Roaming the Fushimi Inari-Taisha

The Fushimi Inari-Taisha was everything I wanted it to be and more. It was absolutely beautiful, and as soon as I crossed over into its territory I wanted to run up the mountain and through the thousands of torii gates. I stopped in my tracks when my eyes slapped onto a sign for kimono rentals and within the hour I was wearing a light blue set with cranes flying across it and a flower in my done-up hair. It took a while to get used to wearing the wooden sandals but soon I was walking like a pro and followed the crowd through the food stalls and to the entrance of the grand shrine.

That's what it really was - a grand shrine. It was huge and there were several other "buildings" that formed it. People lined up to cleanse their mouths and hands in the purification fountain and others lined up to pay their respects to the gods. There were also queues to buy lucky charms and the like and some could write their wishes onto a small piece of paper before tying it along with the others on the thread. I did what every other tourist did and observed, although I joined them in paying my respects and rining the bell before starting the walk through the thousand torii gates.

Summertime Dreaming

I got this Liz Lisa dress from Kawaii Gyaru Shop* late last year as a little 'welcome' gift to when summer finally comes around. I waited for what seemed like ages, and the weather slowly began to pick up but it still wasn't warm enough until finally we hit the end of May and it was time to wear it. It was Sod's Law that I began to notice things that I would've changed in this outfit; like the fact I had a hair bobble on my wrist instead of pearl bracelets, and that this outfit would probably look super cute with a boat hat and with my hair in plaits instead of waves. I think it's generally the life of a fashion blogger to notice these things, but at least I'll be more prepared when I wear this again in future!

What can I say? I absolutely adore this dress. The lace trim, the puffed sleeves... I feel so dainty and princess-like, and I couldn't help but do lots of little twirls in it! It has plenty of layers for when it gets a little cooler at nighttime... Would you believe these photos were taken at 8.30pm? 

Gyaru on Holiday - Travel Tips!

It's that time of year when we're jetting off around the globe, and enjoying the (hopefully) sunny destinations. There are so many places that I want to tick off my travel wishlist and after coming back from Japan just makes me want to go again! Yes, that's right - Lizzie finally went to Japan (after 10000000x years of saving up lol).

I aim to go on at least one holiday a year so you could say that I have experience with travelling, and being gyaru on holiday is a bit more challenging. I mean, we have to think about all of the awesome outfit ideas and the accessories to go with it, as well as figure out which styles of gyaru to pack! My suitcase before I got into the style was definitely lighter, but I've been getting a lot better lately.

Below is my list of holiday tips for the travelling gyaru to get you prepared for your summer holiday. Hope it helps!

Introducing... UK Gyaru Circle, QueenE!

QueenE gyarusa! Pic taken by Rachel

I have some really exciting news to tell you... Amber and I have created a gyaru circle! I mentioned in one of my previous posts that one of the things I missed the most about gyaru was being in a circle and getting that sense of belonging, and my wish was granted. We decided to call it QueenE (initially we were going to be called Queenie) in honour of our dear Queen Elizabeth! I'm so excited to see how it goes, and so far we've decided that we'll host meets once a month in all areas of the UK.

Our first meet as a circle was hosted in London, and luckily all of our members were there (Amber, Kei, Rachel, Laura and I) and there were some other gyaru there that I hadn't seen in a long time, as well as some newbies! Everyone looked so good. We dined on some delicious Korean food, shopped at Japan Centre, before heading to Namco arcade to play some games and bowling.