Saturday, 30 March 2013

Babs Seed

No kidding I'm a pegasister, look at what I made a while ago...

Hama beads (known as perler beads to those of you in America) are a really amazing craft. You can create so much with your own imagination and a little MLP:FIM inspiration.


 

5 Useful Things I Found Out From Dying My Hair

I have been dying my hair for almost two years now. I have picked up, found out, and experienced a lot. 

5 Useful Tips For dying hair:

Schwarzkopf Live Color XXL in Red Passion (permanent)
 1. Forget color retaining shampoo or conditioner for unnatural color hair. A far, far better remedy for washing hair and maintaining your colour is baby shampoo! Any brand, from any shop, baby shampoo is so gentle on the hair.

Schwarzkopf Ultra Brights in Fiery Copper (Semi-permanent over bleached hair)
2. If you have green eyes (like me) then hair colors that are especially good for bringing out the eyes include red, orange, and violet. Any other color can look good, but these ones really made my eyes pop!

A mix of dyed on the top and on the shaved sides I used Fluorescent Glow by La Riche Directions (semi-permanent, used over bleached hair)
3. In my opinion, unnatural hair colors can look good on any length of hair and on any skin color.  Personally, I think bright pink hair looks amazing on anyone with black skin. I very much like pastel colors on Asian skin. Olive skin tones look great with pillar box red hair.This is just suggestions on what I think suit people, you DO NOT have to just stick to what I say. 

Apple Green by La Riche Directions (semi-permanent over bleached hair)

4. Unnatural hair colors that come from the rainbow can act as a great starting point if you want to create your own individual look. It can even give you a confidence boost! Not everyone out there will understand unusual hair, but being recognizable and unique is something that really should be treasured more in society!






Schwarzkopf Live Color XXL in Cosmic Blue (permanent) with a bleached 'slice' in the fringe with La Riche Directions Violet and La Riche Directions Rose Red (semi-permanent)
5. It is a really cool idea to take inspiration from fictional characters that you adore. I took a lot of inspiration from my favourite pony Twilight Sparkle.

Wednesday, 27 March 2013

Misconceptions About Lolita





My most recent attempt at putting together a Sweet Lolita outfit. Includes: A cheap long brown wig, a white dress from H&M, a frilly underskirt from America Apparel, a pair of knee high socks from Primark, and my beloved red shoes from TK Max. 

Misconceptions About Lolita

There are many misconceptions of what Lolita is. Many people do not understand what it is. Some people mistakenly associate Lolita with a novel written by Vladamir Nabokov of the same name. Some people think Lolita is dressing up childishly in order to sexually attract older men. Lolita in context of fashion does not relate to sex.

Lolita by Vladamir Nobokov

The book is called 'Lolita' because it is a pet name for someone called Delores. The young girl in the story is nicknamed Lolita but her real name is Delores. The main character Humbert Humbert already expresses an attraction to younger girls because of the psychological damage he faces after the death of his childhood sweetheart while being a child himself. It is ONLY because of THIS BOOK that LOLITA IS ASSOCIATED WITH SEDUCTIVE, PROVOCATIVE YOUNG GIRLS!!

I do not think Vladamir Nabokov intended for this misconception to happen. He did have this book published in 1955. He died in 1977 which was a VERY VERY long time before the fashion movement came into being. I do not blame Nabokov, he never knew that it would also be the name of a type of fashion that I love so much. He could of just as easily decided to call it 'Loli', 'Lol', or even 'Delores'. He might have even just liked the sound of the name Lolita.

Then why IS the fashion movement also called Lolita?

The answer is quite simple. The early Japanese Lolitas knew it as a Portuguese given name. They assumed that it meant something 'cute' and that is why they chose it as the name for there very adorable fashion movement (I will explain Lolita fashion in more detail later).

So what does the name Lolita mean?

Lolita is a female given name of Spanish origin, which I assume must have later been also used in Portugal.

It is the diminutive form of 'Lola', a form of the given name 'Delores'

Then what does the name Delores mean, is THAT something in which its meanings suggest a sexually suggestive child?

No! Delores means 'Virgin Mary of Sorrows', in which I could assume could appeal to the sadness that the Virgin Mary felt in child-birth or after her son Jesus was crucified.

Ok ok, so what is this fashion movement that you keep rambling on about?

Lolita fashion is a fashion subculture that originated in Japan in the late 1990s. It is based on Victorian-era clothing as incorporating costumes of the Rococo period. 

But does the clothing look sexy?

In most circumstances, no it is not designed to. The cleavage and shoulders are often covered up. The dresses often stop just above the knees. An the legs covered by over-the-knee socks or knee-high socks.

It is designed to look CUTE, CHILDISH AND INNOCENT, it is NOT supposed to be sexy! Any older men who find it sexy (an succumb to acting on it) should seek mental health support very soon. Everyone has their own deviants, but NO MAN SHOULD EVER TAKE ADVANTAGE OF SOMEONE YOUNGER AND MORE VULNERABLE.



 

My Worst Fear

I guess everyone has their worst fear...

Spiders, ghosts, seagulls, but mine is a different kind of fear. I'm terrified of being boring. Or more to the point I guess, other people finding me boring.

I'm ashamed of my Secondary school identity

I will try not to rant too much about my old school (I promised myself I wouldn't) as that would cause trouble. But I do think that at the time I was a bit of an outcast. I was painfully shy. Anyone who knows me as I am now will laugh loudly at this because they think I don't shut up!

At school I was:

  • Quiet
  • kept to myself
  • I had long brown hair, my natural color. I would do nothing different with it except for getting it cut occasionally.
  • Often felt harshly judged by my peers
  • Worked incredibly hard at my studies even though I did not do that well (only two years after leaving school, did someone notice my slowness and had me tested for Dyslexia.And yes, I am very mildly Dyslexic.
  • Tried to dress normal. We had to wear a uniform and the only freedom we really had was choosing what trousers we wore. I would wear the same 'Blue Star' brand as everyone else just so that I could not be bullied for wearing different trousers. The 'Blue Star' belt would always stick into my stomach but I felt like it was important to be the same as everyone else. 
  • Lonely
Four years later

I have changed quite a lot.

I am:

  • Always expressing my own opinion and feel the need to be heard, I get a terrible restlessness in situations where I have to keep my feelings to myself.
  • I would say that I have quite a lot of friends. And a small group of very good close friends whom I adore. 
  • My hair is a different color every month or so
  • I'm actually really surprised at just how nice my peers are to me. I feel respected.
  •  Working moderately, I do not push myself as blindingly hard as I used to. I do my best and I finally know that it will be appreciated.
  • I wear quite strange things; I love bandannas, eccentric hats, jackets that have chains on them, and I have this one jacket that has dragon eyes and dragon wings.
  • I'm not lonely anymore
So how did things change?

I guess my old insecurity used to make me appear quite boring.  Unfortunately, my old school classmates used to quite often say that they didn't like me and found me boring.

Perhaps what I most worry about is;

Did I change, or did the people around me?
 

Monday, 25 March 2013