Style update: Hello, Dolly ☆

Rundown:

Top, jeans, bow, boots (not pictured): Forever 21

Jacket: Urban Outfitters

Not going to lie, writing that run-down just made me realize what a Forever 21 junkie I am. I should probably try to branch out more @_@

Anyhow, this is what I wore to school today. I've been trying to improve my "normal" wardrobe as well as my usual Lolita/fairy kei wardrobe lately, and as a result I am not in love with skinny jeans and booties (I REALLY want a pink pair to go with my Lolita wardrobe, with satin ribbon laces...  ).

I really love this shirt with skinny jeans and heels, since it makes my otherwise stubby legs look so long. The reason I titled this outfit "Hello Dolly" is because, even if it is hard to see with the jacket on, the shirt says "DOLL" on it in long letters. It's super comfy and pretty much my new favourite thing.

I tried doing gal-inspired makeup today again, but failed as per usual.  Why do falsies have to be so damn hard to get on?

Also, on a personal note, I got into my school's musical (with a named role, too! Still a very minor character, but at least I have lines!). I was really excited because the musical this year, Legally Blonde, is particularly close to my heart. I can definitely relate to Elle in the movie, as I too tend to not be taken seriously due to how I look. Since I'm going into a career somewhat similar to Elle's as well (I'd like to be an interpreter in the UN, or a diplomat), I can related to it even more. :)

Aaaand that's two posts in one day! I swear though, that's it for today. Thanks for reading, dolls!

Why Makeup is Actually Pretty Rad

Today, I was finally able to get some before-mid-after shots of my makeup (admittedly not in the best lighting, but it's something nonetheless).


I am continually amazed at the power of makeup. Before I got into fashion, I never really did feel pretty, and it definitely took a toll on me emotionally. After I discovered and subsequently learned how to use makeup (through a series of hilarious mishaps involving super-yellow foundation and raccoon eyeliner), I finally felt pretty for the first time of my life. It was a huge ego-boost, seeing that if I really wanted to, I could look however I felt like. That feeling stuck, and today even after I take off all the foundation, the eyeliner and mascara, I still feel beautiful.


Makeup and the people who wear it are often criticized as being "fake," to the point where I've heard many people say that girls who wear makeup don't deserve to be told they're pretty. However, to me makeup is like a form of art, expanding on the fashion worn on the canvas-- my body. Most of us into fashion are all working towards a certain beauty ideal, whether it be a cute, doll-like look similar to what Lolita or fairy-kei models wear, or a sexier look that's more popular in American/Western society, and everything in between. VERY few people can reach the look they desire without a bit of help from product- thus, makeup. And really, as cheesy as it is, there is a little bit of magic in having giant eyes like the model you admire, and cherry-red lips like a doll, and yet you're still the same person you were before.


Many people feel that taking any measure to attain an image other than ~your true self~ is bad, but I myself think that's BS. In today's society, where we can easily change almost everything about our appearance save for a few sacred things, why shouldn't people try to obtain the look they want? If somebody wants to look like, say, Danielle Radcliffe, why should you care? It's their body, their choice. Makeup is really one of the least destructive ways in which we alter our appearance- in fact, it wouldn't be destructive at all if women in particular weren't constantly having images of unattainable beauty ideals pushed on them.


Even if I do love to use makeup, I can certainly see why people would be against it. In today's society, the way media portrays people (women especially) can be very harmful to a person's self-image. In a way, makeup has, sadly, become a product that is pushed onto women whether they like it or not, and although indirectly, women who choose not to wear it for whatever the reason are told that they're Not Good Enough. People who are anti-makeup, whether they realize it or not, are not against makeup itself- they are against the marketing used to push it onto us, where women look perfect all the time and anyone who does not fit the beauty ideal is never a main character (I personally can't think of a single TV show with a female main lead where the character is distinctly physically "flawed," unless their "flaw" is used as a gimmick for the whole show like "Huge").


Really though, when it comes to makeup you just can't win. If you wear too much, you are called "Fake" and told you don't deserve to be called pretty, as well as junior psychologists diagnosing you with low self-esteem, and if you wear too little you are told that you don't care about your appearance and you aren't as pretty as the girls who do wear it unless you have exceptionally good genetics.


So, after realizing this, when I do wear makeup, I'm going to make my face a shade paler, wear a crap load of blush, dump sparkles in my hair and use giant circle lenses and (surprise!), still be the same person but with a crap load of makeup. At the end of the day, when I take it all off, I'm not going to go cry about how ugly I am like people say makeup-wearers do, I'm going to look in the mirror and see how fast I can wiggle my eyebrows because that's the sort of thing I enjoy doing, makeup or not.

International Lolita Day!!

I can't believe it's already December (which of course means CHRISTMAS)! Time has really been flying since senior year started, and while I'm excited that soon enough I'll be shipping off to college, I can't help but be a bit sad. All of my friends used to talk about how wonderful and awesome their senior year was, but so far all mine has been is stressful! Maybe there will be more payoff in the end, hopefully.

Anyhow, this Saturday was International Lolita Day! For those unfamiliar, ILD is a biannual event where girls dress up in and celebrate their favourite Japanese pop fashion. For some this means tea house meetups with gaggles of other Lolitas, or a day spent in solitude reading all the Gothic and Lolita Bibles dressed to the nines, or in my case, a sleepover with my loli pals!!
On Saturday evening, my good friends Rachel (who doesn't have a blog, but really should... hint, hint) and Nephaelia came over to dress up, eat food and generally be a bunch of lazy bums (we debated going to the tea meetup in Boston, but in the end it was too expensive for us cheapskates... but there is a MUCH better meetup in January that we might be able to attend!). Despite the simplicity of our little get-together, it was a ton of fun! Everyone looked great, too!

Unfortunately, this is the closest I got to an outfit shot of all three of us >.> Matti was doing the ghetto face, which I was going to but forgot to in this pic, for some reason. Rachel is just chilling out there like a normal person amongst us spazzes.

Making sweet, sweet brownies.

We were making faces :P

Neither Nephaelia nor I can remember taking this picture... IT'S A CONSPIRACY.

Aaaaand feet!

All of the above photos are yoinked from Nephaelia (hence the watermark), as unfortunately I just didn't get enough >.> I REALLY need a new camera at some point. I'll probably save up for one after Christmas~
Anyhow, while I didn't get a good full outfit shot, it's probably easy enough to get the gist of it from these pictures. Here's a run-down:

Cutsew: BABY

Skirt: K-star (BABY replica)

Tights: Forever 21

Tiara- Chocomint

Slippers (not a legitimate part of the outfit haha :P ): Wally World.

So, that's pretty much it for ILD! I can't wait until the summer event- now that I've been getting more into pastels and fairy kei (-inspired Lolita), I have quite a bit of inspiration for some great summer outfits (which may actually happen since I now have money from my job!).

Happy International Lolita Day! Stay beautiful, gals!