Sunday, November 23, 2014

Lolita Tag!!


Hello, lovelies~! I'm going to start posting here more, as I promised. I'm half posting here to keep me awake, as my first day of work is tomorrow and I need to fix my sleep schedule! But also, I've really been in a lolita fashion mood...yet, I have nothing new to post about just yet. So, I thought it would be fun to do a tag! I actually did this tag years ago back on LiveJournal, so it will be interesting to see how I've changed since then (let the cringing begin). If you'd like to do this, feel free to take it!


(1) Screenname and DOB, please tell me these~
Um…depends on where we are, but just call me Bunny. I was born May 28~

(2) height, weight, clothing size and shoe size~
I'm 5'2'', I have no idea what my weight is right now. My shoe size is usually 7-8.

(3) why did you start to dress lolita?
I first learned about lolita fashion when my friend showed me a picture of Mana from Malice Mizer, and I found his clothing brand while doing research. Then when I was at my first anime convention, I bought two issues of Gothic and Lolita Bible.

(4) which style of lolita do you like?


I like all styles, but the only styles I see myself wearing are sweet and classic. I'd like to try hime, too.

(5) express in your own words, the ideal your above answer.
Anything over the top ;)

(6) Do you have piercings? Where?

Just my right ear.

(7) Which brands do you like?

Angelic Pretty, and some of Baby, the Stars Shine Bright's more ornate prints.

(8) Which are your favourite clothes you wear?
Aside from lolita, anything cute.

(9) how many lolita friends do you have?

Only a few now, but they're good friends.

(10) What do you love most about lolita?

Yes. Haha.

(11) What do you hate about it? Pet peeves??
I hate the hate in the community :/

(12) Magazine you read?

I don't read any often, but I do like GLB, EGG, Kera.

(13) Headdresses, bonnets or ribbons/katsushya?

I like ribbons and bows. I like the look of super big and fancy bonnets but I don't think they would look good on me?

(14) Yes to Drawers/Bloomers?

That's like asking if you wear underwear while wearing a skirt, so...

(15) do you tie headdresses at the front or at the back?

At the back under my hair.

(16) Who is your favourite band/type of music?

Right now, a mix between indie/trip hop/ambient and video game soundtracks.

(17) What is your phone ring tone?

The theme from when you catch a Pokemon from the original games.

(18) Do you go to concerts in lolita?

Never have, but I'm not against it.

(19) For people who attend concerts: Do you headbang there?

I don't.

(20) What colours do you like?

Pink, yellow, black...but right now, lavender is my favorite!

(21) What are your hobbies?

Drawing, comicking, writing, playing video games, sleeping, blogging or vlogging.

(22) If you have any favourite perfumes, please tell us.

Coincidentally, L de Lolita (I think that's what it's called?) is a favorite. I also like Juicy Couture and Harajuku Lovers scents, Bond No. 9, and some others I have samples of.

(23) Is there anything you are careful of in lolita?

Um, everything. Crumbs, stains, spills, snags, and knocking things over. Oh, and sitting on my petticoat and flattening it.

(24) Do you have any favourite haunts to go to in lolita?

Not really.

(25) how many times a week do you dress lolita?

It's usually only at events or special occasions nowadays.

(26) Please tell us an embarrassing story when you were a beginner in lolita.

Before I got lolita clothing, I called some of Hot Topic's frilly clothing "lolita." I wore lolita sans petticoat for far too long. I wore very poorly put coordinates and even JSKs without blouses for a bit and just called it "casual." I did very poor makeup and wore my natural hair when it didn't match. I consider myself a beginner still. I'm very careful nowadays so I don't make these mistakes.

(27) Your current hairstyle and colour.
Blue turning green and my roots are showing :( But it will be green, soon!!

(28) What is your lolita history?

After discovering lolita in 2005 I didn't get my first piece of lolita clothing until my first year of college. I was pretty ita up until...maybe middle of last year, haha.

(29) Do you store your clothes in a special place?

I hang them up.

(30) Did you ever think about stopping Lolita? What was the reason?

Sometimes my love for lolita wanes and I feel like I've wasted money on things I rarely wear...which is why my lolita wardrobe is so small. Sometimes I feel very down on myself and feel I can't wear it and look nice.

(31) What is your motto?

Right now...it's more of a phrase from a poem. "Once they [they being your fears and such] are counted and compelled, they are quickly dispelled!"

(31) Your dreams of the Future?

I want to be happy and have everyone around me happy. I want to have my comics and such published.

(33) “This person is so perfect for lolita!” – Do you ever think that about certain celebraties?

No?

(34) Any products/items you have with a fond memory?

All my lolita clothing?

(35) What was your first item?

A big order from Bodyline - Black and purple underbust JSK with a kitty caplet, white blouse, black shoes, white frilly socks, some accessories, and a really tacky wa-lolita bat dress that didn't even fit.

(36) Have you got a pose for photos?

I can't pose well to save my life.

(37) What is your heart’s bible? [book/magazine/CD/etc]

Can I say...a sketchbook?

(38) what is the best cm for heels?

I dunno...I like taller shoes, sort of. I don't like smaller heels.

(39) Do you wear tiaras?

I don't have any.

(40) Do you think you want to try prince style? What kind of prince? Ankoku-kei [Gothic/dark prince]? Or “prince on a white horse” style?

I don't think I could pull that off at all.

(41) What types of lace do you like?

Good lace??

(42) Do you own a doll? Does it give you fun, childish feelings?

No.

(43) What is in your lolita bag?

Since lolita bags are notorious for being small, I usually only have my debit card, apartment key, 3DS, phone, and maybe whatever lip product I'm wearing for touch ups.

(44) What is your favourite flower?

Lilac and lavender!

(45) Right now, what is your favourite accessory?

Probably my only piece of AP jewelry, a bunny necklace.

(46) Please reccommend us some cosmetics.

I like Urban Decay, but I guess some of their products wouldn't be too good for lolita. For foundation and other base cosmetics, I like Benefit.

(47) With Eye-tape your eyes look like a Doll’s! What eyelashes will you wear?

I have western eyes, so...no need for that. Right now if I want super dramatic lashes, I first use Eyeko London's Black Magic mascara, and then Makeup Forever's mascara (I can't remember the name of it). I don't mess with falsies because I'm bad at putting them on.

(48) Your eyemakeup for these eyelashes?

^^^

(49) Red Lipstick? Blue? Black? Pink?

It depends what I'm wearing. Usually I wear a light pink, but for my last coordinate, which was a Halloween witch bunny, I actually wore lavender!

(50) Or which nail polish do you choose normally?

Fake, plastic nails.

(51) Have you ever changed in a train station bathroom?

I don't live anywhere with that good of public transit.

(52) What do you think of ‘twinning’ and ‘triplet’ lolitas?

I find it adorable.

(53) How do you keep in shape for lolita? Reccommend us something.

Yeah, not the right person to ask for this.

(54) Do you keep calm when by yourself in Lolita?

Yes, but I am very aware of the stares, haha. I don't let it get to me, though.

(55) How much do you spend per month on clothes/accessories?

Not much.

(56) Was there a time lag between you knowing about Lolita and dressing?)

Years, yes. I found out about what it was when I was fifteen and didn't start wearing it until I was eighteen.

(57) What is your most expensive Lolita item?

My first AP item, Toy Parade JSK in black. It was a little over $300 secondhand, but never worn by that person.

(58) It takes a lot of money to do Lolita. How do you save?

I'm terrible at saving money.

(59) Just a little secret here…How much have you spent so far on Lolita, roughly?

Not as much as many,but more then others.

(60) Is there a Brand you want near where you live?

The closest brand store is in New York, so, YES.

(61) “Man, what a rip-off!!” Have you ever thought that about a store?

A few accessories I've gotten, but never a clothing item, I think?

(62) Do you shop online? If so, put the good & bad points here to advise others.

I kind of have no other option? Just do your research.

(63) You can say if you want, but is there a Secret person/shop that you have ordered a dress solely for you from? [I guess commissioned/replicated]

No.

(64) “I can never have that/see that happening!! But I will always want it!!” Is there a brand you think this of?

I think this about dresses with a 65 cm waistline. Hah.

(65) What do you do with the clothes you don’t want anymore?

Sell them for new clothes.

(66) What is your most recent purchase? [Even non-lolita])

Probably food, haha.

(67) Is there an item which you love that you can’t buy/seem to find?
The two things I'm lusting over right now are online right now, so I'm good. -knocks on wood-

(68) What do you think of people who only wear lolita to concerts?

Whatever makes them happy!

(69) what do you think of lolitas without makeup?

Well...I want to say that you should do what makes you happy, but also, lolita has a certain appearance and aesthetic, so...

(70) Another lolita is wearing the same coordinate/clothes as you!! What do you do?)

I would think that's awesome, honestly.

(71) What age should you stop Lolita?

I don't know, I don't think there should be an age as long as one wears clothes that flatters their age and shape.

(72) When do you think you should graduate from Lolita? And why?

That's really up to the person.

(73) “You should stop that!!!>_<;” What must you not do when dressing lolita?

Being annoying is never cute.

(74) A lolita should be ‘this’! What do you think that should be?

Herself, a pretty princess :3

(75) Excluding #73, is there anything you should deffinately not do in lolita?

Um...just being rude, I suppose.

(76) What do you think of men in Lolita?

Do what makes you happy!

(77) Did you change yourself for dressing lolita?

No, not really.

(78) What does your family and surrounding people think of you dressing lolita? And do you accept it?

They don't really mind it?

(79) How do you dress Lolita in the boiling mid-summer?

Poorly. I end up dying of heat anyways.

(80) have you gone to School or Work in lolita?

Nope.

(81) How do you dress normally?

Since it's getting cold, just a sweater and pants.

(82) Do you think twice about buying second-hand clothes?

No. I mean, I look at the pictures carefully, but I don't mind it.

(83) Do you have a boyfriend? [or husband?] Does he understand Lolita?

My fiance calls me a cupcake!

(84) Please tell us your ideal man.

My man!

(85) What Lolita has left a big, shiny impression on you so far?

Well...in a good way, Princess Peachie (Ruth) and Frillypinkdreams (Josephine). They're so lovely and inspiring. But a few lolitas that I used to know have left a big and shiny BAD impression!

(86) Have you made your own clothes? What are they like?

I tried.

(87) Have you made your own accessories? What did you make?

I've made some simple jewelry.

(88) The best item you have made! What is it?

?

(89) Please say your most perfect Lolita coordination you wear.

Maybe the coordinate I wore in march to see Sebastian Masuda's lecture, minus the bag?

(90) Do you admire someone? What are they like?

Most lolitas, haha.
(91) One day I will go on a date with that person. What would you like to wear for him?

I wear whatever. I rarely wear lolita with my fiance because it's not practical.

(92) If you want one, what type of store would you open in the future?

Maybe an indie comic/zine/book store?

(93) Your eyes get attracted inadvertantly to something. What is this motif?

Something soft grunge, haha.

(94) Would you dress your child in Lolita?

If they wanted to be in it.

(95) How much do you spend on one outfit?

My most expensive coordinate was maybe around $500?

(96) “This is Lolita!!” Please say what you would say this about.

Softness.

(97) “I have always wanted to try that once!” What, in the Lolita world, have you wanted to try wearing?

Classic and OTT sweet!

(98) Look at you in Lolita. In one word/phrase, how would you express your style/image?

...basic. Haha.

(99) What is your ideal of Lolita?

Something ornate and lovely.

(100) Thank you for taking this Baton!! Please state your thoughts on it!

My answers actually did change quite a bit from when I was younger...oh my.

Friday, November 14, 2014

Current Lolita Wishlist - Classic Lolita Edition!!


I fall in and out of loving lolita. I'll always appreciate the fashion, but sometimes I'm just not that into wearing it or looking at it. But now, I've suddenly fallen back in, and fallen hard. I'm wanting to completely redo my wardrobe and have lots of new pieces to wear and touch and feel pretty in.

I'll always love sweet. I would never sell my Toy Parade JSK for anything. It was the first time I obtained a dream dress. But in the winter, I think I want to try my hand at classic. It's so beautiful and sophisticated, and can be very ornate. As you see from the top photo, I'm loving browns, and loving Angelic Pretty's new releases.


This is Angelic Pretty's tiered JSK in brown. This is my favorite colorway! And best thing, it would fit me with room to spare, haha. It's my new dream dress. It's around $290, which is pretty reasonable for a new print release from AP. I love the tiered fabric on the sides; it seems to be a trend with AP. I also love all the lace, especially the bottom layer. I'm definitely going to be getting it as soon as I can!


And this is Angelic Pretty's Quartet Chocolate skirt in pink. I'm not sure which is my favorite colorway, between the pink, the mint, and the brown. Maybe mint? We'll see. This is another super ornate piece...I think it was released in the international shop just a few days ago? I've only seen a few AP skirts that would fit me, but this is one of them! And it's less than $200! I, um...really want this and might get this soon as well!


Of course these are just examples of things I'll be needing, but since I'm coming from an extremely sweet background, I'll need a whole new set of accessories! Brown and gold shoes, brown and ivory bows and barets, brown and ivory blouses, jewelry...a lot of this I'll probably get second hands. It will also depend on which pieces in which colorways I get. For example, if I get the skirt in mint, I might want a mint blouse, or mint shoes. Also socks, wrist cuffs...I get so excited thinking about it, but I also weep at all the money I'll spend!


Also, um, I want these earrings, but that has nothing to do with classic lolita, haha.

I'm going to my first meet in a very long time at the beginning of December. I hope I'll have one of these pieces by then and can put together my very first classical coordinate! If I don't get these exact pieces, I might get something secondhand for the event. I just am really feeling classic lolita right now. So lovely.

Wednesday, November 12, 2014

10 Favorite Etsy Shops Part One!!

The holidays are near and it’s time to stock up on gifts and stocking stuffers for your family, friends, or yourself! What better then to give to two people at once - the gift recipient and the gift maker? This is why I love Etsy.

Etsy is like an Amazon or Taobao for homemade and vintage goods as well as crafting materials. It’s most known for having lots and lots of stores by artists on it. You can find anything there, from zines, to wedding rings, to artwork, to clothing…pretty much anything you could think of. 

I am probably going to buy most if not all of my friends’ gifts on Etsy this year. As an artist, I want to do everything I can to support other artists. So I’m going to recommend my favorite Etsy shops, ten at a time. Note that I may or may not have ordered from each of these shops so I cannot always speak for quality and timeliness and such. Also, I’m going to provide a link HERE to my general Etsy favorites list, which is very diverse, and not everything in that list is from a shop I’ll be mentioning.




Kawaii Power Up is actually the first Etsy store I ever made a purchase from, and a favorite with me and my friend. My review can be found HERE. This shop specialized in cute and nerdy accessories. My favorite items from this shop are the dust plugs! I feel like they are the most reasonably priced - although her shop is very well priced for what you get - and the most unique. The shop includes free goodies with every purchase as well! 




Much like the previous store, Nerdy Little Secrets specializes in kawaii and sometimes nerdy accessories perfect for all cute fashions. However, this store’s accessories are much more softer in appearance. I feel like this shop is a little more diverse then Kawaii Power Up, and has also been open for longer. Their prices are very fair, although wait time for certain items is a little bit long. 




Starlight Deco Dream is a wonderful shop. It’s main draw is jewelry and accessories based on anime series, such as Madoka and Sailor Moon. Again, the prices are very fair. My favorite item from the shop right now is the giant “mahou shoujo” necklaces! This shop is a must for fans of magical girl anime!




“Your one-stop shop for all things Barbie, Fairy Kei, and pastel goth!” Miss Alphabet is mostly a clothing store that caters all shapes and sizes. With sparkling fabrics and bows and lace everywhere, this store is great if you want clothing to catch the eyes of others. The prices are a bit high, but everything is custom made and very high quality. 




Bity Kity is another accessory store, and everything is very pastel pink and purple! I don’t have much to say about this shop that hasn’t been said about the others, but this shop also offers very fair prices. They also have custom and pre made decoden phone cases!




This shop focuses on very cute and stylized stickers, prints, and cards. Most of the art is original, but there are also sets of Sailor Moon stickers. The shop also offers custom chibi prints! For what you get, the prices are extremely reasonable.




Mayshallwin is another store that offers cute stickers, though this one focuses on characters from anime and the like, especially Pokemon. The art is very cute and stylized. The only qualm I have is that the prices are a bit high. For example, for one dollar, you can get…one sticker. However, the owners seem to be students, so it’s a bit understandable.




I’m a little hesitant to list this shop, because there are so many one-of-a-kind journals in this shop that I don’t want bought up, hahaha! This store features recycled journals, as in, journals that are made from VHS covers, record sleeves, and there are even a few made from board game boxes and cereal boxes! For something this cool, the prices are great. As a journal/sketchbookphile, this store is heaven. 




This shop features plus size clothing and statement jewelry, and wants for others to rock the way they look, no matter how that may be. My favorite item of theirs are earrings made from giant dinosaur toys. The prices are great and their models and stock photos are beautiful. This store has a very street fashion/soft ghetto feel.



Thanks for reading!! See you later!!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Music Recommendations for November - I Haven’t Posted Here in a While



Uuuuu yes. I’m sitting on a pile of excuses on why I haven’t been blogging lately (or vlogging, or anything else I’ve said I’d do) but I’ll keep them to myself because no one wants to read paragraphs of that :P Instead, I’ll jump right in with something I haven’t done since May, a music recommendation post! 

Since I haven’t posted in a bit, I can’t quite think of a good theme for this month (I guess I’ll have to wait until next year for Halloween…) so I’ll just post my top five (I haven’t listened to much lately!) current favorites! As always, no download links, but feel free to listen via YouTube!





Musunde Hiraite Rasetsu to Mukuro - Hatsune Miku

Sometimes I’m a very avid Vocaloid fan, and sometimes I’m not. Right now I am not, but this song is still wonderful. If you don’t know what Vocaloid is, I highly suggest you look it up, it’s quite a wonderful thing. This song combines pop music with traditional Japanese themes in a very spooky way!




Anime Janai - Arai Masato

The title of this song translates to “It’s not an anime,” as in, what you are dealing with is really happening and it’s not just a cartoon on the television. This song is the opening to the show Mobile Suit Gundam ZZ from 1986, and it definitely has an 80s anime feel. I’ve never actually watched the show (like a lot of music I’m introduced to nowadays, it’s a favorite of my fiance’s), but in looking it up, it appears it will be released in North America next year! Unfortunately, there isn’t a clean version of the extended version on YouTube, so the live version will have to do.




In the Year 2525 - Zager and Evans

This is a song from the 60s, but I never remembered hearing it on the radio when I was a kid and only listened to what my parents listened to. Instead, I think I heard this in a flash video (again, with the fiancé)? I’m not sure. This song is so very haunting and foreboding, and honestly makes me cry more often then not. But I love it. I love it and it inspires me so much.




Can You Feel the Sunshine - Sonic R Soundtrack

I never had a video game console until I was 9 or so, and it was a Nintendo. I’ve never owned a Sega console and only in the past few years have I played a Sega game. Sonic is one of my fiancé’s favorite franchises, and I remember the first time I heard this song, we were driving around with the windows down, one of his hands holding mine. So it has a happy memory attached, plus it’s just ridiculously happy. This is from the American soundtrack of the very difficult racing game. I was told a lot of people preferred the Japanese soundtrack but I kind of like the peppy, if not somewhat corny, songs from the American release.




Nuclear - Metal Gear Solid V Soundtrack

I should rename this the “songs my fiancé introduced me to somehow” list. The Metal Gear series has always interested me, but I never felt I would enjoy playing it too much. I remember watching the video for this song as it aired live, the living room dark, and covered in chills. While this video I’ve linked is not the same one (I couldn’t find it, and also it makes me cry, haha), it’s still very powerful and morose. 


I hope you enjoy!!