My March Favorites!

March into April with some of my favorites from this past month.

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I've been a fan of Japanese music since I was a kid, most likely because I've been watching anime since I was five. As I got older, I began listening to J-Rock and J-Pop religiously. This month, I was reminded how much I dig "idol style" music. Kyary Pamyu Pamyu has had my heart since "PonPonPon", but with her recent US tour, there has been a buzz about her in my local Lolita comm. Naturally, I became obsessed with her again. While watching countless hours of Kyary music videos, I came upon something wonderful: BabyMetal.

A sort of kawaii idol, hardcore metal hybrid, BabyMetal consists of three young girls (two middle schoolers and a high schooler) who dress in adorable punk/wa Lolita-esque dresses and sing sweet melodies over rocking beats. I'd briefly seen them mentioned on the Lolita Memes page on Facebook, but I didn't realized the wonder within. These two musical acts really reflect my current mindset of "kawaii riot" and they are just really, really exciting to listen to. 

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One of the big events I did this month was my first 5k fundraiser called Mary's Walk. It's sponsored by the owners of a local pub who lost a member of their family to cancer. Now hundreds of people come out to participate as runners and walkers. It was insane to see the amount of people and feel the sense of community. I was joined by Miss Allegra and my grandmother, as well as a few other family members. Our team raised over $1,000 for the cause!

My grandmother bought us socks that matched the promotional posters for the walk.

I enjoyed it so much that I've signed up for our local March of Dimes walk this coming May. I've left my donation badge below if you'd like to help me reach my goal for the walk! 

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Kawaii is pain, my friend.

Allegra got me this game for Christmas and I've been on and off playing for a while, but this month I sat down and did some hardcore bell scoring (thanks to Lin and Ko over on YouTube). There is just something about Animal Crossing: New Leaf that gets me hooked when I go to play it. It might be the fluffy villagers, the adorable downloadable content, or the rush of collecting bells to pay off your home loan, but once I start playing, I have to keep playing. 

I also got to "cross animals" with my friends via the interwebs, which always helps when you're in need (Allegra paid off the donations for my cobble stone bridge this time around!) Even though I am an "adult", this game is by far one of my favorites. 

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I have also been obsessed this month with the web and app versions of Luvocracy. It's a pretty simple set up: it's a recommendation site that pays you in store credit when other people buy via your recommendations (or "Luvs"). While the pay off isn't immediate, it's still a fun way to share your favorite and dream products with others, as well as checking out what's on other people's hot lists. There is also nothing more exciting than when you hit the Trending page (I've hit it three times this week~). 

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My last little favorite is kettlebells! If it was possible, I'd probably be in a relationship with one of these. Not only can you get them in cute colors and they fit so naturally in your grip, they burn a whopping 20 calories per minute! Wowzies! 

It's also nice because by finding workouts that incorporate kettlebells, you can get agility training, cardio, and strength training all at once. I've really liked chichihealthfitness on YouTube.

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I hope y'all liked this *overdue* list and found some stuff you'd like to try or things you also enjoy! 

~B

Famine's Last Feast: At the Masquerade

This past weekend, I had the priveledge to head over to New Hampshire Institute of Art for the Neo Victorian Society's masquerade. Allegra and I drove down with our friend, Chase. The long, painstaking drive from Maine to New Hampshire: so long!

Nah, it's really only an hour and a half. Photo courtesy of Allegra.

We arrived just in time to get ready with our masquerade buddies. After applying loads of make-up, putting finishing touches on our outfits, and lacing up into corsets, we braved the chill February night. It always seems that when I am scantily clad in costume, it happens to be in the dead of winter.

The venue was elaborately decorated with trees, red lights, steampunk styled table dressings, and other beautiful artifacts (including a lovely chandelier!) I honestly wish I'd snapped some photos, because they were so amazing. 

Here's one of the chandelier at least. Also nabbed from Allegra!

It was a wonderful evening with fun, food, and friends. I learned to do a standard box step with Florence + The Machine played in the distance, which made my month (really and truly!) Me and my cage skirt also got to swag out to some "normal" music. Not as cool as the ballroom dancing, but shaking around the skirt was really entertaining. 

Here's us all dark and cute! It's our family portrait. Courtesy of Arnold Imaging.

Pardon my short (and derp) post on this event. It was just something I really wanted to share. It also showcases a bit of my costuming skill, something I am planning on addressing in later posts!

See you all soon!

~B

Mini Haul + Find Me!

Best news about today? Here in Southern Maine we hit 49 degrees! 

We might get more snow, but nothing can put a damper on my mood today. While out bumbling around the mall I noticed that my local Forever 21 now carries plus sizes! I took the opportunity to try on some cuties, but I did actually end up walking away with some stuff (which was a great surprise!) I've been trying to hold back on purchases lately and today was the first time in months I bought myself some items. So, yay for seemingly breaking a spell! 

Isn't it just so adorbs!

 I actually got the dress in normal sizing, but the jacket came from the plus line. They looked so cute together, I couldn't pass it up. I actually really want to wear this combo for the spring auditions at school, since it has the fun color (so they'll remember me) and the professional quality to it.

Kind of what it looks like on. Oh the dressing room selfies.

During our trip we also popped into Bath and Body Works. Though I can't burn candles at home, I fell in love with their new bakery collection (the Raspberry Peach Macroon is to die for!) I did give in and get one of the wall flowers so that I can keep my room smelling like summer. 

This was my second favourite scent from the bakery collection.

Overall, today was a great success!

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I also wanted to put in a bit of [shameless] self promotion. 

I can now be found on Bloglovin, Lovocracy, and Instagram! 

If you like what I do and want to see more of my life and/or what I like, feel free to browse around my other accounts! 

thank you and see you soon!

~B

Review: Rites of Spring Headdress by Sweet Mildred

I have always wanted to order items from Sweet Mildred ever since I joined the Maine Lolita comm last June. A lot of the ladies in the comm have ordered from her before and I always admired the pieces she creates. So, while pondering through what to give for Christmas gifts, I stumbled upon her Rites of Spring Deet Antler headdress and knew I had to get it for Miss Allegra.

Product: Rites of Spring Deer Antler Headdress
Price: $40.00 + S&H (NOTE: The version I purchased is no longer sold; the only difference is a change in the type of resin antlers.)

Stock photo from Sweet Mildred.

Overall, Millie was an excellent seller. I placed my order December 17th and it arrived sometime around January 10th. While that seems like a long time, it was in the thick of the Holiday season and I was in no rush for it to arrive. I messaged Millie about the shipping and she responded quickly with a sweet, through response. She even included a little gift because it came later than expected. 

Product photo.

Flower detail.

Headband detail.

Worn photo (it's me! don't tell!)

The item itself is absolutely gorgeous. It's a little different from the stock photo, but that's just fine; it makes it unique! The resin antlers are beautifully realistic. I personally love all the details that Millie puts in to her products, the sheer quality and care she has for her art. I would most certainly purchase from her again, not only as gifts, but for myself. 

Here's the extra gift; it just happened to be a perfect match for Allegra.

I had promised a gift to make Allegra "shit bricks." While she didn't do that, she was left breathless, which was good enough for me!

Millie has lots of beautiful pieces in stock. She is worth checking out!

https://www.etsy.com/shop/sweetmildred

~B

Reformatting and a Return to the Blogosphere!

Oh, hello! I don't think we've talked in a while!

Where have you been? 

Classes have been rough and I took on double production assignments this semester. I assistant staged managed our production of Doubt and I am assistant costume designing The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

Couldn't you have updated on vacation or weekends?

Well, I'm a bit lazy! I didn't have much to say (I could have thought of something, but I was far too lazy.) What matters is that I am back, right?

Reformatting? Why and what did you change? 

I got the idea from Allegra, who recently made her blog super fab and I kinda wanted to fall in suit. I missed blogging and I felt that I really did have things to say (I do have a handful of reviews I could do from my dealings around Christmastime.) So, I took out the Italian titles (because I felt they got in the way) and tried to make things more uniform. I will most likely stop doing OOTD, because I feel a lot of pressure around getting them done and when I don't, I hide under a rock and don't post for four or five months (whoops!) Here's to hoping for a cleaner and more understandable blog!

So, what are you going to post now? 

Hopefully, more reviews, perhaps some personal goal stuff (I've begun a long weightloss journey, so that might pique some interest,) and maybe some findings I stumble on while window shopping.

What's next for you [in the real world?]

I've been really focused on costuming, but I have some fun things popping up soon! I do have the Lolita meet up every so often, as well as my first independent costuming gig (Godspell,) as well as the previously mentioned Drood, a masquerade, looking for a summer job, and tons more. If I can get solid posts about some of this cool stuff, I will most likely write one.

I really am sorry for dropping off the face of the Earth. I hope we can start again and that you'll enjoy what I have coming up!

Look for a post relatively soon on a gift I got for Miss Allegra for Christmas!

Best Wishes,

~B

My YouTube Obsession!

So, school started yesterday! After two full weeks of back to back shifts at work, I get to jump right in to a project intensive school year! Don't get me wrong, I love Uni and I adore my classes this semester, but I just happened to take all the classes that require a portfolio of work at the as a final (Costuming, Production Management, and Creative Writing.) I stocked up on lots of binders for this very reason! Now I just need to balance work and the time I need to spend at the theatre for my other credits~

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Anywhosiwhatsits, I really wanted to talk about a little thing Miss Allegra showed me on YouTube over the weekend. 

This is make-up guru KlairedelysArt. I first watched the "Sloth" installation of her Seven Deadly Sins series and I fell in love. In my opinion she is the best on YouTube, mostly because of her professional and unique filming style (particularly with how she shows the products,) as well as her amazing attention to detail. This is also coming from a theatre student, so I have an affinity for gurus that do more theatrical tutorials versus someone who does a "Girls Night Out" look video. 

In any event, she has some crazy videos, ranging from full out looks that capture characters, to special effects tutorials ("I STAPLED MY NAIL!" is bonkers,) to body painting. Plus she does some everyday, civilian looks. 

She is also super lovely to listen to and her recent charitable acts are super heart warming. Please give her a watch, even if it's not your cup of tea, you have to see the talent this girl has! 

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Outfit from today! My cutesy sweater (Target), jean shorts (Torrid), tights (Target), crochet side booties (Target), and my flower crown (Forever XXI). You can tell I work at Target. 

My plan is to do a Rock Your Body! review next, although the promotion as passed (again.) I can't get on the ball can I?

~B

Update+Beach Box Review

Quick update on life comes first. I was going to do the following review earlier, but things ended up happening that prevented me from doing so. My biological father was killed in a motorcycle accident last week, which prompted me to go to my grandparents house for the week. I took a leave from (almost) all social media and spent time with family and close family friends. It was a week full of grieving, healing, and therapy.

If I learned anything it was that everything is natural and that it is okay to accept your humanity.

I am back at work and I have since returned to "real life".

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Now, after I threw some heavy stuff at you, I'm going to lighten this post up with my Beach Box review (finally!) The Beach Box comes with five products inside and costs $29.95 with tax. Being a LUSHie and an employee, I've been all about trying out all of the campaign products because, in all honesty, they are an amazing bang for your buck. 

Product: Ocean Salt

Regular Price: $21.95 for a small; $39.95 for a large

This was the real reason I picked up the Beach Box. I am a vigorous user of Ocean Salt (at least once a day,) and my plan had been to pick up a large pot before work. Alas, no luck. We were currently sold out and the only ones we had were in the boxes. What is a girl to do? Buy the gift box, of course. 

I love Ocean Salt because it makes my skin feel baby soft, as well as giving me that strong, astringent, clean feeling. It helps clean out my often acne prone skin and does a pretty nice job of keeping my skin clear. My strongest recommendation for this product, though, is to tone and moisturise if you use the product as frequently as I do. It's the only way to keep healthy skin because over exfoliation can make problematic skin worse! 

As with all gift box sets, this is a small version (smaller than the regular small pot), so I did have to go and purchase more when we got more in, but I did tide me over until then. Plus I got to try all of the following products because of it! 

Product: Seanik Shampoo Bar

Regular Price: $11.95

I am also a huge fan of the shampoo bars, mostly because I have so much hair and I have a tendency to take too much liquid shampoo when washing. I normally use New, which is a clove and cinnamon based bar that helps with hair growth. The Seanik was an interesting departure from the spiciness of New. My hair holds on to scents really well, so I was pleased with the lovely perfume the shampoo left in my hair. 

As for how it left my hair, it's been a bit more fly away than normal. It seemed to be quite fitting because of the whole sea theme, but it's been a bit irritating. Now, I did use a different shampoo once or twice during the time I used Seanik. My bangs seemed more in place and controlled with the other shampoo. I had heard from a friend that Seanik made her hair light and fluffy (in a bad way,) but I wouldn't go so far as to say it's awful. I'm sure if I did more to my hair, such as flat ironing and using hair spray to control my hair, it would be less noticeable, but c'est la vie!

This is also a mini size and, after using this every day, it has lasted me over a month. 

Product: Dream Cream

Regular Price: $26.95

This one is a baby, baby sample of Dream Cream. While working at LUSH I have learned that a little goes a long way with most of the products and that applies here. The mini pot is deeper than most of the sample pots and a dab of the cream will do an entire arm or leg. If used correctly, this can go a ways. 

As for the product, it is something I have gotten for my mother, both last Christmas and this year's birthday, because of her eczema. While I grew out of this condition when I was a child, I do occasionally dry out. I have since learned that this is also spectacular on razor burn because of it's healing and soothing properties. I have also heard tell that it is lovely for sun burns, too. It is super awesome. 

I actually just got more of this today, too (that story will be saved for later.)

Product: Sea Spray

Regular Price: $12.95

If you are like me and have been working all summer, you probably haven't been able to go to the beach. Super bummer. However, this hair mist will make you feel like you have! I like this because a few spritzes will help bring out some natural curls, making it look as if you've been hanging out in the salt water and air. I think it looks fabulous with ponytails in particular, but I think the best success I've had with it is applying it on someone else. It's just easier to control what the hair is doing and making it more stylable than just random fly aways. 

Product: Sea Vegetable Soap

Regular Price: Varies

This soap seems to change scent on me. Sometimes I can really pick up on the lavender and others it just smells really sea weedy (a la fresh Aqua Marina, aka not very good.) It doesn't leave too much of a perfume on my skin, so it's super maskable. On the other hand, the seaweed moisturises my skin pretty nicely, but I don't really get any of the exfoliation from the sea salt. 

It does have a lot of fallout, too. I had a similar experience with Sandstone leaving sand in my shower. It's a bit irritating to deal with for a little bit of softness, especially when I can just use a massage bar. I know there are people that really like this soap, but it just isn't what I want. And that's okay. 

Overall, pretty happy with the box. Some things I love, some I find just alright. It was nice to try out all this new stuff that I normally wouldn't, plus it brought the Beach to me! 

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So, I did get back to LUSH today and I have another haul, plus a new gift box to review! 

Rock Your Body Kit w/ Strawberry Fields Forever Massage Bar and Coconut Deodorant (which will be my next BIG review!), Dark Angels Facial Cleanser, Stepping Stone Foot Scrub, Sunnyside Bubble Bar, Rose Jam Bubbleroon, Honey I Washed The Kids Soap, Honey Trap Lip Balm, Hottie Massage Bar (it's Aerated!), Take Back The Tap Water Bottle.

And here's the outfit of the day! A crop sweater (Forever XXI), circle skirt (H&M), tights (Rite Aid), and new crochet side booties (Target).

Whoo! Now it's time for bed! 

~B