Japan day 2, 109 day ♥‿♥

 On our second day in Japan we went to 109 ♥‿♥ Unfortunately stores in Japan really dislike you taking photos inside the stores, so I really don't have many photos of the inside. Many shops have signs saying no photos are allowed. I just took photos of what I could without breaking the rules xD 

My make for the day! 

We started out the day by having breakfast at the cafe in the hotel. They had hachi waffles sinec we were in Shiubuya!! 

Then off to 109! 

Like I said, this was mostly off limits for photos. I would say most stores were jirai and ryosan, only Gyda is left as far as gal brands are concerned which was a little sad but I knew about it ahead of time. Shibuya feels like gal territory to me xD And there definitely were plenty of gals around! Most of them dress like current Nuts models, I noticed that warm toned bronze or orangey eyeshadow is popular and it's much more sparkly than you can tell from the photos! 

There was a secondhand Wego store that was totally gal themed though :0 there really wasn't anything good in it, a lot of average american brands like you'd see at goodwill but not the cute stuff in my opinion xD 

I loved this display but the magazines were for display only, you couldn't buy them. It's nice that someone seems to be preserving them for everyone to appreciate. 

Spinns was pretty cute too!!

I did buy several things at Gyda (look at my two huge bags, lol)!! I don't know why I didn't take a proper photo of all of it. I got a my melody purse that I really thought I had a photo of at some point, but I'll have to show it off in another post since it's too dark for me to get a proper photo rn. I was really happy that at least one gal brand still has a storefront in 109, I'm a huge fan of real experiences instead of online shopping. Gyda was having a my melo collab which was super perfect, plus they did have a lot of louder prints and colors with metal and rhinestone details!! Overall I ended up with the purse, a pair of lounge/athletic shorts with rhinestones, a leopard tank, and a hot pink tube top. It was really cool seeing the shop staff and getting to buy everything in person :D 

We ate at a little cafe in 109! It was cute but I don't think I'd go back. 

Later on we went to the Disney store, but it was only a brief stop since we were going to go to Disneyland later in the trip anyways. I really only wanted to get a photo with stitch while I was wearing a good outfit. 

Then we had Bryan's awards dinner for the art exhibit! This is when I used that gyda bag, but I never got my photo with it. 

This is the dessert they gave us, it was amazing! 

After we got back, we met up with our friend again at a bar so I got changed into a top from Gyda that I got earlier in the day. This was the Donki bathroom at like 3 am xD It still shocks me that this is literaly open 24 hours a day and there's people in there all day and night because nowadays in the US nothing is 24 hours anymore even in cities. 

another picture of my love

I couldn't believe I was really seeing it in person, it was like a dream! I never thought I would get to go to Japan. 

I think I'm gonna keep posting these just one day at a time, it's more manageable for me to write that way! We were there for about 2 weeks though, so hopefully you are interested in what I have to say about it all. 

makeup purchases & first impressions ★~(◡﹏◕✿)

 I ended up buying a lot of makeup this weekend! 

Kieli messaged me last week and told me about this My Melo collection at Walmart. I very patiently waited an ENTIRE WEEK before I could find it at a Walmart in another suburb. 

I couldn't use any of the face or eye products due to them having the preservative I'm sensitive to in them, but I got most of the lip products and the mirror, brush and makeup bag as well!! Once I open the lip products I'll swatch them. I'm not quite sure what the balm is gonna look like, but it was inexpensive enough that I was willing to give it a go. 

My helper :) she usually sleeps on this blanket. 

And then my Ulta experience... it was not great today. I needed a new foundation since while I love the one I've been using, it runs out in just 2 months which I haven't seen happen with anything else I've used. I made the mistake of asking for help and the shop staff were  rude and judgemental, and tried to sell me on stuff I didn't want. They even criticized me wearing makeup at all which was so bizarre since they literally sell makeup. I think they were trying to sell me all of the trendy "no makeup makeup" even when I told them I just needed help with a full coverage powder foundation... it was strange. 

 Anyways I had them shade match me for a few things, but felt uncomfortable eventually so i just let them leave thinking i was going with their stuff. I remembered I wanted this Natasha Denona foundation, which I thought I grabbed a good shade in... then I got home and tried it. It's really orange on me  o(╥﹏╥)o  and I'm too afraid of them to go back and ask for a match even tho I know I can return it. I called and the other shade that I should've got is supposedly out of stock too, even though I saw at least one earlier. My sister is gonna go with me over my lunch break tomorrow so I can have her help me find something that's a good enough match, since the website says this is gonna be online only and they won't get my shade back in stock. UGH, lol. I know it's just makeup but I always have such a hard time matching my skin and it drives me   c r a z y.

I tried this Essence bronzer too since the one I have was just a free sample and it doesn't really flatter my skintone. It was super cheap but I wouldn't recommend it, it's pressed so tightly that you barely can get any product on your brush. I think if you're any more tan than me you wouldn't even notice it on your skin, so even though it was like $5 it wasn't worth it. I might return this too since I'm already going back, there was one in a similar shade from Ariana Grande's brand that I wanted to get but I'm debating it since I already spent a lot recently buying clothes. It's hard with makeup because the shades I need are usually in the expensive brands.  

They were also out of the dip brow I'd been using, so I got this brow pencil by the same brand (Anastasia) instead. I tried it and I actually really like this one! I can get a finer line with the real pencil than I can with the mechanical ones, and this won't dry out like a pomade. Anastasia is the only brand that makes a good color for my hair. Usually the blonde shades are too cool or brown and the red shades are too red and dark. lmao. Gal problems. This one is in Caramel, which is practically EXACTLY my hair shade. So, at least one of the Ulta things worked out. 

BONUS 

 

I managed to snag this coat from Hollister. I've been checking the website a few times a day since Thursday and they hadn't stocked it, and by the time I checked today it had somehow already been stocked AND almost sold out. All they had left was XS, which I'm hoping is the right size. 

I'll update with a better review once I get it all sorted out tomorrow!! I'm scraping the bottom of my foundation pan so I'm hoping I find one I like. See you soon!! 

New dress ★~(◡﹏◕✿)

 My sister and I went shopping the other day and I wanted to go to Nordstrom bc I heard they stock Roxy sometimes. Mine didn’t end up having any, but look what I found instead! 

Isn’t it so absolutely perfect? It’s from Billabong and I even caught the sale since it’s the end of the summer season! 

★~(◡﹏◕✿) I got to wear it to lunch today!! 

Also, I’m getting my nails done tomorrow and idk what to get. Do you have any ideas?? Maybe I’ll just do something simple I’d I don’t know… I broke one on Friday and got a last minute appointment tomorrow. I always love going though and it was only a few days earlier than I was planning. Maybe something like this? 

daily outfit 9/21 + new nails and make

 Hello! Today I just ran a few errands and in the afternoon I'm going to acupuncture and playing Pathfinder (like Dungeons and dragons, if you aren't familiar) 

Today's outfit! Taking advantage of the summer weather while it's still around. I wore my Ugg sandals as per usual. 

I had to go to the store to get my mom a birthday present! 

She said she was looking for beach themed decor, so I got her 2 of these seahorses (✿ ♥‿♥)

Look how cute this is! I almost bought it, but really I know I wouldn't use it often and don't have space for more displays xD 

After that I wanted to drop by Ulta to get a few things. I was talking with Kieli and she inspired me to keep trying old school looks. Sometimes I get discouraged since I feel like I'm not cute enough anymore, but she always encourages me to keep trying ●‿●

I decided to try a brown liquid liner instead of black since I don't tan anymore and I felt like maybe the color was why I didn't like wearing eyeliner right now. I also got this facewash I used to use since my acne is coming back. I only use this in my acne prone areas on my nose and chin/mouth area because the rosacea on my cheeks would get too irritated by it. I used to use it about once a week and it did a really good job of making the pores on my nose smoother. So far my acne has mostly been surface spots and not the awful deep ones I used to get, but we'll see how that progresses the longer I'm off of the medication. 

This is the nail set I got done last week!! I love the palm trees. The checkout person at the store commented on it and said she was already on to fall colors, and I said I wear tropical things all year xD I really don't wanna give up palm trees and hibiscuses just because it's not summer. 

This is the make I did when I got back. I feel like it's missing something, but I don't know what. I used to like tanning so I'd feel really gal but it kinda ended up giving me body image issues so I stopped since I didn't wanna ruin gal for myself. 

Also, does anyone know how to make your hair stay voluminous all day? I sprayed something on it earlier and it looked exactly how I envisioned, but it sank after a couple hours. Teasing doesn't really seem to stick in my hair either. Right now I use a cream, oil, and sometimes a gel in my hair. Then in the morning I will put sea salt spray or sometimes a sea salt mousse and it looks good but I just want the little extra volume especially in the root area.  I have to be careful and make sure I use a cream when it's wet or else it will go into a giant knot if I just use a gel or mousse with nothing else.

Gotta run now for my appointment!! Catch you later 

★~(◡﹏◕✿)

jfashion meet at the japanese store!

 A few weeks ago my jfashion community met up at a local japanese import store! I decided to wear the ma*rs outfit that I bought at the store in Japan. 

Everything is from Ma*rs except the black skirt I wore under the OP because it was obscenely short without it xD I got that in the basement of 109, not sure what brand it was. 

Here's what I bought at the store!! 

Marie kitty hair oil from &honey. I really like it. It has a floral scent that admittedly kinda smells weird with my other products, but it's fine on its own. My hair is fine, dense, wavy/curly, and not porous, so this oil is great because it is very liquidy and light. 

Two blind boxes! The kirby one was called Pop City, I want to go back to get more of them because they were so cute. 

My friend Kat and I unintentionally matched in Jirai (✿◠‿◠) Also look at my Memetchi ita bag!! I wanted to show it off for the photo. 

Here's all of us together! We walked around a pretty small store so we took up most of it hahah. After the store we went to get macarons and bubble tea which I completely blanked on getting a photo of. I've really enjoyed going to these meetups and I'm excited for some that are coming up this fall! The next one is a "match your (stuffed animal) companion", so Melody Jr and I are going to have matching gal outfits... the details are a surprise, but here's a sneak peek. 

Also, I got Memetchi on my tamagotchi idL! Isn't she so cute? 

Daily Outfit 9/16

 I wanted to post today's outfit! I got this shirt off of depop recently. I wore my Ugg platform sandals with this too. I was also really excited to wear my new Alba bangle bracelet (✿ ♥‿♥) I wore it to work so I just wore a cardigan with it. My make isn't super exciting, but I need to post about it soon bc I like it anyways hahaha.

These are the sandals I wear :) I bought them because they were comfortable for my bad feet/toe. They are Ugg goldenstar sandals.  

I also got my nails done this weekend but I keep forgetting to take a good photo while it's still light outside o(╥﹏╥)o I wore a cute outfit then too but I wanted to post it when I post the nail photo. 

Beach Vibes finds (✿◠‿◠)

 I'm posting so often now, are you overwhelmed yet? xD 

Okay so after my last post (literally less than 24 hours ago, sorry my brain is going too fast but I'm telling myself no one is judging me for it, but these types of ideas are bouncing around my brain often anyways) and doing some more thinking and reflecting, I ended up doing some online window shopping. I used to read blog posts like this where people would post what they saw online and link them, and I always liked reading those so I wanted to do that too. I wish people would still do stuff like that!! 

I'm kinda always back and forth between wanting to be trendy and genuinely enjoying some trends and wanting to be only 90's tropical. Then I realized there's nothing stopping me from just kinda blending the two except myself and thinking that trendy stuff = looking boring or average. After all, aren't all of the models in the magazines I love also trying to be trendy, just at a different time? Most of the reason that I'm viewing their outfits as really unique is that I'm viewing it 10 or 20+ years from when the photos were taken. Even a style like Jirai that I view as very unique has hundreds of girls wearing it running around 109 all looking similar. I think in giving up my mental block about looking unique, I will connect with what I like on a deeper level and just look at items without worrying if they belong to whatever category. 

Since I actually went through my clothes recently and was somewhat shocked to discover that I really don't have a lot of fall clothes, I decided to go looking at Roxy since they sometimes have some really good hidden treasures. A few years ago I got a bikini and boardshort set and tshirt all with this amazing huge hibiscus graphic. I feel like the store is like 80% kinda meh and then 20% really cool stuff. I was happy to discover that this store still even exists because several months ago they had what looked like a closing sale, and a message saying something about their company being sold and gift card not working etc. I always assume nowadays that when a store is sold, it's sold to one of those places that will close it right away. BUT to my surprise it still exists and has some really cute stuff. I've been better about spending money recently, so I think I might treat myself. I'm definitely not getting everything I'm posting but it's fun to dream xD 

Lost Paradise dress, $88

OMG look at the hibiscus designs on this dress. I know it's not at ALL fall appropriate but I really can't help myself for my love of hibiscus designs like this. 

Patchwork 90's top, $40

I really like the design on this as well but I'm on the fence since what I really need is lighter long sleeves for when it's a bit colder. 

Leia Sweater, on sale $56 

 I really like the hibiscuses on this one as well, but my size is sold out and I'd have to size up, which I'm not sure would look great considering this is already a wide cut. 

This one I'm less sure about especially for the price. 

Morning Hike Crewneck, $35

I really like the color of this, even if it is a bit oversized for my tastes. 

Hippie Love sweater sale $49 

I can't decide with this one either. I think the longer I look at it the more I think it looks too hippie with those strings lol. I was drawn in by the pattern. 

midnight avenue pants $54 

I love the pattern on these pants, but I think that the short cut may look a bit awkward on me. They actually have several really cute colorful pants, but all of them are definitely designed for summer temperatures, and it's going to get cold quickly here so I don't think they're a good investment right now, since I'm trying to not get too off track. 

Chips and guacamole bag 

Look how cute this bag is!! I love bags that have that woven texture to them. Roxy actually has a TON of them right now. 

straw tote, $60 

I have a straw tote I used to carry everywhere, but it's a but unstable, so I'm considering replacing it with this one since it has an actual lining inside. I wish I could carry something like this to work, it makes me happy thinking about it, but I have a pretty hefty macbook and I think it might ruin something like this ●︿●

They do make this laptop backpack though which is a pretty cool design with the checks. I'm not 100% sold on it and idk why. Sometimes I worry I'll look too like earthy/hippie with their clothes but maybe with my styling it won't come across that way since I'm always wearing sparkly makeup and have big hair. 

That's all for tonight!! I'm gonna sleep on it and decide what to buy tomorrow so I don't impulse buy anything and regret it. 

Surf Style inspo (✿◠‿◠)

I've been into surf style from around 1998-2001 lately! My brain is so scattered from looking at magazines for too long. I wanted to write a post to try to collect my thoughts. I took some photos of a few magazines I have to try to help myself with fall inspo. They're mostly from the wrong seasons, I don't care, I'm gonna make them into fall appropriate clothes xD 

I've pretty much accepted that if I wanna look like this I'm going to have to do a considerable amount of DIY. I tried looking for pieces like this, even the same cuts but solid colors, both on US and Japanese secondhand sites and they just don't seem to exist or maybe I don't know how to properly search for them. I overwhelmed myself by searching so much, and I ended up just feeling really discouraged. 

●︿● I have so many ideas in my head but none of them actually exist in real life for me to buy.

I've actually found it difficult to even find just plain tshirts that are cut the way I want which is driving me insane. I recently got an Alba top that is just a plain tshirt with a big embroidered hibiscus, so my plan was to make something sort of inspired by that since embroidery should be no problem for me. 

ughhh, sometimes you just wanna give up because it's so frustrating. I feel like I look too average day to day. I need clothes for fall, and I don't wanna settle for boring clothes, but I feel like what else can I do?? This is the style that is calling to me at the moment and I never wanna look any way but tropical, so this is now my daily frustration. I think I would even settle for modern clothes that I could use as a base for DIY, but they are all in colors I don't want like brown, beige, black, or washed out colors. 

As for what I can actually do about this, once I track down some decent tshirts I know I can make those. I also want to embroider some flowers onto jeans, same with a denim jacket I bought a while ago. I realized that I always used to save photos of outfits with skirts, but really I very rarely wear them. I just feel more comfortable in pants/shorts/capris. That makes things a bit more complicated since skirts are the one thing I feel like is more easily accessible. I actually own at least 3 plaid skirts that work well, but since the only place I really go day to day is work, they're much too short to be practical. Accessories I either already have or very easily have access to the supplies I need to make them. Sweaters I can't do much about without becoming an expert knitter, so I will have to settle for whatever solid color turtlenecks I can find. 

Whew, okay. I don't think my brain feels any better (⊙︿⊙✿) I might have made myself more confused, but at least I have something written down. I really want to persist in my enjoyment of this style, I don't want this overwhelmed and frustrated feeling to make me give up. I just have to find a way to make it work. All of the ideas are swirling around in my head ~(⊕⌢⊕)~  I have such a clear sense of the feeling I want my outfits to give, and it's really frustrating to not be able to express that. The pictures don't really even express my feeling exactly, because I'm not trying to literally copy this style, it's a source of inspiration that has given me ideas for how I want my own stuff to look. It feels very personal to me, like a combination of things I have liked since I was first able to pick out my own clothes as a child.  

Here are my inspo photos. I really want to use these more for the general feeling of the outfits, I don't want to copy any of them. I really like tropical prints and the little details like embroidery that are on a lot of these clothes. The prints from this era have a really nice hand drawn look to them that I feel we've mostly lost with clothes today. I'm not sure I captured it well with these photos, but this surfer girl style has a really natural (like nature that can be wild and colorful, not like clean girl minimal) and comfortable kind of feeling to it. It feels very fitting for me. I like that there are sometimes accessories that look like they might have been handmade or hand painted because they aren't totally perfect. I have a magazine from 2004 that I actually like a lot less because all of the models look much more "glamorous" and don't have this sort of "real person" aesthetic I guess? Like they all have really shiny curled hair and perfect nails, very crisp makeup... and the clothes have started to lose a little of that sort of natural/wild feeling. I like that the models in these older magazines are still very stylish but aren't "perfect" looking. I guess this is also the reason I'm drawn to old school gal as well. There's something that feels very "home-y" about it? I can't think of another way to describe it. It's like being warm and comfortable in your home where you belong. 

I thought this was an good example of interesting pants.. I'm not sure I'll ever be able to find something like that though. 

The embroidery on her dress is what drew me in. 

I really like the flower print on that navy blue skirt. 

I think the embroidery on the flatlay clothes is really inspiring! 

I have a loom for making jewelry like this, makes me want to break it out again! 

I've been really into denim with interesting details like her skirt has here. 

These floral patterns are interesting. This is what I meant about the patterns being hand drawn, not crisp digital art like we mostly see now. If I ever figure out how to properly digitize my paintings, I might use spoonflower to make some floral fabric.  

WHY don't they make sweaters like this anymore am I gonna have to learn to knit too?! 

I really like those black pants with the floral print. The cuts on their sweaters are a bit unusual for this era, at least in the magazines I have. 

This is the only one from a seasonally appropriate magazine LOL. I liked her top a lot. Leopard print feels findable, at least? 

(O∆O) we've reached the end. that was a lot longer than I planned. Thanks for reading, if you did actually make it to the end! Please leave me a comment with advice if you can think of any (◕‿◕✿) I like hearing from you!