lolita blog carnival: peek into my closet

I was super prepared for this week's lolita blog carnival topic, mainly because I've recently taken new photos of all my lolita pieces. In fact, I managed to schedule this post a week in advanced! I'm usually fallilng behind schedule, so I never manage to post on time. Not this time! The lolita blog carnival is a facebook group (here) for blogging lolitas to share their thoughts and ideas on the same topic. This week, we take a look inside the deep dark depths of our closets~

ready for their mug shots!~

 I'm going to be a little lazy this week too, since I've already posted my almost complete wardrobe. If you're keen to have a look into my wardrobe, clicky clicky here! I'm still waiting on a few pieces (angelic pretty's fantastic dolly, milk heart bag, infanta's snow white and baby's gold crown) but overall I'm really happy with the lolita dresses I own. I thought I'd share a few of my favourite and special pieces, just to make this post a little more interesting! A bad habit of mine is getting attached to material goods, but I often like to think of the happy memories made while wearing lolita. It makes it hard to part with them sometimes...

Metamorphose's Surprise Party was my first ever lolita purchase ever. I bought it from the website when it was first release. Candy Star Rabbit was my first, and only, onepiece. These two prints are very dear to me, and I love wearing them, even now~

L'oiseau Bleu by Baby and Angelic Pretty's Melty Chocolate were two of my first dream prints when I started. And when I finally aquired them both, I was pretty pleased with myself. Of course, I ended up with more items on my 'wishlist', but these were my first.

 Here are two of my more recent new purchases. I managed to nab the brown Royal Chocolate from Angelic Pretty's website and the matching barette last year. I missed it's release on the international website, and even though I ended up with the L size, I can still wear it with the ribbon tightened at the back. For Christmas last year, I even found the matching socks from the Angelic Pretty Paris website! As for Juliette et Justine's Cadre du Chat, it has definitely been the most amount of money I've spent on one lolita dress. It was also the last one when I bought it, but it's a dream dress, so it's worth it (so I tell myself...)

 A few special accessories now~ My friends were lovely enough to buy this cute Fancy Box beret for me on my 21st birthday last year. I absolutely love it and the sentiment behind it! The cute little Usakumya comes all the way from Paris. She was my one and only purchase at the Baby store in Paris, and she kept me safe while I was away~!

The last item from my wardrobe that I wanted to share were my Emily Temple Cute Chocolate and Ribbon socks! I searched a long time to finally obtain them. After searching auction sites, second hand stores and missing out every time, I finally won them off yahooauctions. These are the cutest chocolate socks, and I'm hoping to find the tights version as well as the pink socks and tights! Yes, I'd like to collect the set~!!

To take a peek into a few other lolita closets, follow these links:

derpland

masquerade doll

annie old fashioned

red tonic
tangled lace
the bloody teaparty

lolita blog carnival: my style outside lolita

this week's topic for the lolita blog carnival is: your (fashion) style outside lolita. if you're also an avid lolita blogger, i really do recommend joining the carnival's facebook group and participate in sharing your thoughts on lolita~ i thought i'd show some non-lolita daily outfits along with my thoughts on fashion beyond lolita.

is otome style separate from lolita style? my sister has always been a fan of emily temple cute and i fell in love with this brand too (it must have some how rubbed off on me~) it's easy to wear otome more often than lolita while sharing some elements of the style. admittedly, i don't wear this on a daily basis, but it's a slightly more toned down than lolita style and i think it's the only style outside lolita that i can put a name to!

outfits from spring/summer 2011: for lazy picnics days in the sun

other than otome, i don't really have one single style that i stick to outside of lolita fashion. i love clothes in general, and i really like to experiment with different looks and also try to maximise the use of my clothes by coordinating them differently. one thing is true: i don't like wearing the exact same outfit more than once. i think a piece of clothing is worth the money if i can wear it several ways. value of an item = price per number of wears. i always ask myself while shopping (online and in real shops): "how can i coordinate this item with my current wardrobe?" example: simply changing the top and accessories can change the style from a girly floral outfit to a more vintage look~

 outfits from spring/ summer 2011: for dinners and karaoke nights

the other question i ask myself while shopping is "can i coordinate this in lolita outfit?" i also tend to regard my wardrobe as a whole, whereas many other lolitas might keep their lolita wardrobe separate from their 'normal' clothes. (literally and figuratively) personally, my lolita items are well integrated with the rest of my clothes. i will often wear 'non lolita' items with lolita and 'lolita' items in my daily casual wear. most notable examples include: accessories, shoes, bags, socks, blouses, cardigans, outerwear. example: metamorphose socks and handmade sweet accessories adds character to a cute t shirt and shorts outfit and my delicious melty chocolate bag by angelic pretty to sweeten a colourful christmas outfit.

 

autumn/ winter 2012: cold days spent studying at university

you might also notice i don't like to wear pants (also known as trousers). i do own a few pairs of jeans, but i much prefer short skirts and shorts. i'm not very tall, and i feel even shorter when i wear longer skirts. because of this, i think tights are the most comfortable piece of clothing ever.

summer 2012: paris and poitiers days

when i packed my luggage for my exchange, i couldn't decide what to bring or leave behind. i worried about wearing the same old boring things, but i also only had 23kg total luggage allowance. i also tried to make sure all the clothes could match each other so i could coordinate with the same items in a different outfit. i chose a few base colours (navy, black, brown) and a few colours that would match these base colours (red, green, yellow). nevertheless i still have days when i think to myself: "i want to wear this today," but realise it's back home in australia :(

in my opinion, the most important part of fashion is to add a personal touch to an outfit. even if the outfit is super simple like above, adding a small detail like a cute pastel bowtie can set it apart from what others are wearing, making your coordinate special to you. and that way, you can express your personality or your feelings through your clothes!~

i hope you enjoyed reading a little (i mean, a lot!) about how i feel about fashion and coordinating on a daily basis. i'm sorry my outfits are not super creative or original~ here's a list of the participants of this week's lolita blog carnival topic:

f yeah lolita

frilly cakes 

stranger and stranger 

if alice was into platforms 

leather lace and arsenic 

carnivale salt 

commercially alternative 

her curious elegance

a life in disguise

a lace jail

lemontree 11 

make lovely

dollhouse diaries

swirly purple and green crayons

redtonic's blog

princess palace

magic a la mode

geisha baby 

fashion fairytales and sewing secrets 

pop princess 

 

lolita blog carnival: makeup tips

recently, i decided to join the 'lolita blog carnival' group on facebook, which is a super cute idea to bring blogging lolitas together and to see the different views of fellow lolitas around the world~ this week's topic is makeup tips, which ties in too well with my previous post regarding my latest makeup and skincare haul! i'll be going through a few tips while showing you my makeup routine and a list of products i'm using~

 1. look after your skin! this should be before and after wearing makeup as well as having a daily routine. i use the moisturiser as a base before i put my makeup on. it also helps the foundation glide on smoothly and stay put. i've recently switched to using bb cream since my skin is usually fine without foundation, but it helps out even my skin tone. after wearing makeup, i usually clean off the makeup with makeup remover, wash my face in warm water and moisturise again~

 2. eyeshadow, eyeliner, mascara, false lashes. that is the order i do things. this is also the longest and hardest process for me and it took a lot of failures to find the right techniques. i usually stick to neutral eyeshadow colours like browns and greys although i do have a few colourful days. for less extravagant days i finish after eyeliner and mascara. to brighten the eyes, i use a white eyeliner to line the bottom eyeline and a white eyeshadow for the inner corners of my eyes. when i'm feeling too lazy, i don't wear false eyelashes, but they do look lovely and define the eyes much more~

 3. rosy cheeks. i only have one colour that i've stuck to for a while because it suits my skin tone and i haven't experimented as much. i like a matte peachy tone and  i've always kept a subtle look because otherwise i look too red in the face. however, recently, i find using blush under the eyes or above my cheekbones gives a very cute look.  i don't even mind building the colour up either. i think this technique is used in cult party kei and dolly kei but it looks cute in lolita too~

4. lips. i prefer using lipsticks and lip tints because lip glosses are always too thick and heavy (my hair always gets in it too - yuck!) i think i only have one lip gloss and it's a peachy pink one that i use for my very sweet lolita days. otherwise i really like redder lips that don't look painted on, so a subtle lip tint can add a touch of colour. you can also build the colour up depending on your look. i've used a light lipgloss under the lip tint to help the colour glide evenly on the inner edge of my lips for a doll-like look~

5. scent. lolitas always smell nice and fresh! i fell in love with marc jacob's daisy. not only beause of the super adorable rubber flowers, but the smell is super sweet and floral. i have stuck to this and it's become my signature smell~ my friends even bought the 'eau so fresh' one for me, so i'll be smelling like daisies for a while! i usually spray some on my wrists but i read somewhere that if you spray some in your hair, the scent lasts longer.

6. hair. i find wigs are so hard to deal with. they get tangled so easily and brushing them is a nightmare. wigs can look too fake and plastic-y too, so i like to take care of my real hair and avoid wigs if i can. however, i do have a few natural coloured wigs for those bad hair days. i love styling my real hair with lolita and the most current trend for me is sleeping in plaits or braids so in the morning i get these cute waves that look really nice with a simple headbow or hairpiece~ i've also fallen in love with fish braids which takes a lot more time than french braids but look very lovely too.

my favourite products at the moment (also what i used for this look):
- skin79 diamond prestige bb cream
-  kate reflect mirror eyes eyeshadow in pu-2
- dollywink liquid eyeliner in deep black
- lancôme hypnôse doll eyes mascara in so black
- bourjois blush in 54 rose frisson- tonymoly tony tint in 01 red apple
- marc jacobs daisy

outfit post:
- white blouse: offbrand
- neck ribbon: handmade
- black cardigan: taobao
- nostalgic chess skirt: metamorphose
- black over the knee socks: h&m
- academy beret: angelic pretty
- military brooch: offbrand

i had too much fun as a first time contributor to the lolita blog carnival~ i hope there'll be more opportunities to blog from their given topics. here's a list of fellow lolita bloggers who contributed to this week's topic, happy reading!

 sweet lolita doll
sweet and simple
commercially alternative
good morning lovely
parfait doll 
lolita poupee
a life in disguise 

lolita can be for anyone

we held a very lovely introductory and interactive presentation about lolita fashion to help all the new lolitas find out more about the fashion and how they can buy things online as well as inspiring girls to coordinate beyond the lolita boundaries. i helped out with the introductions and style showcase which was so much fun! i wore a very pop style sweet lolita with all my newest sparkle peach goodies.

outfit post #91:

- hair bows: handmade, offbrand
- pink blouse: angelic pretty
- candy star rabbit op: metamorphose
- sheer lavender tights
- lace trimmed ankle socks
- pink spotty converses: converse all stars
- accessories: sparkle peach, chocomint, handmade

we held a huge raffle too with seven prizes to be won. they were all full of goodies donated by willing local girls. i even chipped in a few moripop bows and brooches~ lot's of new girls won these prizes, so i can't wait to see how they wear their new goodies. we had talks about styles, makeup, coordination and helpful tips on buying online. i sure hope this will mean more girls will wear lolita here~~
 
ps. paris in 18 days, the count down has begun...

macaron day

i had to take my friend to the mac factory (because, he hadn't been yet) and indulge in a few macarons. the flavours were slightly limited today perhaps due to the fact it's sunday, and they were selling out quick. we tried pistachio (green), chocolate and peanut butter (yellow with chocolate dusting), nutella (blue), hazelnut (orange), dark chocolate raspberry (purple, also my favourite!) and espresso (beige).

 

next to the little macaron shop, the owners have set up a book nook where they sell a large variety of cookbooks. i think a large range of these books are dedicated to macaron making as well as other sweets. we spent a lovely time over coffee/ hot chocolate and macarons (which were well received) and i can gladly say he enjoyed his time in the very quaint shop~ we then decided to pay a visit to another friend who lived nearby and met a very cute black cat with shining green eyes! what a darling~

outfit post #77:
- pink plastic bow headband from baby the stars shine bright
- umbrella onepiece from emily temple cute
- melty chocolate shoulder bag from angelic pretty
- candy socks from metamorphose
- brown tea party shoes from secret shop
- accessories from sparklepeach

this is a close up of the necklace from my very good friend from sparklepeach. she makes the cutest and funnest accessories that are perfect for dolling up~ i love this sweet cameo necklace with a character from the kera magazine manga. apart from lolita, i love wearing this to university too! just brightens up my outfit and makes me smile~

did you just say

all you can eat dessert for two hours?

my close friends found this amazing voucher for the very
cute little cafe/dessert bar in hahndorf called antiquities,
which i had visited earlier this year for a delightful chocolate
high tea (click here). and yes, it was an all you can eat dessert
night, with a complimentary cocktail, unlimited pots of tea and
a lovely array of delicious sugary goodness waiting to be eaten!

the lady who runs the place is utterly delightful and she even
remembered me from my last visit! that always makes me happy~
i couldn't help taking photos of the cakes. the tierred plates were filled
with mini fruit tarts, while large rectangular plates held much larger servings
of cheesecake, tartlets and vanilla slice.

my first plate was themed chocolate and berries. with a

small glass of chocolate mousse (which was so creamy!!),

an eclair, a mint chocolate mini tart (not really a huge fan of mint

and chocolate) and a raspberry and custard tart.

i also tried the chocolate cheesecake, the cherry pies and a bite

of a very rich and warm butterscotch pudding. how i wish i had

another stomach to fill, so i could have tried everything else!

outfit post: dessert night
- sweet jam headbow from angelic pretty
- mini pink hairbow handmade
- sequin ribbon t-shirt
- surprise party skirt from metamorphose
- black tights
- red tea parties from secret shop

i thought i'd try the colourful candy eyes palette from dollywink
whose pink and green colours were so bright and lovely! unfortunately
it's not very clear (argh! shadows!) but the pink is kind of visible...
i'll endeavour to take better makeup photos.