Onee-Gyaru Makeup (Tutorial)

Hi Sweethearts,

Sorry for the lack of post last week! I was off on a trip back to visit my family in Germany, so didn't really have time to finish up my video posting, sorry! >.<'
(I'm going to post about my Germany Trip once I finish sorting through all the pictures that I took over there!)

So, after my eye incident, I've been having a break from Circle Lenses to let my eyes get back to fully functioning, and also having to avoid bottom lashes at the moment as they make my eyes water T_T

With that in mind, I've been seeing a good few Gyaru makeup looks that haven't used any bottom lashes, so I decided to give it a bit of a whirl and make a tutorial to go along with it!


Here are a couple of pictures of the makeup look (sorry, I didn't get round to styling my hair as it was a loooooooooooooooooooong day!) 

Here is the video to the tutorial, where I also put captions for my work process:

Link to Video incase you can't see the embedded version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mXgtsSj2eSY&list=PL0edgT-pdM0BaSF0Oxhc19qZlsSnIFUWh&feature=player_detailpage

So, onto the products!


For the base (In order):
+ Etude House CC Cream
+ Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation
+ Max Factor Pan Stick (For contouring foundation)
+ Rimmel Hide the Blemish Concealer (also used for highlighting a bit)
+ Etude House Cupcake all over colour (Blush)
+ Rimmel Stay Matt Powder
+ MUA Bronzer (For contouring powder)
+ Make Up Revolution Baked Highlights (Highlighter)

Eye Makeup: 
+ w7 In the Nude Palette (cream/ light brown/ mid brown/ darkest brown)
+ Make up Revolution Liquid Liner (Black)
+ Rimmel Professional Eyebrow Pencil
+ Etude House Play101 Pencil (Black)
+ Makeup Revolution Baked Highlights (Highlighter)
+ Etude House Crystal Tear Eyeliner
+ Miss Manga (top)& Miss Manga Punky (bottom) Mascaras

Lashes:
+Brit Rocks Perfect Girl - Drama Queen

Lips: 
+ Mua Lip Liner
+ Etude House Dear my Wish Liptalk Lipstick

Wow, now that I've written it all down, it looks like a LOT of makeup, right?
 I do have to confess to being a product fanatic, though I never really realise just how many items I use until I have them all written down...oops!

Anyway, I hope that you watch and like my video tutorial - I was also thinking about doing pictorials for my looks to go with my blog postings if anyone is interested in that? Let me know your thoughts below!

Love,
          Kasumi x

Branching out into Onee-gyaru (Wardrobe Update)

 Hey Sweethearts,

Finally getting round to doing another outfit post!

Spring is finally here....well, it was here, briefly, until we had snow here in Scotland this week! >.<
 For the last while I've been having a good hard think about what direction to take my style & wardrobe in. I'm not far away from the dreaded 3-0, so it's probably about time I grow up in terms of style too.

That being said, I still want to keep my Gyaru influences, just make it a bit more age appropriate. Upon searching, I came across a style called "onee-gyaru". "Onee" translates as "older sister" and this sub-style of Gyaru is a more toned down, grown up & refined style - and I was quite excited to see this!

I haven't given myself Gyaru makeup here due to my eyes being pretty dry so lenses aren't a good idea, and my hair is in desperate need of a revamp, so I've just been tying it back and avoiding it!

I've been doing a lot of research and trying to find equivalent or similar items on a budget that can give me that look & hopefully rebuild my self-confidence. (lately, I'm struggling to wear items other than running gear and jeans with holes in the thighs....thick thigh issues)


I went a little nosey around Primark, hoping to find a nice dress & accessories to make an outfit from and I think I got something pretty good!

Dress:

Price: £13 - Primark

I really love the colours and pattern on this dress. I'm really into neutral tones, and the splash of blue worked so well to make it pop a bit more. 

It regards to the cut of the dress, I'm enjoying trying out higher necklines as usually I opt for something more low cut to show off my collarbones. (and make my bust look bigger than it actually is  - padded bras are friends, ladies! XD)
 The downside of the neckline is that it minimises the bust area for me, but it still looks nice. 
 Generally the dress has quite a loose fit, which is why it comes with a little waist belt to pull it in and give shape. Unfortunately I currently lack shape (well, aside from pear...), so every little bit helps. 
 I wasn't entirely sold on the little thin belt as I didn't feel it pulled my in enough for my liking, so when I added a jacket to it, I changed belts. 

Shoes:

I also realised that I had thrown out all of my little flat shoes in my last wardrobe clearout, so had to get myself a couple of new pairs. I found these little brown ones for £6 which matched the belt on my dress, so picked them up.

Price: £6 - Primark

These are super comfy and fit well, so perfect for running around in town, and for when I need to change out of heels! (I always like to carry flats in my handbag if I'm going out in heels)

Bag: 

I went out shopping with a good friend of mine who came back to visit this week, and stupidly went out without a handbag - only grabbing my purse and keys before running out of the door! -_-

However, I used this as an excellent excuse to buy this cute little bag that I spied on my last venture to the shops: 

Price: £8 - Primark

I absolutely LOVE the lace cut out detail on this, it's just so cute! ^_^ It also fits in with the rest of the things I bought the few days prior, so that's always a plus!
To be honest, I've been wanting a brown bag like this for the longest time, so I'm really happy to have it.
It's quite a small bag (for me, at least) but it can hold my big purse, keys, phone, makeup & mirror, and a Manga quite comfortably!
The drawback is that it doesn't have a zip, which is quite a big deal for me - I'm a paranoid person, and prefer to have a zip underneath for extra security.

Outfit: 

So here is my outfit!

I teamed this dress with my favourite soft, nude coloured jacket from New Look that I got a couple of years back. I kept the accessories simple with a little necklace and bracelet set that I also got from Primark for £4, and a thicker belt that I had in my cupboard (also from Primark a few years ago).

Improvements: 

Ideally to complete the look, heels are definitely a requirement, but I haven't found a pair to match that I like enough to buy. Do any of you have any suggestions?
I also need to make an effort with my hair & makeup...I can't wait to take a bottle or 2 of dye to my hair again!
  I've been trying my best to let my hair grow out after all the bleaching, but I'm getting to the point of hair hatred, where it's a case of I either;

a) Dye it and get extensions
or
b) shave it all off and start again

I don't mind the brown so much, but all the same 1 colour is too plain and boring for my tastes...I really want to add some blonde into the mix.

What do you think?
Have you got any hair or shoe suggestions for me?

As always, leave me comments below!

Love,

          Kasumi x

My first order from CutesyKink - Japanese Fashion Store

Hey Sweethearts!

You all good?

I'm a massive fan of Japanese Fashion (as if you couldn't already tell! >.<)  and have been looking at buying pieces from UK based stores for a while now, though for some reason I've never actually gotten round to purchasing anything.
 (I suppose I'm pretty wary when I order things online from somewhere for the first time.)
This week I really want to share my recent purchases & experience shopping with www.cutesykink.co.uk 

I've always loved the range of clothing from CutesyKink (their website is also really cute!), and finally got round to placing an order.
 It took me a good few hours to pick out an outfit that I wanted the most, though- they have so many things to choose from, I was like a crazy kid in a candy store!
"OMG I want this and this and this and...uwaaaaaaaaaa that's adorable! I have to have that too!"    However, I think had I given in and bought everything that I wanted, my bank card would have been left whimpering in the corner!

Ordering:

Ordering from the CutesyKink website was really easy as everything was well laid out, and I could pay via Paypal - that's a massive decision-maker for me when I purchase online, I find Paypal the easiest option, and it's also secure. I tend not to buy from places if I can't use Paypal.

Shipping:
 I ordered pretty late at night, but my items were shipped the next day. Usually I expect a couple of days before items are shipped out as I run my own online store, I understand that order volumes can mean that it's not always possible to send out items the next day, so I was really pleased!  Shipping was done via Hermes, and my order had a handy tracking code from them so I could see where my item was at all times.
 The email from Hermes said to allow for 2-3 working days for my items to reach me, and my items arrived on the 3rd working day - delivered to me in the morning by a really nice delivery man that chuckled at my dishevelled yet totally excited face!

Shipping cost just over £4, which I think is reasonable given the great service and 24h tracking abilities.

Unwrapping:

This is what my parcel looked like on arrival - all pretty in pink with the CutesyKink label! 

Once I opened the package, neatly packed inside were my new clothes! It came with a kawaii business card, and a little gift of cute nail art slices with it! 

Clothes:

I got this sweet floral print top from the "Cute Girl" section, and it was labelled as Vintage Gyaru style.

I love how girly and romantic it is with the off the shoulder fit and ruffles, but at the same time it's made from a fleece-type material so it's pretty warm too! I really expected this kind of item to be a lot thinner material-wise, so I was really pleased that it's actually quite thick! This means that I don't need to wait until summer to wear it around.
The bow on the top is held onto the top by broochpins instead of being sewn on, so this means I can adjust it a little and there are no stitches that could come loose in the wash.

Size-wise, it was marked as Freesize, which is quite common in Asian clothing, as opposed to here in the UK. I'm a UK8 on top, and tend to wear heavily padded bras so I wondered how well it would fit on the bust(I won't lie, I wasn't blessed with breasts, so I cheat!) but it fit me really well. It's quite a loose style, so it covers my wobbly tummy bits, but it's also really quite stretchy with elastic at the top, bottom and wrists which make for a super sweet shape. I reckon this could stretch to a UK10.

             Price: £8 (on sale)

To complement the top, I picked a pair of cute shorts! These are a lovely beige colour, and again are made from stretchy yet pretty thick material, with a lovely shimmer & lace leg detail - and also a cute belt!

I was really hesitant about buying these if I'm really honest. I loved the way they looked online, but as a pear shaped girl with a pretty large bum & thighs, I wondered if it would actually fit due to the differences in Asian sizing and body type.
 I picked a size M going by the measurements/waistsize given, but I know that my bum can pose a problem despite that! (I usually have to try on jeans/shorts/trousers before I buy them, I can fit anywhere between a uk8-12 depending on brand/cut/fit - big butts are a nightmare....'and I cannot lie' :P) 
I tried them off with an air of panic, but breathed a sigh of relief as they actually fit over my keester, and didn't dig into my thighs at all!

They are short-shorts though *who wears short shorts?I wear short shorts!*  so I couldn't wear these without tights, as I don't have the legs for it. They'd definitely look cute without tights as well, for ladies with more body confidence than me!  

Price: £8 (on sale)

Here are some photos of the outfit when worn! Photography by Louise Cantwell Photography, something a little fun before I morphed into an ethereal being later in the day.

Wig: Ebay (I really wish my hair were naturally like this though! I'm growing it in hopes that one day it'll be long and kawaii XD)

Verdict: 

Overall, I'm super happy with my order from CutesyKink (as you can see from my silly faces)! Everything arrived great and super quickly, so I'd most definitely order again...once I can make a definite decision on what I want to buy next XD

Check them out: cutesykink.co.uk

Love,

          Kasumi x

Kimchi Bambi Circle Lens Review from Lens Village

Hey Sweethearts!

This is my 2nd post of the week, because I just couldn't wait to chat about my new circle lenses from www.lensvillage.com 

As always, please click on the images to see them larger!!!

I was contacted by Lens Village, asking me to choose a pair of lenses for a review, as I'm an avid lens wearer. This came at a great time for me, as my current lenses are due expiring so I've been looking for some new ones to replace them!

All communications from LensVillage was quick, and they were super polite and friendly, which is always a plus
The lenses arrived in a couple of weeks - which is great timing considering that they're coming all the way from Malaysia to the UK.

Packaging

Inside of the mailing bag was this little package, with the cute Lens Village business card clearly on the front:
         

Inside the packet, carefully wrapped in a protective foam sheet were the lenses of my choice, Kimchi (by Vassen) Bambi Lenses in Violet. These retail from LensVillage at £12.31 per pair

http://www.lensvillage.com/kimchi-bambi-violet-lens/

 Before I choose lenses, I always check up reviews from others - I'm a bit paranoid at times with new things, but from my research it came back as positive which put my mind at ease.


They arrived inside cute little bottles with my prescription clearly marked.
Also included was a kawaii purple lens case to keep my lenses stored, business card, and a little card letting me know about their current competition which you can check out in the link below:

(http://www.lensvillage.com/contest/) 

Lenses:

       


 Here are the lenses once I'd put them inside their case!

I love violet coloured lenses, and the golden yellow on the inside is a nice touch! I'm really attracted to the pattern on the lenses too - they look so cute!

They match to the product shots on the LensVillage website accurately, and they look so cute!
 I've never had lenses from Kimchi before, I've always either had Geo Medical, or Vassen themselves, so I was really interested in trying these out!




Lens specifics:

Manufacturer : Vassen

Actual Diameter : 15mm

Effect Diameter : 16mm

Water Content : 55%

Power Range : 0.00 to -8.50 (my prescription is -2.75 each eye)

Life Span : 1 Year 

My Natural Eyes: 

Here are my eyes, prior to wearing lenses. My eyes are pretty strange I feel, because they appear to change from blue to green for some weird reason, and they have a good few tones to them. Most circle lenses tend to be designed for covering brown/dark eyes, so I always wonder what lenses will look like with my lighter, western eyes.

I chose a kawaii/fun look for this blog post as I thought the lenses would look really cute with big bouncy blonde curls, and some colourful clothing - though I bet they'd look amazing in a darker, pastel goth style too!
It also gave me a chance to wear the hat I bought myself yesterday, which is always nice!

Outfit:
Hat - F&F @ Tesco, Kids Section
Wig - Voguewigs, Ebay
Jumper - Offbrand, Ebay
Jeggings - Primark

Putting the Lenses in:


The first thing that I noticed, is that these lenses are really flexible and quite delicate, which I quite like as thicker lenses tend to cause me discomfort. I found the lenses super easy to insert into my eyes. I tend to suffer from naturally dry eyes quite a bit, so I always expect a little discomfort when I first put any lenses in initially, but usually this settles to feeling pretty comfortable after a few minutes. With these lenses, I found that I had absolutely no discomfort what so ever, which was brilliant!   I also tend to limit my time wearing circle lenses to around 6 hours max, and keep some moisture drops on hand in case my eyes start to get dry - with these though, I found that my eyes weren't really drying out so much, which makes them so much easier to wear, 
I usually tend to wear lenses that are around the 15mm mark, as I don't like them too big, or too small - my regular clear daily lenses are 14.2mm as it is.

My thoughts on the Kimchi Bambi Violet & images:

I really adore the colour of these on my eyes! The violet really stands out against my makeup, and I kinda feel a little bad-ass with my look today (In a cute way).
Kimchi lenses are pretty popular with cosplayers, despite being newer on the market, and I can 100% see why - the colours are wonderful, enlargement is great, they fit well and are just adorable!

Here you can see the different between my natural eyes and the lenses: 

Images under my studio lights:

Natural Window Light:

Verdict & Summary:


Aren't they just wonderful???
I absolutely LOVE these lenses, and definitely need to get some more of them in different colours & styles!
Amazing lenses that arrived in great time, nicely presented and great value for money!
 I'd definitely recommend you pop over to LensVillage and pick yourselves up some of these babies!

Look: 5/5
Fit: 5/5
Comfort: 5/5
Service: 5/5

Thank you so much LensVillage!

I really hope my review was helpful to you all, and that you enjoy your new lens purchases! ^_^

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

Fashion find and experimenting with Kogal

Hey Sweethearts!

I hope you're doing well?

Couple of things I want to share with you this week, with the first one being my new poncho!

When I spied this in my local shopping centre, I completely fell in love with it, and it was on sale for £20! I'm a big big fan of ponchos, and was on the lookout for a more outdoor one, as it's still pretty chilly outside here in Scotland!

I have a few ideas for outfits using this, though here I just layered it on top of my Kogal inspired look, but I think it looks pretty good!

 What do you think? ^_^

This week I finally got around to experimenting with another style, this time Kogal! (コギャル)

Unfortunately, I can't really afford to buy brand items, so made do with a little Primark haul and found items in my flat to creating a Kogal inspired look.

I really wanted to try this style for a while, though I've always been put off my closed cardigans and higher necklines, incase it didn't really suit me.

For this look, I kept it pretty basic (basic bitch?)-  it's based from School outfits, so I didn't want to try and add my own spin on it as I wasn't too confident.

For my hair, I went for a simple high ponytail using a tie on extension that I got from Ebay for 5.99 - I haven't fully experimented with hairstyles for this look, but I'm really loving ponytails at the moment so thought it would fit quite well.

Outfit: Plain white shirt from New Look, that I've had in my cupboard for a few years (I'm a hoader, and when things still fit, I don't like to throw them away)

Bowtie - Stolen from the Bfs' mother - spare from work outfit. I do want to make/buy a different type of bow/necktie for this look, but couldn't find anything to fit in time.

Cardigan & Skirt - Primark. Cardie was £8, and skirt was £6.

I'm really loving the range Primark has in at the moment, a lot of it is really my thing! When I went in, they also still had some sale rails, so I picked up another couple of bargains whilst I was there.

Tights: I just went with tights that look like stockings, as I struggle so badly with knee high/overknee socks. I have chronic thunder thighs, so they always ALWAYS either roll down, or are too tight and make me look super bumpy with flab spilling out over the top. I think these also came from Primark.

Although you can't see my shoes, I used a little pair of black dolly shoes with a little bow on the front (also from Primark) to complete the look.

Here is a little shot of my makeup, although I wasn't happy with how my nose looked in the shots so covered it up T_T
I picked a brown pair of circle lenses for this look, as I'm naturally blue eyed, but love how cute brown eyes look! I also kind of think in a strange way, I look more German like my mother (I'm half German) with brown eyes. I think that's maybe just me, though. XD

                                 

That's all from me this week, as usual, please leave me comments under the post letting me know what you think, and how I can improve on this look!

Kasumi x

DIY time! Sweetie pie Princess Boots!

Hey Sweethearts,

This weeks' post isn't the most informative, but I really wanted to share my little DIY project with you all.

For Xmas, my Bf usually gives me a clothing allowance, so that I can update my wardrobe (I know, I have 4 wardrobes & 2 chests of drawers....but trust me, I NEVER have anything to wear!). Unfortunately there were a couple of items that I couldn't get from my list, so I ended up getting a super cute pair of boots!

I totally fell in love with them when I saw them, and I've been needing some nice warm boots, so figured these would be perfect to go with some cute warm co-ordinates ^_^

The only drawback for me, was that I found them to be a little plain for what I was looking for, so decided to do a little bit of DIY/embellishing to give them some impact.


                                                 

For the front, I decided to add a little swag of pearl beads, with a cute sparkly alloy heart just under the bow. I also added a little leafy embellishment to the front of the bow that I found amongst my haberdashery pots. (The lucky part about being a designer, is that I always have interesting things floating around for many a craft use)

Around the entire platform of the shoe, I added a row of pink flatback gems, and attached pearl beads to the bottom layer of lace, for a subtle addition.


                         

For the sides, I remembered that I had some pink ruffle & rhinestone trim that was looking for a project to be a part of, and figured that they'd fit perfectly to add some shimmer and sparkle, so I stitched them to the fur around the boots. Although you can't see it in these photos, it really catches the light well!

I also found some AB plastic bead trim in amongst my pots of treasures, and thought they'd be a fantastic addition to jazz up the otherwise pretty dull heel! After much humming and hawing about whether or not I had enough trim to create a swag on both sides of the heel, I tried my luck and it was a success! I got out my trusty gluegun, and placed a line of glue from the connecting seams, and started off the trim from there, and when I made the swags, I just needed to bring the trim up and glue at the back of the heel!

For the outer side of the boots, I added a couple of acrylic roses (also using the glue gun) so that it would have a little more than the inside - I thought the different pink tones worked really well for this!

As I mentioned when I talked about the front of the boots, I lined the platform/heel with a row of pink flatback gems, and I also added pearl beads all the way along the bottom of the lace to add that extra something. The glue that I'm using for the gems wasn't dry when I took the pictures, so they look white - but rest assured, the glue I used dried clear and sparkly - I was just too excited and had to take pictures!


                                          

This is the back!

I found an old pair of earrings (once again in my pots of treasures) that were pretty simple and heart shaped, so I thought that they would look alright hooked in just under the ruffle trim (which is flapping down a little in this pic..oops!)

You can see here how I've created the swags, and I love the way it looks from the back! I added another couple of pink toned acrylic roses to complement the ones on the sides, and added a little flatback gem under each of the roses at the bottom to tie in with the gem trim!

I'm super pleased with how these came out, and can't wait to find an outfit and occasion to wear them! I'm thinking they would suit a Himekaji look pretty well! What do you all think?

Did I do ok for my first attempt at DIY-ing my shoes?
Let me know in the comments section ^_^

Love,

Kasumi x