008: ☆Macaron Making!☆

Long time with not update... I was very busy again. But I like to blog. It is very relaxing to me. So, I'll try to write more!

I went to a meetup to learn how to make macarons. My friend knows a real pastry chef. He came over to teach everybody how to make macarons!

Everyone got a turn to help. I mixed the flour and the food coloring to make the shells.

 

After I finished mixing, we put it into a pastry bag and piped it onto a baking sheet.

 

 After it was all done, it was finally time to have a taste! Yummy~

I think the blue macarons matched my outfit pretty well, don't you think?

Coordination
Ribbon, JSK: Chess Story
Hairclip: Bonjour Honey

Blouse: Bodyline
Tights: ebay
Shoes: An*Tai*Na

I had a lot of fun making macarons! I was surprised that they came out tasting good even though it was a first try... Have you ever made macarons before? 

007: ☆Lolita Tea Party☆

Hi dears~

I went to a Lolita tea party over the weekend.

It was a very cute tea party!

The tea house was "shabby chic" style, with vintage tablecloths and mis-matching items everywhere. I ordered a "Victorian Rose Tea" (ヴィクトリア朝バラ茶). Rose tea is a little strange to think about (would I be eating a flower?!), but I do like the unique flavor!

I considered wearing a more "spring-like" Lolita coordinate, but when I saw the weather report... I decided to wear something a little warmer. So I dressed in old Gothic Lolita style~

✞COORDINATION✞
Headdress: CiciWork
Dress: Ista Mori
Gloves: CiciWork
Socks: Sweet Marcel
Shoes: AnTaiNa

I don't usually dress in Gothic style, but it is kind of fun to radically change my image for a day!

I felt very cool, posing by an "urn"... but it was actually a water fountain. ( ꒡⌓꒡);

It was a little cold at the tea party but I had fun and drank so much yummy tea! I'm excited for the next meet-up! (⚈᷀᷁ᴗ⚈᷀᷁⁎)

006: ☆REVIEW: Otome Direct☆

Hello again...

It's been a long time, hasn't it?!

I thought about blogging, but some things that happened to me forced me to go on a hiatus for awhile.

Firstly, I got a new job! We have about 2 months of classroom training and supervision before we can do our job for real! It was hard to get used at first because there's a lot to learn, but I think I'm finally starting to get the hang of all the computer systems now~

Secondly, one of my classmates brought us all a cold/flu! Naturally, I got it too. All I did for about 2 weeks was go to work, eat soup, go to bed. (╥﹏╥)

Since I got a new job, I decided to give myself a little treat!

"Reine des Fleurs" is this month's cover feature~

I ordered the May 2015 issue of ビーズログ (B'sLog) Magazine~

It's a popular otome games magazine in Japan. Besides showing you all the new releases, B's Log also gives you bonuses and promos from the hottest games!

I went through a seller on Storenvy called Otome Direct. I saw them on tumblr once, and I didn't really hear much about them before. But I decided to take a chance and order from them!

Website: Otome Direct on Storenvy
Item Listing: B's Log May 2015
Timeline of Order:
April 5 - Placed order
April 6 - Owner sent email to confirm my order and tell me that she ordered my magazine through her supplier.
April 12 - Owner receives my magazine through her supplier, gives me a tracking number, and lets me know she will ship the next day.
April 13 - She ships the magazine through USPS.
April 15 - The magazine arrives in my mailbox!

 

Very sturdy packaging! A plastic envelope filled with cardboard so the magazine didn't get bent or torn.

After carefully opening everything...

Plenty of goodies! Of course, the beloved 華アワセ (Hana Awase) has a beautiful booklet. (´∀｀)♡

You can see that I'm super-happy with this purchase and I'm pleased with the service from Otome Direct. It's pretty likely that I will purchase from her again!

005: ☆華アワセ蛟編/Artworks☆

It's sooo cold outside! The snow kept falling down on my house, and caused me to miss school...

It can't be helped, I suppose.

But even if I miss school, the postman still does his job!

He gave me my Japonica order!

I used them to buy for me

華アワセ蛟編/Artworks (Hana Awase: Mizuchi Chapter)

I want to play many 乙女ゲーム (Girl's Game) so I can get better at reading Japanese. I can read English very fast, but I read Japanese really slowly. Kanji is very hard for me... Maybe when I challenge myself to reading a lot more, I will eventually improve my speed?

Actually... I didn't start the game yet. But I couldn't help but to take a peek at manual and artbook. The art is all done by the famous Yura. I really like the elegant and gothic character designs~

The main man of the game is this guy, Mizuchi! He looks really cool. And he's tall, too~ (181cms) *swoons* (♡∀♡)
The protagonist, Mikoto, is pretty, too.

The artbook itself is pretty sturdy (it's hardcover) and a decent size. I didn't really pay attention to the specifications, so I was expecting color pages. There aren't any... but the art is still good to look at anyways! I think it's interesting to see Yura's lineart before she colors it.
It also comes with an OST CD.

...which I uploaded for you to try!
pw: mizuchi

Have you ever played this otoge before?
If not, what is your impression of it? Are you interested in it? ( •◡-)

004: ☆Brand Spotlight: OZZON☆

I've been loving this brand for awhile, but I realized that not many people talk about it.

Well, it's a shame, because I think it's really interesting!

So, have you ever heard of OZZON?

OZZON is a Japanese clothing brand for women with multiple sub-brands. Some are ロマンチック (romantic) and some more ゴシック (gothic)! No matter your taste, you can probably find something you like at OZZON!

Let's take a look at some examples♪

OZZONESTE

 The New Japonesque

East meets West in OZZONESTE. The basics of Western clothing such as dress, skirt, pants, etc. get an exotic new look by being decorated with Oriental fabric and motifs. Even if you've never traveled before, you'll look like you've seen the world with OZZONESTE!

OZZCROCE
Cool & Edgy

OZZCROCE is perfect for the lady who can't decide if she wants a "soft" or "hard" look. You can find many rock n' roll-inspired pieces that feature a few feminine details for a unique mix. Pretty buttons, lovely embroidery, and lace trims play with zippers, grommets, and chains.

OZZANGELO
Classically Inspired

OZZANGELO makes the wearer feel like a living watercolor painting. Fabrics are draped onto the figure without weighing it down and gracefully flow on the body. Fans of AXES FEMME will probably take a liking to this sub-brand quickly!

ROZEN KAVALIER
Sophisticated & Modern

Rozen Kavalier has a slightly older target demographic than the other sub-brands, but that doesn't mean they lack style! The clothes are designed to be comfortable, but they still have the little extra flourishes here and there that make everyday staples a bit more interesting.

So, what do you think about OZZON? Which sub-brand do you think appeals to you the most?

003: ☆Ohayocon 2015☆

After what seemed like forever, I was finally able to go to Ohayocon!

I had been wanting a vacation for months, so I was really excited to enjoy a weekend of having fun!

Friday

I wore my Haruka Nanami cosplay from  うたの☆プリンスさまっ♪ (Uta no Prince-sama) for the day.

I was happy that a few girls recognized me! (I'm trying to see if any girls will share their photos with me.)

In the convention dealers' room, I got matching T-Shirts with my friend!

ジョジョ!

Saturday
I woke up too late for the Lolita tea party, (because my stupid neighbors!) but I dressed in Lolita anyways.

Coordination
Bonnet: Innocent World + rose deco by my friend
Necklace: ebay
Bolero: Innocent World
Gloves: Cici
Dress: Alice and The Pirates
Boots: ebay

It's unusual, but many of the "normal" people at the convention were nice to me while I waited by the bar for my friends. They said things like "Your dress is pretty~" and made me very happy. ^_^

I managed to sneak away from my friends to get them some secret presents. I'm not sure when I'll give them, but I hope it will be a happy surprise!

Elegy Albino Accord 2-Way Pin | MAC Viva Glam x Miley Cyrus Lipstick

Sunday
 The last day of the con. I was going to wear a kodona outfit, but my skin allergy got the worst and I didn't feel well enough. ;-;

We went to the beloved White Castle for a snack before we checked out and left the hotel and convention center for good...

All in all, I was happy to spend time with my friends, but I was sad that I didn't get to do as much as I wanted to because of my skin allergy.

I'm excited already for next vacation!

002: ☆Fashion Emergency!!!☆

Next week, I'm going to a local convention. I feel worried about it already, because I want to make sure I look nice in my cosplays and Lolita outfits! Especially when the cameras start flashing...

Luckily, I made myself a Fashion Emergency kit! It's small enough to fit in my purse, but contains fixes for my most common problems. You can make one too, it's so useful! Here's what I put in mine.

☆ Contact Lens Care
A lens case, a small bottle of solution, and eyedrops.

I wear circle lenses in both my Lolita outfits and cosplays. After a long tea party or photoshoot, my eyes start to feel tired. When it's time to give them a break, I dismiss myself to the restroom, take out my lenses, put them in the case, and refresh my eyes with drops. You won't see me red-eyed!

☆ Makeup Touch-up
Compact mirror, the day's lipstick, tweezers, false eyelash glue, blotting tissues.

 
Nothing ruins a photo like an eyelash that's about to fall off your eyelid. And an oily T-Zone? Gross! How embarrassing! Before the hostess suggests we take a photo to commemorate the tea party, I give myself a quick look in my compact to make sure everything is where it's supposed to be. Re-apply that lipstick, blot that oil away, and make sure that eyelash is actually on my eye... All done! Fresh as a daisy and ready for that close up!

☆Clothing Maintenance
Stain remover pen, mini-sewing kit, and mini-lintbrush.

I try to be careful in my nice clothes to keep them from getting ruined, but accidents happen! Stressing out over that set-in stain on an expensive dress or trying to hide away from everyone lest they see a precarious tear in my costume isn't fun at all! A few swipes of a stain remover pen and a few stitches are all that it takes to stop worrying and start having fun again. Also, I have cats, so the lintbrush is a courtesy for all the non- "crazy cat ladies" I come into contact with.

Knowing that I have my kit with me makes me feel much more confident that I'll be able to look my best and show off my efforts the way I want to. Now I feel ready!

Maybe I will see you there? ♡