Sunday Style Inspiration!: Koakuma Jojo

Jojo is a gyaru blogger from the Netherlands. I really like her take on the Gyaru style and her make up, particularly her eye make up. She has a Tumblr account you can follow here, twitter here and of course her blog here. I read her blog regularly and find it really interesting, she reviews lots of products I want to get and has a really great wardrobe. (So Jealous -.- )

All pictures used have been taken from her blog.

I really love this dress and those amazing shoes! I have some tights just like this.

I also really like how she does her hair. It’s very dolly-like.

I just love how all her outfits look different instead of being similar. It’s much more interesting than just sticking to one look.

I want to learn to do my eye make up as flawlessly as she does! So neat!

I need these tights. I love the stocking effect look.

*~*Hope you have enjoyed this weeks style inspiration!*~*

How to make Yummy Gooey Brownies!

I’ve tried making brownies lots of times before and they never seem to turn out right. But this recipe has not failed me once! The brownies end up perfect every time!

First pre-heat the oven to 180 Celsius.

Melt 175g of butter with 175g of chocolate. I used Galaxy because we didn’t have any other chocolate more suited to cooking with, but it turned out delicious! I then added about 2 tablespoons of Nutella to the mix so it could also melt in. To melt it, fill a pan with hot water and put over a low heat. This keeps the water hot. Then put the ingredients inside a bowl suspended over the water in the pan.

Then break 3 large eggs into a bowl, over 250g of Caster Sugar. Whisk them together.

Mix the chocolate-butter-nutella mix into the whisked eggs and sugar.

Sift in about 70g of plain flour and 50g of Cocoa powder. Mix everything together.

Stir in chocolate chips (I used 2 broken up galaxy bars) and nuts (if you want. I used chopped hazelnuts)

Cook for around 30-35 minutes at 180 Celsius. There should be a cooked crust on the top of the brownie but the middle will still be wobbly. It will set as it cools down.

I sprinkled some chocolate stars on top after taking it out the oven. It makes it look much prettier!

*~*Hope you enjoy your yummy brownies!*~*

How to Shorten Straps at home

I love getting cheap clothes online, however often this leaves me with something that doesn’t quite fit. The straps always seem to be too long for me. I don’t know if this is a common problem or if I just have freakishly flat shoulders, but I’ve put together a tutorial on how to quickly shorten the straps yourself at home.

First put on the top/dress/playsuit etc. In this case it’s a playsuit. Make sure any fastenings are done up fully so it fits how it would when you wear it.

Now measure how much you need to take off. Be careful not to take off too much. Make sure you move your arms around to check it isn’t too tight at any angle. I needed to take off 6cm, so I pinned 3cm from the top, as it’s folded in half it will be doubled. Pin the strap in place like shown in the picture. I have turned the garment inside out so the seam will be on the inside of the strap instead of being visible. Ie. In this photo, the fabric that is shown is the inside of the garment, the fabric that isn’t shown will be the outside of the garment, the part that is visible when worn.

Do a straight stitch on the strap. I did it 3cm from the top because I want to shorten the strap by 6cm.

This is what the strap looks like now. If the garment was the right way around the loop would be on the inside, against my shoulder.

I then cut off the extra fabric, now the loop has been removed which will make it comfier to wear and neater. Make sure you still leave a little fabric after the straight stitch.

Next you do a zig zag stitch along the edge of the extra fabric, this makes the seam more secure and prevents the fabric fraying.

I turned the garment the right way around again. This is what the finished strap should look like. Now it fits.

This is what the strap looks like on the outside. For a DIY job it’s reasonably neat and not too noticeable. I wouldn’t use this technique on an expensive dress that was very important to me, but it works well for cheap eBay purchases and other cheaper items of clothing.

*~*Hope this has been helpful*~*

Hair Growth Challenge!

I love the look of long hair, It looks so surreal and pretty, quite dolly like. I like the length that my clip in extensions give me, but they’re a pain to wear and they don’t feel as natural. Plus it takes time to put them in and care for them. So I have resolved to grow my own hair longer. Hopefully to waist length if I can.

I love Rapunzel’s hair from Disney’s Tangled. (Click picture for the source.) I think hair that long would be a pain though!

I have been looking up tips on how to grow my hair faster (mine grows very slowly by itself) and have decided to start doing several new things to try and grow my hair.

First, take my multivitamins and omega supplements everyday. I reckon one of the reasons my hair grows so slowly is because it’s so thick, so nutrients have to be shared between more strands so they each have less to use on growth. If I remember my multivitamins hopefully it will mean that my hair is less deprived of nutrients.

Second, head massage. Massaging you scalp is supposed to encourage blood flow to the area and also move oil around, meaning it’s easier for hair to grow. I’m going to try doing this for a few minutes every night to see if it works.

Third, caring for my already grown hair better. I’m going to run Moroccan oil through it every night and start using hair masks more often (every week). This should hopefully reduce breakage. I have a hair growth mask that I’m going to try, but I’m not a big believer in applying growth products to the hair itself because it’s dead. I would be less skeptical of a product that goes on the scalp but I don’t know of any. Even if it doesn’t help hair growth, it will still moisturise my hair and improve it’s condition and reduce breakage.

I can’t wait for my hair to grow longer. I hope it speeds up its growth a bit! Hopefully I will see a change over summer, (when hair apparently grows faster.)

*~*Have you got any hair growth secrets you swear by?*~*

Strawberry Nail Tutorial

These nails are so fun and perfect for summer. They’re surprisingly simple too. Here is my tutorial on how to achieve this nail look.

First start with a red base.

Next, Use a green polish to draw several little triangles on the tip of the nail that look like the leafy top of a strawberry.

Draw on some little white dots to look like pips. You can use a nail pen or a cocktail stick to make the dots smaller.

See how they look like strawberries? After this I cleaned up the edges using a cotton bud dipped in polish remover.

Hope you have enjoyed my tutorial! If you do try this look out I hope it works out well for you, I’ve got lots of compliments on these. Plus I feel so much happier having a summery look on my nails.

*~*Are you looking forward to summer too?*~*

Sunday Style Inspiration!: Anastasiya Shpagina

Anastasiya Shpagina is a girl from Ukraine who is known for her extreme style. She wears make-up and clothes that make her look like an anime character or a living doll. I find that her make-up is too extreme for me to try myself, but I still find it inspirational to see how she does it and it gives me ideas on how to do my own toned down make-up.

She has videos on YouTube too. Her channel is here. Her twitter account is here.

I found these pictures of her on Tumblr and Google Images, but I am sure that they were taken from her own blog (which I unfortunately could not find to link you to.)

I love her dress here. I think she looks just like a fairy.

I like how bold and over the top her make up is. It’s very striking.

The school girl style to this outfit makes her look like she’s walked straight out of a manga book.

She looks just like a woodland fairy.

Her hair here looks gorgeous. So flowy and wavy. I want to do mine like this.

*~*See you next week for more style inspiration!*~*

Finding Gyaru Style Clothes on the High Street

Gyaru brands are expensive. If you have to pay for a shopping service to get them from Japan, it makes them even more expensive. However, it is possible to find clothes that fit into a Gyaru outfit from high street shops and other places. One place that is worth a look is charity shops and other quirky boutique type shops, they may have girly, lace or floral dresses that would fit really well into a Hime Gyaru co-ordinate.

To show you how you can create a Gyaru, Hime Gyaru (Or Hime Kaji) outfit by using high street shops, I have browsed the websites of popular high street brands to find some items of clothing that I think would fit a Hime/Gyaru outfit. They’re much cheaper than most Gyaru brands and more easy to get your hands on.

(Click the picture for it’s source)

With some tall white socks and cute peachy high heels or wedges, I think this would look just lovely. It can see it fitting into certain Gyaru styles or a Hime Kaji style.

This skirt would look lovely in a Hime Kaji outfit. It could go with a cute pink sweater and lots of accessories.

This dress is very princess-like. I think with a short cardigan or some gloves it would look really great in a Hime Gyaru co-ordinate.

Another dress that could go in a Hime Gyaru or a Hime Kaji outfit. It’s not as pink, but with the right accessories it could definitely work.

This headband is so kawaii! I think it would look perfect in a Hime Kaji outfit.

I think this jumper would look great in a Hime Kaji outfit. It looks slightly Liz Lisa-ish to me. It would go well with a lace skirt and some good shoes.

These tights would go great in an Agejo or Hime Kaji type outfit. They’re very cute and the cream/white socks go well in Hime style. The way they hint at being stockings it what would make them fit in an Agejo style.

*~*Hope this has shown you that Gyaru clothes don’t have to be from an expensive brand!*~*

Teeny Tiny Fimo Sushi Tutorial (and Dessert!)

I love using Fimo clay. It’s just like Play-Doh for (slightly more) grown ups! You can make mini charms that you can use for jewellery or in a dolls house. After modelling the charms you bake them in the oven and they set. This is how I made the Nigiri sushi. I’ve been craving sushi for a couple of days now and this hasn’t helped one bit.

The first thing I did was make the ‘rice.’ To do this I made a long thin shape with the white fimo and cut it into small pieces.

This should be the finished product. See how it looks like rice? It doesn’t have to be too perfect as you will just be squashing it later anyway.

Squash the rice into little rectangles. By using the ‘rice grains’ to make the sushi base it will give it a texture that looks like rice. If you can’t be bothered to do this frankly time-consuming step, then you can just give some texture to white fimo rectangles using a pen tip or necklace chain. I like this method because I think it’s a bit more realistic.

Marble white and pinky-red clays together to create a pattern that looks a bit like fish. If you layer the clays and squash them, then continue doing this it will create a streaky effect. I still roll the clay around because fish usually isn’t in perfect lines anyway.

Cut or tear small rectangles out of the ‘fish’ clay. Put these on top of the ‘rice’ rectangles.

Use a dark green clay to wrap a thin piece around each nigiri. This will look like the seaweed that is used to attach the fish to the rice.

I rolled up the spare ‘fish’ clay into a long thin shape and then twisted it into a spiral to make a lollipop. It’s better than wasting the spare clay as now it’s mixed you can’t separate the colours.

After baking the fimo clay, I used a gloss/varnish to give it a shine. If it’s too matte it will not look natural.

The Finished Result:

The shine on the fish makes it look far more realistic.

Look how tiny the charms are! You can attach them to chain links which means they can be used in jewellery.

I cut up some cocktail sticks to make tiny chopsticks.

Real chopsticks to show how small they are.

*~*Have fun trying this 🙂 *~*

 

Liz Lisa & My Melody Collaboration!

Liz Lisa had recently opened pre-orders on items for their collaboration with My Melody, and as expected there are some massively adorable items available! I think this release kind of overshadows their Summer 2013 collection which looks quite limited and some of the items are not shaped as well as I would like for an item that costs as much.

(Click on pictures for their source)

These are definitely my favourite of the range. I’m not quite sure why, maybe it’s because they are so unique looking and I can’t imagine finding similar ones elsewhere. The print is so cute :3 and they look extremely comfy.

A pink, comfy looking cardigan that’s also part of the range. I like how slouchy and relaxed it looks.

This make up bag is so adorable and looks like it has plenty of space to hold make up. I like bags that have enough space for everything, tiny little bags annoy me so much >.< The lace frills and my melody emblem is just so sweet.

*~*Are any of you planning to order anything?*~*

How to look like a Living Doll

I love the living doll look. It’s very cute and princess-like. There are several girls who have gotten quite famous just from looking like a doll, some of them have gone as far as getting surgery to look more doll-like. However, you do not have to get surgery or have a “perfect” face or body to do the look yourself, there are little tips and tricks that you can do to have fun with the look without doing anything potentially dangerous all while making the most of the features you do have. It will take practice to perfect your technique and to learn what works best with your own face.

(Click on pictures for their source)

1) Circle Lenses

Circle lenses make your eyes look much bigger, and therefore more doll-like. It’s probably the fastest and most exaggerated way to make your eyes look bigger (except perhaps editing your photos.) Be careful that you are getting genuine lenses from a reputable brand (such as Geo) and then be sure to follow their guidelines on caring for them and wearing them. If you don’t you could damage your eyes! Which is definitely not worth it.

2) Hair extensions

Lots of the living dolls you do see have very long hair, it’s not necessary but lots of dolls do have longer hair (think Barbie, porcelain dolls etc.) Long hair is definitely not essential, but it will probably be easier to look doll-like with long hair rather than short. An easy way to get long hair is with clip in extensions, which cause less damage than more long term extensions. You can get some long extensions cheaply on eBay if you find the right seller.

3) Make-Up

This is probably responsible for the majority of the look. The general idea is to make you eyes look bigger, the nose smaller, the cheeks rosier and to get pouty but not overly-exaggerated lips. You can get make-up tips from other fashions that use similar make-up but adapt it to look more dolly if you can’t find living doll tutorials. Eg. Try looking up Gyaru make up. False eyelashes are used often, including bottom lashes. Light colour eyeshadow is used to draw attention to the eye and make it look larger, including using a light eye pencil to extend the waterline slightly further down your face. Contouring is used on the nose and other parts of the face. Using pinky colours for blusher and lips is very common, red lips are still used but less so. Eyebrows are kept well-groomed.

4) Photo editing

If you are ok with using this you can forget about make-up, circle lenses, everything. Just take a photo and edit it to the point you look like a doll. I personally don’t like this approach because it means you stop looking like yourself, and at some point it just starts looking scary. Plus you will still not look dolly in real life. If this is the approach you want, try looking into the photo editor XiuXiu Meitu. It’s free, easy to use and works well for getting a doll-like look.

5) Clothing

There are no rules in outfits when getting a dolly look. It depends entirely on what type of doll you wish to look like. In general, try to look well-groomed and neat though. Even if you are wearing tracksuit bottoms and a top, if it looks neat you can still look like a doll. For a porcelain doll look, girly clothes are more popular. Such as florals, lace and bows.

6) The Body

Most famous living dolls are quite skinny, and some have also had surgery to attain their body shapes. It isn’t necessary to have a “perfect” body to get the dolly look. Just make the most of what you have. Wear clothes that flatter your figure, and if you really want to make an impact try wearing a steel-boned corset under your clothing to give you a pulled-in hourglass waist like Barbie.

*~*Hope you have enjoyed this short guide! Have fun trying out this look!*~*