Cute Pens and Pencils - Bringing a Little Lolita to Work

I work at a front desk so I always need a pen or pencil. I keep my own that I carry in my bag because if I left them at work they would disappear. Since I have them for such a long time I am not afraid to spend a couple dollars on each one. I knew I wanted a few new pens and pencils that were super cute so I hit the internet hard looking for some. Pastels, little animal themes, and other cute things were a necessity for my new writing implements. Since I try to integrate Lolita into my life as much as possible super cute writing tools are a necessity. So, I went onto Cool Pencil Case and found exactly what I wanted. I don't know what it is about having a really cute pen/pencil. I enjoy writing more. I think it might make me write a little neater as well. Here are the cute pens/pencils that I picked up.

 I wanted to buy a range of colors but keep it in the pastel family. I always love pink and have to make conscious decisions not to just buy all pink. It is nice to have a selection. It helps me so I don't get bored. First, I have to say the blue pen with the puff ball is not from Cool Pencil Case. It was a pen that I already had but it was too cute not to show off.

Of all the pens and pencils my favorite is the light yellow pen with the gold crown on top. It is really heavy and feels nice when you are writing with it. Plus, I am trying to add more yellow to my things (clothing, accessories, and everything) and this pretty pen is great. All together I picked up 2 Miffy pens (1 is not pictured), the yellow crown pen, the pink bunny clicky pencil, the sheep pen, and the white cat eraser (pictured below).

They all feel nice and write nice as well. One thing I really care about is the way a pen feels when you are writing with it and how it looks on paper. I made sure that I picked up pens with a small point. I write pretty tiny so I like a precise pen/pencil. Nothing to big or bubbly. The yellow crown pen is the best I think. The prices are very reasonable as well. I looked for the less expensive items. I paid $1.50-$3.25 for each item. Not bad, eh? I also got free shipping and it was fast too! Free shipping is the best. Right now, there is free shipping on all orders over $20.

I was only in the market for pens and pencils but they sell a wide range of school, work, and office items. Stickers, pencil cases (obviously), journals, tape, calculators, letter sets, and way more. It makes me wish that I had a little shopping spree for their site. If you are in the market for cute little work/school/office things, hop on over to their site.

Jewelry On the Cheap

After Christmas I had a little money for spending and I knew I wanted to pick up some new jewelry. I didn't want to spend much but I wanted to get something for myself. Watching a Michelle Phan video I saw she was wearing one of those super cool rings that cover 3/4 of her finger. I have had a soft spot for those rings since I saw Angelina Jolie wear one in the movie Hackers. (She was so cool in that movie) I knew that I wanted that style of rings so I hit Google hard and found a couple that I liked but, I wasn't willing to spend the money they were asking for. ($35-$100) 

In my searching I found a shop on ebay that had what looked like what I wanted and it was 99 cents and had free shipping. How could that possibly be a better deal? The only draw back was that it was shipping for China and it would take 3-4 weeks to get to me. So, not only did I pick up my super cool super new armor style ring but I scooped up a bunch of other rings, bracelets, necklaces, and a couple other odds and ends for a buck. 

Now, everything has come in. I got the last little parcel a couple days ago and I was really happy with everything I picked out. I knew some of the items weren't going to be of the best quality but I figured that some of them would be nice. Here is what I picked up and how I feel about the items....

 Bracelets. Pearls are so lovely in and out of Lolita and I could wear them everyday. Both of the bracelets are elastic so they are easy to get on. Each day I wear the same old bracelets and I am trying to beef up my collection so I can change them each day. Costume jewelry is the best because it is so inexpensive and if you break or lose it, it really isn't that big of a deal.

I have more necklaces than I know what to do with but I just had to snag these ones. I really love the pink bunny locket necklace for Lolita. I can see it being a jumping off point and inspiration for a really cute coord. Something that is all pink and browns. Perhaps a mix of classic and country. The wings necklace I got because I thought it might be good to use with the Steampunk Sailor Moon Cosplay that I am working on for PAX East in March. I thought it might be good for the locket/brooch. These pieces are nice for a dollar but they feel like dollar jewelry. I have a feeling they are going to need the occasional repair.

 I went a little wild with the whole crown and tiara look. I just liked these little royal rings too much not to get them. I have to say the one in the middle is my favorite. It is the nicest looking one in real life, it is sturdy and heavy, and it fits my ring finger like a dream. I am actually wearing it right now. The heart tiara ring is a little cheap feeling and a bit small for me. I am not sure what I am going to do with it right now but I am sure I can come up with something. The simple crown ring on the right is subtle and nice. All of the rings I bought I painted with clear nail polish on the inside of them.This way my fingers don't turn green and my rings will look better longer. It really helps with the quality of the pieces.

 These 2 stackable ring sets are pretty pretty. The brass rings with the red heart feel sturdy and look nice.  You can stack them a couple different ways and they fit me well enough. They are more a serious color scheme and I don't know if anything in my Lolita closet will match. The Gold Rose and Pearl Rings feel very cheap and are just the smallest rings ever. Even with these drawbacks they are still pretty and I love the colors. I think I will wear them on a necklace. That would look pretty, right? Especially with a Lolita coord.

 Not only did I get pretty rings, I got a couple cool ones as well. I LOVE cats and I just had to have the cat ear ring. I am so happy with. It is the best feeling ring out of all of them. It feels heavy and sturdy and it fits amazingly. I wore it yesterday and was showing it off to everyone. They really liked it and said they weren't surprised that I had purchased a ring with cat ears.

The eagle talon ring with just an impulse buy but I think it is pretty cool. Kind of bad ass. I think I will wear it on days when I need a little kick ass attitude. It feels nice and fits well as well.

 I wear all metals and find that they can completely change the feeling of a coord. As soft and rich as gold is there is something about the bright and pure look of silver. The leaf ring reminded me of the brooch's that they wear in Lord of the Rings. It is a little cheap feeling but as long as I don't wear it too often and don't abuse it, it will be okay.

The cute little wings ring (it might be a little hard to make out in this picture) is so cute I can't even tell you. When you wear it, it just looks like two little silver wings setting in between your fingers. Unfortunately, it is really cheap feeling and when I was adjusting it so it could fit on my finger it felt as if it were breaking. I will try my best not to adjust it anymore. Just like the leaf ring, I will be gentle with it.

 I know! This ring is all types of awesome. I got it with Lolita in mind. How could a cute tea saucer and cup ring not be for Lolita? I love it so much. It is big, heavy, sturdy, and fits well. The only thing I don't like about it is that the cup isn't a circle.It is more of an oval. It's not a big deal, it is just kind of weird because the little plate that the cup is on is a circle. Just like the bunny locket necklace, I think I will make coord around this ring. It's just too pretty not to.

There is the ring that I have been wanting since the mid-late ninety's. (The one on the right) The one on the right is great. No complaints at all. I can't wait to wear it. The really long one that covers your whole entire finger is pretty awesome too. It is so over the top and a bit in the way but it is so cool. I am sure something will come up where it will be the perfect ring. The ring in the front was just to strange not to buy. It sets on the tip of your finger. That's it. It makes you have a strange gold pointy nail/finger thing. I don't know. I just thought it would be cool to have. These rings remind me of the the Marique character from Conan the Barbarian. She had crazy killer ring things. 

If you are interested in finding some cute and inexpensive jewelry for yourself just hop on over to ebay and when you are looking for jewelry make sure you click the Buy it Now and free shipping boxes. That way you can get exactly what you want for the least amount. Do make a note though, it does take a while for the items to arrive. I made my orders at the very end of 2012 and they took 3-4 weeks to get to me. Don't expect them within a week. Which thing do you like best? Will you be picking up any of these goodies for yourself?

Lolita 52 Challenge

 Picture from F Yeah Lolita (Go check it out!)

Today I stumbled upon a nifty thing, the Lolita 52 Challenge. It consists of 52 topics including preferences, favorites, opinions, and more. When I was going through the list I thought it might be a good one to do so you ladies and gents can learn a little bit about me. I found it on F Yeah Lolita and I thought it would be super fun. Caro-chan made it herself and it is a solid list. Just like her I will address one each week. Here is a quick rundown of the list (get ready)......

1.  5 pieces that every Lolita wardrobe should have, regardless of style
2.  5 movies for Lolitas
3.  What my own Lolita lifestyle is like 
4.  Favorite thing to put on my head
5.  My wardrobe turnover
6.  My favorite Lolita brand
7.  Why I wear Lolita?
8.  Why don't I wear Lolita more often?
9.  5 keywords that describe my personal Lolita style
10.  How I first found out about Lolita
11.  3 trends I wish would come back
12.  Combining other fashions with Lolita
13.  Lolitas I have met in real life
14.  Lolitas I would love to meet
15.  3 things I wish I was told when I was a new Lolita
16.  10 facts about my Lolita wardrobe
17.  My first meetup
18.  Trends I thought I would never get into, but I now love
19.  Trends I thought I loved, but now I'm not too keen on
20.  How satisfied I am with my current wardrobe
21.  Plan for a trip! A week's worth of Lolita outfits I can fit in a small suitcase
22.  How I accessorize
23.  What influences my Lolita style
24.  What's in my makeup bag
25.  Best places to wear Lolita
26.  How I get out of a wardrobe slump
27.  Purses that I love
28.  Bloomers or no bloomers?
29.  Lolitafying things in my everyday life
30.  How long it took me to build a complete wardrobe
31.  Impulse buys that were totally worth it
32.  My best deal
33.  Something that I made
34.  Wardrobe blunders! Things I bought that I ended up regretting!
35.  What I thought when I got my first real piece of Lolita
36.  Nails to match my favorite looks
37.  Something that's not my style, but I love anyways
38.  Favorite hair style
39.  Most versatile Lolita item I own
40.  5 inspirational fictional characters
41.  Fondest meetup memory
42.  The ways in which I fit the cliche
43.  The ways in which I do not fit the cliche
44.  How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions
45.  Something that was a gift
46.  Parasols: Vital or frivolous?
47.  The item in my wardrobe that was the hardest to get
48.  My "signature" outfit
49.  My favorite Lolita print
50.  What's in my closet, but I haven't worn yet!
51.  Predict the next Lolita trend!
52.  How Lolita has changed me

Holy Moly! That is a long list but we will get through it, slow and steady.  I think it will be fun. So, look forward to one post a week.

January Ipsy Bag

 It is that time again, Ipsy Bag time. I really do love Ipsy. I can't say enough good things about it. I tell my friends, family, coworkers, and anyone else if they will listen. The middle of each month I get so excited because I know that bright and shiny pink bag will be coming my way. If you don't know what Ipsy is or how it works just read this post and see Novembers bag of make up. Onto the good stuff.......

 I am acquiring quite the little collection of cute bags thanks to Ipsy. So far I have a black and white zig zag bag, a brown bag, a long silver pencil case style bag, and now a midnight blue bag. When I saw this latest bag I thought it was cute but I got really excited when I saw the inside. Stars! How cute is that? I love little touches like that I think that I'm not the only one.  This bag is pretty deep and perfect for the bag within a bag thing. You know, the smaller bag for little things that goes in your bigger bag. I have been using my Ipsy bags for that and they have all been great. This one is a light canvas style fabric that seems pretty sturdy and stain resistant.

The things that came in January's bag were things that I was waiting for. One, I knew sooner or later there would be a lotion that I could toss in my purse. Two, I love getting new make up brushes and can always use more. And here comes January's bag full of things I can't wait to get. My bag contained a nailtini nail polish, big sexy hair hairspray, tuscan blood orange body butter, a brush, and argan oil. You can bet your buns that I am going to use all of these. I don't know how they are going to top this bag but I know that Ipsy can do it.

The Pacifica Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter is so nice. It has a great scent. When I think of orange I think of super fake orange but that is not the case with this lotion. It has a really nice deep scent to it and feels amazing. Winter is rough on everyone's hands so this comes in handy. You can feel it really sinking into your skin and moisturizing. 

I am pretty fussy when it comes to nails and nail polish. Well, I'm fussy and lazy. I want my nail polish to last forever and I have never found one that does that BUT I have found a little trick to making my nail polish seem like it is lasting longer. When you wear an extremely subtle color you can't see the chipping. With dark and bold colors as soon as one little chip shows up it is super obvious and looks a mess. But, with a light color a few chips are not even noticeable. I like this. I am super happy I got the above color. 

When it comes to hair I kind of let it do what it wants to within reason. I have long straight hair and I like it that way. A nice brushing usually makes it do what I want it to do. But, on the odd occasion when I am really doing my hair I never have hairspray because I don't use it. Well, now I have some. In March I have a convention to go to and I will need hairspray and yea! I have Big Sexy Hair hairspray. I am doing a Sailor Moon style buns and pigtails do so I will need this spray.

I was really happy when I saw I got a SOHO crease brush. Most days I do a cat eye look with my eye shadow and a good crease brush is important. The one I was using before is much fuller and stiffer. The SOHO brush is so soft, fluffy, and delicate. It makes it easy to apply layers and get a nice blended look easily. The first day I tried it I was really happy with the way it felt and the way it applied the shadow to my eyelids.

Before this Ipsy bag I had never hear of Argan Oil. This Josie Maran %100 Argan Oil is a versatile moisturizer. Use it on you face, hands, nails, cuticles, lips, split ends, any where!  It has a really subtle scent and feels nice to I have no problem using it any of these places. I have been using it on my hair. My ends can get a little beat up and they need a little extra love. This Argan Oil makes them feel and smell great. It comes in the little bottle with a dropper so you can use as little or as much as you want. I like that instead of just dumping it in my palm.

In addition to Ipsy I am interested in Birch Box. They are along the same idea as Ipsy. I watched several videos on YouTube of people opening up their Birch Boxes and they seems like they have some nice things. I did notice that there are more samples (like 1 time or 2 time uses) and that it actually comes in a box and you don't get a bag like with Ipsy. But, they are the same price and it still seems like a great deal. They don't have any openings right now so I am on the waiting list and will sign up as soon as the e-mail comes my way saying that I can. And, when I start getting those I will write about them.

Do any of you receive Ipsy bags or Birch Boxes? If so, do you like them as much as I like my Ipsy?