HG: L'Oreal Paris Advanced Haircare - Volume Filler Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner

It looks like L'Oreal Paris is becoming my go-to brand for HG products... I seriously don't give much credit to a lot of beauty products because I have tried so many, but I have to give credit where it's due and this is another one of those times!

My hair is super fine and super thin. In other words, it's the hardest type of hair to get to look anything but flat and sad most of the time, so you can believe I have tried my share of hair products that promise volume and thickness and blahdeblah. I have used L'Oreal's Advanced Haircare line before, but this was the first time I tried anything for volume. The Volume Filler Collection is a new line made especially for fine, thin hair - as their website says, hair feels 2x thicker after regular use and it uses a special ingredient called Filloxane which is proven "to increase the diameter of your hair." 

What really got me to try the shampoo and conditioner though, was after reading through some of the reviews on the L'Oreal website. There was one person who wrote that they suffer from Hashimoto's disease, which is a terrible autoimmune disorder that attacks your thyroid - one of the symptoms is that your hair thins and falls out pretty badly. The person had written that they tried this line and they really did notice a difference in their hair - it didn't stop it from falling out, but it definitely made it look and feel fuller and nicer! 

So I had to try it for myself... and I am so surprised and happy with the results! I've been using both the shampoo and conditioner on a weekly basis, about 2-3 times a week, and I have also noticed a big difference in my hair. The texture is a lot softer and shinier, and best of all, it looks and feels thicker! Not to mention, the shampoo smells lovely. 

There are 2 other products in the collection, a Densifying Gelee and a Fiber Amplifying Concentrate, that I haven't tried yet, but I would definitely recommend getting just the shampoo and conditioner to start if you also suffer from fine, thin and flat hair. I hope L'Oreal never stops making these products either!

DaTuRa at Sapporo Collection 2015

I'm so excited to post this since DaTuRa is one of my new very favorite onee brands! 

Sapporo Collection is a fashion show like the Kobe and Kansai Collection shows that started around Japan to showcase fashion outside of the main city center of Tokyo. The first show was back in 2007, but I only heard of it this year because of DaTuRa's appearance in it! Also, I don't think it's quite as famous as Kobe Collection (which I have heard of before) or maybe it's because it happens later in the season? 

Anyway!

I'm so happy that they chose DaTuRa to represent gal/onee style at this show. Like the other shows, there was a wide range of brands showing, but DaTuRa definitely stood out among them.

First adorable model of the show!

Style Icon: Rady Shop Staff

I always liked doing these kind of posts, so here is the first one!

Lately I have fallen in love with modern agejo onee brand Rady (which you can see from where I posted recently about their shoes!) and have also fallen in love with the gorgeous girls who make up Rady's shop staff! Their staff blog is a great source of inspiration and the best place to see each of the girls in action!

I love how although Rady's brand concept and look is very pulled together, all of the shop staff bring their own personalities to their individual coordinates. Here are some of my favorite looks!

 

Rady casual setups are seriously some of the best. I know they are usually labeled as "room wear," but the Rady girls make them seem like perfectly fine - and stylish! - outfits to wear anywhere!

HG: L'Oreal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation

 

Taking a moment to do a quick post about this AMAZING new foundation I just bought the other day! I thought I had liked the Revlon Colorstay 24-Hour foundation I posted about back in November, but this beats it 1,000,000x over! Here is the description from L'Oreal's website:

 

"Achieve a matte finish that won’t fall flat with this air-light, longwearing liquid formula. Lightweight and creamy, foundation goes on smooth with a demi-matte finish that lasts up to 24 hours—hiding imperfections for a smooth, clear complexion."

 

I can definitely say this is 100% true! As someone with annoying oily skin, it's important that I don't look shiny by the middle of the day. Even though the Revlon Colorstay foundation did a good job, I still had to do some minor touch-ups... With Infallible Pro-Matte, I don't have to worry at all!

 

I noticed right away that the consistency of this foundation is much different from any I've used before. Even though it's a "liquid," it has a thicker, almost powder-like texture, kind of like paint or stage makeup, but it still goes on smoothly with my foundation sponge. The secret to staying matte is in this consistency, I think! The coverage is really awesome too - I don't have to cake it on to get a nice finish that's matte but not powdery.

 

Anyway, I definitely recommend this foundation to anyone with an oily complexion who wants true all-day coverage without the need for touch-ups! I hope they never stop making this, because it's my new holy grail of drugstore foundation.



LIP SERVICE Spring/Summer 2015

Japanese gal brand LIP SERVICE has always been a mainstay for ladylike onee style. While they definitely have jumped on the trends of denim, florals, pastels and jewelry accents, I like their palette of cool blues and soft yellows mixed in with classic black and white. Although their concept of "SWEET ROUGE" doesn't really make sense when you consider this color palette, haha!

Pink GAL

This set completely identifies my aesthetic for spring - pink, girly and sweet, with a touch of gal inspiration!

Resexxy Instagram ♡

Resexxy is one of my favorite Japanese fashion brands. I was pretty heavy into their cool, sexy onee style a while back - this knit setup is still one of my go-to pieces because it's so good. I only got away from them when I felt like everything was starting to look too much the same, or maybe I was just starting to like a more simple (boring) style, but now I am in love again.


The spring/summer 2015 collection "COLOR TRIP" is really nice. But what got me in love with Resexxy again is their instagram! Especially since they started posting some lovely flat lays (which I am always jealous of because I can never seem to get them right, haha)~

Spring Shoes: Girly, Girly, Girly

Anyone who follows my instagram knows I am pretty much a shoeholic, haha. So naturally, as the seasons change, it's time to start looking at new footwear to match those lovely spring outfits!

 

I recently discovered onee/agejo brand Rady through the amazing Universal Doll and Emi & Lea and I am loving the concept of "a woman who likes to feel feminine and cute no matter where she is." This is definitely my feeling for this spring!

 

Anyway, let's talk about Rady's amazing shoes~

 

Sretsis/Sisters

Japanese fashion has - and always will be - a huge inspiration to me. There is just something so fun and free about it, a kind of playfulness and not-so-serious attitude that isn't as prevalent - with the exception of some designers of course (Jeremy Scott, Moschino) - in Western high fashion. So whenever I discover a Western design house (like Alice McCall) that captures this same kind of spirit, it's always a breath of fresh air.

 

New York brand Sretsis is my latest Western fashion discovery that blends the playful and kitschy with structure and complexity. The brand, whose name is "Sisters" spelled backwards, was started by middle sister and Parsons School of Design graduate Pim Sukahuta, along with her eldest sister Kly (who does marketing) and youngest sister Matina (who designs the accessory line for the brand.) The summary on their website best describes what Sretsis is all about:

 

"Sretsis’ collections read like an adventurous autobiography

as they take inspirations from those around them and what captures

their flight of fantasy at a certain period of time, turning them into

design manifestations on fabrics. Sretsis also offers a modern twist

on classic elements and clichés through proportional adjustments

and carefully crafted materials, but never with direct reinterpretations.

Besides trademark whimsical prints, Sretsis proudly boasts

progressive textile development, always steering towards constant

avant-garde experimentations. Techniques such as embroidery

and appliqué are given facelifts and mischievous wits, 

achieving fresh yet elegant perspectives."

 

I first discovered Sretsis through one of my favorite Japanese model, Rola's, blog. I also began to notice that other Japanese fashion figures I follow on instagram, like Kiko Mizuhara, are fans of the brand as well. Looking at Sretsis' designs, it's easy to see why they so easily and nicely fit in with the next-level styling and aesthetic of Japanese fashion. The spring/summer 2015 collection "The Runaway Rum" in particular seems to take much inspiration from this East/West connection also, as this clip from the collection overview shows:

 

"Welcome to the electrifying world of Sretsis Spring/Summer 2015 “The Runaway Rum” a dazzling collection of misfit rock-stars taking center stage. Drawing inspiration from the eighties youth rebellion movement, Japanese-Anglo anime ‘Lum Invader’ and ‘Jem and the Holograms’, and synth-pop club kid’s attire made relevant with MTV. This season Sretsis takes you on a West Coast road trip, with “Neon Tropical”, through the streets of Sunset Boulevard complete with fancified street wear, onto downtown L.A. with glam-o-rama cocktail dresses fit for a pop-rock princess."

 

Petite on Point

It's no secret that most runway fashion is made for, well... models. As in, 5'9"+, impossibly long-legged, gorgeous creatures who make up maybe 2.5% of the population. So what are the rest of us to do? What exactly does ready to wear stand for even?

 

Enter one of my personal fashion inspirations: Miroslava Duma, Russian fashion writer/editor and founder of Buro247.ru. Never one to shy away from fabulous statement outerwear, voluminous layers and a good midi or maxi skirt/dress, Miroslava shows that RTW looks can work on an average (or below average!) height frame. A trustworthy tailor and sky-high heels also help, of course!

 

And for the record, while Miroslava's exact height isn't available anywhere online, it's rumored she is between 5'1" and 5'3" - which probably makes her about 5'2", which is my height! Thanks to her example, I am definitely ready to try out some of this spring's longer, fuller silhouettes.

 

 

 

 

 



Alice McCall Spring 2015

 

I am totally in love with Australian brand Alice McCall - all of her pieces have a magical, whimsical, girly vibe I so connect with, especially for spring! These are some separates (and onepieces!) I am dreaming of. How cool is that funky lip print?

 

Simple Jewelry

I have to admit - I'm not much of an accessories girl. I go through phases where I like to pile on the bracelets and necklaces and earrings and scarves, but then I have long spells where I don't wear any kind of accessory except for a handbag (which I can never leave home without!)

 

I really like the new delicate jewelry trend though - it fits in perfectly with my bipolar love for accessories. I was browsing through the January issue of Sweet magazine when an advertisement for Tasaki's abstract star collection caught my eye. These are all pieces I could definitely see myself working with. The studs are absolutely gorgeous!