Gyaru Brand: GLAD NEWS

GLAD NEWS Around since 2004-2005 Rock trend

GLAD NEWS caught my attention earlier this year as I learned more and more about the different kinds of gal styles and trends. This is a bit more my style as I tend to really like wearing skinny jeans and long black or white tops. GLAD NEWS often uses skull logos into their designs and that seem to be the only thing that keeps coming back through their collections. That and the leopard coat. More on that one at the end of this post.


GLAD NEWS is in Shibuya 109, but I don't know where else in Japan it can be found, I'm sure it is not the only place it is distributed. It seems to be very popular on Rakuten because a lot of their pieces sell out quite fast. Maybe someone that frequents GLAD NEWS in Japan could enlighten me on the where about of this rockin' brand? Sadly though, Rakuten is the only thing I could find online. They don't seem to have their own website like JSG (previous gyaru brand post) does. Here are a few of the coordinates I really liked of Rakuten.


And the "famous" leopard coat...


A different variation of this coat (or even a simpler version) seems to be up for sell every year around November-December. I found out about it last year and have wanted one ever since. I die a little inside every time I see it so much I'm in love with it (yes, it's that bad). And it's all Rii's fault! She got the a different version last year when she was in Tokyo, it sounded like she had been wanting it quite a bit as well.

Of course now it's already sold out on Rakuten, and the single similar coat that I found on eBay doesn't have any buttons or zip... I can't wear that out here in Canada, I'll die frozen. So if anyone comes across this coat while shopping in Japan, please contact me, I'll definitely want it, well the gray/silver one anyway. Until then, I'll just keep dreaming and hoping it's available again next year when I travel to Japan in December.


What do you think of GLAD NEWS? Too rock for you?

Late gets, nails, etc...

I haven't had a post of "latest gets" in a while because I haven't been spending as much. I've been paying off my credit card, putting money away for Japan and trying to have some kind of a life. Not much has been going on though... During this transition from Summer to Fall, everything seems to slow down around me... Has it been like that for you too?

Well anyway. Flash back to July!

My last set of nails for a while. I had them done just before my birthday and got them removed in August. I decided to take a break from nails because I had been wanting to change my nail color every other day. I figured it couldn't hurt on my wallet at the same time...

Since then, I've been experimenting with different colors, new and old shades! I've been into matte colors more than ones with shines and sparkles. I especially love this shade of pink called "Greenwitch Village" by NYC.

Did the tips by myself, no paper, no stickers, no help. Just me and the brush from the bottle!
I think I've gotten pretty good at it, what do you think?

Back to July. During my summer vacations I went out of town and found some good deals on Oakley and Hurley t-shirts. These guys were my best friends for all of August!


For all of August I didn't spend money of clothes. Which is some kind of miracle (or is it?) for me because I always find myself buying at least one piece of clothing once a month, if it's not twice a month... When came September I was hitching to take wallet out on a small shopping spree, but I wanted to shop ONLY for things I REALLY needed. The flats I had been wearing all summer were giving me their last breaths and since I wear flats at work all year long I had to get me a new pair.

Globo Shoes had a pair exactly like my old ones! Happiness!


And while I was there I took advantage of their amazing sale on Winter boots. I only had 1 pair of boots for all of Winter last year. What the hell was I thinking considering I live in Canada, right? Well I just couldn't find any that I liked in my size. It seems the size I wear is always out when I find a pair of boots I really love!

I found these pairs and didn't hesitate. 60$! I think that's the cheapest I've ever paid for boots, EVER.

I really don't like wearing heels in the snow, and these turn out to be super cute and comfy! All the boots I've had in my life so far have been black, so I thought I'd got for this shade of gray to spice it up a little bit. I'm excited to wear these when the temperatures really get down close to zero celcius.

And then I ordered me a small package from Japan!


I've been wanting Soul Sister magazine since I saw it on Universal Doll and Rii's blog. This is the type of fashion I like the most out of Japan! It's edgy, a little dark, sexy and a little rock at the same time too! Totally love this magazine!! I'm definitely ordering the 2nd issue once it's available on HMV Japan.

And last but not least...


I'd been waiting for SO LOOOONG for Ayu Blu-rays. Her DVDs are all region coded, which means I can only watch them on my computer. Most of them aren't all that great quality of picture and sound either. The joy when I found out she was releasing Blu-rays of some of her past and now future concerts!! MAD HAPPY I WAS!! I order NEXT LEVEL Arena Tour 2009 (right) because that's the show I attended twice while I was in Tokyo. And Coundtown Live 2010-11 because it's the most recent show out to date and I really liked the previews I'd seen.

Let me just say it's preeeetty damn awesome to watch her on my HD TV, and hear her on surround sound.

*Fangirl squeal!*

That's it for now~

Have you gone shopping for Fall/Winter wardrobe yet?

Gyaru Brand: JSG

JSG

stands for Japanese Super Girl
ジェイエスジー
Around since 2006

JSG is the first gyaru brand I learned of and got to know. It is the ONLY store I bought a piece of clothing from while I visited Japan in October 2009. I didn't know much about this brand when I was in Shibuya 109, I was brand new to japanese fashion and didn't know much of gyaru fashion.

JSG caught my attention because of the way the shop in 109 was displayed, the music, the bright colors and the adorable shop staff that instantly came over to help despite the language barrier.

Collection photos from their website...

This is my favorite of the bunch! LOVE the fun prints and stripped socks!!

Items from their webshop that I would reeeally like to add to my wardrobe! All the colors would make it so much LESS boring~


Every piece of clothing usually comes in a minimum of 3 different shades/colors so there is for everyone! How much fun is that? I'd love to randomly walk into someone with the same t-shirt as I but in a different color!

JSG often has collaborations with Hello Kitty, which makes me love the brand even more! This is the one they current have in stock...


The one piece of clothing I got from JSG, as I mentioned above, was an Hello Kitty x JSG collab. A hoodie! SO soft and comfy! I totally love it and still wear it.

Here it is:

It has ears and a bow on the hood!

What do YOU think of JSG?
To cute? To colorful? To bright?
Love it? Hate it?

My first attempt at doing a blog serie. "Gyaru Brand" posts will talk of the different gyaru (or gal) japanese clothing brands that I like. In hopes that you guys will enjoy and discover new ones! Your feedback would be greatly appreciated~

Gal-icious gals

I've been "blogging" for many years now, though I think I would qualify the first few years more as a diary then as a blog. I was on livejournal.com for the longuest time, since I was about 15 or 16 years old. I have had three (yes, three) different accounts on LJ and have enjoyed my time on there for quite some time. But in 2010, I found blogger.com, and a whole new world of blogging.

There's something different about blogspot and it just attracted me instantly. I had (and still do have) lots of friends on LJ, but it's not just not the same. Blogger isn't necessarely easier to navigate or update, but I find it more fun! It's a lot easier to follow and keep up with other blogs, and it's even easier to find new ones with specific interests. It's like a community! Everyone knows each other, chat all the time, arranges to meet up if living in the same cities, etc. I love it!

I hope to meet some of you great people in the near future!

For now, I want to share with everyone a few blogs I follow and really enjoy reading. You can find the ones I read the most in my side bar on the right. But here are a few more special ones!

Pop Champagne Julie is a girl from my city! She posts several times a week (almost every day, if not every day!) about celeb gossips and special events that are going on in Ottawa. She cracks me up! Hopefully we will be meeting up sometime this year. Which reminds me I should probably send her an e-mail this weekend...

Swtie Pie Pnai Tricia is a lovely girl from California. She swears by gyaru (aka. gal) fashion! Her fashion sense is amazing! When I see her pictures of outfits, it's like I'm looking at a japanese magazine. I love reading her blog, she's always super active in real life and talks about all of the activities she does. She recently returned for a trip to Tokyo! It brings back some memories and motivates me to save for my next adventure even more.

Bloomzy Another sweet gal that lives for japanese fashion. She's currently living and studying in Tokyo. She blogs about her life, W♥C, and often discuss specific subjects related to Japan and living in Japan. I especially love seeing all the purikuras she takes with her friends. I wish we had purikuras in Ottawa!!

Rainy Days Never Stays Thanh Thao from Germany! She recently moved to Tokyo and has just started part-time work over there. It looks like she'll be staying for a while! She's always very positive and I find her posts to always be very interesting. She talks about the people she meets and hangs out with on a weekly basis. And just like Bloomzy she posts a lot of the purikuras she takes. As well as her shopping finds and the yummy looking food she eats.

Spooning with a school boy Caroline is another girl that lives in Japan. Her blog is all about her time spent living, studying and working in the beautiful country. Every single one of her posts is impecable and seems as if she has put much thought and time into. When I found this blog, I thought I'd found a secret treasure cave. There's SO much information on Japan I'm never bored reading what she has to say. Plus she has just started a serie called Caroline's Seikatsu Advice, in which she will be writing about her own experience and possibly others on living in Japan, but also deciding weither moving and living in Japan a good choice for you!

This is all I have to offer for now. But I'm always on the hunt for more blogging personalities to keep me entertain and informed! I'll surely be back with more eventually~

What about you? Do you have favorite blogs?
Any specific subjects you prefer to read on in blogs?
Do you have any blogs of fashion and Japan related to suggest?

Faux fur leopart coat

Hello ladies (and gents?) !! How's everyone doing? Good I hope!

I'm feeling fantastic~ I've been looking at clothes online to satisfy my shopping addiction because I can't really buy much at the moment. But I do need a new coat for winter because the one I currently have is too big now. I lost weight since last winter and it's too baggy now, I don't like baggy clothes, I prefer well fitted ones, so this annoys me a little bit...

I was browsing japanese online stores and came across this:


This is from GLAD NEWS, popular gyaru brand in Japan. I'm totally in love with this coat! Only problem is it's out of stock on their website. Mad sad. :(

I looked on eBay, I found some that would ship from China and Hong Kong, but they are all small XS and S. I would need M if not L (damn you boobs, always in the way!).

So if any of you come across a similar coat, PLEASE send me an e-mail. I'd REALLY REEAALLY love to get one!


Have any of you ever REALLY wanted something, but couldn't get it?

Universal Doll Giveaway

Another giveaway! Seems like everyone's packing these for the holidays.

This one's from Universal Doll !

http://universal-doll.com/

I've been reading Mitsu's blog for quite some time now. And I love every single one of her entries. Every time it's like biting in a cupake!!!

She blogs about gal (also known as gyaru) fashion, but also her own, with coordinates, nails and make-up. And also about her life which is split half of spending in the states and the other half in Japan. Max fun to read!

Go check it out~

Something new

I don't like to talk about my personal life too much online, but I feel it's inevitable to mention that I'm currently going through a break-up. (I'm not looking for sympathy, or suggestions, or advices.) It's something very hard, possibly the hardest one I've had so far. In the end, I think in life certain things happen for a reason, and I hope this just means something good will come out of this whole thing eventually. Yes, I'm heart broken, yes I'm sad and I'm crying. But as everyone already knows, time heals all wounds. I'll be ok.

With every break-up, I often see it as a new start, a new beginning. A time for you (well, me in this case) to figure out what you're doing in life, what you want, where you are going, etc. A chance to make some changes and start fresh.

A lot of my girl friends start the healing process, with some of sort of make-over. Have any of you girls done that?

I haven't died or cut my hair in 5 months. I haven't cut it because I want it to grow very long, at least down to the middle of my back when straightened. I used to color my hair every 4 to 6 weeks. It was black, dark red, had high lights, lighter brown, etc. But I figured I'd give it a break for a little while because the color wasn't taking in very well anymore.

But the past week or two, even before I knew the break-up was to happen, I'd been thinking of doing something different with my hair. This is when I saw Yuma's hair on her blog (http://ameblo.jp/yuma-takahashi/) :

I don't want to go as far as going blonde, I like being a brunette. Besides, I don't think I have the face that'd go well with being blonde anyway. But I love the concept/idea! What I was thinking, would be to keep this current colour that I have, which is a mix of dark brown and lighter brown, and get the same thing as Yuma, done to my hair, but instead of blonde, it would be black

What do you think? Do you think it would turn out weird? Or it wouldn't show as much because my hair's already dark and the black might not come out well?

Another thing I was thinking of was... extensions! Since it takes so long for my hair to grow, I could get some extensions done! It's super popular in Japan and I like the idea of having long hair instantly. The only problem with this idea is that in Canada, it's twice or three times more expensive than it is in Japan.

Anyone in the Ottawa area knows a place that does extensions and isn't too expensive?

Well, they are just ideas in the air for now~