Gyaru Progression 2014

In 2014 I began to take gyaru a bit more seriously and thought I'd do that kind of meme where you post what your make-up looks were over the course of a year just to see how I'd improved!


This starts at March 2014.

March 2014

I'd bought my few gyaru brand and my first pair of DreamV shoes and I was in love with them. Although I didn't have the make-up down I still did a bit of light contour on my face and wore Dolly Wink lashes which was my staple throughout the years.

I've always had a love/hate affair with white eyeliner (ick) on the lower lashline and in this phase I was all about it. Yikes.

I was still too nervous to wear circle lenses with my 'gyaru' look because it felt like a big step although I had started being able to wear lenses by this point (also the day I took this selfie I'd been wearing circle lenses as part of a cosplay so I was a bit wary of keeping them in for too long). Also: half wigs. I'd discovered how magical they were a few months prior and loved them as they made hairstyling super quick and easy.

April 2014

I was in London during this time of year. I'd actually started applying the circle lenses to go out in and loved it. I was able to keep them in for a little longer than recommended too and I felt fabulous. Those cat ears... I loved them soooo much and wanted them to be on trend forever so I stubbornly kept wearing them to try and bring them back.

I had no lower lashes at this time because I was still stuck in the era of, "I LOOK STUPID WITH THESE BOO HOO." I also was wearing that GOLDS Infinity dress as it was my most 'gyaruable' item that wasn't himekaji. Shortly after this I went back into the himekaji route only to fall out of it shortly after.

June 2014

May was a terrible return to himekaji and I refuse to talk about it as I feel so dumb looking back at it.

This month was... questionable.

The photo I'm using was from a girls night out where I was too nervous to bring full gyaru out with me but attempted to attempt an eyeshape with black kohl liner which I hadn't worn in years. Coordinate-wise I think there was something a bit 'party-gal' about it but I'm not too impressed with myself.

July 2014

This month was where I started trying to make a serious attempt. I was still relying on wigs for my hair as my hair styling skills are nonexistent. I'd purchased a few of my first ever MA*RS items and applied to an English gyarusa, JEWEL (although I freaked out when they messaged me back and ran away like a coward because I was so nervous and awkward). I put together my first ever agejo coordinate and I'm still in love with it and the items I bought. I think I'll always treasure those first few MA*RS items.

I tried not doing the heavy gyaru make-up I'd began learning but I think that suits me more which is a lesson I'd learnt. By this point I'd stepped away from Dolly Wink and was using JEWERICH lashes which I'd purchased for my Junko cosplay. I also had lower lashes from Diamond Lash at this point so... ~improvement~.

August/September 2014

As much as I loved agejo I went into experimenting with hime for a ball outfit. I learnt a lot during this phase.

I began doing my nails again and I learnt how to use my half wig to make my hair huge and with lots of POOF. I was wearing six types of wigs on my head including two fringes and two rope wigs, it was crazy. I had also gone back to using the eyeshape I really loved and purchased my first Jesus Diamante item.

I had a lot of fun researching hime that month.

October 2014

I put two pictures down as I did a lot that month. Both codes are MA*RS because I was in love; the first code was the same one from July but improved. I had better jewellery and a better understanding of how to use my half-wig to make my hair have more volume. I also became a lot more comfortable with how I posed in photos and what to do!

I also began to experiment how to mix other fashion brands into codes - I wore Harajuku brand KOKOkim with MA*RS and it worked a lot better than I had anticiapted. Codes aren't always my strongest point but I was very proud of that evening. I'd also tried mixing some Shibuhara looks together but I'm not personally sure I liked them.

November 2014

I'd done big gyaru hair but I wanted to try going more relaxed for everyday things, as well as using clothes that didn't look gyaru and making everything look gyaru (that turtleneck is MA*RS I'll have you know!!). Natural hair colours have been making their way back into fashion so I attempted something I'd seen by mode brands but with... well, my natural hair. Still undecided on this. It was a experiment but I think it looks a bit creepy.

Still... I learnt something which is what the point of this is all about. Mixing and matching.

December 2014

OKAY, I lie. This is January 2015 but I wanted to use this photo.

I once again began experimenting with make-up. I'd never used lipliner before, I started using lipliner. I also began on experimenting with how to make my lips look bigger as I'm unfortunate enough to have small, thin lips. I experimented with warmer winter codes and overall I feel satisfied. I also used another pair of false lower lashes I'd never tried and felt super satisfied with the result.

Just need to lose weight as I put a lot on!



To be honest I never felt much of an improvement throughout the year until I've seen everything put together. My peak this year was August - October, definitely. Now, for another year to see how I improve.

Stay sweet! ♥

Gyaru Makeup CHEAT SHEET

Make-up. Every girl uses it, whether they love it or hate it.

I personally adore make-up as it allows me to change myself into someone who looks better than they usually do. Make-up is absolutely essential in gyaru; without their trademark eye make-up a gyaru is nothing. Not even gyaru. Nope. Don't even try arguing that you are when the basics just aren't there.

But not to worry, I've brought what I call a cheat sheet for you girls.


★ BREAKING DOWN MAKE-UP ★


The first step is breaking down gyaru make-up. Most gyaru will wear the same kind of make-up but how heavy they wear it is completely optional on what style they're going for. Someone embracing oraora-kei is going to want to wear more eyeliner than someone who is himekaji. An agejo girl is going to have darker and more prominent blush than a girl who is dedicated to onee-gyaru.

One of the gyaru who wears the most 'natural' make-up to me at the moment would be darling Tsubasa Masuwaka.


Forgive the crude image, I'm terrible at Photoshop. Truthfully she probably wears more than this but my arrows won't fit that much sadly! As you can see there's, well, a lot of product there and that's without including her hair styling. A gyaru's make-up is important to her whole look and looking gyaru. I did a post on before and afters which shows the sheer difference that gyaru make-up makes.

See the below image of Serina. She wears a lot of the same kind of make-up as Tsubasa but applies it differently, giving her a heavier make-up look but still distinctively gyaru.


Her eyelashes are a lot more dramatic than Tsubasa's and her contouring is a lot more noticable but they essentially are using the same make-up types. The difference is that it's applied differently.

Something to note is that although both girls are wearing nude eyeshadows, it's not uncommon for gyaru to wear bright eyeshadows and others. I used browns for the sake of this comparison.

A gyaru tends to have a nude lip but some gyaru choose to wear brighter lip colours such as red on occasion. It's not usually a day to day thing.


★ CONTOURING & HIGHLIGHTING ★

Contouring is amazing. It can make you look like you have a completely different face from the one you were born with. Recently make-up artists have praised contouring, particularly in the Western scene, but contouring has been a thing for years in the gyaru scene. It can change the shape of your nose, give you cheekbones, etc.

I mentioned contouring being a part of Tsubasa and Serina's make-up and I've made the below image (v. high quality as you can tell) to show where contouring would be. Contouring is in brown, highlighting is in the pale pink.


Contouring around the face gives the illusion of a slimmer face. Contouring around the chin gives the illusion of a smaller chin. Contouring around the nose gives the illusion of a smaller nose.
Highlighting the cheekbones helps bring out the illusion of cheekbones you created by contouring. Highlighting the bridge of the nose makes it seem more prominent.

It's all simple. Draw out and draw in what features you like and create shadows and depth on your face.

Contouring is important and is actually really simple to learn.


★ THE CHEAT SHEET ★

I've compiled a little cheat sheet for you. This has the basics as well as some extras that you might find useful for your look. I hope that this helps someone.


I'm certain I've missed something so any tips you guys want to share would be fab!

Stay sweet! ♥

Before & After Make-Up

Make-up is wonderful and whether or not we intend it to, it can rule a girl's life. There's nothing better than erasing all of your flaws and enhancing everything that makes you, well... you! As a guy once said to me whilst I was getting ready, "Make-up is real life Photoshop."

Maybe it can't conceal all of our flaws but it does a good job of trying it's very best. It also allows for any one of us girls or boys to be beautiful, something that whether or not we're willing to admit we all want to be.

I've put together a small collection of images showing the impact that make-up can have on our own appearance. Enjoy!







I included my own transformation because I can. Privileges of being a blog owner~

Stay sweet! ♥

Candy Doll Lipsticks

As a die hard fan of Tsubasa Masuwaka, I've been using Dolly Wink and Candy Doll products for awhile. Due to an unfortunate incident my favourite lipstick melted so I decided to treat myself to two new ones from Tsubasa's Candy Doll range!

Candy Doll is a range that is produced by Tsubasa Masuwaka. She used to single handedly advertise the products that she released, but as of late she's brought Dakota Rose onboard as a model for advertising. They're both super cute.

I purchased the lipsticks in Pink Grapefruit and Ramune Pink.


The packaging is quite bulky but I find this to be common with Japanese cosmetics so I don't find it a problem, although some other people might!

The lipstick cases are a simple shade of black with some gold detailing showing that it's from Candy Doll. In comparison to the old containers these are so much better; the older cases looked extremely cheap and something I would expect a £1 lipstick to come in. I'm really pleased these were changed.


Candy Doll lipsticks tend to be creamy and moisturising. Usually I don't feel like I have to wear lipgloss with these which is a bonus as I absolutely detest lipglosses. Not even my Candy Doll lipgloss can make me love it.

The con to these lipsticks is that they don't last long. They have to be reapplied very frequently and I personally think that sometimes they can look a bit cakey. It's definitely recommended that you buffer your lips before applying these lipsticks.


The shades certainly aren't unique to Candy Doll; I've found many drug store lipsticks of the same quality and at a cheaper price in these exact same shades. You're definitely paying a premium for the brand name Candy Doll. If you have the cash to spend I think it's worth investing as I've never had an issue with these lipsticks but don't feel that you have to buy them just because Tsubasa produced them - I found a dupe of Ramune Pink for £3!

Although it sounds like I'm ragging a little on these lipsticks I recommend these wholeheartedly. There's not much I can say other than the formula being quite nice and the lipsticks are perfect colours for an understated look; if you're wearing a lot of eye make-up these are perfect to stop a massive make-up faux pas.

Swatches in day light:


Pink Grapefruit is a lot brighter than Ramune Pink. It's definitely a statement kind of lipstick. It also has a bit of a shimmer in it which I was surprised to see!

Ramune Pink is more of a natural, neutral colour. It's not entirely nude as it's very pink when applied but it's not one to be in your face.

Overall I really do recommend these lipsticks, but I don't want to say BUY THEM just because they're Candy Doll. There are definitely cheaper alternatives on the market.

Stay sweet!

London Adventures

Over the Easter weekend I decided to pay a visit to London to see some friends. I've only ever been to London in the past for Expos etc. so it's the first time I was really able to look around! I acted like such a tourist! I come from the North of the UK and London sometimes feels like a different country all together because the way things are done there are so different from how they are where I'm from.

It took four hours to get there by train because it was a Bank Holiday so I spent most of the time taking sefies and sleeping!



Full Outfit (unseen)
Dress: Lipsy
Shoes: New Look
Headband: New Look
Necklace: Chocomint
Ring: Chocomint
Actually one of my friends saw me on the train and didn't recognise me. They thought it was just someone who resembled me, oopsie daisy!

My ring actually broke. The crown fell off as I was walking around London and being amazed by how big everything was.

We actually went to an American Diner for food! It was really delicious but super duper packed full of people. We were lucky to get a seat when we did to be honest!

We also passed by Trafalgar Square.


Big Ben as seen from Trafalgar Square.


A big, blue chicken that was there for some reason!
The next day we decided to go to Japanese karaoke with friends.

Obligatory make-up selfie!


I forgot to take pictures because I was super excited about singing. I sang some Ayumi Hamasaki songs and also sang Utada Hikaru, LiSA and some others. One of my favourite memories was everyone singing along to My Soul, Your Beats!




The frog was from the Rainforest Cafe near Trocadero in London. The food there was so expensive! It was like £16 for a salad.

Because we were all too cheap to eat there we decided to go to Nandos instead. I haven't been there since I was 18 due to an illness I had and I was able to actually eat it again!


It's one of my friends and I whilst waiting for food. Aaah we cannot resist being camwhores!!

I left London the day after (Easter Sunday) because I wanted to go home and eat all of my chocolate eggs. Aaah not really but I felt bad intruding on my friends.

Overall I had fun and I already want to go to London again! It's so much fun there! There's so many stores to get so many new things and it honestly feels like a different country from the rest of the UK!

OOTD: Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to me!

Actually, my birthday was back in February. However due to issues in my personal life I wasn't able to celebrate my with my family until recently. We went to my favourite restaurant! ♥



Dress: Golds Infinity
Shoes: Melissa
Necklace: MA*RS
Tights: eBay
Headband: eBay
The weather here has been unpredictable. Sometimes it's warm, sometimes it's cold! I made sure to anticipate both kinds of weather which I was glad for since it was a little cold!

I've been experimenting with my makeup recently as I'm not sure how I enjoy wearing it.


I'm not sure if I like my make-up with or without the eyeliner underneath anymore. It's a nightmare!