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~

Circle Lens Review: 30Days Natural Circle Grey

Before I say anything else, Happy 2013! I hope your weekend is going well so far. ^ ^ It's been a busy week for me, and I'm super glad it's the weekend again~  I wanted to make time to blog, so here I am!  It's about time I did.  I had wanted to blog about New Years' stuff, but if I keep waiting until I can sit down and properly write in one fell swoop, I'll never get around to updating.  XD  So I decided to go ahead and post some of the posts I have in my queue to see if I can't get my blogger ball rolling.  ^  ^

Anyway, I've had this post waiting for quite awhile and I'm really excited to share it with you all! Today, I'm bringing you my first circle lens review! But before I begin, I just want to clarify that this is a non-sponsored post. I'm not that cool yet. XD Now, on to the review; I hope it's helpful~

I purchased a pair of 30Days Natural Circle Grey from Pinky Paradise at the end of last February as my first pair of circle lenses. I chose them based on this review by Mitsu over at Universal Doll, since I have REALLY bad vision and was looking for something possibly long-term. Although it seems that the series might have been re-made/named...? Because the name is a little different now than you'll find in Mitsu's review. Hrmmm. Oh well.

Anyway, it took only 10 days after my initial order and payment for them to arrive, which was faster than I was expecting! They came with a cute animal lens case as well~

I forgot to take a photo of them soaking in the case, which you should do for at least 8 hours prior to putting lenses in your eyes, but here are the specs for these babies:

Diameter: 14.5mm

Water Content: 55%

Base Curve: 8.6mm

Type: 1 month disposal

After soaking them, I tried them on the first chance I got, I was so excited to finally have circle lenses. XD The results? Take a look:

One in, one out. Picture taken indoors at night, no flash. Please ignore my spotty forehead & ungroomed eyebrows. ^ ^

Both in. Picture taken in same condition with full makeup. I'm wearing Diamond Lash Glamorous upper lashes and Princess lower lashes.

Better angle/lighting. You can really see how the color shows up on my super-dark brown eyes~

One more shot of the full effect~ Lol at my derp-face XD

They were quite comfortable, once I got used to them. However, they did tend to dry out on me. I'm not sure if it's because my eyes are drier than I think, the climate I live in is dry itself, or if I need to use a different solution.  But the dryness went away once I used some eye drops on them, so I needed to carry them around with me.

Overall, I would recommend these! They are very, VERY reasonably priced ($11.90 a pair!), and the enlargement is pretty decent, although I think I might prefer a 15mm lens for that. The color is lovely and shows up just enough to be striking against my skin and eye colors! Just make sure you have eye drops available in case your eyes get dry with these like mine did. ^  ^

Want a pair for yourself? Go on over to Pinky Paradise and get them! There are also different varieties of the 30Days series, so be sure to check those out and find the right ones for you. Every order comes with a cute animal lens case, and they are super-easy to purchase from. Just order, pay with PayPal, and once you get your shipping confirmation (which was within 24 hours for me), they're on their way!

Hopefully I'll get to do more reviews on circle lens soon! I hope you found this useful, and if you have any suggestions for future reviews, let me know!

Until next time~

Random Coordinates: Winter & Spring 2012

Hello all~ Today I wanted to share some coordinate photos I took randomly the past few seasons. Not so great photo quality, but I thought why not post them anyway?

New Years' Eve coordinate, 12-31-11. I had just bought the ruffled tank top and coral cardigan from Target as part of a Christmas gift. I paired them with dark denim skinny jeans and comfy dark brown mouton boots~

Birthday Gets! (super-belated)

Hello all!  Because I am forever late to the party, I'm only now getting around to showing you what you what I got for my birthday, waaaaaaaay back on February 28th~  Really, I've been meaning/wanting/needing to make this post for awhile now, so I figured I'd better do it before it gets any later than it already is.  XD

I took myself shopping on the afternoon of my birthday, after a lovely morning with birthday doughnuts, extra sleep, and video games.  My store of choice was a local store, since I was hoping that I would walk out with some amazing deals on great pieces.  And you know what?  I did!  Here's what I got:

Cute striped dress! Super on-trend for spring. Brand: one clothing.

Black peep-toe pumps from Madden Girl by Steve Madden. These were a steal at only $15.99!

New jeans from Old Navy. They were having a $19 sale, and these fit so nicely, I just had to get them!

And here's my makeup for the day (sorry, I didn't take an outfit shot as it wasn't anything special, just comfy for trying on clothes):

Lol, blurry MySpace style photo~ Wearing a black cotton tunic, and a  crown necklace from F21. Diamond Lash  Glamourous Eye uppers, and I THINK I had on Princess Eye lowers, but I'm not sure anymore. XD

After the shopping, I went to Red Robin to have dinner with N, who was super-awesome to meet me on her way home from work to spend at least part of my birthday with me, which I really appreciated, as I love making as big a deal as I can out of my birthday.  But unfortunately, I was too busy gobbling my delicious chicken dish to take any pictures of our food, or even the milkshake that N bought me in honor of the day, fuuuuuuu~  However, it was all wonderful, and a great ending to an awesome birthday, so I'm happy!

BUT! There's one more present I got myself, and that is something I've wanted for a VERY long time:

Can you guess what's in the box???

That's right! I got my first pair of Jeffery Campbell shoes! I chose the classic Lita boots in taupe suede. They're sooooooo gorgeous in person and I LOVE wearing them so much, OMG! Here are some photos:

My lovely Litas! I ordered them from Nordstrom; so lucky to find them in my size and in the color I wanted!

Side shot. Super-cute, aren't they? I can't wait to do Fall coordinates with them~

The Litas had to disappear for the summer, since it's been so hot in California these past few months (would've been crazy to wear these in our 100+ degree weather), but I'm so ready for the weather to cool down so I can wear them again! I was afraid they might look a bit awkward on my huge feet (I wear a size 10 >_<), but they look great! And I love the extra height these give me! If you're thinking of getting a pair, GO FOR IT! I can't wait until my budget allows for another pair~ :3

Anyway, hopefully there will be a coordinate or inspiration post coming up in the future, and maybe some reviews soon, so please look forward to it!

Until next time~

Some Things Lately & Weekend Coordinate

Hello-lo~ I just thought I'd do a quick post to make sure my blogging ball stays in some kind of motion.  This is a bit later than I'd planned, but hey! It's another post in the same month, right? Right.  (Nevermind that it's been two weeks since my last post) ^  ^

Anyway, last weekend, I met up with two of my besties for some shopping and yummy food!  I really didn't know what to wear, as I wanted to be cute and comfy for the day.  This is a modified version of what I ended up wearing:

Black shorts: Banana Republic
"Ethnic" print top: Agenda
Coral cardi: Mossimo Supply Co. (Target)
Shoes: Converse (Chuck Taylor All-Star hi-tops in red & black)
Bag: Liz Claiborne

I was originally wearing my Litas (more about them in another post!), and my hair down, but as they day went on, I switched shoes and put my hair up into the cute side bun. I'll probably do a variation of this coordinate at this point.  ^  ^;;

But that day, N came by my house to pick me up, and we ended up going to Rolling Sushi in Rancho Cucamonga for lunch, which was sooooooo delicious! I don't know of any other sushi restaurants in my area, but I'm always really happy with what I get at Rolling Sushi~

My spicy tuna rolls! One of my favorites~ But this time, the plating was a bit off or I took a bad shot.  XD

N's lunch set combo! It came with miso soup,  4 pieces of sushi, 4 pieces of sashimi, and  an 8-piece California roll~

I forgot to take a photo of my chicken teriyaki roll (yes, it's really good, I promise!), and the chef gave us these lovely extra, on-the-house chicken (or was it fish???) tempura sushi bits that were fried to perfection. DEFINITELY recommend Rolling Sushi if you love sushi and live in the area!

After lunch, we ran to Victoria Gardens and shopped around for jewelry in a few shops, including Claire's before we met up with our friend Ri, who is always fun to hang with.  N and I went to Coldstone Creamery to get ice cream and a milkshake for me~ Then we all sat down and talked... politics??!?  That was interesting for me, since I've never had an interest in politics before, but this year's Presidential race has finally roused my interest.

We wandered around a bit, and ended up in Windsor so Ri could try on some stuff. I saw a purse I REALLY liked there, since I've been on the hunt for a giant bag to take to work so I wouldn't have to carry two (sometimes more, oi -__-) bags to work anymore. But I didn't buy it.

Then the three of us ended the night with dinner at Cheesecake Factory! It was all kinds of yummy~ I got the Factory Nachos with spicy chicken (I was so happy because I'd been craving them for weeks), but sorry I forgot to take a photo of them, lol, what a bad blogger I am~ XD  I will instead spam you with a couple photos from when I went out to brunch with my siblings at the same Cheesecake Factory about a month ago in honor of my little sister's birthday:

My sister's cafe latte or something coffee drink. It was HUGE, and yes, that IS a pile of whipped cream on top~

I spotted these on the menu while browsing for what I wanted; definitely need to try these next time I'm out with the girls! Don't they sound delicious? :3

My wonderfully gorgeous and absolutely amazing French toast! It's on the brunch menu, and definitely worth a try!

But I also for sure recommend the Cheesecake Factory in Victoria Gardens too, because not only is the food really good, the service is always excellent!  For the birthday brunch, they were really considerate of the fact that my sister and I had with us three children aged ten years and under (one with a VERY picky & particular appetite), and they even brought the little sister a complimentary birthday ice cream, complete with sprinkles, a song, and a pink candle! Can't get much better than that~

I hope you have a lovely Sunday! Do something nice for yourself, and enjoy it! I'll be really busy today with school assignments and getting ready for work tomorrow, but I hope to have some time left to comment on my favorite blogs today... you've all been so inspirational to me lately, I've gotta show some love~

I have a few posts lined up, including a review or two, so let's see if I can keep the blog ball rolling, shall we?

Until next time~

Back With My Fall 2012 Wishlist

I'm back from my long hiatus! Did you all miss me? XD But seriously, thank you for sticking with me. And thank you to all my followers, old and new! I'm so happy to know that there are people reading what I write; it makes me want to try harder so I can have more to share with you! I've been thinking about when is a good time for me to try blogging again, and even though I'll be busy with work and the classes I'm taking, I'll strive to find a way to be/stay motivated and able to blog regularly (I'll be shooting for once a week).

Anyway, I hope everyone's been having a lovely summer. Since we're winding down into Autumn/Fall now, I thought I'd share some of the things I've been wishing to add to my wardrobe as the season (and my tastes) change! I've really been liking dresses lately, like a LOT, a lot. I have only 3 casual dresses in my closet now, so let's start with the dresses I'd like to add to that and work our way down the list:

 ~ DRESSES ~

(from Nasty Gal, Forever21, and Miss Selfridge)

~ TOPS ~

(all from Miss Selfridge)

Going On Hiatus

Signing off for now!  But don't worry; I'll be back.  ^ ^ Image from Universal Doll.

I just wanted to officially announce that this blog is going on hiatus.  I don't know for how long, but I hope that when I come back, I'll be more inspired and further along in developing my style than I am now.  There are a lot of things going on in my life that I need to be focusing on as well, so when things calm down and I'm making at least some kind of progress, I'll be back.

Thank you to everyone who read and commented; hopefully you'll come back when I do!  I'll still be reading and commenting on all the lovely blogs I read and looking for more to add to my list.  Hopefully this break will be just the jolt & recharge I need style-wise.

I wish you all a happy spring and much luck in everything you do!

Until next time~

Around Town II

Hello! I wanted to post today, but my thoughts on what I should blog about are so jumbled up right now, I'm not really sure what to post.  I want to do more personal style posts, but I'm only now just getting a hold of resources that will help with that, so please bear with me!  I'll do my best to show things like makeup shots, outfits, and gets as soon as I can~  Actually, I have some photos for a gets post, including some things I got for my birthday last week, so look forward to that in the near future!

Anyway, I've got quite a backlog of photos building up of pictures I take while I'm out and about on just normal days, so I thought I'd share a few more of them today!  Enjoy~

A bent streetlight I saw on my way home from work this past summer.  How did that happen???

A shot of a lovely sunset taken from the parking lot of the shopping center I go to when I need a Target.

This bumper sticker made too much sense for me not to capture it for keeps. ^  ^

Cute boots at one of my local Forever 21 stores

A beautiful cloudy sky on a November day

One of the parks near my neighborhood on the way to the public library

A very pink car I saw at the Victoria Gardens shopping mall upon leaving Jamba Juice.  XD

That's all for now!  I do have more photos from around town, but those will be another post, so hopefully that's something else to look forward to.  ^  ^

Until next time~