[Review] ToAlice and SpreeNow!

Yesterday my SpreeNow order arrived! I got 2 dresses from ToAlice and 2 purses from a random taobao shop.

I ordered the dresses on 06/19/15 and though both were from the ToAlice webshop, the mermaid dress is by "Doll Paradise" and the jellies dress is by ToAlice.

The mermaid dress was on preorder and my SS told me it would be a 30 day wait, and so it was! The jellies print dress was already in stock so it arrived to them super fast. The total, incl shipping to the SS and their fees, was about $120 for both the dresses and the purses. Unfortunately, the shipping was $55, but it was by Chinese EMS (the cheapest option) and the box was quite heavy because of the purses. The package was shipped 07/27/15 and arrived to me on 08/04/15.

This was my first time ordering through SpreeNow and it was a very easy process. Their agents are fluent in English and respond very quickly, and each item has it's own chat. I do recommend SpreeNow and will using their service again in the future!

Over all I'm happy with the quality of both dresses, the mermaid dress is very well lined and exactly as pictured, and so is the jellies dress. I actually haven't tried either of them on yet, so not sure what the fit is.

Everything was wrapped up in this sticky wrapping when I took it out of the box.

It was all well packaged and sealed.

Unfortunately one of the bags, which I thought to be red, is hot pink instead! I might paint it or something.

 The bows and skirt overlay are not detachable, but the neck ties are. This is the mermaid print by Doll Paradise and I ordered the mint colorway, it's pretty cute! Features a panel of shirring in the back--no waist ties, no lacing.

 Random bloody knife xD

I've been wanting a cute jellies print dress but this was the only one that I really liked that was also super affordable! Too bad the Jellies exhibit at the Shedd Aquarium is gone v.v
The waist ties and bow are detachable.

Well, thanks for reading and I hoped this gave some insight to the toAlice shop! Overall I had a positive experience and am happy with both of my dresses! Follow me on instagram to see them worn!

[REVIEW] Sweet Loreley - Lyrical Poetry

Wow I haven't blogged in ages, been pretty busy with school!

So the other day my Sweet Loreley (Taobao indie brand) order finally arrived after waiting for...... 4 months.
I put in the order using Taobaoring at the end of February.
Apparently, there was a fabric shortage or something, so instead of the dress being shipped from Sweet Loreley at the end of May, it was shipped later in June.

This was my first time using TBR as well, and while the order process itself is easy, it was difficult to communicate with them, they were slow to reply.

I ordered the regular jsk (there was a long version too) and headdress.

There's an actual poem on the dress!

The fabric is chiffon-like but it isn't chiffon given that it's so wrinkled. Otherwise it feels nice. The lining of just basic white muslin, 1 layer lining. Construction wise it is solid and no loose threads or anything that looks weak or flimsy.

This is the pink colorway but the pink of the dress is sort of purplish. The front lacing is a baby pink. It matches BTSSB's chiffon pink.

I'm going to wear it to a meet tomorrow so I'll post a photo ^.^

Overall, I do like the dress a lot, there are butterflies and tea cups and jewels and flowers and keys in the print. However, it cost me about $133 and I don't think it's worth that much. The wait time was also really long so I don't think I will order from Sweet Loreley again.

Thanks for reading ^.^
Until next time!

Lolli&Pops haul + Dracula: Untold Review! *NO SPOILERS*

Hello all!

Yesterday my honey and I had a nice little date day~

My outfit, cause I felt like being super girly~

First we went to see a much anticipated film--Dracula: Untold!
We are frequent movie goers and since there hasn't been a dracula movie in ages, we were both very excited to see it!

SO here's my review of it:
1. Would you Recommend this movie?
YES!

2. Vampire movies are common, what was different about this one?
I think this is why I liked the movie--it wasn't much like the others. This one focused on the origins of the story--it showed us how Dracula came to be instead of a modern-day vampire.

3. Was it too short, too long, or just right?
I think it was alright, but if you go to see it (which you should), you'll understand when I say that the end leaves you wanting more and makes the movie seem too short!

4. Overall acting?
I think it was quite good, no amateurs or awkwardness

5. Overall visual effects?
I like that it wasn't overdone--what you see in the trailer is what you get. Personally, I don't like movies that sell themselves because of their effects (i.e every single Michael Bay movie).
In addition, the setting, like the castle, looks nothing like it does IRL--confirmed to me by a former local resident--my boyfriend xD

And for a bit of a spoiler--the ending implies a sequel. I definitely hope there will be one!

And now for my candy haul! Lolli&Pops is a candy shop at the Chicago Outlets Mall in Rosemont. I've been there before, but they've got a lot more Japanese candies now!

They've got 2 kinds of the candy-food making kits, the sushi one and the cookies/cakes one seen here, they've got plenty of Pocky too! There are 3 rooms for candy-by-the-pound stuff and I just got chocolate and some gummy candies. It's a bit pricey though, each of the bags was roughly $8, so not too bad. 

The shop itself is very nice, and nicely organized, and the staff is pretty nice. One of them was fawning over my outfit, saying it was so adorable and since they made that remark every time I passed by it made me feel slightly annoyed/uncomfortable but they weren't being rude or anything like that.

I think I will stick to getting Ramune at Mitsuwa, tho, because I'm fairly sure it costs less than $3 each there. Not much less, but still! My bf tried one of the orange ones, he says it tastes just like Fanta!

In other news, I'm now learning French on Duolingo! A bit tough since it's totally new, but the app is great!

So, au revoir et bien nuit!

Mitsuwa Meet! + mini haul +First Ramune ever video!

Hello dears! I really need to get back in the habit of blogging more regularly...
Today I went to a local comm meet at Mitsuwa Marketplace, which is a Japanese market in Arlington Heights, IL.

It's got a Kinokuniya bookstore, a grocery store, a food court, and a bakery, as well as a Shiseido makeup counter and some other/smaller shops.

I didn't exactly wear lolita because my jsk is more of a casual sort~ it's short (I'm only 5'5/165cm)! Here's my coord:

 I'm wearing:
JSK: Innocent World
Blouse: BTSSB
OTKs: AP
Shoes: BL
Canotier: Rococo Soul
Star purse: Ebay

 

For lunch I had salty ramen! It was soooo yummy♥

 

Sadly, there is no photobooth there....so I did this on my phone but here is a cute selfie of me and my friend Aubree-chan♥

And here are all my goodies!! The mochi ice cream got kind of melty by the time I got home xD
And I also got some slim pocky+ 1 more bottle of rosehip/peach tea but I gave them to my bf~

Aaaaaand I've never had ramune drinks before sooooo I decided to film a reaction video xD

Lolita Asks!

Hello dears!

I actually started this a while ago but since I couldn't upload pics directly from my phone at the time, I got lazy and never finished! So I finally decided to complete this and update it a bit too!

A: Do you own anything from Angelic Pretty?
Do I?! At the moment I have:
-Invited to a Party OP in pink
-Crystal Dream Carnival skirt, OTK, brooch and wristcuffs in navy
-Dobby bustier blouse in pink
-Polkadot Chocolate Salopette in mint
-Romantic Rose Letter SK in mint
-Promenade de Paris SK/socks/headbow in mint
-Musee du Chocolat OTKs in black
-Cherry berry bunny otk in white
-Ribbon otk in white
-Candy Sprinkle long sleeve hoodie &purse & OTKs
-Pink&polkadot purse, probably  lucky pack item

B: Do you prefer Baby the Stars Shine Bright or Alice and the Pirates? 
I would say BTSSB. I did own one AATP set, which was the new year's lucky pack, with the bunnies, but I find that the more serious/mature prints don't really suit me....like I don't feel as happy and cute in them as I do with any BTSSB print.


C: Cutest accessory you own?
My Kuma kumya pochette and key strap! (mini kuma kumya)

D: Dream print?

Baby's Kuma Kumya-chan Sweet Chocolate babydoll JSK is definitely one of them but right now I'm not really actively desiring a specific print.

Kuma Kumya-chan Sweet Chocolate Babydoll JSK

Kuma Kumya-chan Sweet Chocolate Babydoll JSK

Kuma Kumya-chan Sweet Chocolate Babydoll JSK

Kuma Kumya-chan Sweet Chocolate Babydoll JSK

Kuma Kumya-chan Sweet Chocolate Babydoll JSK

E: Do you put together coords for various holidays? What’s your favorite?    
I haven't really had the opportunity to, I did once plan a coord for xmas but the dress didn't arrive in time. 

F: Do you have any lolita friends?
I do! I usually have a hard time making friends but I"ve talked to a few ladies online and made good friends ♥

G: Gothic or sweet lolita?
Sweet, sweet, sweeeeet!

H: How do you deal with getting “weird looks” because you’re dressed differently?
I just ignore it; usually people are just curious as to what I'm dressed up for, or why.

I: Do you think you ever went through an “ita” phase? Describe.
Yeah I think so....my coord to acen wasn't very good. I wore wrist cuffs with an offbrand long sleeve blouse LOL. And I didn't have anything done with my hair either.

J: Take a picture of all your lolita jewelry!

I know this is more than 1 picture but I don't really have room to lay them all out nicely atm! I have more jewelry that I wear in lolita but these are the actual kawaii pieces, as well as one BTSSB bracelet. I've since obtained a Baby key necklace that Masumi Kano handed out at the Anime Midwest BTSSB tea party though.

K: Are there any other styles that you like, such as fairy kei, etc?
I like Fairy-kei, Otome-kei, and Gyaru-kei! I really like roma-gyaru, I have several Liz Lisa dresses I like to wear.

L: Are you lifestyle lolita? Do you wish to be one day?
I'm not a lifestyle lolita, I don't really have enough pieces to be able to wear something different every day, nor would that be practical. I would like to be one, someday.

M: Do you watch anime or read manga?
Absolutely! I've loved watching/reading since I was a kid.

N: Favorite new 2014 print?
Hmmm, hard to say.....a lot of lovely prints came out recently....I like the chocolate prints AP's been putting out!

O: OPs, skirts, or JSKs?
Skirts, because I think they're easier to form a casual coord with. Next up would be JSKs or Salos, and finally OPs.
P: Favorite place to go while dressed in lolita?
To a meet ^^; I don't get to wear it anywhere else, except work, where I sometimes dress up to but even that is just otome and not full lolita. I don't get to wear it out on dates because my bf says I'm too dressed up and fancy and the places we go aren't "the place for that".

Q: Create your own question!Eeeehhhh no I'll pass xD

R: Rate these brands from your favorite to least favorite: Angelic Pretty, Btssb, A&P, Innocent World, Bodyline, and Metamorphose!
1. AP
2. BTSSB
3. A&P
4. IW
5. Bodyline
6. Meta

S: Do you think Sugary Carnival is cute, or overrated?Overrated. I don't know, I never liked it, to be honest. But I don't like any of the carousel prints except for DDC.

T: Favorite flavor of tea?Rosehip! (either by itself or the rosehip&hibiscus blend)

U: Cute underwear or bloomers?
Well...both! I mean while in lolita you got to have bloomers either way.

V: Do you like to wear vests or cardigans?I don't have any vests but they wouldn't match any of my stuff anyway. I do like cardigans a lot though.

W: Take a picture of your lolita wardrobe!

X: What’s the worst print or dress you’ve seen?
Ummm.....not sure....probably everything Milanoo xD

 Y: Upload a picture of yourself in lolita.

Z: What do you love most about lolita fashion? I mostly like how it is a transformation, and how that transformation can make me really happy and seriously boost my confidence.It's been impossible for me to feel upset while dresses all cute!