Month: June 2021

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The Continued Importance of Blogging In Lolita Fashion

Photo by Anthony Shkraba on Pexels.com

In the year 2020 traditional blogging like this isn’t as popular as it once was, back when I first joined lolita fashion even 5 years ago. I was never truly a part of the livejournal days but blogging like this seems like it has always been an important and key part of lolita fashion. My favorites back in the day were ParfaitDoll, FYeahLolita, Lace A La Mode, and Vanilla Bear. It seems like once upon a time almost everyone was running a blog of some kind. Nowadays a lot of those blogs are full of broken links and images, and some entire websites are now only to be found on the wayback machine. In many ways it feels like an era is over, and I suppose in some ways it is. However I don’t think it may be entirely in the way one would think.

This community, at least in the west has always been very online. It’s how I met a lot of my current friends and how I continue to meet new people. Lolita Fashion’s online presence means a lot to me and I love being a part of it. I know I am not the only one who feels that way, I see egl blossoming in popularity online nowadays that I could have only dreamed of when I first started. In many ways it’s more accessible than ever to become a lolita and it shows. I love the influx of new people and it being a very different tune than the obligatory lolita fashion is dying posts that were popular when I first joined, my comm is the largest it has ever been.

I think lolita blogs didn’t die but more transformed into their own versions across all sorts of different websites, namely on YouTube, Instagram and Tiktok. The internet is a far more visual place than it used to be so I think content creators have simply adapted with the times. I mainly run this blog cause I’m nostalgic for the days before I had a single piece to my wardrobe scouring blogs for every scrap of info on the fashion I so desperately longed to a part of and I think that this blog is in some ways my way of reliving that. I think as long as lolita fashion exists as a subculture we will continue to create online to connect and share our experiences with each other. That’s a truly beautiful thing.

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Constantly Looking at New Horizons

I have never been the type who is able to settle, I’m always looking for the next biggest and brightest thing! My last job I thought that I had finally found my place for the first couple months but then as always the cracks began to show. I work somewhere meant to help people start their lives but everywhere I turned it seemed like some new thing was holding them back. I didn’t want to admit it but I was slowly coming to resent my work the way I had everywhere I had worked. Honestly I think work isn’t for me, I honestly don’t know who it is for. My dream is to be able to create content full time but I don’t know if that will ever become a fully realized reality for me. For now I suppose I’m searching for something that I can tolerate.

It’s a bummer because every time I start somewhere new I start full of enthusiasm and slowly see it fade, even if my boss and coworkers can’t. I just want to like what I do enough to not dread it everyday or constantly see the moral failings that I can’t unsee in the places I work. I’m currently (at the time of writing this) in my round of sending out 13 job applications and switching careers entirely. I’m currently in social work but am looking to go to sales. The helping profession isn’t what I thought it would be, maybe one day I’ll return but for now I’m happy to try something different.

It’s weird being an adult and making choices, some family members are super supportive of me switching my jobs even if it means taking a temporary pay cut, others seem kind of disappointed in me for not sticking with it after the most recent incident that was the straw that broke the camel’s back for me. To be fair though, to her it seems like this came out of nowhere. Work is the least interesting thing about me and about my life and I’m ready for it to truly be that way. I hate complaining or talking about work in social situations so when people ask I say that it’s fine and I love it even if at the time I don’t 100% mean it.

I also have switched what I want to do with my life every four years since I was 5 years old, it’s something I just know about myself and why I chose to get a degree in psychology in the first place since I knew that if I wanted to switch careers in the future I’d be able to. I wanted to share this because if you’re in your early twenties and feel a little adrift, I don’t want you to feel alone.

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Fun Self Care Ideas for Sweet Lolitas

Photo by Rebecca on Pexels.com

Self care is really important! We’ve all been through some pretty rough stuff lately and it could be good to take a moment to take good care of ourselves and do what we can to keep our spirits up. I always advocate for practical self care such as getting enough sleep, eating well and keeping up with doctor’s appointments but it is always super fun to treat yourself! Here’s a sweet lolita themed list of ways you could treat yourself!

❤ Get a kawaii bathbomb! I recently purchased a fairy themed one with a toy inside that I can’t wait to

❤ Bake a favorite sweet treat! Like cookies or cupcakes! You could find a really fancy one on pinterest to give a go

❤ Watch a cute show! My go to lately has been Tropical Rouge Pretty Cure! It is so adorable and I have been enjoying it so much

❤ Take some time to just take a break, set a timer and take a nap in a nest made of your favorite cute blankets and stuffed animals

❤ Make yourself a cup of floral tea and curl up and read a good book

❤ Clean up a space and make it super cute, light some floral or sweet themed candles.

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Summer Meetup Ideas

🌻 Picnic Meetup!

🌻Host a tea in your garden

🌻 Have a fancy tea party then go swimming with your comm

🌻 Have a crafting meet with supplies from the craft store make flower crowns and embellish straw hats

🌻 Play outdoor games with each other, encourage people to wear comfortable shoes and play games like tag or duck duck goose with each other

🌻 Have a shopping meet! A place with air conditioning will make your gothic and OTT friends a lot more comfortable

🌻 Have a reading theater meet outside! Take turns dramatically reading a classic book

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Practical Tips for Being a “24/7” Lifestyle Lolita

Photo by Jill Wellington on Pexels.com

1.) Accept that you won’t actually be able to wear it literally everyday and that that’s okay and makes you no less of a lifestyle lolita, there’s a lot more to it than just the clothes for a lot of lifestylers!

2.) Get in the habit of planning coordinates the day before! I have Stylebook on my phone so I will often plan out the outfit on there instead of rifling through my closet. Then I put it all into a cute little box on my bureau for the next day so I’m not scrambling looking for a headpiece 20 minutes before I need to be out of the house for work

3.) Get really familiar with your office’s dress code if you work in an environment where you don’t have to wear a uniform. That way you can be sure that even if your outfit may offend a coworkers tastes you know that you are in the clear and you don’t have to stress about whether or not your coords are work appropriate.

4.) Develop a makeup routine that will work with most of your coords, I personally love experimental makeup with egl but in the morning you aren’t always going to have time for that. I like doing a simple soft girly makeup the majority of the time, I have toned down dolly eye makeup down pat. Japanese magazine scans that you can find on pinterest are great for daily inspiration

5.) Make a laundry system and do your best to stick to it! I actually got a smaller basket so it would be the size of what I could feasibly handwash and not feel overwhelmed and it is also coincidentally the same size as a single load in my apartment buildings washer and dryer. I have only recently gotten this down and I have had many pieces that could have been saved and had their life prolonged if I had only figured this one out sooner

6.) Keep your closet organized! Find a way that works for you to quickly locate the items you need particularly accessories, they can accrue much faster than you think and can add 20 minutes to your time getting ready if you can’t find them

7.) Make a budget. Lolita’s joke a lot about their spending habits and although it is fun to joke about it’s important to make sure that you’re able to enjoy your lifestyle and hobby worry free. Being super stressed about money isn’t kawaii. ( I am honestly still working on this one so it is coming from a place of personal experience and love to you all.)

8.) In the same vein as the makeup get some go to hairstyles down pat as well that are under 10 minutes, anything heat free with a little bit of practice can often end up falling in this category. I personally love twin tails at all heights and a half up hairstyle with a bun or braids on the side. I also like braids plopped on the top of my head into an updo.

9.) Let yourself romanticize your life, this subculture in a lot of ways is based on escapism but don’t drift so far you leave reality, let that princess mindset allow you to see the bright side of life and give you extra motivation where their might not normally be any. Don’t feel like going to work? Remind yourself that you need more gold and silver to fund your kingdom. It sounds silly but it helps a lot for me and I’m hoping it might help some of you too.

10.) Don’t isolate yourself entirely in this world, allow yourself to have other interests! Be a broad and dynamic person. I personally do things like karate and going to the gym and although those aren’t always associated with the lolita style I am made happy by those things. Let lolita fashion add to your life not take away from it

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Summer Moodboard!

I made a moodboard like I suggested in my lifestyle lolita tips blog post! I decided to go with images that made me think of romantic adventures and fun times with my friends! I’m very lucky to live in an area that it’s possible to start seeing people again and going out to do things. I want to live my summer to the fullest this year! I also have a lot of new interests this year I didn’t have last year like swimming and mermaiding! Water is going to be a big part of my summer this year as well as egl meetups. I am so excited.

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June Lifestyle Lolita Tips

☀️Get a kawaii swimsuit, and enjoy a trip with a friend

☀️Get outside! Go for a hike, swim or bike ride

☀️Watch the sunset one night

☀️Enjoy some ice cream! Try making one of those over the top harajuku ice cream shop style sundaes

☀️Try mixing in chiffon blouses and lighter fabrics into your coords to deal with the warm weather

☀️Create road trip mixtapes for when you’re able to road trip again

☀️Update your travel bags for when you can vacation again add bows and lace!

☀️Try a blouse less coord on a really hot day and take advice on how to coordinate that from much more experienced lolitas from warmer climates, I plan on trying one myself this month!

☀️Make a moodboard for how you want your summer to be and make it a