Kawaii Nail Polish: Violet Lebeaux's Simple Rose Art Nail Tutorial

One of my current favorite bloggers is Violet Lebeaux, and I've been loving seeing photos of her retro cute daily life along with useful tutorials and tips. I've been looking at how to fancy up my nails more recently, so I decided to try out her simple rose print nail tutorial.

Wow! The tutorial was amazingly simple and easy to follow along with. I bought a basic set of nail art tools Sally Hansen brand from my local pharmacy and just read along. I sadly lacked the white polish on hand, but I was overall really happy with the results and my first attempt at nail art of any sort.

Polishes used:
Essie Lilacism
Spoiled Permission to Proceed
Revlon Sugar Glaze
Revlon Extra Life Clear Coat

S-senpai even noticed me. *_*

That's the best of the photos that I got. Have you had any neat, cute nail tutorial that you've tried lately? List them in the comments below. 

Angelic Pretty Whipped Magic Worn + Magic City Art Connection

Last weekend, I had the chance to check out the Magic City Art Connection. I was intrigued after seeing the same poster day after day at the Chinese restaurant that I like to frequent for lunch, so I decided to attend. Taking a more whimsical spirit, I decided to finally wear my Angelic Pretty Whipped Magic outside of the house.

Posed outside of a Chinese restaurant for lunch
OP, Purse, Socks: Angelic Pretty
Wig: Gothic Lolita Wigs
Shoes: Bodyline
Bracelets: Claire's, Forever 21
Necklace: Magical Tea Time

I felt like I was on the verge of tears upon putting on this dress. Since I entered lolita fashion, Whipped Magic was a dress that I consistently dreamed about, and I couldn't believe that I owned such a beautiful work of a print finally. I've seen some say that the lime green is hard to coordinate, but I'm looking forward to the challenge of bringing it out more as an accent color in a future coordinate.

One of my favorite parts of the festival was getting purchase the art of one of my favorite artists, A.L. Swartz who operates under the banner of Skullgarden. Her art is just too perfect for me with a combination of nature and crystal motifs. In addition to an owl print for my wall at home, I also decided to pick up a pack of tarot major arcana cards. I also got a darling pack of mushroom themed cards that I'm not sure what I'll do with yet, but I'll find a purpose yet. <3

My print hung up. <3 

Tarot card deck with some of my favorite cards beside it along with the mushroom cards.

Thank you for reading along today! Who are some of your favorite artists? Comment below, and I'd love to check them out. 

Dream Haul: Mori Girl Dear Li

As I've been branching and exploring clothing outside of lolita that will better fit my daily lifestyle, mori girl is another style that has caught my eye. In case you want to know what mori girl is, Vanillery Garden has a number of nice posts on her blog with an introduction to mori girl linked to. Dear Li is a taobao brand that I've come across in my search that seems to be relatively well known in the mori girl world. Below, I'd just like to feature some of my favorite pieces I've encountered on their taobao shop with links above the photos of the items. I hope you enjoy my virtual window shopping as much as I did.

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I'm a sucker for both mushrooms and forest animals

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Ruffle cat is rightfully dapper and smug

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More squirrels and mushrooms. Hnnnnng. 

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Princess Mononoke deer god vibe anyone? No? Just me? Okay...

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I love that the two colorways of the dress feature two different bunnies. <3

Thank you for hanging around with me as I 'fawned' over some pieces I've found in my internet adventures. Let me know below if you've had any experience with Dear Li and what you think about the quality of their clothing.

Ista Mori Captain Mia Jsk Review

I recently had the pleasure of acquiring the Captain Mia JSK from the Taobao brand Ista Mori. Who could resist a nautical cat themed print with little anchors in the lace? Jump below the cut for my full thoughts on the item that I received.

What I Thought When I Got My First Real Piece Of Lolita

As mentioned before, my first piece that I acquired for my wardrobe was a hard to work with wa lolita piece. However, I loved it nonetheless at the time, and my main thoughts were mostly comprised of wishes and dreams of how I would look like a Japanese Western infused *princess desu*. Yes, as embarrassing as it could potentially be, those were my weeaboo thoughts before trying on my first lolita piece.

The above post idea was originally from F Yeah Lolita's original list, Lolita 52 Challenge. 

Antique Mall And Karaoke Lolita Meetup

The past weekend, I got to experience an amazing meetup with my local girls. Skip through the cut below for some photos of the great finds and fun that we had. <3

Jsk: Bodyline l445
Blouse: Bodyline l009
Tote: Forever 21
Rosette: mossbadger
Earrings: Betsey Johnson
Hat: ebay
Boots: Rack Room Shoes

What's In My Lolita Closet, But I Haven't Worn Yet!

When I first got into lolita, I almost never had items that went unworn for more than a week or two. Now, I have several items sitting on the back burner, waiting for a good occasion! Below are the items which I'm waiting for the right time to wear them.~

Angelic Pretty Whipped Magic OP

I know that some people dislike the dress because of the lime green in the print, but I love the piece so incredibly much. I now own the piece in the above colorway, and I'm very satisfied with the way the piece fits me, so I'm just waiting now for a 'sweet' opportunity to wear it out. I had originally anticipated wearing the dress to a cherry blossom festival in my area, but alas, I was too worn out from being burned at work that week so I wasn't able to attend.

Ista Mori Captain Mia Jsk

The above dress, which arrived in the mail for me within the last week, is actually my first dress to buy from Taobao, and I'm so incredibly pleased with the quality of my find that I'll likely post a detailed review within the next few weeks. I'm going to wait until the days get somewhat hotter (which won't be long given that I live in Alabama), then I'll wear the dress likely with a boater hat that I have coming in the mail right now.

Okay, so this jsk technically isn't in my closet yet, but the dress will likely arrive within the next week. Even though I had recently ordered, I decided to also purchase the Chocoberry jsk in beige to hopefully wear to a berry picking meet up during the coming summer.

The above post idea was originally from F Yeah Lolita's original list, Lolita 52 Challenge. 

My Lolita Wishlist For 2014

I'm consistently surprised that one of the most popular posts on my blog is old my lolita wishlist that I wrote for the 30 Day Lolita Challenge in 2012. Many of the items on that list, while I think having them would be nice, aren't currently items that I'm searching for any more. The main things I still want off of my original list are a pair of tea party shoes and rocking horse shoes, actually! I eventually got the Sweetie Cakes tights, so I guess one of ten isn't bad, right?

Anyway, I'd like to cease my rambling and launch into a post highlighting some of my current wishlist pieces. ^_^

1) Angelic Pretty Melty Cream Doughnut

When this piece went live in 2013, I was wrapped up in working on graduating from college, job searching, then working said job which was a big adjustment from my previous schedule. While I vaguely remember seeing the print, I emerged from my busy schedule to find the piece had already been released and became highly sought after. I'm not shocked, the detailing is amazing and even little cutlery hang from the waist bow. ;A; I really want to own some version of the dress likely in either cream or brown, but I haven't made a decision between the regular jsk or the babydoll cut dress.

2) Angelic Pretty Day Dream Carnival

Another highly sought after Angelic Pretty piece that I was so much. I first saw the dress while attending Frill last year, and I felt regret for not purchasing while I had the chance to do so. I would love to own the tiered jsk in either the lavender or black colorway.

3) Haenuli Royal Kitten

I actually got to see the print in person with Haenuli herself wearing it. <3 I want the royal blue colorway of the piece as the idea of regal cats and, well, just cats in general, has been on my mind a lot lately.

4) Haenuli Enchanted Fawn

Enchanted Fawn is another piece that I regret not jumping on and ordering when I had the chance to order. I'm in love with sylvan prints in general, especially those with deer and squirrels, though I have yet to own anything with deer printed on yet! If I could choose any version, I would love to get the OP in fawn color. <3

5) Vivienne Westwood 3 Strap Elevated

How could I not feel like the princess of a land in shoes like these? I have yet to see them in person, but I'm actively on the hunt to get the shoes in either white or pink.

6) Vivienne Westwood x Melissa Ultragirl Medallion Flats

I recently purchased my first pair of Melissa shoes while out browsing my local Rack Room Shoes. Wow. The shoes are so incredibly comfortable while being cute, perfect for everyday wear. I can only imagine how awesome the collaboration line is, and I can see myself wearing the ballet flats both in everyday life and at lolita meetups where I know I'll be walking a good bit.

7) Metamorphose Temps De Fille March of the Ducks

I have watched both the skirt and jsk of the series slip past my again and again much to my frustration. I love the cute little ducks around the border of the print, so maybe one day I'll actually be the first person to comment on a sales post for the piece.

8) Metamorphose Temps De Fille Cats Bubble Bath

[cries internally] Yet another piece that I choked on buying then ending up missing out on around the holiday season 2013. I'd love to have the shirring skirt so much with the ludicrous cats that are happy to be in water.

9) Chess Story Madomoiselle et Macaron 

I've been really craving a chocolate themed print lately which I'll blame on my recent interest in otome kei. One chocolate themed piece in particular that I'd love to have would be Chess Story's jsk centered around delicious, delicious chocolate.

10) Chocolate Themed Tights or Socks

Pretty self explanatory, right? I'd just love to own some chocolate themed tights to go with the chocolate dress I want. A particular example are the Emily Temple Cute chocolate socks.

Finally, thank you for reading me ramble on about my lolita wishlist! I hope I'll be able to at least get a few of the above pieces in the near future. 

Review: Mossbadger Rosette

Mossbadger is a small indie brand which makes beautiful rosettes that I've tended to rave about wanting for a while now. Many times, the rosettes that she posts instantly sell out with only a few lingering to sell out a couple of weeks later. I recently happened to be on Facebook to see her announcement of a new batch of rosettes going live, so I jumped on the opportunity. Today, I'd like to do a short review of a rosette that I received.

Shipping: I paid for my item on March 12th. I received notification that the item was shipped out on March 14th, then I received the piece on March 20th. The item was well packed, and I liked the inclusion of a cute business card along with the botany themed tape that lined the edge of the packaging. 

Accuracy of description: The picture from the shop was very clean and crisp, and the product that I received looked exactly like the photo in terms of materials and colors depicted on the rosette. 

Stock photo of the rosette

Quality: The item was very soft and lovely and appears to be of sturdy construction. The two way clip seems to be very sturdy and like it will be able to endure long term usage. The only small issue was a small amount of glue that I found on the back of the product peeking out from an edge, but since that aspect of the outfit will never be seen, I don't mind at all. 

Slight bit of glue peeking out of the edges

Fit of the item: As I mentioned above, the clip on the rosette is very sturdy. I was able to fit the item in as part of an otome kei style outfit soon after receiving it. <3 

Fur collar: ebay
Shoes: Rack Room Shoes
Dress, tights: Target

Would I recommend the item? 

I would definitely recommend the item. Even though the rosettes initially felt a bit pricey at $22 or $25 apiece, the unique lovely piece that I received was worth the money.