5 Pieces that Every (daily) Lolita Should Have Regardless of Style

Every lolita should have in their repertoire things which are reliable confidence-boosters. If you wear lolita on a regular basis and you don't already have these things, you will find that one or more of them will probably make your life a lot easier!

1. Try BB cream, or CC cream if you have relatively uneven skin or scars.

Clearly I need a better collaging program that doesn't leave stamps in the corner.

Parfait Doll already did an entire post about BB cream, but enough can't be said about this product for those who haven't tried it yet.  Lolita clothes, particularly prints and more extravagant materials, can easily overshadow an unkempt face and exaggerate blemishes and oily skin. I've replaced my heavy foundation with BB cream because it feels like I'm just putting a light lotion onto my skin—in other words I don't hate doing makeup any more. If you don't want to wear eyeliner, shadow, blush, bronzer, etc. etc. then just wearing BB cream by itself can give your face a soft glow.

There is quite a bit of difference between brands of BB creams that you find at the drugstore, so it's a good idea to do some research online (youtube is my favorite place for reviews) and figure out which one you're interested in instead of getting overwhelmed and picking one out at random when you go to buy one. You may decide to try Korean or Japanese brand BB creams or you may opt to try some easier-to-obtain ones first. I will be reviewing and comparing several BB creams at the end of September for my upcoming beauty series along with a friend who has a different skin type, for extra thoroughness.

2. If you wear lolita on a daily basis then you should definitely have a pair of amazingly comfortable shoes that you can beat up by wearing all the time. If you want to look cute but not damage your fancies, consider off-brand shoes or a pair of high-quality shoes that will last you for a long time.

Yes those are pastel mint boots.

I haven't had good luck with brand shoes at all, but I've found that my An*Tai*Nas and Doc Martens have withstood the gnarliest puddles and gravel while still looking good. Typically, I don't recommend Doc Marten boots to people who haven't already fleshed out their wardrobe, simply because they can be quite challenging to coord while keeping your entire outfit lolita. One not-quite-lolita offbrand shirt that works with other coords can combine with Doc boots to make the whole thing simply "lolita-inspired." Keep in mind that Doc Martens make more than boots, they also make mary janes, flats, and a variety of other shoe styles. Any particularly lolita shoe (that is to say An*Tai*Na, brand, and Bodyline alike) scuff easily for someone as rough on their feet as me, so pastel and neutral Martens are my favorite for daily wear now that my closet has a bit of body. That pair on the left has lasted 10 years and is still going strong, though certainly not unblemished. I live on a mountain, so... '>_>

3. Own at least one petticoat that refuses to die.

Rightmost brand is Malco Modes, not CollageIt.

I had a Malco Modes petticoat for several years (that just disappeared the last time I moved) that could be machine washed, machine dried, driven in for hours, and squished by dogs only to reinflate to its original size with a swish of waist. For cupcake poof, my Dear Celine Marshmallow petticoat lasted for two and a half years before deflating. Now I wear it over a Victorian Girl Dress (an eBay seller) petticoat for volume and appropriate shape. I thought that the Victorian Girl Dress petti would replace my Malco Modes one, but after five days of extreme fluff it shrank to half its size and balances precariously on the line between just-enough-volume-for-classic and not-quite-there.

4. If you are tall or enjoy an elegant touch, get an underskirt. It can completely change the feel of your coord. Chiffon is nice for the summer and for an airy, flowing look. Recently, sweet is incorporating chiffon as well, from Day Dream Carnival to the peignoir trend. Cotton is good for sweet lolita, warmer weather, and vivid opacity. If you don't need or want an underskirt, overskirts and sashes add an extra splash to outfits without the added length.

From left: Dear Celine, BtSSB, and Yotsuba's Home. The ones on the ends can be purchased from my-lolita-dress.com

5. Have something cute or classy for your head!

From left: Triple Fortune Rose Ribbon Bonnet, BtSSB Rosa Mistica Head Dress in mint, and Kidsyoyo Violin Headbands

Putting something on your head does not mean you can get away with leaving your hair boring. It's not that simple. I know because I spent two years trying to get away with it. If you have nice, voluminous hair then maybe you can get away with a decent haircut and a brush. All I know is that I cringe at old photos where I'm wearing no makeup and have stringy, bland hair that just drags down the hairpieces I put in it. The primary problem isn't even so much that the hair itself (or having it dyed an awful color for your skin) doesn't look good, it's that it's not on par with the rest of your fabulosity. This is especially true if you are doing sweet lolita or hime lolita where the bulk of your coord will make your head look tiny! Wigs are an easy and obvious solution, but you may decide to go full blown extensions and curling wand, which is what I'm working on right now.

What do you think are 5 pieces that every lolita should have regardless of style?

LBC: 3 Things I could Never See Myself Wearing in Lolita

I have gotten into a lot of things that I never thought I would get into (*cough*sweet lolita, prints, plastic jewelry), but a few years of lolita later I'm still resistant to these three things:

1. Full sets of matching everything

It's cute. I like seeing it on other people. As someone who wears lolita every day, I find the repetition lacks creativity and spunk because I get sick of seeing the same things together very often. The coords become a blur when you've already seen five people in the exact same outfit. A few matched pieces is nice, but more than three pieces from the same series looks wrong for my eclectic style.

2. Fake rings make my fingers green

I got these from a seller on livejournal and had my fingers turn green from wearing them for an hour. They're really cute, but they're just decorations for my desk now. I've been worried about buying rings from BtSSB and AP for fear they'll do the same thing.

3. Anything with houndstooth on it

This is the cutest houndstooth-ed thing I've seen besides AP's Chocolat-Chan series, and I still can't shake my memories of that bland American period when people's suits blended into their furniture like some urban yuppie camouflage. Again, I'm sure I could fall in love with it on someone else like I have with gingham, but that doesn't mean I'm likely to put it on my own body any time soon.

Other participating blogs in this week's Lolita Blog Carnival theme:

Northern Star

Parasol Obsession

What the Fluff

New Vogue Children

Lovely Lunette

The Twinkle Boss

How do I afford my clothes?

Hey gals, bros, As and boths!

I've been getting asked how I afford my clothes a lot lately, and the follow up question is frequently something like "isn't it over the top? Isn't it a bit much?"  A video's a good way to explain to y'all how I collect my lolita clothes, and why I think it's perfectly okay to collect it. For the video, scroll to the bottom. For the short, sweet, and significantly less awkward, keep reading.

First of all, my closet isn't really that big. When I think of everyone I know, my wardrobe in general is the same size or a bit smaller than average.  I wear lolita every day except for when I'm cleaning or gardening or adding oil to the car or something like that, so as clothing it's not impractical for my lifestyle.

Secondly, I have been collecting and refining my wardrobe for 4 years. It's an endless cycle and I'm okay with that. Lolita's expensive, but if you saved all of your usual clothing and entertainment money, let's say 40 dollars a month, for a year you'd have enough money for a brand jumperskirt and matching brand shoes by the end of the year. Lolita's really worthwhile to me, so I've been able to save about that much or more on average since I started.

Even then, I only own a few brand pieces that were purchased new from the store. At least 2/3rds of my lolita is second hand or from much cheaper chinese indie stores. I don't have to have the most expensive brand thing, I just want to have the things I think are cute or beautiful.

I recycle my clothes. I can usually get at least half of my money back from selling my clothes to other lolitas online or I can trade items that I no longer want for other things that I do want. Any money I get back from this usually goes straight into my lolita savings. Knowing where to buy and sell is a key part of that. I've used ebay before lacemarket got big recently, but only when I was in a big hurry to get rid of stuff. Now lacemarket, facebook, and egl comm sales are my hunting grounds when I have enough put away for an item. Closetchild, Mbok, and Yahoo! auctions Japan all have lolita for great prices, but I have yet to get to an item I want before someone else xD The other day I tried to put a bid on an Angelic Pretty water bottle-one of those reuseable metal ones- and I screwed it up.

Work! For a couple of years I was working a pretty decent security job where I was doing almost 20 hours of overtime a week for several months, coupled with cheap rent, and what did I buy? Lolita. And tea xD
Even only working part time jobs, I've been able to use my tax returns or set a bit aside for lolita. I recently asked my friends and family for money for my birthday to reserve something from Alice and The Pirates' series Guilty Meltin' Sweets Town, and my best lolita friend (*winkwink Van*) bought me this insanely beautiful bonnet. Absurd.