Hello everyone! Since I've been in a bit of a rut lately with coming up with new material for my blog, I was happy to find a good Lolita themed prompt to use to get me back in the swing of things. I present to you The Lolita 52 Challenge as made by F Yeah Lolita. I'm going to try and have one of these post every week to get me back on my weekly posting schedule, but be prepared for breaks if I have another topic I wish to write about. These prompts can be done in any order, so I'm just going down the list one at a time so I don't lose track of what I have and haven't done. With that being said, lets start with the first topic: 5 pieces that every Lolita wardrobe should have, regardless of style.
#1: A simple, convertible blouse
The first thing I feel all Lolitas should have in their wardrobe is a simple blouse with convertible sleeves. Blouses are a great basic piece to have in any Lolita wardrobe whether worn with a JSK or a skirt and I feel having one with detachable sleeves, essentially a convertible blouse, is necessary. This makes it easier to have a well rounded wardrobe without having an excessive number of blouses taking up space since you can wear it with or without the sleeves based on the weather.
#2: Cute bloomers
Sure, nobody really ever sees your bloomers, but think how much happier you feel when you're wearing cute or matching underwear. Generally nobody's going to see it, but you know it's there, giving you a boost of confidence and making your outfit feel more complete and put together.
#3: A comfortable pair of shoes
Every Lolita should have at least ONE pair of shoes that don't kill their feet. Whether it's a pair of ballet flats you upcycled or some super extravagant, yet abnormally comfy tea parties, not having to worry about whether you'll be able to walk at a meet is essential. (Pro-tip: Get shoes a half size bigger than what you usually wear and stick some slightly-too-big insoles in to add some padding at the toes as well as for the soles. And no, not the super cheap dollar store ones, get some decently thick insoles that'll hold up. And pre-emptive bandaging or socks help a lot with straps that rub.)
#4: A sizeable purse or bag
Anyone who's ever had a cute themed Lolita bag or a stuffed animal bag knows just how impractical they can be if you want to carry more than just a handkerchief. Having a durable and well sized bag that suits your sub-style is really helpful, especially if you like to carry lots of things "just in case." (*cough*me*cough*) Plus if you're going shopping you can store smaller purchases in you purse without having to worry about losing them.
#5: A dream piece
Just about every Lolita has at least one dress they lust after that they either can't find, wouldn't fit, or can't afford. Whatever your style is, I strongly believe in having at least one item in your wardrobe, be it dress, blouse, or accessory, that you absolutely adore and that makes you happy any time you see it or wear it. Because why just let your dreams be dreams? ;)
I hope you all enjoyed todays post, look forward to more in the future! I really want to bring this blog back to life, so if you have any topics you'd like to see me write a post on, let me know and I'll do my best to work it in!
Check out my Facebook page: facebook.com/CelesteChoCho
Subscribe to me on Youtube: ButterflyChan
Peruse my wares: animelolitacouture.storenvy.com
Saturday, August 27, 2016
Friday, August 19, 2016
Rosa Hermetica Dress Review
Hello everyone! Today I'm going to be doing another review for my friend Alis's shop Rosa Hermetica. This time around I decided to buy two items and do a more in-depth review here on my blog as opposed to a first impressions review in video format like last time I ordered from her. So here we go! I'll be rating both dresses on size, quality, shipping, and overall order accuracy.
The first dress I ordered is the To Alice Strawberry Lolita Dress in the Pink colorway.
Quality:
This dress has an adorable print and is made of soft, yet opaque chiffon-like fabric and has two detachable bows for the collar, buttons up the front, and a removable red ribbon to tie around the waist. All of the bows are made out of grosgrain ribbon and the buttons feel like plastic. There is no shirring on the dress and a zipper up one of the sides to allow for easy wear and removal of the dress. The lace is soft and delicate and the print stands out well, though it is a little blurred due to the fabric's texture.
Size:
Sadly, this dress does not fit me. I double checked my measurements and compared them to the ones listed on the site, but this style of dress runs small. I ordered the largest size available, a Medium, but it's equivalent to about a US small or extra small. I should have remembered that my sailor dress from Rosa Hermetica was almost ten cm larger than my bust measurement and was still tight when I decided to order this dress. Unfortunately this is something that happens with online shopping, so I have nothing against Rosa Hermetica for this, but I did warn Alis so she can make a note in the description to warn future customers that it runs small.
The second dress I ordered was the Alice in Wonderland Lolita Dress in the Pink colorway.
Quality:
This dress was also made out of a soft, opaque, chiffon-like material and has a nice print, albeit a little blurred due to the fabric texture. The lace is very nice and soft with multiple types on the dress. The dress has two detachable bows, one larger for the waist and one smaller for the chest, as well as attached bows on the edge of the dress made from grossgrain ribbon. There is some slight damage to some of the bows on the edge of the skirt, though it's not noticeable from the front of the bows and it looks like it's just the ribbon being burned from sealing the edges to prevent fraying. In addition to the ribbons, the dress also came with two detachable wait ties and a chiffon drape that buttons onto the shoulder straps. The dress is zipperless, with only shirring on the back and it also has adjustable shoulder straps with three different positions.
Size:
This dress fits very comfortably and allows for enough stretch to easily put the dress on and off. I'm towards the lower end of the measurements for this dress and it still fits great with and without a blouse under it. The adjustableness of the straps is great for me and the waist ties are a nice addition for bringing the waist in a bit.
Order accuracy:
Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication on the color of this dress between Alis and the people who package and ship her orders as it arrived in purple instead of pink. Fortunately she got in contact with me very quickly when I messaged her about the mix-up. While her store policy doesn't cover shipping on this, she did send me a gift as an appology for the mistake, which I very much appreciate. It's a cute little flower crown with white to pink mini roses on it. The dress is still very lovely in purple, albeit the print is a bit more subdued than with the pink colorway.
Shipping:
Both dresses arrived about two weeks after my order in seperate packages about half a day apart. This is about normal shipping time for me for packages from China. The packaging for both was a typical white polymailer, both of which were undamaged. Inside the polymailers, both dresses were in clear plastic resealable bags with their attachments. I am definitely happy with shipping time and the condition both packages arrived in.
Overall satisfaction:
I am quite satisfied with the quality of the dresses and shipping time, though I am rather upset about the color mix-up on the Alice dress and the fit of the Strawberry dress. However, I feel that Alis's customer service was very good and helped make up for these. Overall I would give this experience with purchasing from Rosa Hermetica a 4/5. I will definitely be ordering from Alis's little shop again and would highly recomend it to my friends.
The first dress I ordered is the To Alice Strawberry Lolita Dress in the Pink colorway.
Quality:
This dress has an adorable print and is made of soft, yet opaque chiffon-like fabric and has two detachable bows for the collar, buttons up the front, and a removable red ribbon to tie around the waist. All of the bows are made out of grosgrain ribbon and the buttons feel like plastic. There is no shirring on the dress and a zipper up one of the sides to allow for easy wear and removal of the dress. The lace is soft and delicate and the print stands out well, though it is a little blurred due to the fabric's texture.
Size:
Sadly, this dress does not fit me. I double checked my measurements and compared them to the ones listed on the site, but this style of dress runs small. I ordered the largest size available, a Medium, but it's equivalent to about a US small or extra small. I should have remembered that my sailor dress from Rosa Hermetica was almost ten cm larger than my bust measurement and was still tight when I decided to order this dress. Unfortunately this is something that happens with online shopping, so I have nothing against Rosa Hermetica for this, but I did warn Alis so she can make a note in the description to warn future customers that it runs small.
The second dress I ordered was the Alice in Wonderland Lolita Dress in the Pink colorway.
Quality:
This dress was also made out of a soft, opaque, chiffon-like material and has a nice print, albeit a little blurred due to the fabric texture. The lace is very nice and soft with multiple types on the dress. The dress has two detachable bows, one larger for the waist and one smaller for the chest, as well as attached bows on the edge of the dress made from grossgrain ribbon. There is some slight damage to some of the bows on the edge of the skirt, though it's not noticeable from the front of the bows and it looks like it's just the ribbon being burned from sealing the edges to prevent fraying. In addition to the ribbons, the dress also came with two detachable wait ties and a chiffon drape that buttons onto the shoulder straps. The dress is zipperless, with only shirring on the back and it also has adjustable shoulder straps with three different positions.
Size:
This dress fits very comfortably and allows for enough stretch to easily put the dress on and off. I'm towards the lower end of the measurements for this dress and it still fits great with and without a blouse under it. The adjustableness of the straps is great for me and the waist ties are a nice addition for bringing the waist in a bit.
Order accuracy:
Unfortunately, there was some miscommunication on the color of this dress between Alis and the people who package and ship her orders as it arrived in purple instead of pink. Fortunately she got in contact with me very quickly when I messaged her about the mix-up. While her store policy doesn't cover shipping on this, she did send me a gift as an appology for the mistake, which I very much appreciate. It's a cute little flower crown with white to pink mini roses on it. The dress is still very lovely in purple, albeit the print is a bit more subdued than with the pink colorway.
Shipping:
Both dresses arrived about two weeks after my order in seperate packages about half a day apart. This is about normal shipping time for me for packages from China. The packaging for both was a typical white polymailer, both of which were undamaged. Inside the polymailers, both dresses were in clear plastic resealable bags with their attachments. I am definitely happy with shipping time and the condition both packages arrived in.
Overall satisfaction:
I am quite satisfied with the quality of the dresses and shipping time, though I am rather upset about the color mix-up on the Alice dress and the fit of the Strawberry dress. However, I feel that Alis's customer service was very good and helped make up for these. Overall I would give this experience with purchasing from Rosa Hermetica a 4/5. I will definitely be ordering from Alis's little shop again and would highly recomend it to my friends.
Sunday, March 27, 2016
Keeping the Magic Alive: Easter Bunny Helper
Hey everyone! So I recently had the opportunity to volunteer at a local Easter event as the Easter Bunny's helper and I wanted to talk a little bit about my experience. You can find more pictures of my outfit and the Easter Bunny's hutch on my facebook page. Enjoy!
So first of all, let's talk about what I did as an Easter Bunny helper for this event. My main tasks were to decorate the Easter Bunny's area, or hutch as we called it, make sure the Easter Bunny was good to go, and hand out goodie bags to the children. In addition to this, I found myself helping take pictures for families, posing in pictures with the Easter Bunny, and luring shy children over so their parents could take pictures. From the start of the event to the time things started wrapping up, we had an almost constant stream of parents and children coming to take pictures with the Easter Bunny or just say hi. I had a lot of fun, even though it was slightly overwhelming at times. Here's some things I learned from this experience.
#1: A Variety of Reactions
One of the more notable things I learned was the many different types of reactions children have when they meet a character. Some of the more notable ones were the children who started crying the second their parents tried to let go of them (or get them anywhere close to the Easter Bunny), ones who came right up to the Easter Bunny and gave her a great big hug, ones who were very confused as to what this giant thing holding them was (this was mainly very young children), and the shy ones who needed a little encouraging to come sit on the Bunny's lap. Being dressed in Fairy Kei, I also got to see a side of things someone wearing jeans, a hoodie, and bunny ears would not have. There were a few moments that were very special to me where a little girl would come up to ME and want a picture and hug from ME and not the Easter Bunny. It made me feel like a Disney princess. There were also a lot of little kids who were more willing to come pose for their parents when I beckoned them as opposed to just the Easter Bunny due to me looking like a magical fairy princess as opposed to some giant, furry thing they'd never seen before. I also would occasionally scoop up hesitant children or help parents get their children to look in the direction of the camera by being all sparkly and pastel.
#2: Don't Think About Getting Overwhelmed
With the large number of children coming through, it would have been very easy to feel overwhelmed. I did, at first, but after a while it became more of a game of luring children to the Easter Bunny, making sure they all got goodie bags, and helping parents take pictures. Everything kinda became a blur because I focused on accomplishing what I was there for and not worrying about everything that was happening. I didn't even notice I was pretty hungry or that there was a DJ right next to us until the line started to disappear. At the beginning of things, I wanted to try and direct people, both to the Bunny as well as how to form the line, but I quickly realized that people would come up on their own and that I was too busy helping IN the hutch to worry about what was going on outside of it.
#3: Only YOU Can Keep Magic Alive
One of the things I admired the most about the girl portraying the Easter Bunny was her dedication to keeping the magic alive for the children. She avoided talking so kids wouldn't be scared or put off by her raspy smoker's voice. She never took her mask or gloves off and went so far as to have her room mate drive so that she wouldn't have to worry about being seen by a kid with her mask off. I really admire the effort she put in to help bring the Easter Bunny to life for the kids at that event.
#4: Smiling Takes More Energy than Frowing
I remember back when Toy Story 2 came out, at the end of the film Barbie asked if she could stop smiling and commented that her face hurt. I now know her pain. While frowning may use more facial muscles than smiling, a resting frown or look of disaproval takes a lot less energy than smiling. It got to the point that I was wondering if my smiles looked forced. But I couldn't stop smiling. My face hurt so bad afterwords, but all in all, I had a lot of fun.
I hope you all enjoyed reading about my experience with being an Easter Bunny helper!
Check out my Facebook: facebook.com/CelesteChoCho
Go watch my YouTube: watashiwachocho
So first of all, let's talk about what I did as an Easter Bunny helper for this event. My main tasks were to decorate the Easter Bunny's area, or hutch as we called it, make sure the Easter Bunny was good to go, and hand out goodie bags to the children. In addition to this, I found myself helping take pictures for families, posing in pictures with the Easter Bunny, and luring shy children over so their parents could take pictures. From the start of the event to the time things started wrapping up, we had an almost constant stream of parents and children coming to take pictures with the Easter Bunny or just say hi. I had a lot of fun, even though it was slightly overwhelming at times. Here's some things I learned from this experience.
#1: A Variety of Reactions
One of the more notable things I learned was the many different types of reactions children have when they meet a character. Some of the more notable ones were the children who started crying the second their parents tried to let go of them (or get them anywhere close to the Easter Bunny), ones who came right up to the Easter Bunny and gave her a great big hug, ones who were very confused as to what this giant thing holding them was (this was mainly very young children), and the shy ones who needed a little encouraging to come sit on the Bunny's lap. Being dressed in Fairy Kei, I also got to see a side of things someone wearing jeans, a hoodie, and bunny ears would not have. There were a few moments that were very special to me where a little girl would come up to ME and want a picture and hug from ME and not the Easter Bunny. It made me feel like a Disney princess. There were also a lot of little kids who were more willing to come pose for their parents when I beckoned them as opposed to just the Easter Bunny due to me looking like a magical fairy princess as opposed to some giant, furry thing they'd never seen before. I also would occasionally scoop up hesitant children or help parents get their children to look in the direction of the camera by being all sparkly and pastel.
#2: Don't Think About Getting Overwhelmed
With the large number of children coming through, it would have been very easy to feel overwhelmed. I did, at first, but after a while it became more of a game of luring children to the Easter Bunny, making sure they all got goodie bags, and helping parents take pictures. Everything kinda became a blur because I focused on accomplishing what I was there for and not worrying about everything that was happening. I didn't even notice I was pretty hungry or that there was a DJ right next to us until the line started to disappear. At the beginning of things, I wanted to try and direct people, both to the Bunny as well as how to form the line, but I quickly realized that people would come up on their own and that I was too busy helping IN the hutch to worry about what was going on outside of it.
#3: Only YOU Can Keep Magic Alive
One of the things I admired the most about the girl portraying the Easter Bunny was her dedication to keeping the magic alive for the children. She avoided talking so kids wouldn't be scared or put off by her raspy smoker's voice. She never took her mask or gloves off and went so far as to have her room mate drive so that she wouldn't have to worry about being seen by a kid with her mask off. I really admire the effort she put in to help bring the Easter Bunny to life for the kids at that event.
#4: Smiling Takes More Energy than Frowing
I remember back when Toy Story 2 came out, at the end of the film Barbie asked if she could stop smiling and commented that her face hurt. I now know her pain. While frowning may use more facial muscles than smiling, a resting frown or look of disaproval takes a lot less energy than smiling. It got to the point that I was wondering if my smiles looked forced. But I couldn't stop smiling. My face hurt so bad afterwords, but all in all, I had a lot of fun.
I hope you all enjoyed reading about my experience with being an Easter Bunny helper!
Check out my Facebook: facebook.com/CelesteChoCho
Go watch my YouTube: watashiwachocho
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