Raise.com’s Closet Swap Campaign

Before I am (finally) continuing my Japan posts, a last ‘in between’ blog entry! I was asked by the people of Raise.com to join in their ‘Closet Swap’ campaign. Raise.com is a new platform that is kind of like a market place, where you can buy fashion gift cards to your favourite brands at a discounted price (you can find the page here), and sell your unused gift cards for cash money. The campaign was described as follows:
‘Summertime calls for a certain look, and we want to see what you’ll be strutting this season. Create a blog post about tips and trends on what you’ll be wearing as the sun starts to shine! Whether it’s highlighting your favourite patterns and trends, focusing on a few select outfits, or showing off some of your brightest accessories, creative freedom is yours!’
Since this sounded like a super fun thing to do, I decided to join! ^^ So here we go!

When it comes to summer fashion, I personally tend to go with whatever doesn’t make me feel too hot and I am pretty sure I am not the only in this. But that doesn’t mean you cannot look cute! Here are some of my personal favourites that I will definitely try out for myself this summer! Just click on a picture to enlarge it to get a more detailed look!

Accessories by Claire's and Paris Kid's

Flower Crowns

I love flowers and therefore I love flower crowns. I know everyone wears them these days and I am not being original here at all, but well. It’s a trend I hope won’t die anytime soon! ^^ Personally I prefer big and bright flower crowns over the smaller, music festival-like hipster ones. You wanna look like a fairy, you better go all the way!

Accessories by WEGO, Six and Paris Kid's

Fruity Accessories

When I was in Japan, I saw a lot of shops selling fruit-themed jewelry and as a cherry lover I was super happy about this! I will definitely walk around with cherries dangling from my ears as well as around my neck this summer. And not only do they look good, real cherries also taste delicious. :3 Other fruits like raspberries, strawberries and even bananas can change any outfit from sulky to summery within an instant!

Accessories by WEGO, Swimmer and Paris Kid's

Mermaid Accessories

What is more summery than the beach!? Shells, the summer breeze, the sound of the rolling waves… Mermaid-themed jewelry and bags are perfect for summer and they look so cute! A simple outfit with a pair of shorts and a white shirt can easily be mermaid proof by adding a hair clip, necklace, pair of ear rings or a bag to it! And the bigger the bag, the better the effect!

All necklaces by Angelic Pretty

Lolita Accessories in Daily Outfits

I really like to use my Lolita jewelry in ‘normal’ outfits for special occasions, like going on a trip or a party. But summer is perfect for this as well! Any outfit will instantly become extra cute by adding a striking, big necklace! It not only looks pretty, but gives you that bit of Lolita feeling while still dressing like a Muggle! ^^

Lolita Summer Dresses

And finally, since this is still a Lolita blog, some dresses I think match the summer time perfectly. Lolita isn’t exactly what you’d call a summer proof fashion style with all its layers, but with a fine parasol, a crinoline instead of a petticoat and an ice cold drink with a little umbrella nearby, you should be good to go! Summer in Lolita means straw hats against the san combined with, again, fruits! Bright dresses with fruit prints are what makes ‘Summer Lolita’ for me. The dresses pictured are (clockwise from the upper left corner):
Berry Garden, Milky Berry, Freshly Picked Strawberries (all Angelic Pretty) and
Juicy Baby Love Love Berries (Baby, the Stars Shine Bright).

I hope you liked my view upon the summer trends. Do not hesitate to share your opinions in the comments below or let me know what you’d like to see this summer!
I would love to know! ^^

Celebrate the Summer Tips

Yesterday, summer officially started (it was also my parents’ wedding day, but I’m just going to skip on that)! The summer is such a great season with so many wonderful things, except for mosquitoes maybe. I’m in quite a happy mood, so I made up a list with things you could do for celebrating the summer!

♦ Summer cleaning. Do you have that itchy feeling that you want to clean something up, but you just don’t know where to start, so you’ve been procrastinating all the time? Then this is the perfect moment! Who says organising a big cleaning is only for spring? You can start with just a part of your room or you can go big and change your entire surroundings, from the garden to the bathroom. Don’t forget: in order to clean something up, you have to make a big mess first. I’m cleaning up my big cabinet right now and my room is filled with piles of books, manga and paper. Don’t be afraid to throw things out or donate some of your stuff!

♦ Organise your Lolita. Wether you have a small or a big closet filled with Lolita, it’s never a bad thing to make a list of what you have, what you want and what you really need. Having a closet filled with jumperskirts and skirts is great, but without blouses and accessories you’re a bit stuck. If you don’t own any Lolita yet, why not browsing around on Click Hello Lace? It’s like a library, categorised in brands and pieces, perfect for discovering dresses you didn’t know about or forgot about. Make a list of Dream Dresses!

♦ Ice Cream hunt. Every town or city has an ice cream shop (or at least, I think so). Even better when there are multiple ones! Ice cream is the perfect snack for summer of course, so why not go on an ice cream hunt? This will keep you busy for a long(er) time.
If there is only one shop around: Buy or take a little notebook and write down the different flavours the shop offers and taste them all! You can grade them or write down why you like or dislike the flavour.
If there are multiple shops around: Buy or take a little notebook and write down the different shops. Then start trying out your favourite flavours and compare the quality! Which one has the best strawberry? Which shop holds the most delicious chocolate?

♦ Discover your destination. Big chance you’re going on vacation somewhere. Why not doing some work before? Google Maps can find almost every place in the world. Why not walk virtually around for a bit? You can also just look up cool things to do in Google of course.

♦ Blow bubbles. Simply because it’s fun and can result in awesome photographs!

♦ Bring the books out. Reading is a great and relaxing activity. Go visit the library and bring home a pile of books. A few of my personal favourites are The Neverending Story, The Secret Garden and the Harry Potter series. Starting a series is great, because when you like the first book, you can continue with the second and so on!

♦ Find the perfect summer colour for your eyes. In summer, the colours are finally coming out! Find a colour that suits your face, the brighter the better! Let the yellow, orange, pink and green come out and show the world your colour!

Smile, You're on Loli Camera!

I’ve heard it quite often in my daily life: ‘I don’t want to be in any pictures, because I can’t smile!’ or: ‘I feel so insecure whenever there are cameras around…’
The Lolitaworld is no exception: ‘Sorry, I put a star over my derpy face!’ or ‘I cut my head off this picture, I looked so stupid.’

I try to check Daily Lolita as often as possible and it occurs to me that some people just aren’t happy with the way they look on pictures. Or in some cases, just their faces. Or even more specific: their smile.
Smiling is one of those things that can come natural, or not. But don’t cry too early, smiling is something you can easily practise and improve!

If you want to practise your beautiful smile, try it in front of a mirror. Practising in front of yourself is not strange at all. The only obstacle? You. When you’re standing in front of a mirror, looking at yourself and trying out different smiles can feel really awkward. You’ll probably think it’s strange you’re making all kinds of faces and you have the feeling you need to make an apologizing face to the non-present people around you for acting like an idiot (even though you aren't an idiot). Try to realise that you're alone: there's no one there to judge you, except for yourself. Try to remember that you're just trying to create the perfect smile.

When you practise, try to find a smile that suits your face. Maybe you want the Angelic Pretty advertisement smile: enthusiastic, superhappy and bright. Or maybe your prefer the shy doll smile, like on the picture (which is AP too, by the way. Gorgeous picture, I love it).
When you’ve found your ideal smile, start practising it randomly. When you walk past a mirror, quickly flash your smile into it. In this way, you’ll learn to make your smile look spontaneous and not practised at all.

When you don’t want to smile all the time (because your jaws start to feel weird, auch), try something new like one of the Asian Poses. Some of them are just adorable! ^^

Although I am a very insecure person, I am not camera-shy. I know this might sound really contrasting, but I’ve been photographed all my life. My mother loves taking pictures, especially from a person posing. My younger brother hates cameras and never wants to be in the picture, even when he’s having fun. Through the years, both my parents somehow developed some kind of fright for the camera too, leaving me be the only person that didn’t mind to be in pictures. I like to show that I have fun and appreciate the fact that we’re doing something nice, so why would I hide that in front of the camera? Because of this, I can put up a happy smile at any time, always suggesting I have fun. Even when I don’t. Which is quite often lately.

Dieting, but My Way

It’s January, aka the Dietmonth! Commercials and advertisments try to reach us with their light products, gyms advertise with low prices to sign up and the scales are for sale everywhere. Yes, January is the month in which we’re willing to try to reach the goals we set for ourselves when the new year started.
Three months ago, an anonymous reader asked me on my Formspring to share tips on dieting (sorry it took so long!). I decided to write a big post instead of a short answer, so I could explain myself better and, even more important, longer! Before I start, I want to write a little disclaimer to tell you my intentions and goal.

With this post, I am not trying to stimulate extreme weightloss. I just want to share my healthy way of dieting with other people. In this way, I hope I can prevent them from taking the wrong way. I’ve seen people taking that road and I am certainly not trying to stimulate it. My way of dieting is my own, based on what I want and what I'm capable of. You may or may not agree with the way I diet, you may even think it’s stupid. But this is my way and this is how I do it.

There, I’ve said it. ^^ Let’s get on. I’ll first give you tips on weightloss in general, then I will tell you something about my diet itself.

Keep up your weight every week. When you’ve officially started, weigh yourself without clothes on. You have to do this in the morning, after you’ve been to the toilet and before you’ve eaten breakfast. That’s the moment when you’re ‘empty’ and on your official weight, so to say. If you’re afraid to weigh yourself, first tell yourself that whatever the scale tells you, you’re going to change it! I know some people are frightened to see an actual number, but remember: it won’t stay at that digit. ^^ When you’ve done this, write down the date and your weight in a special little book. Continue to do this every week, on the same day, in the same routine. This way, you can keep track of your improvement! If anything special happened, like a five day wedding (or something less extreme of course), write that down too.

Numbers on the scale. Having a scale with a round numberplate is easier than using a scale with digital numbers when it comes to weight alone. Well, this isn’t really a requirement, but I myself prefer this, because you can see with your own eyes what number the needle stops on. A digital scale only shows you a number, you can’t really change its data.

There are no magical spells that make you skinny. Ok, maybe you aren’t looking for a magical spell. But there aren’t any tricks that quickly make you skinny either. Believe me, I’ve read tons of diet sites and they all tell the same. When advertisers claim to have a great product that will make you lose weight quickly, it often contains laxatives.

Set a goal for yourself. Dieting is hard. Giving up on the food you love is a very difficult thing to do, especially when you’re surrounded by people who can eat those things you love so much. Setting a goal for yourself can help you to stay away from the things you aren’t allowed to eat. Whenever you have cravings for that chocolatebar, you picture your goal in front of you. This might help you (but it doesn’t always have to work). Of course, there are differences in how strong a goal is. ‘I want to be skinny!’ can work for some people, but it generally isn’t a really good goal. ‘I want to wear Angelic Pretty’s *insert name here* JSK!’ can be better for us Lolitas, because it’s easier to picture the dress hanging in your closet. You may even be able to picture yourself in the dress!

Drink water. Oh no! The cliché water-tip! If you’ve read tips about diets, there’s a 99.9% chance you’ve seen the water-tip floating by. Drinking 2 litres of water a day is a very good thing to do, even when you’re not on a diet. But 2 litres is quite a lot, especially if you’re the kind of person who doesn’t always appreciate water (like me, ahem). First, set yourself the goal to drink 1 litre per day. That’s about four big glasses or two bottles (do check the content of the bottle, not all bottles are 0.5 litre)! When that’s easy, switch to 1.5 litres a day. I myself make sure I drink at least one bottle at school, one in the afternoon and one after dinner.
But why is water so important for dieting? Many people asked me why I drink so much water. And many of them answered their own question with: ‘Water fills, right? It makes you less hungry!’ Well, I don’t completely agree with this. Water doesn’t replace food, but I do agree that it makes me a bit less hungry. A bit. But more importantly: drinking water stimulates your body to burn calories! Water does that! How awesome is that?

Find replacementsnacks. So you’re not allowed to eat your favorite snack every day anymore. End of the world? No. Find other snacks! You don’t immediately have to switch to cucumberslices and selerysticks, but fruit and vegetables can be delicious! Go out and discover your favourite, healthy snacks! Strawberries, raspberries, bananas or carrots, tomatoes, cucumbers can be delicious, especially used in salads!

Tell your loved ones about it. The word ‘diet’ can be misinterpreted by people. Many people immediately cringe or give their opinion when hearing this word, because of the bad side that is often in the media. Tell your loved ones about your plans, that you have researched and how you want to reach your goal. In this way, your loved ones are aware of what you’re doing. Maybe they can even help and support you! If you don’t tell them, they’ll probably notice you’ve changed your eating habits and they might think you’re doing it secretly.

Ask for help. Dieting on your own is very difficult, especially when you’re living together with your family or boy-/girlfriend. Beside telling them about your diet, ask for their help too! Maybe the person who cooks can try to make healthier food. Or maybe they can support you by saying you shouldn’t eat that pack of cookies. Maybe you even inspire someone to start living a healthier lifestyle too! But you also have to realize that you’re the one on a diet, not them. Especially living together with a family is difficult, because the other ones can still eat what they want, where they want (like, in front of you).

Ladies only. A couple of days before and during that certain time of the month, you’re heavier. Take this into account when you weigh yourself: next week it’s gone again!

The little things that count. When you don’t have time to go to the gym, like me (sigh), try to add little things to your life that involve movement. Cycle to school instead of taking the bus (taking in account you don’t live an hour away of course). Or go out for a walk in the park. And there are the little things, like walking the stairs twice instead of once, or taking detours to your destination.

Holidays. What do Christmas and Thanksgiving have in common? Food! Apart from being thankful for what you have, these holidays are all about food. And great food, if I may say (although I’ve never experienced Thanksgiving). Unless you’re really strong, I suggest you forget about your diet during these days. Skip the weighing for that week and continue the next week, it’s not the end of the world.


Well, these are all the tips I can give on dieting. My own diet is based on these rules: I weigh myself every week, I have a scale with a numberplate, I drink water, I have replacementsnacks and my family and friends know about my diet and support me. However, there’s one thing that makes my diet a bit… curious: I have a snackday. Every Saturday I can eat whatever I want. Chocolate, pizza and chips aren’t forbidden once a week. Call me crazy, but it works for me. Of course this slows the weightloss process, I am aware of that. But I’m just a normal girl, surrounded by schoolmates that eat whatever they want and a family that doesn’t join in my diet. By having a snackday, it’s easier for me to hold back during the week. Now you might think that on Saturdays I eat everything I lost back, but that’s absolutely not the case. This way of dieting has worked for me since I’ve started and I’m happy. That’s what counts for me.

I hope the anonymous reader that’s asked me for these tips is satisfied. ^^ I’ve been meaning to write this post for a long time, but I always postponed it, because I wasn’t sure if I should do it. Weight is a touchy subject for me and I don’t really like talking about it, but I really hope that I helped or supported people with this post. I can only say: good luck! ♥

Blogging for The Non-English

Lolita blogging has recently become more popular rapidly. Loliblogs pop up all over the internet, talking about (non-)brand, coords, experiences and outfits. I think this is a very good thing (Lolitas of the world, unite!) and I really hope there will be even more! ^^
Starting a blog isn’t an easy thing. What will you write about, how often will you write and how do you want to do it? I know some blogs have great tips on (Lolita)blogging, so I won’t write an article about that. As a Lolitablogger who doesn’t write in her mother tongue, I would like to focus on the subject of language.

Before you start a blog, you need to take a lot of things in account. One of them being the language you want to write in. There are three different, simple forms you can pick:

MBML. My Blog, My Language. MBML-Lolis write in their own language, so they can express themselves freely, without the limitations of a language that is not their own. Expressing yourself in another language is very difficult, because of all the differences in grammar and expressions. The downside is that not everyone will understand what you write.

50/50. 50/50-Lolis prefer to write in their own language, but still want to reach those that can’t understand a single word of it. They translate or summarize their articles for their ‘foreign’ readers. In this way they can still express themselves the way they mean to, but are still able to reach other Lolitas.

ETRA. English To Reach All. ETRA-Lolis prefer to write in English and in English alone, being it because it’s their mother tongue or because they want to reach everyone. English is still the biggest language in the world, so most people will understand what you say or at least a big part of it.

When you start a blog, you simply ask yourself the questions:
Who do I want to reach? Only the Lolitas in my country, so there won’t be any language barriers? Or everyone who understands English, with the risk of not being able to express myself exactly the way I want? Or do I want to do both?

When I started my blog, I could easily skip these questions. There was not a single moment of doubt about the language: I love to speak, read and write English and I highly dislike my own language. I also like to speak English with my friends sometimes, simply because I like it. One of them once said: ‘You always somehow make me speak English. I don’t understand how you do it!’
I often express myself with English words, often because my own language lacks the expressions I need. Of course, whenever I write a blogentry, I also open a page with a dictionary, because I often need to look up words or check if the expression I want to use even exists. I’m sure my entries won’t be spotless English, but hey. As long as people understand me and are not offended while I don’t mean to, I’m happy. ^^

Lolita Beginner Need-To-Knows and Must-Accepts

Being a Beginner Lolita can be quite hard. You have just fallen into the world of frills, bows and amazing dresses. And there is only one thing you want: shop, buy, purchase and as quickly as possible please!
And that is your first mistake.

I discovered Lolita one year ago and I too wanted to buy something immediately. If I had done this, I’m sure I would have become an Ita immediately. Luckily, I started researching first and I discovered that there are a few things beginning Lolita need to know and accept, even though it’s hard.

Lolita is expensive
This is the most important thing to accept for beginning Lolitas, and possibly the hardest. Lolita brands make lovely clothes, but they ask a lot in return. And the shipping costs aren’t exactly cheap either. The expenses are a big thing to accept, I know. But really, if other girls can somehow afford brandclothing, why can’t you? If you really want that certain dress or those amazing shoes, there must be a way to earn your money. Maybe this is a good reason to find a job?
There are a few shops that offer cheaper Lolitaclothes, such as Bodyline. The problem with Bodyline is that they sell Lolitaclothes, but also non-Lolitaclothes that look like Lolita. As a beginner, you are probably not able to tell good from bad. And that takes us to number two.

Do your research
You are about to dive into a fashionstyle that has a lot of rules. Lolita isn’t just throwing on a dress or skirt with a lot of lace, it’s a style that is about modesty and showing not too much skin. There are substyles with their own rules, accessories and sometimes even brands. If you do some research, you’ll find that the rules are quite difficult sometimes. But if you take your research really seriously (it is your new love, so why wouldn’t you?), you’ll discover that those rules only make your future outfit even more beautiful!
Lolita Fashion and The Lolita Handbook are very handy researchsites and an absolute must for every Lolita to read.
Of course, you can say: ‘I wear whatever I want, according to my own rules and no one can change that!’, and of course that’s true. Wear whatever you want, as long as you like it! But don’t call it Lolita if it’s not Lolita.

Avoid becoming an Ita
The previous step was about research and I cannot tell you how important that is. Really, you don’t want to look back in a few years and say: ‘What was I thinking back then?’ There are quite a few Lolitas who do.
Miss Caro-chan from F Yeah Lolita has written an amazing article
about Ita, which is really helpful.

Know your terms
The Lolitafashion is full of words. Make sure you know what people are talking about, so you won’t have to ask. This little dictionary might help you to do some of your homework.

Don't call it a costume
Lolita is a fashionstyle, and to some even a lifestyle. Lolita is not a costume. It might feel like you dress up and become someone else, like you are an actor who is about to enter the Lolitastage, and that’s fine. But don’t call it a costume, for it is insulting. Not only to other Lolitas, but to yourself too. You spent a lot of time on your appearance!


Becoming a Lolita takes time. If you do your research and accept the costs, you’ll discover something wonderful, sparkly, pink (or black, or any other colour of course) and poofy!
This is just a little list of things I have found out over the year. Maybe it is helpful for other new Lolitas who don’t want to wait like me.