My Top 10 Beauty Favorites of 2013!

Hello again dears,

I decided to just do a quick list of some of my beauty favorites. I've been using some these for over a year.

These are my top 10 but their numerical order has no significance:

 

1. It's a 10 - This is a 10-in-1 hair product that is basically a leave-in conditioner. I love this product because it acts as both a conditioner and heat protector, as I use it before blow-drying. It's a little expensive, I believe I paid about $20 when I bought it from a salon.

2. Suave Moroccan oil - Even though this was only about $4, I really love this product. It is perfect for smoothing out frizz, smells lovely, and absorbs fast! I usually use this one after I've blow-dried, and I will concentrate it on my ends to prevent splitting, and mid-shaft. The remainder that stays on my hands, I just rub in until my skin has absorbed it, works nicely as a hand moisturizer!

3. Purpose face cleanser - This is a hypoallergenic product I've been using for years, for my skin allergies. It foams up very well, leaves no scent or residue, It's about $7.

 

4,5&6. Shea Moisture- Although these are three products, I'm just going to comment that overall, this line is awesome. It's paraben free, smells lovely, and moisturizes great! However, I have found that the Bubble Bath&Body wash olive &green tea (the green one) moisturizes much better than the Calming milk body wash. The body butter lotion in the center smells so nice and keeps you moisturized all day long!

 

 7. Alba Botanica Hawaiian Oil Free Moisturizer -  This is my favorite find of the year. I came accross this while searching hypoallergenic face creams online. Previously I used the Purpose moisturizer but I was getting tired of the consistency and smell (SPF smell) that it has. I found this product at Ulta for about $18 but it does sell at Target too, for $21. I have been using it all year, twice a day, and it's still not empty!

It is a very light, milky cream that absorbs quickly and makes you feel refreshed!

 

8. Lioele Dollish Vel Vita BB Creme - I bought this to try it out, it was on sale and I've never used a Korean BB creme before. I love this product, it is so light but provides coverage ALL day long! It comes out light green but the particles match your skin right away once you distribute it over your face. I love that it does come in the green tint because it helps cancel out my natural redness.

 

9. Urban Decay Naked 2 - I use this palette whenever I do my makeup, the shades are so well pigmented and they stay put all day. They're also really versatile, you can do a lot of different looks with it! I just hope that when the Naked 4 comes out, if it ever does, that it contains one near-white shade. The light shades in this palette just blend in with my skin, and don't show at all since I'm quite pale.

 

10. Last but not least - Revlon Precision Lash Adhesive. This one was about $5, I bought it because it had great reviews and was latex free. I previously used a brush on Ardell glue but it was total crap, This one goes on white, then turns blue and then clear, you don't have to wait long, in fact I blew on it once and applied the lash right away and that was all it took. It held the lashes on just fine, all day long!

And that's it, these are my top 10, hope you enjoyed and maybe found some new products you'd like to try out!

♥

Woodfield Mall Spoils!

Hi Dudes and Dollies!

Today my honey and I went to Woodfiedl Mall in Shaumburg because a trip to the Sanrio store was long overdue, and I wanted to stop by the A&F store!

Here are my spoils!

 

At A&F there was a 50% off sale, and although I've never bought anything from the store before, I thought I'd grab one of the soft sherpa hoodies as they were now $50 instead $100. Besides that, I got a pair of cozy sweatpants and a thick long sleeved shirt. Sure, you could get some of these things at Aeropostale for much cheaper, but I haven't seen this quality of shirt and sweaters there, so IMO it was worth it.

 

At my favorite Woodfield store, Sanrio, I picked up these adorable notepads (die cut, 3 different style sheets in each pad) and on the right there is a very small alarm clock! It's a real alarm clock! It was way too adorable to pass up. They had some really cute gift sets too.

My favorite character is My Melody ^__^

Last but not least we stopped at Forever Yogurt for some dessert! It was really hot in the mall (as usual) so this was a delicious cool down.

Should you need to do last minute holiday shopping (which apparently everyone except us was doing) I'd recommend you to go in the evening, about 7ish or later (they're open til midnight for the holidays!) because when we got there, about 4:30ish, it was awfully crowded in the parking lot. It was absolutely ridiculous.

Inside it was quite packed and everyone had to bring their 10 babies of course....thankfully they were mostly at the stores with the cheaper stuff so we didn't have to wait in any huge lines.

Anyway, that's all for now; in my next post I'll be going over my favorite beauty products of 2013!

Ciao♥

Nexus 5 Update and LG Optimus F6 mini review!

Hey everyone!

It was quite early for me to have reviewed the Nexus 5 so here's a bit of a follow up~
First of all, I love the battery life on this phone. My battery is currently at 30%, it is currently 8:45pm, and I unplugged it from being fully charged at about 9:30am. So that's pretty good, and I do use it often throughout the day (more like I use it all day, lol).

I also really do like the camera because it produced colors true to real life. The images are clear too, and there is no lag time regarding the camera app at all.

The biggest winner for me though, is the processor. This phone is FAST! it is absolutely perfect for a multitasker like myself.

I repeat, though, this phone requires a microSIM card. However, T-mobile can actually cut your standard SIM for you...which I didn't even know so I ended up paying for a new SIM that I didn't need, blah.

So if you are looking for a phone with fast processing and good battery life, I would really recommend this one. It is a bit expensive but consider that it is in fact cheaper than the new iPhones and it is cheaper than the Galaxy S4 and the HTC One.

I mentioned in my previous post that the service sucks with LTE on, but it turns out it's because voice is on the LTE wavelength too, so depending on your location in the house and distance from a tower.....service signal may suck. However, it seems the LG Optimus F6 does NOT have this issue.

Today my dad bought the LG Optimus F6 at the T-Mobile store. Last night it was priced at $268 but today it is $288. It's as if they knew we wanted to purchase it!
Either way that it not too bad a price, but remember that the Nexus 4, which is much more superior in nearly every aspect except battery life and screen glass, was sold for only $199 at the 16gb storage capacity.
However, as you all know this phone sold out fast and buying off Ebay is not something we wanted to do since returns may be impossible or a hassle.

That being said, I did not get to play around with it too much but here's my first impression of this LG device.

The battery is wonderful, it is superior to the Nexus 5. The device seems to have no lag, and even thought the processor is only 1.2 Ghz, it's actually alright. I think the biggest issue, so to speak, is that it has a very mediocre camera. It's indoor photos, even under daylight bulbs, are fuzzy. It's ok for taking facebook photos or something like that though. But even my HTC Sensation's camera was better.

However, UNLIKE THE NEXUS 5, the Optimus F6 camera has the full settings options. First of all, the Nexus 5 stock camera app has no setting for changing the ISO or turning off the shutter sound. Seriously.

What I like about the Optimus F6 is that it is super custimizable. You can edit all the shortcuts on the pull down menu, obviously on your home screens, and you can also edit the camera settings shown on screen.
This is a huge plus because with the Nexus, you have to go into the settings to switch to front-facing camera, or to a sub settings menu to change exposure, etc. It's a lot easier to work with the Optimus.

If you are looking for a phone to use mainly for internetting and texting/talking, I think this phone is excellent. It's thin, it's light, and has many customization options. I'd say the biggest plus for this phone is its battery.

It came out to over $300 with the tax, though, so it is a bit pricey. However, like I said, if you need a phone that lasts long and has good in-call sound, and if you don't intend to bulk it up with silly apps, this is a good phone for you!

I'd also like to put in a note for you Blackberry users who wish to switch to Android, if you are on the T-Mobile network, you must call them to have your data switched to "Android data". Blackberry phones get their own Blackberry data plan, and your data will NOT work (you'll keep getting redirected to Web2Go) until you have them manually switch it to Android Data. This will not change your rate unless you agree to it, and will not change your data cap unless you agree to it. It cannot be done by changing device settings. The reps cannot do it for you unless you already have the same cap/rate plan that is currently available for purchase, or unless you wish to upgrade to a different data plan. They will submit it for review and tell you it can take up to 72 hours for them to text you back with an update. I called around 1:30pm on Sunday, and they already had it fixed about 9am today.

Hope that helped and good luck with your new-phone search!♥

Dun dun dundUUUUUN!! THE NEXUS 5 IS HERE!!!

Hello dolls and derps!

Today I'd like to share my excitement with you over the super new Nexus 5!!
No, I am not going to post any photos or videos as I intended to because there are many, very good reviews and unboxing vids up on YouTube, in HD, that you can take a look at (in your free time, most are 10mins+!).

I'd just like to make a few key points that I have noticed thus far, you may or may not like these features.

• No Navigation app. Maps is the new version and NO you CANNOT install 6.14 without rooting/toolkit. (There is one readily available right here: http://forum.xda-developers.com/showthread.php?t=2525026). I recommend the Waze app, it's super cute and has so many settings--next best thing to 6.14 maps. (Thanks to my boo for installing the app for me!)
• No zoom on wallpaper. On my previous phone I did have a custom rom but it was ICS based, and you know how it lets you position over any image, zoom in or out, to how you want the wallpaper to fit? NOT HERE. You can choose what part of the wallpaper you want, but you cannot crop it or zoom.
• No messaging app. The default SMS app is Hangouts.
• Notification light color can be changed! I don't think there is an option to do so in the phone settings, but if you download GO SMS Pro, you can set a color for individuals or as default, AND adjust the blink rate! The Nexus 5 is not the only phone with this feature, but it's pretty cool!
• Camera settings take more taps to reach. If you're like me and like to easily switch between front camera and back camera, or to quickly change exposure/white balance, then you will find the camera app slightly annoying. You have to go into settings to change from front to back, etc. Furthermore, whatever camera you left it on last is the camera that will activate when you open the app again.
• Pretty decent sound! I am satisfied with both the speaker and the handset sound. Both are crisp and clear. However, you will find, as with most speakers, that if you listen to music witht he volume ALL the way up on speaker, it will sound a bit distorted.
• Battery life. The battery is quite an upgrade from my previous phone (HTC Sensation 4G). I did not have to charge it even once at work.It charges pretty quickly! 
• Home screens. Can be added only by long pressing apps from your app drawer and dragging them to the screen all the way to the right that is partially showing.
• "OK Google!" is probably one of my favorite features--it's actually not a new feature, HTC phones have had it before, just simple voice commands, but Google Now looks so much cooler AND it talks back to you!
• Service issues. Now this may just be because my carrier is T-Mobile, but if yours is too, keep in mind the following:
  I always have at least 3 bars in my room. Since I got this phone I have 1-2 bars if the WiFi is on, and LTE is on. If I turn off both LTE and WiFi I will have 3-4 bars and 3G/3G+. The LTE is pretty fast but I didn't have time to run a speed test because I hit my data cap for the month.
• MicroSIM. If you have T-Mobile and have a regular SIM card, you can toss it right out and go buy a MicroSIM because that's the only thing that'll fit! On the website it costs $10 but in store it costs $20 + a free pair of Skullcandy earphones in a color of your choice (of course, I got pink!).
• Great for multitasking! As someone who switches from the internet browser to SMS to camera, or anything else quite frequently, it was pretty frustrating with my Sensation because of the constant lag and crashing. So far, the Nexus 5 is FAST and runs very smoothly.
• Display. The screen is very sharp and vibrant, it is 1080p! All colors and text are sharp and vibrant, and admittedly it is easier for me to see/more relaxing on my eyes (I wear glasses).

Overall, I am quite pleased with the phone, I ordered it off the Google Play Store last Saturday and received it the day before yesterday. For anyone curious, YES, you must pay tax when you buy from Google! My total with tax and 1-day shipping was $456. Tax was almost 10%, and next day shipping was $19. The phone is selling for $450+tax at T-Mobile so....you might as well just buy it online.

So I've only had a chance to play with the phone for a couple of days and perhaps this post is a bit too soon, but I thought I'd give you guys a heads-up to some of the pros and cons I've experienced. If you'd like a full, hands-on review, definitely search on YouTube, there are even reviews on the camera quality. It's not the best camera but it is much better than my Sensation's. Way better. Pictues are crisp and clear and the white balance sensor is very good too.

Anyway that's all for now! If you have any questions feel free to comment or send me a message!

Cheers~

Update and hana-kei!

Hi dears,

I waited some time before updating because I was waiting for my new dresses to arrive, so here are my 3 new Liz Lisa dresses!

I'm updating from my phone so I hope they show alright on pc ^^;

The worn pics are my outfits from earlier this week, for work. In the last pic, the only LL item is the cardigan, it's really warm!

So I was thinking this morning, I like the concept of Roma-gyaru but I don't want to be part of it since I don't really wear gyaru make up or hair (and don't want to do that every day). I love the romantic, elegant, sweet, innocent style that Liz Lisa embodies. So I thought, why not create a new fashion substyle/category? I call it Hana-kei!

It's basically what you see in my pics, the style consists of floral main pieces (doesn't have to be a dress tho) hence why I chose the Japanese world "hana" which means flowers.
I considered "roma-kei" but Roma is the politically correct term for gypsies, and that's not the look we're going for lol.

This style is very versatile. It's very similar to Roma-gyaru but it is NOT a gyaru style! This is a daily, feminine style that is very romantic, and natural looking. Anyone can do this style and many already do! There are no rules, except that your main piece should be floral and that it is a romantic print, not a kitschy or bright print (i.e. ma*rs prints). You should aim for neutral and earthy tones. No neons! XD

Update! ♥Bunny Post♥

 Hello Lovelies,

I know I haven't posted in a while, and here's why: my rabbit, Julie, became very sick with an inner ear infection. I've spent most of the past two weeks caring for her and worrying, so I haven't been online as much as usual. She developed a pretty bad head tilt, and I plan on posting a video on YouTube about it some time next week, just to share her story and to give some helpful tips on caring for your bunny if he/she develops a head tilt too!

I'm very happy to say that she has recovered completely in terms of the head tilt, and I hope we can stop with the meds soon. It's bad to take antibiotics for long periods of time...

Anyway, here are some before & after pics, In the photo on the left (taken 09/08/13), you can see that one side of her head is facing upward....yes, her head was nearly tilted to 90 degree angle at its worst! On the right is Julie from this past Thursday, and as you can see her head is straight!

Her recovery is actually a very fast one, from what I've read online, it usually took months to cure!
To give you an idea of the time line, I saw her head tilt on Sept 4, took her to the vet next day, and started the medications Sept 6th. It was gone on Sept 19th.
Today she is very hyper, energetic, and her appetite is back to normal.

My only complaint is that now that she's back to her normal self she doesn't want to stay still when I'm giving her the meds lol! But I'm very glad she's back to normal♥.

That's all folks ;D

Chicago Fashion Outlets Haul + E.L.F Haul!

Yesterday, my boyfriend and I decided to go check out the new mall that opened up in Rosemont, Chicago Fashion Outlets Mall. Personally, I really, really like it! It's actually smaller than Woodfield, but it has a lot of stores that Woodfield doesn't!

For example, it's got Gucci, Prada, DKNY, etc!

We didn't get to go to the Gucci or Prada stores--several of these high end fashion shops had a line of at least 30 people outside them, waiting to go in!

We went to quite a few stores!

We went to Lindt, Lolli & Pops, Aeropostale and Guess, as well as few other stores.

Without further ado, here are my spoils!

 Lolli&Pops had a little Japanese candy section, so naturally I got ALL THE THINGS! I got the HK tote to carry all the goodies in~

My boo also bought me chocolates form the Lindt store but I forgot to take a pic >.<

 The Guess store was having a sale so I got this hoodie, and for my bf I got a leather jacket that's also black with similar grey stripes (yay matching!). Naturally a girl needs pants to match with her new hoodie, so I stopped by Aeropostale and got a pair of grey Jeggings! They were 50% off, but I went there because they were having some "world's best fitting jeans" sale for $18, I guess this pair wasn't included but either way they were just $25 anyway, and I don't mind paying that for a pair that fits as perfectly as these do!

On left: This is my shopping outfit for the day~ Top and wedges are from Target, bag from Discovery, and shorts from F21.

On right: This is my love looking boss in Hugo Boss! Sadly they didn't have this jacket in black!
He looked so handsome in it though♥

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My E.L.F haul came in on Friday, even though it was expected to arrive this Tuesday!

Not a huge haul, but I got two lip stains, one lip plumper+tint, some blush, eyeliner, two long-lasting gel shadows, and the palette.

The pink lip stain is awesome, great for gradient lips! The eyeliner is awful--the brush is an actual brush with strands, not much precision there at all.

The best part of my haul, though, is the palette and the blush!

The colors are very vibrant and pigmented! I've been wearing it all day and its staying just fine and not creasing. It's also a really pretty design, it includes ALL the colors.

Not the best pic but my camera is my phone's front facing one, it sucks! This is the best I could do to capture how pigmented the shadows and blush (shade is Peachy Keen) are! I'm also wearing the Confetti gel shadow but it mostly shows a bit on that left eye, camera didn't pick it up very well ><
I also added the aegyosal (eyebags) to my look today! I think this look is great for those who wear glasses because it opens up your eyes and it's very bright!

Well that's all for today, hope you enjoyed my post :3

Diet Talk!

Over the past few months I've been looking through some diet tips videos on Youtube, and reading different gyaru diet blogs. I'm not really interested in shedding 20lbs, and when I say diet I mean I am looking for a healthier lifestyle.

I want to change my eating habits so I can feel better, and have more energy! And live longer, lol.

I'm quite lazy so exercise is something I rarely do. I hate to sweat.When I do lose weight it's purely by accident.

But I think I bring in too many toxins and I want to stop, so I decided to try out the Paleo diet.
I'm going to wean myself into it because I don't want my body getting too crazy over the huge diet change.
For example, I eat bread every day (two slices, in a sandwich).

For now I'm just going to decrease my candy/chocolate intake, and increase on vegetables. I'm also not going to have a problem with avoiding dairy, since i already eat very little of it--usually just a slice in a sandwich. Eventually I'll stop with all the carb-full stuff.

I also realized that drinking cold water first thing in the morning really does help with metabolism! I think that's what helped me shed 4 pounds recently. In general, I don't hydrate very well. I take in about 2 bottles of 17oz Ice Mountain water per day. But I'll also have one Capri Sun pouch and maybe a little bit of pop (like a sip) later on.

Anyway, dieting is pretty tough and it takes a lot of self control! There's a Nestle Aero, of bubbly milk and white chocolate, right in front of me and I'm trying my hardest not to unwrap and devour it! >___<

Ganbareeeee!!

My first J-Fashion and Gyaru magazines~!

Thanks to a cute lolita, friend, and owner of Paradise Rose Shop (lots of super cute lolita accessories! Check it out!) I got my hands on some Japanese fashion magazines for he first time! She has recently moved to San Francisco and kindly picked them up for me while she was near the Japanese shops!
I go the ViVi 30th anniversary September 2013 issue and Ageha August 2013 issue.

As a Westerner seeing these for the first time, I'd like to comment on the quality first. These magazines are very popular in Japan, you can get them pretty much anywhere that sells magazines. Therefore for something so common, I was surprised that both magazines were made of a sturdy, thick glossy cover that I've mostly seen on textbooks here in the US, and rarely ever a magazine. The pages inside are also thick (I guess you could compare the paper to yearbook pages in terms of thickness/texture) and the print/graphics are of high quality.

The ViVi issue, since it is an anniversary issue, was quite larger than the Ageha issue in both length&width, and number of pages.

Ths issue of Vivi did not come with a gift, but Ageha did--it came with a cute Liz Lisa makeup pouch!
In terms of price, Ageha was $12.25 and ViVi was $12.85. Of course, this is over twice the price of my 900-page Sept 2013 issue of Vogue, but where the Japanese magazines may lack in content in terms of lengthy articles, I believe they are physically superior and are far more specific in their content and offer more practically useful information.

For example, Vogue is mostly perfume sample pages and photoshoots, articles on the cover girl, and advertisements. LOADS of advertisements!

Both Vivi and Ageha also had advertisements but it was more of a showcasing than blatant advetisement.
For example ViVi has a section showing makeup items and comparing them; they'd have foundation for example, on paper or eyeliner drawn on paper to show it's consistency/color.

Similarly, Ageha has photos of models in many different lenses, false lashes, and make-up, as well as clothing. They have a page showing different items for comparison and of course each is labeled with the brand/store.

The Japanese magazines do their advertising through tutorials. American fashion magazines advertise through artsy photoshoots. I feel that the Japanese magazines were more friendly and more geared towards helping you look better.

Speaking of gearing, I wanted to discuss how Ageha aand Vivi differ from each other in tersms of content.
ViVi is mostly about fashion--that is, every day cute fashion with many sections showing you how to coordinate different styles or patterns. It also had several pages wth exercise routines/tips.
The models wore light makeup (or at least it appears light) and no lenses nor false lashes. The styles presented were very innocent, girly, and sweet.

Ageha, on the other hand, is completely targeting the Gyaru audience. There wasn't a single model in the magazine who didn't have a lot of eye make-up, lashes, and circle lenses on. Articles/tutorials consisted of showing you how to do Gyaru make-up, Gyaru hair, and lose weight. The fashion brands were mostly Gyaru brands, but I was surprised to find a lot of Angelic Pretty as well! Ageha contained more advertisements for plastic surgery as well. ViVi contained one advertisement for breast enlargement and eyelid surgery, on the last page in the back.

So which do I like better? Well I like both for different reasons.

-I like Ageha for the comparisons of lashes, makeup styles and hair styles as well as clothing styles.
-I like ViVi for the outfit coordination sections, health/workout sections, and overall presentation (less cluttery with graphics).

I can't read Japanese so tomorrow I'm going to sit down with my handy dandy Google translate app and attempt to read them, however much of it is self explanatory from the images. Therefore, if you can't read Japanese, don't worry! You will still be able to follow the tutorials and you won't regret buying the magazines.

Thanks for reading, I hope this "review" was insightful♥

Korean Fest Chicago 2013!

Hello again dears~

Last Sunday, my friends and I went to check out K-Fest! I haven't been to it before and I had the day free so I wanted to go. There were soooo many food vendors and choosing what to eat was a bit tough! I finally settled on some BBQ chicken teriyaki and fried rice. Yummm!

 Omnomnomnom!

 My coord for the day~ (awkward pose, I know) I wore my newest Liz Lisa dress! I was going to wear some high heeled wedges but I decided against it since it's a bit difficult to drive in them and I wasn't sure if my feet would hurt from walking around so much!

This was a group of Korean drummers, and yes that's McDonald's, they gave out free smoothies ha!

I ended up buying some herbal facial cleansing cloths, but that's it. I had hoped they'd have more cute Korean accessories but surprisingly there weren't any! Maybe next year~

Either way I had a good time with my friends♥

My Liz Lisa Collection~ So far!

Hello dears! I waited for one more dress to come in before doing a small wardrobe post. I don't have a very big collection because I really just started getting interested in roma-gyaru fashion a couple of months ago and I've been buying only when I find a good deal. I've just picked up these pieces from the Gyaru Sales comms on LJ and FB. I've never had a problem with any of these transactions and all items are legit as stated! Right now I don't own any replicas and I'd like to stick to the original.

For those of you reading this who don't know much about Gyaru fashion, I'd encourage you to do a bit of research! There are many sub-styles, and my favorite is called roma-gyaru (romantic gyaru) and himekaji! These sub-styes are characterized by floral or solid main pieces, or a general sweet, girly, classic look.

I absolutely love florals, especially Liz Lisa ones!

Without further ado~

 The one on the left just came in today, it's a super cute summer dress!
The on on the right was my first LL dress. It's a fall/winter piece, made of soft fleecy material.

These I received in order from left to right. The first dress on the left is a cute, chiffon-like material and great for summer! I wore it for my graduation dinner with my family!

The one in the center is perfect for summer too, it's a soft, light cotton material. I wore this one for Independence Day!

Last but not least, the one on the right I received recently too,and I would say it's best for fall or spring, even winter. The sleeves are of a soft cotton, and the floral/brown parts are a soft fabric, not fleece but that terry/velvet kind? Not sure what it's called xD
The skirt bottom is made like a bubble dress, so it's pretty cute, and there's a big detachable waist bow at the back!

I'm planning to wear the newest dress for the Korean Festival this Sunday. Hope I can take lots of pics to share! 

Bis Später~~♥

P&C!♥

So I did say I would do a little outfit post in my previous post, but my Pretty & Cute order arrived today and I just wanted to give you guys a super quick review!

I ordered the Liolele Dollish Veil Vita BB in Natural Green, because it was on sale for $14.30 that day (it still is now).
It arrived in a box that was a bit large for such a small item, but the item arrive safely. I placed my order on July 28th, at night. It shipped the very next day, and arrived to me today (July 31st)! I chose the "economy shipping" option.

 

I also got the sample I chose--Liolele Blooming Shimmer Pearl Base! For the pic, I know it's dark, it's already late here, but the BB comes as a small pump, I removed the cap so you can see. I haven't tested it out yet though, but according to it's description it also functions as a CC creme which is great! They do show what the product looks like next to the other shade of it, on P&C's Facebook page, give them a like and check it out! they're very friendly and responsive!

To wrap up--I would definitely recommend this store for anyone in the US looking to buy Asian beauty products. This was my first time ordering from them, and it was a great experience!

New Liz Lisa Dress & New Shoes!

I totally caved and bought this OP off the Gyaru sales group on FB. The fabric isn't what I expected, though I didn't ask the seller anyway. It's a soft, terry-kind sort of material? Hard to describe. Either way it's super adorable! I also was looking for shoes to match this and another LL OP, and the beige ones I actually first saw on YesStyle, going for about $40. I just happened to look in a girl's lolita sales album and lo and behold she was selling the same exact shoes, in my shoes, for $15! She was also selling the brown pair so I just bought both! Luckily, looks like both match with this dress. Sadly the brown pair fits a bit tightly but perhaps if I don't do too much walking I'll be fine ^^;

I hope to be able to show you guys a worn pic sometime later, and I'd like to show my current LL collection in my next post!

Til then~

C'est La Vie~

I haven't exactly kept up with blogging properly but I suppose a lot of things happened over the past two months.

I didn't really want to discuss it too much but I feel like I need to get it out there:
I get that friendships end due to disagreements, due to fights, or simply because they move away or move on. But  of all the things I can't stand in any relationships (surely no one can!), I really can't stand  backstabbing.

I made friends with a girl in my local lolita comm last year. We'd talk every day, throughout the day, about anything. We met up occasionally to exchange items and we'd talk at meets. We'd talk about anything and everything and I honestly considered her as a very good friend.

What I noticed initially was that she gossiped quite a bit about other girls in the comm. Sometimes it was just criticism but it wasn't mean,other times it was quite mean. I figured, hey she probably uses this to vent because she did have quite a few things going on in life, and if she wanted to use me to vent by means of gossip, ok that's fine. I personally do not gossip and I have not gossiped around to other girls at all. Whatever she's told me, I kept to myself.

What I didn't notice, right away, is that all this behavior was rubbing off on me. The negativity and "spite" for the lack of a better term, was getting to me and as easily influenced as I can get by people I spend a lot of time with, I started gossiping with her too.

I won't get into the details, but after I confronted her about her gossiping around to many other girls, and for telling others I had done/said something (that was actually done by her), I asked her for an explanation, apology and to move forward from this. She responded by blocking me.

Aside from attempting to frame me, which hurt enough, she decided to completely ignore me. I know this girl has a few problems but I honestly, like an idiot, trusted her. And by trusting her I turned into a terrible little girl myself. When I like somebody, I tend to "absorb" their ways or behaviors, good and bad. I know this is quite terrible and I've been working on it, but...I really, really liked her.

After people in the comm started reacting negatively and quite nastily, I decided that this toxic dramapool wasn't worth it anymore. Because I'm a human being capable of being angry, gossip is spread that I'm violent even though I have never threatened anybody, nor have I actually gotten in a fight. Fear comes in two forms, it comes due to the unknown, and it comes due to guilt. If somebody is afraid then it's probably because you think I may have heard about what you've said about me.

People will always spread false information. Groups of women, no matter the reason for their gathering or socializing, will always be involved in drama, backstabbing, and nastiness. The larger, and more diverse the group, the worse it gets.

My trust in women has always been quite low, but aside from with my current female friends, it's even lower now.
Before you say that's misogynist or what have you, no that does not mean that I have complete trust in guys because I have zero trust in any guy that isn't family or my boyfriend, or a best/close friend of his.

So I've decided to join a comm that's more mixed in terms of gender, a comm I was already a part of over a year ago, the BJD comm. There isn't any vanity there, nor drama. People are there for the hobby, to share their dolls, and not to talk about themselves. Everyone is really, really polite.

For now, I just want to focus on myself and not fashion communities. I think it would be fun to join my local gyaru circle but I'm still learning to do my makeup properly and still need to acquire accessories for coords, so I'll leave that for later on.

I'm also thinking that I need some kind of hobby to have that's external to me so going back to BJDs would be great. The only reason I left the hobby was to fund my lolita wardrobe. Now, I've got no meets I wish to join so I'll be selling off most of it.

You're hurt at first but, eventually you find that lolita comms don't matter. You join them to have an excuse to wear your clothes. It's less weird if you're not the only one doing it, right?
They're quite superficial, and even though you're glad you have an excuse to meet people and make friends, after some time you notice that those people aren't as good or "normal" as you thought they were.

I can't really sit still, sit in one place for a very long time. It was a nice hobby for a while but when it's time to move on, it's time to move on.

That's what life is all about. You can only go forward.

School is almost over....

Sigh, I will be graduating the weekend after next...honestly, I can't wait for school to be over. This whole endeavor has been very stressful and soul-draining. I guess school just isn't for me. I like learning, I like education, but having to take 5 courses at once is pretty ridiculous when you have responsibilities at home and a job. All this work for a simple piece of paper certifying that I slaved away for 4 years.

On the bright side, today was the Student Expo at UIC. The undergraduate winner was....MY TEAM!
We were all very surprised  to find that we won, we thought it would be a certain other team. It was a pleasant surprise and I'm glad that the judges found our team particularly interesting. There were some snacks there too and we won a monetary prize, yay! Plus, we get extra credit for winning, too.

On another note, my wigs from Gwen in Stardust Creations came in today, one of them being the Gasai Yuno wig for my Yuno cosplay! It looks great, I just need the red ribbons. Can't wait to put it all together! So far I've got the wig, circle lenses (pink), garters, over the knee boots, and I just ordered a black, rubberized dress from Blackheart Lingerie. It doesn't really match the dress she has but I've been looking and looking and I can't find anything close that isn't ridiculously priced. Anyway, that should arrive next week, and my cosplay will be complete! :3

Sketchers Lunacy Dragon Tattoo boots are here! + my first Putumayo skirt~

OMG. TWO POSTS IN ONE DAY?!
Yes, well my boots arrived today! I ordered them from Shoebuy.com. They also have them on 6pm.com (great HD photos there from all angles!) but sadly they didn't have my size. Amazon also has them but they cost more--mind you, Amazon lists them as made of leather but they're not (well, it's fake leather).

I ordered a size 7, even though my foot measures 23.5cm, which is a 6.5. They fit snugly with cotton socks, but aren't uncomfortable! I wore them a bit about the house and they're very comfy!

 OOTD (with different boots though):

As for my skirt, I bought it off the EGL comm sales, and I think I'm totally done with tracked packages from Canada--this one had no tracking and arrived in one week (yesterday)! The brand is Putumayo but I have no idea if this piece has an official name. Either way, I ♥ butterflies!

New Liz Lisa dress, 4 Oufit Ideas!

Hello dears, I meant to post earlier but I had a very long paper to write by Monday ;___;

Thankfully that's over, and I did receive my latest Liz Lisa dress in the mail the other day, of course I couldn't wait to try it on and see how I can wear it with the shoes and stuff I already have. Here's what I came up with.
Which do you like best?

(click for larger image)

I love the contrast of #2 but I also like the boots with it, in #4. I really like how this piece can be dressed up or down. They're hard to see, but the heels in #1 have bows on the sides.

Unfortunately, the weather in Chicago is awful, and by no means is it dress weather.I can't wait for summer.

Ubran Decay Naked2 Palette Review

So today I decided to actually try my new stuffs out! I put on the busted shade in my crease&lower lash liner, the verve shade on my lids, and the foxy shade for my browbone. I also tried out the Supercurl Curling Mascara, and I used the lip plumping gloss that came with the palette. Sadly the photos I took were with my phone and they're tinted yellow so I don't have any photos to share!

My thoughts on the shadows: Excellent! NO creasing, I used some of the primer potion that came in one of the sample cards as well, and I applied this makeup at 9:30am, and right now, it's still just as it was this morning!

The lip gloss: Tastes sweet, smells sweet. It actually reminded me of Burt's Bees Beeswax lip balm, because when you put it on your lips start feeling nice n' cool! I love it and hope I don't lose it, the tube is fairly small!

The mascara: I love it! I've tried many different mascaras, but this is my first one with a curved brush. It applied evenly to my lashes, separated and spread them, and it is the only mascara I own that also evenly applied to my lower lashes too, with absolutely no clumping! It fans out my lashes and curves them upward. I've been wearing it since 9:30am, and it has not flaked whatsoever, and my lashes are still curled!

I would recommend all of these items!

Urban Decay 50-for-50 Review!

In celebration of rediscovering this blog that I had completely forgotten about, I have decided to do a review on the Urban Decay order I just received today! Urban Decay is currently running a "Spend $50, get $50" promotion, so I decided to take advantage of it, and ordered the NAKED2 palette. I placed my order on April 10th, and chose the USPS Priority Mail option, which was free for order $50+.

The items arrived safely in a box stuffed with Styrofoam peanuts (I don't have a photo, sorry!), and everything was wrapped up (click photos to enlarge!):
 

When I unwrapped the first layer of tissue:


Close-up of the natural shades card:


Inside of NAKED2 Palette--the mirror isn't funky, there's a film over it!

Bonus bag is a zippered travel bag:
 

And the contents:
-Primer Potion sample
-Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup sample with a shade matching card
-All Nighter Long Lasting Makeup Setting Spray ($12)
-Eyeshadow in the shade "Sin" ($18)
-Supercurl Curling Mascara ($20)



So altogether, the bonus items to add up to exactly $50! Even if they didn't, it's always nice to get free stuff :D

I am pleased with the order, and I really can't wait to try out my new palette!
Although...after paying so much I kind of want to use is sparingly! It is my most expensive makeup item right now. I do think it's going to be worth every penny, though.

Thanks for reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! ♥