Wanting to Dress Gyaru...

Every so often I will throw stuff together when I am lounging around my house, bored, on a weekend. I will go all-out with my makeup, or I will spend hours trying to put together the right look, clothing-wise. And then I won't go anywhere. Part of wearing gyaru is confidence and sometimes I just don't feel confident, although wearing gal does make me feel beautiful on the outside when I am sick or feeling sad on the inside. That's something I have always loved about fashion...being able to escape and go to someplace else when the real world just isn't cutting it for me.


I love the simplicity of black and white. And yet it can be elegant...or casual...depending on which way you style it.


I wasn't wearing gal makeup in either of these photos. It was late at night, I am pretty sure I had work the next day, and I was feeling like shit. Lately, I was diagnosed with IBS so I have to be careful about what I eat, drink, what medicines I take, and letting stress get to me. Stress causes so many attacks. >__<;; Sometimes dressing up is the only relief I get. But wearing tight clothing can also bring me pain, so I try to avoid it when possible...part of the reason why I get so bummed out when something I lusted after for a long time ends up being too small/tight on me. I don't know what style of gal you'd call the black x white outfit above, but I was leaning towards oneegyaru....anyone have any better ideas for what to call it? Maybe just grown-up elegant style? IDK. I always thought that's what oneegyaru was.... 'older sister gal' like a Liz Lisa graduate, lol? I will never stop wearing Liz Lisa. Or Liz Lisa-inspired outfits. See below:
I got this from a totally awesome Korean eBay seller located in California. She sells her clothing as full outfits. I highly recommend checking her out. I don't even know her or anything, but she has great style. I messaged her asking if she had a blog/instagram/lookbook/etc. but to my disappointment, she doesn't. Or maybe she didn't want to share it with me cause she was creeped out by my fangirl-ing, heehee! :D At the time of this post, she doesn't have anything up for sale. But I signed up for notifications, lol. *ebaynerd*

Anywayyyyy I guess I am done gushing about gyaru.

I also acquired this tasty garment recently:


UNIF Pastel Moto Jacket.

I saw this killer cute jacket before it was featured in Paramore's new music video, Still Into You (which I do adore, btw) but seeing one of my fave singers wearing it made me want it even more. Weird how that works.


I swear I didn't buy this pastel moto jacket because of Hayley.... but it just so happens that UNIF is one of my favorite brands and Paramore is one of my favorite bands..... hmmmmmmm. Alignment of stars, planets, galaxies, &c.?

I love Paramore even though they have a different sound now and are down a couple of a band members. ;)

Their new album is too legit to quit!! :D

...must convince my boss to let me dye my hair like Hayley's lol...! xD

And here is the rest of it.

Review: Liz Lisa Lip Gloss

So a month or two ago, my little sister went to Japan with one of her classmates to visit and sightsee. On her trip, she was so sweet to stop into a Liz Lisa store to buy some makeup for me! She bought me a set of eyelashes, as well as a tube of their new gloss. Well, I think in general their cosmetics are new, but I think the lashes came out before the gloss...I could be mistaken though! >_<;



There are 5 glosses you can choose from. Mine is a dusty pink color and it's somewhat opaque but not the most opaque gloss I've ever worn in my life...I am sure there are some brands out there that are more like lipstick in a tube than gloss! The swatch definitely makes it look opaque when worn, though, but it doesn't seem that way on my lips. Maybe my skin isn't pale enough to show that though?



Click below to see the review and more photos/swatches/worn pics! :D



Here is the back of the box, if anyone is curious:

Interesting that it is Made in Japan...


The tube is freakin' beyond adorable! I LOVE the rose on top although I worry it may break off in my bag! >___<;;


Here is the wand.


Here is the swatch of it on my hand....notice what I mean about opacity? It's a lovely color too!

Annnd here it is worn, before and after. (Oops, my teeth got in the photos...well, that's okay, because I just had them cleaned by the dentist yesterday, and now they're all sparkly and stuff, right?!) xD


Photo on the LEFT is BEFORE. And the photo on the RIGHT is AFTER. See the difference? I really love this gloss because it's definitely thick but not too sticky, and it's a nice shade that would go well with a variety of skin tones. You can use less to make it less strong of a color. I used 3 coats in this pic! Oddly enough it does not have a scent which I found unusual because Asian makeup tends to be scented 90% of the time from my experience....or maybe it's just a Korean thing? Or a BB Cream thing? I mean, hell, even the face primer I bought from Tony Moly was scented! >_<;;


Overall, I would probably only buy this again if they came out with more colors or I could see swatches. Not many people have swatched Liz Lisa make up yet online, which makes me sad, because I am sooo curious about the quality. The price is fairly steep, though. I think my sister paid like $35 for this, and that or more for the lashes. I did pay her back though :P so it wasn't a free gift or anything! I don't think the eyelashes were really worth it unless if you have smaller/tiny natural lashes and you want a boost... I prefer HUGE lashes like some of the Diamond Lash you can get on eBay, so I definitely would NOT get these again. I didn't pick them out, though, she did, so maybe I'd like a different style of Liz Lisa lashes better than these...hmmm.

I will have to do a worn photo of the lashes sometime soon. I already tried them on though, I just wasn't floored or anything.

So in short....

PROS:
- Great "naked" color
- SUPER cute packaging!!
- Gyaru "brand" name #burandowhore (not *necessarily* a pro, though!)
- Unscented (if you are scent-sitive, ha!)
- Only mildly sticky
- Spreads easily
- Long lasting!

CONS:
- EXPENSIVE! At current exchange rate ~$30/35 US!
- Tube is kind of big, so not super 'portable'
- Can't layer too much or else it gets gunky.
- I guess unscented can be a con if you prefer scented or sweet gloss!
- Only comes in 5 colors right now, all of which are similar, so kind of limited
- Can only buy it in Japan! Maybe they will start to pop up on eBay soon, but who knows. (Or you can use a shopping service!)
- For the same or similar price, you could get way higher quality make-up in the US. :(


...yeah. I love it but at the same time it's not really worth the price unless you just want to say you own Liz Lisa lip gloss, desu~!!! ;) Or if you want to achieve the hime-kei "nude" lips you see on so many models, it's great for that technique and it seems to last a long time.

PS: I am VERY curious to hear what you think about the gloss, so please leave a comment. I want to hear your opinions. :D Also I am also VERY curious about their blush and eyeshadows...are they worth the price? Do you have swatches you can share with me? :D

Just a note... Awesome website!

Recently I stumbled on this website:

http://www.thebeautybrains.com

And it's FREAKING AWESOME. If you've ever wondered why they put X, Y, and Z in your cosmetics/shampoo/whatever you can totally find out. It's the perfect combo of science and beauty! I approve!! :D

In other news...even though I gained a little weight and decided I didn't want to dress gyaru for a while, I read this post and got inspired:

http://universal-doll.com/2012/02/getting-back-to-gal/

It really made me feel better about getting back to Gal!

Also reading this post about hair: http://universal-doll.com/2012/03/hair-care-tips-for-the-gyaru/ has made me realize how I've been abusing the crap out of my hair, haha. I thought that simply switching to silicone free shampoo and stopping the bleaching of my hair would make it healthier (well it did but...) I realized I still abuse the crap out of it with heat tools like straightener oftentimes without even using heat protectant, same with a hair dryer. So I guess the bottom line is I need to be more careful. I also wanna try her coconut oil suggestion too! :D

Finally, seeing this post made me go O___O;; with glee!
http://universal-doll.com/2012/03/inside-liz-lisa-stores/

I LOVE Liz Lisa so that really got me back in the gal spirit, lol.


In other news I am studying like mad for a test so I gotta get back to that. Only a just a little over a month to go till I graduate! My midterm grades were awesome, so yay, and I had a relaxing spring break in Florida with my boyfriend! I took a bunch of pics at Kennedy Space Center and the Daytona 200, so I will need to get off my butt this weekend and upload those, lol.

Hope everyone is doing well.

How to Liz Lisa for less!

OK first of all, I am sorry for lack of updates. My new internship has got me so busy!
I feel a little guilty because now a lot of my posts are starting out that way, haha.
But anwyay, time for a (hopefully) informative post!! :D

Oh and the above art was found on google images! If anyone knows who did it, please tell me! I love it! Also if you're the artist and want me to remove it, I can do that. I just thought it was so lovely and captures the Liz Lisa aesthetic so well! :3



Soooo.....Are you a fan of the gal brand Liz Lisa? Do you adore floral prints, lace, denim, ruffles, cute designs, girly, ultra-feminine gyaru looks? I'm pretty much addicted to Liz Lisa and I love wearing their style. But I only own about 3 actual items from Liz Lisa!! So how do I wear their ultra cute hime-kei coords without owning their brand itself? Easy! I just go to local shops and try to find similar items. And a lot of the stuff Liz Lisa is putting out is pretty easy to find in the US or other countries in stores like Forever 21, Wet Seal, etc. Even Claire's is a great place to go for accessories that would match up quite well with Liz Lisa style. Below, I will provide some basic shopping tips and photos of the loot I'd snagged from various shops so you can see how easy it is to replicate the look!

Oh and I am aware that a lot of the stuff I have found is more on trend with last season's stuff by Liz Lisa but I meant this to be a general guide...plus I wasn't super crazy about the French boho stuff they put out for Spring/Summer so maybe that's why, haha.

Without further ado! :)



What to look for?

Florals
Lacey
Whites
Faux Leather
Browns, neutrals
Ruffles
Laser-cut patterns
Western
Straw Hats
Denim (jackets, shorts...)

Remember: girly, cute, feminine, lovely!

Here's a photo of all of my Liz Lisa-esque items. NONE of these are real Liz Lisa. Just stuff I found from various shops!




Stores:

Forever 21
Wet Seal
Papaya
H&M
Claire's
Local boutiques
Online stores! (DreamV Rakuten, Modcloth, Missguided.co.uk, boohoo.com, ruche, more!)
Thrift stores are great too. :)


Maxi dresses! Thankfully they're trending now in general so they're pretty easy to find.


Floral maxi from Missguided.co.uk


This floral maxi is from Modcloth.com

Here's a closeup of the fabric!

Lovely!



This one is from DreamV shop on Rakuten. :3


Dresses:


Floral chiffon dress from Rakuten DreamV. One of my most-worn gal dresses. It reminds me a lot of Liz Lisa's actual stuff though the quality isn't the best!


White lace dress from Forever 21...I love this! It works great for layering with mori girl too. :3


Floral dress with long sleeves from boohoo.com, a British fashion site. The long sleeves are great for that awkward period between winter and spring when it gets randomly cold outside. =__=;


Long white lace dress from Missguided.co.uk. Looks awesome with a belt!

Jacket:

A denim jacket from H&M. Truly a staple of my Liz Lisa-style wardrobe. It looks great over a floral maxi or any cute dress!

Skirts


Camel colored laser cut Western-style skirt from Missguided.co.uk. I am in love with this skirt. It's amazingly soft too and fits right in with the Liz Lisa aesthetic. :3


Floral skirt from Wet Seal. Made of the SAME exact fabric my real Liz Lisa dress is made of!


Some shoes I like to wear with my coordinates:

Leftmost two are Jeffrey Campbell (Mariel and Suave) and then Forever 21, and Wet Seal.


These Jeffrey Campbells were purchases second-hand on eBay. eBay is a great place to find cheap JC shoes, if you are loving the trends and styles but don't want to shell out $150 for a new pair!


Accessories!
Cute and feminine... lots of pearls, crosses, and flowers.



Watches and Bracelets

Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, Modcloth, MA*RS. (Yes I know not Liz Lisa but it works well with Liz Lisa outfits!)

Rings

Mostly from Claire's / F21.

Earrings


Necklaces

Forever 21, Claire's, eBay...
Belts!



First three on left (in the middle) are from Love Culture. The pinkish belt is from Papaya and the white one on the end is from Love Culture. The top belt is a real leather belt bought from a girl on morigirl sales comm on LJ, and the bottom belt (my most worn belt!) is a Western-style belt purchased at Icing (owned by Claire's) last summer. :3


Bags

Western-y bag from Missguided.co.uk


Brown Laser Cut Western Style bag from Claire's


Hats

Can Can hat from eBay - Korean Seller (though I have a similar one from Claire's too.)


Western Hat from Wet Seal!



Here's one of my favorite coordinates!



Finally, I leave you with a cute picture of my Alpaca stuffed toys!
:3


Thanks for reading! Hope some of you found this useful! :D

Outfit Dump

I know I said I'd make my next post more makeup reviews but I kind of want to take a break from make up for a while and post CLOTHING since this is a *fashion* blog, haha.

:-S

A lot of these are gyaru inspired (think Liz Lisa!) Some are vintage. Some are just random mall clothing from stores like Forever 21, and some are retro/mod-inspired! :D




Clickie for more!




Cute top from nastygal.com


Dress from modcloth.com
belt from ebay!


Top: Forever21
Belt: Love Culture
Skirt: Forever 21
Jeggings: Icing
Boots: wet seal
Necklace: Claire's



Closeup of Claire's necklace.



Gunne Sax dress! Vintage 1970s :D


Top: Missguided.co.uk
Shorts: Love Culture


Same top from missguided with missguided 70s inspired trousers! <3



I LOVE THIS OUTFIT! Gal inspired.
Top: Missguided.co.uk
Shorts: Love Culture
Shoes: forever 21
Hat: Yahoo Japan Auctions


Liz Lisa Inspired!
Maxi Dress: Missguided.co.uk
Hat: Claire's (with extra flowers added!)



Dress: Missguided
Belt: eBay
Shoes: Wet Seal


Vintage 1980s dress from local shop called The Vintage Haberdashery


Mori girl <3
Top: F21
Lace dress: F21
Lace vest: Dillard's
Boots: F21
Accessories: Claire's



Dolly Kei! (really old pic!)
Dress: Vintage 1970s
Vest: Ann Taylor Loft (sooo old)
Tassel: Bed Bath & Beyond
Oddfellow's collar: Vintage 1900s
Hat: Macy's
Fur: Vintage - eBay
Tooled leather bag: vintage - etsy



Flapper repro dress: Vintage Haberdashery (rental!)
This was for a 1920s themed yelp.com party I went to! :3



Can you believe Modcloth.com was selling this as an actual SKIRT to just "wear"? haha. too OTT for my figure, so it's now used as a petticoat! :D
http://www.modcloth.com/Womens/Bottoms/Skirts/-Macadamia-Skirt


Skirt: Modcloth
Top: F21
Wedges: Missguided


Cardigan: Modcloth
Belt: Love Culture
Tank: Target
Jewelry: F21 (necklace) and Love Culture (ring)


BEAUTIFUL "ryu" brand dress from Modcloth.


Gorgeous "JACK" by bbDakota dress from Modcloth.


Skirt: Modcloth
Top: F21



that's all for now! Hope you enjoyed! :3 I can post links to product pages if you ask about certain items in the comments section! Otherwise I was too lazy to link to each one! xD