♡ Berries and a Quiet Day ♡

To the very few people who still read this blog... hi!

I know I say this every time I come back to write a post... I'm sorry it's been a while ;-;

And yet again-- I really really want to write more. But today I came to the realization that I don't write very much because it just takes so much effort. I realized that lately, all I had been writing were reviews... and those take quite a bit of work! Taking photos, describing the item, describing how it works... there's quite a process to it and it just doesn't feel too creative as it all follows a very similar pattern, and I think that's why I'm often unmotivated to post...

So, I think in addition to the occasional review, I want to have more casual posts! More of a photo/diary style, where I can talk about my days, what I did, etc. Just more about my life, more in depth than what I can write in my short Instagram posts/stories.

I'm not sure if this will actually be interesting to anyone, but it's the type of writing I like to do (and the types of blogs I enjoy reading)!

So with that, I'll begin today's more casual post

I've finally finished up my semester (had my last final exam on Thursday), and today I thought I would drive myself to Whole Foods! It's a bit strange, but I really love just wandering the aisles of interesting grocery stores, looking at the pretty foods-- and for that reason I like Whole Foods quite a bit :>

However... I really don't like driving. Despite having my car for over a year, and driving multiple times a week... it's something that still makes me anxious. I've gotten used to the road to my school, and to my favourite nearby cafes... but that's about it. But today, my desire for something yummy at Whole Foods outweighed my fear, and I decided to drive myself! (I'm sure this all sounds very silly and trivial for most of you... but it ended up being a nice day!)

My eye has been a bit irritated for the past few days, and although it was a bit better today, I decided to not take the chance by wearing lenses and so I built an outfit around my red glasses ^^ 

Lacy Cherry Berry
Dress: Ank Rouge
Cardigan: Liz Lisa
Bag: Thrifted
Shoes: Melissa

I didn't have much I wanted to get at Whole Foods-- it was mostly just a desire to look around/have some tasty food that drove me to go there ^^

At the entrance they always have really beautiful flowers that I love taking a bit of time to look at... but unfortunately they're always quite overpriced ;v;

They had some lovely smelling dried lavender!

There was also this pretty bunch of flowers in their 'filler' basket (the sorts of flowers you get to add along with other bouquets-- but honestly these flowers are my favourite since they're cheap and remind me of the sorts of flowers a forest fairy would collect!)

I hadn't seen these before, and decided to get them~

At home I put them in a small vase, and I thought they looked quite cute! I think the shape of the flowers on them is so pretty ^^

Another interesting find was... fiddleheads!

If you've never had fiddleheads before, they're essentially the coiled up bit of a certain type of fern, before it's fully unfurled. I've had them only once before, and actually haven't seen them since moving to Florida, so I was really surprised when I saw these! They are a bit pricey, but I think that makes sense given that they have a short harvest time, and essentially all have to be gathered by hand ^^" (and they aren't farmed either, they're only foraged!)

Aren't they just beautiful? I'm really looking forward to cooking and eating them!

I also got this pretty loaf of bread (oh gosh I'm sorry if this is turning into the dullest thing ever-- but I had never seen bread like this before! The top bit where the dough was folded over was delightfully crunchy~)

I then went to their cake section, to choose out a small sweet treat for myself! It was a bit difficult, since everything they have looks so delicious ♡ The cakes/cupcakes with the flower piping are so beautiful!

In the end I chose myself a small raspberry pistachio chantilly tartlet, which I'll show in a little bit~

I've heard many good things about the Whole Foods salad bar, and decided to finally try it out, since I've always wanted to!

I ended up making a mix of pea shoots and various roasted vegetables (plus a few cashews), and it was quite tasty! Really nourishing-- I love salads with roasted vegetables (though honestly I just love roasted vegetables).

I got myself a cappuccino to enjoy with my little tartlet, both were so tasty!

I really love their small pastries, and this one was no exception~ Inside the crisp pastry shell was delicious lightly-sweetened cream, topped with fresh juicy raspberries, and pistachios! So yummy ♡

Once I got home the rest of the day was quite uneventful ^^"

But on the whole, it was a lovely and relaxing day~

I finished my evening by taking a bubble bath with the remainder of my Lush "Baa Bar" bubble bar, a sheet mask, and milk and honey (my mum got it for me a few days ago-- I've always wanted to read it!)

(My skin has been giving me a bit of trouble lately-- but this mask helped a bit! It was sort of a clay mask crossed with a sheet mask, and it left my skin feeling much better).

For the most part it was a lovely relaxing day, and a good start to the weekend ♡

Sorry if this isn't the sort of post that interests you, but I have missed writing, and I think I'll do this sort of casual post more often ^^ For example, I really want to write a summary of the Boston trip I took back in December, it was really a lovely trip and I would love to 'relive' it in a way by writing about it~

Anyways, I wish you all a wonderful and restful weekend ♡

Thank you for reading!

♡ Ank Rouge Fukubukuro 2018 Review ♡

Hello my lovely bunnies!

Once again it has been quite a while since I last wrote, and I apologize for that ;-;

However I've been recently reading Lace and Lucy, which is the blog written by Dollielulu, who you might know from Instagram! Her blog is just as sweet as she is, and it's inspired me to start writing again! Blogging was something I really loved to do, and I've missed the satisfaction that comes with taking the time to write a blogpost, on whatever sort of topic!

Although I don't have much in mind for what to write, I do have a post which I've been meaning to write for a while... the review of my Ank Rouge 2018 Fukubukuro!

I thought it might be a bit too late to write this post, since I did get the lucky pack in early January, however I asked on my Instagram whether people would be interested-- and the overwhelming majority said yes!

So, I hope this will be useful for those of you considering buying a Ank Rouge Fukubukuro (or any brand, really) in the future!

Let's begin ♡

Firstly, I'll give a bit of introduction to lucky packs/フクブクロ/fukubukuro, if you aren't familiar with the concept!

In Japan, many shops will sell what are called "lucky packs" on January 1st. You pay a set price (generally 10,000 yen, or approximately $100 USD), and receive a selection of items whose value exceeds the price you paid! Typically this is a way for shops to unload their stock from the old year, however a lot of shops have now begun making lucky packs with the contents revealed! Liz Lisa and Swankiss, for example, do this. Ank Rouge had a similar lucky pack, where you received six items-- five of them known, and one unknown.

Their lucky pack cost $10,800 yen including tax, or about $95 USD (now the Yen-USD exchange rate is a bit worse, unfortunately ;-; ) They claim that the contents of the lucky pack exceed 40,000 yen in value, which is quite impressive!

Here are the items from the lucky pack that they revealed-- you could get the item in one of two colour-ways!.

The tote bag (that all the items arrive in)

Faux Fur Coat

Sailor Collar One-Piece Dress

Turtleneck Sweater

Lace-up Skirt

A 'mystery' item is also included, and there were no hints as to what it was (given what I got though, I think it was just old stock!)

Another thing I should mention, is that in order to purchase a lucky pack from Ank Rouge (and the majority of other Japanese brands), you will need a shopping service, since the vast majority of Japanese brands don't ship outside of Japan. Luckily there are many shopping services out there, most of which are fairly easy to use!

I talk about them in my most recent YouTube video, if you would like a brief overview!

Now enough about my rambling-- let me show what I actually received!

(I actually did an unboxing on my YouTube, if you would prefer to watch that! However here I will speak more about the quality-- if you're just curious to see what I got though, feel free to stop reading here~ and sorry if it seems as though I'm over-promoting my YouTube ><)

The first item that I received was the tote bag in the black colour-way~

This tote bag held all items inside, and it's actually a fairly cute design! I wasn't terribly opinionated on which colour-way I wanted, so I was pretty pleased with what I got. The fabric is black with little pink hearts, as well as the brand name written on the front, with a small ruffle on the edge. It's made of a fairly sturdy synthetic material, and has a matte finish. It zips up the top, and is lined as well. Although I haven't found a use for it yet, it's nice to have good quality bags like this! Perhaps I will store fabric in it..?

The next item (which is one of the ones I was most excited about), was the coat!

I received the coat in the black colour-way, which admittedly I was a bit disappointed about because of how darling the pink one was (... it was really similar to one I tried on while on vacation with my family-- however that one was close to $100, which I couldn't justify spending on a coat given that I live in Florida!)

Back from that tangent however-- this coat is surprisingly light-weight! It's made of a very soft faux fabric-- I couldn't quite say that it feels like faux fur, but it's something similar? It's lined as well with a soft and silky material.

The coat closes on snaps, which is certainly more convenient than buttons~ 

It also comes with a pom-pom brooch, which you can pin on the collar if you would like. I think it's a very cute detail, and it's nice that it's detachable! I do believe this is real fur though... ^^"

My disappointment in receiving the black coat was short-lived, thankfully! I was able to find a sweet girl on the Facebook Larme Sales group who was looking to swap for the black coat, so within a few days I had the pink one instead!

I much prefer the pink version of this coat, it's such a darling shade of dusty pink, and it's much more my style!

It's the perfect sort of coat for Florida winters, I think! It certainly wouldn't keep you warm if you live further up north, however in 50-60 degree cold, I think it's ideal~

Here's a small coordinate I put together with it, I was quite pleased with how it turned out!

Sweet Cherry Girl
Blouse and Coat: Ank Rouge
Skirt: Liz Lisa
Tights: AliExpress
Shoes: DSW (brand is indigo. rd!)

I think this is most definitely my favorite item that I received!

The next item I received was the one-piece in the dusty pink colour-way!

Although my above photo doesn't quite accurately show the colour of the dress, it's much less pink than the coat. I would say it's more of a dusty-mauve colour? In certain light it looks taupe, in certain light it looks dusty purple, however it's rarely pink >< It features a sailor collar, which was one of my favorite details on it! It also has a pre-tied bow that you can pin onto the neckline.

I would say this photo most accurately portrays the colour of the dress!

To be completely honest, I was a bit disappointed with this dress... the main fabric of it was on the thin side, and was a bit like a thick t-shirt? The collar itself is quite well made, but on the whole this is definitely not similar to any other Ank Rouge item I received in the past, in terms of the quality. The bow is also a bit stiff, however I suppose that is just to help it keep its shape!

I do like this dress a lot, and I was happy to receive the pink (if it can be called that) colorway, however I don't know how much I'm going to wear it... I'm going to keep it in my wardrobe for a bit, however I might end up selling this.

The next item was the turtleneck, which I knew I would sell before I even received it because this sort of top is usually not very flattering on me. I received it in the black colour-way.

This top was made of a thin knitted fabric, which luckily wasn't scratchy! It had a ruffle mock-turtleneck, with a small black bow adorning it.
On the whole I think this was the least interesting item in the lucky pack... however I suppose it would be a good basic item to have if you just started building up your wardrobe! I'm afraid there isn't much else to say about it ^^"

The next item I received is another favourite of mine-- the skirt, in the black colour-way!

This skirt seemed very larme in its style, with its pencil fit, lace-up details, and ruffled straps. It's a bit different from my usual style, however I feel quite cute when I wear it!

One of my favorite points of this skirt is the lace up details on the waist- I think they're so cute! The ribbons stand out more on the pink version, however I don't mind that too much, as this makes it a more wearable piece, in my opinion!

This is made from a similar material to the one piece, however it does have a bit of stretch to it (and seems a bit thicker, too). In addition to that, it had a decent amount of shirring on the back, so it can fit a variety of sizes! Due to the cut, I imagine it would look nice on someone with larger hips, since it would accentuate the figure more!

I don't really have a proper outfit to show with this, but here's a quick try-on photo I took!

I think this is the item I will get the most wear out of-- I was quite surprised by it!

The last item I received was the mystery item, and it was quite... unexpected?

I recall Ank Rouge having this sort of odd grunge collection with teddy-bears and crosses, however I had completely forgotten about it until I received this

This is a black knit sweater, which is actually quite cute, when you disregard the applique!

It's made of a soft black knit, with sleeves that puff out a bit at the bottom. It has a fabric applique sewn onto the front, with the words "You don't have to do anything you don't want to do But you may miss out on future opportunities" written in front of a teddy bear. 

Honestly I was quite tempted to keep this piece because of how comfortable it was! However it wasn't my style in the slightest, so I decided to sell it ^^"

Here's a quick try-on I did with it~ I think if it didn't have the applique on the front, I likely would have kept it! It's a good cosy black sweater, perfect for chillier days!

Another quick thing to mention about this top is that it seemed to be of considerably better quality than the other, similar knitted top that I received, which was lucky pack specific. Often brands don't make their items in the LP as high as what they usually make- so please keep that in mind! If you're very familiar with the brand it might be a bit disappointing, and if you're new to the brand, it might set a low first-impression.

Not to say that lucky packs aren't worth it! For under $100 I was able to get five items of clothing (plus a bag!), which is much cheaper than the brand's items usually cost. I was able to sell the two sweaters for about $60 total, so I ended up paying only $40 for four things that I quite like! So, I think it's a bit silly to complain about the quality ^^"

On the whole, I think lucky packs are a great way to get items from brands you like or want to try, at a really cheap price! Although it might seem like a lot to pay (for me at least, paying $100 for things I wasn't sure I would like was a bit scary!), ultimately it ends up quite economical (and you can always sell the items you don't like, if you so choose!)

I think lucky packs are something I will purchase again in the future, especially so if the brand shows what they include! 

I hope this little review was helpful for you, and that it maybe helped to answer some questions you have about lucky packs! 

Please let me know if there's anything else you are wondering about, and I'll try my best to help!

Thank you for reading through this wordy review, and I'll see you in my next post! ♡

Things I'm Waiting For In The Mail | Summer Sales Edition~

Hi everyone!

Recently, a lot of Japanese clothing companies had their summer sales, so I decided to buy some things! I mostly just got things from Ank Rouge (bc they're my favorite brand ever), and while I impatiently wait for my items, I thought I'd share what I'm waiting for~

Before I get into all the Ank Rouge things though, I did get one item from Liz Lisa!

I thought this blouse was the cutest thing ever when it came out, and originally I wanted it in white, but it was no longer available in that colorway ;^;

So, I settled for the pink, but I think it's really cute too! I really love the details near the neckline, and the puff sleeves are really cute as well! I think it's a little bit over the top, but hopefully I'll be able to coordinate it well ><

Now time for the Ank Rouge items!

Firstly, I ended up getting what is one of my favorite cardigans in two more  colorways!

I have this cardigan in a pretty periwinkle color, and it's so comfortable and cute and versatile I just had to get it in the other colors >< (and they were only 2000 yen each!) The nice thing about these cardigans is that you can wear them backwards (with the buttons on the back) and they look just as nice! 

I don't usually get the same item in different colors, but I think since this is such a versatile item that I love so much, it's okay!

I also got this really cute cutsew because a fellow jfashion enthusiast (xsakisaki on instagram) has it and it looks adorable on her! I think it has a very strong larme-kei feel to it, so I hope I can wear it as well as she does!

I really like the netting details, as well as all the ruffles!

Initially, those three items were the only ones I ordered from Ank Rouge. However, then I saw they were having a promotion where you could get two tops for 5000 yen and I had to get two more ><

I thought this top was absolutely adorable; I love the lacing and the puff sleeves and I imagine this will have a very cute fit! It's also not too cutesy, so I should be able to wear it with more casual outfits!

I really liked that this top had a sailor collar, and I think it's cute without being over the top! I actually have only one cute black top, so this is something necessary ^^

I realize it's a bit silly that I only got tops, but I always find myself unable to put together outfits because I lack cute shirts >< I almost always buy just dresses and skirts, so I barely have any cute tops :v So, hopefully this order will remedy my problem and my wardrobe will be happier!

I'm really looking forward for everything to arrive, and will do an unboxing on my YouTube once it does!

Thank you for reading, I hope you liked seeing the items I'm waiting for!

Bye-bye~