Anime Expo 2013 (Image Heavy!)

So, I'm finally getting around to posting about Anime Expo 2013, lol~  I had a lot of fun this con; my hotel-mates were wonderful and lovely, I was really happy to do my first legit cosplay, and I got lots of great stuff!

I also got asked for photos a lot, and I was really surprised and flattered that I did, since there were SO many amazing cosplayers this year!  One of my favorite requesters was a group of Korean school kids that my friends and I ran into on the morning of Day One.  They were all so adorable and friendly!  They asked to take a picture with all of us (me and the 3 friends I was with that morning), and then one of the teachers even put himself in the picture, which was really funny.  XD

Anyway, the photos will tell the rest of the story better than me, so here you go!  Hover over the picture to see captions with my comments on what's going on in most of the photos.

Nail Sets & Anime Expo 2013

Hello there! Long time no blog! I've enjoyed my prolonged impromptu break from this blog, but reading all the amazing blogs I follow has made me want to take up my blog torch again. ^ ^

Now, in the last few months I've joyfully succumbed to the love that is getting my nails done at a Japanese-style salon! This happened because I decided that for my birthday back in February that I wanted some cute, girly Gal nails done. I hopped on Google, rolled onto Yelp and found a lovely nail salon called Kawaii Nails. And I'm soooo happy I did!

 Kawaii Nails is a cute little salon nestled in a small shopping center in Tustin, California.I made my first appointment about 15 minutes before they closed the day before, but they took me for the next day at around 2pm, if I'm remembering correctly (wow, the memory's going, I must be getting old, lol).

 My nailist at Kawaii Nails is Ayumi, who is awesome. I told her that it was my first time doing Japanese style gel nails and that I wanted something pretty for my birthday. She was totally in agreement and we talked a little bit about how I was planning to celebrate my birthday (sushi with friends, yum!).

 I went in inspired by these nails that Miss Mitsu had done a few years back (I hope you don't mind!). I had bought a new dress at Charlotte Russe to wear to go out to sushi with my friends the weekend of my birthday, and I really wanted something to match my dress (which you'll see later ^ ^).

 I remembered Mitsu's pretty Alpaca nails and thought the cute pink flowers would go well with my black printed with pink flowers dress. I brought the photo in and this is what Ayumi and I came up with based on that:

Didn't they come out really well???  I was SO super-happy when I left, and I couldn't stop staring at my nails, they were so pretty and perfect, just what I was looking for! Ayumi painted the flowers by hand, and consulted me about everything, including the base color, the colors for the flowers, and even the placement of the stones.  I also chose to try something new and have my natural nails shaped into an "almond" shape that was slightly pointy at the ends.

Since that first magical nail set, I've gone back to Kawaii Nails to get 2 more sets, including my current nails:

My second set, done about a month after the first set.  I chose a nude peach color with soft gold glitter accent nails.  I had a blunt, square shape and a shorter length for these nails, which was a nice change. ^  ^ I realized after I got them done that they matched my new Charlotte Russe dress I wore to my friend's going-away party at the end of March.  ^  ^;;

And my current nails!  After waiting 2.5 months (never do that, my growth was ridiculous and lifted gel is not like flaking polish >_<), I went with this fresh heather blue and white curved stripe design with silver glitter and small round stones.  Did a round shape and a shorter length to even out my nails since I broke both index fingernails trying to peel the lifted gel off from my last set, silly me~

I love Kawaii Nails; I will try to take photos of the interior for you next time I go in to do my nails, which will probably sometime next month.  Definitely recommend!

Also, I'm attending Anime Expo 2013 next week!  And I'm really excited! Why?  Because the band PORNO GRAFFITI is a Guest of Honor and will be having a concert on Saturday at Club Nokia (still need to buy my ticket, d'oh!), and....

That's right, Gal brands MA*RS, Liz Lisa, Gold's Infinity, Glavil by Tutuha, Liz Lisa Doll, and Tralala will be officially for sale for the first time overseas at AX!  There's a fashion show and pop up stores for each brand, so if you're in the area, don't miss out!  More info can be found Anime Expo's page.

So many exciting things; I have a costume to review, and I'm excited to post about the con... totally can't wait for next week!  Now, if only I can get Friday off.  XD

Until next time~

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!]

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

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~

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!