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~

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~

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)

Intro To Rui Glamourous!

Happy Valentine's Day a.k.a. Singles' Awareness Day to you all!  I hope it is/was a great one for you, whether you celebrated with a significant other or your friends.  ^  ^  I didn't do much, but I have plans to make it up with my best girls later on!

I came across a great find while reading this post on Kirin's blog, and I thought I'd share it here for any of you ladies out there who might be in this situation.

What situation, you ask?  Why, I mean the life-long struggle to find bras that fit, especially when we're travelling or living away from home and your-go to stores for lingerie needs aren't as easily accessible.  If you're like me, then you know that it can be challenging enough to find bras in sizes outside of the average 34-38 A-DD.  Add in the quest to find cute, flattering cuts and styles, and it gets pretty close to impossible in many cases.  Then try to fill that order overseas, say in Japan, and you might find it tough.  I have yet to find a lingerie store there that would fit my "girls", and those of very well-endowed foreign ladies looking to live, work, and/or study in Japan.

That is, until I found out about Rui Glamourous! 

Rui Glamourous is a Japanese lingerie brand that carries larger sizes.  How much larger are we talking? Their sizing goes up to 90J (Japan sizing) or a 40 H (U.S. sizing).  Even though I know that ceiling still may not cover everyone, it does give a lot more room to fit larger 'girls' for sure!  Rui Glamourous offers plenty of colors, styles, and cuts for even the most frilly tastes, plus the matching underpants for that perfect matching set.  This is some of what Rui has to offer:

The "Premiere" bra. Info can be found here.

The "Bonheur" bra.  Info here.

The "Flora" bra. Info here.

Aren't they all so cute?  And there are plenty more styles available to fit everything from girly to classic to unique tastes, all with matching underwear in low-rise, T-back (thong, I think), and "standard shorts", which look a lot like your basic hiphugger/bikini cut.

However, keep in mind that, judging from browsing the website, some of the larger sizes seem to sell out quickly. But hopefully anyone looking to shop with Rui Glamourous will find at least a few options of getting that piece of cute Japanese lingerie that will finally fit after a long search.

And if you need help determining your bra size in Japanese measurements, use this handy Bra Size Converter tool that has a variety of measurement systems for your convenience.

So if you're a busty lady heading to Japan for long-term, I'd say it looks like Rui Glamourous is definitely worth looking into!  I think everyone deserves cute undies, and Rui Glamourous is one option that makes that possible for all sizes during your stay in Japan.  I'm definitely looking forward to the chance to shop with them in the future~

Also!  If any ladies reading this have had or get a chance to check out the service and selection first-hand, I'd love to hear about it, so I can link back with even more information for anyone who comes looking for it!

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~!

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!