Day of Hearts and Pink

A very strange phenomena actually occurs each February 14th. The planets all align with the sun, which causes a temporary weakness in the time-space fabric that separates our normal dimension from kawaii-world.

Valentine's Day seems to be the one day out of the whole year where women can spend the day baking cavity-inducing sweets daintily served and decorated on pink heart-shaped dishware, surround themselves with fluffy white cluny and fresh roses, and step out with their quilted embellished heart bags (and matching shoes!) without being accused of trying to live in a little girls' fantasy land. Any other day of the year? Well, hearts and pink things are for four year olds only. This blog is pink and red- I wonder how many people would assume it's a V-Day blog.



I've also noticed that V-Day has become far more commercialized over the years. While it's no secret that the holiday was invented by Hallmark to get people (read: couples) to buy more cards, it has become more enveloping of all groups. At least while I was growing up, V-Day was rather carnal and reserved for couples to go out to dinner. If you were single, then you were supposed to kinda sit around and daydream about what you would be doing if you had a boyfriend (or pursuing the boy you like!). The only variation to this was giving out little pre-printed tear-away cards and gross chalky candies to your 4th grade classmates even if you hated them. Now there's all the same kinds of party paper goods available as there are for birthday parties, only in pink and red. It's like we're supposed to throw V-Day parties for our friends and families now, which I still find incredibly weird. Next thing you know, Mother's Day will be marketed to all females, regardless of whether they have children or not (apparently, all women are "pre-pregnant" anyway which is a whole rant in itself).

If you don't let yourself think about it too much, you can appreciatively take advantage of the new availability of competitively-priced cute goods. Detailed cute things tend to be expensive because not many people buy them, so this is a good opportunity. Need new plates? Cute knee-high socks? Perfect timing! Want some heart-shaped cushions? Can't normally find heart-shaped adult-sized glasses? Get them on sale after the holiday! Part of living with capitalism is learning to take advantage of mass consumerism! ^_^


Items from Target

One awesome thing to come out of this V-Day is the Poupee Girl event:



Looks like I might have to start posting items again so that I can buy nearly everything!

PSA

You may have noticed that the commenting form on recent posts looks a little different. That's because I finally got around to installing DISQUS, which is a very convenient comment system. Similar to Livejournal, you can reply directly underneath individual comments, they're organized by indentation, and you can have reply notifications emailed to you! You can use OpenID or make a Disqus account if you haven't already so I don't think it's that big of a pain to switch. I care about and appreciate my readers very much, and I think this new system will encourage much more fruitful discussion. ^_^



Also, I just wanted to let everyone know that I have a tumblr now. It's basically a minimalist photo blog that makes it very easy to share and collect content. I think it's genius because it actually does something useful with all those cute images that build up on peoples' hard drives. At first I just got it to follow other tumblrs that I liked, but I ended up posting a few things in mine that would probably be of interest to lolitas and other kawaii fans. I mostly post outfits, pretty food, kawaii products, Disney things, and drawings. If you have a tumblr too, I would love to follow it!

Princess Says: Mod your cardis!

Cardigans are a classic and cozy way of layering an outfit without letting the top layer overshadow whatever you have underneath (as pullover sweaters often do). They give you the option of buttoning them up or wearing them open, which gives you an array of different looks and comfort levels depending on the temperature.

The cropped length ones are particularly useful for lolita because, at least on me, "cropped" usually stands for "ending at my natural waistline." Most lolita skirts sit at the natural or even high waist line to emphasize the bell shape, so fitted, cropped cardigans are useful for cooler weather.

To make them look a little more fit for a doll, I like to replace the plain camofalouged standard buttons with something more quaint. You really don't have to spend ~$100 on a brand cardigan to look adorable.

Last weekend, I modified a hot pink cardigan that I got at Old Navy on clearance. I switched out all the buttons for some round pearl ones, and pinned on a Scottie dog appliqué and an old plaid self made fabric bow for contrast. I would avoid making it too permanently specific as you don't want to limit your wardrobe potential due to some mismatching design details. That's why I suggest pearls for buttons, as very few things don't go well with pearls. Another option are shaped/clay buttons in a matching color (red hearts on a red cardigan) but if you normally wear it with, let's say, black things, then black buttons wouldn't limit you. It's really up to how you wear your wardrobe.



There it is in a coord! Works well with non-lolita coordinates too.


(Damn me for forgetting my camera and resorting to my cell x_X)

Frame me something I can live by

Bright pink and pastel baroque picture frames have been popping up in home decor stores everywhere lately. Even Target has some now. I ecstatically bought of couple last fall but I could never figure out what exactly to put in them. If you're going to buy them in sets, it's best to buy them so that they contrast each other so that each one stands out (so a small round pink one with a large thick rectangular white one).

I think traditionally utilizing picture frames to display pictures of people you know is creepy. If you want to stare at their faces everyday, why not go see them personally. And if you can't because they're dead? Creepy!! Even more tacky is people who display photos of themselves around their house, like the infamous wedding portraits. Not even I can be that narcissistic.

Anyway, I have a few ideas to best serve these dainty frames. They can be a great creative outlet to inspire and represent the things that you like. It doesn't even have to be a photo! Isn't lolita about surrounding yourself with pretty things?

• A picture of your dream dress or favorite coordinate. You can even make one yourself on Polyvore!


• A collage of pressed flowers from a walk with your best friend on the day you realized you were best friends.


• Things that other people have made for you, even if they're not grandiose.


• A magazine cutout of your favorite perfume ad.


• Your favorite lolita model, even if you don't know her as a person, to inspire you.

My personal idea was this:



This mascot was my very first exposure to something girlishly whimsical and is thus considered my first lolita inspiration. As some of you know, my family in Spanish and we've been getting these traditional confections (polvorones = "powdery things") since before I was born. The cute rosy-cheeked girl prettily balancing the pink gelatin while getting mauled by that terrier is a very familiar image to me. If I got amnesia today, I would be able to remember that mascot.

My brother had a brand new box for a party last weekend, so I kept the wrapping for a small project.



I think it came out very dainty yet arts-and-crafts-y, which shows I put my ~soul~ into it or something. I even used the gold elastic box that comes around the box as an accent. (The lavender frame contains a drawing a friend made back in high school, of the real Wu-chan n_n)

Photography Tips

If you're into any kind of visual aesthetics, then photography is likely to be an interest of yours. Photography is a representation of aesthetics, and if you want to expose yourself or your work to others in this form, then it's helpful to adopt a few habits and techniques. Lolita photography is particularly difficult (unless you limit things to indoors or...flowers) which is why I applaud anyone who can compose photographs with that whimsical aesthetic.

Carry a small, decent camera where ever you go. A lot of photography isn't just in technique, but in opportunity. You can't predict when you'll come across a nice photo opportunity, so you want to be ready. Many great photos are completely spontaneous. You might come across a lovely heart-shaped lollipop display on a drab Wal-mart shopping trip, or you might be driving at night and see a clear crescent moon perfectly posed between some gothic city buildings. You want to be ready, so just drop a small camera in your purse! Decent cameras are made very slim nowadays, and there are even a couple of cell phone models that don't take cell phone quality pictures, if you know what I mean (I know the LG is one of them).



Take advantage of wide angles. Wide angles have their interesting while limited use. You utilize them by simply pointing the camera up close at a subject. For example, I used wide angles today to make my face look Slavic:



Natural light is your best friend. Flash ruins everything, aside from draining battery life. If you have to use flash, then you don't have enough natural light. It's up to you to decide if the composition is really worth the damaging effects of flash, unless you're doing a macro (close up).

The blur tool is not. What's known as "shooping" (changing physical attributes on a subject) has always been a touchy area for anyone who posts photos of themselves on the internet. My personal belief is that you should never shoop yourself to a point where you would look different to someone on the street than you do online. I think that blurring a lone pimple out is fine, or a tree of broccoli stuck between your teeth, because those things are not really a part of how you naturally look. Plus, once you start photoshopping yourself drastically, you have an obligation to make sure every picture of you is edited in the same way.

Whatever you do, don't shave virtual pounds off your body and don't drastically lighten or darken your skin to the point where you look like you're of a different race. I can't understand why anyone would do this. All it takes is one candid picture and then everyone knows you have some sort of colonial mentality.

As you get better in both composition and technique, you might want to look into getting a DSLR camera. While these are bulkier, they offer far more technical power and detail, which allows your creativity to flourish. I received a Canon Rebel XS this Christmas, which is considered one of the smaller cameras of it's type.



Another thing I'd suggest is to pick up a good photography manual. I like John Hedgecoe's The New Manual of Photography which is very inexpensive for the quality. You really don't need the latest manual because photo technique, composition and even technology haven't changed since forever.

Hime Haircuts At Home

It is my long-held observation that most hairdressers in America have no idea how to create anything other than slight variations on the Mom Cut (just look at news anchors). This wouldn't be so bad except that hair cutters here are so gosh darn expensive for the service they deliver. I have never been satisfied with a haircut because they never listen and just go, "Oh! So you want a Mom Cut!" Of course, I walk into a random place in city like Madrid, show them a complicated cut from a magazine, and they clone it exactly on me for around half of what they would charge in American suburbia. Unbelievable.

Anyway, the point of my little rant is to illustrate that you need two things to cut hair.

1. Not be mentally handicapped.
2. Have access to decent scissors.

It really isn't that difficult, which is exactly why I don't like paying for things that I can do myself. If you have bangs, there comes a time where you should figure out what "horizontal" means so that you don't have to stop at the hairdressers every month. There are several tutorials on trimming bangs on Youtube, so I'm going to show you how to do your very own hime cut at home. My definition of a standard hime cut is thick blunt bangs and a couple of layers, but you might want to alter the bangs based on your face shape. More layers = more volume, especially if you tease each layer, so it's up to you how dramatic you'd like your hair. This cut also works for gyaru and of course, lolita.



I made this tutorial ~international-friendly~ by just having illustrations, but here are a few supplemental notes. ^_^

1. This works for either wet or dry hair, so it depends which you're more comfortable with. Wet hair is more precise to measure and is easier to handle, but dry hair is more accurate with regards to how it will actually look.

2. I added the creation of bangs, which can also be used to thicken your bangs if you feel they're too thin. You can use a headband and/or a fine-toothed comb to separate the hair that will become your bangs. I have mine start about an inch in front of my ears. Cut in accordance with the curvature of your head, since these thicker bangs start to wrap around a little.

3. Observe, trim, recollect, etc.

4-5. Separate a section of your hair that begins around your ears that will become your bottom-most layer. Secure with a hair elastic, pull straight up, and cut across, right underneath the elastic. Don't grab too much hair otherwise the layers will end up looking like stair steps. When in doubt, cut only a little, let it down, and observe.

6-7. Separate a smaller section that begins at the crown, and repeat the procedure. Repeat for as many layers as you'd like, making them thinner as you reach the top of your head. It may be useful to actually measure with a ruler if you're going to make more than a couple of layers.

8-9. Style as usual. You can try back-combing, spraying, blow-drying, or just letting it air dry. Either way, you should notice more volume.



I just gave myself one layer for now, and I'm very happy with the results. It definitely does that cool cascading thing down the back and frames my face better from the front. :D

Kawaii Culture in the Land of Brown Things

How many of us have felt the societal pressure to give up all things pink by a certain age? How many of us were asked by concerned relatives or friends, "When are you going to grow up?" or "When will you stop dressing like a little girl?" These words can feel confusing or even hurtful after years of Disney movies parroting that we should be ourselves and listen to our hearts, not to mention that those who love us are supposed to accept us. I'm not even talking in the context of lolita fashion.

Apparently, maturity in this country isn't found by paying off your credit card bill every month or working towards a degree or not getting married before you're ready. Maturity is only given to you when your wardrobe takes on the colors of the Adult Rainbow. There are only two colors to choose from in the Adult Rainbow: black and brown.

If a well-known grown woman in the US was found to have a pink kitchen full of Hello Kitty appliances and dishware, I'm confident that people would insist that she needs mental help. Perhaps she'd be diagnosed with regression or escapism. If this story was set in Asia, it would be considered very normal. What is it about hitting 20, 25 or 30 years old that dictates we aren't allowed to find kawaii-ness appealing anymore?

Why is it that only women in Asia have a right to cute things?


Image from tumblr

In America, we only have the illusion of choice. Look at conventional department stores and notice how everything is basically the same and has been, with little variation, for the past ten years.

I'm not making up the illusion of choice, either. It is true that because of capitalism, consumers dictate what type of fashion clothing companies produce. But because so much of corporations' profit is determined by whether or not consumers will buy their designs, companies are terrified of taking a small jump and deviating even slightly from what is considered "normal fashion." In capitalism, majority rules. And sadly, the majority is fine with jeans and t-shirts.

This is not as true in places like Japan because of all the established niche fashions (if there are other reasons, I'm interested in hearing them). If you wanted to sell clothes in Japan, you have several different groups to cater to. The top clothing companies are not massive and are run by people with a genuine love for the fashion. We don't have a bunch of independent clothing designers in the US. We have a few massive corporations with their tags on the backs of 90% of Americans, because consumers think that wearing pea coats over boot-cut jeans is "chic". How many of you have clothes from either Old Navy, Gap, or Banana Republic? Those are all the same company.

If we do have some innovative designers, they're either concentrated in the cities in small boutique circles, or they make very expensive designer clothing that only the wealthy can afford (by the way, this is how trends get copied down from the runway, to department stores, to discount shops with decreasing levels of detail). The general public with average incomes is stuck with the same "safe" choices, because if a corporation decided to cater to say, the punk style, that would only be a niche group of people that would buy from that collection and thus would not be sufficiently profitable for the corporation to have the incentive.

In conclusion, the reason your Target shelves are only sprinkled with gross imitations of the tastefully adorable products you would find in Asia is because corporations are afraid to give you and your five loli friends what you want. Lolita would need to become really huge in order for companies to even consider delivering products of those aesthetics and our aesthetics are indeed rather expensive for a few reasons. I guess that means we're stuck with Yahoo Japan, Taobao, or fixing modifying things we buy domestically. But the bigger point is this: Never let others make you feel like there is something wrong with you. There isn't. It's just that democracy isn't very beneficial to us.

So here's to everyone's lolita/fairy kei/hime tastes, outlooks, and wardrobes. May no cranky crone in a taupe suit put out the light on our unicorn horns. And you can tell the color brown to go eat shit. Unless it's by Mary Magdalene. Then I'll buy five.

Random! ^_^

The immortal unicorn in Peter S. Beagle's The Last Unicorn lived alone in a lilac wood and was the color of "snow falling on a moonlit night". I've actually never seen the movie, and I'm kinda afraid to in case it ruins the majestic imagery Mr. Beagle has implanted in my brain with his impressive prose.

I don't have any pale unicorns, but I do have a lavender transsexual doe that has also lived forever (longer than me, anyway). I remembered I had it due to all the kitschy imagery companies like AP and Emikyu have been into.

The ancient doe lived all alone in some girl's bedroom. S/he was no longer the color of fresh pastel paint, but had aged to the color of weathered yet still lavender clay with blue spots on her head. S/he lived in confusion, for no one ever told her why she had antlers, yet was primped and painted like a doe. Nevertheless, she was still loved for her eerie yet irresistible rouge grin. What are you so happy about, Doe?

I also drew a couple of Sharpie doodles recently. I've been trying out a few different styles.


Idk something like this is usually what I wear to school. Tried out those Disney-ish "L" shaped eyes and exaggerated hair volume.


80s Workout Babe. She's supposed to be holding a water bottle, but it ended up looking like a soda cup. Not very healthy!

Oh, and who else thinks the new Poupee amusement park theme is just totally ballin'? Right on, Kath.

Basic Make Up

I'm such a minimalist when it comes to make up. I think that less is more and that the "natural look" looks best. When I'm feeling kinda crazy, I amp it up to the porcelain doll look. Remember, make up is nothing but an exaggeration of your natural beauty.

Now I certainly don't wear make up everyday. Photoshoots and special occasions only, plus an occasional application of pink lipgloss. However, if you wear quality make up free of synthetics and preservatives, you should be able to wear it as often as you'd like without damaging your skin.

Here's my make up bag. It's rather small.



Foundation: If I had to recommend one item out of my bag, it would have to be the Nvey Eco foundation. Now it's not cheap, but it is certified organic in Australia and quality foundation is especially important since it covers most of your face. The other thing I like is that they actually have a shade that's light enough for me, so you fair girls can rest assured that their lightest shade won't come out too dark. Be sure to check the expiration dates on these natural products. I just looked at mine and I'm nearly a year overdue for a replacement. Oops :x

Powder: If I was going for a basic natural look, I would skip this step. Otherwise, I use Bare Escentuals powder which is actually supposed to serve as a foundation, but I don't think it gives as much coverage and it claims. I use this when I want that flawless doll look. I'd say don't bother getting the $60 starter kit unless you like to use bronzers (they give you a few different pre-selected powders that may not match your skin tone for "contouring").

Cream Blush: If I had to recommend a second make up item, it would be Tarte's Cream Blush in Natural Beauty. It is surprisingly all natural and while the color of the blush is indeed the color of the packaging, it's really very versatile and dependent on how much you apply. You can go from slight pink tint to bright French rouge by just building it up. To apply, press (don't rub) it on with your ring finger.

Eye make up is going to be quick, because I'm just not into eyes. It's a pain to take off, your eyes are a delicate area, and I have blunt bangs anyway. So I just keep it black and simple.

Mascara: I like the Physician's Formula Organics mascara so far, but I recently got it so I can't decide for sure. So far it's lush and creamy whereas my eyelashes would fall out with other types of mascara.

Eyelash Curler: This medieval contraption beautifully opens your eyes and gives you those cartoonish princess-y eyes with the drawn-on eyelashes spiking out. Use it with mascara so that it acts as a glue and your eyelashes stay curled longer.

Eyeliner: Those wingtip things can be cute, so I use black Kohl eyeliner for that. If you have lighter eyes, consider using a brown pencil to make them look more awake.

Lips are pretty much free game and are the most fun. I've been lazy about switching my lipwear over to natural, so I don't recommend any particular product. For sweet lolita, I think red, pink and dusty pink glosses are best. An opaque lipstick will make you look more mature which might be great depending on the look. The amazing thing is that, with the help of a lip liner and shading, you can make your lips seem poutier, finer, and even create/hide cupid's bows.

Purses and Swimsuits

Hiya! I hope everyone has been well. I feel like I haven't been blogging as often as I should have, and that's probably due to the randomness of winter vacation. Thankfully I'm going back to uni after next week so I'll have (somewhat of) a schedule back. ^_^

I went shopping yesterday (at Kohls, oh suburbia), and I finally got a new purse. Shopping for practical purses is almost as tedious and boring as shopping for jeans, but I needed a non-slouchy type that holds books well.

Some of the lolita bags work, but the problem with most lolita purses is that they scream "little girl's toy aisle at K-mart" with their cheapness, especially if you don't dress lolita (or hime, or popkei) everyday and don't want to do purse transplants every morning. The other problem with using lolita bags in everyday life is that they don't hold up well, especially with their usual $100+ price tag. I want to be able to throw my bag around without worrying if the PVC will crack or if the vinyl will permanently smudge.

Thankfully, I found a bag that works for both everyday "normal" clothes, and lolita as well (so I can do those semi-lolita outfits without worrying if the bag will match).

Here it is:



Isn't it cute? It comes in light blue (sax) and kelly green as well.

And it holds allll my school stuff ^_^

---

Also, here are a couple of outfit pictures.

I bought a lolita-ish bathing suit. I know it may seem early, but right now is probably the best time to buy a bathing suit if you need one. They're on sale now because demand is low, and for some reason, they all disappear by early summer. Especially if you want something other than the usual hibiscus and geometric prints, the more cutesy ones are rare enough as it is.



Aaaand here's my outfit for today:



Turtleneck: Angelic Pretty
Skirt: Bebe
Tights: Offbrand
Boots: Ralph Lauren
Purse: Secret Shop