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/

Full MCM Post coming tomorrow!

Somehow I have managed to bruise the bottom of my feet from all the walking! Just a quick note to say I will be doing a full MCM post tomorrow. I was going to do it today but time is flying so quickly. See you tomorrow!

Items of desire- macaron maker

Sometimes I find myself getting a little too attached to fun but completely pointless gadgets. My birthday is in July and my husband usually likes me to make him a list around this time so I have been scrolling through lots of different websites. The other day I came across this-

A macaron maker! I am not entirely sure what this gadget does or whether it actually makes macarons any easier to make but it looks interesting. I am curious to see this kit in action.

It looks relatively simple. The instructions are in Japanese but it shouldn't be too hard to find a translation and the process looks straight forward anyway. Apparently a recipe book is included which also has some filling ideas. You will also need to find the ingredients which may mean looking online if your local shops do not stock them.

I may be 22 but I don't think I ever grew up! I still get suckered in by cute gimmicks. I just think the kit would make a fun addition to the kitchen.

Source- http://www.strapya-world.com/products/40238.html

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!

Bodyline order May 2011

I seem to be doing a lot of Bodyline orders at the moment! I just about managed to scrape enough money together without denting my MCM Expo budget but unfortunately I had to give the new cosmetic print dress a miss this time. Of course, this was not helped by the fact that I had to use EMS instead of DHL.

The Bodyline site appeared to be moving a little quicker when I ordered. It is still slow but it is more bearable. I am sure it still gets slow during busy times but I have been very lucky recently. So, how much did I have to pay for EMS? In this order I had 2 skirts and about 9 $1 bits. I can't show you the $1 bits because it will give a surprise away! At first it looked as though I would have to pay $26 for EMS shipping but then I went to the checkout. For some reason, it jumped to $33 whilst I was in the process of ordering. That was a little sneaky and Bodyline could have done a better job at making the shipping price more obvious. If you are ordering from Bodyline soon, be careful. I am hoping Bodyline will eventually bring back DHL and the $20 flat rate shipping.

I ordered from Bodyline on Sunday evening and it arrived Wednesday evening. So it took about the same amount of time as DHL. For some reason, a lot of EMS parcels get lumped with heavy customs charges in the UK. I was lucky this time but it may have something to do with the fact that the contents value was marked down to a quarter. We don't have EMS in the UK so when it arrived in the country it was handled by ParcelForce. I am not a ParcelForce fan and I have had issues with them before. I was left waiting right until the last minute on Wednesday so it eventually arrived at 5.55pm (they close at 6pm). Bodyline packed the parcel well and the EMS postal bag feels more durable than the DHL ones. But I still prefer DHL!

My order probably wont come as a surprise. I got both the new strawberry skirt and the rose skirt. Here is the strawberry skirt-

I briefly tried it on. I was worried it was going to be a little on the short side after I saw the website pictures. It sits a tiny bit above the knee but the length is not that bad. It looks as though Bodyline have started to use firmer elastic. Despite being well within the site measurements, the elastic cut in to my waist a bit. It can stretch further but where the elastic is firm, it clings tightly. Don't buy this skirt if you are near the maximum measurements because even if you can get it on it might not be comfortable. It will hopefully cling less after a few wears.

When I ordered the skirt I didn't realise the bottom part had these bows on it (shows how unobservant I am). There are a few tiny areas with some small fraying and loose threads but overall, it looks good. The bottom hem on this skirt is a lot nicer than some of my other Bodyline skirts.

The skirt also has some rose lace on it. I thought it was a weird choice considering the sweet fruity print. I really want Bodyline to use some strawberry shaped lace sometime. Despite this, I still think it looks pretty.

I was a little disappointed that this skirt did not come with a waist bow or a matching head bow. I thought it could be another situation like the waffle print where the skirt did not have a matching head bow but the dress did. It looks as though the dress does not have a matching bow either. Yes, there is a matching dress. It is viewable on the Japanese website under 'stock'. I prefer the skirt version anyway.

And here is my other new skirt-

This skirt also had firmer elastic than I am used to. The length of the skirt was around knee length. It was slightly above my knee when I quickly tried it on. This skirt comes with waist ties and a detachable waist bow.

This is a close-up of the bottom. This skirt looks very neat. There were still a few loose threads but I am very happy with it. The lace threaded with ribbon is pretty but wouldn't it have been nice if this had the rose lace from the strawberry skirt? My only real complaint is that the skirt uses black lace but the matching bag uses white lace. It would have been better if the bag also used black lace. I think when you do a series it is good to have a bit of continuation. The bag also has pink pearls on it and maybe the skirt could have had some detachable pearls on it too.

A close-up of the waist tie. It is a good length. The print is used on both sides as well, which is a bonus.

The waist bow is a little on the large side. At least it looks even. The lace has frayed in some places but it is not noticeable. This bow has pink lace. So we have white lace on the bag, black lace on the skirt and pink lace on the waist bow! At least the black lace has some pink ribbon threaded through it. It looks as though the different lace colours mainly affects the black and red versions of the skirt.

I can't show the $1 bits I purchased but I will say I am very happy with them and none of them were missing. One of my friends had missing $1 bits before but I was more lucky.

I would say that this order has been a positive experience but the service is not as good as I expect from Bodyline. They should ensure that all shipping costs are made obvious to the customer and I think Bodyline would benefit from bringing DHL back. Both of the skirts are pretty. The rose skirt could be better but the beautiful print makes up for my small disappointments.

And finally, I leave you with yet another baffling Bodyline advert-

What on earth has the duck got to do with this skirt!? It made me smile. I love how random Bodyline can be sometimes!

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).

Vintage Record by Metamorphose

Two print discussions in a row! Today I will be taking a look at Vintage Record by Metamorphose. I have been waiting patiently for the photos. Considering this series is already available for reserve, you would think Meta would have released pictures sooner! This series has 3 dresses, a skirt, a hair scrunchie, ankle socks and a rounded head bow which would not look out of place on Minnie Mouse.

So this is the OP dress from the series. Once again I will be using the draft picture as well because the details don't show up well in the photographs when Meta shows the dark colours.

This is the draft picture for the OP. The bodice fabric looks a little generous but I don't think this dress has any shirring in it. Thankfully the waist ties help bring the waist inwards which really helps with the shape of this dress. I think the little charms on the ends of the waist ties are a cute touch. It is a shame you can't really see them! The waist ribbon is removable so if you wanted, you could give the dress a more flared appearance. This dress is very plain. The bodice has a few small ruffles. If the print was not so busy I would probably find this dress a bit dull. The bodice part looks very stretchy and the simple sleeves are pretty. I thought the skirt part could do with being a little bit wider to get that desired lolita puff. The skirt is finished with a ruffle and some thin lace. This dress is very casual and does not instantly make me think of lolita. It reminds me of the sort of dresses you would find in a rockabilly store. It is good to move away from OTT lolita but I feel this dress is lacking something.

This is the first JSK. This time the bodice is a lot more fitted but sadly, it is also the smallest dress in the series as far as the measurements go (but there is some shirring). The belt is really cute. It helps to liven this dress up and the heart shaped buckle is a nice touch. The bodice has buttons running up it but they are more ornamental than practical. I love the black folds of material. It really fits the theme of the dress. The straps are thin and a little dull. If I could, I would try tucking the straps in and wearing this as a strapless dress. I think that because of how fitted it is, this dress could support itself and stay up when worn strapless. The back part has some shirring. It is hidden by some ribbon corset detail. On this red colourway, Meta have opted to use black ribbon for this corset but I would have used red ribbon so it blends in better. The skirt on this dress has a wider shape and I think it has the best shape of this series. That skirt should hold a lot of petticoat. The gathering works well to make sure the skirt does not look too flat but at the same time it does not obscure the print details. The bottom hem is finished with a small ruffle. I think this dress looks good not having any lace on it. This dress also looks like something you would find on a rockabilly website but this dress looks more fun and lively.

This is the final JSK and it is also heavily detailed. I will be using the draft picture to show the details more clearly-

The style on this dress is probably the most obviously 'lolita' looking but to be honest, I really don't know if it works well with this particular print. The bodice part has so many details that it looks a little lumpy and crowded. It would help to add volume to a petite girl but I think this is going to look very bumpy on larger girls. Also, the back part of the bodice is a lot lower than the front which looks a bit uneven. This dress has waist ties but they don't appear that effective. The back has some shirring hidden behind a ribbon corset but the back looks very bunched up. The waist bow looks like it is a good size but it is sitting on the dress at a weird angle. I would have also preferred one set of wider straps instead of 2 thin sets of straps. However, I do love the skirt part. The waist could probably be a bit lower but the skirt looks a decent size. It will probably hold a lot of petticoat. I think the gathered front looks beautiful. Whilst it doesn't show up well in black, I think the folded bow will look stunning on the red colourway. The bow helps to lift the skirt and the folds add interest and a more 3D feel. I would like to see this style of skirt used more often, especially if it was a princess style or floral dress.

And here is the print close-up. The entire print screams 50's retro. Retro is definitely being used more in lolita now. I like the records with their different records. Polka dots are bold anyway so it was a good idea to keep the rest of the print simple and small. This print is very busy but it could have looked a whole lot more cluttered so I think Meta has got this print just right. The print comes in black, red and navy.

I think it is pretty obvious my favourite dress is the 2nd one. The main challenge with this series will be making it look lolita and not rockabilly. Accessories will play a huge part in the overall look of an outfit using this series. As for the colour- red all the way! The red colour really pops out. This series is not to my personal tastes but I know at least a few people who will fall in love with Vintage Record's retro charm. I would not buy anything from this series but it will hopefully sell well.