Gabalnara Split-Wig Review

The other day my friend did a group-order for Gabalnara wigs, so I thought I would get one to save money on shipping/ordering costs since I can't read Korean.

This is the wig I ordered:



Looks really cute doesn't it? I love split hairstyles!

When I finally got the wig, I was kinda disappointed. I bought it in the supposedly highest-quality fibre, but it was still really shiny and doesn't look or feel much like real hair. Also, it was far too long, like it was designed for someone with a giant headO_o;; It curved out in a really weird way:



The bangs were too long, but that's normal for wigs I guess:



In the end I hacked a whole lot off it, and now it looks a lot better:



However, I don't think this wig was worth the $80 I paid with shipping/shopping service fees for the quality it is. From now on I'll stick with Cyperous, because their wigs always look exactly like their photos!

Summer and Shopping!

Wow, Summer has gotten so hot here, it's going to be hard to wear lolita for a while!

Lately I've made a couple of lolita purchases that I can't wait to wear, though.

The first is this headdress from Antique Beast:


I call it the Bat-Cat Headdress^^;;


It doubles as a choker!

I've been in love with the indies brand Antique Beast for so long now! They've been around over 10 years, and this "Black Cat" headdress was one of the first items I really wanted. Sadly they didn't ship overseas until last year, but when I first got into lolita I wanted one so much I made a (bad) copy!


Yes, shameful now I know. But at least I'm finally getting the real one!

The other thing I ordered was this wig from Cyperous:



I've always wanted two-tone hair like this, and the cut of the bangs is sooo nice! I can't wait to get it and wear it out :D

I'll post reviews when I get the items!

Headdress Not Dead??

I'm currently not able to go to work because of the floods in my hometown, so I thought I'd blog about something I posted on EGL yesterday.

The Gothic Lolita headdress! It was one of the first really recognisable parts of the fashion, after bell-shaped skirts and knee-high socks. In the past few years, they have all but disappeared in favour of Alice-bows, headbands and hats of all sorts.

However, lately there has been some interest in going back to "Old School" lolita. Not only in the Western community, but looking in the latest Kera magazine, it seems they are coming back:


An old-school style from Baby, the Stars Shine Bright.


A smaller chic-er version from Innocent World.


The caption I think said Metamorphose, but it looks modified?

Also from the latest Kera was this comic which I found hilarious:


1. Learn of the Gothic Lolita "missionary(??)" Mana-sama,
2. Work hard, save money. With that bit of money-
3. Collect lolita little-by-little
4. And then wear Lolita every day!

Japanese Hair Extensions 101

Whether you're into Lolita or Gyaru Fashion, you probably have noticed just how much BIG HAIR the models in magazines have. Of course a lot wear wigs, but not all! I looked at their hair tutorials in magazines and wondered what I was doing wrong- why did my hair never get even close to being as big not matter how much I curled and teased it?

Well, the first point is that I have very thin, fine, Caucasian hair, which I can't do anything about>_>;;;; But the second point is that many of the models in magazines have hair extensions. It's WAY cheaper to get it done in Japan, and they use a better technique than in Western countries. Where I live, a full head of extensions will set you back at least $500, but usually around $1000. In Japan you can get it done from $100-200.

Here is what it looks like in photos in magazines:


See those little braid things? Those are where the extensions are attached. They use a technique called "Pinch braiding" and it is basically just where the extension is braided in and kept there with a piece of elastic thread.

This is what it looked like in my hair when I got 50 put in:

Sadly they only had black thread, so it really showed up>_>;;

The best thing about this kind of extension is that you can do both up-styles and down-styles because it follows the direction of your own hair. You can get them for both added volume and added length. Let's look at the difference it made to my thin hair:


The difference in volume really surprised me!

So maybe you want to get Japanese-style extensions? First consider these points:

PROS:
* Cheap to get done in Japan.
* Human hair blends into your own hair well.
* You can do up-styles and down-styles.
* You can curl and tease them like your own hair.
* Instant added length and volume.
* You can easily take them out yourself- just cut the thread and unbraid them.

CONS:
* Very painful the first couple of days (I couldn't sleep on them the first night).
* Hard to wash and take forever to dry.
* Can possibly cause permanent bald-spots (though not as much as other techniques).
* Can be itchy sometimes, but you can't scratch or you'll risk tearing your hair out!
* Uncomfortable to sleep on in general.
* Impossible to hide when doing upstyles.
* Not sure if you can get them done outside of Japan.

Hahaha, reading the cons, you'd think no-one would want them, but that's the price millions of women are prepared to pay for beauty, myself not exceptedX_x;;