Friday, May 22, 2015

LBC: Make a Coord for Under $100





little dipper OP : $46 **

Total: $84
All prices are in USD and converted from the CNY prices listed on the item pages on taobao. They do not include shipping or any other fees.

** The Little Dipper OP seems to basically be out of stock now (I wrote this blog post on Monday), so another OP which would work with the above accessories is this OP from Pumpkin Cat which costs $53 if you reserve it now, brings the total up to $91 **


It's easy to get complete outfits for well under $100 on taobao, especially if you pick an OP since you can skip out on buying a blouse. All the accessories that I've picked above are versatile and can be paired with other dresses, both sweet and classic. There are also many colour options for most of them, so depending on the OP colour you pick, you would buy the corresponding colour of bow, shoes, etc.


It's well worth your time to learn how to shop on taobao, whether you use a forwarding or shipping service! I personally use SpreeNow, because their service fees are reasonable and they always reply within 24 hours (excluding Sundays). Their cart system is also way easier to navigate than TaobaoSpree's excel sheet and email system, and it has a built in translation-service for taobao listings.



Monday, May 18, 2015

Tumblr Tag: Angelic Pretty Questions

Saw this on tumblr and thought it would be really fun to do a few of the more interesting ones heh

Rose Toilette: Your signature perfume?  
Daisy by Marc Jacobs
Melty Chocolate: Favourite type of chocolate?
Milk chocolate, and sugared violet truffles are my favourite indulgence. At $2 a-piece though, I rarely have them
Sugar Dream Dome: What do you like most about Winter?
I can just pile on more clothes, have an excuse to drink lots of chocolate beverages and being able to sleep in
Milky Berry: What do you like most about Summer? 
Having fun at the pool and the beach, plus turning the aircon on and watching tv feels like a luxury haha
Happy Garden: What types of things would you plant in a garden?
I love cucumbers, tomatos and strawberries, they're already in my garden! I would also plant rosemary, basil, thyme, oregano, nasturtiums and cosmos
Magical Étoile:  Favourite attraction at a carnival? 
The games alley, I could spend ages there just looking at prizes and other people playing 
Toy Parade: What toys did you play with as a child?
I used to love listening to read-along CDs, playing with barbies and this quirky computer game called 'The Busy World of Richard Scarry'. I also liked playing Korean yahoo games and surprisingly, Warcraft II because my father had it lying around haha
Holy Lantern: Describe the darker side to your personality. 
I can be very anti-social, and my mood changes quickly. If I don't like something, you'll be sure to know xD
Glass Bottle of Tears: What, without fail, makes you cry?
Sacrifice
Cinema Doll: What makes a movie really enjoyable for you?
Smidges of the conventional, but with touches of unique. Also, action. Action scenes make everything better
Cotton Candy Shop: If you had your own shop, what things would you sell?
Tea and desserts for sure, in one half of the shop, and the only savoury dishes would be lasagne or steak heh. In the other half, brand and indie dresses, accessories and handpicked vintage items. ALSO, a photobooth would be fantastic
Dreamy Horoscope: What is your zodiac sign, and do you relate to it?
Pisces, and yes I do somewhat. I'm not very self-motivated and get off track easily, but I'm a pretty good leader provided the other members aren't too rowdy
Day Dream Carnival: What do you daydream about the most?  
Quite literally, being a potato. I wish I could be a potato for the rest of my life :'D
Royal Cards: Name a game you are really good at.
Party Scrabble. That game is the best
Cream Cookie: What kinds of snacks do you munch on?
Chocolate, chips, cakes, cheese, fruit, eggs, dried fruit, candy. Basically anything I can get my hands on

Drained Cherry: What emotionally exhausts you?
Being around people who question me a lot
Fancy Paper Dolls: What accessories would come with a doll version of you? 
A pair of plain glasses and high top gold shoes
Holy Night Story: Favourite thing to do when it’s night time?
Browse the internet or snuggle in bed with a good book
Candy Treat: Favourite type of candy?   
Gummies! Super delicious, and I love the texture
Drink Me: Favourite drink/beverage? 
Chocolate frappe with ice cream and whipped cream mmmmmm
Country of Sweets: What countries would you like to visit?
Italy for sure, the UK, Japan, the US and Korea 
Fruits Parlour: Favourite fruit? 
Can't choose just one D: Mangoes, pineapples, cherries and nectarines are my go-to fruits of choice
Dream Sky: Have you ever seen a shooting star?
Yes, a few times when I was younger. For some reason I'm not really able to see real stars in my city anymore
Soap Bubbles: How do you like to bathe/shower?
If I'm showering without washing my hair, I like to be really quick and under 2 minutes. If I'm washing my hair, usually I take 10 minutes and shampoo twice. When I want a bath, it'll take me at least 30 minutes because I love soaking
Jewelry Jelly: Name 3 of your favourite jewellery pieces.
My q-pot ice cream necklace, a handmade jewel cluster necklace from a great aunt and a gold zodiac necklace from my grandfather
Milky-chan the Fawn: Favourite forest animal?
Hedgehogs, they're adorable and apparently you can even keep them as pets, how cool is that?!

Dreamy Baby Room: The most childish part of your personality?
I'm super stubborn and wish everything would go my way haha
Wonder Story: What types of things do you like to read about?
Adventures and quests, but they can't be too predictable!
Twinkle Mermaid: Favourite type of fantasy creature?
Dragons. If only there was a dragon print!
Gloria: Name a very rare item that you would love to own.
I have most of the rarer dream dresses I want already, but I would empty my e-coffers for a BtssB Koitsukihime Stained Glass Angel / Seraphim JSK in black

Thursday, May 14, 2015

LBC: Flower Themed Coord

I wasn't going to do this week's theme, but then my Last Note Faint Spring Song JSK came in and it's my first floral dress 




  



JSK: Alice and the Pirates - Last Note Faint Spring Song in ivory
Earrings: Baby, the Stars Shine Bright - Rose Boudoir
Everything else: Offbrand (tights - mu-fish, head bow - ciciworks)

The perfume bottles are just amazing, though they're pretty subtle until you get up close to see the print. I tried to keep it simple so the print could shine, and just incorporated the theme into the head bow and earrings, along with the bunches of flowers dotted across the print.


I'm not a big fan of florals on myself, but I think when they're scattered over a print like this, they're really lovely and less... curtain-y looking (sorry, people who like florals!)




Tuesday, May 12, 2015

May Haul

Got a FromJapan package today! I feel a bit bad, because most of the purchases are a result of my missing out on AatP's Sirene JSK in navy :'D

I probably wouldn't buy these from rakuten again, because with the 200yen commission and domestic + international shipping, they work out to be more expensive than the ones marked up in the shops here. Still a good nibble though 

 
 AatP's Tarot Card print pants! They were super cheap and in pretty good condition, I'll have lots of fun coording them. They have two tiers of belt loops, which is quite funny, I can wear two belts with them simultaneously lolol

My accidental purchase, hoping I can sell this soon. IW's Astronomical Clock belted JSK in black, the print is so pretty but I recently also got the high waist JSK in navy so this has to go.

 
Came across this when I was browsing Baby stuff on Y!J, it's an old Novala x BtssB cardigan. I bought it since I don't have any black lolita-suitable cardigans, and also because it's interesting xD 

 Liz Lisa top, I thought it was chiffon but it's actually wool, so I don't know how I'll make it work with my stuff v_v

 Q-pot collab hoodie, it was also cheap and I want to wear it with my AP chocolate skirts

 AatP's Last Note~Faint Spring Song JSK in ivory. I've wanted something from the series for a while now, but haven't seen JSK II up and this piece was a very reasonable price (excuse the toes)

Q-pot mook, really cute, but smaller than their previous chocolate gateau bag. I may give this to my sister 

BtssB's Alicia Strappy shoes in brown. Really good construction, and I'm ecstatic that I did put  bid on them because the Y!J seller has stopped selling burando shoes now D: 

Friday, May 8, 2015

Lolita52 - Part N

Haven't done one of these in a while, and it's been over a year since I started the challenge haha



44. How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions
I try not to make eye contact with people as I'm walking around by myself, or I just put on a passive poker face. Not that I'm afraid of what people think or would say, but because I'd rather avoid conflict altogether. 
Most people in my city who say anything are very nice about it, though some people do snigger or try to take pictures without permission. The people who do come up and say anything usually say my dresses look nice and whether I'm going to a special event. If I'm in a group, people ask what we're dressed up as and if we're a club. Some people have asked what costume I'm wearing, or what anime I'm cosplaying from too.

I usually just say it's a Japanese street fashion, and most people are happy with that. If people insist that it's a costume, I usually just give them the 'wtf' look and walk away or ignore them. I haven't had anyone bug me after doing that. 


45. Something that was a gift
I've gotten a pair of really nice plain off-white socks from a lacemarket seller, they were new and unworn. They go very nicely with old school coords, though I don't have anything that they work with at the moment.


46. Parasols: Vital or frivolous?
I wouldn't say they're vital, but they're definitely not frivolous! Sun protection is very important, whether you have a plain old brolly or a frilly parasol

I especially like the foldable umbrellas that came with a few mooks last year, I'm sad that I missed out on auctions for them a few months ago (really wish I put in higher bids now). I think they're better than actual parasols since they're cute, practical and functional.




Given the opportunity though, I would still buy a reasonably priced parasol since they look so good with classic coords.

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Quality of Lolita Brands

Just going to talk a little bit about the quality of the brand dresses that I personally own, and rate each out of 5 on construction, quality of materials and print (because >95% of the dresses I own are prints).


Angelic Pretty  own(ed) 8 pieces
construction: 4.8 - Usually very sturdy with straight neat lines. None of the dresses have prints aligned along the seams and buttons need to be sewn tighter
quality: 4.9 - Custom lace, thick material and sometimes inbuilt petticoats. The braiding they use could be better, it seems to fray easily
printing: 5 - Very clear and always custom printed

Baby, the Stars Shine Bright  own 2 pieces
construction: 4.9 - Good construction, everything held nicely in place. Prints do not align on seams
quality: 4.8 - Both pieces are older, but the material is very heavy and stiff, though detailing is still high quality
printing: 5 - Very clearly printed and vibrant

Alice and the Pirates  own 4 pieces
construction: 4.9 - Solid, no print matching at the seams either
quality: 4.9 - Generally good quality, but some of their older pieces are made of the same stiff fabric as Baby (above)
printing: 4.9 - A little grainy on chiffon, but still very good printing

Innocent World  own(ed) 12 pieces
construction: 4.9 - Great construction, dresses hold up very well. Just dislike the actual fit of their dresses and they also do not match the print at seams
quality: 5 - All dresses made of the same high quality soft material
printing: 5 - Clear and crisp

Krad Lanrete  owned 1 piece
construction: 4.8 - Nice neat lines, no print to match but the bodice and back shirring didn't sit properly even though my measurements were correct 
quality: 5 - Everything down to the charms used were high quality 
printing: 5 - Very crisp and gave an illusion that the print was glowing

ecailes de Lune  own 1 piece
construction: 5 - No loose threads, solid construction and fit
quality: 5 - Didn't skimp on anything
printing: 5 - Very detailed and crisp even on chiffon, gradient of the fabric is also good

Infanta  own(ed) 3 pieces
construction: 4.9 - Print aligned at the seams! Good effort from
quality: 4.6 - The trims and buttons seem to be of low quality, fabric is average
printing: 4.9 - Screen print is a bit blotchy, but their cotton prints are nice and crisp