Lolita: Good for More than "Feeling Pretty"

Me with some of the members of my community.

That's right--Lolita has more benefits than being able to feel beautiful. Despite the sweet "little girl" aesthetic, Lolita has actually helped me grow up.


I freely admit it--I'm a momma's girl. And although my close relationship with my mother brings me more happiness than I could ever part with, it brought me one other thing: dependency.

Without going into too much detail, let's just say I was severely handicapped when it came to the social department due to a psychological disorder. Stores, parties, restaurants...all were terrifying places for me. I couldn't order at McDonalds on my own without having a veritable panic attack! In short: I couldn't do things for myself that some people do almost daily. My parents did everything they could to help me, but I stayed this way into my early 20s, when a breakdown finally caused them to put me into therapy.

By this time, I had been into Lolita for about a year. My parents were unsupportive of my hobby, probably because they saw it as trying to return to childhood--something that would not help me with my social predicament. I was starting to see some benefits of Lolita in my life: When I put on Lolita, I knew I was pretty. When people stared at me in the mall, I didn't have to wonder if there was some smudge in a horrible place; instead, I simply attributed it to the clothing and smiled. When I was in Lolita, I didn't care what anyone else thought of me...a refreshing change from my daily self-critisism. I knew I loved Lolita for these things, but the bulk of my "Lolita therapy" had yet to come.

Recently, I found myself the head of my local community. I certainly didn't seek this; it happened mostly because I wanted to see more of my friends and started planning meetups. Pretty soon I found myself creating and modding a new community (the old one got spammed and the owner was MIA) and dealing with a whole new set of pressures. I had to make sure the community stayed a fun and safe place for everyone. I had to set down and enforce community rules. I had to plan the meetups, and then make sure everybody got there and back okay. Not to mention making sure everybody had fun (yes, call me over-performing, I know I can't FORCE people to have fun)! Suddenly there was no time to cower in the corner wondering if the ticket-taker would think I was an idiot. Not attending meetups was not an option. I had to go grow up.

As far as I know, none of my community members knows the number of obstacles I conquer at a simple meetup. And that's a good thing; it means I can act like a regular adult! To save face with my community, I make myself do things I normally wouldn't with an attitude I generally don't possess. I actually order for myself! I take charge, making sure everything runs as smoothly as possible. I decide things! Recently, I've found myself looking forward to my Lolita meetups not only because I can dress up and see friends, but as an opportunity to force myself to be an adult. I've already seen some of these behaviors becoming easier for me in everyday life, and hope eventually to become as independent as I want to be.

That's right--Lolita is helping me grow up. And I love it! I'm even giving a panel at an upcoming convention...and I'm in charge. I'm looking forward to it!

To the reader: What unexpected benefits have come to you through Lolita fashion?

July Meetup!

I arrived a bit early and waited outside the Historical Printing building for people to arrive.

Soon enough, we were a group of...what, 5 or so? That's the largest number we've ever had attend our meetups! I don't have a pic of everyone together yet because I didn't get one with my camera. Anyway, we went into Colonial Days. It was a lot smaller than it seemed, and I think many things weren't fully going, but we saw a few fun things and I saw a spinning wheel! I even got a tip on where to buy one! *squee* However, they ran out of fans. :-( (Bonus points for anyone who actually knows what the heck I'm talking about).

Having received an exciting text, we went on a search for Chris and his girlfriend, Emily (I hope I got her name right...)! And guess what? We found them! Introductions all around (I'm so awkward at intros) and we went to the HUGE Freedom Days vendor's fair! There were so many things to look at (including a bunch of hair accessories) and we walked and talked. Jordan had to leave early, but we managed to grab a group shot before she left (again, not on my camera, sorry). I walked her to her car, then came back and ACTUALLY found the group again! w00t! Chris and I found out we have Star Trek TNG in common,

Adriene (sorry if I got that wrong) found a cool hair accessory that would work with her short hair (that's Chris and Emily watching),

Emily found some shiny sharp things,

and Amber and friend (sorry, friend, forgot your name) found a new boyfriend! ;-)

It was really hot, so we got some sorbet and food and sat in the shade to eat! Actually, Amber and friend found the shade, then we found them! We had fun talking (I made an embarrassing freudian slip involving the the word "banger") and then I had to leave! Anyone who stayed can add details if the meetup continued after that.

Shot of Amber and friend playing with their "yo-yos:"

Once again, thanks for coming and for reading! I LOVE THIS COMM!

Okay...

Recipes are on hold until I find 'em. I've been waiting till I can write a "perfect post" and then having to play catch up. But that's not working. There's always something to make me wait: I don't have all the pics from a meetup, can't find the recipes, don't have time to write more than a paragraph...

But I think people would rather have regular posts than perfect ones. So I'm going to TRY to post at least once a week. ;-) We'll see how that turns out. Look forward to an update tomorrow on the most recent meetup!

Mostly, this post is to say: HELP! XD

I need to know what you want to hear about! Any mysteries of the universe you want unfolded? Products reviewed? Burning questions about anything but my love life? XP What would you like to see?

Ta Da! Birthday Meetup!

I wanted to have a Lolita Birthday meetup, but due to scheduling issues not many local lolis were able to come. However, a couple made it and we had some good fun!

We met at my house first for some games and a little 'tea!'

shamelesslilly  arrived looking very sweet in Bodyline and Anna House! <3 She's new to wearing lolita, and I think she's off to a great start!

yan_yu  was perfectly elegant in offrand and homemade gothic!

My little sis loves lolita so she came, but our mom didn't let her dress. And me being the mean big sis, I made her take a pic! XD

And then there's me in Classic from Innocent World!

Group shot! Yes, we are standing on a hill, that's why the pic is crooked. XD

The 'tea!' Lemonade, punch, and sandwiches! I'll include the recipes later. They're soo yummy!



Can't have a party without cake!

 

Loli with a knife! MWAHAHAHA!

Then we went to the mall and did a scavenger hunt, talked and just goofed around. We were so busy we didn't take many pics, but here's a few that turned out:

 

CAAAANDYYYYY!

After the last mall meetup, a bathroom shot was obligatory! <.< We got this one quick and got OUT of there!

Hope you enjoyed the pictures!

 

To the reader: What would your ideal "Lolita birthday party" feature?



 

New Day, New Room!

Well, summer is upon us and with it's coming I decided my room needed a redecorating! I can't do much with it, as I share it with my sister, but I did add a few things to make it a bit more princess-like. ^_^

First, I found this CUTE bedspread from Simply Shabby Chic at Target. It's reversible, with one side being roses and the other white, pink and green stripes! I also got some pink sheets to go with it.

Sorry it seems oddly oriented...I was trying to get the whole thing! ^//^

I also found some adorable accent pieces at Hobby Lobby for my dresser!

Hopefully these lovely things in my room will give me more incentive to keep it clean. T.T I'm a rather busy person and a bit messy because of it. But no more! ^_^

I hope you liked this little peek into my humble abode!

To the reader: Does having a nice room make you want to keep it clean? Do you have a dream room you're saving for someday?

Sephora Creates SERIOUS Budget Damage!

A friend and I drove to a large Sephora store for her graduation gift, and while there I pretty much broke my budget. XP I'll be living on granola bars for a while, guys! ;-) Here's what I bought (I thought about making a "haul" video, but my camcorder isn't speaking to my laptop at the moment):

My haul: TARINA TARANTINO Eye Dream Hyperliner in Kanzashi, Fresh Supernova Mascara, 2 Yves SaintLaurent lipsticks, and a few samples.

*Every so often I go for something funky, and I fell in love with the color and staying power of this TARINA TARANTINO eyleliner! It's shimmery but not overly glittery, and stays well even on my eyelids that make ANYthing crease.

The tip. Matches the color indication on the end perfectly!

On my wrist. Yes, I am that white.

On my eyes! Yay!

*My friend RAVED about the Fresh Supernova Mascara, so I got some to try. Fresh recommends layering this mascara with their Firebird mascara for "the ultimate lush lash look." Firebird is supposedly for volume, and Supernova is for length and definition. I couldn't afford both, so I got just the Supernova. One problem I have with mascaras is that my eyes create a "Raccoon-Eye" by making the mascara travel down underneath my eye. So far the only mascara I've found that avoids this is Blinc's mascara. Wearing the Fresh Supernova for about 5 hours so far, I have noticed no traveling! I'll update if that changes. Now, for the pictures!

The wand, and the absolute CUTEST bottle!

One eye done!  You can see the length and definition created, one of the better mascaras I've tried.

Both eyes done. Yay!

*Now for the lip colors: I've been looking for a nice bubblegummy pink for a long time, and I may have finally found one! It's Yves SaintLaurent Rouge Volupte in Lingerie Pink.

On wrist...sorry for the blurry shot.

On my lips. This was about 2 swipes.

The whole picture, and cheesy smile. XD

*Lastly, I'm a sucker for a good red lipstick. Yves SaintLaurent had one! It's their Pur Couture in Le Rouge. It's okay, but it does feather more than I like. If you're looking for a fantastic red with conditioning and staying power, try LORAC's Leading Lady (sadly, they didn't carry LORAC at this Sephora).

On wrist...

On lips...

Full picture!

 I don't know what I like better on me: pink, red, or a more nude tone. What do you think? Thanks for looking, and I hope this has helped you--or at least been a little entertaining! ;-)

To the reader: What "beauty essential" do you tend to break the bank on?

Crafts, circle lenses, crochet...oh, my!

After that rather heavy post, I hope this one is lighter. ;-) Still haven't found my camera, so the photos in this post will be from my crappy camera phone.

Recently, I've gotten into hand-spinning. I use a drop spindle, and needed a place to store my rovings and spindle. Enter: Hobby Lobby! Having never been to the place before, my jaw dropped upon entry. I seriously ran around squeeing ridiculously. I think I embarrassed my family a little. XD I found a lovely little trunk-type wooden box, and with some paint, a hand-made stencil and some varnish I turned it into...

 

TA-DAH! Oh, man, crappy phone is crappy. That's a drop spindle in the middle, with vines and flowers. The colors are gold, sage and rose (my favorites), and the flowers have gold middles.  The sides of the box are decorated with flowers and a trailing vine, like so:

The vine curls and ends on the other side. The inside of the box is big enough for 3 2-oz rovings and 2 spindles.

You can see my bags of roving and one of my spindles with some very badly spun yarn. I'm still a rank beginner, what can I say?

On a more Lolita-associated note, I ordered some contacts from e-circlelens.com and highly recommend them. I'll probably do a review once my camera shows up and I can take decent pictures, but here's a before-after picture with them. Since I have an astigmatism, they are toric lenses made to my prescription.

Before:

After: Big, blue eyes! ^_^

I can see perfectly with them, and am VERY satisfied! I only wish I could find the same lenses in green, but they don't seem to make toric lenses in that color. Violet, yes. Green, no. XD

Also, I have been crocheting an afghan in my favorite colors: sage, rose and cream! The progress:

It's not perfect, but it should be nice and warm! ^_^

To The Readers: What crafts are you into that aren't necessarily "Lolita?" How have you "lolified" them?