Wednesday 21 September 2011

Sweet Days

I meant to post this blog entry a long time ago but I forgot.

As a gyaru, you should have heard of circle lenses by now. Even if you're not a gyaru, chances are you've most likely still heard of them. Ayumi Hamasaki has released her very own brand of circle lenses in a collaboration entitled 'ayumi hamasaki x Sweet Days'. Whilst Ayu isn't a gyaru herself she's known for her eyes so this is really interesting for her to release!
It's my understanding that she didn't design the lenses herself, but is the face model. To be honest, I'm not too sure. Maybe we should ask her on twitter?



I find this picture really interesting because it doesn't look as though she's wearing lenses but her eyes certainly aren't that light! Her eyes must be huge for her to be able to wear circle lenses and still have lots of eye white! I'd take a guess that she's wearing either Cacao Brown or Princess Brown.

The lens themselves come in lots of colours:
  • Loving Black
  • Kiss Me Black
  • Heartful Black
  • Milky Gray
  • Crystal Gray
  • Cacao Brown
  • Princess Brown
  • Honey Gold
  • Sparkling Gold
  • Apple Green
  • Blue Wish
  • Magical Violet



    The website for these state that they're between 14.0mm and 14.5mm but Ayu herself claimed that they were actually 15.0mm on twitter. The eye close-ups on the website look a little weird to me as I'd rather see them on a face full of make-up!



    These are Sparkling Gold. To me, these are definitely the weirdest lenses! They don't appear to be enlarging anything and I've never seen a pair of circle lens that don't have a dark border before.



    These particular lenses are Cacao Brown. I really like these and I'm not too sure why! They just happen to look really light and look really nice, okay? Haha.



    This is Apple Green and I really, really like the colour. It kinda reminds me of Geo's Bambi Lenses for some reason. They're really pretty and look as though they'd be great on darker eyes which is always a bonus! Maybe it's because of the close-up but they do look a little weird, I wish I could've seen this on a full face rather than just the eye.



    Blue Wish is the disappointment of these lenses for me. They don't seem to show up too well on darker eyes which seems a little odd considering these are to be sold in Japan where darker eyes are more prominent. Maybe they'll look nicer on lighter eyes?

    These lenses aren't too cheap sadly as they retail at 4,200yen (!!!). I would kinda consider buying them just because I'm a huge Ayu fan but I don't have that sort of money to drop on some lenses and I can't get lenses in for some reason.

    The website for these lenses is here and they do have a Rakuten store.

    I've also heard that Miss Hamasaki is also releasing some eyelashes! I'll do a post about them once I know a little more.
  • Sunday 18 September 2011

    BB Creams in the UK

    BB creams are slowly but surely making their way into the UK market. I've compiled a list of the few I've found for your leisure and ease should you not wish to import a BB cream from abroad.

    Incase you're new to the whole concept, the BB in BB cream stands for 'Blemish Balm'. These amazing little creams are popular in East and South East Asia and are slowly making their way into the Western cosmetic market. Originally designed to soothe the skin of patients who had treatments, these are now being used for cosmetic reasons and apparently work really effectively!

    The most famous brand to bring the BB cream to the UK is Garnier.



    The marketing campaign Garnier have launched for this seems huge! I'm always seeing it advertised in magazines and on TV. As this was only released last month this only comes in two shades at the moment, but I imagine if the demand is big enough they will release more shades as time goes on. At the moment, this is SPF15 which seems considerably lower than the Korean BB creams I've seen.

    Another big name who has also launched a BB cream would be MAC.



    MAC is a popular brand with gals so I was pleasantly surprised to see this. Instead of marketing it as a 'blemish balm', MAC has taken a name which may make it seem more desirable to people and named it a 'beauty balm'. Unfortunately, this only comes in one shade but I imagine that if the demand is high enough they will release this BB cream in more shades. It has a higher SPF than the Garnier BB cream, with SPF35. Personally, if they release more shades I would be very tempted to try this one out!

    Illamasqua has also released a product which acts like a BB cream, although they're marketing it as a foundation.



    I only discovered Illamasqua whilst I was putting some research into BB creams in the UK! The brand itself seems a little dark, if not gothy, but I've heard extremely good reviews about their products! The BB cream is no different, even if it is marketing itself as a foundation which may throw some people off. This BB cream doesn't have any SPF in it, however, it does come in a massive 18 shades so I'm sure there'll be a shade for everyone!

    Personally, I think this is the most interesting BB cream I've come across.



    This particular BB cream looks as though it's a powder! According to the reviews I've read it's actually creamy upon touch, although the small brush is a major flaw with this product. Once again, this has no SPF but comes in 5 shades.

    In addition to these, Clinique also has a BB cream on the market but it doesn't appear to have been released in the UK yet. I couldn't see it on their website when I checked, but maybe it's on the Clinique counters in stores?

    So guys, what do you think about BB creams exploding into the UK market? Yay or nay?

    Saturday 17 September 2011

    ASOS Coat

    Hey guys!

    This is just a quick post I'm sending from my phone to see if it will send. I blogged on Thursday about the lovely WC style coat I purchased from ASOS and yesterday evening it had arrived! These are quick posts in my pyjamas because I've no make-up on today!





    This bedroom looks so boring but I just shelled out this summer to have it redecorated.

    I'm also considering starting up a blog roll, what do you guys think? :D

    Friday 16 September 2011

    Irregular Choice

    I've been meaning to post about this wonderful brand for over a month now but I never get around to it!

    In case you've never heard of it, Irregular Choice is a really unusual shoe store which sells some statement shoes - hence the name. I believe I briefly mentioned a bag and shoes I personally own a few posts ago. Irregular Choice has both stores in the USA and UK so if you can you should really check it out! Why? The shoes are fabulous and you're always complimented on them.

    Gyaru brands such as MA*RS and hime gyaru brands such as Jesus Diamante always have the most amazing over the top shoes. It feels really rare for stores outside of Japan to produce shoes like these and Irregular Choice seems to be filing that gap just a little.



    These little beauties go by the name of Apple Turnover and they look really comfy despite being heels! They kinda remind me of horse hooves due to the unusual texture of them. Fur is practically a gyaru winter staple so these are almost perfect for the winter! Now, if only the snow and ice would go away so I could go out and wear these...



    Despite the fabulous name of Party Pants these boots don't seem to partyish. Or pantyish. What I do like about these boots is the fact that for Irregular Choice they're really understated. The shape of these boots is really nice! Also, black goes with everything even if it is gyaru or not. Persoally, I'd really consider investing in these just because of how understated they are!



    This particular shoe is part of the Poetic License series and is called Backlash. I've been lusting after these for awhile, actually. They're really pretty and a type of shoe you can wear throughout the day or glam up for nightwear. Mustard is a hot colour for autumn in gyaru and whilst this may not be exactly a mustard shade, it's not too bright of a yellow you may just get away with it.

    For all of you girls who would prefer not to wear heels, they have these...



    This is another shoe in the Poetic License series called Notice Me. They're definately more suited to day wear but they're a nice alternative if you don't want to wear the high heels of Backlash.



    Fabric Footwork is practically the best name for these shoes. The bow is really cute and sweet! These don't really do it for me but that heel is amazing enough for me to want to post it.

    I'll stop here before I find myself wanting everything on the Irregular Choice website! They also sell some really cute jewellery (i.e. bear rings, ice-cream earrings, etc.) and some really unusual clothing too. A lot of their shoes also have matching shopper and cluth bags so your bag will always match your shoes. If you have a penny to spend I'd definitely advise having a pair of these in your wardrobe, they're really nice. Almost an Irregular Choice, you could say.

    Thursday 15 September 2011

    With Nothin' in my Pocket got some Gal Coats in my Closet

    If the slightly obscure title didn't grab you, let it be known that I want to talk about winter coats, gyaru style! Or at least my struggle to find one I liked! As I'm sure everyone on the Northern hemisphere knows the weather is getting colder and winter is slowly creeping it's way in the climate. Unfortunately, most of us don't live near the equator so it'll be very cold and you want to be looking good whilst being warm, right? I wouldn't advise going out in the snow without a coat on!

    Personally, Liz Lisa is my favourite gyaru brand. It's so girly and sweet; for someone like me that's perfect. You think it'd be easy to find a coat that looks similar to the outerwear considering their Autumn collection is named 'Royal Lady ~Neo Retro British~.



    ...Apparently not. Somebody please show me a coat on the UK highstreet that looks similar to this. This coat is from their wonderfully named Autumn collection which, whilst at first seened brilliant to me, has left me sullenly kicking my feet in frustration.

    I think the closest winter coat I've ever seen that's felt really girly would be this one I had last year!



    This was from good old Primark and lasted me through all weathers; however it's looking a little shabby so it's time to invest in a new one. I look horrid in this picture, I need to stop taking photos of myself after I've been shopping and faced the gloomy winter weather! This coat was so simple but the rose buttons and swing shape of it made me feel super girly.

    This year I've not had much luck finding a coat I like. It's the same old parkas and padded coats everywhere. Parkas with fur can be really gyaru but it just doesn't do it for me.



    Parkas can be great for gyaru, like the Lipsy one above. Fur is always popular in witner in gyaru and it just adds the right touch. The thing I like most about this particular parka is that it's not dull green that most parkas are!

    I had looked at every website and was genuinely despairing that the big man up there just did not want me to have a winter coat this year. I didn't want to wait until the winter collections came out, because I don't have any warm coats other than the warmest coat ever (which makes me look as though I've gained 5 stone but I digress).

    I then remembered this coat which has been doing a few rounds on gyaru blogs due to it's similarity to the W♥C bear eared coat from last year. When I went to purchase it the first time it was out of stock so I gave up and looked for something else but ASOS currently has this little beauty in stock again!



    It's similar to this coat from W♥C:



    It looks really warm and comfortable! I've always wanted to try out W♥C and this is the closest I'll find to it on the UK high street.

    What coat are you wearing this winter?

    Friday 9 September 2011

    Alfie

    I got to take some photos of the cutest little dog a few weeks ago! His name is Alfie and he's around six months old! I really want a dog now, even though I'm really frightened of him. He's so nicely natured, even though he did pull all the skin from my knee when I was trying to get him to be still for photos!




    He's extremely cute, and he wouldn't hurt a fly! If he's playing with you and he bites you he kisses it better. :)

    Now, to keep this blog back on track, what do you guys think about this dress? I really like it but I'm not sure it's 'gal' enough. I'm really having a tough choice with a winter gal wardrobe because I want to look fashionable but I also want to be warm! When I'm cold I tend to be miserable and swear a lot which is never a good thing.



    The dress is from lavishalice.com
    Yes or no?

    Wednesday 7 September 2011

    It's all about YOU

    Hey gals (and guys, if you happen to be reading this!)

    I've been thinking and I'd really like to know what you would like to see on this blog! I will admit that there's a part of me writing this for myself but I want to know what you, the readers, think.



    If there's anything you'd like to see me blog about, anything at all, please let me know! I want to make this blog fun for you guys as well as me. If you have suggestions, comments or just posts that you think would be interesting for me to write about, leave a comment and I'll get right on it.

    Thank you all so much for reading my blog, it does mean a lot to me~

    Monday 5 September 2011

    Ripped Off

    I'm a little tired today so please excuse this post if it's totally incoherant. It's been a long day. A few weeks ago I posted a photo of myself wearing this. As you can most likely tell, this is an awful replica.

    Now, why would I buy a replica? Completely unintentional!

    I've been eyeing this particular playsuit up for months now so the moment I realised I could buy it I jumped at the chance. Silly me, I didn't check out the store! It turns out Sweet gyaru shop is notorious for selling replicas which I foolishly didn't know about since I never researched! I had realised something was wrong when I opened the package because it's really poor quality but I've gotten nowhere with it.

    I now know not to buy from there again, but for everyone else please know that this is a warning!

    I wouldn't want people to make the same mistake I made.

    Anyway, did you notice the emoticons? They're kinda cute~ Should I keep using them?

    Sunday 4 September 2011

    Passport~

    Yesterday, I went out to get a passport photo taken! I'm going away to Disneyland for my birthday in February and my current passport expires the day before I fly so I needed to go and get some new photos taken. Normally, I would've just thrown on some jeans and a vest top but since it's now officially autumn, I wanted to be able to wear one or two of my summer favourites one last time!

    So, this is what I wore:



    Dress: Lipsy
    Headband: New Look
    Shoes: Priceless Shoes lmfao
    Bracelet: Primark
    Ring: Primark

    I really love this dress from Lipsy~ I had a very similar one but I only got to wear it twice and it ripped 'cos it was super cheap. This one wasn't and it's lasted a lot longer too! Normally I 'grunge' it up a little by adding a black belt and boots but I was confident it wouldn't rain so I could wear those shoes. It felt really nice being all girly!

    Those shoes are actually my 'comfy' pair of shoes. Alas, they gave me blisters this time. :(

    I sort of toned down my make because it's for a passport photo and I'm sure they wouldn't want ginormous lashes and panda eyes and a face full of blush. I meant to take some photos but I didn't have time since I was running a little late! The photos are rofl hilarious, I'm literally going o___O when I was trying to look pretty! Alas, I now have another hideous passport photo to follow me about hahahaha.

    Since I never scanned any of those photos from it, have a look at this. My legs are so bendy, like rubber bands lmao!



    So weird!

    Let's finish this song with my current jam. Wired Life by Meisa Kuroki. She's fierce~

    Friday 2 September 2011

    Oneesan Ni Natta

    Hello gang!

    I'm blogging today about Oneesan Ni Natta, how many of you have been reading this? It's a collaboration magazine between Ageha, nuts and I &heart; Mama.



    Currently there's only four issues out so it's a relatively new magazine. Naolani at livejournal posted some scans of volume 2 up and so I could introduce you all to this magazine, I thought I'd make a post using some scans! As she says, it is like a more sophisticated version of Ageha, so if Ageha isn't for you I would recommend checking this out!



    I really love the code of the girl on the right. It's kinda girly without being too girly and pink, if you understand what I mean?



    This is another code I love! The girl at the top is wearing such a cute outfit! I think if I could wear something like this to work I'd be really pleased. It's really nice. Her hair is gorgeous but that's another story!




    I really liked this section, actually! It was nice to see how different wigs could be incorporated into gyaru and it just shows how important they can be in achieving those hairstyles! It was nice seeing them put into catergories too.

    That's all I'll post but I really recommend trying this magazine out. I hope that more magazine scans will become available soon!