theme in my wardrobe is stars so I instantly found these cute when I was scrolling through Evol Day's shop!

04: Moon Princess pearl heels
(Taobao Link)

I know they're not actually supposed to be Princess Serenity style shoes but they're just so pretty and remind me of her dress so much :) The shoes come in pink and blue and both colors are just lovely!

05: Strappy Platforms

(AliExpress Link)

I know that platform style shoes have been back in style for some time but I personally always thought a lot of them looked too, how to put it, chunky? Huge? Almost like clown shoes...
But these? I think they're actually cute! I like the wrap-around straps and much more airy look :)

06: Who did it first?
(Taobao Link)

Antaina are already incredibly well-known among lolitas but I just wanted to point out that they have an exact style of shoe that Bodyline carries! And for cheaper still! I find that one of the best parts about Antaina is just how willing they are to make custom styles/colors- so with that in mind I am actually pretty darn tempted to order these in mint green from them.

07: Sweetheart Square Toe shoes
(Taobao Link)

Ballet-vibes for sure with the subtle square style toe but with the added details of the material cuts on the toe box and the cross straps and bow. I really find these interesting to look at and wonder how they would look with a lot of outfits. The site -does- have worn pictures but very few ;/

08: Strappy Wedge Lolita shoes
(Taobao Link)

I'm not usually a fan of wedge shoes but these just looked too cute~ I like the strappy style typically seen on Western wedge shoes for summer. I could very much see these being used with cute strawberry-themed and country lolita coordinates.

09: Glitter Party heel replicas
(AliExpress Link)

Turns out these are Secret Shop shoes! For the free shipping and price they're a super great deal~! I'll do a longer review on these shoes in a dedicated post (as well as #10's shoes) So check it out when it goes up!

They also make your legs look A.MAY.ZING!

10: "Soft" Glitter Party heel replicas
(Taobao Link)

I am in love with these shoes. They are so incredibly pretty- I almost like them better than the original Angelic Pretty "Glitter Party" heels. I refer to them as being "soft" considering they don't actually have any glitter on them at all! The material has a foil aspect to them instead. (Check out my huge full review for more pictures and info!- coming soon)

2016: [ Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec ]

Last Minute SakuraCon

How is it that I always plan SakuraCon when flying by the seat of my pants? Work is the most difficult thing to, errr... work around. If I go I'd have to figure out a late Friday night plan to caravan/travel up. Luckily this year I haven't agreed to be in any groups for Friday or Saturday (I'll be  too tired, I know it.) I DID however agree to finally finish an old Ranka Lee costume as well as making Princess Sailor Mercury for a group.

And there's only roughly 20 days left until the con.

CAN I DO IT?!

Honestly, I'm not sure! But I suppose I should get sewing! Luckily I had most of the fabric for the princess dress and Ranka is close to being done as is. Just finishing up some pieces like the skirt, detailing my shoes, and the weird arm band thing she has. I do hope it still fits since I started it some 2 years ago.

Ahhhh... why do I do this to myself lol

February's 10 Online Finds

I decided to start a new series of monthly blog posts dedicated to the things I've found via Taobao and AliExpress. Lot's of the items found will be things I have NOT purchased myself but are still things I find interesting, want to purchase, or even can't stop laughing at. If I've bought anything I will be sure to review it and add a link as there ARE a good number of things I actually want as well! :)

If you purchase or have purchased anything from any of the lists let me know and I'll add a link to your review :)

*Angelic Pretty* Elisabeth Unicorn Special Set JSK [HD photos]

[ Lolibrary Link ]

It's very rare that a "special set" released by a brand catches my attention. But with Elisabeth Unicorn, a dress I love in so many colorways, the special set made me excited! Mint! DUSTY mint! At least 60% of my wardrobe is mint! And with the more toned-down sweet styling and coloration this dress is exactly the direction I want to go in with my lolita wardrobe.

The problem I found was how to get my hands on it. This dress was specifically made for the Osaka store and I had never have used a shopping service other than Japonica for things on Mbok. I pretty much gave up on ever figuring out out to get this dress... other than buying it secondhand. So I saved up and bid my time and waited for a price I was willing and able to pay.

And all the while the photos I would see of girls wearing the dress was such a taunt. But like most dresses after some time the popularity wanes or people decide they're not what they wanted :) so all I had to wait was for that to happen. And boy, I am NOT disappointed in this dress in the least bit!

*Angelic Pretty* Brigitte Regimen Sax Tiered JSK [HD photos]

[ Lolibrary link ]

Ever since I first purchased Angelic Pretty's Chelsea Regimental jumper skirt I have been completely in love with AP's non-print dresses! The beauty of the detail really jumps out at you when you see them in person- Angelic Pretty's stock photos do NOT do their dresses justice, ever! I have come to learn this over time; and honestly was one of the reasons I decided to start taking pictures of dresses to post online :)

The Brigitte Regimen tiered JSK is the same cut as Angelic Pretty's 2011 series "Letter Regimental". The other pieces are, of course, different between the two releases but the tiered JSK is such a lovely dress that I am happy they remade it with another release! However there are some slight differences between the two series- I'll have to make a post soon to show them.

When I first saw the release info for this series I was torn between the pink or blue. I actually ended up getting the pink dress first and later picked up the blue version secondhand. Since I use a pink background for photos I figured the blue dress would be more ideal to take photos of~ I may figure out something to use for the pink soon since it really is a lovely dusty pink color :)

Jumper skirt stats:

Bust: 34 ~ 38.5in (87~98cm)

Waist: 25.5 ~ 30in (65~77cm)

Length: 34.6 + 1.5in of lace (88cm + 4cm of lace)

Product Number:  142PJ9-2903

WARNING: EXTREMELY IMAGE HEAVY POST

~Full review to come later~

Lolita Resolutions 2016

In 2016 my views on lolita as a hobby have changed greatly. While I still love and enjoy it I quickly find myself being drawn more and more to multi-use pieces and more toned-down sweet/classic hybrids. I still love a lot of Angelic Pretty's older super sweet prints but I really do enjoy the new more subtle and toned-down pieces they've been releasing. I've also found a ton of their non-print dresses that I adore but am having one heck of a time finding D: So while on the hunt I'm getting more and more of an urge to start sewing my own- which honestly is a good idea! Since I have so much nice random fabric in my bins and almost nothing to use it for >_>;;

Anyway. Let's take a look back on last years resolutions and see how awesome [or terribly] I've done!~

Cosplay Resolutions 2016

Honestly I'm not going to need to go over my 2015 resolutions because I can say straight up that I did NONE of it.
Nothing.
Zip.
Zero.
Zilch.
Nada.
None.

Not a single resolution was met and to be frank I am not at all surprised but am also a bit upset. I love sewing; I really do. But I have fallen out of cosplay in such a weird way that I find almost no time for sewing anymore. It eats me up inside when I think of how little I have gotten done cosplay-wise when compared to how many years I've been into the hobby. I've known people that can churn out 20+ costumes in a year and I don't think I've even COMPLETED that many over the decade+ since I started *sigh*

So, honestly, for this year, for 2016, all I want to do is make at least ONE cosplay I'm proud of. That's it.

In reality that's a very tough thing for me. Generally when I've created, well... ANYTHING, I've always found things I knew I could do better and where I made mistakes, Maybe it's just the issue of being a creative type of person but I really hate that all I see are the flaws in my work. On the other hand I also know that that is what drives me to improve.

So again... my only goal of 2016 is TO MAKE A COSPLAY I AM PROUD OF.

Good luck me >_>;;

~~~~~

Realistically though I also want to add that I want to get better at make-up. Because that is also something I just so totally fail at in almost every aspect. I'm on par with a 13 year old girl playing in the mud outside with my make up capabilities (maybe because this is literally what I did at age 13.)

~~~~~

New Years Resolutions 2016

As the years comes so very close to rolling over into 2016 I decided to go back and visit my 2015 New Years Resolution post to see just how much I was actually able to do. Generally I will write a post, write down my list to hang on the wall, and walk away from the post with my goals in mind. I find it a lot of fun to go back and read what all I wrote and to see if I was able to fulfill what I wanted or if I utterly crashed and burned haha

Needless to say I'm not successful even 50% of the time with my goals. But to me that's still good! I set a lot of goals for myself on New Years, some that are rather "unrealistic" or "lofty", but I like having a lot of things I want to get done and outlining a plan :)

So without further ado, I shall review over my previous years list as well as set some new ones!
(I'll of course go over the cosplay and lolita ones in their own respective posts and link them down below~)

A bit Upsetting...

Been working rather diligently to go through all my old pictures to add watermarking. I'm sorry for how ugly this is going to end up being and I'll do my best to make it as non-obtrusive as possible. But at this point I have found multiple other places re-posting my images without credit and a few people even using them to sell things on LaceMarket :\

I usually don't have much of a problem with others using my photos for things so long as they let me know! ASK ME if you want to use anything for a background or icons or ANYTHING and I can send you the HUGE non-edited and non-resized photos! All I really ask is that you credit me for taking the picture and send  a link back, ya' know?

I work pretty hard to take decent pictures and write up things here. I started it in hopes that it would help people make decisions about things to buy or not to buy and maybe someone might fall in love with a dress or two along the way :)
But it's really disheartening and upsetting to me when my photos get taken.
Yeah yeah I know, it's a fact of the internet. I really should know better considering how long I've been on it and all that ;\ but still.

So watermarking on everything will now be the norm.

I have at least 20 queued up posts at this point that I just need to finish writing up and adding photos to. I bought a LOT of things during the Bodyline birthday sale back in October? (September?) and it's taking me a lot of time to compile everything.

Winter always seems so busy for me... Stay tuned :)

[Bodyline Review] Short Sleeve Ruffle Blouse in Pink & Lavender (L364)

Short Sleeve Ruffle Blouse [link]
L364
("Pik" = Pink)
("Pul" = Lavender)
[Review of White]

Size Medium
Length (52cm)
Bust (94cm)
Waist (80cm)
Shoulder length (36cm)
Sleeve length (22cm)


Shortly after Bodyline released a new series of items blouse L364 caught my eye. It seemed like a simple and cute enough blouse to be worn with a variety of dresses, skirts, and styles. I decided I'd give it a shot and order two of these blouses before many other reviews were out about them. The wide variety of colors was also a plus, as well as making it a bit difficult to choose what colors to order. What would be most versatile? What would look best with the wardrobe I have and want to build?

*Angelic Pretty* Holy Lantern 2015 re-release Black and White high-waisted JSK [HD photos]

[ Lolibrary Link | Special Set Link ]

Holy Lantern has, over the years, become one of the most sought-after dresses in the lolita community. The all-over design is flocked on a chiffon fabric which has made Holy Lantern a unique dress in it's own right; one that, if rumors had it, was incredibly difficult for Angelic Pretty to produce.

So when it was announced that Angelic Pretty would be re-releasing the series the community was in an uproar of excitement! Shopping services filled up at lightning speed and online communities were abuzz with talk on which dresses might be the most difficult or easiest to get. The 2015 release not only saw two new colorways, navy and black x white, but also the "high waist" cut which had previously been used as the first release's special set. I had personally always loved the style of the special set and decided to try my best to buy that style, but what color? I loved the ivory x black but that color wasn't being produced this time around, so I decided to try for the black x white! I really wished they had made the black x black again and wonder why they hadn't... but I really fell in love with the new black color combo!

It should also be mentioned that the zipper style JSK wasn't being released again! So many people were upset considering that was THEE most popular cut of the series!
But that was all fixed less than a week later when Angelic Pretty announced they would be doing a made-to-order! And with ANOTHER new colorway: pink! Sadly though they decided to leave out navy- though I wish they hadn't because after seeing worn photos it was really pretty! However the ivory is again up for grabs as well as the new black x white colorway being made into the zipper style JSK!

I hem-and-haw'ed a lot if I wanted to buy another dress during the MTO. I sawa chance to get the ivory high-waist JSK but.. I already had the black in that style. Or I could get this new black colorway in the zipper style! But I always had the black in another style. I literally spent until a few hours before the cut-off date to decide if I wanted anything at all. I ended up ordering the zipper JSK in ivory and decided if I didn't like it I might be able to trade with another girl ^^;; here's to hoping!


Jumper skirt stats:

Bust: 33.5 ~ 41in (85～105cm)
Waist: 31.8 ~ 39in (81～100cm)
Length: 35in (89cm includes lace)

Product Number:  152PJ09-020017
Colors:  Black, Lavender, Navy, Wine/Bordeaux (Pink and Ivory added for the made-to-order)

WARNING: EXTREMELY IMAGE HEAVY POST

Full review to come later~

[Bodyline Review] White Cotton Knit Bolero (L237)

Cotton Knit Bolero [link]
L237
("Pik" = Pink)
("Owh" = Off White)

(Size Medium)
Length: 14in (37cm)
Bust: 33in (84cm)
Shoulder Width: 13in (34cm)
Sleeve length: 23in (60cm)


As I was first starting out and growing my lolita wardrobe it was fall in the Pacific Northwest and thus it was cold, rainy, and just all those good things that make it sweater weather! Most of my normal cardigans were much too long to wear with any lolita dresses or skirts so I figured buying some more suitable ones would be a good idea if I wanted to dress up during such a season. I was still very new and to me brands such as "Angelic Pretty" or "Baby the Stars Shine Bright" seemed expensive for a hobby I wasn't 100% sure I was going to stick with. And thus I bought these boleros from Bodyline.

That totally sounds like the beginning of a horror story!
(Note: I decided to only take pictures of the white bolero as the fabric I use as a backdrop is pink)

[Bodyline Review] Sax Blue "Pussy Bow" Blouse (L373)

Short Sleeve Ruffle Blouse [link]
L373
("Sax" = Saxon Blue)


Length: 52cm (20.5in)
Bust: 88cm (34.6in)
Waist: 78cm (30.7in)
Shoulder length: 34cm (13in)
Sleeve length: 18cm (7in)


I honestly wasn't sure what I thought of this blouse when I first saw the stock photo; the neck tie is so encompassing that it was a bit hard to see passed it to the actual blouse. While Bodyline has been "upping their game" with their stock photos every now and again I find them falling short. While this one does do a good job at showing how the blouse looks with the tie it also doesn't let you see all that much detail on, ya know, the actual blouse.

After scouring the internet a bit for some other photos from girls either wearing it or trying to sell it I decided to give it a shot and bought it in the saxon blue. I'm a bit weird when it comes to lolita as I'm honestly not a fan of huge Peter Pan style collars as I get the notion they end up eating your neck- so the fact that this is was a high collar blouse really interested me! It could be cute without too much going on like L364.

Mid-August Update

Have you ever felt like you've been immensely busy while simultaneously getting nothing done?
That's so me right now.
It's a really crappy feeling and place to be in. I've been constantly cleaning, typing, taking pictures, etc and yet don't really have much to show for it? I had taken a bunch of photos of lolita items and, like a stupid, forgot to check my settings on my camera and thus the photos came out really grainy. I'm not sure if I want to try and salvage them or just retake them altogether.