[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.

Newcon Mini - Last Minute Event

His eyes were red from swimming :P I swear!

I honestly had no intention of attending Newcon's mini event in Portland at all. That is until I had told my friend Ryan about it and he decided it would be his last "hoorah" before moving back to Texas for a bit (he does promise to come back anyway.)

I basically went to work, came home super early (around 4am) and just crashed ASAP in an attempt to get as much rest as I could. The event started at 10am but I knew in my heart of hearts I would not be able to be up, ready, and out the door in time. Especially since I had no idea what I even wanted to wear yet! The weather seemed super iffy and was drizzling a bit all morning so cosplay was a bit, well, out of the question really. I had nothing suited for the cold yet mild atmosphere- only things that would leave me sweating or painfully cold.
So lolita it was.
But what dress? I have no idea!!

KumoriCon "Lite" (long post)

We're cool kids.

Mini convention events seem to be really popular this year with a lot of local cons holding such events. As it turns out KumoriCon is no different! The convention decided to hold a one day event on Saturday June 27th at the Double Tree in Portland.

I had agreed to attend a wedding later in the day so I had to make sure that whatever I chose to wore could either A) be easy to change out of or B) work for both events. I honestly DID want to cosplay but with the weather in Portland hovering around the 100s for far too long I knew it would be in my best interest to dress a bit more comfortably.

Mayhaps in hindsight lolita wasn't the best option but it was certainly far more comfortable than any cosplay I was interested in wearing. I know I keep telling myself I need to have more of a presence in the local cosplay scene ~_~ but at the same time I feel weird leaving my apartment in full cosplay to go somewhere, you know? Lolita, oddly enough, feels a lot less strange for me to walk around the general public in.

First week back after vacation - Let's rant about change!

My cat understands how I feel.

That first week of work after a vacation really does feel like murder; I can't think of any other way to describe it! Just murder ~_~;; I slept too much and didn't eat very well this whole week. And from what I understand the first day I was on vacation one of the machines went down! And was acting up terribly this whole last week I was back. So needless to say I lost a lot of work hours (6 total all week?) So now my check is going to be short and I'm just going to fret terribly about it like I always do. I'm thinking more and more that at my review this month I'm going to ask- no, DEMAND. I get a raise at work. I know this sounds pushy but I have not gotten one for nearly 2 years now and prices and rent keep going up.

Though realistically I just need a new job. I told myself I wouldn't post negative stuff here or anything about my job ^^;; but it's also important for me I ramble a bit about this (but at the same time I talk a lot about it but never DO anything...) I've got a possible opportunity at a really great place to work! So I just need to make sure my resume looks pretty and send it in. Honestly though? I'm scared of the change. I've been where I'm at so long that quitting really is a huge thing! If I had a kid for as long as I've been at my job it'd already be in 4th grade at this point! (I started in March of 2006.)

But change isn't bad. I often times remind myself this as I do not face change well- or the enacting of change for myself. Even if for the better. I freeze up in fear really bad and choose inaction as a safer route than action (and thus the unknown of what that change would bring). I'm really terrible at this.
But it's time.
And it's long overdue.

[Bodyline Review] Triple Bow lolita shoes (shoe259)

Triple Bow lolita shoes [link]
Shoe259
("dpink" aka Dark Pink)

Heel height: in (5.8cm)
Front platform: in (1.3cm)


I'll be completely honest outright. I've always thought these shoes were ugly. TOO sweet for my taste. I like cute things and bows as much as the next sweet lolita but my personal style falls on a weird line between sweet and classic. So these shoes with their giant clown-esque round toes and large bows all over were never something I thought I would be buying.

And then cosplays I want to do start getting planned for and I go in search of shoes. And these ended up being the closest in style without breaking my bank for what I needed. The cosplay is of Ranka Lee from the second Macross Frontier movie "Sayonara no Tsubasa"- namely her "Niji Iro Kuma Kuma" outfit. Aside from heavily altering some heels or finding other shoes I opted for an option I seemed less likely to hurt myself trying to walk in ^^;; (I'll talk more about these shoes for cosplay use once I make posts and progress on that.)

Prepping for Fanime: One cosplay at a time...

For as certain I was about getting Sailor Mercury done for SakuraCon I am THAT unsure I will get ANYTHING done in time for Fanime  u_u  I -believe- we're heading down Thursday (driving) and coming back Sunday so I honestly have very few days to get all my things done... and I haven't even started on the main cosplay I want to bring!

Saki!!~~ Stole this photo from OtakuDepot [LINK]

So far the only things I can think of that I already have nearly donw would be comfortable wearing in the California heat are Weresheep (Monster Girls) and maybe a Lum costume. For the one I really am worrying about though I know I'm going to die wearing LOL. But my friend (Mewchi Cosplay) and I were talking about things we wanted to make and I mentioned wanting to remake Ritsuko from Kujibiki Unbalanced- to which she got mega excited and I found out she really liked Genshiken! I was super excited and we ended up agreeing to doing the outfit of where Saki is cosplaying as Ritsuko in her "battle outfit" and the matching one Ohno wears for it~

She's so perfect as Ohno! And I hope I make an okay Saki/Ritsuko ^^;; I'm mostly basing my cosplay off of one figure I like the color scheme on. Otherwise her cosplay is vastly different between each iteration. I can make the fabric bits no problem but the helmet is giving me grief. It always does. It did my first time around! And now with how beat up my old one has become over the years I need to remake it ~_~;; I've already been working at it for several hours today and only took this short break to eat something...

So as of now I have no cosplay plans outside of Saki. I figure I'll focus on her and then just bring whatever else I manage to finish? Ugh. I'm so unprepared ;_;

*Angelic Pretty* Royal Creamy Chocolate [HD photos]

[ Lolibrary Link ]

Angelic Pretty is the supreme creator of chocolate themed prints; they never seem to run out of ideas and while certain motifs get reused they can still feel fresh! Despite Royal Creamy Chocolate having a lot of Angelic Pretty's signature designs (chocolate blocks, carousel ponies, etc) it still is a uniquely cute dress! The low neck design and simplicity of trims and laces help offset the large dress consuming print.
Despite being monochromatic the print is extremely detailed with many fine details that are lovely up close. The dress is eye catching yet simple and can be dressed up sweet or with a classic twist.

JSK stats:

Bust: 34.6~39in (88~100cm)
Waist: 26.7~30.7in  (68~78cm)
Length: 33in + 1in of lace  (84cm + 3cm of lace)

WARNING: EXTREMELY IMAGE HEAVY POST
Full review to come later~

[Bodyline Review] Cut-out Lolita Boots (S506)

Cut-out Lolita Boots [link]
S506
("dbrw" aka dark brown)

Heel height: 2.3in (6cm)
Total height from heel: 11in (28cm)
Front platform: 0.6in (1.5cm)


When Bodyline first released photos into their "new" section on their Rakuten site these were instantly popular. The style was cute, unique, and very detailed for a pair of Bodyline shoes. I knew that I wanted to try them out as soon as I could buy them. They were super cute! I had been wanting to purchase a pair of lolita boots that were no the usually knee-high-with-a-couple-of-bows style many "lolita" boots tend to be, I was even pondering ordering some of the wedge-heeled ones (though I wasn't totally in love with them) so these dropped at the perfect time for me!

I ordered these on the 9th of February via AIR mail through Bodyline and received them on the 26th. The tracking actually said the package was still in customs on the 27th lol. So I'm starting to wonder just how accurate tracking can be. So long as my stuff even makes it into US customs I'm pretty happy ^^;;

Now onto the actual boots!
(*Note* I had to leave the tissue and foam supports in these boots to take photos of them due to how soft the material is.)

[Taobao Review] MichikoCat Magic Book Purse (red/blue/natural)

(Upon checking MichikoCat no longer carries these purses so I have removed the direct link this specific item. However I have been able to find them on My-Lolita-Dress.)

I have been wanting a cute "book" bag for a while! I always really liked the look of them but actually could not find one I liked enough to buy. A lot had to do with Alice in Wonderland motifs or something fairy-tale like that wasn't subtle enough for my personal tastes as I was hoping to find something I could not only wear with lolita fashion but also in normal clothes. Although I did want one in a more neutral color I instantly LOVED these magic books bags I spotted when I came across the shop MichikoCat on Taobao!
The bags were on preorder so I had to wait some time in order for everything to be processed. I was kind of over zealous with my purchases and, being unable to choose which one to buy, I bought all three colors they were available in with the idea I could easily be rid of whichever one I didn't want in the end. I love the blue one most of all due to the color scheme of blue and silver- a combination I have always been attracted to. I mostly bought the red one to use as a functional prop when I cosplay Jibril from "No Game No Life" as her character art has her holding a red-toned book ( I also really love functional costume pieces like this ^.^;) but I knew it could easily function as a statement piece of sorts since the gold and red combo is really eye-catching!

[Bodyline review:] Sax Blue 'Tea Party' lolita shoes (Shoes251/S522)

Double Strap Tea Party Lolita Shoes [link]
shoes251
("sax" aka Saxon blue)
[Review of Gold]
[Review of Silver]

Heel Height: 0.5in (1.2cm)

These shoes are so cute. I really think they're adorable! I generally don't wear flat "ballet-esque" shoes since for some reason they end up hurting my feet more than small heels. These seem like they have a heel but it's pretty much negligibly short in reality. But I really wanted to give these a shot since finding a variety of lolita shoes would be wonderful! But I just didn't have much luck with them in the end...

[Bodyline Review] Gold Double-bow platform lolita shoes (Shoes255)

Double-bow platform Lolita Shoes [link]
shoes255
("gld" aka Gold)
[Review of Navy blue]


Heel Height: in (9cm)
Front Platform: in (3cm)

I decided to give these shoes a try as I am used to seeing a lot of platform shoes in classic style lolita. Bodyline had them for a really great price and had just decided to make them available in gold and navy color! I had seen a ton of girls wear these previously so I figured "eh, what the heck?" and bought some for myself :3

New Compie!!

Finally bought a new computer!! My poor Sony Vaio laptop is certainly on it's last legs at this point ~_~
The computer isn't exactly NEW persay as it's a used computer from someone else whom is upgrading. But everything in it is pretty stellar and better than what I need to start streaming and do all the video and image editing I want to do. As it stands now my laptop will freeze and crash if an image is too large :/ so it greatly impedes my ability to do too much. But it certainly drives home the idea of "save often" as I've lost tons of work before ;_;

So in preparation I've been writing out a schedule of things to do video-wise. Sounds crazy but my goal is to get it set up so each day I have an upload going on to Youtube. A theme for every day but a constant stream of creations. I know it'll be tough as I already have a hard time keeping up with my physical blog here but I'm really going to push myself out of my comfort zone and work work WORK at things.

I've also been doing a lot more digital art lately so I'm super happy I've been doing that! A ton of it has been uploaded onto Society6... I'm really super rusty but I'm proud of what I've mad thus far. It's pretty much all Yuri Kuma Arashi stuff though because I LOVE the patterns in that anime >_>;; I just need to start doing more general fandom stuff in in a hopes of getting more business. But I think I've gotten a pretty good start at it?

I'm certainly running myself ragged lately but I HAVE to put this effort in. No one is going to change my life situation but me. And with this computer I really think it's going to open a lot of possibilities!

:D

[Convention Report] SakuraCon - The "I wish I did more" con

Sakuracon was a lot of fun for me! Honestly and truly! I really did enjoy myself despite all the -crap- that happened. But I still wish I had done more in the end. I only showed up to the con for maybe a grand total of 5 or 6 hours, shot some pictures in Sailor Mercury with my group, and then left. That was it. I didn't buy a badge (wtf $75?) and I didn't go to anything at all. I had that Friday night off for work so I showed up mega late Saturday night. I pretty much went to bed so I could wake up early and I had some... not so great stuff happen. I'll just say someone I didn't know tried to get handsey with me while I was sleeping and it was really creepy and uncomfortable and just... eww. It kind of really ruined my weekend :/ I just felt gross.

SakuraCon Countdown- ONE WEEK

I'M NOT READY.
SEND HELP.
MY COSPLAYS AREN'T DONE AND WORK IS MAKING ME COME IN 12 DAYS IN A ROW.

So yeah Sailor Mercury is far from being done. I had to remake my collar at least 3 times because of the sh*tty 3mm ribbon the girls chose to use; my machine kept mauling it no matter what I'd do. Though thinking back on it now putting a thicker interfacing under it might have helped >_>;; I really miss my old beast of a sewing machine.
Kelsey is cool with me not getting Black Lady done so I'm going to take my time on her. I want to make it really nice with the super low back cut and sheer fabrics galore. Though I've been getting an itch to just make something... pretty. Not really a character per-say but just something fancy and artsy and creative. I suppose I could do a Sakizou cosplay and it would be up this alley. I want to make something with the fabrics I already have though ^^;; And just... go. See what I can do. Ya know? Been getting that urge.

Elsewise from cosplay I've been working a bit more here and thereto get my life "back in order". Sounds strange I suppose but I easily get consumed and stressed by every-day things if I let them pile up too much. So I'm making commitments to myself to completely clean my room again, organize figures, go through my clothes, trim down my lolita wardrobe more, and just generally organize things and try my damnedest to de-clutter! I've got a few spare random box figures I was able to sell off and I'll be bringing to SakuraCon for people. Kind of hoping I could thin things out even more but I appreciate whatever I can get [rid of] XD

HONESTLY though. HONEST honest. I think I'll be just fine for Mercury. I'm far enough along that if I keep myself going over the next few days I'll get everything together with a bit of time to spare :)