うわのそら

My life looks like this a lot lately.

I feel Christmas came and went very quickly, perhaps like a driveway intruder, just stopping in to turn around. I celebrated with some tacos and people from work, an enjoyable get together, but not exactly in holiday spirit.

I associate Christmas with warmth, which is strange at such a cold time of year. Twinkling trees lights, that constant crinkling of wrapping paper, the cat excitedly knocking ornaments off the shelves, and delicious smells that waft in from the kitchen only during those few days out of every year just can't be compensated by anything else. I suppose all-in-all, that's why it was so easy for me to dismiss it this year.

Without the warmth of the season I didn't feel Christmas at all, and consequently, I didn't miss it, either.

But here's to the New Year!

Drawing Wednesday

I haven't drawn in a while, really, but after being constantly moving since I got to Osaka, I decided there would be no better way to spend my day off yesterday. So I sat blissfully on my cushy couch with Grimm on for background noise and drew.

Preliminary sketch.

He started out with pretty short hair, but it got longer as I inked, haha.

He's a character I have only ever really drawn a couple of times before. I'm such a dork with my characters.


An older drawing of him...


ten ten . color by ~mynameisdish on deviantART


Haha, anyways. I'm so sleepy and my feet are cold! Good night.

Osaka

hello again!

So, I'm in Japan now. I arrived in Osaka on Nov 26th and have been busily living for the first time in a long while since then, or at least that's what it feels like. I have many things to post, but I"ll get to them later when I'm less tired, I'm sure.

Today I spent all day running about acquiring documents and finding a phone-- settled on getting the new iPhone4S! --so I'm beat.

Though, probably the highlight of my move to Osaka, thus far, has been meeting up with Jiroko again after over a year! And Katie, though we met not too long ago before she left the US.

Now just to meet my Tokyo friends in March, maybe?

We have been talking about how Type A Jiroko is, and here is her planner, all out and ready to prove it! 

And some sexy (lol) purikura from our scandalous day in Umeda.

girly nude? And that leopard print combo was not planned at all, haha!

Good night, guys. 

Job Prep Shopping: Cosmetics (2/2)

hey, again.


A little late posting this. I'm working peak hours this week, and it's tiring me out, but I'm back with pictures of the make up I purchased on my tiny shopping trip! Lots of great stuff. ♥

My purchases!

@ Sephora
Dior BLACK OUT mascara in 099 Kohl Black: This would probably be a lot more impressive if I had purchased the mascara primer with it, but as it is, I'm kind of disappointed. My lashes appear nice and long, but they don't have the awesome volume that Lancome Hypnose gives.

tarte emphasEYES Amazonian clay waterproof liner in Black: This stuff is excellent! Definitely changed my entire perspective on eyeliner. I have been using Lancome's Artliner for so long that I didn't realize how rough I look at the end of the day until I used this in the morning before work and came home that evening looking totally fresh! This is definitely my new love.

NARS concealer in Light2 Vanilla: This is my choice concealer. It's nice and thick, but doesn't leave my skin feeling smothered. They now have an even lighter color than the one I use, haha.

@LUSH
Imperialis facial moisturizer - This is probably the best facial moisturizer I've ever used. For a few hours after applying, I don't like to touch my face because it feels oily and gross, but the effects are visible. Unfortunately, it's a bit pricey for the size of the tub. I made a noise of surprise when the cashier gave me the total and had to play it off all uncool-ly. hahahahaha

Pow Wow pop rocks lip scrub - I love this lip scrub stuff, and this one is awesome because it's made with pop rocks candy! Both tasty and great for exfoliating your lips. I have a horrible time with dry/chapped lips/skin, so this makes me feel like I can at least apply my lipstick evenly now. I think it's a little more difficult to use than the other lip scrubs because of the bulky texture of the pop rocks, though.

With all of this I got the 500 point Beauty Insider bonus tarte sample pack with lots of trial-size goodies, I've yet to test out.

 Ah, I love make-up. ♥

Also! There's an awesome giveaway going on at Moments Like Diamonds (a blog I never fail to enjoy)!

♥ Sweet Lady Setup Giveaway ♥

Such a cute top and other cute accessories! Everyone should enter! 

Job Prep Shopping: Clothes (1/2)

hello, hello!

So last week I found out about the beginning of my new job! Yay! I've been waiting for what seems like forever, so I'm super psyched to finally get started. I first got my contract from the company only about two weeks after getting hired at B&N, but due to the lack of open positions, I've pretty much just been on hold since then. I did get offered two jobs in different prefectures since then, but I turned them down for various reasons.

Finally it's decided! I will fly into Osaka on the 26th and start my new job two days later.

Since I found out and started the planning, though, I've been hyper tense. D:

Anyway, on Friday we went to get my visa processed in Atlanta, but didn't find out until the car ride that the office was closed for Veterans' Day. So, we UPS'd it and went shopping instead. It was a great chance to pick up some work clothes for my new job.

Only thing is, I don't want to delude myself into thinking these are appropriate and then find out that I'm delusional, so any input would be awesome.

Forever21 is cheap and easy, so that's where we went.

This knit fits around the waist for a nice loose effect.

A toned-down leopard print semi-transparent sheath.

Long, loose-hemmed knit.

And a simple, pleated A-line skirt in black.

The thing is, I'm actually kind of nervous about business wear, since I've never had a job that required me wear anything but a smock, or any shirt-pants combo in coordinated black. It's been difficult for me to find good inspiration, too, so I'm giving it my best here. I'd love to hear some opinions/ideas, though. ;__;

Got this brassy necklace to go with, since the shirts kind of seem like blank canvases to me.

Finally, two simple coordinate ideas I had for the above:

Was thinking a black scarf would finish this off nicely.

I put the leopard print sheath over a black camisole and paired with a mid-thigh

length cardigan with wide cork buttons.

☆　And here's a polyvore for inspiration: Rich Girl CHIC

It was so hard for me to avoid so many cute casual pieces out right now, but there was one thing I couldn't bypass...

It's dress-length, so I thought it would be cute with leggings and boots and my poofy beanie. *___*

Anyway, that is all for clothes. I got some great make-up products, too! But I'll post them tomorrow. ♥

Glasses, bitch.

These glasses have become my life. And I don't remember where I wore this to, but it was sometime over the past week. Typical band shirt meets shorts coord for me.

Coordinate

☆　Cardigan - Spiral Girl　☆

☆　T-shirt - BLACK MORAL　☆

☆　Shorts - Kohl's 　☆

☆　Tights - Doll Kiss　☆

☆　Boots - Harajuku Shoes　☆

☆　Glasses - Rue21　☆

☆　Necklace - Deal Design　☆

☆　Bag - Rep. Chanel　☆

Here's to surviving the week!

Wig Time!

Howdy, there! 

So, yesterday when I got home there was a lovely package waiting on my doorstep for me adorned with many cute kitty and Halloween stickers!

Checking the sender on the box, it was confirmed: my beautiful new wig from Minty Mix had shipped in just two business days! *__*

I've never owned a serious wig before, but seeing a friend's cute loli wigs all the time, I finally caved in and purchased this two-toned brown/tan split curly wig. And I can scarcely remember the last time I was filled with such girlish enthusiasm.

Anyway, the bangs need a little trimming/fixing, and I need to go through it make it a little more orderly, but I couldn't wait, so I put it on right outta' the box!

They even very kindly included a hair net for containing your natural hair! My hair, however, is quite thick and long and made the wig cap feel somewhat unstable, so I used a cute usamimi hair tie from Primark to make it look more natural.

Coordinate

☆　Dress - SUPER LOVERS　☆

☆　   Vest - CECIL McBEE  　☆

☆　  　Boots - Forever21　　  ☆

The wig also comes with two large side-ponies for a sweet lolita look. I really bought the wig for the main head piece, since I'm not a lolita or anything, but I tried them on of course. And the result was beyond words.

PSYCHOPATH. HAHAHAHA

I am in love with myself.

Since it's my first wig, I can't speak too knowledgeably about it, but I do think the quality is quite good for the just-under $60 I paid for it. It's not too shiny, which is one of the things that usually makes wigs look cheap, imo, but has a nice sandy color quality that makes it noticeably doll like. Maybe if you're looking for a wig that appears completely like natural hair, this isn't the wig for you, but I personally like the doll-like texture and quality of it, so for me it's perfect. ♥

I made a careful analysis, too, about my feelings before and after the arrival of the wig:

Best decision ever.

The package also included the most adorable little business card (bottom) and logo sticker! The little zombie plushie is just a stray that found his way into the photo. He has nothing to do with this. XD

Anyway, that's all for my perfect life right now. I'm off to see Puss in Boots in a while.

\

lolitas

... they make me happy. ♥

Oh, iTunes.

Ever open your iTunes and start playing something, thinking it's on shuffle, and after a few songs think, "Wow, iTunes. You're playing all my favorite songs today!"

...Only to see it's playing by most played tracks?

gaze gaze gaze gaze gaze...

Conversely, do you ever get the idea that you're going to listen to all the tracks in your iTunes without any existing play counts, but every time you check on your progress it's still at halfway?

Well, I do. :/

just another day

Happy Sunday! Day off for me, so it was somewhat joyous, except for the headache that has been chasing me down and tackling all day. <3

Just another example of how I'm dressing all the time lately. Can't really see the shorts, but since it's gotten just a touch cooler, I'm back to tights+shorts, bandshirts+cardigans. Yes, that's my old Dir en grey US UROBOROS shirt, haha.

Back to work tomorrow, working with my manager. Lately she scares me. :/

GRE TODAY

So today was all about the GRE. It was about me having shitty dreams about the GRE. Then waking up shit early and thinking about the GRE. Then reading my outdated book about the GRE. Then going to take the GRE. Then coming home and drooling in ignorant bliss on my laptop because I'm done with my GRE.

Delicious caramel macchiato from the other day at Cups & Mugs. <3

I would post something more, but I'm far too gone right now.

Some Recent Outtings and Pictures

Today was my day off. I got up early to meet some guys from work for sushi (mmm... sushi breakfast) and nerdy Japan/video game talk. Decided today was a day to do something with myself, so I've been updating my calendar and organizing.

Since I posted my old ones last time...

Cute, cute, cute ♪

A couple of weeks ago I went to a family reunion. A short, small event, but still a good reason for wearing my new dress.

ca. $25 @ Rue21

The edit on that photo was accidental and blows my mind.

Some time after that (I believe), mum and I went downtown one day for delicious bacon, apple and cheese sandwiches at the Harvest Moon Cafe and to wander around the shops. The outfit has been seen before, but I got to try a cute dango-style updo with one of my usamimi hair-twists from Primark.

ur...

 After foods and shoppings, we wandered into the Honey Moon Bakery next door and bought treats.

Sundae Cupcake

It was too cute and looked so convincingly like ice cream, I had to get it. Of course, three bites in and I was ready for diabetic coma.

But just... Look at it.

FFFFFUUUUUUU-