Holiday Gift Giving Ideas and OOTD~

こにちわ みなさん！
Hello everyone ^_^
My favorite time of the year is quickly approaching- the holiday season! I one of my favorite aspects of it is the gift giving! (though the getting is quite fun too hehe~). I often find it difficult to think of what to get people, so because I thought you guys might have the same problem, I decided to write a list of ideas for what you could get for the different kinds of people in your lives c:
I hope you find it useful!

For the Japan Fan
I don't know about you guys, but I have many friends who like Japanese things. Anime, manga, fashion, the list goes on.
How about a manga version of one of their favorite animes? ^_^

Madoka Magica!

Essentially all mangas are available online nowadays, however I personally find it a lot more satisfying to hold a real book in your hands. That way you can sit down with a nice cup of tea or other drink and just read a paper and ink book~ Maybe even get them two- that way they can be on their way to starting a manga collection c:

Cute Stationary!

Sentimental Circus <3

Notebooks, folders, pens, pencils; cute stationary is amazing. Even better than some things, because it's useful! Useful presents are nice because they don't just sit around looking pretty, you can actually get some purpose out of them. Japanese stationary is so much cuter than any American stationary I see, so that's why I'm putting it in this category. 

Cooking Supplies!

Bento! ^_^

Japanese cuisine is delicious, and one of my favorite things are the bento boxes c: If you have a friend who likes cooking Japanese food, how about getting them a bento box, or some other sort of tool used for making Japanese food? Fancy chopsticks are always a nice choice :3

For the Book and Art Lover
I've noticed that when it comes to hobbies, my friends either like books or they like art. This might be common, so I included a section for these fancy people~

Art Pens!

I actually have this set :3 I love that it's pastel~

Colorful fine-tip pens are really useful. You can draw with them, and if you write with them they make things 100000% prettier. For the artist or the writer, a set of good quality colored pens would make a useful, long-lasting, and memorable gift ^_^ 

Coloring books!

This book is gorgeous :3

If you have friends who like art, but perhaps aren't the best at it, an intricate coloring book would be really nice~ I myself love coloring, color-by-numbers, that sort of thing. I've seen this book for a while and it seems like it'd be really nice for someone who likes art, but doesn't want to put in excessive effort. I can imagine it'd also be really nice for de-stressing, so if you know anyone who's been studying hard for exams it would be a nice way to give them some relaxation at a not-to-expensive price c:

A book!

So many Haruki Murakami books <3

A book is a great idea for a present, especially if you know someone's favorite author. Or, maybe even introduce them to a book that you personally like c: That way you get to introduce them to something different from what they're used to~

Fashionistas

Clothes, makeup, beauty products in general- I'm sure most of you know at least one person who's like that, so here are some items that could work as presents for them.

Bath products!

Lush <3

This could work for a myriad of people. Most people I know like taking long, relaxing baths, and long baths are always made better by fancy bath products c: Lush has some great stuff around this time of year (I'm sure there are many other companies out there that also have interesting, nice products). This would work really nicely for any female relatives that you have (aunts, cousins, that sort of stuff), especially if you don't really know what else to get them x3

Makeup Set

Tarte "Sweet Dreams Deluxe Best Sellers Collection"

Around this time of year, Sephora has a bunch of great gift sets that are fit for any kind of budget. Whether the person you're buying a gift for likes nail polish, makeup, or skincare, you should be able to find something nice somewhere c:

Cute accessories!

Pretty necklaces ^_^

Accessories, accessories, accessories! What's not to love? c: They can make an outfit so much more interesting, and places like Forever21 have lots of interesting ones for pretty cheap. Necklaces, rings, hairbows, they all work nicely. Scarves are a great present too, and especially nice in the winter if you live in a cold climate.

Moving on~

Just a quick outfit of the day c:

I've been experimenting more with various Lolita outfits, and I liked today's result~

Blouse: Bodyline
JSK: Magic Tea Party
Socks: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Ecco (I think?)

I'd give this outfit a name of some sort but I have no idea what to call it. It did feel somewhat maid-ish though, what with the big hairbow and lots and lots of ruffles c:

I love the giant bows~

And here are some photos of the makeup I had on c:

I like how my hair looks in this photo~

So yes, I hope you guys found this post useful ^_^

Good luck shopping for the holidays~ I know this was a very brief list, but I thought it could be somewhat useful if you were completely blanking on what to get people c:

Happy early Thanksgiving!

~Sakura

What are you planning on getting people for the holidays? 

New Lolita Stuff~

Hello ^.^
As many of you know by this point, I've been getting a lot more interested in Lolita fashion, so I bought a couple more things and thought I'd share them with you guys c:

Magic Tea Party Zodiac Skirt

<3

I've wanted this skirt for so long and so I'm happy I finally have it *u* I ordered it from My-Lolita-Dress.com again and it came relatively quickly so yay ^.^
I love the details of the skirt *u* Have some pictures.

It even came with a bow! ^_^

I've been obsessed with Zodiac stuff for a really long time so I was very happy to find such a skirt. I think it's such a unique print- it's not just cookies or macarons or flowers or bunnies. I think it's all gorgeous <3 I wore it today and got a ton of compliments- I'll post a photo at the end of this post.

Bodyline L527
I figured it was time I got another blouse and I thought this one was really cool and pretty because it was made of chiffon! I believe none of Bodyline's other blouses are made of this material (and I think chiffon blouses are super pretty) so I decided to buy it in the black colorway.

I like how there are strings which tie around the neck~ It's a bit see-through, but that's not too much of a problem if you wear a high-waisted skirt. The fabric is really lovely- I was worried it would be sorta itchy, but it's incredibly soft and gentle.

You can't really see the details cause black on black doesn't show up that great ;n;

The lacing on the back of the shirt~

I really like the shirt! There's elastic on both the arms and the neckline so that's nice c:I want to get it in all of the colors now :3

Chess Story Le Ballet Luxury Version

<3

Okay, so there's a little story behind this dress.
It's one of my dream dresses. I spotted the stock photo for it a couple months back, and seeing that it wasn't too expensive, I wanted to buy it. However. They only had it in the white and ivory color-ways. That didn't interest me at all since I didn't feel like looking like a bride. A little while ago however, when I was looking at the dress and wishing I could have it, I noticed that they had the navy color-way in stock!
Panicked, I realized I had to buy it before it went out of stock. Problem however. Just a week ago I had ordered the Zodiac skirt, and I was out of money. Conveniently though, I needed a dress for semi. Semi's in April, but still. I talked to my parents and they said that they'd pay for half of it ^_^
I contacted the store owner about how much longer they'd have the dress and stock, and she said that she didn't know how much longer it would be. She did however, say that I could reserve it.
Reserving an item only costs $20, so I eagerly did so, and voila! 
I probably won't pay for the rest of the dress for a little while, since I don't quite have the money. But it's nice to know that it's technically mine ^_^ It's already ready, just waiting for the rest of the payment.
So yes, very long explanation, and though I don't physically have the dress, I do theoretically own it. 

Anyways, here's a quick outfit. Sorta. I also had on tights and accessories, but I put them on after I photographed the outfit. 

Shirt: Bodyline
Skirt: Magic Tea Party

The only thing that bothers me about the skirt is that the lace is a different color and thus stands out but... oh well. It's not too bad ^_^
So yes, I hope you guys enjoyed this post~ Thanks for reading!
~Sakura <3

Bodyline Review~ {L353, L474, Shoes272, and Accessories}

Hello!
Wow this post is overdue >_> Considering that I ordered it in summer.... ehehe. Well, better late than never, eh?
Anyways!
This summer I decided to order quite a few things from Bodyline, which is a really cheap online lolita store based in Japan. They have a wide variety of products suited for many different styles, however Sweet Lolita is the primary style they cater to. I myself really prefer classic, however they did have a couple of things that I thought would be suitable, so I bought them~

If you're curious, I did an unboxing video here

One of the primary things I was looking for was a blouse. I have a few blouses, but none are really fantastic for lolita so I decided to pick up L474. 
It has a very Victorian look about it, which is why I chose it~
I bought it in the beige colorway, size M~
Here are the measurements of the blouse for those of you who are also considering purchasing it:

Length: 74 cm

Bust: 92 cm

Waist: 78 cm

Shoulder length: 36 cm

Sleeve length: 58 cm

Product link!

Fabulous cat hanger is quite fabulous. Anyways, as you can see, the blouse is very ornate. There are several types of lace, and there's also a removable jabot and cameo on a chain (the cameo is also a brooch!)
Here's a closeup of all the fanciness:

You can see all the lace here- rose lace, beige cluny lace, and ivory cluny lace
I think it's called cluny lace, at least...

The quality is decent- the fabric isn't uncomfortable and the lace is nice (in my opinion). I also really like how it fans out on the bottom- it has a very slimming effect (however I wear it tucked in when I wear it with skirts- but it looks cute with pants too). There aren't any loose threads that I've noticed, and all the details combined makes it quite pretty. It's even cute without the jabot and brooch.

Plain, but more wearable.

Here's a closeup of the lace and ruffles~

I like the roses :3

Now on to some problems.
The size M fits my bust and waist nicely (a bit big, but that's better than small), but it's really small in the shoulders. The sleeves are also short >_> This is partially my fault since I didn't measure my shoulders and arm length, but considering that the bust and waist were bigger, I expected the shoulders and arm length to be fine. *shrug* oh well.
The buttons are awful. In the above photos, you can see that some buttons aren't buttoned. This isn't cause I was too lazy to button it- it's because the buttons fell off -.- My sister tried it on and two popped off just from unbuttoning them... To be safe, I cut them all off and resewed them on. It should be fine now ^_^  Beware though, if you plan on buying this in the future. Since it would be very inconvenient to put on the blouse, arrive somewhere, and realize that your shirt is unbuttoned cause all of the buttons fell off -.-
Final rating: 4/5
It's really cute and all, but the measurements are odd and the buttons were annoying.

Next, I wanted to get a pair of shoes to wear with lolita. I really don't like tea parties, however that was the majority of the shoes Bodyline had. I did however, find a really cute pair of oxfords, and they had them in the colorway I wanted as well as the size I needed, so yay :3 They're shoes272 in the brown colorway

Product link ~

These were also quite cheap in comparison to some of Bodyline's other shoes. They're on sale now for $16, and I think when I bought them they were around $20/25? They're also surprisingly good quality. First though, some more photos.

I love high heeled oxfords, and I have a gorgous pair that's grey and black, but they just kill my feet :(
These however, are really comfy! I wouldn't go hiking in them naturally, but after a day of walking to and from school in them, my feet don't hurt immensely. They're a tiny bit uncomfortable, but I think it's comparable to most of the high heels I have. I'd say they're my third comfiest pair- which is quite impressive since my other pairs were made by hiking companies that specialize in making comfy shoes (that you probably could even hike in... ehehe).
I also got the fabled Bodyline shoe box :o Not that it matters much, but it's nice since the shoes are more secure that way.

Squished box, but better than no box

I think they included the box so they could shove all the other things I ordered in it x3 The shoes also had paper on the inside, as well as a stick thing so that they wouldn't deform if they accidentally got squished.

Sticks :3

Overall I'm really happy with these shoes. They're a lot better than I expected them to be, which is nice.
Final rating: 5/5

Now, last of the big items (and my personal favorite), L353 in the wine colorway.

Buy it here!

I wanted to get this skirt in my last haul, but because I wasn't sure how it'd look on me, I didn't get it. This time however, I decided to get it (and I'm very happy I did, since it's become my favorite skirt). There are five colors availible; pink, beige, grey, black, and wine. I wasn't sure which color I wanted to get; black, grey, or wine, but in the end I decided on wine so I'm happy I did.
The print and the colors are really beautiful, I'm quite impressed. I also like all the ruffles at the bottom :3 
At the top it's somewhat corset-y; and it's nice that were the lacing is there are eyelets and it's not lace, which could tear easily.

A few loose threads, but nothing too bad.

I'm not a huge fan of the cord lacing; it doesn't look that elegant, and it's starting to fray at the bottom, but it's easily replaceable, so that's okay :3
Ruffles!

I like how it's not excessive

At the back there's shirring, so it can accommodate many sizes.You can also let out or tighten the lacing to make it fit better.

For reference, I got a size M; here are the measurements:

Length: 65 cm

Underbust: 64-84 cm

Waist: 64-80 cm

So, people of many different sizes could fit in it. Though I think if you're smaller you'd have to tighten the lacing a lot, and then it wouldn't look very pretty (M is the smallest size they have by the way- I know, Bodyline sizing is weird like that).

Shirring~

Overall I really like this skirt; it's super cute and aside from a few loose threads and the meh laces, I positively adore it.
Final rating: 5/5

I also ordered several accessories, so I'll quickly show them to you and (briefly) review them.

Really cool gun tights :3

Leg368: These are really really really cool tights. They're tattoo tights, so it makes it seem like you have tattoos. I was worried about how they'd fit and what the quality would be like, but I'm really happy with them. They fit well and they look really cool when worn. The material is also quite nice; it's smooth, silky, and soft. They were also really cheap, which is nice. There are very many different styles, so I think I'll be ordering more in the future.

Eyelashes and a bear hair clip

Eye738 and Eye728: I'm pretty sure these were only 75 cents each so they were ridiculously cheap. I tried putting on one of the pairs but it was being difficult so I then gave up. I'll try again at some point, but the lash band is just sort of stiff so it's not the easiest to put on. Maybe you'll have better luck? For 75 cents it'll be worth trying.

I don't have a link to the bear clip, sorry ;A; I got it for my little sister because she wanted me to buy something for her.

Really awesome headbands :3

ACC1320: I've wanted a bear ear headband ever since I saw Josephine from Frilly Pink Dreams wearing some. They're super cute and incredibly soft, amazingly so. I think it's real fur (so if any of you are against that, be warned). They look really cute and I always feel adorable when wearing them >u< Here's a worn photo~

From my Cult Party Kei Tutorial

ACC1131: I've also wanted a spike headband for a little while, and this one was really cheap, so I bought it. The spikes aren't evenly spaced, but they've very secure in the headband so I'm not worried about them possibly falling off. I can't find it now, which is unfortunate, but here's an old photo~

Spikes!

Phew, lot of stuff >u<

Overall I'm really happy with my order~

Now, an outfit~ It's not really lolita (I'm not sure what it is- maybe a mix of Mori girl and Dolly Kei?), I'm not sure what it is, but I was wearing my new skirt so I decided to include it in this post c:

Mori Dolly
Shirt: Lucky Brand Jeans
Capelet/Bolero: MNG Suit
Necklace: Handmade
Skirt: Bodyline
Socks: Urban Outfitters
Shoes: Ecco

And some more photos~

I love socks with buttons :3

So yeah it was a really comfy outfit :3

Sorry for such a long post! I hope you found it interesting/useful.

Also, thank you to my friend who drew me the girl on my new banner :3 If you're curious, visit his deviantart here

Thanks for reading!

~Sakura <3

What was your favorite item?