REAL MA*RS

I never paid much attention to Real Mars because I was so into (regular) MA*RS.  However, the brand has recently caught my attention with this cute shirt I stumbled upon when browing Rakuten…

…it’s simple but it is so cute and reminds me of other rock gyaru brands like d.i.a..

Real Mars has so many cute rock items!  There are a lot of crosses and skull motifs.  I never really checked out Real Mars because the brand always seemed to have a hip-hop edge to it.  (Like puffy coats and white stitching on black denim.)  Some items are just so awesome, though!

note the amazing belt...

Of course, just like MA*RS itself, Real Mars has some wtf items…

look at her face... even the model hates it!

Just a note:  Real Mars items are mixed in with Mars items on Rakuten but on the Mars web store, they have a section for “REAL MA*RS” as well as “deluxe MA*RS” (suits, etc.) in the sidebar.

So what do you think or Real Mars: Yea or Nay?

 

Japan Nite 2011

Ok, this post is not directly related to fashion or anything... but it's my blog and I want to write about it! :)

Sunday night was Japan Nite at the Independent (SF music venue). This year, they made it a benefit for tsunami relief, even though the tour/concert was scheduled long before the earthquake.

What was unusual was that 4 of the 5 bands were all-female! It was really cool to see since "girl rock" or whatever seems to have fizzled since the 90's.

The bands were all good, but the crowd was pretty unusual... Instead of the Independent's typical music-enjoying crowd (like indie rock people wearing thrift store clothes), it was mostly older men (like 60+) and nerdy guys in anime t-shirts.   I guess they are there for the benefit of Japan, so it's ok!

JOSY

Hystoic Vein

They were probably my favorite. I bought a CD and a badge.

The singer jumped off stage and walked around the crowd for a couple of songs.  Note the older men...

Zukunasisters

This group was like retro soul music, ala Tina Turner.

Lolita No.18

Nothing to do with Gothic Lolita, they were totally punk rock. They were the only band to have a moshpit!

MO'SOME TONEBENDER

General rock band... the singer looked like a Japanese Kurt Cobain. He was kinda short and thin, had chin-length hair and a song about suicide.

Ok, this was actually pretty dorky... for a slow song, they brought out light sabers.

After the show, I met the guitarist from Hystoic Vein. She was so cool onstage, she played the guitar with her teeth and then on her head in a crazy backbend.

I hope she has a good chiropractor... and dentist!

I took a photo with her but I ended up not liking how I looked so I'm not sharing it! lol.

I'll post a photo of myself the next time I look really gorgeous in a photo...

Pink Friday 3.25.11

I thought I'd be going on vacation for Spring Break but instead I'll be at home, working on a huge project that's due in two weeks.  I'm pretty behind because I was very sick for four weeks!  ;_; 

Anyway, I had bought a bikini in anticipation of my big vacation but instead my bikini and I are staying home. I thought I'd share my cute bikini anyway, in honor of Pink Friday.  :P



It's from  the Baby, the Stars Shine Bright (the lolita brand) store in Japantown.  I liked it because it's super cute and girly and have way more detail than probably any bikini I've ever seen.  :P  Oh, and there are donuts on it! lol.



It's probably for the best that I'm not wearing a bikini anyway, as I have been a little stressed with school and overeating!  :O  Yuck!

Do you have your swimwear yet?

Instant-Mint's Giveaway

Yay!  Another awesome giveaway!  Maybe once I reach 50 or so followers (100 sounds ambitious) I will do my own giveaway!

This giveaway is from Instant-Mint--who coincidentally lives in SF, according to her profile!  Her giveaway items are so cute!

Click on the photo to go to the giveaway rules.  ^^

Makeup Battle!

I buy a good amount of makeup on a regular basis, so I thought I'd compare some products I've bought fairly recently. It is... Makeup Battle!


Round One: Maybelline Ultra Liner vs. Dolly Wink eyeliner

I have been wearing liquid eyeliner everyday for... years!  I've tried a ton of different brands and continue my quest for the best.  So far I do have a favorite but I thought I'd give Dolly Wink a chance.

NO CONTEST! Maybelline Ultra Liner is better in almost every way! First, it's waterproof. Second, it's thick and dark. Third, it's practically un-smudge-able. Forth, it's only about $10!

While Dolly Wink may be sacred to some, I was extremely disappointed! First, it's a felt-tip applicator, which can be cool. I've tried several brands (Japanese and others) of eyeliner that were a felt tip applicator, they are only good if the actual product is thick and high pigment. Unfortunately, Dolly Wink is thin and comes out looking gray. Second, it smudges extremely easily and is not waterproof. Third, the pen is so fine, it's not really practical as an eyeliner. I had to go over my eyes several times to get a thick enough line. When would you ever need an eyeliner that fine? Maybe if you were drawing a fake tattoo or something. Forth, it's fairly expensive. It was $18 at Mitsuwa Marketplace (local supermarket). You can get Lorac for that much.



Round Two: Maybelline Colossal Volume vs. Loreal Double Extend

I bought both of these on the recommendation of YouTube beauty experts! I can't remember where I heard about Colossal Volume, but I know I heard about Double Extend from Kandee Johnson, the makeup artist.

Double Extend makes your lashes look thick, long and gorgeous! I really love this one, but... I am so impatient and I hate having to put on two layers (white primer + black color)!!

Colossal Volume doesn't look quite as good, but it works if you are in a hurry or are just putting on mascara before using false lashes. I like that it's quick and easy!


Round Three: BWC Eye Makeup Remover vs. Earth Science Eye Makeup Remover

So, I am kind of a hippie when it comes to some things... Aside from drugstore cosmetics, I try to only use organic, "cruelty-free" products. Both of these are available at Whole Foods (or Rainbow Grocery, if you live in SF!).



BWC wins! It's mainly because of consistency. BWC Eye Makeup Remover is liquid and leaves no residue. So it's ideal for cleaning up mistakes you might have made while applying your makeup. Earth Science is thick and gloopy, like sludge and it leaves a weird residue. It's only good for removing makeup at night but even then I have to rinse of the slimy residue after I use it.

Some people like to use olive oil to remove eye makeup.  I've tried it but it's too oily (obviously, it's oily) for my liking.  Maybe I'm sensitive to texture!


I hope you enjoyed the Makeup Battle. (Do you like my aluminum foil background?  I thought it made the pics look comicbook-esque!) Hopefully it was useful in your makeup shopping.

Glad News outfit

I bought a Glad News t-shirt and jeggings from Samispoon.  The package arrived last week and I love them!  My first Glad News items... I am so happy!  I really like Glad News' style.  It's a rock/biker gyaru brand that I'm sure you already know.  :P

The top is perfect but the jeggings are SO tight!  They barely fit!  I srsly need to diet... ok, I will once I'm done with the semester.  Someone told me that when you are studying, your brain burns up one calorie per minute from using up glucose.

Fun fact: my skully photo backdrop is a Snuggie that I won at a Christmas "white elephant" party.  XD

Mori Mori's Giveaway

Snelkookpan is having a fabulous giveaway on her blog, Mori Mori.  All the items are pink and purple.  So cute!  I really want that pink bag.  ^.^



Read more and enter to win here: http://agejoperfect.blogspot.com/2011/03/giveaway-pink-vs-purple.html

I want to do a giveaway eventually.  Maybe once the semester is over and I can start posting regularly.  :P

Pink Friday

It's Friday already!  The week has been so busy with school, etc.  Madness!  I'm gonna sit in front of my computer and paint my nails before I go get dinner.  :D

As you can tell, I have a very limited color scheme for my nails... the same goes for my wardrobe! My clothes are mainly dark colors, black, some pink, some hot pink, some white... but I don't wear clear clothes! I should probably branch out more, but I don't want to.  I'm also very impatient!  That's why I pretty much only use Sally Hansen Insta-Dri.  It's try in just a few seconds.


On an unrelated note, I need to get a smartphone.  I always see so much cool stuff that I want to photograph but rarely have a camera with me.  Maybe I'll get an iPhone this summer, after I graduate.  It'll be my present to myself. XD

I was fortunate enough to have my camera with me when I was on Haight street and I saw...

...pink fluffy teddy bear-head shoes!  My first thought was "OMGheissocuteiwantosquishhislittlehead!"

They actually had him at two different store on Haight.  The second store had a brown pair, too.  I inquired and they (the shoes) are $300.  Wow!  They are worth it but I'd be so scared someone would get them dirty.  I told that to the girl and she was like, "Yeah, just wear them to events like art openings, where people know not to ruin other people's shoes!"  Lol.  I actually do go to art galleries fairly often!  But before you accuse me of being pretentious: I like art, they are free, and it's a good excuse to dress up!

Have a happy weekend!

Weekly Wrapup 3/13/11 (day late)

As you know, there was the awful earthquake and tsunami in Japan.  A lot of bloggers have been writing about their first-hand experiences.  I don't have anything to contribute on the subject since I am not there but my thoughts are with the victims of these terrible disasters.  I urge you to make a donation to the Red Cross or your relief fund of choice, if you haven't already.

Just to keep this blog upbeat, I'll continue with some highlights from my favorite blogs.

Tokyo Fashion: reported on the Tokyo Girls Collection fashion event.  There are lots of photos from the event here.

Sui-Princess: went to the Kary Perry concert in Cologne.  I kinda like Katy Perry... but it's completely involuntarty, I assure you!  See cute photos here.

Universal Doll: visited the new Tutuha shop in Shinjuku Alta.  The shop looks really cool although it sounds like an unfortunate time to be opening a new shop.  Read about it here.

Seduisant Dolly: reviewed some NYX blushes.  It's funny timing because I bought some NYX blush last week but hadn't read her blog until like a day later.  I actually have two (Cinnamon and Pinky) of the blushes she reviewed.  I love them!  Read Dolly's review here.

Happy Kiss: wrote about the sunhat as a new trend for Spring.  She's not sold on the idea but I think it's cute!  Seems a little vintage glam almost.  Read her report here.


     On LJ's gal_style community, someone asked for links to gyaru blogs.  The first responder (that term makes it sound like a horrible accident!) suggested this list from Love Pink Cross.
     I went through the list but unfortunately a lot of the blogs aren't around anymore.  A lot of blogs had been deleted or abandoned due to--I assume--the blogger being bored or too busy.  I actually looked through almost the entire list--due to procrastination!  Anyway, there was a sad instance at: http://www.going-gal.com/.  She closed down her blog just this week due to what sounds like harassment or bullying.  That sucks!
     One cool thing I found at (what looks like) an abandoned blog is a "Deco meet up" where the gals deco'd their stuff.  It sounds SO FUN!!  I wish I could organize a meet up like that!  Maybe in the future I'll try!

Japan Earthquake

Thinking of those in Japan...  so sad/scary/terrible!


CNN reports
New York Times
Geological Info (my friend in Tokyo is watching this site!)


The dumb San Francisco news channels are just reporting the supposed tsunami but the coast guard says it's supposed to crest at 2 feet!  Meanwhile disaster is still unfolding in Asia!

So sad, they are interviewing the owners of Ichiban Kan, their family is in Sendai and they can't contact them.

Shop and Destroy: YesStyle

 It seems like whenever new people post on gyaru comms (like Kogal panel) asking for clothes advice, they are always directed to YesStyle.  I’ve never bought anything from their online store, BUT I have shopped at their “brick and mortar” store in Stonestown Galleria (here in SF).  The store is very small—especially compared to the huge Forever 21 downstairs—but they always have at least a few items I like.

Their website has SO much stuff !  It’s actually a little cumbersome to look for anything.  There is a lot of really “normal” looking casual clothes—clothes that aren’t that different from what you’d find at any typical store, like H&M. 

They don’t have a lot but if you search you can find some cute items that are special/different and can be worked into different fashions. For example…

Amekaji/Cocolulu style

(I’m personally not that into Amekaji so forgive me if you think this wouldn’t work!)

Liz Lisa style

MA*RS style

Not sure what style (Maybe TraLaLa?)



Their shoes are all really cool, too.  They have a big selection and everything is really interesting and somewhat different from what you might find at your typical shoe store. 

The thing that made me really excited was… they sell wigs!  CUTE wigs!  I really want one!

Here’s the good thing about YesStyle: shipping is only $10 for orders up to $150 (after that it’s free!).  That is a huge plus in my book, since I’ve had shoes shipped from Asia and it was very expensive!  $10 shipping seems very reasonable.

Gah!  Now I want to buy wigs and shoes!

Weekly Wrapup 3/06/11

I've been reading lots of gyaru blogs lately but neglecting my own!  Here I'll share the stuff that stood out the most to me.  (A lot of bloggers do this, so it's not weird, ok?)  Maybe I'll make it a regular thing.  :)



Moments Like Diamonds:  Ok, so this is the coolest thing I've seen recently and it made me really happy... a kyabajo/hostess METAL band!!  They may end up being fake but in the mean time, I think they are totally awesome.  Sorry, I'm kind of a metalhead.  Read about it here.


Universal Doll:  Mitsu always posts awesome and informative stuff on gyaru fashion but this is especially exciting.  She went to the huge Tokyo Girls Collection fashion show/event and reported about it here.

Agepoyo:  Fredrik just has a cool, fun-to-read-about gyaru-o life.  He's always meeting up with stylish people.  His latest adventures are here.

Swtiepiepnai:  Tricia's L.A. galcir, Diamond, was filmed for NTV.  Apparently, some parts were staged but it's still fun to watch.  The girls look great and it's cool to see them getting some love in Japan.  Her post (and the video) are here.


Lhouraii's Blog:  Lhouraii is big on mamba makeup but she tried doing her makeup somewhat lighter and it looks really pretty. It's much different from her usual style but looks great!  You can see it here.

More Moments Like Diamonds:  It's the week of the gaijin gyaru, I guess!  SaraMari and some other international gyaru had a meetup in Tokyo and it was on Tokyo Kawaii TV.  Watch it here!