Countryside Flower in the Cotswolds

Gosh, I love himekaji. I was actually thankful that it wasn’t as sunny as it had been because then I was able to wear my new Liz Lisa jumpsuit for my birthday (which I actually bought secondhand – but still “new” in my eyes). I had no idea where my hubby was taking me but he did hint that my jumpsuit would be perfect for it, and it was! We spent the whole day in the sunshine (and some rain) strolling through the countryside and eating afternoon tea in beautiful English manors, and I felt like such a princess. I was definitely treated like one in any case!

Summery himekaji Liz Lisa coord via hellolizziebee

One Item Six Ways: Zebra Print Skirt

If you want old school gyaru inspo then you’ve come to the right place! I’ve been dying to style this zebra print skirt that I bought from boohoo in a one item five ways post, and was (im)patiently waiting for when I’ve had enough pictures to create this post (as it looks like you prefer worn-on photos as opposed to flatlays which I’m all here for). I’ve put outfits for different seasons – from chilly winters to blazin’ summers – to show that this zebra print skirt is truly versatile. So versatile that I’m breaking my rules and have created six, not five, outfits. Let’s get started!

zebra print skirt, old school gyaru, gaijin gyaru

Clueless Inspired Outfit + Day Out in Bordeaux

As soon as I stepped out into the sunshine and onto the cobble-stone streets, surrounded by beautiful French architecture, I knew I made the right choice to wear my Clueless inspired outfit (with a gyaru twist, of course!). I’ve got to hand it to my friend Nini who actually persuaded me to wear it, and who also styled my hair in two cute little buns resting on either side of my head. I haven’t felt this cute in so long and was excited to be roaming the winding streets and tasting Bordeaux wine.

Clueless inspired outfit, Umbrella sky in Bordeaux

Manifesting My Dream Life 2.0

I know what you’re thinking – Lizzie, didn’t you already write this post last year? And, well, yes, I did, and it took a lot of back and forth in me deciding whether or not to publish this new post, but the truth is that those goals suited the person I was a year ago. I have since then whittled them down and have truly aligned with the person that I really want to be. The Lizzie that I picture in my dreams.

This goes hand-in-hand with my discovery of Manifestation (AKA Law of Attraction) and now I write down my goals as if they were already true. Gosh the positivity I felt writing this was contagious. I began to believe that I could achieve anything. I stopped rushing to achieve my goals because I knew that I would achieve them when I’m ready for it. I visited the Elan cafe in Knightsbridge when creating this post and the timing was almost perfect. I just knew I had to publish this!

And so… Here goes!

Gyaru Outfit Diaries: Malta, Baby!

Helloooo sunny beaches, palm trees and crystal-clear waters. I’m not usually one for going on a summer holiday (I don’t cope well with mosquito bites and the blistering sun) but Malta was absolutely perfect. My friend Amy and I went in late May which was, I felt, the ideal time for exploring as it wasn’t crazy hot but was still sunny. This meant that I packed quite a few outfits as I knew I wanted to have at least two outfits per day, so here’s my Malta outfit diaries.

Mdina outfit ideas

Gyaru Outfit Diaries: A Sunny Holiday in Cornwall

Our holiday to sunny Cornwall was one of the best holidays we’ve had in recent years. It was the first time that I actually relaxed – truly, relaxed – and it was also the first time we didn’t have a checklist of a thousand tourist attractions to tick off. We just went with the flow and it was so much nicer. It was also incredibly hot, which I wasn’t really prepared for as I packed clothes for a cooler climate, so I had to make a lot of last minute choices whilst running around our Airbnb in a panic. But I managed to put together a few summery gyaru outfits with the clothes that I did have, so here’s what I wore during my holiday in Cornwall.

Summer gyaru outfit at the beach by hellolizziebee

Sleepovers, Cat Cafes and… Manba Gyaru?!

I felt like we had stepped back in time when Chewiee and I found ourselves in our pj’s watching TV and scrolling on our phones. I can clearly remember the first time we had a sleepover back when we were both students, living in/near London, and at the prime of our Gyaru days. I was so relieved to have found someone who was happy just to laze about and relax (as I get really exhausted after spending a whole day shopping in London) and it has been part of our sleepover routine ever since. This time, however, we were going to do something different… For the first time in our lives, we were going to try out manba gyaru!

Manba gyaru

What ‘Get Wild and Be Sexy’ Means to Me

‘Get wild and be sexy!’ is one of our most famous gyaru taglines, and originated from EGG magazine (a famous gyaru magazine which boomed in the 90s) and was also featured in this parapara video with gyaru goddesses Yumachi, Aina, and Yunkoro. It describes everything a gyaru should be – from our outrageous clothing to our extroverted mannerisms. But I’ve always struggled with the concept of that tagline as I’ve always classed myself as a more introverted gal, so today I’ve done a collab with the wonderful Reila from The Name I Love on what it means to us (I will drop a link to her blog post at the bottom for you to read her POV!)

gaijin gyaru, gyaru, lizzie bee, casual gyaru outfit

Agejo in My Heart

I picked up the MA*RS set that had been sitting on my “to sell” pile for months and sighed. I’ve been thinking about selling this heart-print set for a while now but for some reason I couldn’t seem to let it go. The agejo style slowly diminished in my wardrobe ever since I adopted ane agejo, a more toned-down version, and so I sold most of my older prints. This one was one of the very few pieces I had left that belonged to the old school agejo style and some part of me sighed in relief when I slowly put it back into my wardrobe.

Help – I Can’t Live Without Gyaru Makeup

And in that moment I felt so alive.

I turned my face to check if my blusher was visible enough and of even vibrancy on both sides (it definitely was – I might as well have emptied the whole block of colour onto my face) and my eyes occasionally flickered up towards the beautiful lashes that framed them. Gosh, yes, it felt good. With one last slick of lipgloss my war paint was complete, and I was ready to tackle the world.

gaijin gyaru, cherry blossom, spring, gyaru makeup

1 Item 5 Ways: Pink Crop Top

Isn’t this just one of the most exciting times of the year? Winter is over (although some days it doesn’t feel like it) and everyone’s looking forward to the promise of spring and sunny days. I have a huge love for this time of year so for this ‘One Item Five Ways‘ post, I’m focusing on this super cute and fluffy pink crop top that I bought from Missguided (similar here). These outfits would be perfect for spring, especially if you want to go down more of a sweeter route!

One Item Five Ways: Pink Crop Top by hellolizziebee

Why Did Blogging Become So Serious?

It was 8pm on a Monday evening (well, yesterday, in fact), and I was trawling through my blog archives, going back to my first year of blogging in 2011. Gosh, it was embarrassing to look at; my posts were filled with emojis, with cringey language like “lawls” instead of lol, and were sometimes no longer than a paragraph. My photos were awful (as were the blog watermarks that were plastered over them) but I was excited to be on this little corner of the internet, and it was evident in my writing. With a twang I realised that I really, really missed those carefree days where I wasn’t serious about blogging. Over the years my blog posts – although mostly cheerful – have become more carefully planned and filled with relevant jargon in order to be noticed in the online world. But back then I really didn’t care about my reach or engagement.

So what happened? Why did blogging become so serious?

Why did blogging become so serious? Thought piece by hellolizziebee

One Item Five Ways: Dark Floral MA*RS Skirt

I love MA*RS; you don’t need to scroll down far to see that I have a deep love for the agejo style, and even though I’ve written a one item five ways post on an older MA*RS skirt I couldn’t help but do one for this dark floral gem that I’ve had for a few years now. It’s just so versatile, and  is the perfect skirt no matter if you are into the older agejo styles or the newer ane agejo – it can be dressed up or down!

So let’s look at how I’d wear this item in five different ways!

Let’s Talk About Himekaji vs Liz Lisa Girl

It’s 2010; I am scrolling through livejournal, saving every picture I could find of Yui Kanno and Liz Lisa shop staff girls and dreaming of the day that I would look like that kind of gyaru. Himekaji. Casual princess. I fell in love with the pink blusher, the big curls, and the cute floral dresses. Those were the days that I went to my nearby Miss Selfridge to buy similar clothing (as I didn’t have the means to buy it online back then) so that I could feel like an everyday princess.

Fast forward to now and I happily have an array of himekaji items in my wardrobe from a mixture of gyaru brands and Western brands. I even worked with my favourite himekaji store Kawaii Gyaru Shop, but I feel sadder than I was back in 2010.

And that reason was because there aren’t any himekaji anymore.

Himekaji gyaru Lizzie Bee wearing Liz Lisa