Happy Easter!

Custom MLP by colorscapesart

Happy Easter! For those who celebrate, may you have a safe, wonderful Easter celebration! For those who don't, have an awesome Sunday!

Mini Bodyline Haul Review

Yay, my first review! And what better way to start than with a classic Bodyline review?

Last month Bodyline was having their free Air shipping sale, and since I'm a cheapskate I decided it would be as good a time as any to place an order I've been holding off on for weeks. My wardrobe is severely lacking in blouses and boleros (which I adore wearing over JSKs), so I figured using Bodyline to help me with some nice, wallet friendly fillers was a pretty good idea. So around the 16th of March I placed an order for 2 boleroes and 2 blouses, and here they are, so let's get started!

So much black! I think I need to start expanding my wardrobe color palette...maybe.

Cardigan L167

I knew I was testing fate when I bought this cardigan because its listed measurements are a fair bit smaller than my bust , but it was just so cute and cheap I couldn't resist. Turns out it's just as cute in person as it is online! It's extremely soft (and not as thin looking as it appears on the website), but what I was most surprised to find is that it has bits of gold mixed in the black that I hadn't noticed in the stock photo. The gold isn't scratchy and you can see it a bit in my photo.

 The lace is also very cute, delicate little flowers that I thought were a nice touch and not used in excess amounts. The front bow is also attached by a pin, so the bolero can easily be worn with or without it, though it is a little bit floppier looking than in the stock photos.

However, when Bodyline states it has a bust measurement of 84cm, they MEAN it. It actually fits quite comfortably on my arms and shoulders, but there is absolutely no way I'm getting this thing over my bust without looking utterly ridiculous. Oh well, off to Lace Market it goes!

Cardigan L409

Good grief, this cardigan is HEAVY! After the lightness of the other cardigan, I was really surprised to pull this one out of the package because it really has so much weight to it. I was also surprised to find it's covered in sequins! I realize now looking over the stock photo that it does have some sparkle to it, but I wasn't expecting so many sequins.

It really does have some cute details to it. The lace isn't the most fantastic quality, but it's used in small elements and I imagine won't be too difficult to remove if I find it grows bothersome. I love the ruffles and the ribbon detail is a cute touch as well. 

Weirdly enough, even though this cardigan is listed as only 4 cms larger than the previous one, it fits me just fine (did I mention I have a 94cm bust?). I guess those 4 cms really make a difference, though I wouldn't recommend it for much a bust much larger than mine. My major complaints are that the sleeves are a bit on the short side, and the fabric has a slightly rough quality (likely from the sequins) that can get a little irritating on the skin.

Blouse L505

So, I don't actually own a single blouse with a peter pan collar. I've always felt they just look so awkward on me, but again, since I was on a mission I decided to just bite the bullet and get at least one, simple blouse I could hopefully use in many different ways. I liked this one because it has detachable sleeves and a jabot (which is also removable).

I decided to order a size 2L and I was a little nervous it wasn't going to fit my bust, but turns out this blouse actually fits beautifully. The waist has some nice wiggle room since I'm a little smaller than the listed measurements, and I think I'm going to go ahead and remove the waist ties as I don't like the way they look and don't really need them as I primarily wearing JSKs anyway. 

Here's a close-up of the collar, and as you can see the lace isn't really the best quality. This doesn't really bother me too except for around the arms where I find a combination of the lace and elastic gets irritating really quickly. Still, the elastic is nice for allowing a range of arm sizes, however the attached long sleeves do not have elastic, so I'd be wary if your arms are on the thicker side. The sleeves are attached by 4 buttons and easily removed though if you just feel like doing away with them entirely (as I probably will since I don't much like the way they look).

The blouse is made of the usual, polyester blend Bodyline material. It doesn't seem like it would breathe very well, but it's actually rather soft and not crackly or stiff. In any case, I'm glad to have a simple, peter pan collared blouse in my wardrobe now.

Blouse L373

So, when I laid this one out I was really surprised at how big the armholes looked. I thought perhaps my eyes were just playing tricks on me, but when I tried it on...nope. The arm holes are just really super big for some reason. Again, I ordered a size 2L, and though it's slightly on the larger side, it still fits me pretty nicely-except for the arms! It's really quite odd, but thankfully since they're elastic they should be a fairly easy fix.

All in all though, I love this blouse! The design is a lot more like what I'm used to and I love it's simplicity. The fabric feels a little bit stiffer than the previous blouse, but it's nothing unbearable and will likely soften out a bit after a few washes.

This blouse has some super cute rose buttons that sadly all came out blurry in my photos. It's a nice little elegant touch that I really appreciate, and the lace is used minimally as well. I don't know if I'll be purchasing much more from Bodyline, however I would definitely consider getting another one of these to have as back up, and possibly even one in pink. I don't think I'll ever use the added ties that are intended to be used around the neck, but perhaps someday I'll work on another craft project with them. 

Phew! That was fun! I hope this review was informative and can maybe help someone out on a future purchase. I know that's why I love reading them, so let's share the wealth of knowledge.

52 Challenge: Why I wear Lolita

I have a lot of aspirations and dreams for this blog. Nothing crazy or totally wild, but they push me and make me try to be the very best I can. Unfortunately, that also means I have a lot of fears too, and it's because of those fears that have basically already caused me to standstill on updating. What if I sound stupid? What if I'm not as eloquent or smart or beautiful as all the other Lolita bloggers I admire?

Because of these fears, this blog post has been sitting around for weeks, not even half finished, because I'm too afraid of continuing. But then earlier today, I received a Bodyline order I'd been waiting on for almost a month, and I was really excited to finally share my own little review on what I'd received. That's when it hit me-I hadn't even finished this post, how did I possibly think I could start another one? How was I ever going to finish ANY of them?

But you know what? I'm not a quitter. Maybe this isn't the most gorgeously written piece of literature ever, and maybe I don't sound as dainty and posh as I would have liked. But I can always work on that. For now, this is just me being me, and the only way I'm ever going to get this blog up and running is to just push back the doubts, and DO IT.

So, without any further ado, I would like to begin by answering number 7 of the 52 Lolita Blog challenge which was created by the lovely Caro-chan and posted on her popular blog, F Yeah Lolita, which can be found HERE.

Why I Wear Lolita

Why do I wear Lolita?

I wear it for the plain and simple fact that it helps me to feel like something I never thought I would be capable of. I helps me to feel beautiful.

Perhaps that's a very vain and shallow reason to enjoy it. Maybe there's something deeper there that I can't reach right now. But when I sit and think about the question without giving it too much philosophical merit, I find it really all just boils down to the fact that it's one of the extremely rare types of clothing I can put on, look in a mirror, and actually smile back.

When I wear Lolita, I am able to trick the world into thinking I have more confidence than I do. Wearing such unusual clothing tends to garner a bit of attention, which in turn helps me build the impression around myself that I don't care that I stand out and I am simply living my life.

Of course, like many young ladies out there, I am extremely self conscious about how I look and am perceived by others, but by wearing Lolita I find it helps me to step into the role of a self-assured, mature adult with no qualms about who I am or how I feel about myself. I admit, it's a little bit of self trickery, but by pretending to be this person, slowly I hope I can truly transform myself from the inside out into the woman I wish to be.

All in all, Lolita is a healing fashion for me-when I allow it to be. Sadly, it's easy to get caught up in the drama and inner ugliness that's so commonly spread about this fashion, and that very quickly can ruin what was once magical. However, if I take a step back, and allow myself to breathe, the true beauty of the fashion always shines through. Lolita is like the gateway to an enchanted place that is so tiny it's almost impossible to find, but if I open my mind and accept it and myself for what we are, I have the promise of someday finding it in my own time.