Nicole

Hello friends! <3

I have decided to move to a new blogging place, with a new blog. I'll still be lurking around livejournal once in awhile, but will be posting up more coords, packages, and other fun stuff over on my new blog.

Come and visit me there, okay? ;-)

In Love With a Dream

Hello lovelies! <3

It's my second year posting, but I've been into lolita since 2010. My how time flies. You can see last year's post over here.

This year I did some editing of my wardrobe. I sold a few things, bought others, and shifted some items over to the casual/work wear section of my closet. I tried to buy jsks instead of skirts since I've realized that they suit me better. I also worked on improving my coording skills by matching shades of colors better and selecting my accessories with care.

I also reviewed the wardrobe goals I set last year, and set some new ones for this year. You can read about that here.

Right now, I am fond of sweet and bittersweet style which I believe is reflected pretty well in my wardrobe. I find that I have moved away from overly cutesy prints, and would rather have something that is toned down sweet or feel elegant.

And away we go...

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Cutsews

Uniqlo x Disney // Hello Kitty // Metamorphose


Offbrand // Offbrand



Blouses

All Offbrand (thrift store and/or vintage finds)

















Skirts

Metamorphose: Swans and Crowns // Handmade (not by me)


Bodyline: Fairy From Forest // Bodyline: Carousel


Rose Melody: Parfaits // Bodyline: Chocoberry


Metamorphose: Typewriting Squirrels // Bodyline: Carousel


Handmade (not by me) // Handmade (not by me)


Bodyline: Candy // Bodyline: Cakes


Bodyline: Fairy From Forest // Bodyline: Carousel


Silversark: Cinderella // In the Starlight: Chocolates


Handmade (not by me) // Bodyline: Macaron (I just adore both of these so much! <3)


Metamorphose: Room Print



Jsk

Handmade (not by me) // Bodyline: Carousel // Angelic Pretty: Dream Fantasy


Bodyline: Squirrel Party // Bodyline: Carousel // Angelic Pretty: Fancy Paper Dolls


Bodyline: Strawberries // Angelic Pretty: Decoration Dream // Angelic Pretty: Crystal Dream Carnival


Angelic Pretty: Star Night Theater (my Holy Grail dream dress! Took forever to find at a decent price <3) // Infanta: Poker Print // Infanta: Power and Thrones


Infanta: Sleeping Beauty // Bodyline: Carousel // BTSSB: Milk-chan and Snow Strawberry


BTSSB: Dreamy Pony Ribbon Ribbon // Angelic Pretty: Candy Sprinkle // Angelic Pretty: Tea Time a la Carte


Metamorphose: Princess Wardrobe



OP

Offbrand (vintage) // Bodyline: Maple Sugar Waffle // Offbrand (vintage)


Offbrand (vintage) // Angelic Pretty: Little Bear's Cafe



Outerwear

All Offbrand except the black coat which is Angelic Pretty: Candy Ribbon







Headbands, Headbows, and Hair Clips

All Offbrand~ for casual days ;-)


Left column~ BTSSB x2, Angelic Pretty x2
Middle column~ Angelic Pretty x2, Infanta, Bodyline x 2, Angelic Pretty, Handmade (not by me)
Right column~ Angelic Pretty, BTSSB, Angelic Pretty, Handmade (not by me), Angelic Pretty x2, Infanta, In the Starlight


Left half~ All Chocomint (I just adore the fluffiness and shiny stars!)
Right half~ Assorted Offbrand and a couple by Metamorphose



Earrings, Pins, Bracelets, Rings, and Necklaces

Mostly Offbrand and vintage, along with some by Peppermint Puff, Kirk's Folly, Tokidoki


Assorted Offbrand, vintage, Cherished Teddies


All Offbrand except the candy one which is by Chocomint


Mostly Offbrand, a few by Sweet Poison Cupcake, Paradise Rose, Chocomint, Peppermint Puff


Angelic Pretty~ Dream Star, Decoration Dream, Dreamy Horoscope, Love Dot Heart, Shy Bear


Angelic Pretty~ Melty Moon, Crystal Dream Carnival


Kirk's Folly, Peppermint Puff, Offbrand, Metamorphose, Le'Petite Macaron


Metamorphose, Cherished Teddies, Offbrand x4, Le'Petite Macaron


Chocomint, Sweet Poison Cupcake x3
*Not shown~ Offbrand strawberry parfait necklace that is awaiting repair


Bitter Sweet Doll Jewelry, Offbrand, Hello Kitty, Offbrand
Pendants~ Offbrand x2, Disney



Socks,Tights

Top row~ Offbrand, Secret Shop, Bodyline, Secret Shop, Offbrand
Middle row~ Bodyline, Angelic Pretty, Metamorphose, Angelic Pretty, Offbrand
Bottom row~ Secret Shop, Bodyline, Angelic Pretty, Secret Shop, Metamorphose
All tights~ Offbrand



Shoes

Top row~ Offbrand x2, Bodyline
Bottom row~ Offbrand, Bodyline x2



Purses

All Offbrand except the Hello Kitty and My Melody


All Offbrand


Angelic Pretty, Metamorphose x2


Loris, Chess Story, Angelic Pretty x2



Parasols

All Offbrand except the polka-dotted one which is by Totes


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Bonus

One of my display shelfs with My Little Ponies, Care Bears, Monster High dolls, and Hello Kitty plushies!


Thank you for looking and have a nice day! :-)

Hello friends!

I got a package in the mail :-) It's my ultimate dream dress... Angelic Pretty's Star Night Theater jsk in blue!!!

I had bought the headbow a few years ago and finally found the dress at a decent price on Closet Child. My boyfriend helped with the ordering process which wasn't too bad. I also got a Chocomint hair clip in gold with a moon and dangly stars to go along with the dress.

So here it is...












I love how cute the print is and am looking forward to making a coord with this someday soon!

Hello friends!

I got a package in the mail :-) It's Angelic Pretty's Decoration Dream jsk and headbow set in blue <3

Check it out...











The print has lots of little ponies and big cakes and other sweet things. There are layers of ruffles on the back which looks super adorable. I am looking forward to making a coord with this someday soon!

Hello friends! <3

The topic of goals popped up in one of the discussion boards, so I thought it'd be interesting to review what mine were and how I've been doing. I also set some new ones for next year. Enjoy!


Wardrobe goals: 2014

1.) No more skirts! I already have way too many. I don't think I've even worn some of them yet. Perhaps sell/trade them?
Excellent progress being made here! I have realized that they don't look as flattering on me as I thought, which makes it easier for me to resist. I have not bought any and am currently trying to sell a few.

2.) Add more jsks and a couple ops. (Angelic Pretty/BTSSB/Innocent World)
Excellent progress here as well! I have added a bunch of printed jsks to my wardrobe from different brands. Such as Bodyline's Carousel one, the Sleeping Beauty and Poker ones from Infanta, and a bunch from Angelic Pretty (A la Carte Tea Time, Dream Fantasy, Crystal Dream Carnival, etc.) to name some. Purchased a jsk from Innocent World but it ended up being too small, so I sold it. Got 1 op (Angelic Pretty's Little Bear Cafe). It fits beautifully, but I still prefer jsks to ops since I find them easier to wear and change up the look.

3.) Add a cardigan/jacket. (Angelic Pretty/BTSSB)
Mixed luck with this one. Got a cardigan and jacket in my giant AP lucky pack last winter. The cardigan was too small, so I sold it. But surprisingly the jacket did fit, so I kept it.

4.) No more jewelry/accessories unless they're brand! (Angelic Pretty/BTSSB/Metamorphose)
Mixed luck on this one as well. Still purchased some offbrand items but not as much as before. Also manged to obtain a few AP necklaces, a bracelet, and rings.

5.) Add a few pairs of knee socks. Maybe pink or blue? (Angelic Pretty/Metamorphose)
More mixed luck. Got a few pairs of AP otks in pink x blue, but they ended up not fitting too well. But I did end up with the pink and lavender versions of AP otks from last winter's lucky pack which do fit me.

6.) Add a purse. White or black? (Angelic Pretty)
Got a black AP one in my giant lucky pack :-)

7.) Add more shoes. Perhaps a pair in pink? Or maybe rockinghorse shoes in black. Those would be cool too. (Bodyline)
Got a pair of pink shoes and a pair of white x black shoes from Bodyline :-) Still kinda wanting rockinghorse shoes though...

8.) Add a parasol. White or black? (Angelic Pretty/BTSSB/Metamorphose)
Got a white x black polka-dotted one by Totes. I know, it's not brand but still super cute. It has ruffles and has the right shape to it for lolita, so I figured why not?


Wardrobe goals: 2015!

1.) Clear out beginner items/impulse buys/brand things that did not work for one reason or another. They are just taking up space :-P

2.) Focus on quality rather than quantity. Brand only for dresses, socks, purses, and jewelry!

3.) Work on crossing items off my wishlist. (Mostly Angelic Pretty <3)

4.) Stay more up to date on Angelic Pretty releases. I tend to find out about them just after everything's been sold out :-P

5.) Add more pink and blue jsks! Or perhaps something with a chocolate or book print?

6.) Add a lavender blouse!

7.) Add more tights and otks!

8.) Add a pair of blue, mint, lavender, or gold shoes!

Hello friends! <3

After being into lolita fashion for about 3 years or so, I have decided to leave behind my beginner phase and move towards brand. During my recent browsing of sales posts, I have noticed that offbrand and/or Bodyline items do not appeal to me anymore. So, with the exception of blouses and shoes, I will be purchasing brand only items from now on. I have changed my shopping habits and I am currently working on clearing out beginner items, impulse buys, and assorted brand items that didn't work for one reason or another. I hope to make my wardrobe more cohesive and reflect my advancement in lolita fashion; a so-called "levelling up" if you will ;-)

This is most certainly good news for my wishlist, but bad news for my wallet. I'm hoping the two will balance out somewhat.

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In other news, I got a couple packages...

Angelic Pretty: Candy Sprinkle headbow in black <3
Sorry for the blurry pic. I was so excited to finally have the matching headbow to my jsk, I had difficulty focusing the camera :-P



Angelic Pretty: Shooting Star Otks in pink.
Arrived to me with a rip in the side which must have happenned while in the mail, but fortunately nothing was missing or ruined. I love how the post office put a sticker on it to indicate damage, but didn't make any attempt to fix it up. What, you couldn't at least use the sticker to try and patch the opening? Wow... *sigh* I got these thinking they'd be perfect to wear with my Dream Fantasy set. The seller sent the otks in such cute packaging, I almost didn't want to open it up.





Angelic Pretty: Shy Bear (in pink) & Dream Star (in lavender) necklaces <3
Super adorable and will go great with my sweet jsks.





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I also picked up these items...

Jewelry~ Cupcake rings in lavender x yellow x pink/white x lavender, lavender pony ring, white x blue x purple pegasus earrings, and dangly chocolate doughnut earrings with matching necklace.


Purse~ Golden quilted style with chain strap and tassel zipper pull.
I thought it'd match my Crystal Dream Carnival set really well. Nothing I already had seemed suitable to go with it.


Plush backpacks~ Brown pony, tan teddy, white x pink Hello Kitty head, brown teddy.
Cute and functional to wear with similar colors and/or themed prints.




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And last but not least, here's Crystal Dream Carnival (aka CDC) worn two ways...

Light~ Sweet with cream x gold x blue.

Full description: Blue Crystal Dream Carnival headbow (Angelic Pretty), golden dangly star clip (Chocomint), golden unicorn earrings, cream embroidered long-sleeve blouse, blue CDC jsk (Angelic Pretty), golden CDC pegasus necklace (Angelic Pretty), golden quilted purse, golden CDC pegasus ring (Angelic Pretty), cream knit knee socks, and brown lace-up boots.

Meet up with some local lolitas for cupcakes and hot cocoa at a bakery to celebrate ILD. Chatted and took some pics with the festive looking tree. You probably can't see it too well, but the tree had all kinds of cupcake ornaments on it! Very awesome :-)



Dark~ Sweet with gold x blue x black.

Full description: Blue Crystal Dream Carnival headbow (Angelic Pretty), golden dangly star clip (Chocomint), golden crown earrings, black high-necked long-sleeve blouse, blue CDC jsk (Angelic Pretty), golden CDC pegasus necklace (Angelic Pretty), golden quilted purse, golden CDC pegasus ring (Angelic Pretty), black tights, and black heels.

Meet up with some lolitas from the previous lolita group I was in (before I moved) to celebrate ILD (yes, again). We wandered around the George Eastman House and checked out the gingerbread houses and other things on display. Afterwards, we had a snack at a nearby bakery. Blueberry scone and a strawberry macaron for me, mmm...

I loved wearing my new brand items and look forward to coming up with additional ways wear them <3

Hello friends! <3

If you know me, you know that I love cute stuff; plushies, colorful prints, sweet snacks and the like. I also like entering contests to win more cute (and free!) stuff...

So, I won a giveaway from Peppermint Puff, and my prize was a custom made necklace. It was super fun to work with Cassia in designing something so special. I went with a sweet-style necklace in lavender and pink so I could wear it with my lolita coords. I love how cute it turned out! Cassia even included a bonus pair of earrings and a ring. So adorable! <3

I would definitely recommend to everyone to check out her Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/PeppermintPuff

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The package...


Inside...


A little note and a couple boxes...


First up, the smaller box...


Inside... Sparkly earrings and a candy ring!


Now for the bigger box... My necklace! <3


Love the colors and details <3


Everything together...


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Hello friends! <3

So sorry about the delay in posting. I've been busy with work and other stuff and got disttracted and yeah... Anyways...

In my last post I had mentioned Angelic Pretty's Crystal Dream Carnival. With everyone talking about the release of this new print/series I got really excited and went a bit crazy in my ordering lol :-P

Items ordered: CDC headbow, normal version jsk, otks (all in blue), necklace and ring (both in gold)
 

 



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Timeline:
7/17~ Items shipped from Japan
7/18~ Arrived in USA
7/21~ Attempted delivery while I was away at work and left pick-up slip
7/24~ Picked up package from the post office first thing in the morning :-)

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The package...


Opened up...


Closeup...




All wrapped up in cute bundles... Which to open first? ;-)


Okay, I'll start with the smaller one...


Back view...


Unrolled...


Oh, it's a plastic shopping bag with the handles cut off. Strange...


Inside...


Copy of the invoice, an undamaged shopping bag, care instructions, a smaller box, otks, and a bonus brand logo sticker...


I wonder what's in that little box...?


It's... jewelry! <3


A golden pegasus necklace with matching ring to go with my blue otks :-)


Now for that big package...


Back view...


Again with the handles cut off...


Inside...


Headbow, jsk, and an undamaged shopping bag...


The headbow...




The jsk...










Print detail...


Comments:
I went through the japanese Angelic Pretty site and had them send everything to Tenso (shopping service).  Once everything was together, I had Tenso ship to me. It took awhile but I wanted to have it all at once and avoid multiple shipping charges for seperate packages. My boyfriend used a translation tool to help translate the site to order correctly. No problems with either.

Quality:
Good. The fabric is cotton, buttons are plastic, the metal parts of the jewelry have a nice weight to them. All items are of good construction with no noticeable flaws. The print is gorgeous with an elegant grown-up type sweetness to it. The golden braid around the edge and lace are of good quality and seem to enhance this elegant feeling.

Overall:
I really like each of the items I got. I was surprised at the color of the blue. I was expecting more of a royal blue, but it seems to have a purple-ish tint to it depending on the lighting. I'm excited to wear it to a meet-up, but need to work on planning my coord first.

I will definitely order from Angelic Pretty again :-)

Hello friends! <3

I hope you enjoyed my last post. This one's just a brief update on what I've been up to.

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Got a couple packages...

Angelic Pretty: Candy Sprinkle Otks in pink






Angelic Pretty: Ribbon Otks in pink






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Also picked up these items..

Offbrand long-sleeve blouse (red)


Offbrand long-sleeve blouse (ivory)


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And a couple cute coords...

Sweet with blue x offwhite


Full description: Blue Poker print headbow (Infanta), gold hoop earrings, off-white long-sleeve blouse, off-white fake pearl necklace, blue Poker print jsk (Infanta), ivory x brown x black rabbit & suits knee socks (Bodyline), and black x white model 178 shoes (Bodyline).

Went to an art festival downtown with some lolita friends. It was fun and I'm happy I got to wear some of my newly acquired  items.



Bittersweet with black x lavender.
*Sorry no coord pic, but here's some of the items themselves.



Full description: Black headbow (Angelic Pretty), silvery sparkly fork and spoon earrings, pink short-sleeve blouse, lavender x silvery cameo pin, black Princess Wardobe jsk (Metamorphose), lavender plush unicorn backpack, lavender x black otks (Metamorphose), black x white model 178 shoes (Bodyline), black x white polka dot parasol (Totes).

Went on a group trip with some lolita friends to downtown Toronto. We wandered around and did some shopping. Also ate delicious dumplings and tried my very first macaron (in matcha green tea flavor shown below. It... was... awesome! <3) It rained most of the day and I did not get any pics, but I did get to test out my new parasol. It worked great!


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My next post will feature Angelic Pretty's popular print... Crystal Dream Carnival! <3

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Hello friends! <3

Sorry about the delay in posting this. I had started typing everything up, got distracted, and then forgot to go back and finish up.
Anyways, It's done now, and here you go. Enjoy! :-)

I really like Meta's lucky packs and decided to go with a jsk one this time.

I ordered the Princess Wardrobe (aka Lace Up Doll) set in black.

I went with this version because it seemed the most likely to fit me. I wasn't too excited about the rectangular headdress that was shown to come with it, but I figured that if I didn't like it I could trade for the headbow version, or even just sell it. I have a solid black headbow that would match nicely.

Official link: Princess Wardrobe Lace-up Pinafore Dress (Medium-length) SET



Timeline:
6/25~ Ordered online
6/26~ Order shipped out
6/28~ Arrived

The package...


Back view... Kinda looks like a envelope huh? ;-)


Untaped..


Inside the shopping bag...


Sorted out nicely...


1.) Tote bag~ Pink x brown with brand logo and dressmaker form design on. Very large and roomy. Has a zipper on top and woven handles for ease of carrying. Also features an inner pocket.


2.) Otks~ Grey x black lace-up design. Soft and stretchy.


3.) Rectangular headdress~ Grey x black. Elegant and simple with satin ribbons and bows. It's nice but I don't think I'll be keeping this one. Hopefully someone else will be able to wear/enjoy it more than me.





4.) Blouse~ Black. Short-sleeved. Peter Pan style collar with cute little ruffles. Removable neck and waist ties. Has shirring on the back. Super cute <3 Hoping this fits me.
>




5.) Mini bows~ Grey x black. One pair. Pin onto the jsk to up the cuteness factor.




6.) Jsk~ Grey x black. Laces up the front. Full back shirring. Has a toned down sweet and almost classic-type feel to it. The print features dressmaking forms, clothing from various styles, mirrors, ballet shoes, etc.





Group pic~ Everything! <3


Comments:
Item was shipped out quickly after ordering. No problems at all.

Quality:
Good. Items were of good construction with no noticeable flaws. There were some loose threads clinging to the dress, but I just  brushed them off with my hand. The print is unique in that is can be interpreted in different ways. Also, the colors are softer than I expected. Kind of reminds me of a watercolor painting (sort of faded yet still vibrant if you know what I mean). The trim on the jsk reminds me of chiffon but is probably a polyester blend.

Overall:
I really like each of the items I got. I was pleasantly surprised that the grey color had some lavender to it. This will make a little bit easier to coord with other things in my wardrobe. It is about normal length for me (falling a couple inches above my knees). I will be trying to trade or sell the headdress, and possibly the blouse if it doesn't fit.

I will definitely order from Metamorphose again :-)