An interesting find to hold you all over while I get moved in to my new home! This is an interesting little story based on Alice and rhymes. It is written mostly in Japanese with some English thrown in, but mostly it is fun to browse for the artwork and the music!
P.S. This is a scheduled post :P I didn't really want to abandon you all for a week!
It may take a bit for the storybook to load, depending on your internet speed, because it is a "flippable" book where each flip is actually animated. The little record players available with each chapter will play a suitable song and is quite enjoyable, really!
The link to Alice's Adventures in Insomnia! Enjoy! And let me know what you think in the comments :)
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Review~My Beauty Diary Pearl Powder Mask
Doll-like porcelain skin; such is the goal for many a Lolita. Whether it is achieved through skincare, makeup, or even photoshop (for those pimples that come the morning of a meetup!) flawless skin is an unmistakable sign of beauty and good health. Personally, I am no good at photoshop or makeup, so skincare it is! Not to mention the fact that it is healthier and the longest-lasting ;D Today I am going to share a product I tried and how it worked for me!
Masking is super popular in Asia. Masks are available in so many type to solve any skin condition you can think of! There are moisturizing, whitening, brightening, anti-wrinkle, lifting, firming, radiance-boosting, etc. masks.
In Taiwan, there is a brand called 我的美麗日記 or My Beauty Diary which is very famous and popular. They even recently teamed up with Hello Kitty to make a strawberry mask! I bought a 10-pc. box of Pearl Powder Mask to try it out for myself!
Basic Stats:
* Pearl Powder Mask
* Purpose: Whitening and hydrating
* Skin Type: All skin types
* Pack Size - 10 pcs
Description:
A pre-soaked and pre-cut facial mask drenched with amino acids and trace elements that effortlessly penetrate the skin’s layers to create a fairer and more luminous complexion. Vitamin B and seaweed nourish the skin, making it velvety smooth with improved elasticity. Regular use whitens, hydrates and restores skin’s youthful radiance. Recommended for dull and damaged skin. By My Beauty Diary.
I usually use masks after showering and washing my face with cleanser because the pores are more open after a hot shower and my face is clean! So please excuse the wet hair in the following photos ;)
First problem I encountered was the mask shape. I circled the problem areas in this photo. As you can see, it does not rest fully on the nose bridge area. The portion of the mask between the bottom of the nose and the upper lip is also far too wide! It actually covers my upper lip O_o
My solution? Cut the mask! By making a small snip in the eye circle, extending the nose area cut, and trimming off a portion of the mouth area, the mask now covers fully where it should, and not where it shouldn't.
Clickable thumbnail to show the sides of the mask.
Clickable thumbnail of the mask post-usage to show its shape. The original mask only has the two bottom cuts at the outer edge of the mask, and the bottom portion of the nose cut.
Overall Impression:
I liked this mask because it really felt hydrating and moisturizing! I would use it at night and in the morning my face still felt really soft and elastic. I can't really say if the whitening worked for me because I am already fairer than average Asian skin.
This mask needs to sit for 20-30 minutes, which is longer than the usual 10 minutes by most other masks. It doesn't bother me though, because I do it at night and I like it!
Essence: ♥♥♥♥♥ A lot of essence in this mask! Use the leftover essence on your neck, arms, and legs.
Mask Shape:♥♥♥ Requires a bit of trimming for each use. The upper lip part bothers me the most!
Results: ♥♥♥♥ Wonderfully hydrating, but no results for the whitening promise, though it may be more obvious on darker skin.
Price: ♥♥♥♥ About average price. I bought my box on sale so it was cheaper :)
Masking is super popular in Asia. Masks are available in so many type to solve any skin condition you can think of! There are moisturizing, whitening, brightening, anti-wrinkle, lifting, firming, radiance-boosting, etc. masks.
In Taiwan, there is a brand called 我的美麗日記 or My Beauty Diary which is very famous and popular. They even recently teamed up with Hello Kitty to make a strawberry mask! I bought a 10-pc. box of Pearl Powder Mask to try it out for myself!
Basic Stats:
* Pearl Powder Mask
* Purpose: Whitening and hydrating
* Skin Type: All skin types
* Pack Size - 10 pcs
Description:
A pre-soaked and pre-cut facial mask drenched with amino acids and trace elements that effortlessly penetrate the skin’s layers to create a fairer and more luminous complexion. Vitamin B and seaweed nourish the skin, making it velvety smooth with improved elasticity. Regular use whitens, hydrates and restores skin’s youthful radiance. Recommended for dull and damaged skin. By My Beauty Diary.
I usually use masks after showering and washing my face with cleanser because the pores are more open after a hot shower and my face is clean! So please excuse the wet hair in the following photos ;)
First problem I encountered was the mask shape. I circled the problem areas in this photo. As you can see, it does not rest fully on the nose bridge area. The portion of the mask between the bottom of the nose and the upper lip is also far too wide! It actually covers my upper lip O_o
My solution? Cut the mask! By making a small snip in the eye circle, extending the nose area cut, and trimming off a portion of the mouth area, the mask now covers fully where it should, and not where it shouldn't.
Clickable thumbnail to show the sides of the mask.
Clickable thumbnail of the mask post-usage to show its shape. The original mask only has the two bottom cuts at the outer edge of the mask, and the bottom portion of the nose cut.
Overall Impression:
I liked this mask because it really felt hydrating and moisturizing! I would use it at night and in the morning my face still felt really soft and elastic. I can't really say if the whitening worked for me because I am already fairer than average Asian skin.
This mask needs to sit for 20-30 minutes, which is longer than the usual 10 minutes by most other masks. It doesn't bother me though, because I do it at night and I like it!
Essence: ♥♥♥♥♥ A lot of essence in this mask! Use the leftover essence on your neck, arms, and legs.
Mask Shape:♥♥♥ Requires a bit of trimming for each use. The upper lip part bothers me the most!
Results: ♥♥♥♥ Wonderfully hydrating, but no results for the whitening promise, though it may be more obvious on darker skin.
Price: ♥♥♥♥ About average price. I bought my box on sale so it was cheaper :)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Pause
I will be most likely unable to update for a week or so... because I am moving!!! Hopefully it will all go smoothly and I will be able to start a new series on home decor (or at least room decor) and start with sewing tutorials again as soon as I get set up.
So look forward to Aurora's Chateau series about house and home styling (hey, if you're going to be in the same room for 100 years in enchanted sleep, it better be a really awesome room!)
I'll finish this off with the results of my February Challenge. It is 4 days early, but as I start packing I don't think I will be able to do any new coords... only three were completed! 囧rz
The themes I was going for were:
1) A more "mature" but cute look with a blazer and makeup
2) A casual schoolgirl look with black as the contrasting color
3) My first try at something Ero! This is taken with a webcam, so sorry for the poor quality! I created bustles with safety pins and removable bows which were pinned to D-rings on the corset from Scoundrelle's Keep (this is a Charlotte Cincher)
Not a very successful challenge, but it was still fun, especially the Ero coord :) I didn't wear it out of the house, but I liked trying something new!
So look forward to Aurora's Chateau series about house and home styling (hey, if you're going to be in the same room for 100 years in enchanted sleep, it better be a really awesome room!)
I'll finish this off with the results of my February Challenge. It is 4 days early, but as I start packing I don't think I will be able to do any new coords... only three were completed! 囧rz
The themes I was going for were:
1) A more "mature" but cute look with a blazer and makeup
2) A casual schoolgirl look with black as the contrasting color
3) My first try at something Ero! This is taken with a webcam, so sorry for the poor quality! I created bustles with safety pins and removable bows which were pinned to D-rings on the corset from Scoundrelle's Keep (this is a Charlotte Cincher)
Not a very successful challenge, but it was still fun, especially the Ero coord :) I didn't wear it out of the house, but I liked trying something new!
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Sparkle Stitches~Ruffle Skirt with Zip
Today I am going to show you how to make a basic zip-closure skirt. The tab with hook-and-eye closure is optional and can be substituted with a button-and-buttonhole, snaps, velcro, whatever.
It is a bit image-heavy so I have reduced all the photos to clickable thumbnails. Click on them for full-size detail if you need to!
Materials:
~2yd fabric
Fusible interfacing for waistband
1 invisible zipper
1 set of skirt hook and eye
Directions:
Step One:
Cut out your pieces. The skirt body should be 2x your hip or so. The ruffle should be 2x the hem of your skirt. Pin and sew your ruffle pieces into a big loop
Step Two:
Press open all your seam allowances
Step Three:
Overlock the hem, press up, and sew
Step Four:
Sew your skirt panels into a tube, leaving the zip opening unsewn. Gather your ruffle to the hem of your skirt and stitch.
Step Five:
Finish the inside edge with an overlock
Step Six (optional):
Topstitch the ruffle to help it lay flatter
Now for the zip!
Step Seven:
Iron the coils of your zipper flat. You should be able to see the two rows of stitching when it is ironed flat
Two rows of stitching:
Step Eight:
Align with the seam allowance at your skirt opening, pin, and sew
Invisible zippers from most craft stores in the U.S. actually come with instructions :P I don't have an invisible zipper foot (they are pretty nifty!) so I can't show you the proper way to do it ^^;
Here is me using a regular zipper foot though:
You just have to be careful not to stitch too close to the coils, or the zip will be difficult to close!
When you are done, it should look like this:
Now comes the waistband!
Step Nine:
Cut your waistband WxL from fashion fabric where W=2x finished width +seam allowance and L=finished length (your waist size)+ tab (about 1") + seam allowance
Cut your waistband interfacing WxL where W = 2x finished width and L=finished length (waist size + tab). Do NOT add seam allowance to the interfacing!
Step Ten:
Fuse your interfacing to the waistband
Step Eleven:
Press up your seam allowances
Step Twelve:
Gather your skirt to ONE seam allowance of your waistband and stitch
Step Thirteen:
Now comes finishing the ends of the waistband. I did one end of mine before gathering because it is easier to show what is going on, but it is better to do it after gathering for a neater finish.
First, turn the waistband right sides facing together and stitch
Trim the corners and seam allowance if necessary
And turn right side out
Here is it being shown after gathering:
Haha I was watching Dead or Alive (the movie) on my lappy... SUCH an awful interpretation of the video game, but I still like to watch it on occasion. Moving on...
After trimming and turning to the right side (and topstitching):
Step Fourteen:
Topstitch the waistband to finish it off. Now just sew on your hook and eye closure to the tab and you are finished!!
Any questions or comments are of course welcome in the comment section! I hope this was clear and helpful to everybody :)
It is a bit image-heavy so I have reduced all the photos to clickable thumbnails. Click on them for full-size detail if you need to!
Materials:
~2yd fabric
Fusible interfacing for waistband
1 invisible zipper
1 set of skirt hook and eye
Directions:
Step One:
Cut out your pieces. The skirt body should be 2x your hip or so. The ruffle should be 2x the hem of your skirt. Pin and sew your ruffle pieces into a big loop
Step Two:
Press open all your seam allowances
Step Three:
Overlock the hem, press up, and sew
Step Four:
Sew your skirt panels into a tube, leaving the zip opening unsewn. Gather your ruffle to the hem of your skirt and stitch.
Step Five:
Finish the inside edge with an overlock
Step Six (optional):
Topstitch the ruffle to help it lay flatter
Now for the zip!
Step Seven:
Iron the coils of your zipper flat. You should be able to see the two rows of stitching when it is ironed flat
Two rows of stitching:
Step Eight:
Align with the seam allowance at your skirt opening, pin, and sew
Invisible zippers from most craft stores in the U.S. actually come with instructions :P I don't have an invisible zipper foot (they are pretty nifty!) so I can't show you the proper way to do it ^^;
Here is me using a regular zipper foot though:
You just have to be careful not to stitch too close to the coils, or the zip will be difficult to close!
When you are done, it should look like this:
Now comes the waistband!
Step Nine:
Cut your waistband WxL from fashion fabric where W=2x finished width +seam allowance and L=finished length (your waist size)+ tab (about 1") + seam allowance
Cut your waistband interfacing WxL where W = 2x finished width and L=finished length (waist size + tab). Do NOT add seam allowance to the interfacing!
Step Ten:
Fuse your interfacing to the waistband
Step Eleven:
Press up your seam allowances
Step Twelve:
Gather your skirt to ONE seam allowance of your waistband and stitch
Step Thirteen:
Now comes finishing the ends of the waistband. I did one end of mine before gathering because it is easier to show what is going on, but it is better to do it after gathering for a neater finish.
First, turn the waistband right sides facing together and stitch
Trim the corners and seam allowance if necessary
And turn right side out
Here is it being shown after gathering:
Haha I was watching Dead or Alive (the movie) on my lappy... SUCH an awful interpretation of the video game, but I still like to watch it on occasion. Moving on...
After trimming and turning to the right side (and topstitching):
Step Fourteen:
Topstitch the waistband to finish it off. Now just sew on your hook and eye closure to the tab and you are finished!!
Any questions or comments are of course welcome in the comment section! I hope this was clear and helpful to everybody :)
Sparkle Stitches~Gathering
Gathering is an essential skill in Lolita fashion, and is also required for the next sewing tutorial so I am double-posting ;D Two tutorials in a row!
LO娘想做衣服一定要學會抽細折!
If you are already familiar with gathering, just skip to the next post for the skirt tutorial.
Gathering is very simple, albeit a little time-consuming.
抽細折很簡單，但蠻費時間的。
Step One:
Lengthen the stitch length on your machine to the longest stitch
將縫衣機的針跡長度調到最長
Step Two:
Stitch WITHIN your seam allowance, and do NOT backtack at either end. Usually 1/4" from the raw edge is a good distance. Do two rows of stitching for smoother gathers. High-end clothiers will even do 3 rows of gathering stitches; one in the seam allowance, one on the stitching line, and one even lower than the stitching line which then has to be ripped out. No wonder high-end clothes cost so much...
在縫分內縫一條線。 頭尾不要打結。 離布邊1/4"(2分)就夠。 縫兩條線能抽的比較潠。
Step Three:
Separate out your top thread and bobbin thread. Here, I have used black for my bobbin thread to show the difference
上下線分開。 我的下線用了黑色。
Step Four:
Pull on the bobbin thread only and slide the fabric along the thread. It will bunch up and form gathers. Gather it to your desired length and pin in place
卿卿的一邊拉下線一邊將布料網下滑。抽到想要的長度後用針固定住
It may take some practice, but after a few tries it becomes pretty easy. Just be careful not to pull to hard or fast because it is very frustrating to have a thread break in the middle of gathering! Which is another reason 2 rows of stitching is nice ;) If all else fails, make elastic-waist skirts just like the Ribbon Bustle Skirt ;D
多練習後會比較簡單! 小心別拉太快或太用力。 抽到一半緞線會很想抓狂喔!
LO娘想做衣服一定要學會抽細折!
If you are already familiar with gathering, just skip to the next post for the skirt tutorial.
Gathering is very simple, albeit a little time-consuming.
抽細折很簡單，但蠻費時間的。
Step One:
Lengthen the stitch length on your machine to the longest stitch
將縫衣機的針跡長度調到最長
Step Two:
Stitch WITHIN your seam allowance, and do NOT backtack at either end. Usually 1/4" from the raw edge is a good distance. Do two rows of stitching for smoother gathers. High-end clothiers will even do 3 rows of gathering stitches; one in the seam allowance, one on the stitching line, and one even lower than the stitching line which then has to be ripped out. No wonder high-end clothes cost so much...
在縫分內縫一條線。 頭尾不要打結。 離布邊1/4"(2分)就夠。 縫兩條線能抽的比較潠。
Step Three:
Separate out your top thread and bobbin thread. Here, I have used black for my bobbin thread to show the difference
上下線分開。 我的下線用了黑色。
Step Four:
Pull on the bobbin thread only and slide the fabric along the thread. It will bunch up and form gathers. Gather it to your desired length and pin in place
卿卿的一邊拉下線一邊將布料網下滑。抽到想要的長度後用針固定住
It may take some practice, but after a few tries it becomes pretty easy. Just be careful not to pull to hard or fast because it is very frustrating to have a thread break in the middle of gathering! Which is another reason 2 rows of stitching is nice ;) If all else fails, make elastic-waist skirts just like the Ribbon Bustle Skirt ;D
多練習後會比較簡單! 小心別拉太快或太用力。 抽到一半緞線會很想抓狂喔!
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