Sugar Fairy Cake by Angelic Pretty

I am a bit behind with the print discussions at the moment, so it is time to start catching up! Today I will be discussing Sugar Fairy Cake by Angelic Pretty. Because I waited so long, the series is already up and available on their website. This series has 3 dresses, a skirt (apron style), a valletta, a head bow and some ankle socks.

This is the OP. This is more of a set, than a dress (see below). The bodice looks like it has a good overall shape, but in the close-up pictures on the website I didn't think it looked as well fitted. It does have a tidy square neckline, line neatly with pretty thin lace, which is not too itchy or OTT. There is an awkward line of lace running horizontally along the bodice which has the potential to sit funnily on the chest area. At least the vertical lines give the wearer a bit of a slimmer appearance. The material above the lace line has folds in it, which gets a bit lost in the gingham and is not that noticeable. The short sleeves have a cute puffy shape. These are finished with good quality lace and ribbon bows, which are slightly shiny in appearance. There are 2 neck bows which are a bit on the big side, but softens the neckline. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed by a ribbon corset. There is also a waist bow, which is huge. It looks really over-sized and sticks out loads. I would definitely detach it! This dress also has a typical maid style apron (not a massive surprise). The apron itself is quite cute. Its edges are lined with the same lace as that used on the main dress and I love the heart pockets. I am not too convinced I like the maid style apron, but at least it distracts from the gingham in the print.

This is what the OP looks like without the apron. Although I dislike the waist ribbon, I think the waist looks a bit plain when the waist bow and apron are gone. It also makes the bows on the neckline look top-heavy and unbalanced. Maybe a nice detailed belt would help balance it out a bit! The skirt shape is nicely flared and rounded. It will hold a decent amount of petticoat underneath. Thankfully, the skirt part does not have that much detail to it so it doesn't overload the busy print. The bottom hem is finished off with cute lace which features little cupcakes and forks.

The OP comes with this valletta and wrist cuffs. Personally, I prefer the head bow over this valletta. The valletta reminds me of the detachable lace on the Wonder Cookie head bow. I am unsure that it works on its own and it does look a bit like a waitress costume headpiece. The cuffs are cute enough, what with the matching lace and flower buttons. Overall, I am not too bothered by these extra items.

This is the halter JSK. The bodice is well-fitted, albeit quite straight and a bit boxy. Again, this dress has the same ridiculously huge waist bow. In fact, it so large it looks like it is about to fall off the dress! Luckily you can detach it, which I would strongly recommend. The main detail on the bodice is the lace running horizontally along the neckline. Although the lace looks like it is good quality, it does look a bit like a doily in appearance. The lace is topped with a small gingham ribbon, which makes the neckline more interesting. The straps are a good width for the dress and I like how they give the dress a retro shape. It is a very sweet print, so this detail makes it look a bit more mature or like a 50's sun dress. The back has a panel of shirring, which is concealed by a ribbon corset, helping to make things look a bit neater. The skirt shape also has a very flared retro shape to it, which is a bit different, but I actually prefer this to the other 2 dresses. The bottom hem has the same cake and fork lace.

This is the tier JSK. The bodice has a nice shape to it. The rounded neckline is also very interesting and a bit different. As you can see, this dress has a lot of bows on the bodice and the giant waist bow is present once again! All of the bows are a bit on the big side, but if you remove the large waist bow, the 3 remaining bows actually look quite good. The 3 bodice bows have a nice sturdy shape to them. The rounded collar is topped with good quality lace both on the edges and in the middle. It sounds like a lot of lace, but it gives it a more frilly feminine appearance without looking OTT. The rounded collar part continues on to make the dress straps, which are a good width and give plenty of support. The back of the dress has no shirring but does have waist ties to make the dress smaller if needed. I don't think the tiered style of skirt works as well with the print when compared to the other 2 dresses. The overall shape is quite flared and slightly rounded and the tiers don't alter the skirt shape that much. Thankfully, the tiers don't look too bumpy or clump the material together strangely, but they don't add much either. However, on the plus side, the tier edges are lined with pretty lace. Another negative about using tiers is that the cake part of the print is not displayed as clearly because of the gathering. The bottom hem is finished off with thinner lace which has small hearts on it. It is a bit more subtle than the cake lace.

And finally, the print close-up. As you can see, it comes in pink, yellow, mint and black. The cakes are cute and I think that this part has a lot of potential. The icing is detailed, as are the cake decorations. However, in my opinion Sugar Fairy Cake suffers from the same problem as Triple Tart did- the gingham. The gingham on this print is a real deal-breaker for me. I am not against gingham, but I really dislike it used with this print. Even a solid background would have worked better. It is a shame, because I really like the cakes! Out of the colours I will pick the mint colour as my favourite because I think the gingham part works a bit better on this colour than the others.

So for me, this is another case of gingham blues. If it wasn't for the gingham, I would probably really like this series. Out of the dresses, I think the halter-neck JSK in mint would be my favourite. If you break up all the different parts of the print, the design is not exactly new or fresh. However, I do think the cakes in the print have been done very well. It is such a shame...

Valentine thank you

Thank you for the Lolita Valentines I received today. I had just found out I lost out on an auction for a dream dress (the one at the very top of my dream list), so I am so happy you have cheered me up!

http://loli-valentines.livejournal.com/116485.html?view=3289093

Thank you for 8, 9, 20 and 32. It was also brilliant to see so many HJ lolitas get valentines too.

Hyper Japan Spring 2012- part 3 (final)

Today's post is just a quick one to link my photo album and videos. If you are my Facebook friend, chances are, you will have already seen these. But if you are not, then there are lots of photos I haven't posted on here. These include some more outfits, pictures of the fashion show, some of the other stage performances and more!

Photobucket album here- http://s979.photobucket.com/albums/ae277/Luna_Rain_photos/Hyper%20Japan%20Spring%202012%20Saturday%2025th%20Feb/

This album is public, so everybody can view it.

I also attempted to get some videos. We were really cramped because there was a sudden surge of people right before the fashion show. It amused me how all of the lolitas suddenly swarmed! So please understand that we tried our best from the angle were we at!

My Youtube channel is here- http://www.youtube.com/user/LunaRainLolita

This ends my coverage of Hyper Japan! I hope you enjoyed it.

Hyper Japan Spring 2012- Part 2

And today, I will be taking a look at some of my favourite outfits from the Saturday of Hyper Japan! Please understand that this is just a small selection of the outfits I enjoyed and I would have loved to have included you all! A special shout-out goes to Tania Tanzil (featured in my last post), my fellow Oxfordshire Lolitas (and there were loads of us there!), the girl wearing the Harry Potter lolita dress, the wonderful fashion show models and the people who I was unable to get good photographs of. Looking at some of the photos already out there, it looks like I missed some really good outfits and some wonderful friends of mine. Where were you all hiding? It would have been good to catch up, but maybe next time!

I guess it would be a good idea to start with my own outfit...

Outfit rundown-
Head bow, JSK (both Starry Night Theatre), ring (Melty Moon)- Angelic Pretty
Blouse, bolero, shoes- Bodyline
Tights, other jewellery- offbrand and Paris Kids
Card suit brooches- handmade


The idea was to attempt to expand the themes on the Starry Night Theater dress. I wanted to make it an outfit that was personal to me, rather than just wearing your bog-standard outfit or sticking to typical lolita "rules". I am awful at crafting things, but I did attempt to make some things too.

And here is the infamous deco-legs which appear to have gotten some people talking! This picture was taken during my outfit trial-run, which was vital to ensure the tights would actually be wearable. I had my SNT socks on hand at all times, just in case. I wore these whilst being fully aware that they would divide opinions. Generally, I think the responses have been about 85% positive. I am delighted with the positive responses and I was also grateful that I have been given some very helpful con-crit, which was actually incredibly useful! So a massive thank you to the friend who passed that information on for me.

I think my favourite outfit part was my more subtle aces tucked away up my left sleeve. My least favourite part was my hair, which is near impossible to style! I thought my hair looked a bit flat and that actually, the SNT head bow was not helping. I was happy to wear my favourite lolita ring, Melty Moon and I intended to wear a sparkly red bow ring I got the day before. Sadly, in my mad rush, the back of the ring broke off and I didn't have any superglue with me!

I am also a little unsure if I liked the gold star clip dangling from the top of my arm. I could have attached it to my head bow, but everybody seems to do that! This was an attempt to do something different. Truth be told, I don't think many people noticed it anyway!


Anyway, that is enough about me! Here are just a few of my favourite outfits. Please note, I figured that because HJ pictures are all over the net anyway, it would be ok to post these. But if anybody would like their pictures taken down, then please contact me and I will happily do that for you.

Abbey looked so cute in Lyrical Bunny! I thought the ears added a very fun touch to the outfit. Pink and lavender is also one of my favourite colour combinations! It is also clever how she added a few small touches of red, to match the little bits of red in the print.

I love those hair roses!

Me with turquoisekitten. That Juliette et Justine dress is so stunning in person! I also love the use of gold and the beautiful accessories, including those lovely tights and clock bag.

Sachiko!!!! She was one of the fashion show models, representing decora fashion. Her outfit was so bright and cheerful. And anything with ducks on it will always get my instant seal of approval!

This is Mo (in the middle) and her friend, whose name I keep forgetting! I think you are Julie? Please correct me if I got that wrong! I absolutely love the clock printed on that skirt. And I always love Mo's classic lolita style. Both girls looked so well put-together. And Mo gave me some awesome freebies too!

Kyra was selling her fantastic jewellery. If I wasn't trying to be careful with money, I could have quite easily brought her entire jewellery stand and I will definitely be thinking about buying some rings in the future. My favourite was the Puppet Circus inspired necklace and the jam jar ring. This was my very first time seeing Puppet Circus in person, and it didn't disappoint! Kyra looked wonderful in her gold accessories. Also, I really want those tights!

One of my favourite gothic lolitas from the Saturday. I was really disappointed that there were less gothic lolitas about on the Saturday, although I have seen some amazing gothic lolita pictures from the Sunday. I love the blouse and hair accessories in this outfit.

Tsukia in her amazing wig. It was impressively huge! I thought she looked absolutely adorable!

I am a fan of Wing's otome style. The dress is gorgeous and I like the colours used, especially paired together like this.

I could have quite easily included a lot more outfits in this post. Rest assured, that I got a lot of admiration for the people I met and saw that day. You are all a massive inspiration!

Hyper Japan Spring 2012- Part 1

It looks like this blog is going to be full of Hyper Japan stuff this week! Well, I am back (and very exhausted) and now it is time to have a look at what happened. I only attended on the Saturday but I was in London over the whole weekend and I had a brilliant time.

STILL TO COME- Luna's outfit, Luna's favourite Hyper Japan J-Fashion outfits, videos and lots more photos.

Pre-Hyper Japan

After having a difficult time lugging my outfit to the hotel on a warm Friday afternoon, I briefly popped in to central London for a bit of a browse. I was a little disappointed to see that the Japan Centre had gotten rid of a load of their backlog of Gothic Lolita Bibles, Kera and Alice Deco a la Mode. Last time I went in there and there was about 10 different Japanese GLBs (sadly, I only brought one at the time). This time I couldn't find any GLBs, not even the most recent one. So either somebody went and snapped them all up or Japan Centre decided they were not selling well and removed them from the shelves. Afterwards I went to Qut'se in Chinatown, where I brought a glittery red bow ring. I intended to wear it to HJ but in my blind panic, I managed to break the back off! Thankfully, I have since managed to superglue it! I managed to get a free sample of bubble tea from Cafe de Hong Kong. I had watermelon which was pleasant, but not a very strong flavour. Cybercandy currently have this massive Wonka gumball machine in their Covent Garden stall. The gumball I got was very yummy! I also went in to Namco for the very first time and now I really want to go back there! My husband James promised we would at some point and I am going to keep reminding him!

The actual event! Organisation


Hyper Japan, as an event, is still in those early days and it is still trying to establish itself. Although I was unable to attend last year, I did hear some horror stories about the queues. With this mind, I got myself a fast-track ticket and got to the venue about an hour before opening time. I got the impression that a lot of the staff were confused and disorganised. They kept running about and changing their minds. About 7 people (James and myself included) were picked out the queue and ended up in our own separate mini queue. Then they seemed to change their mind about how they wanted to organise the queue. We were let in first; about 10-15 minutes after they were meant to open. I also discovered that not all the stores were set up at opening time and as a result, I kept discovering new stalls I hadn't already been to. However, these were only minor hiccups and it did not affect my enjoyment at all.

The stage shows


When buying tickets, you had the option of going to the Sake awards. I opted out of this, but when we got inside we discovered that you could still watch the sake show on stage and the extra bit was the sampling and voting part.

Each sake was modelled by a lolita. I saw the post asking for sake models, but I actually gave it a miss because I wanted to bombard the fashion stalls right at the start of the day! It was really fun watching the models displaying their sake.

Natsuko Aso gave a very lively and upbeat performance. I am very envious of the dress she was wearing because she looked like an adorable fluffy cloud. So cute! The crowd really enjoyed her performance and appeared very appreciative. Natsuko Aso was also signing autographs later on in the day.

Hibiki Ichikawa Shamisen also gave a beautiful performance. They got the crowd to join in by clapping and singing bits along.

But of course, my favourite part was the fashion show. Tania did such a great job and the models were wonderful! I also liked how instead of just showing lolita, they showed a wider range of J-Fashion styles.

Here is all the lolitas and fellow J-fashionistas on stage. Sadly, my husband could only take pictures from where he was stood because we were so packed in! We found ourselves in the middle of a swarm. I did go on stage but I was hiding away at the back. You see the girl wearing AatP's Drosellmeyer print to the left and front of the photo? She won one of the prizes! I was also pleased to see Katie (wearing AP's Lady Rose) also won a prize. Katie, I loved your outfit and I only wish I had the chance to speak to you properly!

Tania looked incredible (let's face it, she was always going to look incredible!). Despite only speaking briefly to me before, we were able to have a lovely quick chat. We were talking about wigs and she said my natural hair was really nice, which made me blush loads! My favourite part of her outfit (besides the beautiful dress) was the blouse, which had soft floaty sleeves. Absolutely gorgeous!

The stalls


I didn't buy anything from the Bring and Buy sale in the end (although I did almost buy a Wonder Party skirt) but there was a great range of second hand and new items. I was lusting over the dress and skirt rails! It was really fun. You kind of had to keep going back throughout the day as more stuff got put out.

The Baby stall, in my opinion, was actually a huge disappointment. The prices were dreadful! I almost had a heart attack when I saw some of the prices on the headbows and dresses. However, they were selling lucky packs for £100, which is not too bad. I have a feeling those were snapped up quickly.

Most of the fashion stalls had your standard cute stuff, most of which were selling accessories. I completely forgot to enter the raffle Bunny De Couer was hosting, who were raffling a skirt. Highlights included Tofu Cute, Miwary and Roxie Sweetheart. The prices on most of the stalls were reasonable and some were doing offers if you brought a certain amount.

The food stalls get even more amazing every single time! I had some macarons from the On stall. On the left we have peach champagne (amazing) and the right is English Rose (double amazing). And... dare I say it? I think that On's rose macaron is better than the one by well-known Laduree!

This was my haul from the weekend. I got the Owlet plushie from Kidrobot the day before and the red bow ring came from Qut'se in Chinatown. The cupcake bracelet and chocolate whip necklace were very kindly given to me by Mini Mo from Sweet and tiny. Mo makes lots of cute little sweets and I was so happy when she gave me those 2 items. So thank you Mo! I think that was really sweet. I got some strawberry socks from the Tofu Cute stall because I already own loads of strawberry items. Despite the prices, I relented and got an Usakumya pochette from the Baby stall. I got given some free stickers with it as well. I also got a few postcards with lolita art and did a 3 for £10 jewellery offer on the 2 Bad Bananas stall. I am very pleased with what I got. I had to be a bit careful because I am paying off a dream print of mine and I also have my eye on a dress.

So overall, this was a very good day. There were some very small issues, but I think as time goes on, Hyper Japan will grow in to something even more amazing. I can't wait for the next one!

Pas de Deux in the Blue Moon by BABY

Please note, there will be NO FRIDAY POST this week because I am going to be very busy gearing up for Hyper Japan. It has come around so quickly! If you see me there on the Saturday then do feel free to come and say hello. I may ask you for a photograph too! I will be wearing my Starry Night Theater JSK.

Today I will be discussing the new print by BABY. It is called Pas de Deux in the Blue Moon. This series has 2 dresses, a skirt, a shirt, socks, a head bow and a feathery headdress.

This is the Odette JSK. The bodice has a very well fitted shape to it, but you would expect that with a dress that has boning in it. The neckline is a very pretty shape, although it is a bit open and exposed. Still, that is the perfect excuse to pick a blouse with some pretty chest detailing! There is a large waist bow and maybe it could have been a bit smaller. Considering the size, the bow shape is very sturdy. In other recent Baby releases, the bows have looked a bit saggy, but this one is a lot more perky. The front has a ribbon corset. The ribbon is very neatly spaced out and looks soft, without being too shiny. The corset is lined either side by pretty rose lace. The neckline is also lined with lace, but whilst it looks good quality, I thought the lace used here was a bit dull. The straps are a bit thin, but wider straps would have looked bulky with this sort of design. The back has a panel of shirring which is neatly concealed with a ribbon corset. The skirt shape looks a bit straight, rather than rounded, but doesn't look as harsh as some other skirt shapes we have seen. The shape is probably more suited to classic than sweet. It flares out well and will hold a lot of petticoat. The bottom of the skirt is heavily detailed but you still get a good view of the print on the rest of the skirt.

This picture perfectly shows the detailing at the bottom. I like the inclusion of soft chiffon which helps break up the more solid material. The rose lace on top of the ruffle also shows that Baby have paid attention to detail, but without looking too OTT. I personally would have ended the dress with the chiffon instead of having another layer of the printed material because it would have given a soft floaty edge. But the design still works well.

This is the Odile JSK (hmm.. 2 very similar names. Try not to get them mixed up!). The bodice has a bit of a square appearance to it, but it still dips in at the waist. I don't believe this one has boning in it so perhaps it is not as well-fitted as the other JSK. I dislike the line of lace which runs a bit below the waist. Because it runs below the thinnest part of the waist on the dress, it appears to trick the eye in to thinking the waist is bigger than it actually is. I also think the dark colour of the lace makes it stand out more. There are 2 ribbon corsets running up the bodice. The ribbon is well spaced and very pretty. But I am undecided on whether I like the 2 corset design or whether I think it looks too overcrowded.

There is some thin rose lace running along the corsets which helps makes the edges look a bit neater. The neckline has a shiny bow in the middle. I thought the bow looked a bit too crinkly because it is quite gathered. It really alters the overall shape of the bow, which looks a bit strange. The straps on this JSK are very thin. The straps are also detachable (in fact, you can just make out the button hole because it is viewable in the picture) and I think the dress looks better with them removed. The back has a panel of shirring. This is concealed by a tidy looking ribbon corset, although the dark ribbon does stand out. The skirt has a gentle rounded appearance. It is a very pretty bell shape (although I still think the line of lace at the waist spoils it a bit). This one looks like it will also hold a lot of petticoat. The skirt of this JSK is a lot plainer and the print is displayed clearly and beautifully. The bottom has a thin line of lace and then a gathered frill, which gives the bottom a softer edge. The ruffled bottom is then finished off with a line of pretty lace.

This is one of the print close-ups. The print comes in pink x ivory, red x off-white, navy x navy and black x black. I think the navy colour looks stunning. The pink colour also has a soft dream-like feel to it. It has a lot of pretty and magical imagery and it does remind me of the ballet. The ballerinas and swans look graceful. All the different items work well together. I also like how every 'window' edge is decorated with ribbons. This is the sort of print that Baby does best and I really like it. If I could change one thing, I would add a few very tiny hints of gold to give it a more regal rich feel. But overall, I am impressed.

These are the socks for this series. These are quite heavily patterned but I like them! I also love the rich sock colour. My favourite is the swan!

This is the feathery headdress. Although I have taken a recent interest with feather accessories, I can't help but feel this one is too similar to the one released with the recent Alice and the Pirates series End of Immortal Eden. I suppose this one looks a bit less OTT than the Eden one, but I don't find it to be that original. However, seeing as this series is about ballerina imagery, this headdress does fit in with the theme. It reminds me of swan lake.

I think this is a very beautiful series and I am hoping this will be a success. Out of the 2 JSKs I would probably pick the first one (Odette) because I love the softer floatier design and I think the bodice shape is nicer. If I purchased it then without a single doubt, I would definitely go for the navy colour! This series has a real romantic fairy tale feel to it without looking too "little princess" or young. I certainly wouldn't mind owning this.

Items of Desire- Easy Fake Lashes

Although it absolutely pains me to say it, I am completely hopeless at applying fake lashes! I guess I always felt that I already had quite long natural lashes and a few coats of mascara was enough. But sometimes I would really like to put in a bit of extra effort and wear some falsies too. Every time I have attempted fake lashes I have failed miserably. I was daft enough to try individual ones first and they were so small and fiddly. I have also tried strip ones but I didn't feel like I was wearing them correctly.

So anything that makes applying lashes easily is a must for me.

And so, I am very curious about trying these false lashes. They have easy place strings to help apply them better.

I am unsure how you remove the red strings and I am a bit worried I may accidentally glue them on too, but I am still keen to try these. They make applying lashes look so easy!

I have often thought about giving eyelash extensions applied at a salon a go. They last about 2 weeks from what I have heard, and you have to go back to get them removed. But it seems a bit wasteful spending out money that way when these easy lashes could work out a lot cheaper.

I am hoping that with time, more lashes will come with these easy place strings. Anything that can save you a bit of time and effort has got to be a good thing.