London Adventures, Part 1

Last weekend I went to London with Rob! We were only there for 3 days, but it might take me a while to post everything as I'm busy with a new (awful and badly paid) job. I also managed to spend about 2 months worth of wages despite having nothing physical to show for it. Blah.


We got to town way too early due to how the buses turned out, so we had cute drinks before catching the train.

We didn't get to our hotel until 4pm as it took us a long time to travel (also £7 each for going on one tube for a few stops, whaaaa). We stayed in Travelodge Kings Cross Royal Scott, and I implore you to NEVER STAY THERE. The staff on the counter were really disinterested, our bed was too broken to use and was smaller than stated anyway (was supposedly king size, but was smaller than my double), no shower gel or anything, really squeaky pipes. We had to sleep on the twin beds that were in the room, but they weren't even the same height so we couldn't snuggle or anything, so our romantic weekend was screwed over. They wouldn't give us any money back or anything even though I was paying over £130 for the 2 nights. I was super shocked when the shower was actually hot, which probably says something for the place.

The bar staff were really nice though! Even if they were confused and appalled by my request for gin and coke. Student living obviously made me forget how weird a combo that is, especially since I used to drink gin in tea.


We went for a wander around the area, and gazed longingly at the fancy St Pancras hotel.


Rob by the tube sign!

We also spotted a fox outside our hotel window a little later on. It's a shame the hotel was so poop as the view from our window was of a really cute little park surrounded by a pretty crescent of houses!

Our search for food was difficult as everywhere was expensive and the veggie options didn't sound overly appealing, but we ended up getting takeaway from a really dodgy-looking place when we realised that Papa John's wouldn't deliver to a hotel. But it turned out to be THE BEST FOOD EVER.


I really wish I'd noted down the name of the place! Our food was pretty cheap and it all tasted really good, especially the pizza! We picked toppings to make it like a Hot Pepper Passion one. I want to eat their pizza again.

It's a shame we didn't get to do more, but we'd both worked the day before going and were tired and it was dark and blah. But we know for next time to leave super duper early!

Lost and Found

Bit of a different post today, spreading word about a new community project called Lost and Found.


This is a positive artistic community set up by an old school friend of mine. The aim is to promote young artistic people with their endeavors and provide support for those who aren't sure what they want to do with their lives by advertising volunteer and job opportunities!

The direction and goals are becoming more and more exciting already, and it's only been running for a week! The long term goal: changing how education treats the arts and becoming an alternative after-school option.

Where do I come in?


I run the Tumblr! So if any of you would like to check that out, you'd be doing me a huge favour.

We're also auctioning off an iPad mini to raise funds, so check that out HERE if it tickles your fancy.

Monika's Birthday Karaoke

On Saturday I visited Monika in Bristol!

She has the cutest bengal kitties...they were so huge and shy.


I ended up borrowing one of Monika's gorgeous BTSSB dresses for the night out!


Here's the pair of us by a tiny door we found in Bristol.

Aaaaaand karaoke!


Maria made adorable cupcakes, but I was too full of pizza to eat one D=


Afterwards we went to a pub where some jerk decided to look up dress. I slapped him (I was really annoyed as obviously the dress wasn't mine and I was holding a full pint of cider and black which would have stained badly had he been any rougher). Apparently my reaction made me 'fiesty' or something, as then his friend decided to have a go too? Like are you serious? Next guy who tries it is getting a black eye!

We went to an 80s club night for a little bit where they looked down upon me for requesting Duran Duran...and we took silly selfies, of course!


Overall I had a great time, and the highlights were duetting with Kath to Jimmy Eat World and dancing the Macarena with Kyra to Metallica!


So refined and elegant~

Musée du Chocolat

After quite a saga, Musée du Chocolat is finally in my arms!

This series was released at the end of August, if I remember correctly. I liked the print immediately but wasn't sure whether to buy anything or not for quite a while as it isn't my usual style due to the more classic feel, but in the end I decided I had to have it!


I had difficulty deciding what to get as there were things I did and didn't like for each piece and had mixed feelings about the colourways. Despite preferring the chiffon and knotted trims on the OP I decided on the switching JSK as I liked the tuxedo-esque front and laced back, and had mint as my first choice.

Kyra bought it for me in a store in Japan to save megabucks on shipping and customs, but they were sold out of my first choice and I ended up with brown. Brown was a last minute second choice to be honest, but I thought it had more coordination options if it had less colours in it to begin with! I also decided on the headbow rather than the bonnet due to cost, although I'm regretting this a little now.


My items!


First up, the JSK (¥27,090). The print is a really nice colour which is great as I was a little worried about how brown would look. I just have to hope that my brown hair and eyes don't clash or make me look washed out!


I didn't notice how cute the buttons or pintucks were in the stock photos! Although really the buttons would have benefitted GREATLY from being gold. The bow at the waist has a loop and a pin on the back. The rope is held up with really thin belt loops.


Sadly there is none of the brown knotted trim that is on the other version, but the lace looks much nicer in real life and I love the golden tassles! My main criticism here is that black thread has been used to attach the lace, which is slightly visible if you look reaaaally closely. The print is much more detailed than is evident in the stock photos though; I love those drips of melting chocolate on the frames! And the gaps above the little frames are less irritating when seen on an actual garment.


Next up, the headbow (¥3,570). I'm not too fond of this as I don't like the gold trim and it just sits really awkwardly, but it does have that knotted trim I was talking about. I'm hoping to buy the bonnet eventually, which originally cost ¥8,295 (aka A LOT).


Tights in ivory (¥4,200). I thought ivory would balance the outfit better as I'm likely to wear a white blouse. Plus this way they might go with more of my stuff!


Ankle socks in brown (¥2,625). They don't match perfectly (there were several brown versions of these socks) but they'll still look super cute! They don't feel as soft as I was expecting, but the ribbon and lace are very nice and Japanese socks always fit my feet perfectly. Hope to find some gold tea parties for a reasonable price to print out those little gold details.

I was starting to regret this purchase, but now that it's here I don't regret it at all! Really looking forward to doing triplet coords with Kyra and Monika as they have this series in brown too!

Holy Lantern

As soon as I saw the Holy Lantern series, I knew I wanted this JSK. I wasn't sure about buying it because of other purchases I wanted to make and customs worries, but in the end I decided I needed it! I have been wanting something with a bit of a gothic twist to it for some time.


Buying it was a real pain as I got up at 4am on the 5th (12 noon JP time) for it. I refreshed the international page for 3 hours before giving up, as the shop was still down. I fell asleep from 7-8am, checked as soon as I woke up and I'd completely missed it! With some luck I managed to score the JSK on a restock as I'd done a last sad refresh before getting up and caught it at just the right time! I didn't manage to get any accessories though.

Packaging was same as before (AP bag in bubblewrap, came with another bag, care instructions, and sticker). It was shipped on the 10th and arrived today (the 18th). I got hit by customs, but the overall charge including Parcelforce fee was only £20. Not sure what's going on with customs, but definitely can't complain!


My first impression was a shocked one, as the colour isn't what I was expecting. It seems slightly darker/browner than I expected, although looking back at photos and print sample I don't know why I was expecting that. I guess because other AP reds are a bit brighter? I'll have to compare it to Moon Night Theater and Wonder Story later. Hoping it's not as different as I think as otherwise the headbow I have won't match!


This is what it looks like with flash. It reflects the light a lot. The over-fabric is sheer, with nice shiny lining and a small amount of built-in petti as usual.


The front lacing, zips, and sweetheart neckline add points of interest on the bodice.


The lace has lanterns on it to match the flocked print, and the hem is actually slightly scalloped.


I was a little disappointed to find chiffon fluff on the front! Luckily I could just tuck it in. There were threads coming from the top frill too, which will have to be trimmed.


The cross-shaped zipper pulls are just the cutest...


...and there are crosses on the waist-ribbon too!


However I'm not fond of these buttons, nor of the fully-shirred back!

Overall, I'm very happy with my purchase. I haven't tried it on yet, but it looks like it's quite short and therefore ought to be a nice length on me. I just have to hope I can find the bow and wrist-cuffs in future! I hope to get my hands on the black JSK one day too!

Mini Angelic Pretty Haul & FromJapan Review

Since getting ACNL and having the Milky Planet OP on there, I suddenly felt I needed to own the dress in real life. It seemed it was time for a new shopping service, and at the recommendation of some friends, I decided to use FromJapan. Their ordering forms were pretty straight forward for Mbok and the tracking of status was really good too. Bidding on Yahoo was a little more fiddly as you have to add deposit to your account as opposed to paying directly, but fine once you get used to it! I have nothing bad to say of their service at all.

Onto the loot!


Everything was boxed up securely. I got hit by customs and had a panic when tracking showed that I would be charged an altered amount which I assumed meant they saw through my mark-down, but I got charged for what I marked as far as I can tell (more than half of my charge was Parcelforce fees *grumble*).


My items!


The Milky Planet OP that prompted my fated return to auctions! I paid quite a lot for it (around retail), but it turned out to be brand new with tags, so can't really complain.


The collar and apron are both detachable, and it's covered in adorable glitter! I'm not sure about white lace, though.


Next up is the Jewelry Jelly miniskirt! I've been wanting a print one for a while, and I figured 'why not!'. That said I would like to trade it for something black...


More adorable glitter, and colourful built-in flouff that I love so much about this series!


I got this Jewelry Jelly hoodie in the auction too. The pink matches Milky Planet print really well.


Adorable embroidery and lace, and cute charms too!


And a photo of my Jewelry Jelly collection as it stands...u jelly?

I'd definitely use FromJapan again, although I'm going to try hard not too as my lolita collection is pretty ridiculous at the moment! More stuff on its way to me too, so look forward to it.

Jim Lockey & the Solemn Sun

Last week I saw JL&tSS again in Bristol! The gig was originally supposed to be in the Louisiana again but was moved to the Exchange due to popular demand. We got lost finding the venue, but somehow we didn't miss anything! I also felt stupid coz I was talking about Oxygen Thief and then realised that he was stood right next to us at the time...*cringe* Also I only had my phone for photos, and it wouldn't focus properly for some reason!


The first band was called Armchair Committee and they were pretty good. I thought the bassist kinda looked like a young emo version of Graham Stark which was odd haha.


Next was Oxygen Thief. I'd seen him before a while ago but this was a full band set. While I enjoyed him last time, I enjoyed this time even more as it was heavier and suited the songs better in my opinion.


And then was Jim Lockey and the Solemn Sun!


They sounded great, there was a lot of singing along from the crowd, and as usual they stood in the middle of the crowd for Boat Song.

I bought their first album after the show from Jim as I hadn't bought it yet, although sadly the merch I wanted wasn't in stock in my size! I wish I'd bought something now anyway as there is no merch online right now, which is a shame.