Dreamy Bows

Whilst browsing on Tumblr I came across a store that catered to hime and lolita fashion, Dreamy Bows. I've never worn lolita because I personally feel like the style wouldn't suit me and I haven't got the guts to even think of dressing myself in Jesus Diamante but I decided to take a browse around the store anyway. It wouldn't hurt, right?

Wrong.

I ended up blowing far too much money there!

As a UK based importer of Japanese brands I found some surprises there. They stock from DreamV, Chocomint, Angelic Pretty, Dolly Wink, Diamond Lash... I could go on. I had been looking at a pair of shoes that I used to see on DreamV (ironically I can't see them on the store anymore so perhaps they were removed since...) but I had stopped myself from buying them due to sizing issues. DreamV actually had a size chart that broke the sizes down into UK sizes.

Did I crumble and buy them? Oh yes.

Was it worth it?


Yes.

The package arrived within two days and everything was securely wrapped. The shoes themselves came in a cute pink and white plastic bag and were in perfect condition. They even had a Dreamy Bows tag attached to them around the heart shaped heel so it was really easy to remove.

I was really surprised at how quickly they arrived and the size of the box they came in!

The website recommends going one size lower because the shoes are big fitting. I have awkward feet at a UK size 5.5 so I'm forced to usually wear a size 5 or 6. I bought the size L shoes and I promise you that they fit fine. There's even a little room should my big old feet decide they should want to grow.


Honestly, I thought these shoes were going to be a pain to keep on and uncomfortable. I've always had problems with slip on shoes but I've been lusting after these shoes forever so I was willing to deal with those problems. Surprisingly I've never once had these shoes slip off my feet. I've walked up hills in them, I've jumped around with them, I've stumbled around in them and they've always remained on my feet even with cute frilled socks on!

They're also surprisingly comfortable. I had heard that Japanese shoes had extra padding and were more contoured to the foot previously but I had always brushed this off because I've heard a lot of brands say that and fail to deliver.

These actually did. I didn't get any blisters from them and I had no sore feet despite wearing these shoes for hours at a time. I have extraordinarily weak ankles so I fall a lot and I never once fell over with these.


I'd honestly buy from Dreamy Bows again just because of how fast and convenient the shipping was and the fact that they convert shoe sizes for me. They also sell accessories, make-up, wigs, etc. I've actually purchased Chocomint accessories from them and they're exactly as pictured.

The top 5 things on my wishlist are as below:

❥ Curly Split Wig - Honey x Brown
❥ Diamond Lash - Dolly Eye
❥ Dual Strap Lace Bag - Boston Brown
❥ Rose & Pearl Heart Heels - Pink
❥ Super Long Taro Wig - Brown Blend

If you're a lolita they also stock Angelic Pretty items which I know can be a pain importing.

Stay sweet!

Gyaru Spring Colour Trends

I thought it'd be interesting to see if I could come up with co-ordinates from UK stores that would incorporate most of spring's colour trends, as per Sara's post on this at Moments Like Diamonds.

These were done just to pass the time and to see if I could actually pull something like this off!

Lipsy



Lipsy Tape Pocket Jumper in Oyster. - Pales/Pastels
Lipsy Belted Pleat Mini Skirt - Monochrome
Lipsy Patent Chain Pump - Pales (also available in black: monochrome)
Lipsy Swallow Stud Earrings - Pastels
Lipsy Pearl Bow Pendant

I concentrated on the pale/pastel trends for spring in this co-ordinate. I added the polka dotted skirt to bring in the monochrome theme and stop the outfit from being too overly girly and Liz Lisa-esque. It's really cute!

Topshop



Hieroglyphic Silk Jersey Tee - Monochrome
Black Ponyskin Skinny Belt - Monochrome
BowBelted Shorts - Monochrome
Cats Eye Sunglasses - Monochrome
ALBI Mid Ankle Boots - Monochrome
Aztec Mesh Stretch Bracelet

Monochrome is still popular as ever with Mode. A big misconception about monochrome is that it has to be smart, so I thought I'd attempt to put a co-ordinate together that's a lot more casual than it is smart!

New Look



Striped Roll Sleeve Top
Coloured Skinny Jeans - Pales/Pastels
Crochet Flower Elastic Headband - Pales/Pastels
Flower Pendant Necklace - Pales/Pastels
Oversized Oval Ring - Pales/Pastels
Mel Apple Bow Shoes - Pales/Pastels
Pastel Across Body Bag - Pales/Pastels

This is a more feminine and Liz Lisa-ish take on the pales and pastels trend. I included the jeans because Spring time isn't neccessarily warm! I absolutely adore the shoes I used in this, they're so pretty!

River Island



Beige Chelsea Girl Long Sleeve Blouse
Light Beige Chino Shorts - Pales
Light Brown Peeop Toe Brogue Books - Pales
Beige Croc Satchel - Pales
Gold Tone Eiffel Tower Necklace - Pales
Cream Pearl Heart Bracelet
Beige Chunky Cable Socks - Pales

I went straight for the pales trend for this one! I think it looks quite smart; River Island also has a beige pair of trousers that could be substituted instead of using the shorts. The colour scheme is pretty basic but I quite like this.

So there we have it; four co-ordinates using stores on the British High Street using the gyaru spring trends colour palette. How about we make this five? Show me yours!

Spotted!: Fox Tails

Fox tails have been practically a gal staple for the past few years or so. I first became aware of them after Ayumi Hamasaki began wearing them following the release of her evolution PV ten years ago back in 2001.


Wow yeah~

Gals are always wearing these; you only have to look at egg, ageha and all of the other gal mags throughout the years to see these! You can normally find them online for a decent sort of price, although the only problem is that you can't guarantee if it's a real tail or a synthetic tail. This has always put me off purchasing one as I'd prefer for it not to be real.

As I was taking a break from work I wandered onto the H&M website and I was pleasantly surprised they were selling a fox tail bag charm! Naturally, I expect that it is quite small considering it's for a bag and relatively cheap (£4) but other than that it looks pretty good. At least now you won't have a massive tail on a tiny bag!

You can check it out here if you're interested.

Hope you all have a good day! I have some gal nail spam coming up for you within the next few posts!

Missguided

Hey guys and gals!

I hope you've all been okay. I know I have! It was my boyfriend and I's second anniversary yesterday! We haven't celebrated it yet but I'm going to see him in a few weeks so I'm sure we'll celebrate then.

In the meantime, I eventually found time to check out Missguided and I'm really unsure how I've not looked at this before. Whilst it may not be the biggest or best webstore around there are a few items of clothing which I think would look great with gal style.



Hooray for a picture sloppily put together on a Sunday night!

I'm not sure if this can be considered 'gal' as it doesn't have many of this season's trends in, but some of the things in this outfit remind me a little of Liz Lisa. I really do love Liz Lisa so I'm pretty stoked at this.
The dress is really sweet, don't you think? I really like the bows on it and knitwear is always approved with how cold it's going to get! You can get the dress in a white colour too, but I really like pink.

The bag reminds me most of gal style. The bow is really nice and I can imagine this hanging off the arm of Tsubasa or Mizukitty. It looks pretty big too so it'd be perfect for shopping!

The other elements were kinda thrown together at last minute to be honest. I do like the idea of the glasses and tights (although the tights may not necessarily go well with these...) I actually really want this outfit! I think it's the sort of thing you can dress down to look stylish and casual, or dress up to look smart and sophisticated.

Perfect!

What other webstores do you gals like to use?

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?

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?

Gyaru Style in the UK: Lipsy

Hey all!
I meant to post this yesterday, albeit I completely forgot about it! Work has been a little hectic this week so I've been coming home exhausted and just relaxing. I have definitely not been looking my best.

In my last post I briefly mentioned Lipsy and I'd just like to show how whilst it is a UK brand, it really can incorporate some elements of gyaru style. It's rare but you can make gyaru work on clothes in your own country. I'm not being sponsored or anything, so please don't get the wrong idea, I just think people need to stop giving up on the brands in their own country. It also happens to be that Lipsy is one of my favourites.

First up, I'd like to talk about this Lipsy Dotty Jumper.



It's really cute, isn't it? I really want this in my own wardrobe.

The first thing that caught my attention about this is the peter pan collar. Over the past few months I've noticed these have been on trend in both the UK and Japan, although I do think that's due to the retro girly and blogger style that has been very in fashion with gyaru. The polka dots also really add to that trend, which I really love. I also really like the colour; it's more autumny and mute compared to the bright florals and colour blocking trends of the summer. I'd be a fool to say that this is going to be big with gyaru in the winter, as it may not be, but the fact this is knitwear makes me really want to invest in this! It's really cute and hopefully warm!

This currently retails at £35.00 which isn't too bad; I've seen pricier. I really do want this in my own wardrobe, I'll see.~


I've really noticed that maxi skirts have been making their way into autumn trends for gyaru this year. They seem a bit more floatier and lighter than the Lipsy equivalent but...



This is the Lipsy Pleated Maxi Skirt. Maxi Skirts and dresses seem to be a popular summer trend for gyaru each year, so I'm surprised to seeing skirts in this style coming into the autumn trends. I do believe I saw a similar skirt to this on the Milsqur website which is really surprising as usually gyaru favour shorter skirts. I have seen some brands (I think Cecil McBee was one but don't quote me on this) that have had slightly shorter skirts, around knee length. If it was a brighter colour maybe it'd look more gyaru?
Lipsy also stocks a culotte which looks very similar to this skirt, you can see that here.

I don't really like this skirt so I'll be staying away from this. It retails at around £50.00 which is a little pricey for something I really don't like.

Finally on my list is the Lipsy Crochet Back Cardigan.



I wouldn't really say this was too gyaru but maybe I'm thinking on the wrong mind frame. The dusky colour of it really does step away from the bold colours that's normally associated with summer. It's colder without being too cold, if you understand my point? No. Never mind. I've seen a lot of gyaru wearing cardigans in the autumn online catalogues, although maybe that's because cardigans are practically a staple for autumn and spring - it's not too hot nor is it quite cold enough to pull on your winter jackets. What I really love about this is the back detailing, I've seen lots of gyaru items with unusual backs so I think this may just fit right in. Also, I really do like how long this looks. Although it's not as big as the gyaru brands oversized cardigans (which are making an appearance for autumn, may I add) it's still sort of big for a UK brand.

This retails as the dotty jumper at £35.00, and it's also available in black and grey if you're not feeling too colourful.

Out of everything I've spoken about today I'm most wanting the Lipsy Dotty Jumper, but that may because I really do love the retro girly trend. I'd love to see it in some codes!

That's all for today, I should hopefully be back tomorrow!

Also, I am still working on the wardrobe post I promised. I will hopefully have all of the pictures taken by Sunday and I'll get to work processing them and putting it together!