Review: Yoybuy, Victoriangirldress and Infanta's Sleeping Beauty!

After almost a year of nothing new in my closet what so ever, I finally have a new addition in my closet! I had almost forgotten that giddy, excited feeling of receiving a pack of goods from the other end of the world!

Usually when people recommend shoppingservices it's personal services (one person who live in japan or china and ships stuff to people) or the very well-known ones, mainly Taobaospree and Taobaonow. For this purchase, I decided to try another one, for two reasons: Yoybuy is a lot cheaper when it comes to shipping, and has a very neat, easy to use shoppingcart system. I read a lot of kind of mixed reviews, but most of them seemed to be positive, so I went for it! And this was my experience:

Yoybuy

Website: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Their website is easy to navigate and has pretty much all of the information that you need listed exactly where I expected to find it. The search bar that lets you search for a taobao item directly from the Yoybuy website and just put it in your shoppingcart is great- No worries about correctly filling out forms or anything!

It would be even better if you didn't need the exact link to the item, though, but now I'm just being nit picky. 

Making a purchase: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠♠ 

Very easy and pretty much like any other internet transaction where you check out with a shoppingcart. The only problems I had was that I was unsure what to enter in the price declaration field. It all went smoothly, though, and I didn't have to do anything else!

Communication: ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Communication was my only real issue with these guys, and it was mostly language barrier stuff. The color options on the items when I had to check out did not translate probably ("Furnished appartment? But I'm buying a dress..!") and their english is of course not perfect, but for the most part it is easy enough to understand. You are able to follow the process of your order on their website, from when it is purchased, when it ships from the Taobao store, and when they ship it to you, and you'll receive an automatic e-mail telling you to review your order when it arrives at their warehouse, and before you pay for shipping.

Shipping: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Shipping is cheap and you have a lot of options to choose from, with all the information you might need about each one. You can choose to get your package insured for a couple of bucks extra, but the price is very reasonable- I chose it, just to be sure. They shipped my package out very quickly after I made my final payment, and I received a tracking number. Everything arrived in a bubblewrap envelope in seperate clear plastic bags. No tears or anything.

All in all, I think Yoybuy deserves 4 big ♠ 's, and I'll definetely use them again the next time I need to spoil myself!

And now for the main event- 

Infanta's Sleeping Beauty JSK

Right out of the bag, without detachable bows!

I ordered the Infanta Sleeping Beauty JSK in the largest possible size (Size XL), and it fits pretty well! The length was the main reason I ordered this size since I'm pretty tall (about 5'9, or 178 cm) and the waist sits almost exactly at my waist, and it reaches my knees exactly. 

The dress is fully lined, except for the back. The lining is smooth, a tad shiny and doesn't rustle. In general, the fabric used in this dress is very smooth. A light and plain cotton(?), I'd say. No extraordinarily interesting texture compared to my only printed brand piece, but nice enough. The lace is not as thick and soft as what I expect from brand, but pretty close.

As you can see from the picture, they have tried to make the print match up as the seams. They've done alright. Only the "gate" really looks off, but it's not noticeable when worn. 

The print is nice and crisp, but very different from the photo, color-wise. The roses are more of a purple-ish color than the warm pink they show in the pictures. The brown details on the dress are also more of a dark chocolate brown. The small detachable bow is cream and not brown but that, to me, is a minor detail. The difference in the print color does, however, mean that the items I was thinking of coordinating this dress with won't match at all, so that will be a bit of a problem.

The waist-ties are attached with beautiful gold and cream heart-shaped buttons! The holes in the ties themselves are too big for the buttons, though. They detach easily. I have to get that fixed somehow.

This is the back of the detachable bow. The bow itself is a teensy bit crooked and one of the needles were sewn on upside-down. I like how the needles are attached at the edges of the bow, though. That way the bow doesn't "flop down" the way it does on a couple of my other offbrand dresses.

I bought the matching bonnet, and it's absolutely gorgeous! I love the stripey ruffles. It is very big, which I like. The ribbon used has a sheen to it, but is not shiny. The lace is lovely, except for the kind of scratchy gold tips around the bonnet, but so little is used that it does not look costumey.

All in all, I rate this dress:

Quality:  ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠
It is very, VERY decent. Not brand quality, but definetely better quality than any regular clothing brand.

Construction:  ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Alright, but I'm unable to wear the waist ties at the moment. No other big issues.

Likeness to pictures:  ♠ ♠ ♠ 

The colors are pretty different, and the big bow is a little more.. wonky.

I was actually pretty impressed, and this is definetely not the last Infanta piece that will end up in my closet!

Victoriangirldress Petticoat

I had heard a lot of good things about Victoriangirldress, and they are incredibly cheap, so I thought it wouldn't hurt to give it a try. And I was very pleasantly surprised! The dress arrived in a clear plastic bag.

And right out of the bag, it was poofy all over the place! The material is not regular, cheap costume tulle from my experience. It is pretty soft and very comfortable to wear. The top fabric part of the petticoat is quite long, but you get a great cupcake shape when you fold that one down and wear it a little below your waist.

It even stands on it's own, haha! I'd say it's even more poofy than my Dear Celine Frothy petticoat, and that's for less than half the price I paid!

My only complaint is one thread that was not sewn in place. I'll just have to cut that one. I don't think the petticoat is gonna fall apart or anything.

I'll rate it:

Quality: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Pretty good, especially considering the price and that it was not made with a "lolita's needs" in mind!

Poofyness: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ 

Extraordinary!

I hope you found my review to be useful! I'll update with a worn picture when I get the chance!

(I'll just have to make one. I physically can't wait to wear it all out!)

Lolita Blog Carnival: Tips for Staying Warm for Fall

"Brace yourselves... Winter is coming!"

I'm sorry, I couldn't NOT do it.

Fall has long been upon us, but this weeks Lolita Blog Carnival theme lets me dish out some much needed tips for staying warm and comfy throughout the rest of the season. It has been a pretty mild year so far, but I'm always prepared! The weather turns around like mad here, so you never know!

I want to do something besides just dishing out suggestions for how to add layers ("besides" being the keyword!), so I'll be throwing in some suggestions based on my favorite ways for coaching in the comfy fall spirit as well!

Turn up the oven and add some cinnamon!

Baking is a great way to warm up a little bit, both inside and out. For some reason, as soon as we get on the other side of August, I find myself wanting to turn out one pumpkin pie and another loaf of cinnamon bread after another! If I actually made every single batch of cookies that is getting crispy in my imaginary, country-styled kitchen, I would live in a very happy neighborhood!

So, put the insides of that Halloween pumpkin to good use, everyone!

Learn a new (old-timey) skill: Knitting!

I've actually been wanting to try this for a long time, and I do have a pattern or two for some really cute scarves in my Gothic and Lolita bibles, so well.. Why not? Knitting is the new "thrifting" where I'm from, and it would be a great excuse (do you ever need one?) to spend some time with one of the older family members, who seem to be so good at some of the skills that were once common-place. I've heard that it is also a great way of keeping your hands occupied while relaxing in front of the TV- 

So pop in that Kamikaze Girls DVD and prepare for the cold!

Get cultural!

What better way to stay warm than to just stay inside?! 

Just kidding- but with the entirety of summer being all about tea parties in the garden, picnics and amusement parks outdoors, fall is the perfect season for museum- or castle visits! Tourist season has passed, which should give plenty of petticoat space, and afterwards a castle would be the perfect setting for a couple of outfit photos, complete with fall-colored leaves in the background.

And last but not least, your outfit photos should of course not be of you shivering in your kneesocks and JSK. Some people complain that fall and winter means hiding your coordinate underneath a big coat that'll look the same at every meet-up, but remember: Fall also brings along the opportunity for experimentation! You're able to try to many different combinations in a variety of layers without becoming a sweaty mess! With the (not as) recent rise in popularity of the substyle 'mori girl', I think it would be very appropriate to take some inspiration from there. How about going for a dolly kind of look? But not the usual one- A doll owned by a little girl who grew up in the woods. Lots of raggedy layers in a variety of materials, long scarves, a combination of thick wooly socks and tights and a warm knitted beanie? Combined with the poofy skirts and elegance of our beloved fashion!
I have little knowledge of mori-girl, but I should think the limits are imaginary!

Now, you should be dressed and equipped to face the Fall! So make a pie, put on your best knitted scarf and join your girls and guy-friends for a nice trip to your local gallery!

Or would you rather stay inside with a nice cup of tea and a good read?
Check out the ones below!

Daily Fuckery
Ramble Rori

Oh Velveteena

This is Halloween, This is.. Christmas!

Original picture from Fanpop

Happy early Halloween, people!
Tomorrow is my first Halloween in my own home, and luck has it that I'll be working all night. Not that I'm complaining as I will be doing what I love, with a Halloween-twist to it (and I will probably be able to wear my frills to work for once, too!) 

I just had some other stuff planned, but that's the perfect excuse to have two Halloweens in a row! As some of the more gothically inclined out there know, there is no Holiday Police maintaining a legal limit as to how many Halloweens you may have.

Tonight I will finish up all my studies early, read through my homework as a tornado and wrap up my projects early, so I will finally get to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas! I've really wanted to watch that movie for years. I could slap myself- A huge Tim Burton fan, but never watched his most iconic work! but I've been stubborn- I needed the perfect night to do it! 

Work stole my Halloween, so I will just have to make my own.

My official Halloween night I will be spending in an old victorian house.

As some of you might know, I work at the local historical museum, and tomorrow we keep the doors open to kids and adults with Halloween-themed workshops. Stuff for the children in the early evening, and some stuff for the older kids later at night, with some horror stories and the like. 

As usual, I will mainly keep the shop and information booth occupied, but if everything goes the way it usually does, I will get to participate in the festivities as well! Help out the kids, shop for treats etc. 

And all of this probably dressed in a Victorian Vampire-inspired Lolita outfit. (Gotta keep the historical inspiration! And work my way through all of the clichés I didn't get to try out as a kid!) 

Lolita might not be a costume, but Halloween will be a free-pass to wearing it. Hopefully without catcalling or unwelcome parazzis.

But first of all, there is tonight!

 It will be the perfect "transfer" from the spooky time of Halloween to my biggest love of every year- Christmas! The shops have already moved the ghosts to clearance and put up the christmas stockings and expensive christmas truffles for sale- Seeing that makes me strangely excited to go grocery shopping, even if I'm too much of an Auntie Scrooge to buy anything.

Enough of me rambling- My point is,
I hope you have a night of splendid Nightmares before Christmas season catches on!

Review: Barbie Girls circle lenses from Jihoshop

Picture from Jihoshop's Ebay shop.

I've wanted a pair of circle lenses for a couple of years now, and now I finally got my chance at achieving that adorable, doll-eyed look that I've been envying on other girls!
 And boy, did I get what I paid for!

I ordered a pair of Barbie Girls Blue Eye-Cherry Blossom circle lenses from Jihoshop, and this was my experience as a circle lense newbie.

Jihoshop: 

I made my purchase from Jihoshop's ebay-shop about a week ago, and they shipped promptly! I made a mistake when making my purchase (I chose prescription -3.00 instead of -2.50), but they promised me that they would fix that for me. I didn't really expect them to remember, but they did, and to me that's a sign of great, personal service. The shipping was free, but I received a tracking number and they sent it as a recommended letter. I would have preferred if they didn't, but it was a nice gesture. 

I received them in a sealed envelope, in this cute little bag with a thank you note and a gold sticker (according to them the sticker is 24k! Wow.. I have my doubs). The pack was wrapped in plenty of bubblewrap and everything was OK.

All in all they deserve a top rating and I can't wait to empty my wallet into their pockets some more!

General service: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠

Barbie Girls Blue Eye-Cherry Blossom lenses: 17.92$, Free Shipping

I tried the lenses on right out of the bottle (after washing them in some solution). The lenses does not have the distinct cherry blossom pattern that they do in the picture, but the color is a nice deep blue and they enlarge my eyes a lot! The color is not too unnatural, which was my main fear about circle lenses. They blend in really well with my dark brown eye color. They are not exactly comfortable, and they rely heavily on the moisture of my own eyes.
Even if they are not the most comfortable, I think I could wear them for a longer period of time if I just do not think about them too much- I don't really notice them when just walking around my house doing my thing. All in all, a nice product at a cheap price.
 Here is a picture of me wearing them. No make-up, and in natural light: 

How they feel: ♠ ♠ ♠ (Not comfortable, but wearable!)

How they look: ♠ ♠ ♠ ♠ (Great, but nothing like the product picture!)

In conclusion: I am pretty satisfied with my purchase, and I will probably be purchasing a pair of lenses (or 15) from them again!

Oh, and before I leave you I just wanted to let you guys know that..

Northern Star now has a Facebook page!
Go check it out! The page will be updated everytime a new post is up, or something exciting happens that I want to share!

Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you soon again here on the Northern Star!

Lolita Blog Carnival: My Perfect Lolita Halloween Party

Picture from Google

I've recently had the pleasure of becoming part of the Lolita Blog Carnival, a blogging society for lolitas that come up with the most fun and inspiring blogging ideas! In this case, many minds really do think better than one! This week, it was decided by a great majority of excited votes that the very seasonally appropriate topic would be "Your Perfect Lolita Themed Halloween Party"!

So, let's let our imagination run wild, shall we?

My perfect lolita-themed halloween party would of course take place in the ballroom of an old victorian manor, with elegant but sumptous decor. The darker the better, Addams-family style! Everyone would be seated in groups at small tables spread out across the hall, with a set of cards at each table. The cards would be halloween- and lolita themed conversation starters with questions to ask, or topics to discuss- Something like "What is your best Halloween memory?"
The party would need a curtained stage for entertainment, and a small catwalk in the middle of the stage, of course. The buffet would be a dark but elegant take on small finger foods. One could play around with some food colouring to make purple damask patterns on the sandwiches or something like that! Of course there would be huge, decorated cakes for dessert. Three-layer wedding cakes, decorated with spiderwebs, raggedy bows and lace!

Now, with the setting done, let's invite some girls and guys and get to the activities! The guests would receive their invitations by hand, handed out to them by a hired actor in a gothic costume, to set the mood. And in that envelope, they would receive a small task to complete- A chance to actively participate in the preparation of the night's fun!
What would a perfect party be without entertainment?
Before the party, everyone would have been split into smaller groups, with whom they should prepare a small play to show on stage. The theme for each play would be a different well-known horror story, like Frankenstein or Dracula, but the group should make a modern lolita-themed take on the classic! How fun would it be to watch a play where a girl at a meet-up turned out to be a werewolf, or a crazy lolita tried to create her own Mr. Yan in a secret basement?

Later in the evening, a costume contest would be held. Of course poofy but creepy costumes would be the dresscode for the evening. Anyone who wanted to participate in the competition, would get to show their horror-themed coordinate on stage, and then anonymous voting would take place, with a price for the winner. The price at my ideal party would be something fun- Like a ticket to something, or a trip somewhere! Maybe a ticket to the Phantom of the Opera musical?

Afterwards, people would get to explore the grounds of the old victorian mansion further- A treasure hunt! New teams would be made, and then everyone would be let outside to go look for clues and complete little tasks to get to the prize, with horrific surprises along the way- Ghosts and vampires would jump out and scare the petticoats of the participants, and little props and sound-effects should be spread out throughout the hunt!
A night-time race through a labyrinth to get to a prize in the middle would also be fun, with scary things around every corner!

The evening would end with another round of prizes to the lucky ones who first completed the hunt, and then the rest of the mansion would be opened up for everyone to go take outfit photos and the like in the other rooms of the old house. There is nothing like an opportunity to make memories in beautiful surroundings- Especially after something that in my imagination turned out to be one of the most exciting evenings! Now, could somebody just get me a victorian mansion already!?

Want to crash another Lolita-Themed Halloween Party? Let's see what the other blogs are imagining!

Suns in our Hands

F Yeah Lolita

The Cute Lifestyle

Hello Batty

The Bloody Tea Party
Elegant Poupée
Her Lumpiness
Lace a la Mode
Dollhouse Diaries

Why my local community is a blessing

Original picture from google

When I first started out in lolita, I was a young and naive, socially awkward girl who had a very difficult time making new friends- Frankly, I didn't want to make friends with "mainstreamers". But I was lonely in my special snowflake bubble, and like most naive, awkward girls who suddenly find themselves as part of a subculture that gives them the opportunity of starting a-new, getting to know new people and meeting up with other people that they are totally certain will be little copies of their own awkward self, I had no doubt that my first meet-up would be a gathering of princesses with whom I would get along with immediately (From what I've seen on the internet, new lolitas tend to be especially prone to these expectations). We would be best friends forever, go out shopping, gushing about new prints together, eating french pastries and giggling and looking picture perfect, and life would be beautiful.

I'm sure you see where this is going- My little fantasy was crushed, and I found myself sitting alone in a corner. I found it difficult to take part in conversations, as everybody else already knew each other, because of course people naturally tend to talk to their friends when they meet up! There is nothing strange about that.
I see that now. 

But back then, I was sorely dissapointed. My first meet-up was not the magical, instant-friend-making-party that I had hoped for. It was a lonely, depressing experience, and not a memory I look back on with anything but an awkward, grey-clouded pull at the corner of my mouth. 

I'm sure the title makes less and less sense, but don't worry- it get's better.

For some reason, and I can't explain it as anything but the loneliness of being a strangely dressed teen, that first meet-up did not turn out to be my last. I kept coming back, even though the next couple of meet-ups turned out to be perfect mirror images of the first one. But I kept going- I pretended to have fun, I made happy comments on the meet-up pictures that were shared with the internet community afterwards, and I kept telling myself to have fun.  Of course I was gonna be part of this community, even if those people didn't exactly open the door for me or tried to pull me inside. I insisted on having fun, no matter what! And one reason I really, really wanted to elbow my way in was this: Those girls were so amazingly sweet, fun and talented! I had nothing but admiration to offer. I never held it against them that I had a tough time getting "in there".

And you know what? I finally did. I got in.

 And that was a very important lesson to me, that I think is important to share with other lolitas who want to become part of their local community; Or any close knit group of people, for that matter.

It is not easy. From my experience, groups of people that have stuck around each other for a long time get into certain habits; They get comfortable with each other. They know exactly what needs to be said, what to talk about, how to joke and laugh with each other. Everybody has their place- like the instruments in a band, and the music plays in perfect harmony! But what happens if you suddenly add another instrument?

It takes time and effort for everybody to adjust. People aren't mean- it might feel like they aren't making an effort to include you, but they just have to get used to you- and suddenly, if you keep coming back, keep trying to strike up conversations, you'll become a natural part of the picture. 

They will find room for a xylophone in their musical band. At first your instrument will get a couple of notes- slowly, you'll get more and more space. You'll be included in conversations, they'll learn how and when to joke around you.

Don't give up before they even get the chance to notice you! The least you can do is offer them time, and show that you really want to have a good time!

Now I look forward to every meet-up. I get to know the girls better and better. Every time I get to know yet another person even better! There are such a huge variety of different people in even a small community, and every single one is sweet, funny and incredibly kind and patient, in their own way. Even though I've moved to the other end of the country, they keep inviting me back. Not just for meet-ups, but for parties and gatherings outside of lolita as well.

One of the most important things lolita has told me, is how to be social. How to get to know new people, and what to expect when trying to become part of something. 

So, moral of this?
Give your local community a chance. And another one. And another one. Slowly but surely, you might be digging closer to a real treasure.

Oh, and I can't wait for Friday! Housewarming with my lolita pals and more. Yes, please!

Lacebook: Lolita Social Network

Original picture from Lacebook

Since last, a new social networking site for active lolitas has sprung up: Lacebook- Lolita fashion snaps.

Lacebook is a platform for lolitas to share coordinates and thoughts, in the form of photos added to a public or private photogallery, and blogposts posted to a personal blog on your profile or posts in a small forum. It is only possible to join Lacebook if you have received an invitation from a person who is already a member of Lacebook- and this person must also have received an invitation from a member, and so on. The invitation is given by asking a moderator for a code for a specific lolita (including name and future username of the lovely lady/bro) and then passing this code on to the aspiring Lacebook user.
The invite system, though kind of slow and probably only getting more and more heavily stressful for the moderators and administrators as the site grows, probably keeps out spammers and creepy lurkers, and as such I think the system is a good idea- Though I hope they will find a way of setting up the system as an automatic feature. Experience tells me that sites that needs a large amount of manual activity from the administrators to run smoothly, tend to die out as they become uninspired to do tedious tasks, like handing out codes to people.

Apart from the above, the site of course has a bunch of small hiccups like any new website would have- Only moderators are able to customize their profile with a cover photo, for example. Apart from this, the site is very well run, and I think overall it is a great idea to have a Facebook-like site where you can make status updates and easily browse through gallery upon gallery of creative coordinates and make comments to each photo.

What I am not OK with, though, and this is my only major critique point- Is that you are able to "rate" peoples' pictures(At least the ones the user does not choose to make private, because that is also an option.) With a click of your mouse you can rate an outfit on the scale of 1 to 5, without having to take the time to leave a comment. This feature might be very handy in the sense that you can give a person a quick compliment without having to sit down and type out why a coordinate is great. Sometimes giving a reason for why a coordinate is great can be hard- it just looks great, yo! But in this case, it is not just a "like" feature, like the one Facebook has. The rate feature also pretty much gives you a "dislike" feature- 

1 star, well: You suck!

Do you see my point? I like the quick and easy browsing ability that Lacebook gives you- It is quicker and easier than the former primary outfit-platform that we had, Daily Lolita, and the invite system protects us from trolls, creepers and spammers, but on Daily Lolita you had to type out a message to the lolita whose outfits you were judging, which meant that constructive criticism was shared. The rating system makes it too easy to be the judge of a person's outfit without giving them a reason for the critique, and ways in which they could improve. You should always take anonymous opinions dealt out on the internet with a grain of salt, but I see how some people with softer souls could be hurt by happily sharing a coordinate that they themself liked, just to receive a number of 1 star ratings- The equality to being "boo'd" off stage.

In conclusion: Lacebook is great and very innovative.

 It is quick, easy and effective, the way the internet-users of today like it! It has the potential to become a very popular social platform for lolitas all over the world, to share ideas, outfits and thoughts, especially if the forum finally takes off. All it needs is the option of better customization of your profile, and maybe an online "Meet-up Planner" and the option of making your own groups- Unless I have overlooked that option somehow. Please correct me if that is the case. 

Oh, and please; Remove that rate function. It really doesn't do the friendliness of the site any good. 

Thank you.