Hello, everyone!

So, this year I will pursuing Japanese even further since I'm going to study it at university, so I thought I'd share a few ways I learn or stay motivated.

Hello, friends! ♥

I know for sure how difficult it is to easily access fashion from other countries, such as gyaru clothing from Japan. Sometimes, we have to compromise and make do with what we have access to. I think there is always a chance of finding clothes that match the style you want. 

Depending on the style of gyaru you are looking for, you can always find items that fit that style and build a collection from which you can pick from and use to layer on top of one another. Starting from basic clothing items, layering, is a good start.

Looking at some photos for inspiration - it's very easy to build a gyaru style from clothes you would find in any store. I find blacks, whites and pinks to be very common. Again, depending on the type of gyaru you are going for, you would be looking for statement pieces that are quite fitting. Or, if you're looking for the more hime or girly gyaru style, you would be incorporating a lot of lace, frills, flouncy fabric and floral patterns.

I think something important that can help sway your fashion style is accessories. As I said before, you can find some basic clothing pieces and then layer more clothing and choose socks, shoes and jewellery to compliment your outfit and make it complete. I mean false lashes, socks and fake nails are also found here, right? Makeup plays a huge part as well.

This post is a bit of a trainwreck, but I'm writing this post just to say that, if you have a set style in your mind and know the clothes you want for it, you can look for it in stores and begin building your dream wardrobe! Good luck!

Enjoy life!

Nina

Hello, everyone~

I'm adding another post to my series! This one will give a few ideas as to what to when you find some Asian clothes are too small or the wrong size for you. I don't know about you, but I always have trouble finding gyaru clothing that is long enough to wear.

I am in every mindset to just go to Japan just to personally buy the clothing myself and know for sure it's my size, but that's not that easy. I hope to find a reliable store that will sell gyaru clothing suitable for a girl of over 170cm in height!

Until then, we have to manage with what we have, right?

Wear several layers!

I found that for some short dresses or skirts, it can still work if you slip on a skirt underneath. By having one of two skirts/shorts of a neutral tone- like white, grey or black (but with most clothing, you might need a pink or white one) it might make it easier to quickly add an extra layer underneath your clothing.
You could even put some leggings, shorts or bloomers underneath as well.


Dress too short? Wear it as a top!

Yup, pretty much. Some of taller girls don't have much that we can do about gyaru clothing being too short for our frames - but we can still use it, yes! 

Almost like wearing layers, you can use the dress as a cute top instead and wear it over a skirt or jeans!

Sew on another layer/alter the length

Now for this, I am hopeless at trying to alter the length of my clothing, I'm pretty sure I would make it worse. But if you can, or know some who can, why not alter the length of your clothing through sewing? If not, then maybe a professional can do it, but that would come with a cost,

What is your experience with buying clothes online? What do you do if it's not your size? Do you know any stores that sell Asian clothing that is a good fit for western girls? Let me know!

Enjoy life!

Nina

Hello, friends!

So, recently I have had a huge interest in Korean and Japanese skincare, since it is light years ahead of Western skincare! There skin always looks so perfect for a good reason~

I tried to to write this post in a simple way and break it down as much as I can since this skincare routine is quite extensive. Obviously, I am no skin care expert but I'm trying to learn more and more!

1. Remove Make-up

Well, I guess everyone would know it's important to remove your makeup. You don't want that on your skin all day, and definitely not when you sleep! When you're asleep, your skin repairs itself and you don't want it breathing through makeup that has most likely absorbed dirt throughout the day.

Benefits:

• It'll let your skin breathe and regenerate.
• Your make up absorbs a lot of pollution and dirt - which is what your skin is absorbing the longer it stays on your skin.
• It'll make your pillowcase dirty (or anything else you come in contact with) and it can cause bacteria to grow.

2. Cleansing

I'm sure everyone knows the importance of cleansing the skin as well - it's common in Korean skincare to "double-cleanse" (using oil to remove make up, and then further cleaning the skin with a cleanser) to make sure your skin is free from all makeup and residue. After all, if your skin isn't clean, how will it absorb the products you are about to put on it? It's like feeding a stomach that is already full - and your skin needs food!

Benefits:

• It removes dead skin cells, dirt, dust, makeup residue etc from the skin, allowing it to breathe freely and preventing the dirt from clogging your skin.
• It allows your skin to become a clean canvas for you to apply products onto

Remember to cleanse properly and gently, you don't want to irritate your skin and completely strip it off all it's natural oils!


3: Exfoliate

Exfoliation should be done sometimes, not frequently, as the purpose of exfoliation is to remove the dead skin cells from the surface and promotes blood circulation. 


Benefits:

• Promotes blood circulation.
• Removes dead skin cells, buffering your skin and making it smooth.
• Helps your products to penetrate the skin better.

4. Toning

Toners play an important role in a skin routine as they balance the pH of the skin, making it less prone to oiliness and infection, and prepares it for moisturizing.


Benefits:

• Helps remove the toxins in the skin, detoxifying it.
• It shrinks and tightens pores.
• Reduces acne
• Hydrates and nourishes

Remember to pick a good toner according to your skin tone, an alcohol based toner could dry out your skin!

5. Essence

This is where the skincare routine really get long and meticulous. Also known as lotions, essences help nourish the skin, with it's watery texture that the skin absorbs quickly.

Different essences have different benefits, which is what makes them so great as you can pick and choose according to what your skin needs.


6. Serums

Serums are similar to essences, but the watery content is next to none, allowing it to be a concentrate of active ingredients for your skin.

Benefits:

• Anti-aging effects
• Adds antioxidants to the skin
• Brightens skin

7. Mask

After putting on these products, a mask helps seal the nutrients into your skin.

Benefits: 

• Draws impurities from the skin
• Removes dead skin cells
• Tightens and tones the skin
• Moisturizes the skin
• Brightens the skin

8. Eye Cream

The skin around your eyes is more sensitive and thinner, making it more prone to problems like dullness, fine lines, dark circles and puffiness. An eye cream can target these problems, especially since it's a cream designed specifically for that area.

Benefits: 

• Reduces puffiness
• Reduces dark circles
• Reduces fine lines (putting it on before concealer allows it to go more smoothly)

9. Moisturizer

Everyone knows about moisturizing, right? It keeps your skin hydrated, promotes elasticity, keeps your skin and much more! If you're cleaning and toning your skin, you need to bring back into the skin that was taken away when it was cleansed.

Benefits:

• Increases skin elasticity
• Keeps skin hydrated
• Keeps skin soft
• Anti-aging benefits

Make sure you use the right moisturizer for your skin type!

10. Night Cream

Night creams help to increase the anti-aging benefits of your skin care routine and adds that little bit extra to your routine. After all, at night your skin is regenerating and resting, so it's the perfect time to give it an extra boost.

Benefits:

• Deeply moisturizes
• Anti-aging effects
• Hydrates skin
• Repairs skin

Extras:

Mist

One thing I see commonly used in Korea, is a spray on moisturizing mist that you quickly spray on your face during the day if your skin needs a bit of a pick-me-up.

Suncare

Prevention is better than curing. Always remember to apply sunscreen, even if it feels like you don't need it! Sun rays can be damaging no matter what.

What do you think of the routine?

Has anyone tried Korea/Japanese skin care products or followed through some of the routine before? Any recommendations? How did it go? Let me know, I want to learn more!

Enjoy life!

Nina

Hello, everyone! ♥

Today, I will be writing a post, that will most likely end up as several posts, since there is so much to talk about!

The reason I named this series Gaijin Gyaru, is because, I am a Western girl whose style is inspired by Hime-gyaru and Hime-kaji, and trying to achieve this style can be a bit difficult due to availability of clothing, size issues and so on~ And since Gajin Gyaru, or 外人ギャル, means Foreign Girl (or a foreigner who follows the gyaru style) I decided it fit as my title. But this style can be worn by anyone, and I want to help that~



What is Hime-gyaru and Hime-kaji?  Also known as Hime kei. It is one of the more over the top and also one of the most expensive style of dress of all of the categories. The hime style is largely based on the Rococo era. Gyaru of this style wear dresses or skirts in pink or other pastels with lots of lace and bows. Rose patterns, pearls and crown motifs are also very common. Headpieces range from large bow clips with pearls to rose accents, while the hair is either bleached, poofed up in a bouffant at the top and curled or a wig/extensions are worn. The make-up style has even more exaggerated eyes than the typical gyaru. Hime gyaru does not only include clothes, but many girls see it as a way of life and make or buy custom-made decor for their homes. The style blossomed in the early 2000s but has since declined or turned more casual (this version is referred to as hime kajii), even if the old one is still present. Not to be confused with Lolita fashion. (Source: Wikipedia)

The clothes are so pretty ヽ(ｏ`皿′ｏ)ﾉ

But finding stores that have this clothing can be very hard, when shopping in stores with friends I can barely finding anything, and online stores can be very pricey. I don't even know how long I have spent now, searching, and searching online stores that stock clothing that is easily accessible and affordable. I really regret not asking whether I could visit Liz Lisa while I was in Japan in 2013, oh my lord.

Of course, there is still hope! I have found some stores that may help us achieve what we want, although, they all vary.

Storenvy:

Storenvy is a great place to find secondhand or new clothing at a cheaper price! I have bought bags from there before, which are excellent, and I always see a variet yof clothing on there as well. There have been great priced jfashion items, but they were sold out, so I missed out. So it's good to keep checking regularly!

• Spreepicky is very popular for their cute clothes and accesorries, catering to a lot of harajuku styles, cosplay and even lolita. 

• Kawaii Gyaru Shop specifically stocks authentic Liz Lisa clothing, which I adore to look at, since it's too expensive for me to buy yet (but it's still cheaper than the original price). It's also good that this store has been set up since it allows people to get their hands on Liz Lisa clothing without using a shopping service and so on.

• Kawaii Clothing: This is another cute store that stocks a variety of clothing! I see that with a lot of storenvy stores, the products are quite similar, but it's good to explore to get the best price and size!

eBay:

I have found eBay to be a great place to find new or second-hand clothing at a great cost! Sometimes it can be a bit of a hit and miss since new or authentic clothing can still be pricey, and cheaper ones can be short or of lesser quality, so always review what you buy carefully!


Sheinside:

Although Sheinside doesn't specifically cater to a hime style of any kind since they stock clothing that's really a really western kind of style, if you know what I mean? But there are some pieces that you can use to mix and match to create a style you want. My experiences with them have been great previously, and the items I got are really cute!


Here are a few more stores I might suggest looking into even though I haven't bought from them before, yet:

K-StyleMe.Com/Asian iCandy: I found these as a suggestion to shop at for jfashion/kfashion clothing, and I see why. I haven't shopped from them yet, but the clothes are worth checking it out as well.

Yesstyle: I have seen people buy from this store, for example, Bubzbeauty, and the clothes look so cute! I have seen some unique clothing pieces too, and some of the detailing on some of the tops is really cute! I hope to shop from them soon!

Romwe: I have bookmarked a lot of clothes on this site since some are so pretty! I'm pretty sure that this site is American, maybe, like Sheinside, so the clothes might be more chic than floral or jfashion like~ But it's still worth having a look since some items can be paired well with other clothing items to achieve a nice look!

Lalalilo.com: I very much want to try some of the clothing from this site, it all looks so wonderful! I have bookmarked a few dresses I think are really cute and I hope I can review them when I get them soon!

AliExpress.com: I heard that this was the English version of Taobao so I thought it was worth checking out, and there are some items on there that are of gyaru style! Has anyone shopped from it before?

I hope I will be doing more reviews in the future and hunt down some great purchases to share with you all! Do you guys have any other recommendations of stores that stock nice clothing online or anywhere else? Have you purchased anything from the stores above? How was your experience? Let me know!

Enjoy life!

Nina

Yello~

Today my post is inspired a little by the lyrics of Red Velvet's song 'Happiness'. They are a Korean group that debuted in 2014 and although a lot of people thought the concept was lame, I liked it, it was fresh and very rookie-like.

But anyway, that's not my point. I just wanted to make a post on easy ways to hopefully bring some more happiness in your life.

1. Make others happy!

In the lyrics they say "In the morning, I wake up/ And I tell my mom I love her", and to stop caring about money and power. I think once I shifted the focus off my own feelings and happiness and did things in order to make others happy, I too, felt better. If you are helping spread positivity, and it grows around you, it'll help you feel better, right?

2. Find the positive in a situation, not the negative and be more understanding~

Rather than focusing on the negative in a situation, try to appreciate or justify in order to make it more positive. A waitress served you rudely? She might be having problems of her own or a bad day (justifying), or you friend may have done something bad to you, but what about all the good things they did before? (appreciating). With this, we can all be more understanding and the positivity will spread! After all, you might have come to a conclusion quickly, but some people might take a bit longer to get from Point A to Point B.

3. Appreciate what's around you

Sometimes it might be hard to think about good things or that you are lucky, but thinking of everything else in the world, aren't most us lucky to be able to breathe, that we can walk and talk and see the wonderful things in the world? We are alive, and that's the greatest joy to have. 

4. Take care of yourself: Eat and Sleep well and always have time to relax!

A healthy body and mind will surely help you feel better physically! Eat something healthy, dink lots of water, have a good night's sleep, pamper yourself and relax. 

♥

To be honest, I don't know where I was going with this post. It sounded a lot better when I was thinking of writing it, haha! I wanted to at least try and remind you that happiness can be achieved, everyday is a new day and everyone has a chance! Remember, I'm always a ball of sunshine to be help you guys! Talk to me if need be  ♥

Enjoy life!

Nina