So yesterday after our shopping trip we went back to Sierra's house and started a little project. Sierra really wanted to go from dark brown hair to red and Miranda wanted to shave half of her head and dye the other half blue. I am not so adventurous when it comes to my poor, damaged, hair, so I just took pictures and eventually helped with some of the dyeing.
The first thing we did was cut half of Miranda's long hair off. Sierra's good with hair cutting so she did the honors.
Makeup for the day (at the end of it). Nothing special.
So today I woke up before noon for once, and got ready to go shopping with my friends. We've all been really busy with school, so we don't hang out as much and we don't get as much time to do things like go shopping for an entire day, so now that we're all on break we decided that's what we needed to do. We all have a lot of giftcards and money from the holidays to spend, too.
We went to the mall and the first place we actually spent time in was fuego. They just have a lot of odd things in there, but they had foxtails! I was so excited, I know they're old news at this point but I still really like them so I bought one in baby pink and attached it to my purse as soon as I payed for it. Then we stopped in one of my favorite shops, daiso!
Happy Holidays, everyone! I hope you all had a Merry Christmas and had tons of fun with your family and friends. I had a wonderful Christmas this year and I am very happy. On Christmas eve I made a NY style cheesecake to take to my mother's boyfriend's house, and we had a nice time eating and talking with everyone there. My mom and I were also not so happy with the dress I had planned to wear to dinner, so that morning she let me open one of my presents early and I wore the dress inside it that night. Everyone said my cheesecake was very good, and my mom's boyfriend gave me a Victoria's Secret giftcard just like last year!
I stayed up until two baking and making candies for my boyfriend on Christmas eve/morning, and then went to sleep for a few hours. I like to open my presents nice and early like a little kid, so I bring everything into my mom's room and she wakes up to watch me open everything. She loves seeing my reaction to the things she picked out. This is what she gave me.
The forever 21 giftcard is actually from my birthday.
I completely forgot to save the pictures from my birthday party. It was just a small gathering of a few friends, but it was really fun. We watched a few movies and played video games the whole time, it was really fun! I don't ask for presents from my friends, because it makes me uncomfortable for some reason, but my mother never does combined presents despite my birthday being a week from Christmas so I ended up getting something I really wanted.
Finally, right?
I had been using the same camera I used to take mirror pics in middle school for this blog. It isn't an awful camera but it really doesn't have the clarity that I'm used to. I really love this new camera. I can use it for everything I need, including taking pictures of my work at school and it takes HD video. I really want to make some proper videos for youtube, but I don't know what I would make videos of. I won't force it but I know it's something I would enjoy doing. Anyway, here are a couple of pictures I've taken.
This is Atlas, btw. He's not very well behaved but he's a total sweetheart.
Ugh, so I'm not getting a wig for the holidays. I know I'll be happy with the gifts I do receive, and I'll enjoy spending Christmas Day with my boyfriend, but I can't help but be a little disappointed. I know I'm selfish, but it's just hard to learn that the thing you wanted the most isn't there, you know? Plus, I can't get a job while I'm in school (I couldn't even get one when I wasn't), so whenever I want something I have to do odd jobs and it takes a ton of work to make just twenty dollars. It really bums me out thinking about it. I had to a bunch of manual labor just to get money for christmas presents. I wish I wasn't so materialistic. Anyway, on to the less depressing part.
Isn't this one great, by the way? If you have the money check out what Cyperous currently has on their site.
I decided that if I want to move forward, I need to get myself a decent wig. It's very hard for me to style my own hair and I realized after looking at magazine scans, blogs, and promotional photos that hair is just as important to gyaru as makeup. I think a lot of people overlook it, but if you pay attention you'll start to see that the difference between good gals and great gals is big, styled, hair. I've styled and even cut wigs before and it went very well. I just have a problem with holding my arms up that long and seeing only certain parts I guess.
Anyway, I've been looking for different ways to style a pigtail wig, and I've decided that I still want the same wig (despite it's price), because it provides some versatility.
Today I had a really good time in class. I decided that my makeup didn't need to be toned down and for some reason whenever I do my makeup I have a better day. We took the final for our ServSafe class and then we filled our macarons from yesterday! I originally tried to fill mine with Italian buttercream but I was having a lot of difficulty with it so I just made a simple french meringue and used that. It tasted very good, and made the macarons look very full and pretty in my opinion. I just wish that I had put one more drop of purple in the batter so the color was more distinct.
I don't have the energy to put a coherent post together, but I have a three week break after this week! I can't wait to do my makeup and enjoy hanging out with people again.
Hello! I really have to apologize for my absence before I say anything else about this post. I'm taking night classes and it's been really hard for me to transition from doing nothing all day to making sure everything is OK before I leave the house to go to school.
I've been having a great time at Le Cordon Bleu. It stresses me out a lot because I want to do well and some things are hard for me, but I'm really happy to be there. It's feels really nice to be working so directly towards something I care about, and to see my hard work pay off every day when I take home the amazing things we learn to make. So far I've learned the correct method for simple things like Chocolate Chip Cookies, Pies, and Muffins, and I've learned new things like Pâte à Choux and Tart making. I've had some difficulty with decorating because my ideas tend to get muddied together, but I think that I've been doing pretty well otherwise.
The tarts I made yesterday. Top: Almond and pear, Left: Chocolate, Right: Fruit.
I managed to cause technical damage to my camera, so it isn't working and I'll have to borrow one for any outings or makeup posts. It shouldn't be a huge issue, but until I can get myself a new one picture posts will be scarce.
Posting will also slow down a tiny bit because I'm starting school on Monday! I've been trying to get everything done for what seems like forever and now I finally get to go in and start. I'll be going to Le Cordon Bleu of Seattle and for the first few weeks my workload will be kind of heavy because I have to study for my SafeServ.
This blog will stay active, there just may be a slight dip in post frequency for the next month or two.
I know, I know. It's October, but I'm so materialistic and self-centered that as soon as it starts to get cold I start thinking about what to ask my generous relatives for. In exchange for my greedy attitude I have decided to gather up all of the clothes I haven't work in over a year and donate them to St. Vincent de Paul, so please try to forgive me.
There are two things I want more than anything this Holiday season. I'm mostly focused on clothes and my video game list is very short this time around, so I've selected one item I really must must have and I accidentally discovered another item and am now anxious to get my hands on it.
The thing I've selected is this beautiful, wavy wig. I've been really on the fence about getting a wig since I re-discovered my love of gal, but I finally realized how amazing it would be to own one. I don't mind spending extra time on my hair in the morning, but I can't afford really long extensions, and I refuse to bleach my hair ever again so my options are limited. I've always adored dyed hair, whether it is was slightly lightened or a rainbow and it breaks my heart a little to not be able to change my hair color when I want. SO, I searched around and decided my best bet was this synthetic, heat-resistant lolita wig. Even though it's lolita it has the cut I want, and I figure that I will wear the pigtails off most of the time and add some volume to the top of the base wig.
I apologize for the last picture, I know I look a bit slow. These are also unretouched as with all my "progress posts" my skin is still pretty bad and my eyebrows are awful, but I think my eye makeup is getting much better.
I used real lower lashes that day, which I will have a brief review for soon. Unfortunately my camera isn't cooperating right now.
I've had these pictures for awhile. I am such a foodie and I just want to share some great food I've eaten in the past few weeks.
This is a lunch that I love to make for myself. Rice balls and Miso soup.
This is from the Uwajimaya deli. Vegetable Spring Rolls, Chow Mein, and Mapo Tofu <3
These are from Monday's date with my boyfriend. We went to the mall and ate at a great place called Cafe Pho. They have three locations in Seattle and they're set up like a sports bar, but with amazing Vietnamese food!
I think that every girl has something they just feel they can't get enough of when it comes to shopping, and mine really is shoes. Since my life has been a little slow lately I haven't really needed new shoes, but I've certainly been eyeing them at every chance I could get. Although my mother and I sometimes don't get along she can be very generous and while we were out trying on jeans (weve both experience a change in weight) she let me go into payless and try on some things. I have always had really mixed feelings about payless, because as a discount shoe store some of their things are a little bit off looking, but I found out they've really stepped it up in the past few years and ended up finding lots of things I liked!
My mom bought me two new pairs of shoes. I've been wanting casual heels for a really long time so I was really happy about it. I've been slowly collecting more mature clothing this summer and (wow it's late in the year) fall. Anyway, here are the shoes I got!
Yes, I am a Princess Mimi junkie. I now have three of four colors from the series but I have told myself that I have to stop. The reason for my insanity is that the lenses are still $18 with free shipping at Fobby Barbie, and I really cannot turn down a deal like that. I promise that if I do anymore lens reviews they won't be from this series, but bear with me as I fawn over these for a bit.
About two weeks ago I received my Princess Mimi/Bambi in Chocolate Brown from Fobby Barbie. As usual, the shipping was extremely fast and there were no problems with the ordering process or the lenses themselves.
With flash (excuse my peeling lashes, I was trying to layer them)
My boyfriend comes over whenever he can to spend time with me and a few weekends ago he said he had a surprise for me. I had no idea what to expect, but it turned out to be a laptop. I've been using what used to be the family computer and it is painfully obsolete. It has a dial-up jack. My boyfriend saw my frustration and as he is not only a techie, but the sweetest person in the world he went to get me a new one.
I put stickers from Uwajimaya on it.
Zebras!
he also brought me a wireless mouse, isn't that sweet?
It's perfect. Light, sleek, fast, and with lots of features and space. It's made things so much easier and I just wanted to share my delight.
Ebay Eyelashes seem like an amazing deal if you have a tight makeup budget. You can get as many as 100 pairs at a time and stay well under $20. Of course they aren't the best quality, but it's good to try out cheaper products to see if the added cost is worth it.
I was bored at home today and everyone was busy, but I did my makeup anyway and managed to get out for a bit. Here are some photos I took.
My skin it still pretty broken out and I'm trying to find the light I look best in (that doesn't involve hogging the bathroom). But I like this makeup much better than the last style I tried. I think that I'm going to stop using bottom lashes until I can get my hands on some proper ones.
My hair styling skills are atrocious. I need hair bootcamp or something.
I really want to share my current struggle with my weight. I read about girls desperately trying to lose weight and even starving themselves all the time and in some ways I admire their dedication. I also think that there is a place of compromise for everyone, between eating heartily and losing weight slowly and starving yourself with ridiculous diets.
So last week when I went to PAX I pretty much ruined a month's worth of dieting and exercise by eating whatever I wanted without even paying attention to how much or how bad it was. The Washington State Convention Center is downtown and has a Taco Del Mar and a Cheesecake factory in the same building. I had never been to a Cheesecake factory, and when I looked at the menu I was super pleased but THE CALORIES. My Boyfriend and I shared an appetizer that was over 2000 calories and I didn't even bother looking at the nutritional value for me entree.
I've been working with trying to make my upper lashes work as lower lashes and I think I'm going in the right direction. I feel like I lost some of the sweetness of the past look, but I also think I prefer this look a little more. I used grey/silver instead of pink and obviously green lenses completely change how my face gets pulled together.
I have to start out this post by saying that I am very displeased with E.L.F. when it comes to shipping. I think that the only reason they can get by with such low prices is that they hike up the price of shipping a ton. I paid a total of $10.95, I had a coupon for 50% so the already inexpensive things I bought only came to about 4 dollars and then I paid $7.00 for standard shipping. This wouldn't be incredible insane except for the fact that their warehouse is in the country and my order took a week to get to me. If you need items fast, this is not the place to order from. Next day shipping is over $60!
This is now my second pair of circle lenses, fast right? I again ordered them from Fobby Barbie, and just like before the shipping on these was very fast. I initially ordered them for PAX, but the thought came too late as they arrived the day of and I wasn't staying at my house.
Anyway, here is my review. It's short due to the fact that everyone seems to have these already.
This is just a quick little update, I just came back from the hair salon and I love what she did.
So sweaty :(
I really like it, I think it makes me look less angry. My makeup was a total failure today, though. The sweet woman who did my eyebrows made them really uneven and my eyelashes kept peeling off. I'm going to be at PAX tomorrow and Saturday, so hopefully the weather is a little more forgiving.
Apparently I make decisions very quickly. I ordered new makeup to help me make a decision as to whether or not I want to try out gal, but before my new makeup could even make it out of the warehouse I decided "screw it, I'm gonna be gyaru!". I really want to commit, and since I had a free schedule today I figured I'd try out gyaru makeup. While I think I did pretty well for a first try (which is why I'm posting it instead of deleting the photos and raging around my house), there are some pretty vital mistakes. My eyebrows are in some dire need of attention and are amazingly bushy, and my hair is not styled at all. I'm going in to have my hair done probably on Thursday. Anyway, here are the pictures!
None of these are shopped, I figured that would be bad when asking for critiquing.
The past week has been really fast as far as posting and new projects go for me. Even though I'm struggling quite a bit, I'm trying to start making videos for my youtube channel and while the first video is really bad (no seriously, don't watch it) I think it was a good learning experience. I never knew how much goes into making tutorials and things, and I was surprised at how hard it was for me to talk into a camera.
Anyway, I've also been thinking about really trying to commit to gyaru. I am realizing how much better my makeup skills are, and I've always admired girls who put that kind of effort into their appearance everyday. I think that even the girls who are just learning are amazing and I would love to be a part of that. However, I have noticed that a lot of girls in "The Gyaru Community" have ugly, vicious personalities and I don't want to be subject to that or be associated with it. I don't know, I think that the good outweighs the bad, but it's going to be a big decision for me. I think in the end I'll do it because I'm not really fond of letting things like racism or jealousy get to me.
That being said, I was given a cash gift recently and have purchased things that I've been craving since I started lurking in the gyaru community. I'm hoping to get them within a week. I'll review them when they arrive, but for now I just want to share my excitement!
The first things I bought were some nice cheap things from E.L.F. I've gotten products from them and despite being so inexpensive the quality has always been good.
This is currently my favorite baking recipe and these are my all-time favorite cookies. They're so soft and rich and they bake so perfectly without their size being affected. These are great because instead of a bag of chocolate chips you can go to the store and choose your favorite chocolate bar. This makes the recipe very easy to alter to suit your tastes. The first time I made these I used a plain bar of Newman's Own dark chocolate that was 65% cacao, this time I'm using something a little lighter. The chocolate I used for this batch is from a brand called Dagoba. If you are looking for a fair-trade company DO NOT buy from this brand, everything seemed to check out at the store, but when I did some digging online I found out that Dagoba is actually owned by Hershey's. The quality is worlds better from Hershey's usual products, but I do not agree with Hershey's atrocious moral standards and I will not be purchasing this chocolate again. Anyway, the bar I picked is 59% cacao and has a secondary flavor of lavender and blueberries. I love the use of lavender in sweets (don't knock it until you've tried it), and I don't really see how you could go wrong with blueberries, honestly. You can use any flavor of chocolate, though. As long as it has 55-75% cacao it should bake just fine and is just a matter of taste.
