AFA 2014

Super late post again but I can't possibly miss blogging about the Anime Festival Asia (AFA) event that I went to last year as too many wonderful things happened there.

Firstly, I could only attend a day of the event due to work commitments but I happily attended the event with my Studio Ghibli group as Kiki!! It was a pretty comfy and easy costume except that I had to bind my chest, since Kiki's still a little girl. 

Friends I met during the day

The one exhibit I couldn't miss was the Psycho Pass booth!! I zoomed straight to it upon entering the event space and was like a rabid fangirl, snapping multiple pictures from all angles.

The event was also the first time I ever joined a cosplay competition! I usually don't bother with such things as I prefer to cosplay as a fun, social thing instead of dealing with it competitively. However, during the day, the invited guest cosplayers were allowed to roam around the event space and were tasked to find "representatives" for the cosplay competition. I was lucky enough to be picked by Hyko though when I got backstage and saw all the amazing armour, LED lights and fancy props, I felt incredibly out of place with my broomstick. I didn't win anything naturally, but it was a fun experience nonetheless and I hope I did Hyko proud.

Pic of my amazing Ghibli girls team, can you tell who belongs to which movie?

Flying off after the event!! Pic courtesy of Val.

Thanks to the competition, I managed to get up close and personal with some of the invited guest cosplayers. Hyko is the Gackt cosplayer and she's super hawt in real life, she's really friendly and sweet. I also finally got a card from Reika and Kaname *squeal*!!! Kaname is also super friendly and even went out of his way to tell me he liked my costume and greeted me again when I happened to cross his path after the competition, he wanted to autograph his card but the marker ran out of ink :(

The event tore thru my already slim wallet but I don't regret my purchases one bit! I bought the Sailormoon brooch powder and wand lipbalm. The Psycho Pass folder was a freebie.

My most expensive anime purchase everwas this Dominator Proplica from the series, Psycho Pass. I'm still waiting for it to be shipped over so no pic, but you can watch this guy's review of it (though its in Japanese, but the video is captures everything). 

Last but not least, I found myself being filmed during the competition, see if you can spot me!

AFA was definitely one of the most memorable events I've had in awhile. 

First Anniversary Giveaway Winner!

Hi everyone, I know those of you who participated in my very first giveaway are wondering when I'll be releasing the result and who was the lucky winner!

Well wait no more! As promised, I've picked out the winner randomly

First step:
I listed everyone out and included and additional entries

Step 2:
Randomly pick out the winner!

Step 3:

The winner's name is highlighted!

I've already sent an email to dear Ayame, so reply me soon to sort out the details okays?

For the other participants don't despair, I'll be doing another giveaway soon so who knows if you'll win the next time round!

P.S. Some of you may find your entry maybe one short or not in the draw at all, that's because your entry was disqualified as it didn't comply to the rules stated or I couldn't verify the link left hence the additional entry wasn't included. So just read carefully next time!

Finds from a Local Underrated Store

*Note this is not a paid advertorial

I know that the majority of my readers are from every country possible but unfortunately, today's post is catered more for my local readers (I know there are Singaporean readers out there despite never leaving a comment, because I have a blog tracker...eheheheh.....), so sorry to my international readers, however if you do ever come to Singapore, be sure to check out this nifty little (okay, it's not really little...) store, that's pretty underrated locally.

For my local readers, if you're still scratching your heads at what kindda store I'm talking about, does This Fashion ring a bell? I knew the majority of you would reel back in disbelief or even gag at the very thought of going within a 5 feet range of the shops' vicinity, however, despite the mostly, shoddy, poorly made and even downright tacky clothes they have, there are hidden gems waiting to be found if you have the patience, time and energy to try dig around.

I have come to learn that This Fashion is actually pretty up to date in terms of being on trend, heck, I once even found some clothes that I strongly suspect came from the Tokyo Girl collection that Donki sells, and considering the rate at how people describe the quality, I have a strong hunch that they are actually the very same pieces.

Still don't believe me? Well then lets see what I managed to find on 2 separate shopping trips to the same This Fashion store (in this case, it was the 4 stories shop at Dhoby Ghaut):

Knit dress with Norwegian print on it

Tibetan fur vest


Fur vest/cape

knit off-shoulder cape, great for Mode!

Monotone and animal print zip-up cardigan/mini dress

Leopard print and shoulder detailing, again a very Mode-inspired piece

Animal print, monotone and studs all rolled into one cardigan

Trench coat, with waist tie, functional buttons and a collar that is stiff enough to stand on it's own (I actually crumbled and ended up buying this piece for myself!)

They also had a whole load of Spring/summer trend items such as white lace dresses and denim shirts/dresses and such that they were trying to clear. Not to mention, if you actually check the quality of the clothes, some of their stuff actually are of decent quality! Take the coat that I ended up buying for example, it's actually made of the same materials of a similar coat that my mom paid like nearly $80 for (and that's when it was on sale!), it is made of a stiff water-resistant material, with a silky inner lining and the lapels fit perfectly on my shoulders! No one believes me when I tell them I found it whilst browsing thru This Fashion or the fact that it costs only $35! Yes! Your eyes aren't fooling you! Okay, technically it was being sold at $40++ but the price was lowered as I got it during a sale! But the point is, people think I paid thru my nose for it when it's just the contrary!

Plus, all the clothes that I've tried in the above pictures, the trench coat was perhaps the most expensive article of clothing. The rest were around $35 at the max, if memory serves me right but I remember most hovered around the $25-$30 range.

So how about giving this store a try the next time you walk past it? Who knows what steals you might be able to get at waay cheaper rates?

P.S. A number of my cosplay friends and I shop here too for clothes to incorporate into our costumes, haha in fact, whilst helping my friend with her outfit, a separate group of cosplayers assumed we had her costume specially tailored!

(Oh yes, do remember to try your luck at my giveaway! It's still opened till the 11th of September!)

One Year Anniversary Giveaway!!!

Hi all, I know most of you readers and followers are pretty recent, so it may come as a surprise that this blog is already a year old! I, too, lost track of time and was scrolling thru my old posts when it dawned upon me that it's actually been a whole year since I chose to start this blog. If you actually scroll thru my old posts, you can see that there was less me and more cold information taken from other sources (of course, I always gave credit!) and I wasn't really gyaru though I had already chosen to focus on Japanese fashion. Eventually however, I learnt more and more and developed slowly into the person I am now, and made some friends along the way all thanks to this blog of mine.

Haha, so I figured, why not celebrate and thank my readers and followers with a little giveaway?

It's just a little token of gratitude for all the kind comments and friendships I've developed thru this blog so to one lucky follower, you'll receive:
Lancome Blanc Expert ultimate whitening beauty lotion (trial size)

Premier Dead Sea Salt Luxury Hand Cream (trial size)

Dollywink No.8 Pure Little (lower individual lashes)

Lancome Blanc Expert Ultimate Whitening Hydrating Emulsion (trial size)

Lancome Blanc Expert Ultimate Whitening Hydrating Cream (trial size)

Of course some ground rules in order to participate in this little giveaway:

1. You MUST be a follower PUBLICLY
2. One entry for leaving a comment with your contact details
3. An additional entry if you share with people about this giveaway via your own blog, Livejournal etc. but please remember to share the link here and notify me so that it qualifies
4. If the winner does not respond to my attempts of contact (I will give 3 days leeway) or hasn't left valid contact details, the win will thus be forfeited and I will draw another winner
5. Entries after the closing time and date will not be entertained or considered valid
6. Closing date for the giveaway is on the 11/9/2010 or 11th September at 1pm International time

Everybody got it? I'll be using Randomizer.org to draw out the winner so that everybody is given a fair fighting chance okays?

So good luck then!

Personal Outfit 33 (Backdated)

Outfit consisted of:

Cardigan: Lip Service

Inner long shirt: Uniqlo

Stockings: This Fashion

Engineer Boots: Bought in Macau

Pink Backpack: Longchamp

I just realised that I had totally forgot to include my outfit of the day in my previous post, so here it is! Pretty simple yet functional as it was a lazy day for me....

Also, do remember to vote for me okays? The link is in the previous post, thanks!

New Nails & Please Vote for Me!

Did a soakoff and an express manicure, just used my OPI Absolutely Alice nail polish and added alittle star nail art for some pizzazz!

I finally had my extensions removed after they had grown out like mad! So now it's back to my old plain nails, and because of that, it's finally so much easier to do numerous small tasks that we often take for granted such as using zips, buttoning up clothes, using our fingers to gauge coin sizes and such....

Did some shopping alone after that and I actually found it pretty relaxing to wander the malls alone on my own time, with no need to make mindless small talk or worry if someone is tired out from all the walking and such. Hmm... perhaps I should start doing this more often....

Anyway, like Steph, I recently joined a little contest so please vote for me at this link --> http://facebook.com/pages/Singapore-Singapore/Shoponblog/109920099039997#!/photo.php?pid=255450&id=109920099039997&ref=fbx_album

You vote by "liking" me, however you need to be a fan of the page first. So help out a fellow Gal out and show some love okay? Thanks!

Oh yea, the page can only be accessed if you have Facebook accounts sorry!

Harajuku Street Style Event at Singapore TANGS

If it isn't obvious enough just how popular Japanese brands and culture are becoming in Singapore, one only has to look at the long queues that snaked through the malls when UNIQLO opened and how big the local cosplay scene is becoming.

This has made certain fashion groups notice this change and one of them has acted on this popularity, TANGS PlayLab has created a showcase that has been dubbed Harajuku Street Style, it'll showcase some of the top Japanese casualwear brands from January 15th to 31st 2010.

This showcase will present consumers with a unique "onestop" opportunity to check out labels from prominent designers and Japanese brands that have never before been seen in Singapore. The brands that will be shown include, Urban Research, COEN, KISUKE, Momotaro Jeans, BARCLAY, OLIVE desOLIVE and many more...

A bonus factor is the special appearance of celebrity Japanese street style photographer, Rei Shito. Previously a model who appeared on CM, Music PV and Tokyo Collection, she now prowls the bustling streets of Tokyo in search of unique street style and budding trends for Japanese magazines such as 'Street', 'Fruits' and 'Tune'.

There'll also be several Japanese hairstylists who'll be joining Rei at the event to select 10 guests for a makeover at the event and supposedly a "Best Dressed" competition with the winner walking away with tickets to Japan.

Information and images from http://www.tangs.com.sg/fashion-lifestyle-blog/article.php?Blog=tangs_brings_you_the_harajuku_street_style_showcase_96 & http://www.lifestyleasia.com/articles/fashion_2/japanese-fashion-brands-in-singapore-orchard-tangs_4047.htm

Check out Rei Shito's street style blog at http://stylefromtokyo.blogspot.com/

Seventeen Magazine Stylin' Challenge

Grey wool dress with faux fur-trimmed hood: Sixties Inspired

Leopard print stockings: Some shop in Plaza Singapura

Thigh-high boots: Rubi (I love them... despite the fact they toe the line between fashion and trashy)

Memo Saccs Bag: Borrowed from Mom

Over the weekend, I had taken part in the Seventeen Stylin' Challenge, unfortunately, I wasn't selected as a semi-finalist.

I have to admit, my outfit was bit much, but then again the theme was 'Urban/ Street Style' and my fashion compass points towards the more wild and open Japanese street style. Despite trying my hardest to not want to sound like a bitch throwing a hissy fit, I couldn't help but notice most of the teams they had chosen were all clothed in... black (boring much?) and wearing the unanimous Singapore teenage girls' uniform of leggings, biker jackets, gladiator sandals etc.

There was even one selected team that was even more outrageously dressed then I was, think huge black fur coat, silver and black leggings, cheap bling that threatened to overpower the already huge coat, hair tied up to a high bun, gold hair band and beige boots (wth?!)

Never mind, I'll stop before I sound even more demented... tata!

Fashion Blogger Giveaway

One of my favourite looks from her, don't you just admire her god-given long long legs?

The said bag, I love the ironic statement

Despite me ranting on and on about Japanese fashion and following it closely, I do read a variety of fashion blogs from other parts of the world.

One girl whom I've been following from her LookBook days is non other then Shelley of the Shelley & Joachim duo that hail from Stockholm.

Anyway, she's giving out a "Shopaholic on the Loose" bag from Modekungun.se, and all you need to do to get a chance to win it is to simply leave a comment of the 3 items you'll wear tons of this Fall.

The contest ends on 24th September, so better hurry!