Adventures in Sewing: Poofy Sleeves

On the tag it is listed as 'White'. I think I know why it was in the thrift store.

I found a pink blouse in a thrift store awhile back with poofy sleeves done like a bubble skirt. And I fell in love. I bought this blue cotton awhile back (same shopping trip lol) because it was cute and in a fabric store I only get to every couple six months though I had no project in mind for it (which is bad, then it sits around not doing anything) and about a week ago I realized I wanted a lolita-ish shirt dress made out of that fabric with poofy sleeves like that pink blouse. But as I've never done it before I figured I'd make a white blouse from the left over eyelet from my eyelet bloomers and mob cap. It turned out well so I thought I would share a quick tutorial.

Please excuse my mad paint skillz, forgot to take a pic of this part.

Cut out the regular sleeve piece, this will go on the inside so it is needed. Now for the outer part which is the pooftastic part, fold your fabric in half, then fold your sleeve part piece in half and place it a few inches from the fabric fold. Cut it out!

And it only took me 2 hours to get to this point! *dies*

Now sew down the seam and press it. Yes press it. Pressing is the key to good sewing.

This feels so easy!

Slide the inside/smaller part into the larger/outer part so it peeks out just a smidge then pin the together once at the seams. This will give you a guide for how to pleat the outer piece.

Another hour later...

Now start pleating. I do one pleat on one side and then mirror it on the other until they meet at the top/polar from the seam. You'll also want to pleat starting an inch or two away from the seam and make them deeper/bigger pleats as you go. This will help reduce the mass of poof under your arm which makes things more comfortable. Once you've got it nice and slightly tight around the inside piece take out the pin holding the two seams together and slide out the inside piece.

Nothing more zen then the hum of the sewin- holy shit it shot a needle at me! Time to clean the bobbin casing...

Now sew down the pleats. I know you're supposed to do the pins at a 90o angle but I'm used to doing them exactly where my needle needs to go so I know where to sew. Do whichever works for you.

You can already see the poof. It shouldn't look as poofy as mine at this stage since I put waaay too much poof in.

And slide the inner sleeve in and pin it in place.

Tralalala sewin- Goddamn it quit spitting needles at me! I just cleaned your bobbin casing like you wanted!

Sew it together.

I purposely cut and pleated the sleeve so it would have an eyelet border. That's why it took so long.

It'll look like this.

Then flip it inside out, repeat the pleating process on the other end then you can sew that sucker in like a normal sleeve.

Hopefully your shirt is not this short. That's what happens when working with scraps.

And that's (part of) how you get yourself a shirt like this. I used two layers of eyelet in the main body of the shirt to keep a similar opaqueness to the sleeves. And I used the slight bit of the business end of the eyelet I had left to make one of the layers of the double collar.

Also, I have an OotD. Today is a picture release of a new toy and in hopes of it being my favorite character (50% chance) I made a coord based off the basic design of the character.

My Corvette love bleeds into Transformers...

Outfit

Bow: Claire's

Pearls: Glass

Blouse: Offbrand

JSK: Converse One Star

Belt: Offbrand

Leggings: Offbrand

Boots: Offbrand (Kohl's)

Gloves: Offbrand (and lined with rabbit fur, so lovely)

I'm also realizing that my Chanel Dragon lip lacquer may not have been the closest match for the triumphal red I was going for. Whoops.

Edit: He was the one revealed today! Evil universe and therefore red but yay. :3

Life and Times of a Lifestyle Lolita: Some Pointy Shoes

Of all the comments I have overheard about my attire, the pointiness of my boots when in full lolita is one I have not heard prior to Saturday before last and one I didn't really expect.

Same outfit as the last one since it was the same day.

Loli Music!

Is there any music you listen to that gets you in the mood for Lolita, or any bands you like that have have a Lolita flair to them?

Hatsune Miku!

I guess all the Vocaloids but Miku especially. The songs can be so cute and in a lot of the videos she has super cute outfits. She’s just CUTE! And cute puts me in a loli mood, even though I don’t really dress Sweet.

My current fav three songs:



Yule and Giveaway over at Reality Will Kill You

Like my Yule "Log"? Despite living in rural Texas there aren't many trees on my property. I always figured it was better to stick with the from your property/given to you/cannot buy it part than the log part. Plus it'll be easier to burn on Candlemas. The shadowy thing at the back is an evergreen spray with bayberries for the whole evergreen decoration since... technically I think I was supposed to burn the Yule Twigs on Yule and then the evergreens on Candlemass. But I still have a small problem of no good place to burn anything here to figure out. Hm. And I'm having no luck finding some holly for the door so I went with a glittery holly pick from Michael's.

Also didn't get any pics of the either the Yule log cake I made for last night (Yule was 11:30pm my time) nor the one I made and brought into work. I admit they weren't that pretty anyways but seeing as they were cinnamon cake with honey cream cheese filling and fudge frosting they were absolutely delicious.

And here is today's coord:

Headband: Offbrand (Claire's)

Blazer: Handmade

Lapel Pin: Mechanical Kingdom, Ludwig von Drake

Top: Offbrand

JSK: AatP Operalia Bouquet

Jersey Leggings: Offbrand (wish they covered the tops of my feet) 

Shoes: Offbrand (Liz Clayborne)

There's also a give away going on over at Reality Will Kill You's blog, I personally am hoping to win it for those cute socks!

http://realitywilkillyou.blogspot.com/2011/12/blog-give-away.html

Yule Coord (Day 1)

Yule/Brumalia starts today so I decided to be a little festive. But it will still be easy to bustle about tonight since I put off making the Yule logs (both cake and alter ones) and as is the case every year I'm still have trouble finding some real holly. But I shall persist. And the sweater will keep me warm tonight while carolling and toasting cider. And I swear my hair doesn't look quite that derpy in real life.

Headband: Offbrand (Claire's)

Top: Offbrand

Skirt: Handmade

Jersey Stirrup Leggings: Offbrand (Target)

Socks: Offbrand (Target)

Shoes: Offbrand (Liz Clayborne)

Watch: Offbrand (Target, Men's)

Purse: Offbrand (Walmart and the only thing bought this season in this outfit)



Life and Times of a Lifestyle Lolita: Awkward Grocery Shopping

Because it is fun to illustrate some of the things that happen while in lolita.

That awkward moment when you decide to wear a capelet just 'cause and keep running into people from work. At least that's what kept happening last Saturday.

And I was wearing this, but with pearls in place of the chain and the collar just laying flat and a diff blouse with pintucks instead of ruffles:

Also, I'm starting to wish I ordered the red version of that in my last Bodyline order since I've kind of fallen in love with that in red. Oh well.

Happy Saturnalia!

As per tradition I am spending it with friends. And dressing up in lolita since holidays, if nothing else, deserve frills and lace.



FYI Bodyline Shipping Sale

$5 shipping, airmail at Christmas time so it'd be something you'd probably get after the new year but that isn't a bad shipping price.

They also finally restocked on a skirt I have been wanting for just about forever:

L120

I got the red. Hopefully the vest and underskirt are still removable like they previously were since that vest is awesome. Tempted to get all three colorways but at some point Bodyline decided to start getting expensive. There's supposed to also be a Christmas sale going on but I didn't see it.

So yeah, I'll have a happy post sometime in the next 4 to 17 days.

Although can anyone tell me about the whole declarations thing? I know it is to save on possible customs fees but what kind of risk does one run by claiming their stuff is only worth 25% of what you paid?

New Loli Trend Please?!

Saw this in the NY Times and all I could think was if this had a hood and was done in some great colors (like olive/hunter/british racing green!) it would be an amazing piece of outerwear for lolita coords. And it would be great to port into everyday wear too. :3

Quality Definitely Over Quantity

“It’s no secret that quality matters to most Lolitas, but how much does it matter to you? Do you look for bargains to save as much money as possible, or are you willing to make sacrifices for high-quality products? Would you be more content with a closet full of bargain items, or one or two expensive pieces? Feel free to expand on this broad topic.
If you like, think of this outside of the context of Lolita as well–does your philosophy manifest in other areas of your life”

I'll eat my 33¢ cereal in my $300 dress and love it all the same.
I walk a bit of a fine line here, I look for quality and will pay very good money for it (or for something I’m drooling over) but also will buy less than great quality as long as it will get the job done. And I try to follow a similar set of guidelines as one of my favorite bloggers/writers, he’s summed it up rather beautifully here: http://tynan.com/polarizing. He’s also the guy who inspired me to always only live out of a backpack when travelling (okay I cheat and normally have a laptop bag which I can also shove my purse into but if I were to do more foot travel it would just be the backpack). Even when I’m doing full lolita. I don’t subscribe to his full idea of only the things I absolutely want/need but the idea behind it is very stout. I will spend $150 on a pair of Alice and the Pirates boots even though they aren’t real leather because I’ve been in love with them for ages and I was able to try them on in the store to make sure they fit perfect.

Why aren't you real leather?

But I also try to be smart when buying, I often wait for things to go on sale or clearance or until I have a coupon. Leather gloves at Target? They are some of the few that fit my tiny hands and if I like a certain pair or two enough I keep an eye on them and get them when they are on clearance (or the last pair no matter the price if I’m in love).

Walking in Target, there was a sign for all hats and gloves 40% two days only. So these gloves I've been covetting (Rossi Yellow!) are now mine for $4 less than before. Watch as someone gets them for me for Christmas.

But I also cheap out too. I’ll buy offbrand food and toilette products when I find no difference. Some things I’m kind of stern about like I hate spending money on furniture. Then again with how often I move this works for me since I never take furniture with me when I move. There are very few pieces of furniture I’ve ever bought. I bought a second hand couch, a folding bookcase (which I still own) and a DVD rack (which I no longer own) before my current apartment. That’s it. I had a bit more need so I had to buy some things for the new apartment: a small pantry, two DVD racks and small bookcase, all costing $20 or less each because I probably won’t take them with me in a few years when I next move. I’m scouring craigslist for a free/$20 desk. But I spent a good chunk of change on a 32” flat screen tv. I needed a flat screen because I’m not very strong and have to be able to lift it and I wanted a good sized tv. But for what I got (its even a name brand) I didn’t make out too bad, thanks to the pawn shop.

I don't always move, but when I do I dress fabulously.

I act in similar ways with lolita, I’m willing to pay $250-300 for a Victorian Maiden dress because I know the fit and quality are superb but almost always I won’t buy a Btssb or AatP dress unless I’m absolutely in love because the fit is not so great and the quality is also lesser (in my opinion). I also make a lot of my own clothes because it saves me money and I love some of the fabrics out there. And I’ve always got an eye out for off brand blouses that I can wear with lolita, I can never ever see myself paying full price for a brand blouse and even sale prices are kind of crap. It’s not that I don’t like some brand blouses but that I don’t love them enough to spend the asking price. If they were $20? I’d definitely have a few. But not $80+. And it is a rare occasion when I’ll spend money on brand shoes. I prefer real leather, especially for that price. The Justine boots are a rare exception because I really do love them. I love them so much that when they wear out I’ll probably find a cobbler to make a replica of them (but in real leather).

Utena size sleeve poof for $6 from an Austin thrift store! :D

Haute Court... I mean Couture



There's a difference between 'high fashion' and 'hilariously impractical' but during Gaultier's Fall 2009 line the line was hard to see. Maybe because it'd be a fabulous wardrobe on a scifi.

 “Are you a fan of high fashion? Haute couture? Let’s take a break from Lolita today, and tell us about one of your favorite designers. If you don’t like high fashion, are there any other types of fashion that you like, or do you surround yourself with Lolita at all times?”



They had a tendency to die, or in some cases to avoid shanking to live to cause more trouble.

 Please forgive the pun up there, the Haute Court of Baldwin IV's time was just as silly as Haute Couture can be so it is forever linked in my brain. I enjoy gazing in but I take it with a grain of salt. I find Zoolander a good (satirical) summary of the fashion biz and ‘high fashion’. But I love looking at pics from the runway and watching Project Runway. It’s the same reason I love looking at Daily Lolita and other coord pics, I just love looking at fashion. I love sketching ideas. I love playing with clothing and design.

But I do have two fav designers of which I will probably never own anything from.

I fully admit to lovely quirkly heels. And metallic heels.

Christian Siriano

His shoes. OMG. They never fit me but he does things I love with shoes. They’re slightly futuristic and decadent. That is my fav combination by the way. Make me look like an astronaut that belongs in the Count of Monte Cristo anime or like one of the crazy support programs from Tron. The problem with his best shoes is that they never make it to Payless I only see them in runway pics! Sadness! I also loved a lot of the stuff he did on Project Runway but I’ve been less excited about his clothes since.

Practical? Probably not. Amazing? Completely.

Nicolas Ghesquiere for House of Balenciaga

Futuristic impossible looking clothes that actually can function? Yes please. The tights and that vest are my absolute fav of just about anything ever. If I could own one brand item of any brand ever it would be those tights. They are freaking amazing.

But other than those two weird examples I don’t really follow particular designers. I love what Burberry does but the whole brand not just one designer. Other than that it is normally just one or two outfits/seasons from a person because they fit my odd aesthetic. I love glancing at style columns to see what pops out though.

Trends: My favs and whether being in tune with them honestly matters

What are your favorite or least favorite trends in Gothic & Lolita? Do you think it’s important to follow them, or to wear whatever you want?”

STAAAARS!

I love that stars are big right now. Forget hearts I love stars and put stars in place of the dots of polka dots and you’ve got my money.

Greeeeen

 

Also, green. And not mint green but hunter and olive. The fact we’re getting more of that makes me ecstatic! Maybe it says something about me by the two brand clothing (not including shoes and socks) items I have are both green of a not mint variety.

 

Green, Ash, Ink Blue and Phantom Grey are my favs, in just about that order.

Regimental Stripes. Oh. Oh my. I feel the need to fan myself. Victorian Maiden has done the most beautiful things with regimental striping but Innocent World has combined regimental striping and a green that is somewhere between Hunter and British Racing. Swoon. I just wish they had a flattering length JSK.

Some can really pull it off. But their numbers have been few.

There are plenty of trends I’m happy are dead and some which need to die but I’m very firm about my to each their own rule. As long as they love what they’re wearing then I don’t care too much.

I would say "Can chunky and/or age playish shoes die next?" but that would be rude. 

But that would be the crux of my position. If what you wear makes you happy then by all means. Then again this is coming from the girl with not one, not two but six or so Corvette specifically lolita items so my taste may be subject. But I love my Corvette stuff just as I love the stars and green trends.

Make-Up Monday: Everyday Lip Colours

This may be an every other week feature, I'm not sure.

I thought I'd do a comparison shot of all the Neutral/Nude/Light/Everyday lipsticks I own.

Obviously all aren't nude but you put a true nude lip colour on me and I start looking corpse like.

I went from darkest to lightest, though Satin might actually be a smideg darker pink. The bottom lip is tube to lip and the top is a very light application.

Rimmel: Just So

This used to be the color I used for all mid century period inspired outfits, it is a good color for that, especially since combining a flat red with a heavily smokey eye makes me look like I belong in a harem.

Chanel Rouge Coco: Satin

This is my current go to for that medium pink lip that I love for midcentruy period looks. It has a fainter scent which I like and looks a bit smoother. And I always feel a warmer tone makes me look less dead.

Rimmel: Paradise

The most nude shade of the bunch and I don't ever really wear it. I just tink it looks weird on me in the mirror though in photos it looks okay.

Rimmel: Airy Fairy

This used to be my everyday color because it is just about an exact match as the color of my lips. So I didn't have to worry if it had worn a bit as noone could really tell.

Chanel Rouge Coco: Perle

I bought this when I was still job hunting and wanted something professional for interviews and for when I eventually started my career. I fully admit I went with Chanel because that was a Grown Up brand and I wanted to be a Grown Up. It was my first bit of Chanel make up and after it being my everyday for about a week I realized how awesome it was. And once again it seems a bit more warm toned which always suits me better than neutral or cool toned things.

Summary/Impressions

Rimmel costs about $5 a tube and Chanel costs about $32. Needless to say if I don't think it is a color I will wear often I'm not going to buy it from Chanel but I may buy it from Rimmel. The only advantages for Chanel are that you can test out colors in store before buying (so you don't spend $5 on a color that really doesn't work and will never be worn, I've lost $15 that way so far), the fragrance is a bit weaker (Rimmel is almost too strong to bear right when putting it on) and the texture of Chanel looks a little better but not markedly so. Both are good brands of lipstick, but Chanel demonstrates that better quality does go hand in hand with price.

My Oldest Lolita Item (Oldest and Oldest Brand)

“Lolita is a valuable fashion, so many people like to resell their old dresses and skirts when they grow out of them or don’t like the style anymore. What is the one item that has lasted in your wardrobe the longest?”

And I decided to illustrate with fully coordinated outfits. Cause that's how I roll.

My oldest item? My fawn skirt. I don’t wear it with Lolita too much anymore but it does do a lot of time with ala mode outfits. It is an insanely simple skirt, one that has to be coordinated correctly or else it falls into not-lolita or ita very easily. But when I first got into lolita I didn’t have much money and I was too young to order from the internet (16 I think, maybe 15). And when I saw it I fell in love and had an unearthly desire to make a lolita coord. But all said and done it is still just a $20 skirt from Forever 21 that is starting to show its age (cotton lawn + frequent wear = eventual death). I just wish my brown leather vest belt wasn’t AWOL as that was part of my fav coord for this. L

My oldest brand item is my Lolita camo skirt from Victorian Maiden. I love that thing. I just can’t find any info on when it was made or what it was called. But the tag says Victorian Maiden (and it had the hang tags when I bought it too) and they’ve done that style of skirt again since. I also bought it on clearance at AX 09 so I know it is at least two years old at this point but I’d guess it was from Spring of 08. The colors are very spring and since it was on clearance I figure it’d been warming a shelf for a while. I’m weird with brand though, I only buy brand I’m absolutely in love with. The only brand I’ve ever decided to sell are the Swan Lake socks I from my trip to the San Fran Baby store. I didn’t realize they weren’t OTK and knee highs look terrible on me. As soon as I got them out of the plastic I knew they wouldn’t be long enough so I haven’t even bother with trying them on. But other than that, the only time I can see myself getting rid of brand is when I wear it out. And even then I’ll probably go all Joseph has a Little Overcoat on it and turn what is still good into something else. But then again I hold onto fashion I adore until it is seriously dead. I’m only now considering taking my 15+ year old pansy sheets out of rotation because they’re pretty thin. But I’ll still make a dress or nightdress out of them and then add the scraps to my scrap bag I will eventually make a quilt from.

Not dead, I swear

Things got a bit hectic, but two moves, a capstone, a graduation and one contract job later I'm now happily employed full time (I got health insurance, that's how I know I've joined the adult world, I own a car and have health insurance through my employer) and am a card carrying Master of Science. Still plugging away on the novel but it is moving along. I hope to have that done by Nov. 1 so I can focus all my writing on this year's NaNoWriMo then put In a Time of Zombies on Kindlestore Dec. 1. The illustrated version will likely go up Jan 1 or Feb 1.

I've also been sewing up a storm. There shall be plenty of pics and entries on the pretty lolita things I have made. And I went to the San Fran Btssb store so that will probably be my first post after this, showing what I got (I allowed myself to go a little wild to celebrate getting my current job).

Make-Up Monday: Physician's Formula Virtual Eyes Loose Eyeshadow in Techno Plum

Another throw back kind of item, this has been one of my favorite eyeshadows since about forever. It was discontinued a long time ago but you can find it on ebay. It also seems to never run out, since I've had it for a few years and it is still pretty full.

The print has worn away a bit since this always goes in my travel bag.

This eyeshadow is full of shimmer and stays on (with a base) pretty darn well. I bought it originally because it matched Faust VIII's perfectly. It has only grown on me since.

Of course, it wasn't eyeshadow for him, he just never slept.

It has only been recently that is went into my regular rotation though. I'm not sure why but it blends really nicely with my black eyeshadow so that is a big plus for me.

That is with base, with base it stays very nicely though when applying I tend to get some fall out (but I've got a shaky hand). I tried to take a picture with flash but it washes out to just about the same color as the skin on my forearm. The not flash picture is color accurate and shows the approximate amount of shimmer seen when on the eye though.

Price: ~$5 on ebay, $1.50 at Big Lots.
Packaging: 3/5
The packaging is solid and very unobtrusive. It can be a bit of a pain to get the powder out in the small amount needed for a daily look but it is possible.
Quality: 5/5
It applies, stays on and feels great.
Value: 5/5
It lasts just about forever and is nice to work with and wear. That is the definition of a 5 here.
Overall: 4.33/5
Pretty good, I'd definitely buy it again should I ever run out.



A Brief Reprieve From Lolita

Last week I went and saw Jane Eyre and kind of sort of fell completely in love. Michael Fassbender has been on my list of people where if they are in a film, I'm just going to go see it. The man can act. And he didn't disappoint in Jane Eyre.

He is also just the right mix of awesome actor, not handsome and not hideous to be the perfect Mr. Rochester.

I left the theater in a bit of a happy haze which I've not had after a movie in ages (I think the last one was 9, but I'm not sure). Half of that was from the dresses which sang a siren song to me. 'But I've got enough sewing projects' I thought, 'and I don't have the proper under garments'. That evening I downloaded a copy of the book to my kindle and figured it'd be a fun on and off read. Oh yeah, sure. Jane's childhood is a bit less than fun to slog through but it is totally necessary. It establishes who Jane is and what has made her that way. Then Jane gets to Thornfield and we get some powerful scenes. Oh my. Rochester and Jane are so not an ideal relationship and things are weird but somehow it is super enjoyable to read and there is a passion (pronounced in the super hilarious, Italian sportscar way, btw) to their interactions. I finished the book in about five days, finishing it by not sleeping the last night of that because I couldn't put it down.

When I had first left the theater I thought it was an awesome movie and liked Jane as Mia W. portrayed her. After reading the book... I still like both. They are just two different Janes, kind of similar but totally not. Book Jane is a bit more playful and teasing and proud which we are able to get to fully know since it is written from her point of view, as if she was telling us the story in person or in a veeeery long letter. Movie Jane is much more reserved and kind of... timid. Most of it is probably since we don't have Jane commenting on everything but the air that Mia W. gave off just felt more timid and being pulled by the tides. I don't dislike it but I do prefer Book Jane.

The trailer is kind of a terrible example of the movie's quality but it shows the pretty clothes!

In short: Loved the movie (Fassbender should get a freaking award btw), LOVED the book and fell in love with the clothing.

Which is where this post's title comes in. I tried to fight it but within a few days I succumbed to the desire for a Jane Eyre wardrobe. It doesn't help that there was a big clearance at Hancock so I got a lavender/grey stripe shirting, super fine black cotton and some white with black/grey stripe shirting (more Ingram than Eyre but I love white and I didn't see any black taffeta for cheap). The pink fabric I had wanted a corset made out of for ages was also on sale which also helped. Since that style needs a proper corset base.

So, for the next few weeks this blog will pretty much be on field trip to the 1840's. The garments are still beautiful and I've got some hilarious sewing fail stories on my part (wire hangers as boning in a corset for the lol) so I'm sure y'all won't mind too much. I'll also be reviewing Matches and Matrimony, a Pride and Prejudice/Sense and Sensibility/Persuasion crossover visual novel which was posted up on egl last week as well. Oh, and the last two weeks of May and the first two weeks of June will likely be a bit empty on my part. Botcon is the first weekend of June so there's a bit of prep and breakdown concerning that and I've got to get my capstone stuff all settled at that time as well. I'll try and post some interesting things but they may be themed on transforming robots. :D

10 Things I Love About Lolita (And 5 Things I Hate)

10 Things I Love About Lolita
1) That it is a modest fashion.
2) That tailoring and quality are valued.
3) The people I get to see at meet ups. Most of them are awesome.
4) Getting pretty. It takes awhile but it is nice if I’m not in a hurry.
5) The fact other people share my love of clothes made of couch fabric.
6) The fluffy skirts!
7) Seeing all the gorgeous coord pics people post online.
8) The love of hilariously OTT hair accessories and jewelry.
9) People who appreciate making things like clothes.
10) That princess feeling. Not the hauty diva attitude but that regal, sunny feeling I get from dressing up so very prettily.

And...

5 Things I Hate About Lolita
1) THE NAME. Seriously.
2) The drama caused by a few overly politically correct bad apples.
3) Giant head eating wigs.
4) The shoes! Aside from the classical brands they are chunky and ageplay like.
5) The price. Blag $300 dresses and pleather shoes that sell for leather prices.

Not so Make-up Monday: Moroccanoil Hair Treatment

In October of last year I finally had enough of my hair being a dry, wavy rat's nest. Aside from the fact it would tangle as soon as you looked at it, it just was not happy and very poofy. So, I went to my mom's hair stylist, Hannah, and asked her to help me out. I was thinking of getting a keratin treatment because I heard that makes hair silky smooth but I didn't want straight hair. I mean my wavy hair can annoy me but it is easy to curl and I didn't want to lose that. She had the mostly perfect elixer that I needed. She used Moroccan Oil Original Treatment Oil (and the matching shampoo and conditioner).

I've tried various anti-frizz oils and conditioners but nothing worked for me, this did wonders. My hair still tangles a little and definitely curls and grows in high humidity but it does so less and is quite happy to be styled. Now it isn't just a pile of fluff atop my head. I'm going to try the "store brand" of it that Walgreens has since that would save me like $30 but I'm quite willing to pay the extra if only this one works.

Price: $40-$70
Size: 100ml
Packaging: 5/5
It is juuuuust inside the limits allowed by the TSA so it takes up space when I travel but they do sell a smaller bottle which I just fill up from the bigger bottle. I have long hair so I use a lot of product which is why I buy the bigger bottle. It is actually rather pretty too for a dark brown glass bottle.
Quality: 5/5
It works almost miracles. It isn't going to do the same thing as a keratin treatment but you can still curl your hair and you don't have to sit in salon for half a day and drop a few hundred bucks.
Value: 4.5/5
The 100ml bottle I bought last October still hasn't ran out, I think I've got another month of every other day use left in it. Even though it costs some money, since it lasts so long I think the value isn't bad at all. Especially since a keratin treatment costs more and only lasts like three months.
Overall: 4.83/5
It is a great product (as is the whole line really). It is a little pricey but it works great.

Role Models: Not Quite All Lolita

Do you have a favorite Lolita, Aristocrat, Goth, etc.? What do you admire most about her/his style?"

They aren’t all lolita but they all influence me and my lolita style.

OTT: Valentino Rossi

Not a lolita but he’s so very over the top. I almost chose one pic because I could have gone with the caption: "Pssh, highlighter yellow and primary blue totally match." He also likes having cartoon pictures of his dogs either on his helmet or on his bike. He’s taught me not to be afraid of wearing bright things with random things on it.

Gothic: Marius (ala Queen of the Damned)

Aside from the fact he’s just handsome, I love how the character of Marius always manages to wear a red jacket/coat and look fancy. He is the one and only reason I went out of my way to make a red velveteen jacket. I didn’t quite follow the exact style of his red velvet blazer but I’m sure he’d think it’s a fine one. He also very much embodies a love of the arts and all things gorgeous in his own book, Blood and Gold. And the vampire thing kind of lends itself to gothic.

All Around: Marie Antoinette and Madame du Pompadour

Hey look, some ladies are on my list. These two are just so beautiful, I’d wear any of their dresses, either shortened to knee length or not. Just. So. Pretty. I liked both the film for Marie Antoinette and the episode of Doctor Who with Reinette. Marie Antoinette had absolutely gorgeous costuming, set design, photography and food. Reinette was so dignified and beautiful. I love dignified and beautiful. And her theme from the soundtrack is one of my favorite tracks ever.

So yeah, half my fashion role models are dudes and only Vale and Reinette are otherwise role models to me. Go figure.