My Current Favorite Beauty Sites, February 2014

Before becoming a lolita, I had worn makeup a handful of occasions in my life. Even then, I mostly stuck to exfoliating my skin to the best condition and slapping on some lipstick before I rolled out for a school dance or graduation event. The perfect doll like and ethereal looks I’ve seen so many lolitas achieve with the help of makeup has made me increasingly conscious of my lack of knowledge in the area. In the first month or so of 2014, I’ve endeavored to do better with crafting my look, so I’d like to share with you some of the general resources that I’ve been using while learning where to find products that will work for both the look I want to achieve and my budget.

Wengie

I follow Wengie primarily through her Youtube channel while going and checking out her blog when I want to make one of the amazing recipes she posts. She posts Korean makeup tutorials, Korean product hauls, diet friendly delicious recipes, and outfit of the day ideas. I love her soft style and presentation style in her videos as she manages to keep the entirety of the tutorials well laid out and informative.

Nouveau Cheap

If you want to have beauty on a budget, Nouveau Cheap is the perfect site for you. The site admin updates the site more than several times per day to keep you up to date with the latest sightings of budget line cosmetics in drug stores. She also continually posts reviews and swatches of the cosmetics that she finds which is extremely helpful for a newbie like me or likely for a more experienced viewer who wants to sort through what's worth the time picking up at the drugstore. I've especially enjoyed how constantly busy the instagram feed is, keeping me updated and excited about affordable products throughout the day.

Musings of a Muse

I visit Musings of a Muse every few days or so to see a wide variety of new products coming to both drugstores and beauty specific shops like Sephora. She posts a variety of swatches along with her nicely written commentary on the products. I really love the mixture of western and Korean products that get posted on the blog too. 

The Polishaholic

I've been interested in trying nail polishes for a long while, but I'm very good at picking out duds with my own guidance. Enter The PolishAholic. The pictures are great resolution and cover a wide variety of more commonly available nail polishes along with smaller brands such as a recent post of a product called GlitterDaze Birthday Duo which I immediately had to order after looking at her beautiful swatches of the product. I can't wait to keep following the blog in the months to come and finding more awesome nail polishes going into spring 2014. 

Thank you for reading today. What beauty product websites have you been in love with lately? I'd love to hear your thoughts below. 

Lolita Blog Carnival: Romantic Coordinate Ideas

Valentine's day is nigh, and you want to wear something to go out with your special someone or maybe dress up beautifully for yourself. The following are some of my ideas for crafting a lovely romantic look, so let's jump right in.

Some general motifs to incorporate into a Valentine's day coordinate include: pearls, ribbons, hearts, bows and lace. Fortunately, lolita brands abound with these elements, and jewelry containing a sweet and girly touch is common during February which can match well mixed in with lolita brand pieces.

Examples of lolita main pieces with heart or chocolate elements
Bodyline l445
Angelic Pretty Royal Creamy Chocolate
Angelic Pretty Sugar Hearts

I've also put together a full sample coordinate using primarily budget friendly finds from Bodyline and Forever 21. I went for a pastel lilac coordinate brought through the Bodyline Cinderella Bunnies dress (Bodyline l481). Though not visible in the below picture easily, the neckline of the jsk has two strings of pearls hanging. The beret, socks and blouse are in white to help compliment the main piece without overwhelming with pastels, while the Secret Shop shoes and lilac wrist cuffs bring the color back into the outfit again to help with tying the coordinate together. Final touches are the Forever 21 heart necklace and rose bracelet along with the youthful girlish bouncy look provided by Gothic Lolita Wigs Ringlet Redux in milk tea.

Bodyline Cinderella Bunnies Romantic Coordinate Look in Lilac
Jsk, blouse, socks: Bodyline
Beret: Claire's
Wig: Gothic Lolita Wigs
Shoes: Secret Shop
Wrist cuffs: The Snow Field
Bracelet, necklace: Forever 21

I hope you've enjoyed a quick look into crafting a romantic lolita coordinate. Please check out other Lolita Blog Carnival entries below.

Whimsical Adventures of Me * Sweet and Simple * Northern Star * Pretty Little Habits * New Vogue Children * Päivänvarjon alla or Under the parasol * Pink lace + Glitter * Breiðholt * Lolita Glamour * Daily Fuckery * Vanillas Traumfabrik * Her Lumpiness * Hello Batty * LadyAtropa * The Bloody Tea Party

Forever 21, Big Lots, Thrift Store, Oh My!

I tend to love the items released towards Valentine's day as stores display their sweetest items of the year. I've managed to find a lot of great finds during late January and early February, so venture past the jump to see some of the finds I've snagged lately.

Review: Ribbon Faux Fur Collar From ebay User cypressin

I've been looking into getting a faux collar for a long while now to add a more forest feel to my lolita outfits or add a little bit of every girly to regular outfits. When I found a listing for less than $5 USD shipped per collar, I knew I had to buy several. Read more about my shopping experience after the jump.

Snowstorm 2014

Note: The following post is not related to lolita, j-fashion, etc, but I felt like I wanted to express what I experience recently with the recent southeastern snowstorm.

Last week, Alabama and surrounding areas of the southeast were struck by a very rare occurrence: more than an inch worth of snow. I am not nearly eloquent or well informed enough to fully describe why such a situation proved to be a giant disaster that ended with a large number of car accidents and cars abandoned throughout the urban and suburban areas as people abandoned their vehicles that could drive no further on the ice slick roads.

To make a rather long winded story shorter, I ended up going to work on Tuesday morning. Once the snow began, my employer as well as many others in the area announced that we could go home for the day. A flood of traffic ensued. My fiance managed to pick me up through the full streets, but soon after we left my work, the car could not handle the ice on a very slight incline. We abandoned the vehicle to regroup at a nearby McDonald’s then we walked the extra mile to take shelter at a nearby hotel. We had a restless night in the hotel lobby sleeping since they were booked out of rooms by 2 PM but were kind enough to let the masses unable to secure a room loiter in their lobby areas. The hotel was very well stocked on food, happily, we able to eat dinner and breakfast the next day.

Thank goodness for coffee

Angelic Pretty Candy Sprinkle Salopette Lucky Pack + Baby, the Stars Shine Bright Kumakumya-Chan Blanket Mook

I've been fortunate enough to be able to indulge in several lolita purchases over the holiday season. For the first time, I was able to order directly from Angelic Pretty (well, Angelic Pretty USA at least). I was sad to see the Candy Sprinkle print escape me on the international site, so I pounced as soon as I knew it would go live on the Angelic Pretty USA site. I had a small kink in my order since the shipping address didn't match my billing address that I gave, but I was able to clear that up in an email chain with AP USA and get my item shipped to my fiance's house rather than our apartment which is generally more inconvenient in terms of mail delivery. Once I got the lucky pack, I was really pleased with the items especially the soft purse. The salopette was somewhat tight on me, so I'll be wanting to lose inches before I wear it for a long period again. I coordinated it to have a happy night of sushi and seeing the Evangelion 3.0 movie at the theater. 

The entirety of the lucky pack. I also got Style Savvy Trendsetters in the mail that day. ^_^

Lolita Blog Carnival: 2014 Trends You Predict

I always feel like I'm behind on what's trendy, but I'll make a good attempt at predicting what we'll see more of in lolita fashion during 2014.

• Rosettes: My friends and tumblr wall have all been starting to sport rosettes clipped to the front of their jsk's or appended to the brim of a hat. Angelic Pretty released several series featuring rosettes during the course of 2013. In their latest collection, Wonder Queen, they also feature a rosette I'd love to own, and Mossbadger has a large collection of rosettes I've been admiring recently. Heck, I even tried my hand at making one recently as you can see in the photo set above. I think we'll definitely be seeing more during 2014. 
• Salopettes: Salopettes have been increasingly popular throughout the course of 2013, and I think that the trend will continue to rage with more and more girls trying out salopettes during 2014. I've got the Candy Sprinkle salopette set in the mail right now, so I'm looking forward to indulging in this trend for the first time soon. 
• Chiffon and other extras to dresses: With the prevalence of replicas which it felt like brands began to acknowledge back in late 2012 with the banning of replicas from the egl-comm-sales site, I've noticed a great uptick in brands using fancier chiffon fabrics and detailing on their dresses. I expect to continue to see more chiffon and small detailing beyond just special lace in the coming year. 

Breiðholt * Lace Teapot * Sweet Indeed * Toothless Tigers * Crimson Reflections * Whimsical Adventures of Me * The Bloody Tea Party * LadyAtropa * GosuRori, à traverse la vitrail