Luna Rain

A Valentine Thank You!

2012-02-11T02:14:00.000-08:00

I got another Lolita Valentine today! I am going to assume the maker saw my Daily Lolita or blog entry because that was one of the photos I used! So a huge thank you!

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/115167.html#cutid1

I am number 8 today! I especially love how I got called a Cookie Girl! :)

A massive thank you again!

Fox Cherry and TaobaoSpree review- Neutral

2012-02-10T04:05:00.000-08:00

Today I will be reviewing my very first Taobao order! It came from a shop called Fox Cherry- http://foxcherry333.taobao.com/

If the name Fox Cherry sounds familiar, it is because there was a review of them on EGL. In fact, it was this review that made me go ahead and place an order. Fox Cherry make lolita inspired accessories (mainly hair stuff) and because it is Taobao, the prices are cheap. I ordered some things for myself and also some items for the Feb Ox Loli meet, which sadly, did not get here in time (more on that later)

The majority of this review relates to my experience using the Taobao shopping service Taobao Spree- http://www.taobaospree.com/

Communication

I was assigned Lucy, who was going to look after my Taobao order for me. I would love to say that Lucy was amazing but to be honest, I found the experience to be annoying. An example of this would be when Lucy attached the wrong spread sheet to my order. You fill in Taobao Spree's spreadsheet and then before they order, they send it back to double check to make sure they have the right order. We got quoted the right price but we got somebody else's order on the spreadsheet. Considering this was my very first Taobao order, this did not help my first-time nerves at all. It was hardly a massive mistake but it did not leave a good first impression. Of course, I also have to allow for China being 8 hours ahead of the UK, but despite this, I still found Lucy a bit too slow responding for my liking.

One of the biggest factors about my Taobao order was that I ordered on the 4th of January knowing fully well that Chinese New Year was coming up. And this was a risk that I had decided to take and obviously Taobao Spree was not in any way responsible for this. However, my order did come on Taobao Spree's last working day before they started their holiday. But unfortunately Lucy only gave me one hour to respond with my final payment and did I get that email in time? Nope! So I had to wait a fortnight for Taobao Spree to come back off their holidays before it got posted. Now, I cannot stress enough that this was my fault and NOT Taobao Spree's fault but I was a bit disappointed that I hadn't been given more time to pay before they went away. Whether this was because of the slowness of the Chinese post or whether Lucy was slow, I don't know. If you take just one bit of information from this review make sure it is this- NEVER order from Taobao right before Chinese New Year.

Ease Of Use

Taobao Spree's fees were relatively easy to work out because it was all set out on the spreadsheet. Before they order they double check with you if you want to go ahead, which gives you the opportunity to back out if you are unhappy. At first I found filling in the spreadsheet to order a bit daunting. Luckily, Taobao Spree have included Youtube videos (made by other people) on their website showing how to do it. I found the video very helpful and without it, I would have been confused.

Charges

Taobao Spree's charges were very reasonable. Even after all their fees were added on top, I only paid roughly £8-9 per item. This is still relatively cheap, especially considering how much re-sellers would probably charge.

Shipping

After the 2 week Chinese New Year break, my order was shipped by Taobao Spree on the 1st of February and it arrived on the 8th. I didn't have any nasty customs fees to pay so it came quite quickly.

My order was placed inside a bubble wrap envelope. It was very secure and not damaged at all.

Inside, every item was individually wrapped in plastic and then bundled in to a large plastic bag. The items were a bit squished together but nothing was damaged and it was all very secure.

Overall, I would like to give Taobao Spree a positive feedback rating. Despite Lucy's slip-up and the Chinese New Year fiasco, I don't think I have any solid complaints about Taobao Spree's service. The neutral feedback in the title of this post is actually for Fox Cherry.

I ordered 5 items- 3 rose corsage veils, a double pink rose hair comb and a pearl hairband with rose decoration.

These are the 3 headdresses. I got 2 in all-black and one in blue x black. When you order such cheap items you can always argue that you "get what you pay for". Actually, I was happy with the appearance of all of my items.

The reason why I am giving Fox Cherry a neutral feedback is because as soon as I opened the packages this very strong smell of cigarette smoke hit me. All of the items I ordered absolutely stank of smoke. For some reason, the rose veils were the worst affected. It is a good job I managed to get the smell out with some Febreeze spray. I also found that everything was covered in thin strands of glue and I picked a lot of this off before taking this photograph. The edges of the material were rough in places so I am concerned they may fray. However, the ribbon used does appear to be of good quality.

This pearl headband was the least affected by the smoke and glue. It was actually meant for the Ox meet raffle and after trying it on, I don't think it suits me. So I will be looking to sell this soon. I doubt I will get very much for it. Despite not being affected as badly, I am still going to give it a quick spray with Febreeze.

A close-up of the flower bit.

I have decided to keep the pink rose comb for now. It is actually very beautiful in person.

For some reason, I got given a free Fifi Lapin mirror. I am probably going to chuck it in with the pearl headband as a free gift when I sell that. But it was a nice gesture.

So overall, this has been a very mixed experience. Although I got these items cheaply, I still can't justify giving Fox Cherry a positive review, because I don't think I am being unreasonable when I expect the items to not smell of cigarette smoke. Plus it wasn't much fun trying to peel little trails of glue off the items. I am just trying to be as honest as possible, and in all honesty, I was not majorly impressed with the items I received. I don't know... do you think I have been too harsh? Let me know what you think.

But I would use Taobao Spree again. I think with a little practice and a bit of "getting used to" the service, I would become more confident. And I still think it is a better option than buying from re-sellers such as Qutieland, whose prices work out a lot higher. So yes, Taobao Spree does get a positive rating from me. I just wish I hadn't been so stupid as to order right before Chinese New Year.

Lolita comes to the Victoria and Albert in London!

2012-02-08T03:31:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I was very surprised to find out that there is going to be an exhibition about lolita fashion in the Victoria and Albert Museum! It has just sort of appeared out of the blue, and I think there are many UK lolitas who were pleasantly surprised by the news.

Kitty and the Bulldog: Lolita Fashion and the Influence of Britain will run between April the 23rd and October the 14th. That gives plenty of time for people to go and visit. There is also going to be a lolita meet held there in May (which I should be going to, so if you are coming I will see you there!).

Details can be found here- http://www.timeout.com/london/museums-attractions/event/250397/kitty-and-the-bulldog-lolita-fashion-and-the-influence-of-britain

It is part of the British Design Season and will be held in room 45.

Obviously, the V and A is a beautiful museum anyway, so it would be interesting to visit other stuff which is on display.

I find it interesting that this display has come up and at this time. Is this a sign that lolita fashion is growing even further in the UK? Will the museum "get it right" or will it be some strange version of lolita that is not really relevant? (Which could be a little embarrassing!) Either way, Hyper Japan was recently mentioned in a newspaper article and it is hard to ignore the growing number of new UK lolitas.

I have a good feeling about this exhibit. I am not suggesting lolita will become mainstream (and I wouldn't want it to become mainstream) but maybe, just maybe, the fashion is starting to get a bit of recognition here.

The Feb 2012 Ox Meet- our 1st Anniversary!

2012-02-06T04:54:00.000-08:00

After going mental with planning, the Feb Oxfordshire Lolita meet finally came around! Although technically our anniversary was in late January, we celebrate it in early Feb.

For this special day, I made everybody heart-shaped sugar cookies! People thought the OX was for 'hugs and kisses' but it was actually meant to be short for Oxford! Here I am modelling my hard work. As you can see, I went for a cookie theme with my outfit too because I was wearing Wonder Cookie. The cookies were very tasty and everybody said they liked them.

We went to the Mitre for a nice sit-down lunch. I held a little vote for best sweet outfit, best classic etc. Some of the votes were very close and I almost ended up getting 2 of my prizes back! I literally lost out by one single vote for best sweet and best host. The 3 best outfit categories got given a rose corsage (made from an English GLB pattern) and other small prizes, such as hair accessories and letter sets. I was really worried about the roses. I have to admit that I am not a good crafter and the roses were just meant to be a bit of fun. Nobody complained though! At least I don't think they did...

Results-
Best Sweet- Sammi
Best Classic or Country- Jenni
Best Gothic or Alternative- Amber
Best Host- Jenni
Best handmade and creative- Nicola

We also held a raffle. Don't be fooled by the picture- there were a LOT of prizes that were kindly donated. I also put some stuff in too! I ended up with 3 new rings, which are very cute.

Here was my outfit for the day. The stupid waiter spilled coke down my dress. After Beau helped me wash it out in the bathroom sink, we got it out. Don't worry- the expensive Angelic Pretty dress is totally fine now! I got a free meal as compensation and the waiter was absolutely petrified of me for the rest of the day. He was very lovely about it, but there is something amusing about this waiter being scared of a little sweet lolita like me!

Outfit rundown-

Dress, head bow, socks- Angelic Pretty (Wonder Cookie print)
Bolero, shoes- Bodyline
Blouse (not shown)- K Star
Parasol- Baby the stars shine bright
Accessories- Chocomint and off-brand

A bonus picture of me pretending to be a Teenage Mutant Hero Loli!

We were meant to have 5-10cm of snow that day (the UK appears to totally shut down, even with a pathetic amount of snow). It did start snowing in the afternoon but thankfully, it didn't really settle and was not really an issue. The meet was quite large with most of the Oxford regulars being there, and also some new faces too (who were lovely!). Despite my minor bad luck, I have not been put off hosting... but I probably need to give myself a break before I attempt to host again!

An Ox Loli Valentine thank you!

2012-02-04T10:57:00.000-08:00

I have just come home from hosting the Feb Ox Meet (more on that on Monday). And what do I see? The Ox lolis got a valentine! Our group celebrated our first anniversary.

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/114515.html#cutid1

We are all in number 5!

After the waiter spilled coke all over my white Wonder Cookie dress (Don't worry, the coke came out! Thank you Beau!) it was so lovely to spend time today with the girls and then come home to a lovely valentine! So a huge thank you to the maker. I am 95% sure I know who you are ;)

Brilliant Princess by Meta

2012-02-03T06:29:00.000-08:00

Today I will be looking at Brilliant Princess by Meta. I didn't get the chance to save all of the series pictures, so if there is something missing I am sorry!

This is the pinafore JSK. The bodice looks a good shape and is very well fitted. The waist has 2 small bows on either side. The bows are very shapely and sturdy. I also think the waist bows are not over-powering and blends in well with the design. Around the neckline there is another small bow. Without it, the dress would probably be too plain. The bow here is also nicely shaped. The folds give it extra depth, texture, and makes it more interesting. I absolutely hate the way the straps have been done on this dress. 2 sets of straps are not uncommon but... 3 pairs? Is that really necessary? And they are all very thin straps as well, so they are not really adding anything to the design. The neckline also has some very subtle thin lace along it, which stops the neckline edge looking too harsh and flat. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed by a ribbon corset. It has been done very tidily, apart from a trail of ribbon dangling down at the bottom. The back is still better looking than most Meta dresses. It is a shame this dress doesn't have more generous measurements. The skirt has that very rounded shape. Meta usually make their skirts too straight, so I am impressed by the skirt shape. It looks like it will also flare outwards a lot, but not as much as your standard Meta piece. However, some might see that as a good thing. The skirt is very plain with just some more thin lace on the bottom hem. Some will say this dress is too plain, but actually, I think this is the best dress in the series.

This is the frill pinafore JSK. The bodice is very well fitted and has a good shape. The waist has 2 small bows, exactly the same as the previous dress. The bodice has 4 thin lines of vertical lace running down the front. Vertical lines are meant to be slimming but the contrasting colour lace means you will emphasise your figure. This dress has very small measurements and that is probably a good thing, because this style will suit a smaller waist and flatter stomach. The front also has a ribbon corset. The ribbon is very shiny and I think the dress would look better without it. There is also a chiffon panel, which fits in with the bottom of the skirt. The chiffon looks soft and has been used well, but if you don't like it, it is removable. The straps are a good width and cross over at the back, which looks good. The back has a panel of shirring but it is so ridiculously small that it really doesn't need to be there. The ribbon corset concealing the shirring looks very crowded too. The skirt has that typical Meta shape- wide and flares out a lot and slightly triangular in shape. Meta also appears to be copying Angelic Pretty and making the skirt length shorter. The skirt will hold a lot of petticoat underneath, but if you put too much underneath, it will end up even higher on your leg. It is about striking that perfect balance without looking too OTT. Despite the shape, I do like the skirt design. The bottom hem has 2 layers of soft and floaty looking material; definitely suitable for a princess. The top of the chiffon is topped with 2 small bows. They are small enough that they don't ruin the design, but maybe they could have been moved apart a bit more because they line up with the wast bows. So you have a very bunched together cluster of bows which appear in a square shape.

This is the OP. You can sum up this design in 3 words- lots of lace. The bodice doesn't look as well fitted as the JSKs but it still has a good shape. There is a large waist bow, with a line of small pearls dangling from it. It has a pretty shape, but looks a tiny bit droopy. The front has vertical lace and chiffon running up it, only to be met by even more lace, because there is a massive panel near the neck. Sadly, this time the panel doesn't appear to be detachable. There is also a choker, which is not shown in these pictures.

This is a close-up of the sleeve detail. I don't think all of the lace is needed. I also thought the sleeves were too wide, but I guess it is good for your typical hime lolita style.

The back has a shirring panel but I also think the shirring is too narrow. Because of this, the ribbon corset concealing it looks too bunched together and messy. It also means that all 3 dresses wont be that good for plus-sized lolitas which is usually something Meta is good at providing. The skirt shape looks very triangular and flares out loads. It is good for stuffing lots of petticoat under, but is very OTT. Judging by the model pictures, the skirt length is short on the OP too. The lace and chiffon from the bodice continues down on to the skirt, and spreads outwards, giving a very princessy shape. This line is also topped with bows made from shiny ribbon. I really dislike the use of wide lace at the bottom because I think it cheapens the design. I guess the whole point of the OP is to look like an OTT princess, but I really dislike it.

And here is what the print looks like. Is it just me, or does something with the print look a bit off? I don't know whether it is the colours used, or the actual print itself. All I know is that as soon as I looked at it, I thought it looked strange. There are parts of the print that I like. The 2 swans, swimming on water inside of a heart shape is pretty. All your essential princess items are there. There is the castle, the royal emblems and use of gold. But as a whole, I don't think the print works well.

I quite like this hair accessory from the series. I like the versatility of the design. You could probably wear this with both sweet and classic lolita. The colours might be a bit too sweet for classic, but I see no harm in trying it! The print is not that dominant here, meaning you wouldn't have to wear it with Brilliant Princess.

These are the socks that come with the series. There is nothing particularly "new" about the design and there are similar designs out there. However, they are quite pretty. They would be a good purchase because you could match them to other series with a fairy tale sort of theme.

So overall, I am not impressed by Brilliant Princess. Just recently, I have not been as enthusiastic about new Meta releases. If they keep releasing prints like this, I am really going to fall out of love with Meta. The first JSK helps redeem the series a bit, but there is just so much here that made me shake my head. I can't see Brilliant Princess or Cotton Candy (which I reviewed recently) selling well. If I had to pick something, I would go for the first JSK in navy. But I probably wouldn't waste my money on it. Ouch!

Bonjour Honey (Etsy) review- positive

2012-02-01T03:56:00.000-08:00

Today I will be reviewing a gold star clip replica which I have brought from Bonjour Honey on Etsy. Some of you may have already heard of this shop because it has been posted to various communities. Why? Because their shooting star clips are almost identical to the Chocomint star clips. Her Etsy feedback is 100% Positive!

Here is a link to the Etsy store- http://www.etsy.com/shop/BonjourHoney?ref=pr_shop_more

I didn't actually intend to buy a replica, but the thing is, the gold Chocomint star is a bit harder to get hold of. Gold was always the most popular colour choice. Most places stock the pink, but not gold. So I gave in because I had heard such strongly positive things about Bonjour Honey.

Ordering Process

Ordering from Etsy is quite straight forward. You will need an Etsy account, but it doesn't take too long to set one up. We were able to place an order very quickly. You can pay with Paypal, which is also a bonus. The owner of Bonjour Honey was very good at updating the order status so I always knew how far my order had processed. I didn't need to contact the seller, but I get the impression that she was a very sympathetic and responsible Etsy shop owner.

Shipping

From ordering, it took just over 3 weeks to get to here in the UK from America. The standard time it usually takes to deliver from the US to the UK is about 2-3 weeks for the type of shipping that was used. So when you take away the item making time, the shipping time was quite reasonable. There was never any need to panic. The item was shipped in a bubble wrap envelope with additional bubble wrap inside. So it was very secure indeed.

So is the replica star clip the same as the real thing? Yes. The 2 clips are almost identical. The differences are very subtle.

On the left we have the Bonjour Honey replica and on the right is a pink Chocomint star clip. There are a few subtle differences. The material used is the same, but the replica is slightly less shiny.

The edges on the Chocomint clip are slightly more rounded and the Chocomint star is also a bit plumper.

The stitching has been done very neatly. When compared to the chocomint clip, the stitching on the replica's 2 smaller stars is slightly more noticeable, but it has still been done well.

The replica's clip is a teeny bit smaller.

As you can see, the replica is VERY good. It is very close to the original and if you were quickly glancing, you wouldn't necessarily notice the gold one was a replica. The gold clip cost me about £10 including shipping. I think this is good value for money because of how well made it is.

The good thing about Bonjour Honey is that you can also ask for custom coloured stars. They have all sorts of options. If you have a particular colour in mind, it would be worth asking the shop owner to see if she can do it. Some of the additional options include black and silver stars. You can also change the pearl colour. The only thing which lets the Chocomint clip down is it only comes in pink and gold. If you get the 6% Doki Doki version, you have the additional choices of hot pink and blue (which is harder to find). So Bonjour Honey is also offering you colours which are not available elsewhere, which is brilliant!

So this was a very positive experience. I would definitely order from this Etsy seller again.

Trick Hat Pricked Heart by AatP

2012-01-30T10:30:00.000-08:00

I would just like to remind people that in the run-up to the Feb Ox Loli meet and Hyper Japan, my posting might be a bit erratic. I am going through a bit of a rough patch with my health as well. Please bear with me during this time!

So today I am looking at Trick Hat Pricked Hat (seriously!?) by Alice and the Pirates. Talk about a weird name! Anyway, this series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a head bow and socks. This is quite a small series, but hopefully it will still make an impact.

This is the corset JSK. The bodice is a good shape and is very well fitted. The corset style looks like it will cling to curves perfectly. There is a very generous use of lace, but it has been done in a way that doesn't look OTT. However, I am not sure I like the type of lace which has been used. I think some softer looking lace would have been pretty. There are 2 ribbon bows, which are shaped well and the ribbon looks good quality. Despite the shape of the bows being sweet, the deeper rich colours used help give it a classic feel. The straps on this JSK are a bit too thin for my liking because they look like they could slip around a lot. The straps are removable, which I think looks better.

This is a side view of the JSK, which shows the side ribbons. Although the idea is interesting, I don't think it has been carried out very well. The back bit, where the ribbon attaches to the JSK, looks messy.

The back part has a shirring panel. It is concealed by a ribbon corset, but the contrasting ribbon colour means it is highly viewable . The lace also runs down either side of the corset. However, it does make the area look tidier, even if it does draw attention. The skirt shape is a pretty bell shape. I get the impression that the shape is a bit rounder than your standard Alice and the Pirates dress. It is still a pretty shape for classic lolita and it will hold a lot of petticoat too. The skirt is suitably plain, so the print is displayed well. And then we get to the bottom hem... and it has a tassle trim! It is a very different idea, but maybe it reminds me a little too much of curtains! Whilst I think it works with the dress, I don't think I am convinced by it!

This is the baby doll JSK. The short bodice has a good shape to it. The heart neckline is very sweet, but I think it works well with the overall baby doll shape. The waist bow is huge, but it helps tie the waist in. However it probably wouldn't be a good idea if you are insecure about that area because it might draw attention to it. The bow does not have much shape to it, but it gives a relaxed feel to the dress. The bow is very dreamy and floaty. The lace used is very wide and wont appeal to everybody. The lace gathering and shape give it a very frilly and girly appearance. I can't see this appealing to some AatP fans. Whilst I do think the lace is a bit too wide, I actually like it! I think it gives the chest area extra volume and stops the area looking too flat. It also gives more texture. It is also interesting how the line of lace continues down the front of the bodice and meets the waist. It is a little bit different. The straps are thin, but there are 2 sets of straps which hold the dress in place well. I also think thinner straps work better with a baby doll shape. The back of the bodice is very narrow and could have been a bit wider. There is shirring on the back, which has been kept open, so it is exposed. It is not too noticeable on the darker colour ways. As the name suggests, this dress has a typical baby doll shape. I think this gives it a very relaxed style. It might be too casual for some, but I personally like the baby doll cut. The skirt has been kept simple, which stops the baby doll style from looking too clustered. The bottom hem is finished off with 2 layers of pretty looking lace.

And here is the print close-up. This print is available in ivory, purple, red and black. I think the red and black colours work the best because they are very deep and rich. The print is very detailed. You can see a lot of thought has gone in to the print by how detailed every single hat is. I love all the hats. Wouldn't it be brilliant if AatP actually made a couple of the hats featured in the print? The print also has interesting ribbons threading through it, which is interesting. There are also needles and pins dotted around the print too. It is very pretty. I am not sure it is my sort of print, but i do appreciate how beautiful it is.

These are the socks from the series. I think they are very pretty! I like the idea of the ribbon trailing down the socks and the pins link to the print theme. At the same time, I think that certain colours of the socks could fit in with classic prints from other series.

So overall, I think this is a very pretty series. I love the baby doll JSK. It is my favourite out of the 2 dresses. I think the tassle trim on the corset dress was just too much for me! I think the black and red colour ways work the best. When thinking of all the prints AatP have released, this series would probably not be that high on my list of priorities. But I still appreciate the well thought-out designs. I definitely wouldn't say no to owning it.

Operation Beautiful

2012-01-27T03:12:00.000-08:00

I found this blog through somebody I know online, and I had to share it! The message is so upbeat and positive. So, I present to you... Operation Beautiful!

http://operationbeautiful.com/

The idea is to post anonymous post-it notes in public places for other people to find. Imagine how amazing it would be to randomly find this note saying you are beautiful... It is such a simple idea, but it is so effective. If nothing else, hopefully it will raise a smile.

I am very tempted to make some post-it notes of my own. So if anybody reading this happens to live near me, do keep your eyes open!

A venture in to Bodyline- classic style

2012-01-26T04:08:00.000-08:00

With my upcoming hosting duties and Hyper Japan both in February, my blog posting might be a bit erratic at times. I will try to keep things going as normally as possible.

Bodyline have recently been making more classic lolita pieces. I have ordered from Bodyline many times, but almost everything I have brought has been for sweet outfits. But I have to admit, I am curious about some of Bodyline's classic pieces. I am especially interested by the floral prints.

This dress (which was released a few months ago) for example, has a simple floral design. In fact, it reminds me of the dress I got in my Metamorphose Winter 2010 lucky pack. I don't think the stock picture really helps because the model is sat down and shown from the back. That way, you can't really see how the skirt hangs and how it looks from the front. I have not seen any full reviews of this dress, but from word-of-mouth, I have heard that this dress is actually very pretty in real life.

This is one of the 2 new classic designs that I was looking at. The floral pattern on this one does remind me a bit of grandma's curtains, but strangely, I quite like that! However, I am not sure I like the design of the skirt. If they had removed the ruffle which is halfway down the skirt, I think it would look better, because the ruffles look a bit sweet. I am also unsure about the sweet looking yoke on the pink colour-way, but it was not the pink colour I was looking at. The one thing I do know is that I hate the sleeves on this dress! They look very shapeless and if I had the sewing skills, I would shorten them and add a gentle ruffle to make them less dull. Although the beige appears the most popular colour, I was actually most interested by the gre. I am guessing gre is short for green, but my initial reaction was that I might have finally found a dress which matches that so-called "sax-blue" that Bodyline use for their shoes! I also like how the pink flowers 'pop' out on the gre colour-way without looking too OTT. At $67 this dress is currently cheaper than most Bodyline dresses. The trouble is, would I want to gamble that much on a dress I am not entirely sure about?

This is the other new classic one I was looking at. I don't particularly like this design but it is interesting to see Bodyline using velveteen. It shows they are slowly experimenting with new designs and materials. I might not like this design, but who knows... in the future maybe Bodyline will get a bit more confident with velveteen and make a really nice velvet piece. At $80 for this dress design, this gets a firm 'no' from me. Despite not liking the dress, I would like to see this design released as a high-waist skirt. I think it has the potential to work.

I also went and had a look at this blouse. When I first saw this blouse I thought "Wow! Bodyline are finally releasing a deep brown coloured blouse!" and then I clicked on the picture and realised it was an optical illusion! Don't you think that from the distance the red/black blouse looks like brown? Maybe if you blur your eyes a bit too... Anyway, after realising my mistake I was feeling a bit sad. But then I looked at the other 2 colours that the blouse comes in (blue and grey) and I thought that actually, those 2 colours don't look too bad! I normally don't bother with the punk section on the Bodyline website and I have never been interested in stripy blouses before, but I quite like this one. I think that both the grey and blue designs have the potential to work really well with gothic lolita. I have never considered adding a grey blouse to my wardrobe before, but I do like this one. Before I go taking the plunge and buying it though, I would love to see how it looks in person and how people choose to co-ordinate it. I think I prefer the blue colour blouse.

So whilst there are no items that I would 100% definitely purchase, there is new stuff on Bodyline which has interested me. I will be keeping my eye out for any reviews of these items.

Fancy Box by Angelic Pretty

2012-01-23T04:54:00.000-08:00

Today I will be taking a look at the latest series from Angelic Pretty. This series is called Fancy Box. It has 2 dresses, a salopette (or overals as AP are calling this one), a skirt, socks, a head bow and there is also a beret to come.

This is the switching JSK. The bodice looks well fitted but I thought the overall shape looked a bit like a box shape. It doesn't look very feminine in shape, but it does have a lot of shirring in it, so hopefully it will fit around curves well. The polka-dot waist bow is very big, but I think it suits AP. What I like about it is that it is very sturdy and shapely, so it doesn't droop or lose its shape. The bow is detachable but I felt the dress looked better with the bow on. Underneath the bow, is a matching polka-dot ribbon, which is made to look like a belt (it ends at the sides, where it meets the waist ties). It is a bit risky with this style of print because you risk placing the belt on top of the print and it looking uneven or causing a strange break in the print. With this dress, you end up with a very wide part of the printed part before you get more of the solid coloured part. Thankfully, it doesn't look too bad or noticeable, so I think AP gets away with it here.

This is a close-up of the yoke part of the bodice. The lace used looks neat and tidy. Despite there being a lot of lace here, it doesn't look too over-powering. The 3 pink bows on the front are very cute. For me personally, I would want these bows to be a little bit smaller, but I do think it finishes off the yoke cutely.

The straps on this dress are thin and I would have liked them a bit wider so it gives better support. They are edged nicely with a cute scalloped style. The back of this dress has a massive panel of shirring and is half-shirred, meaning it is great for plus-sized lolitas. This panel has not been concealed by anything but because of the style of print, it doesn't look too bad, despite being quite exposed. The waist ties that come with this dress are very wide and are finished with a small cute bow and a wide layer of AP letter lace. I think it would have been better if the lace was a bit narrower here because it is wide. The skirt part has a nice rounded sweet shape to it. You will be able to get a lot of petticoat underneath to suit your sweet needs. I am very happy that the skirt part has been kept very plain because it means the print is the main focus of the dress. The bottom hem is finished off with more AP letter lace.

This is the ruffled shoulder JSK. The bodice on this dress looks a bit less 'boxy' in shape. On the AP website, there are pictures of the dresses being modeled and this dress did appear to be giving the model "boob loaf", but it did give nice curves. The waist on this dress is almost identical to the other JSK. It has the same material, waist ties etc, but on this dress, the bow has been moved to the side. Both styles do look very cute, but I think I prefer the other JSK's waist ribbon because it looked more puffy and it looks nice in the middle of the front. Despite this, this JSK's waist still looks very cute. Most of the bodice on this dress is simple, apart from some small detailing around the neckline.

To save myself some time, here is a picture which best shows the layout of the lace along the neckline. As you can see, they have used the AP letter lace again here, but this time is has ribbon threaded through the top part. The ribbon looks nice and soft, but not overly shiny and it is finished with a cute small bow. The bow has a nice shape, and is a more simple alternative to those who do not like the more OTT style that AP is now known for.

The straps on this dress are a bit wider and I think they look much better. As the name of this JSK suggests, there is a ruffle on the shoulder. The ruffle is spaced out well and not gathered too much. It looks cute and I think the ruffle width is about right for this dress. The back has a panel of shirring which is concealed by a ribbon corset, although this dress is only quarter shirred so the sizing is less generous. The skirt is not as rounded on this dress but it flares out nicely and will hold a lot of petticoat. I thought that this dress was very short, even by AP's standards. The skirt is more detailed on this dress, but it has been done beautifully and the print is still displayed well. Where the printed part ends, there is a line of heart punched lace, which looks really cute. There is then a line of AP letter lace underneath, despite the wide lace, it is not over-powering. The lace is topped by some small bows, which finishes the dress off nicely without attracting too much attention. The bottom then has a polka dot ruffle, which ties in well with the polka dot used on other parts of the dress.

And finally, the print close-up. This print is available in ivory, pink, blue and black (as demonstrated in this picture). I think my favourite is the blue colour because it contrasts well with the colours used in the printed part. This makes all the print details pop out. But I do think that every colour option works brilliantly with the print. All the cute boxes are so well detailed. They are topped with nicely drawn ribbons. I especially love the box with the cupcakes on it! The bunny and the bear look adorable but I can't help but think that the bear looks awfully familiar. I can't put my finger on where I have seen this bear before, but the design does seem familiar to me. I just don't know where from! But despite me thinking they don't look that original, the bunny and bear are still cute!

So overall, I do think this is a promising series. I can't see myself adding this to my wishlist, but the designs are very strong and well thought-out. I think AP knows what works for them and they do what they do very well. Hopefully this will be a crowd pleaser. If I had to pick a dress, I would go for the shirred JSK (the first one) and I would get it in blue. It will also be interesting to see the other items, such as the beret, when more pictures become available. However, my one major complaint about AP at the moment is that they are doing a lot of mini skirts right now but no standard length skirts (this series just has a mini skirt and the overalls). Whilst the mini skirts are cute, I am hoping we also get more standard length options in the future.

Paris Kids review- Positive

2012-01-20T03:39:00.000-08:00

Today I am reviewing my first order from the Paris kids Rakuten shop! For those not in the know, Paris Kids is very similar to Chocomint. They kind of remind me of an Asian Claire's Accessories store. All Paris Kids items cost 315yen and because some of their stock is similar to Chocomint, Paris Kids might actually work out cheaper (provided you choose your shopping service wisely). You can view their shop here- http://www.rakuten.co.jp/pariskids/

To order from here, you will require a shopping service. I used Japonica Market again (even though it did cost me a bit more). You can see my original review of Japonica here- http://luna-rain.blogspot.com/2011/11/japonica-market-review-positive.html For this order, I did attempt to use Tenso instead of Japonica, but I found it a bit confusing and it seemed more hassle than it was worth. However, if you want to keep your shopping service fees down, it might be worth checking Tenso out.

Because most of the actual transaction relates to Japonica, I am only going to review the bits I think are relevant to the actual Paris Kids order.

Cost

All Paris Kids items cost 315yen. Once all the shipping and Japonica fees were added on top, each item worked out at approximately £8 each. When I went to Chinatown, I saw Paris Kids items being sold for almost double that. So even with Japonica's fees, I still got a huge discount compared to buying it here in the UK.

Shipping

The speed of shipping between first ordering to receiving my items was very fast. It took under 2 weeks. Considering this was just after Christmas and it also had to go through Japonica, this was very fast. Yoshiyuki marked my parcel down again so I didn't get any nasty fees.

Packaging

My parcel was very securely packed.

This is what my box looked like after I ripped the address off. The box was very secure with no signs of damage. The tape used was a bit like that medical plaster tape you get, which is very strong. The tape was so secure, I had trouble opening the parcel up! But that is always a good sign!

Inside the parcel was wrapped in bubble wrap. I did notice one of my pearl necklaces was rattling around a bit, but the items inside were perfect with no flaws.

My bright pink Paris Kids bag!

This is just part of what I ordered. I can't show you the rest of the order because I got some things for the upcoming February Oxfordshire Lolita meet and I don't want to spoil the surprise! I got myself 2 gold pearl chains. I am not going to say why I got these chains but they will play a big part in something I hope to do *gives a suspicious wink*. And I ordered 2 fluffy rabbit brooches too because I think they are the cutest thing ever!

My favourite is the beige coloured rabbit brooch (but the pink one is cute too!). I actually got very lucky with this because the beige was out of stock until the day before I ordered. So I had to snap up the beige one while I could! The fake fur is so soft and although you can't really see in the picture, the brooch is quite plump. This brooch also comes in black and white. I am tempted to get those as well and then I can have a complete set...

On the back you can see the brooch has your typical 2 way clip, which makes the item very versatile. You could stick this on pretty much anywhere you desired.

So overall, this has been a very positive experience. I would definitely order from Paris Kids again because I really like their items. It is definitely worth checking them out.

Cotton Candy by Metamorphose

2012-01-19T04:56:00.000-08:00

Today I will be taking a look at one of the 2 new Meta prints. Brilliant Princess discussion should be coming up next week, but today I am looking at Cotton Candy. This series has 3 dresses, a salopette (yes, they have jumped on the bandwagon), a skirt, a head bow, hair combs and socks.

This is the short sleeve OP. This dress has a very high waist but the short bodice looks well fitted. It has a waist belt which has a very cute heart shaped buckle. However, the vertical stripes on the belt are wider than the stripes on the dress and I think it looks a bit strange. Maybe a solid colour belt would have been better here. The front has 3 bows. The 2 smaller satin bows are very shiny. The larger bow is nicely structured and layered nicely, which gives it more depth and makes it more interesting. I love the way it has been folded to give it extra movement. Although I personally don't really like the 2 small bows being there, I don't think the bows look too over-crowded, which is surprising considering the length of the bodice. I think they are about the right size. The neckline has a very pretty shape to it which is lined with non-distracting thin lace. The neck ties are also a nice touch, but are detachable if you don't like them. The sleeves have a nice slightly puffy appearance and they look decently stretchy too. The back has a shirring panel, which is concealed by a ribbon corset. It looks a bit crowded and untidy, but it doesn't draw that much attention.

And now, on to the skirt...

I thought I would show the model wearing it because I found it interesting. I don't know if it is just the stock picture, but the skirt looks huge! The model is probably quite small and the dress swamps her frame. Meta are known for making skirts which flare out a lot. It is good for when you want an OTT sweet shape because it will hold a lot of petticoat, but I think Meta have gone a bit too far with this one. In the worn photo, I also thought the skirt looked a bit triangular in shape, but that might be just the way it is being worn. The skirt has a line of tulle lace running halfway down it with small bows dotted along it. This helps to break up the very large skirt, but I don't particularly like it. The sheer size of the skirt is OTT enough! There also appears to be a lot of gathering which conceals the print a bit. The bottom hem is finished with a simple frill and another line of tulle lace, which looks a lot better when placed here and would look better without the other line halfway up the skirt.

This is the high waist pinafore JSK. The bodice is a good shape and well fitted. The waist ribbon is maybe a little too large but has a good sturdy shape to it. The waist ribbon is lined with tulle lace which looks pretty, but adds unnecessary bulk to an already large bow. The main part of the bodice is quite plain with just 2 thin lines of tulle lace running vertically up to it. Then we reach the neckline. There is a double layer of gathered chiffon running along the neckline, which is hard to miss. I don't mind the chiffon but I think it sticks outwards quite a lot, especially to the sides. It is a nice idea, but I don't think it has been executed well. The chiffon is topped with a cute, nicely shaped stripy bow. Having both the chiffon and the bow together is maybe a bit too much detail. The straps are a decent width. They are lined with ribbon and then finished with more tulle lace. The darker colour on the ribbon acts as a bit of contrast against the paler colours, which I suppose matches the ribbon on the skirt, but I am very undecided about it. The back has a large panel of shirring, which is very exposed because it is not covered by anything. I also hate the way that the chiffon along the neckline ends abruptly when it reaches the shirring, because it looks messy. Again, the skirt is very full and flares out well. The length is a bit short (don't be fooled by the stock photos) and if you puffed this out to the max it will definitely end fairly high up the leg. Thankfully, the skirt on this dress has been kept a bit plainer than the OP. There is the line of contrasting ribbon near the bottom which I mentioned earlier. The ribbon is a bit shiny, but it is made of satin so it should be good quality. The line of ribbon is topped by 2 bows, which are a bit big but are not too distracting. The bottom hem is finished with 2 layers of frilly chiffon which looks soft and doesn't stick out at an odd angle like the neckline chiffon.

This is the shirring JSK and possibly the closest to a standard lolita shape in this series. I am sorry about the picture used, but the Meta site did not have any better ones available. The bodice is not as tightly fitted as the other 2 dresses but as the name suggests, this dress has a lot of shirring in it, which gives the wearer a lot of stretch room. It is no that easy to spot, but the bodice is apparently tiered. The waist has 2 small bows placed on either side, which are very sturdy and well shaped. The front also has a panel topped with lots of small fiddly looking bows (you can see one in the photo poking upwards at the neckline) which I think looks a bit too fussy. However, it wouldn't be too hard to remove these if you wanted to and I still think this dress is the best option. The neckline has a good shape and the straps are a good width. Both are lined with thin lace which is thankfully, quite simple but at the same time I thought the lace looked a bit messy. The back has a panel of shirring, which is very exposed. However, if you are buying the black colourway then the shirring is barely noticeable. The skirt on this dress is my favourite of the 3 because although it still flares out a lot, it doesn't take it too far. The shape looks a bit less triangular and OTT. It will still fit a decent amount of petticoat underneath as well. The skirt is quite plain and there is not as much gathering, which means this dress displays the print best. The bottom hem is finished with more thin lace, which doesn't really grab the attention.

This is the print close-up (shown in black here). This print also comes in light blue and pink. I think the print looks best in black because you can see the print a lot clearer than with the other 2 colours. The print has very soft colours and they look a bit washed out and dull when it is not on a dark background. I find the print very underwhelming. It looks like an AP reject print and there is nothing that exciting or fresh about it. All the items in the print are made up of fluffy looking candy floss and there are some very odd items in there. For example, I think the cotton candy clock is strange when paired with sweets, bunnies and generally sweeter items. I also thought the cotton candy macaron looked odd and doesn't really work. And what is with the random squares flying out of the tea cups? My favourite bit of the print is the inclusion of the swan logo (made from cotton candy, of course!).

So I find this series to be disappointing. I think my main issue with this series is the inclusion of unnecessary OTT detailing on the dresses. If I had to pink a dress, I would go for the shirring JSK, but I would skip the dresses altogether and go for the skirt instead (which looks a lot nicer). This series makes me feel a little sad because I feel it has been a long time since Meta released a "must-have" print. Here is hoping my print discussion for the other new Meta print (Brilliant Princess) is a little more positive!

Jan 2012 Oxfordshire Lolita Meet- Bears!

2012-01-16T04:00:00.000-08:00

I have re-emerged from my holiday season hibernation and have attended my first meet since the October Ox Loli meet! I have been itching to see people and just go out somewhere for quite some time! The theme for this meet was bears because the group decided to go to Build-a-Bear and make an Ox Loli mascot. It was a bit crowded in the shop and a few people wanted to go to Games Workshop, so I didn't really help with the bear too much (sorry guys...). I think our new friend has a very cute tartan dress though!

So I would like to introduce you to Dolores! Or Lola, for short... This was the best picture I could find of our new mascot. She even has bloomers and a petticoat, so she is a good and respectable bear!

We also went to Noodle Nation. I have never been here before and now I really want to go back. Their food is yummy! I had salt and pepper chicken which was really spicy but tasty. I said to Michelle that we wouldn't need lip plumping gloss because the chili made our lips tingle! We also got given fortune cookies. Apparently Somebody is going to make me an offer I can't refuse. Well, I am still waiting... Later on, we also went to a cafe, where I shared a lovely slice of Victoria Sponge with my husband James.

Here is a group shot. Considering people were saying they wouldn't fit the bear theme, quite a few of us managed to pull something together.

I wore March of the Duck because I have no bear items in my wardrobe at all! I thought ducks were fluffy and cute anyway, so it was partially on theme. And I also had my Bodyline coat with me, which has fake fur on it.

Headbow, Skirt and bag (not shown)- Metamorphose (March of the Duck)
Cardigan, Blouse and shoes- Bodyline
Tights and accessories (not shown)- all off-brand

It was lovely to see people again after so long, although I think a few of us were suffering from bugs and viruses! Because I am hosting next month, I am currently in possession of Dolores. If I have time, I might make her a new accessory (but I am not making any promises!).

An interesting take on the headdress

2012-01-13T03:58:00.000-08:00

I decided to take a look at the Innocent World sale going on (do check out the website. If I wasn't saving for Hyper Japan, I would snap up Felicia Crown in an instant!) and I saw the new Elisabeth Rose series.

What caught my attention was not the dresses, but the head bow. Well, the website calls it a head bow, but in the worn picture I think it looks more like a headdress!

This is the Rose Ribbon Oval Head Bow. As you can see, it is not your standard head bow. Although this item is attached to a hair band, I can't help but feel it looks a little like a rectangular headdress. Rectangle headdresses are not considered that fashionable anymore, but I love this oval take on the idea. It looks like a more modern and fresh take on an older design. And I think it looks very beautiful! I love the use of 3D roses.

Although the blue looks beautiful, I think my favourite is the beige/pink colour. The dusky pink has a slight peachy hue to it.

I just wanted to share this piece today because I found it inspiring. I think if lolitas fall out of love with an idea, we should try and find a new way of wearing items or trying out something slightly different, with a few subtle changes. It is good to recycle!

Bon Bon Chocolat Dance Dance Dance by BABY

2012-01-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

Time for another print discussion! Today I will be looking at Bon Bon Chocolat Dance Dance Dance by BABY (who love giving prints really long names!). This series contains 2 dresses, a skirt, a blouse, 2 headbows (one print, one solid colour), socks and a selection of jewellery.

This is the Praline JSK. The bodice looks well fitted and a pretty shape. The neckline is a good scoop shape and is finished with this soft looking lace, which has cute little hearts running along the centre of it. The stock pictures suggest that there is another layer of lace hidden away underneath, which the dress doesn't really need as the main lace used is enough. The waist has a thin line of good quality ribbon running around it (with the colour-way shown, the ribbon used is a deep blue colour). This helps to define the waist a bit, although because of the busy nature of the print, this detail does get a bit 'lost' and you don't really notice it being there. The same ribbon is also used for a corset on the front. The corset looks a bit chunky because the spacing is close together and the ribbon is wide, which makes it look a bit messier. The sleeves are thin, but are bulked out a bit by soft lace. There is a lot of lace around this area, but I think the design just about gets away with it, without looking too much.

The bodice also has a very detailed large bow on the front. The bow is folded, giving it extra depth and movement. It has a lovely shape to it. The edges are lined beautifully with gold trim. As you can see in the picture, the bow also has a Baby logo charm on it, which I think is beautiful. The photo also shows that the bow is a different shade of blue to that used for the corset. I think the navy blue of the bow suits the dress better. Although the ribbon used for the corset is very vivid with a deep colour, I think it clashes a bit.

The back part has a shirring panel, which is concealed by a ribbon corset. Because of the style of print, the shirring blends in well. The skirt has a nice slight bell shape to it, although with a sweet style print, it probably could have been a bit rounder. It appear to flare out quite well, so it should hold a lot of petticoat. The skirt part has been kept plain, which is a good idea. Any details here would get hidden away by the print anyway. The bottom hem is finished off with the same style of lace used on the neckline. There is another layer of lace underneath which is impossible to see in Baby's photos!

This is the Milk Cafe JSK. The bodice is well fitted, but I am unsure I like the overall shape of it. I think it could be because the neckline is low and the bodice is crammed with lots of detail. There is not a single thing I like about the lace on the bodice! It looks so fussy and I think the way it has been used makes the design look cheap. I think the dress would look so much better without that lace. The front has a ribbon corset, which is spaced out better than the other dress, although this detailing is lost among everything else surrounding it. There is also a raised panel (which would also probably look better if the lace wasn't there) with a scalloped edge and luckily, the scallops do look fine. The raised panel also has lace on top, which is further topped with a line of ribbon and a small bow. The ribbon does look slightly shiny, but I think it is cute. The straps are a bit thin and I would have liked them a tinier bit wider. Unfortunately, I cannot give my opinions on the back of this dress because the pictures are not available, but the measurements suggest there is a bit of shirring. The skirt on this dress is much more rounded compared to the other JSK and is the sort of shape I would expect to see with this print. It also appears very spacious, and so will hold a lot of petticoat underneath. The skirt has a horizontal line of ribbon close to the bottom which is topped by 2 bows. Luckily, it doesn't look too OTT and does not detract too much attention away from the print. The bottom hem features a scalloped edge and some very wide lace, which I think looks awful. If it was me, I would completely remove all the lace off this dress and just start again.

And this the print close-up. The print is available in 5 colours- off-white, pink, sax-blue, brown and black (colours mentioned are the base colour of the print). I think the sweets look very cute. All the candy wrappers are very detailed and a lot of thought has gone in to them. I especially like the heart lollipop! The background is very busy, but I actually like it. The bumpy lines work well with the print and makes a change from straight lines. The bows and ribbons in the print have a realistic shine to them. My favourite colours are the brown and off-white versions. I think that for me personally, the best is the off-white.

This is the Carée headbow (there is also a bow with the print available). I prefer this bow out of the 2 available. The solid colour makes it more versatile and easier to wear. I also like the layering effect on the bow. The Baby logo charm is also very cute!

This is my top pick of the jewellery. I think this candy ring is extremely cute! I love the use of pink to give it that little bit of extra detail. I also feel this style of sweet jewellery is more mature and classy. This ring is available on 2 shades, but I think the gold looks prettier.

Overall, I am unsure what to make of this set. When you think of all the chocolate lolita prints out there, I don't think this series stands out as a "must-have". I also feel that the Milk Cafe JSK lets the rest of the series down. However, maybe this style of chocolate print would appeal to those who dislike the more popular chocolate prints, which we see being worn a lot. Would I buy from this series? Probably not, but I do like the solid colour head bow and the jewellery.

My Wardrobe!

2012-01-10T03:53:00.000-08:00

I am sorry for posting a day later than I usually do, but I spent all of yesterday screaming at Youtube waiting for my new videos to load.

I have had some requests to show my lolita wardrobe and I have decided to give you what you requested! I finally got a proper wardrobe in December. Up until now, I had been relying on a clothes rail but it suddenly collapsed due to the sheer weight of everything!

Now, because I had such a hard time uploading my videos, I am afraid you are going to have to go to my Youtube account because if I have to upload them again to blogger, I think I might actually cry!

Part 1 is here-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x6eA7ak17cc&list=UUmQn5QQK11iqnGg0ZaBPUVQ&index=2&feature=plcp

My camera memory ran out, so I had to do it in 2 parts. This is part 2-
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4XJkM9SDQo&list=UUmQn5QQK11iqnGg0ZaBPUVQ&index=1&feature=plcp

I am really sorry about the lighting on the video. I was trying my best with limited light and a very basic camera.

Coincidentally, the EGL theme for January is wardrobes and I have been keeping an eye on the posts. I am unsure if I am going to post this on EGL or not because I am still growing my wardrobe and I don't think it matches up. My current thoughts on my wardrobe are that I need more blouses/tops, solid coloured hair accessories (which work with more than one item) and lots more lavender items. I never realised this before, but my wardrobe has quite a wide-spread amount of colours. I see lots of people have less colours in their wardrobe but as a result, it means they don't have a hard time finding items to match. It makes me wonder if I need to have a re-think about the colours in my wardrobe.

Here are some additional photos which include items not in the videos. (I left out my petticoats and bloomers)

This is what my hanging space looks like at the moment. My home is incredibly small, so it is impossible to fit my entire wardrobe in to one photo. The wardrobe was a flat-pack one from Ikea. My husband James and I had great fun putting it up! My shoes are organised by colour with the pale ones on the shelf shown and my darker shoes underneath. I try to split my other items up by colour too, but I failed miserably. On the far right, you can just about see where my blog mascot Ahiru-chan lives with a couple of her ducky friends. Underneath Ahiru, I keep all my Gothic Lolita Bibles and Kera magazines.

I completely forgot to show my accessory hanger! I have lots of random stuff in there, but you might be able to see a pink chocomint star clip, a rose brooch I made from a GLB pattern, Bodyline strawberry hair ties, an Angry keychain (from Hangry and Angry) and my waist cinching belts at the bottom.

I own lots of pairs of solid colour black tights because they are very versatile. A recent addition were these harlequin style diamond tights. I have always wanted a pair! I found these on Ebay.

Two of my jewellery boxes (there is more!). Can you see why I didn't put all of this in the video? I am always buying jewellery!

One of my favourite things to buy is rings. I managed to get most of them on (minus melty moon and my AP initial rings). All of these are off-brand rings. Some were given by friends and others were found at conventions, such as the MCM Expo and Hyper Japan.

So that is my wardrobe! Don't expect me to make another video for a little while, because this one really exhausted me! Do let me know what you think. What do you like and dislike? Where can I improve? Do you think my low quality video was a massive waste of time? (I hope the answer to the last one is 'no'!) Thank you for watching!

Bodyline Review Jan 2012- Positive

2012-01-06T04:09:00.000-08:00

It is time for me to review Bodyline again! Over December, Bodyline were doing special shipping (in fact, I think there is a new one for January too, so do go and check it out before the end of Jan!) so I decided to use some of my Christmas money to buy a few new basics and a couple of things which I can't show you in case a certain group of local lolitas is looking!

Ordering- This was pretty straight forward considering I have used Bodyline many times. The website is definitely a lot faster now. I heard a few people had problems ordering from Bodyline over December, but I had no issues so I am assuming Bodyline have now fixed any problems they were having.

Shipping- Inevitably, this was a little slower than usual, what with it being the festive season. However, if you minus all the bank holidays, my order actually arrived in a similar amount of time. I chose air shipping and it was about one day slower than EMS. My only complaint is not with Bodyline, but with Parcelforce. Parcelforce's website is awful and I found it very hard to keep up-to-date with my tracking. So I had to use the Japanese tracking page, which doesn't work as well when the parcel gets to its destination country. So the delivery man took me by surprise, because I thought my parcel was still being processed at the depot.

Packaging- The bag it was posted in survived the journey well and there was just one small tear (which you can see near the top of the picture, where a red Bodyline bag is poking through). There was also a Japanese sticker which said 'fragile' on it. I assume this is because I ordered some shoes. And speaking of shoes, Bodyline did not pack my shoes securely. Once again, they were just wrapped in tissue paper with those shoe inserts stuffed inside. I have seen pictures of Bodyline shoes boxes so I know they exist! Thankfully, the shoes were not damaged.

These are the shoes in question. These are shoes 167 in light purple. I intend to keep adding purple to my wardrobe after introducing it to my wardrobe last year, and these are my first purple shoes. They are a delicate lilac shade, and the website picture is quite accurate. The actual shoes may be a tiny bit darker. It is a very simple design with just a heart buckle on the side, but for $27 it was worth it. I am thinking of adding some shoe clips to these at some point.

However, I did notice that the shoes were slightly bigger than usual. I don't know if the size difference is that obvious in this picture, but the purple shoes are bigger and they are both meant to be size 250. I am probably going to need a pair of insoles for these. The strap meant that my feet felt secure, but there was a ridiculous amount of toe wiggle room. If you buy these shoes, try a size smaller. Despite this, I do really like the shoes.

I also got a basic pair of pink over-the-knee socks. I already had some pink socks, but I felt I needed more! The socks are lovely and soft. I don't think they are going to stay up when I am wearing them, so I might need to keep pulling them up during the day. I have had this with Bodyline socks before so I knew what to expect. I am very happy with these.

I also got cardigan L072 in red because I felt my wardrobe desperately needed some more red. The cardigan is really soft. I probably wouldn't wear it if the weather outside was very cold, but it would be perfect for Spring, Summer and milder Autumn/Winter weather. The colour is lovely and rich. I also love how the cardigan is cropped, so it is perfect to wear over lolita dresses.

A close-up of the sleeve end. The lace doesn't look to bad for Bodyline.

You can't really see it in this picture, but the buttons are heart shaped. I love my new cardigan. I think it is my favourite item from this order.

I also got a few small bits. The reason I can't show you is because they will be prizes for the February Ox Loli anniversary meet! All you need to know is that these items were well made, a good price and I really hope my fellow Ox Lolis will like them. I might post some pictures of what I got after the meet has passed.

So overall, there were a few minor problems but I consider this to be a positive experience. But I already knew that my shoes would not be shipped in a box, and in all fairness, the shoes were not damaged.. Maybe one day I will finally get one of those elusive Bodyline shoe boxes!

The End Of Immortal Eden by AatP

2012-01-04T13:30:00.000-08:00

Today I will be taking a look at the new series by Alice and the Pirates. It is called End of Immortal Eden. The series contains 2 dresses, a skirt, socks, a shirt, a headbow, a bonnet, a headpiece and a few pieces of jewellery.

This is the JSK. The bodice is very well fitted and a good shape. I also like the slight heart shape neckline. The bodice has what I like to call a 'fake bow' as in there is material gathered to make it look like there is a bow stuck on the front. I still think that 'fake bows' can sit a little strange over the chest area. This dress has not convinced me that they are a good idea, but this dress looks better than similar designs I have seen and I think that is because it is more subtle. The fake bow is surrounded by pretty lace, which makes the neckline a cute shape. The front also has a ribbon corset. The ribbon looks well spaced and good quality. There is no detail at the waist, but I don't think this dress really needs anything there. The straps are a bit too thin for my liking, but you have the option of removing the straps to make this a strapless JSK. I think it looks better without the straps. The back has another ribbon corset which is again, neatly spaced and looks tidy. It conceals the shirring panel very well. The skirt part has a beautiful bell shape to it and I think it is absolutely perfect for this dress. You would be able to fit a decent amount of petticoat underneath to suit a classic or gothic lolita shape. The skirt has been kept fairly plain, so you can see the print in its full glory. The bottom hem is finished with some very beautiful rose lace.

This is the OP (although it is called JSK II on the site. I am going to call it an OP). The bodice shape is fine, although not as fitted as the JSK. However, the shape is helped by the solid colour ribbon belt. The OP also has wonderful waist ties, which have the lace part of the print on them. The ribbon belt appears to use good quality ribbon and the simple bow in the middle adds a nice bit of detail, without looking too sweet. The bodice also has a gorgeous cluster of roses with 2 lines of pearls hanging underneath. I think this is a really beautiful idea and I hope Alice and the Pirates use this design again in the future. The neckline has a nice square shape to it, finished with lace which although looks good, is not as pretty as some of the other types of lace used in this series. The sleeves look very stretchy. They are slightly puffy but thankfully, they don't look too sweet for this very gothic dress. This dress does not have any shirring and the back has been kept very plain. This dress also has a very pretty bell shape and it is suitable for the style of print. Like the JSK, the skirt has been kept very plain and the bottom hem is finished with rose lace again.

And this is the print close-up. If you read my last post about my 2012 wishes (which I wrote before this print went online), you would know I wanted to see more birdcages in lolita and I am very excited about this print. I think it is stunning! I love the decorative birdcage and the way the roses wrap around it. The roses have areas of light and drops of dew on them, giving them extra depth. The feathers float effortlessly around the print. I also like the line of lace with the subtle inclusion of the brand name hidden inside. This print is available in green, bordeaux, navy (shown) and black. The navy is my favourite, but the black/red comes a very close second. I have not been this excited about a print for a while now. There is not a single thing I dislike about this print!

This necklace is one of the pieces of jewellery being released. I like how it is not over-crowded with feathers, so it doesn't look too fussy. I also like the rose and the little brand logo charm.

This is the very feathery headdress. I wish it had been made a bit simpler because I think it is going to look too OTT when teamed with the dresses. If they took away a few of the feathers, I think it would look a lot nicer. I would stick with the headbow or bonnet.

So overall, this series gets a massive thumbs up from me. I love this set and I fell in love with it as soon as I saw the first scans appearing. I think the dresses are beautiful, and so is the skirt (not shown in this post). If I had to choose a dress I would go for the JSK, but I do like the use of roses on the OP. I think there are some very beautiful pieces in this series. Would I buy from this series? Do you really need to ask!? Of course I would buy from this series! It is such a shame I have already spent all of my Christmas money! This print is being added to my wishlist and it is definitely going to be one of my top priorities.

Things I would like to see in 2012

2012-01-02T06:46:00.000-08:00

As we start a new year, it is time again for me to share the things I would like to see happen in the world of lolita fashion this year.

1. Angelic Pretty to release a duck themed print for Easter- Around Easter time, you can guarantee that Angelic Pretty will release a print with an Easter theme. In the past Angelic Pretty have released lots of things with rabbits, there was the chick shaped bag and last year, we got Sheep Garden. So... how about some ducks? Ducks fit a Spring time theme and it would be new ground for AP. AP, if nothing else, I can guarantee I would buy it!

2. Bodyline to release a pair of sax blue shoes which are actually sax blue!- I get very annoyed with Bodyline sometimes and a personal gripe of mine is ordering sax blue shoes when... they are not actually sax blue! This so called sax blue shoes seem to have a green tinge to them and I think the best way to describe them would be a duck egg blue colour. Don't get me wrong, I do like the shoes I ordered, but when something says it is sax blue I expect sax blue! Maybe I have just been very unlucky with my selections? If you can tell me about any Bodyline shoes which actually are sax blue, then do let me know!

3. A Lief Gardenberry replica- I am not going to get in to a replica debate but seeing as Lief have gone out of business anyway and are not going to lose any money, could we please have a Gardenberry replica? Lief were known for not having the best quality but I have always adored the prints they released. Gardenberry has always been out of my grasp. I once came close to getting it on the sales comm, only to find it had sold just a few minutes earlier. Very frustrating!

4. Less chess themed prints- I simply adore chess prints but I think we have enough for now. Chess was big news in 2011 (mainly thanks to AP, but other chess prints came out too) and I will be very interested to see which trends appear in 2012.

5. More Rakuten shops to allow overseas shipping- Some brilliant Rakuten shops already let you order directly from them but with lots of others you still need to use their forwarding shipping service. I especially would love to be able to order from shops such as Paris Kids directly.

6. For Bodyline to have an actual sale- In 2011, Bodyline held lots of "sales" which were really not sales at all. Bodyline very sneakily upped their prices just before a sale and then for the sale lowered the prices back to their previous cost. Not only does it mean that we benefit from lots of cheap stuff, it also means that Bodyline sells out of their really old stock on the website, making room for lots more new exciting things. I should point out, it is not just Bodyline doing this with their "sales" but they appear to be the biggest offender.

7. Everywhere releasing more navy blue items- my new favourite colour!

8. Metamorphose to attend Hyper Japan- This was actually on my 2011 list as well. Due to bad timing, I was unable to attend Hyper Japan in 2011 (mega sad about that!) so I don't know if Metamorphose attended, but they probably didn't! I may be on my own here, but I really noticed Meta not being at Hyper Japan in October 2010. I am grateful to all the big brands which make the effort to come to Hyper Japan, but I think Meta deserves a bit more love!

9. More bird and birdcage themed items- I just think they are beautiful!

10. More variety in the lucky packs- Has anybody noticed that instead of mystery lucky packs, a lot of brands now just release special lucky pack prints? I think part of the lucky pack experience is not knowing what items you are going to get. It is a bigger risk but generally, people are able to sell unwanted contents on. I didn't buy a lucky pack in 2011 because I wasn't particularly excited by any of them. But if I do buy one this year, I would really like to save up and get an Innocent World one. Every time I see somebody post their IW lucky pack contents on EGL, I get mega envy!

And as for me personally, I really want any meets I host to go smoothly, I would like to meet lots of new people and make more friends. I also want to get more organised with my blog posting, money, and just in general. Also, whilst writing this post, I looked up my old post about things I wanted to see in 2011 and I was very pleased to see that some of my wishes came true! I hope that the same thing happens this year!

Christmas haul and festive holly nails

2011-12-30T06:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas has come and gone and we are about to enter 2012. My Christmas was awesome and I hope all of you had a good time too! Despite being in a post-Christmas daze, I should be back to normal posting next week. In the mean time, I thought I would update you all on all things Luna!

Well, I did say I was going to do some festive nails! I was going to do something very simple but then I had a sudden brainstorm and these are the resulting nails. In the end, I did a holly design with 3D berries. This photo was taken about a day after I did them so they don't look as nice here! Anyway, the nails came about because ages ago, when I was still using clay to make nail pieces, I decided I would make some cherry nails to match a skirt I had. However, I sold the skirt on and I was left with these red balls. So I used them for holly berries instead! I did the leaves and black background with nail pens and it took FOREVER to do. The berries were quite small so they didn't really get in the way like other 3D nails do. The berries were coated with clear polish to give it a more realistic berry look.

And now on to the lolita presents I got. I didn't get much lolita stuff this time because a lot of people gave me money to help pay off my Starry Night Theater dress (and I am now all paid up!) and usually only my husband is brave enough to buy me lolita! But I did get some very nice stuff...

My husband got me these Bodyline shoes. I didn't have any white coloured shoes so these should be very useful. I already own this style of shoe in red, so I knew straight away that I would like them. Even my mother-in-law recognised the design! Out of all my Bodyline shoes, this design is my favourite. They are simple, but with a cute bow. I find them very easy to wear. So I was very happy indeed!

The other thing I was given were these cute Bodyline socks. They have macarons on them! They are so pretty and socks are always a welcome addition to my wardrobe. They are pink and white.

I also got given some basic items such as some new black tights (always useful), make-up and nail polish. I am very grateful for all of the wonderful presents I received. I especially love how my friend Jo got me the best children's book ever-

It is the book we found when a group of us went to London in November! Now I can treasure this story forever.

But I think the stand out present has to be this one from my husband-

I got given a copy of my favourite painting by Edgar Degas! I got to see the real thing earlier this year, which was a huge deal for me because I have been a fan of Degas since I was little. Now I have a copy! I am absolutely ecstatic! It is so beautiful. Now I get to see it every single day.

I have not had many chances to dress in lolita recently because of Christmas (apart from the outfits which are viewable on my Lookbook) and also, because we finally got around to getting a wardrobe! It is from Ikea and it is so huge that we had to put it in the living room. It is the only place it would fit. So I have been busy sorting out my wardrobe and using the space as best I can. A few people have asked me to do a wardrobe post and there should be a post coming soon!

So I wish you all a Happy New Year for Sunday! Stay safe and have fun!

Merry Christmas and a Happy 2012!

2011-12-22T09:52:00.000-08:00

I just want to wish all my wonderful readers and followers a very Merry Christmas! And so, I present my very dodgy looking Christmas card! I have never been that good with technology!

I will be taking a mini break during the festive season to spend time with friends and family. I don't know yet if I will be doing any posts next week but we will see how things go. Things will be back to normal in January. So, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Here is hoping for a brilliant 2012!

Love Ring Present Box by BABY

2011-12-21T04:00:00.000-08:00

Today I will be taking a look at Love Ring Present Box by BABY. This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a shirt, a headbow, a hat, socks, a bag and various accessories.

This is the Amy JSK. I thought the bodice didn't have a lot of structure to it. It looks a bit droopy and in the picture you can see folds of loose material. This is not helped by the shape of the sleeves. Although this dress is described as a JSK, the sleeves are almost like that on an OP and they look like they are falling downwards. The sleeves do appear very stretchy and will probably be useful for a plus-sized lolita, but I think this is going to look too big on smaller wearers. There is a very large waist bow, placed to one side and it does suit the gift theme. The bow appears to be well structured, but I think the middle part is a bit too wide and if it had been narrower, the bow would have a nicer plumper shape. The lace on the bow is pretty and firm, although some will say it is too OTT. You can detach the bow if you desire. I like how the bodice is solid colour instead of a continuation of the print part because I think it is a good idea to break up the print a bit and also gives a contrast to the lace colour. The bodice has a small lace bib, which is very detailed. It is cute, but I think it would have been good if the bib was a bit wider. The bib is topped with a ribbon bow, which has a pretty shape. The neckline and the bottom of the sleeves are lined with quality lace, and the neckline even has lace in the shape of card suits (although I don't quite understand how playing cards fit the theme) which is very pretty.

The waist straps are very well hidden from the front. I did like how they have these cute teddy shaped buttons! The back of the bodice has a very generous panel of shirring which is covered by a ribbon corset. However, the shirring panel looks very obvious due to the spacing of the ribbon and also the use of lace on both sides of the shirring. The skirt shape is quite straight and could have done with being a bit rounder, so that it suits a sweet shape. It does look like it will flare outwards a lot, so it will accommodate a lot of petticoat underneath. The skirt part has been kept quite plain, which means the print is displayed well and not obscured. The bottom hem has a ruffle of the solid colour material, which I think finishes the dress well because there is already a lot of lace on the bodice part.

This is the Patty JSK. The bodice on this dress appears a lot better and more well fitted. The bodice has a raised panel which gives the bodice extra depth and more texture. It will also suit small busted girls by adding more volume. There is a lot of lace surrounding the panel. The lace quality looks good, but I felt the design of lace used was a bit dull. The panel is topped by a large bow, which has a nice shape to it. The bow has heart shaped lace running through the middle, and then more lace around the edge. There is a lot of lace there, which wont appeal to everybody.

The main part of the bodice has a ribbon corset. The ribbon doesn't look too shiny and the corset is well spaced. However, what concerns me, is the way the ribbon is attached. As this picture shows, there are 2 lines of lace, which the ribbon is attached to. It looks a little flimsy, as though it could easily break.

The straps could do with being a little thicker, but they are lined well with lace (yes, even more lace!). The back has a panel of shirring, concealed by a ribbon corset. It looks a lot better than the other JSK. The skirt on this dress still looks a little bit straight and angular, but it has a nice subtle shape and looks less harsh. You will probably fit a good amount of petticoat underneath, but you wont create a shape to rival an OTT Angelic Pretty dress. But that might actually be a good thing, as OTT appears to be slowly going out of fashion anyway. The skirt is plain, which is good for displaying the print. The bottom hem has more of the good quality, but dull looking lace.

And this is the print close-up. It comes in off-white/red, pink/mint, brown/mint and black/red. I worry that the pink/mint might look a bit washed out because there are a lot of pale colours in the print. I think my favourite is the black/red colourway. At first I thought this print was full of dull looking boxes. But actually, the boxes have a lot of detail going on. If you look closely, you will see the girl in the print is even wearing the Amy JSK! I love the bows on top of the boxes, especially the gingham ribbon, which has a lot of detail and shape. I like how the ribbons which make up the square pattern have been made to look as though they have shine and are overlapping each other, like how real ribbon would look. However, the pattern does remind me of a table cloth!

I was a bit amused by the hat. In the off-white/red colourway, I can't help but feel this hat looks a bit like what an England football supporter would wear! It definitely looks a little like the St George Cross. I think it looks a little silly, and I am glad there is a headbow option too.

Overall, I am not that impressed by this series. I think that both dresses have their positive points, but they also have their negative points. Whilst the print is cute, I don't find it that exciting. It is just underwhelming.

Fantasy Christmas Gifts

2011-12-19T04:02:00.000-08:00

As much as I love to daydream, I am not made of money. But sometimes I do like to imagine of all the things I could do if I was rich and I will browse loads of websites to admire their pretty items. So let's just say I was able to buy whatever I wanted and decided to treat some of my friends this Christmas... what would I buy them? So today I am going to show what I would buy some of my local group and best loli friends if I didn't have to worry about money, sizing, availability and nasty customs fees. I should point out that this post is purely for fun and I am going on what these people already own, their wishlists and what I think they will like.

Sammi

1. Dreamy Dollhouse salopette by AP 2. Sugar Hearts wristcuffs by AP 3. Hummingbird Bakery cupcakes 4. Sugar hearts bracelet by AP 5. AP Milky Chan scarf 6. Milky chan bangle 7. AP cape from their 2011 collection

Sammi got her dream print Milky Chan earlier this year, so I included some matching items for her. I also know she ordered the Sugar Hearts skirt so I included matching items for the same reason. I put the Dreamy Dollhouse salopette on there because when I first saw Sammi wearing a salopette I remember thinking that she looked amazing in them! Not many people can pull off salopettes, but they really suit Sammi. The AP cape is there because I remember us both saying how cute it was on Facebook. And finally, I would want to give Sammi a massive box of Hummingbird Bakery cupcakes because we enjoyed getting cakes from there back in June. I have the Hummingbird Bakery cookbook but I failed miserably at making some of the more complicated items, so I would definitely buy these in to avoid disappointment. Plus, I can't compete with the Queen of Desserts- Beau's Mum!

Michelle

1. AP Sugary Carnival 2. Some skull gloves 3. AP Jewelry Heart Ribbon bag 4. Sugar Hearts JSK by AP 5. Juicy Couture charm 6. Eyeball hairclips 7. Wonder Party JSK

Another AP fan! Michelle's picks are based on conversations I have been a part of, or witnessed on Facebook. I totally agree with Michelle about the heart ribbon bag. It is very cute! I know Michelle has been rating Juicy Couture charms. I have no idea why I chose the banana split charm for this post. I was browsing some charms and this one stood out. I like how Michelle's style is a mix of cute and creepy. That is why I included the eyeball clips (I blame Kyary!) and the skull gloves. The skull gloves actually have 3D bones so they may be a little difficult to wear, and I have completely forgotten the store I saw them in! The gloves are a reference to the infamous skull sock debacle. Let's just say that the company in question are total idiots! I would be hoping and praying that Michelle would at least like these gloves.

Jenni

1. IW Gretel boots 2. AatP's St mephisto 3. blue rose hair clip 4. black veil 5. IW book bag 6. Rose Basket JSK by IW 7. Lady Rose dress by AP

I know Jenni likes Innocent World, so her item choices were heavily influenced by their website. I have seen her mention the book bag and Rose Basket before (I would love to own Rose Basket too. I promise I am not just getting things I like!). The Gretel Boots were a random choice I decided on myself. I would just go for them and hope Jenni likes them. We have discussed the upcoming St Mephisto replica before so I know she would like to own this. Jenni is the Moitie queen of our group but the hair clips are in fact from Taobao. Despite this, I have gone for Moitie inspired pieces. I also know Jenni has mentioned Lady Rose before, and I think the mint colour is very pretty. I know Jenni is not completely against AP, so I thought I would slip some in!

Raine

1. Meta Vintage Cherry dress 2. Zombie movie encylopedia 3. Tartan JSK 4. Record shaped bag 5. Bodyline strawberry bag 6. Vintage Record dress by Meta 7. Tartan headbow

Raine is my fellow Meta fan and I have tried to appeal to the retro look that Raine likes. I had to include Vintage Record by Meta and I thought a matching record shaped bag was needed. Raine is "gay for polka dots" (her words, not mine) so I think she would like the red strawberry bag by Bodyline. Just as long as I can still be the strawberry princess of the Ox lolis! I know Raine would like a tartan JSK and I think the one in the picture would appeal to Raine's usual style and there is a matching bow to compliment. To finish, there is the Zombie Movie Encyclopedia by Peter Dendle because Raine likes a good horror movie. I bet she will have watched most of the movies inside already, but maybe it will give her ideas of further movies to watch.

I am sorry for not making more of these for more people. I can assure you that a lot of you were included in my thoughts when I was fantasy shopping. I have really missed a lot of people recently because I have not been to any meets the last 2 months. That is mainly down to bad timing. I am hoping to see you all a lot more next year. I have really missed you all...

Christmas Lolita

2011-12-15T07:42:00.001-08:00

Christmas is very fast approaching and hopefully everybody is getting in to the festive spirit. I have already put my tree up (well, actually my husband did whilst I snoozed in front of the TV), Christmas cards are coming through the door and people are competing for the best Christmas lights display. So I have been thinking about how I can wear lolita over Christmas and make it suitable for this time of year.

Alice and the Pirates recently released their Drosselmeyer print (top left), which wouldn't look out of place on a tin of festive biscuits. It is very traditional looking and the more obvious Christmas colours such as red and green are available. Of course, you don't have to stick to traditional colours. I think Rose Candle by Baby (top right) looks beautiful in pink. My top choice for festive prints is Bunny Milk and Snow Strawberry by Baby (bottom left). I think the bunnies in the print are adorable and it is a bit unusual for a Christmas print to include strawberries. Of course, if I ever got this print, I would be avoiding the design with the little pom pom trim (a personal pet hate of mine!) but the pom poms do remind me of little snow balls, so it would be cute for a festive outfit. Christmas also reminds me of thick and heavier fabrics, such as velveteen. AP's Christmas Ornament (bottom right) comes to mind because chances are, this dress would be far too hot to wear in the warmer months.

This is my only concern about season-specific prints. Would you wear them the whole year around? Or would they gather dust in the back of your closet? Easter prints generally are not that difficult to wear at other times of the year but with Christmas prints it is a little difficult. You are expected to take down your Christmas tree by the 12th day of Christmas and generally, people get sick to death of Christmas by January. There is just something a bit odd about wearing a Christmas themed print at any other time! Maybe it would be better to buy something which hints at a Christmas theme instead of an actual Christmas print. I have already mentioned green and red, and perhaps a solid coloured dress in a deep green or red would look lovely. A simple tartan dress would be another option. Or instead, you could just wear festive accessories, which could work out cheaper.

I like the idea of using holly and ivy in my hair. It is very traditional and reminds me of those Christmas wreaths you can make. What I especially love about the hair band in the top left is that the berries have been frosted, making it all the more suitable for a Winter theme. The great thing is, it doesn't have to cost a lot and you could even use real holly instead of fake, if you desired. I always start craving ear muffs when it gets to this time of year. I have been tempted by styles like the Baby ear muffs (bottom left) which would definitely match the coat with fake fur trim that I have from Bodyline. Fake fur is always fun to wear and good for keeping warm. Ear muffs come in lots of different shapes and designs now, so there is lots of variety. I also think that around Christmas time, you can get away with a lot more. A cheesy Santa hat or a decoration you would stick on a gift are not normally things I would team with lolita but at this time of year, I just think "Go for it!". If I wanted something a bit quick and easy, I could tie a ribbon in to my hair. Ribbons are readily available. I even save the ribbons off the presents I get.

An easy way to nod at the Christmas theme is with jewellery. As soon as I saw the AP Country of Sweets re-release I thought the Gingerbread jewellery would be perfect for Christmas, and it is cute too! I also love wearing stars at Christmas and statement pieces with lots of pretty jewels. For the classic lolita, something like this deer ring would look perfect.

Of course, I would love to try some festive nail art this year. It is easy enough to remove when needed and helps to brighten up an outfit. My absolute favourite is the candy cane nails at the bottom! I will be searching "Christmas nails" on Youtube. Nail art has been very popular lately and there are channels and websites dedicated to nail art tutorials.

I have only really scratched at the surface of possible Christmas lolita ideas. I am sure my readers will be able to think of lots of other wonderful ideas to add to outfits. The most important thing is to have a bit of fun!

Drosselmeyer's Wonder Box by AatP

2011-12-13T11:30:00.001-08:00

Today I will be doing a very festive print discussion with the latest from Alice and the Pirates. It is called Drosselmeyer's Wonder Box. This series includes 3 dresses, a bustier, a skirt, a shirt, a headbow, a hat, socks and a necklace.

This is the OP. The bodice looks like it is a good shape and nips in nicely at the waist. There is a large white yoke part, which I think would look better if it didn't go the whole way across because the sleeves look a bit 'cut off'. However, the yoke is decorated very prettily with nice quality rose shaped lace and the collar part looks very decorative, but hopefully not too tickly on the neck. The brown buttons are a bit plain but are nice and shiny. The edge of the yoke has a line of ribbon with a hint of gold, which gives the tartan part a nice tidy edge. There is a bow on the front, placed just below the yoke. The bow is a good size (not too big, but also not too small) and it is nicely shaped. The bow also has 2 plain gold chains hanging from it, but they don't really add much to the design and look a bit plain. The bow is detachable. The sleeves are very straight and could maybe do with being a tiny little bit puffier to stop it looking too flat. The back has no shirring and there is not much detail to discuss. There is another line of ribbon around the waist, but I don't think this works so well here because the shiny texture of the ribbon shows up quite a bit here. The skirt shape is quite A-line in appearance which is good for classic. I actually believe this series could work with sweet lolita too, so the shape of the skirt shape may not appeal as much to some. The main part of the skirt is quite plain, so the print is displayed beautifully. The bottom hem is finished off with more of the ribbon used on other parts of the dress and then also, there is some very soft looking material so the bottom doesn't end to harshly.

This is the Clara JSK (or the military JSK as I have been calling it). I absolutely love the shape of the bodice, which is very nicely fitted and has a low scoop neckline which would be perfect for wearing with a blouse with some nice ruffle detailing around the collar! The belt emphasises the waist well and I usually find that having a solid coloured belt is good when wearing a tartan dress. It helps to stop the tartan from looking too over-whelming and a bit easier to wear. I am also loving the stripes and button detailing down the front. It fits in well with the print theme and I like the crest picture on the buttons. The material around the neckline is folded over to look like a collar, which gives the bodice extra depth and I think it looks very smart. To stop the military theme looking too harsh, the collar part is finished with beautiful rose lace, which adds a feminine touch. The sleeve width suits the shape of the dress well and are not too thin. The back has a panel of shirring which is covered by a ribbon corset. The ribbon used is black, which I think stands out a little bit more than the wearer would want, but I think in this case this is a minor issue. The skirt part on this dress is the straightest in this series, but I think that it suits this particular dress. I would definitely recommend an A-line petticoat here. The simple skirt means that the print is displayed well. The bottom hem is finished off with some fairly wide, but good quality lace.

This is the Mary JSK. I think the bodice on this dress looks a little strange. I don't know whether the bodice appears too low down or whether it just has very long straps. Either way, I can imagine the neckline might cut across the chest area and look a bit peculiar on some wearers. I am not sure I would be comfortable with how this dress would sit on me. The top of the bodice has a band of velveteen material. The material looks very soft and luxurious, but I think the overall shape could have been nicer. The velveteen is topped with a line of ribbon and a bow in the middle. The bow is small and cute and I think it is definitely needed there. The velveteen part is finished with a line of pretty lace. I actually would have liked to have seen a waist bow on this dress. If you had a detachable bow at the waist, then at least you would have more options. The waist ties are quite well concealed from the front view and so the waist does look a bit bare. The back has a panel and shirring concealed by a ribbon corset and this time, the ribbon blends in better. However, there are 2 lines of bright white lace on either side of the shirring, so you can still see the panel there. The skirt part still has quite a classic shape, but it does look rounder and will probably flare outwards quite a bit, so if you wanted to sweeten this series up, this dress could be a good option. Again, the skirt part has been kept relatively plain so you can see the print better. The lace along the bottom hem is quite wide, but I do like the use of ladder lace, which you can thread ribbon through.

Here is the print close-up. It is available in Canaria yellow, emerald green, cardinal red and navy. As this is a very Christmas themed set, I think the green and red look the best, with green being my absolute favourite. The navy is also quite pretty but I think the yellow looks horrible! I adore the toys on this print because they are all very old-fashioned. it is quite nostalgic. But I do find the teddy bear with the moustache and beady eyes a bit creepy (what is it with Baby/AatP and creepy bears lately?). I like the arches because they are very detailed, especially with the crowns. A personal favourite of mine is the shields and medals which appear at the top.

My current obsession with military in lolita shows no sign of slowing down. I really like this military style hat! I especially like the gold chain detail. The problem I have with this particular hat is that I don't think it would match a lot of items, so its uses might be a bit limited.

I really like the socks from this series! I think the idea of using medals is a bit different and I like the way it is laid out on this sock. I would really like a pair of these for my Meta Old Emblem skirt.

Although this series wont be appearing on my wishlist, I do find this set very appealing. I really like the military JSK design. And I would definitely like to get the socks. However, I would be very reluctant to actually buy this and the reason is that because this print is quite festive, I would be worried that I would only end up wearing this dress around Christmas time. The Christmas influence is quite strong. I reckon there will be lots of outfit posts with this set over the Winter, but after that the popularity might fizzle out a bit. I just don't think this series is strong enough to compete with AP's Twinkle Carnival this festive season.

So, I joined Lookbook...

2011-12-12T03:23:00.000-08:00

I am not really sure why, but I signed up to Lookbook at the weekend. You can already see my Lookbook badge on the right hand side of this blog, or you can find me here- http://lookbook.nu/luna_rain

You have to be very careful because there are no capitals in my username. Apparently, somebody has already taken Luna_Rain. It wouldn't surprise me if it was me creating an account ages ago, which I simply forgot about!

Basically, it is somewhere else for me to post my lolita outfits but at the same time I will be posting my non-lolita stuff too. So there will be stuff on there which wont be appearing on this blog. It will also be useful if anybody wants to give me concrit, because sometimes I forget to post on Daily Lolita and here! My lookbook is quite empty at the moment but hopefully it will fill up some more in the next few months.

If you want me to become your fan or if you know somebody who you think I will like, then do let me know. I have already fanned a few people but there are still loads more people out there to look through!

Twinkle Carnival by AP

2011-12-08T09:07:00.000-08:00

Today I shall be looking at Twinkle Carnival by Angelic Pretty. This is a small series with 2 JSKs, a skirt and socks, with some other matching items available on the website. This series is already on the website but I am guessing it will have mainly sold out by the time I have written this.

This is the Halter style JSK. The bodice looks very shapely and well fitted. The material has lots of folds, which gives it extra texture and stops it looking too flat. In the middle there is the criss-crossed ribbon. The ribbon is satin, but thankfully, it doesn't look too shiny. The ribbon looks tidy and is well-spaced. The neckline has a line of chiffon, topped with thin lace. The main focus here is the chiffon, which is just the right width to go along this neckline and looks pretty. I am glad this is a JSK and not a OP, because with a blouse underneath the JSK, I don't need to worry about that chiffon getting itchy! I like the halter-neck straps, which are a decent length and make this dress very versatile.

The back has shirring which is well concealed by a ribbon corset. The chiffon from the neckline ends at either side of the shirring panel, which you would think would draw attention to the shirring. Actually, it doesn't look too bad! As you can see, the back has lots of chiffon, due to the chiffon bustle back. The chiffon layers are well spaced out. The layers are draped softly, so it doesn't stick out too harshly. The skirt part is very rounded and will accommodate loads of petticoat underneath. The length does look a bit short, but the chiffon along the bottom hem gives a bit of extra length. Where the main dress meets the chiffon, the edges are lined smartly with pretty lace. It looks very neat and tidy. Overall, the dress is simple but it shows off the print brilliantly.

This is the Switching JSK. The bodice is a pretty shape and does not appear to have a lot of loose, baggy material.

I was very impressed with the waist bow. It is incredibly detailed for something which usually is not given a lot of attention. I like the way it is folded to give extra movement and the pearls are a nice addition. I am a little unsure about the chiffon right in the middle of the bow because when it is all bunched up like that it doesn't look like the same pretty chiffon like on the rest of the dress.

I am not really a fan of the low scoop neck and chiffon panel on the front. If you have a big chest, that could sit very awkwardly. I also think the sleeves look very odd. The material is crinkly (and reminds me of those crinkle fries) and looks too fussy. I also feel like the chiffon has randomly been stuck on the sleeves.

I also think the back of the dress looks a bit... odd. There is a panel of shirring, which is not covered up, but at the top there is ribbon criss-crossing between the 2 straps. It would be nicer if the ribbon was lower down to cover up the shirring. I just think the ribbon looks a bit odd so high up like that. The skirt part is lovely and round. It also appears longer in length than the other JSK. The skirt is quite plain which shows the print better. The bottom hem is finished off with some very thin lace and 2 layers of chiffon.

There is no real "print close-up" for this series available on the website but pictures like these are very clear and gives you a good idea of how it looks. If I could sum up the golden horse in one word, it would be... beautiful! I simply adore the horses and little stars and twinkles. The print may be simple, but the overall effect is huge. It is like a maturer version of Sugary Carnival. The dresses and skirts are available in white, pink and black.

I am also lusting after the socks quite badly. I like how the poles have subtle card suit details to it. They are very decorative. The interesting thing about the socks is that they have a wider range of colours- ivory, pink, wine, brown and black. I think AP were expecting the socks to be very popular, especially if people can't afford the dresses right now. And all the colours appear to have sold out already (no surprises there!).

So overall, I think this is going to be a brilliant series! I have not been this excited about an AP print for quite some time. I love the halter-neck JSK the most and I think the ivory colour is my favourite (although I would happy with any colour). My only worry is that since typing this discussion up, I have seen unflattering pictures where the material on both dresses looks very shiny and it doesn't look as appealing as the stock photos. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for that when people start posting their outfits online. However, I still feel very strongly about this series and I have made a note about the halter-neck JSK and skirt on my wishlist (just in case!). I definitely approve, for now at least!

I got Melty Moon!

2011-12-06T09:06:00.000-08:00

I have wanted it ever since it first appeared on the Angelic Pretty website and it has been top of my accessory wishlist ever since, and I FINALLY got a Melty Moon Ring! I used Japonica Market again and the service was just as good as last time, so I wont repeat my review again. The main difference about this order was that instead of doing a Buy It Now, I had to bid this time. When I got outbid, I sent an email and asked for my maximum bid to be increased. I thought I would have to re-submit the order form and have to send another deposit but my bid was increased without having to do anything else. So I was very impressed! This might have been because my maximum big was not increased by a large amount. My only regret is that I probably spent a bit too much (and I am a little embarrassed to admit how much it cost me in the end!) and because the shipping to me is worked out by cost of the item and not weight, I did end up getting hit quite badly with the shipping price. However, I was prepared to go that extra mile to get something I really wanted and so I was prepared to pay more. Overall cost aside, this has been a very positive experience.

The item was very well packaged.

There were so many layers of bubble wrap! The ring was securely wrapped and I had trouble getting in to it.

Finally, I got to the ring! The ring is absolutely perfect and just what I was expecting. I could not be any happier! I also got given a free Angelic Pretty sticker, which is very cute.

I had to try it on straight away. The yellow and the pink rings were my top colour choices, so I got quite lucky. Although I wont be able to buy it at the moment, in the future I will be looking for the matching necklace in pink or yellow. I have recently missed out on the yellow necklace twice, once because I found it too late and once because I had already spent out on the ring.

If anybody does spot the necklace in pink or yellow, do let me know!

Decoration Dream by Angelic Pretty

2011-12-04T13:37:00.001-08:00

Today I will be taking a look at Decoration Dream by AP. This set is already available. The set has 3 dresses, an apron style skirt, a bonnet, a head bow and socks.

This is the OP. I was a bit disappointed with the bodice shape. It is very square in appearance and it also looks as though there is a lot of baggy loose material. So it may not fit well. However, the sleeves are nicely shaped with their slightly puffy appearance. The sleeves are finished with very cute star lace and some very shiny bows. The bows are a bit too shiny for me. I also like the square neckline and neck ties. There is a waist bow, which is large, but it is nicely shaped and looks quite sturdy. If you dislike large bows, then you can detach it, but I think the dress looks plain with it removed. I like the semi-circles of lace, but I dislike the decoration used on the flap of material on top of it. The flap has this cheap looking zig-zag lace on it. This is finished off with a small ribbon bow. I was disappointed with the back of the bodice because it has a massive shirring panel and it is very exposed and obvious. There is nothing there to conceal it. The skirt part is very rounded and has a pretty shape to it. It will hold a decent amount of petticoat underneath. The skirt has been kept plain, but that helps show off the print better. The bottom hem is finished off with more of that ugly zig-zag trim, but right at the bottom there is some cute cake lace.

This is the first JSK. The bodice shape is thankfully better than the OP. However, I think the details on this bodice don't look very well thought-out. The ribbon is a very beautiful shape and I like the folding to give it extra depth, but the bow is very shiny. The ribbon is satin, but it looks cheap on this dress. I dislike the panel of 3 layers of lace. It is very busy and fussy.

Thankfully, the lace panel is detachable! I think the dress looks better with it removed. The back of the bodice has a panel of shirring concealed by a ribbon corset. It looks a lot tidier than the back of the OP. This skirt is very similar to the OP- rounded, spacious and plain, so you can see the print better. Luckily, the bottom hem has none of that horrible zig-zag trim and just has the cake lace at the bottom.

This is the other JSK. I think this dress has the best bodice in this series. The bodice is nicely fitted and has a good shape to it. I love the use of lace, which looks lovely and frilly and also well placed. The lace running down the front is topped with different coloured bows. The ribbon material is still very shiny, but these small bows look cute and the colours go well with the dress. The waist ribbon is huge but considering its size, it is impressive how well it holds its shape. The waist bow is detachable and the good thing is, that when you removed it, the dress does not look too plain without it. The straps are a good width. The straps also very stretchy, so will be good for plus-sized lolitas.

The back of the bodice has a panel of shirring concealed by a ribbon corset. Again, this is a lot nicer than the OP. I am undecided about the bustle back on this dress. Instead of using a contrasting material (such as chiffon) like a lot of other dresses do, this bustle uses the same material as the main dress part, but uses the less crowded bit at the top of the print. Although it is good to try something different, there is a very harsh break in the print. I am unsure whether I like the sudden break in to the lesser crowded print part. The bustle shape is ok and nicely spaced. It doesn't flare backwards too much, so wont make the backside look too huge. The skirt part is identical to that on the OP. Sadly, this means there is more of that zig-zag trim which I really dislike. The main difference is this JSK has more gathering, but luckily this does not obscure the print too much.

And now, for the print close-up. I think this picture is a bit deceptive because the colours look a lot brighter and clearer. The print looks a bit more washed out when you look at it on the actual dresses. Whilst I love the cakes, it does remind me of Memorial Cake and to be honest, I prefer Memorial Cake over this series. The cakes are very cute and they are very decorative. My favourite parts are the smaller cupcakes and the horse cookies. Also, there are macarons, which I adore! As for the colour, I think the black colourway would best display the print, but I would probably choose yellow or sax.

This is the headbow. I like the way that this bow has been shaped. The folds make it interesting. It is quite large, but it does look just like the sort of decorative bow you would use when decorating something. It suits the series well. In my opinion, this bow looks a lot better than the bonnet that is part of this series.

My favourite part of the set is the socks. They remind me of Wonder Cookie (this set's design is not really that original) and if I didn't have the matching WC socks already, I would have considered getting these. The horse cookies look very cute on the socks and I love the pastel colours used.

Overall, I don't think is a series I would go for. Although I like the design on the 2nd JSK, in all honesty, I would prefer to buy another series instead of this one. I just don't love this print that much. The horse cookies are cute but I simply prefer the cake design used on Memorial Cake. I would probably choose the yellow for this series because MC does not come in yellow (and the yellow is pretty cute). I think this is going to be one of those series which grows on me the more I see it, but for now I will be giving it a miss. I do predict that this series will be popular but it may take a bit of time before people start to notice the set's potential.

F Yeah Lolita- back to blogger!

2011-12-04T02:12:00.000-08:00

So today I am re-blogging the news that F Yeah Lolita has returned to Blogspot. There is a give-away going on with lots of cute goodies worth $75. Do go and check it out!

http://fyeahlolita.blogspot.com/

Happy International Lolita Day- Winter 2011!

2011-12-02T12:04:00.000-08:00

It completely slipped my mind that it was International Lolita Day tomorrow! I hope you are all going to have a lovely day full of frills. Sadly, I am not doing anything special tomorrow. I will probably put on some nice clothes whilst I am going about my daily business!

Don't screw this up Bodyline!

2011-12-02T03:21:00.000-08:00

I have been watching the Bodyline design contest entry winners every month, and I am a fan of the design that won for November.

This would not normally be my usual kind of style, but I think the dress and matching items are adorable! The designs might be heavily influenced by brand in some places, but wont it be interesting to see how Bodyline does this design? Sadly, we will probably have to wait about 6 months to see the final design. A massive well done to the person who made this. I think you have done a good job! I really hope the final product matches your artistic vision for the design.

This has got me debating whether I should enter the design contest again. I figured that if I submit a design now, it might be ready in time for my birthday in July. I was a bit disappointed when I saw there were items on Bodyline's website afterwards which appeared to have bits of my design, when I didn't even win the contest! That is my issue with it- once you submit that design, it is in Bodyline's hands and there is nothing you can do about it. I have actually got a few ideas in mind but this time, I am keeping my favourite designs back.

P.S- Bodyline, I have not seen a single price fall down for your December Christmas "sale". I think you need to look the word up in the dictionary. But thank you for reducing the air shipping fee!

Japonica Market review- positive

2011-11-29T12:17:00.000-08:00

So, I have purchased my Christmas treat for myself and it has arrived! This was my first time buying something off Yahoo Japan Auctions and I used the Japonica Market shipping service. I found an auction that I liked the look of, and I felt the Buy It Now price was reasonable enough, so I decided to ask Japonica market to buy the item straight away instead of bidding. I first contacted Japonica on the 14th of November and my package arrived on the 28th, so overall, the process is quite quick.

Communication

I found the Japonica website very easy to read and I fully understood every message that was sent to me. Yoshiyuki (the name of the person I dealt with) spoke very good English. Yoshiyuki kept sending me emails so that I knew what was going on at every stage and I felt very informed. Yoshiyuki was very polite and friendly.

Ease of use

The reason I chose Japonica is because I had read that Japonica were known "to hold your hand" during every step. The website is very informative, especially when paired with the email updates as well. I found all the answers to any questions I had on the website. There are lots of easy to read pictures and the website gives example transactions. In fact, I was able to work out the final cost of my order because the website explains the charges very well. All I had to do was fill in the order form and the rest was easy!

Charges

All charges were clearly explained on the website, so there were no nasty surprises. Considering the service I received, I think Japonica's charges are very reasonable. I was willing to pay for 'peace of mind', knowing that my order was going to be stress-free.

Shipping

As I mentioned above, the entire process from first email to receiving my package took 2 weeks. That included the time it took the auction seller to send it to the Japonica office and then to here in the UK. All things considered, I think 14 days is very quick. I put a note on my order form to mark the package as a gift, so I didn't need to worry about a nasty custom fee.

This photo shows the box that my items arrived in (minus my address, of course!). The box was very sturdy and all the edges were well taped up. There was definitely no danger of my items getting damaged. As you can see, there was also a 'fragile' sticker placed on top of the box!

Inside there was a generous amount of bubble wrap.

So overall, I would give Japonica Market 5/5 and I would highly recommend them. In fact, I have already used the service again! (more on that when the item arrives).

And so, on to the dress, head bow and socks I ordered...

Yes, I got Angelic Pretty's Starry Night Theater! I know a few people will be surprised, because I told people I was saving up for Melty Chocolate! I have wanted SNT for a long time and the price was good. All the items were like new and I think they could have only been worn once or twice. The original owner was obviously very gentle and takes great care of their wardrobe. The dress was just as described, although I did have to look up the dress on Hello Lace for the measurements. I would have loved to get SNT in blue but I know how popular that colour is and that doesn't mean I wont ever get it in the future. The dress is a little short on me (I am 5'4'') but as this is AP, I was expecting this. The items smelt fresh and looked like they had been cleaned. It does need a bit of an iron, but that is to be expected. I would definitely buy from this seller. The seller ID was Nabechan_Yo in case you were wondering.

And so, on to some close-up photos! I know there are loads of SNT photos out there, but I could never get sick to death of SNT photos...

The bodice with card suit and star buttons and the gold trim. The brooch was included, which was in good condition and not fuzzy or damaged.

The print. Marionette Girl and the bunny.

Horse and bear.

The gold trim and AP lace on the bottom hem. I forgot to take more photos, but the dress is fully lined. I have fallen in love with this dress. I can't wait to wear it out somewhere nice!

I got a little surprise when I found a strange lumpy bit on the dress. It turned out that the seller had put the fabric swatch and spare button in the dress pocket! It was wonderful that the seller included this.

The headbow (sorry about the poor photo). The brooch and little star charm are perfect.

Finally, here are the socks. I don't think these had been worn at all. They still had the little clips that AP put on to keep the socks neat and tidy.

The logo on the sock.

I would give the seller 5/5 as well.

And so, this has been a very successful order and I am very ecstatic right now. I am already planning what outfits I can make with these items.

Items of Desire- Pout Paints by Sleek

2011-11-27T10:57:00.001-08:00

With all the different skin tones out there, sometimes it can be hard to find a lip shade that really suits you. And some days you want a look suitable for the day, and something a bit more bold for the evening. Or maybe you just want to try something completely new.

So I think Sleek's Pout Paints are ideal. Sleek is a make-up brand which is available in Superdrug, but I am sure there are other products on the market which do a similar task.

The idea is that you can mix pout paints together to make your very own unique lip colour. It is an interesting idea. Luckily, the Sleek ones are not too expensive (around £4.99) and you only need a very tiny amount because the colour is quite intense. If you got just a couple of paints, you could come up with lots of different shades. Peek-a-bloo (the blue shade) adds depth and warmth and blue tones are also useful if your teeth are not a pearly white shade and want to make them appear brighter. Use Cloud9 (the white shade) to lighten the colour.

Pout paints are great if you want your own personalised shade and it is definitely something I have considered. Being able to play with make-up is brilliant and I can see myself spending an afternoon having a bit of fun with these!

Bittersweet Valentine Thank You

2011-11-26T01:57:00.000-08:00

My local group got another Valentine today, but this time it made me feel a little sad inside. But thank you to the maker of number 14.

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/109281.html?view=3129057

Creepy Bear!

2011-11-25T03:56:00.000-08:00

From now, up until Christmas Day, BABY are offering a free bear with every order over 30,000yen (subject to availability). This bear is called "Gentle Bear" and it comes in 2 colours. But...

... I have to say that I think the black teddy with the red eyes is incredibly creepy looking! I think I would get a shock if I opened a BABY parcel and saw those red eyes staring back at me! The brown one is okay, but you can't guarantee you will get that one. I am actually a little relieved that I don't want to place an order with BABY right now!

Classic Melody by Angelic Pretty

2011-11-24T02:57:00.000-08:00

Today I will be having a look at Classic Melody by AP. This is a small series with 2 JSKs, a headbow, socks and a bag.

This is the first JSK. The bodice is a nice shape and looks like it will fit well. The neckline also has an interesting shape to it. I like how thin lace is used along the neckline to emphasise the shape. That little chest panel actually has 2 line of lace but because the lace used is so thin, it works quite well. This panel is finished with a soft satin bow. The bow is a good shape and I like the size. There is another, much larger, satin bow on the waist. Usually, I wouldn't like my waist bow being that big, but if you consider how simple the print looks compared to your typical AP pastel OTT print, the large bow is not that overwhelming. However, the waist bow is detachable and I think the dress looks pretty with and without the bow. There are 2 lines of lace running vertically up the bodice, which blend in on the black and pink version, but is more noticable on the ivory version. The straps are a decent width and are finished with thin semi-circle lace, which is pretty but also nice and simple. The back has a panel of shirring, concealed by a tidy-looking ribbon corset. The back part has a bustle. Judging by a side view of the dress, the tiers are well spaced out. Unlike some back bustles, I don't think this one would emphasise a large bottom (which has always been a major issue for me when it comes to bustle skirts) because it doesn't flare out too much. Despite not flaring out much, the bustle does not look flat and limp. The skirt part is your typical AP shape, round and full. It would hold a lot of petticoat underneath and will create a lovely sweet lolita silhouette. The skirt is fairly plain, which helps show off the print better. There are vertical lines of lace running down the skirt, which connect with the bows near the bottom hem, which I would have left off because it doesn't add much to the design. The bottom hem has 2 overlapping lines of lace. As you can see, the pink colourway has contrasting black lace, which I think works well. Then the wider lace underneath has a cute musical note design. The lace is cute and the quality is lovely.

This is the other JSK. The bodice on this dress also looks well fitted and I simply adore the sailor collar. The shape of the sailor collar is interesting and I am surprised by how well it works with the music themed print. The collar is finished with a satin bow, which I think is the perfect size to finish off the collar. As you would expect from satin, the bow is slightly shiny but it is not that bad. The ribbon is a nice shape and it is not floppy looking. The sailor collar is detachable, but I think the dress looks too plain without it. The bodice also has folds, which give it a bit of extra depth. My only dislike with the bodice is the ribbon criss-crossed down the front. It looks like the ribbon used is good quality and it is well spaced out, but it ends very abruptly at the waist. I think a nice black belt would look good with this dress. The back of the dress is very plain and there is no shirring. The skirt part seems to have a more exaggerated roundness to it when compared to the other dress. It is an OTT shape, but given the plainer looking print, it doesn't look too bad. This dress would also hold a lot of petticoat underneath. The skirt part on this dress is even plainer than the other dress in this series, so you can see the print in its full glory. The bottom hem is finished off with some good quality lace. As well as the musical notes, the lace on this dress also features tiny crowns, which looks very pretty.

Today, there is no print close-up because there wasn't a picture of one, but the print is very clear in the photos anyway. The dress comes in black, ivory and pink. I think that both the ivory and the pink look the best, but the ivory would probably be my absolute favourite because I like the idea of doing monotone lolita. I always thought that violins works best with a classic print, but AP have done a good job of making them this print look sweet. I don't quite understand why some of the violins are stripy. It doesn't look bad but I think it would be pretty if all the violins were solid instead of having the stripy ones alternating between the solid ones. I also like the floating musical notes. The print is a bit plain, but I think that was the intention.

This is the headbow. The stripes fit in nicely with the sailor themed dress, but still suits the musical theme too. I absolutely love the 3D music note. I like where it has been placed and also, the size. But I do wish it was slightly more visible.

The only part of the series I am unsure of is the bag. I love the book part, but the metal parts are not really my style. I don't like the way it has been made to look like a folder with the metal rings running along the top.

I think the socks are very cute. From the distance the musical lines make the socks look like stripes. Despite the music notes running and the violin on the side, I think these socks could be very versatile and would suit a lot of outfits.

So overall, I do like this series. I think I prefer the sailor dress and the ivory is the best colour, in my opinion. I think it would appeal to a wider audience rather than just the lolitas who love the typical AP stuff. However, despite this, I don't think this series is going to be that popular. I think it will have its fans but will not be that widely sought after. Would I buy from this series? Well, I do like it, but not enough to put it on my wishlist. It is something I would add to my wardrobe, but it is certainly not a top priority of mine to get this series.

A Day Without Lolita

2011-11-21T07:10:00.001-08:00

I came to a realisation recently. As much as I love lolita, it takes over my day to day life. Every single day I check the EGL sales community, I watch discussions going on in lolita Facebook groups and I will use the word 'lolita' multiple times in conversations. I know the days that 2nd hand sellers put new stock on their websites, Saturday is Lolita Valentines day and the secrets come out on Sunday. But it is also creeping in to things that have absolutely nothing to do with lolita. I will be looking at clothes whilst out shopping and I will think 'the lace looks cheap on that', and the clothing will have absolutely nothing to do with lolita! It is like something automatically clicks in my brain and makes me look at everything as lolita shopping.

I can't actually remember the last time I had a day where I have not thought about lolita at all. Is this healthy? It sounds harder than people may think. When I went on holiday during the Summer, the internet connection was dodgy and I had none of my lolita clothes with me and at first, I will admit it was difficult to not think about what was going on online. However, by the end of the week I was able to fully relax and I had a great time. I was having fun with people close to me and I did a lot of fun things.

And now, I am absolutely convinced that imposing a lolita ban on myself every now and then is a good idea. It gives me the chance to spend quality time with the people I love outside of lolita rather than getting distracted. Also it is nice to not worry about my appearance! I wouldn't go for too long without lolita because then it would feel as if I was punishing myself for having something I am passionate about. But from time to time, I will have a day without lolita and I will learn to enjoy those days as well.

A sweet valentine thank you

2011-11-19T01:49:00.000-08:00

A huge thank you to whoever posted the Oxfordshire Lolitas on Lolita Valentines today. The picture does not have any text, but it still means a lot to see us on there. That picture was taken at the first Oxfordshire Lolita meet (we don't count the smaller meeting we had the September before then) back in January this year. We will be holding our first anniversary meet in February and guess who is hosting it... me! (no pressure!)

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/108713.html?view=3114153 Here we are in number 11 of this post!

It is quite strange looking at that picture. Although a few of us look the same, some of us have changed radically in style since January! I would like to think that is because as time has gone on, some of us have become more confident with our style or have found a lolita style to fit our personalities.

I am so sad I am missing the Christmas meet this year! I hope my fellow Ox lolis have fun!

Chiffon Dream

2011-11-18T05:00:00.000-08:00

Have you ever sold an item, only to regret it later on? I am suffering the after effects of selling an item right now. Last year when I got my Winter lucky pack from Meta, I got a very nice chiffon blouse but I was absolutely CONVINCED that I would never use it. But back then, I had no idea I would suddenly fall in love with chiffon, or more specifically, chiffon blouses. I love the floaty appearance so much and came up with several outfits that could use a chiffon blouse. And now, I am seriously regretting selling that Meta blouse! I was even told by other lolitas to keep it. Instead of dwelling on the past, I need to focus on getting myself a new blouse. Luckily for me, chiffon blouses have been very popular recently, so there is a lot of choice out there.

I have been very choosy about which chiffon blouse I want to go for. I can't stand fussy collars or cheap looking jewels stuck all over it. In fact, I have seen some very horrible looking blouses over the past few months and only a few which I feel have potential. I saw a nice looking blouse in Primark but I forgot to buy it and it is probably gone by now.

Then, I went to London and completely by chance, I stumbled inside a shop called JSK London. I saw some very cute clothing but sadly, at the time I had no money to buy anything! Now I am going to make it my goal to get the chiffon blouse of my dreams! I WILL complete that outfit I planned! Luckily, the shop has a website, so I can buy the blouse any time. Or I could always return to Primark.

So hopefully, I will soon be part of the chiffon blouse army. I am fed up with being envious of my friends wearing nicer blouses than me! And when you sell anything, do think about it carefully. Your feelings may change and then later on, you may regret it.

Angel's Gentle Whisper of the Heavenly Holy Night melody by BABY

2011-11-16T11:11:00.001-08:00

Today I shall be discussing the latest series by BABY. The full name is in this post's title but to save time, I shall be calling it Angel's Whisper from now on! This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a bonnet, a headbow, socks, a top and several bits of jewellery.

This is the Gabriel JSK. The bodice looks well fitted, but the lines look a little straight. It gives the bodice a bit of a box-like appearance. It doesn't really flatter a curvy girl's figure. The "belted" appearance helps a little bit by making the waist look a bit smaller. However, the colour of the belt looks a little dull and it almost looks like the printed side has been turned inside out. The large bow uses the same style of material. The bow is very large, but despite this it manages to maintain a good shape. The bow is lined with lace, which looks good quality, but the shape is not that attractive. I also feel the lace adds unnecessary bulk to the already large bow. The rose is a nice touch, but because it is facing downwards it makes it look a bit droopy. My favourite part of the bow is the 2 lines of pearls, which feature cute little star and cross charms. However, I think overall the bow is a bit OTT, but when the bow is detached, the dress is too plain. There is no "happy medium" between the two. The lace on the neckline and running along the sleeves looks good quality but I think it looks a bit like one of those doilies a granny would use. The straps are a little thin and could be a little thicker, maybe without the lace.

The back of the dress has very confusing straps. I think the use of 2 bows is a bit too OTT. There is a panel of shirring, which is concealed by a ribbon corset nicely, and also hidden underneath the bows. The back bustle matches the colour of the belt and bow perfectly. The bustle has a lovely floaty appearance and the tiers are spaced out well.

The skirt flares outwards quite far but the lines are straight, giving the skirt a triangular appearance. You could a lot of petticoat underneath, but the skirt could do with being a bit rounder in shape. I like the bottom of the printed part. The ruffle gives the harsh straight lines, a more frilly edge. The use of bows really works, but they are a bit shiny in appearance. However, there is another appearance of the doily lace underneath the bows. The bottom hem is a continuation of the bustle, but from the front view, the bustle looks a bit droopy as if it is sagging.

This is the Michael JSK. Thankfully, this dress flatters a curvy figure a bit better than the other dress. However, I think the waist looks very wonky in the picture above, with the left hand side appearing higher up. The double lines of ribbon are very cute. I especially like how the lower line has a slight heart shape to it. The ribbon is stripy, which works well with the music lines in the print. The ribbon looks like it is good quality and only has a slight shine to it. The bows finish off both lines well, because they are about the right size. There are also vertical lines of lace, but they blend in quite a bit, so don't add much to the overall appearance. The lace on the neckline and sleeves is pretty, but I think the lace on the sleeves sticks outwards at an odd angle. The straps are still thin, but look more supportive than the straps on the other JSK.

I like the use of chains and charms, which is draped nicely and effortlessly around the waist. I think it looks very cute!

I definitely prefer the back style on this JSK compared to the back on the other one. The bustle is narrower but has more shape. The spacing looks better. However, it might make a large bum look bigger! The shirring panel is concealed by a well-spaced ribbon corset. The ribbon used matches the bustle colour well.

The shape of the skirt still looks a little too straight and is not helped by the wonky waist. The double layer of chiffon at the bottom helps to give the skirt a nicer shape. The bustle looks lovely and soft. it gives the dress a very dreamy feel. The edge of the printed part of the dress is finished off with small bows, which look very pretty.

This is the print close-up, here shown in Holy Night (lavender x navy). The other colours available are Carol (ivory), Blue Angel (sax blue) and Noel (black). I have chosen the navy as my favourite colour because it gives off a dreamy feel. The angels on the print are very cute. I like the way that they are sat on large music notes, carrying flowers and in mid-flight. It makes the angels look more lively. The wavy music lines add a bit of interest and look a lot better wavy instead of straight lines. I also like the candles. I am a little unsure about the crosses in the print because I think the holy theme is a little strong.

I quite like the socks. The little golden angel is very cute. I like all the floating musical notes, which compliment the print well.

This is one of the bits of jewellery from this series- the bow ring. Although the design is simple, the bow is very pretty and I love the star dangler. I also like the little musical notes on the bow.

Although this is not a series I will be adding to my wishlist, I do still think the series has potential. I think the 2nd JSK is very beautiful, but I am hoping that the waist is not as wonky as it is in the stock photos. I think all the colours this comes in work well with the print, but the navy is my favourite. I actually don't know how well this print will sell. It could go either way. I would actually prefer to get the jewellery and socks instead of the dresses. Pretty, but not overwhelming.

Outfit post (simple classic) and a few London snaps

2011-11-14T10:33:00.000-08:00

Today I am doing a quick post because after an stressful Sunday, I am not really in the greatest of moods and the last thing I feel like doing is writing a long post. So instead I thought I would share my outfit from Saturday. I went to London to celebrate my friend's birthday.

Just so you know, the leather jacket was not intended to be a part of my outfit! I decided to do some toned down classic because the friends I was meeting with were not lolitas. Although they have seen me in lolita before, I didn't want to take the attention away from my friend. And it worked! I had one person come up to me and one person took a sneaky photo without my permission but apart from that, I was left alone. I wore my Meta lucky pack floral JSK and matching barrette (attached to a black bow), with my black Bodyline blouse, bolero and plain black offbrand accessories. It is not a particularly exciting lolita outfit, but it worked for my personal needs.

We went to Hamleys which is a huge toy shop. I managed to find some breathing space on the stairs, which looked amazing. They were all painted and had 3D flowers coming off the walls and wrapped around the stairs.

A completely random book we food! Carrying on with the theme, there is another wall in the background covered in foliage! This time the leaves were real and the shop calls this the "living wall".

We are fans of Angry Birds, so Jo had a face-off with the largest Angry Bird in Hamleys. I would have loved to get one of these but I doubt there is enough room in my house.

A random plug we found!

We went to the Hummingbird Bakery. I thought the display cupcakes were really cute! I had a chocolate cupcake with chocolate frosting. It tasted amazing. This is my 2nd time going there and it is fun going to the actual bakery, rather than just using the cookbook at home.

The Olympic count-down clock in Trafalgar Square. London is going to go absolutely mental next Summer! Maybe I should have an Olympics party.

And when I was having a bad Sunday, I was really craving this children's book. It is one of the most amusing books I have ever had the pleasure of reading.

I should be back to normal on Wednesday and I am very sorry for the odd post today.

Garnier BB Cream Review

2011-11-11T05:15:00.000-08:00

I have got to be honest- I am not the most knowledgeable person when it comes to make-up and I never really write reviews for beauty products. But BB Cream is something I have been curious about for a long time so I thought I should at least try.

As you can see, I was too tight to actually go and buy the product! This is the sample I got in the post after filling out a form on the Garnier BB website. You get 3 generous sachets and a coupon to get some money off your next BB buy (provided you like it, of course).

I went for light because I am incredibly pale skinned. This BB cream only comes in 2 shades, which I find disappointing. As I was predicting, this product was too dark for my skin so I would need to mix in a little moisturiser to make a shade closer to my natural colouring. However, some Asian BB creams appear very grey when you first put them on your skin so I suppose the colour for this one was better than I was expecting. Somehow, I have managed to lose the picture of what the actual product looks like but when I put some on my fingers, it felt just like a liquid foundation. I was a little concerned because it also felt a bit greasy and my skin can get very oily.

This first picture is part of my face before I applied BB cream or anything else. Sorry for not showing my full face but I was having a bad skin day and I was too self-conscious to show the rest of my face! As you can see I have some dark patches and blemishes. I also get very red in the face around my nose and cheeks and some of my pores are visible.

This is how my skin looked after applying the Garnier BB Cream and absolutely nothing else. Just as I predicted, the cream felt very greasy on my skin. A lot of BB creams are meant to give a dewy complexion but my skin just appeared more shiny than usual. I had to apply more powder than usual afterwards and my make-up felt as though it would slide off my face at any moment. I would probably use primer first if I were to use this BB cream again. My pores did not feel as clogged as usual. My blemishes were still visible but not as noticeable as they were in the previous picture. Despite this, my skin tone did appear more even.

This is how I looked after adding foundation, concealer and powder (yes, I wear a lot of make-up). I could not use the BB cream in place of foundation because you could still see some flaws. However, I found that I could apply a lot less foundation than I usually do. I still needed a similar amount of concealer just to make sure my blemishes were well and truly covered. My make-up stayed in place for a few hours, after which I just had to top up my powder because my skin became shiny again.

At £10 a tube, I think I would spend a little bit more to import an Asian BB Cream or I would try a different one on the Western market. The Garnier BB Cream does do some of the tasks it promises but I don't think the difference is majorly noticable. I probably would not buy this particular BB cream unless I was on a very limited budget.

I have not been converted to BB creams yet. My next task will be to try another BB cream when I get the chance. I am looking in to getting one by Missha next. I am thinking of getting this one in shade 13, Milky Beige- http://www.thebbcreamshop.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=13&products_id=153&zenid=v5kjihl6faac14lkt5pcp2f0s3

Hopefully I will get to try it in the near future.

An AP print discussion double post!

2011-11-08T07:38:00.000-08:00

To make up for the fact that I got a bit behind with the print discussions, I will today be discussing 2 Angelic pretty prints! Today I am looking at Moon Night Theatre and Sugar Hearts. I will be doing MNT first, so scroll down if you want to skip to Sugar Hearts. Brace yourselves, this will be a very long post!

Firstly, here is Moon Night Theatre. The series is comprised of 3 dresses, a skirt, head bow, socks and some accessories. This series has already been released.

This is the OP. The bodice looks very well fitted. I like how this dress is divided in to 2 parts so the print is not totally dominant. The front corset looks very neat and well spaced out and the ribbon looks good quality. Although the lace running vertically alongside the corset looks neat and well presented, I didn't like the shape and type of lace used. The neck ties help to give the dress a good shape and are a good length. The sleeves look cute and I like the slight puffy appearance. They also look nicely elasticated for various sizes and the lace used is good quality and cute. There are 2 small bows on each sleeve, which looks a little fussy, so I would have preferred just one pair of bows here. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed by a ribbon corset. The waist ties are also very well concealed and not that visible from the front. The skirt has a cute round shape to it. Although the skirt is a pretty shape, maybe it is a little too sweet compared to the print. Despite the large number of pleats, it doesn't appear to conceal the print that badly. The lace on the bottom hem is very pretty and features 'A' and 'P' on it.

This is the pleated JSK. The overall shape of the bodice looks well fitted, but in a few of the pictures the dress material looked a bit loose in places. Unlike the OP, this JSK features the print all over so I think the belt around the waist is a good idea to help break it up a bit. The waist bow looks very cute and if you like, you can detach the belt. There are another 2 lines of black material topped with bows, which stop the dress from looking too plain. These bits are surrounded by pretty lace, but the lace blends in a bit so it is not instantly noticeable. There is thin lace along the neckline and along the sleeves, which looks nice and soft. The straps are a bit thin, but the lace helps to thicken them a little. I would have liked wider straps for more support and to stop them falling down. The back does not have any shirring in it, so not good for larger wearers. The back has been kept plain apart from some ribbon crossing over between the straps. The skirt looks a very generous size and with the pleats as well, it will fit a lot of petticoat underneath. The overall shape is not as rounded as the OP, but I prefer the slightly more A-line shape. The pleats on this dress are a bit deeper so the print is a bit more obscured and not displayed as well. But at least the print is not covered with too many details such as extra ribbons. The bottom hem is finished with the same lace as the OP.

This is the tiered JSK. The bodice looks a good shape, but it doesn't look that well fitted. Thankfully, the detachable belt has been used on this JSK as well to help break up the print. Going on first impressions, the dress looks a bit plain, but the bodice does have a raised section, which has folds in it to give it added volume and texture. I think the ribbon on the front looks a little strange and maybe would have looked nicer if it was in a zigzag shape. The straps are a bit thin, but they do match the belt very well. The straps are topped with nicely shaped bows, which adds interest. There is a large panel of shirring on the back which has been left open, so it looks very exposed. I also thought that when the ribbon waist ties were removed, the shirring was more obvious because you could see the difference in the print spacing. The skirt shape is a bit lumpy, but you tend to expect that at least a little bit with tiered designs. The skirt flares outwards nicely, so it will fit a lot of petticoat. There is a ribbon line running along the bottom hem, which is then finished with more of the same lace. For some reason the lace appears wider and more noticable on this dress, compared to the other 2 dresses.

And this is the print close-up. In all honesty, when I saw the title Moon Night Theatre, I was expecting something very different to the actual print. I thought it would be similar to Starry Night Theatre (a series I would love to own) and that I would instantly fall in love with this new series. But as you can see, this print is not what I was expecting and because I set my hopes highly, I was disappointed! I do like the gold parts on the print such as the chandeliers, castle, curtains and top hat. What I can't get over is why AP have chosen to obscure what could have been a beautiful print with ANGELIC PRETTY written in massive letters over the top. Are AP, trying to hammer home the message about where you got your dress from? With the letters being so dominant, this print was a huge let-down for me. However, it is interesting to see AP using more muted colours. Despite this, I think my favourite is the black colour, simply because the gold stands out the best on the darker background.

So overall, I think the dress designs suit the print, but the print is just not that exciting. I was very disappointed with this series and I was hoping for a lot more. However, I did like the necklace that was released as part of this series, but sadly I forgot to get a picture! I would recommend looking up the necklace.

And now, we will move on to Sugar Hearts, which is a slightly newer series but is already available on AP's website. This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a headbow, a cutsew, and there are still socks to come. A few pieces from the Candy Treat series have also been made available again because Sugar Hearts is a bit like a continuation of the Candy Treat series, as you will see below.

This is the OP. As you can see, this series is made with chiffon, giving it a soft floaty feel. The bodice looks well fitted, considering the material used (you don't really want tight chiffon!). The belt helps to make the dress smart, stopping it from looking like frilly nightwear. The sleeves look a bit droopy and could have had a bit more shape to them. The sleeves and neckline have lines of thin lace, which has heart shape details. The lace is a good width, because the dress is frilly enough.

The bodice has a raised panel, lined with more heart lace and topped with very cute buttons. I absolutely love the buttons! They are so sweet and look just like the actual sweets. There is a floaty bow just above the buttons, but I think it looks a bit cheap and I would take it off.

The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed well by a ribbon corset. I quite like the waist ties (shown) because unlike a lot of waist ties, they are not completely boring! I like the rounded ruffle edge, topped with bows.

The skirt part flares out nicely, so it is prefect for a sweet look. The tiers are spaced nicely. I think tiers look really pretty when used with chiffon. It looks so frothy and girly, and surprisingly for me, I love it! Each tier is finished nicely with some thin lace, just to make the edges look prettier.

This is the JSK. I like the babydoll high waist design, although it does look a bit like a nightie. I think this is one of those dresses that you could wear casually, but with the right accessories, you could make a beautiful OTT outfit with it too. I think the heart shaped neckline is pretty and the bows at the bottom of the straps compliment the design. The bows are not too big, shaped nicely and placed well. I also think that the straps are the right width for the dress style.

However, I do think that the JSK does have too many buttons on the front. They look overcrowded. Sometimes, less is more! The chest area also has quite a bit of gathering. It will help add a bit of volume to a smaller bust.

The skirt part is not as flared as the OP and doesn't flow as nicely. But it is still very cute, and you will be able to use a lot of petticoat with it. The edges of the tiers have different lace, which is wider and more noticeable and topped with bows. It looks more fancy, but I prefer the OP.

Finally, here is the print close-up. It is not exactly original, but it does take my favourite part of the Candy Treat print and makes it the main feature. I loved the candy hearts on Candy Treat and I love them here as well. The colours are the typical range of pastels, white and black. I would happily wear any of the pastel shades or the white version. I didn't think the black version looked as pretty. I figured with such a cute print, I would go the whole way and pick the sweetest colours too!

So whilst this series does not seem that special, I am not dismissing it. Although it doesn't appear to be selling that quickly, I think it would be a great addition to a sweet wardrobe. I would definitely buy from this series. I think I would go for the OP because I think the design works better. As for the colour? I am not fussy. I like all the colours. Sugar Hearts does not live up to its 'mother print' (I just randomly came up with the term 'mother print' right now!) Candy Treat but it is still super cute.

And so, if you are reading this sentence, it means you got to the end of my mammoth post. Give yourself a pat on the back. You deserve it!

New Bodyline Coats

2011-11-07T07:05:00.000-08:00

This time last year, I was madly searching for a nice coat to keep me warm whilst I was wearing lolita. In the end, I picked a Bodyline coat which thankfully, was warm enough for a typical English Winter. I am very happy with my coat selection and I am not looking to buy another this Winter, but I thought I would have a look at this year's coats anyway. I think quite a lot of lolitas struggle with purchasing a coat because they can be quite expensive, so I was relieved that my Bodyline coat was better than I was expecting.

To be honest... this year's coats are not as well designed as last year's designs. Last year there was a very pretty sailor coat, which was surprisingly versatile (and still available on the website in black only). However, I am not going to write off the new coats just yet, because they are still very cute.

Cat ears have not exactly got a good reputation in the lolita community, but I know they have their fans too. If you are in to cats, then this coat could be for you! With its ears, fake fur and bells, there is no doubt that this coat is aimed at the sweet loving crowd. I am impressed with the shape of this coat, which reminds me of the shape brands use sometimes. I also like the bow on the back, which just furthers the sweet theme. I would have preferred heart shape pockets on the front because the cat ears on the pockets are a bit OTT. I would have also left the bells off. Also, with the black coat, maybe black fake fur would have been nicer. My overall impression of this coat is cute, but I probably wouldn't wear it myself. Despite the haters, many lolitas still wear animal ears.

Bodyline are also bringing in some capes. I felt design-wise, this cape was the nicest because some of the colours on the other capes were a bit... 'interesting'. I think this cape may also have limited appeal. The picture does not show how easy it is to move your arms underneath. There is no point spending out on a coat if it is not that practical! Whilst I do like the use of check (especially the gathering on the bottom bit) and also the bows, I think the lace on this coat looks bad. It looks a bit cheap. The collar is a good shape and the pom pom ties fit well with the design. I wish there had been more colour options with the check parts, which is black on every colourway.

As far as longer coats go, this is the lastest design. The coat reminds me of similar styles from FanplusFriend. Hopefully, the fake fur parts will be detachable, because that would give the wearer more options about what to team this coat with. It would have been good if there were more options with the fake fur colour, but if the red coat had white fur there would be a real risk of it looking like a Father Christmas outfit! I dislike the shape of this coat. I think it could be a bit longer in length and the scalloped edge is average. However, the cape sits nicely over the coat and I think it would look cute worn alone on warmer days. This coat has rose buttons and some lace too, which blends in with the design. It will be interesting to see what sort of lolitas decide to go for this coat. Will non-sweet lolitas be put off by the fake fur, or will they see the potential of the coat minus the fur?

Given the choice between this year's coat designs and last year's coats, I think I would try to get a coat from last year's selection. Some of the coat prices have fluctuated throughout the year, but I feel those designs are more wearable. However, don't underestimate the new coats. I know people who will love these newer coats and if people have a few minor issues with the design, then maybe customisation could be an option. Even though I dislike the bells, I would not let that put me off the cat coat because they should be easy to remove. My only advice would be that if you live in a country that has VERY bad Winters, you may need a good cardigan underneath. My Bodyline coat is perfect for England, but it may be a different story in a colder country!

Finally, I would just like to quickly apologise if my blog posts are a little erratic over the next few weeks. I have not been feeling very well lately, but I am going to try my best to keep things going as normal as possible. I am also going to try and work on improving the content of my posts so do keep reading!

Misty Night Royal Game by AatP

2011-11-04T08:26:00.000-07:00

Today I will be taking a look at the new series from Alice and the Pirates. This series is called Misty Night Royal Game. It looks like we have another chess print to add to the trend! this series has 3 dresses, a skirt, a vest, pants, socks, a headbow and jewellery.

This is the first JSK. The bodice looks very well fitted and it has a very interesting neckline and shape. The bodice is in the style of a vest.

I thought the bodice deserved a closer picture. I absolutely love the detail! The style suits the overall theme of the series and it also looks quite grown-up. The 6 buttons are very plain in design but if they had been more detailed, it may have looked too much with the very detailed dress. The buttons are also a good colour match with the chess pieces in the print. The lace looks neat and thankfully, it is not too wide. I don't think wider lace would have looked good on this dress. The bottom of the bodice has a frill where it meets the waist and cleverly makes it look like a 2-piece set rather than a dress. The straps are a good width.

The back of the bodice is a tiny bit disappointing. There is a generous panel of shirring but it has been left very exposed. I also think I would have preferred halter neck straps that tie around the neck instead of the cross-straps used on this dress. The skirt is a good A-line shape and flares out quite well, which is suitable for classic lolita. The skirt part has wisely been kept simple. There is a line of very regal looking lace, suitable for a chess/royal theme. The bottom hem is then finished off with some wider lace, which looks very pretty.

This is the other JSK. the bodice part is very shapely and will emphasise the waist. I am very undecided by the design on this bodice. The 3 bows running down the front are a pretty shape, but they appear very cute compared to the very classic print. The way the lace is layered over the dress gives the dress a more 3-dimensional look, but I don't think the design works as well as the vest bodice on the other JSK. The neckline has a pretty ruffle. The straps are a bit thin and very plain. The back has a panel of shirring and this time, it has been hidden by a ribbon corset. It looks a bit tidier than the other JSK. The skirt part has a pretty bell shape to it. It looks like it wont flare out as much as the the JSK, but you should still be able to achieve a pretty classic shape. Like the other JSK, this dress has a line of lace breaking the skirt in to two. However, I don't think the higher placing of this lace works that well and maybe it would have been better to leave the skirt plain. The bottom hem is finished off with a line of pretty lace and it appears to be the same lace used on the other JSK.

This is the OP. The bodice looks very nicely shaped but for some reason, I think the overall shape is a bit stiff and rigid. It looks like it could be a bit uncomfortable to wear! It doesn't help that this dress also has no shirring and where the zip is in the back, the print is broken. However the white yoke part is shaped nicely, as is the white part on the skirt, which if done wrong could have ended looking a bit like an apron. The waist bow also helps to break up the white parts, although it is fairly large. The long sleeves are ended nicely with more solid white and a row of pearly buttons. The skirt part has a pretty A-line shape to it which again, would suit classic lolita. Where the print meets the solid colour part, there is lace which softens the edges. The lace does not look too OTT because it blends in well, as does the lace used on the bottom hem. I know some will disagree with me, but I prefer the solid print rather than having it broken up by solid colour parts.

This is the print close-up. The colours available are royal green (shown), burgandy, chocolat and Noir. I am having a hard time deciding which colour I like best because I think the colours all look very similar. At a push, I would say my favourite was a choice between royal green and chocolat. I LOVE this print! I love how detailed all the chess pieces are and they are displayed quite well. The flowers help to soften the print a little too. It works so well and this is the sort of standard I expect from an Alice and the Pirates print!

I am also a huge fan of the socks. I am going through a bit of a diamond phase at the moment and I can't get enough of them! I like the use of the chess pieces on the socks too. However, I am unsure if I would want to wear these socks with one of the dresses because I think that may be pushing the diamond motif a bit too far. Whether worn with the dresses from this series or not, these socks will make an impact.

I also quite liked this ring. If I am being honest, I do prefer the chess piece jewellery that Angelic Pretty released with Chess Chocolate a lot more than the jewellery available with this series. But I still think this jewellery is beautiful and at least if you buy from the same series, you know the colours will match.

So overall, I am very impressed by this series and I would buy from it! I think the vest style JSK is my favourite but I am still undecided on the colour. I think some people will think this print is too busy and bold, but I think it is bold in a good way. The design is not exactly that original, but I think it is a strong contender. I really want this series to succeed and I hope other lolitas like it as much as I do.

Meta cake!

2011-11-02T02:48:00.000-07:00

After randomly browsing Meta's Japanese site, I found this cute cake collaboration with Patisserie Swallowtail.

It looks so yummy and I really want one! Although it is only available in Japan, I still enjoy looking at yummy cakes like these. I have often wanted to re-create brand logos to go on cakes for a lolita meet and I still remember when somebody recreated a Moitie print for a birthday cake (it was epic). The Meta cake can be viewed here- http://www.patisserie-swallowtail.jp/modules/pico/index.php?content_id=70

I don't know when I will next be hosting a meet, but when I do, I am tempted to do logo cakes. Let's see how they turn out!

Ebay selling- November 2011

2011-11-01T12:12:00.001-07:00

I am selling a few items on Ebay here- http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/cashdoggrocks/m.html?hash=item4cfb6645a2&item=330635298210&pt=UK_Women_s_Skirts&_trksid=p4340.l2562

One of the items on offer is my Bodyline candy print skirt.

I just figured that I should sell a few items before Christmas so I can buy everybody lots of lovely presents! Do contact me if you have any questions.

Devil nails for Halloween!

2011-10-31T04:03:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween everybody! I hope everybody is having a fun time today. I decided to have a little fun and painted a devil design on my nails in celebration.

I painted this design fairly quickly and it is very simple. The mouth was a zigzag with a semi-circle painted underneath, and then I filled the space in. The eyes were 2 diagonal lines which I fleshed out to look more eye shaped. It is pretty hard to mess these up because if it goes wonky, it just makes the face look more creepy!

I used red and black for a devil design. I think an orange and black pumpkin design could look cute too. Originally, I intended to do the red and black colours the other way around but it was only when I was half way through doing my first hand that I noticed my mistake! But it still worked out fairly well! My only concern was making sure I used the red nail polish first, just in case it didn't show up that well if I painted it on top of black.

So this was very easy. It probably would have looked a lot nicer if I had spent more time on it, but I just wanted something quick and fun to do.

Toffee Apples!

2011-10-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

I really enjoy Halloween so I thought it would be fun to share a toffee apple recipe. Around this time of year, I really crave toffee apples because they remind me of my childhood. When I went to fairs around this time of year, I had a hard time choosing between toffee apples and cotton candy!

This recipe was originally published in Good Food Magazine (2009)

Ingredients

8 Granny Smith apples

400g golden caster sugar

1 tsp vinegar

4 tbsp Golden Syrup

Method

Place the apples in a large bowl, then cover with boiling water (you may have to do this in 2 batches). This will remove the waxy coating and help the caramel to stick. Dry thoroughly and twist off any stalks. Push a wooden skewer or lolly stick into the stalk end of each apple.
Lay out a sheet of baking parchment and place the apples on this, close to your stovetop. Tip the sugar into a pan along with 100ml water and set over a medium heat. Cook for 5 mins until the sugar dissolves, then stir in the vinegar and syrup. Set a sugar thermometer in the pan and boil to 140C or 'hard crack' stage. If you don't have a thermometer you can test the toffee by pouring a little into a bowl of cold water. It should harden instantly and, when removed, be brittle and easy to break. If you can still squish the toffee, continue to boil it.
Working quickly and carefully, dip and twist each apple in the hot toffee until covered, let any excess drip away, then place on the baking parchment to harden. You may have to heat the toffee a little if the temperature drops and it starts to feel thick and viscous. Leave the toffee to cool before eating. Can be made up to 2 days in advance, stored in a dry place.

If you give this recipe a go, do let me know how you get on. Be careful not to burn yourself on all that boiling toffee!

My Sweet mate Kumya's Honey Hunt by Baby

2011-10-27T03:50:00.000-07:00

Today I am discussing the new Baby print. To save time, I am going to call it Honey Hunt from now on. The full print name is in this post's title! This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a blouse, socks, 4 different hair accessories and some jewellery featuring Usakumya's friends. After looking at all the print close-ups, I am not sure that Usakumya features in this print at all (unless Kumya features without the bunny hood). The print focuses on Usakumya's friends instead.

This is the Judy JSK. The shape of the bodice looks good, but I couldn't help noticing that the material looks a little loose and baggy around the front. It might cause unflattering gaps when worn. Smaller lolitas should have a look at the other JSK. The waist bow is generous in size and looks a pretty shape. I wouldn't have put lace on the waist bow, because it is big enough already. I think the waist bow would make a good emergency headbow, so thankfully it is detachable. The bodice has a raised panel, which gives the dress a bit more depth and will add volume to smaller busted ladies. The raised part has a printed bow theme, which is finished with a real bow in the middle. The little bow fits in well with the dress and I prefer it to the waist bow. The lace used on the bodice is very pretty and the rose lace matches the flowers in the print. The straps are a little thin, but the lace helps to add some width. There is a panel of shirring on the back, which is hidden well by a ribbon corset. The shirring panel is finished off neatly with 2 lines of lace. The waist ties could have had rose shaped buttons to mix the floral part of the print, but the heart buttons used are cute. The skirt part has a pretty rounded shape. It will probably flare outwards well and will accommodate lots of petticoat. The skirt has a lot of gathering but it doesn't obscure the print too much. I like how plain the skirt is, because it means you are more focused on the print when you look at the dress. The bottom hem is finished off with a tidy line of pretty looking lace.

This is the Sophie JSK. In a few of the stock photos, the outline of the bodice looked a bit lumpy but in others it doesn't look so bad. This dress takes advantage of the stripy ribbon part of the print. I really like the waist on this dress because the print makes it look as though the dress has a belt and it gives the impression of a small waist. The front has 3 bows made of stripy ribbon. It matches well with the dress and they are well spaced out. There are also vertical lines of lace running up the bodice. While the lace looks cute and doesn't look out of place, I think I would like the dress more without the lace. the lace may be pretty, but I prefer the lace used on the other dress. The straps continue the stripy ribbon theme. The straps on this dress are a little thicker and the lace is nicely shaped. The back has a decent sized shirring panel and it is covered by a ribbon corset. The ribbon is well spaced. The skirt has a good, generous shape to it. The overall shape is affected a tiny bit by the horizontal line of lace, but the lace is heart shaped and it looks very cute. Cute items are a good idea for an Usakumya series! The print is displayed very well. The bottom hem is finished off with some nice quality lace.

This is one of the print close-ups, here shown in Chocolate/Strawberry. Other colours avaiable are ivory/caramel, brown/brown and black/black. The chocolate/strawberry and brown/brown colourways are beautiful. I think my least favourite is the ivory. The colours used in this print are pale, and look washed out on ivory. I think having a darker background means you can see the bears a lot better. The print is very cute! The bears are doing different things, so there are lots of different things to see. I like the detailing on the glass jars. The bits at the bottom features names of different types of honey, so it features words like 'manuka'. My only complaint is the lack of Usakumya. I don't think Usakumya's friends are as popular as Usakumya. However, the print is still very pretty and hopefully Usakumya fans wont be put off buying this.

The socks for this series are adorable. They feature one of Usakumya's friends (I forget all their names!). I like the chocolate hearts and the 'Baby' part made of swirly honey.

Normally I dislike animal style hats and headpieces but surprisingly, I do like this furry bear headbow! It looks so warm and inviting. The ears are shaped well and I like the positioning of the bows. I don't think I suit pieces like this but I can think of several people who would look adorable wearing this.

I think this is a very cute series! I hope Usakumya fans will like it. The dress designs are good but I prefer the first JSK (the Judy one). I think the brown/brown colour looks the best. Would I buy from this series? Possibly. I think this series may be a little too cute for some people. It wont be going on my dream print list, but I wouldn't mind owning it.

A Western Take On the BB Cream?

2011-10-24T09:04:00.000-07:00

BB creams. They have always been a mystery to me. BB creams are huge in Asia, some dubbing it some sort of "miracle product" that has so many different uses. In the past I have considered buying an Asian BB cream. A lot of people appear to like Skin79 Triple Function and I came close to purchasing this one from YesStyle- http://www.yesstyle.com/en/skin79-super-plus-beblesh-balm-triple-function-hot-pink-spf-25-pa/info.html/pid.1021163069

There is one thing that has always held me back. I dislike how a lot of Asian BB creams claim to whiten the skin. Considering how pale my skin is, I don't want my skin getting any whiter! I know that there are exceptions out there and I would love to hear about them!

Just recently, it appears that BB creams have spread to the West. I figured that these products were unlikely to have skin whiteners in them because there is less demand for this over here.

So I decided to try the Garnier BB cream. It comes in 2 colours and I chose the lighter colour. It costs about £10 in most UK stores. However, I held out buying the cream and sure enough, Garnier's website started offering free samples (yes, I know how cheap I sound, but I like to try before I buy!).

If you are in the UK or Ireland and would like a free sample too, you can get it here- http://www.garnier.co.uk/_en/_gb/BB-cream/index.aspx and if you live in a different country, do look for your own country's Garnier website because they may be offering samples too. In your sample pack you get 3 sachets of BB Cream and a voucher for money off your next BB purchase.

I have not tried the BB cream yet but I did open one of the sachets very quickly just to see what it looked like. I placed a little bit on my finger and it felt greasy and despite being called light, the product looked quite dark. I am a bit dubious about putting it on my face.

Once I have tried the product, I will see how good it really is. I will let you all know how I get on with it. I am desperate to do a comparison with an Asian BB cream, so if anybody can recommend one without whitening, please share!

Meta's Marguerite Wreath

2011-10-20T09:13:00.000-07:00

Today I will be discussing the new print by Meta. This series is called Marguerite Wreath and it it is already available for reservation. The series includes 3 dresses, a shirt, a skirt, socks, a bonnet, a headbow and hair combs.

This is the short sleeved OP. The bodice part is a nice shape. It is also interesting how the lines in the print run up the bodice. The lines are curved, giving the illusion of a larger bust area and a smaller waist. I suppose if you have a small bust this could be useful to help even out your figure. Unlike the typical waist ties, this dress has belt style ties which tie at the front. There is a ruffle running along the front but it is fairly flat and blends in with the print, so it doesn't really add to the design. It is hard to see but apparently, this dress has a flower braid running between the 2 bows. It suits the print, which has daisy chains in it. Normally, brands would stick a line of pearls between bows like these, so it is fun to see something a bit different. The bows themselves look nicely shaped. I think the chiffon part under the bigger bow looks a bit lifeless. It probably could have been gathered more and the tiers spread out better. The short sleeves are slightly puffy and looks nicely elasticated. I would have liked this dress more without the halter-neck straps, but those are easy to tuck away. The shirring panel on this dress looks very small and appears to be in a V shape. This means the top of the shirring may stretch more than the bottom half. The shirring is well concealed by a ribbon corset. The skirt part is very full and rounded. You could put a lot of petticoat underneath this dress. The chiffon over the skirt is pretty and the gathering makes it look more interesting. The bottom hem is finished off with a simple ruffle. Considering the use of chiffon, it is probably best to keep the rest of the skirt plain. What I dislike about this skirt is that it has a tier and where the top of the skirt meets the tier, the print does not line up that well.

This is the bustle JSK. The bodice is well fitted and a good shape. Like the first dress, this dress uses curved lines to make the wearer's figure appear more shapely. The waist has a fairly big bow which appears to have a good sturdy shape to it. Although it would look a bit plain, I think I would remove the waist bow if I was wearing this dress. I dislike the corset on the front of this dress. I can't decide whether it is the shape I dislike or the dull colour of the satin ribbon. The straps are a good width, maybe a tiny bit on the thin side. The back has a shirring panel which thankfully, is a bit wider than the panel on the OP. The shirring is hidden well by a corset but again, I dislike how the corset looks.

This dress has a bustle on the back. Unlike some bustle dresses, the bustle is layered on top of the print part instead of layered underneath. It gives the skirt a lot of volume on the back. And the bustle is exactly why I would not wear this dress. It would make my bum look huge!

Despite this the skirt part is a good shape. It flares out well and would hold a large petticoat. I also think that this dress displays the print the best. The skirt part has 4 small satin ribbons on the front. I think they look cute. However, the bustle is still a huge minus.

This is the A-line JSK. There is no defined bodice, but the top part looks decently fitted. This dress has a yoke, which looks pretty. The yoke is finished with a small satin ribbon right in the middle and a pretty bow at the bottom. The straps are a little thin but thicker straps might not have worked well with the shape of this dress. The dress has a low back to it so maybe it wont give as much support. This dress has a panel of shirring running along most of the back. The panel is very exposed but somehow, it works well. It does mean that larger lolitas will probably have a good amount of stretch room. I find the overall shape of this dress a bit odd, especially teamed with the lines of the print running in different directions. On Meta's site this dress looks good on the model, but it is not your stereotypical lolita dress shape. The skirt has a ruffle midway down the skirt. The dress does not have a lot of details added on to it, so the ruffle looks good. It doesn't affect the dress shape too much either.

This is what the print looks like.

And this is a closer view. I have to say, that I think the colours in this series are horrible. The brown and grey colours look dull. Instead of rich colours, they look washed out. The brown is a muddy shade and looks odd beside the brighter blue. The pea green does not look too bad. In my opinion, the only exception is the red colourway (I believe it is the one they called Agatt on their website). The daisy chains are beautiful, the ribbons look pretty and I like the bluebirds. However, I find this print so underwhelming. There is nothing particularly original about the print and other brands have done similar designs a lot better.

So overall, I am not that impressed. I can't see this being a huge seller and will probably end up in Meta lucky packs or heavily reduced in a future sale. If I had to buy something, I would avoid the dresses and buy the skirt instead. I will be giving this series a miss.

Yes!!!! Bodyline flat rate shipping is back!

2011-10-18T11:09:00.000-07:00

Bodyline have brought back their fixed shipping rates! Air is fixed at $20 and sea at $10. Considering how slow sea can be, I am very grateful to see the $20 air rate back. I guess this means that more people will be holding Bodyline group orders again.

So this is brilliant news! Bodyline, please keep the $20 rate. I love you a lot more when I am getting cheap shipping.

Edgar Degas, Laduree and a new banner!

2011-10-17T05:14:00.001-07:00

Friday the 14th October 2011- This day will always be special to me. I finally managed to make one of my life goals come true, and it is thanks to lolita!

A few weeks ago, I was invited to a lolita meet. The idea was to visit the Royal Academy of Arts in London for an exhibit about Edgar Degas. As soon as I saw the word Degas, I started to hyperventilate. Edgar Degas is my favourite artist of all time. I first discovered Degas when I was about 7. My dad had purchased our first computer and he got me this set of computer games to celebrate. In one of the games, you had to stop a burglar from stealing paintings from 3 artists. One of these artists was Degas. When you finished the game, you got to see the paintings. I instantly fell in love with Degas. I kept researching him and discovered more of his beautiful works. I find it hard to explain why I love him so much. Degas painted a lot of dancers and ballerinas, and it is these paintings which he is most famous for. The dancers look graceful, and I love the way Degas captured their effortless grace. The exhibition in London focused on the way Degas captured their movement. I sometimes wonder what Degas would have thought about lolitas and how he would have captured lolita in his art. If I were to pose for any artist, it would definitely be Degas. And I only found out about this exhibit because I was a part of a lolita facebook group!

Despite being unable to attend the lolita meet, there was NO WAY I was missing the chance to see some of Degas' most famous work in person. The Royal Academy of Arts was buzzing with excitement and there was a bit of a queue to get in.

The lolitas going to the meet are in for a treat! If you are reading this post before the 11th of December 2011 and would like the chance to see the exhibit in London, you can find details here- http://www.royalacademy.org.uk/exhibitions/degas/

There was one particular part of the exhibition that I was really excited to see-

This is Dancer Posing for a Photographer (sometimes the title for this painting varies a little bit). This is my absolute favourite painting by my favourite artist. This painting normally hangs in a gallery in Russia. Considering how unlikely it is that I will go to Russia, I simply had to see this painting. It was one of my life goals to view this painting and now I can say I have seen it. When I first saw it, I felt my heart clench with excitement. It is so beautiful. I can actually feel my eyes tearing up just remembering this special moment.

I spent ages in the gift shop looking for my favourite painting. I was hoping for a print (in fact, this has now gone down on my Christmas wishlist, so I am holding out hope of at least getting a poster). Sadly, I could not find Dancer Posing for a Photographer but I did find this print. I am now trying to figure out where I should put it. I also got a few postcards and the Royal Academy's magazine. I did spot a beautiful umbrella with a Degas print on it (it would look beautiful with classic lolita) which cost £30, but I decided I would be sensible and so I saved it to buy a few Christmas presents. I would have snapped it up in an instant if Christmas wasn't coming up!

I also decided to go to Laduree for macarons. Laduree macarons are famous so in the interest of research, I went and got a box of 8!

This is the macaron tree which greets you outside their shop. I went to the Burlington Arcade branch because it was very close to the Degas exhibit. Inside the shop, it is like a sparkly grotto. In this photo you can see the gold underneath the macaron tree. The entire shop is covered with this gold decoration. The shop itself is small, so it is best to go in very small groups or by yourself.

This is the box my 8 macarons came in. I think this is their standard packaging which in itself, is still very pretty. If you want a fancier box I think you need to buy more macarons.

Left to Right- Rose, Lemon, Raspberry, Granny Smith Apple, Black Forest, Praline and Violet and Blackcurrant (I had already eaten another rose macaron). As expected, they were expensive but I can honestly say they are the nicest macarons I have ever tried. They have a wonderful crispy but chewy texture. The flavours in the store are varied with a few standard flavours such as raspberry, and the more exotic flavours like Green Apple. They also do special flavours from time to time. If I remember correctly, the black forest macaron is not part of the regular macaron menu.

My favourites were the Black Forest (perfect mix of chocolate and cherry), green apple (unusual, but in a good way), and the Violet/blackcurrant (simply amazing). But I was amazed by every single one I tried.

Finally, I have some new banner art!

This banner was made by the very lovely Beau. Beau based the banner on the outfit I wore to the October 2011 Oxfordshire Lolita meet with Meta's Fairy tale print. Beau has gone to a lot of effort to capture my outfit including the ivy wrapped around my leg, the print details and even my black Bodyline bolero. I absolutely love this banner! So a huge thank you to Beau for making this for me.

A really HUGE valentine thank you!

2011-10-15T08:21:00.001-07:00

I almost fell off my seat when I saw the Lolita Valentines go up today. I got 6! 2 are group and 4 are individual. This is my biggest Valentine haul to date! Seriously, I cannot thank you guys enough. As this is my biggest amount, I would like to think that this means people really liked my Meta Fairy Tale outfit (which features in all 6 Valentines). That makes me so glad, because I think it is one of my personal favourite lolita outfits out of everything I have worn.

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/106181.html?view=3066565

I am in numbers 10, 13, 15, 22, 23 and 25.

So thank you Valentine makers!

P.S- Whoever said I was the "Princess of Meta's Fairy Tale", I just want to let you know that comment really made me smile! I see what you did there!

Shoe Love- Secret Shop Crown Shoes Replica

2011-10-13T11:56:00.000-07:00

Technically this is Friday's post because tomorrow I am off to London. I am going to Camden, an exhibit, shopping and to Laduree for macarons! I have wanted to go to Laduree for so long. I can taste the macarons already! I will fill you all in about my experience soon.

I have a new item to add to my want list. After being invited to a group order, I discovered these shoes on Clobba. At the time I didn't have enough money to pre-order a pair because I had brought a birthday present (I hope my friend liked that present!).

These shoes are a Secret Shop replica of the AP crown shoes. I have been in love with the AP shoes since they appeared on the cover of one of the Gothic Lolita bibles. But while I would love to own the AP shoes, I have to admit that I have been tempted by the Secret Shop version in the gold colour. I think it would be fun to flirt with a princess or regal theme, but I don't necessarily want to do a full Hime Lolita outfit.

I was thinking that maybe you could pair the shoes with this Innocent World bag, but maybe the shades of gold are a bit different? The gold on the bag looks brighter. It is a shame, because I would love to pair the 2 items together. Maybe, once there are more photos of the shoes, I may be able to make a better comparison.

Then I thought that I could potentially try to make an outfit with Chess Party by Metamorphose. There is red in the print, which could help if you used the crown bag. There is a lot of imagery within chess like the king and queen, so that could fit a royalty theme. However, I am still unsure if I could pull off the shoes with this outfit. Despite this, I still want to buy the shoes!

I guess what my pondering is leading to, is an idea for a classic lolita outfit with a hime twist. I don't want the stereotypical princess look. I think for now I need to get some more inspiration!

That had better be a typo AP... the Country of Sweets re-release

2011-10-12T04:42:00.000-07:00

So I was browsing the English Angelic Pretty site when I came across the Country Sweets re-release. Only, I got a little distracted when I saw that AP appear to be making skirts out of urine...

Up until now, I had no idea that there was a material called urine! If anybody has a better idea of what AP are on about, then do fill me in because I am feeling a little disturbed right now.

Wee jokes aside, I did want to discuss the Country Sweets re-release today, mainly because it took me by surprise. Of all the possible prints AP could have released again, I wouldn't have thought Country Sweets was that good a choice. I didn't think it was that popular to begin with.

I can understand why AP may hold back re-releasing certain prints because with less dresses, the demand is more intense. And then if they do re-release these prints, they sell out instantly. Just look at Melty Chocolate and Sugary Carnival. People wanted them so badly, that there was a huge rush to get them at retail price instead of the hiked-up re-sale prices. However, I am still holding out for a Starry Night Theater re-release. (Hint hint, AP!)

Despite not finding Country Sweets particularly special, I do actually think it is good that AP are re-releasing an older print. If this re-release goes well, AP may consider re-doing other older AP prints. I know that some people prefer older AP, back in the days where prints were not so overcrowded.

This re-release has led to AP releasing some jewellery too.

This cake ring is huge! It looks comically over-sized but I think it suits AP. However, I can't help but feel that it looks like something you could pick up from Claire's for a lot less money.

My favourite item is the Gingerbread man ring. It looks good enough to eat! It is a very cute ring and it would work with a lot of sweet prints or maybe a Christmas themed outfit. But I do think it would be even cuter if AP hadn't used the little gems and did a line of little chocolate drops for the buttons.

So whilst I think this re-release is okay, it doesn't look as if AP fans are rushing out to grab these items this time. As I have already mentioned, I would love a Starry Night Theatre re-release but I would love to know what re-release other lolitas would like to see!

October 2011 Oxfordshire Lolita Meet!

2011-10-10T05:59:00.000-07:00

The Oxfordshire Lolitas had their October meet on Saturday! This is the first Ox meet I have been to since the one I hosted in July. It felt odd not writing about the meets over August and September. The dress theme was trick or treat and many of us did gothic. As you probably already know, I FINALLY wore my Fairy Tale skirt and bonnet by Meta. In the end, I had to give up my ideas for a more elaborate outfit. I had to make sure I was able to walk because we were going on a ghost walk in the evening. So the outfit may not be as crazy or exciting as people were hoping. I can assure you that my wilder ideas have all been written down for later use!

So here it is, my not-so daring-but-hopefully-still-pretty outfit-

The rundown-

Bonnet and Skirt- Metamorphose

Bolero and blouse (not shown)- Bodyline

Everything else- offbrand

I decided to wrap ivy around my leg and I was very impressed that I did not ladder my tights at all! There was also some ivy tucked in to my bonnet. I don't really know where I got the idea for the ivy. It just sort of came to me. Originally, I was meant to have flowers and butterflies running down the ivy but I thought it might make my legs look bulky. The ivy and the flowers with my bonnet were actually decorations from my wedding. Considering that this print reminds me of my wedding (I had a pink/purple theme with butterflies and cages) I thought I should include more of my wedding influences. So this outfit holds a lot of special meaning to me. I layered my Meta skirt on top of the black Bodyline skirt I recently got in the sale. I did this because I wanted to show off the crown lace. I thought the best way to do this would be to have a dark background.

This picture shows off the bonnet details the best. Pulling silly faces is compulsory for an Oxfordshire Lolita! Here I am with Jenni, one of the 2 co-hosts (Naomi being the other host). Jenni wore the Oo Jia Vampire Requiem replica. I can honestly say that it was a lot nicer than I was expecting. The fabric feels lovely and soft and only slightly shiny. The print looks just like the original.

We ended up walking around Christ Church and then we went down to the river.

And here is the group shot!

Back row left to right- Jenni (in VR replica), Niamh, Roxy (in Miracle Candy. I forgot to ask if it was real or replica. I have never seen MC in person!), Me in Meta, Raine, Amber, Louise (in Putomayo. Again, I forgot to ask if it was real or replica!) and Beau, who was not in lolita this time, but I was soooooo happy to see her!

Front row- Naomi and Michelle (in Circus Tutu by BABY)

We went on a ghost walk hosted by the amazing Bill Spectre. http://www.ghosttrail.org/ghost-walk-oxford.htm I highly recommend his tour, which starts at Oxford Castle. It was an amazing tour and Bill Spectre was so funny. He kept calling me Bo Peep! In fact, a lot of people called me Bo Peep that day, but I didn't mind. When we were walking to the train station later in the evening, I even got offered free sambuca! Sadly, we had to catch the train! Michelle loved Beau's outfit so much that she went out, bought it and then put it on in the Pizza Hut toilets!

Jenni made us all gift bags. I loved everything I got but my favourite item was this purple butterfly ring. I even put it on during the day!

I think it is fair to say, that this was a brilliant meet. I had a lot of fun, even though my bloomers kept falling down (embarrassing!). I probably wont be attending the November Ox meet but I will make sure I can be there in December. I can tell it will be great!

2 Valentines! :)

2011-10-09T01:54:00.000-07:00

Well, that was a nice surprise! I read the Lolita Valentines every weekend (I am obsessed and if they have not been posted, I keep refreshing the page!) but I wasn't expecting to get any... but I did! I have 2 today; both of which were using photos from the June Oxfordshire Lolita meet. So I think I know who you are!

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/105697.html#cutid1

So thank you for 10 and 12.

By the way, I totally agree with Valentine no 7!

Busy!

2011-10-07T05:57:00.000-07:00

I apologise for not doing a proper post today. The reason is, I need to do a lot of planning for an outfit I am wearing to a meet tomorrow. The picture is very related...

I am having a few last minute hitches, but I reckon I should be fine tomorrow. I keep making extra additions. I think that wearing this particular outfit could be risky. If I go too far with the detailing, it may end up looking like a costume. But I like to do things which I think are fun, and I am definitely having fun with this print!

Do keep an eye out on Monday, where if things go to plan, you will be able to judge my outfit for yourself.

Lock the Pandora's Memories by AatP

2011-10-06T03:22:00.000-07:00

Today I will be looking at the latest release by Alice and the Pirates. This one is called Lock the Pandora's Memories. I was mega excited about the idea of a print based on Pandora's Box. This series contains 2 dresses, a salopette, pants, a vest, a mini hat, a necktie, socks, a bag and jewellery. That is a lot of stuff! But today I will just be looking at the 2 dresses because not all the proper stock photos are up yet.

This is the JSK version 1. The bodice part has a good shape to it. This is probably due to the corset detailing around the waist. The corset part looks nicely presented. The ribbon looks to be of a good quality and the lace is neat and not too ruffled. Although I do like the corset, I think a black solid colour corset could have looked interesting instead of a printed one.

The bodice also has a fake vest detail. It is shaped well. Although there is a lot of lace on this dress, the lace has not been gathered a lot and the lace is not too wide, so it doesn't look too bad. My favourite part of this dress is the chain finished off with rose buttons and an AatP logo charm.

The back has a very tiny, squished up panel of shirring. I think it may have looked better if they had made the back to look like the dress has a vest over the top, like how on the front the dress looks like there is a vest. I know some wearers need shirring to fit into brand, but on this dress the shirring panel looks so small that I doubt it will stretch much further anyway. I also dislike the waist ties on this dress. Although the corset detailing may be a little loose on some, the idea of putting waist ties on top of a corset seems a bit strange to me.

The skirt part has a good shape. Although it is slightly rounded, it is not too OTT for the usual style we see used in gothic lolita. The skirt has been kept plain, apart from a line of lace running midway down the skirt, which doesn't really add much to the design. The bottom hem is finished off with small lace, like the rest of the dress. I think if the dress design had more detail, it would look too much so I think AatP got the balance right.

This is JSK version 2. I would first like to apologise, because the pictures don't really show off the details on this dress very well so I will just have to do my best. The bodice looks a good shape but it doesn't appear as well fitted as the first dress. The front of this dress has a corset. The corset is very narrow, so you can't really see the detailing in the corset that well. Maybe it could have done with being a bit wider. The lace used along the neckline is wide, but pretty. I think the lace used on the other dress would have looked nicer here. At the bottom of the straps there are 2 bows, which look like they are made out of very soft material and have a nice shape to them. I think the bows look pretty but I wonder if some gothic fans may find them a bit too cute for this dress. I would have preferred one set of straps instead of 2 very thin sets of straps. I just think that straps like these sit a bit awkwardly on the shoulders. As you might be able to see in the next picture, the inner straps are sitting okay, but the outer straps are a bit loose and are likely to move about.

The back looks like it has a good panel of shirring compared to the other dress. It is also well concealed by a ribbon corset. I thought I would use this picture to show that the dress has a bustle on the back of the skirt. It is a bit hard to tell from the pictures, but I think the bustle looks a good shape and hopefully, it is layered nicely. On the side of the dress, there are 2 bows where the print meets the bustle. They blend in a bit so they don't stand out much but they do look to be nicely shaped. The skirt as a whole, looks wide and rounded; perfect for fitting a good amount of petticoat underneath.

This is the print close-up. In all honesty, I am a bit disappointed! It is not as if I dislike this print, but I don't think it is very imaginative. I think with a theme like Pandora's Box, Alice and the Pirates could have come up with something more interesting. I think you could have a lot of fun designing a Pandora's Box print! However, the print is still pretty. I like all the decorative keys and the roses. It is available in grey, black and engine (purple/red kind of colour). The colours appear a bit dull but I do like the engine colour, so that is my favourite.

I can imagine that this series will sell well, but I am not a fan. I think I was expecting a lot more from the designs. I wouldn't mind owning the 2nd JSK, but it is not something I would strive to own. I do however, like the look of the key and lock earrings, which I have not included because there is no proper picture at time of posting. So overall, I think the series is okay, but it could be a lot better.

Kitchen envy!

2011-10-03T05:06:00.000-07:00

I am going to do a small post today because I have a headache. After a rubbish Summer, England is suddenly having a mini heatwave and I wilt at the first sign of warmer weather!

So on Saturday I went to Beau's birthday party, which was held at her mum's house. Not only was the food provided absolutely amazing (Beau's mum is indeed the queen of puddings!) but I was stunned by how much effort and detail was put in to the day. It was brilliant to see everybody, especially Sammi and Beau who I have both missed a lot.

And I now wish I could have a kitchen like Beau's mum's kitchen. I should have taken more photographs because I loved everything about that room!

Cupcake shelf! I loved the cupcake selection. There was an even bigger cupcake, which is not in shot.

Sorry Michelle, but this was the best photo I had of this part of the kitchen! I could have spent all night reading at the amusing fridge magnets on the fridge and I love the tins on top of the fridge. The kitchen was filled with Cath Kidston and Marks and Spencers pieces.

Someday, I will have a kitchen like this!

This was the best photo of what I was wearing. I know it is not a whole outfit shot, but you can probably tell I was wearing Wonder Cookie. I look a little dead because I was daft enough to wear lots of heavy clothing on a very hot day.

I had a really great day and I think Beau's mum is amazing!

A LUSH Ode to the Macaron

2011-09-30T02:50:00.001-07:00

Yes, today I am posting about macaron related stuff again! My obsession has gotten so bad that this blog will now have a macaron tag!

Lush has always been one of my favourite shops. They sell bath products, but these are not your typical bath products. They come up with fun and exciting fragrances which make bath time very fun!

So I was very delighted to see that Lush have decided to make 3 products dedicated to macarons. Lush were inspired by Laduree, who are famous for their lovely macarons (and next month when I go to London, I will finally get to try some of their macarons for myself). So Lush came up with 3 new bubble bars called... Bubbleroons! I don't have the heart to tell Lush that they have one 'O' too many and it should technically be Bubbleron...

First up is the green bubbleroon. As you can see, these products are not quite a macaron shape but it does have the 2 shells. I imagine it would be very hard to sculpt bubble bars in to a flatter and rounder shape. This one apparently smells like grass.

This one, called the Rose Jam bubbleroon, is the one I am most excited about trying. I have recently become obsessed with rose scented stuff (I even made up some rose flavoured jelly on Tuesday, which tasted amazing). This bubbleroon has a rose scent mixed with the scent of jam. It sounds like my fantasy scent!

Finally, this is the Yuzu and Cocoa one. Yuzu is a Japanese mandarin. I imagine this one has a very lovely fruity fragrance to it.

I am very excited to try these new products. They might even make a nice gift for somebody!

In other news, Metamorphose is having a sock sale for this weekend only. I was tempted, but I can't risk getting a ridiculous customs fee for a few pairs of socks! I hate the UK customs so much! I noticed the Fairy Tale rose socks were discounted and so were a couple of other recent designs. If you would like to get some cheap socks, do go and have a look. http://www.metamorphose.gr.jp/onlineshop_eng/socks.php?ssid= Remember, this sale is just for this weekend so if you are reading this post after Sunday I am sorry to say you missed out!

Clockwork Tea Party by BABY

2011-09-28T12:41:00.001-07:00

It is time to discuss another brand print! Today I will be looking at Clockwork Tea Party by BABY. This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a shirt, a bonnet, a headbow, socks and several bits of jewellery.

This is the pearl JSK. The bodice looks like it will fit nicely. I absolutely love the neckline on this dress. Baby have paid attention to the shaping of the lace along the sleeves, which then blends in with the lace on the edge of the bow which is on the front. The bow on the front is huge and the dress description suggests it is not removable. However, I do think the bow looks pretty. The bow material has a check pattern, which matches the check part of the print. The bow is also a pretty shape and looks well structured compared to some bows on other recent Baby releases, which have looked a bit floppy. The bow also has a string of detachable pearls which look pretty. There is a thin line of the check print ribbon running along the waist line. Whilst I don't dislike this, I think it might have been better without this detail. The straps are a good width and the lace softens the inner edge nicely. The back has some shirring which is concealed well with a ribbon corset. The skirt shape is pretty. Personally, I would have liked it if the shape was a little rounder. It looks like the skirt will flare outwards very well so will probably hold a decent petticoat. The skirt has been kept fairly plain, but the print is quite busy so it looks better with simpler details. The bottom hem is finished with a ruffle, topped with pretty lace.

This is the Lumiere JSK. The bodice on this dress looks very well fitted and figure hugging. I think the design on this bodice is very interesting. The bodice has layering. The top layer has a scalloped edge. I really like this use of scalloping because it is a bit different. The edges of the scalloping has ruffles and rose lace. It is all very heavily detailed but somehow, it works! Hidden underneath the scallop layer, the main part of the bodice has a ribbon corset lined with wide lace. The lace is pretty but maybe thinner lace would have worked better here. There is another ruffle along the neckline. These ruffles have very small gold stitches running along the edges. The straps are a bit on the thin side but is finished with pretty lace. The back has shirring covered by a ribbon corset. The skirt is a really pretty shape and the skirt flares outwards quite a bit. The skirt on this dress has also been kept plain, which again, I feel works best with this print. The bottom hem is finished with pretty lace.

This is one of the print close-ups. I love the hints of gold. The colours are very deep and rich. I also really like the use of check, which reminds me of a chess board. The only thing I am unsure about is the teddy bear. There are 5 colours available which are ivory (which confusingly, is actually light pink. See the picture of the 1st JSK above), Strawberry Tea (which is a raspberry pink shade), rose (deep red), blue and black. Although I like all the shades, I think the deep rose red is especially beautiful.

This is my pick of the jewellery. It is a cage necklace but if you look inside, you will see one of the cakes with a butterfly perched on top, just like in the print. It comes in gold and antique silver but I think the gold would work best with the gold in the print.

Overall, I think this is a very beautiful series. I think both JSK designs are good but I prefer the Lumiere JSK. Would I buy from this series? Definitely! I think either dress would be a good addition to a lolita wardrobe and the matching jewellery is beautiful. I am hoping that this series is a bit hit.

The Frustrated Artist

2011-09-26T05:06:00.000-07:00

I used to really love art. I wouldn't say I was any good, but it felt like such a release. But I was disheartened many years ago when I was still in school. I was studying for my Art GCSE and I was doing a project of Japan. I came up with this idea of doing a massive origami display. I made a huge origami phoenix and the phoenix would be followed by loads of smaller birds. It was going to go throughout the ENTIRE building, taking up loads of the ceiling space. But then my art teacher made me move my display, so the area got a lot smaller. Then, my display was taken down without warning after I had spent hours just on the first part of the display. I screamed at my art teacher "But you told me to move it here!" and all he did was shrug his shoulders. To add insult to injury, my phoenix was carelessly tossed aside and got damaged.

Afterwards I felt really depressed. I had put in all that work for nothing. And I felt anger, because I had, what I thought, a great idea but I was unable to finish my project up to my standards.

Sometimes I feel this way about lolita. I come up with this big (and sometimes crazy) idea but when it comes to actually carrying out the idea, I simply can't do it the way I want to. Maybe I am being too harsh on myself but sometimes deep down, I KNOW I could have done it better.

I think the problem is that I have a really vivid imagination and my ideas don't sometimes translate well in to reality.

I keep a secret book filled with all my ideas for lolita outfits (even my husband James doesn't see it). That scrapbook of ideas is my outlet for the artist inside me. And after I have finished an outfit idea, I then start to think about how I can put my plan in to action. I read fashion magazines, save images I find on the internet and look at blogs to see if anybody has done anything similar. If you ever see me slating my outfit, it is probably because secretly, I have made a page for the outfit in my scrapbook.

The outfits I plan may look interesting but they would be difficult to wear. That rules out wearing these outfits to a lot of meets. I have to think about transport and how well I can relax. I guess doing a special photo shoot could be an option. It may cost a bit of money but maybe I would be happier with the results. There is one particular outfit I have planned for my Meta Fairy Tale skirt which would definitely not be suitable for wearing outside the house, partly because sitting down would be impossible.

I also wonder if maybe I am too strict with myself. I feel sorry for my husband because he has to watch me go in to many clothes shops looking for a specific item and leaving empty handed. I reject clothes for the most stupid of reasons. It could be something like the way the sleeves on a blouse look, a specific detail or I could reject something for being slightly the wrong shade of a certain colour. It occurred to me that I could have settled on some of those items I discarded before. I need to try clothes on in the changing rooms more because clothes can look so different worn. Or I could try and alter the clothes myself. I could teach myself to sew properly. Yes, it would take time but eventually, I would be able to do alterations. Or I could try adding something on. A plain item could look different if I just add clips or bows or wear the item in a new way.

I could work harder to source rarer items and different materials. One of my biggest inspirations is etsy.com because of the variety you get on there. Chances are, that the items I want are out there. If I learn to search for stuff better, then who knows how far I can go?

But despite all this, I still hold on to my hopes and dreams. My head may be stuck in the clouds but I do believe that having a dream is not a bad thing. Just because an outfit doesn't live up to my idea, it does not automatically mean that the outfit I am wearing is bad.

And with a little more time and patience, I feel I could become a much better lolita.

Valentine Thank You

2011-09-25T02:14:00.000-07:00

I got a Lolita Valentine today! Thank you to whoever made number 8!

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/104703.html?view=3035903

AP's Petite Patisserie

2011-09-22T03:39:00.000-07:00

I thought I would discuss the latest AP print today. It is called Petite Patisserie and includes 3 dresses, a short skirt, socks, a headbow and a top.

This is the tiered JSK. From the front the bodice looks like it will fit nicely but I did notice that from the side, there was a bulge of material on the front. So it didn't look too flattering. Hopefully this dress wont create "boob loaf". The bodice part is relatively plain. The main detail is the ruffle around the neck. I thought the ruffle looked very pretty. It is a lovely shape. The neckline is lined with satin and there is a small satin bow along the neckline. Considering what the print looks like, simplicity is probably a good idea. The straps are slightly thin but look strong enough. The back part of the bodice does not look as nice. The satin from the neckline carries on and runs vertically on each side of a very exposed shirring panel. It looks a little untidy. The skirt part has a good shape to it. It appears that it can flare outwards a lot, so it will probably hold a lot of petticoat underneath. The skirt part is very gathered but because of the style of print, the print is not too obscured. The skirt is quite plain. As the name suggests, this skirt does have a tier. I felt that the tier looked a little flat and it breaks up the print so the print doesn't line up that well. The bottom hem is finished with some pretty lace.

This is the High Waist JSK. the bodice on this dress looks like it will fit well. There is a large waist bow which has good shape to it and looks firm. The good thing is that the waist bow blends in nicely with the print. The waist also has a thin line of satin with cotton lines over it to give it a stripy appearance. It looks interesting and continues the stripe theme in the print. The same technique is used on the neckline, which is then finished off with a thin satin bow. The neckline also has cute polka dot lace, which also appears along the sleeves. The straps are too thin for my personal taste but continue the stripe pattern well. The back of the bodice is taken up by a large panel of shirring. The shirring on this dress is also exposed and maybe could have been concealed better. The skirt part flares out well. The skirt shape looks good. My main problem is the way the print looks on this skirt. The lines on the other JSK flare outwards but on this JSK they appear to start going outwards and then the lines on the print go inwards again. It creates the illusion that the wearer is a little bulky and has a stomach bulge. The print doesn't flow as nicely. The bottom hem is finished off with pretty lace. Overall, the skirt part is not as flattering. Usually, vertical stripes are meant to be slimming!

And here is the OP. I have got to be honest... I think it looks like a sack. Here is a worn photo just to demonstrate how it looks worn.

I can see this OP being very difficult to wear. I am undecided about whether a belt would help or not. It is hard to say what sort of body type would look best in this dress. It probably wont suit larger girls but petite girls may look swamped under all that material. I will be very interested to see how lolitas choose to wear this.

Aside from the shape, the collar is very cute and I like the way the lace has been used. I also like the cuffs. At the moment, it is very hard to judge this OP. I think I need to see some more worn pictures!

Here is the print. I absolutely adore it. I love the pink strawberry cake. Some people say AP do too many food prints but you have to admit, they are good at making food prints! The vertical lines and ribbons do remind me of a French patisserie. I like all 4 colours too. I think the brown or mint will look the nicest.

My favourite item from the series is the top. The top is simple, but it does include my favourite cake from the print! I think this would be a good item to have in a sweet lolita wardrobe and it is also casual enough to wear outside of lolita. It would suit a variety of different prints.

I am also a fan of the socks. They are so cute!

I would say this series is bold and interesting. AP are experimenting with different dress shapes. The dresses are also not as OTT as they used to be. If I were to choose a dress to buy from this series, I would pick the tiered JSK. I would definitely buy the top and socks! Overall, I would say the series was a bit 'hit and miss'. I wouldn't dismiss this series' potential but it appears weaker than other recent AP releases.

Reading Lolita Meet!

2011-09-19T02:42:00.000-07:00

It feels like my last lolita meet was ages ago now (I have missed 2 Oxford meets in a row) so it felt good to be able to attend a meet in Reading. It was a lovely change to go somewhere different. We all brought some food along so we could have a picnic in the Forbury Gardens. I have never been to these gardens before so I had no idea how beautiful the gardens were. We managed to set up the picnic underneath a bandstand so we avoided the worst of the rain. And then it started raining sideways so we did get a little damp!

Monika brought macarons and cupcakes from Waitrose! Recently, I was told that Waitrose (a UK supermarket) were selling macarons but when I got my husband to look in our local branch we couldn't find them! So well done to Mo for tracking some down. I would like to make a public plea to all my UK readers- please go to Waitrose and buy macarons and if you can't find them, ask them to get them in! If they become popular enough, Waitrose might get the hint and put more in their stores. Wouldn't it be amazing to be able to buy macarons so easily?

They come in a pink box with black swirls on it and have Maison Blanc written on the box. I had a raspberry one which tasted yummy. I was expecting pre-packaged macarons to not taste that good but I was pleasantly surprised. I think fresh will always be best but I would highly recommend these Waitrose ones. All this macaron talk in making me hungry!

This is the Waitrose cupcake I had. It tasted like a small piece of strawberry heaven....

Here is a group shot of us! From left to right we have Raine in Angelic Pretty, Michelle in Angelic Pretty, Shalisa (the lovely host!) in Angelic pretty, Kyra in Alice and the Pirates, Helen in BABY and me in Bodyline.

Mo left before we took the group shots but I hope she doesn't mind me putting up this solo photo! She is wearing Kids Yoyo. This dress is beautiful and Mo was so well co-ordinated!

I finally got to wear my Bodyline cosmetic print dress that James kindly got me for my birthday. I changed my mind about my outfit several times because I desperately want to wear Meta's Fairy Tale to a meet but in the end, I wanted something which I knew would be easy to wear to a picnic (except for my shoes!). The dress and bolero are Bodyline and I was using the matching bag (not in the photo). The rest is off-brand.

Michelle said I looked cute in this photo! It shows off my favourite ring nicely. I always seem to wear that peach coloured cake ring.

Afterwards Michelle, Kyra, Helen, my husband James and I went to the Purple Turtle. I have wanted to go to the Purple Turtle for many years and I was not disappointed!

It was great to get the chance to meet Shalisa properly. I think there should be another Reading meet sometime. It was also lovely to meet Mo, Kyra and Helen for the first time. I have been saying for over a year that I would start attending Tea Party Club and London lolita meets and then I never got around to it! I have only ever spoken to a few of the London lolitas online until Saturday. Well if the rest of you are as lovely as the people I have met, then I now know that the London lolitas are amazing people and I am determined to make more of an effort in the next year. I look forward to meeting you all! Hopefully it will be soon.

Items of Desire- the "inbetween" items

2011-09-16T07:54:00.000-07:00

I would consider myself to be a lolita who has to watch their budget. The trouble is, I have been drawn in by both sweet and classic lolita which occasionally means there is a bit of conflict with my lolita purchases. Should my next purchase be a sweet or a classic item? This is a question I constantly ask myself.

This is where items which I like to call "inbetween" items are a life saver. I would call an "inbetween" item anything that has the potential to be worn with more than one style of lolita. When worn one way, an item could be sweet but worn in a different way, and the effect can appear different.

The latest "inbetween" item on my list are these new Bodyline shoes-

At first I thought the shoes were a little odd, but on closer inspection I really like them. they have a removable crown patch on them. Despite the heart buckles, I would happily wear the brown shoes with classic. For a more sweeter look, I can remove the crown patches and make the most of the heart punch-out details. Brown and classic go so well together but I want to wear these with a chocolate style sweet outfit too. If I dislike the crown on the patch I could always try to remove it and replace it with something more to my personal taste.

I really love it when items like these come along because they have so much potential and they don't cost loads.