Here in the UK it would seem we are going through a dry spell this Summer. We have already had some scorching hot days. So to people in America 30 degrees centigrade may not sound much, but when you are used to British temperatures you soon start to melt in this heat! Getting hot means getting sweaty and sunburnt which do not go well with lolita. So I thought I would give advice aimed at lolitas (although non-lolitas may find it useful too!)
1. Blast yourself with icy cold water on the areas where you sweat a lot. This is also good for temporarily tightening any wobbly bits. In theory, you should sweat less.
2. Use a men's deodorant. Men varieties of deodorant tend to work better than female varieties. However, avoid ones with sport in the name or you will smell masculine.
3. Parasols are not sun protection! Although a lovely lolita parasol is good for shading you, the harmful rays WILL still get through. So don't go thinking you can't wear sun screen!
4. If sun screen gives you acne use a variety which is oil free. They tend to be more expensive but your face wont be as greasy.
5. Break the lolita rules! Those of you familiar with lolita will know that some lolitas stick to some pretty strict rules (Flashing your knee? Heaven forbid!) but in my opinion, as long as you are not breaking a load of rules in one go it should not matter if you break one or two rules. Don't want to wear a blouse under your JSK? Then don't!
6. It is pretty obvious, but if you can't handle the heat- don't wear gothic lolita!
7. Try and remember that brighter colours will attract more insects
8. If you are attending a meet-up, do a bit of research to see if there are any cafes in the area which do nice ice cream or desserts. I am always researching places where I can cool down and the information is so easy to get over the net now. Tomorrow I am off to Oxford for the day and I know a great ice cream place. I will also be visiting the Alice cafe. More on that next time!
9. Buy a portable mini fan. Here in England, I find that petrol stations are a good place to find these.
10. Suggest meeting somewhere like a river or the sea. The air will be cooler near water.
11. If you are staying in a hotel, pay extra for a room with air conditioning. Last August when my husband and I went on our honeymoon we were convinced we would not need any air-con. "This is England! There is no way the room will get that muggy!" we both thought (we spent the week in London doing all the things we usually don't get to do on day trips). But we were wrong. We chose the one week of the Summer where it was not raining and it was very hot. I barely slept the entire week and by the end of the week I was shattered. We learnt our lesson- pay extra for air-con because it is so worth it!
12. Carry a drink around with you in case there are no cafes in the area.
If you follow all these tips and still feel hot and sticky, then maybe you should just save lolita for the slightly colder days (it has got to rain some time). Nobody said being lolita was easy...
A great idea for a post, Luna.
ReplyDeleteI'd agree with the idea of planning somewhere like a cafe or icecream parlour in with a meet up as apart from what's on offer by way of food and the conversation, you have shade and rest room facilities to top up on the deodorant discretely. And yes always, always keep a soft drink on you in the summer as you need the fluids.