I wrote this post yesterday as I won't be access the Internet for a few days as I am going to Disneyland! It's my birthday today and I have been super excited for this trip for a few weeks now!
Duchess was my favourite in this movie but Marie is so cute!
Outfit of the Day
On Saturday I went to have a meal with my family in my favourite country pub to celebrate my birthday! The food is always so nice there! Afterwards I went shopping to treat myself to some nice things.
This is the outfit of the day.
Awful picture I know! My camera battery died just as I tried to take a picture so I had to use my phone which has the worst camera ever.
EVER.
I love the jumper I'm wearing; I bought it to work the pastel trend but it was a bit more neon in real life than it looks on the website. Yes, the boots look odd. They matched the brown coat I was wearing that day though.
The necklace is a peacock! Super cute.
I'm wearing the Dolly Wink lashes I blogged about earlier. A mini review would be the top lashes are easy to put on and blend and work with. An absolute dream.
Those lower lashes.
Oh man.
I need to practice a little more with them as I couldn't work them. They're not on quite right in my opinion but it's okay for a first attempt.
Eye make-up wise I'm wearing blue, lilac, oyster and brown eye-shadow but I have badly hooded eyelids so you can't really tell. I'm still properly teaching myself how to put on eye-shadow with my hooded lids. I really want the surgery to fix them...
I bought: LUSH Cupcake Face Mask LUSH Jumping Juniper Bar Shampoo LUSH Tisty Tosty Bath Bomb LUSH Sweetheart Soap Rimmel London Eyebrow Pencil Rimmel London Black Kohl Eyeliner Rimmel London White Eyeshadow MUA Love Heart Nail Polish (recommended by Blooomzy)
That's all for now! I'll speak to you all when I get back!
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As with any fashion culture, gyaru have their very own magazines to follow. Whilst some magazines try to cover as much of gyaru culture as they can there are some which cater to particular sub-styles. Magazines contain tutorials, tips and tricks and the latest fashion trends. Lots of magazines also use the same models issue after issue which can propel some of the models into the spotlight across Japan!
Edge Style
Edge Style is almost a one-of-a-kind magazine when it comes to gyaru. The target audience is the onee-gyaru; or to be more specific older gyaru. Girls younger than 25 need not apply. Whilst it does focus on the fashion side of gyaru it also highlights gyaru who have started their own business. It's a really positive thing to see! Unfortunately because of this it does make it quite wordy so if you're using gyaru magazines for inspiration I wouldn't recommmend this.
The magazine contains street snaps of gyaru, snaps of shop staff and even a gyaru-mama section! It focuses less on fashion and make-up than other gyaru magazines which it makes it quite unique.
Egg
Egg (egg) is one of the most notorious gyaru magazines. After propelling Buriteri into the spotlight the magazine left the shelves for awhile only to later return bigger and better than ever. This magazine has stood the test of time and been on the shelves in Japan for ten years now. It tends to focus on the most popular styles of gyaru; when ganguro was at the height of popularity it followed that style but now it has adjusted to suit the current market of gyaru.
The magazine contains street snaps of gyaru on the street and tutorials for both make-up and hair. The magazine also looks into the latest gyaru trends that are hitting the streets. The magazine also almost exclusively uses their own models; some of these models have been with Egg for years now whereas some of them are new. Eventually the older models will leave to make room for new models; some of the current Egg models include Kanako Kawabata and Manami Suzuki.
Interestingly this is one of the only gyaru magazines which has a sister magazine of sorts for gyaru-o; MensEGG.
Happie Nuts
Happie Nuts focuses on onee-gyaru and those gyaru who adore tanning their skin. It focuses on the sexier side of gyaru rather than the 'cute' image most younger gyaru aim for. This magazine is slightly overshadowed by it's wildly popular sister magazine, Koakuma Ageha which is another magazine targeting gyaru.
The magazine contains the standard fare of gyaru magazines; tutorials for both makeup and hair and the latest trends. Of course, this magazine focuses on the trends that will most interest onee-gyaru! Like Egg, this magazine uses it's own models, who are required to be tanned, which are affectionately nicknamed 'Nuts Mates'. Ema Matsumoto (see: Emoda) actually used to model for this magazine!
Jelly
Jelly is the younger sister of Ranzuki and was created after the success of a Ranzuki spin-off magazine. The magazine targets the onee-gyaru and of course, any other gyaru who want to pick it up although it does tend to lean towards older gyaru. One of the main styles it focuses on it mode! Like Popteen this magazine also attracts celebrities to do features: celebrities such as Namie Amuro, Ayumi Hamasaki and Korean girlband KARA have all graced the pages of the magazine. Despite being classed as a 'gyaru' magazine it is also accessible to other fashionable girls who may simply not be interested in the 'gyaru' culture.
As well as including celebrities among it's pages the magazine also has it's own models such as Yuuki Yamamoto. The magazine also features fashion editorials, interviews and how to recreate outfits that the models have worn.
Koakuma Ageha
Koakuma Ageha is the sister magazine of Happie Nuts. First starting as a spin off magazine under the name of Koakuma & Nuts it changed it's name to Koakuma Ageha and began it's own monthly release. This magazine is practically a textbook on how to be a hostess and the agejo sub-style actually claims it's name from this magazine! It's one of the most popular gyaru magazines currently in circulation.
If you're wondering what the name means, it literally stands for Little Devil Swallowtail. It's primary audience is the onee-gyaru but this was picked up by hostesses. The magazine contains street snaps, tutorials and once again this has it's own models; although it does feature some models which appear irregularly. The magazine also has adverts that reach right for the audience.
The magazine has also collaborated with it's sister magazines to produce volumes such as Oneesan Ni Natta.
Popteen
Popteen is one of the most prolific magazines out there in Japan, so prolific it has made it's way onto the shores of other countries. Whilst it may not be a strictly gyaru magazine it does cover a lot of the current gyaru trends so it's definitely worth checking out. Unlike the other magazines I have mentioned so far, the target audience isn't onee-gyaru but actually teenage girls!
As it isn't strictly a gyaru magazine as well as the usual features found in gyaru magazines, it also has a celebrity interviews. Japanese celebrities such as Ayumi Hamasaki, Koda Kumi and Namie Amuro (who was credited with starting the very first wave of gyaru!) have all made appearances in the magazine. The magazine has also launched the careers of some of the best known gyaru models such as Tsubasa Masuwaka and Kumicky.
This magazine used to have a sister magazine called PopSister which targeted an older audience. The magazine ended in 2011 after the departure of Tsubasa Masuwaka.
Ranzuki
Ranzuki is a gyaru magazine which targets teenage girls. This magazine is particularly famous as being the older sister to Jelly which is another magazine dedicated to following the gyaru style. The magazine itself is fairly popular among the gyaru of Japan. It's a fairly colourful magazine!
As with all gyaru magazines this contains tutorials for hair and make-up. The magazine also has it's own group of models whom grace it's pages. It focuses on the current trends in gyaru fashion and attempts to predict what trend is up and coming.
Scawaii
Scawaii is one of the only gyaru magazines that makes attempts to branch out into other sub-styles. Onee-gyaru get their features, Mode gyaru get their features and the general trends in gyaru-kei are picked up upon. It's the sister of Cawaii, another magazine which has since ceased publication in Japan although it does remain active in other Asian countries!
Scawaii is unique as it doesn't stick to only one sub-style but it attempts to branch out into all of them. Tutorials are featured in the magazine, as well as sstreet snaps and co-ordinates. Sometimes the magazine will choose to focus on one brand and select their picks for the season. Other times it may highlight the upcoming key trends in gyaru fashion. Whilst it may not quite compete in popular with Ageha, it's still a magazine you should watch out for!
The magazine also sometimes has famous celebrities on the front cover and sometimes an interview may be conducted.
Soul Sister
Soul Sister is a gyaru magazine that is significantly different from the others as it focuses on OraOra Kei. For more information regarding this, please see Universal Doll's post about it by clicking here. As this sub-style is fairly different from other sub-styles you can expect a gyaru magazine with a harder image than your usual gyaru.
The magazine itself is fairly new, having only come into publication in 2009. It features PuriKura snaps and street snaps; it doesn't quite feature tutorials as heavily as other magazines It also follows th latest happenings within OraOra Kei and any significant trend changes.
~x~
Are there any other magazines you consider gyaru? Or do any of these strike you as being non-gyaru? Let me know in the comments!
A few weeks ago I posted a blog post about a neat new website I had discovered called What's In My Handbag.
Firstly, I want to thank everyone who signed up via my link. As a result WIMH kindly sent me a little goodiebag to say thank you which I really appreciate!
The thank you letter was a really nice touch! I would have posted a picture of the box but I actually couldn't get it open and had to hack away at it with scissors.
The nail polish is called Valentine on the bottom, but according to Filthy Gorgeous' website it's also named Fire Engine Red. It's definitely not as bright as it looks in the picture!
I have the shortest, stubbiest nails ever so this was lost on me but maybe I can use it as inspiration to stop biting my nails!
You know, short nails don't look good.
Definitely not good.
The second item I thought would interest you gals is this lipstick by Paul & Joe. It's in shade 2 and it looks like a pretty shade of pink!
I've not tried either of these items yet.
But that's because I'm working on a surprise for you girls!
If you haven't already please do sign up to WIMH. I would invite you but apparently I've ran out of invites... If you would like to join though let me know and I'll hit you up with an invite as soon as I can get my account issues sorted!
Whilst gyaru will wear almost any brand there are some which are popular in different types of sub-styles. Each brand brings something different to gyaru style. I've put a 'popular with' section but it doesn't mean that those types of gyaru will always wear these brands but I have seen a few gyaru from that sub-style wearing clothes from them.
1. Alba Rosa
Any gyaru worth her salt will have heard of Alba Rosa. The brand famously shut doors in 2005 after sales began to decline due to a bad street image caused due to manba and other unruly gyaru. The store reopened its doors at a later date luckily. Their hibiscus print is very well known.
Cecil McBee is one of the most popular gyaru brands. Whatever they put out the gyaru rush out to buy it and it is often the highest selling brand within 109.
Cocolulu is famous for their cheerful colours and their cheerful style. The clothes are unique yet versatile enough to fit into numerous sub-styles of gyaru as well as gyaru-kei.
Despite not having a online store this brand continues to be popular with gaijin gyaru and agejo! The store has some pretty unique jewellery and very sexy clothing!
Popular with: Tsuyome, Agejo, B-Gal, Onee-gyaru No online store
5. Egoist
A store that is very popular with gyaru. It will often showcase the season's essentials so they're definitely not to be overlooked!
Popular with: Mode, Onee-gyaru, Agejo, Gyaru-kei Website.
6. EMODA
The brain child of ex-ViVi model Ena Matsumoto, this brand focuses particularly on Mode. The store itself manages to look effortlessly cool and chic.
Popular with: Mode
7. Galaxxxy
With it's bright colours it's hard not to stand out in this brand. Whilst it may not have originally been set up as a strictly 'gyaru' store, the gyaru still flocked to it.
Popular with: Manba, Tsuyome, B-Gal, Gyaru-kei Website.
8. Gilfy
Determined to make gyaru look cute and sexy, Gilfy knows exactly what gyaru want. It's one of the brands you've most definitely heard of if you've researched a little into gyaru.
Despite being almost a call-back to the early 2000s GOLDS Infinity has still proved to be popular with gyaru. And why wouldn't it be, with it's lace and the ever-daring leopard prints?
Looking for all things girly, sugary and sweet? Jesus Diamante will most likely have something for you but watch out for the price tag. Being a princess has a hefty price tag.
Slightly more affordable than Jesus Diamante, La Pafait is another super girly brand. It sells everything from clothing to super cute cigarette lighters!
Not to be confused with the non-gyaru American store of the same name, Lip Service radiates coolness. It's hard not to look the epitome of fashionable when wearing this brand.
This brand has recently exploded with popularity and is adored by a lot of gyaru. The style is very sweet without overstepping into Himegyaru too much. Perfect for people who like girly clothes but without wanting to overdose on pink.
Popular with: Kogal, Gyaru-kei, Himegyaru Website.
14. MA*RS
Popular with the Agejo gyaru, this brand definitely has unique clothing that will make you stand out. Everything is really cute but with that slightly sexy edge.
Despite not being the biggest brand tutuHA has captured the mind of gyaru. With it's own slightly rougher and less than perfect side it's nice embracing the rock side once in awhile.
Hey all! Welcome to the brand new Clara-Nee, aka Hippogrape! To be honest I hated the old layout and it was only supposed to be temporary but I hate coding so I never bothered changing it until now haha. It's a lot prettier, right? Do you like it? It's a bit girly but that's the sort of thing I adore.
For old time's sake here's what the old layout used to look like.
It's very boring. You can see the new layout all around you. It's much nicer in my opinion.
The layout itself isn't quite finished. There'll be one or two subtle differences and things added and things deleted but it shouldn't impact too much on your blog experience. Hooray for us!
So. CLARA-NEE or Clara-Nee or Claranee or whatever you want to call it. I think it's a much prettier name than Hippogrape. I actually wanted something prettier but those annoying people who set up accounts and blogged from them like, once, had taken all the names. That's so annoying, why not purge your account if you don't want it any more? Some of us wanted those names!
Hippogrape was quite a bad name. Do you want to know where it came from? It came from this:
This is me in the morning. Or perhaps all day haha. As this was me I wanted a blog that would reflect how truly hideous I am under all the make-up and photoshop but I liked CLARA-NEE better.
Clara is the nickname I have given my laptop as I blogged about a few days ago. -Nee comes from... well it was the only name that wasn't taken on both Twitter and Blogger but let's just say it came from 'Onee-gyaru'. Although I am not gyaru I still know stuff about the style. Let me be your Nee-chan!
I came up with most of the design myself. The background is actually modified from Liz Lisa's website. Do you remember a few days ago how I was all, "I WANT THIS BACKGROUND"? Well I got it and I changed it slightly to make it more subtle. It looks super pretty.
This took eleven hours to do. Why eleven? The first five were spent coding it and it went all wrong and I had to restart from scratch. Trust me, a lot of tears and tantrums were had.
To conclude, please expect a few more changes being made to this blog. Hippogrape is now CLARA-NEE so please update all your links to reflect that. The blog's new e-mail address is claranee@hotmail.co.uk so if you wanna chat feel free to e-mail. I'll get super lonely otherwise and you don't want that, do you?! Don't be mean now!
Today I want to talk to you about gyaru or specifically different types of gyaru! This is my second post for my Febrary gyaru month.
Whilst gyaru is the 'name' for the style there are many different sub-styles such as Ganguro, Himegyaru and Agejo. Whilst most of these may seem very foreign to an outsider any gyaru worth her salt is going to know the difference between the different types of gyaru. Let's start at the basics.
Gyaru is a Japanese street fashion (if you haven't guessed by now!) which is the transliteration of the English word, 'gal'. Gyaru is a fashion that is inspired by both Western aesthetics as well as fashion. Sometimes people call it 'Asian girls dressing like white girls'. I could go into how gyaru are viewed by Japanese society but I'll keep that post for another day. Now we've had our brief introduction I can start going into the different sub-styles of gyaru.
Agejo
Agejo is a style that can also be referred to as kyabajo. The agejo style is very glamorous and quite sexy and quite often worn by hostesses which is where kyabajo comes into the style. Some of these girls are not hostesses but many are; if you're unsure what a hostess is they're typically girls who dress glamorous in order to attract men. The girls sit with the men in exchange for money; sexual services will sometimes come into the equation but that depends on the gyaru.
Sakurina, a popular model who follows the agejo sub-style.
The gyaru who follow the agejo sub-style often have hair which is dyed brown or blonde which is usually styled in curls or up-do's. The use of extensions and wigs are popular within the style. As you can see the style is very girly and as previously mentioned, glamorous. It's not uncommon to see an agejo with brand-named bags and jewellery and if they're a hostess they'll often be wearing dresses which are slightly over the top. Magic Monroe is a popular brand for these type of gyaru. A popular magazine for these type of gyaru is 'Ageha' which actually started the name for this sub-style!
Manba
Manba is one of the most well known gyaru styles overseas. It was born from the yamanba sub-style which died out back in 2003 and is considered one of the more extreme gyaru styles. The style always seems to be changing so it can be a little difficult to keep up with the evolution of the style.
Gyaru who follow manba often have a dark tan and highlight their features with white make-up; this make-up is particularly focused around the eyes, lips and with a stripe on their nose which makes them look a little like a panda bear. They wear club wear with lots of neon colours and this is layered over other clothes. Their hair has a tendency to be bright colours or blonde and will either be braided or cut into a mullet style. Some manba carried on wearing diamantes around their eyes as a call back to the yamanba style whereas some of them do not. The main differences between manba and yamanba are their choice of make-up and clothes. Manba make-up will often include various colour of eye shadows and coloured lashes which weren't featured in yamanba. In addition, yamanba included frequent use of leis and Hawaiian prints whereas manba does not.
Despite being a sub-style, manba has another sub-style called tsuyome manba which is even more extreme and uses copious amounts of accessories.
Banba
Banba is often seen as a lighter version of manba but in reality it's pretty much a style on its own. It's a more toned down version of manba.
The tans are much lighter and the make-up is a lot more subtle. The ever so popular nose-stripe isn't quite as blocky as it would be and the neon hair colours aren't as common. The clothing they sport is a little different too as the colours aren't as neon coloured or dramatic as manba. However their make-up is still a little extreme; false eyelashes are much more extreme and some banba have a tendency to use lots of glitter!
B-Gal
B-Gal is a sub-style which is identifiable by the clothes. Clothing in this style tends to be a bit more on the R'n'B style of things so they include sexy dresses, sneakers, caps, etc. The style is quite colourful!
Having a tan is important to being a B-Gal and must be upkept 100% of the time. Hairstyles in this style are very recognisable such as cornrows and extensions are a must. Hair can also be wavy and some B-Gals dye their hair a plethora of colours. You could say that rasuta gyaru is a sub-style within b-gal; rasuta gyaru wear lots of Jamaican flags and straw handbags and listen to Bob Marley.
Ganjiro
Ganjiro, or Shiroi Gyaru are gyaru who aim to keep their skin "beautifully white" (bihaku) and apply sun-block. They follow all the gyaru trends as they come and so but just without tanning their skin.
Some ganjiro do tan their skin but only very lightly. Having pale skin has recently started to become popular in gyaru so it's not uncommon to see gyaru without a tan. Of course it can be difficult to follow some of the styles where darkened skin is popular (such as manba) but lots of other gyaru styles can be applied to the ganjiro image.
Amekaji
Amekaji is an "American Casual" style. It's a casual style that can be worn on a day to day basis. Clothing in this style has a tendency to be 'American' like but with a unique twist on it.
One of the most prominent brands that is found in this style is Cocolulu so you could say that this style is the carry-on from the now outdated coco-gyaru. This style often makes an appearance in the winter as the clothing can be very warm!
Oneegyaru
Oneegyaru is the sub-style name which represents all of the gyaru who have left high school and become an 'adult'. The style is sophisticated as it is supposed to be a little more grown up than other gyaru styles.
Oneegyaru have a tendency to wear high brand items and stiletos and boots are popular. It's almost in the same vein as agejo but just not quite there. It's one of the most popular styles and as gyaru grow up, a lot of them are considered oneegyaru. Most popular magazines have a tendency to target this style as it is quite broad and gyaru following other sub-styles can easily take inspiration from the ever fashionable oneegyaru.
Himegyaru
Lots of people will have heard of this style. Himegyaru literally stands for "princess gal" and is almost the epitome of feminine. It's often recognised by the puffy, curly, beehive style hair but the clothes also play an important role. The only time it is ever acceptable for a himegyaru to have her straight is if it's in a up-do or short.
Himegyaru clothes are usually pink, white, blue, red or even black and usually dresses. Bows are common within the style and one of the most popular brands is Jesus Diamante. Basically the whole style is based around what a princess should look like but there is a sub-style within this which is a lot more relaxed called himekaji-casual hime. This style is usually very expensive to upkeep as being a princess has a price tag!
Mode
'Mode' is the Japanese term for 'high fashion' and currently a very popular sub-style within gyaru. It's a much more mature way of wearing gyaru fashion and looks very sophisticated and sexy. The sub-style places an emphasis on designer brands (such as Chanel, e tc.) instead of casual wear. Although it's not necessary to wear designer brands it's important to give the impression that you do.
False lashes are still used in this sub-style although the large, curly hair isn't required. The style focuses on making dramatic silhouettes through sleek lines and bold patterns. The substyle has it's own particular stores such as Emoda and Murua.
Ena Matsumoto, producer of Emoda and ex-gyaru model.
Gaijin
Gaijin is the Japanese word for 'non-Japanese', so a gaijin gyaru is a foreign girl who is wearing the gyaru style. They follow the rules of gyaru style and will most likely fit themselves into one of the sub-styles.
There are many, many styles of gyaru. Some of them are dying, some of them are dead and some of them are active. However it's all about wearing what you want to wear and looking how you want to look; you can fit into more than one sub-category of gyaru! Styles I haven't included include Kogal (literally child gal) who are gyaru who are still in school, and the infamous ganguro style as it is now dead. There are also sub-styles for gyaru male counterparts such as gyaruo.
Imagine the scene: one day you're sitting and your laptop starts spewing smoke out of the air vents. What would you do?
If you're like me you panic and post to facebook for help! Basically my old, rubbish laptop decided to start jingling like I had put pennies in it and then next thing there was smoke coming out of the air vents. I was told to clean the vents but the actual bottom of the laptop wouldn't come off. In fact it's still sitting in the corner of my room without any screws securing the bottom.
How's it still staying on?
By superglue?!
But I digress. I had to use all of the money in my Jimmy Choo shoe fund to replace my laptop. Meet Clara, my new laptop:
Yes, yes. I realise she is little bit hideous because she is bulky and black but that sort of fits into my room theme so that's okay. She's a real mean machine and superior to my old machine in every single way.
The Liz Lisa website is so pretty is't it? I'd love a blog that was designed like that. Maybe I'll try to do that one day! Hopefully I don't blow her up like I did with my last two laptops. Technologically gifted I am not.
Hey everyone! Today's post will be another review. I don't actually have my own pictures for this one; my old laptop blew up. Poor thing. I have my new, shiny laptop now which I have nicknamed Clara! I managed to salvage some of my blog posts but not my pictures which is a shame because I had a fabulous image of me with this face mask on my face!
This blog post is not sponsored. All opinions written here are my own and I am not being paid to say any of these.
I'm not too sure why but recently I've fallen in love with Lush again. I received some of their bubble bars and ballistics for Christmas so this may be why but I ended up popping into my local Lush store. I had intended to start my own skin routine despite being told my skin was in pretty good condition because who doesn't want beautiful skin? I don't agree with putting chemicals into my face because it's my skin and I'm sure natural items are the best for it.
I purchased a face mask, cleanser and toner for myself and received samples of two of their other cleansers as well as a moisturiser. I thought I'd review Catastrophe Cosmetic, one of their face masks.
If you're unfamiliar with Lush I highly recommend checking out their website. They can tell you about who they are and what they do so much better than I can. They're anti animal testing and use lots of vegan ingredients. They also invent everything they make and everything is fresh. As an example, this face mask has an expiry date on it because they don't use preservatives! Everything is made really fresh. If there's a Lush store in your area I would highly recommend checking it out as they will provide you with samples as well as recommendations. Plus it smells really nice!
Catastrophe Cosmetic uses ingredients that occur naturally or in naturally in essential oils. Some of the ingredients this uses are Blueberries, Sweet Wild Orange Oil, Calamine Powder and Irish Moss Gel. The only ingredient that is synthetic is just the perfume in the face mask which makes it smell really nice. I was pleasantly surprised! A full list of ingredients can be found at Lush's website. The website goes into detail of what every ingredient in the mask does. For example, fresh blueberries are an antioxidant and full of vitamins and minerals whilst the irish moss gel will soften your skin. As I am writing this blog as a 'gyaru' blog let me put it this way to you; do you ever see a gyaru with horrible skin? Sure, make-up can fix everything but the last thing you want is for your skin to be aged beyond it's years so when deciding on what to use it can be useful looking at the ingredients of products!
This is blue in colour and creamy to touch. When I first saw the pot I thought, "Wow, it's tiny!" but you can get more than one use from it so it's definitely worth the money. I'd say you can get 6 or 7 uses from it before the pot runs out but that may just be me! Did I mention the smell? It smells really fruity, exactly like blueberries. If I'm going to have something on my face I might as well make it something which smells really nice!
As this was my first ever face mask I was a little wary about how to apply it. I need not have worried to be honest. A thin layer of this face mask goes a long, long way and I was pleasantly surprised when I had finished applying this as I had barely made a dent in the tub. It's pretty standard but there are chunks of blueberry in the mask which can be a little surprise when putting this mask on. I left this to set for ten minutes as recommended. After about five minutes my face could barely move and after ten I could barely speak! It didn't leave my face feeling tight or anything of the sort. It washed off very easily.
It looks grey here but I can assure you that my tub looks more blue-grey.
Results I left this about a week before reviewing to see what sort of effect this mask would have on my skin. At first it made my skin very soft and made it glow and look as though it was really healthy which I was very pleased about. I noticed impurities forming on my skin but those were gone after a good night's sleep so I wasn't too worried. A few days after use my skin uncharacteristically broke out. Big time. I believe that this may have a link to the face mask since I haven't had problem skin like this since I was 13 years old. I am going to keep using this face mask with regular use until it runs out to see if it has an effect; if so I will update this review accordingly. My younger sister has been using Cosmetic Warrior with fabulous results so I'm assuming that it may just be my skin.
Pros: ❥ It smells really, really good! ❥ Easy to apply ❥ Leaves the skin soft and glowing
Cons: ❥ Don't use this for the first time before parties, etc. Make sure it's a two week period where you diary is dead because chances are it will cause a break out. ❥ Made so fresh that it has a expiry date
I give this face mask: ♥♥♥ღღ
All images for this are from the Lush.co.uk website.
I've decided that February will be a month dedicated to gyaru and I have prepared a few posts full of information for everyone! I hope that you're all able to enjoy the upcoming posts even though they will be pretty wordy.
I won't lie; I am pretty inspired by gyaru fashion. I love the way the girls can express who they are and who they want to be simply by their clothing and make-up; each different style seems to give them a new personality. I like following the style and seeing what they're choosing for each season but realistically I do not have the time, patience or money to be hardcore follower. I'm just someone who is inspired by them.
So gyaru. What is it?
Gyaru is the Japanese word for 'gal'. It is a fashion style which is followed by young women in Japan as a style of rebellion. It is named after a brand of jeans which was called 'gals' back in the 1970s but the name has stood the test of time. The style itself is very girly and glamorous; some of the sub-cultures within the style can be a little bit sexy!
Oh, like that ganguro thing?
That is pretty close! Ganguro was once a popular style back in the 1990s but it died away into obscurity back in the 2000s. The ganguro style has since evolved into yamanba, manba and plenty of other styles. There are different types of gyaru away from all of this though.
I see. So how do gyaru typically look?
That depends on the type of gyaru but universally all gyaru like to look 'fake'. Natural beauty has no room in gyaru. It's very rare that you'll see a gyaru with black hair; their hair is either dyed brown or blonde. Some gyaru do dye their hair different colours such as red and purple though. Gyaru make-up has a tendency to be pretty distinctive too. The eyes are made to stand out through black eyeliner and both top and bottom eyelashes. Some gyaru accentuate their eyes further by wearing circle lenses as they make their eyes look larger. Some gyaru also decorate their nails with a little bit more than nail polish; if you saw a gyaru with long nails with little Chanel ornaments on them don't be surprised! Some gyaru love to have tanned skin although the degree of the tan depends on what sub-style the gyaru is following.
Type of gyaru?
Yes, there are different sub-styles within gyaru which I will blog about later. Different styles include himegyaru, agejo and manba. Each style has their own preferences for how they want to wear their hair and how they want to wear their make-up, as well as how they want to wear their clothes! 'Gyaru' is the collective name for the entire sub-style and it can get a little confusing!
Is Kyarypamyupamyu gyaru?
No. Stop that.
Sorry Kyary...
All pictures for this post were sourced from Tumblr!
