Sugar Pansy by AP

I apologise because this will probably be a very short print review. I am a little busy today. So today I am looking at Sugar Pansy by Angelic Pretty. Here is the main picture of the series from the Angelic Pretty website-

As you can see there are 3 dresses, a skirt, socks, a bow and a bonnet. At first I thought the 2 dresses in the middle were the same dress so I will review just one of them (I think there are only a few very subtle differences anyway).

I decided to review the dress with the tiered skirt. Sometimes with tiered skirts they can appear a little lumpy. This dress is probably one of the nicest tiered dresses I have seen in a long time. The tiers are not too bunched up so it doesn't affect the overall shape as much. This dress also has an interesting bow at the waist. Instead of having a very 3D bow they have experimented with folding instead. The result is a much flatter bow which reminds me of origami. I am not sure if I prefer this sort of bow or not but I like how it is different. There are only 2 other small bows on the front so your attention is more drawn to the main waist bow. The neckline is also pretty. If it had been more square then it may not have worked as well. The sleeves are nice and puffy but not too big. My absolute favourite part of this dress is the pansy shaped lace used.

I don't really know what else to say apart from I think it is really stunning. I would like to see this lace being used again.

An interesting inclusion in this series is this dress-

It is casual and relaxed. Although I probably wouldn't wear it, I would love to see somebody wearing this. It is very different to what I am used to AP releasing. For me personally, I feel it looks a little too much like something you would wear to bed. It is not the sort of dress that you look at and instantly think of lolita. Maybe this dress will appeal to both lolitas and a wider audience. I think I will reserve my final judgement until I have seen it being worn by a few people.

And finally, a print close-up-

An AP print without food! And it is not OTT cutesy! It is sweet but not so much that it will put off the people who dislike AP's more OTT crowded prints. I can definitely see this appealing to more people.

Whilst the dresses are fairly casual design-wise, I get the impression that Angelic Pretty have put a lot of thought in to this series. It is like they have been taking in the opinions of their fans but also the people who may have been put off Angelic Pretty in the past. If you had told me a few months back that I would be using 'casual' and 'Angelic Pretty' in the same sentence, I would have laughed! Will this series be popular? I really hope so.

Another Valentine Thank You!

I was very surprised last week when I got my very first Lolita Valentine and now I have had another one!

http://community.livejournal.com/loli_valentines/89220.html?view=2549892#t2549892

I am number 19!

A massive thank you to the Valentine maker. Quite a lot of the Oxfordshire lolitas got a valentine this week so I am really happy for my friends too. It is about time I sat down and made Valentines for all my wonderful friends and style crushes too!

Primark, how I love thee...

I remember how a few years ago, Primark was not considered very fashionable. When I was younger I recall going in there but maybe only buying a pair of socks or some pyjamas. Most of the clothing was just simple and casual. My sister would browse the sportswear whilst I recoiled in horror. But then something changed.

Primark gradually started to become more trend aware and modern. It started appearing in fashion magazines a bit more. Primark was an easy way to keep up to date with the latest fashion but at an affordable price. And then I found myself starting to fall in love with Primark.

What I love about Primark is that you can now go in there and you will find lots of loli-able items. Whether it is just a small piece of jewellery or a simple cardigan, I am always finding stuff hidden away in little corners. Recently I have been buying a lot of Primark stuff. I have this ring shaped like a baby deer, some bows and lots of jewellery with a vintage feel.

This is what I bought last weekend-

The black bag cost me just £5. It is small with a bow on the front (not very visible in this photo. Sorry!). It came in beige as well but I thought the beige version looked a bit too "old" for my personal tastes. The beige bag could probably work well with classic style but I still went with the black version. The rose headband cost £2 and it was hiding right in the corner of the shop! I have tried it on and it looks very cute with a real nature feel to it. I will probably use a few pins to keep it in place on my head. I am unsure if it will go with my Meta rose printed JSK but I love roses so I will probably find a use for this hair band at some point. And Finally, I got an eye shadow palette for £1. That is 25p per shade!

I was reluctant to try Primark make-up before. I doubt it will stay on for very long but I intend to use an eye shadow primer with it to help it stay in place. I have already tried out the colours. They are very nice but maybe slightly too glittery. I would try Primark make-up again but I will try to see if they have something with a bit less sparkle.

Recently, Primark released a £9 dress. It has vertical stripes with floral details. When I first saw it, I thought it could be turned in to a lolita dress. In fact, I saw somebody on EGL had already done this. When I initially saw it I was tempted to buy it. If I see it again I will probably buy it just to see how well it works. It was very classic in appearance. It was casual but I think that dress has potential.

Considering the current trends Primark are showcasing, it wouldn't surprise me if we see more Primark featured in the lolita community in the future.

Luna on Youtube!

I just wanted to let you all know I am now on Youtube. This is mainly because Photobucket was taking forever to upload a video yesterday! Anyway, if all goes well I may start doing some video blogs on Youtube so keep an eye out. My user name is LunaRainLolita

http://www.youtube.com/user/LunaRainLolita?feature=mhum

At the moment the only video is the one I did for myasianfashion.com where I answered questions asked by members. MAF have changed a few things so the Show and Tell thread has been made private. If you are not a member of MAF then you can view the video by going to my youtube channel or go here-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QEtdgYWAqus

Just so you know my voice does not really sound like that! I thought I sounded horrible but my husband assures me it is just the recording. My face is a bit dark because the lighting in our living room is dreadful. Anyway, if you have always wanted to know what prints I want to see made or what my favourite flower is, now is your chance to find out!

M Fashion review Feb 2011

Today I am reviewing http://mfashion.eu/ who I recently purchased a head bow from. Yes, I managed to get the matching Wonder Cookie head bow to my dress!

The shop was fairly easy to browse with a variety of different categories to make finding items easier. I am able to view the site in English so it is very easy to read. They also have details on their shop location if you wanted to visit the store in person.

The ordering process was fairly simple but a little fiddly. The How To Order instructions are available in a few different languages. Basically, you have to send them an email with the items you want and they give you a list of the details they need. You can only pay by Paypal or a bank transfer. It would be nice to have some more options but I guess a lot of people use Paypal anyway so this should not be too much of a problem. It is also worth noting that if you use Paypal you have to have ensured shipping.

The shop staff got back to me fairly quickly and I managed to pay without any hassle. I noticed that I had to prompt them a little to get a response. I sent them an email just to double check they got the payment ok and to ask when the item was going to be shipped out. It would have been nice to have been given this information without having to ask but the staff were very friendly and again, they responded quickly.

My main complaint was that they chose to use TNT to ship my parcel out. I have never had to use TNT before and I was a bit confused by their website. Their site is hard to navigate and they are slow to update. It meant that the tracking I was given was pretty useless. I had to look up some average delivery times between the Netherlands and the UK to get a rough idea of when the bow was coming. I think there are more reliable companies that could have been used in place of TNT. However, the bow did arrive safely. It actually arrived a day earlier than James and I had predicted. The bow was packaged safely. I was expecting to have to sign for the bow so I was a bit concerned when it was just pushed through our letter box.

And here is the actual bow!

The item was brand new with tags. Unfortunately the price I paid reflected the original Angelic Pretty retail price and shipping to their store. I paid 50 Euros which is probably a tiny bit too much but I guess the item was brand new. Besides, I was looking everywhere for this bow and this was the only shop that I could find it in so I was willing to pay a bit more. The person who dealt with me left me a cute little note and the bow was wrapped in a pretty pink polka dot plastic bag which I have kept.

So overall, my experience with M Fashion was positive, maybe neutral. My main complaint was with the shipping service TNT. I would order from M Fashion again but I would try harder to shop around to see if I can get myself a better deal. At least I managed to cross an item off of my Want To Buy list!

Scent of Rapunzel by Alice and the Pirates

Today I will be looking at the latest from Alice and the Pirates. This series is called Scent of Rapunzel. The set includes 2 JSKs, 1 one piece, 1 skirt, 1 bonnet, 1 headbow, 1 pair of socks and a few jewellery pieces.

First up is this JSK. The bodice looks very fitted and it will probably sit very nicely on the person wearing it. When I was reviewing Alice and the Pirates and their Kuroneko No Dance series I was disappointed by the baggy shapeless looking bodice on one of the dresses. So I feel this dress is a huge improvement. The bodice on this dress has a simple bow. It is not too detailed and blends in with the rest of the dress. I was put off a little by the line of wide lace running just below the bow. I thought the lace used looked a little messy in the photographs. Whilst I personally think it looks messy I guess it is needed to hide the top of the interesting choice of side corseting. Let's have a closer look!

When I first saw this dress I noticed the tulle straight away. I didn't realise it was being used to lace up a corset at first. I thought it was just sat there looking floaty and highly flammable. I find the tulle disappointing. It is the sort of thing you would expect to see on a child's fairy costume or at a wedding. For me, this detail is too much. I seriously hope this is detachable. The ribbon used on the back corset is a lot neater when compared to the tulle.

The straps on this dress are fairly slim with a line of semi-circle lace running along them. They are very simple. With the tulle detail attracting so much attention it is probably best that the rest of the dress is relatively simple. The skirt has a nice amount of puff to it. I think the length here is a little shorter and whilst I like the puffiness of this skirt, I prefer the styles used on the other 2 dresses. The bottom hem is finished with some neat looking rose lace. I think that with this first dress the designers were trying too hard. I don't think the bold choices work very well.

Next up is the one piece. I think this dress looks a lot better than the JSK above. At first I was a little unsure if I liked the fake bolero but it seems to work well with this dress. It gives off a more layered look. The fake bolero is finished off neatly and looks good from the back view too. None of the pictures on the website show the dress without the sleeves but I am assuming they are detachable. The sleeves have a very princessy feel. They flare out at the bottom and are finished off with more lace. I think it is safe to assume this dress is not for those who dislike fairy tales! The front of the bodice has some corset detail which I thought looked too wide. The waist is finished off with a bow which I think is detachable. The bow is on the generous side. It would possibly make a nice head bow if you did not wish to purchase the head bow from this series. The shape of the skirt seems to suit the rest of the dress. The shape is not as rounded but it looks like it is very spacious. The bottom hem is finished off with rose lace which looks very tidy. In the black colourway this lace blended in very well with the dress.

And then there is this JSK. Unfortunately not a lot of photos of this dress are available yet so I can only review what I can see. Again, the bodice looks a decent shape. I thought this one looked a little flatter than the bodice on the first dress. This will probably suit girls with a smaller bust. The straps have a decent width. I think the width of the straps is about right for this dress. I dislike the small panel of gathered lace on the bodice. I find it untidy. I think the dress would look better without it. I do like the simple bow underneath the lace. Looking at the other dresses I think this ribbon is probably of a high quality. The waist bow on this dress is again on the large side but because this dress is simpler I would probably keep the bow on the waist. The shape of the skirt looks flatter on this dress but there is a lot of gathering so it will probably puff up very nicely as long as you don't use a very large petticoat.

And this is a close-up of the print. There is a lot going on in this print. very busy! It is probably a bit too much for some people. I actually really like it. I love the castle turret, the key and the pair of scissors. I dislike the birds. The way they are positioned sort of makes them look as though they have just flown in to a window and gone splat! I also like the hair plait and the roses running along the bottom.

I don't usually feature the jewellery but I had to include a picture of this scissor brooch. It is really pretty! It is a lovely classic piece which I would happily love to have in my jewellery box. There are a few other scissor pieces in this series so they are worth checking out on the Baby the Stars Shine Bright website.

Overall this is a very stunning series but for some it will be too princessy or too over the top. I think the one piece is the best dress in this series. I don't think some of the design points work very well but I think it is a strong series that will sell well. This time, I think the print works best in black but the red looks stunning as well. The cream/off-white version does not appeal to me. I am seriously considering getting the skirt (money situation pending of course!).

VALENTINE!!!!!! :D

I am jumping up and down with joy. I feel like my heart could burst at any moment.

I got my very first Valentine on the Lolita Valentines community today! I had to come on here straight away to share the wonderful news! Every Saturday morning I look at Lolita Valentines without fail. I think it is wonderful to have such a positive online lolita community and I always love it when I see people I know getting some love. At some point I am going to have to make Valentines for the lolitas close to my heart too.

I would like to thank the Valentine maker. The Valentine makes a reference to my blog so I am assuming it is somebody who has seen this blog. This has really perked up my Saturday so thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

The post (I am number 32!)-

http://community.livejournal.com/loli_valentines/88626.html#cutid1

Luna's MAF Show and Tell!

So a few weeks back LEGO-SAN came up with an idea on www.myasianfashion.com to do show and tells. And now it is my turn!

If you are a member of www.myasianfashion.com you will be able to ask me any questions you want. LEGO-SAN has set up this thread-

http://www.myasianfashion.com/forums/display_topic/id_3561/SHOW-AND-TELL-QUESTIONS-FOR-Luna_Rain/

The deadline for asking questions is Tuesday the 22nd.

I already have my outfit planned. I am just waiting on a head bow in the mail. I also have a back-up outfit just in case the post is slow! It will be interesting to see what questions I will be asked and hopefully it wont turn out like my lucky pack video with the jumpy sound. I am slightly nervous but also really excited. If I get the chance I will post the video on here too.

When safety gets compromised

Whenever I wear Lolita I experience both positive and negative reactions to the fashion. Whilst I am secretly thrilled when people want to take my photo and when I get compliments, I am fully aware that at some point I will come across people who dislike what I do.

I think Western lolitas have a much harder time than Japanese lolitas. Whilst Japanese lolitas will also get criticised, the Lolita fashion is more widely known. In the Western world most people would be able to identify a goth or emo but probably not a Lolita. Sadly we live in a world where we lash out at the unfamiliar. As a result, I have come across people who will attack me simply because I don’t blend in with the crowd.

And yet I still wear the frilly dresses I crave so much.

An example of one of these occasions was when I was taking photographs in a park. My friend was taking photos of me whilst my other friends watched on. What they didn’t see was there was a little kid running up to me behind them. The mother looked absolutely horrified and dragged the child away as quickly as she could. I continued to smile for the camera, whilst my friends remained oblivious to the woman behind them. I overheard somebody commenting that I could be a part of the sex industry and to stay away. I was wearing sweet Lolita at the time.

I felt incredibly embarrassed. I knew that if I was able to explain about the fashion, then their reactions would probably be very different. It is almost as if people are afraid of the unknown. They did not understand what I was doing and so they came to conclusions based on the world that they know. Which is why instead of seeing a sweet Lolita, they saw an age-play fetishist posing for some photos. It probably doesn’t help that when you say the word Lolita, some people will immediately think of the book with the same name!

Once I had moved on I was able to laugh at the incident. It was relatively funny compared to how things could have turned out.

Before I was in to Lolita, I used to wear punk fashion every single day. As a whole, most of the negativity was harmless. It was mainly people shouting out “hilarious” comments. My form tutor used to sing “These Boots Were Made For Walking” every time I wore my New Rocks with the red flames painted on the side. Afterwards I would just carry on. However, there were a few times where I got a little scared by how far people would go to try to upset me.

I live in a town which by English standards is pretty average. We have our problems just like everywhere else. One of the main issues is this whole yob culture and pettish thuggery. People will attack total strangers. Despite wearing very casual clothing I became a victim last Saturday. I was walking through a car park to get home because it is the quickest way home. It is a gathering point for young people enticed by the glamorised gang culture on TV. Their current favourite hobby is fireworks. So as I walked past they threw a lit firework at me. They were not even the slightest bit concerned that they could have hit me. In fact, they were laughing. The firework landed just a metre away from me and as it went off the sparks flared out. I was very lucky that none of the sparks caught me. We have since reported this incident to the police but have had no response.

To get in to town and to the train station I have to go through this car park or it will add a lot of time on to my journey. I can’t drive and I can hardly ask people to ferry me around. I often wonder how they would react to my Lolita. There are times when it is best to keep your head down. So far I have been very lucky with my timing and there have been hardly any people out and about. I am not in the slightest bit ashamed of wearing Lolita but my safety is being compromised.

And this is why I would never hold a Lolita meet in my home town. The lack of safety. I can cope with people pointing and staring but my neighbourhood makes it hard to just go out and do whatever I want. All the meets I have attended have been in other nearby towns or in London, never here. I admire girls who post on Daily Lolita and say they have been to the shops or that they go to work in Lolita. It is great that they have this freedom. If I wasn’t so worried about the youths in my area I would wear Lolita everywhere.

I will never be forced to give up Lolita. If I did give it up, it would be my decision and nobody else will have a say in the matter. But I cannot stress how important it is not to compromise your safety. I usually get my husband to escort me whilst I am in Lolita. A lot of the time he even comes to meets with me providing the others don’t mind.

There are a lot of things I want to say but I have decided to give a very heavily edited version of events. I am not suggesting in any way that by dressing in Lolita you will get attacked. But due to past experiences, both in and out of Lolita, I don’t think I will ever let my guard down. Lolita is a bold and daring fashion and I admire so many of you. And please don’t be put off Lolita because for every bad experience I have had, I have had about 10 people telling me how wonderful they think I look.

5 useful items

Today I thought I would talk about products which are not essential but could be helpful for a Lolita. Sometimes when I am getting dressed up it can take me 2 hours. I am always looking for shortcuts and ways to keep me looking good throughout the day. I have also been trying to think of different uses for items. So here are a few products and how I would like to use them.

1. Dry Shampoo- I have been using dry shampoo for a couple of years now. It is very useful for when you don’t have time to properly wash your hair. Also, hair is usually easier to style when it has not been freshly washed and dry shampoo helps to make unwashed hair look less greasy but still a little bit easier to style. I find it is useful for when you want to do big hairstyles and it also adds a texture for messier styles. If you purchase a wig and think it looks too shiny then you could also use dry shampoo to give the wig a more matte appearance. Dry shampoo comes in different forms such as a powdery spray or mist. My advice would be to avoid powdery dry shampoo if you have dark hair. If you have dark hair then powdery dry shampoo can make it look like you have a flaky scalp. Some dry shampoos have been made especially for darker hair so shop around to see what you find. I use Batiste dry shampoo because it comes in a variety of nice scents.

2. Clear nail polish- clear nail polish is great for finishing off your nails and give a subtle glossy appearance. But it can also be used to temporarily repair ladders in tights. I would also use it on shoes which have a glossy finish. Shoes get scuffed and the shine goes so I would clean the area and add some clear nail polish so it looks less noticeable.

3. Sock glue- this is a product I am yet to try but I have seen it on some websites such as jbox.com and in some clothes stores. As much as I love over the knee socks, they can fall down very quickly and you don’t always want to wear tights either. According to reports, sock glue can help combat this problem. It could just be a gimmick but it might be worth a try. The alternative is to use lingerie such as suspender belts. They should be hidden away so nobody would need to know!

4. A Nude bra- a lot of people don’t seem to think about their underwear when wearing Lolita which is fine if you are not intending to take lots of photos. When using the flash on a camera, underwear can show if you are not wearing the correct colour. White bras can look luminous under black clothing and coloured bras show under white clothing. Even white bras could show up under a white blouse. The easiest way to avoid these problems is to buy a nude coloured bra which shouldn’t show up. Nude does not have to mean boring or old and if you have a look around it is possible to find a cute nude bra. Another good idea is to always double check you are wearing the correct bra size. Wearing the wrong size can give a lumpy appearance which does not do any favours for your silhouette even when you are wearing many layers.

5. Stickers- I have noticed a lot of people have been using stickers, especially for sweet and OTT sweet styles. I have a lot of admiration for Lolita sticker lovers. There is nothing particularly special about stickers but how you use them can make a huge impact. You can stick them pretty much anywhere you like so the only limit is your imagination. Face, hair (be careful if you stick these on your hair!), nails, on your clothes, accessories... the possibilities are endless. If you have a big sheet of stickers it can be fun to decorate letters or make some Lolita calling cards with stickers on them. You could put the same sticker next to your signature each time and people will instantly recognise you!

There are lots of other really useful items out there so someday I may extend this post!

Items of Desire- fluffy Candy Violet petti

I decided to start a little series on items called Items of Desire. These are items which have had very positive reviews online and which would be very useful for lolitas in general.

So for this entry my item of desire is this-

http://www.vivcore.com/mm5/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=VC&Product_Code=CV04-900&Category_Code=6CV_foundations

This is the Fluffy Petticoat by Candy Violet. Why is it an item of desire? Because according to some very happy lolitas, this is one of the best petticoats out there. It delivers a very good puff which would be suitable for sweet lolitas. Also, it has been reported that this petti keeps its puff for a very long time. It costs $56 and when you consider how long it lasts, I think this is an absolute bargain. It definitely puts my flat Bodyline petti to shame.

Want an alternative? Candy Violet also offers the Lace petticoat which has slightly less puff. I have also heard good things about this Closet Child petti-

http://closetchild.ocnk.net/product/2589

Bodyline, whose petticoats usually don't last very long, recently released a petticoat which costs $100. It is double the size of their normal petticoats. Quite frankly, I think this is a waste of money compared to the Candy Violet petticoat. If it is anything like their other petticoats, it wont last as long and for just over half the price, you can get the Candy Violet one.

So hopefully I will be able to put the spotlight on some other great items in the future. If you have any suggestions for items which you think deserve a little love, then please feel free to let me know.

And I would just like to say I have not abandoned my other series Taming the Beast, about hair tutorial reviewing. I have just been taking a break from it!

Bodyline order Feb 2011

I did a small Bodyline order because I felt I could do with a few new bits. The first thing I noticed was a very confusing sale sign on the first page. I still have no idea what this advert means and it doesn't look as though any items have been reduced so don't all go rushing on there expecting anything! And whilst the Bodyline site was still a little on the slow side, I noticed that it was a bit faster than usual. Just for reference, I was on the site at around 11AM GMT time when the speed seemed to pick up.

The package was sent out very quickly, something which I have come to expect with Bodyline. I was not left waiting around for the tracking this time and the value was marked at $15 so I didn't get any nasty customs fees. It was packaged in the usual DHL bags.

My first purchase was a skirt I had been watching on the Japanese site. The waffle skirt!

I was a little disappointed to see that my favourite colour was sold out (I wanted pink). If Bodyline intends to restock an item there will usually be a note somewhere on the page. Unfortunately it doesn't look as though the waffle skirt will be restocked so I had to make do with black.

The skirt size was true to the measurements Bodyline gave. The waist band is half shirred. I quickly tried the skirt on and noticed it was a tiny bit shorter than usual. Usually Bodyline skirts reach my knee very easily but this time it only just reached the knee area. I have not planned how I intend to wear this skirt yet so I don't have any worn photos right now.

Here is a little close-up of the print. I would have liked to have seen more definition on the waffles but it looks nicer in person than it did on the Bodyline website. I think it looks pretty! Bodyline have been doing a lot of sweets prints at the moment. Compared to some of the others such as the macaron tower and the biscuit one, the waffle skirt is not quite as nice but it is still very cute.

My main annoyance was the lace at the bottom. It is very soft and not at all itchy but looks-wise, it is not very appealing. It looks a little cheap. I was also not impressed with how the lace looked at the seam. As you can see in the picture it is a bit untidy and Bodyline could have done a lot better.

And here is the detachable bow. I will probably attempt to turn it in to a headbow. I do wish that Bodyline would make more matching headpieces instead of just the detachable bow. Bodyline did do a matching headbow for the carousel series but trust me, it does not look pretty! It sits on the head really strangely. The detachable bow is a decent size. There is a slight loose thread which I need to quickly remove but I am happy with it.

I also had to order some new white socks. They are basically the same as my other white Bodyline pair. My other pair got damaged with rain water. I need to bleach them because nothing is getting those stains out. It is nice to know I now have a spare pair if the bleaching goes wrong. From previous experience I know these socks will have a tendency to slip down my legs but I really needed a basic pair of white socks and I thought Bodyline would be the cheapest option.

I also ordered 2 dark pink strawberry hair ties. They were only $1 each so I thought why not! I will be wearing these with my strawberry Bodyline dress because I still don't have a matching headpiece for it.

Overall, I couldn't be any happier with the socks and hair ties. I love the skirt but I dislike the lace. Bodyline's service was once again reliable and even the website seemed quicker!

I am selling my Meta blouse

I just wanted to let everybody know that I have put my Metamorphose lucky pack blouse on Ebay. I was intending to post on EGL Sales but I don't have a feedback page yet.

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=330528129361&ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT#ht_500wt_1156

My friend Alice recently won a prize in the Hyper Japan favourite outfit competition. She didn't want the prize so guess who got lucky! I just bagged myself a free Baby parasol!!!! And my Bodyline order has arrived so I shall be reviewing that soon. Stay tuned!

Big Fat Gypsy Wedding

Here in the UK one of the most discussed TV shows right now is Big Fat Gypsy weddings. It has caused a lot of controversy because it has shown girls as young as 5 gyrating their hips in revealing outfits and there have been questions about whether viewers are tuning in to laugh with or at the gypsies. They definitely live very differently from non-travelers. And don't get me started on the dating business. They do this thing called "the grab" and if a guy grabbed me and forced a kiss on me I would punch him.

But the main draw for me is the gypsy weddings. The girls wear the most ridiculous OTT dresses ever. Seriously, these dresses are HUGE. I can promise you that you have never seen wedding dresses like the ones these girls wear. Think of a Barbie doll but even bigger and more sparkly. One girl even had lights and moving butterflies on her dress. The dress maker took a fire extinguisher with her to make sure she didn't set fire to herself!

It was a cake from this weeks' episode that made me gasp. I think there are some lolitas out there who would love a cake like this-

I can't get over how huge it is! Not only is there the castle in the center, but loads of surrounding cakes, fairy lights and they have used Barbie dolls to represent the bride, groom and bridesmaids. They even used hair curlers to curl the doll's hair so it looked like the girl.

This cake is so gloriously over the top. Some would say this looks a little tacky but I have a real soft spot for this cake. Yes, a lot of viewers are tuning in to gasp at the gypsies, but the TV ratings speak for themselves. They were saying this is the most popular documentary this TV channel has ever done. It is guaranteed to leave you speechless.

Chained Berry Memoir by Baby

After reading the most recent Kera magazine, I got very excited about the latest Baby the Stars Shine Bright print. I have been waiting patiently for more pictures so I could review it! This is Chained Berry Memoir.

I am a huge strawberry obsessive so I have to admit I can be a bit biased when it comes to strawberry prints! At first glance the print is quite similar to other brand strawberry prints. What I like about this one is the use of ribbon threaded lace as part of the print instead of using the actual lace in its place. It had the potential to look a bit too cartoon-like but I don't think it looks too bad. I love the alternating lines of lace and berries running down the print and I am happy to see some vertical lines. One of my main dreams for 2011 was to see some more vertical lines because they can be very flattering. The strawberries look very plump and juicy. I am not too bothered about the logo but if you love showing off your brand then at least everybody can see what you are wearing!

The set comprises of 2 dresses, a skirt, a bolero, a top, a head bow, a bag and 2 different socks. That is a lot of stuff! This set will be great for people who love to wear an entire set from head to toe because it gives you plenty of options.

Here is the first dress, the Jenny jumperskirt. Whilst I liked the idea of including the ribbon lace as part of the print, I don't think it works well on the dress straps which is what they have done with this dress. I would have just used the stripy part of the fabric. I don't think these straps would give a lot of support. They look a bit flimsy in some of the photos. Baby have used strawberry lace for this dress (what else!) which looks fine running around the edge of the bodice but in my opinion, looks a bit strange on the straps. I love the little crochet strawberries dangling from a little bow. It looks really cute! I don't like having a lot of crochet but I think Baby have got the balance right. The corset detail on the front is very neat and tidy with two lines if a more simpler lace running down either side. I am still undecided about having two corset parts on the bodice but it has been done very neatly on the front.

The back corset does not look as neat but in all fairness, Baby are trying to hide the shirring here. My main concern with this dress is how baggy it looks. Obviously you will be able to tighten the corset parts but there appears to be a lot of fabric which could swamp smaller girls. I would have liked the print on the waist ties to be running vertically instead of horizontally so it matches the dress. The skirt part has a nice shape which is not too bulky. The strawberry lace running along the bottom looks very wide and I don't think it looks as appealing.

Then we have the Maria jumperskirt. The main feature here is the Peter Pan style collar which I have seen about a fair bit so I am assuming it is fashionable right now. It is finished with a cute pink bow. I don't usually like having lots of bows but I think it works well on this dress. Sadly, the shape of the bodice looks very unflattering. This definitely wont suit those with a larger bust. I think it looks a little uncomfortable. Also, I think the waist part sticks out a lot because you have a band of the print running around it horizontally. It looks untidy and it doesn't really help to flatter the waist.

The back part looks very neat and the shirring is tucked away behind a corset which is similar to the one on the front of the first dress. Again, I would have loved the print on the waist ties to be running vertically instead of horizontally. If I had this dress I would be very tempted to wear a cute cropped cardigan and then pull the collar out so it is poking through. The overall shape of the dress is not as good as the first dress. If it nipped in at the waist a bit better, I think it would look a lot prettier. The skirt shape is not as nice as the first dress in my opinion. It looks a little too flat. The lace running along the bottom just has polka dots on it. The more I look at this 2nd dress, the more appealing the 1st dress seems to be! If only the bodices looked a little nicer!

I am a huge fan of the bag! I wish I had the money for it! It shows off the vertical parts of the print very well and it is simple enough that you could wear it with other strawberry dresses by different brands. It is finished of simply at the top as well.

Here is one of the 2 pairs of socks for this series. The other pair looks like a lot of other generic strawberry socks. They look pretty but they are almost identical to lots of other strawberry socks. The ones in the picture are a little different. I think these look very cute. Again there may be a bit of a clash between vertical and horizontal lines if you are wearing the dress but I don't think this detail matters as much with the socks.

Whilst I absolutely adore this print, I feel a little let down by the bodices on both dresses. Maybe the first dress would look better if they had tightened the bodice a bit more on the dummy. My favourite dress is the first one because I am a little bit picky about some of the details on the second dress. I don't think this series is particularly special, especially if you are not as obsessed with strawberries as I am. I wouldn't mind getting pieces from this series but I am not going to go all out, desperately trying to get my hands on these items. Except the bag. I love the bag!