I did some thinking...

Long time, no speak!

I thought that this blog post was long overdue and I believe that you, my loyal readers, deserve an explanation.

Due to circumstances outside of my control my interest in gal and fashion has somewhat waned. Blogging became a chore. Nothing interested me anymore. It also didn't help when Blogger changed the layout from one I was comfortable with to one where it became the weird grey and orange thing it came.

So for awhile I sat down and thought, "Where do I want to go with my blog?" And to be honest, I still don't know! I still like gal fashion but life has been so hectic I can barely keep up. In fact I'm just chasing their skirts trying to keep up and failing.

After thinking long and hard: I'm not really sure where I'm going with this. But I want to improve my schedule and make more frequent updates. I plan to start updating a little more during the next few weeks so please look out for my posts!

Meanwhile, have a cosplay make-up test for Christa Renz from Attack on Titan which is insanely popular at the moment. I hope I did her well!

Animal Crossing

So, have you started playing Animal Crossing: New Leaf yet? I have! I even purchased a 3DS just so I could play this game and it's super cute! After playing Wild World I was determined not to fall to the craze but in the end the endless posts on Facebook and Tumblr caught me and I craved.

Can I just say that this was one of the best decisions ever? ♥

I've had so much fun playing it and it's really relaxed me after work!

This little guy is Kapp'n and he takes you to an island which has bugs you can sell for a lot of money (aka bells) in game. I go over there a lot and he always flirts with me (and then brushes me off because he has a wife). How rude! Kapp'n, please notice me! ♥


He also sings really cute songs about different things.


This isn't one of his better ones but it's one of the only ones I have a photo with!

I also have niceish neighbours but none of my dream ones yet. I really hope that one day, Muffy will move in! I have Eunice who is a sheep but when we were visiting one of our neighbours she kept me cornered in the room and wouldn't let me up. She looks nice but I bet she's totally weird underneath that facade. I can see through it!


Look at that look of horror!! Maybe she wanted this booty?

I also have another fashionista in my town! She likes Kyarypamyupamyu.


I totally didn't have anything to do with this. Honestly!

I've been playing with some friends too! They've been super duper helpful with getting me set up.


It looks kinda sweet, doesn't it? Two friends at the Aquarium?

So... have you started playing Animal Crossing yet? If not you should totally check it out! It's so much fun!

Black Out

I've been experimenting with my image a lot, trying to find something which I like for myself. My wardrobe is a mash-mash of fashions (I have smart, gal, sweet, creepy cute... everything) and my latest investment has fallen into the darker side of things. I've found myself quite enjoying wearing this outfit and the amount of compliments I've received whilst wearing this out and about has been amazing. The only time I've ever been stopped so much and complimented in my life was at conventions!

...Alas, my step dad took one look and went, "WHAT ARE YOU WEARING?!"

Can't win them all!

Dress: Vivienne Westwood
Hairbow: Miss Selfridge
Shoes: Off-brand
Choker: Off-brand
Ring: Miss Selfridge
Bag: Vivienne Westwood

I'm hoping to bring this t-shirt dress across to winter with me by investing in a pair of leggings (which are my pet hate). Lazy Oaf has charmed my heart with their selection of leggings and has managed to stop me from spending at Black Milk. I don't have an issue with Black Milk, I just really hate leggings!

Darker lips with a neutral eye were key this time and I actually ran out of time to get dressed, oopsie daisy! Hence the lazy eye make-up. I'm a total lazy girl at heart and lazy life has charmed me shamelessly. ♥

Instagram has a cool new video feature which you can use to take videos with! Check out my outfit post in video format!


Swiggity swag. If you're wondering the bruising on my knee is an injury from when a cute King Charles Cavalier pulled me over and it's still healing.

Until next time!

Blog Lovin'!

If you haven't been aware, Google Reader is unfortunately shutting down! In order to keep receiving updates from my little old blog I'd really appreciate if if you guys could follow me via Blog Lovin'. It's really simple to use and it takes one click - even better, you can import your content from Google Reader so you'll never ever lose your favorite bloggers. ♥

Thank you all so much for supporting Claranee!

I'll be back soon now I've got the inspiration to write and dress up nicely back. Things have changed since I last did a proper update!

Pssst did you notice the new blog header? ;)

Gemucon 2013

Hey guys and girls!

At the start of the month I attended a gaming convention called Gemucon at Nottingham in April. It was... alright to be honest. But I did have lots and lots of fun with the people who I was there with. I pretty much took photos of my own face which is a shame because my friends have lovely photos and I have... my... face... to show you guys. Woopsie daisy!

Thursday

So Thursday was traveling day! I met with my boyfriend in Newcastle (after a nightmare where I realised I had lost my rail pass and had to run around like a mad woman trying to get a new one) and we traveled down to Nottingham together. We were lucky to have our friends Mike and Askew on the train with us too as it really did make the time pass by a lot quicker, and our friend Katie got on at York to add extra fun to the journey. Yeah, we all somehow ended up reserving seats near each other in the same carriage! Even though none of us booked tickets together, so I guess that was super lucky!


Oh look. Cam whoring as usual.

Anyhow, once we got to Nottingham it turned out we were all in different hotels. Most of the guys were based near the Britannia Hotel where the event was being held whereas I was at the Premier Travel Inn. It was a really nice hotel, actually, and the staff were ever so helpful! They helped us get around Nottingham and were easy to laugh and make jokes with when we accidentally locked both room keys in our room so A+ grade for them!

The Britannia on the other hand...

My first impression of it was that it was huge. When we got in I was a little confused but you had to climb up to the third floor to get to the bar. In fact, this was called Floor R, meaning that things that were on the 10th floor were actually on the 13th or something which was really bothersome, but I'll talk about that later!

My second impression of the Britannia was that it was dirty. It looked like something out of the 1960s but with dirt and grot everywhere. The settees were ripped and ugh, everything just seemed dated. The windows had grime actually sticking to them, gross! I didn't eat there but I was assured that the food was nice, but I heard mixed reviews on the hotel room. One of my friends said his room was really nice and clean whilst the other said that they had mould on their bathroom wall.

We actually planned to leave to go to a bar called the Brass Monkey but were advised against doing so, so we ended up doing shots back at the hotel. At least it was cheap!

Friday

First day of the convention, first day of fun... hooray! I cosplayed as Junko Enoshima from Dangan Ronpa (which has been my bias as of late). Junko is a gyaru so I naturally had a lot of fun as her!


I wasn't recognised a lot but a lot of people were all OH DANGAN RONPA so I guess I did good sort of? The costume was fun to wear even though my boyfriend, my lovely, sweet, charming boyfriend, said that I looked like a street walker. Sigh.

We went to registration which was thankfully smooth and we were given a really nasty cupcake (that some attendees thought was acceptable to smear across the walls like children; no, it was a stupid and immature idea). We were also given a free drink voucher which we'd been promised. They'd been talking like it was an alcoholic drink but it was just a soft drink but that was okay. I was thirsty anyway.

I met with my friend Liah who I love dearly and don't get to see much of. We hung out the entire day and she saw my butt by accident.


We;d been waiting all morning for the games room to open because it said we'd be able to play Persona 4 Arena and there was nothing to do at the convention at this point other than sit around. Not to worry; the games room only opened seven hours late. It was an okay games room though. I had lots of fun on Playstation All Stars and Super Mario on the WiiU but some of the consoles we tried didn't have remotes that worked!

Actually, Liah and I spoke to a gopher who said all of the equipment showed up late and he'd been forced to move the TVs in the games room four times a few hours before it opened. They also decided to put the games rooms on the tenth floor. With two lifts (later going down to one working lift) I can only tell you how frustrating it was. In fact, the best part was when the doors opened at a random floor and Slenderman was just standing there and scared us all!

I ended up in a mini photoshoot. ♥


Friday night was a rock party night.

I didn't like it.

So I ended up really drunk.

Don't drink kids, it's very bad for you!

Saturday

Saturday I woke up aching all over with a swollen throat and a headache. Ick. I thought I might've been hungover but I ended up with a fever and being sick; I'd caught what I can only describe as the plague. Nonetheless I applied my make-up and put on my costume and went to the convention. Today I was Sonia Nevermind from Super Dangan Ronpa 2!


It was here that the first problem came to hand. I couldn't walk very far without wheezing and being unable to catch my breath. Nonetheless I soldiered on until I was at the convention, but spent most day sat at a table feeling very unwell and feverish. I took a quick trip to the games room and went back downstairs where I realised I was cold (despite running a fever), so I ended up sitting with a group of people including the ever gorgeous Charlie.

>

Look at her, isn't she gorgeous? What a perfect lady.

I ended up cancelling my photoshoot and going back to the hotel room as I felt very poorly. I ended up spending the night there trying to break the fever and generally having a miserable time. My boyfriend went to the party and he said it was dire, but that might be because he was trying to make me feel better about missing it.

Sunday

To be honest, I spent most of Sunday watching trash TV in the hotel room! I'd managed to break my fever and felt better so I dolled up and made my way out for the final party, which was cheesy music themed. ♥ It's a guilty pleasure, okay?

Dress: Miss Selfridge
Shoes: Garage Shoes
Necklace: Vivienne Westwood
Bracelet: Vivienne Westwood
Bag: Louis Vuitton

I also wanted lady like make-up and to look fresh and not one of the walking dead so here's a preview of it.


Although I wasn't drinking I had lots of fun hanging out with everyone. We had so many inside jokes and we had lots of fun, so thank you to everyone for bearing with me even if walking down three stairs winded me! There were so many glorious things done and said (dolla dolla billz anyone?) I just wish all of my lovely blogders could have been there to hear it all!

The conversation and singing genuinely made up for the fact that I wasn't drinking. I don't think I could've survived without everyone.


There was also a cosplayer giving our real roses to everyone. She was really lovely but later that night she ran into a mirror and bled everywhere, poor thing. I've spoken to her since and I'm glad she's okay!

Anyway. The reason I'm bringing this up is that my rose stalk snapped so it ended up being held in a unconventional location.


Flower. Boobies.

But no, overall Gemucon was fun because of the people who were there. I heard a lot of guests cancelled and dropped out and I do appreciate people trying to make this the best event it could have been, alas, I had more fun getting my eye sliced open. I think a better location, organisation, and perhaps guests who show up would be an improvement. We were promised party bags and glow sticks, but I never received any of them?

Until next time!

Tsubasa Masuwaka & Naoki Umeda

Back in October 2011 I posted this post about Tsubasa Masuwaka and her husband, Naoki Umeda. There were rumours back then that they would be splitting up but they didn't and continued their relationship!

Which is why that I was surprised to read that the couple had filed for divorce on Tsubasa's blog!


Now, we all know Tsubasa is gyaru royalty but I'm so sad for her, Naoki and Rion. I can only hope that the split is the best thing for them and that maybe they can go against the odds and still remain friends (especially for the sake of Rion, their child).

It's always really sad when a relationship breaks downand I can only sincerely hope that the two of them are happier with this decision.


What did you guys think when you heard the news? I was shocked!

Snooty Fobs & My Mother

A few weeks ago I stopped by Newcastle's Vivienne Westwood store in order to treat myself. I've been a good girl and worked hard all year; sometimes it's nice to treat myself.


I have a bit of a funny story!

For those of you who don't know, if you don't look as though you have a lot of cash to splash the shop staff at these stores will look down on you. When we went in we had to open the door (this is relevant okay) by ourselves and the shop staff looked both my mum and I up and down and blew us off.

Unbeknownst to them I was going to splash out so I paid little to no attention to them. If they want to be rude, let them! They'll get their just desserts one day!

Now, let me tell you about the store. It's large and quite quiet so everyone's talking in hushed whispers. A lot of things are behind glass cases but they have security staff on the doors just in case people like... try and run out with a shoe or something. I don't know! The shop staff were also watching us like a hawk because they were judgemental little gits.

Don't they know not to judge a book by it's cover?

Anyway, I pick up a bag and it was kind of love at first sight. I loved the bag, the bag loved me. Money was no object. I had to own this bag even if it killed me.


Look! Isn't it gorgeous?

So I've picked up this bag and I'm feeling pretty satisfied with myself. And then I hear it.

From the other side of the quiet shop my mother is like, "RACHAEL COME HERE QUICK." Now, I don't know what she's spotted. It could be anything. Like, expensive anything.

Now, let me tell you about my mother. She's a wonderful, charming lady who acts more 18 than 41. She gets excitable easily and sometimes I have to worry about her!! She also hates it when people act snooty and well, the shop staff had been acting snooty so you can imagine that she's really trying to show off.

What she's found is the purses. By the time I've gone over to her she's got the guy taking a purse out and I'm like, "Yes it's lovely. How much is it?"

And the guy is like, "£130," so I'm thinking WOAH I DON'T NEED THIS I COULD BUY SOMETHING ELSE WITH THIS.

My mother? "WE'LL TAKE IT."


Is it lovely?

Yes.

Is my mother a bad influence?

Yes.

...I wish I had more opportunities to use such an expensive purse. I'm very wary because what if it gets stolen? What an excellent purchase, brilliant decision Rachie.

Christmas 2012

I've been really late with my blog posts so I'm hoping to catch up soon!

Christmas 2012 was fairly boring. My family and I are close so it was almost as though it was a regular day to us (with presents!). I must have been a good girl this year as Santa was very kind to me! ...Although I've also been told I have too much money of my own so everyone decided to buy me things.

I received:

~ Mr. Kandee shoes
~ Irregular Choice shoes
~ Nail art pens
~ Scruffy Little Cat phone case
~ 2 boxes of Lush bath bombs
~ 2 sets of pyjamas
~ Lady Gaga's Fame perfume
~ A lot of Xbox games!
~ Body Shop stuff
~ an iTunes gift voucher
~ Deco'd headphones
~ A dress

I was a very lucky girl!


These are the Irregular Choice shoes. They're so comfortable and have perfect foot support. I was really surprised at just how comfortable they are!


These are the Mr. Kandee shoes. They came in their own dust bags and I had a look on their website and they weren't the cheapest so I'm grateful to my family for buying me these shoes. At the moment, my ankle is very weak so I keep falling over a lot so I can't wear them until it's stronger. It's a shame, isn't it?


What I wore! I always think this blouse makes me look a little fat but I have a BMI of 19.2 so I can't help it. At least I'm healthy! The jeans are corset jeans and are ridiculously comfy to wear, like, you don't understand!!

Blouse: Lipsy
Hair Bow: Miss Selfridges
Jeans: eBay (surprise!)
Jewellery: Miss Selfridges
Shoes (not pictured): Litas by Jeffery Campbell


My sister and I. I wasn't wearing too much make-up because my step-dad was yelling at me to hurry up haha. By the way my sister was a much darker colour in real life! She'd had a spray tan done by Rebecca who used to be in Geordie Shore and she went really dark!

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas and New Year!

2012 in Review

Happy New Year!

Ah, it's kind of weird to be talking about what happened last year when I have outstanding posts from six months ago to still post but with it being the start of 2013 it only felt appropriate to.

2012 was an interesting year. It had both ups and downs. The last few weeks were pretty bad because my mood just hit rock bottom but it's been a genuinely positive year. I broke out of doing mundane things day after day and tried to live a little. So, lets have a year in review!

January

Nothing much happened!

I just enjoyed the Christmas after glow and bought some products that are usually out of my budget because I could.

I also found myself purchasing Lush skincare products which was the start of frequent visits to Lush.

February

My Gyaru month! I did three core posts on gyaru. People seemed to really like them so I wrote some more!

My old laptop began to blow smoke out. I used my Jimmy Choo shoe fund in order to replace her and nicknamed her 'Clara'.

I rebranded by blog from Hippogrape to CLARA-NEE and redid the layout. It was very stressful!

My 20th birthday was this month! To celebrate I visited Disneyland Paris and had so much fun.

I stopped chomping on my nails on the day of my 20th birthday. Brilliant!

March

I started my 'Blog of the Week' feature which ran for a few weeks.

My old Blackberry contract ended so I upgraded to an iPhone 4, which has honestly been one of the best investments I've made. I genuinely adore my phone!

I actually don't remember too much of March for some reason. Good things probably happened!

April

I SAW THE HUNGER GAMES and I was so happy! I... ugh, what a perfect movie!

I attended Kitacon and cosplayed! It was ridiculously great. I'm so sad that it's not running in 2013.

I griped terribly at all of the summer clothing. It was just so bad, you know?

May

May was a tricky month. A lot happened. I refrained from posting a lot about my personal life as it was a very bad time for me.

I first started taking a strong doze of anti-depressants this month. For the firs time in many years I was able to see myself properly in a mirror and think positively. I didn't reveal this because it felt embarrassing at the time that I had crumbled so much that I needed to become another statistic but I have been so lucky to have a doctor who I can easily work with until I make a full recovery.

June

I went to Edinburgh in the searing heat. I didn't get sunburnt, surely I should get some sort of award for this?

I made my 100th blog post and received a Lovely Blog Award and a Versatile Blogger Award. Thank you so much, everyone!

I booked an appointment to have my eyes lasered by Optical Express.

July

I didn't blog too much because I had my laser eye surgery and spent most of the time being banned from wearing make-up which can really kill a girl's mood!

Let's just face it. I didn't do much at the end of the year. My blogging interest fizzled out a little because I started writing a lot and playing a lot of video games. It's shameful, I know! It's not my fault I really like Saints Row!