LBC: Anime-Inspired (Fandom) Coordinates!

It just so happens that this week's Lolita Blog Carnival was on a topic I had been planning on blogging about for a while (just slightly broader), so I definitely knew I had to tackle it this week when the topic was announced! For that reason--some of the terminology I will be using is a bit broader--I'll be calling it "Fandom Coordinates" since I also will be discussing dressing up with video game influences and the like--not just anime.

Ipsy Glam Bag + Julep Maven (JUNE 2015 UPDATE!!)

UPDATE: (June 21, 2015) I have felt the need to update my IPSY review since I no longer am subscribed to them for declining quality. Please check out more details near the end of the IPSY portion of the review! Although I am not subscribed to Julep Maven anymore as well, I did not unsubscribe from them due to quality of their products, but just for my own personal finances.
 

 

I recently jumped on the monthly box bandwagon with what seems like the rest of the world, and I am never looking back! There seems to be monthly subscription boxes for EVERYTHING—boxes for dog treats and toys, healthy snacks, geeky hobbyists, beauty lovers etc. They are so useful if you know exactly what you want more of, without spending an arm and a leg. For me, it’s make-up and nail polish. I don’t mind having large varieties of either because I love being a guinea pig for new products and like having a huge collection of wacky nail colours.

For that reason, I am currently subscribed to two services! Ipsy Glam Bag and Julep Maven! The former has a really extensive quiz you can take to make sure you get exactly the kind of products you would want to use, and Julep has a shorter quiz to determine what kind of style you are more into. I’ve been subscribed to both for three and four months respectively, so I thought it was time to do a review!

Top 10 Outfits of 2013.

I can’t believe it’s nearly halfway through 2014 and I only just got around to posting the last outfit I photographed in 2013!  As a result, here comes the incredibly belated “Top 10” post for my favourite outfits of last year. Last year had been a pretty quiet year in terms of dressing up—I had photographed nearly 3 times as many outfits in 2012 as I did in 2013 (around 90 compared to give or take 30 or so outfits in 2013).

I photographed and wore outfits frequently through July of 2013, and surprising no one, I didn’t photograph a single outfit in August (my first month in law school), and from September to December had only photographed 7 separate outfits.

Although that’s a bit of a lie… My Instagram had been updated with some cell phone photos of my outfits and make-up during those first few months of the term, but I didn’t have anyone to take higher quality photos so they never wound up on LookBook or my blog.

I realised after completing this list that I totally left out the outfits I wore for a photoshoot with the amazing Saitam Photography modeling Starlight Deco Dream items, and I am filled with regret. All three of the outfits I wore were amazing and some of my favourites to date. Feel free to check them out again here!

LBC: A Lolita Coordinate Based on a Constellation.

This week's Lolita Blog Carnival topic was one I was super excited to do--a coordinate based on a constellation! I wanted to make sure I used a dress I own (in this case, I have ordered and am just waiting on), so I did some digging for constellations visible to the naked eye that tend to come out around this time of year and settled on Cassiopeia. Cassiopeia is a gorgeous constellation that is supposed to represent the mythological Greek figure sitting on her throne, or some of the points on her crown.

Cassiopeia Coordinate by avinastar featuring tights

LBC: Your First Lolita Item.

Hello all!

I am incredibly jealous to see all the updates all over my Newsfeed from the Enchanted event! I wish I could have made it. Hopefully next year I will have more time to travel, since this year was spent stressing out over studies.

Again, I thought to use the Lolita Blog Carnival as a great way to keep my blog active and maintained. I'm going to have to change my blog layout soon... This one is very outdated.

Thinking about my first lolita item made me realise just how terrible I was as a beginner. I purchased everything in the wrong order, and my first few coordinates were absolutely terrible. I am not counting my first hand-made lolita dress, purse, or headdress as my first item since--aside from the headdress--not much is actually "lolita."

My first lolita (and brand) item was a parasol that I purchased from egl_comm_sales. It was one of my first online purchases, and if I remember correctly, I bought it for around $30 shipped at the time. I only have one photo of it that I dredged up from my abandoned Poupée account. (I heard the website is more or less dead now, that makes me so sad!)

I hope you don't mind the edited background--I took the photo in an incredibly dirty room that I am embarrassed to display haha. I'm not that much more organised these days, but at least I take time and effort to photograph my wardrobe now. =_=;;