DISCLAIMER: If you have an issue with fakes/replicas, then proceed to move onward to something else because this is a fake and my review on it compared to the original. This bag is a dupe. I have an explanation down below if you're open to reading. First off, I usually don't promote or encourage buying replicas. Growing up adoring lolita fashion gave me a huge respect for designers and their craft. However, when something is sold out and hard to come by? I see no problem in opting for a replica to satisfy your needs until you can upgrade. As long as you're not wearing it to a designer's event or paying what you would for the original then I think it's fair enough. In my case, I really adore Samantha Vega/Thevasa bags. I'm even keeping my eye on a thrifted one with heart buckles as we speak, because I legitimately want one and want to afford one. I love her previous designs with heart buckles, bows, ruffles so I'm going to most likely buy a thrifted one for that purpose. But this was a completely different situation at hand. I absolutely loved the Sailor Moon collaboration. The only bag that beats the Samantha Vega one out, is the Anna Sui one. Clearly because I have an Anna Sui bias. In this case though, I adored this bag not just due to the designer but mainly because it was Sailor Moon. It's funny too. Way back when in third grade, I longed for a Sailor Moon backpack. When and where I lived in Tennessee, made them nonexistent to get. Eventually, I did get one for my birthday in fourth grade and felt so lucky and unique. Funny how years later, I upgraded to a more grown up bag that is still Sailor Moon related for my twenty-fourth birthday. That saying 'we started from the bottom and now we here' literally plays in my mind and gives me a chuckle as it can be applied to this situation at hand. My love for Sailor Moon years later, hasn't changed. Being a college student though and seeing how LIMITED this bag release was for sure made it hard to get. A couple hundred dollars and a shopping service and it being limited to department stores really made it too unappealing to get and I kind of hopped onto the hype of this bag a little bit too late. So, I opted for the replica. I did a bit of research online about the replicas and the original bag before purchasing. That is what I do encourage if you were to buy this bag or any type of replica of anything-DO YOUR RESEARCH. Know what the typical retail pricing is and then look at what they're pricing the dupe of it for. Check how your bag is being shipped-is it being shipped from overseas? If so. Is it in a box? Is it going to get damaged. Check for tags and little things that can give off that it is a replica. Look out for the quality of the item you're getting. I did all of this before investing 40.00 into this bag. I watch a couple of video reviews. I saw the original here:
And then looked at a couple blog posts and video posts of girls who had bought the replica for themselves. I saw bags of varying quality. Some more dented than the others, some bags were more structured, some priced ridiculously high for what some girls paid for..I looked at the different linings and zippers that each buyer had and a experienced. Here is my experience buying the Samantha Vega x Sailor Moon bag collab:
First off, I went on ebay to make my purchase. I know a couple of people choose Aliexpress. I've never shopped with Aliexpress but I've had people review on their experience receiving the bag. One buyer was really happy with the item and did a video review. It looked like amazing quality. Other people said their bag was shipped cheaply and because of this, their bag lost its structure and was dented even. Watch out for this. Because of this, I took the risk and went on ebay. I paid 40.00 for my bag which was a fair price for what I was getting. I got the small size bag because it did look the most accurate to the original versus the bigger bag which looked a little less structured at the top. When I got my package the bag was in a bag but it was wrapped pretty securely. My only issue is the tiny little dent it got on the bottom left color. Because I got the bag in the blue color way and it's relatively a dark bag, it's not too noticeable. I actually saw a lot of girls get get the red, pink, and white colorways. I haven't seen too many people get the blue one so I also thought my review would be nice to show people what the blue one looks like. As for the quality of the bag
EXTERIOR:
It's a very structured bag. It hasn't lost it's shape. The PU leather has a really nice texture to it. There are no loose threads on the stitching of mine. The color is a really nice navy blue. It's a bit of a brighter blue in sunlight or good light. The color change is actually kind of nice. The bag even has some weight to it which is really good if you're a fan of sturdy bags. I carried it around the other day ago and my arm was getting tired. You can't fit too much into there if you're one of those girls who carry everything and anything in your bag. This is good for your clutch style wallet, phone, keys, and maybe one other cute thing. The Moon Rod clasp is dead on. The gem replicating the crystal is a really gorgeous pink color that clashes beautifully with the blue. The blue color of the bag really show cases the gold rod well. I had no difficulty pulling the rod out of its clasp. The chain holding the rod in place is super sturdy as well. 'Samantha Vega' is written on the crescent moon and no lettering or capitalization is out of place.
Zipper wise, the zipper isn't shitty. It closes like it's supposed to. It doesn't get stuck on anything. It does what it's supposed to do. I know a couple of people experienced the 'Samantha Vega' on the zipper having a lower case 'v' for Vega instead of the upper case. That or the heart being warped. Mine looked like neither. Both were perfectly in place and capitalized like shown.
On the bottom of the bag are four studded feet that get the bag less dirty and scuffed. All are like they look like on the original. The bag keeps its shape on the sides. No part is collapsed in or folds at the sides. The handles on the bag keep their shape and don't fall over at all. I assume this is what the extra stitching is for at the top of the bag that isn't on the original. I know some people have drooping handles or have to crisscross the straps because they get all weird and hang over the bag. Neither do that and the handles don't make the bag top heavy in any type of way at all like I've experienced with some bags.
INTERIOR:
This is where we get a bit wonky and how you can tell it's a fake SV bag. The lining while pastel with all the correct Sailor Senshi on, the print IS indeed faded compared to the original. You can't even make out the 'Samantha Vega' on the speech bubble on the fabric print. Despite that though all the senshi are accurately colored and placed like they would be on the original bag. It's just a bit faded/not printed off well. Here's where my biggest issue was, the lining is INCREDIBLY loose. Like they didn't sew/glue in a portion correctly. So there is a major problem. The original has the lining sewn in securely and perfectly. I have to fold in the lining because it's not properly sewn in and there's so much excess. In terms of the pockets on this bag both are correctly sized. One for a cellphone and the others for other smaller things you might carry (portable cell phone chargers, cords, a camera maybe?). The Samantha Vega patch is accurately on the bag (tho the gold lettering is a little faded) saying "Samantha Vega Fulfilled Love; This bag is for a girl who always has fun'. The pocket on the other side is perfect to carry cosmetics. The zipper is nice quality and doesn't snag as well. The hidden compartment while a bit snug (I'm sure it also is in the original), is accurate. Not sure what you'd place in there but it is a really neat feature in this bag. It's also lined with the same lining as the inside.
In all, this is a really great bag. For sure worth the 40.00 for a replica. You're getting a very close replication. My logic is; who the hell is going to look at the lining or true look into/pay attention to the inside of your bag? The exterior of mine looks great and it gets tons of compliments. If you're ignoring the designer label and just going for this because it's Sailor Moon, go for it. It's a really cute bag. If you're doing it because you can't afford to bust hundreds of dollars on the original you can as well. I'd love to upgrade to a real Samantha Vega bag in the near future because I know the bags are beautiful, unique, and high quality. Even if you're going for the original, I might recommend it and encourage it if it's attainable and something you can afford. I WOULD love to have accurately duped (I've seen some sellers/manufactures fuck it up) versions of the Samantha Vega wallets and iPhone bags to match this bag. This was a lovely birthday present for myself among some other stuff I purchased that I'll be reviewing very soon! Until next time lovelies!
Boy do I have a hidden gem for you! Recently I splurged and got a couple of "school" things for my birthday. I say school because I still have to look decent even for school. As long as my grades are up (as well as my overall GPA), everything is turned in on time, and it's a special occasion and not consistent I allow myself to treat myself to going out or to some nice things. Because I don't go out very often I decided to treat myself to some nice things. This was because my birthday was next month and I already knew what I wanted and a certain haul kind of required me to get some things before someone else bought them out.. One of the things I bought was the Solone Fantasy Wonderland Eye Kit. This cosmetics brand is from Taiwan and that's something that I personally don't hear of very often. Usually when you think of beauty products especially in my realm of fashion you think of Japan and South Korea. However I've seen a couple of blogger use some of Solone's older line and admired the glitter pay off a lot. Because of this I decided to try it out myself and on a slightly newer product. I was a little iffy because a lot of girls used the sheer glitters but never the eye shadows. Man are they missing out! What a hidden gem! Seriously. In my video I sound so amazed but it's because I truly am. If you like Urban Decay's Naked palettes but you like the shimmery neutrals, this is FOR YOU.
First off before I get ahead of myself, let's talk about the packaging. I've noticed that Solone has ran with a theme lately. The theme being 'Alice in Wonderland'. Because of this, the packaging is extremely cute. When I got the palette I noticed it's packaging was tin and compact. Like a mint tin! It's really cute and great for your purse for when you touch up on the go. I know a lot of people will bitch about not having a mirror in this palette but you guys... How many of you actually carry around a mirror or compact in your purse? I know I do. There's no need for a mirror. it would just make the palette bulkier and heavier. There's truly no need for one. Especially since some palettes like to throw shitty 'fun house' mirror in their product's packaging, I rather bring my own mirror. The inside is a bit cheap but for the 15.00 dollar price tag I can't complain. The eye shadows are encased in a plastic thing that would probably be easy to pop the eye shadows out of and into another (a magnetic maybe?) palette. They give you a sponge applicators. I won't even TALK about sponge applicators because I hate them. I much rather use a good dense brush that can pack on the product nicely.
In terms of quality of the actual product. These eye shadows are beautiful neutral shimmer shades! I absolutely LOVE this palette. It's my new favorite. It's really good quality too. I was actually really shocked about that. These shadows are softer than the Urban Decay shadows (meaning they blend super well without major fall out) and as shimmery as the Urban Decay. I know it's unfair to compare the two brands but honestly these colors are all I have to compare it to. The shadows in the sunlight are really glittery and pretty. The top orangey/peach color is definately my favorites. This palette has beautiful all over lid colors, great and blendable transition and crease colors, and opaque highlight colors. It's a great to go palette! When first swatched the colors for the pictures everyone was asking whether or not I was using primer! I wasn't! These showed up beautifully on their own. But to get the full potential out of this palette I do highly recommend using eye shadow primer.
I did a full look today with the palette. The colors lasted all day and are even on now, vibrant as ever! The colors didn't crease or melt at all! This is the look when I first applied it in the morning.
This is the full look I did!
For a full video of live swatches and such, check out the video review below!
J-Pop Summit has been an event I've attended since 2009, since the New People building opened up in Japan Town showcasing Baby the Stars Shine Bright, DokiDoki 6%, and Black Peace Now/Peace Now. Seeing this festival grow so much as kind of astounded me each and every year and I've always made an effort to make plans to go. Since my post high school years I've always been more of a fashion person than a cosplay person, meaning cons aren't really as big of a deal for me as fashion and music events. J-Pop has never failed to disappointment me and my interests. Usually at cons I end up hanging out with friends and maybe if I'm lucky I attend a fashion show or concert. Lately that hasn't been the case so this year's J-Pop Summit really cut the cake and made up for the lack of things I've wanted to see and do for awhile. I only attended on Saturday with my friend and the location change and the fact that so many events were going on in San Francisco that same day/weekend was stressing me out crazily. I was actually shocked we had found parking but we didn't wake up bright and early for nothing.
First off a break down of my look for that day- I rarely ever get to wear crazy fashion out and I've been doing a lot of darker/rock coordinates lately so I decided to lighten it up a notch and do agejo fashion for a change. I recently back in May, purchased a Golds Infinity dress that I adore to death. It's a bit sexy to wear as casual wear but for certain occasions I find it appropriate when I want to make a huge and unique fashion statement. The body con cut has really showed off how hard I've been cutting down on my weight and pink and black is pretty classic. I almost wished I had filmed a make up tutorial for when did my make up because this was truly a task and some of the best make up I've done in awhile. I beat the hell out of my skin with skin care products the night before and used multiple pore refining and brightening primers before applying concealer and NARS foundation. For my eye shadows I used a lot of of the Naked 3 palette (which I adore and eventually I want to invest in the cooler toned new Urban Decay Smokey Palette just to see how much I can utilize it) but I use the Naked 3 a lot. To give the look more of a pink toned hue I ended up layering the brown with a pink TokiDoki single shadow I had laying around. I also blended a bit of black with the brown on the crease area and the lower lash line. For precise lines I used the Dollywink liquid liner in black. Blush wise I used only NARS Angelica and used a TokiDoki white kabuki high lighter over it. Lashes wise I used the Ageha 115 and cut my Diamond Lash 'Angel Eye' lashes in to create a more dramatic fluttery eye. Bottom lashes were the Diamond Lash bottom lashes in 'Model' eye...which were a bit of a pain because they ain't on a damn band. The technique really did give me dramatic Shizuka Muto inspired eyes though. Lipstick wise I used Mac's 'Pink Noveau' and place PeriPera liptint in 'Cherry Juice' on the center for a dark luscious lip finished off with a dark pink lipglass from Mac.
Hair wise it was a total fluke. I don't know how I achieved what I achieved but it was all out agejo hair. I'm really saddened I didn't have good enough hairspray because San Francisco wind ate that shit so fast. I was really happy with my hair and usually every time I don't intend to do things like that it happens by accident. It suited the Golds Infinity dress so well.
I ALSO for the first time spent THREE painstaking LONG hours on my nail. I rarely ever do nail sets anymore because all my nail polish and top coat is crazy cheap. I'll be lucky having my nails last a day under the strain of cheap nailpolish. However I really went all out and tried to make them so thick and coated that they almost had the texture of 'gel' nail polish. In all, I was very gal for the day and VERY over dressed surprisingly this year. I went with my friend Miguel super early in the morning to assure we wouldn't hit traffic coming from the valley up through the East Bay and into SF... Thankfully the drive was smooth and parking with some patience and smooth and free. First of the venue change wasn't exactly cosplay or J-Fashion friendly at all. In comparison to all my years going to J-Pop Summit when it was in Japan Town, this was filled with a lot more normally dressed people. I'm really sad about that part. Usually people bust out their best coordinates for that weekend but due to the location change and WIND and all it really changed the event into more of a technology and music fest more than anything. However there was some fashion events and booths displayed but I'll get to that in a bit. The first thing Miguel and I did was go and get food at the food trucks while the lines were tame. I knew they'd be much crazier later on in the day and I really didn't have the patience for waiting in them otherwise. I saw it look like a nightmare later on. I ended up getting Takoyaki and Karage from JapaCurry. My ordering process was super fast thanks to the lack of line and how simplistic my order was. However, the seating area for food was totally windy and ridiculous. I don't even think my food would have stayed down on the table. Miguel wanted to make a Starbucks run so our asses headed to the car to chow down asap. So if you really want to eat without the wind and be warm-EAT IN THE CAR. LOL Best place versus their seating area.
Later on we returned to the festival after eating and I ran into Shana!!!! Shana and her JAMILY who were getting super genki hyped up for the Jam Project concert and meet and greet later on the day. Everyone was so sweet and so cute! I've never seen such dedicated fans before. Maybe it's because the fans I have seen at things have been for J-Rock concerts and Jam Project and the fans have a completely different feel and are incredibly welcoming. I can totally see why they call themselves the 'Jamily'. They really act like family and put together a group effort. It was so sweet to see. I'm also incredibly happy to see Shana because I hardly ever get to see her and she is a total sweet heart. I was so happy for her because I know how much she loves Jam Project. She goes out of state to see their lives even and that's such an admirable dedication! Me and her have a love for Okui-san who does the music for Utena! Inside, I looked a couple of different fashion booths. Ammy and the Batty Girls had a really cute printed gingham top I wanted but it was 100.00 for a crop top. Plus honestly, a lot of the new fashions are really simplistic for my tastes or too young for me to pull off. I did see a couple of really cute pieces though no doubt. Later on I ran into Emma and Sophie who had raided the Hello Kitty Cafe truck and we shortly said hello to each other. I WAS SO SAD I DIDN'T GET A SELFIE WITH THEM BOTH! <3 I bailed to see a fashion show and Miguel went with me. Moshi Moshi Nippon had a couple of different acts. Their sound system at the main stage was CRAZY guys! I'll explain also how problematic this was later. Miguel was totally blown away by how loud it was and I was really impressed that I adapted to how loud it was so quickly. Especially since I don't attend concerts or things very often.
A couple of really cute idol acts came out. I don't know their names. They were super genki and super cute. I felt bad that they didn't have a larger crowd and not as much cheering. Not a lot of people at this venue were as enthusiastic and I felt like a lot of younger people who might have enjoyed came in later in the day for the bigger acts. I was THRILLED seeing Amiaya. I've been listening to their music for a couple of years and loved how they dressed and styled themselves. I've always considered them the rival to Amoyamo. They're Zipper models (I think..pretty sure they are) and they're adorable. Sadly again I feel like not a lot of people knew who they were unless you were a fashion enthusiast like myself. I was so happy hearing Starline. I was weighed down by my handbag (which I noted to leave in the car for the big main event concert later on the evening) to be too cheery and jumpy. Not that I usually am. LOL I'm very composed at these things. I looooved their blue and pink furry jackets. They were so cute and I bet it really kept them warm in the foggy San Francisco weather! Afterward we wandered around a bit and I forgot what I ended up doing. I THINK this was around the time I bought a FEMM poster and a ticket for the signing at 4:30. I was super excited for that and the poster I bought was really pretty. I think the outfits are from ''Kill the DJ" last I remember? Then me and Miguel did a shoot for a bit. A couple of other people wanted a couple of pictures as well. It was the first time I had done a photoshoot in a very long time. Because of that I was crazy rusty at posing but it was also the first time I shot with someone else who wasn't a friend of mine. It was really refreshing.
Later on I checked out the main stage again. Akabane Vulgars were the act and they were so good. I'm sure I've heard them in the past since they're returning guests for J-Pop Summit. This year though they sounded really good to the point where they stood out to me. I had only went to the main stage to stall around until 4:30 and then I ended up seriously enjoying myself.
Eventually it was 4:15 and I went over to the signing area for my FEMM autograph. I met a fan of them who did some really amazing fanart of the girls. It must be a small world because he knew someone that I know a lot about thanks to an ex-friend of mine. Was kind of crazy and bizarre. Eventually the signing started and Riri and Lula were wearing the 'Fxxk Boys Get Money' outfits and I was innerly happy for that.
They were so cute. FEMM's name means 'Far East Mention Mannequins' so they are super doll-like/expressionless and super insync with each other. Funnily enough I was saying how my J-Pop Summit experience was very 'sisters' or 'twins' themed. Eventually my turn came up and I asked if it was okay to take a picture with them for memory's sake since it WAS a meet and greet. They were happy to and here's the picture. Unfortunately the guy taking the pic didn't tap on my screen to focus it in since it was also pretty sunny in that area later on. Oh well I did get my picture regardless. Afterward I met up with Miguel and we went to the car so we could rest up, so I could drop off my purse, charge phone, and rest up my aching feet for the main concert. We gave ourselves around 45 mins just to chill the fuck out.
Returning the main concert began. The first band was really amazing and crazy. Idol themed still but a band. Supposedly they've done stuff for Dragon Ball Kai and they had some people who were actually fans of them. -isn't updated with idol stuff- They really hyped up the crowd and brought in a lot of energy.
Afterward was Eir Aoi who I was really looking forward to because I've always heard that she has a crazy strong voice. Boy were they right. No regrets waiting around and having my feet die. It was a really amazing performance and of course a lot of people were very familiar with her songs considering she's done a lot of anime related songs for promotion. Regardless she is amazing to hear live.
The last act was Jam Project. Everyone was crazy hyped up and I thought about Shana the entire time who was probably going crazy in glee. Everyone from the group came out and I noticed that we weren't crazy thinking it was too loud. Okui seemed to be having a hard time hearing herself over the sound system. She made the motion for them to turn it down slightly a bit. Regardless they did an AMAZING job considering that they couldn't hear over their track. I stayed around just for Rinbu Revolution. Each member of Jam Project has contributed an iconic song for an anime. I thought of my friends Jett, Sara, Brian, ect when the Dragon Ball and One Piece OPs came on. As soon as the opening notes of Rinbu Revolution came on I screamed my head off and started going with the lyrics. I don't think Miguel has ever witnessed me be that hyped but I really love Utena as a series. If I ever cosplayed again, Utena would be the character and series I would cosplay as and from. Afterward we left to have dinner at Ramen Shalala with some friends in J-Town and made a quick round at Purple Kow for some yummy boba. In all it was a very different and fun trip. It didn't feel like previous J-Pop Summits I had attended but it was still very enjoyable. The concerts really made up for me not attending lives for a very long time and I got to see and spend a lot of really great moments with some friends. In all I had a really fun and amazing time.
More like a J-Town trip actually considering how compact and crowded this event was. I debated making a post on it but I kind of wanted to do for the sake of having something to talk about on this blog. Plus I was with good company and had a couple of good finds/likes during this trip. I ended up going with my friend Katie and her friend Michelle, who I have met previously on a different adventure a couple of years. We left pretty early and the weather was pretty overcast/cloudy in the Bay Area. I was actually super worried about us being cold but it ended up being fine weather throughout the day.
First off for my look for the festival, I decided to abuse the shit out of the d.i.a dress again. Because of it was a cosplay oriented event, I picked the most costumey outfit I had. Unfortunately you guys have really seen me utilize my d.i.a dress and I'll probably put it away for awhile after this adventure. It was too hard to resist going all crazy. I was told by a fellow gal who follows my instagram that she saw me at the event and I didn't know if I was truly doing rokku gyaru or it was a cosplay. I'm kind of glad that people considered it an in between because that was kind of the point. Nobody ever believes that get-up is d.i.a until I had to lift my skirt up and show the damn tag on the inside. It's a really out there costume-y outfit. It had to be a Halloween item or something. I liked it because I hadn't ever saw anyone wear it and it was purple. I wish I had more accessories or had a cute bra to add to it so I could add a crisscross pattern at the chest or something? I don't know, I've just really liked wearing these past couple of times. It's like the vamp gyaru version of Ghost Town Merrymaking for me. And we know how much I've abused that coordinate. Most likely this might be the last time I wear it in awhile unless I really take advantage of Halloween....
For hair and make up I really went all out. I did a couple of things I hadn't done in years in attempt to revive kind of the older style I used to wear. Make up wise this was the first time in two years I wore three sets of top lashes. Ageha 115s, Diamond Lash 'Angel Eye' , and Diamond Lash 'Dolly Eye' all on top. On the bottom was a simple Daiso top lash cut in half and placed backwards. It's a technique I haven't done in a really long while. A lot of people have liked my newer lighter look and I can't deny the magazines and models have influenced my lighter hand. This was really a throw back with lashes, a good Kat Von D foundation watered down with some Mac Fix+ and Nars Illuminator in Super Orgasm mixed together. This look was very close to the one I did in my 'Kera' tutorial save for my decked out lashes, Mac Glitter Pigment in Grey, and a vamp red lip which was Mac's 'Diva'. Hair wise, I really pulled out everything I had to get this shit to work. I haven't done big teased hair in a really long time. Mainly because my hair is such a mess and I cut it myself so I'm not sure exactly wth to do with it. Teasing it can really get difficult and I gave a really horrible attempt at some sujimori-inspired hair. Clearly it wasn't parted right and the top looked really messy but basically I parted my hair to the side and pulled the back to the front for extra body and started to tease and part. When you have really long thick hair such as mine, it can really really difficult figuring out what goes where and holding multiple bits in place but it worked. TLDR; I realized why I don't do this crazy of hair and make up anymore. It's uncomfortable borderline painful as hell. It's super difficult to keep it all up especially by the end of the day. I was almost envious of Katie and Michelle because they looked so comfy. -will always over dress-
Onward with the trip, we first picked up some breakfast where places were open. I have never actually properly gotten to take any of my friends to Benkyodo. Usually it's because they're closed during the event or people wake up much too late for us to pick up anything. I was super happy that Katie and Michelle were getting to try it fresh. I've talked to the blog plenty about my feelings on Benkyodo. I've went to this place since high school and it's a go to spot for special occasions for me. It's a really hidden shop at the end of the street on the other side of J-Town. If you didn't know what it was you wouldn't even know it was there. We also went to May's Cafe to get breakfast. They're known for having Taiyaki which is kind of a huge deal for a lot of people. For those of you who don't know what Taiyaki is, think of a chocolate banana filled (or red bean filled) waffle and that's basically what Taiyaki is. It's delicious warm and highly recommended if you want a cheap sweet treat. Wendell (who ended up MCing the event later on and for those of you who go to Fanime, he does lots of stuff for Stage Zero) ended up finding me and joining us for breakfast. We always have long talks about music stuff, con stuff, and recently teaching since I'm pursuing to be a school teacher in a couple of years. It's always incredibly pleasant talking to him the few times that we do get to see each other.
Katie, Michelle, and I ended up walking around afterwards and really bumming out in the hotel to shoot around. The biggest issue about the event was how compact and crowded it got. I'm not exactly sure how photographers shot considering you'd usually get a lot of stuff in the background. Sometimes crowds can totally be worked into a shoot environment but most of the time it loses focus of the subject. J-Town is also known for shoddy lighting inside the mall area (horrible selfies to prove this) so the hotel was Katie's best friend. She forgot a bit of stuff and was such a sport for figuring out how to improvise and work with what she had. There were surprisingly not as many cosplayers at the hotel and I was almost iffy about going into certain areas noting how back when AOD was a thing of the past, people were constantly told off for stepping into certain areas of the rock garden/certain things being closed off for a reason and people going into anyway. Basically as cosplay friendly as J-Town can be there are certain things I always keep in mind over past experience wondering if we're over stepping boundaries as photographers and cosplayers. The garden is also a wind hole a good portion of the time so you get either amazing shots or your model is destroyed because thank you wind rape. Basically, I'm very sure it was hard to get shots unless you really lured your subject away from the crowds, combated the bad lighting, and didn't want to piss hotel staff off. A lot of the time we also raided the lobby for outlets considering everyone phones died all day. -must get a portable charger- More like we freaked out when they hit 30 percent but considering how often people message people/take pictures/try to meet up ect. cell phones are necessary.
Afterwards we walked around J-Town and good god, the mall finally after years of me bitching about it, has a make up shop. It's a decent one too called CandyDollBeauty. We went bat shit. Well more like I did and I was easily excited over everything but that's me on the daily about a lot of things. This store was really great. It was slightly pricey but you're basically paying for shipping and a mark up so they can get a slight profit. They had a good array of both Japanese and Korean products. Skin care was such a huge thing for this store as well as hair care. There were shelves of it. I also flipped out because they had Sailor Moon eyeliner which was a bit pricey (like more than Dollywink pricey) but if you do want it, it IS there. They have the newest Dollywink line so no worries about getting old product and it being jacked up for as much as the new packaging. Katie ended up getting the 'Point Lame Eyeshadow' in Silver 01 that I've raved about on the blog before. It's a tear eye shadow meant to bring light into the inner corners of your eye. It's really pigmented and glittered. I'm hoping that Katie is enjoying it because it's for sure been a go to for me in the past year. All of their Dollywink stock is the newly packaged series. They also have the more natural and newer orange label Diamond Lash series which wouldn't work for me I don't think (yay high eyelids) but could work for some people. What sold me was finding decently priced PeriPera. I ended up finally getting the Water Tint because I've really wanted to try the gradient lip trend for the longest time. Plus I could rock a red lip without the consequences. I'll do a full review of the PeriPera water tint in a separate post so you guys can read how I feel about it and maybe learn how to get a couple different lip looks by using this product. Michelle ended up getting the carbonated mask I think? It's been really trendy lately online because it literally bubbles up on your face. She seemed to be really into skin care so I hope she is enjoying it as well. Later on, we went over to PikaPika where they've been promoting the fact that they have new machines. And not just any new machines but machines that are pretty hip and recent over in Japan Town. I'm so glad to have these machines over here finally. First off the lighting in the new machines is amazing. Plus what really sold me was OUTFIT PICTURES. For years now I've seen tons of Japanese lolitas and gals really get their outfit of the day on with the PuriKura machines and wondered how the hell they were doing that. In the end it made complete sense with these new machines. We tried out the Alisa Ueno machine assuming that would be the best one because she's promoting it as a model. The machine was really fun and could make you look tinier/modify your make up. the other machine we tried was the 'Rumor' machine I think. This is the one you want to try for your outfit shots. It's still pretty cramped up but you'll for sure get some good pictures if you situate yourselves properly. The only down sides about the new machines is how fast you have to make your decisions and the lack of sparkles in the decorations. I'm so used to the older style machines where bling is everything and a lot of the stamps are more basic and less 3D so it's going to take me awhile to honestly figure out how to be clever and decorate my pictures now. We ended up going for a round two with more friends later and added the 'Lumi3' to our list of PuriKura raided. It fit a good portion of people in perfectly. And finally had my god damn sparkles so I could clever enough to add things that are typical for PuriKura.
Afterwards we had waited long enough after breakfast to get lunch and I took the girls out for some seriously decked out okonomiyaki at another high school favorite of mine, Mifune Don. This used to be kind of a hidden restaurant back in the the era of my high school years. I used to hide away there with some okonomiyaki or udon and gyoza. Now it's a bit more popular, especially during events. But if you like a good thick okonomiyaki with a variety of toppings and lots of bonito flakes this is the place to go. They also have a pretty decent lunch special where I used to get my udon and gyoza combo from. Hopefully the girls enjoyed it. I had to run some family errands for some stuff. It was hell trying to find little Apollo chocolates and by the end of our lunch it was so crowded it was suffocating. I don't think I've ever encountered the feeling of not breathing/wanting to throw up until that event. I'm not sure if it's because I'm not getting out as frequently or if it's because I'm getting older. Either way I felt so bad because I wanted to walk around more and see the actual event. The crowds were so killer though. We spent about ten minutes in Kinokuniya and I had to get out because it felt so hot.
In all though I ran in a couple of lovelies finally after hitting the pagoda which was really nice. I was glad I got to introduce both Michelle (who doesn't get a taste of con life too often I think) and Katie to some other friends and really sweet acquaintances of mine. I was so happy to see each and every one of them and it felt refreshing to be around people who aren't exactly part of the regular group of people I was hanging out with. Funny part of the day was how Momo and I joked about how we had switched places. She's usually dark and badass and I'm typically the frilly pink one. Pffffttt... And Sayori made a lovely Hinata. Props to her for wearing those crazy white contacts. I bet and only can imagine she felt so relieved to get comfortable later on. Regardless it was nice being silly with those two. :3
We escaped into TanTan for tea because it was literally the only place that wasn't hot and crowded. There went the tradition of getting crepes....(I broke the tradition ages ago though due to some stuff) There is almost nobody ever in there and I never mind. We were still kind of full but honestly, it was just nice to be not bumping into people and be near AC. For it to have been over cast for the beginning of the day it certainly heated up quick. Due to me not being hungry I ended up just indulging in a matcha float because matcha sounded nice. The other girls got some sweets and tea. Michelle made me realize THIS PLACE HAS CAKKKKKKEEE!! I never realized it did. I must be so blind! The girls kept throwing food at me to finish off throughout the day and the cake was one of them. ahahaha... I've always tried white peach flavored things but I've never tried an actual white peach before. It was so heavenly. Thank you for the amazing discovery Michelle! I would have never known. I think Katie got a parfait? I'm not much for those but they always look really pretty. Miguel joined up later on just to hang out. We hung out shortly but it was nice seeing him.
Later we met up with some other people, did our PuriKura round 2, hung around more...and somehow made room for dinner because no trip for these ladies would be complete without Yamadaya. I had to take them because they have really delicious ramen and takoyaki. This is my favorite ramen spot hands down. I'm a broth whore so rich broth is good. I really don't know how I made room for all of it. I clearly was just trying to fit all my cravings into one trip so I wouldn't want them for awhile while also taking Katie and Michelle to places they hadn't gotten to try on their trips here before. CLEARLY this turned into a food trip. Which I don't mind at all. I really hope they enjoyed the ramen because I love that place so much. Matter of fact I hope they enjoyed all the food places they got to try because I know sometimes they miss out on the stuff that goes on later at night/in the day. Basically dinner was the end of their trip and we trekked back to the valley from there. I really hope everyone had fun and enjoyed. Next time I want to properly show people around downtown in the day time and actually have the right shoes to trek around to some other districts that are really fun. San Francisco is my home away from home and while J-Town always holds a special place in my heart and is my go to stop because there's really good food I can't always get, downtown is just as amazing and there's so much I want to share with people. It's just a matter of people not having an event/agenda. Maybe one day. :) It was refreshing getting out for a bit with familiar faces as usual. I really don't know if it's just me growing out of it or what, but the con scene or the events and I haven't been meshing as well as before. A lot of times I find myself cafe hopping or shortly saying hello to people. But I really haven't been getting the adrenaline rush or the happiness I felt like before as personal as this might sound on here. I'm really trying hard to attend things again and try to find a love for it again but I always find myself feeling smothered and wanting to hide somewhere. A shout out to some of you all who said on my instagram or other sms that you saw me but were afraid to say hi or knew I was there and didn't know where to find me; I'm SO sorry. <3 <3 I'm so blind first off without glasses and I don't get my circle lenses in a power (I'm crazy I know) and if you're in cosplay then it's already hard to recognize you. xD so sometimes it's best to be in my face. Also I've been hiding away a lot and I haven't really been planning or announcing where I will be at. Usually because I usually don't know until last minute lately. And sometimes I just don't want to throw expectations upon myself or promise others things when I know how disoriented I get at cons in terms of time and attention. So if anything hit me up or ask me if I am going or are there the day of, and I'll come find you or you can come and find me. For those of us who haven't met before and clearly we creep on each other, we are probably unsure if it's us or not. I am painfully shy and I don't want to mistake someone for someone else. I'm sure it's the same on my end. >.< One day we will meet and properly. <3
In other news of my life right now, August is here I'm about to start school in a couple of weeks again. I'm really looking forward to it but at the same time I am incredibly nervous because math is my worst subject and that's what I am taking and doing for the first time in five years this semester. -anxious- In a way though I really love having somewhere to go and working on a long term goal. It makes me feel accomplished. Also I really love getting to enjoy dressing how I want for school and enjoying a fit of a fashion life even if it is for school. It makes me feel together and makes me look forward to my day a lot more.
I can't believe I'll be 24 in a little more than a month. It's a bit scary how fast I am aging a bit. I'm so glad that I've really found what I am supposed to be doing with my life and have found a schedule that works for me. I've been so unsure for the past couple of years whether or not to continue on with academics especially when other people said working would be better because of the paycheck (which didn't make me happy) or going to art school. Academics just seemed like the right choice and I'm really excited to become an English major and either work in some type of writing or teaching. It just feels right and I feel a lot more sure of myself than I did at 18 going into this. I've learnt from looking at other people's struggles and not that I won't have my own, but I'm bracing myself for obstacles and hopefully being older helps me make a lot more clear decisions. I'm still scared about growing up and I'm about at that middle mark for my twenties...LOL ahhhhh!!! Hopefully I'll be okay. I really want to regain happiness in other aspects of my life. I am for sure not there yet but this part of my life...it's the one thing I've felt like so far that I've taken the first step in doing something right.... Anyway, I don't know how often I'll be updating considering I'll be in school in a couple of weeks from now. I for sure, am going to one more event in a weekend or so, just for a day and because I always go. Hopefully I can blog about it as well. I really want to get a make up tutorial or two up as well. I feel like I've doing fuck tons of darker looks and I want to try a lighter one for the channel. I feel like I went with the heavier and darker ones because I feel like a lot of the other blogger babes have you peeps covered in terms of the cuter and lighter looks. I feel like the dark and heavy stuff suits me so much but I want to be well rounded in my YouTube channel as much as my blog is, so we shall see!!
