Snow snow snooooow

Everything is glowing white out there. Well, I guess it's time to get into christmas mood. :´D

Just like the past years, I was making advent wreathes again.
My mom "orders" one each year, because my "design" is more creative then store bought ornaments. lol 

She likes classical colors, so I've done a red x gold version for her. I hope she'll like it ♥

Mine is a bit more fancy...

White x gold x wings ♥ OMG I love those wings - gives off a "Sailor Moon" Vibe. lol

Gonna light the first candle on Sunday ♥

I'm selling my last 2 Lolita dresses right now.

I've actually left Lolita long ago, but those two were my beloved babies. But now it's time to let them go... they'll make somebody else really happy  ♥
But somehow it still feels like putting grandma in a retirement home. It hurts. lol

Gonna comfort myself with a d.i.a Lucky Pack, mwahaha. :´D

xoxo, Chira ♥

♥ SALE ♥

Hey Darlings ♥

I just got my car checked up and fixed - unfortunately the bill turned out to be HORRENDOUSLY HIGH. Q__Q

So time to sell some stuff! ;D

Please check my Sales Album on "kleiderkreisel" - if you like something, just leave me a comment under here! ;D

CHIRA SALE 

xoxo, Chira ♥

I'm still standing

Hey sweethearts ♥

Sweet Queenie mentioned she can no longer access my blog... would even make sense since I abandoned this site for SO *** LONG. lol

It was a big shock, since I actually always loved blogging... the more relieved I was to see that I can still enter my dashboard, and see my blog. 

That tought me a lesson.

Here I am.

Time to write some entries!! (ò___O)/

And I actually really have something to talk about! lol And its Gyaru-related, YAY!

Recently I really got into crafting - my latest passion is deco-den ♥

I always thought I am way too clumsy to do some fine artwork like that - until my BF encouraged me to try it out. =)

So I got myself some blank Iphone cases, kabochons and rhinestones online, and started remodeling cases of chinese deco artists to begin with. 

IT WAS SO MUCH FUN.

And the outcome is not bad at all, I think. ;D

Kitty Case ~ Iphone5

 

Kuronba Case ~ Iphone5

 

Glamorous Case ~ Iphone 5

I am very happy with the outcome ♥

Now I feel confident enough to do own designs, and various cases / Items. 

I am very happy that I found a new hobby ♥ Its so relaxing!! 

Now I am gonna bling up my overknee boots, kihihi ♥

Sorry for this shortie, the next entry (or one of the next entries) will be about keratine hair treatment ♥ That will be a more refined post, I swear. lol

xoxo Chira ♥

Going Kuro Lolita?

All those wardrobe posts on EGL inspired me to lay out my own wardrobe to enjoy some eye-candy. ~ xD

I don't have an impressive Lolita wardrobe, just a very few treasured pieces. It's not worthy making a post about it - but seeing my dresses laying on my bed one to another, I realized how much Lolita style has evolved the past years.

I'll focuss on the brand "Angelic Pretty" in this entry, but similiar changes also applied to the other big Lolita brands like "Moi-même-Moitié" & "Baby, the stars shine bright".

Comparing my AP dresses, the most drastic change was quite easy to see:

THE LENGTH

Left side: AP Rose Toilette OP, Release in 2007 (my "oldest" dress)

Right side: AP Little Birds Symphony, Release in 2012 (my "youngest" dress)

To make it even more clearly:

That is a length difference of 7cm! 

That might not sound that much, but when worn, it cannot be unseen. =/ 

I'm not that tall myself (1,58m), and the "Rose Toilette" fits me just fine. The seams of the dress come across my knees, and the +2cm of lace do the rest. Perfect Lolita Silhouette ♥

As about "Little Birds Symphony"... the missing 7cm do make a huge difference for me, since my knees are definately showing. It might be okay when I'm standing or walking straight (I'm not that prude that I don't want my knees to show), but when I'm bending over... thanks god for the invention of bloomers. xD" 

Anyways, that's one point that makes me feel uncomfortable. =/

THE QUALITY

This is only my personal opinion, but I feel like especially AP's quality has been constantly going down a little the past years. 

Let's take a look at the last photo again...

The Print.

Both dresses are so called "border prints", which means most of the print is going on at the very bottom of the dress. 

As you can see, the print of "Rose Toilette" does perfectly end up with the seams. Not one single dot is cut off. As for "Little Birds Symphonia", the ribbons are cut off at the seems 70% of the time, all around the dress. It's just such a tiny little matter, but for me, it is very bothersome. =/ 

The Lace.

I love the delicate lace of "Rose Toilette". ♥ It has lots of tiny details, and looks just as fragile as a perfume bottle itself ♥ 

I'm not saying that the lace of "Little Birds Symphonia" is bad, but look at the big netting, and bold lines... it also feels a lot thinner then the lace on earlier AP dresses. Don't misunderstand, it is still a nice quality lace! But definately not as beautiful and delicate as Rose Toilette. =/

The thickness of the Fabric.

I could just say "Fabrics used to be thicker then nowadays" and end this point, but theres some more to it. 

The structure of the fabric has changed as well - unfortunately it's very hard to take a decent photo of it, sorry. =/ 

While the "Rose Toilette" has lots and lots of tiny striations alongside which gives a thicker feel, "Little Birds Symphonia's" fabric is flat like an H&M shirt. And that's also how the fabric feels like... =/ 

Those points all together make me hardly consider if I should really spend THAT much money on a new release AP dress. =/

Oh, since we're already at it... here's one more point that makes me consider that even harder. xD"

THE RECENT PRINTS

It's no secret that AP has recently designed a loooot of dresses with toy / little pet animal / cute sweets themes. I'm totally fine with it, and I love the look on other girls! But for me... that's not my cup of coffee. x___X

I'm mostly wearing Hime Lolita, and I don't like to incorporate toy / little pet animal / cute sweets with that. Cosmetics, butterfly's, flowers and roses.. everything is fine for me. But none of the latest releases match my taste. Q__Q

And then... I saw this:

OMG cute Hime OP by AP! Border Print! With Chandelier! (...me absolutely NOT paying attention to the decoration on top of the advertise)

Even though I already have "Little Birds Symphonia", which is kinda the same style of OP, I was immediately craving for that! >////<

Well. Then I saw the close up of the print.

Cupcakes. Little pet Animals. On a *** chandelier. WHYYYYYYY! Dx

That really spoilt everything. Q___Q

The dress has such a nice design and the print looks so awesome from far! 

Now I'm hardly debating with myself wether to get the Ivory version one day, or not. (Second Hand, of course) In Ivory, the cupcakes and so on are not thaaaat much visible. xD"

Argh. Sooner or later I might just go Kuro Lolita. ~__~

Doesn't really solve the Quality problem, but the print issue! xD (Which is, at the moment, most bothersome for me for obvious reasons. lol)

Please let me know your opinion about the latest prints, and the possible quality changes!

It's such a sweet, sweet life, isn't it?

Gal trend forecast ♥

From checking the latest fashion mags and fall/winter collections of the big trends, I verdict some items to become really popular for fall/winter Gyaru wardrobe 2012... so I thought it would be fun sharing them with you! Let's see if my forecast will turn out to be right! ;D

Cat motives / Cat inspired fashion goods

 by Yumetenbo

 by GalStar

Potential: 90%

Seeing how many icon fashion brands are already sporting this trend, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a big deal in fall/winter Gal style 2012!

Cat's are everywhere - cat printed Tee's, cat ear hat's and beanies, cat ear hairstyle, cat face shoes, cat printed thights... and the list goes on and on.
Not really my cup of tea, but I really cute to look at! ;D

Cat ear / Devil horn alice bands 

(mostly adorned with pearls and crystals)

by Yumetenbo

Potential: 75%

Totally fitting into the upcoming cat theme, this cat hairband is the the perfect accessory to go with cute styles ♥ Glavil does also take it's turn on this trend by sporting their absolute awesome devil horn hair accessory (which I personally like better then the cat ears).
However, it might be a bit hard to pull it off well. =/

Leather skirts

by Liz Lisa

Potential: 75%

I was really surprised to see this trend, especially since I never even considered combining leather x sweet styles. But as you can see, it is working pretty well! xD" (stupid me is stupid)
The leather skirts come mostly in fall/winter colors like bordeaux, brown, beige, dark green and black now. Sweet brands are mostly producing flared or pleated skirts, while mode labels prefer the classic look and rokku brands add studs and laces to their leather skirts.

Flared sleeve tops

by Skinny Lip

 Potential: 53%

I'm not 100% sure about this trend, but I see it pop up more and more often recently. 

I find the flared sleeves totally awesome and super cozy for fall/winter styles, hope to see more of it soon ♥

Besides that, I can see a lot of "old" trends continueing. =)

Retro Girly style is still a big deal for the sweeter brands. Flag prints are still quite popular (especially the Union Jack), such as plateau heels. Beanies (of course also with cat ears. lol) will have their revival as soon as the temperature will drop, and leg fluffies/furry leg warmes are THE accessory for every Kuronba Gal. 

So much said, I'm excited to see which trends of my forecast will really become famous, haha. ;D

What's your forecast for fall/winter Gal fashion trends 2012?

 

BONUS

Recent get's  ♥

Surprise Parcel I got from my BF ♥

I love it to pieces! *___* 

He even got that damn expensive Shiseido rouge for me, thank you so much! Q////Q Lucky me! ♥

Mini make-up haul ♥

All my favorite things ♥ 

Preparations for upcoming photoshooting! ;D
Lower lashes: Diamond Princess Eyes

Upper lashes: Diamond Angel Eyes (I was using Glamourous Eyes before, but they hardly show up in photos. =/)

Dolly Wink lash fix (alltime favorite ♥)

K-Star "1-day-tattoo" eyeliner (has the finest tip EVER. ♥)

And my new baby! :´D

♥ Angelic Pretty "Little Birds Symphonia" OP in pink ♥

I'm so excited about this one! Q////Q

It is the perfect princess dress. ♥ The cut is Rococo inspired, and the print is just too lovely... it's my first all-pink Lolita dress, and also the heaviest printed one! xD 

More of that later. ;D

I'm currently having a terrible cold (currently there's a flu-epidemic in Germany), so I hope you're all doing better then me! :´D

Have a great time ♥

It's such a sweet, sweet life, isn't it?

One tasty Lolita meetup ♥

Hello dears! ♥

Long time no post, but now I'm back. ;)

About 2 weeks ago, I went to a meetup of the local Lolita group ♥

I got the chance to meet some really gorgeous new people and sweet friends, it was such a nice day! But let me tell you the details about it. ;)

Let me start with telling you that it was 38°C that day of the meetup. Neverthless, I fully dolled up with 5 layers of hairpieces, heavy Gal-style make-up, and a way too small handbag. xD" *stupid me is stupid* 

But that didn't stop me from having a great time! ♥

After dolling up for 2 hours, I eventually made it to the train station EARLIER then expected! :´D So rare for me! 

As I wanted to draw a ticket, a group of people asked me if I wanted to share a 5-person-ticket with them, since that'll come out a lot cheaper for all of us. Of course I took the chance! :´D

It turned out that this group consisted of really nice people that were very interested in fashion subcultures! They had a lot of questions and compliments for me, I was really flattered! ^////^

The nicest compliment I got from the "leader" of our group. xD He said:

"You're so beautiful. Every person should wear a fashion like this. Seriously. Everybody!"

We kept talking about aesthetic fashion for long time, until the train suddenly stopped in the middle of nowhere. O___O

Eventually, I panicked. xD"

I was calling sweet rommily, the organizer of the meetup, to tell her that I'll probably be late. She told me that a big part of the mainstation was blocked due to an abandoned suitcase at one of the rail tracks (Police verdicted a terrorist act), and that the group will wait for me a little longer. (At the end of the day, it turned out that some traveller left the suitcase on the rail track because he wanted to buy a snack in a store nearby. <.<)

I had a very bad remorse making the group wait for me. =/ Thanks god the train started moving 2 minutes after I hung up the phone!

When I finally arrived at the mainstation, I got lost in the crowd. I was searching for an entrance to enter the building, but everything was blocked. I'm such a country bumkin, getting irritated by such things. ^^"

Thanks god the other lolitas were super nice and picked me up! I'm so lucky to be part of such a kind group of people! >////<

After all that trouble, the fun time of the day finally begun! ♥

We went to a sweet little cupcake store, called "Wir machen Cupcakes".

Cute store sign

They had so many super cute looking cupcakes! ♥

Unfortunately, the prices were not looking that cute... so I only bought myself one of them. xD

Raspberry Explosion!

 Vanilla Cupcake with a topping of white chocolate and raspberry cream ♥

It tasted as sweet as it looks like - but there was no way to eat it in an elegant manner. xD" (we ended up licking off the cream first, then eating the cake. xD)

After eating the cupcake without staining my precious dress (wohooo! xD"), we went to "Milka World" that was close by! ("Milka" is a famous chocolate producer in Europe, it is part of KRAFT foods!)

There I met my new friend...  

a lifesize model of the Milka mascot, the purple cow!

I named him "Franz Xaver". :´D

They also had these super cute traditional bavarian garments there,  

Dirndl and Lederhosen!

Everything in purple, to match the companies theme. 

I actually really liked the Dirndl! If it was pink, I would have bought it in an instance! x3

They also had this really nice mirror in the dressing room area!

Lydia and me trying to get a good shot. 

Stefan photobombing us in the background. lol

I bought a "Lebkuchenherz" (Gingerbread in heart shape) for my sweet neighbour girl - and as we headed out of the "Milka World", I quickly said goodbye to my new friend...

Bye bye Franz Xaver! ♥

We went to a nice location taking outfit snaps afterwards! 

Checking my make-up before taking pictures... xD"

Guess what.

I put a whole shower sponge underneath my wig to create that hime beehive. lol It's the only way for me to get the giant poof I'm wishing for!

Our lovely shoe star! ♥

I so love Lydia's mint tea-party shoes! Gotta get a pair myself. =3

Never to forget:  

A quick snap of the prints we were wearing! x3

*___* They're all so beautiful!  I especially liked Azamir's crown printed Innocent World JSK (unfortunately I don't know the exact name of the series. =/)

Slowly getting hungry again, we made our way to Café Mozart - I so love that place! We already went there during the November meetup, it's so elegant and cozy! ♥

And they have the tastiest food ♥

GIANT salad with chicken, champignons and lemon vinaigrette ♥

It was soooo good, but impossible for me to finish it. =/

We had a really good time there, just sitting around, eating some tasty dishes and chatting with each other. It's so nice to meet people with the same interest in fashion, sharing experiences and just simply getting to know each other. I always feel so warm and welcome around those amazing people - I'm very happy that I can be a part of that group. Happiest Lolita in the world! ♥

After that, it was time to go home already. =/ Good times fly by so fast! 

When we were saying goodbye at the main station, I was struggling a lot to go. I just wanted to stay a few minutes longer and longer. xD" It was a bit sad for me to leave... but I took all those lovely photos and memories with me, so that's okay. And we'll soon meet again, I'm sure! ;D

Enough of the drama! xD

Let me end this post with some random info and SelCa! ;D

My Make-up that day

I was really satisfied with my make-up that day, since I even managed to make a decent nose stripe! :´D (Unfortunately, it doesn't show up in photos very well. =/)

Outfit Rundown:

JSK: Angelic Pretty "Lady Rose" mini-sleeves JSK

Headpiece: Angelic Pretty "Lady Rose" Canotier (customized)

Jewelry: Offbrand (Hairclips, Bracelet), TaoBao (bow necklace), Bodyline (carriage necklace, rings)

Pantyhose: eBay

Hime-Mules: TaoBao

Comments of the day:

"Are you going to a wedding ceremony?"

"Are you having your hen night today?"

"Can I take a photo/video with you?" (though 70% of people were taking photos without asking. lol)

"When I was young, I was wearing poofy petticoats, too!"

"Is this Cosplay?"

"You're looking like a doll!"

Even though some of those quotes might seem very negative, they actually were not meant to be hurtful. All of the people that were talking to me were actually very open minded and interested in my explanations. Even a big group of drunken travellers were super sweet to me! (They carefully closed their beer bottles in order to not stain my dress. xD)

Final assumption:

Positive reaction: 50%

Neutral reaction: 50%

Negative reaction: 0%

As you can see, it was a really wonderful day! ;) I'm so looking forward to the next meeting now ♥

(I hope that all of my photos got uploaded perfectly, since I had to draft this entry for 3 times. =/)

I went to a couple of short trips the past weeks, so prepare for some tourist spam in the next entries! =P

Have a good time sweethearts! ;D

It's such a sweet, sweet life, isn't it?

♥Macaron recipe - comfort your darling on valentines day! ;D♥

Valentines day is coming soon (14th February), so you might want to prepare something special for your darling - sweets are usually the most preferred gift on this day, so why not loli-fy that a little and present some tasty MACARONS? ;D

I'll give you my favorite recipe - everytime I used this, the Macarons turned out to be FABULOUS. You just have to strictly follow the measurements. ;D

Have fun baking! ♥
Disclaimer (lol) - I didn't manage to take new photos while baking, I'll just repost old ones. Sorry that. =/

Tools that you will need:
Mixer
Powder sieve
Kitchen scale
2 baking bowls
1 cup
piping bag
2 baking trays covered with baking paper

Ingredients (dough):
They might sound very weird, but plz be aware that you need to follow those measurements as accurately as you can - a difference of only 3g might cause a different outcome!
47g Almond powder
90g Powdered sugar
37g Eggwhite
10g Sugar
Liquid food colouring (color of your choice. =D)

Igredients (filling):
You can fill the Macarons with pretty much everything you like - jam, chocolate, cream... I've chosen a lavender butter cream for this recipe, since it's my favorite ♥ (tastes so "lolita" xD)
180g~200g of soft Butter (just keep it outside of the fridge for some hours, it'll be soft in no time)
1 Big spoon of milk
8 Big spoons of powdered sugar
12 drops of lavender oil
2 Big spoons of dried lavender blossoms
Liquid food colouring (color if your choice!)

Oven:
140°C on hot air function

Let's get started! =D

1.) Get yourself the kitchen scale, and put a bowl on top of it - grab the sieve and start to powder the almonds, until the outcoming powder is as smooth as possible. Be sure to have exactly 47g in the end! ;D Repeat the same step with the powdered sugar! (Why you have to do this: To create the perfect macarons, all of the ingredients have to bee as fine and smooth as possible!)

2.) Now leave the powdered stuff aside, and grab yourself the second bowl and put it on the scale - throw 37g of Eggwhite in it. (That's kinda tricky and might take a while!) After that, you should prepare the 10 grams of sugar - just simply use the cup and the scale, you should be aware of that technique by now, I guess. xD
After you've prepared those two things, you can start to mix up the Eggwhite, using your mixer. As soon as it does became fluffier and white, add the 10g of sugar into it, and stir it until everything is stiff.
If you're brave, you can do the ultimate test to check if the eggwhite is stiff enough - lift the bowl over your hard and turn it around. If nothing falls out and on top of your head, the eggwhite has the perfect consistance. xD (okay okay, you can skip the head thingy... xD)

3.) So now you should have 2 bowls in front of you. One of them has the powdered almonds and sugar, the other one has the stiff eggwhite.
Add 2 big spoons of the powdered stuff to the eggwhite, and carefully mix it up. Continue this step until you mixed up everything!

4.) Now it's time to make it colorful ♥
Take the liquid food coloring of your choice, and add as less as you can, but as much as you need to get a decent colored dough. Plz be aware of the fact that the colors tend to get a tad darker while baking. =)

5.) VERY IMPORTANT - check the consistance of the dough. Take a big spoon, and put some dough on it. Let it slowly drop down into the bowl again.
The perfect dough will run down stringy, like a ribbon.
If the dough is too sticky/thick: Add some more drops of food coloring or a little eggwhite (talking about a few grams, 7~10g)
If the dough is too thin: Add a little powdered sugar
Correct the dough if needed, before you move on to step 6. =)

6.) Prepare two baking trays with baking paper, and get your piping bag ready. Fill the dough into it, and start to squirt drops of it on the paper - I like my macarons to be rather small, with a diameter of ~3cm. Feel free to make yours bigger, but be aware of the fact that the might need a little more time to bake. =)
Also: The Macaron-drops tend to run out in the first minutes, so be sure to leave some space between them! =)

My baking tray...

7.) The Macarons have to dry for 30 minutes now - plz do not try to shorten this period. It is a very important step, that will cause your Macarons to have a very even and cute "cap" in the end. ;)
Now it's time to heat the oven on 140°C on hot air function!
Things you can do while waiting...
- Write a loveletter for your darling
- Design a Lolita/Gyaru Valentine ;D
- Read the latest EGG magazine (oh how I crave for spring fashion! ~////~)

8.) After you've waited patiently, it's now time to bake your macarons for 12-14 minutes! =D (Depending on the condition of your oven - mine is rather old, unfortunately. =/)
You will see how the Macarons slowly grow taller, while the "cap" stays shiny and even. ^^

9.) Take the baking tray out of the oven, and grab the baking paper (with the macarons glued on top of it) - place it on a cold, even surface (for example the kitchen table). This will make it easier for you to seperate the Macarons from the paper afterwards. =)

Aren't they lovely ♥

While the Macarons cool down, you can prepare the filling! =D
You can fill them with pretty much everything you like, I'll additionally give you the recipe of my lavender cream! ^^

Filling step 1) For my lavender cream, I mix up 1 big spoon of milk with some purple food colouring.

Filling step 2) Mix up 200g of soft butter with 8 big spoons of powdered sugar, and slowly add the colored milk. If the color is not intense enough, it's now time to correct it. ;)

Filling step 3) Add the lavender oil and dried blossoms to finish it off. Check the taste and adjust it to your liking. I prefer a strong lavender taste over a too sweet taste ♥

Back to the Macarons itself! ♥

10.) As for now, the Macarons should have cooled down! Do carefully seperate them from the baking paper.
Now you should sort the Macarons - put two caps with the same size together. ^^

11.) Fill the Macarons with whatever you like, and stick them together! If you were making a creamy filling like my lavender cream, you might want to use the piping bag again! ;D

And you're all finished ♥
Wrap it up in some sweet, decorative paper or a box, and give your Honey a sweet surprise! ♥
♥HAPPY VALENTINES DAY♥

If you use my recipe, I would so love to see photos of your Macarons! x3
Plz also feel free to ask me questions, or give me concrit if there's something weird about my recipe! I'm always looking to improve! =D

It's such a sweet, sweet life, isn't it?