Giveaway @ Graphic Noise

Hello all!  I know, I know; am I really back so soon???  I am!  But this time, it's to spread the word of a great giveaway that's going on right now!

It's an Alpaca!  And with some love for the hands and sparkle for the lips, how can you resist? :D

Nicola of Graphic Noise has opened her "Christmas Season" giveaway!  You can enter to snag some fabulous Majolica Majorca products and a big, adorable, hug-sized alpaca plush!

Interested?  Enter by clicking here, or on the picture above.  And even if you don't enter, I highly recommend checking out Nicola's blog for some really helpful product and salon reviews, great style inspiration and just general fun posts about life in Japan! 

I have a gets post coming up, as I have picked up quite a few items in the last couple of months and want to share them with you.  Plus, I'll be keeping my "12 By 2012" list updated, so don't forget to do your best with yours! 

And I've been very inspired to really explore style, so perhaps a post about that will be coming up in the future, we'll see.   ^  ^

Until next time~

[EDIT: This giveaway is closed, but I'll be on the look out for more great giveaways to share with you!]

Holiday Wishlist & A New Project

Hello again!  Happy December~  Have you got any Christmas shopping done?  I've been super busy these past few weeks with work, studying/worrying about the JLPT I took on Sunday, and with getting some very important paperwork in the mail that I really haven't found time to blog.

But now that I have the major stuff done, I'm happy to get back to posting!  And what better thing to post about than holiday wishes?  ^  ^  But first, random outfit shot from the end of October:

Navy cardigan from H&M, black skirt from Target, dragon pendant from Black Mineral Market; dark brown mouton boots, black belt, and black top are no brand.  Previously posted wig from eBay on my head.  ^  ^

Now, I've been seeing wishlist posts popping up on my Twitter and Blogger Dashboards, so I thought it would be fun to put one together for myself!  I'm always wanting (or needing) something, and it was a fun challenge to just focus on the things I really want to see under my tree this year.

Anyway, here it is:

Clockwise from bottom left: Patterned tote by Smoothie (YesStyle), Jeffrey Campbell Lita boots in black leather, Riley Tall Slouch boots by Lower East Side (Payless Shoe Source), Black Toggle Jacket (Torrid).

Nice and small, right? :D  Except for the Litas, all of these are reasonably affordable items that would be wonderfully useful and stylish to boot! Hopefully my Santas will be kind this year~

And there's something else I'm up to for the month:

I was inspired by Sara Mari and Mika-chan to do this project, since I thought it was a great and useful idea.  I always have a lot of things I need to do or want to do, so I'm hoping to use this as a way to get on track with some of those things and end this year on a productive note.  ^  ^  My list is as follows:

1) Recycle my old laptop

2) Clean out my Internet Explorer favorites

3) Donate uneeded/unwanted clothes, shoes, and toys to charity

4) Save money!

5) Start and finish "Project Calendar"

6) Finish at least 3 drawings from my Drawing To-Do list

7) Do my makeup Gal-styled more often

8) De-fuzz cardigans

9) Do embroidery for PSP case

10) Make more time to study Japanese regularly

11) Put together a Christmas wishlist collage

12) Get rid of unecessary paperwork/receipts/trash/clutter

I think I'll borrow Mika's idea and stick this in my sidebar, just so I can be reminded of it as much as possible.  And if you like the idea, you can head over to the original post at Hello, Friend, read about how the project was started, and learn how to get started yourself!

Also, please feel free to follow me on my Twitter!  I'm looking into starting a Formspring account next year, but in the mean time, you can leave me a comment with your questions, if you have any.  XD  Hopefully I'll be posting again soon, maybe with a fashion post; we'll see.  But in the meantime, stay warm and cheerful!

Until next time~

Around Town I

Good evening!  I'm late this week with posting(and I missed last week, buuu~), but I *am* trying to be better about that. Only one day late isn't too bad.  ^ ^
But I've done some tweaks to the blog recently; I changed the layout and made a new header today, and there are some social media buttons added in the sidebar, so please feel free to follow me on Twitter or read my geekery on Live Journal, if you so desire!  Oh, and I added a link to my Ameba/Ameblo blog as well, but there isn't much there yet.  ^  ^;;

Anyway, I thought that today might be a good day to share some of the photos I amuse myself by taking whenever I'm out and about town, either running errands, shopping or on my way to and from work.  I don't have an actual camera yet, so for now, 99% of my photos are taken with the camera on Haruka (my LG Quantum Windows phone).  I don't always remember to fix the settings, so some of them might be a bit grainy/unfocused, but I hope you enjoy them anyway!

Beautiful clouds in a summer sky on my way home from work one day.

Starlight (Rainbow Brite's horse) pillow-pets at Spencer's Gifts

Cute varsity cardigan coordinate at H&M in September

Lovely flowers blooming over a backyard fence in my neighborhood

Oh, and before I forget, THANK YOU to everyone who's commented and followed this blog.  I hope you'll keep reading, and I'll do my best to make posts that are enjoyable to read!

Until next time~

Belated Halloween & Hair/Makeup Shot

Ahhhh, I'm late posting this week, but Happy Belated Halloween! How was it for you?  Did you get candy or go to a party?  I went to spend the evening with a very good friend of mine and her family.  Since I've never really celebrated Halloween or anything like that before, it was lots of fun to help decorate and hand out candy to all the adorable trick-or-treaters that came by!  I dressed up as a witch for the day, but alas, I forgot to take pictures of my costume.  TT-TT  But I did take one of my hat once I finished it!

Behold, my custom-designed & made witch hat!

I was very pleased with the way it came out!  Basically, I sewed on some striped ribbon around the crown, and made a pumpkin pin to go on the front. But the felt pumpkin and the feathers had to be glued in, since they wouldn't stay on otherwise.  XD  And maybe next year I'll get a more elaborate dress and jewelry so I can use this hat again.  :3

New Wig

Happy Sunday!  I thought today would be a good day to show a little something I got recently.  See, I decided to try something new and get myself a wig.  I headed on over to Ebay, and ordered a long curly styled wig with fringe bangs, in dark brown, because straight black can look kind of fake on me, and I wanted to go with a lighter color.

I got my wig in the mail about a week and a half ago. The doorbell rang unexpectedly, and we almost didn't answer it because we weren't expecting any visitors, but it turned out to be the postman with my wig!  XD

I was in the middle of doing some paperwork, but I was so happy and excited to *finally* get my wig, that I opened up the package right away.  This is what was in it:

Happy in a package!

The seller I purchased the wig from put everything in a nice little package, and included a little bonus I wasn't expecting:

Surprise!  This wasn't in the product description, but it was a great bonus!

A wig cap!  It didn't say that they would be including one with the wig, so I thought that I'd have to go to my local beauty/hair store and buy one.  But no worries now, because this was a great surprise!

The wig!  In all of its unopened, packaged glory.  XD

Of course, once I opened things up, I had to try on the wig right away.  The result?

Me wearing the wig.  I am not wearing any makeup, and there is a black knit beanie from Material Girl on my head.  ^  ^

Ta-dah!  Instant long, curly hair~  I'm really happy with the length, but the color is lighter than I thought it would be.  When the description said dark brown, I thought it would be a darker shade, but it's more of a medium, though definitely not light, brown to my eyes.  But that might be because I'm used to thinking of dark brown as brown-black.  So maybe next time I might get a black wig.  ^  ^

All in all, I'm happy with this purchase!  With shipping, it was only $11.99.  Great deal, I thought.  I need to play with it some more so that it sits on my head correctly, and I learned from taking the above photo that I need to leave the bangs falling straight across my forehead instead of swept to one side like I did with the hat.  >  <

Hopefully I'll have another wig to show soon!  In the mean time, I'll be getting on finding myself a copy of the current issue of Happie Nuts and playing more with false lashes, as  I have more of those now than I thought I would this time last year.  XD

Until next time~

Fall Shoes from SCawaii

The September 2011 issue of SCawaii had a spread about the on-trend shoe styles and colors for Fall.  Since I love shoes (nothing like a pair of shoes to make your day sometimes!), I wanted to share the spread!  Take a look at S Cawaii's pick of the Fall shoe offerings:

They're all so pretty! Which ones would you choose?

The go-to colors are Navy, Orange, Khaki (of the green-ish variety), and Bordeaux (which is a shade of wine..?).  I love the richness of all these colors.  They'd certainly make a monotone outfit pop!  Or they could be a great statement to any coordinate. 

My favorites?  The bordeaux Lita-style boots, the t-strap pumps, and the mary-jane wedge pumps.  And how cute are the bows on the orange mary-jane pumps!  It's a cute, even DIY-able trend, actually.  But those three shoe styles would be all I need shoe-wise for the season, aside from boots as we move into colder weather.  ^  ^

Which do you like?  Have you seen any shoes in these styles at your local stores? If so, where?

Also, I'm looking into getting a new commenting system, since I'm having trouble with the one Blogger has by default.  Any suggestions?  I'm considering Disqus, but other options would be great.  Thanks!

Until next time~!

Giveaway @ Universal Doll!

Wow, posting two days in a row! :O  But this is just a quick post to share something awesome that came up in my blog roll this week~  The wonderful Mitsu of Universal Doll is hosting a giveaway!



Lashes, alpacas, and bling, OH MY! This giveaway makes my "WANT" list for sure~

The Doll is known for being the go-to source for information on Gal trends and style for Western/Gaijin Gals. And now you can win some great items in this giveaway! Mitsu has included some exclusive freebie items from the Tokyo Girls Collection, a set of *fabulous* lashes, and even a super-adorable Alpaca!  So when you visit Universal Doll (because you so totally will, right?), make sure to enter the giveaway.  Go here for more information on the prizes and how to enter~

Hopefully I'll be back soon with some more things to share as I find my blogging feet and get them going.  ^  ^  Enjoy your weekend!

Until next time~

New Make-Up

It's been almost three months since I last posted... oops. I can only apologize to anyone who's been reading my blog, and say that the last two months have been interesting, since I was on a new job assignment that was kinda special... fun, but kinda special.  Sorry guys~

I hope to work out a schedule that allows me to blog more soon.  It still needs time, but it'll get there.  ^  ^

So! I thought that a little post today would be fun~  I have a habit of picking up makeup that I think will be fun to try.  That and I *love* mascara, so check out what I ended up getting awhile back:

Eye makeup! Seriously, you can never have enough.  XD

Maybelline Volume Express One by One mascara and two Wet 'n Wild liquid eyeliners, one in Turquoise and one in waterproof Black.  I've only swatched the Turquoise liner, but I wore the black for a day and I did NOT like it.  I wish I could take it back, but I guess I'll have to find it a new home.  However, the turquoise actually shows its color on my skin, so I can't wait to try doing a look with it!  I also need to try the mascara, and hopefully I'll be able to get reviews up for them at some point.

Also, I got my hands on some Diamond Lashes!  They were purchased from the lovely Mika-chan of Glamorous Sky a few weeks back.  Here are the lashes:

Diamond Lash Glamorous Eye

Diamond Lash Princess Eye

I'm so excited to have added these to my collection!  These got to me really fast, less than a week after I'd purchased them, and Mika was really sweet and helpful.  She has some cute items up on her sales blog, so be sure to take a look! ^  ^ 

I did a little test of the lashes to see how they looked, and I think it came out okay-ish:

Close-up of of my eye. Glamorous on top, Princess on the bottom.

I took these photos after I got home from my little sister's birthday dinner, which was the same day I got the lashes in the mail, so please pardon my under-eyes.  ^  ^;; I think I forgot to put on lower liner, but I'll remember for next time.  ^  ^  I love how these pop, so I'm determined to make them work on me the way I want them to.  I'd better get to practicing, huh?  XD

Until next time~

On Shoe Wants

I've been thinking a lot about what my closet is missing lately, and I think I have it: SHOES.  Not that I don't have, but the shoes I *do* have I find aren't fitting where I feel like my style is going.  There have been times recently where I can't wear a coordinate I thought up because I don't have the shoes for it.  And since shoes often make or break an outfit, I want to have shoes that I can work into any look.  Makes sense, right?  ^ ^
Of the shoes I have, I find that I don't wear some of them at all, while others I feel are strictly seasonal.  And still others are pretty much dead (like my seven-year old red & black Converse hi-tops).  So I totally think it's time for new shoes!  Sometimes I wish that I could snap my fingers and trade each pair of shoes that I don't wear or are not suitable to wear for a pair that I would wear and love to death.  :D  But since I can't do that (yet), I've got to do things the old-fashioned way and buy them.  ^  ^

Lately, the kinds of shoes I'm wanting to wear are sandals, boots, and mary janes.  I love shoes in non-regular colors and designs, so here are some of the shoes I want in my life:

Jeffrey Campbell LITA Boots

Photo from CCW blog.

I know these are, like, SUPER popular right now, and with good reason!  They're cute, and they come in TONS of colors.  And I mean TONS.  I think that I'd go for the brown leather Litas in the middle row, but I also really like the purple suede pair.  I haven't gotten my hands on a pair of these yet, but you can check out Pink Kitten, Cherri Pop Fiction, and Universal Doll for more info and posts on different styles and colors the Lita comes in and where to buy.  Even if these were off-trend for Gal or anything else, I'd *still* want and wear them.

 Torrid Blue & Brown Triple Medallion Sandal

Available at Torrid, both in-store & online.  Photo from Torrid website.

I was in a Torrid store the weekend before last, and these almost instantly caught my eye.  They had a similar pair last year around this time, so I was pleasantly surprised to see these sandals in store!  I think they're perfect for making a simple summer outfit based around shorts or a skirt with a cute top a little more dressed up.  But because they're so flat, I'd have to put some cushioning in... do they make shoe inserts for sandals like these?

On Being M.I.A. & Blog Changes + A Giveaway

Let's party like Yumachi & Aina (from back in the day)!  Photo from Tumblr.

So, I've been m.i.a. on this blog, and I'm sorry about that, especially since I only recently started it. But the time I've been away has allowed me to make some decisions about what I want to do with this blog! The things I'm crushing on and my current booms have to do with either fashion (since I'm in the process of changing my style) or anime/gaming. So it makes sense that I'd want to blog about both. But I find that it's not easy for me to combine the two fully, much to my dismay. -_-

Given that, I've decided to separate the two. So anime/gaming/geeking will be mainly blogged about on my Live Journal, while I'll be posting about fashion, my style, photos, shopping, day trips and travel here. It doesn't mean that the two won't cross over at some points; in fact, I look forward to seeing how that pans out as it happens! I'm pretty sure that there will be some otaku-influences that pop up in my style as I explore my options in creating a new look for myself, just as I will probably end up posting daily life bits along with all my geekery over at my LJ. But I guess that my point is that this blog is not dead. In fact, it's just beginning! I hope to make this a style/lifestyle blog that is as interesting to read as it will be to write. Any comments or suggestions are welcome at any time, and if you're reading this, I hope you'll stick around!

So, please bear with me as I work to create a blog to chronicle my style journey and explorations in the fashion world, real life, and daydreams.  Oh, and I'll be working on the blog layout to give it a more suitable design, so please look forward to that too! 

While we're waiting for all the good things to come, make sure to check out Mie's "You Go Gal" Giveaway!  It's got some great stuff that I'm sure we'd *all* love to get our hands on like Dolly Wink No. 2 lashes, GEO lenses, and all kinds of goodies~!

See, TONS of absolutely *fabulous* items!  I'm in total *want* for this many goodies!

The giveaway ends on July 3, 2011, so go enter ASAP for your chance to win one of two awesome hauls!

Until next time~

March 2011 Egg Magazine Bag Check + My Bag Check

Hello!  This is later than I meant it to be, but I'm happy that this post is finally finished!  What's it about?  Well, the March issue of Egg magazine featured a very interesting article:  the infamous Bag Check!  If you've never heard of such a thing, a bag check in this case, is where the models show the contents of their purses/handbags.  I *love* this kind of article; probably because I think the things you carry around in your bag on a daily basis say a lot about you.  So I'm going to show a couple of the bag checks!  Oh, and please note that while I did my best, I'm not 100% sure I got everything I outlined from the articles correctly, so if I managed to get something wrong, I apologize in advance.  ^_^;;

~ Bag Check #1 - Nemoyayo ~

First up is Yayoi Nemoto, aka Nemoyayo!  According to the article, Nemoyayo is usually okay with just her phone and some other small things, but when she goes out she takes her necessities in the black handbag she's pictured holding on the right, which she bought in Shibuya 109.  Highlights among her belongings are the Chanel wallet and keycase, the Mickey Mouse schedule book, and her two cell phones.  One of the phones is an iPhone that she uses for work and for music!  And I *love* the cute Duffy strap; I need to get myself one of those someday~  It's too cute!

~ Bag Check #2 - Mami ~

Next up is Mami!  She carries a very popular and stylish Chanel handbag, and it's always full of things, weighing in at 4.0 kilograms (that's nearly 9 pounds!).  Key points among the contents of her bag are two pairs of sunglasses, a shiny white Nintendo DSi for when she gets bored or has to wait, and a "brush set", which is a travel-size toothbrush and toothpaste set she uses after eating out.  Plus, check out the three makeup cases she carries; one is for eyeshadows, another is for base makeup, and the third is for other cosmetics.  Now that's dedication!  Oh, and gotta love how she's got the great Chanel wallet, like Nemoyayo, to match her bag!

Manga News! Sailor Moon Comeback

Guess what??? I just found out some *wonderful* news through a post by Naija Barbie!  And it's pretty obvious from the title of this post what that news is, but I'll go ahead and say it anyway:  SAILOR MOON IS MAKING A COMEBACK!  This article from MTV Geek reports that Kodansha USA has announced and confirmed that the original Sailor Moon manga by the great Naoko Takeuchi will be re-published in newly designed volumes and will include extensive bonus material by Ms. Takeuchi.  And to make things EVEN BETTER, the original Codename Sailor V manga will also make its U.S. debut alongside the Sailor Moon re-launches!



Manga illustration of Sailor Moon flanked by Sailors Jupiter, Mercury, Venus, and Mars.  My childhood heroines~

I'm super excited to hear that one of my first manga, and the one that spawned my first-ever anime series is going to be re-launced/re-released!  I never did get my hands on the bulk of the original Mixx Entertainment/Tokyopop manga volumes with the exception of the first one, so I'll definitely be striving to get these new volumes.  And how awesome is it that WE FINALLY GET CODENAME SAILOR V TRANSLATED????  I've been wishing so. very. HARD to someday have the chance to read Codename Sailor V someday, and now I'll be able to do that!  Minako/Mina/Sailor Venus is one of my favorite characters, and I think a lot of people either don't know or forget that she came before Sailor Moon.  I'll be sooooo happy to see that distinction made, and happy for another generation of fans to be inspired by the series like I was as a kid.

The release date for this re-launch of the series is currently set for September 2011, so you can bet that I'll be keeping close tabs on that one!  I *do* need to plan and budget for this, after all.   If you love Sailor Moon too, then please consider supporting the re-launch and purchasing the volumes when they come out, okay?

And I still have that "fun" post coming up; I just need to snap a few photos and then I can finish putting it together.  Hopefully that'll be something to look forward to by Thursday.  ^  ^

A Few Words...

I have another post coming up tomorrow/this week, but I want take the time to say GOD BLESS YOU, to all those who have prayed for Japan and donated to the many organizations and services that have set up donation funds to aid relief in Japan.  Please also consider giving what you can to victims of other disasters as well, even as we keep Japan in our hearts and prayers.  Even if it's a couple dollars or even some change, YOU'RE STILL MAKING A DIFFERENCE~  Good things will happen because of it, for sure!


Image (c) by Robert Troutman.  Borrowed from GlobalGiving.Org.

Now, I promise I'll get that post I mentioned up ASAP (just need to snap a few photos) that should be fun to read!  So please look forwad to it!  And as always, stay safe~

The Earthquake & Tsunami in Japan

I'm still adjusting to finding a posting schedule that's consistent and works with my personal schedule, so it's been awhile since my last post. I'll try to post more often, I promise~

But I felt it was important to acknowledge the terrible earthquake and tsunami that hit Japan yesterday (which was actually today for them). I'd like to express my deepest sympathy at this horrible and unfortunate event.  I actually feel physically ill at the thought of the situation, I'm so sorry, and I have tears in my eyes as I type this.  I'm saddened to hear of the tremendous losses being suffered, and my prayers go out to those affected and their families.

I'm also very thankful that my three good friends (Theresa, Heidi, and Alex) who are living and teaching in various areas of Japan are okay and weren't in the immediate areas of effect, as well as my friends Ayumi, Eimi and Tomohisa, who was DRIVING while the earthquake hit. That must've been really scary for him, poor guy.  D: But I feel like I can't begin to express how glad I am that my friends are all safe as far as I know. I still have some Japanese friends to check up on, though, so I'm also praying that they're safe. >_<



Some of the damage caused by the combination of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. From Hot 'N Current.

After reading various reports and seeing photos and videos of what I know is just a small portion of the aftermath, I'm fervently hoping and praying for the best possible recovery from the damages caused by these disasters for everyone involved. If you have any friends/family in Japan, then you also have my prayers for them and their safety.  And if you can, I hope we'll all be able to do something to help soon~

On Hataraki Man

Hello!  I hope this evening has been enjoyable for everyone!  This time I want to talk about a series I recently finished watching,  titled "Hataraki Man" (which is written as 働きマン in Japanese).  Before I begin, though, I'd like to put out a WARNING; this post may contain information that can be considered SPOILERS, so if you're watching or would like to watch Hataraki Man and don't want to be spoiled for any of the events that occur in the series, then please skip this post.  You have been warned.  ^  ^

Cover page of the Hataraki Man manga series, featuring the heroine, Hiroko Matsukata.

Based on a manga by Moyoco Anno, "Hataraki Man" is an 11 episode anime series that follows the life and blossoming career of Hiroko Matsukata, a 28-year-old journalist whose job leaves little to no time for nurturing her relationship with her workaholic boyfriend.

Dream Rooms & A Little Music

 Good evening! I hope today was a good day for everyone! With spring around the corner, I've been planning my Spring Cleaning. Yes, it's getting to be that time of the year that appeals to many of us as a time to start over, clean out closets, and re-organize our lives. Or it might just be me. ^ ^

Well, with my mind on fresh starts, I've been dreaming/thinking a lot lately of my ideal room! The room I currently live in isn't exactly up to what I'd like to have in a room (although I'm very thankful for the privacy it affords and that I have a room to call (mostly) my own!), so I actually dream about moving out to a place of my own someday soon.  Anyway, it's a pet project of mine to someday have a bedroom that looks exactly the way I want it to.  So this is something I will think about and plan sometimes.

I'm quite fond of furniture and home decor items from Ikea, so I went loooking for bedroom designs that utilize those items.  Take a look at some of my favorites!  These are in no particular order:

From Home Klondike

This room has a bright, airy feel to it, and the light wood and pops of pink give it a great vibe that I really like!  I'd *love* to have that many drawers to stash my clothing and other belongings in~  Check out the wonderful closet and wall mirror behind the bed and the fluffy rug on the floor!  So cute, I think!

Blog Opening

Tabunne bids you welcome to my blog!  Gah, I just LOVE this little cutie~  I don't need all Pokemon, just this one.  XD

Hello, welcome to my new blog, Red Velvet Stars!  I mean for this to be a lifestyle blog, but I'm pretty sure that it's entirely possible for that to change in the future.  I'm going to try and have interesting and fun posts here, and do my best to enjoy blogging.  ^  ^

This post is meant to kick things off and mark the first day I make my first official post, and coincidentally, it happens to be my birthday!  I'll post about that later this week, so if you're reading this, I really appreciate it, and hope you'll stick around to see how things go!

I've got work in the morning, so off I go~  See you soon!