Pink Friday 4.29.11

Yay!  It's Pink Friday!  I don't know why I get excited for Friday, since I work on the weekends and all...

I just dyed my roots, so no more pudding head! 

I think I'm going to look for a new color.  I've been faithful to the same color for a year now, which is a first for me!  I used to change my color all the time.  I dyed it my current color when I started liking gyaru fashion.  I was going for the "milk tea" color but this color is reddish--in fact, people often refer to me as a redhead, which I don't agree with but whatever.   Marionette Dolly just dyed her hair and it came out very cute!  I might steal her haircolor!

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Random stuff:
I *finally* got the Sally Hansen nail polish strips.  I'll review them once I've tried them.  ^-^

I also bought an NYX glitter palatte.  Utsukushii Gal and Instant Mint both reviewed/used it recently, so I thought I'd give it a try since the ghetto "general store" on Clement Street sells every NYX product known to man.  There are a lot of different glitter palattes!  Like 12 or so!  I chose the pinkiest one.  :P

I got myself a cheapo (large barrel) hair curling iron from Target, so now I hopefully won't be as lazy about styling my hair!

After uploading my photos, I realized I didn't put my little "Bouncy Brown" logo on them!  Aww, I really like seeing it on my photos.  I don't think anyone would ever steal my photos, I just like showing that I actually did take all my own pictures and didn't steal them from some random place.  :P  ...Not that they are that special or anything, but still!

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Question for you bloggers: Where do you host your photos?  I've been using Photobucket but I recently saw a blog where all the photos were replaced with the sad little "bandwidth exceeded" icon.  It was really sad to look at, actually!  Anyway, is there a better (free) photo hosting site?

Stick-on nail wraps

Recently I've seen a lot of girls with decorated nails... like, even the cashier at Whole Foods on Haight street had leopard print nails.  I'm pretty sure everyone is using the new nail wraps.  I've been wanting so much to try them but they are sold out everywhere.  Target in Serramonte has none (except the solid color ones) and the Walgreen's nearest me has none.  I finally found some at the Walgreen's by the hospital.  They didn't have Sally Hansen brand but they did have Broadway.

If you don't know what I'm talking about... they are like decals that cover your entire nail.  They take the place of nail polish.  They come in cool designs like animal prints, flowers and lace.  They're fairly cheap--about $10--so less expensive than a salon, more expensive (per wear) than a bottle of nail polish.

I bought the pink/rainbow leopard print from Broadway.  They come with a nail file/presser (one side smooth) with which to apply the nails and the file off the excess sticker.

They were fairly easy to apply... but not easier than nail polish!  So I definitely wouldn't suggest the solid color ones; it's only worth it if you get the ones with designs.

[Sidebar:  I always wondered why people held something when they photographed their hands... now I know it's because your palm looks like a wrinkly pug when you make a fist!  The closest hold-able item was the bunny money from Easter which turned out pretty cute, although probably distracting!]

So there are my cute (short) nails!  I am pretty happy about them although they are not super sturdy.  After I took a shower the next morning, they started sliding off.  I think the hot water melted the adhesive or something.  They didn't completely come off but I doubt they will last a full week!

If you are interested...
There seem to be a lot of reviews of them online.  The Sally Hansen Salon Effects page is here.  The Broadway Nail dress page is here.  They show more design options.

Have you tried them?  What do you think?  Is it cheating, like a clip-on tie?

Black Swan eyes and Birthday

I finally opened some of my new lenses.  The first pair I opened had a cracked/scratched lens (manufacturer's defect) but I did try out another pair... GEO Bella Special Brown.

It's the first time I've tried circle lenses that weren't all black.  To be honest, they looked really scary at first!  I kept think of the Black Swan, the scene where she's on stage and there's a close up on her face and she has the dark brown swan eyes.

I actually wore them for a picture I had to submit for school.  They look ok.  Despite initially being afraid of my scary swan eyes, I realized that the color is actually pretty close to my natural eye color!

I seriously suck at camwhoring!  I hate looking at my face!

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Yesterday was my birthday and it actually went well! I usually don't like celebrating my birthday. I had one bad birthday party a few years ago and after that I don't like to go out in a group... but my hubby planned a great night with my favorite things: balloons, Indian food, karaoke, Hello Kitty and glam rock.

Here are a couple of photos...

Hello Kitty Karaoke booth at Pandora! The music selection was terrible but the room was so cute! They didn't have Kiss, Ozzy Ozzbourne, the Ramones... pretty much no rock music but then they had really bad pop/dance music from the 80's and 90's. Oh but I finally had an opportunity to wear my Betsy Johnson dress!

Glitter Wizard at the knockout. They were so good (glam/psychedelic rock) and their outfits were so funny (glam/hair metal)-- I'm pretty sure they were all wearing women's clothes. Check out the singer's mustache!

Yay for my birthday being fun but relaxed this year!

Dumb Girl, Smart Car, New Hat, Nose Job

I stayed up all night Friday and finished most of a big project, then we went to Japantown in the afternoon because our friends were volunteering at a booth for the Cherry Blossom Festival.

hearts covering my unfortunate face and fluffy, wind-blown hair

Here I am with the cutest smart car I've seen yet!  My hubby put it on facebook with the caption "Smart Car, Smartest Girl."  Aww!

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During the festival, I went to Black Peace Now in an attempt to support their sinking ship of a store.  I actually ended up buying this hat:

Yay BPN!

Not my normal style but I think it's pretty cute!  I wore it today.  Here's a close-up picture that accidentally turned out to be a body shot but I thought it was funny so I'm posting it.  Again, hiding my scary face and my larger-than-I-realized booty.

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Here is a pic from last weekend of my ugly mug with the gorgeous Mint! She is so beautiful and stylish!  She srsly looks like she walked out of the pages of Happie Nuts or Jelly.  I probably shouldn't stand next to attractive people for photos.  Anyway, go stalk her blog if you haven't already!

(Photo stolen from Instant Mint here!)

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Have any of you had plastic surgery?  Would you?

I'm seriously considering a nose job.  [Well, I guess not *that* seriously since I probably can't afford it.]  I have been unhappy with my massive nose for a long time.  I want to fix it but I'm afraid of getting a botched surgery or looking like poor MJ... gosh, I could probably do a whole post on this.

Example of a good nose job... Ashlee is drop-dead gorgeous with her new nose!!

Beyonce's is another example of a good, subtle nose job.  But I still despise her for the Libya thing.

I'll have to research a nose job more and save money try to talk to people who have had it done. What if it is crooked or too pointy or bulbous or my nostrils are showing?  Part of me feels like I am so ugly that I couldn't possibly look worse but if my nose canal collapses or something, then I'm sure I'll look worse.

If you've had work done, please please please tell me about your experience, good or bad.  You don't need to leave a comment, if it's a secret, you can email me or send me an anonymous formspring note.  ;)

New Lenses & Weave Thieves

I just got contacts from i-beautyshop.net and I am so impressed!  I ordered them on Wednesday and they arrived today--SUPER fast, right? I ordered lenses from Eye Candy Lens (not to be confused with Candy Lens) last week and they still haven't arrived.  But, in fairness, they weren't supposed to arrive yet and i-beauty shop ships from here in San Francisco.

They have a sale going on for the month of April where you can get 3 pair of their in-stock Geo lenses for $50.00...  And the shipping is free.   That's only $16.67 per pair... or $18.33 with California taxes.  You do have to check their stock list to see what they have, so you may not get your first choice.  Also, they don't give you little extras like a lens case but I'm happy with my cheap lenses.

My last pair of circle lenses (Geo Dolly eye?) started bugging my eyes.  I hadn't had them a full year (I opened them last Memorial Day, so maybe 8.5 months?) and I was cleaning them well, but I noticed that one eye would get really red the day after I would wear them.

Yaay!  I can't wait to soak and wear my new lenses!  Maybe I'll actually post a photo of my ugly mug wearing them.  :)

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In other news... thieves stole $$$$$ worth of hair extensions from a place called Hair Divas in San Leandro!  Omg, that's SO ghetto!  If I were a thief, I'd be in jail steal something glamorous like diamonds or luxury cars.  Haha!  Anyway, the story and security video of the weave thieves are here:

http://sanfrancisco.cbslocal.com/2011/04/15/east-bay-thieves-steal-thousands-worth-of-hair-weaves/

Police suspect the thieves may just try selling the weaves out of the back of their van!  That's so.... yeah, no comment necessary!  I feel really bad for the woman who owns the shop but she said her business would bounce back.

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Have a good weekend!  I'll be working on my final project!!  Agh!  So stwessfull!

Random Update by Busy Bee

I am so busy but I wanted to update just so I am not completely neglecting my little blog!

What up, dawg?

I got my Diamond lower eyelashes from d-tan, I was so excited!  They look really good on.  The Daiso under eyelashes just weren't cutting it!

The photo is blurry because I was trembling with excitement!

This past weekend was the sakura cherry blossom festival in Japantown.  We walked around and went into the New People building.  While Baby, the Stars Shine Bright seems to be fairly successful, the Black Peace Now store may close in August!!  So sad!  I really like their punk/rock stuff but I always feel guilty about spending $$$ on casual clothes, especially when--let's be honest here--a lot of it is not too different from Hot Topic.  Regardless, I think I'll go buy some stuff to support them before they go under.

BPN two years ago... the only BPN I was wearing in this photo were my shoes :/

My honey and I did purikura at Pika Pika.  Unfortunately, I was a dumb butt and got the smallest sizes when we specifically discussed getting the biggest sizes.  I get stressed when the timer is ticking!  Oh well.

...censored so he doesn't get mad embarrassed!

I accidentally met the lovely Mint at Pika Pika.  She is really nice and funny and is even prettier in real life than in photos!  Hopefully we can hang out.  I think she said she needs someone to help glue in her weave....

Well, I have to work on my final project that's due on Monday and a job application that's due on Friday.  I don't want to end up like this guy...

Get a job!

Happy Wednesday! :D

Woxje's Sweet vs. Rock Giveaway

Yay!  I giveaway from Rox.  She is so cool and pretty and has amazing hair--I don't understand how she is so good at hairstyling!  Anyway, she's doing a giveaway with two different prizes. Very cool!

I hope my blog isn't turning into a giveaway-only blog.  I'll only post blogs and giveaways I really like.  Actually, I think I show a lot of restraint with posting only a few!

Hime Gyaru Wigs from US brand

Gothic Lolita Wigs, part of Cosplay Wigs USA, has just released some hime gyaru-style wigs! I am pretty excited because I already own a wig from them and I love it.  You can see the hime wigs here.

Gothic Lolita Wigs came to SF for a "trunk show" at Hotel Tomo in the fall and I really liked their wigs then and ordered one later.  Oh, the great thing is shipping is FREE within the US (and $8.50 internationally).  The wigs themselves are pretty reasonably priced.  Right now, the hime wigs are only $46.00.

The company has a strong facebook presence, so you should add them if you are at all interested. They have lolita contests and whatnot but occasionally someone will post a more gyaru-style outfit photo.

Here is me (minus my ugly, squinty face) in my lolita wig...

The reason I'm dressed like a fairy princess is a long story because it's part of my PT job.  It's so dorky!  Please don't judge! Haha!

Anyway, the wig is SUPER full and the color is so pretty.  Also, it's not super shiny and plastic-looking like some wigs I've seen.  I always get complements whenever I wear it, even if I'm dressed like a fairy--people notice the hair first!  lol.



EDIT:  The new hime wig was reviewed (with photos!) by Star Princess here: http://starreprincess.blogspot.com/2011/04/cosplay-wigs-usagothic-lolita-wigs.html
The downside?  It looks *very* short!  There are other photos of girls wearing them on the facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/#!/GothicLolitaWigs).  They look like 1950's girls or something.  Like... Doris Day!

Sunglasses

For this post to truly be effective, you're going to have to listen to the smooth sound of Mr. Hart as you read...

There was a post on kogal_panel asking about summer trends and the asker specifically mentioned sunglasses, which inspired this post.  Yay!  And just to be clear, I am writing about sunglasses, not those clear-lens classes that are still so popular.  :P  Ok, onward...

I am a big lover of sunglasses but I never associate sunglasses with Japanese fashion because when I was there, it seemed like nobody wore them but just used parasols when it was sunny.  My host sister even said something to the effect of "We don't want to look like we are trying to look cool..."  Anyway, I like sunglasses and I don't want damaged eyes in the future, so I will continue to wear them!

First... MA*RS



Look at these gals trying to look cool!  Lol.  Both of these sunglasses are from the Mars webshop.  (Click on the photos for the links!)  The heart-shaped ones are particularly cute, but the website actually doesn't have a good front shot of the model wearing the photos... maybe they look dumb from the front.

These next links are from the 109 webshop and, again, I've linked the photos.  :)


me Jane

They look pretty 70's to me but I guess that goes with the current "retro girly" trend.  They come in three shades: reddish, bluish and orange-ish.


EMODA

These foxy (says so in the item description) are so cute!  They look more 50's to me.  They also come in brown.


EGOIST

Cute but not my style (at all).  They also come in a wine color.


BACKS

I'm not at all familiar with this brand but they were one of the few 109 brands to include sunglasses.  These are pretty cool.. a little masculine (intended for guys?).  If anyone knows about or has experience with  this brand, please tell me.  :) They also come in black... actually the black version looks way cooler than these ones.  Why did I choose the pic of the red ones?  Haha.


Voeux

To be honest, these don't really appeal to me.  They look too mature (like, very very mature).  Maybe I am ending on a low note.  Oops, sorry!

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I hope you liked this post on sunglasses!  Hopefully more gyaru brands will make sunglasses as the summer get closer!

Nana Rabu's First Giveaway

 I love when bloggers do giveaways... first, it's awesome.  Second, I find out about so many blogs that way!  I see the bloggers that I like advertising a giveaway for another blogger and then I find out about another awesome blog!  Finding new blogs to stalk makes me really happy.  :P

http://nanarabu.blogspot.com/2011/04/first-giveaway.html

Pink Friday 4.1.11

Earlier this week, I went to the Macy's Flower Show downtown.  It was really pretty and the smell was beautiful, like a wedding!

Downtown, there were (as usual) so many stylish tourists from Asia.  Seeing them always inspires me to be more fashionable!!

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Today is the first day of Wonder Con.  It's like "Comic Con North," as it's organized by the same people.  I might go since my honey bunny gets free tickets. 

It's also a chance to wear...

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...secret confession time...

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...L O L I T A!

Big dork with Kokusyoku Sumire

I get the impression that a lot of people think you can't do both lolita and gyaru. If I had to choose, it'd definitely choose gyaru but I still have an interest in Lolita.

It's a style that, to be honest, is a lot easier (or more simple) to feel confident in.  With gyaru, I feel like my makeup is never good enough or my hair is never big enough or my clothes are never exactly on point.  Some days, I feel like I just look like a trendy person in hooker boots wearing too much makeup.  With lolita, it's like, "Ok, I'm dressed--I feel so cute!"  I hope that once I get better at styling myself in gyaru, I will feel just as confident in it.

Big dork at the SF Japan summit

I have seen some awesome gals who are also into both--namely, Sui Princess--so I hope I can keep doing both.  My goal is to get better at gyaru style to the point where I feel completely confident!

Not there yet, but sharing because I'm feeling brave...

Have a wonderful weekend!