Bouncy Brown

Lolita meet, Punk rock flea market, Italian Valentine’s and The DARKNESS

2012-02-26T17:40:00.000-08:00

I’m healthy again! Semi-healthy. I was sick for a couple of weeks and then I got a lung infection from being sick. I started feeling run down the day of the Angelic Pretty tea party, which is the last thing I blogged about, so anyway, I'm back!

Not a good outfit shot but you can see our cute faces! BTW, This photo makes me hate my porn star-blond wig!

The monthly Lolita meet on Friday was fun. Something like 30 lolitas showed up. We broke into smaller groups for the restaurant, so it was more intimate (and less stressful for the servers!). I found out that Courtney and Elizabeth, local lolis, are also into gyaru fashion! Hopefully in the near future, we can all hang out together.

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On Saturday, my hubby and I went to a punk rock flea market at the Speakeasy Brewery. It’s in a pretty shady part of San Francisco but it was an adventure! It was interesting to be inside a brewery. The DJ was playing old punk, so that was fun.

At the end of the everyone got to take home a free keg! j/k

The bar...

Hubby with a shifty-eyed beer

Our little table, earning hot dog money!

We sold some of my husband’s t-shirts and shoes—all new and unworn, with tags! We only sold a couple of shirts, which was enough money to pay for lunch at the vegan hot dog stand outside. Actually, with the exception of a records dealer and the bar, it seemed like no one sold very much. We didn’t mind because we mainly came to hang out. I felt bad for some of the crafts tables, because it seemed like the wrong crowd to sell crafts to. Oh well! At least they didn’t have to pay to be there.

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USA!

nice hat

The Darkness! I went to the Darkness at the Fillmore. I was still sick and sat coughing in the lobby for a good portion of the show. I was determined to go to this show because we’d planned to go for a long time, which is rare for us. Usually, we see shows only a few days in advance.

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this is my car! ;)

Now this is going back a little… Valentine’s Day! I was pretty sick at this point but I went to dinner in North Beach (Italian neighborhood) with my love.

Yay Ma*rs!

Not a very good outfit pic but this is me at the table. I wore a Ma*rs dress, necklace and iPhone case :P The cardigan is from the Hello Kitty X Forever 21 collaboration. You can't tell but it has a Hello Kitty pattern. Another thing difficult to see is my mouth! Because I was sick, I didn't want to contaminate my lipsticks or lipglosses. I considered photoshopping some lips on but decided that'd look too fake.

Happy belated Valentine's Day, everyone! Enjoy the rest of this romantic month! ;)

Angelic Pretty Valentine's Tea Party

2012-02-17T00:29:00.000-08:00

Over the weekend, I went to the Angelic Pretty Tea Party at Secret Garden. It was fun! There were a few games and a costume contest. This is the first AP party I've been to and it was pretty nice, although the Baby events are slightly more posh with more prizes. It's ok, I mainly went to see and hang out with other pretty lolis!

The aesthetic theme was "Valentine's Day." I was very literal and dressed as cupid! A female cupid!

I decorated a bow--which was probably illegal to carry around, considering it's technically a weapon--with pink AP tissue paper and pink ribbons. I also decorated an arrow with ribbon, glitter and rhinestones. I made a little quiver out of an AP shopping bag.

Everyone looked sp cute. There were a few candy-themed coords, some chocolate-themed coords and a love-letter themed coord. Surprisingly, there was only one other cupid. She had really cute, fancy little wings.

Oh, and did I mention that I won first place in the costume contest? I was so surprised! Pleasantly surprised! I was worried that everyone would think my coord was too dorky, especially since I made up a little poem when it was time to describe my outfit. :P

With my bow full of bows

And my wings of a dove

I'll shoot your sweetheart

And fill him or her with love

Hahaha! I looked for a real poem about Cupid, but all I could find was the San Cooke song:

Isn't it a dreamy song? Too bad. I'll be damned if I sing in public! Making up a sad little poem was the only option. :P I guess I could have been normal and simply introduced myself, but where's the fun in that? ^-^

My Sickly Valentine

2012-02-14T15:14:00.000-08:00

I can't believe I'm sick on Valentine's Day! V-Day is my second favorite holiday after Halloween.

My sweet husband brought me roses this morning! I asked him, "Is this because I'm sick or because it's Valentine's Day?" He said, "It's because I love you!" Aww! Sorry, I know some ppl don't like hearing mushy love stuff. I promise not to post kissy photos! Haha!

I made a point to actually take an outfit photo this weekend. Now if I could only remember to do it every day! Haha! I figured this outfit's kind-of Valentine-y so I'll share it today...

skirt doesn't look this super hot pink irl!

top: truly madly deeply (urban outfitters)
skirt: h&m
shoes: jeffrey campbell
bag: kimchee blue (urban outfitters)

actually ironed my hair but the ends got wavy again!

someone told me these shoes looked dutch!

I LOVE my purple purse--I got it to add color to my mostly black wardrobe--but it's gotten messed up really easily really quickly. The zipper pulls fell off right away. The seams inside and outside the purse are coming undone. I've only had this purse for a month or so!

My husband...

your turn, honey bunny!

motorcycle jacket: Obey
t-shirt: from NoBunny show
Motorhead hoodie: ?
jeans: ?
Kiss Vans: ?

not a kissy photo but close! rarr!

Happy Valentine's Day everyone!

Petition against lolita in pedo movie

2012-02-13T15:40:00.000-08:00

If you have a chance, please take a second to sign a petition against this movie poster...

http://www.change.org/petitions/jw-productions-and-director-jan-willem-breure-remove-the-promotional-poster-for-the-film-and-write-a-public-apology

Apparently, the model was misled about the purpose of the photoshoot. According to Rox, she was told that it was for a movie about Japanese fashion. http://woxje.tumblr.com/post/17484416773

Even aside from the subject matter, it looks very amateur and poorly made. The trailer makes the movie look SO BAD. It shows 2 second-long clips from interviews that make it look like experts are saying that pedophilia is acceptable. Looks like a classic case of interviews being taken way out of context.

From the trailer, I get the feeling that the movie is trying to say it's natural for adult men to be attracted to teenage girls. Honestly, I do think it's natural to be attracted to youth. However, in a modern society, it's not ok to pursue teenagers for marriage and especially not for casual sex. I think most people agree with this but some dumb wannabe film maker decided to sensationalize this natural attraction to youth.

The image of a beautiful girl in a beautiful Angelic Pretty dress is very striking which is probably why it's being used to promote the movie. However, it's misrepresenting the fashion, which is totally unrelated to pedophilia. Maybe the people who made this movie googled "lolita" and found Angelic Pretty that way.

Using lolita fashion to promote a movie about pedophilia is so stupid and irrelevant because...drum roll...most guys are turned off by lolita fashion!! If men were attracted to lolita, then all the sad, single, boyfriend-hungry ladies out there would wear lolita. Lolita fashion gets comments like, "You lost your sheep!" Low-cut tops and push-up bras get real attention from men!

The lolita community is pretty annoyed about the poster. I am too!

Taylor Momeson Style

2012-02-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite style icons lately is Taylor Momeson. I've wanted to blog about her for a while--she is featured in gyaru magazines periodically, so it is relevant! :) She's most famous for being on Gossip Girl but her band, the Pretty Reckless is gaining popularity as well. (I saw them open for Evanesence and briefly wrote about the concert here) She's young but already has mad style.

I love her apologetically edgy rock style. She is truly rock and roll! I love almost everything she wears. She often wears actual stripper shoes, which I love her even more for!

She sometimes gets criticized for her provocative clothing and I've even seen her on "worst dressed" lists (which are pathetic, btw). Fortunately for her style admirers (like myself) she continues dressing in her amazing, distinctive style!

There are some "steal her style" websites that tell you where you can get clothes she wears. I didn't even know these types of sites existed until I searched for pics of Taylor's outfits. There are lots of sites like this, just google "[Someone's name] style."

http://momsenstyle.com/

http://stealherstyle.net/taylor-momsen/

To hear her speak on her style is interesting. She talks about her style with MTV here. Also, Coco Perez (the blog) quoted her as saying:

"It's flattering, but it's weird. People have my haircut, my make-up, they literally look like a version of me. It's cool to be inspired by someone, but I think you've got to find a way to make it your own and not just copy."

Agreed! Let's just be inspired by Taylor! :P

Lolita meet at Rose Tea

2012-02-05T18:14:00.000-08:00

In January, I was lucky to go to ~two~ lolita meets. This was the daytime one where we actually made a point to take photos! It was organized by the beautiful Shannon from ~~Chicago~~ ~~Milwaukee~~ the Midwest.

Organizing was probably a huge pain for Shannon because we kept changing the location but ended up at the lovely Rose Tea on Irving St., which is a tea house+flower shop combo. We had the place to ourselves and there was even a ~~penis~~ piano player.

There were so many of us that they did the fudz buffet style instead of plated.

We took individual shots, which I thought was a good idea. Luckily no one was too shy!

Our hostess!

The shop owner trying to photobomb!

This is Nikki, she's rad! :)

Too white! Not right!

My outfit:

JSK: Angellic Pretty

bolero: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

shoes: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

socks: the crappy variety store on Clement St. XD

bow: Baby the Stars Shine Bright

wig: Gothic Lolita Wigs

I didn't realize it until just now but I was the only one in a wig. I love wigs with lolita! It's been a controversial issue in lolita. I think natural hair looks good, too. :)

It was a fun meet. Sometimes I get nervous meeting new people. I worry that everyone has their own group of friends and isn't receptive to meeting new people (or me specifically!). I can be pretty aloof, so I can't really take it personally if no one wants to be my bud. Anyway, this meet was pretty nice.

I want to start attending more lolita meets, so I get a chance to wear the stuff I already own. I'm actually pretty lucky to live in SF, where we actually have girls who are into this quirky little fashion. :)

MacWorld and my much-complemented and photographed outfit

2012-02-01T19:22:00.000-08:00

yay!

Last week, I went to the MacWorld/iWorld expo thing and it was pretty interesting. It's a convention for people who are into Apple products, etc. They have different panels all day long as well as the big expo floor.

Steve Jobs sometimes made appearances at MacWorld, so he was greatly missed this year.

r.i.p. Steve!

Even tho I grew up in "Silicon Valley," I'm not a diehard Apple fangirl, although I use a Mac, iPhone, etc. I got a free pass for the event, so I decided to go. I thought it might be good for networking but I was too shy to ask anyone about job stuff. :/

It's real, I checked!!!

I went to a few different panels most were pretty interesting. I missed the one I most wanted to attend "Photography for iPhones." D: Wouldn't that have been amazing?? Especially since I refuse to carry a real I phone around with me. Oh well.

The conference was pretty low on women, aside from the "booth babes." Maybe men are still more nerdy than women. Glass ceiling! I'd definitely recommend MacWorld to any single woman looking for a man. The men outnumber the women by about 75 to 1.

Booth babes

oh no they didn't!

Quit photobombing, you booth dude!

These girls were way cute! I'm pretty sure they took turns with the cape and helmet. :)

This table was so boss!

Most of the stuff on the expo floor wasn't that exciting, tbh. There were lots of different types of iPad covers and speakers but nothing to knock your socks off. There were a few things that caught my eye...

Aren't these rad?? But they were $78 with no event discount. :(

The four other women in this pic were some of the only women I saw all day!

In case you were wondering...

hat/jacket/shirt/leg warmers: H&M

hoodie: Target

tights: Music Legs

shoes: Jeffrey Campbell

bag: Kimchee Blu (Urban Outfitters)

I'm glad I went for the experience. It's fun to participate in the local techie culture.

January update

2012-01-31T18:55:00.000-08:00

I've been a pretty bad blogger lately. TBH, I've been hesitant to post anything online, especially my own ugly face. I got some hate on g_s and I don't really want to become a fixture there! I know g_s doesn't matter but I know bullying can escalate and I don't want to have to deal with it. Blah!

Lately, life has been pretty normal but good. Going to lots of shows, working, looking for a new job, shopping, went to MacWorld and I've been to a couple of lolita meets. I have ideas for blog topics. I'll have to get on that and ignore the haters!

January is OVER! Let's make February AWESOME!! XD Take care, everyone! :)

^This last pic is actually pretty appropriate for how I've been feeling about online stuff!

Music Monday: Thee Cormans

2012-01-16T23:40:00.000-08:00

This week, my favorite show (that I saw) was Thee Cormans at the Hemlock. They're surf/punk/garage. They were really funny and dressed up like... I don't know what! A monster, a witch and a gorilla!

Their merch was really funny too. They sold a Penthouse magazine in a celophane bag with a sock that had "Thee Cormans" screen-printed on it.

They did talk a lot of sh*t about San Francisco, that was my only complaint, haha!

Definitely check out Thee Cormans!

http://www.myspace.com/theecormans

(Sorry, this post has like no text! Just wanted to do a quick post before it's no longer Monday! :P)

Studded Sneakers

2012-01-13T13:04:00.000-08:00

I was inspired to try adding studs to my old pink Converse. I've noticed the studded+spiked shoe trend bouncing around and I thought it seemed pretty punk rock, so I thought I'd try it.

Mine are a little different, I decided to askew the studs and include the smaller, baby sized ones. I'm pretty happy with the result!

I bought the studs and spikes at a local shop (the super slutty New York Apparel, which I love) but then I discovered that they are way cheaper in bulk online. Oh well. It was an experiment, so I guess it was smart not to invest in a lot at once. I only spent around $11 total, which was enough for my Converse and some heels (not shown, obv.).

I tried walking around in my Converse when I ran some errands. I was afraid the spikes would poke my feet, but they didn't at all. However, my sock did get caught when I took them off. :P

The only thing I don't like is that I didn't put more spikes toward the top. From above, you don't really see the studs. If you stud your sneaks, I'd advise more studs on top! :)

Music Monday: Metal Shop

2012-01-09T13:46:00.000-08:00

Metal Shop is an amazing glam metal tribute band! They are a local band but I recently saw them for the first time at the Red Devil Lounge. It was a super fun show which I, of course, loved because I love glam metal and they played some Mötley Crüe.

The audience was mainly rock chicks (some younger than others :P) which made me very happy!

My outfit that evening...

top: Urban Outfitters
pants: Urban Outfitters
chain belt: Morgan (from Paris!)
shoes: Jeffrey Campbell ZUP

[BTW, Thanks to everyone who gave me concrit on my last outfit post!! To the person who made rude comments, please post photos of yourself so I can see an example perfect beauty and style. :) ]

Definitely check out Metal Shop if you're at all interested in 80's metal!
http://www.metalshopsf.com/

Gyaru wig experiment

2012-01-06T14:52:00.000-08:00

I always feel like my hair isn't gyaru enough. To be more accurate, my hair isn't gyaru at all! I'm not good at styling it and TBH I worry about damaging it because it's already so chemical damaged. Anyway, I do have some wigs that I seldom wear, so I had the idea to try them on with my favorite outfits.

So this is my favorite outfit. I usually wear something along these lines: mini skirt or shorts, tank top or t-shirt, boots, motorcycle jacket or leopard jacket.

top: Misfits (present)
skirt: Target
boots: DreamV
necklace: TuTuHa
hairbow: Claire's
leopard jacket: Macy's
motorcycle jacket: H&M

[Disclaimer: Oops, the flash washed out most of my makeup. Plus, my nude lipstick makes me look like I don't have lips at all! But obviously, that's the look I was going for: lipless. :P ]

Ok, so the photo above shows my outfit with my typical non-hairstyle. I tried wearing wigs to see if they'd "gal-ify" my outfit. I think it worked pretty well! What do you think?

blonde wig: Cyperous
light brown: Gothic Lolita Wigs

I thought my outfit looks pretty good with the wigs! I think I look more passable as gyaru. It inspires me to wear the wigs more often. I think the brown (or "milk tea") colored wig looks best on me. The blonde is too close to my skin color or something.

I decided to try the wigs with another outfit, but I don't know how this one came out.

top: Hot Topic

shorts: Wet Seal

boots: Jeffrey Campbell

hat: H&M

leg warmers: H&M

bow: Icing

This one? I don't know. The wigs don't seem to match this outfit, not that this outfit looked very gal in the first place, but still. The dumb little bow doesn't help, either, I don't think.

This little experiment--wearing my normal clothes with wigs--has made me feel braver about wearing wigs with casual clothes. Normally, I just wear wigs for special occasions or with lolita. Wigs seem costume-y for some reason. Also, the last time I wore a wig (in the Mission with PinkSugarIchigo) some stupid old man harassed us. But no more! I'll be brave. :)

I actually would appreciate some advice on this! I thought about posting to everyday_gyaru but then I'm open to getting on g_s. Oh well. What do you think? Do the wigs work?

My Nail Fail

2012-01-05T12:10:00.000-08:00

Yuuuuuck!

I have a new respect for people who do acrylic nails, especially their own! I bought a starter kit for acrylic nails, thinking it would be super easy (especially since I'm pretty crafty) but they came out super wonky. The kit came with a little dvd of instructions which made it look extremely easy.

Aspire for non-sh*tty results!

I ended up making them super short because it was really difficult to even glue them on straight, so I made them short an rounded to camouflage the crookedness. The worst part is the acrylic itself came out really, really lumpy.

This photo looks super gross. Maybe a little too gross. Don't vomit!

Oh, well. At least I tried something new! :) I may attempt it again.

In December, I was been better about doing my nails and not being super lazy. Here are some of my nails. In case you're wondering, I bought a special thick polish to hold on to the rhinestones.

The polish is black with red sparkles

Black polish with gold glitter and rhinestones

The tiger stripes looked janky so I added flowers!

I even bought a nail wheel to practice designs. Not surprisingly, it's much easier to do nails not on your own hand! :P

not pro yet, but it's fun to practice :)

How about you? Have you ever tried acrylic or gel nails yourself? How did it go??

Live to Win!

2012-01-01T21:13:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year! Coincidentally, my blog is one year old today! Yay! One of my resolutions from 2011 was to start a blog. At first I was afraid to even post my photo.

I hope everyone had a fun night last night and is getting their year off to a good start. I want to share my New Year's resolutions and goals.

But first, some inspirational words from the Starchild...

This year, I will...

1. Find a job in my career field/relevant to my education!

2. Blog more often + Make better blog posts + Find and follow cool blogs!

3. Improve my style, makeup and hair!

4. Make new friends + Build friendships!

5. Slim down and maintain weight + Exercise regularly + Join a gym + Yoga class + Eat more veggies!

6. Volunteer more time to charitable organizations!

7. Be a better wife! <3

8. Rhinoplasty!

9. Travel + Go to Japan + Go to Spain with hubby + See the world!

10. Do things that make me happy + Follow my dreams + Live to win!

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There are also things that aren't necessarily resolutions or goals but things I want to do. I have a lot of random hobbies that I want to participate in more. For example, I have several lolita outfits that I never get a chance to wear. I want to start going to loli meets so I can dress up and maybe even meet people who have the same interests as me. Also, I thought it might be cool to host a gyaru meet, although I'm not a super planner. I made a list of the things I want to do.

But first, a hopeful message from my favorite garage rock rabbit.

List of things that I enjoy doing that I want to do more of in 2012:

reading
wear wigs
Japanese class
roller-skating
rock climbing
pole dance class
sewing
crafts
decorate apartment
attend lolita meetups
attend Blythe meetups
meet up with other gyaru

Ok, that's about it for now. Let's make this year awesome! :)

Charlie Brown Japantown and Japanese Christmas Cake

2011-12-21T11:32:00.000-08:00

I was in Japantown the other evening. I was hoping they're be some sort of light display but they had very, um, humble decorations!

They really went all out!

In fairness, it was probably a group of volunteers that did this!

Festive!

Identities have been changed to protect the innocent!

Just to give some perspective, City Hall looks like this:

Go Giants!

This appeared to be snow although I'm not totally sure what snow looks like.

In Mitsuwa Marketplace (home of the famous banana taco), they actually had Christmas cake. In Japan, they don't really do cookies. The only cookies I saw when I lived there were Oreos and Famous Amos-type chocolate chips. Cakes are popular tho. Anyway, on Christmas they have a cake.

There is an old expression I heard from a friend's mom. In Japan they refer to unmarried women over 25 as "Christmas cake" because, as my friend's mama told me, "No one wants a piece after the 25th!" Haha! That's so wrong! It's actually an out-dated term because the average marriage age for women is quite high: 27. That's much higher than the U.S., which is only 23.

craft fair, circle lenses, nude lipstick and failed lashes

2011-12-20T13:07:00.000-08:00

Snowing in SF! :D

This weekend, I went to the yearly Renegade Craft Fair. The fair was ok but I didn't buy anything. I stopped going to craft fairs a while back because there is always so much overlap. There are always several booths that sell the same stuff, like delicate silver jewelry, felt plushies, and notebooks made with the covers of old books. Then there are always a few booths that sell the "Uh, I could make that" items.

Oh Mama, I'm in fear for my life from the long arm of the law...

...Hang Man is coming down from the gallows and I don't have very long.

This time there were actually some unique things. One woman had vintage globes (as in models of planet earth) with decoupaged images on them. Another guy was selling wooden neckties; those were kooky but cool.

I'm surprised a rabbit didn't hop on over and chew on my legs.

Top: Forever 21
Shorts: Wet Seal
Tights: Leg Avenue
shoes: Jeffrey Campbell Vitas
Purse: Black Peace Now

I liked the outfit I wore this day, although it emphasized my carrot legs (tiny ankles, big thighs).

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I also wore new circle lenses (Princess MiMi) and my new nude lipstick (MAC Gaga Viva Glam).

Finally using Photobucket's dorky stamps

I bought months and months ago but never opened the package. I like the color a lot; it blends nicely with my natural "bouncy brown" eye color. XD

The lipstick was on the recommendation of the awesome Samispoon. I tested out every recommendation that I received on my Lime Crime post but this one matched my skin the best. Plus, I felt good about buying it since the money goes to charity!! Viva la Viva Glam! Thanks Sami!

"Gaga II" lipstick and "Naked" lip pencil

It was my first time trying a Mac product. One of my childhood BFFs now works as a professional makeup artist. She warned me against using Mac. She says that Mac products have high pigment (why everyone loves them) but the actual quality of the ingredients is poor. I figured lipstick was ok because it rubs off so soon anyway.

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Over the summer, I tried Dolly Wink's Baby Cute eyelashes. I thought they looked pretty good on me but I didn't want to spend $17 on new lashes. I had the idea to recreate the look by just cutting up some larger lashes. I thought they looked ok so I wore them to work... but I didn't receive any compliments!

I look stoned in the 3rd photo but it's just because I was tired!
Sorry to distract you with my (fake) wedding photo... I needed to explain why I'm so squinty happy!

It's obvious from the picture that my home-made lashes are too thick but IRL, it didn't seem that different. If I venture to do it again, I'll use thinner lashes. Or just drop $17 on Dolly Wink lashes again! :P

Music Monday: Astro Zombies and Thee Swank Bastards

2011-12-19T15:09:00.000-08:00

This week, my favorite show was The Swank Bastards with the Astro Zombies at Benders. The idea of a cover band used to bother me and certain types still do. As long as a band is not playing covers simply because they can't think of their own songs, I can dig it. Nouvelle Vague, for example, is very interesting; they do french-y bossa nova covers of 80's new wave songs. I also like female tribute bands, like AC/DShe. But anyways...

Astro Zombies

Astro Zombies are a straightforward Misfits cover band. (I assume everyone knows the Misfits! They're one of the most widely known punk bands ever, along with Black Flag.) They didn't dress like the Misfits but instead painted themselves like skeletons with glow-in-the-dark paint. It was a cool effect but they were only glowing if they were facing the black light (and there was only one). I was impressed that they played the song "Earth A.D." It's a fairly challenging song but a crowd favorite.

Intermission...

I was trying to show off my new circle lenses but I got distracted by the moustache someone stuck to the mirror!

Thee Swank Bastards

Thee Swank Bastards are a surf band from Las Vegas. They play some original songs but are famous for playing metal covers. The last time I saw them (at the Tiki Hut) they played a full set of Black Sabbath. Their other defining feature is their go-go dancer. She dances with a hula hoop. It's really cool! I ended up taking a hundred photos of her!

The band was pretty good. I like their music and watching the hooper girl. They kept making really gross, offensive jokes between songs, including baby murder/rape jokes. The jokes were supposed to be "so bad they're funny," but they were just gross. I will spare you the worst of the worst but just to give you an idea...

What has eight legs and doesn't molest children?
What?
The Jackson Four!

What's the difference between the showers at the state penn and Penn State?
What?
Nothing!

Why do Italian men grow out their mustaches?
Why?
To look like their mothers.

No one was really into the jokes; if anyone actually found them funny they didn't show it! Some people got annoyed and shouted "Shut up!" "Play some music!" The bassist said something like, "Hey, do I harass you at work? I don't go throw rocks at you when you're mowing the lawn." rofl! That was actually the funniest thing he said all night.

thanks followers & day with the gals :)

2011-12-15T13:37:00.000-08:00

Wow, 100 followers! Thanks everyone! When I started blogging, my goal was simply to meet cool people that were into gyaru and I've been fortunate enough to actually do that, both IRL and online. ^-^

supposedly Christmas shopping...

Last Friday, I hung out with Janis and Mikko. We were supposed to be Christmas shopping, but I ended up only getting stuff for myself. Well, I did purchase one gift but it was the wrong thing so naturally I decided to keep it for myself!! XD

Just for the record: despite how these photos may appear, I am not a tall person! I am 5'5.5". I am exactly the average height for an American woman!

comparing my sad little Sephora purchase to Mikko's big big ol' purchases

at King of Thai Noodle

Janis with her big ol' camera

sucking in the food baby

adoptable kittens on display at Macy's

hotel collection

looking derpy in the famous art deco bathroom

unusually bright in the non-famous bathroom

testing out new lipstick in the furniture department! XD i did it, too!

beautiful Union Square

On thing that bugs me and I must mention... I know I didn't look gyaru this day! I look like... a typical San Franciscan: vaguely trendy with expensive shoes, bold accessories and more than one H&M item. I did get complimented by similarly dressed girls, tho. Haha! The only gyaru part of my look is circle lenses and false eyelashes. Lately, I haven't been dressing recognizably gyaru. Janis always looks gyaru, I need to be more like her! Ok, rant over.

Blah. Thanks for following me. Please introduce yourself if you haven't already, especially if you live in the B.A.! :)

Music Monday: MC Hammer and Witchaven

2011-12-12T13:35:00.000-08:00

It's 1990! Yes, that's right, I witnessed none other than MC Hammer this week! Hahaha! No, I didn't intentionally go see Hammer. He DJ'd at a Christmas party I attended.

Please Hammer, don't hurt em!

It was my hubby's company party but I'm not totally sure if I can talk about the party because sometimes the company is really secretive. They rented out Pier 48, so it was HUGE and POSH!

It was so unfair, they took the photo without warning us!

They rented cute furniture to lounge on, a big dance floor, little food stations (with a bazillion oysters, grosssss!) and open bar. Oh! And coat check. I usually don't get to check my coat, so I was happy.

Oooh!

One of many little seating areas

dancefloor

I am vegan but I was bad and tried one... bad decision. Oysters are nas-tay!!!!!

MC Hammer DJ'd for part of the night and walked around the dance floor rapping and dancing. It was very entertaining and everyone was SUPER into it. I kinda caught Hammer fever during the party although I can barely remember him the first time around.

"2" Legit

After the party, we went to the Metallica after-party* at the Parkside. More than one person asked why we were dressed up!

OMG, the best name ever for a SF Metallica fan club! Haha!

*Metallica had four 30th Anniversary shows at the Fillmore this week for members of their fan club. The band is actually from San Francisco, so their being here was not a big deal. The shows WERE a big deal, though, because people flew in from all over the world! They had crazy guest artists like Death Angel and even Dave Mustane! :D

We came late, so we only saw the last band, Witchaven. Witchaven was actually really good! They got a huge pit going and it took up the whole floor, all the way up to the bar.

Had to lighten it... Maybe it's time to buy a "real" camera!

In addition to the bands selling t-shirts, there was a girl selling re-make band shirts for girls. In addition to shirts and skirts, she had leg warmers and fingerless gloves. I'm a huge fan of fingerless gloves, so I bought (or, rather, had my hubby buy me) Death Angel fingerless gloves. I love them!!

Please excuse the Instagram!!

The name of her brand is Indecent Designs.
http://www.facebook.com/indecentdesigns
http://www.etsy.com/shop/indecentdesigns

If you're wondering about what I wore... yeah, it's totally not my normal style! (INB4: That's not gyaru.) Or my normal hair! I bought both the dress and the cardigan at the Bettie Page store on Haight. I just wanted to try something different, at least for one night. ^-^

Cute outfit, bad photo!

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This week's "Music Monday" got a little off topic! It was mainly about the fancy party and my outift! :/ Oh well.

I hung out and shopped with the lovely Janis and Mikko on Friday and I'll blog about that soon!

Slutty tights

2011-12-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

I really suck at Gimp. I need Photoshop!

Yay! My cute tights! Recently I got two pairs of tights with garter pattern. Both are Leg Avenue. The first is from Foxy Lady Boutique, the second is from Dollhouse Bettie. Both are small, independent lingerie shops here in SF. There are a bunch! I should do a post about them.

The lighting was so weird, I tried to make it better....

I had to resort to the "2005 MySpace angle" shot.

I love patterned tights! I own about a million pairs, so these tights aren't particularly noteworthy. I'm just excited about them. :)

I was inspired to look for garter tights when I saw these pics:

When I was in middle school, my mom didn't let me wear fishnets. She said they were "tart-ish" which is funny because I've never heard someone called a tart, except when they used to call Britney Spears a "pop tart."

Do you have patterned tights? Does your mom call you a tart? :P

Instagram fun!

2011-12-08T14:21:00.000-08:00

I'm such a dork! I discovered the joy of Instagram this past weekend and got really, really excited about it! I've been taking photos wherever I go and even sometimes at home! Haha!

TBH, it's pretty hipster-ish. Most of the photo filters make the photo look super dark, red and old. It's as though it was designed for spoiled, moody, pseudo-intellectual tweens who get an iPhone on their 11th birthday. And yet I love it! :D

This is when I finally discovered you can put a border around photos. :P

If anyone has an Instagram account, please tell me your username!
Or you can just add me! My username is "bouncybrown!!" :)

let's be photo nerd friends!!!

Lime Crime review: eye primer and lipstick

2011-12-06T13:07:00.000-08:00

Too adorable!!

Lime Crime is a cute, indie cosmetics brand I've run across online a few times. They make mainly lipstick, eye primer and a brand new lip gloss. They are most famous for their crazy lip colors, like mint green. On cyber Monday their products (minus the new lipgloss) were 25% off, so I ordered a lipstick and eye primer.

Eye primer

Just some background: I use eye primer everyday and have tried many different brands. My current favorite is Kat Von D's eye primer in Stellar and Skin. My second favorite primer is Benefit's Lemon Aid. Eye primer is a beauty product I love and get overly excited about.

Yes, I own all three!

The Lime Crime primer comes in an adorable mint green little pot. Unfortunately, the pot doesn't screw on or off very well. The lid is difficult to get on or off but at the same time the lid is always loose. When I opened it for the first time, it looked cracked and maybe even dried out. Maybe they should use a normal screw top instead of a loose lock-and-load

My big problem with it is that it doesn't work well. At the end of the day, my liquid eyeliner was smudged and creased on my eyelids. My first thought when I saw myself in the mirror was "That's weird, this has never happened before." Even plain foundation doesn't smudge like this.

And, no, I did not do smoky eye this time!

I hate to give a bad review to an independent brand but I have to be truthful! Sadly, I cannot recommend the eye primer.

Lipstick

Recently, I have been hunting down the perfect shade of nude lipstick. On Lime Crime's Facebook wall, someone posted a photo of herself wearing the peachy nude "Coquette" color. It looked amazing on her, so that's when I decided to try it.

Here I'll compare to other nude lipsticks I've tried recently. It'll be an informal "makeup battle" like I did when I first started blogging.

L'oreal "Fairest Nude" . NYX "Circe" . Lime Crime "Coquette"

Obviously, Lime Crime wins in the packaging category! They also win in the name category!

The Lime Crime lipstick seemed to be of pretty good quality but the color was not quite what I was hoping for. It doesn't look great against my pale, pinky skin. Maybe it would work best on someone with olive undertones. I'll still use, but I'll have to blend it with other shades.

NYX is actually the best against my skin tone, it may even be too perfect of a match. Sometimes I blend it with the L'oreal. L'oreal is just ok. It seems to be of good quality and the color is nice and natural but definitely not a true nude. It's like the color of lips without lipstick.

TL;DR: Skip the Lime Crime eye primer--it smudges. Try the lipstick if you see a shade you like.

Music Monday: Beady Eye and Midnight Chaser

2011-12-05T13:14:00.000-08:00

Oh hi there! Why yes, this is a beer with a straw. Not mine, of course!

Week three of Music Monday, Yesss!

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Who else?

Friday night we saw Beady Eye at the Regency Ballroom. Beady Eye is basically 3/4 of Oasis, they're just missing Nooeeeel. The show was just ok. They didn't have people dancing but it was a decent, albeit sweaty show. We went mainly to hang out with friends. TBH, it felt like kind of a rip off. Tickets were pretty expensive but the opener (which I missed) only played for 30 minutes and Beady Eye only played for one hour. It's their first album so I guess they don't have that many songs. Not that I was dying to hear their 90's Britpop sound anyway.


Oooh! Pretty!

Liam, the singer, wore a long, army green coat and a scarf during the entire show. He got SUPER SWEATY!! At first, it was just his armpits and then it spread to his chest and looked like a sweat bikini. When he turned around, I saw that his entire back was soaked. It was pretty nasty. He walked off stage for a second and I was like, "Good, he's going to change his top," then he came back just as sweaty as before. He didn't even change before the encore! Yuck!

The pretty lights camouflaged his gross armpits!

I couldn't find their official myspace page, just fan pages. Their official page is here: http://www.beadyeyemusic.com/
They are good if you like Oasis but hate Noel! Haha!

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Midnight Chaser

On Saturday night, we saw Midnight Chaser at Benders. It was the night I discovered the joy of Instagram, so I have a bunch of dumb photos of the bar from that night. (I'll do a post about Instagram soon!) Benders is a really cool bar but it's pretty small for shows. I don't go to Benders very often but I like it! I like it as much as Thee Parkside and the El Rio and maybe even more than the Knockout.

The bartender punches an extra hole in the beer so you can drink with a draw! Haha!

Anyway, Midnight Chaser was awesome as usual! I've seen they play a few times and it's always fun. And I'm not just saying that because we are friend's with the guitarist! They sound like early metal, like Priest or the Scorpion or something.

Lots of brutal guitar! :)

Listen to them here and you'll see/hear what I mean:
http://www.myspace.com/midnightchasermetal

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I recently added an "about" page, did you notice it? :) I think I'm going to make a special page on my blog about the SF music scene, with links on resourced of where to see music and find out about music. Look for it soon! XD

GDGT, F21, Versace and Fringe!

2011-12-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to the gdgt expo and then went to F21 since they're open until 10. My hubby wanted the controversial Kurt Cobain Flipper tshirt! Cobain's estate threatened to sue F21 over the shirt so they took it off the website but it's still at the stores. It was a pretty dumb move to 1) make the shirt in the first place and 2) Put a photo of Kurt on the tag! Of course his estate will go after you. Plus, poor Flipper! I highly doubt they have lawyers but maybe they should sue F21!

I decided to take some photos as proof since I talked about how beautiful the store is in this post: http://bouncybrown.blogspot.com/2011/11/midnight-at-forever-21.html

This is the first floor, from the balcony. I found out that they'll be moving to the old Virgin Megastore, which is ginormous!

That reminds me. H&M still had some Versace stuff when I stopped by the other day!

Even tho it's H&M, they were still expensive so I skipped them. The purple one was cute but made my chest look super small!!

The GDGT expo was so-so. It was the kind of thing you only go to for free drinks. There were a bunch of electronics companies demonstrating--what else--gadgets.

This ball thing was the most entertaining but also the most annoying. You use your phone as a remote control.

The guy doing the demo was actually really reckless with it; I saw more than one person trip on it.

My tweet made it to the wall!

I tweeted about the ugly, bald ogre ushering the line outside. He was on a crazy power trip. Short man syndrome maybe? The event was really disorganized. They made people wait in line on the first level for over an hour and then let other people walk straight up to the top floor. After we got upstairs, the p.o.s. usher wouldn't let me stand with my husband. It was crazy.

I've been to a few events on the top floor of the Metreon before. It's not a bad Place to host an event! Cooler than the windowless Moscone Center! The view is really beautiful. The orange bldg is SF-MoMA!

I cut up my tshirt right before hopping on the bus! My hubby has a bunch of new unworn tshirts, he actually had two of these so I got one. :).

I've been wanting to make a fringe shirt for a while and then I saw the rad ones on Tumblr by Nikki Lipstick and decided to finally do it!

Dickens Fair

2011-12-01T16:59:00.000-08:00

I spent Black Friday at the Dickens Fair at the Cow Palace, it was actually really cool. Like the Renaissance Faire, the concept is super dorky but I enjoyed it a lot. Maybe it's because I enjoy the fashion so much. Plus there was drinking involved so that probably played a role. In fairness to Ren fans, i haven't been to a Ren Fair since I was a little kid and I remember enjoying it at the time.

I was a big ol dork and wore Lolita. A friend of mine wore Lolita last year or the year before with her steampunk bf last year and said it was a lot of fun. I wore my collar and muff (hehe) that I hadn't worn before.

Dress: Baby (can't see)

Jacket: Dream V

Shoes: Black Peace Now

Collar and muff: Baby

Headbow: Chantilly

Purse: Black Peace Now

Wig: Gothic Lolita Wigs (not in great shape anymore!)

Absinthe!! I am not a drinker but I wanted to try the absinthe. It's not the illegal kind because it doesn't have wormwood or whatever in it. I tried real absinthe in Paris and it looked like this:

Hahaha!

Anyway items a fun event, much different from my usual activities.

Oh! Look what was outside the Cow Palace. I wonder if this was someone who attended the Dickens Fair!

Music Monday: Woman bands

2011-11-28T20:44:00.000-08:00

This week, I want to highlight some all-woman bands I've seen recently. I get excited whenever I see an all-female band.

In the early/mid 90's, there were a lot of female-centric bands in the whole riot grrrl movement. (More, if you count the Spice Girls!) Unfortunately it seems like that was just a trend. Hopefully more girl groups will come out!

T.I.T.S.

Meat Sluts I'm so dumb! I didn't take a photo! I saw them at Spinal Tap night; they played "Big Bottom" but changed the words to "Big Scrotum" and tossed around fake scrotums. lol.

Turbonegra - They are--you guessed--a Turbonegro tribute band! I always daydream about starting an all girl tribute band (maybe Mötley Crüe?) so it was exciting for me.

Dum Dum Girls

Actually, I have seen a lot of guy/girl bands recently. Not the White Stripes, but the same idea. I think it's pretty romantic, I always imagine these groups as married couples, even though I know that's not always the case. :)

Little Hurricane

Mr. Gnome Again, I didn't take a photo! I've actually seen Mr. Gnome more than once. They are so good!

Boom Chick

Music Monday, week two! Yay! :P

Midnight at Forever 21

2011-11-25T21:47:00.000-08:00

I've never participated in the Black Friday madness before, but last night I went downtown for the midnight sales. It was nothing like I had imagined, but in a good way! ^-^ When I heard that Forever 21 would open at midnight, I really wanted to go, mainly just for the experience.

Just for those who don't know, the downtown San Francisco Forever 21 is no ordinary store. It is a huge, gorgeous, 3 story building. I think it used to be a bank or something. It's so beautiful, with high ceilings and fancy moldings on the gold ceiling. I used to think it was the biggest F21 in the world, but I met a girl from Texas who tells me that Houston has a Forever 21 that's as big as Macy's and even has baby clothes. O.O So I don't think San Francisco has the biggest F21, but I'm guessing that it's probably the most beautiful. And not because I am biased, of course!! :P

My husband dropped me off around 11:50PM and went to look for parking. I walked past the H&M and Urban Outfitters flag ship stores and there were lines for both. Later, I found out that H&M wouldn't open until 5:00AM and the people waiting just wanted a scratcher coupon. Whoa! When I got to F21, the doors were already open and there were people inside. Maybe F21 knows their clientele is ghetto and that fist fights will break out if they keep the ladies waiting.

I was excited to see the Hello Kitty stuff. I read about the line's release party in LA on someone's blog (sorry can't remember who) but I didn't realize it'd be up here yet!

I was a little disappointed when I realized that there was almost nothing on sale. There were a few select "yellow tag" items around the store for a discounted price as well as 15% off of random items. On the third floor there were bins of "buy one, get one free" items but they were total crap; there were weird t-shirts with raccoons or other ugly designs on them. The only thing I got that was on sale was a pajama set for $10 that was regularly $15.

When I was checking out, I was like, "I didn't even save any money... Why am I here?" But then I got a free bag for spending over $50 as well as a free notebook for buying a Hello Kitty collection item. Yay free stuff! Free s*** is good s***.

Next we went to Macy's and then Macy's Mens. I didn't get anything but my husband got some nice ankle boots for a decent price. The stores were crowded but not manic. Starbucks and the few restaurants that were open looked pretty crowded. I was in the mood for Jamba Juice but the line was pretty long.

I was surprised by how stylish all the shoppers were. I expected people to be in their pajamas (maybe the Best Buy crowd was!) but people were totally dressed to impress. Like a dummy, I left my iphone (aka my camera) at home, updating, so I don't have crowd photos. I was probably the sloppiest person there--in jeans and no circle lenses. Haha.

The mood of downtown was really nice. I was worried that every customer would be acting insane and the employees would be resentful. Instead, there was a happy holiday mood in the air. Some people were clearly intoxicated but I didn't see any angry drunks. Everyone seemed to know that it was crazy to be shopping at 3:00AM but it was fun, like being a kid up late with your parents after bedtime.

Thankful on Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T04:22:00.000-08:00

Because it's Thanksgiving, I've made a list of things for which I am thankful

(although I think people--myself included--should be thankful all year long)!!

1. I am thankful for a happy, loving, fun marriage to the person I love most. <3

*The person I love most is my husband, not Elvis.

2. I am thankful for my good health and the freedom from physical pain. (Both very important!)

This photo represents health? Yes!

3. I am thankful to live in a wonderful city that I love.

I saw this on my walk to the library!

4. I am thankful for the opportunity to travel.

*Just because I love my city, doesn't mean I can't love travel!

5. I am thankful that I got to meet new friends this year. (I am also thankful for my old, long-term friends!)

It's been a pretty good year, I can't complain! I lost my job, my nose is too big and I'm addicted to sugar but I am healthy and happy. I am truly a lucky duck. *quack quack* I hope next year is just as good!

Music Monday

2011-11-21T15:56:00.000-08:00

Music Monday will be my new weekly feature! I'll be writing about bands I've seen during the week.

In the past, I've tried and failed at having a regular feature on my blog. "Shop and Destroy" and then "Pink Friday" came and went. I admire Sara Mari and other bloggers who do it regularly. "Music Monday" will be easy because I see a lot of bands. I go out almost every night of the week, so I can write about at least one or two

As anyone who has read my blog knows, I love rock and roll! Metal, Punk, Garage, Indie... I love it all, except, it seems, the rock bands that get played on Top 40 stations. Coldplay? *vomit* Maroon 5? *vomit* Red Hot Chilli Peppers? *vomit**vomit**vomit* My sincerest apologies to anyone who likes them!

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The first band I will document is Obscura, a death metal band from Germany! I saw them last night.

To me, death metal is like pizza... it's always good, even when it isn't that good. That's how much I like the genre. I can enjoy death metal, even if the band isn't extraordinary. Music like rap or hip hop, on the other hand? It's almost always unbearable to me. Unless a hip hop musician is incredibly creative and talented and special, I cant stand the music. Even then, I usually hate it.

Obscura was pretty good, even by death metal standards. The singer did some of the guttural, Cookie Monster singing that is standard to the genre, but also more melodic singing. There were five bands total, some local. Because of the number, the bands didn't play for very long--it seemed like the set up time between bands was as long as their set.

The show was at the DNA lounge, which I very rarely go to. They have a goth dance night most weeks, I think. It's a couple of doors down from Slim's.

The anticipation culminates as Obscura takes the stage.

Obscura performs, their hair blown by unseen winds. ;)

If you're interested in their music, check, them out on MySpace music:
http://www.myspace.com/realmofobscura

Just a word about MySpace: Everyone makes fun of MySpace for being an outdated social networking site. Yes, no one uses MySpace anymore, but for music MySpace is the best! You can listen to playlists of FULL songs from most bands. Facebook totally sucks when it comes to music.

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Unrelated to the show, but somewhat metal:

My husband, a friend and I went to Rocket Fish in Portrero Hill before the show. My husband got this toxic cocktail that had all manner of disgusting stuff in it. We don't usually take photos of our food, but we both thought this was worthy of documenting. :) Yuck!!

Natural Gyaru Eyes

2011-11-20T15:36:00.000-08:00

This may have been obvious to everyone else, but I noticed in this month's Egg that every model had eye makeup in only natural colors. No matter how crazy or extreme their style, they had natural colored eye makeup. They didn't use bright eyeshadow, instead they let their clothes and hair be colorful.

Top Right: When did you pierce your face, Janis? :P

This revelation inspired me to try more natural makeup, instead of pink or black or gold eyeshadow, like I have been known to do. I bought this E.L.F. eyeshadow pallette in "Natural" at Target and have been playing with it this week.

It's not the highest quality makeup in the world, but it's good for playing around. The main thing I don't like is the ~~stench~~ smell. It smells slightly like moth balls. The "pro" is that it's incredibly cheap and has magnets in it, so it stays closed.

This is how I did my makeup today... slightly too dark but I'm fairly happy with it.

I dyed my hair...

2011-11-18T10:54:00.000-08:00

...and it looks EXACTLY THE SAME!

Yes, this is the "after" picture.

I've been dying my hair the same color for about a year and a half. I wanted to dye it a cooler blond color, but I guess my current color is not ready to go! I'm afraid I'll have to bleach it to change the color. :(

The only reason I even kept the color this long was that I was waiting to dye it until after Halloween, so I could go as Axl Rose. :)

OT, but has anyone noticed that Axl has a perfect nose!? You should see his profile, too. It's a perfect, Barbie doll, ski slope nose. >u< Cuuuuute!

For now, I'll have to use wigs to change my hair color. Issoke, I love wigs.

Unworn Wigs and Japantown Junk

2011-11-11T21:16:00.000-08:00

I love wigs. I guess I'm afraid to wear them out of the house. I worry that they'll fall off or that people will stare. In high school, I wore a wig for a spirit day and totally got harrassed. One ass wipe even tugged on it!! Anyway, here are some wigs that I've acquired recently.

#1: The Chubby Blonde Gyaru

This is a Cyperous wig that I bought from Glamorous Sky. It's a good style (and definitely feels gyaru) but the color doesn't totally suit me. It sounds crazy but I think this color makes me look fat. Also, it doesn't seem quite long enough. I think it's my big American head.

#2: The Dark Brown Charlie's Angel

This wig (and the next) is from Wig Factory here in San Francisco. I think the color (dark brown) and style really suit me. I took a chance buying this one because the display model was a different color but I wanted to buy a dark brown wig so my honey could see what I looked like with dark hair. He'd been bugging me about trying a darker shade and I think he liked the wig. This wig actually makes me consider dark brown hair, although I will probably maintain my light brown loyalty!

#3: The Chubby Blonde Cosplay Exotic Dancer

This wig is also in "chubby blond" but I love the thickness of it. I don't know how attractive it is on me, but I really like it. I think I need to do something to make it look more realistic. When I first tried it on, I thought I looked like an exotic dancer (but fatter) but this photo almost makes me look like I am cosplaying or something.

Pin has a super helpful video on wigs here.

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I went to J-town (or N-machi, lol) yesterday to get like one thing from Daiso and ended up buying a bunch of stuff at Ichiban Kan and Daiso. Plus, I went to Kinokuniya and was dumb there, too.

This is my ~~junk~~ treasures. I put on my fluffy socks (bottom of photo) before taking this photo. I highly recommend them, especially if you live somewhere cold, like San Francisco! Actually, of everything I got, I was most excited about my Hello Kitty earwax cleaner! When I lived in Japan, I learned that no one uses q-tips to clean their ears (doctors say not to anyway) but they use a special tool.

At Kinokuniya, I bought three magazines. Actually two are more like mooks.

I was really disappointed with Nuts and Jelly, which used to be some of my favorite gyaru magazines. I looked through them and every outfit seemed way too "mature." I know I'm ~~old~~ on the older side for gyaru and maybe should start dressing mature, but I'm not ready! I want to wear fun stuff.

The thing that I initially liked about gyaru was that it was a fun style--even among the different styles there seemed to be an element of fun. These more mature styles are just boring to me. Sorry, I know a lot of people love these styles but to me, they just look like H&M clothes.

The Momoko mook/magazine I bought for the awesome illustrations. I think I'll actually frame some of them! The clothes are actually on the boring side. :/

Egg has some really cute, cool clothes this month. There is actually a manba model, too! I was surprised.

The other mook is just nail designs. If I had a scanner, I'd scan some pages. They're really cute!

Anvil!

2011-10-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Me with Lips! My arm is so fat! D:

Thursday night I saw Anvil, one of my favorite metal bands who are truly inspirational... it's such a corny word but it's true! In 2009, one of their fans did a documentary about this totally underrated band. They have never given up, never quit!

Gah! Just watch this trailer...

Anyway, they were totally awesome. They put on an awesome show. I saw them last year at the Fillmore and that show was awesome too. This time they played at the Red Devil Lounge, which is WAY smaller. Unfortunately Judas Priest was playing the same night so I think that's why they didn't get the attendance they should have. I've already seen Priest twice, plus Rob Halford on his own. They're good but... gotta love Anvil!

The opening band was Papa Wheelie, which is Jason Newsted's (from Metallica) new band. They were good too. Kinda... punk metal. I wasn't expecting to, but I really liked them!

And then.. Anvil! Lips jumped off the stage into the crowd during the first song and was in front of me! It was so exciting!

Yay Anvil!

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I thought I'd be blogging everyday after my job ended, but I'm just as sporadic as before! :P Oh well. At least I have time to read everyone else's blogs now. :)

The rock and roll life of a bouncy Martian

2011-10-22T14:59:00.000-07:00

The past week has been great! Well, good and bad, like life in general.

Last Friday night was super rad! Pinksugarichigo, Puakalehua and I went to Playground (food/drinks) and Festa (drinks/karaoke) in Japantown. I wore my new MA*RS outfit and hime wig. It was lots of fun!!

I'm glad I was brave enough to wear MA*RS out of the house, and without my hubbo! I always worry that I'll get harassed or arrested! Haha! In all honestly, I don't mind if people think I'm some sort of sex worker because people (women AND men) in the sex industry tend to look better than the average woman. They do their hair, nails, makeup and dress sexy... while most people wear flat shoes and tie their hair back.

Playground was interesting! With the lighting and music, it feels like a nightclub but it's more like a restaurant/pub. I even got carded on the way in! HAha!

Festa was way smaller and way more posh than I'd imagined. Drinks are like $16 each and it costs $2 per song to sing karaoke. The interior is beautiful; the upper walls and ceiling are black with little star-like lights and the back of the stage has a lit up city skyline. Most of the clientele was young professionals (aka yuppies!) but it was ok. No rude heckling or perverts!

The three of us sang "Home Sweet Home" by Mötley Crüe at the end. I was so happy that Janis and Jessica knew the words! I love the Crüe!! It was a fun way to end the night.

On Thursday, my hubbo and I went down to San Mateo for the weekly metal show at the Swingin' Door. It was fun! One band, Bomb and Scary, even had a scary clown, hahaha!

Before the show, we went to Sears at Tanforan to look for parts for our Halloween costume and we saw this...

...the Kardashians have a clothing line! 0.0 Ok, maybe I am sheltered by things like this because I live in San Francisco (a supposedly stylish city that's difficult to enter or exit), but I cannot imagine a single person who would want to support these women financially! Do they really have enough mass appeal to be in a nationwide department store? I am baffled.

Last night we went to Budget Rock at Bottom of the Hill to see my favorite band, Nobunny! I think I caught a glimpse of Nobunny without the mask he always wears (and never appears to wash, rofl) and it did somewhat kill the magic. I'll pretend I didn't see it--I'm not even sure if it was him.

The headliner was an old punk band called the Rip Offs. The funniest part of the evening was they when they said if someone came onstage and took off their clothes, they'd give the person a t-shirt. So THIS GUY did it, then they threw the t-shirt to some girl in the audience. Then the guitarist said, "Now THAT's a ripoff!" Hahaha! So mean!

This was another long week! My job is actually ending this week; it was just a contract job so it's to be expected. I'm not super sad about because my department was pretty weird and there wasn't a lot of opportunity for advancement. The good news is I can relax a little between jobs and I'll have more time to blog. On to the next adventure!

New header

2011-10-16T22:04:00.000-07:00

OMG, I have a new respect for you ladies/gents who make your own headers! I had access to Photoshop this evening, so I tried to make myself a new header/banner.

I like to think of myself as a fairly creative person, with a pretty good eye, but my header came out so sh*tty! It looks like a 9 year old with no hands or brain made it. Making a "collage" was probably a mistake, too. And I guess I'm obsessed with heart-shaped diamonds.

Even though I think it looks ugly, I'll keep it up for now. It will motivate me to make a decent one! Haha!

Last (Columbus) weekend

2011-10-14T20:49:00.000-07:00

It's the weekend!! I think I'll be responsible and do chores. Well... I will go out tonite, tho!

Last weekend was pretty awesome, tho. On Saturday, we went to Berkeley for rock climbing at Iron Works and vegan food at Saturn Cafe.

Then we spent the night in the South Bay to go to a friend's birthday in a hotel. It was actually fun, we stayed in a room a two doors down from my friend's suite and then we all had hangover brunch the next day. Sadly, no good photos were taken at the party. One up-the-skirt photo was posted on Facebook, for which I was PISSED but they took it down.

On Sunday we went to see Girls, a local band that is getting kind of famous.

Monday we went to see Evanesence in Oakland. I did NOT like Eveanesece and that concert did NOT convert me! However, the opening band, the Pretty Reckless was good. The singer is Taylor Momeson from Gossip Girl. She is so pretty and makes me want to go blond (and lose 30 lbs).

^^^This is how I dress most of the time: boots, tights, miniskirt, tanktop, motorcycle jacket. This day I wore my "hooker boots" (OTK patent leather) because they are also my "rain boots."

I hope this weekend is just as fun! Oh, I have to do a post about my Mars delivery!

Back in Black (and Pink)

2011-10-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

I'm back!! A lot has happened! In no particular order, I: spent a week in Paris, drank absinthe, got the flu, had my nails did, made a special trip to Berkeley for vegan Jeffrey Campbells, hung out with PinkSugarIchigo and Mint, tried decoden with epoxy, worked a lot and shopped a lot.

I haven't blogged in so long! I actually took my blog down for a while (not sure if many ppl noticed!). I wanted to reassess whether I even wanted to keep it up. Because of work, I didn't feel like I had the time. But then I decided I actually do like blogging and I have met some cool people through the blogging community, so I'll keep my blog up and running even though it'll be sporadic. Also, I need to be better at remembering to take photos! There are too many awesome things going undocumented. :P

Kat Von D love continues

2011-08-21T15:02:00.000-07:00

I'm still obsessed with Kat Von D, so I've been trying heavier, darker makeup. I like the results and I even got a compliment from some of the girls at Sephora so I think I'll keep trying (and improving) this look!

I know I look dumb but I wanted to show off my eye makeup! :p

Aside from family-related activities this weekend, I was able to make a side trip to Sephora.

Apologies for the phone pics!

It's amazing how quickly a tiny bag of cosmetics from $ephora can add up!! All I got was an eyelash curler, makeup primer and Kat Von D's eyelid primer.

I already had her eyelid primer in "Stellar" and liked it a lot. It's like a pale pink with a little but of shimmer. Since I'm so into darker makeup for the time being, I decided to get her primer in "Smoky."

See how a dark primer makes sense?

I follow Kat Von D on twitter and it sounds like she has new makeup coming out soon! I am so excited!! She also has a clothing line coming out that was in Seventeen magazine... more excitement! I used to hate the idea of celebrities (like Jennifer Lopez *vomit*) designing clothes, but Madonna's line at Macy's last year was super cute. As long as it's a celeb that I like, it's ok! :P

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I'm thinking of starting a "music monday" feature on my blog where I write about bands I've seen and like... but I don't know if that strays too far from what I want my blog to be about (fashion/cosmetics).

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I'm trying out Disqus... I don't know how much I like it so far! It seems like everyone uses it; I guess I just got on the sheep bandwagon or whatever.

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Haha!

"Too Fast For Love" Giveaway Winner!

2011-08-20T20:36:00.000-07:00

The winner of my first ever giveaway is... Lolo!! Congratulations Lolo!

(So pretty!) We've already been in contact and Lolo will get her winnings soon.

I'll try to have another giveaway when I reach a good landmark. :)

Thank you everyone who entered!!

Bela Lugosi's dead

2011-08-16T23:34:00.000-07:00

So random, I just found out it's Bela Legosi's death day today! Now, I'm listening to "Bela Legosi's Dead."

As a disclaimer, I'm not really into goth music, I just like this one song!! Goth is kinda... I don't know. I associate goth music with dorky Caucasian teenagers.

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Here's a photo of me the other day in my trucker hat from Zeitgeist (local bar) and my homemade fingerless gloves. I got a lot of comments (compliments?) on my hat. I think people thought I was a badass for hanging out at Zeitgeist although plenty of lame people go there. :P

pretty boss hat, right?

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Just another reminder about my giveaway, for those interested....

SF Gyaru meet

2011-08-14T20:58:00.000-07:00

Quick reminder: My "Too Fast For Love" giveaway ends this week! I'm extending the giveaway until the Friday because I can't make it to the post office until the weekend anyway! :P Enter here!

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Yesterday was so fun! I met Janis, Mikko and Alex in Japantown for the gal meetup. It was really cool just hanging out. They're so fun and pretty and stylish! I hope we can hang out (food/purikura/shopping/karaoke/etc.) again soon! :D

The one sad thing is we couldn't get ahold of Chaudie--the one who organized the whole thing! :( Sorry Chaudie! Next time, we'll exchange #s ahead of time!

Some of these are stolen from Janis (Sorry, Janis!) because I didn't actually get many photos with mySELF in them!

the fuud! My camera seems to make people shinier than they really are! :/

Mikko's awesome ink makes me want to get some even more!!

Leaning on the counter because my feet hurt!

Am I really that big?? I look like a giant!! Slut-zilla!

pretty girls!

Let's hang out again soooooon!

I can't curl my hair and I love dogs

2011-08-10T00:22:00.000-07:00

On Sunday, I tried to curl my hair but the curls didn't stay. It took forever, too! I used a large barrel curling iron, and used a lot of hairspray. Next time, I'm using aerosol hairspray; I'll see if that makes a difference! I teased the roots which helped to give my hair volume on the top. I used to be pretty good at teasing my hair back in my Amy Winehouse-wannabe days. (Poor Amy ;_;)

Believe it or not, this failed hairstyle took a long time!

We went to a BBQ at my husband's friend's place. There were a lot of dogs, which I appreciate since I really want one! There were three pugs and they ran around in a pack, like a gang, it was super cute.

It was impossible to photograph the pugs!

There were some preppy people at the BBQ and it made me realize how terrified I am of preps. It's as though there's something sinister lurking under the khaki and pastel exterior. Even when a preppy guy doesn't look downright evil, he looks like a bully from an 80's teen movie (like the jerk in Pretty in Pink).

After the BBQ, we went to Double Punch for a new gallery exhibit. We ended up buying a small framed print; we don't often buy art but it makes me feel cool and sophisticated when we do. :P

Yay Double Punch!

We then walked around North Beach (the old Italian district) and had dinner at Pinoccio's. It the least tourist-y Italian restaurant in the area. North Beach is what I'd imagine Paris was like in the 40's--a cool, charming neighborhood that had become so infested with uncool tourists that it had lost all of its charm decades earlier. The Upper Haight is becoming that way, too.

Classic San Francisco :)

The week has been pretty stressful so far, and it's not even Wednesday! It made me feel happy to blog about Saturday. :) Sorry if it was boring for everyone. :P

Online Persona (aka. Add me on Facebook!)

2011-08-07T12:37:00.000-07:00

http://www.facebook.com/bouncybrown

I want to write about the weekend so far but I want to write about a topic I've been contemplating... Do you separate your online life from your real life? Do you separate different areas and people in your life?

A girl that I met at the Baby event sent me a friend request on Facebook. I'd like to be her friend but I don't know if I want her in the same group as my co-workers, relatives, friends from high school, etc. It just feels awkward and embarrassing on BOTH sides, like I am 1.) exposing my weird hobby (dressing in lolita) to my co-workers and 2.) exposing my sometimes-dorky relatives to my new friend (lolita girl). I don't really want the different groups to mix....

I guess you could call it compartmentalizing, but I don't even like to mix up the different groups of people in my life. It sounds mean, but I don't want to be "friends" with my extended family (but I accepted because I felt bad declining them), professors (I was too scared to decline them), and people from elementary school (I guess I was feeling nostalgic when I accepted). I want my facebook account to be just friends I actually hang out with (or can in the future) or people who are interesting in some way. I wouldn't mind adding someone I just met that is cool or even an online friend... but it's weird when family and work and school are involved. If a friend were to post something random on my wall like "Hey bitch! Let's pound margaritas and shoplift at Sephora!" then my little cousins would probably take it seriously and tell my aunt who would call my mom who would get worried and call me. Do you see the potential mayhem? I would like to just exclude the people I can't 100% relax around. I know you can block your posts from people, but in my experience, they notice! Besides, I don't want to be mean or fake.

It's not a matter of "real friends" vs. random people. It's just keeping things separate. To be honest, my auntie adding me on Facebook was kind of the last straw. As soon as she added me, I stopped feeling comfortable uploading photos or even my status. I like her and all, but I don't want to reveal certain things about myself to her. Nowadays, I really only use Facebook for playing CityVille!

So... I started a new facebook account. (Just to be clear, it's not a fanpage!) I just wanted a separate place where I can add people I meet through gyaru, lolita, blogging or wherever. If you'd like to be friends, add me. As of now, I have zero friends on my new account... so you can be my first friend!

http://www.facebook.com/bouncybrown

Wild Weekend

2011-08-02T00:32:00.000-07:00

I'm tired but in a good way--it almost energizes me! I had a great weekend! I felt like I was really living.

Back in the first week of January, we went up to Santa Rosa to see a show with a group of friends. During dinner, a couple ppl were talking about times when they had stayed up super late for a concert, then got up only after a couple hours of sleep because they had to get to work and then doing that several nights in a row because there were just too many cool shows to see that week. It really inspired me. I mean, life is so short! There are a lot of cool, interesting, exciting, fun and even educational things to do out there and not a lot of time in which to do them. Don't get me wrong, I hate being tired but some things--like living life--are more important than sleep!

Gah, I sound so corny and new age-y. Let me tell you about my weekend... I know it's usually boring to read about someone's good time but I feel really happy thinking and writing about my non-stop, Red Bull-infused weekend.

Last week was super long (worked late and then went out a lot) but Friday was fairly relaxing. I worked only slightly late then my husband brought me dinner. My hime gyaru wig from Gothic Lolita Wigs arrived so I played around with it. Oh, and I blogged about my fake boobs that I hate.

The mirror shot and the flattering 2005-esque self shot

On Saturday, I got up really early to go to a soccer tournament in San Jose to see my honey play. Then we went to the Great Mall in Milpitas (I was somewhat of a zombie so I hardly bought anything). When we came back to the city, I planned out my lolita outfit for Sunday. Then we went to the Total Trash fest at the Parkside to see the Spits. It was a good but crowded and crazy show. Ppl were throwing bottles and at the end of the night the entire floor was COVERED in broken glass. You literally could not take a step without stepping on shards of glass. I was glad I was wearing heels with platforms!

I got this singer a beer and he was so happy he stopped and hugged me. lol

Sunday morning we got home fairly late (but before the sun rose, at least!). Then I got up at 8 so I could get ready for the BTSSB brunch at 10. I was really fun; I always like dressing loli and being around other cute girls who are dressed loli. I didn't go as a character (as was the theme) but I got to observe the other ladies who did. Unfortunately, I didn't win anything in the raffle ;_; but they gave everyone a tote bag and keystrap, so that cheered me up. ^-^

Of all the scenic places to take a photo, I chose this.

My consolation prize!

Afterward, my honey and I had lunch in Japantown and I bought the August issue of Ageha at Kinokuniya. (It's too bad I have no time to read it! :P ) After that we went to Stern Grove for beers and ballet with our friends. Ah, the ballet was so pretty! Then we came home for a power nap and went to Indian dinner with more friends.

At the top of the grove in my big furry hat and at the bottom of the grove with the ballerinas

It was a fun weekend! I hope to have many more similarly fun-but-jam-packed weekends!

fake boobs

2011-07-29T21:53:00.000-07:00

Today I am reviewing not makeup, but breasts! Actually, "bra inserts" is a more accurate and less misleading term. Either way, this post may turn out to be a bad idea! Hahaha!

I bought bra inserts at Victoria's Secret on a whim, just for fun. To be honest, they weren't cheap ($60), so it wasn't a very smart whim. I suppose whims are not smart in general.

These are gel inserts that you can put in a regular bra. They come in two sizes and the woman at the store told me she sometimes wears both at the same time. O.O VS sells a lot of bras that have padding or even gel but the appeal with these is supposed to be that you can use them in bras you already have.

Please excuse my not-enough-makeup face. I am definitely not a natural beauty! This was taken right after work and I AM wearing makeup, just not gyaru-level makeup (and no lenses, obviously). I wore t-shirts so you could see how lumpy (esp. in the white shirt) they look.

The Downside:
My first impression after trying them on was, "OMG, I look so fat!" Seriously, with them on, I look 10 pounds heavier. It makes sense when I think about it because breasts actually are fat. I don't have a very slender body, but I guess having a flat chest makes me look and feel smaller than I really am.

Aside from making me look like a chub-bub, I have a few more complaints about them:
1) They look low and wide. They don't push my boobs UP, they push my bra DOWN. A push-up bra gives you of higher, closer-together boobs. These, instead, give you bigger but lower boobs. These definitely do not create cleavage. In fact, they do the opposite--they add boobage to the sides of my chest so my boobs are closer to my arms.

2) They look lumpy. You can see a line across my boob where the bra is. The inserts fill up most of my normal bra and push the whole bra down, so my real boobs are hanging over top of the bra. They are also lumpy on the sides of my chest where the insert ends. I tried repositioning but eventually, that lump on the sides appears.

3) They hurt. The feel uncomfortable after wearing them for a while. They rubbed against my skin and actually left a red, itchy mark the whole area where they touched my skin. It was similar to how flip flops rub against the top of my feet (which is why i hate flip flops while other ppl adore them!).

The Upside:
If you had an evening gown that was too small in the chest, they'd fill you out and make the dress fit better... but they'd still be lumpy.

Um, that is the only positive aspect I can think of for these bra inserts. They might be ok with a sweater or something with very thick material but I would never suggest wearing them with a t-shirt. Of course, they might also be useful when you are playing a lumpy-breasted character in a play or something.

If you are contemplating implants, I'd reluctantly recommend trying them to see how you'd look and about how much boobage you want to add. You'll have to ignore the lumps and use your imagination. Of course, with your imagination, you can imagine what you wouldn't need bra inserts so maybe I don't recommend them after all.

The Verdict:
GUILTY... of making me feel fat and making my boobs look lumpy and low! Definitely NOT recommended!

And just so no one tells me how shallow I am for trying out fake boobs: I would never get real breast implants! Unless I were an exotic dancer or nude model or a single girl trying to date Vince Neil, I wouldn't want big boobs!

Las Vegas

2011-07-22T22:11:00.000-07:00

I loved VeGas!! I can't believe how much fun I had because I'm not really the "party" type... aside from seeing live bands a few times a week. :P I wasn't sure what to expect of Las Vegas. The only impressions I had of Vegas were from "Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas" and "MTV's Real World."

Vegas ended up being really cool; the casinos are very impressive and there is LOTS of good shopping and LOTS of delicious five-star cuisine and LOTS of cool shows and LOTS of fancy clubs. My only complaint is that people didn't really dress up enough. I thought ppl would be dressed to the nines at all hours but most people were in shorts and tank tops, even in the evenings.

Oh! I also loved the heat! When we left SF, it was like 53F but in Vegas, it got up to 108F! It was awesome, I love hot weather!!

Here are a whole bunch of random outfit photos:

On the way to the airport with my pink suitcase

At the Hard Rock Casino with Joan Jett's awesome clothes

Posing slutty in my plastic pants after a long nite

At a really depressing casino downtown; (I forgot to mention: Don't go downtown!!)

Being brave for a bathing suit photo (although not brave enough to show my legs! haha!)

In my favorite outfit, ever ^-^

Looking kind of old and ugly ;_;

At the Graceland Chapel after getting married by Elvis <3
(Sorry if you hate Lolita! I'm not afraid to admit that I like it!)

On the way home and feeling "Cabo-Wobbly" after a trip to Cabo-Wabo :P

Anyway, that, in a nutshell, was my Vegas experience. I definitely recommend it to anyone over 21 who has money to splurge and fun friends (or lovers) to go with. ^-^

Off to Vegas

2011-07-17T01:51:00.000-07:00

Yay! I'm glad a few of you have already entered my giveaway. ^-^ It occured to me after I posted that it's possible that NO one would enter but I'm glad some of you did!!

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I'm up way too late because in the morning I'm jetting to Las Vegas for the first time! I am so excited! I want to see all the opulent, gaudy casinos and experience the hedonism and debauchery first hand! :P

I finally did my nails, although it made it harder to pack.

I really love them. I should be better about getting my nails done.

Vegas here I come! Well, once I finish packing. :)

I'll try to take at least a few decent photos, although I don't want to bore anyone with vacation pics.

Yay! I am stoked!

Bouncy Brown's "Too Fast For Love" Giveaway

2011-07-15T20:51:00.000-07:00

The Bouncy Brown giveaway is here! It's the "TOO FAST FOR LOVE" giveaway!

I initially wanted to call it the "rock and roll slut" giveaway and have participants type "I'm a rock and roll slut!" in their reply, but I thought that would deter ppl from entering. :p. So instead I have decided to name it the "Too Fast for Love" giveaway. (That's the title of Mötley Crüe's first album ^^)

I included things that I actually like myself and/or have blogged about in the past.

I am including:
Pa eyelashes & eyelash glue
Broadway nail stickers
Leg Avenue fingerless gloves
Sally Beauty Supply Bronzer
Inspire Me rhinestone iron-on transfer
Pier One heart leopard tissues
Daiso (cheap, I know!) purse mirror
Face masks
Flowers mook

[I have to add the disclaimer that I am gift-cycling the face masks! I got them when I bought either necklaces from Eki or circle lenses. However, I'm never going to use them and I figure someone else might want to try. But everything else I bought especially for the giveaway!]

To enter, you must be a follower of this blog. Respond to this post with your name and email address. For an additional entry, post about the giveaway in your blog or on twitter and leave a link here.

Giveaway ends August 15.

Good luck! :)

Fake lips and Thanks Mie!

2011-07-10T20:55:00.000-07:00

Check out my BPN belt! The head-glasses look dumb, sorry!

This weekend was pretty good... except now I am obsessing over something I never thought about: my lips. I worry about a lot of my beauty flaws but never really my lips. I know I don't have thick, full lips and I am ok with it. I've always had skinny lips! Jordana Brewster (from the Fast & Furious movies) has a super skinny upper lip and she is gorgeous!

gorgeous, amirite?

I went to my "beauty adviser" (as she calls herself) on Saturday for a facial and she asked me if I ever considered getting lip injections. Uh, no? I think lip injections look terrible and scary! It looks like fat gummy worms on your face!

[I googled photos of bad lip injections, but it felt too mean to post a photo... just imagine it, ok?]

Then she said she can do it (she also does botox and fillers) and make it look natural. She says she'd inject a filler above my upper lip which would make it turn out more, then she'd inject filler into the lip to make it fuller. Then she said, "Don't worry, I'll make you look good." Then she said she had lip injections, which look pretty good on her. She sounded very reassuring and I was convinced until she told me the cost: $500, and it only lasts six months, tops! Yikes! Can Ispend $1,000 every year on my upper lip alone? Oh well, maybe if I get a huge Christmas bonus at work or something... but even then, I'd want salon extensions or something. I'm still thinking about it...

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The lovely and non-skinny-lipped Mie chose me as a "stylish blogger!" Yay! I am so flattered! And I am responding to the 'rules.' :)

The Rules:

1. Link back to the person who gave it to you.

2. List 7 things about yourself that you haven't mentioned before

3. Tag 7 people and let them know you done so!

7 Things about me

1. I am half Mexican.

2. My favorite books are biographies.

3. I loathe the colors blue and green.

4. Indian and Pakistani food is my favorite cuisine.

5. I collect (or used to) Blythe dolls and I have about 10.

6. I almost always wear fingerless gloves.

7. With the exception of ppl I have met online, no one I know IRL knows that I have a blog!

Tag 7 people:

It was hard to choose! I mean, I don't follow anyone's blog unless they are stylish! I chose bloggers whose personal style I admire and hope to one day look half as good as. :)

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Giveaway coming soon... I already took a photograph of everything. I just have to make a little banner for it.

Clown nose, Sephora shopping and Kat Von D

2011-07-06T00:52:00.000-07:00

I'm joining the circus...

I went to Sephora to buy my mama some perfume, and I ended up getting myself some stuff, too.
(So bad! :x)

As part of my recent Mötley Crüe obsession, I have (by association) got really into Kat Von D. She's so pretty and talented and cool... but I don't like the Jesse James thing. I wish she were still with Nikki!


from "This is Going to Hurt" by Nikki Sixx

Anyway, at the Kat Von D display and I wanted to get everything (but I wasn't there to shop for myself!). I ended up getting the "Saint" perfume roller and "Stellar" eye primer. "Saint" smells so pretty. I think it'll be my daily perfume. It faded fairly quickly, that's my only complaint. The eye primer is pretty good.

i want more kat von d makeup!

the painted lady <3

I also got a Sephora brand eyeliner pencil and Benefit mascara. The eyeliner ended up being a mistake. It's waterproof but not smudgeproof. By mid-morning it had (very unattractively) smudged all over my upper eye. The mascara I only bought for the funny (to me) name! It works so-so, not any better than L'Oreal or Maybelline. Not a totally worthless purchase, I guess.

the mascara describes me :P

I try to read reviews before I buy things, makeup included, but I often end up being impulsive and buying things that look cute or pretty... don't we all? Anyway, I was happy to buy makeup. ^-^ Doesn't new makeup make you happy?

Shopping day with two side stories, including a cautionary tale about Wet Seal

2011-07-03T13:49:00.000-07:00

(I'm getting pretty good at writing titles! :P)

This is the only way I could reasonably hide my nose. No nails, tho!

I tried my Dolly Wink baby cute lashes for the first time. At first, I was annoyed with them because they are individual lashes, not on a strip/spine. I was like, “WTF, I could have just cut up normal lashes!” But in the end, I was happy with the way they look.


Tried to hide the cluttered background!!

Once I finally, left the house, I went to library (nerd!) and then to New York Apparel for the vinyl pants. I really like them! I’m a little worried that they’ll fall apart in the wash.

Side story about washing clothes… this cute shirt I got at Wet Seal (a while back, too late to complain) totally fell apart in the wash last weekend. I wash my clothes before wearing them (like most ppl, I think), so I never even got to wear it! The pink screen printing chipped off and got all over the other stuff in the washer. Also, the lace back got all stringy and the fabric got super nappy. I WILL NEVER SHOP AT WET SEAL AGAIN! D:

And no, it's not supposed to look "vintage."

Second side story … I walked by a gutter punk (facial tattoos and all) as he was being arrested and he stopped what he was saying to the police officer to smile and say "Hey, hey, hey... nice!" to me as I passed.

My next shopping stop was Japantown. My main goal was to get a cover for my new iPhone. I ended up getting a Rilakuma one. It was WAY more expensive than I had planned to spend on a phone cover. However, Strap-ya sells the same one for a fraction of the cost, but I would have had to wait another week, plus pay ¥¥¥ shipping.

It even came with spare gems for repairs! :)

I also went to Black Peace Now to try to support the sinking ship. All I got was a cute little belt. I’m sad that they’re going out of business, especially now that I am all about dressing rock and roll.

I think I’ll finally do my little giveaway this week. It won’t be super extravagant but I am not sponsored or anything, I got the stuff myself!

Is this a forced hiatus? Forced retirement?

2011-06-19T10:58:00.000-07:00

I know everyone always says they have no time but I really don't! I really can't seem to find time to read the blogs I like, let alone write anything. During the semester, I also felt like I had no time but back then at least no one was watching what I did. Like, I could squeeze in reading a blog between doing assignments or reading. At work, I am afraid someone will see me doing something unrelated to work and think I'm lazy.

Also, I... am getting super bummed that I can't wear circle lenses. I really hate the way I look without them. I've heard ppl complain about "part-time gyaru" but how else can you do it? You aren't supposed to wear circle lenses for more than like 8 hours per day, right? Well, if you work full-time, plus overtime (which I do every single day) and then you go out with friends after work... there is no way you can wear circle lenses. With my schedule, I'd be wearing them close to 18 hours a day. I guess I could put them on after work before I go out, that's what I did the night of the Motley Crue concert.

[Sidebar: Omg, I love Motley Crue so much! I started reading their autobiography from 2001 and I love it so much! Rock and roll!!]

I think I finally understand why so few "grown up" girls are into gyaru. There just isn't enough time. Some people don't like the attention that the look/clothes brings--I don't, either, but I have always dressed differently from other ppl so I'm used to it I guess--but even aside from all that, it's not a practical fashion. Well, not with circle lenses, which are one of my favorite things about gyaru style.

I DO get to wear whatever I like to work. The other girls (there's only 3) at work wear bohemian but conservative clothes, like long flowered dresses and big ethnic jewelry. (This *is* San Francisco!) They always comment on my outfits, but it's positive. Maybe it's bad that I stand out. I like the way I dress! It could probably be perceived as kind of slutty because I always wear short skirts and high heels but I never have bare legs or low-cut tops. I don't know what the boss thinks but he is rarely in the office anyway. I don't know how long I will stay at this job. It's only supposed to last a few months but other people have ended up staying longer, up to a year.

tl;dr: I work 12 hours a day so I don't get to wear circle lenses or blog but I can wear whatever I want to the office. Also, I might be outgrowing gyaru.

Eyelashes and... the CRUE!

2011-06-10T22:45:00.000-07:00

This picture is scary.... I need a new case!

It took me a long time to get used to wearing eyelashes but now I feel naked without them! This post is a little love for one of my favorite products--eyelashes! I used to be self conscious about my short, thin eyelashes until it occurred to me to start wearing lashes.

I think I'll give Pa lashes away when I do my giveaway. The glue is the best!

When I first started wearing lashes, I always bought the Pa brand they sell at Ichiban Kan.

Ghetto pic of ghetto lashes!

Then I started wearing lashes on a daily basis, so I started buying the ghetto, 10-pairs-for-$1-including-shipping-from-Hong-Kong lashes they sell on eBay.

When I dress up to go out I wear big, thick lashes but when I have to look professional/normal, I wear thinner ones (like the ones on the far left). They aren't too noticeable; they just makes my lashes look thicker than normal. Actually, when I first started buying them, I was disappointed that they were so wimpy and short but now I'm glad I have some lashes I can wear when I have to look boring.

This is me yesterday before work. I did wear more makeup than just this!

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I am super excited about this upcoming week because... I get to see Mötley Crüe! I was never that into them (or ANY 80's "hair metal" bands) until recently but I am so excited... and I just can't hide it! :P

They are also becoming my style icons.... Then and now, they are truly rock and roll!

Then

Now

Maybe it's weird to have male fashion icons. What do you think? Do you have any untraditional fashion icons?

I could make a whole post about my fashion icons (I've seen other bloggers do it) but mine are all rock stars and mainly guys. I guess I'm manly!

Kiss & Lady Gaga

2011-06-06T00:15:00.000-07:00

I've been so busy! I hope that once I can quit my 2nd job, I'll be more settled and can relax...

But I had a pretty good weekend. On Saturday night, we saw Destroyer, a Kiss tribute band. The band was really good and the show was fun.

This is what I wore. I came from work, so I wasn't super-duper cute but I was happy. It's kind of my personal "uniform": mini skirt+boots.

The band...

The shoes...

I was also happy because there were so many girls dressed cute. Usually at rock shows there are very few girls to begin with and they are usually just in t-shirts and jeans. But at the Destroyer show, there were girls in cute rock styles, even the bigger (and obese) ones. I was tempted to snap a photo of one girl but then I realized that'd be creepy. Anyway, she inspired me to get some of those plastic shiny pants... where can I find those?

Sunday I wore my hoochie shorts for the first time. Also on the way home from work so, again, not super cute (esp. my awkward pose) but I liked my tights and scarf.

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I never thought I'd get really into Lady Gaga, but I read her interview in Rolling Stone (have a subscription) and now I really like and respect her. It helps that she's actually into metal, glam rock and punk. :) She may even inspire me not to fix my nose.

To get her album, I bought a $25 Zynga card. Zynga (who makes CityVille, Mafia Wars, etc.) has a deal that goes until 6/11. It's dorky but I love Zynga games. I never really got into "real" gaming but I like social games.

Oh, and just to tie these unrelated subjects (Kiss and Lady Gaga) together, I'll add that Gene Simmons saud Gaga was "The most exciting thing to happen in music in 20 years." :)

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Have a wonderful week everyone! Be tough, little unicorns!

Working For Realz and Fashion at Any/Old Age

2011-06-01T00:34:00.000-07:00

I started working FT last week. I also worked over the weekend I am so busy I am not even reading the blogs I like, which I used to do every single day. ;_;

One dilemma I am having is what to wear. There is no dress code but I don't want to look inappropriate so I have been kind-of self-censoring myself. Today, to test the waters, I wore (natural-looking) false eyelashes and a miniskirt (with dark tights). I wanted to see if the manager said anything but of course he was not there today. Oh, and I can't wear circle lenses because I've been working over 8 hours.

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I know it's evil but I sometimes look at Gyaru_Secrets! This week I saw a post that got me thinking:

I used to feel like I was slightly too old to be into gyaru but then I snapped out of it! My opinion is that age really doesn't matter as long as you put effort into your looks. In general, I don't think age should hold you back from being fashionable. I mean, look at those "Real Housewives" shows--those women are in their 40's and still dressing fabulous. Then there are women like Jane Fonda and Sophia Loren who are gorgeous forever. I think girls get it into their head that 30 is like an expiration date. But Paris Hilton and Kim Kardasian (who wear sexy, trendy clothes and no one considers old) are both 30. Your looks don't magically disintegrate at 29!

But I must admit that I do think it seems/feels weird to be older and in online gyaru communities. I mean, some girls who post are very young, like 14 or 15. When I read things like, "my parents won't let me wear circle lenses," it feels really weird because it's been *years* since my parents were able to tell me what I could and couldn't do. [Note: It's not that I'm ageist, it's just that I'm in a different mindset.]

tl;dr? You're never too old to be stylish but you probably can be too old to mingle with teenagers online.

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I bought a few things for my giveaway. I'm kind of excited to do it. Is it corny? Yes! But I don't care. :)

50 Followers, Dolly Wink, You Don't Like Rock'n' Roll and New Job

2011-05-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

Thank you to my lovely followers! I said I'd do a giveaway once I reached 50 followers, so I'll definitely put some stuff together. I have a few ideas; I'll include products I've blogged about, so the giveaway is relevant to the content of my blog and not just a pathetic attempt to get more followers (as some bloggers get accused of this!). I know I want to give away some nail stickers since I never shut up about them. :P

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I finally went down to Mitsuwa Marketplace for Dolly Wink lashes and they had exactly what I wanted-- Baby Cute!! They actually have a wonderful selection. If they were cheaper, I'd buy them all. I'll post pics next time I wear Baby Cute.

I also bought a new eyebrow pencil because my Rimmel one is running out. The brand is Spring Heart and I couldn't believe it--the color is literally exactly the same as Rimmel's Hazel. It's a twist-up pencil which may be nice. Sharpening my Rimmel eyebrow pencil is slightly annoying and can get messy if I'm not careful.

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I went to a punk/garage rock show at a bowling alley on Sunday night. White Lung was here from Canada; they are super good!

It was weird, I was dressed pretty rock and roll (leopard print dress and motorcycle jacket) but everyone was dressed in unflattering 80's thrift store garb so I totally stood out. A lot of people smelled horrible and they weren't even gutter punks, they were just stinky people--I think it was their clothes. The girls in White Lung were probably the only clean and good-smelling people there and they have been on tour and would have an excuse to not be super clean.

It's funny, I get kinda annoyed when I see people dress "punk" or "rock" when they don't even like rock music. My huge pet peeve is when people will wear a band t-shirt when they don't like or even know the band. However, after that night I wonder people look at me and think I'm into pop or dance music or something since I wear trendier clothes.

Coincidentally, Hunx from Hunx and his Punx was in the audience. I wanted to say hi but I didn't want to be a big nerdy fan. He's actually really handsome, almost like Blaine from "Glee" but even better looking. BTW, I didn't get close enough to smell him, but he looked like he smelled ok.

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I start a new job in the morning and I'm so nervous! I hope my new co-workers like me! I am a worrier when it comes to things like meeting people I want to like me. It'll probably be ok, I'm smart, capable and I can be outgoing when I need to be. Please mentally send me good wishes!! ^-^

Iron-ons, Scissors and Craftiness

2011-05-17T17:37:00.000-07:00

I actually used one of the iron-on transfers I bought. I used it on one of my many black mini skirts. I am very happy with how it turned out!

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I've been inspired to remake t-shirts into cute, girlier shirts. My honey got me some men's small t-shirts that I never really wear. For the most part, I don't like t-shirts because they feel so box-y and the neckline is usually too high for my liking--I feel claustrophobic in shirts that are at or above my collarbone.

Here are some shirts I recently chopped up (although I don't ever leave my arms uncovered--I always have a cardigan or jacket covering them) :

For the Anvil shirt, I kinda followed Kat Von-D's pattern here:

I have more shirts to cut up, but they have designs on the back and I need to figure out a good way to keep the back in tact.

For inspiration, I borrowed a few books about altering/re-making t-shirts from the library. Two are "Generation T" books and one is "99 Ways to Cut, Sew, Trim & Tie Your T-Shirt."

The older Generation T book, "108 Ways to Transform a T-shirt," has a ton of cute re-styled shirts. There are also a lot of skirts (not really my thing) and accessories.

The newer Generation T book is "120 New Ways to Transform a T-shirt." The focus is actually not shirts but a ton of different things like accessories, kid's clothes, maternity clothes, car accessories and random items like pot holders.

The "99" book is ok and I like some of the shirts but most are kinda weird and others are super slutty. "Slutty" isn't the right word--they look like shirts a neo-hippie would wear to an outdoor music festival (not my favorite look). One cool thing is the directions tell you (like a cookbook) approximately how long each pattern will take. I also like that most shirts don't require sewing and it's a decent for inspiration.

would you really wear this?

Do you ever cut up your old shirts? Any success stores? :P

Sepultura, Lashes & Cinderella

2011-05-16T16:33:00.000-07:00

Last week we went to the Sepultura show at the Regency Ballroom and I liked my makeup, so I took a picture...

It looks a little creepy since my forehead isn't showing (looks like I have something to hide!) so I'll share another photo even tho my nose ~~looks~~ is huge...

I should have taken an outfit picture! I wore my new hoochie shorts (purchased whist shopping with Mint) and an Iron Maiden shirt I chopped up to look like a girl shirt.

The show was good although I saw some poor guy get his leg (or maybe ankle?) broken. He got knocked down but when other people around him tried to help him up, he was in too much pain to even get halfway up. After a minute, the buffed-out medics came over and carried him out.

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The new, humongous Daiso opened up in Japantown a few weeks ago. I went recently and was happy see that along with my old favorite lashes, they sell new split lashes (where the outer edges are thicker).

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This weekend, work was exciting because... I got to be Cinderella! Too bad I'm so ugly! I more closely resemble an evil stepsister than Cinderella. Haha!

Ok, so when I started blogging I said I wouldn't post anything too personal, so I'll just say that I have a weird job (but nothing gross or x-rated) where I dress up like characters. This weekend I was Cinderella for the first time.

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I think my semester is pretty much done. Now I'll have more time to practice my awkward cam-whoring. I really prefer blogs where gals post more personal photos (like, of their makeup, outfits, etc.) so I think I'll try to get better about that and not be so self-conscious. :)

Loudness & Tattoo Contemplation

2011-05-11T13:27:00.002-07:00

I got a lot of complements on my outfit Tuesday night, which surprised me because this is pretty much how I always dress. Our friend we met up with told his girlfriend, "This is how you should dress!" Some other guy said "I like your tights! And your outfit! And your tights!" Haha!

Tuesday night my honey and I went down to Santa Clara to see Loudness, a Japanese metal band from the 80's. I guess they were pretty big in the US, their videos were played on MTV and they toured with Motley Crue! O_o

They do NOT look like this anymore! Lol! They look like middle aged guys going to the gym... but in a rock and roll way...

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As I procrastinate my final paper, I've been thinking about tattoo designs. I saw this pic on tumblr and it reignited my tattoo contemplation:

The thing is, I don't want people to look at me and think, "Tattoo." I know I'm a metal head and all but I don't want to be overly-tattooed. A lot of pretty girls get tattoos and then it hides their natural beauty. She's still gorgeous, but whenever I look at Angelina Jolie, all I see are tattoos!

Kate Moss is an example of someone who is gorgeous but subtly tattooed. Her tattoos are just enough to be sexy and cute.

Emi Ink is into gyaru fashion and is also a tattoo artist! It's very cool to see a gal who can pull off both.

Do you have any tattoos or are you contemplating any?

Nails, Bling, Americana, Old Man Hat

2011-05-09T13:04:00.000-07:00

I finally tried out Sally Hansen's Salon Effects! They work *so well*!! I put them on last Tuesday before I hung out with Mint and they still look pretty good.

Actually putting them on was a hassle. Broadway's Nail Dress is way, way easier. The SH stickers have two sides you need to peel off--top and bottom. But once you take the top off, they are flimsy (only as thick as a coat of nail polish) and easy to tear. You have to be very careful and patient as you apply them.

They have help up pretty good. They are chipping a little, but that is to be expected after a week! My second complaint is that there are only 16 stickers in the package--so unlike with Broadway's 28 nail wraps, you can't be ghetto and make the package work for two manicures!! :P

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I went to Michael's in Colma the other day looking for deco bling. They have stuff but it's not as cheap as I'd like. :P At the general store on Clement St., they sell super cheap rhinestones but they sell out super fast. All the other cheap girls get there first, I guess.

Impulsively, I also bought some iron-on bling for clothes. Now that I own these, I'm not sure I'll actually use them. When I saw them, I thought about this video where Valentine recommends customizing your clothes. If I do find myself using these, I'll definitely share photos. ^-^

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I think maybe I'm unpatriotic--I really dislike clothes with American stuff (like the flag!) on it. The flag just isn't that cool of a logo, imho. I was looking at GalStar clothes on Rakuten and it seemed like a lot of tops featured the US flag. I hope this trend dies out soon!

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Sad news about my old man hat!

It's ruined!! My husband found it outside on the sidewalk in the morning. I think what happened was I took it off in the car and it fell off of my lap when I got out. It is dry now but it's totally misshapen. I think I'll have to throw it away. [Actually, I'll put it in a plastic bag and leave it in the park so a homeless person can maybe use it. That's what I do with clothes I don't wear anymore that I know my sisters or cousin won't want.]

Luckily a friend took a photo of me wearing it that last night:

I look really "healthy" in this photo! I need start working out again! And if you're wondering what's on my face, I drew a star on my cheek! It was for work but I didn't wash it off before I went out. :P

Oh, and this is random but scary: see the skinny pole thing behind me (coming out of my head)? It was (the guys all agreed) a gas line but girls kept climbing and pole dancing (or trying to :P) on it. The pole was totally bending and bowing. I was so scared it would snap and the whole loft would explode because there were candles burning and people smoking. D: Obviously, it didn't happen but I was so scared!

Sayonara, old man hat! Rest in Peace!

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Thank you to my new followers! I'm always surprised (but happy!) when people follow me. :D

So dumb!

2011-05-03T17:38:00.000-07:00

Suddenly, blogger tells me: You are not currently following any blogs. Use the "add" button below to enter blogs you'd like to follow in your Reading List.

I was following like 100 blogs!! Now I have to go back and re-follow all the blogs I was following! So, if you find yourself losing followers it may be because dumb p. a-- blogger.

Makeup Battle 2!

2011-05-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

I decided to be a dork again and do another makeup battle! Mainly I was inspired by my new L'Oreal eyeliner that I actually like as much as the Maybelline stuff I've been using forever.

Okay, ROUND ONE: Eyeliner
(I know battles don't have rounds but whatever)

L'Oreal's Telescopic Eyeliner is awesome! I'd say it's as good as Maybelline Ultra Liner, which I love. They're both waterproof and go on thick. The main difference is the applicator. Maybelline's is a thin brush and L'Oreal's is a sponge-y tip.

Here are the applicators for both, plus DollyWink's awful eyeliner:

ROUND TWO: Makeup Base

The winner is a green makeup primer I got in Japan a long time ago! It was just ¥1000 at Saty. The product is White-C and the brand is Freshel, which I believe is owned by Kanebo. It really covers the splotchy red areas! Unfortunately, my bottle is running out. ;_;

The loser is Smashbox Photo Finish. I bought it at Sephora as a replacement for my dwindling bottle of White-C. Unfortunately it totally, totally sucks!! It has a disgusting, slimy, slug-like texture. It never blends in or dries. Worst of all, it doesn't actually neutralize the red on my face (which is what it's supposed to do!); it just looks like green sludge. I'm so glad I bought the smaller bottle!

I actually bought another green makeup primer from Physician's Formula (drugstore brand) which is even worse. I can't take a photo of the bottle because I threw it away the first day I got it!! It goes on like clown makeup and always looks green, instead of blending in.

My co-worker says she tried this primer and went on to tell me the humiliating tale of getting in a fight with an exboyfriend only to have it end with him saying, "AND WHY THE F@*% IS YOUR FACE GREEN!?" Agh! The one time you want to look good is when fighting with an ex! Stay away from Physician's Formula!

ROUND THREE: Foundation

Another Japanese product wins! This winner is DHL's foundation that I believe I bought at a 7-Eleven for ¥1800. (It's been a while, the bottle is almost empty!) It is one of the best foundations I've ever used (a million times better than Clinique which I used prior--yuck!). They only had 2 color choices ("01" and "02") but fortunately the "01" color matches my skin perfectly.

The loser is Revlon ColorStay. I don't totally hate it--I actually use it on my eyelids. The main thing I dislike most about it is that it's really thick and heavy.

Wait! What is this? Another contender! And it destroys both!

Okay, it's probably not fair to compare because it's from a department store, BUT Shisheido's "The Makeup" is a superior foundation. Oh, but it's pricey... I don't want to say how much but was the most I've ever paid for such a product! O_o But it makes me feel pretty so I guess it was worth it.

One of my bffs (a 29 y.o. makeup artist) told me that Shisheido and Laura Mercier were the best places to get foundation and I agree about Shisheido... I'll have to check out Laura some other time. She warns against Clinique (too late, jerk!) and MAC foundations.

So what do you think? Do you have a favorite product? A HATED product? :P How did the battle end?

Pink Friday 4.29.11

2011-04-29T19:19:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-26T09:44:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-22T13:08:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-20T15:50:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-15T20:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-13T10:06:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-08T09:36:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-06T10:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-04T16:54:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-01T20:37:00.000-07:00

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

2011-04-01T10:13:00.000-07:00

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...

...secret confession time...

...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!

REAL MA*RS

2011-03-30T07:06:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-29T17:47:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-25T17:48:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-25T13:19:00.000-07:00

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!

2011-03-23T15:43:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-22T14:01:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-21T09:10:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-18T19:03:00.000-07:00

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)

2011-03-14T19:12:00.000-07:00

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

2011-03-11T08:39:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-09T16:49:00.000-08:00

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

2011-03-06T11:34:00.000-08:00

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!

Shop and Destroy: Yumetenbo

2011-02-22T17:00:00.000-08:00

I am always so pleasantly surprised at the adorable clothes on Yumetenbo! The clothes from 109 are gorgeous and original and probably worth the cost but it's nice to see prices closer to H&M or Forever21 clothes. Maybe I'm just a total cheap skate!

Yumetenbo is, for anyone who may not know, inexpensive but fashionable Japanese clothes. The clothes aren't knock-offs, per se, but they more like Wet Seal or other "fast fashion" stores you'd find in a typical American shopping mall. I've purchased their clothes through the Rakuten store, DreamV.

Here are some examples of cute clothes I just found (Sorry if you don't like pink & black! Haha ) If you click on the image, the link should take you to the Rakuten page:

My personal obsession is with coats! I love love love coats! Right now, I want to buy this one >> in white:

... I already have this one << in black! But the buttons are loose! ;_; It's actually not a big deal, I guess I can just re-sew them!

Anyway, if you haven't taken a look at Yumetenbo, then do so now! I should warn you that the shipping from Japan adds up... srsly, in some cases it's almost the cost of the item itself. But you can get a unique item that may not even exist in your home country! http://item.rakuten.co.jp/dreamv

Tricia's Giveaway & sick me

2011-02-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

I am very sick! I've been sick since 2/14 (a.k.a. Valentine's Day) and I'm still not well. I must be improving, though, because I was bedridden for a few days but now I'm actually sitting at my desk. ^-^

Here's a really awesome giveaway that I'm excited to share:

Tricia Isabela is giving away these awesome goods, including lots of lashes. I really want them!

I've been thinking about my online presence and anonymity. I never show my face online (except on facebook with people I know irl) because I'm afraid/paranoid. I'm worried that one of the following will happen if people see my blog: A) someone I know will see my blog think I'm a dork, B) someone I hated in high school (or anywhere, lol) will see my blog and stalk me, C) someone in my family will find my blog and be like "Shouldn't you be studying 24/7?" or D) an employer or potential employer will find my blog and think I'm silly and waste my brainpower on superficial things.

You may notice that I didn't include "E) strangers will tell me I'm ugly" because I am SURE that would happen! I see it happen regularly on gyaru_secrets, even with gorgeous girls like Monica Tang. So if the most beautiful gyaru out there are called unattractive... what hope does an average-looking wannabe-gyaru have? No, really, what hope do I have? lol.

I suppose I shouldn't worry about people I know finding my blog [i.e. "A) someone I know will see my blog think I'm a dork] because if they do, it probably means they are into gyaru fashion and we can talk about gyaru, swap magazines, go shopping together and be gyaru amigas!! XD

As for employers... I don't know how they would find my blog unless they were into gyaru fashion. As I've already concluded, we would end up enduring gyaru amigas, remember? :P Besides, it's not as though I am doing something bad or gross or illegal. Fashion is a legit hobby!

Ok, this post got very... reflective? I didn't set out to make it that way, I just wanted to write about a cool giveaway. So... go check out Tricia Isabela's giveaway! But don't actually win it, because I want to win! ;)

February 2011 Egg

2011-02-08T17:29:00.000-08:00

Everyone probably already got this mag but whatever, I just got mine so I'll write about it! I'd never bought (or even read) an Egg magazine before--I had the impression that it was a magazine strictly for high school girls. The only reason I was interested in it was because I knew it featured the gyaru event (Tsuki-con?) that was in Finland. I went to Kinnokuniya last month [I actually go pretty regularly, as I live nearby] to buy it but it wasn't in yet so I reserved a copy. It was finally in this week!

Here are some highlights and/or things I thought were interesting!


cute rabbit girls!! love the cover--it's almost ageha-esque!

some sort of ranking/awards… wish i could read Japanese!

short profiles on the models

not sure what to think of the shaved side… my brain is still processing it!

“nemo tone” vs. "kana punk” section… very cute! i like both styles. :)

an article about models’ apartments… surprisingly very boring! they probably can’t paint or put up wallpaper so their rooms are very plain, like college dorms.

one model had these bizarre figures on her shelf. they have the faces of inflatable sex dolls but the bodies of rubber chickens and are wearing beach clothes. へん…

this section features photos that i assume people send in photos of themselves. pretty cool idea!

lhouraii! she looks awesome! i read her blog, so it's very exciting to see her in here!

this is the (very small, as it were) section why i bought this issue!

so cool to see ~~gaijin~~ western gyaru in a japanese magazine! in these pics, i recognize koneko and monica, both of whom i read their blogs! yay! XD


i'm not active in the online gyaru community, but i think i recognize faces from everyday_gyaru on livejournal. gah! so much cuteness!

I might buy Egg magazine again, even of it doesn't feature any western gyaru... I really liked some of the clothes featured and I actually appreciated the lack of bling/kira kira that Ageha sometimes takes too far.

Agepoyo!

New Ma*rs?

2011-02-06T15:13:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I know I just got finished saying how I love Mars but their new season is... I don't know, I don't like it! There are prints with lots of flowers (almost like Liz Lisa) which I don't like. In general, the clothes are not nearly as cute and sexy as last season.

I can honestly say that the only thing I like in this photo is the dog!

...And WTF is this "bra on the outside" dress?

(The shoes and stockings are cute, tho!)

The new season is on their site and in their webshop now, if you want to see for yourself here.

Universal Doll wrote about the new season in her latest blog post. One comment there was about how last season's clothes were almost hooker clothes but that they liked the tame stuff this season. I feel the complete opposite! I like the hooker look! XD Well, maybe.

I just got the new Egg at Kinokuniya. I haven't even looked through it--I wonder if there's any Mars in it. I've never bought an Egg magazine before [I usually buy Nuts or Ageha] but I wanted this issue because I heard there is lots of ~~gaijin~~ international gyaru in it!

Ma*rs necklace via Shopping Service

2011-01-31T14:13:00.000-08:00

I got my necklace! I actually got it last Monday, the same day I did my last post.

So, I got this necklace from the Mars webshop by using the shopping service Treasure Japan. It was my first time using a shopping service, so it was somewhat of a learning experience. Well, what I mean is that there are pros and cons. The main “con” is the cost! You have to pay for shipping twice, once from the shop to the service and then from the service to your house. The fee for the service is actually very reasonable but feels like a lot when you add in the shipping.

I wonder if shipping would have been less if Mars hadn’t sent me two shopping bags! Why did they send me those?? Oh well.

I love love love this necklace! I don’t regret buying it at all. I like multiple-strand bead necklaces anyway but this one is extra special because it has pink fur, pearls and a Mars heart! It works well with my current wardrobe because I’ve been wearing a lot of black so this makes it girlier and less severe.

Here is my cute Mars top that I bought back in November or something. I got it from Rakuten, which was nice because the shipping was directly to me. Rakuten just has a limited selection of items (mainly bras and some bags) compared to the official Mars webshop or the 109 webshop.

I've only worn it once--on New Year's eve. I felt really cute and got complements on my outfit (I wore it with a black ruffled skirt, patterned tights and a leopard coat). The only weird thing was that at the end of the evening, some girl/woman stood really close to me at the bar and STARED at me, like she couldn't believe what I was wearing. WTH? I mean, it's not like I was dressed as a ganguro or something! Issoke, I don't care, I looks cute and got mainly positive attention! Does anyone stare at you when you wear gyaru clothes?

Amoeba Ma*rs

2011-01-24T21:20:00.000-08:00

I know this doesn't make me unique at all, but I really love Ma*rs! I love how extremely girly the clothes are, that's really what got me interested in Japanese fashion in the first place--gorgeous, feminine clothes that you really can't find in the U.S.. You can kind-of recreate the look with black+pink combo outfits, but not to the perfection of real Mars clothes.

I admit that I regularly oogle/lust after the Mars clothes on their official webshop as well as the 109 webshop. The clothes are just so beautiful!! I wish the yen weren't so strong and that shipping from Japan weren't so expensive! The one Mars item I own is a top, which I got on Rakuten; shipping was a lot but not too extreme. I ordered a Mars necklace from their webshop, using a shopping service and the shipping/service fees ended up costing more than the necklace itself (by a lot!). Buying a small item with the shopping service was probably a mistake; if I'd got like a few hundred dollars worth of clothes, the extra fees probably wouldn't seem so bad. Oh well, now I'll know how efficient the shopping service is!

Here are a few pictures of real girls wearing Mars. I actually like seeing Mars "in action" rather than just the professional photos on the Mars website... they look so cute! I want a Mars wardrobe!!

Decoden

2011-01-18T12:30:00.000-08:00

It seems like a lot of people are into decoden... or maybe just the blogs, etc. that I'm reading! Anyway, I really like it, too. :P I love adding a little sparkle in my life!

I don't use the fancy Swarovski crystals or anything, just acrylic ones. Maybe I'll get real crystals once I've gotten a lot better at it! So far, I just use crystals from Daiso, Michael's or junky little shops on Clement street. [Note: Clement St. is where Chinese people really live and shop in SF; Chinatown is where tourists go; However, Chinatown is really cool looking and fun to walk around, so no judgment!]

I should say that I do NOT recommend the jewels that come with adhesive on the back. To use them for decoden, you have to peel off the adhesive and sometimes it takes off the shiny/mirror stuff off of the jewel. The pink jewels in the round pattern (toward the top left in the pic) totally did that, it was annoying!

This ^ is my camera, it's the first real decoden project I've done. It was probably risky to start with something I actually use, but my camera's a few years old now and I figured that ruining it would be an excuse to buy a new camera. Haha!

(Please excuse my un-manicured hands. I just took off my pretty New Years' nails last night. I might have to keep them short so I can type better when my semester begins again)

Here's ^ a really quick and simple project that I love... magnets! The back of my desk is magnetic, so it's like a bulletin board. It's a small change but I love looking at my cute deco-accented bulletin board! (Notice gyaru-Rudolf, lol.)

This ^ is my phone. It's more like FAKE-decoden. I bought the case (on eBay) with the rhinestones already on it and it turns out the black ones are actually just bumps on the plastic! o_o Oh well, it's better than a plain black phone!

The red fish strap--in case you are wondering--is a charm I bought in Japantown, it's supposed to bring me good luck with my job (or finding one). :P Each color fish means something else. Yellow=wealth, Pink=love, Green=school, Black=long life. I think I probably need *all* of them!

So, do you like decoden? What have you deco'd?