Friday 28 February 2014

Lolita Blog Carnival: Music-Inspired Coordinates

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival post is about something which is a big part of my life - music!

I wasn't sure how to approach this theme. I'd have loved to do a coordinate based on a specific song or band, but I just haven't had time! So I'll just include generic ideas for generic music coord. Although I'm also a fan of just wearing band shirts with lolita skirts on super casual days!


This is my favourite music print - Alice and the Pirates's Dance of the Black Cats. I own the skirt in green, but this JSK version is my real dream!


As for shoes, Innocent World put out these adorable violin ones!


And obviously we want the matching bag here! Although lots of other brands do musical bags; Swimmer does guitar and piano ones, Angelic Pretty does piano, and indie brands do a whole bunch of things!

I couldn't find any examples, but I've seen lots of amazing handmade hair accessories featuring instruments. I love those sorts of built up headpieces, and I think one would be perfect to offset a musical coordinate. And to be extra crazy...


Piano tights!

Sorry for the brief post again. I'll try to do a more in-depth piece next week as I have the week off of work!



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Saturday 22 February 2014

Birthday!

Yesterday I turned 23! Getting old...


On Thursday I had a meal with a few friends!


We went to Wetherspoons and I had a yummy curry (with added jalapenos which was a bold move)...


...and a scrummy chocolate brownie sundae!


I wore Holy Lantern finally.


And my nails matched my bag perfectly!

On Friday I went shopping with Rob.


I wore the amazing Spreepicky Sailor Moon sweater that Sophie got me! I probably looked like a raging weeb but I really don't care because I love it ♥


My present hasn't arrived yet, so Rob spoilt me in Forbidden Planet!


So miuch Gunter stuff. I really want to go back to buy the BMO sweater.


I also bought a bunch of stuff in Primark, although I may return the shirts as I had to buy size 14 because the cuts are too straight (I'm actually an 8/10 so it pisses me off).


And junk foods! Most of this was from 99p Stores, but the Pick 'n' Mix was only £1.99 in Wilkinsons even though it's a huge cup! I never get Pick 'n' Mix, and have only had it once before, so I may have been over-excited about it.


We went to Wetherspoons again for lunch, but no pudding this time.


The weather was mostly really nice, so I wish we could have gone to the beach as well.


Returned home to find this massive balloon!

In the evening, my dad took me to a gig at the O2 Academy.


All We Are we first, and they were good!


And then the headliners, Warpaint. Who were also really good. I don't really have much else to say haha.


I only got a banana and some lunch money from my parents. Fml. Dad was supposed to be desperation-gifting me a tablet for no reason since he randomly has a spare one, but no sign of it yet and I don't want to ask for it as that seems rude =/ my laptop is packing in though, so it would be useful to get it set up.

So now it's Saturday and I have work, and feel really tired and depressed after actually feeling happy for once. Such is life.

Lolita Blog Carnival: Something In Your Life That You've Lolitafied

This week's (slightly late due to birthday) Lolita Blog Carnival gives a nod to the 'lolita lifestyle'. I am definitely not a lifestyler, but I guess I do try to bring cuteness into some areas of my life!

My room is definitely not decorated the way I'd like, and there's nothing I can do about it all since I live at home and my mother hates cute things. But! I do have a cute corner of my room!


Tada~! The toy shelf! I feel it reflects my tastes as a lover of Angelic Pretty and fairy-kei. Although the shelf itself is totally ugly and needs more junk stuck to it.

I also like to hang my dresses up on the outside of my wardrobe so I can appreciate them better. Hopefully when I move out I can fit a picture rail or something around my room so I can hang a whole bunch up as decoration! I want to get a mannekin also. But as for making my room into a kawaii wonderland like many I see online...I can't really see that ever happening. My tastes are too varied, and I don't think my other half would feel too comfortable with thousands of toys staring at him all the time!



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Wednesday 19 February 2014

Amazon.co.jp Order

After eyeing up the BTSSB Valentine's watch for a week or so, I finally caved and ordered it. I picked up a couple mooks too to make the most of the postage.

I've never used amazon.co.jp before as I didn't realise that they shipped internationally. Also in Japan CDs tend to be really expensive, so I don't tend to order CDs (although I do own a little bunch of them). Mooks are much cheaper to buy direct, though!


I ordered on the 17th (Japanese time) and it arrived on the 19th here. So speedy! DHL even sent a text in the morning to say that it would be delivered today and that I could change it to Thursday or Friday delivery if I wanted. Shipping cost ¥2,200 (around £13), which isn't bad since I was buying a few things.


The box was sturdy and the items were sealed together in a bag which was glued to the box so the items wouldn't be damaged (unlike amazon.co.uk who use a huge box for everything, including calendars and vinyl records that then end up getting bent in transit).


My little haul! I realised the day after ordering that there's a Creamy Mami mook I really want, but I'll just have to hope it's still available when the next AP mook is released as shipping is insanely pricey for one item.


The BTSSB Valentine's watch! The 'book' is only a tiny booklet, but pretty sure everyone was buying it for the watch anyway. It cost ¥3,000 (£18).


The watch looks really cute! It's a shame there aren't numbers on the face though, as telling the time isn't a strong point of mine. Hopefully it will fit my silly tiny wrist!


Next up, a Muchacha Ahcahcum catalogue thingy with bunny bags. This was a total impulse buy, and I probably have no use for bunny bags really (I prefer my cat ones even if they are fake), but at ¥1,900 (£11) I dont regret it at all.


This bag isn't flat like the cat one was, but kind of squarer. Has an inner zip to keep your things safe! I guess this bag will go with a lot since the colours are simple. It's a shame that it's not bunny-shaped though.


Slightly creepy red-eyed bunny purse! This should go with the bunnies on Wonder Story and Wonder Queen, although it doesn't really match the bag it came with.


Lastly, I threw in the latest volume of Kera as it's my favourite mook/magazine. It was only ¥467 (under £3). I'm tempted to try to flesh out my collection a lot more next time I order - they're not only cheap, but have lots of pages of pure awesomeness!

Overall I am extremely happy with my order, although I haven't read my mooks yet! I'm definitely going to order more from amazon.co.jp in future, although I'll have to wait a while since I dropped almost £50 on this order...oops!

Saturday 15 February 2014

Bodyline 'Defective' Lucky Pack

I tried to resist, but curiosity got the better of me!



I filmed a video of my initial impression when opening it...lots of crazy expressions haha.


I missed the first round of packs, but scooped up a 'defective' lolita pack for ¥5000. I paid in yen since that made the pack around £35 shipped as opposed to almost £50 if I paid in GBP! I did get hit with around £18 in VAT/fees though.


The contents!


First thing I spotted in the pack was this Fruits Parlor replica tote.


I already own this exact tote and have for years! So I'll be selling it. Price on the site listed as £9/¥999(£5.86).


Next up was this thingie (B1000). I assume it's a petticoat? The top layer is completely stuck up and won't flatten, and it wouldn't give any volume at all. It's made of very stiff and itchy plastic. Gonna have to chuck it out I think as it's completely useless! I can't find it on the site.


Next up, a lovely dress (L413)!


It looks quite short and too small for a petticoat, but would make a nice floaty gyaru-esque Liz Lisa-style dress. The site lists it as £26/¥2,999(£17.59).


This...thing (S029). The site doesn't have photos, but it appears to be for a child (in the category 'girls'). Only worth £4/¥500(£2.93). Too long to be a top, too short and shapeless to be a dress. Also a hideous shade of pink! For charity bag, I guess.


Next, a red plaid dress (L420).


It looks a lot nicer IRL than in photos, as the red is a little darker, although the colours of the laces don't quite match.


Fabric is light and has silvery threads in the fabric. Definitely seems wearable. £26/¥2,999(£17.59).


Lastly, the one that seems to have cropped up in a lot of packs - the green plaid skirt (L342).


Honestly it looks nicer IRL than I thought it would! I think the detailing on mine is a little more central than it should be and it looks a little wonky. The ribbon detailing is green on mine as opposed to pink, which makes me think it was a sample. Should be able to work it into a Spring country outfit though. £13/¥1,499(£8.79).

The total pack value (excluding the petti that I couldn't find) was ¥8,496 (just under £50 when converted), so I supposed they did put in items over the cost of the pack. Was it worth it though? Probably not. But I bought it more for fun than anything else, and I've had worse brand lucky packs before! I also haven't found many defects at this point. I thought there'd be stains everywhere or something as I've had stains with their clothes before anyway!

Did you chance a pack? How did you fare?

Friday 14 February 2014

Lolita Blog Carnival: Romantic Coordinate Ideas

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival theme is romantic coordinates. What better theme for Valentine's Day?

I'll be doing this post with the aid of Polyvore, which I'm really bad at using. So I apologise in advance!


This is my romantic coord, which incorporates several themes I think exemplify romance.

Nothing says romance like roses! I also think that flowy fabrics have a more romantic feel to them as well. I kept the colour palette simple, and while I went with pastels and an OTT dress I tried to give it a more mature look overall with the Vivienne Westwood heels and simple accessories. Lacy sheer socks would be better than these, but I couldn't find any! A few feathers in a rococo updo would be super romantic also - rococo is all about dreamy romance!

I'm sorry about this being such a short post, but I'm really bad at making coords in ways like this orz



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Thursday 13 February 2014

FromJapan - New Frills!

I may have *ahem* 'accidentally' bought a few more things! I used FromJapan again. Charge 2 payment (fees, domestic & international shippings) was ¥10,385 (around £61), and customs/fees were just under £26.



I filmed myself opening the big box!


This was the item I bought first, a sailor OP from Angelic Pretty. I believe it's called Tokimeki Girl. It cost ¥5,460 (around £32). Unfortunately it is covered in white fibres and I noticed when I tried it on that it smells of smoke. However this is easily fixed.


The sailor collar is adorable, and the dress undoes using the front buttons.


The pockets are functioning ones, and they're super cute too!


The back is pretty plain, which I think suits a sailor style. I think this will be fine as a casual dress, and I think it was a great impulse buy bargain!


Next, I took the plunge and ordered the Musée du Chocolat bonnet after wanting it the whole time! I prefer it to the headbow as I didn't like the fringe on the bow, whereas this has really nice layers of lace on it. It cost ¥6,300 (around £37), so probably around retail once the fees are included.


Lastly, dream dress alert! It was a little pricy at ¥28,560 (just under £170), and a little more than what it was originally. But I love this piece a lot, and the yen was a lot stronger back then, so I don't mind all that much. I'd wanted this colourway of Holy Night Story since it was released back in 2010. I found the white colourway a few months later (which I think cost more than this one did anyway), and figured I could just sell it if I ever found green. I have no intention of selling it now, but I'm thrilled to have found my favourite colourway finally! I kinda want the wine one too...


The military bodice in velvet is what I love most about this piece. So soft, and fits me like a glove!


The skirt sections looks a tad faded to me, but maybe it always looked that way. The print is so glittery, and the lace looks amazing in this green colour. I was intending to wear Holy Lantern for my birthday, but now I'm torn!

I also picked up something for Sophie's birthday which isn't until April, so I can't post it even though I really want to! I love it, and if she doesn't then I'm keeping it haha.