February BlogPost: Finally a New Look and Life Updates~! + Using New Bottom Lashes

 Hello Hello! I'm back with a monthly blog post. For awhile I was making efforts to do a blog post a month so I would always have a lot to talk about but ever since the pandemic hit, there's been less to talk about sadly. 

ANYWAY... February has been a little hectic because my newest semester started at the end of January and it's been non-stop work since then. The work isn't even a lot per se, I'm just so burnt out from last semester that I'm kinda having a difficult time staying motivated. I haven't gone out or done anything fun outside of my neighborhood since last year so it's been really hard for me to keep focus considering going out with friends was a huge motivator for me to get through my weeks sometimes... A lot of times it feels like all work and no play. 

Which has lead to that mood bleeding into my motivation for gyaru... I feel like because I've been so limited to only doing gyaru for content creation versus going out into the world in it like I usually do-I feel like a fake gyaru or just...it feels disengenuine..? Because I do tutorials or videos for YouTube or whatever else at ass o'clock and it comes right off after hours of making content. 

It feels more like work than a lifestyle lately which kinda sucks. I wear cute PJs or whatever else indoors for Zoom or whatever (god I hate Zoom) it takes me so long to get ready and I get so busy for classes that it's not something I want to do if I'm going to just stay indoors focusing on work. 

I miss going out in my clothes and makeup..loitering at boba shops playing Jenga, gossiping at Paris Baguette or 85C Bakery, tromping around the mall for Sephora, and singing Namie Amuro songs at karaoke until 3 am... 

I miss that shit so bad... I also miss my friends like crazy. I really do miss socializing and I loathe videocalls now a day because I'm always on my computer due to class. I wanna not be hunched over the computer even tho I am right now writing this. 

Okay, now that you've heard me bitch and moan...WE ARE MOVING ON..lmao 

On Valentines Day I decided to force some motivation out of myself by doing a V-Day look for a couple of pictures and videos. I think I started at 3 in the afternoon and didn't finish filming things or taking pics until 3 in the fucking morning... That's a 12-hour shift!

At first, I was going to do a blue and black look with a huge ass bow I bought but that kind of didn't work out so I decided to rock some MeJane instead. I thought the big bow would work with MeJane but my hair doing so well on my own that such a big bow kinda flattened it, so I opted for the mini hat instead. 

Honestly, I feel like the look needed one of those thick cloth headbands you tie around and that are silk. GlamJane kinda hits different versus Ma*rs but I adore it. It's a different vibe from Ma*rs and Golds and it was refreshing to do. 

My nails absolutely didn't match because I had intended on doing a cute Popteen-esque blue look inspired by Cecil but blehhh...it felt meh so maybe next time or some time in the future. My nails were kept really simple because I was hella dead and was doing them half in the fucking dark... Because I'm crazy and threw colored lightbulbs in that lack wattage...OTL all for aesthetic. -is truly a dumb bitch- lmao

I really liked my eye makeup! I blended pink, brown, and black together and used a sparkling gold as an inner highlight. I think the makeup tutorial will turn out for this so give me time to finish my school projects (and maybe even my upcoming midterms. yikes) and I'll have that edited. Makeup tutorials are pretty time-consuming to edit. 

I used off-brand top lashes that are as close to DiaLash's Angel Eye as I am going to get. Though the bottom lashes are DiaLash's Charming Eye which was interesting.  I had never tried those before. I have tried Natural Eye, Model Eye, and Princess Eye before in regards to DiaLash's bottom lashes but I had basically never experimented with the blue boxes when it comes to bottoms. 

They have a voluminous half-band and two small individual pieces. They take a second to throw on and you have to be extremely patient but they're very pretty! I don't recommend these if you're in a rush, but if you have time to really spend time on your eye make, I do recommend them. 

The seller I bought from was awesome and sent me three packs instead of one. Thanks to whoever you are for truly hooking a bitch up because I had only bought one pack. 

NOW...if only I could find proper tops because while the top lashes I'm using are pretty-the band is fucking clunky and likes to not stay because if bends in squares and isn't a smooth bend. I don't know if that makes any sense but if you've tried the tops I've tried then you know exactly what I mean if you compare them to Japanese lashes. 

In other news, thanks to Georgie (http://georgiepiyo.blogspot.com/) -her decome boom and also my local PuriKura shop biting the dust (ugh) made me realize I could do self-done PuriKura. There still ain't nothing like doing that shit in a proper booth but this method is a good alternative. I did a tutorial on how to glam up your photos as shown here.  Here's a pic I threw together and the tutorial video down below!

I also did one of my friend Ichigo, who decided to delve into the realm of J-Fashion. They did a gyaru look that kinda made me die a little inside. I'm a lone gyaru locally and I get really excited when my local friends try it out and do a damn good job and have the potential to be legit AF...because bitch, it's lonely out in these parts. ahaha.

I think Ichigo did a fabulous job so I edited the shit out of their pictures. At first, they weren't gonna post them but after enough bribing and being ganged up on they did.

Speaking of Ichigo, I've been a bit of a personal shopper/stylist for people lately. I did a group order with them that is rather on the dark side. After YEARS..like a decade of buying SPR and Naoto-for significant others or ex-romantic involvements-I *finally* bought some for myself. LMAO. I'm so excited to eventually get my shit. 

I'm happy my friend is fucking thriving too. Like wtf... They're living their best life right now... They've never owned brand before, so seeing them marvel at the details of things and appreciate it highly because they're looking at it for the first time really touches me. I've been doing this for years and while I appreciate the details of the clothing, for me this is my everyday now. I'm used to the small things so it's not as exciting for me as it it for my friend and it makes me think back on the time when I had purchased my first pieces of J-Fashion brand and gyaru brand. Man...that was so long ago. If you told Baby Darla that I'd have to crazy ass closet I have now-she wouldn't believe you. I thought I'd be limited to sobbing over those clothes in fucking magazines. Having them in my hands feels surreal but for sure, the first time I held Liz Lisa or Ma*rs or whatever else...that was an experience I'll never forget, and witnessing my friend get to have that feeling that long left it makes me happy. 

I hope they enjoy. They look amazing and they're fucking killing it. <3 It makes me think of my baby years where everything was shiny and new and a huge deal. 

I've also been in contact with Lizzie lately (https://www.hellolizziebee.com/) and I've been helping her find pieces for her wardrobe since she's super into old school himekaji and Popteen-kei shits. I used to really adore shit like that but I was lonely as hell. This was back when everyone was hardcore/old school or bust years ago...</3 so now, that I have someone to gush over an era that I kinda put away for a rainy day-it's really exciting to me again to fawn over Popteen models. Before for awhile? It was all about the Egg gals. I love both styles and without a doubt, I'm for sure busting out my new Alba gets when it gets hot enough. 

However, looking for Lizzie and Ichigo rubbed the fuck off on me because they adore Liz Lisa. SO...I ended up buying some Liz Lisa. I kept finding boho pieces from 2010/2011 and honestly? That is my favorite era of LL. That was when the brand was certainly thriving and when Popteen models were exclusively wearing the shit out of that stuff.

I feel the boho Liz Lisa or gyaru era is still that California gal vibe but..instead of the beach-you're going to music festivals or traveling to landmarks..going to open markets in the summertime. It's a different realm of "fun in the sun". It's still sexy and cute. It's got a mature element about it despite being cute. I don't know how to explain it but it's still very gal. 

I knew about Liz Lisa beforehand but I wasn't following collections closely until *I* was actively doing gyaru so 2010/2011 is extremely sentimental to me because these are the clothes I closely followed and would fawn over. I can't tell what LL was 2006-2008 based on the silhouette and prints, fabric, and fluff...but 2010-2011 is most recognizable for me because I remember the era and lived through it even though I was way too limited as a recent college drop out to be able to indulge and participate myself. 

So...I saw someone who was just hocking their entire closet. Most of my haul had tags on it so I'm assuming this was all from some former gal or collector's closet and they were doing away with it all a decade later. 

There's one Ank piece in this haul and a SuLov piece but the rest is Liz Lisa as shown in the video. 

I had friends shit themselves over my haul. The collection is pretty solid. There are a couple of dresses in interesting colors and in colors that a couple of gals couldn't recall seeing before (wtf, that blue dress that I usually see in white...IS THERE A PINK ONE THAT EXISTS THEN? :o). But I think what truly made everyone shit bricks was that haul of 11 items was under 80 bucks with shipping included. 

I'm not even not gonna brag. I am the queen of deals. Full price? Who is she? LOL We don't do that shit in this house. 

I'm really excited to wear these items out. What most people don't know is that LL typically is my default for school. LL usually means neutrals and that's way easier to blend that color and usually I do the thing where there's a focus on blush...

Speaking of school.... Offtopic but something that is important! I filed the application for my graduation today. I'll be graduating from Sacramento State University (fun fact: I graduated from the capital of California) in Fall 2021 with a bachelor’s degree in English Language Arts with a TESOL certificate on the side. My academic career will finally be at a close unless I can somehow afford my Masters (which I would love to do). I'm very excited but also very nervous.

The state of the world and the economy in my country worries me... I don't know how likely I would find job offers and in a place that makes me feel secure and happy as an English major here. I think my plan for a little while is to run away to Japan for a little while if the world ever stops being on fire. 

I've always wanted to be a teacher but given that I can't drive and my family's location isn't ideal-it would really be difficult for me to fulfill my credential requirements. SO..instead, I opted for a TESOL certificate to teach overseas because I can teach with a BA. I've always wanted to go to Japan, so what's better than getting paid to go? Yes, I'm there for work and I'll have to tone down during the weekdays but I'm hoping I can explore and enjoy myself to the fullest on the weekends in my full on get up. I don't drink, party, or mess around at all-I enjoy concerts/music, good food, and making friends...so I'm hoping that if dressing like a weirdo is the *worst thing* I can do-then I'll be fine. 

I also would like to *try* to vlog about my adventures or just overall experience if I can once I'm over there. I see a lot of J-Vloggers do general content but I haven't ran into someone vlogging that into my niche fully and I've always been big on making content that I wish I had. However, teaching would be my main gig and I definitely wouldn't want my side hustle interfering with my main thing if you know what I mean...so I guess will see.

Otherwise, I would really like to return to the Bay Area and work creatively in San Francisco. I think at this point, it's just a matter of being able to afford to live there. California rent is disgusting but the Bay Area (especially SF) is just a whole different level of atrocious. I adore cities and accessibility. I also can't drive (keyword on how I'm not saying won't. I literally *can't* and it's an insanely long story to explain as to why) so I need to be in an area where I don't need to drive to thrive. 

SF is actually more expensive than Japan I think..maybe.....I THINK. We'll see. Point is, I decided on Japan because I've always wanted to go. I have some knowledge of the language from taking four years in high school (and I really would love to scaffold off of what I already know). They're willing to pay me to teach with. BA. I miss city life like a motherfucker. And more importantly, I need to live somewhere where I don't need to drive to thrive. 

So...I'm partially running away from my problems in the States post-graduation but I hope it's either an answer or bides me time because a bitch has student loans to pay off (tho I can't complain. COVID reduced the amount by a fuck ton since I mainly only had to take out a loan for living expenses and I've gotten to work from my family's place since the pandemic hit). 

I am bummed out I didn't get a proper campus experience and that the majority of my academic career post-high school was majorly online. I didn't really get to socialize or really establish myself in Sacramento or gain mentorship like I had intended to and it's mainly why I decided last minute last year at the start of the pandemic to take on TESOL work. I knew I needed a backup because I wasn't gaining what I was hoping to...

This got really serious but I hope that gives insight as to why I am busy/inactive and even as to what my future plans are. I am an academic gyaru and maybe a career woman who just so happens to be gyaru in the future. <3 I want to be a role model in a certain sense because I know not everyone follows through with this path or even at times, doesn't have a good sense of balance when it comes to separating their work life from their hobby. I'm determined to prove you can thrive doing both...maybe. Like I said, we'll see. I don't know what the future holds.

Anyway, this blog is getting long so imma just end this here. Thanks for reading guys!