Thursday, August 29, 2013

Stripes and Spikes

kawaii fashion

This is an old outfit photo but I decided to have it in my blog. In this look I'm wearing a striped dress from a random store in Thailand. The necklace and the bracelets are all part of "The Great Accessories Haul".

Korean accessories

The whole look is very simple. A single dress, no layers, nothing more. I just wore a couple accessories and the outfit is complete! 

stripes and spikes fashion

Monday, August 26, 2013

Kawaii in Pink


kawaii fashion

So here's my take on kawaii. It's a little toned down but as you can imagine, walking in this all pink outfit outside any major Japanese neighborhood can cause quite a stir. 

In this look I am wearing a Christie Brooks Kid's Dress. This is a relatively old hand-me-down dress from my sister. I was really small when I was younger and I never had the chance to use it. After so many years of being stuck in my closet (yes, I still have and still use a couple of my childhood clothes!), I finally got to wear it and believe it or not, it's still huge for me! I had to pin it at the back for a good fit. Maybe I didn't really grow that much. (´∩`。) I'm planning to have it tailored for repair. My mom said that this dress also had a big ribbon in front but she removed it because she thought it was outrageous. I guess I'll have to make a new one then.

kawaii accessories

How does that pink lollipop look? Kawaii ne? 

It's actually a pen! 

To make the look really kawaii, I used a pink scrunchies to tie my hair in a half side ponytail, used assorted ribbon clips, and wore my panda earmuffs. I also used different pink accessories that matches the whole look. I used my pink Hello Kitty envelope bag and for my footwear, I wore a pink wedge with bow and layered 2 frilly socks.

Friday, August 23, 2013

Ulzzang Eyes

Ulzzang Eyes

Korean Eyes

Korean Big Eyes

Circle Lenses


The ultimate goal of the hyped ulzzang eyes is making the eyes look larger, sparkling and richly colored. I personally think that ulzzang eyes gives off an innocent aura which is suiting the whole ulzzang look. Makeup can practically make the eyes look larger, thus making it "ulzzang" but the key in achieving this are circle lenses.


Circle lenses make's the iris look look larger and a relatively wide outer rim which gives the illusion of having big eyes. This ultimately makes the eyes ulzzang. 

Hove you ever tried wearing circle lenses? What are your thoughts about it?

Circle Lenses

Circle contact lenses or simply known as circle lenses has been very popular these past years. They are cosmetic contact lenses used to make the eyes look larger. Unlike regular contact lenses, they provide a wider outer rim (limbal ring) which gives off the illusion of bigger eyes. But similar to the regular contact lenses, they also come in different sizes. Circle lenses starts from a 14.0mm diameter and can go up to an astonishing 20.8mm! Apparently, they can come in sizes much larger than regular contact lenses which makes them achieve both dolly and ulzzang eyes.

I didn't know such huge lenses existed until I actually stumbled upon a website which sells them.

The larger the lens, the more uncomfortable they become particularly for those who are not used to using circle lenses. The water content of circle lenses also affects its comfort level. The higher the water content, the more comfortable it is and vice versa.

Circle lenses comes in a variety of colors and designs. Some are aimed to a more natural look.


Some, plain outrageous.
 
And some designs are mainly used in achieving anime eye details which are perfect for cosplays.


They can be purchased from physical and online stores in different countries. They are available in plano (non-prescription) and prescription which makes them usable for both people with normal vision as well as those with special needs.

Whatever your reason for wearing, there is a circle lens available for you.

Caution: It is best to consult you doctor before using any kind of contact lens as it may cause permanent damage to your eyes.

Get FREE Circle Lenses! [CLOSED]



Emi Doll is hosting a giveaway sponsored by Eye Candy's!
What do you think is for gives?
What else but lovely circle lenses!
Two lucky winners will be picked and each would be lucky enough to choose a pair that they want from the wonderful circle lens collection of Eye Candy's!
How better could it get?
It's open internationally so anyone from around the world can join and get a chance to win!
What are you waiting for? 
Try you luck now!
Let's keep our fingers crossed and hope that the two of us wins! 
☆*・゜゚・*\(^O^)/*・゜゚・*☆

Free circle lenses

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Learn Hiragana and Katakana in 1 Week!

I'm no expert in the Japanese language. In fact, I'm still in the process of learning it but I would like to share how I was able to take down the 2 major Japanese writing systems in a week.

Most Japanese study guides would leave out the writing systems for later. They teach Japanese with English by using romanization and lets you memorize common Japanese phrases. I have studied with such materials before and honestly, I was not able learn as much as I wanted to. I knew phrases, words, simple grammar, but it didn't feel like I'm even starting to know the language. English is my second language and as far as I can remember, before you actually learn it, you are first taught the ABC's. So why does these materials keep you from learning the Japanese "alphabet" first? It doesn't make sense to me.

I started to actually learn Japanese when I studied its scripts (Kana); Hiragana (ひらがな) and Katakana (カタカナ). Why leave out learning Japanese characters for later if it is the building block of the language? First things first!

Katakana and Hiragana Chart

I know, the characters look daunting! But believe me, once you get the hang of it, you'll realize how easy it is. Imagine that you're a child who is just starting to learn the alphabet. Forget English and learn Japanese!

Hiragana and Katakana are 2 sets of Japanese characters. Both have characters equivalent to each other and pertains to the same sound. Hiragana is the basic script used to write native words while Katakana is used for loan or foreign words and onomatopoeia. There is also the Kanji which are Chinese characters used along with Hiragana and Katakana but I won't be talking about it for now.

I would highly recommend to study Hiragana first. I found it a lot easier to learn than Katakana. Even the Japanese children learn it first so why not learn Japanese the Japanese way?

HIRAGANA (ひらがな)

The Hiragana consists of 48 characters (not including the voiced consonants and the combination sounds). The table below shows the order of characters and the correct stroke in writing each character.
Learn hiragana

It is really important to learn the correct stroke in writing characters because some characters look very similar and the stroke can help you in distinguishing them.

learn Japanese

There are so many online sources in learning Hiragana but nothing beats actually writing them with pen and paper. Here is a link to a printable Hiragana writing sheet I personally used. You should also learn the correct pronunciation of each character as you go along with writing them. Tokyowithkids.com will help you with that. Listen to each sound and pronounce it as you write the character on the trace sheet. Make sure to say each sound with the right pronunciation. This will help you A LOT in getting rid of the foreign accent you may have when you actually start speaking the language.

KATAKANA (カタカナ)

Learn Japanese on your own

Katakana is composed of 48 characters just like Hiragana. They look more "boxy" and I found it a bit tougher to master. 

learn Japanese writing

Here is the printable Katakana writing sheet that I used. Use the same technique in learning Hiragana.

It may take a couple of tries to make your "character" look like the actual character but don't be afraid in making mistakes. Mistakes are part of learning and I think that committing mistakes makes remembering easier. We never make the same mistake twice don't we? Or maybe we do. But it doesn't matter.

I'm not a superhuman and I did not learn the Kana in one day. My pace was 15 characters on the first day which constantly increased in the next few days. You'll have your own pace as you start. Don't be discouraged if you're not going fast enough. Take your time in mastering each character and enjoy the whole learning process. After learning a new character, always rewrite all the characters you have learned in a similar manner as the tables above (Up-down, right to left). 

There are times that you'll forget some characters but it's OK. Forgetting is natural unless of course you're endowed with an amazing savant memory ability. On the other hand, I found mnemonics as the key in resolving this problem. I thought of my own mnemonic for characters I usually forgot. The things that I came up with myself had more retaining power, so I suggest that you try making your own mnemonics too. If, in any case, this does not work for you, don't stress yourself out. There are so many images in the web which can help you.

Hiragana and Katakana Mnemonics

The key to mastery is practice. Practice everyday, in any given time. Write characters with your fingers in the air while walking, write them on water while you bathe, practice, practice, practice! There are also so many great Kana learning apps out there. Go and download one. Try reading Japanese texts. You may not be familiar with all the characters you encounter yet because of the Kanji but doing so gives you a lot of practice in reading and a great feeling of fulfillment too.

Note: Katakana and Hiragana characters may look slightly different when they are in the computer or other devices but don't worry, you'll surely recognize them. Don't copy the way you see the characters in your screens. Keep writing them as they should be written.

Good luck and have fun learning Nihongo (日本語).
 がんばって!
Do your best!


Disclaimer: This is the technique I used in learning Hiragana and Katakana. Every person have their own learning style. This may or may not work for you.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Japanese Sweets Makeup Tutorial

Japanese Sweet Makeup

Do you love sweets? How about incorporating them in your makeup?
Here are 3 sweet makeup tutorials from Kera Magazine's August 2013 Edition.

Ice Cream Makeup
Photo from: chewoutloud.com

Chocolate mint ice cream inspired makeup? Who would say no to this?

Japanese Makeup Tutorial

Melon Cake Makeup
Photo from: global.rakuten.com

A slice of melon cake? Anyone?

Sweet Japanese Makeup

Strawberry Macaron Makeup
Photo from: userealbutter.com

Do you love french macarons? Try this strawberry macaron inspired makeup!

Kawaii Makeup

These make up tutorials would definitely fit sweet lolita fashion. Surprisingly, they are so simple and very doable it can be made into an everyday makeup too.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Out of the Bedroom and onto the Street - The Japanese Pajama Trend

Pajama trend

Have you ever went out of the house with your PJs on? I mean, not just going out in convenience store near your house to grab something to snack on in the middle of the night but wearing them just like any of your outdoor clothes. If you have, seems like your style is a current hit in Japan!

Many Harajuku girls were spotted wearing pajama pants during spring and it continued until summer. Why you may ask? I don't know either. Who would question Japanese fashion trend anyway? Anything goes.

The pajama trend isn't relatively new, it has been reappearing since 2011. Many Hollywood celebrities were even spotted sporting the look.

Celebrities in Pajamas
Photo credits: Stylebistro.com

But there is a huge difference in the Japanese take of this trend. 
 
pajama trend Japan
Photo from: Tokyofashion.com

Pajama fashion
Photo from: Tokyofashion.com

kawaii pajama trend
Photo from: Tokyofashion.com
So cute! They look like fun people to be friends with.

I think all the photos sum up everything that I have to say. The pajama trend in Japan pretty much uses pajama pants with fun and colorful prints. They commonly pair it with sneakers. I'm not quite sure with my feelings about this trend but I think it's a really fun and quirky. Looks very comfy too! It seems like a very good outfit choice when you're running late for school. Some might think that you totally forgot to change your bottom wear though.

Kawaii pajama fashion Japanese style



What do you think about this trend? Yay or nay? Would you try this trend yourself?


Sunday, August 11, 2013

The Great Accessories Haul - Arm Candy

I admit, I am one of those people who became really obsessed with the whole arm candy hype last year. Who actually said no to the stack of metal and leather chunks?

arm candy

Spikes had been a huge hit last year so a metal spike bracelet was a must have! Skull designs were really in too. The faux leather bracelet with metal skull looks nothing less than amazing.

Kawaii Charm Bracelet

Since stacking was the game many accessories already came as a set.

Korean accessories

Bracelets and rings galore!

ulzzang fashion accessories

spike bracelet

Skull Accessories

Funky skulls.

Skull Bracelet

Metal Skull and Spikes Bracelet

Spikes and skulls looks rad together.

korean accessories

Rings.

kawaii rings

Pig, diamond, vine and skull rings.

Korean Accessories

These two does not come in pair but they look so good together.

Gold Metal Necklace

Golden metal necklace.

Spike Necklace

Spike necklace.

I also got a few stud earrings which were very cute but sadly, I can't use earrings which are not hypoallergenic unless I want my ear lobules to look like a cherries. (。┰ω┰。)

You can still find most of these items in ebay and many other online shops.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Plain and Simple into Something Kawaii


casual kawaii fashion

Lately, I have become really fond of wearing long sleeve tops and plain skater skirt. Individually they look plain and simple but I think the combination can actually give off a modest and kawaii vibe. 

In this look I used a laced long sleeves top and a black skater skirt. I added a black ribbon as a bow tie to compliment the skirt. 

Black and White Creepers

Black and white creepers paired with bunchies socks for my footwear because creepers and socks goes hand in hand. I finished the look with some accessories and usamimi headband. I think the lace really uplifted the whole look to make it more kawaii.

simple kawaii fashion

This is a very quick-to-come-up-with look that I use whenever I don't have enough time to think of what to wear. I just mix and match different long sleeve tops and skirts.

Yes, simple long sleeves and skirts can go a long way!