Let's Get Personal! Huge backlogged personal entry~!

I haven't done a personal blog entry in quite a while so I thought I'd do a bit of a backlogged one for you all to let you all know what I've been up to.

First off, ever since I've been funemployed, I've been in a lot more of a productive mood and I've been a lot happier. Obviously despite cash rolling in, that job wasn't for me. Yes I was hauling a lot of shit in and was doing a lot outside of work but the stress that came with that job after trying to make the money to support myself necessity wise and hobby wise just wasn't feeling fulfilling. I was being really bitchy too I noticed and that obviously isn't acceptable even for me who is usually seen as "sweet" or...so I'VE been told. So yeah, if anything leaving where I worked was one of the best things I've did. I've spent a lot of time exercising, eating healthy when I can (I've lost loads of weight), organizing my room properly, and just really...generally trying to build my self-confidence back up. Losing a job is hard but losing friends and losing my identity would have been a lot harder. So it's a lesson learned you guys-do what makes you happy. Really. It's so important. 

I was making a decent paycheck but rolling into work-I totally forgot about the cash I was bringing in and always was in a foul mood usually due to stress. In the end the money wasn't as appealing as my happiness, health, and well-being. During that time I've been really focused on the blog and how to really be active and all. I've being living in my bedroom and I've been trying to figure out how to decorate it since I spend a lot of time in here now.

Here's my wall currently. I had absolutely no space or storage for all my hand bags so I started hanging all the nicer brandless ones and the brand ones on the walls. I think this is a neat little trick. The other ones are on top of the dresser that I cleared out.Eventually I want to bling out my full body mirror. I turned my computer space into a vanity where all my cosmetics sit now! I've also organized my closet with all the brand pieces organized by brand and piece and then the other size with brand pieces have been set to dresses>skirts>tops>long sleeved tops>jeans>jackets. It's all seasonally coordinated too! Eventually I chucked in a shoe rack too which was pretty amazing in which it made me realize I have too many BLACK shoes. I have too much black in general! When I get a nice job again, I'm going to add color into my life. I really want to go on a Yumetenbo spree on Rakuten in the future for all my nice shoes and casual clothes! 

As for the places I've been these past couple months-I've been pretty productive. I attended my first real Comic Book convention (Wizard World) with my boyfriend Ying way back at the beginning of March! It was quite the experience in a way! We didn't get badges because it was expensive so we just trolled around but it for sure made me want to upgrade that experience and one day hit San Diego Comic Con perhaps since during that weekend, the boyfriend got me heavily into the Avengers and Thor. Before hand I only liked Ironman. Now, I really like Loki now because he's such a fucking smartass. I really love Batman too..Catwoman in particular. I really have a thing for characters that aren't exactly bad guys but they're not good guys either! 

Anyway, Ying and I looked out of place with our visual kei and lolita coordinates out and ready. I took advantage of the fact that I could wear Alice and the Pirates "Snow Queen and the magic whiteness" one last time before it would no longer be seasonally appropriate. It might be bitchy and opinionated of me to say but I feel like snow/winter themed dresses outside of the winter season looks inappropriate or out of place. That's just an opinion though! I really love 'Snow Queen' but I don't think I'd wear until November just because nothing says tacky like snow flakes in July.

 I REALLY love Ying's coordinates by the way.He's such a Sixh king with his drapes and sparkles. It really shows. Sad that Ibi is stopping the line but a lot of things have stopped fashion wise recently so it's unavoidable. Ying also changed up his hair, I think it makes him a lot more manly (wahhh my princess ;A; LOL) but I think for a second he was going for a tougher look and was inspired by one of the Miyavi eras. I really like Miyavi as well! A bit back Ying and I watched 'Ore-sama' together and I had never watched it before! It was a fun little movie, if you like visual kei or Miyavi I highly recommend it! It made me for sure miss an era of visual kei musically and fashion wise that no longer exists. If I wasn't so damn gyaru, I've love to re-create it. Funnest part of watching that movie with Ying was listing/recognizing all the brands Miyavi was wearing. We were like "Oh gawd that brand looked SO GREAT back in the day! What the hell happened?" Hell younger Miyavi looked great back then too. Great style for the those days. 

Other than the one con I've been doing productive stuff like photoshoots and life shit with Dennis. I FINALLY wore my Juliette et Justine dress out and did a shoot with it. I don't have the pictures for it yet but this was how I wore it and did the make-up! "Star Money" was such a bitchy dress to actually coordinate. It was the galaxy print hands down that made it difficult to coordinate and all a ton of other colors in there and of course it took months of flipping god damn tables wondering how the fuck I was going to pull this one off. In the end I went incredibly simplistic with the excuse of 'The focus is on the dress'. Eventually if I EVER run into the perfect accessories for this dress though I am for sure grabbing at them.  Around that time too I did a classicy (not classic lolita but old school lolita) shoot as well. I really wanted to wear the Frill blouse I had ever since recently, I've had a very big appreciation for h.Naoto stuff. It was raining when we shot on a school campus and I was freezing but the results were great. I wore a variety of brands and the hardest part of that shoot was not wearing circle lenses! I am admittedly horribly reliant on circle lenses. They give me a doll-like look and being a gyaru too-I just fee like they balance out the heavy make-up I wear while also making me look a lot more youthful. I combated the lack of contact lenses by wearing the lightest false eyelashes I had in the collection of brand lashes I have and wore a dark red lipstick to attract attention to my lips rather than my eyes. 

Why I didn't wear circle lenses you ask? I had an eye appointment. I've been blind (no really, legally blind) since high school and I figured out through a drivers test a year or two ago that my vision had worsened. So with a lot of help (thank you lots Dennis, you seriously get me through some of the hardest obstacles whether they are hobby related or life related) I finally went for an eye appointment! I can finally see clearly! It's quite a bizarre feeling. I still can't walk down the stairs in these without the fear of falling due to the heightened depth perception. These are the glasses I picked. I chose black because black USUALLY goes with everything. There are times it doesn't but oh wells. They were the only ones that looked great. 

So a couple weekends later I hit San Francisco's Cherry Blossom Festival. For once I went the weekend before the last weekend when the parade day was. The parade day was on Easter Sunday and there was absolutely no way I was going to get out of family obligations so I went the weekend before. It suited just as well because I think a lot of people actually went the weekend before like I did because there happened to be two bigger conventions going on that weekend and Easter Sunday so I don't think the Sunday parade day turn out was too huge this year. 

You guys have gotten a look at the look I rocked that weekend but there is a selca and a full outfit picture. I LOVE this Liz Lisa dress so much. It's got rufflely spaghetti straps, gold and brown jeweled buttons down the front, a cute front waist tie, and a warm brown color that goes beautiful with this brand's trade mark floral print. I was just waiting for the weather to warm up so I could FINALLY wear this dress! The other Liz Lisa dress I have is suited for both seasons but it is winter/fall friendly since it's for that collection so this one really is seasonally a spring/summer dress. The make-up I did was very Tsubasa Masuwaka inspired. I wore A LOT of Dollywink products that weekend just to see if I could really conquer her look if not that at *least* try to achieve a Popteen girl look. I think I did well. Kind of sad that you really can't see the Dollywink lashes I had on in comparison to when I first put them on/other pictures. I really achieved hime hair I think. This IS my real hair. I almost regret not wearing heavier lashes with this considering my hair was so on point. 

I really enjoyed the festival without the fact that cosplayers weren't taking over the area. No offense to cosplayers, I love you all, but it was just nice to be at a festival without it being overrun with them. I spent the day with Rachel, Micheal, Tetsuro, Dennis, and Rui who are always fun and chill to hang out with. I ate a lot of yummy food! One of my favorite things during the summer is having traditional Japanese sweets. We went to TanTan to have tea and Amitsu~ Amitsu is one of my favorites because I love red bean, jellies, and especially fruits! Speaking of obsessions with food I think everyone's really gotten hooked with 85c Bakery. We just had two shops open up in the Bay Area and originally these are only down in Southern California, so this is a huge deal. This is the cake/dessert haul Dennis and I got because we couldn't make up our minds on what the hell we wanted. Definately a huge sugar rush after all of that. 

I also bought a Kera at Kinokuniya because Akira was the cover model for this month! I regret not buying EGG and Ageha while they were in the store but I didn't know they were both discontinuing so I bought Kera instead because it obviously looked better line-up wise and plus AKIRA! LOL It's saddening to know that Gothic Lolita Bible and Kera are the only fashion magazines I'll personally be interested in considering Ageha and EGG are done for now. Perhaps if Sakurai Rina and Tsubasa are cover girls in a magazine just because they're so beautiful and my biggest inspiration model wise. 

Speaking of Tsubasa, here is my cosmetics haul from a couple of trips. I WILL eventually do a review on the Dollywink Point Lame eye shadow pen and how to use it. I just need to be motivated on smothering my face in foundation or whatever to do a proper video review. 

The other haul is the big Fanime haul one. AHHH It's in two weekends can you believe it?! Surprisingly this won't be the biggest event I attend this year but it's one of the bigger ones for sure. The only thing not in this haul is the mac fix+ spray I got that I accidentally left with Dennis. I've been interested in face masks recently. Personally I've never really tried them before and with cons coming up and all I feel like my skin really needs a good boost in looking it's best. I can't wait to try these out. I got ones with ruby and diamond extract because I've seen that used in a lot of the high end BB creams even. Strawberry ones are because I like strawberries.

I was so thrilled that I found 7.00 dollar Dollywinks. These are super thin so I'm not sure how nice these will be on me but I will for sure do a review on them. They're the older versions with the older packaging of the Dollywinks too so that's why they were such a good price. I feel like I own old gyaru history having these babies. Other than that I got tons of primers so my face doesn't melt off at events. 

Lately I've been experimenting with my style. I keep switching between girly cute and a dark and mature. Lolita wise I have to been on pause with limited funds but gyaru of course is still possible since it's focused on hair and make-up. The latest look I had was so very dark and surprisingly well received. It's a bit shocking because I used to wear a lot of heavy make-up and everyone was like "You look better with less" so I started to wear less and less and it wasn't as big of a deal like it is when I really go all out with heavier stuff. LOL what's that about guys? I really like purple and black. It's a trademark color even with the lolita coordinated I have that have print-they're all purple and black except for one BPN skirt I have. That one is Alice in Wonderland themed and has glitter which is still very much so me! Current look was like of EGG inspired. You can't see but I wore a purple and black leopard print dress (thank you Cross <3 <3) and really tried to contour-which yet again you can't see in the picture. I wore bright lenses and really tried too look maturer. It's like a newer EGG look-nothing tan or with Cocolulu but still as close to EGG style as I get ne?

So with that said I've been prepping up for Fanime. I have a huge secret (not so secret) cosplay in the works and I'm crazy excited about it. It's a bit of a child hood dream and I can't wait to do the make-up for it! <3 Other than that another huge event will be the Gyaru meet on Friday night of the con. I plan on going all out for this. I've rarely went to things like this and it will be great seeing another fellow gyaru or just people who like gyaru fashion. So I'll probably do an entry up after the convention is over! If you guys are going, have lots of fun! I'm hoping to!  

EDIT: Here's is my fashion and cosplay line up for Fanime next weekend. 

FRIDAY: 
Sheryl Nome 30th Anniversary Dress- I really want to get a lot of use out of this cosplay. It's so pretty an I can't wait to wear it again after such a long time!

ma*rs Agejyo Gyaru - For all you gyaru lovelies there will be a Gyaru meet FRIDAY NIGHT AT 8:00 in the Marriott lobby! I'll be there with a couple lovelies and I'll be wearing ma*rs. I decided to wear the baby doll because it's raunchy and it's hard wearing such a short dress anywhere else! -taking advantage- 

SATURDAY: 

Alice and the Pirates Ghost Town merrymaking Coordinate - So this is the coordinate that everyone's really loved on me online. Very few people have seen the full decked out coordinate with hair AND newly improved make-up in person, so I thought I'd bring it out! <3 It's literally one of my most favorite lolita pieces I own because of the stars, sparkles, crosses, and haunted houses. PLUS THE COLORWAY!!

SUNDAY: 

AHHHH CHILDHOOD! I'll be doing Sailor Neptune on Saturday! <3 SUPER excited to be a sailor senshi and one that's very elegant. I will be the StarS version~! I can't wait to do a make-up look for Neptune! I have lots of aqua, golds, and corals planned~!

BETWEEN AND LAST DAY:

Reira Serizawa: A friend of mine possibly might be bringing her Nana Osaki cosplay so I thought about bringing it! You guys were all so sweet on FB ect. on saying how such a makeshift bs'd cosplay turned out nice. ;A; wahhh thank you guys!

Liz Lisa Gyaru going to leave comfortable so I thought Liz Lisa was the best way to do so!

J-Fashionable Manga Series

So with Fanime right around the corner for me in a couple of weekends; I've been in a pretty anime/manga-y mood lately so I decided to list a couple of J-Fashion manga recs out there for you fashion savy people who want a good series to get into! These are all highly loved by not just me but a variety of other people. Each series caters towards various fashions and audiences. Some series are more well known or popular than others so I'd thought I'd show love to a variety of series that I think are great! Hopefully you will find one that suits you in this list!

1. Paradise Kiss

Honestly, I think ANYTHING by Ai Yazawa is super fashionable. She has this type of artwork that really reminds me of a fashion mannequin that designers draw out when they're first blue printing out clothing. However, with this being fashion themed-what type of person would I be not to be listing Paradise Kiss as a fashion savy series. The story follows an uptight highschool girl named Yukari who's always been in the shadow of her younger brother and honestly just wanted to please her mother by getting into a ellite college like she did when she was in high school. She at first is the type of person who feels like people who linger around with art and fashion probably are dawdling or wasting their time but soon finds a group of fashion students who really help her find herself and show her that fashion is just as serious as any other profession. So eventually Yukari falls in love in the series with a guy named George while finding herself and befriends Isabella, Arashi, and  Miwako who are creating a clothing label under the title 'Paradise Kiss' Yukari totally turns into a rebellious teenager who possibly could have found her true love in life; not just George but modeling!

I absolutely love all of Ai Yazawa's works so of course like any of her series-this has tons of beautiful artwork and lots of twists and turns. A lot of her own designs are featured in Paradise Kiss and it almost makes you wish they were real. There's a lot of essentric clothes that don't fit under any J-Fashion stuff but there is Zipper style/Lolita/Punk ect. So you have a great variety. This is a crazy popular series that ended up getting an anime series as well as a theatrical live action movie. I honestly think this is a series for fashion lovers in general even if you're not into J-Fashion. That or if you want a good romance.

2. Othello

Othello is so great! It's a little bit of an older series but really shows a couple of different fashion genres. It's a story about a girl named Yaya who is just trying to get through high school by being well liked. She's a huge pushover and super bullied by her two friends who passive agressively put her into horribly situations. Secretly though Yaya is a gothic lolita going by the alias 'Nana' on the weekends and adores the visual kei band Juliet that she has in common with many of her visual kei/lolita friends. Around new year she receives a magical girl henshin compact from her seven year old self via time capsule. And some how through that she receives her alternate bold out going personality 'Nana' who is the exact opposite of her. Nana ends up getting Yaya out of various bad situations and helps her stand up for herself. So the big question is will Yaya ever truly find herself as a person and be bold and bright as Nana or will Yaya always rely on her alternate personality?

Not only in the series is gothic lolita and visual kei fashion featured but there are big hints of Nana possibly being a gyaru in some chapters. I can't exactly prove that's what she is doing but think of Nana wearly wild and sexy clothing and ripping up Yaya's lolita while Yaya dresses very modest and lady like unless she's cosplaying the visual-kei band Juliet. She's kind of secretly a goth in a way?

I really adore this series not only because of the fashion but also because it shows a beautiful era of those fashions that no longer exists today. It's a shame that there isn't a live action adaptation of Othello because I would totally look forward to seeing it!

3. LIFE 

LIFE is more of a school related manga admittedly but really shows a realistic side of a girl's life while still being scary and over the top. Fashion wise is really has only a couple of aspects but I feel like the villain Manami Anzai could possibly be considered a 'kogal' which is a school girl that wants to be gyaru. She kind of has that villainous princess complex while being fashionable with her accessories and such.

LIFE is a very controversial manga series I feel because it deals with taboo subjects such as bullying, child abuse, rape, self harm/suicide, ect. I included it in my rec list because while it is fashionable I feel like in a lot of ways it's very relatable to all audiences-especially those who are in high school still because it IS so controversial and it does deal with everyday stuff.

Ayumu is the main character of the story who gets accepted into a prestigious high school due to her best friend helping her out to get in so they could go together. Ayumu's best friend doesn't get into the high school due to neglecting her studies to help her unfortunately. The best friend ends up cutting off her friendship with her and fails an attempt at commiting suicide.

In the end Ayumu ends up blaming herself for her best friend's failure and near death experience and oathes herself to be a better person as she starts up at the new high school. She ends up befriending Minami Anzai who is a rich girl with an extreme princess complex who doesn't like when things don't exactly go her way. Through this everyone in the class does get a lashing from Minami's queen bee like personality and a lot of aggressive bullying goes on right under the teachers/adult figures noses. Through that Ayumu learns the definition of what a true friend really is and who her true friends are.

Despite the darkness that looms over this manga series, I honestly think it's great. This series did get a great J-drama adaptation-so even if you don't read it and like live action series-think Hana Yori Dango but without the love interests/ikemen and it being wayyyy darker.

4. Ageha 100% 

It's a shame this series isn't as well known as it could be because honestly? It's so cute and great. Think a realistic magical girl series meet gyaru. It's got the cutesy DNAngel/Shugo Chara like feel going on while really showing beautiful hints of girls wanting to be beautiful through gyaru.

It's never exactly hinted that Rin/Ageha is a gyaru but judging from the implication of circle lenses/hair/make-up I can only assume so! The story focuses on a girl named Rin who is pretty homely looking and attends a high school that bans girls from wearing make-up. Because of this a lot of girls lack confidence for one reason or another and desire to be beautiful. After school there is a legend of a girl named Ageha who gives make-overs to girls who request her through placing a card with their name and class on the bulletin board. Nobody knows that shy little Rin is actually the glamorous Ageha! Through the series "Ageha" doesn't just liven her classmates through the art of cosmetics but also shows them that there's true beauty within them and that the products only are to enhance such things! She does this all while trying to hide her little secret from not only her classmates but her grandparents, the school council and staff-who are all against girls her age wearing cosmetics!

In all? It's a really fun lighthearted series to read! I highly recommend it!

5. Sailor Moon 

This is of course everyone's favorite childhood series but here's the catch-READ THE  MANGA. Naoko Takeuchi has beautiful artwork-beautiful silhouettes for her characters-and BEAUTIFUL CLOTHES. When I say clothes I mean designer clothes that exist in real life AND original designs. This manga is just beautiful on all levels. Not to discredit the anime series but the manga just really has beautiful clothes and I am hoping the relaunch of the anime series that will be based on the manga will feature some of those designs and show a variety of outfits and styles for the girls!

For those of you who don't already know what Sailor  Moon is-it's a very popular magical girl series about a typical girl named Tsukino Usagi eventually learns that she is a super hero that has to save the world from the evils of the universe. Each era has a different evil and through each era of course comes with different Sailor Senshi who befriend her or even happen to quite possibly be enemies. The series is a huge staple in anime culture-the anime is over 200 episodes long, there's going to RE-LAUNCH of the anime this July entitled Sailor Moon Crystal, a live action J-Drama series, various soundtracks, tons of musicals with different casts... SailorMoon has practically engraved it's name in history. It's appealed different audience but it's main audience is girls-and with girls come love, friendships, self-battles, and of course fashion. The great thing about the manga is that it really has a feminist vibe to it. Think Spice Girls with the whole 'girl power' vibe going and that's what Sailor Moon is in it's sparkly magical girl glory!

6. GALS

Also known as Super Gals, a lot of gyaru have gotten into Gyaru culture through this series. The series revolved around Kogal Ran and her friends who hang in Shibuya and do what was typical teenaged gyaru things like shop, bleach their hair, and go to Shibuya where they're either constantly being misjudged and misunderstood OR they're dealing with the bad things happening there. Basically it's a series that shows a couple of kogyaru's love of Shibuya and their good deeds to try to show that kogals are strong willed women who want to do the right thing. Of course they involve very gyaru elements like following the latest styles, going to mcdonalds, getting a tan, and having a great time with friends.

The series was created around the era that clothing brand Cocolulu was very popular So think of the gyaru who tanned and wore bright fun clothes and that's the era that GALS really shows. So think about the early 2000s and how great that era of gyaru fashion was!

Here's all the recs I have for you all! I hope you guys enjoy them! They're all really great reads with beautiful artwork to match! As for a personal update; with con season right around the corner I've been a little busy but hopefully I can bust out a couple more blog posts for you lovelies! Thank you guys for being so supportive and patient with me!

Dollywink Eyelash Revew: 01 Dolly Sweet (also a how-to-apply)

As most of you know, I am a CRAZY huge fan of Tsubasa Masuwaka who is a pretty popular Japanese  gyaru model in Japan. She endorses several products and has her own make-up line-for the eyes? It's called Dollywink. For the lips and face, it's titled Candy Doll. I have actually yet to find Candy Doll products and I'd really love to try them out-especially the newly packaged stuff. But today I'll be reviewing some eye lashes and the glue that comes with it. 

Dollywink is produced as a collaboration between Tsubasa and Koji cosmetics and seriously appeals to the gyaru/kawaii tastes with different types of eyelashes to choose from of different length, style, and thickness. The cute packaging is also a huge bonus with Tsubasa herself modeling off her own line. 

Usually, I don't invest into expensive eyelashes because they're quite disposable after a couple of uses. But being the Tsubasa fan I am and seeing that a Marukai in LA when I visited back in November for PMX had a type of combo package that included a full of glue and two sets of eyelashes for the price of the eyelashes only? It was steal I could justify because I was in love with Dollywink glue.

First off, i can't go back using any other glue EXCEPT Dollywink. The tube one is nice admittedly but the full sized glue comes with a wand and I have a lot more control over the application on the eyelash band versus if I use Daiso glue. Before hand THAT'S what I was using and super uncomfortable and pulls at my eye/I'll always have an eyelash malfunction with Daiso glue by the middle of the day. Why the Dollywink glue, I've never had that problem though I also think because I do use a higher end eyelash now-the band is a lot more flexible and less likely to pop off. 

As for the eyelashes, I chose a 01 pair because I wanted the classic Tsubasa Masuwaka doll-like eyes. Admittedly also, I love Tsubasa's older gyaru style versus the new one SO picking the older lash series  I thought would work in my favor. These lashes gradient in thickness and have thicker end at the end of the lash. This created a bigger droopier looking eye which was the style a while back for gyaru girls. 

Another appealing part is that these eyelashes are that they have a clear thin band. You don't have to worry about your eyelash band not fitting closely with your eyeliner Tsubasa herself says the secret to her dolly-like eyes is to not apply eyeliner and just apply the eyelashes straight on. So with or without eyeliner you're sure to still get a beautiful application. 

However because the eyelash band is so thin and fragile I do recommend being very careful if you want to use these for multiple uses. The eyelashes themselves are very very soft to the touch and do last a very long time. 

As for how they look on me-they look decent. I think for sweeter looks these eyelashes apply well. I'm more of an agejyo girl who likes crazy drag queen lashes but for things like Liz Lisa-these work very very well and aren't overwhelming. This was the look I did for last weekend's Cherry Blossom Festival in San Francisco last weekend.

The whole look together was very Liz Lisa inspired but I really wanted to bring out my inner Popteen gal while the weather was nice! 

These eyelashes I think look more full for ladies who don't have as high of an eye crease as I do. It's hard to really get the full affect that Tsubasa has since mine is way up there; so obviously my Dollywinks aren't going to hit my brow bone. These eye lashes are also crazy long. Longer than my actually eye extends but with extended eyeliner you'll have wider bigger eyes that will fit the lashes perfectly.

If you have eyes like I do here are a couple of ways to apply these lashes and them look their best: 

-DO: Apply upwards- Apply the eye lash up and not down. You want the eyelash to curve upward and be doll like and not exactly blend completely with your real set. 

-DON'T: Use heavy eyeliner- Heavy eyeliner will overwhelm this look and you won't be able to see the eyelashes. The heavier your eyeliner with these the more likely the band will just up and pop off. 

-DO: Use light shadows- Yet again, heavy eye makeup will overwhelm these eyelashes and it will look like you are not wearing any. 

-DO: Use Dollywink liner- Using a thin fine point eyeliner like Dollywink will allow you a crazy precise and thin eyeliner look that won't be overkill towards these eyelashes. Thin eyeliner works best!

-DO: Do go without eyeliner- Tsubasa  Masuwaka herself said that now a day, she doesn't apply eyeliner for her dolly-like eyes. However this does go for the that 'natural-cute' look she and every other gyaru is trying to achieve. If you like the old era Tsubasa-the Dollywink liner is the best way to go. 

-DON'T: Use any other glue- Koji or Dollywink works the best for these. You will ruin the lashes using Daiso glue or anything else-or at least when I did that happened. Plus Koji/Dollywink glue is very flexible and clear!

-DO: Feel free to layer another pair of Dollywinks. A lot of models in the magazines do layer their lashes. Personally I don't do it with Dollywink because they're my nicest set of lashes and most expensive so I don't want to ruin. 

As you see I used a couple of Dollywink products and Tsubasa-endorsed for my full on look Dollywink wise I used the lashes, point lame eyeshadow pen in 01 WHITE (which I will be reviewing soon! <3), and the Dollywink pen eyeliner in BLACK. I also used the Princess Mimi's in Sesame Grey for a fully 15.0 mm dolly effect! 

In all I love Tsubasa and Koji's Dollywink line a lot. I am a huge fan and highly recommend any J-Fashionita to treat themselves to her products or at least her eyelashes at least once in their life time! They'e very pretty and comfortable. Perfect for dolly looks, lolita, and sweeter gyaru styles like Ank Rouge or Liz Lisa! 

Kouakuma Ageha's cease in publication to also end the Agejyo era of gyaru fashion?

The news has spread around for a little bit about the infamous agejyo/hostess gal glam magazine Kouakuma Ageha to no longer exist and this can mean quite a couple of things for the girls who are into gyaru fashion. Personally Ageha was my only hope left for a crazy magazine after I found that Popteen was having an identity crisis and Egg just wasn't as appealing as it was before.

 I personally, first got into Ageha way back in high school because of the shiny pictures that caught the attention of everyone on a bookstore here where I had lived. You just couldn't ignore Ageha. So many girls picked it up to look. Not because they were into the hostess life style but because of the layout of the magazine. It was crazy cramped full of information on how to do your hair and make-up and showed really gorgeous clothes that obviously caters to hime/agejyo/hostess style gyaru. 

Another appealing point about this magazine was the fact that it shared the personal lives of the models instead of throwing whatever under the rug because they were an "idol" of sorts. It was honest. There was even a death of very popular model back in 2009 I believe. In all, despite it being a girly and glamorous magazine-it still had its dark points. I felt like was pretty relatable because of that probably for the women who read it. 

So does this mark the death of the agejyo style for gyaru? Quite possibly-in a slow painful type of way. Agejyo has been dying for quite a while as a style. Honestly with fast fashion claiming its territory far and wide in the J-Fashion districts and markets-the trend gyaru wise-is to look frumpy casual or look like a twelve year old. Honestly neither are appealing to me and I previously made an article on the 'Neo-Gyaru' trend a couple of months back on why it's happening and my honest to god opinion on it.

A huge concern is-what is going to happen to the models for Ageha? Sakurai Rina being the most popular is the one I woe over honestly. But there is also girls like Himena as well who I wonder how they'll fit these uniquely styled girls in other magazines or whatever when honestly? They're style is very distinct. I can't see any conforming to the newer trends fully for these ladies. That or will they no longer be models? That will sadden me as well.

Another thing that's REALLY going to hit this style of fashion is the fact that ma*rs, Princess melody, la parfait, Jesus Diamante, Jewels Shop, and Glavil are going to take a major hit. Why? Their clothes are featured majorly in Ageha obviously because of the style they're in-a lot of the ads in there are for that style specifically.  Their ads are in other places too, no doubt but things like ma*rs and Jewels Shop especially are going to take a hit since they had a sexier appeal that doesn't fit that mainstream mold that other publications are catering to fully. 

Now a  theory of what could happen could either be-one, another hostess style magazine will open up. This is doubted honestly, I would be shocked actually.

 Two? This is a far stretch honestly saying this but while Popteen has went that really cutesy little girl route-EGG has always been the gyaru bible for these girls. They have featured dia, and the occasional ma*rs brands. While they're not fully the way they are nor are they going completely the casual route-perhaps to broaden their audience-they'll adopt what Ageha had to leave behind. It is only a theory and probably isn't going to happen but I think it would be a great idea for EGG to stay true to what it was originally for. It was and IS and should be always-a gyaru magazine. So if they cater to ALL styles and all walks of life-I feel like they'll do well. 

So what do you all think personally? Do you think Agejyo will die as a style? Do you think any other magazine will adopt Ageha or leave off where Ageha failed to do so? 

Cosplay Turned Fashion: Reira Serizawa from Ai Yazawa's Nana make-up Tutorial

Whether you like anime/manga or not-there's something about Ai Yazawa's series that really captures her readers/fans attention. Perhaps it's the borderline realistic edge that turns into fantasy that makes it relatable while still occasionally being a tragic fairy tale. Maybe it is also how stylish her characters are-they almost have stick like model-esque figures that feature beautiful clothing. 

Anything of Ai Yazawa's has captured my attention whether it's known series like Nana or lesser known series like Kagen no Tsuki. If you're into a good story line, beautiful artwork, and all that's in between? Her stuff is for you. I love looking at the clothes (some which are indeed real life brands and others her own beautiful creation) and fashion trends that really pass through her series. There's everything from punk rock babes to gyaru and lolita in her manga/anime series. And that's what makes it so beautiful and so relatable-because you almost want to be that if not DRESS like it 

Over the weekend a couple of friends selca whored some closet cosplays from the Nana series just because we were stuck at home and wanted to have fun. I took on the task of doing doing Trapnest's angelic songtress Reira who happens to personally be my favorite character in the series for a variety of reason. I really love her style too so capturing that was very important. 

So here i went tearing a part a knotted up dead  Megurine Luka from Vocaloid wig (which was straight btw) and spent four hours curling it strand by strand 2 am-6am with only a flatiron and wig brush handle to aid me so I could obtain the perfect mermaid-like waves that Reira has.

Personally I wanted to use a brown/pink blended wig for a more realistic touch since Yuna Ito was a brunette in the movie and Reira has pink hair in the anime/manga but the pink had to do since I was working with what I got and that was half of the challenge actually. 

Here are the results: 

Not bad for a closet cosplay! Reira has a very girly elegant style about her. Surprisingly I own more Nana Osaki pieces that Reira! I wore my Sex Pot Revenge necklace just to give that Nana feel plus she technically does have a 'lock' on her heart for various reasons! I used gloves to really make the look elegant and wore a long dress with it. I also placed a trademark glittery white flower and tiara in the hair to give it kind of a glamorous concert-like feel since she IS the vocalist of the band Trapnest! 

To figure out just how I did her make-up for these overly glorified selcas-here is the make-up tutorial video: 

Hopefully I'll be doing make-up tutorials a lot more often~! Perhaps or gyaru/lolita/and fashionable cosplay looks as well! Hope you guys enjoyed and found this helpful! What other Ai Yazawa series catches your fancy? I might POSSIBLY do another tutorial on another one of her characters so stay tuned!