12.23.24

Ohh new post!

So this is long overdue but who cares. I've been thinking about posting my "backlog" like Sei but on the other hand, if I haven't already posted publicly about something then that means I don't actually feel like sharing it with everyone and that's ok ww

I went to lunch and karaoke with some people I met at the kogyaru meet back in May (and one person I already knew ww)

We just sort of hung out and talked at a food court, looked around in the shops, then we went to a new-ish bar nearby for karaoke. 

We sang a lot of old songs but it was really nice to find some Malice Mizer and Gackt listings. 

As I've gotten older, I've learned that my karaoke power is at 100% after 3 shots of a clear liquor, but it will sharply drop off after 5.

My outfit that day was pretty simple because it was really hot!

Top: d.i.a.

Shorts: offbrand

Accessories: d.i.a., offbrand

Bag: Michael Kors

Shoes: OK Kiko x Esperanza

I haven't had a gyaru meet since then so perhaps it's time for another but planning them is always annoying... so many variables when it comes to attendance!

My gyaru-sa BLACKOUT is basically dead, and really... that happened in like late 2021 (iykyk). So because of that my gyaru life has also been dead cuz no matter what anyone says, it's way easier to stay active if you have a strong, reliable, local group. Meetups become a super casual and commonplace event and the whole gyaru lifestyle is much easier to maintain when that's the case.

I've been thinking about being serious about reviving my circle but in my old age I have become very wary of new people. So maybe my next role should be something similar to Mipochi's role in Black Diamond which was as an adviser. Who knows?

Anyway, I have something solo planned for the end of the year/the holidays so I'll post about that in a day or two.

Make Details ☆

Lashes - DollyWink no.2 & no.5

Lenses - Loveil Ash Greige 

8.8.24

✨🍀posting on 8/8, so lucky 🍀✨

In May, I had a ko-gyaru themed meet that I organized with my friend Sandy. We didn't really give people a long heads up about it but a good number of people showed up and we had a good time 🤙🏽

We met up in the city and even though we had planned to do some shopping, we all just ended up getting bubble tea and chatting/getting to know each other. The workers at the bubble tea cafe we ended up at, Uni Uni, thought everyone looked so cute and they took pictures of us for their social media and also gave us a super cute pin souvenir! 🧋

My main reason for wanting to do a ko-gyaru theme was to begin the process of feeling like a kid again - back when I was able to express myself visually without barriers and there was an excitement for new experiences and relationships. 

So I think in that regard, the meet was a success 🤓

Getting ready for the meet was pretty easy because after however many years of being gyaru, I definitely have all the pieces needed for a basic kogal coord. I am not the kind of gal to wear loose socks and I hate tan school cardigans so my look ended up being very "normal" school uniform looking which honestly I think is the cutest look anyway 🙃🙃

I didn't have loafers at the time of the meet so I had to wear my work shoes lol but it looked cute anyway 🌞

I had another meet in July and I'll talk about that in the next post, but I had a great time at the kogal meet and I only have Sandy to thank, cuz lately I'm not feeling the gyaru community over all and I wouldn't have hosted a meet on my own. I am grateful for their enthusiasm! 

Also, tbh Sandy has the most striking, stunning manba style of makeup I have ever seen!! I feel like the art of their make style can't be fully appreciated in pictures, but we can try. 🥰❤️

I have a lot more pictures from this meet but I think from this point on, I only want to post pictures taken with my flip phone on this blog, for no other reason than the 2011 aesthetic of it all. I don't use my public instagram anymore so if I post the non-flip phone photos, it'll most likely be on twitter... maybe I'll also post on tumblr! We will see 🤔

3.21.2024

I went to the mall for the first time in a while and I found a store I really liked -- Lucky Brand!

It's not a new brand and it's not new to me, but for whatever reason I never went into the store in as many times as I've visited the mall. I've known them for their denim which I've bought secondhand before and seen at discount stores like TJMaxx but it was interesting to see the other items they had for sale.

I really loved the pair of shorts in the picture above! It's rare to see a lot of details in American brands, and this was right up my alley. I put them on my wishlist and I hope to snag a pair soon!

The items I saw in the store reminded me a lot of the old brand Goa -- they had a loose, natural, and casual feel. Rediscovering this brand is timely because I wanted to go for a breezy bohemian vibe for the upcoming summer, and it's always nice to have something local to you. It's also nice because I see this brand often in secondhand shops near me so hopefully I won't always have to go retail for a fix. :3

I bought two tube tops, two belts, and a super cool shawl neck knit cardigan. I've been in need of higher quality tube tops and tbh the mannequin wearing a tube top is the entire reason I stepped into the store! The tops have a slouchy casual feel to them, which is perfect for me. :) 

The belts are so cool/cute! I love the embroidery~ I think that they'll make even a super basic coordinate into something a bit more memorable.

The cardigan was a really nice find because this type of cardigan tends to be fairly expensive, even secondhand, so finding it on a good sale was great. It's made of cotton, so it's gonna be a really nice layer for chill summer evenings.

I also got a few other things! The Summer Breeze perfume by OP is so perfect and I can't wait to wear it when I hit the beach this year! I picked up a set of Waikiki Beach Coconut from Bath & BodyWorks as well, and while I may or may not layer it with the OP perfume, I'm definitely ready!!

While at the mall, I went to Sephora and got new lip colors and a bronzer from Nars. I think the vast majority of my makeup comes from Nars and so I feel confident saying that I'm now truly a Nars Girl. :) I'll probably show you the colors in a different post but the lipgloss is the color "Supervixen" and the lipsticks are the colors "Turned On" and "Dolce Vita". 

I also recently got two new magazines in the mail! I'm still reading them and parsing what I'd parts of them I'd like to add to my own life and style but one thing is for sure -- I am definitely a Nakane Reiko fan now! She's so gorgeous and I definitely see how she was the top EGOIST sales clerk of her time.

I guess since I've bought so much new makeup, I should probably start practicing my make again so that I'm not so rusty when the weather finally stays warm. A Gal is not a Gal without the makeup, so I can't keep giving myself this label when I only get done up every 2 months. 

See you later!

2.5.2024

Hi ᯓ★

Recently, I made a deal with myself to return to the things that made me happy. This seems pretty obvious but I think the more I focused on furthering my career and just "getting through the day" the faster the days seemed to pass, and the more I realized I was never doing anything that I truly wanted to do. Just work and sleep, which lead to more work and sleep. (×﹏×)

I think it's easy to become a boring adult when all you do is focus on work and "the future". But focusing too much on the future makes it hard to appreciate the present (in my opinion..)

Previously, I would go out every single weekend, and sometimes I would call up my friends on my lunch hour and see what they were up to after work so we could hang out. In the summer this meant random beach outings or nights in Chinatown. In the winter, it was all about shopping malls and finding good food to eat.

A major symptom of being too serious about my life is that my "gyaru spirit" has reached an all time low. Sometimes I wonder if I should just give it up for something a bit less intense, if I should fully enter my Old Navy era. But I know that won't make me happy. (｡•́︿•̀｡)

The major issue for me is that my gyaru lifestyle is fueled by the power of friendship, and I've been away from the people who make me happiest for too long. My view of how the lifestyle is to be most enjoyed lies in the experiences I share with my other gyaru and gyaru-adjacent friends. 

Doing para-para routines, taking purikura, trying new makeup products or techniques, online or physical shopping etc. - these are all things made that much more enjoyable by being able to be done with those that love the life/culture as much as I do. Of course these are things I'm able to do online, but for me, it's better to be physically together. 

I've come to the conclusion that the only way to revive my gal mojo is to return to the outgoing, always social girl I used to be. So that's what I've been doing for the past month. :)

I might blog about the past three dinners I went to with my friends, I might not.. but I will update here about my "journey" to returning to my previous power level! ☆ﾐ(o*･ω･)ﾉ

My circle does have an upcoming meet this month, so I'll definitely do two posts about the set-up and the actual meet. I'm not the type of gyaru to make tutorials on hair or makeup, but maybe my lasting contribution can be how to run fun meets and how to create successful, long lasting circle. ✮⋆˙

Who knows? :3c

Thanks for reading, and I'll update here soon!