Hello there

So it's definitely been awhile since my last post. Most of it I have been working with the exception of last week. Had 5 days off which threw me for a bit of a loop.
At any rate I have done some shopping and wanted to show off my more prominent gets. One week I spent quite a bit on neccessites which took a toll on my funds. However I do love my new sheets. I There are a few things I forgot to take pictures of like, my new lip products ( not all of them are lipsticks) and my new lenese which have yet to be worn. I had meant to try them out over the weekend but rushing and unpreparedness is probably my weekness right now. ORZ. Still have had little social time despite how much time I've had off. Kinda sucks, but this has been my reality as of late. Still have yet to do some school shopping too. Or even think of what kind of outfit I wan to wear for my first day of class. My mind have been riddled with ideas. I want to attempt to make my own mukluks from a pair of old boots. Now on to the
gets.

 

Ginger Honey and this awesome candle holder. Crystal Skull. Who's got it now Indaian Jones ( I am dork and sadly that is the only Indiana Jones  movie I have seen ._______. )

 A witch can never have too many bottles. I am gonna decorate them and then fill them with special things. I think some protection oils are in order. Seriously though it's an addiction.

New hair and face products. Hair products from left to right. Chi Keratin Mist, some argon oil and John Frieda frizz-ease. To continue on. I went to Ulta...and I need to go back for the nyx stuffs and various other items. But that's the concealer. then I have some H2O eye serum and Yes to Carrots face moisturizer. SPF 15. Good for the face. I have yet to try out my concealer but I love everything else. Then those are 3 pair of my reading glasses. I have quite a few squarish frames. Looking to get more maybe some round ones, and def more colors.

 I've not owned flats in some time. While I could stand to get a more neutral pair. I absolutely love them. They're cute. I had to get a size up from what I typically wear since my feet are a little wide >____> but they're comfy and that's all that matters right now.

  

My birthday was some time ago, and my mama got a book on dressmaking. It's very helpful and I've become less err stubborn in the process which can me one thing. 

 I get patterns when they go on sale at my Job. The first and seconds ones are current project. To be more specific on the first butterick pattern I'm doing the white top, and on the pattern in the middle I' doing the red dress ( first one on the bottom) The second butterick pattern will be what I'm doing after the first two are done. The second blue dress to be exact. And I'm making 3 of them, In different colors....for me XD. I don't really have the confidence to make clothes for anyone else outside of skirts and elastic waist pants....maybe some knit tops, fitted anyway.

 There's about 20 patterns in that drawer.....I don't think I have a problem >>....I can't wait to get my hands on some of the halloween patterns though. They dresses are so lovely. I'm thinking I may get some accessories patterns as well. I saw some cute belt bags ( I don't know if this is the right term, but some steam punk stuff is too fucking expensive so making my own would be cool and fun.

Of course the grand piece. My own Hookah. Looks like a second person could indulge with me, but for right now, it'll be me and a good day off. I got mint tobacco to go with it, though I've plenty of other herbs I could use. It's not really big either. Maybe 10 inches in height, though it's just a guesstimate right now. Looking forward to this weekend. 

I've also gotten a second cactus. I'll have pictures of them next time, but I've got like a neon pink one and a blood red one. Talk about opposite ends of the spectrum. 

That's all for the time being. Hoping one day soon to have more social time and hopefully pictures will be included ( I never have anything planned so I'm almost never ready ; A; )  I'll also be sure to post my projects when they're finished ^____^

Breaking and Making some rules.

So I have most definitely decided to do Hime gyaru. I may have said this some posts back, but I'm gonna go a bit more into depth. I really do enjoy the aesthetic and lovely dresses. Though it isn't really an everyday type of thing. However the idea of all that shiny fabric for dresses ain't gonna fly. And can be highly unflattering. And There is also trying to distinguish what would be considered Hime Gyaru enough. I do intend to break a few rules. It's not about being a rebel or anything like that. It's about being able to wear clothes that are flattering. Now I know Petticoats are not really a thing for Hime Gyaru. Just a personal preference. I like the poof. And I think it can easily pass as one fashion or another. I prefer a non OTT style as well. I think simplicity is can still be elegant, and the dramatic pieces should be left to one or two things in particular. i.e dramatic hair and maybe some heavier makeup. But 3 billion bows is much...well that's an exaggeration of course, but sometimes that many bows is really fucking tacky and you end up looking like a fool. This of course is just my personal opinion I also have to think about the lengths of my skirts and dresses. Too short and with my err current weight....I would definitely be asking for it in terms of  being blasted out on the street and in the online community.

Hair is also another concern of mine....or more appropriately a place where I'll probably break some rules. I have an undercut which can be a little challenging. Summer is pretty much a no with me and wigs right now. It'll be way too damn hot to even do anything beyond maybe a photoshoot. Not to mention getting it to stay in position would be kinda challenging.  Now I can work around this with a weave more or less. Plenty of ways to protect my hair and still have something to play with. But I won't have the traditional hime gyaru hairstyles. While it is obviously a more recognizable, It isn't for everyone, and 5 hair pieces is not my idea of fun. And I want to be able to do hair that isn't gonna take entirely too long to do on a regular basis. Yes not very Gyaru of me, but I'm for practicality and ease in as many places as possible. If I can make my hair less of a task I can put more effort into other places. Like my make up. Which isn't terrible, but right now it'll probably be something that takes me a little longer to do. And considering at this stage in my life where I have a standard wear at my job which I can't really change. Even if I make it look cute...my work apron isn't cute lol. And I don't know if I could get away with altering it or something.

Now to make this post less texty here are some clothing inspirations :3

I know some of these are actually hime lolita, they're still inspiring to me. That's all for now. Birthday's in a few days and I hope to definitely have something to share.

You are so wrong.

G_S this week has shown so much fuckery. The mod should be ashamed and the anonymous cowards should go bathe in acid. If you are a non-black or brown person who is into Gyaru and you tan. Not a word better come out of your mouth about Black girls/women can't be gyaru or can't do it right. Fuck you. We are this color by birth and you have to bake and color yourselves to have the beautiful tones we come in. And a majority of the time you come out fucking orange and haven't the slightest clue on how to wear the proper makeup to go with it. For those of you throwing fucking shade with "Oh light skin women are prettier." Fuck y'all too. I have seen some ugly light skin women and I have seen ugly dark skin women. Just like I've seen ugly in just about every other race. What I can't stand most is the hypocrites who insist on breathing every minute of the day. Don't ever say you're not racist because you have black friends. Either you giving them the damn koolaid or you wouldn't ever say this shit where they can hear or read it. Because your ass would get beat. What some of the caucasian non-racist folk who say we turn everything into a racist thing. WE don't, it's usually non-black people who initiate the shit and then get mad when we call them, give them the fucking facts that didn't come from wikipedia. Most especially from white americans. "OMG Isis no, why would you say that, what about the white people?" I don't hate white people. I hate racists and ignorant wastes of space who contribute nothing but hate. Gyaru is not sacred, everyone can do it. I'm not gonna sugar coat. It isn't a look everyone can pull off the looks, but it's no real excuse to attempt excluding or chase out a single group of girls because you don't like them. And before anyone says "Oh but white people get told they can't wear binidi or Native American headdresses etc etc." News flash, these are not fashion items, these items have history, are part of a culture and often sacred to their particular culture. But you because it looks cool and we don't care about any of the other stuff that's attached to it, gonna wear it anyway and simultaneously shame those who these pieces belong to. Racists in G_S go choke on a rhinestone .

So I've been shopping > u>

I really enjoy having money to spend. I try o be as frugal as possible. It can be quite difficult. Between things I need to buy and of course the wants. It's a struggle. But I'm getting better. My account wasn't a 0 so that's great. And it's not been at 0 since I opened the account. Direct deposit has finally kicked in, but I'm probably gonna have to call them about that 100 that was supposed to go in there for opening an account and setting up direct deposit. Anyway onward with the good stuff. eBay is still addictive. Though I'm worlds better I still have a ways to go. Also target is hard to pass up. I actually bought some clothes....well one piece of clothing. I have a love hate relationship with buying clothes in a store since I'm horrendously frugal when it comes to clothes. But I'm opening my mind to new things. That I've openly stated my dislike for.

Starting with a clutch. Now I really dislike having such a small bag, but I'm aware that some situations will call for it. This little gothic bag is sweet though. It's not too small it can hold the essentials and maybe even a makeup bag. But it's not as large as my smallest purse. I had been eyeing the bag for awhile and was happy that I could finally get my hands on one.

Details of the handles. Cannot wait to take this bag out. 

Yes that is the watch and earrings from my last post. but we're
gonna focus on the glasses in the back. 

Next are my little gothic sunnies. Now I actually bought these a few weeks ago. These would be great if the frames were silver. But gold and silver can be worn together. Nu goth is probably what comes to mind or very old school goth, maybe late 80's early 90's And they're mine. Only 5 bucks.










And here we have a peplum skirt...Now I was originally going to make one. I desperately dislike them. Like... you have no idea. All I see is a double skirt happening. But I decided to give it a try. It would be well suited for Onee gyaru. whether classic or something with a little twist. I did try it on when I got home. And it looks...really good on me. Not that I was surprised. It's just my dislike of the peplum itself. Maybe one day I'll grow to love them.

Just a snippet of the pattern and the little border towards
the Bottom. It's longer than picture and shirred
at the top. 

                                                                         With summer lurking around the corner. I expect to work most of it, however for the days I can go out. I need some cute wear for the summer. So from my job I bought this cute instant wear fabric in orange. I'm a nerd so all I see are airbender colors lol. But This will be more than a dress. though. With the shirring I can wear it as a dress, a skirt. But few other ways. . I am going to put buttons on the front and back, so I can convert it to pants. Depending on how I wear it, it can be a romper. Wide leg pants, Harem/Afghani pants. I've a few more things to make it such. Psyched about this.

As always some jewelry. Got these earrings on clearance. They're so nice. Gold since that is the summer color and it will go nicely with the orange multi-function piece when it's all done. The detail reminds me a lot Journey and something slightly religious.







Can I say I really fucking love E.L.F products. I got a couple new things to try. And will be doing reviews on  them asap. Definitely think the mascara and shadow shield will def be helpful. Also picked up some more fit me foundation, which is just a shade lighter. This is entirely for doing Gothic makeup. It will def be used a lot it in winter.











I've also managed to get some cowboy boots. I adore them. but not the color. So I intend to paint them, maybe make them a little darker. Maybe mahogany. We'll see. Even Black would nice. They were only 26 at Marshalls. I almost got some more pallets by E.L.F. from there as well. But with some makeup on the way plus my recent purchases...They can wait. Next week will be more for definite needs. And Marshalls did not disappoint and I'll be going back next week.




Now to keep this more fun. I 've got some funnels which are much needed to finish my kombucha which at this point is alcohol and will be great for my days off. I've also discovered how to make other fermented drinks which I look forward to making. Thank goodness I love ginger lol.


One of my other good gets is my gym membership, I haven't gone yet aside from picking up my tag. Need to figure out a schedule  on going there for the time being. When school hits, it'll just be a matter of careful planning.

 Until the next time Gals. Birthday is coming up soon and I can't wait.

College Prep

Alright this post is just as it states. Now College will start in fall and I'm not sure how work and college will work out. I know people do it but I'm not registered for classes yet. Needless to say I need not only new clothes but I need more up to date equipment. This is to keep me more organized since I've found another tablet that I sorta want...Not a cintiq....I can'd even begin to afford that not even an intuos 5 which would be nice but 800 bucks. I probably could get it when I start doing commissions. Anyways Let's start with my art needs.

A desktop. The HP Omni has pretty good reviews and is the least expensive option, with a 500 GB hard drive. I've never had my own hard drive, but my experience with space on a hard drive...definitely need more than I currently have on this laptop. This of course will be great for working at home and without having a hot ass box ( read: tower) under my desk. It's streamline and doesn't take up too much room which is another plus for me.

The Acer Aspire AS7250-3821. Now I know I have a laptop...and while the one I have is good for basic things, internet search and word pad etc. etc. It probably wouldn't be the best for college work. I simply don't have the room on my laptop for everything. I can't keep too much music on here and because I tend to multi-task with internet and my drawing programs ( when I had my tablet) It took a lot out of my laptop. The task manager said otherwise, but I go by what I see happening and not always what my task manager says. Not to mention my current laptop only has windows xp, which is fab, but not for college and since I have no doubt I'll probably need programs like photoshop, flash and various others. A new one would probably workout for the better.

The Wacome Bamboo. It's bigger, great reviews and comes witht the following programs

• Corel Painter Essentials 
• Adobe Photoshop Elements
• Autodesk Sketchbook Express
• Nik Color Efex Pro 3.0 WE3
• Definitely looking forward to this. The pen also looks a lot more stable, but still will have to treat it with care. It's under 200 so I can't complain too much. Most likely will have this before I get the new laptop or desktop. 

The other things I need, I'm not really gonna get pictures of. Which really all I need are some sketch books. A sharpener for my prisma color pencils and a blender. Rulers maybe some new bristol boards and if I'm lucky some A4 paper. I may invest in my own printer at some point. Only because it would be less of a hassle. Of course it would be an all in one printer. -shrugs- 

Now onto the fashion part. The idea is that I won't have to throw out the entirety of my closet. Since September is like 5 months away and I'm trying to lose weight I have clothes I can still wear...now the problem is are they...gyaru worthy. Winter is almost a given that I'll wear mostly black because of the weather. Which is great for Goth gyaru. But I want to amp it up a little more. The other problem...my job. Not that it's a problem, but there is a dress code I have to follow, which isn't hard, it's just this is going to be a first for me. The last time I had a job, I never did anything before I actually had to go to work so I was always in either pajamas or pulled on whatever if I had to go somewhere before hand. This also means I'll probably have less days to work, most of them I'm sure will be days I don't have school depending on what that schedule looks like. Can gothic amekaji be a thing? lol. I have an idea of what I can do coord wise, just to be simple and warm. So I will basically be looking at styling.

Long T-shirts are fun, Modifying one that's already made
is a lot easier than making one from scratch.

This would be more in the beginning of fall but it's easy to pull off and not a hard coord at all.  Not exactly that shirt but you get the idea. 

These would be great, because they can don't take up much room so long as they're folded and put away. It's just making sure they're not too plain. I don't know if a print would be particularly good for this type of shirt, but giving it maybe some iron on designs. 

Hell even an applique would be nice depending on what it is. 

It really depends on personal choices and tastes. I'm sure not everyone will like them and there will be a couple of "This is not Gyaru." But come on not everyone can fit name brand and while it would be lovely to own a piece or two. I don't need a closet of name brand clothes wearing me, thank you very much. 

These are skinnies, but they are sweet and them boots...I need them stat. But I like this styling. Especially when it's paired with over sized tops or tunics. Solids and certain prints are always in when it comes to skinnies, leggings and yes even jeggings. I've seen bottom weight fabrics in stripes and some florals. 

Really like harem pants. Though I think they usually look better with sandals, I'm sure some mid calf boots would go great with them.  Yes they're a little summery but considering the weather has been weird they'll be good for the beginning of fall or just be made with a more cool weather fabric. And while jeans are always good to have in the closet. I don't want a closet full of them either. I don't know if I'm a fan of jeans with rips in them, so I really need a few pair in different washes and I should be good. I need to see what else can be worn with them though. I know form fitting tops look great with harem pants, but their should be other options. 

This is actually pretty damn clever. I've never tried layering like this before. 

I really like the look of layered clothing. And it's something I would like to try. Though I think this would be better for himekaji and probably gothic gyaru. It's still really nice. 

I really want all their outfits, but Fiona first. Love the hoodie.
Big bunny ears and all.

But as seen with Fiona in the middle there ( which I have every intention of making a similar hoodie) it can be done. There are plenty of options, and the length Fiona is wearing is about tunic length, which is great to wear with leggings, skinnies, or jeggings as well as regular jeans. Any shorter and it could be worn with a cute skirt or a nice pair of shorts...Stocking and otks would be necessary for the cooler weather. I would like to be cute, fashionable and warm, lol. 

 

Another good look for fall even though I would probably wear more jewel toned colors for the season. And as a project I'm gonna attempt knitting a Ski hat wit a big pompom on top. Should I attempt stitching some words into it? Dunno. I'll ask my friend Terri about mapping out patterns or stuff like that. She has more experience than I do. I will probably alternate between wigs and such. I think I only get away with my undercut now because it has grown in a little since my last shave which was probably 3 weeks ago. But it'll be cool and shaved head + cold air is not really fun at all. But I'm looking forward to the up coming projects. And I could get everything done before fall so long as I'm consistent. Anything involving skirts and dresses or anything over the top will probably be left for outings with friends . Also though I have in mind some circle coats I want to do. Saw some cute Giraffe fleece ( I know that's more udoli but I love giraffe print.) And For me, Even though I can buy clothes and probably will when I find some I really like. Making them is so much more exciting. 

Manaka is fierce!

But All in all if it isn't something I can sew unless it's just really that fab or I can't decipher how I could sew it, I am sure a good chunk of my wardrobe will be handmade. I just wish I had a bigger closet. I need to go through my shoes. I have lots of heels which is not a problem to me, but I do need some more flat shoes. Some of the fancier boots that I like are upwards of 200 dollars...which is real splurge if you ask me. And maybe just once I will though I know my mom wouldn't understand it for sure. 

I think I'll make a list for myself just to keep track of projects. Jegging/leggings won't take long or much space since I don't have to put them in my closet. It's just a matter of getting the fabric and when I lose weight I can always take them in. The hoodies and coats will require a little more work but Aren't difficult to make either. These items aren't new to me. Making dresses.. if it ain't something that stretches and doesn't require a particular cut. They are quite a task to take on. At least cutting an pinning. The sewing part is a little easier. Hemming is just a pain in the ass however. Especially if you're like me and I like things that flow and hang nicely. But all the clothes in the world won't look complete without accessories. Jewelry I try to keep as simple as possible. I don't have too many things with like rhinestones and stuff. Mostly because too much can be a bad thing. And the point of the gyaru is to be free, fun, sexy ( whatever that means lol), and unique, without looking cheap, guady, ratchet or taudry. And it's a really fine line you're walking there. Having mirror will also be your best friend. But Jewelry has never been something that I went over the top with. I hardly wear more than a necklace or two at a time when I do wear them. Same with bracelets. The only jewelry I wear more of that isn't a piercing are my rings. Two is the standard, but I will wear more if I feel they will complete a look. I have my eye on a piece of jewelry I saw at T.J Max. A Hand of Fatima to be exact. It had some...I'm gonna say either rhinestones or cubic zarconia on it. Simply beautiful. 

Next weekend I'll be posting about my workout regimen. It's still forming. Right now it's mostly strength training because of my flat feet. I need arch supports to lessen the pain of cardio.