autumn looks and stuff

Aaah it's been nearly a month since my last update...

ootd☆07/11/13

Hello everybody~

This is mostly just a sharing make-up and ootd post. I wish I had a cute Halloween outfit to show you guys, I did have one planned but I was feeling really run down and sick after expo, so it didnt happen (boo).

I've been trying to get more creative with my hair. I have this volumising mousse by Umberto Giannini that is awesomeee but I've been neglecting it. I thought I would try something with a baby amount of volume the other night though. (I'd been reading Ageha and got inspired to try something different, haha.)

make up was also from a tutorial in Ageha

I thought it was pretty cute even though I'm not really used to styling my hair like this. I really love big volumous curls the most but I wasn't super fond of the last curling iron I had so UmU It's something to add to the Christmas list though.

What I wore out yesterday! I wasn't doing anything big but it had been so long since I'd gotten dressed up... Originally I had this more mature, onee styled outfit in my head but somehow I ended up dressing in something totally sweet and cutesy instead. (I think I look like a little ballerina, haha.) The dress is so short though, I really want a pair of cute lacey shorts or some bloomers to wear underneath, just in case. The cardigan is a new addition to my wardrobe! It was actually my girlfriend's Mom's originally but she passed it on to me coz she thought it'd look cute in a gyaru code. My make-up came out hella cute too. I based it on a couple of Shizuka Takeda looks that I love.

Well, that's it for today. A friend of mine really wants to see a make-up tutorial from me but I'm not sure it'd be any good since a lot of my looks are really just re-hashed from Ranzuki or Happie Nuts, haha. But I said I'd think about doing a general make-up video (like just filming me doing my default daily make sorta thing) so that might be upcoming. I'm also still thinking about doing a proper review of my Lush haul from the other day. Right now my skin is like, totally gross and full of PMS breakout though, so I'm not overly keen on taking make-up less photos.

I hope I can update again soon but I'm probably giving a lot of my online stuff a backseat at the moment because I'm so stressed out about personal stuff. I feel like I'm drowning in adult responsibilities, it's the worst.............. Time for me to reluctantly roll back to the real world.

Expo post (ﾉ◕ヮ◕)ﾉ*: ･ﾟ✧

So I did it, I went to expo this weekend!

Life update, new falsies and Lush haul ☆〜（ゝ。∂）

Hello again, it's been a little while hasn't it? Not too long, though. Today I have some goodies to show you before I ramble a little bit about what's going on with me right now.

I went home Friday night and found these waiting for me:

Eyelashes *u* Two boxes of top lashes and two boxes of bottom lashes! They were just some that I got off of ebay but I was really excited to try them out! Here's a picture of natural looking lashes (for lack of a better description):

Close up you can tell that I'm not super practiced in applying bottom falsies yet >m> but I think they looked okay as part of the final look:

These lashes remind me a lot of the types that Shizuka Takeda wears so I am in love with them (︶▽︶) She's one of my favourite gyaru I love her make-up so much and her face is so super lovely~

And my look from yesterday using the spiky top and bottom lashes (which will bring us nicely onto the next section~!):

Woah~! These ones were totally a pain to apply (I think I started over like five times) bUT I felt rly cute so!! I love lashes with a clear band, they blend in so nicely and you can play around with subtle or dramatic make-up that way. The top lashes are nice too, although they're thick and the band is quite sturdy. I prefer to have a more flexible one because it makes them easier to shape and apply but they were fine and held up for most of the day with only one incident of an unruly inner corner popping off. Besides I just love how these kind of lashes look, so I will definitely still be using them, flexibility aside.

So onto my little story about yesterday. Since expo is fast approaching I decided to go and get some face-care since nobody wants to have grody skin when you're having a weekend full of photos. Since my funds are pretty low I was going to get a few cheaper facemasks from Superdrug and top up my cleanser (my skin's gotten so bad without it, I missed it so much!!) which is Lush's Ultrabland cleanser. It's a really gentle one with beeswax in it which means it makes an awesome make-up remover! After a couple of weeks of using facewipes instead my skin was feeling pretty run down so I was anxious to top it up.

So I went in for that but came back with all of this:

Heehee~ Whenever I go in I like to be able to play the test game. (People complain about this but I love it?? I think in terms of customer service Lush are really great. Besides, if you communicate with them properly they're more than happy to help you find the products that are best for your skin type so I really have no idea what's wrong with that but maybe that's just me...) I got asked what my skintype was and what sort of smells I liked so I got to test a few things for dry and eczema prone skin with really sweet creamy smells! (Mostly honey and vanilla, I smelled totally delicious when I left~!)

My four testers at the bottom there are two shower gels, a moisturiser and a cleanser. Rose Jam is one that I haven't tried out yet, but it smells wonderful. The other shower gel is It's Raining Men which is a really great honey one - I tried it out in store and also in my shower last night and it smells and feels amazing. My skin is so soft! Then I have the cleanser which is Bûche de Noel - one of their Christmas products! I've tried another scrub called Angels on Bare Skin which I liked as something to use on no make-up days or maybe before make-up if my skin was feeling pretty bad but wasn't overall I wasn't particularly swayed but the guy I was talking to said it's similar to that but slightly more buttery so I might like it better. I had it tested on my hand and it still feels really smooth so we'll see how well it works on my face when I get around to testing it. And lastly the moisturiser - Imperialis. To let you in on a little secret, I've tried this one before >u> And I really do like it! At the moment I'm using another Lush moisturiser (Celestial) which has done so much for my dry skin problems but I thought it couldn't hurt to give this one another test run because I do really love the way it feels on my skin (also I like the way it smells which is... well actually a little bit like sunscreen haha, but that's such a nice and happy scent to me, it makes me think of summer and holidays so that's probably why I don't mind it at all.) Whether or not I decide to switch things up will probably depend on how well Imperialis handles my winter skin.

And onto the top three products. Ofc, there's my Ultrabland. And a facemask, The Sacred Truth - this was a freebie *u* This is one that I've used already but it's wonderful for tired skin that needs a moisture boost and a bit of a lift. I think it's especially good for revitalising your skin after you've been sick for a while, too. Anyway, since I'd had the facemask part of my shopping list taken care of, I figured I might as well pick up a little something else to save as a pick-me-up for bad days. I usually get a bathbomb or other bath-goodie but.... there's no baths in halls ;m; So instead I got a little bottle of Snow Fairy which is another seasonal one. I couldn't not gravitate toward it though, it's pink and sparkly and it smells like candy (＾∀＾)♪ I can't wait to give it a go but I'm saving it for when I need a pick me up (although I'll probably be taking it with me to expo since it is perfectly travel sized.)

Ubuubu I rambled a whole lot about my Lush haul, maybe I'll do an in-depth review of the products at some point in the future. But for now I'm going to wrap things up with the serious stuff.

So, everything has gone... a little bit wrong. Well, a lot wrong, really. Everything is super uncertain for me financially right now which sucks since expo is literally around the corner, but everything is still going ahead as planned with a lot of help from Emma (and also her Mom) because she's really great. I'm feeling really stressed out and sad and anxious and guilty about a lot of things though, so it's been really difficult to do much of anything for the past couple of weeks. I have an assignment due just after expo so I will probably be distracting myself with that in the run up to next weekend but I'm worried I won't be able to focus at all. I'm taking things slowly and splitting things up into groups of small tasks and working through that way to try and feel better but it's harder some days than others. I really hope that things will start looking up soon. 

I don't want to end this on a sad note, so I'm uploading an ootd snap from yesterday.

I really love the plaid trend that has been cropping up in gyaru this a/w. I would like more of a big cozy boyfriend fit shirt but I think this outfit worked out okay. Autumn means the return of my knee high boots (｡✧‿✧｡)

Review: Vassen Lenses in Jewel Pink

Ah yes, the review I said I'd do forever ago, it's finally here. I bought a pair of Vassen's jewel pink lenses for my Nanami cosplay and I have to say I'm really happy with them. Apologies in advance for my make-up free skin and tired eyes in these photos, blech.

The cute case that came free courtesy of pinkyparadise.

And the lenses themselves! I really like the shade of pink, I needed something that was light and pretty vibrant and these were one of the best matches I could find. The design isn't something that I would usually go for but once they're on they look really cute in my opinion.

Before:

After:

And a side by side comparison to show enlargement:

Haha, looks ridiculous >u> The colour is strong enough to show up nicely over my natural colour (I was a little worried that pink might blend to look a little more purple over my blue eyes). These lenses are 14.5mm so the enlargement is noticable but not too over the top. As far as comfort goes, these are probably the comfiest pair of circle lenses I've owned to date. (I realise that my eyes might look a little red in these photos but rest assured that's lack of sleep and not irritated eyes!). They feel very soft and thin, so I barely notice them at all. I like my lenses to have a solid and thick limbal ring and this one is quite odd but other than that I don't have many complaints.

The picture at the top is natural lighting, here's one under the light at the mirror by my sink which is pretty harsh:

The colour isn't really super in your face bright so if that's what you're going for then they might not be the lenses for you. But if you want something that looks a little more natural (or at least as natural as can be with pink eyes) then I think they're perfect.

Final rating:

Comfort: 5/5

Colour: 4/5

Design: 3/5

Enlargement: 4/5

As these lenses were primarily bought for cosplay, the comfort factor is a biiig bonus since I'll have them in at a con all day so it's nice to have as little issues as possible. I have used my favourite lenses (Princess Mimi Sesame Grey) for cosplay too and whilst they feel just fine when they're being good, when they're misbehaving it's the worst which definitely sucks when it happens in the middle of a convention.

So that brings me to the end of this little post. I have a lot to talk about since my life sort of all went up in the air today, but I'll make a post about that tomorrow maybe. For now I'm going to leave you with my ootd.

ps did you notice that I cut my hair?? when it's like this it reminds me of miwako from parakiss - i feel suuuuper cute!!

rambling life update

I'm back!! I am all moved in now. Technically I have been in and back at uni for just over a week now. But I spent some time at my girlfriend's so I guess I have been a little bit busy.

Code & make from moving day~ I don't think my face stayed so nice though since there were some tears butttt it was okay in the end. My flatmates seem really nice so that has made me feel a little better. I went to see Emma coz it'd been like a whooole month. But she was really sick so I haven't got any cute couple snaps or anything..... Maybe next time <3 I miss her a whole bunch already.

In other exciting news my lenses have arrived!! They actually arrived before I moved but I haven't had time to write up a review. I will say that I'm really happy with them for now, though. Here's a quick snap of me wearing them with my Nanami wig ^u^ (the lighting is horrible I'm sorry, it was taken in my Mom's bathroom at like 10pm)

I've been thinking a lot about my style lately... Last year I started venturing into gyaru and I started with onee-gyaru because it was easier to ease into it through that style imo. I still really like onee but I want to try some more things!! I think a lot of the pieces I've been picking up lately are more himekaji. But it's so hard for me to pick one style and stick with it..... But then I wonder if I should stick with onee because of my age. Is 21 too old for cute girly styles or what?? At least I'm short with a young looking face...

i'm moving soon

Aah, I've had a pretty stressful week. I am supposed to be moving into halls today but they gave me really short notice so I haven't been able to (my mom's boyfriend has to move my clothes and kitchen stuff and such). I tried to call up so I could get all of the details today but the office isn't open, typical (´ヘ｀;) I'm gonna have to leave it for now. I think I will have a downtempo night, run a bath and give myself the princess treatment (I don't want to meet my new flatmates looking all gross, I'm already so nervous.....).

But I had a really nice time on Thursday night~! I went to hang out with some good friends (including one I hadn't seen in a while which was rly nice (*~▽~) ) - we decided to watch a scary movie which was really dumb coz we're all huuuge babies. But afterwards we watched Cloudy With A Chance of Meatballs which was really cute (^▽^) It was really nice to catch up and also I found out that my best friends sister will be in the same halls as me, which makes things a little less scary. Here's a little ootd snap because I think I was lookin p cute ( *◕‿-)

Also this week, my wig for my Nanami cosplay arrived! It's very pretty, and it's nice and thick too. I'm really excited for the rest of it to come together, she's my sweet speepy princess ♥

One side of it doesn't want to co-operate and won't go quite as flicky as the other! But I sneakily posed so you'd never know~~ I'm going to have to be more patient next time I sit down to style it..... I'll be cosplaying her at London Comic Con in October with my girlfriendo being a very cute Sonia~ (and then the next day we get to cosplay my otp (｡♥‿♥｡) it's exciting~) 

When my lenses come through, I'll be doing a little review on those! I ordered a pair of Vassen Jewel Pink lenses, which I think are some of the most popular pink lenses around. But for now they still haven't arrived in England (╯︵╰,)

Well, that's all I really have to report at the moment. It was nice to vent for a little bit (´ω｀) I hope my next entry can be a little bit more exciting.....

Review! : Missha M Signature Real Complete BB Cream and Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner

So this week I was lucky enough to get two packages in the post. The first was the Dollywink eyeliner pen I ordered last week and the second was a brand new bb - so I'm gonna be writing a review on both, starting with the BB cream.

Prior to now I had been using Missha's Perfect Cover BB Cream and I loved it but lately I'd been having a really bad dry skin problem so I thought I might look into getting a BB cream with a little more of a moisture boost. The Signature Real Complete has been recommended for tired, dry or aging skin so I thought I would give it a try.

First off, I really love the packaging on this one. I think it's really pretty, especially in comparison to the Total Cover packaging which is quite plain. (Not only that but check it out, the seller sent me some free samples too!)

Here's a swatch. I put a splash of Perfect Cover next to it for comparison since I'd heard that Signature Real Complete tended to be a little pinker looking than Perfect Cover. Both of these are shade number 13 (Milky Beige, I believe) which I have always found was a perfect fit for my skintone. Another thing I like about these is that they lack the orangey undertone of most western foundations and bb creams which shows up really bad on paler complexions like mine. Personally, I didn't really notice much of a difference in the shades between the two, the main difference I feel is in consistency and coverage.

As you might be able to see, Signature Real Complete (on the right) is ever so slightly runnier than Perfect Cover, but not enough for it to be off-putting to me. It blends just as nicely as Perfect Cover once on the skin.

And now onto coverage! My skin has actually been very well behaved this week, with the exception of a couple of pre-period breakouts and a very mild case of eczema above one eyelid (but then because of those I've been being very good to my skin so here we are). Here's a before of the naughtier side of my face for a better coverage comparison:

And here is the after:

As far as coverage goes, I was aware that I would be downgrading a little. But I was surprised to find that I didn't hate it and it wasn't as obvious a difference as I thought it might be. My skintone is brightened, most of the redness in my face is covered up and I think overall my complexion looks really nice and healthy. It does clump a little in the drier places, but you can blend it out and I think it's much more noticable this close up than it is from further away.

Another thing I like about this bb cream is that it doesn't feel as sticky as Perfect Cover immediately after application. I usually like to wait about fifteen minutes after application before I add any powder to set/contouring or blush for Perfect Cover to settle into my face a little. However with Signature it felt much lighter. It feels very soft and moisturising on the face without being too heavy. I would definitely recommend this if you find that Perfect Cover is too heavy on your skin. Adding powder does even out the coverage some, but if you want a heavy duty bb cream, I would suggest sticking to/going for Perfect Cover instead. I haven't been using this long enough to say what the long term effects are, but for now it definitely feels like it will be gentler on my skin than Perfect Cover was. It's also worth noting that Signature Real Complete has a lower spf than Perfect Cover (25 vs 42). As I'm in grey little England spf isn't high on my priorities when I'm shopping around for bb cream but for those of you in sunnier climates it might be something to think about.

Onto review number two: Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner.
  

I was super excited to try this product! It's very popular and I've been wanting to try it for a while. I had been using gel eyeliner prior which I recommend as it does have really good staying power but for me personally, I always felt the darkness of the line wasn't as intense as I'd like and often it would dry out too quickly and be very awkward to apply.

The first thing I really like about this eyeliner (besides how cute it is) is the thinness of the tip:

You can really get a precise line with this which is sometimes a little awkward with other types of eyeliner. I also always hated liquid eyeliner with a brush like applicator because I always found them really messy.

Quick swatch on my hand. The middle is a thick line that I went over a couple of times, the right is one single thin stroke and the one on the left is just me messing around. And now for a picture on my actual eye:

I've never really been a big fan of liquid eyeliner. I like the intensity of the lines that you can only really get with liquid, but I hate how smudgey and awkward to use it is. However, I had zero problems with this eyeliner pen. The liquid itself is really fast drying, so I had no problems with it smudging into the crease of my eyelid (which was my main beef with liquid eyeliners in the past). It's really easy to line the awkward parts like the inner corners of your eyes with this pen because it's got such a precise tip - I actually found it easier than I usually do with gel liner. It claims to be waterproof and sweatproof. I haven't been able to get a full days wear out of it out and about yet, so I can't vouch for how well it holds up over a full day, but I wore it around the house for around five hours or so and the only flaking/wearing off that I could speak of occurred when I took my false lashes off (which is pretty standard).

I'm definitely pleased with both of my purchases! For those of you who are curious, I got my bb cream from this seller - they ship from South Korea but it turned up really fast! Their store is full of korean cosmetics for a really good price so they're definitely worth checking out. The eyeliner was bought here - if you're also based in the UK this is a really great place to shop for Dollywink products. Sometimes you can find them in your local Chinatown but the price is jacked right up. But this store sells them at a reasonable price and since they're UK based you'll be saving a bunch on shipping. Plus this came within a week for me!

I'm finishing up with one last selfie of the completed look.

See you again soon! Next time I'll probably be doing a lens or wig review~

´ ▽ ` )ﾉ ~ hello

Just a little introductory post about this blog. I'll probably use this to post fun stuff about little adventures I have and also do reviews on webstores/cosmetics if you're into all that kawaii junk.

My name is Bekky and I'm 21 years old and a student. I've been really into gyaru fashion for about a year now but I dabble in other j-fashions sometimes too. Besides that I like to cosplay and am currently playing a lot of Animal Crossing.

I've currently got a new bb cream some eyeliner and a pair of lenses in the mail so hopefully I'll write up some reviews on those in the near future. Later ♡