My First Innocent World Order (and Unboxing)

Full screen and HD for maximum detail

Didn't have enough energy to put on makeup this morning...

LBC: How Your Lolita Style Has Evolved

August's EGL community theme for 2014 was Ita to Lolita. This collage is from my post there.

Really, I ought to just copy that horrid picture of me with a bland sweet-hime coord and black shoes and just paste it into every entry that alludes to "the beginning." Although that was a while into the process, my "style" was consistently shoddy outside of punk pseudo-lolita (which I hand-made/attempted beginning 2008—those shoulders aren't even covered! Maid ero-punk?).

I started with punk, or an attempt at punk, and never really left. Doc Martens are unlikely to stop being my favorite shoe brand, and I am likely to pull out something mint, black, and leather for casual days. Or don mint Doc Martens to go for a walk in this mountain town I live in.

Originally, I had no interest in anything outside of punk, hime, or classic. While trying very hard to obey rules I'd never seen put into practice, I didn't consider color coordination or item quality for the first year. Limited pieces further stifled creativity, except for when it forced me to be... too creative. I also had no interest in mixing my style interests or taking photos, so the whole thing was stagnant and primarily undocumented.

In 2012 I developed an interest in sweet lolita and collected several pieces that I couldn't bring myself to actually wear. I finally decided to try bittersweet (or black colorways of sweet prints) and have since found that they can mix well with particular accessories for a punk look. Sweet-classic wasn't a thing yet (and still isn't, according to some) but I found myself mixing sweet and classic because sweet was too bright for me and classic by itself was too bland. I decided that I really liked these combinations, even if they weren't "acceptable," and I gained a little bit of closet cohesion.

The only changes since the middle of 2012 have been refinements to individual outfits from much closer attention to detail and colors. Makeup was a very important addition to my style, and since I started wearing it on a regular basis at the beginning of 2014 I feel that I can dress up my face in a way that completely ties my style together.

Other participants in this week's theme:

Breiðholt

New Vogue Children
A Heart's Sound
Northern Star

LBC: My Usual Lolita Makeup

Watch it enlarged and in HD!

GIFs from the Reno Meet :)

These were too cute not to make.

Jumping...

And spinning :)

How Satisfied Am I with My Current Wardrobe?

There's no short answer to this question. My first reaction is to say "Meh." Right now I can barely wear lolita on a daily basis without getting bored of my own clothes, even dream dresses that took years to get. There's no way to say this without sounding ungrateful and greedy. 

Perhaps I am both.

I've been thoroughly interested in lolita since 2005 and collecting it (in non-handmade form) since the end of 2010. When people ask how long I've been a lolita, it's very hard to answer properly. I could say I've been wearing/collecting for five years, but it was so badly hand-altered in those days that I'm not sure if it counts. I could say that I didn't really start until this year, when my coordinates finally had some semblance of completion (see top left), but what about all of the time it took to get there?

See the shiny pink wig and black shoes? Shame, thy name is Rhon.

To most I've met, lolita is fancy. To muggle and lolita alike, lolita clothing is frequently seen as whimsical materiality, extravagant, frivolous. Some lolitas get mad at others for being awed (and the awed behavior which follows, such as taking pictures and asking what the occasion may be) by lolita attire, and protest that lolita is "just clothes," but also find either the price tag or the aesthetic of lolita to be too fancy to wear on  a regular basis.

A thing cannot be considered both commonplace and fancy or "just" extravagant. There are enough blogs talking about how magical lolita appears or makes the wearer feel and how drained it can make the wallet feel for lolita as a whole to be considered a normal style. 

I have been guilty—multiple times—of this equivocation [1] of lolita clothing.

So what do I, or any other lolita who claims lolita is normal clothing, mean when we say that it is normal? For me, lolita is normal clothing because outside of its price tag (whose worth I cannot argue against) it is not out of place or jarring. While lolita clothing is more beautiful and shaped differently than more common street styles, its purpose is the same as any other clothing—to be worn. 

This wall decal says it all.

I do not wear lolita as a whole only on special occasions, but rather occasionally don other clothing that is more suited for the task at hand. Typically this is laundry day, where I do not wear lolita because I am washing it. Sometimes it is just a lazy day, and sometimes it is a job interview. Right now, because of an increased school load and moving to a new apartment, there are more lazy days and I wear lolita four to five times a week. The only thing that I reserve for special occasions is my bonnet. It quintuples the likelihood of people trying to begin conversations, which is just too much talking for me.

Because of my inconsistent income and fluid lifestyle, my lolita acquisition feels slow on average, despite it being 90% of my extra income's focus. My turnover until recently has been very high, and my focus on dream prints outweighed more practical lolita purchases by any number of clichés: a landslide, a tsunami... you get the drift. I own five jumperskirts, five skirts, five blouses/cutsews, and five cardigans/jackets. Most of the jumperksirts and skirts are printed. While easy to coordinate due to the variety of colors on the prints, they present themselves with other problems. This is why my lookbook account has so few looks in it (again, see top left). 

I know this says Tokyo Rebel, but really it's a picture of my closet.

Despite complaint of boredom stemming from my wardrobe's lack of variety, I am often stunned when I look into my closet and see Clockwork Tea Party nestled besides Alice's Marchin' Cookie and Rococo Bouquet. Even more than their physical presence I feel the rewards of patience and dedication hanging in silent victory. Perhaps when my wardrobe has doubled, I will completely feel the ol' pants-and-jeans grab-and-go comfort. Perhaps I will never be satisfied, and my wishlist will only change and never shrink. But for now, it is enough.

________________________________________________________________________

[1] Shift of the meaning of a term within a single argument

What's Not yet Worn in My Closet?

Before I made my first brand purchase, Victorian Maiden (VM) was my favorite brand to browse. I saved money for several months beginning in 2010 in order to acquire VM's Rococo Bouquet Skirt, my first ultimate dream item. Dream item, meaning that it seemed absolutely unattainable, and worthy of the phrase "dream on." 

Rococo Bouquet Bustle Skirt

In early 2011 I could afford Fairy Doll Rococo Skirt, which displays the same print, with a week-long countdown to opening pre-orders. Perhaps it's a good thing that the pre-orders for Fairy Doll sold out by the time I went to check out. Baby the Stars Shine Bright's (BtSSB's) Antoinette Bouquet Skirt, which I wrote about in last week's Lolita Blog Carnival post, came to me instead, and I waited to see an affordable VM floral print on the online sales. I waited for a long time.

Fairy Doll Rococo Skirt

But Rococo Bouquet Bustle Skirt has now been hanging for a couple of months, new with its tag still attached, waiting for a suitable underskirt. I snatched it for a good price from Miss Harajuku at her anniversary party earlier this year.

I have several items to acquire (since I am re-building the classic portion of my wardrobe) before I will have a coord good enough to warrant removal of the skirt's tag. The moment it is complete it will be displayed here as "The Coord That Took Four Years to Build."

3 Things I'd Tell My Beginner Lolita Self

Other participants in this week's Lolita Blog Carnival theme:

Northern Star
A Heart's Sound
Classical Doll
Oh Velveteena
Little Coffee Shop

Ways I Do and Do Not Fit the Lolita Cliché

 At one point I considered myself coincidentally lifestyle, but is that even a real thing? Or is it the Disney-fied version of the daily lolita? Though I wear lolita nearly everyday, I am a complex individual (like you!) who doesn't fit into any one particular ideal or niche. Still, I fit a few old stereotypes of lolitas.

We'll skip the well-read-lolita stereotype.

5 Ways I do fit the cliché:

1. Tea. And I don't mean I simply enjoy a cup once in a while. Like a brand whore/snob of teas, I'm insanely picky. Flavored loose leaf teas are okay, but nothing compares to the taste of good quality, full-sized, plain black tea leaves steeped at the perfect temperature for the correct amount of time, or white tea with rosebuds. At least one pot a day.

Two of my three favorite cups and the trusty "Green Betty"

2. "Classic" decor. I've collected antique and antique replica furniture on and off, but since I've been constantly moving the set died off. When I move to Seattle next year, after completing my associate's degree, I will finally be able to settle into a place for long enough to make owning nice furniture worthwhile again.

Antique white with gold makes all furniture better. Unless you're not into that.

3. Hoarding. It may not be the first thing that comes to mind when a lolita hears "lolita," but if one imagines a lolita's collection or wardrobe, it's difficult not to imagine dozens of dresses overflowing from the closet and accessories and shoes lining at least one full wall. Of course, the average lolita's collection is rarely this exaggerated, but any daily wearer will likely be acquiring new pieces on a regular basis. 

Half of my headwear. Can you ever be done collecting pieces? 

4. Memorizing print names from spending copious amounts of time looking at lolita online. If it was possible to be absorbed by the internet, I would've gone missing a long time ago.

*not a real print

5.  Some kind of creative outlet involving beautiful things. I played violin for several hours a day for two years, and still occasionally pick it up, but honestly prefer singing and listening to violin over playing it. I write (though doing it for a blog is much harder for me than anything else). My favorite way to create beautiful things, however, is gardening. This is where the image of "effortless maiden" dissolves and blurs into my intensely non-stereotypical side. I love digging in the dirt and feeling the sunshine on my face, knowing that my work will turn into beautiful flowers and delicious vegetables and fruit.

A collage I made in 2012 of a few things I grew.

3 Ways I don't fit the cliché:

1. Motorcycles. And not just riding motorcycles, either.

Rebuilding carburetors and doing body work on a bike is like fixing a damaged jsk, but dirtier. 

2. Archery. I draw a 40 pound bow, but can't beat a small child arm wrestling. The muscles used are different! Arrows are also fun to make.

That's Eric's music, not mine! I can't triple-stop or play fast.

3. I was in the Army for four years. I also got adopted by my awesome step-dad while I was in the Army, but that's a story for later, haha.

Ain't no time for pluckin' brows on training missions. Only time for bad selfies.

If you've done this part of the 52 week lolita challenge, let me know! And if you haven't, feel free to tell me how you do and don't fit the lolita cliché in the comment section below or on facebook.

Sundays will now be..?

There will be a slight alteration to the schedule. All posts attempt to be made by midnight.

Mondays: Lolita 52 Week Challenge
Wednesdays: Vlog for YouTube
Fridays: Lolita Blog Carnival
Sunday: Beauty-related post

LBC: My Most Prized Lolita Possession

Until nearly a year ago, it was this skirt:

One of my first times wearing it. So frumpy!

Antoinette Bouquet holds a special place in my heart as my first brand piece, and the very first thing that was ever on my wishlist. I saw it (on a rack or an a lolita, honestly can't recall which) on Baby the Stars Shine Bright's opening day in San Francisco, and even more than the punk lolita picture in Gothic and Lolita Bible I knew I would one day have at least one real lolita outfit.

Antoinette Bouquet in ivory ❤ 

Imagine my surprise when I found it for sale on eBay from a girl who was willing to meet in person to sell it to me. I met her in Japan Town across from the BtSSB shop, and immediately went to get a blouse to wear with it from the clearance rack. I wore it no less than once a week for the first several months of owning it—not very well—but I've yet to be tired of it. The floral pattern and ribbon detailed print still make my heart beat faster.

Unfortunately, it's not in my possession any more. 11 months ago I lost half of my wardrobe while moving. The entire classic portion of it, including my trusty Malco Modes petti, disappeared along with, and while inside of, my backpacking bag. I inquired all of my friends and tore through my (500 sq. foot) flat and vehicle multiple times. It was never latched to anything or put in a position where it could have fallen out along the road, so the only conclusion I can come to is that someone snagged it for the sake of the backpack.



If you see this skirt for sale, or are selling it yourself, please contact me through facebook.

Right now my newest item, Guilty Meltin' Sweets Town I, is doing its best to replace it Antoinette Bouquet. As soon as I saw the announcement for its reservation I knew I wanted it. I have a general rule about buying things on reservation, and generally leave things on my wishlist for at least a month before purchasing it, but this jumperskirt is an exception. It took the help of two beloved friends, my boyfriend, and his family to place the reservation on July 26th. It's special because I can't look at it without being flooded with gratitude for my loved ones : )

You can see the opening video here.

What's your most prized lolita possession?

Other blogs participating in this week's Lolita Blog Carnival Theme:
Classical Doll
Northern Star
The Bloody Tea Party
Usamimi Tea Time

How to Get Out of a Wardrobe Slump

Last Sunday I returned from Utah full of ideas, cold germs, and excitement for new blog additions, and upon returning home was immediately uninspired by my wardrobe.

What was this? How could I come home, missing lolita and dying to get into a dress when I had been trapped in jeans for two weeks, and feel so bored by everything I saw? Deflated in disappointment, I hit one of those infamous wardrobe slumps.

Of course, the first thing I did when I was feeling well enough was cart myself to Starbucks and check on my BtSSB order, which hadn't arrived. I gazed at a saved picture of Guilty Meltin' Sweets Town, too clouded with grump to appreciate that this week I will finally lay hands on one of the best birthday presents ever.

You can't be unimpressed when you see this in person. It's impossible.

What was happening? A cold seeped its lethargy into even my most obsessive mental compartments? Well, yes, that could be partially to blame.

Having a small wardrobe while simultaneously being a daily lolita doesn't help, and how one handles that can make an impressive difference. How many times can you wear the same dress over and over again with only a handful of varying accessories before it stops being you and starts feeling like dead skin?

The way that I used to handle wardrobe slumps was to sell half of my wardrobe and replace it with new items, keeping the turnover too high to possibly get tired of. Well, that's fine if you're not particularly attached to any of your dresses, but it's downright silly if you're trying to build your wardrobe to any mentionable size or cohesiveness. It's a bad habit that I've only kicked this year, and I would gladly give a lecture to past me about rushing turnovers.


Wardrobe slumps are eerily similar to writer's block. My Literature teacher told us that writer's block isn't real. It's a small voice in the back of your head nagging you that nothing you'll write (or in this case wear) will be good enough, or inspiring enough. Why bother when someone else is going to do something 15 times better than you?

The answer is that you are the only one who can properly tell your story. If you're looking at a coordinate, and it's not quite good enough, keep playing with it (wearing it new ways) until you've got it figured out. It might take a long time before everything feels right and "clicks" again, but you will definitely get there. You are the only one who knows what bow should be placed at what angle on your head, or what belt would accent your waist with that jsk just right. Take a small break to hunt for inspiration if you need to (read if you're a writer, go through style blogs if you're a fashionista, or simply get out into the world with open eyes if you're either) but don't wait for too long and make it easy to back out altogether.

Don't be afraid to "steal" other looks. Again, like writing, you will end up reflecting what you love (or simply what you know) the most, and it may be very obvious at first. Don't let that discourage you, because you have to learn from others before you can really find your voice. If all you know is old school lolita, you might have troubles with a new OTT classic jsk when it arrives. If all you're familiar with is Hallmark cards, your writing will sound like Hallmark cards. Keep growing and learning from others, and experiment with mixing and creating as much as you can until you feel it "click." Sometimes it will click and then later it doesn't fit, and the process starts again. That's okay, too!

An obvious match for florals are the omnipresent reds, pinks and creams...

... but look closer and find that aside from greens there are purples as well.
You could even ignore them and coord around the floral skirt, using it as your statement piece.

Quick Wardrobe Un-Slumping Exercises:

• Build an entire coordinate collage using only one piece from your current wardrobe and things from your wishlist.
• Mix lolita up with another fashion look you like.
• Build a coordinate based off of a completely random thing—a movie character, an animal, the flowers at your local park, an unusual color palette, just get your creative juices going.
• If you have something you actually haven't worn it two years, consider trading or altering it for/into something you really like.
• Cut out or print up assorted tops, bottoms or jsks, shoes, and accessories. Then put each category into a separate bag and draw out one at random to create a surprising new coordinate. You could even get crazy and put your clothes into separate boxes and pull it out in the same way.
• Have a friend make a coordinate for you. 
• Try to create new looks for old coords by changing only your accessories, shoes, bag, and makeup. 
• Put two things you would never wear together into a coordinate. You might not have the pieces to bring them together in your wardrobe, but browsing through the Lolibrary site or Kera magazine might open your eyes to combinations your brain just refused to see before.

A Bad Sunday Poem

When I was thinner and had smooth skin and believed in magic I used to bring a tumbled, translucent pink mineral with me in my backpack. I carried it because the person I trusted most at the time had smiled deeply at me, skin wrinkled around her eyes as she explained “rose quartz promotes healing and opens the self to love.” You can imagine that a wounded high schooler carried it everywhere with her, and I did. The rose quartz seemed the softest thing in my life, when I was all bony fingers and pungent perfume and steel toed leather boots and sharp glances.

Before I knew that a crystal and a mineral are not the same thing, I imagined that love would feel the way my blushed charm felt– smooth and cool and comforting. I figured they would be alike in that despite my flaws and terrible memory that once I obtained them they would be impossible to lose simply because I believed in their power. I lost my belief in the stone when I learned the difference between crystals and minerals, but for some reason I believed that love could still be a composition. Real love could be a rock, like God who is a rock and who is also Love, according to a Psalm I read in basic training, before the shifts changed and it was my turn to clean the latrine. I pushed my crumbling, hopeful naivety to entertain the idea of unmoving permanence, of a life that did not shake when a breeze whispered past it.

When I’d had my fill of cleaning latrines and guns and considered believing in magic again, I got married. I thought that perhaps love was sand, ground up bits of rocks that I had to deal with if I wanted the naturally formed and specific chemical bond. I didn’t know that by putting it that way I built our castle to be washed away by the next tide, and that nothing can stop the attraction of the moon and the sun that makes the tide. In making metaphors around minerals I forgot to define myself as a person, and when I washed to shore again I stood quivering in a string of questions and depression not unlike driving lost in a palpable fog.

How could I define myself outside of these things? A reasonable second-self ate away at me in the form of doubt as I picked up the old habit of moving from house to house. Too much time lingering on what ought and could hadn’t made it easier for me, but had frozen me perfectly in place with only my mind pointlessly pivoting amongst things I would not understand until I experienced them. The other day I picked up that mineral again –let’s call it a stone, for practical purposes– and felt it for the first time without belief. It is still a small, light, pink, smooth thing. It is still pleasant to look at. I will not fail to appreciate it by wanting it to be like love. I can only hope I do not miss love in any of it’s compositions by searching for something else.

Eyeliner First Impressions

Liole Cream Eyeliner "Smoky Black"
While it's a nice texture with full opacity, the brush and density of it are better for full line-drawing than filling in, like I do when I wear falsies. This can easily be remedied by putting the eyeliner on the entire length of the lid before placing the lash over it. Looks cute and fancy.

Dolly Wink "BL15" Brown Pencil Liner
Impressed by how smooth and creamy it applied for a pencil liner. The packaging is adorable.

False Eyelashes First Impressions

Darkness "Super 4"
I loooove these new lashes so far! The overall shape of this particular pair is adorable, and it stood up well to being applied three times with two different types of glue.

Jealousness
Sturdy. Very easy to clean, and look wonderful. They're surprisingly light for their large size, though they're so long that my too-long bangs will rest on them and weigh my whole eyelid down ._.

Fox Cherry
The most comfortable lash to wear. Made out of human hair, sticks to the lash line better than other lashes, but not quite as dramatic. Harder to clean, easy to damage if you're careless.

Dolly Wink "2"
Super realistic for synthetic lashes, much more natural looking. I love the clear band, though it has sharp edges and is overall more uncomfortable than others lashes. This glue is very strong, and must be applied quickly and the lash applied to the lid even more so. I'm used to simply being able to pull off the strip at day's end, and was unpleasantly surprised to pull out a couple of my real eyelashes out when I tried to do that with the Dolly Wink glue. I'm aware that you're supposed to use makeup remover and gently slide the lash strip off, but it's never bothered me doing it this way since I only have like 10 real eyelashes to begin with. This glue changed that.
The super-fast glue-drying also means that if you don't slap the lash strip on quickly enough, you need to start over with that strip. While practice and makeup remover will certainly improve this glue experience, I'm looking forward to trying these lashes with Ardell glue.

Dolly Wink lashes "2" with included lash adhesive

BB Cream First Impressions

BB Cream:

It's Skin "Babyface B.B. Cream"
This is already my favorite compared to Garnier, Rimmel, Physicians Formula, and Revlon. I can sweat it it, dance in it, and accidentally fall asleep in it without breaking out and it looks great until taken off. It feels a bit like sunscreen going on, but provides good coverage, acts wonderfully as a moisturizer, and doesn't come off when you dab your brow from sweating. I put it on sick, and it hid all of my redness like a foundation.

Maybelline "Dream Fresh BB"
As far as western BB creams go, this might be replacing Rimmel as my favorite. It has that "no makeup feel" shortly after application and provides good coverage for a BB cream. It also holds blush and eyeshadow well without any assistance from primers or setting sprays. Will need to try it immediately after Rimmel and next to It's Skin for further comparison.

Dream Fresh BB Cream and flash blinding me

Revlon "Photoready"
Goes on smooth enough, provides "meh" (but not awful) coverage, and then turns into an oily disaster after about two to three hours. As of this first impression I have tried it twice—the first time was in Utah and I wrote off the melting-face effect to unexpected sweat from a day of way more activity than I had planned, and now that I've tried it again doing nothing but sitting at home and reading I just want to throw the tube violently into a dumpster. It's a crap base to put anything else on top of. It's like a cheap pseudo-tinted sunscreen.

Gross.

Holika Holika "Petit Essential"
For the most part, I love this BB cream. It's very pasty when you apply it, but it provides coverage comparable to a foundation and when dry feels like you're not wearing anything. I shouldn't have moisturized my face this time before applying it (this is my second time wearing it) because it made the final results a little dewy, and I want to my face to be as matte and porcelain looking as possible, but I already know from last time that that can be achieved by simply skipping moisturizer (which BB creams are supposed to have anyways).

Just moisturizer and Eric photobombing, immediately after applying it, dry with blush, eyeliner, and mascara

Owl Inspired Eye Makeup

If you try this look yourself, it will look better in person than these pictures do.
This look is based off this Lolita Blog Carnival post.
Makeup is the hardest thing to take photos of! Guess what I'll be spending this week practicing?
Top version is before some generic brown shadow from CVS.

If you want mega eyes, apply false bottom lashes with the outer corner going just below your natural lash line. I'm sitting in Starbucks writing this since the internet won't be back at my house until tomorrow, so I had to draw the line somewhere!

Accidentally selfied with my family's signature smirk  >,<

You can certainly achieve the same look with half as many products, but I really wanted everything to stay on my face all day, especially since glitter and shimmer have a propensity for falling off.
The very optional products were: Coty Face Powder, e.l.f. HD Blush (just a bit! The focus for this look is on the eyes), Urban Decay Primer Potion, Urban Decay All Nighter Spray, and e.l.f. Eyebrow Mascara.

How I Did It:

For the all-day worry-free version, apply foundation or BB cream first, then prime your eyelids, and after you are done with the steps below, apply a setting powder and/or use a setting spray.

Tip: If you're worried about your eyeliner being uneven, apply it before the shadow so that you can fix it without accidentally wiping off the shadow.

1. Apply the darkest shadow first, with brown along the bottom of the top lid, copper glitter or shimmer in the middle, and a very large amount of gold all along the top and slightly above the eyelid. Pull it out to where your lash is going to end on the outer edges. You can easily apply more after your lashes if you're uncertain as to where your lashes will end.

2. Place the falsies 1/4 of the way from the inner beginning of the lash line and leave it at full length so that it goes out slightly past your eyelid, making the whole eye look larger. These particular lashes are Darkness brand "Super 4."

3. Take a black liquid liner and draw from the inside edge of the false lash to the inner corner of your eyelid, which disguises the lash band. Then add the tiniest sliver just under and above the lash band. I usually do it in this order so that no matter what type of lash glue I'm using, the liner will cover it so it doesn't show.

4. Use a brown pencil liner and blend the black liner upwards, to soften it.

5. Add a pat or two of dark brown eyeshadow on the lower outer corner of your eyelid to add drama and further volumize the appearance of your eyes.
.
6. Finally, highlight the water line and inner corners of your eyes using a white or super-light colored pencil liner.

Let me know if you try this, and how well you like it.

LBC: The Picture That Made You Fall In Love With Lolita and How You First Found Out About Lolita

I first started learning about lolita from sewing patterns I looked up for a German Ball Jointed Doll I was making for my aunt (I was an apprentice under Doll Master Carl in Nashville before I moved back to California.)

Not unlike the ones for sale here

My searches and research frequently led me to links about Rozen Maiden and Asian Ball Jointed Dolls. I was intrigued by how many people wanted to dress like dolls (cosplay) when the dolls were dressed as people.

As I learned more about German, French, Korean, and Japanese ball jointed dolls it didn't take me long to fall in love with Volks. In 2005 or 2006 they did a collaboration (the picture below isn't the same one, but it was a similar setup) with Baby the Stars Shine Bright and I fell into the wormhole. I never thought I would wear it myself, because I was still very gothpunk and rejecting anything that seemed "too girly."

A lot of people wouldn't say that this is lolita these days, but as I was doodling in art class one day in my junior year of high school, a friend opened a copy of Gothic & Lolita Bible and this was the first picture that caught my eye. Punk lolita was very much alive at this point, along with old school and handmade. It was just before BtSSB opened up their San Francisco store (whose opening I went to and returned resolved to make enough money to buy a dress from them). I'd already been listening to Nana Kitade's music, but I had no idea what she looked like. Looking at it now still gives me intense nostalgia. It made me believe that I could wear lolita and still incorporate my own ideas into it. Perhaps, I thought, this can also be me.

Other Lolita Blog Carnival posts for this week's theme:

A Heart's Sound
Lace a la Mode
Classical Doll
Under the Parasol
Lolita Glamour
Ice Cream Cherry
The Bloody Tea Party

12 Brands of Beauty Balm Cream Teaser

I thought I'd be the most excited for the eyelashes, but since I tried It's Skin's Babyface BB cream I am just as revved to review the rest of these BB creams: 

I will be adding more Korean brands and trying out some Japanese BB creams as well, but that will be coming in the next few months.

For those who have to squint at the screen, clockwise from top left is Physicians Formula, Garnier, Rimmel, L'Oreal, It's Skin, Revlon, Maybelline, Epielle, NYC, Holika Holika, Covergirl, and Skin 79. I chose these products for how easy each was to find and limited it to BB creams priced under $20. As you can see they're primarily drugstore brands, with only three Korean brands added to the mix. Asian City, where I went to purchase many of the Korean products for the upcoming reviews, featured mainly Korean BB creams as far as what fit into my price range.

The testing process for the BB creams will be similar to the eyelashes, with each product being tested five times before being put onto the comparison chart, but first impressions being put up after the first use.

Giveaway winners!

The winners of the wig and lash giveaway were all tumblr users, and are:
sniwuffy
dimmidank
kawaiinochou
in that order. If this is you, please contact me through either tumblr or facebook by the 10th of this month with your google+ of facebook name and your order of preference for the giveaway items.

Beauty Q and A

Q.) What's the point of having all this makeup junk on your blog?

A.) Ehehe >:D I want to provide a thorough database for lolitas and everyone else who may be interested in makeup to see completely unbiased reviews of products side by side. I had a lot of questions about things like false eyelashes and BB creams that were very hard to find answers to, and since it's something that many of my readers are interested in as well, it seemed like a good opportunity to learn some new things for myself. Knowing that different people have different skin types, I will also be featuring some guests with different skin types and preferences to give their opinions of the same products. I am also fairly new to the makeup multiverse, so it's also an entertaining way to see which products will be my ultimate "keepers."

Q.) Except for your goth years in middle and high school, you've never been into beauty. What's with the sudden interest in makeup products? 

A.) I had a shift in the way I think about makeup. I used to think that makeup was to cover your face when you were unhappy with how you looked, to modify and "improve" what was already there. While it certainly can be that, I think of it now as an artform and a fun thing to do. Besides going with clothing, makeup can stand alone by itself with a very simple coordinate and completely change your look in any way you want it to. You can play endlessly with a large palette of eyeshadow, but how many ways you can wear a jumperskirt is much more limited—by your wardrobe and ability to procure more items that can be coordinated with that jumperskirt.

Q.) But don't you still have to have a bunch of products to do makeup? Won't you still end up spending a lot? Not to mention things like foundation and mascara have limited use and a short lifespan.

A.) You don't necessarily need a lot of products, particularly pricier ones, to get good results with makeup. A lot of it has to do with making educated purchases and your skill in doing makeup. With lolita clothing, there is a limit to how many pieces are made, and the pieces themselves can be quite expensive to the middle-class American. With makeup, there's always more being made to replace products you like. Even if you were to buy new foundation and mascara every month (which I would never do if it wasn't to try new products on this blog) it will still be less than a brand skirt by the end of the year. With rare exception, each product that I test is under $20. The value of makeup stands in its ability to dress up anything you may already have. Where you can wear the same foundation six days a week, you probably won't be wearing the same dress six days a week! The very purpose of the beauty section here on The Literary Lolita is to help you, the reader, decide which products will work best for you so you don't have to try a hundred things yourself and waste precious resources.

Q.) Do you take requests?

A.) Yes! It depends upon the request, of course, but I'm generally willing to do short tutorials and answer questions. If there is a product you would like for me to test, and it is under $20, please contact me on facebook. Outside of the products I got to start with, I probably won't be able to afford to test more than one product per month.

Q.) I'm an indie business looking to promote my new products, will you advertise for me?

A.) I will test and review your lolita and/or makeup products, and leave an absolutely unbiased rating of your product here on my blog. I'm an honest person and want to have a trusting relationship with my readers. If I do like your product enough to advertise it on an unobtrusive billboard space, I will contact you after my review.

The Giant Eyelash Review, Part I

I've been bedridden sick since I've been home, and the internet won't be back at my house until at least the end of this week ;.;

The only missing lashes are the Dolluxe top and bottom lashes, which will not be coming until next month. Each brand of lashes will be tried first with its original glue (if it came with any) and then each other brand of glue, after washing and care, of course. 

The review for each lash set will be extensive, and the information will go on a chart comparing softness, weight, ease of care, realism, appearance, durability, and overall rating. The chart will also contain what materials each brand uses, and other things I may have noticed while testing the lashes. Each lash set will be carefully tested five times, to ensure an accurate result and to test each lash glue. 

The first thing worth noting is the difference in each lash set's band. Darkness has a huge band to provide maximum support for its incredible volume and length, while the Dolly Winks sport a clear lash band for what I expect will be a very natural  appearance. See for yourself!

I will also be making first impression posts for each lash set, with the first coming up this Saturday! 

I will be trying the Darkness lashes for the owl makeup look from my last Lolita Blog Carnival participation.

Sunday Series: Fabric and Porcelain

This week's Sunday series features two prose poems.
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Fabric has been a metaphor for fate
since civilization bothered to record

I do not weave
I do not design

I collage the things that happenstance threw my way
Someone else made it

Does it still say "me?"
Who said it first in the manner that I mean it?

Maybe if it's my perceived will,
but still,

there's nobody new under the sun.

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Warning: this second poem contains attempted humor, cursing, and adult themes.

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Lolita Promotes Feminism in U.S. Society: Conclusion

Previously in this series: Connecting Fashion and Feminism

Disclaimer: This argument paper was written for my English class in May, and I've been arguing with myself over whether or not to put this out in public since then. I did my best to educate myself in these topics within a short time span. All content is truthful as best as I could research. If any of the information in this series is wrong, please respectfully inform me specifically what is wrong so that I may look into it and correct it.

Lolita fashion’s dramatic contrast to common western wear has a powerful effect that can be used to affect social awareness in much the same way that Slut Walk makes people curious enough to ask “what’s that?” Dozens of modern subcultures and styles are represented in the Slut Walk, from lolitas to goths to punks, who have all grown to learn of rape culture through the excuse that something as “simple” as what they wear is an invitation for rape, harassment, and discrimination.

Besides movements like the Slut Walk, punks have also been a part of affecting social change since its conception in the mid 1970s. While punk does place an emphasis on non-conformity, educated punks are not against uniting for common causes, and in fact have made huge progress when gathered, Dawson Barret wrote in his article, DIY Democracy: The Direct Action Politics Of U.S. Punk Collectives: “The politics of punk institutions effectively place the movement into a broad narrative of participatory democracy in America activism that spans from early 1960s groups like Women Strike for Peace, the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee, and Students for a Democratic Society; to Women’s Liberation organizations in the late 1960s and 1970s, to the global justice movement of the 1990s and 2000s. In addition to sharing a common tendency toward direct action politics, punk rock, is also, by definition, a participatory movement” (Barrett). Gregory Graffin, Ph.D, lead singer and songwriter of the American punk band Bad Religion, said in Flavorwire’s article “What is Punk”:

Punk is: the personal expression of uniqueness that comes from the experiences of growing up in touch with our human ability to reason and ask questions; a movement that serves to refute social attitudes that have been perpetuated through willful ignorance of human nature; a process of questioning and commitment to understanding that results in self-progress, and through repetition, flowers into social evolution; a belief that this world is what we make of it, truth comes from our understanding of the way things are, not from the blind adherence to prescriptions about the way things should be; the constant struggle against fear of social repercussions (qtd. by Hiebert).

As you can see, this movement eloquently stands for the individual’s journey to accomplish precisely what, in the grander scheme of things, every progressive equality movement is trying to accomplish. It is more recent, and therefore more evolved, than the flapper movement, which required women to stand together as a group against sexism in order to achieve social privileges. Whether you like the music or the now associated substyle is irrelevant. Punk brings the battle for social justice down to the individual in order to break apart blind (not educated or circumstantial, let that be clear) social conformity.

Billy Joe Armstrong, singer, songwriter, and instrumentalist of Green Day said “A guy walks up to me and asks ‘What’s punk?’ So I kick over a garbage can and say ‘That’s punk!’ So he kicks over a garbage can and says ‘That’s punk?’ and I say ‘No, that’s trendy!’” Increasing diversity and inserting our own educated ideas into the world is almost as important as educating ourselves and working with society in order to better it. This effect, rather than being lost in translation through the ambiguous nature of fashion, is instead intensified by its open interpretation.

Perry R. Hinton, an independent academic researcher, made a great connection in our perceptions of the same observed object changing based upon our cultural lense:

Social representations can change due to the processes of social conventionalization, which can involve assimilation to existing cultural forms, simplification, elaboration, and social construction. Thus, representations change within a culture in accordance with the changing characteristics of that culture. It has been shown that British views of Zen Buddhism and Japanese schoolgirls as represented in British popular culture differ from their Japanese representations in accordance with these processes.

Kiisel put it succinctly: “As uncomfortable as it may be, we are under the microscope every day. Our employees, our colleagues, and our customers judge us by how we look, how we dress, our table manners, our grooming, and sometimes even how we do our job.” Clothing is the most ambiguous and receptively ambivalent representation of ourselves we can make. In the United States today, a short skirt may be cute to one person and a signal of sexual promiscuity to another. The biggest statement we can make with fashion—within limits legal and practical considering our bodily protection—is to dress for ourselves with abandon and make the unusual usual, breaking stereotypes and educating others in the process. In this way, we will slowly mould perceptions into something less shocking and more usual. It is not only our privilege to express ourselves both artistically and with awareness of the strength of our influences, but our duty as human beings to act in a way which will spread acceptance of diversity… Even if it begins as “just clothes.”

Sources can be found here.