Northern adventures

My family (alright, basically my Dad) decided, way back in June, that we needed a vacation. Specifically a so-called family vacation. I figured that, as the years go by, we´ll have less and less chances of actually doing stuff like this--my brother and I will eventually leave the nest, after all (to my mother´s horror and consternation).

So, we´re stuck for two weeks in the North, in San Vicente de la Barquera. I´d never heard of this small town, but apparently it´s actually somewhat famous? Famous for what, I have no idea. I personally think that though it´s nice that it´s cooler here than in central Spain, it´s too cold if it´s August and you can´t wear shorts. Also, the sun: where is it?!? it´s shown up a total of 10 minutes in two darned days. Yes, foggy mountains are all nice and good, but let me not see fog 24/7, please.

It was a pretty long car trip, but I´ve lived through worse. It was only 5 hours.

 A view of the town´s port.

Yesterday was my brother´s birthday. It was decent, but pretty normal for a birthday. We even did our scheduled study times (though I begged really hard for my bother to get time off from studying...but my Dad is darned stubborn). I´ll post a pic or two later, when I actually have a decent internet connection that won´t require three hours to upload a picture.

Oh, when we went to take a walk in the morning, the whole family: my mother, father, brother, grandmother and I got stuck in the elevator. It was a bit nerve-wracking, especially when we realized that:

1) We really seriously honest-to-goodness weren´t moving
2) Repeated attempts to use the emergency phone just gave us a dial tone and no answer (I will curse those people to eternity if they were on vacation or on coffee break).
3) 10 minutes went by, with nothing happening.
4) We realized that most people in the apartment building were probably at the beach (wierdos, NO SUN!) or out walking (like we were supposed to be).
5) Our cellphones refused to work inside the elevator

We felt rather trapped. But I kept myself calm thinking "Wait until I get to blog about it!" ¬ ¬. It didn´t help that i kept getting flashback to the Resident Evil elevator scenes.....

We finally got saved by an old man who happened to hear us or the beeping shriek of the elevator alarm that sounds when you´re attempting to call the emergency line (stupid people should check that it actually WORKS!!). We weren´t trapped in between floors....it was the elevator doors that were stuck, thank God. Tugging, grunting, and voilá, freedom!! I swear, those first few breaths of air were pure ambrosia. Nothing like being stuck in an elevator to make you appreciate the disgustingly humid air of the outside world.

Review: Claire Beauty Wig

I recently bought a wig on Yesstyle.com. I had been hesitating a lot about buying one because the wigs on that website are rather pricy. Claire Beauty wigs, whether long or short, tend to average a price of 50EUR or so. Now, 50 euros for a long wig seems a bit pricey, but when you notice that that´s also the case for most of the short and medium wigs.....

My reaction upon seeing such expensive short wigs. 

 I needed a realistic looking wig for my Sun Shiang Xiang cosplay, and this looked like the place to buy...after all, what can be more realistic than a wig designed for girls who want to wear a wig that looks like regular hair every day?

Fortunately, they DO have sales every now and then, and this was the case.

I decided to buy the following wig:

 It is labelled on the site as "Short Wavy Full wig--Coffee color".

What I got was:

 



















Styling accuraccy rating: Yes, it definitely needs styling. The hairstyle isn´t the same as in Claire Beauty´s pictures; the curls are "out" instead of "in" for one. It´ll take a bit of work, considering I don´t own a curling or styling iron. But it is somewhat poofy. And about the right length. Rating: 3/5. Can´t expect perfect when taking it out of a box.

Hair color accuracy rating: It actually looks a bit darker in my pictures than in real life. Though it IS darker than in the Claire beauty pictures (probably due to the difference in lighting).  It has a very nice mix of synthetic hair that leaves an effect of dark brown with auburn highlights, instead of being solid brown, which adds a touch of realism to the wig itself. I quite like that, I didn´t really expect it. Rating: 4/5.


Wig thickness and weft rating: Here, I will provide several pictures so that you can see for yourselves.

Let´s start with the bottom: at the nape, you have a section where the  brand tag is located. The section which will be flat on the nape has slightly thicker hair, with more curls, that effectively hides the "base" of the wig. It is also a very nice shape (that half-circle...) that will easily help to grab your head and keep the wig on. It´s pretty soft, actually.

Now, let´s go mid-wig in general. The base is very soft to the touch,m not scratchy at all. The wefting is perfect, and the base hairs on the wig are very thick. You really can´t see through them at all, like you would bbe able to on a cheap wig.

The wig base is organized with a top "cap", and below that, layers of wefting. pretty basic shape overall. The fact that it´s dark like the hair really camouflages it (it took me many pictures and angles to finally get one that showed the base properly...)

Rating: 5/5

Wig price: It was originally 41,21 EUR/ 58USD. I bought it with a rather hefty discount, for 24 EUR/34.80USD. I was lucky to find a wig that worked so well and was so discounted. However, the usual price, 41 euros for a short wig? Rating: 2/5.

Extras:  There was one small "extra" in this wig that I wanted to rate in a separate section, because I found it so appealing in interesting.



This is a closeup of the section that goes on your forehead, from the inside out. It´s a soft bit, very "cloth-like", that runs across where you would place the wig on your forehead. It´s very useful, will keep the wig from digging into your skin, moving and also keep some sweat off.  Definite plus!

Rating: 4/5 for ingeniousness!







I almost forgot, I was supposed to get a free wig cap with this order...something which sadly did not occur. I was rather disappointed.





So, we have finally reached the last part: the General wig rating: 4/5.

I would definitely recommend this brand to people who are looking for a natural-looking and yet synthetic wig. It´s kanekalon fiber, so it stands up to 82ºC. Watch out for the prices, though!  That is seriously the worst problem by far with this wig. You should carefully look for the wigs that have a discount (there are always several with 10% discount, and one or two with more).

Dream dress FAIL

Darniiiit! I feel so frustrated!!!! Closet Child is now selling the Alice and the Pirates Toys March OP in BLUE......



It´s THE dress I want at the moment......Grahhhhh....but after buying the other AatP JSKs this month, as well as my brother´s birthday being in three days (I have to buy him a present today!), and having to pay for something I ordered on Closet Child last month as well....I definitely can´t afford it this time.

How frustrating, <--Tears of FRUSTRATION. That´ll teach me to splurge all at once in the middle of the month. *sigh* Though it is a bit of a consolation that it´s actually quite expensive....because I don´t think I´d pay 19.800 yen (180 EUR/259 USD/157GBP) for a OP that´s been rated "2/5", despite the fact that 2/5 on Closet Child is usually good.....still too much, definitely too much + shipping. But I still feel quite annoyed. It was a nasty surprise. I´ve learned my lesson: don´t get greedy, especially at the beginning of the month.

Lolita 30 Day Challenge: Day 1

For day one of the Lolita 30 Day challenge, this is what I have to do: 

 Day 1: 10 things about your lolita bubble

Truthfully, I´m not quite sure what it means by "lolita bubble". But taking from the expression "personal bubble", I´ll assume that it means to define aspects in relation to lolita and myself. So, here goes:

1.  I am a girl who considers herself  "not quite a lolita yet"- I´ve only dressed in full out-lolita (i.e. with my huge petti and a wig) in public a few times. I tend to dress more in "casual lolita" when I feel the urge, since I´m a person with a bit of an eclectic style.
2. My family environment isn´t very accepting of lolita: my mother hates it (and has expressed her embarassment about my dressing loli), my father thinks I´m a bit crazy, and my brother doesn´t particularly care one way or another. My aunts and uncles.....well, best not talk about them. They´ve refused to be seen in public with me when I´m dressed "like that", as have my cousins. 
3. My town envoronment isn´t particularly supporting either: I have gotten stared at, catcalled and taken pictures of without permission.  :/ On the other hand, nice old ladies have complimented my dress, bonnet and petti on several occasions. That has to count for a bit of positive feeling. :3
4. My friends: are actually pretty supportive. I have one friend who lilol occasionally dress in punk loli or goth loli to match with me. I have another that doesn´t care, as long as I´m not too extreme (she´s even bought a loli dress for herself as an experiment to wear to a Con with me). I have yet another who has told me that she´s seen my slow attraction to all things loli, and that it was  logical that I´d end up like this (LoL). And so on and so forth. So: Yay friends!!
5. I am an active member of an Asian Fashion forum (MAF), and have met many wonderful lolitas (and non-lolitas) there, who I also consider friends.
6. I was initially very attracted to sweet lolita, especially OTT prints, but have grown out of that phase. Now I´m more interested in Classic style, or substyles like coutry lolita or sailor lolita. I think they´re more versatile, since they can be used in loli coords and in more mainstream coords, sometimes.
7.  My wardrobe has a lot of Meta in it, a Baby and AP pair of pieces, and one IW, but actually I really like Alice and the Pirates. I have a few Bodyline pieces, but it´s mostly secondhand brand, since I figure--I don´t dress lolita so often that I need an extensive wardrobe. Which means: I deliberate quite a bit, and then buy. The only breand non-secondhand that I own is a Meta Ruffle Pinafore JSK in navy. And the tax on it nearly killed me (70 euros!! More than a third of the price of the JSK in TAX!!), so I´m wary of buying NEW brand again soon.
8. For me, dressing lolita must involve wigs or hairpieces of some sort. Otherwise, I don´t get that "primped up" and "dolled up" feeling that I want to feel when I dress loli. I´m into braids at the moment. Braids and buns.
9. I actually don´t recall when I first became enamoured of lolita. It sprang into being sometime, probably initiated by an anime or something, then a search for pictures, and then falling in love with the pettis, dresses and outfits (again, since I loved dresses as a youg child).
10. To me, lolita is a way to express myself and wear things that I think are pretty, even if they´re not mainstream. It´s my way to indulge in the "love of cute things" that is so characteristic and ingrained within my self that I will never let it go. Thogh  sometime I feel insecure with all of the stares an comments, when it comes right down to it.....I´d rather walk around with my Usakumya, hug it, get whispered about and perhaps blush a bit than long for an Usakumya but be too scared to buy it. 

Well. that´s it: 10 things about the "lolita world", applied to myself. Here are picture of my two Usakumya as a gift. :3

<---This is Sir Rabbit of Bear. He´s a size large Usakumya, in blackxblue. I got him as a self-birthday present this year.

This is Agent Conejoso 007-->

(Bunnybear Agent 007). He´s a size medium Usakumya,  

  in offwhitexoffwhite. He´s my first 

Usakumya, got him around last 

November,I think.

Lolita 30 Day Challenge: Day 0

Lately, while blog-surfing, I have seen many loli-blogs with dates on them, and lists and such. I got a bit curious, and tried to investigate what exactly was the purpose of so many posts saying "Day so-and-so". Finally, I found my answer at Lolita Yogurt. Thanks Churi-chan! I´ve dicovered the "Lolita 30 Day challenge", and I want to try it! :3 So, here is the list I will follow, in order though perhaps not every single day.

Lolita 30 Day Challenge

Day 1: 10 things about your lolita bubble.

Day 2: 10 things you love in lolita.

Day 3: 10 things you hate in lolita.

Day 4 : 10 different kinds of food you like.

Day 5: 10 items from your wish list.

Day 6: 10 Things you Can? T Live Without in lolita.

Day 7: 10 people WHO inspire your lolita style.

Day 8: 10 Songs That inspire you for lolita.

Day 9 : 10 things you never do in goodwill lolita.

Day 10: What's in your bag?

Day 11: One day in your life in pictures lolita.

Day 12:  A picture of yourself before lolita Came in to your life.

Day 13: A picture of your favorite sweets.

Day 14: A picture of your dream item.

Day 15:  A picture of your cargo lolita purchase.

Day 16: Your outfit for the day.

Day 17: What do you Want more simply anything right now?

Day 18: A picture of your favorite lolita style.

Day 19: What's in your makeup bag?

Day 20: A picture of a lolita friend.

Day 21: Your favorite Fictional lolita.

Day 22:  A picture of your room.

Day 23: A picture of your handwriting.

Day 24: A picture of you from a meet.

Day 25: Your favorite lolita themed artwork.

Day 26: Your Facebook profile picture.

Day 27: One Song That fits your favorite lolita style.

Day 28: A picture of the perfect lolita location.

Day 29: A picture of a lolita Would love you two meet for real.

Day 30: A photo of yourself taken today and 3 good things that?'s Happened over the last 30

days.

 

Interesting, yay, here I come!! 

MAF Show and Tell

So it´s finally my turn to do the MAF show and tell.....gosh, it was so hard resucing everything to under 10 minutes; My camera kept cutting me off in the last few questions until I selected and spoke more than rambled, hahaha. And then the whole uploading process.....I´m glad I didn´t decide to edit th video and do cool things with it. =.= Too much work.

So, here it is, Laia Moon talking about herself (LoL sounds self-centered, doesn´t it....?). Also.....I hate my recorded voice.

The dilemma....

I put a "want-to-buy" post on  EGL because I wanted to get either the ivory or the black Chain Bouquet Long JSK from Alice and the Pirates. I didn´t expect to get replies quickly, but I did! Aaaaad.....I got offered both the ivoryxbrown version aand the blackxblue version......I thought I´d get one offer at the most.....so I have no idea which to get!! :/

I love anything with blue (though it has black--so it looks kinda gothic?), but on the other hand, the ivory one would look good for something steampunk or classic as well. I feel tempted to buy both of them, truthfully, but does it seem logical, wanting to have two JSK with the same print but in a different color?

Which one do you think is cuter? That I should get?

I should answer them soon...

August Hauls

I got quite a few things in the mail recently. Haven´t been able o post them yet. Even so, I´m feeling oo lazy to hunt down the hairbows and bracelets I got recently from the sales....so I´ll just be posting the ones I got thanks to the postman.

I got these from "J-box":

The GLB (vol.40), the june edition of the Kera fashion magazine, some Grapefruit candy, some curry-flavored snacks, and Mysterious item X, which will be revealed later on in another post (just because I like to keep the tension.....), when I review services from J-box.

I also got a package yesterday, this one from "Yesstyle.com". A wig for my Sun Shang Xiang cosplay, the Dynasty Warriors 7 version.

The wig is from the "Clair Beauty" brand. I was lucky, it was on sale (they tend to be somewhat pricy). It is made for regular day-wear, and I´m definitely liking it. I WILL write a review for this brand and this store (since you can buy tons of things at Yesstyle), but in advance, it´s been a good experience.

Hearty Chicken Bake

I seems that I have become a fan of making baked food lately.....but this time, it was dinner: a "Hearty Chicken Bake".

 This is my new Cooking Bible. Seriously.

It consists of a mashed potato, cheese and toasted onion (think IKEA swedish onions) crust, and a "filling".The filling of this singular "pie" is made of mixed chopped veggies (I mixed peas, carrots, green beans and potato), chicken cubes, cream of chicken soup and ground black pepper and garlic. All of it is baked 30 minutes in the oven, and then topped with more onions and cheese and set to "gratin", to toast the top. It is insanely delicious, and I´m proud that it turned out well, since it was the first time I tried making it by myself. My brother had been asking me to make it for awhile, and since his girlfriend came over for dinner, I figured "Why not?". All in all, it too between one hour and an hour and a half to prepare (including 35 minutes of oven-baking), mostly since I had to make quite a few of the components from scratch. I bet I can reduce that time to less than an hour next time.

BEFORE:

 AFTER:

We came. We gorged. We digested.

Debating a cosplay....

While looking for anime figures on Ebay, I came across one that particularly caught my attention. I know at the moment I have way too many cosplays planned or on my want-to-do list, but...... it´s perfect for he Halloween Con I might go to!!!

The character is named "Melissa Seraphy", and I don´t know anything about her at all, except that she has a really cool oufit......and kinda my body type? Small bust, and the hips can be disguised quite nicely by her pumpkin skirt:



What do you think? She seems like a raher nice Halloween cosplay....I think ha, o make the skirt, I´d probably have to make some sort of wierd pannier.......any suggestions? Do you think it´s a good cosplay idea?

Baking adventures

So, lately I have been trying to bake things. I´m usually more for regular cooking: I rarely cook anything in ovens (other than my famous Santa Fe Burrito Bake) with the exception of baked potatoes, the occasonal fish or pizza and very rarely a stew.

Admire my great skills with puff pastry. (or not)

It has meat in it! And cheese! And peppers! What more could anyone possibly want?









I like salty things over sweet things, generally speaking. It´s one of the reasons why I´ve never been particularly interested in baking. besides, I already have one friend whose cosmic duty is to provide me with brownies and muffins; why would I want to go through the effort of making ones myself? Simple: I was bored, and made the mistake of looking though this book:

<-- It´s 10 cookbooks in 1! You could smash someone´s toe into a pulp with it. Don´t drop it!

They have one whole "cookbook" dedicated solely to muffins. Guess what? Not all muffins have to be sweet. See where I´m going? After drooling over the peperoni muffins, the three-pepper muffins, the herbed muffins, the bacon (BACON!!!) muffins.....I finally decided that I needed to do something. Fast. So, I made: 

Sausage Muffins of DOOM!!

Though tecnically, they´re called sausage cornbread muffins (I think my name suits them best though). I gorged on them. So did my Dad. They disappeared in two sittings. I can just imagine how delicious these would taste, as a side to an "american breakfast": orange juice, hash browns, pancakes and bacon (lots of bacon!). Must make more in the future. It was a nice baking experiment, and the first time I baked muffins.


Unfortunately, not everyone in my family was overjoyed at the thought of the sheer deliciousness of a muffin combined with that drooliciousness characteristic of sausages/hot dogs. My Mom and my brother both have sweet tooths a mile wide. So, for them I made:

Behold: Brownie muffins!

They´re really chocolate muffins with chopped almonds added in, but let me have my happy moment by combining two great ideas: brownies and muffins. Yum. They were very good too (if the speed at which my brother and mother proceeded to scarf them down was any indication). Second cooking experiment: A-OK, pass with flying colors!!

Unfortunately, yesterday I tried to bake some muffins as a gift for my aunt. My parents are visiting her and my cousins, and they (naturally) heard about my Mad Muffin Skillz. They wanted muffins, and they wanted them NOW! Or, well, THEN! So I set up everything, did exactly the same things as before---and to my horror, found the gorgeous beautiful muffins acting like dying souffles once I took them out of the oven. Deeeeeeeflate! How horrible, my poor muffin babies. Figures that the at-home muffins would look great, but the guest-family muffins would look like.....you can imagine what they looked like.

CRATER MUFFINS!

My brother had a great idea, though--the crater that was left in the center of each muffin was just perfect....for vanilla ice-cream! So we ended up eating something like this:

The flavor was every bit as good as the regular muffins, and the icecream was a great idea. Sometimes I think that my brother might be a genius. Then he goes and does something stupid, and I change my mind.


In the end we determined that the cause for my choco-soufflé panic was no other than....the baking powder. Darnit, we switched brands from one baatch to the other, and the powder in the second batch was much stronger and caused the muffins to rise excessively. Oh well. Lesson learned.

New recipe: Chocolate-almond muffin craters, for use with vanilla icecream.