Anime Banzai 2011

My friend and I went to Anime Banzai this year and had a ton of fun! I taught two Lolita Panels (I was soooo nervous since this was my first time) and I think everything went fantastically. A few of the local lolis came and showed their support. It was so nice to see everyone, and great to be able to talk to those studying Lolita fashion. I love to talk to people who have a genuine curiosity, and had fun answering questions. Hopefully I made everyone feel at ease!

Here are a few pictures from my time at the convention:

Ghostbuster loli! Who ya gonna call?

Teaching the panel.

This guy put a steampunk look together that was understated and very cool.

One of the local lolis in a skirt she made herself. She's great!

AND a bonus pic of my cosplay during the con:

Shiemi from Blue Exorcist. Yay!

To the reader: Have you ever been to a Lolita Panel or Class? What would you like to see in one?

Curse you, IW!

I really think IW is targeting my pocketbook, specifically. XP They just came out with a bunch more reservations, one of which I want so badly I can hardly stand it! If you've ever spoken with me, you know that my favorite dress is IW's GOSIK collaboration ("Victorica Set"). I was fortunate to get this set when it first came out (sold a lot, hehe) and it is by far my best ensemble. Gorgeous lace, fabric, design...*sigh*

Well, IW just released ANOTHER GOSIK collaboration! And this one is sooo pretty, too!

I am MAD for this Victorica Tiered Dress set. The long bloomers are great for my sense of modesty, and the whole coordinate is so delicate and pretty! I WANT IT! Like factor: Off the charts!

 A few more recent releases:

Stained Glass JSK

Standing Collar OP

Delft Lotta JSK

In addition, IW released (and sold out on) two Lucky Packs that I was VERY hard pressed not to spend money on. If I weren't saving for a car to commute to work, I would SO have one!

Stinking necessities...getting in the way of my lolita! ;-P

Pamtography Photoshoot

I did a photoshoot with a friend to build up a portfolio for her photography company. She is really passionate about capturing everyone's uniqueness...so of course I wore Lolita!

We started out in the morning, when I brought over my wardrobe, stunning my friend. She didn't know how complicated Lolita was! ;-) She picked out a few things (and vetoed any stockings, aaah!) and we headed about an hour away to take pictures. It was sort of hot (middle of the day) but I had TONS of fun! I love doing photoshoots.

On to the pictures!

      

Well, that's it for now. I'll probably get back to posting on the weekends, but it's hard when I have so much to talk about (IW just released a bunch of new reservations yesterday...why must they taunt me sooooo?!) I hope you enjoyed the pictures!

IW Update!

Yes, I'm sort of trying to make up for my long absence. XD

Anyway, IW has come out with a few reservations/new releases. Let's take a look!

Rose Panel 2-Way JSK. Granted, this is not all that new, but I have a love-hate thing going on with this (or rather, a love-dislike thing). I think the rose print is ADORABLE and the colors are so nice! The fit is okay, and I love the scallops at the bottom. The only thing that keeps me from JSK-drool is the panel-lines across the skirt, etc. It looks almost like someone didn't understand what crop-marks meant (ie: "cut here") and sewed panels together in an odd way. I could probably get over it, though, for the beautiful roses. Like factor: 4.75/5

Theresia Rose JSK. This is so lovely! Roses seem to be a theme for IW right now, and I think it's great. For some reason, I'm partial to halter-top necklines, and the whole dress looks beautiful. Like factor: 5/5

Liliane JSK. This military-style JSK has lovely collar and bodice detailing! In my opinion, it looks better in the long version than the short, but I love the caramel-chocolate colorway. The neckline is a halter (again) and the back seems to have some shirring and corseting. So nice! Like factor: 5/5

Lastly, the Gretel Short Boots. These seem very military to me, and I am a sucker for boots! They have a bow in the back (a la the Victorica Boots) and even come in a Navy colorway! LOVE them! Like factor: 5.5/5 ;-)

Well, that's it for today! For more IW stuff, don't forget to check out their Reservation page!

To the reader: Has IW (or your favorite brand) released anything you're super-excited about? Share with me!

I'm on youtube!

I haven't updated lately because I've been at DISNEYLAND! Sadly, I couldn't wear Lolita there, but I had lots of fun nonetheless.

A friend recently contacted me and told me I made it into shelbycloud's lolita compilation vid! Take a look:

To my chagrin, she used one of my oldest (and derpiest XP) pictures, but I'm happy I was able to take part in it!

What else do I watch on youtube?

I love to see kawaiigirljapan (Japan's "kawaii ambassador" channel, sort of) and all of the people/things they put on there. I admire how sweet Misako-san seems to be (yes, I added -san, I took Japanese and don't quite feel right not adding an honorific) and love all the groups they showcase.

I also watch a channel called meetzoe or "The Wonderful World of Zoe." This Austrailian girl is so funny, and is great to her fans.

The last few of my fave channels are Michelle Phan and her sisters' channels (michellephan and ricebunny for Michelle and dope211 for Promise). They have such great advice and looks! Her sister, Promise, is AMAZING at transforming the face with makeup!

I hope this has given you just a little fun peek into what I like, and thusly into my personality. XP

To the reader: What are YOUR fave youtube channels? Do you like/dislike one of the channels I watch?

Easy Nails!

I love cute nails, but playing the guitar/violin and wearing contacts doesn't lend itself to long, decoed fingernails. Plus, I have no experience doing nails! What's a girl to do?

That's what I was thinking, until I discovered nail tutorials on youtube. They have several tutorials for fun and easy nails! I tried a couple of styles the past few days:

Newspaper nails! I love this, because it looks almost like a page out of a book! The tutorial is here. Tip: Just dip your nail for a few seconds, and press the newspaper to it for just a few seconds (seriously, like, two). That will help the newspaper not to stick to your nail!

Strawberry-Gingham nails! These are so sweet and summery! I was really worried about being able to create this look (since I've never really tried nail art before) but they came out very cute! The tutorial is here.

I hope to be able to try and share more nail looks, so please look forward to it!

To the Reader: How do you usually wear your nails?

New Reservations for IW

Innocent World is just about the only brand I watch for new items (mostly because I can't figure Baby's reservation page out, and MM and JetJ seem to sell out via psychic hotline before they release the reservations ;-) ). They've announced a few things, and I thought I'd share some here!

Triple Stripe Jumperskirt: This looks pretty nice! The stripe pattern is really pretty, and the fabric looks nice. However (and I'm not sure if this was just the fit on the model) the lace on the waistband makes the bodice look a little baggy. Overall like factor: 4/5

Flocky Tulle Jumperskirt: I really, really wanted to like this! It looks so cute in this picture, but with a blouse underneath it looks a little awkward. It would probably be better with a short-sleeved blouse instead of the detachable-sleeve blouse IW put on their model. And though I'm not a fan of empire waists (especially on me) the blouse and shape of this dress make me very happy! Overall Like: 4.75/5

Sailor Collar A-Line Onepiece: This was another one I wanted to like. I'm such a fan of sailor! And while the colors are fantastic and I love the cuffs on the sleeves, the fit, the FIT! Augh! There is none! It looks like a sack on the model, and I really don't think it's meant to be fitted around the waist. With a petticoat, that just makes it look...not good. XP Overall Like: 2/5