The Not So Perfect Dress

Hello!

Today I am going to be reviewing a dress I bought online. 

Store: Aiseu on storenvy. 

Dress: Here

I ordered this roughly around April 8th and was provided with a tracking number. However when I went to track the product it was in a foreign language and when I did translate the page (thanks google) it was not being updated. Eventually the package finally arrived April 20th.

The dress came in a small package and was unharmed.

Shipping: /5

I was a bit surprised when I opened the package. The dress's material was very thin and see through. I was not expecting this because the stock photo shows no signs of the dress being made of thin material. 

The stiching seems okay. In some parts the threads were coming loose. Hopefully after a couple of washes the dress wont start falling apart u-u  

The print and color are very nice. They look similar to the stock photo except the birds are more of a dark blue instead of black.

Quality: / 5

(I'm wearing shorts and a tanktop because you can see right through it)

As for the dress on me well...... its very short and on me it's not very flattering. I did measure myself so I wasn't expecting the dress to be that short. I mean I'm not tall myself (5'6ft).   

The only way I would wear this dress is with layers and even that is pushing it. 

(Example: this dress matched with dark blue leggings and a dark blue/brown sweater)

Overall the dress is cheaply made. It's very thin and some of the seams are starting to fall apart. The dress is not true to the stock photo in terms of quality and appearance. Unfortunately I will not be ordering from this store any more.

*Please always remember to measure yourself before purchasing. If you have any questions be sure to email the store! After all this is your own money and online shopping can be risky!

Thanks for reading everyone! ^^

Shuto Con Review by Em

Hello kawaii followers! 

I’m sorry that this review is over a month late. I totally blame finals. Anyways, why was April 4^th and 5^th so fun? It was Shuto Con 2014! It was my first time going to this particular convention, and was I excited. School had been particularly tough and annoying lately, so I figured that going to an awesome con would be a great escape, IT WAS. Today I’m going to do a review/summary of my experience at the convention.

On Friday morning at approximately 11 something AM, I was sitting in class, itching to get out, as I was so excited to get going to the con. Luckily, my 1pm class was cancelled (I couldn’t have bared any longer at school). I passed the time drawing random doodles.

When I finally made my way home, and put on my wonderful Maka Albarn dress preparing to be her awesome formal black blood version, with my boyfriend, who was Soul Evans. Annmarie was Yuko from Dusk Maiden, a great and underappreciated anime she reviewed here.

After a car drive which consisted of rewatching Bee and Puppycat for the 4 millionth time, a hilarious episode of Persona 4 (the class trip one for those who know what I’m talking about), and withholding my excitement, we were there, and boy were we surprised.

Everyone was outside, literally everyone. At the time, we thought they were going to cancel the con, and we were all freaking out, frantically calling the Lansing center, believing there was a bomb threat or a fire or something drastic. Finally we got through, and discovered someone pulled the fire alarm. Whew. That was a very close call.

Once we got inside, the feels came crawling back to me. Those little pangs of excitement when you go somewhere fun. I wanted to scream and cry tears of joy.

At first we didn’t know where the hell we were going, until we found useful signs two minutes later. This certainly wasn’t like Annmarie and I’s first Youmacon, which was a confusing, hour plus venture in which we tried to find the freaken registration table. We were able to find registration in minutes, which by the way, took NO time at all. We pre-registered, which made stuff a little easier. Still, being a smaller con, the registration was very quick.

The dealer’s room was right by us, and I saw autograph tables. After we scurried in there, we realized that it was absolute heaven. Rows of figures, seas of posters, glass cases showcasing keychains, wallets, and random trinkets. It was amazing!  And the best part? There was ANIME stuff. The reason I emphasize this is because last Youmacon, we noticed a severe lack in anime merchandise than the year prior. Yeah, there still was some, but not like Shuto Con.

I spent half my money I brought with me in a matter of ten minutes. No I’m not kidding. I blame Anime Stuff Store for having one of the best selections of anime merchandise I’ve ever seen.

As a new, but crazily obsessed fan of the Persona series, it took me no time to buy a rather expensive Mitsuru Kirijo keychain (I was cosplaying her Saturday, and she’s basically my waifu) and….wait for it….a large-sized Kanji Tatsumi figurine.

Waifu.

I once made a vow that I would never spend more than $20 on a single figurine. Let’s just say as soon as I saw how AWESOME it looked, I needed it. Bad. Kanji is my favorite P4 character, besides Chie and Naoto.

Such high quality. <3

Besides that, I picked up a Stocking (from PSG) keychain to get Monica Rial to sign it, since she was doing autographs at the time.

Let me say that Monica Rial has such a unique voice, but an AMAZING personality. She’s a very talented woman, and it was an honor to meet her. Here’s a pic of us.

After spending an infinity in the Dealer Room, my wallet was crying, and so was my desire to eat and go to panels. After being shown the food court (thanks Jane!), we were very disappointed. It was literally a concession stand. I scarfed down two quick hot dogs.

After this, my boyfriend and I were a part of a spontaneous Soul Eater photoshoot. This was so freaken cool, especially with a lot of people taking pics! Soul resonance everyone!

We decided to go to an Attack on Titan panel, titled “Did Someone Say Titans?!”, in which we were a tad disappointed, and ended up leaving early. There’ll be more info on that in the panel review section.

We went back to the dealers room, and Brandon (my bf) and I were asked to do “shipping pictures” by a girl who shipped SoulxMaka. I felt so honored as a hardcore SoMa shipper. She then asked us to do poses, and if were together and that she couldn’t hold her camera she was so excited. Hopefully I can find her via this blog post. It made me happy that someone liked our costumes!

The next part was really fun. The Battle Arena. My boyfriend and I do something similar for fun called Dagorhir. For those who don’t know, its LARP. You basically hit each other with foam swords, and if you get hit, you lose a limb, etc. We decided to enter a tournament, and it was GREAT. I surprisingly won my first round, and had a close second one. Brandon made it to the semifinals, and I was so proud :D (Sorry Annmarie for making you sit there and watch us xD)

Before we had to leave, we decided to go to the Panty and Stocking panel, which was hilarious. Unfortunately we had to leave early :( 

Oh well, there’s tomorrow, I thought after I came home and passed out on my pillow.

When morning came, I was so ready to be Mitsuru from Persona 3.

How do I describe my girl Mitsuru? A smart, smoking hot class president who fights shadows at night in order to help save the world. Yeah, I love her. I’m so HAPPY I decided to cosplay her. My thrift cosplay turned out so well (well it was all thrift minus the wig/armband/boots/bow). I was soooo excited. My boyfriend was Akihiko Sanada, the hottie boxer boy I am going to date when I buy P3P (Persona 3 Portable).

Cosplaying Persona characters was simply amazing. We got asked for a lot of pictures, were complimented, and met some awesome people from the fandom. Let me say, the Persona fandom ROCKS. They are so nice ! We even got invited to a Midnight/Dark Hour photoshoot (which we couldn’t go to because of driving). Plus we really wanted to go to the Velvet Room panel, which again we had to miss because we had to leave early.

We tried to get into the Maid Café, but the tickets were ALL sold out, which was very disappointing. Instead, we decided to eat at a restaurant in one of the connected hotels, which was a little pricy but more sustaining than a hot dog.

There I met a band member from I Fight Dragons (who I wanted to see, but again, we had to leave early L ). It’s all good, at least I got his signature on my badge. That was so cool!

We spent a good deal of time walking around, pretending we were so cool, playing the Iwatodai Dorm theme. As Mitsuru, I  just felt SO cool. It’s my favorite cosplay by far.

We wrapped up the day, by attending the women in Voice Acting panel.

Then we had to leave, which sucked. But it’s better to be safe than sorry. Especially when driving through nasty parts of Lansing.

In the car ride, I reflected on what an AWESOME time I had. It was an amazing con, although smaller, it was equal or even better than Youmacon.

Verdict:

Panel Reviews

We made it to a few panels. Here are my opinions of each.

Attack on Titan: This panel had promise, but I couldn’t get into it at all. The panelists had cool cosplays, but didn’t seem too prepared. They summarized the series, which I feel isn’t that necessary in panels, because most people who attend panels already know about the show. We left early.

Panty and Stocking (18+): Monica Rial and Jamie Marchi were so funny! It was just so great hearing their voices in real life. They kept the audience laughing and involved.  “Every question has to have a dirty word”. Even people who haven’t watched all of Panty and Stocking seemed to enjoy it. They both acted like the characters, and their answers were GREAT. Ian Sinclair was so funny calling on people as Chuck. I wish we didn’t have to leave this panel early.

Danganronpa: This panel, again, had great potential but fell way short. The people who ran it had an innovative idea, take the greatness of Danganronpa and make a real life class trial. Too bad that only a small percentage of the audience was picked (which I totally thought was biased and the participants were selected beforehand). The people running the panel decided to not follow the story and come up with a new trial with different roles. This could have been okay, if the participants weren’t reading from a script. I think the panel would have been much better if the cosplayers had to act as the character they dressed up as and one person was randomly selected to be the killer. Aw well. At least the panel was entertaining at first.

Women of Voice Acting: One of the funniest and most informative panels I’ve been to ever. Four women, including Monica and Jamie, hosted a Q+A session on being a female in the voice acting business. Not only were they HILARIOUS, they also touched on real life issues and the reality of voice acting.

What I learned from Shuto-con 2014:

·      Panels by voice actors and special guests are a must see, they are organized and have knowledge of their topic (not saying fan run panels don’t do the same, I just prefer the celebrity ones)

·      I can do the Battle Arena in a formal black gown. heehee

·      Convention centers need more than a concession stand disguised as a “café”

·      Be street smart, because Lansing honestly isn’t that safe if you wander off, especially at night. (this applies to everywhere, but we did encounter an incident)

·      If you live more than an hour away, I recommend staying at the hotel, because we had to miss events to drive back. I plan to stay next year.

·      A good dealer’s room combined with the excitement of a particular fandom may cause you to purchase expensive figures xD

·      Shuto is an amazing con that any Michigan anime fan should experience!

I cannot wait for next year!

Stay cute,

Em 

Hair Tips and Tricks

Hello Kawaii Followers!

So by the encouragement of Em I have decided to write a post on hair tips and tricks! Taking care of your hair and growing it out can be a pain. It took me about a year and a half to get my hair to length I wanted it. During the process I've learned a couple of tricks to help promote hair growth and healthy hair.

*BEFORE CONTINUING:
I'm not claiming to be an expert. And I want to inform you that my hair was not damaged or colored while I was using these tricks and growing out my hair. Everyone's hair is DIFFERENT so please keep this in mind while reading.

1. Become a bunny.

Haha well not literally. What I mean is eat carrots and drink water. Carrots help hair and nail growth. Water helps with your hair overall appearance. I always eat carrots and I've starting drinking water (due to health reasons) and I've noticed how healthy my hair looks.

Although I'm not sure if this is completely true, I have heard that the more healthier you eat the better your hair looks (meaning natural shine and glow). I would recommend at least a couple bottles of water throughout the day and snacking on carrots throughout the week.

2. Conditioner, conditioner, and oh more conditioner!

My hair is naturally dry and can look a bit frizzy. So my next recommendation is to use conditioner. Now I know what you're thinking, why would I recommend something so obvious. Well, here's a little trick I found:

Steps:

1. Take conditioner (use as much as needed) and gently comb it through your hair while in the shower.

2. Once you've gotten through your hair, leave it in you hair for at least 2minutes and do not rinse.

3. After the two minutes wash conditioner out.

I noticed after doing this my hair looked less dry and frizzy. I use Redkin: all soft shampoo and conditioner. I know many people can't use a lot of shampoos and conditioners because it might make their hair look oily or create flakes. So for this trick use whatever conditioner you usually use.

3. Is it hot in here?

Step away from the straightener and curler! Heat is not your friend. Over using heat can really damage your hair. It creates dead ends faster and does not help hair growth. So my next recommendation is to let your hair air dry for a couple of minutes then blow dry it using the lowest heat setting. If you feel you wont be able to live without your straightener or curler then try to use them only a couple of times a week. The less heat on your hair the better.

4. Just a trim.

Getting your hair trimmed every 4-6 months or three times a year can help promote hair growth and well hair just seems to look and feel better after a cut. At the salon just tell your hair stylist to cut off the dead ends. I noticed my hair grew faster after the trims and I usually get a hair cut whenever my ends look terrible and split or if its been way to long since my last cut.

5. Fifty shades of what?

Okay, I don't think that dying your hair can cause damage. However frequently dying your hair can cause damage (I've done it before). Dyed damaged hair is not fun and it's not good for your hair. So try to take it easy on the color. Once in a while doesn't hurt but every month can really make your hair look bad.

6. Everyone loves diamonds

My next tip has sort of been my secret for my hair. I use Redkin Diamond soft:

You can usually find this product at super markets, drug stores, or your hair salon
(only if they use Redkin products)

It's a bit pricey but it works! I love using this on my hair once I get out of the shower. It makes your hair look shiny, healthy, and smooth. As mentioned before my hair can look really dry at times and so I use this mostly on the ends and the middle of my hair. ONLY USE ABOUT THREE DROPS. More than three can cause your hair to look very oily.

If you can't work this product in your budget I recommend possibly buying leave in conditioner or other oils. I know Neutrogena has some good affordable products at drug stores.

7. Patience is a virtue.

My last tip is to be patient! Your hair is not going to change and grow overnight. As I mentioned it took me about a year and a half to have my hair grown to the length I wanted. At times it looked terrible and I couldn't stand how long it was taking. However I can say with confidence its worth waiting for. Depending on your hair and if it is damaged or not you might have a wait a while but give your hair some time.

I figured I would share a pic of how long my hair is now! Haha it used right below my chin.

(awkward picture but anyway you get the idea lmao)

Well I hope you enjoyed this post and I really hope these tips and tricks will work for you all! I would also suggest asking your hair stylist for some tips on growing out your hair or making it more healthier. 

A big thank you for reading this!

-Marie

Spring 2014 Anime: My Thoughts/First Reactions

Hello kawaii followers!

With the winter anime season closing this week, we have to wonder about the Spring 2014 lineup. What's new? Will we have a smash hit? Is there mostly crap? Last year's lineup was spectacular with the smash hit Attack on Titan and small, less popular hits like The Devil is a Part Timer! and Gargantia. 

Let's take a look at what's in store. I'm gonna go through some of the titles being broadcast, and offer my opinions of each.

Soul Eater NOT!

Description: “Ding-dong! Dead-dong! Class is about to begin, and you don't want to be late on your first day of school! Join Tsugumi Harudori in the "NOT" class at Death Weapon Meister Academy, a school dedicated to training transforming weapons like Tsugumi and the meisters who will wield them. Many "NOT" (Normally Overcome Target) students aspire to join the elite "EAT" (Especially Advantaged Talent) class. But it may take Tsugumi some time to find her confidence-- and a partner -- at this crazy school!”

Reaction: I’ve read all of Soul Eater Not! that is currently available in English. As a crazy Soul Eater fan, I HAD to check this out! Many fans are concerned this spin off will suck or be “too cute”. Trust me, it’s still got some action! It’s different than Soul Eater (you cannot replace Maka and Soul!), but delightfully addicting in it’s own way. I’m really anticipating the anime. I hope it’s as rad as the manga.

Description: "Maruo Eiitirou (E-Chan), a first year honor student, one day decides he's unhappy with the way things are and lacks excerise. He finds a flyer for the Tennis Club and decides check it out. He's instantly captivated by it.

With no prior experience and poor physical conditioning, join E-Chan as he embarks on a tennis journey using his smarts, dedication and work ethic. "

My Reaction: Wow a tennis anime? Sign me up. I'm a tennis coach and I absolutely 

love playing the game. I have seen a few episodes of Prince of Tennis. I liked it, but for some odd reason I never got into it (I might later). I'm really liking that there's a blonde haired tennis babe on the front of Baby Steps (basically me in anime form). Honestly though, I'm happy a woman is being represented in a sport anime. Not all sport related animes do that. With that in mind, I feel sports animes are a hit or miss. Since I love tennis, this looks like a must watch.

Atelier Escha & Logy

Description: “This world has gone through many Dusks, and is slowly nearing its end. Within this world, in the western reaches of the "Land of Dusk," there was a nation that prospered thanks to its use of alchemy. There, in order to survive the eventual arrival of the "Dusk End," the people devoted their efforts to rediscover and recreate lost alchemic technologies. Rediscovered technology from the past era was gathered in the alchemy research city known as "Central," where research was conducted on how to halt the advance of the twilight. One of the heroes is a young man who researched alchemy in Central, the other a girl living in a small town on the frontier. This girl's name is Escha. In the process of using her knowledge of ancient alchemy to help others, she was assigned to the Development Department. The young man's name is Logy. Having learned the newest alchemic techniques in Central, he requested a transfer to this understaffed town to make use of his abilities, and meets Escha when he is assigned to the Development Department as well. The two make a promise to use their alchemy together, and bring success to the Development Department.”

My Reaction: Alchemy. My mind keeps going back to Full Metal Alchemist. The description itself sounds interesting enough to give it a shot. I know this anime is an adaptation of a RPG, which can be good or bad. It’s plot also become rather complicated. I’ll give it a shot.

Fairy Tail 2014:

Description:" Set in an imaginary world, the Earth Land, there exists a Mage Guild called "Fairy Tail". Fairy Tail is stationed in the town Magnolia, residing in the Kingdom of Fiore, and is currently governed by Makarov, Guild's master.

Lucy Heartfilia, a 17-year-old girl, wishes to become a full-fledged mage and join one of the most prestigious Mage Guilds in the world, Fairy Tail.

One day, out of pure coincidence, she meets Natsu Dragneel, a boy who is transportation-sick, but very cheerful in nature. However, the thing she does not know is that Natsu is the closest connection to Fairy Tail, as he is a Mage in Fairy Tail.

My reactions: I haven’t watched much of the original Fairy Tail, but I read some of the manga. It’s pretty good. I’m just confused if Fairy Tail 2014 is a reboot like it says it is, or a new series that picks up where the last anime left off. Either way, I’ll give it at least one episode.

Mahouka Koukou no Rettousei

Description: “Magic is a product of neither legends nor fairy tales, but instead has become a technology of reality since a time unknown to people. Supernatural power became a technology systematized through magic, while magic became a technical skill. A "Supernatural Power User" became a "Magic Technician." Magic Technicians (in short, Magicians) are nurtured through Magic High Schools and Universities. This is a story about: Tatsuya, a defective elder brother low achiever. Miyuki, a perfect, flawless younger sister high achiever. After both siblings entered a Magic High School, The stage of daily turbulence was unveiled—.”

Reaction: What is this, an anime Harry Potter? Actually it sounds pretty decent. However, the art looks a tad generic. I’ll give it an episode.

Mekaku City Actors

Description: “Shintaro Kisaragi--a HikiNEET who shut himself inside his room for 2 years and has been living his life normally until he met a cyber girl named Ene, who appeared in his computer screen when someone anonymously sent him a mysterious e-mail one year ago. One day, Ene had been messing up with Shintaro's PC. which cause him have to go to outside world for first time in 2 years.

A story based on the new popular series of songs by Jin (Shizennoteki-p) titled "Kagerou Project".”

Reaction: I was interested in Kagerou Project for a while now and read some of the manga. It’s honestly really freaking cool. People that have psychic like powers? A NEET turned badass by stepping out of his house one day? Awesome character designs? It’s a must try.

Selector Infected WIXOSS

Description: “Hope, desire, greed.

Girls with each of these feelings in their hearts are being swallowed into the vortex of a dangerous game...”

Description: Dangerous game? Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Hell yes. It’s such a vague description, but watch the PV. I feel this anime could be super intense and amazing or complete crap.

Some animes I'm NOT looking forward to:

Bokura wa Minna Kawaisou

“Usa, a high-school student aspiring to begin a bachelor lifestyle, moves into a new apartment only to discover that he not only shares a room with a perverted roommate that has an obsession for underaged girls, but also that another girl, Ritsu, a love-at-first-sight, is living in the same building as well!”

Reaction: Perverts. Underaged girls. Wow, this sounds like a winner of the asshole award. I won’t be watching this garbage.

Kiniro no Corda

“The anime follows a girl named Kanade and her relationships with the orchestra members and the other boys at her school.”

Reaction: An otome with orchestra boys? What the fiddle would I watch this for? That’s right I wouldn’t lol.

shah Stay cute followers!

-Em-chan!