Friday, June 22, 2012

[Lolita Challenge] Day 6 – 10 things you can’t live without in Lolita

Wow... I'm generally not terribly high maintenance, so I don't even know if I really have 10 items, but I guess I'll include things that I enjoy living with if I have them XD

1. A good petticoat (collection) - Since the silhouette is such a key part of any Lolita outfit, having a good petticoat is a definite must. I actually have a collection of petticoats of various shapes, lengths, and fluff-factors allowing me to accomodate casual to full-on, as well as different skirt cuts.

2. False eyelashes - This is a key part of my Lolita makeup routine, since my own eyelashes are sparse, pale, and uncurlably straight as sticks. I skip falsies of some sort only for the most casual of meetups, or if I'll be doing something where I anticipate getting things in my eyes and needing to rub them a lot.

3. Cutsews - I love my Lolita blouses, but I find cutsews really much for versatile in terms of creating my own more wearable style, since I like to wear Lolita on an almost-daily basis. I also find them more breathable and comfortable than blouses for hot summer days, since they are lower cut and don't have collars. Cutsews are also just more affordable for me, so I can get them in a variety of colors for easy coordination.

5. Garters - Most brand OTKs stay up reasonably well on me, but I also have a bunch of socks from places like Sockdreams in just solid cotton for daily wear. However, these don't stay up so well, so garters are indispensable!

6. Parasol - I burn at the drop of a hat, so a parasol is necessary, especially in the summer. Plus, I've found it can be as much as 5 degrees cooler under a parasol, so they're really nice for outdoor meetups.

7. Two-way brooch/clips - I love these because I can wear them in my hair, on my shirt, on my purse, pretty much anywhere. I hate the satin ribbons that came with my Bodyline boleros, so I just cut them off and fasten the boleros with an easy brooch. The dual backing is an awesome invention; more versatility!

8. Flat iron - I generally prefer to use my own hair rather than wear wigs, just because I tend to get terrible wig headaches if I wear them for too long, and I just overheat way too easily. I love my flat iron because I can use it to straighten hair AND to create curls. I like looser/larger curls, which I don't have the right curling iron for, but my flat iron does them beautifully. Also great for giving my bangs just the slightest curve/swoop so they don't look so flat ^_^

9. Boleros/Cardigans - These are just great for layering, or for creating modesty with JSKs that I don't like to wear a blouse/cutsew under (because of conflicting necklines, etc). I also like a light cardigan in the summer because they're thin enough material to not overheat me, but they also help me keep from getting sunburnt.

10. Shirring - The hidden zippers used in a lot of Lolita dresses are the most frustrating things ever. They tend to get caught at the waist, and apparently are prone to breaking (though I have yet to experience this myself). However, with even just partial shirring, I can usually worm my way into the dress without undoing the zipper, or at least just undoing it a little bit (not past the point where it tends to stick). I also think partial shirring is nice because it allows the dress to fit more snugly on a variety of sizes and shapes, so that it's flattering on more people than if the dress was one fixed size.

Friday, June 15, 2012

[Lolita Challenge] Day 5 – 10 items from your wishlist

Ooh! Ooh! This is a fun one ^_^

1. Metamorphose ~ Telephone JSK (Denim)



This is one of my ultimate most-wanted items. Unfortunately, it's quite old and very hard to find, and I'm apparently always too slow to hop on it when it does show up once in a blue moon T_T

2. Angelic Pretty ~ Fancy Melody JSK or SK (Black)



Another old and rare item among my most-wanted. I'd be happy with either the JSK or the skirt.

3. Emily Temple Cute ~ Glitter Constellation JSK (Pink)



Among the slew of constellation prints that have come out recently, I think this is my favorite. Unfortunately, I don't have the funds to buy it right now, and given that it's ETC, I'll probably have a hard time finding it second-hand by the time I do have money for it XD

4. Baby the Stars Shine Bright ~ Sleeping Beauty SK (Navy)



I want this to add to my fairytale theme collection.

5. Angelic Pretty ~ Dreamy Dollhouse Salopette (Lavender)



While I'm not particularly fond of toy prints, I do find this one really cute, and especially, I looooove the design of the salopette. I tried stalking mbok/yahoo for awhile, and it popped up a few times but it was always the wrong color or I got outbid T_T

6. Baby the Stars Shine Bright ~ Leatitia Raseine JSK (Mint)



One of the prettiest floral-print dresses, in my opinion. I don't anticipate being able to find it easily though. However, I think my favorite part is really just the design, so I could probably make something similar myself ^_^

7. Angelic Pretty ~ Rose Toilette SK (Mint)



This print is just very delicate-looking, especially in the mint colorway. But it's also one I don't see popping up often, especially in skirt form (skirts seem to be resold less frequently in general).

8. Emily Temple Cute ~ Swan Print JSK (Grey)



One of ETC's newer prints, I'm hoping I'll be able to find it second-hand. Because swans are awesome ^_^

9. Angelic Pretty ~ Tiara Rose SK (Lavender or sax)



I'd prefer the lavender colorway, but sax is pretty too. I love this print, and while I'm not crazy about the JSK design, I would love it as a skirt.

10. Innocent World ~ Alphabet Rose JSK (Pink)



I'm not sure if I prefer the short or the long version, actually, since both are really beautiful in their own ways. Either way, I really love the simplicity of the design combined with the delicateness of the print.

Friday, June 8, 2012

[Lolita Challenge] Day 4 – 10 different kinds of food you like

I'm not entirely sure how this is Lolita-related, but it's a fun question to answer anyways ^_^

1. Fruit. I love all and any fruits, as far as I know. Even crazy things like durian and soursop and jackfruit! I'm glad that fruit is a healthy thing to eat, because I love it and I do eat quite a bit of it.

2. Milk tea. I'm not sure if this is because I really like sweet milk tea so much, or if there's a bit of a comfort element to it, but I have a lot of nice childhood memories centered around milk tea (both with and without boba). It's nice in it's simplest form, but I'm also quite fond of it served hot with ginger in it.

3. Thai iced tea. This is definitely just my sweet tooth speaking (as it will many more times before this entry is done). I actually didn't know what it was until a few years ago, but the first time I tried it, I was completely hooked.

4. Edamame. Weird, perhaps? In addition to loving the taste of edamame, and finding them to be a good protein source for me, I also just really love the process of extracting the beans from the pods, ever since I was a little kid. ^_^ While I generally prefer sweet flavors (as is probably obvious), this is one of the times that I do enjoy the saltiness.

5. Ice cream. My preferred flavors tend to vary depending on my mood, but I must admit chocolate is always a pleaser. For softserve, I always get the twist. More exotic flavors that I also love are green tea and red bean. *w*

6. Honey. One of my favorite flavors ever. I love it in many things, whether beverages or desserts. Particular favorites include baklava, and with milk or green tea. On toast buttered toast is also good!

7. Avocados. I love avocados, and I'm glad they have nutritional value ^o^ My favorite is to actually just eat one plain with a spoon. Guacamole is also lovely though, especially when made with interesting flavor twists (like curry!).

8. Red velvet cake. One of my most preferred desserts, and I'm not even sure why. Maybe because I love the texture of all the red velvet cakes I've ever had, plus the color comes from chocolate, which I love as well. Also, for some reason, red velvet cake just always feels really luxurious to me, so it's like a nice indulgence.

9. Cheesecake. This is another one of my favorite desserts. I especially love them in cupcake-sized form, maybe because it was the special-occasion food of choice that my Mommy made. I prefer a firmer texture, combined with some sort of berry topping ^_^

10. Tofu skin. Also weird, I'm sure :-P But it's really one of the most delicious soy products I've ever had! I only wish it weren't so labor-intensive to prepare... I currently have a pack of tofu skin sheets sitting in my pantry, just waiting for a day when I have time to actually wash/soak it for several hours and then cook it ^o^

Friday, June 1, 2012

[Lolita Challenge] Day 3 ~ 10 things you dislike in Lolita

The original prompt was "10 things you hate in Lolita" but I don't feel like I actually have 10 things I would characterize as being "hated." Thus, I'll just go with listing things that I dislike to various degrees - most of them not particularly strongly, and only in specific contexts.

In fact, for any outfit item here, I've seen it done well, and I've loved it, but for the most part these are pieces that I don't like to wear myself, or that I think are very difficult to make look flattering on most people.

1. Knee socks. I think this length of sock rarely looks flatter, unless one is very lucky to have long, thin legs. On most people, it tends to accentuate the calf and thigh curves, and just cuts off the leg at an unfortunate point. I pretty much never wear them, except around the house in the winter, and always opt for either tights or over-the-knee socks for my outfits.

2. Scratchy lace. Okay, this applies to life in general XD But I can't stand items that have low quality scratchy lace on them. It isn't even about a particular type of lace, or material of lace, because I've seen good lace come in all designs and materials. But bad lace just looks bad, and if it has contact with my skin for more than about 5 minutes, I develop a wicked rash... T_T

3. Social anxiety. This is another one of those things where the problem is me and me alone. While one could easily participate in this fashion and avoid all social interaction, that's not entirely what I would like to do, and thus I make an effort to get to know the local girls and interact with people at meetups and such. However, this is a big effort for me, due to tmy innate shyness and constant worry about whether I'll accidentally commit a social mistake. I was not very well-socialized as a child, and as such I feel like I'm constantly playing catch-up to behave in a manner acceptable for someone of my age. Thus, meetups are part excitement and fun, but also large part constant anxiety before, during, and after. It gets better as time goes on though, so in light of that, this is a very solvable problem ^_^

4. 2D head-eating bows. I'm not sure how to describe it, but I'm not talking about the type with multiple loops and wire like Baby and AP put out. Those are very 3D and thus I think work in gigantor sizes. I'm talking about the flat style of bows, but made way oversized, and then stuck on a headband in such a way that the bow essentially sits flat against your head (if it's really huge, the bow sticks out on either side of your head so you look like you're a helicopter). Luckily, not many of those exist, but I unfortunately have a few that I need to remount on something else, or just take apart and reuse the fabric to make a better bow.

5. Rule sticklers. I think the 'rules' of Lolita are definitely very good guidelines, and are great for learning how to put together an outfit or just for when you're lazy and just need a quick and easy outfit. However, I think people keep adding more and more (what I find superfluous) rules, or being overly critical of people who don't strictly adhere to whatever the current set of rules is, even if that person looks great and definitely recognizable as Lolita.

6. Food prints. This is one of those things that I love seeing on other people, and often the food prints are adorable as pictures! But it always makes me feel a little weird to wear a food print, I don't even know why, it's just a gut reaction. So I stay away from buying them and just enjoy looking at other girls wear the pretty prints ^_^

7. Pressure to be OTT. This is maybe a bit in connection with the whole adding arbitrary rules and being such sticklers about said arbitrary rules thing. I personally think there is a wide range of elaborateness that all qualifies as being "Lolita". However, it seems like more and more, unless the outfit is very elaborate, complete with very styled hair, people will toss it to the side as "casual" or even consider it to not be Lolita but rather just some feminine Lolita-inspired outfit. While that's all fine and good, since there's no real need to label everything anyways, it does bother me that a not-insignificant portion of the community considers one to not be wearing the fashion if one is not done up to the extremes.

8. The unfortunate name association. I think the name itself is beautiful - it's sonorant, and just phonotactically very nice for many languages. And really, for people who have actually read the book, there's nothing inherently scandalous about the name "Lolita." Unfortunately, the majority of people seem not to have ever actually read the book, or really grossly misunderstood the point of it, and so the word "Lolita" contains "pedophilia" in its synset... Which makes me sad, because hearing the name seems to make some people jump to the conclusion that we're trying to look like young children (even if they hadn't thought so BEFORE hearing the name).

9. High-collar shirts. Again, something I love seeing on other people, and I do actually wear them on occasion, but this is something that generally applies to everything I wear, Lolita or not. Having close-fitting things around my neck makes me really nervous and uncomfortable, so unless the high-collar is fairly loose or fairly low, I have a hard time dealing with having it on. Give me a Peter Pan color or a square/sweetheart neckline any day XD

10. Unfortunate wigs. I have nothing against wigs in general, in fact I own several in various colors natural and unnatural myself. However, I try to buy decent quality wigs and take good care of them. I wish other people could try to put in at least a minimum effort with their wig if they're going to wear one. I guess it's akin to letting your own hair hang unkempt. It doesn't need to be super fancy or elaborate, even just a well-brushed unstyled wig looks fine. So I guess, at the very least brush your wig and get the tangles out/hidden?