My Current Favourite Songs

I've noticed lately that with my recent posts being more personal and such, there has been more readers and more comments too. It's always encouraging to know that people are actually reading my blog and to meet others that share similar points of views and ideas.

So while reading a few other blogs and thinking up ways to make my blog more personal, I found a blog (I've forgotten which, crap!) that did a monthly "favourite 5 songs" post. I think its a brilliant idea and not to mention music is a really deep and personal thing to me especially when I come from a musical family (my whole family knows how to play at least one instrument each).

Okay, I'm starting to drag, sorry, haha anyway, these are my current 5 favourite songs and if this post is popular, who knows, I might just make it into a regular post.



Kana Nishino - Motto


Vocaloid (Kagamine Rin) - Meltdown


fripside - Only My Railgun


Yuna Ito - Trust you


The Gazette - Cassis

As you can see, my music tastes vary widely and it really depends on my moods, I could be listening to classical one moment and then rock the next. So these are my current 5 for the month... lets see if next month would be similar or different!

New Banner

Hey all, if anyone's a regular reader of my blog, you probably would have already noticed the new banner of Tsubasa rocking the scarf trend. I have to thank the lovely Truc from http://sstardesire.blogspot.com/ who once again helped me by creating the lovely banner here! Thanks very much Truc! *waves hand*

Anyway, I'm also trying very hard to do a different background Becasue who wnats to see such a plain black background all the time? But me being a total noob with all the HTML stuffs and such, I'm having a pretty hard time doing anything. So anybody got any advice? I really need sme advice on how to change the background pretty badly. Thanks!

What's in My Make-up Bag?

Awhile ago, Bloomzy and Mitsu and a few other bloggers whom I've forgotten did a make up loot post, I thought it was a brilliant idea so I decided to do my own. However, I have like nearly 4-5 different makeup bags but only 2 bags that I actually use, the rest are either colours that look awful on me or products that I've kept simply because I love the packaging. So I'll only show the 2 bags of products that I use on a regular basis.

Firstly, the brushes that I use most. 2 blush brushes, one for my bronzer and the other for my blush and highlighter, one eyeshadow brush and I actually use my old Canmake pencil as my eyebrow brush as its softer then my Body Shop eyebrow brush. (I actually have a full set of make up brushes, an old Chirstmas gift from my parents. The salesgirl thought I was a make up artist when paying for it! Hahaha)

The make up that I use on a regular basis (row by row from the top left):

Bourjois Imperfection Concealer in 11 Beige Ivoire
Revlon New Complexion Loose Powder in Tranluscent #02
Gatsby Powdered Oil Clear Paper
YSL Everlong Mascara
Limited Edition Anna Sui Lipstick B in 01
Majorlica Majorca Honey Pump gloss in PK 133
The Body Shop's Christmas Edition Black Velvet Apricot Lipbalm
Kate Diamond-cut Eyeshadow in BR-2 & BR-1 (BR-2 is greyish black whilst BR-1 is more brown)
Spotlight Blemish Balm
Cyber Colours Puff Puff Blusher in Gold Bronze 02 (I use this as my bronzer)
Kate Gel Eyeliner and brush in BK-1 (my favourite eyeliner ever!)
Canmake Eyebrow Pencil in 04
Dolly Wink pencil in Brown 02
L.A. Girl Eyeliner in P626 White
The Body Shop blush in Raspberry Pink (I bought this very, very long ago, but its still good and it lasts really long)
Canmake Highlighter in 01

My lashes stuffed into my Dolly Wink case, the lashes come from everywhere like Daiso, Dolly Wink and Canmake.

My other make up collection, these are also in the 2 bags, but I don't use them as regularly that's why their seperated (from left of top row):


Anna Sui Super-Black Long Lash Mascara in 001
Too Faced Lash Injection Mascara
YSL Faux Effects Mascara
Super Quick Eyeliner * EX (I use this to line my lower eyelids sometimes, the pencil is purposely slanted for easier lining)
Fiberwig Paint-on False Lashes Mascara
Canmake Super Glitter Liner (awesome for phototaking, though it sometimes makes the whites of my eyes appear yellowish if I didn't have enough rest)
SKII Foundation in 420 (expensive but makes my skin oh-so-glowy and its really natural-looking, people sometimes think its my natural skin when I put it on)
Anna Sui Rouge G in 301
Anna Sui Rouge M in 350
Skinfood Raspberry lipgloss in 2
Eyetalk Double-lid glue
Bourjois Compact Powder in 71 Beige clair (for breakout days, as this has heavier coverage but still looks natural)

If you guys have noticed, I have alot of mascara, as there was a period where I layered all these various mascaras to have super-long lashes, I received alot of compliments on my lashes but the work was really tedious so I've switched to falsies now. I also stick to Anna Sui for lipsticks, somehow drugsotre lipsticks don't have as nice colours and tend to dry my lips out. I don't really stick to one brand for my makeup for as long as the product works and is worth the money I pay for, I'll stick to it! But I definitely agree with Bloomzy on the part where she said, Quality over Quantity, its worth paying bit more for better products at times, but some drugstore brands like Canmake have products that can rival expensive brands so don't get sucked into the branding sometimes.

Personal outfit 23

My outfit for the day consisted of:

Maxi dress: This Fashion

Jacket: 2nd hand from a friend

Can-can hat: Yesstyle

Nude pumps (not seen): DMK

Bag: Cher

Went out with my dad yesterday to help him get a lounge suit for my cousin's wedding in Australias, too bad I won't be joining him! >3<

We ended up getting him a jacket and a pair of formal pants from G2000, a shop that's favoured by lots of office workers for their jackets and shirts which are of pretty good cutting and quality.

Its so different shopping for a guy, we zip into shops that have the stuff he needs and if they don't we never linger long enough to browse but just rush off to the next shop. Boring!!!!

And I've just realised that ever since I've gotten my can-can hat, all my outfits seem to revolve around it! Maybe I should move onto the scarf trend instead of getting stuck in a style rut!

Top 10 Meme

Another inspiration from gal blogger, Mitsu of Universal Doll, she did a Meme of the top 10 personal things, basically things which you or me like and since I'm not as adept as her in Photoshop, moi shall do it the old, boring way. Haha....

The Top 10

1. Lace dresses

Comfy yet chic, wat more could you ask for?

2. Watching Gal and Bijin Tokei

Great place for Japanese street-style inspiration

3. Denim & Floral Trend

To me this trend is the epitome of spring

4. Heaven & Earth Green Tea

A local brand of bottled green tea, curbs my sugar craving and is an healthier alternative to sodas

5. Fake Lashes

My favourite is still Dolly Wink, but I love most lashes, will be trying out M.A.C.'s No. 7 soon

6. Body Shop's Black Velvet Apricot Lipbalm

I love it, moisturizing but not too heavy and has a slight shimmer to it. My favourite part is that it doesn't change the colour of my lipsticks when I put it on. Too bad its a limited edition product.

7. Listening to Music while I dress up and put on my Makeup

Gives me energy and pumps me up for the day

8. Heels

I need heels badly as I'm really short, only 152cm or bout 5ft. 1"

9. One-pieces

Dresses, rompers, overalls etc. these make for stress-free dressing especially when I have no idea what to wear

10. Dusky

My furball, he's a companion, stress-reliever, playmate, sibling and sometimes a son to me. Loves>

Uniqlo to Open in Russia

Japanese retail chain, Uniqlo, will open its very first store in Russia next month with the outlet located at Moscow's Atrium shopping centre.

A statement from the Japanese company says: "At Uniqlo Atrium we will offer our items such as 'UJ'- jeans [the] 'UT' - T-shirt brand and [the] 'Leggings Collection.'

"The opening of our first Russian store will be even more exciting with the Uniqlo collection created with fashion designer Ms. Jil Sander also on sale."

"We are sure the collection, so well received by customers the world over in Paris, London, New York and Tokyo, will also captivate our new customers in Russia."

Considering that Uniqlo is doing the opposite of what many fashion brands are doing now, which is to pull out of Japan, its pretty obvious that many people in this economy are choosing to buy more affordable clothes these days.

Information from http://www.just-style.com/article.aspx?id=107102

Make Up, Accessories and Now... Feminine Hygiene?

Tsubasa Masuwaka, Japan's It girl with the Midas touch has peddled nearly everything possible that is linked to being a Gal and most, if not all have been to great success. So what would be next for the current Queen of Gal?

Wait for it.....

Its.....

Sanitary Napkins!!!

Yes, you read it correctly... a collaboration between Tsubasa and women hygiene care company, Elis, that has resulted in some limited edition sanitary napkins. Tsubasa herslef has been speaking about it and the varieties available such as the sizes and types.

I'm not oo sure what to make of it, should I (in a business student point of view) be glad that the Gal market is so wide that nearly everything that is meant for females be turned in a cash cow? Or simply cringe in horror at such a product.....

I'm still on the fence about it....

Deja Vu Fiberwig's New Mascara

Deja Vu Fiberwig mascara that is well-loved in Japan recently launched a new product called Fibrewig Long.

I thought that the original Fibrewig mascara was supposed to lengthen your lashes to create the False lash effect, but maybe that isn't good enough for some people, that's why Fiberwig decided to creat a version that guarantees that it'll really lengthen your lashes.

Not much news so far about it, so we'll see if its as popular as the original.

Gal Meme

Recently, 2 of the Gyaru blogs that I follow, Juicy Blog and Universal Doll both did a Gal Meme each and it was so interesting, inspirational and personal that I couldn't resist doing my own version too!

1. Describe your style as a gal.

It really depends on my mood that day, but I'm more into the Boho look these days, though I adore the Rocker look too.

2. Which models inspire you to get dressed?

Hmm... I actually tend to flip more to the street style looks that many girls send in to Popteen, but I tend to also look at Kumickey's and Nana Suzuki's style. If I feel like I want something more elegant, Momoeri is the one I look to, and for the Rocker look, Sakurina is ahead all the way!

3. What are the brands are you wearing lately?

Hmm, I can't really say as I never buy my clothes according to brands and I have alot that are brandless or 2nd -hand or simply raided from my Mom's wardrobe.

4. What was your first thing from 109 (or similar)?

I have yet to purchase anything from 109! But if its a brand from 109, it'll be my Maison Gilfy beanie that came with the Gilfy book.

5. What compliment about your wardrobe do you like best?

I don't have any preferences, any compliment is good to me, especially when I come from a country where not many people compliment someone they don't know personally.

6. What do you wear most often?

Lately I wear alot of skirts, as pants tend to rub my eczema, causing alot of itching and pain, so its more due to a need then an actual look.

7. I like getting …?

Shoes and bags, I blame my mom for that. I always end up in a shoe shop, no matter how much of a hurry I'm in or whether I have money or not.

8. In that you look first when you see a gal?

Definitely the hair and the eye makeup.

9. What gal rules have you broken?

Oh probably nearly all whether intentionally or not, like I have bare nails right this very moment *oh the horror!*

10. What would you never wear?

Bubble skirts, it only looks good on stick-thin models!

11. What do you think is essential for a good look?

Attitude and that the overall look of an outfit fits.

12. How do you feel when viewed as a gyaru?

Its a major compliment here, especially when most girls are considered "Lian" (not a complimentary term) when they have light-coloured hair and most girls here simply rush head-long into any trend that is "in".

13. You have many friends that are gals?

Not many, but friendship can't be judged simply by how one dresses right? As long as friends support and love one another, its all good to me.

14. What is the next thing you plan to buy desperately need?

More shoes, I've noticed that I went on a black shoes rampage and now most of my shoes are black, so I want to expand my shoe collection to include more variety and colours. Also more boots as my old ones are slowly getiing worn out.

15. What’s your favorite accessory?

Rings! I'm always wearing multiple rings on both hands, and they're not the teeny- tiny kinds, but larger, chunky ones in quirky designs.

16. Sexy, monotone or elegant?

My friends always tell me that I have an "aura" of classiness around me, their words not mine!

17. Would you wear clothes that aren’t in fashion?

As long as they make me look good, I'll wear them, but I'll definitely try to jazz it up abit.

18. What is your current obsession?

Lace dresses and skirts, they're easy to match and suit the weather here.

19. Do you like to spread gal fashion? How do you do it?

Of course, especially when its not very well-known here! I did it by starting this blog, hoping that some local girls here will understand where does Korean and Taiwanese fashion get their inspiration from and to open their minds to different styles.

20. What advice would you give to someone starting out?

Do plenty of research, buy lots of fashion magazines and study them, cut out looks that you like and start your own lookbook to refer to, so that you know what are the clothes that you wanna buy. Don't be afraid of criticism, sometimes it'll make your look even better then before! And most importantly, practise. Not many people look good at their first few attempts, it took me nearly 3 years to hone my look and I'm still learning along the way.

Personal outfit 22

Oufit for the day consisted of:

Lace dress: Bought in China

Denim Shirt tied at waist: Series

Cowboy boots: Bought in China

Straw boater hat: Yesstyle

Bag: Cher 15th Anniversary bag

Rose ring: Borrowed from mom, Topshop

Here's a closer look at my newest addition to my growing hat family, I'm so glad I pestered the Bf to get for me online, its comfortable and cute, I totally love it... unfortunately I can't remmeber which shop/brand I bought it from in Yesstyle as I randomly clicked around.. sorry!

Was pretty bored today, so I went to hang out at Sab's workplace again. It's always fun to play with the ball-jointe dolls there and I still don't understand why people get spooked by them(they're just dolls, nothing else.. duh =.=).

Gossiped, ate sushi, did some cosplay discussion etc.... basically just spent the day with a good friend.... hahaha....

Cosplay Plans for 2010

My first confirmed cosplay for the year, which is Rin from the voice synthesizing programme, Vocaloids, thisis the fanart version called Sandplay of Dragon.

My second confirmed cosplay and photoshoot, I had to wrestle for the oppurtunity to cosplay this character from 2-3 other girls who were vying for the same position in the team, but the leader finally chose me, maybe also partly because I kept pestering the second leader hahaha... This is Miku, also from Vocaloids but this is the futuristic version of her.

My last confirmed cosplay, which might be for an event this year but most likely also for next year's events, there'll also be a photoshoot. This character is from Kuroshitsuji and the "girl" is actually a boy who cross-dressed to investigate an incident, the dress was too pretty to pass up...

So far I have confirmed a place in 3 different teams for different events and characters, and those are just for this year's events. So basically, I need to really pull my purse-strings and tighten up on what I spend on in order to get enough money for all my costumes, wigs and other miscellaneous items I may need such as nail polish and stuffs.

But then again,since I'm enjoying the experience so much, I can't say its really a bad thing either...

Personal outfit 21

My outfit for the day (pardon the blurry shot, I forgot to take my pic in the changing room so I had to deal with the crummy public toilet mirror):

Beret: Accesorize

Leopard print top(it had an ugly brown belt detailing that I snipped off): Pepperplus

Black Belt: borrowed from Mom

Black tulle skirt: Forever 21

Black stockings: This Fashion

Oxfords: DMK

The white jacket that I bought from Forever 21, been waiting for it ever since I saw a Japanese girl wearing it in a street style blog, unfortunately I can no longer find the said picture.

I'm thinking hard about whether I should buy this dress, but at $55 its not cheap and I do need to save for my cosplay costumes...hmm...

Met Pochi last weekend for some catching up and of course our favourite hobby, shopping! Unfortunately, I need to save money for the tonnes of cosplays and photoshoots planned for this year, so I didn't buy much, only a jacket which I've been eyeing, yellow nail polish for my cosplay and foot pads that seem to be helping with my eczema.

Hmmm I still need to make a list of things that I need to get for my costume... ah...money woes....

Tokyo Fashion Week 2010/2011 A/W Collection

The 10th Tokyo Fashion Week will start on March 22nd to 28th at Tokyo Midtown. 44 brands have been lined up for the core event "Tokyo Collection Week" and will release their new lineup of 2010/2011 A/W collection. The fashion show will even be broadcasted live on the big screens of Midtown.

As the event is open to the general public, the shopping-bag project "Happy Together" collaboration with some of of the famous brands will also be held.

Previously the Japan Fashion week committee has held shows and events to introduce Japanese fashion brands in New York, U.S. on January 27th- February 1st.

So far, Japan Fashion Week Organization has released their latest list of the Japanese brands that will be showing at this year's event. The list is till subjected to change but the brands that are participating are:

03/23/2010
Brand: ENTOPTIC Designer: Wataru Matsumoto / Kenta Kakinuma
Brand: @IZREEL Designer: Kazuhiro Takakura
Brand: ERI MATSUI Designer: Eri Matsui
Brand: SHIDA TATSUYA Designer: Tatsuya Shida
Brand: JUNYA TASHIRO Designer: Junya Tashiro
Brand: Satoru_Matsuda Designer: Satoru Matsuda
Brand: everlasting sprout Designer: Keiichi Muramatsu
Brand: HIROKO KOSHINO Designer: Hiroko Koshino
Brand: FACTOTUM Designer: Koji Udo
Brand: DISCOVERD Designer: Tatsuya Kimura / Sanae Yoshida
Brand: mintdesigns Designer: Hokuto Katsui / Nao Yagi

03/24/2010
Brand: araisara Designer: Sara Arai
Brand: motonari ono Designer: Motonari Ono
Brand: Takumi Hatakeyama Designer: Takumi Hatakeyama
Brand: Tokuko 1er Vol Designer: Tokuko Maeda
Brand: IN-PROCESS BY HALL OHARA Designer: Steven Hall / Yurika Ohara
Brand: YUMA KOSHINO Designer: Yuma Koshino
Brand: The Dress & Co. HIDEAKI SAKAGUCHI Designer: Hideaki Sakaguchi
Brand: AGURI SAGIMORI Designer: Aguri Sagimori
Brand: HISUI Designer: Hiroko Ito
Brand: PHENOMENON Designer: Takeshi Osumi
Brand: yoshio kubo Designer: Yoshio Kubo

03/25/2010
Brand: matohu Designer: Hiroyuki Horihata / Makiko Sekiguchi
Brand: support surface Designer: Norio Surikabe
Brand: KAMISHIMA CHINAMI Designer: Chinami Kamishima
Brand: jazzkatze Designer: Ayumi Sufu
Brand: lessthan* Designer: Ohal Ando
Brand: fur fur Designer: Aya Furuhashi
Brand: SOMARTA Designer: Tamae Hirokawa
Brand: DRESSCAMP Designer: Marjan Pejoski
Brand: G.V.G.V. Designer: MUG
Brand: MIHARAYASUHIRO Designer: Yasuhiro Mihara

03/26/2010
Brand: GUT’S DYNAMITE CABARETS Designer: CABARET AKI / JACKAL KUZU
Brand: mercibeaucoup Designer: Eri Utsugi
Brand: beautiful people Designer: Hidenori Kumakiri
Brand: Yukiko Hanai Designer: Yukiko Hanai
Brand: MISS ASHIDA Designer: Tae Ashida
Brand: ODRADEK Designer: Demian Celica KANOU
Brand: THEATRE PRODUCTS Designer: Akira Takeuchi / Tayuka Nakanishi
Brand: TROVE Designer: Daisuke Kamide
Brand: tiny dinosaur Designer: Naomi Yamamoto
Brand: YUKI TORII INTERNATIONAL Designer: Yuki Torii

DRESS33, KEITAMARUYAMA, and RITSUKO SHIRAHAMA are planning to show but have not yet confirmed their dates.

For more updates and information you can check out their official website, http://www.jfw.jp/en/index.html and its available in both English and Japanese.

Agyness Deyn X Barneys Japan Collection

British model and It girl, Agyness Deyn has teamed up with Barneys Japan to launch a new fashion collection. Its called the "I am Agyness Deyn for Barneys Green" and will feature dresses, leggings, a knit top and others.

The "Barneys Green" part of the name is a reference to the eco-friendly aspect of the collection becuase for everytime you purchase something from the collection, a portion of the proceeds will go towards planting trees in Mongolia.

Tokyo shoppers will get to purchase the collection on March 13th at Barneys Shinjuku, but if you wanna get first dibs, the collection will be available for sale a few days earlier on March 5th when Barneys opens their new store in Kobe. However, if you're expecting to have a glimpse of the It girl herself, sorry to disappoint, but there isn't any word yet on whether she'll make an appearance at the launch of her collection.

Information and images from http://tokyofashion.com/agyness-deyn-for-barneys-japan-fashion-collection/