Black Gold

 Hi Sweethearts,

I've decided that I'm definitely going to use my days off to post some fun makeup looks as it's the only chance I get to play around!

This time I've went for a darker look, inspired by the wig I uncovered in my back bedroom aka the walk in wardrobe. >.<

Now that Halloween (one of my favourite times of the year!!!!) is coming up, it's giving me a lot of motivation to have some fun with my face again!
    I'm also currently trying to learn to drive, so had my first experience of night driving this week - I was so scared!!! We did see a badger on the way back though - something I've not seen in a while!

This is a little hark back to my more gothic, darker styled years - with a dramatic smokey eye and dark lip combo.

It feels really weird to see myself with super dark hair and makeup again, but somehow I can never stay away from it!

I really do love how the dark colours bring out my eyes in this!

Products used:

Rimmel Match Perfection liquid foundation
Max Factor Pan Stick (for initial contour)
Makeup Revolution Concealer stick
Rimmel Stay Matte powder
Sleek Contour Palette
W7 the cheek of it blush
Makeup Revolution Highlighter - golden lights

Rimmel Glam Eyes, Golden eye 5colour shadow
Barry M Dazzle Dust - Gold
Makeup Revolution liquid liner - black
Etude House play101 pencil - black
Miss Manga Mascara
False lashes - active
Etude House Play 101 Pencil (used as lipliner) brown
Rimmel Kate matt lipstick 107 wine red


Such a short post I know, but next time I'll have something slightly longer as I picked up some new products after having to throw out a binliner full of old and unused product *sniff* - so now my collection is looking super bare!

What do you think? Are there any products that you think I should check out? Let me know below! 
Love,
         Kasumi x

Gathering some new basics

Hi Sweethearts,

I really feel that I'm falling so behind in trying to get new blog posts out to you all, and it's just because I'm so busy at the moment.

What's new with me? 

Well, not terribly much! I've been doing well at being an ex-smoker (which isn't easy, let me tell you!), working and failing at being healthy.
 Being so exhausted after work leaves me no motivation to cook or eat healthily at all. Even though I'm at spin classes 3 nights a week, and generally eating less, I've still managed to gain weight due to the amount of crap I'm polluting my body with.
 However, I have managed to lose an inch off my thighs, which is great, however I've gained that inch back around my waist....what kind of sorcery is this?!?!!?
 I suppose that means I'm on the look out for an ab workout that won't affect my back, in addition to attempting to eat right and not just quick and lazy!
If you have any ideas for me, please leave me a comment below! 
I'm also looking at those waist trainer fad-trend-current product - do they really work? 


Moving on, I've been trying to renew some basics in my wardrobe (read: my current ones are literally falling apart or are ripped to shreds with wear and tear) so took a little trip around the high street with my other half before dinner to find some staples.

So, these are what I came away with today!

I've been in desperate need of these items for a while, and after being moaned at for the state of my work jeans (they were ripped from the inner thing almost 3/4 around to the other side!) I finally gave in and got some new ones.

 These 2 pairs came from Primark, for £9 & £11, and DAMN is it difficult to find bootcut jeans on the high street! I had to venture to Glasgow just to get some. Everywhere is skinny, Skinny, SKINNY...and I'm sick of them!
 They don't look good on someone pear shaped and short like me, unless I have a long top and heels on. I much prefer to try and balance myself out with bootcuts, that to be honest, are far comfier on my legs. (does anyone else find that skinny jeans are uncomfortable on the calves after a while, or is that just me?)  

Unfortunately, as usual, I'm going to have to either roll these up or cut them to make them a proper length for my 28inch legs...it's either that or I fork out 4times the price for ones built for shorties!
(whilst I'd have no problem doing this for nice jeans, work ones will just get ruined anyway so it's a waste of cash) 

I also bought a few Bras from H&M as I don't really have enough that are the proper size, so in order to throw them out I needed to restock.
 I got the same style in black, white and light pink as they're super nice, comfy and most importantly...really padded! I have a bit of a complex about my bust size, much like most women on the planet, so I don't feel comfortable wearing bras that aren't padded...I guess that makes me a cheater/let down...right?
They came in at £14.99 each.

Finally...something even less exciting (can you handle it?) SOCKS.
Seriously. Socks.
I am utterly convinced that either my cat steals them all, they magically grow legs and run away at night, or that the washing machine eats them!
 No matter how many pairs of socks I have, I can guarantee that before long they will be long gone! Even a full gutting out of my flat yields no results...this can't be normal, can it? Do they really grow legs? 


Moving on to something a little more interesting to look at, is my outfit for the day!

I really do have a thing for white jeans at the moment. Even though I have to be super careful not to mess them up, I always seem to feel really good and dressed up in them...even if my outfit is casual.
I recently picked up this knitted slouchy Cardigan from Ebay after being after one for a good while!

I never really thought that I'd wear something like that until I saw a picture of Ozaki Sayoko in something similar, and I absolutely love her style so I just had to find myself something similar!

I teamed this up with some white heels (on sale at New Look the other month), offbrand dangly earrings, bracelet, and a strappy black top that my mother gave me a long while back.

I actually used this Cardigan for a photoshoot on Sunday, where I did a little experimenting! Here's a sneak peek/behind the scenes from the shoot whilst I wait for the images! Hopefully you'll like them!

Silly VS super Serious face!

Anyway, that's all I have to report for the moment, as usual please leave me your feedback below! ^_^

Love,

           Kasumi x

Steal this Style: Sexy & Sophisticated Photoshoot

Hi Sweethearts,

The other week I finally managed to be brave enough to get in front of the camera and model again, after being extremely reluctant to do so due to my own body & confidence issues - so I thought that I would share this with you.

After much humming and hawing over what to shoot with the wonderful Louise from Louise Cantwell Photography  - we had originally planned to shoot some avant garde, fantasy, ethereal style fashion, incorporating a bespoke headpiece.
     However, after having a huge confidence crisis that morning whilst getting ready (Thankfully she's a very good friend of mine, so is used to me looking in the mirror and freaking out, repeatedly deciding that I hate myself and am a terrible disgusting person etc before I finally get the courage to do things.) and a failed attempt at putting together a last minute outfit (my sewing machine played up the entire night, and the outfit was far too sheer for going outdoors in public)  we ended up raiding my wardrobes to shoot a more glamorous, yet sophisticated type of fashion shoot - complete with some gal makeup!

The dress I chose was one that I picked up from Ebay last year on a whim, thinking that I'd love to be able to go somewhere/do something that would warrant wearing it - so it was a perfect choice for making me feel a little more like myself again.



I'm always a little wary when picking outfits from Asia, as I'm a lot more curvy, and pear shaped in figure so always wonder if it will fit over my butt or not! Luckily though, it's pretty perfect and makes me feel slimmer/more hourglass-like, due to the peplum and puffy shoulders.

I teamed the dress with a nude pair of heels from Primark, having not yet invested in a nice white pair (suggestions welcome)

Here are some shots from our adventure into the posh, quaint little side streets of my town & a local park bridge.  ^_^

I also happened to come across a sailor hat on my rails, which I think is maybe Russian, and couldn't resist taking it along as a fun prop! (feel free to correct me in regards to its' origin) 

           



It felt really strange getting back into posing that isn't a selfie, but at the same time I really enjoyed myself once I got back into the swing of things.
 It was a different style for both of us image wise, and it was a lovely to feel a bit more sexy/glamorous for a change!

I really love the more grown up, 'cool' type feel of these images - the outfit is pretty flashy for me, which I love, but the images are more casually styled....if that makes sense?

I would love to know your thoughts of the images, and do you wear clothing similar? Would you?
Let me know in the comments below ^_^

Love,
           Kasumi x

Love is in the Air - Valentines Day chatter

Hey Sweethearts!

I hope you're all doing well! ^_^

Love was most definitely in the air for Valentines' Day - did you all have a good day too?

VDay Gifts:

My lovely Bf surprised me this year with a card and a beautiful bouquet of flowers when he picked me up for our date on Saturday. I absolutely adore flowers, so this was super sweet!

_____________________________________________________________________

Makeup & Hair

I really wanted to have a romantic, girly look for our date this year, so drew my inspo from HimeKaji looks to create my Vday co-ord.

I used the same high ponytail that you all saw in last weeks blog, as I feel it suits me really well, though this time I kept my fringe full and curled the sides of my hair to add some more fun to the look. My makeup is my current favourite style of Gyaru makeup, using Princess Mimi Sesame Grey circle lenses, and a super cute pink lipstick and gloss that I picked up from Miss Sporty.
_______________________________________________________________________

Outfit/Co-ord

Moving on to my outfit choice!

This was a bit of a random match up in the morning as I wasn't entirely sure what I wanted to wear
 >.< (girl problems) but I just knew it had to include my super cute shorts/fake skirt from River Island!
I'm pretty funny about wearing shorts a lot of the time, due to having super chubby legs, but when I saw these I fell in love - and they were on sale for £5! I think the shorts/skirt combo is great for me, as it  covers the tops of my thighs at the front which I'm most insecure about, but they're still shorts at the back.

Starting from the top: 
Hello Kitty Print Kanzashi flower hairclip from Yume Kanzashi (you can see it better in the middle of the image) 
Cream furry jacket: Jane Norman
Pink v-neck jumper: Jane Norman
White lace high neck tshirt: Primark
Watch: Sekonda
Bracelet: Won at Arcade
Crystal Belt: Primark
Tartan Shorts/Skirt: River Island 
Tights: Primark
Boots: Ebay + Self D.I.Y
____________________________________________________________________

Nails
When I picked up my last bargains from Primark, I spotted these false nails for £1 and impulse bought them in case of a girly outfit day, which turned out to be Valentines!
 I did add some cute pink crystals to the nails for that extra bit of sparkle too ^_^

______________________________________________________________

Our Date:

This year my Bf & I decided to head to Glasgow to do something fun, instead of just going for dinner. We decided to go and be overgrown children and play the arcade games at Xscape which was soo much fun!

 I've totally decided that I'm the best at the shooting games, but I fail miserably at driving/racing games... T_T It's probably just as well that I don't drive, as I'm pretty reckless and crash constantly - the idea was to race, but I decide to have dirty tactics and take everyone out on the way XD

We also won a good amount of tickets too - Bf got super lucky on one of the games and won the 1000 ticket bonus!

Using the tickets, we came out with a sparkly bracelet (you can see that in the pic of my nails), a super cute Hedgehog toy that we named Choccie, and a bubble sword!
After that, it was time to go for dinner!

We decided to go to Frankie & Bennys' for dinner to save us driving in and out of the city centre, and had a lovely meal! We had garlic and cheese mushrooms, and calamari for starters, followed by this plate of awesomeness! I totally recommend the New Jersey Chicken from there - chicken, pulled pork, bacon, bbq sauce and jalapeño cheese - what's not to love?!!?!?!

We were pretty full after the meal, so didn't opt to have any desserts from there, only a couple of cocktails for me. True to form, I couldn't stay away from a dessert - I love sweets and cakes so much!
 There is a little place inside Xscape that makes crepes and waffles, and we had a crepe to begin our evening, so this time I absolutely HAD  to try out the waffles too!

Underneath the layers of cream, marshmallow and nutella was such a delicious waffle - I'd definitely go and eat it again!

We then finished off our Valentines' day night watching movies in bed with a bottle of Champagne - it was perfect!


That concludes my Valentines' Day post - what did you all do? Stay in or go out?
As usual, leave me some comments below and don't forget to follow me!

Kasumi x

Happy 2015! A little about me....super long post!

Hello Everyone! 

2015 has prompted me to do something that I've wanted to do for a long time: Start a little style/beauty/fashion-type blog! Hopefully I'll keep this updated as best as I can!

A little bit of back-story & style recaps from the past lot of years. I'm sure I've missed out quite a few different looks, all with varying degrees of success!

I started modelling back when I was 16, (which is a loooooooooooong time ago now) within the alternative genres. 
 When I first started out, I was going through that awkward, teen goth phase. (You know the one?) Learning to apply makeup through covering most of my face in liquid eyeliner patterns (not very well I may add), and spending an obscene amount on money on beautiful Gothic and Victorian style clothing. 

(c) Always Photography

At that time, I thought I would be Goth, specifically in this style, forever! (I'm sure I'm not the only one that thought so!)

 Fast forward a year and a half, till at 17 I moved to Germany to work. Whilst there, I fell in love with Cyber Goth/Industrial style, shaved off my eyebrows and looked like this for the next half year or so:

Turning 18, I decided it was time to look more professional since I had finished school & was looking for work before starting college. I decided to try out being blonde and "normal".

Once I went back to college to study art, I ended up reaching for the hairdye, and the eyebrows that I'd just grown back came off again. This was the result at 19.

(c) Veles Photography

At/20, I went back to basics temporarily,  leaving Goth behind....then went emo/scene...ish.

(c)CSD_Images

(c) Burfly

So then, at 21, with my modelling wardrobes starting to become packed full of so many styles of alternative clothing, I decided I wanted to be a Glamour girl ...(Bearing in mind, I'm not blessed with the typical glamour body-type, nor look!) 

(c) Grime&Glamour

Then in the same year, I decided to go back to Goth, then followed by Pin-up/Burlesque. (are you keeping up?) 

(c)CSD_Images for both

And then, 2012 happened!

2012 was the year where I started to really experiment with looks & makeup. (All makeup that you're seeing on these images is done by myself) 

 I spent a lot of time teaching myself how to properly apply makeup to a decent standard, and just couldn't settle on a style for my day to day, non modelling life!
   As a model, esp someone vertically and aesthetically challenged like me, versatility and being able to produce different looks is extremely advantageous - no-one likes a one trick pony! Competing with the other models, I had to make myself stand out: which is where my makeup skills came into play.

2012 was also the year that I fell in love with Japanese fashion and Culture again. I was a really big anime & manga fan as a kid, until I found the alternative/gothic scene & music.  

By chance, I came across a link on Tumblr to an anime called KissXsis and got a bit of a shock upon watching it! (I didn't know what it was about, until I watched it....oops!)
 After that, I decided to re-visit my childhood favourites, Sailor Moon & Escaflowne. That then brought me back to the OSTs, then that followed on to FFX OST, which brought me to The GazettE, D, Kiryu etc. (Visual Kei)
 Seeing these bands PVs, I was so attracted to their style, so chose to Emulate them to a degree, then add my own flair. (I also made makeup videos to go with it - see my channel here)

So, here is a roundup of images from 2012:

2013 turned out to be another year of playing the "Who do I want to be?" game. Wigs became daily worn items, and I couldn't look the same 2 days in a row, without feeling out of place for wherever I was going.

The trouble with being a "Style Chameleon", is that I constantly feel out-of-place when I go somewhere. I walk down the street dressed one way, spot a few people in a different style and desperately wish I'd went for that look instead. It's a never ending battle with myself!

To begin 2013, I looked like this, generally:

...and then, I broke out the bleach and became Holy Orange - Firehead!

Now this, I absolutely ADORED! I kept my hair this shade for nearly a year...which was pretty good going as I get bored all too easy.

Then, boredom & new fashion obsessions set in....yet again.

Kicking off 2014, I decided on Hime Gyaru/Lolita style...or so I thought.

In 2014 I launched my own business making accessories for kawaii & bridal styles, and started on the path of becoming a Tattoo Artist. (I know, once again, the chameleon strikes! On one side kawaii, then bridal, then all the way across to the other: tattooing. I'm sure for those of you who have managed to keep reading, you're all thinking; "Is this girl for real?No way!" but the answer is yes, I really cannot hold down one specific style! One day, it'll all come together and be utterly fabulous, I'm sure. )

After this spell, I did settle on Gyaru style makeup...for the most part. I decided that I wanted to be a pastel girl, then slightly Rokku (I don't even know where that came from...suspected brain-fart)



                                                

Then I took a more "Oooooh lets do some Avant Garde stuff" approach towards the end of the year:

.....and now we get to 2015!

Phew! >.< That was quite a journey, right?

Once again, I got bored with the current styles, and hair colours...wigs just wouldn't cut it anymore!
So, the hair was chopped and dyed, the style once again developed.

This is my current look! *Drumroll*

It's a lot different from the Unicorn hair! I'm not ready to fully let go of the pastel hair just yet, so when it came to dyed my extensions, I decided to make them ombre, so that I'd still have a little Unicorn magic left!

In my next post, I'm going to talk about my 2015 look, and go through the makeup look with everyone in detail - a youtube tutorial should be ready by this time next week, so please stick around for that!

Love,

Kasumi x