MCM Expo and Camden buys- May 2011

For my full expo post, please scroll down to my next entry. Today I am focusing on the items I purchased during this MCM Expo. Needless to say, my purse was very empty afterwards!

I could not justify spending out £30 for an art book with my budget for the day. I still wanted some pretty anime and manga artwork and I found a stall selling laminated prints. I usually go for typical "pretty" shoujo artwork! My favourite is the one of Shinku and Suigintou from Rozen Maiden (top left).

I also got some back issues of Neo magazine. It was a shame that Popi who does the fashion page was unable to attend. She was really lovely when I met her at Hyper Japan last October. I also got a free manga preview book.

Fluffy hair pom poms! These remind me of the soot sprites from the Studio Ghibli films. In fact, they probably are meant to be the soot sprites!

I am a massive Pokemon nerd so I had to get a Celebi keychain. I was going to get a Celebi plushie instead but I decided to get a friend a birthday present instead (so they had better like their present or I will be devastated I missed out!).

Cardcaptor Sakura is one of my favourite animes EVER. I felt this was the cutest Sakura figure in the series. It was fairly cheap and I am not sure if it is legit merchandise or not. I am hopeless with fake spotting but I still love this figure! I also got a Hangry and Angry keychain. I believe this is Angry but if it is Hangry, please correct me. The bow at the bottom was from the Cherry Abuku stall http://www.cherryabuku.bigcartel.com/

I also got this cute little rain drop from the Cherry Abuku stall. It was very difficult to photograph. It has a cute little face on it.

I got this pudding ring from a stall called Tanabata. It was also available in purple but I thought the yellow version looked more realistic. As you can see, I am still wearing my nail polish to match my Wonder Cookie dress! I painted my nails pink, blue, green and white to match all the stripes.

Alpaca! You may have seen some alpacas lurking about on the online lolita community. I think they are so cute. I want to get a rainbow of alpacas!

Thankfully I got around almost all of the stalls before I started feeling ill. After getting some food I decided I may as well do a little shopping whilst I was still in London.

I went to the Japan Centre and got the July 2011 issue of Kera magazine. I don't buy Kera religiously but if I am in London I like to pick up a copy. I found this issue very inspiring and I have some great new ideas. It is also great to see the latest lolita prints in more detail. I noticed a lot of pretty Innocent World stuff coming soon and Lumiebre is doing a parasol collaboration with Metamorphose.

In Camden I found this K-Star blouse in Angel Pretty. I currently have a real shortage of blouses in my wardrobe and I have been looking for a pink blouse for ages. This blouse is a little more frilly than my usual tastes but for some reason I just love it. This blouse is surprisingly good for Angel Pretty which is usually known for over-priced poorly made goods. Yes, it is not the best made blouse out there but for what I paid I was really pleased with this blouse.

I am debating removing the ribbon bows just to tone it down a little.

I want to remove the ribbon bows on the collar here...

... and also the ones on the sleeves. If anybody has any further suggestions or just want to share their opinions on this blouse (good or bad) then let me know what you think.

I also got some light pink shoes from Sai Sai.

Nowadays, I choose to ignore the dresses and skirts because I dislike the lace on most of the dresses and the material feels cheap. I still think that Sai Sai is worth visiting for their blouses, socks and shoes.

The straps on these shoes are a little confusing but they have poppers to make putting the shoes on easier. The colour is a delicate milky pink so I will probably be using these for classic lolita and maybe sweet on some occasions. I have not worn these shoes yet but they feel relatively sturdy.

My main pet hate about both Sai Sai and their sister shop GLP is that they don't take good care of their shop and their stock. A lot of their items are dirty and look as though they have not been stored well. My shoes do have a few scuff marks but they look very superficial. If I give them a quick clean before I wear them then most of the marks will come off and they will be like new. Do double check any items from these stores before you buy them. I was lucky because there is no serious or lasting damage on my shoes.

After all this I was feeling very broke. I don't feel as though I will regret any of my purchases. I will have to wait and see how the shoes turn out and they are my most riskiest purchase of the day. The blouse was a very pleasant surprise considering I dislike a lot of Angel Pretty's stock. Their dresses still look awful though...

Luna's adventures at the MCM Expo May 2011!

I am finally getting around to writing my Expo post! The MCM Expo is held twice a year, usually on the last weekend of May and October. I attended on the Saturday only. The expected visitor numbers were 63,000 and figures show that about 60,000 people attended over the whole weekend. However, despite this number the expo seemed a lot less packed this year. When I went in May 2010 I could barely move but I did not have that problem this year. I arrived at around 8.40am (it opened at 9) and the queue was a reasonable length. When we joined I was just a few meters away from the ticket scanner area. Plus, I got my hands on one of the goody bags!

The items in the goody bags are mainly donated from Forbidden Planet. In previous years there have been DVDs, game demos, stickers, posters and lots of leaflets. I was a little disappointed with the goody bag this time. There was a 10 disc DVD box set of a show called Xcaliber but it looks so awful I am not surprised they are having to give it away! We had the usual expo event schedule leaflets, a sticker album based around London with 2 sticker packs, a sampler book with tasters from 5 books and posters for the new Green Lantern, Batman and X-Men films. James and I ended up throwing away a lot of leaflets and junk. We have decided to watch one of our Xcaliber box sets just to see how bad it is!

When the expo was held last October, it was decided that there would also be a fringe festival held outside the ExCel Centre. Unlike the stage events inside, the Fringe festival times and locations were easy to find online before the event. This year the fringe festival included a lot of photoshoots. Off the top of my head I remember a Pokemon battling and trading event, Panty and Stocking photoshoot, a CLAMP photoshoot, a Sonic the Hedgehog photoshoot, a Vampire Knight photoshoot and lots more. In previous years there have been a lot of people who have not paid to go inside and would photograph cosplayers in the hall. So the fringe festival was meant to provide some additional entertainment. However, I have read online that a member of the ExCel staff asked one photographer to move on because they had not paid to go in. So it looks as though some people had to leave.

And so, on to my outfit-

I was very ill and got about 1 hour sleep so I spent most of the day in a daze. Somehow, I managed to get dressed up but I had to do my make-up on the train! I decided to wear Wonder Cookie by Angelic Pretty. The bolero and shoes are Bodyline, the star clip is Chocomint (I finally got my hands on one!) and the Pocky bag is a previous expo purchase!

There were a few groups of lolitas going about. I took some pictures of a few girls and I also had my photo taken by some people. A majority of the lolitas there were wearing off-brand. The main colour combinations were black and white, pink and white and blue. I noticed that the 'old-school' style of lolita was very popular. From what I saw, gothic was the most popular style. I actually felt a little out of place! I also saw one or two of my blog followers (hello!) and I think I heard somebody call out my name somewhere. Sorry if I missed you but I was so exhausted and I left at about 1.30pm.

There were 4 stages with different shows going on. Some of the cast of Futurama were present, there were cosplay shows (I missed the main masquerade in the afternoon), anime and manga panels, movie previews and lots more. I am devastated that I was unable to watch the steampunk show. They were on stage for an hour and were answering questions and giving insight in to what steampunk was about. From what I have heard from other people, the show was really good. Thankfully they also had a stall. I wish I could have photographed all the beautiful hats and jewellery. It gave me a bit of steampunk lolita inspiration too.

One of the guests on the cosplay stage was Beckii Cruel. If you don't know who Beckii Cruel is, she is a girl who posted videos of herself dancing to popular J-Pop songs on Youtube. She was then spotted and gained loads of fans in Japan. She gets to go to Japan a lot and starred in a BBC3 documentary. Sadly, the pot plant kept getting in the way of my view! To be honest, I am not a fan of Beckii but I do admire what she has achieved. I think her popularity is starting to wane now but I noticed the seats by the stage were full.

There were lots of stalls selling anime and manga related merchandise but a few loli-able pieces were on offer. There were quite a few Hangry and Angry pieces such as plushies and keychains being sold. I got a keychain (I think it was Angry) but I came close to buying the plushies too. They are so cute! Lolita inspired sweets jewellery and stationary were popular items. I enjoyed the Tofu Cute store http://www.tofucute.com/ , Dragon Dreads had some realistic looking biscuit items http://www.dragondreads.co.uk/ , I got a pudding ring from the Tanabata stall and there was another cute stall called Saya Cafe.

One of the stalls I always enjoy visiting is the Artbox stall http://www.artbox.co.uk/ . Artbox have a few shops in London and every time I visit I want to buy the entire shop! Artbox had some of the Angelic Pretty Pullip dolls. The smaller ones were £42 and the larger ones were £169. The dolls can be found cheaper online but it was great being able to see the dolls in person. Sadly, the Artbox staff were hovering over me so I was unable to get any photographs! The Starry Night Theatre Pullip is especially pretty in person. They are incredibly well detailed and now I really want one!

And the reward for the strangest stall goes to...

Amongst the merchandise stalls there was this lady with a stall. At first I thought she was packing up but then I realised the stall was entirely dedicated to her dog! So there were all these stalls which looked the same and then there was a lady going "Come here and look at my dog!". Very strange and random but also very cute! The dog is a terrier and chihuahua cross. What a cutie! Her stall was very busy because a lot of people wanted to pet the dog.

And here is a very different sort of dog-

This is K-9 from a very popular series called Doctor Who. There is a Doctor Who stall at most of the MCM events. For £5 you could have your picture taken inside the TARDIS. K-9 and the TARDIS were autographed by cast members.

Now I would like to share a couple of my favourite cosplayers with you-

Pocky box! I felt this was a very creative cosplay. I would never have thought about doing a cosplay like this. She matches the bag I was carrying.

Black Swan. This photo does not do the costume justice. She has the full feathery wings and it was so detailed.

There were so many Pokemon cosplays. My favourite was this pair doing Entei and Suicune.

I left the ExCel Centre around 1.30pm and then went off to Camden and around some shops in the city centre. My main regret was I was unable to stay for the cosplay masquerade. And my friend Beau arrived literally just as I was leaving so I did not get to see her either! I am sorry Beau...

If I remember I will do another post with all the goodies I purchased!

I have an album on my photobucket with all the pictures I took. I have kept it unlocked and you can visit it here-

http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae277/Luna_Rain_photos/MCM%20Expo%20May%202011/

Expo and convention prep

Today will probably be a slow week for this blog because I am preparing for the MCM at the weekend. This expo is set to be more busy than ever. 63,000 people are expected to visit the MCM Expo and in the other side of the ExCel centre there is going to be a large medical convention. Considering the venue size and the location, 63,000 is a lot of people. When I went last May about 43,000 people attended and I remember thinking the place was incredibly packed.

I have been asking just about everywhere for advice on time-saving when wearing lolita at expos. I found the advice I was given very encouraging, so thank you! As well as preparing my outfit, I have also been seeking general convention advice. So here is a compilation of advice I have found particularly useful. Some is based on personal experiences and others are tips I have found online.

Try and pick the things you want to see the most- Whenever you go to an expo it is easy to get wrapped up in trying to fit every single thing in to your day. The trouble is, if you set yourself too strict a time schedule, it will make the experience a lot loss fun. Look online to see if you can find stage show times and pick the ones you wish to see the most.

If you are ill, do not attend- This is more about being considerate to your fellow expo goers. Sweaty hot rooms and lots of person to person contact makes expos perfect breeding grounds for viruses. Of course, you probably wont see many of the people you meet ever again, but it is not exactly fair to give everybody your flu! If you absolutely INSIST on going, please take lots of tissues and maybe some alcoholic hand wash gel.

Take snacks and drink lots of water- From personal experience, I know how bad this can get. It is amazing how quickly time can fly and suddenly you turn around to find that you have not eaten anything for several hours. There was one time where I had no breakfast and then 3pm came and I had not eaten a thing all day. We went outside the expo to eat and I was on the brink of passing out. My husband practically had to carry me some of the way to get food. Afterwards, I vowed this would never happen again.

Do a practice run of your outfit or costume- There is nothing worse than waiting until the actual day and discovering there is something wrong with what you planned to wear. I would also recommend taking a small kit with bits like safety pins, spare hair grips etc to fix any tiny outfit emergencies.

Don't get sucked in to impulse buying- As somebody who usually has to buy merchandise online, suddenly being surrounded by stalls packed with goodies is very tempting. It is a bit like a child being let loose in a candy shop. However, stalls at expos tend to overprice items you can get cheaper elsewhere. Try to be hard on yourself. What may seem like a good purchase at a convention might not seem that good when you get home. And are you really going to use the items you buy or will they gather dust on a shelf somewhere? I find that one of the worst things to buy is imported snacks. It is amazing how just a few snacks can make a dent in your spending money.

Check your transport- This is especially important in places like London where tube line closures are known to cause a lot of disruption! And it wont just be you using the transport- if a particular route is closed, people from all around the city may be using the same route. See if you can find an alternative route because a majority of expo goers will probably use the same route.

If you are meeting friends, try to make a meeting point before you go in- You cannot guarantee that your mobile signal will work inside the venue. Also, you may not hear your phone going off with all the noise around you. Turn the vibrate mode on!

Be polite- Want a photograph of somebody? Try to ask first. Although cosplayers etc are expecting their photo will be taken, they will probably co-operate better if you ask first. And remember to thank people too.

Take spare batteries for your camera- I don't think I need to explain why to do this!

Be prepared for any weather- Try to take a few different pieces you can take off or throw on.

Expect long queues- It is a pain but queues can also be a big part of the convention experience. Find something to keep yourself busy. Or you could try striking up a conversation with the people you are standing with! When I went to the MCM last May, there was a bit where the queue went in a zig-zag so we started giving hi-fives to everybody as we went past! It was a lot of fun and helped pass a little time.

Keep your belongings safe- With all the people going past it is very easy to lose your belongings. From time to time you should check everything is where it should be. If you do lose something try to contact one of the event organisers because somebody may have handed it in. If this doesn't work, you could try asking online communities related to the expo if anybody saw your item.

Hopefully these tips will help me this Saturday. My excitement levels are starting to build up now. 5 days to go!

Luna has a dilemma!

Next weekend is MCM Expo weekend! I am attending on Saturday the 28th.

However, I have a small problem. I don't know whether to wear lolita or not. Whenever I have gone to MCM I have said I will wear lolita and then I chicken out at the last minute. I have no issue wearing lolita to conventions. It is because it will mean getting up extremely early!

The expo opens at 9am, I want to beat the queues so I am catching a train at 7am which means leaving the house at 6.40am. Sometimes getting ready takes me 2 hours so that means waking up at 4.40am or finding some time saving measures. 4.40am... ouch!

Is it too much hassle? Hardly anybody wears lolita to the MCM Expo anyway but when I am there I always regret not dressing up. It will be hot and sweaty inside as well so I will probably wilt in the heat. If anybody has any suggestions I want to hear them! To lolita or not lolita? I probably wont know until the actual day!

By the way, I know some of my blog readers will be going too. Please do feel free to come over and say hello to me even if I am not in lolita (I wont bite, I promise!). I might ask you for a picture too if you don't mind. My husband will be on hand with my camera! I can be a little shy and quiet in person but I do like meeting people. If I am in lolita I will probably be wearing my AP Wonder Cookie JSK (white colourway) or I might be wearing some of my new Bodyline (more on my latest order coming tomorrow).