Category: lolita fashion

lolita fashion

The Eternal Struggle of Being a Lifestyle Lolita and Dealing with Money

Photo by Karolina Grabowska on Pexels.com

I have talked about this multiple times on this blog and will continue to as I am still learning and trying to share my learning journey with you all. Money is hard for me and I have really expensive hobbies with lolita fashion probably being my most expensive hobby. I think it’s pretty well known in the community that lots of lolitas struggle with impulse buys and emotional spending. I don’t think it’s talked about nearly enough in our community and I want to add to the conversation in a productive and realistic manner.

I tried to go on a low-buy this year, it was one of my new year’s resolutions and I failed it spectacularly. I tried to commit to only buying accessories and only buying things under 25$, I was able to stick to this for about 4 months and then I went on a lacemarket binge. I bought a ton of things in a row far exceeding that 25$ budget. I felt so ashamed but still enjoyed what I had received. I decided to talk to my fiance about it because I wanted to get a handle on my money while still enjoying myself. I think that complete drop in my spending just spilled over into other things and then into one big buying spree.

I had heard of that happening when people decided to try to do low buys in finances but had convinced myself that it wouldn’t happen to me because I was only doing it in one category, but the category I had chosen was the one I got the most joy from. I think it could have worked for a different person but it just didn’t work for me. I did learn a ton from the experience though, I learned that I am a collector. I get enjoyment from collecting things and I think a better way to save space in my wardrobe and money in my wallet is to think of alternatives instead of restrictions. I have been really into gyaru lately so I’ve been collecting press ons every paycheck, and also I will open a separate account for my “fun” spending so that I can buy a new JSK from time to time without worry or go on a trip and know I have all the money I need for my bills.

This is an ongoing journey and I know my current system won’t be perfect but I think it’s important to talk about taking responsibility for your finances while still enjoying this fashion and lifestyle, it can add up super quickly if you aren’t careful. Best of luck and I hope all reading this have a wonderful day!

lolita fashion

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

lolita fashion

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

lolita fashion, Personal

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.

lolita fashion

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

lolita fashion, Personal

How Makeup Can Change A Whole Look!

I tried egirl makeup for the first time today!! I’ve never tried it before and shockingly loved how it combined with my Lolita aesthetic! I feel like a Tsundere girl in a harem anime, I think makeup is often a very overlooked aspect of fashion in regards to egl but I think it can change the whole look

When I was first getting into Lolita fashion it was the height of OTT sweet so the most popular makeup I could find at the time was Dolly makeup! It’s still one of my go to’s to this day. I also was fond of doing more natural looks as well

It wasn’t until I recently got into Gyaru that I had considered more intense makeup looks with JFashion. It definitely made a huge difference in the way whole outfits looked and I really enjoyed the combo of cute and flirtatious that a lot of himekaji gyaru had!

Recently I’ve been really admiring the egirl aesthetic but whenever I tried the clothes I never felt like I could pull it off, so I tried out just the makeup today with clothes I already am confident in and it was an incredible feeling! I felt cute and unique and awesome! I highly recommend experimenting with new makeup styles if you want to switch up your look

Another great thing about this is it didn’t require me buying a single thing I could just use what I already had.

lolita fashion

Lifestyle Lolita Ideas May!

🌻 Have a floral spa day!

🌻Try a floral coord!

🌻 Make a dandelion crown! there are many tutorials for different kinds online

🌻 Have a nature scavenger hunt!

🌻 Learn a new recipe!

🌻 Have a fashion show for yourself! Make some outfits you love and play some music

🌻Give yourself a small present! Like a new lipstick or chocolate bar

🌻 Give yellow a try with either makeup or an accessory

🌻 Doodle some sunflowers!

Etiquette, lolita fashion

Tips for Your First Lolita Meetup

I have seen so many Lolitas join the fashion in quarantine! To welcome them all I thought I’d share some tips for your first IRL meet!

🎀 Research some recent releases from big brands there’s a good chance it will be a topic of discussion at some point during the meet and knowing what’s what will help you keep up!

🎀 Research upcoming events or what’s happening in the online comms, that may also be a topic of discussion and knowing a thing or two will help!

🎀 Don’t be afraid to discuss outside interest as well though! Sewing, gaming, baking and fashion history have a high chance of another member of your comm being into those things!

🎀 Participate in the online chat forum of your comm, be that Facebook messenger or discord. It will help you have specific interests and topics you can discuss when you finally meet in person, it will also help it feel less like it’s entirely brand new to you

🎀 Have an outfit you’re comfortable in, even if it’s not 100% finished if you’re a beginner make sure that you aren’t going to be constantly comparing yourself to the others in your comm and taking away from the social aspect

🎀 Look up the address of the meet ahead of time, and if you need a ride be sure to arrange transportation well before your meet

🎀 Don’t be intimidated by the chatting circles of long-standing members of your comm, they for the most part have just known each other for a few years. Don’t be afraid to jump in if a topic being spoken about interests you. Most comms love having new people! It’s what keeps the fashion going!

🎀 Enjoy yourself! And don’t pressure yourself too much, it’s pretty rare to have a social situation where a shared interest is built in! So have fun.