Angelic Pretty 2014 Lucky Pack Opening/Review

So, when I saw AP's lucky packs for this year, I became obsessed with getting one. Usually, I am very uptight about money- I rarely spend it in large amounts, and when I do, I feel guilty! But this was the first year I've been able to afford a lucky pack, and I have a sweet husband who encouraged me to go ahead and get one. Lucky Packs are the only time I can justify paying for things like AP, since you basically get an entire coord for less than the normal price of one item!

I was originally planning to get Omekashi Doll in Pink. I logged into AP's website (I waited until it came out on the US site-I do not have the knowledge or patience to deal with the Japanese one) 15 minutes before the lucky packs were supposed to launch. I sat there and refreshed the page over and over until they went on sale, and immediately put Omekashi Doll in my shopping cart and proceeded to check out. HOWEVER, I ended up doing this at least 6 times- every time I got through the check out, the site would log me off before I could finish! I started to get frustrated, because by the time I logged back in that many times, it was already sold out. My husband looked at the other lucky packs and asked if I liked the Candy Sprinkle salopette set. I said yes, but I hadn't planned on spending more than $130 (the salopette set was $160). He convinced me that $30 more wasn't too terrible and I should go ahead and get it before they sold out, too. SO I took his advice and ordered it in pink.

Today, I checked the tracking information and it said that it was out for delivery to my apartment. I squealed a bit! I had nowhere to be until my shift at work at 4, so I was sure it would come in plenty of time for me to try it on before leaving. I sat at home all day waiting for the knock at the door. It never came. I checked outside the door at least 3 times to see if maybe I hadn't heard the knock. There was nothing there. Finally, it was 3:45 and I had to go to work. My husband promised to text me if my package came while I was gone, but it never did. When I got home, I checked the tracking again and it said it had been delivered. HUH? I decided to go check by out mailbox (they are supposed to deliver packages that won't fit in the box to our door, but I figured it was worth a try). Sure enough, there it was... on the bottom floor of our apartment complex sitting on the ground near the mailboxes where anyone could step on it. I went to pick it up and hurried back to my apartment to open it.

The package:

The bag:

It has a cute heart-shaped buckle that I love! :)

The bow:

It has a clip on the back, but I will probably slide it onto a headband instead.

The OTK's:

The hoodie:

The salopette:

Closeup of the lace:

The back:

Everything worn:
The blouse I am wearing doesn't really suit this set, but I don't really have one that does, so I just put this one on for pictures :) And I would wear a wig when wearing this out, and not just trying it on! Just for information, though, the blouse is from Dream of Lolita and the shoes are from Bodyline!

I'm obsessed with the bag, it's my favourite part by far!

I am very pleased with my purchase and so excited for the weather to get warm enough to actually wear it!
Thanks for reading!

Happy Halloween!

Okay, so I'm a day late. That's ok! For Halloween this year, I decided to use mostly things I already owned to make a costume. I ended up being a unicorn, and I only bought the horn/ears headband and tail (because they came together). I would have tried to be creative and make those things myself, but I waited until the last minute and didn't have time :)

So here I am with my Jedi husband at our church Halloween party.

The skirt might be familiar to you if you love Lolita like I do - it's Dream Of Lolita's replica of Angelic Pretty's Milky Planet (I have no problem with replicas. If you do, sorry!). The shoes are Bodyline's SHOES259 in White. I'm all about saving money - I bought the Milky Planet replica secondhand on the comm sales, and the shoes during one of Bodyline's holiday sales last year for $10 cheaper than the normal price.

I ended up having to work Halloween night, so we celebrated the day before, then watched "The Nightmare Before Christmas" when I got off work.

In other news, I got my first ever tattoo a few weeks ago when my parents and sister were in town to visit!


Also, hubby and I got a pet. She is a dwarf hamster, and the cutest, tiniest thing I have ever seen. She will not let me take pictures of her - every time I try she runs away and hides. But I named her Princess Penelope, and I am in the process of kawaii-ifying her cage so I will try to remember to post pictures when I'm done!

That's all for now! Thanks for reading!

Polyvore

One thing I love: Polyvore!
If you don't already know, Polyvore is a website where you can upload clothing, accessories, etc. from anywhere on the internet and create an entire look. You can also use anything that has ever been uploaded by any other user! It's difficult to explain, so let me show you my latest Polyvore creations:

Crop Top: thehut.com, $6.43
Suspender skirt: ebay.com, $14.99
Shoes: shopakira.com, $95
Backpack: forzieri.com, $56
Owl Necklace: claires.com, $8.50
Watch: jcpenney.com, $36
Bow: amazon.com, $10
Nail Polish: asos.com, $19
Lip Gloss: selfridges.com, $18.95

If you know me, you know how much I love pastels. Especially over the past year or two! If I could dress like this every day, I think it would be so fun (though in real life, I don't wear crop tops :) I prefer my belly to be covered!) I seem to have a different favourite pastel colour every week these days - currently, I'm crazy about mint :)

Tank Top: owntherunway.com, $18
Jacket: bankfashion.com, $47
Jeans: theoutnet.com, $95
Boots: modaoperandi.com, $465
Clutch: topshop.com, $19
Bracelet: boohoo.com, $12
Nail Polish: nelly.com, $26

I love leather jackets and combat boots! I am not a rebel by nature, but I am crazy about this style. It has a "grunge-y" feel, but it's very clean and a little more high-class (though I have no problem with grunge! I love people who can pull it off!), and studs make everything better.

Crop Top: nelly.com, $24
Skirt: Angelic Pretty, ~$180
Shoes: heels.com, $65
Bag: christianlouboutin.com, $2,395
Earrings: swarovski.com, $90
Headband: disneystore.com, $20
Lashes: motelrocks.com, $10
Nail Polish: tenover6.com, $18

Needless to say, I will not be spending $2,395 on a purse any time soon, but I LOOOVE putting together the outfits! This one is a mix between Lolita, cosplay, and plain old fun. The skirt is Lolita, the overall look is going for Minnie Mouse (which could be seen as cosplay), but I like the idea of mixing Lolita with street style, even though it is no longer considered Lolita once you do so :)

I don't get on Polyvore too often, because once I start, I find it difficult to stop. But I enjoyed sharing my latest creations with you!

Review: Holika Holika Moisture Petit BB Cream

Review time!

I have always had a hard time finding a good base makeup that works for my skin type (which is, by the way, EXTREMELY dry). As you probably know if you read this blog, I am obsessed with Asian fashion, particularly Japanese and Korean. Since I spend so much time on Asian fashion websites, I'd heard a lot about BB cream, which is really popular in Korea. If you don't know what BB cream is, it is (and I directly quote Wikipedia here) "an all-in-one facial cosmetic product to replace serum, moisturizer, primer, foundation and sunblock." It originated in Germany, but gained extreme popularity in Asian markets, particularly in Korea. It is now beginning to gain popularity on the Western market, too, but I have heard rumours that it is still better to go with the Korean brands (they are cheaper anyways, as Western markets rack up the prices, assuming Americans will be more willing to pay for it). All that being said, since I had never found a product that worked well for me, I decided to give BB cream a try.

I researched a few brands and decided to go with Holika Holika's Moisture Petit BB Cream, since I am prone to dry skin. For those who do NOT have dry skin, this BB cream is also available in Shimmering, Essential, Clearing, and Watery. Here's a quick hint: if you want to get it cheaper than straight from Holika Holika, you can also get it from a good seller on Ebay. Just be sure the seller has good feedback and it is a new, unopened product. I ended up getting mine for less than $6, including shipping.

Without further ado...

Here's a picture of the BB cream in my hand, for size reference

My product was shipped a day later than expected, so the Ebay seller sent a free Holika Holika Tomato Essence Face Mask Sheet. I have never used a face mask sheet before, and the instructions are in Korean so I will have to look up how to use it, but I was excited about the freebie :)

The product itself is awesome. It works great with my skin type, and feels light while giving a LOT of coverage. My face doesn't feel dry or tight like it usually does, and my makeup doesn't feel caked on - I can barely tell it's there at all. Added plus - it has an SPF of 30 PA++ (PA has to do with protection from UV rays), which is great for my sunburn-prone skin. I also love that I can wear it by itself - I don't have to use moisturizer or primer beforehand. I DID use a bit of powder on top of it because I knew I would spend a lot of time walking outside today and didn't want to sweat off the makeup. After being outside in the heat for awhile, it looks just as good as right after I put it on!

When I first tested it on my hand, I was a little nervous it would be to dark, but when I rubbed it in, it matched my skin perfectly.

And here I am, finally, wearing my BB cream! Excuse the derpy face, I never know what to do with my face in pictures :)

I have no complaints about this product at all. The only thing I would change if I could would be making the bottle cuter, but that's just me being picky :) It's also a bit small, but if you get it on Ebay, the price isn't bad and the size is still worth what you pay. I will probably continue to buy this BB cream, and may buy more Holika Holika products in the future. I am one satisfied customer!

Thanks for reading!

We've Moved!

Life has been busy for the past month! We finally moved and have mostly gotten settled in to our new apartment. Patrick has started school/work. I got a job working in childcare at a fitness facility, and started working there last week. School starts Monday for me, and boy am I nervous! I have to say, we absolutely love living here so far. It's a beautiful city! It's not very big, but it has all the amenities a bigger city would have (including a great bus system, which is free to all students) and we've enjoyed exploring our new surroundings.
I plan to post pictures of the new apartment when we get completely settled in. For now, it's still a bit of a mess as we are trying to figure out where to put some things! Luckily, we've gotten quite a bit sorted out - we just have those last boxes full of stuff that doesn't seem to really go anywhere. I have the rest of this week and the weekend to figure all that out - once school starts I know I will not want to be worrying about getting moved in still.

Just wanted to make a quick update about why I've been out of touch! Thanks for reading!

All things considering...

If you saw my last post, you know all about the joys and stresses Patrick and I have faced so far as newlyweds. We've been married over a month now - hard to believe time flies by so quickly! These days, we're just working a lot, spending our spare time together, and preparing for our move to Iowa in a few weeks. I was able to get register for classes, and soon I will start looking for a part-time job there. Patrick will be taking some tests once we get settled, which will determine whether or not he has to take certain classes. We've been living out of boxes for well over a month now, so we're ready to get to our new apartment and FINALLY be able to unpack. In case you can't tell, we are so excited to begin an adventure in a brand new state!

We were also able to visit my family for a few days, which was such a blessing! We had a good time with my parents, my sister's family, and my brother and his wife, who are getting ready to move to Africa to do some awesome missions work for a few years. It was nice to spend some time with them before they leave.

Just a short update today :) Thanks for reading!

Married!

As of last Saturday, I am a married woman. It's hard to believe! I am going to blog a bit about married life so far (even though it's only been about 10 days)! But first, here is a picture taken by my lovely sister (see more of her photos here) -



The wedding was on June 1st, and it's already been an adventure.
I won't go into all the little details of the pre-wedding madness, but I will say that our wedding was everything I ever dreamed it would be and more. I had some very kind-hearted friends and family who worked so hard to make the day perfect, and I was humbled by their generosity.

Since Patrick and I are saving money to move in August, we decided against a big, expensive honeymoon. Instead, we chose a nice bed and breakfast called the Inn and Crescent Lake in Excelsior Springs, Missouri. I can't recommend the place enough! Beautiful property, kind and helpful owners, and just a short drive from Kansas City, where we went to Worlds of Fun and saw the musical Spamalot, as well as shopping and some nice restaurants. We had a blast, and we came back to our new apartment that we are sub-leasing for the summer before our big move feeling relaxed and in love. The love stayed, but the relaxation quickly dissolved when we realized there had been a mistake - we had no electricity! Normally, this wouldn't be such cause for panic, but the problem was Patrick (who moved our stuff in a few days before the wedding) had the refrigerator and freezer full of food for us to come home to. The power had been out a few days, and there are no words to describe the smell that was coming from the fridge. We ended up spending our first night home as a married couple at Patrick's parent's house because we couldn't stand the smell. We cleaned all the gone-bad food out, all the while taking regular breaks to run outside and get some air, but the smell remained. We used various cleaners, bleach, coffee grinds, baking soda, and regular old water over every inch of that fridge, but... the smell remained. Finally, we talked to the landlord, who said the smell is most likely in the vents in the back, and he would power wash it to get the smell out. However, it would be a few weeks before he could do it. Going a few weeks without a fridge would be easier said than done - at this point we'd gone a few days, and that was difficult enough! So we borrowed a mini fridge and are using that for the time being, with the real fridge taped shut to keep the smell out of our apartment. Not an ideal situation, but everyone needs a good newlywed story :)

With all our efforts trying to de-stink the fridge, combined with our work schedules, we have barely begun to unpack, so our apartment looks frightful! Boxes, boxes, boxes everywhere. The messiness has been a cause of stress, but now that we have our refrigerator situation covered, we are going right to work on the rest of the apartment.

Regardless of all that, I love Patrick and I love being married! We have learned quickly to deal with these every day challenges and laugh at them later. I've already learned so much about myself, and I am so excited to spend the rest of my life as his wife. God has blessed us with each other and the gift of marriage!

Thanks for reading!