Elegant Lolita Photoshoot

Recently my friend Kamiko got a new dress in at her studio, and asked me to go on a photoshoot with her!  I normally would not get a chance to wear over-the-top elegant dresses so it was a lot of fun!!

We went nearby for an outdoor public space to do the majority of the photos.  I was going to edit the photos to get rid of my dark circles, eye bags, and wrinkles, but after zooming in and looking at all the photos, I decided to just leave it because it will make me look inhuman to be too perfect.  That, plus I'm trying to accept myself the way I am.

Originally I wanted to fix my jawline as well, but that's the biggest feature I need to accept as I cannot change it (at least not without a LOT of money, time, and pain.)

Kamiko did my hair and it's four braided rosettes, which somehow really changed how I look.  I think having something covering my forehead really changes my face!  I like the result of the hairstyle.  The accessories were also large and a traditional headdress that I actually normally do not wear.  This one did not have ribbons, just combs, so I didn't need to worry about how to tie the ribbons to avoid making my face look bigger.

Much like the rest of the world, Taiwan has been having a heat spike, and this dress is VERY hot in such weather!  I was sweating very soon, which affected my makeup by the time we got back to the studio for studio shots.  The sun was also very bright, and we often had to wait for clouds to pass over to avoid overexposed photos.

The fountain here was not on, which is unfortunate, as I think it would have been very pretty (and cooler)!  But the architecture is still lovely and fitting.

I did the makeup myself, and with a few layers of Skindinavia setting spray, it actually didn't melt off in this humidity and heat!

Unfortunately, the curls in my hair did not hold and they lost all form incredibly quickly.  Normally I need to do overnight curls for them to hold their shape at all.  The humidity did not help at all, clearly.

Once we got back to the studio, I forgot to touch up my makeup and powder again... so there were quite a few unflattering photos.  Plus I was getting tired from the heat!  I am no professional model O_Q

Even the rosettes were starting to lose their shape!!  I have a lot of short/weak hairs by my hairline, so baby hairs coming out of place is common.  I should invest in some hairspray to prevent that, I think.

I was wearing 2 petticoats (my own plus a boned one from Kamiko's studio) with this dress, and it still had so much room for more volume!  It really is like a Lolita ballgown~

In this last photo you can see all the things I wanted to Photoshop out originally.  The shininess is so obvious here!  For future events, I'll definitely remember to blot and touch up my powder.  Because I don't normally have oily skin, it's not something I do on a regular basis when I wear makeup.  

Thank you for reading!  We went to dinner after picking up her son and it was a lovely ending to a fun-filled day!