Bonjour Honey (Etsy) review- positive

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

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

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

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

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

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

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!