My Himegyaru Inspiration

Warning: This post is image heavy! Edit: All images are from Google Image. I will work on adding the hyperlinks.

Hello princesses! How was your weekend? Mine was very restful and relaxing, and I miss snuggling with my sweetie already.

Today I want to talk more specifically about what my sources of inspiration are in himegyaru fashion. There, as far as I know, is no one dedicated magazine or complete source for himegyaru. From the research I have done, it has been scattered here and there in streetsnaps, magazines, blogs, and brand stores. The fashion, along with gyaru in general, has changed a lot in the past few years. The OTT (over the top) elements that I fell in love with seem to have dissipated. There's a really great article on the state of gyaru fashion I recommend you read here and a ton of resources on Universal Doll's blog including this one.

But let's get back to the happy story of inspiration. In this post I'll cover hair, makeup, clothing, brands, and models. And we'll hope it'll stay organized (haha...ha). Read on, brave readers, and click the images for sources.

Ah, this one brings back memories. Way back in the day, when I was first doing Google image searches, I noticed this one came up a lot. I love how big the model's hair is. Actually, this is one of the images I sent to my friend when comissioning her to make me a similar hair piece. You can see me wearing it in my coord on the About page!

In fact, I highly recommend checking out the blog post this photo is from. It's a nice little nugget that shows more cute inspirational photos of nails, outfits and shoes. 

Google image has even more to offer when searching by the names of himegyaru models such as Himena Ousaki. She's so adorable, and I love her style!

Speaking of her style, she also has her own clothing line called Princess Melody. Most all of the clothing is himegyaru, although some of the more recent fashions are...normie? I don't know. So much of current gyaru clothing is very westernized and toned down and ::sigh::. But anyway, she does have some really cute himegyaru things!

Related to Princess Melody (both are available on the same website), Ma*rs also has made some very adorable things that have inspired me through their use of roses, especially. 

That two-piece coord on the right is my dream set! Please tell me if you see it ;_;

What I love about Ma*rs is all of the over-the-top, almosty gaudy prints that feature roses, gems, hearts, perfume bottles, and chains. I LOOOOOOOOVE it. I can't get enough! What I don't like about Ma*rs clothing is how often it features black elements here and there. Black lace, black trim, or just...an entire black top portion with a patterened bottom. This is partially from personal taste and also partially my nitpicky lolita tendancies coming out. I want to stick firmly in the hime style and not veer off into agejo territory. Although agejo is cute, there are some key differences that are important to note.

Another brand I love is Jesus Diamante. My first and only piece so far is a gold crown necklace with rhinestones on it, but I hope to add other pieces that I find inspiring. Though the brand has been very toned down in recent years, some of the older pieces are wonderfully princessy!

To me, Jesus Diamante clothing tends to be more sophisticated. The colors are softer, yet the cut and fabrics used are more OTT. You can see a lot of details such as ruffles, layered cuts and fabrics, and a variety of textures.

Another brand I love, Swankiss, inspires me with its floaty, romantic clothing that contrasts with the bright makeup and playful hairstyles worn by the models. A lot of Swankiss items can be worn in Larme fashion, or even cult party dare I say.

I own the Swankiss Mook, and actually I use it quite often when searching for hairstyles that don't require a wig or just a large hime bouffant in general. The makeup looks are gorgeous, and I really want to practice them more! The shoes are also AWESOME if you love platforms like I do.

Well, I saved the best for last! Did I warn you this post would be photo heavy? Because it is....

Presenting my FAVORITE himegyaru brand...

La Pafait!

I love it. I love all of the pink, the frills, the ruffles, the lace, the fluffies, the poofies. This brand hands down is my single greatest inspiration for himegyaru. Cute prints are important, and I'm glad there are some out there to be enjoyed, but this, for me, is the ultimate.

Just LOOK at all that OTT hime goodness! Even though the colors are soft pinks, whites, and ivories, the fabric is phenomenal. I love the lace, the chiffon, the pearls, the bows, the layers. It's all so beautiful, and I'd love to have a closet stuffed with it!

What are your himegyaru inspirations? Do you have any favorite brands, models or bloggers? Please tell me in the comments!

Hello my darlings! How was your weekend? Mine was a little busy but I'm fairly tired now.

Image source: https://www.derpibooru.org/42889

It was pretty hot this weekend, so I took the opportunity to test some techniques for surviving in hot weather while wearing himegyaru. Even though there is plenty of opportunity to leave arms and legs exposed, a princess can still get very overheated under layers of makeup, wigs and hair pieces, and luxurious fabrics (you know, like shiny poly blends haha). Below I'm going to share some tips on how to lighten up with the fashion.

Skincare

Remember the thing that goes on under your makeup? Lotions and potions? Well, as many talented beauty bloggers have said, go lighter on those products. I'm an Asian beauty product enthusiast and love all the options there are for lighter layers to keep your skin hydrated but meltproof. Here's a sample morning routine I recommend:

1) Cleanse with a low-pH cleanser.

2) Use a hydrating toner and/or essence (my favorite). I love these because you can layer them as much as you want for different benefits or amounts of hydration without having greasy skin. These are important to plump your skin and make it look luminous and smooth.

3) Apply a face primer (my HG favorite OMFG I love it). Primers are so important for helping your skin to appear smooth and less oily. They create a smooth base for makeup and keep it looking fresh for a long time.

4) SUNSCREEN!!!! I don't care how sunny it is. I don't care how tan you want to be. You need sunscreen. There are some really fabulous ones like this one that are so light it's like wearing nothing at all. Apply it twice in a row to make sure you get that 1/4 teaspoon.

Makeup

Now we're ready to get dolled up! ^_^ Instead of a layer of moisturizing foundation or BB cream, I like to use BB cushions. There are many, many excellent ones to choose from and almost just as many reviews online. These are light and you can apply a very thin layer. After that, I like to put some concealer on only where I need it in and finish up with a light dusting of loose powder. This one is my absolute favorite as it helps give my skin a velvety glowy finish. I like to use the new cushion blushes too, for the same reason - cushions give light, comfortable coverage.

For eye makeup, I recommend perusing the gyaru fashion magazines like Ageha for looks that require less eyeshadow and makeup. There are even looks that don't use false lashes. The scan below shows the makeup look I used in one of my coordinate photos this weekend. 

The makeup look I went for from this year's Issue 6 of Ageha. Note all scans shown are from this issue of Ageha.

If you tend to get oily or worry about your makeup smudging, be sure to use an eyeshadow primer before you do your eye makeup and use waterproof or water resistant products. Dollywink and Tony Moly both make great long-lasting products.

Hair

As much as I love giant hair and hair pieces, it's hot, kids. No I do not want to wear a pretty shiny animal on my head. No I do not want to destroy my hair with lots of teasing. (Actually, my hair is so tangly and fluffy I don't really need to tease it, so that helps). There are many cute hairstyles you can do that are still pretty and princessy and will keep your hair out of your face and off the back of your neck. You can do a ponytail, pigtails, or buns. There are also some pretty updos. Below is a magazine scan from the same issue of Ageha with a hairstyle I attempted (I need to work on french braiding the sides and put the bun roll lower). 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Below are more pictures from that issue of Ageha that showcase how to do updo-type styles. They did a really great spread of hairstyles and I highly recommend purchasing the hard copy!

 

Clothing

Fortunately, open toe shoes are popular in himegyaru, so take advantage of that and wear some slip on sandals or open toe wedges. In terms of fabrics, I picked an outfit from Bobon21 that has light, floaty material. It's thin, breathable, and the bottoms have built in shorts (this is a sukupan set) so that I don't have to wear bloomers or shorts under the skirt.

Two piece skirt and top: Bobon21, shoes DreamV, hair clip and necklace handmade by friends, bracelets from Forever 21

I am also in love with this dress from Candy Rain. Shocking, right? I love Candy Rain. Can you tell? Really? Are you sure? I love you, Candy Rain. Keep doing the thing.

Image from Candy Rain website. Link

(Do tell me in the comments, have you heard of or ordered from Candy Rain? Have you ordered anything from Taobao before? I might do a tutorial post in the future featuring my favorite shopping service).

Accessories

In addition to the tips above, I highly recommend taking a few other things with you to help you stay comfortable: a parasol, a fan, a cute water bottle, and some facial mist. The parasol and fan add to the look and both prove to be functional. The fan for obvious reasons, but the parasol - while it does indeed help block the sun, many of them also have some UV filtering capabilities. NO this does not replace sunscreen, but every little bit helps. Some facial mists like this one help to cool off your skin and keep your makeup fresh.

Parasol from Swimmer, fan is a party favor from a friend's party, Sailor Moon Princess Serenity inspired OP offbrand, shoes from Liz Lisa, necklace from Kuma Crafts, and hair clip from Moon Bunny

There are lots of cute water bottles, or you can even make your own water bottle cute with stickers and decoden elements like rhinestones.

Image source: http://www.hawaiikawaii.net/2011/rilakkuma-bottles-san-x-kawaii/

I hope these tips will be helpful to all of you princesses! Please let me know in the comments if you try any of them or if you have your own advice for wearing gyaru in hot weather.

Stay beautiful!

Roselle

Welcome, welcome welcome!

Well hello there, and welcome! I'm Roselle, and this is my blog on himegyaru fashion. Please feel free to check out the About and Resources tabs to learn more about me and himegyaru.

Source: http://www.suitgames.com/forum/showthread.php?pid=41470

Today I'm going to focus on sharing the first meetup for my tiny (but growing!) local gyaru comm, as well as showcasing some pretty princessy presents (say that 3 times fast!) that I received for my birthday from my fabulous friends and family.

Pictured above you can see on the left some dream shoes I've been wanting from Sanrio, a cute little Pusheen courtesy of my sweetie, an Angelic Pretty purse, a sparkly Sailor Moon art print, the inside of Angel's card with another card below it (it's a color the dinosaurs card!), a cute princessy necklace with a kitty cameo, some BTSSB socks, a heart shaped box with a bunch of cute accessories and another cat, and a Little Twin Stars tote. Not pictured is a gothic Lolita Anna House skirt.

A really cute card and one of the jello shots Angel made for my party. Watermelon + blueberry = princessy awesomeness!

From a prior trip to Pretty&Cute, via a birthday giftcard from my friend Angel. The lash glue on the left is my HG, and the serum on the right is a new find that is amazing for keeping my makeup from melting in the hot weather! Plus it smells like peaches :) 

It was a lovely birthay, and I'm really grateful to all of the friends who helped me with my small party, as well as my family and my sweetie. You are all so appreciated in my life.

This past Saturday, my local gyaru comm had its first meetup! We were a small but very cute group. Two of my friends were wearing Liz Lisa in the himekaji style, one friend is new to the fashion and putting together a look with jeans, and I was in one of my favorite Candy Rain dresses.

Coord rundown:

Dress - Candy Rain

Shoes - Liz Lisa

Hair and other accessories - Daiso, gifts, Forever21

Nails: Color Treats by Fumi

We started the meetup at Pretty & Cute, a local shop that carries a selection of Asian beauty products with a focus on Korean skincare and makeup. I've shopped here many times and love how sweet the staff is and how clean, adorable and fun the shop is to peruse! They had some new items from Gudetama.

An aisle of lashes! Every gyaru's dream!

These are my spoils from my shopping trip! You can see a cute makeup bag made to look like a fairytale book. I might try using that one in a coordinate as a clutch. I also bought a flat brush to help apply my blush below my eyes, as well as one of the new Gudetama lip buttons. I purchased the shade RD01, and you can see me wearing it in my coordinate collage. Even though I can find it online, I was really happy to be able to swatch it at Pretty & Cute and see how it wore. It's very balmy at first, but once it dried down on me the color stayed on for hours and didn't smudge off on my cup!

For dinner, we went next door to the Korean BBQ restaurant and I enjoyed a delicious and refreshing bowl of cold buckwheat noodle soup. Everything at this restaurant is so tasty, and I especially loved the slices of beef in the soup - they were so tender and delicious.

Toward the end of the meetup, when we went outside to take coordinate photos, I totally tripped and fell! Thankfully I didn't spill any soup from the takeout container on my dress or shoes. Unfortunately tripping is not totally unusual for me to do when I'm in high heels and uneven concrete. As a general fashion tip, but especially in gyaru when heels are worn so much, I highly recommend practicing walking around in your shoes at home to see how stable you are in them. These shoes are overall very stable for me (that was really just an unusually clumsy moment), but I do have a pair of Liz Lisa wedges that I trip in all the time. I love them, but I'll have to give them up in the name of safety. Make sure to go uninjured in your beauty, gals!

Thank you for reading my first post, I hope you enjoyed it! Coming up next, I plan to cover himegyaru trends, brand spotlights, and how to incorporate hime elements into your lifestyle. I'm also planning an ongoing series detailing how to feel like a princess and enjoy the fashion when you're on a budget. If there's anything else you'd like to see me write about or any thoughts or feedback you have, please share below! I'd love to hear what you want to see and to make sure you're a part of the conversation.

Roselle