Victorian maiden Christmas Tea Party

Happy International Lolita Day!

What did you do to celebrate this year..?

Victorian maiden, headquartered here in Osaka, held a Christmas tea party on December 3rd, which coincidentally happened to be International Lolita Day this year.

It was held at a small British-themed tea house called Three Chimneys. The tea house was decorated for the Christmas season and was so cute!

We had tea service with a big plate of food and unlimited tea.

Unfortunately, even though VM asked about food allergies, etc. beforehand, and I told them I can't eat pork or beef, the sandwiches all had ham in them...thankfully I only have a minor intolerance, so I could just remove the ham and still eat the sandwiches without getting sick, but it was still an annoyance.

VM made little name cards for each of us! I usually go by "Ellie" in these situations because my full name (Danielle) is really long and difficult for many Japanese people to pronounce (and they often mistake it for "Daniel"......)

I really loved this idea! They had these big dice with conversation starters on them - if there was a lull in conversation at your table, just toss the dice for something to talk about!

When we entered, we drew a "fortune card" - one lucky winner got a free dress from her fortune card! These also had topics to talk about - mine was "tell the person next to you about your coordinate point".

My friend MiA and I at our table! We sat with 5 other girls, who were all very nice!

We had mini catalogs at our place settings - the "Louise" series is new coming January/February!

I tried to take a photo indoors, but the lighting wasn't very good...

MiA and I outside Three Chimneys

My full coordinate!

Hat - WEGO

Bolero - Innocent World

Jumperskirt & gloves - Victorian maiden

Tights & blouse - offbrand

Shoes - axes femme

A lot of the guests had the same idea as me - wearing bordeaux for the Christmas theme. Probably 90% of people had bordeaux as at least an accent color lol.

Selfie beforehand~

After the tea party, the staff arranged for us to take taxis to the VM press room to have first access to their sample sale!

Cute display in the front entry to the press room

All the staff! Their theme was The Nutcracker! Toy soldier, doll, and the mouse king.

I got to take a photo with the infamous VM coffin!! If you're unaware, back in 2001, VM actually sold this coffin..! The one in the press room is used as a storage closet.

I wasn't planning on buying anything, but I foolishly tried this on and fell in love lol. Will have to cut back on my luckypack spending now haha.

Freebie novelties for tea party guests! A clear file and a 2017 planner with a reusable VM book cover.

Freebie postcards from the press room!

The tea party was such a great experience and I'm so glad I was able to go! I hope to be able to attend more events like this in the future~

To end, here are some purikura MiA and I took before the tea party!

Until next time!

BB and B Deco Review

Earlier this month, I received a package from BB and B Deco with a super cute macaron necklace!!

All their pieces are handmade with care, using genuine swarovski crystals and pearls! I had seen their products at Sakuracon, with their parent company Bling Up, and was always really impressed with their work.

Because they're made with air clay, they're super light, which makes it really comfortable to wear~

I love the little spoon so much! I can't resist tiny cutlery lol

Maybe it's a strange thing to notice, but it also smells really good!!

The clasp on the back is a heart shape! I love the attention to details~

The little holly leaf makes it really cute for the upcoming holiday season!!

I ended up putting together a porcelain doll inspired coordinate with it!

Unfortunately, the pictures didn't turn out super great because it's so cloudy/dark today ;A;

Bonnet - Innocent World

Blouse - offbrand (Forever21)

Jumperskirt - Angelic Pretty

Apron - handmade by my friend

Tights - offbrand (gift)

Shoes - offbrand (unknown, I've had them 10 years!)

What's your favorite piece from BB and B? c:

Marie Antoinette Tea Party at 薔薇hime atelier

On September 1st, I stepped off the plane in my new home - Osaka, Japan!

Just a couple days later, I went to a big semi-annual lolita event called Romantic a la Mode. There, I purchased a handmade vintage-style hat from a brand called 薔薇hime (bara hime) and chatted with the designer.

This month, the designer invited me to join a tea party at her atelier in Kyoto! It's been difficult to meet people, so I was really happy she thought of me and extended the invitation.

My Skincare Routine

My skincare routine is something I get asked about quite often. 

I have a bit of a skincare product obsession, so I thought I'd write about my favorite products!

Let me be honest with you -- the number one thing that has helped my skin is hormonal birth control. I had fairly bad acne around age 17-19, but as soon as I went on birth control - POOF. It was actually amazing the difference it made! Some people may find that hormonal contraception wrecks havoc on their skin, but it turns out my acne was completely hormonal (tip: acne along the jawline usually is - that's where almost all mine was). If you've tried many products to no avail, it might be something to ask your doctor about.

With that being said, my skin is also "normal", i.e. not overly oily or dry. The products I use may not be right for your skin type. I always suggest looking up reviews on specific products to see what people with similar skin types say about them. The majority of my products are available at Sephora, and their website has a great reviews system.

Morning Routine

My morning routine consists of three or four products, depending on the day.

My cleanser is boscia Detoxifying Black Cleanser. When searching for a new cleanser, I specifically was looking for one that deep cleaned pores, since enlarged pores are one of my main concerns (thanks, genetics!). It has ingredients that draw out impurities and oils and then tightens pore walls. It also has a small amount of glycolic acid, which is an AHA (chemical exfoliant) to make skin brighter and more radiant. AHAs are also shown to improve collagen density - aka fight the aging process, which is also a concern for me at age 27.

About twice a week, I also use the Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment. This stuff is pricey, but it is AMAZING. I first got it as a sample and seriously fell in love. The main ingredient is lactic acid, which is another kind of AHA. It also has a bit of salicylic acid, which is a BHA (the other kind of chemical exfoliant). It definitely lives up to the "intensive" name, so I would be sure to follow instructions and not use it more than twice a week.

Next up is moisturizer! I think this might be the only product I use not from Sephora lol.

I use Olay Complete All Day UV Moisturizer for sensitive skin. I don't actually have very sensitive skin, but I'm extremely sensitive to scents and didn't like how the regular one smelled.

I'm not 100% devoted to this particular moisturizer, but I don't dislike it and haven't found one yet that I prefer.

Finally, I use Shiseido Urban Environment UV Protector for face as sunscreen. It's very important when using an AHA to use sunscreen, as it can increase photosensitivity. The sun is also the number one cause of aging! This has SPF 42 - you should look for a sunscreen with at least SPF 30. I like this because it's oil free and goes on very light - you can't tell it's there at all! I use it right before putting on my makeup.

Night Routine

In addition to some generic eye makeup remover and the above cleanser, there are two main products I use at night.

The first is Origins High Potency Night-a-Mins Skin Refining Oil. This is another of my holy grail products - I got a small sample from Sephora and was instantly hooked and bought the full size not long after. This also has salicylic acid, and it also has vitamins C and E which are antioxidants (and therefore anti-aging). It has been the number one help for my enlarged pores - they no longer bother me, to be honest. All thanks to four or five drops of oil after cleansing!

I follow up the oil with Korres Wild Rose Advanced Brightening Sleeping Facial as an intense moisturizer. I've tried the Night-a-Mins moisturizer, and while I liked it, didn't find it as hydrating. My skin is more radiant with the Korres product. It also smells amazing! My skin is so dewy and healthy looking when I wake up in the morning after using this.

Occasional Use

I also like to use a mask once or twice a week.

Usually, this means a sheet mask because they're so easy and there's zero mess. For the most part, I get mine at a local Korean beauty shop called Pretty & Cute - most of their masks are under $2 a piece (marked up from the original price, but still very cheap). I also do like Sephora's sheet masks, but they're pricier. I really only purchase them when I have a discount code or need to add something small to my cart for free shipping. The above is only a small portion of my current stash lol.

I also have some wash-off masks I really like - Origins Clear Improvement (the one on the right) and Origins Original Skin (the one on the left). Clear Improvement makes my skin so incredibly soft! I usually use it right before a big event. Original Skin I've only used once (just got it a couple weeks ago) - it has a physical exfoliant (jojoba beads), so I don't want to use it too often because I don't want to over-exfoliate!

So remember how I said I have an obsession with skincare products..? That obsession includes samples.

The above is my current stash - not including minis of things I have full sizes of.

Many of the products I use above I originally got samples of and really liked, so I try to use a sample or two every week or so. They're also really great for travel!

I actually just signed up for Play by Sephora, their new subscription box, so I'm excited to get a bunch of new deluxe samples every month!! They sent me an email last week saying I was off the waiting list, which made a crappy week just a little bit better haha.

Do you have a favorite skincare product?

I'd really love to hear what your holy grail product is!

Baby Ponytail - Indie Brand Review

It's been a long time since I published a blog entry!

I have some ideas floating around in my head (and several drafts already written), but I just don't have a lot of energy to put into writing these days. I enjoy blogging though, so I'm making a fairly small goal of publishing once a month.

A couple of months ago, I was contacted by Claudia, the designer for an indie lolita brand called Baby Ponytail, asking if I would be interested in receiving a piece from their (then) new collection, Mermaid's Castle in exchange for some publicity. The photos looked super cute, so I agreed!

There were some hiccups in production, but I finally received my jumperskirt last week - on my birthday no less~! It was nice timing haha.

Last weekend, I went downtown to the Portland waterfront with my friend Katie to take some photos in my new jsk~

I love that aspect of Portland's geography - the river cuts the city in half, which makes navigation super easy for someone like me who always gets lost haha.

We got really lucky with the weather that day! It's been raining almost every day since October, but it was dry and pretty warm - we even got a bit of blue sky!

 I wore my Lockshop Sylph wig because it reminded me a little of the mermaid's hair in the print!

Most of the rest of my coordinate is from Angelic Pretty, except the cardigan (offbrand/Gymboree), wristcuffs (Chess Story), and shoes (Secret Shop).

The print is so vibrant!

You can see my birthday manicure here! It doesn't photograph very well, because it's mostly just glitter and sequins haha. So sparkly!! 

We came across this garden in front of an office building with some pretty trees! I love how much I stand out against this background~

Keep reading for a full review~!!