I'm on Twitter!

Hi cuties! 

Just a quick post to let you know I'm now on Twitter!

Follow me for posts about my everyday life, food, shopping, friends, all things Japan-related, and more! I'm still pretty new to Twitter, so I'm also looking for other cute bloggers to follow! 

My link is; https://twitter.com/mypastelunivers

(It cut the 'e' off the end!)

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you all over on Twitter! 

Love, Cee x

recent purchases!

Hello cuties! Today I thought I would share some of my latest purchases with you while I'm waiting for them all to arrive. I have been testing out some different shopping services recently as well as trying out taobao shopping for the first time, so I'll be sure to review all of my experiences for you in the future!

(Mini-disclaimer) I worked a lot of hours over Christmas to save for my Japan travel this year, and I decided to treat myself to some new clothes with some of the leftover money; all the items were bought by me and were not sponsored (^^)

So let's see what I chose!

Florrie (from IntrinsicallyFlorrie) was selling this lovely Angelic Pretty bag on the Facebook sales group, and I am in dire need of a new lolita bag so I was super pleased to find one at a good price (I think it was £35). Florrie is a kind and careful seller, and let me know that the bag had a small mark on it; to me it looks brand new!

I have been trying to build up the beginnings of my spring and summer wardrobe ready for when I visit Japan this summer, so I had a look around on the facebook sales pages and found this lovely Bobon21 dress. It is very princessy and I love the wide sleeves. It's very soft and comfy to!

I also spotted this lovely Liz Lisa top on the facebook sales group; it has a peasant-blouse style and I love the chiffon sleeves; I think they'll be perfect for keeping cool in the hot Japanese summer! Coming from the UK, I don't have the highest heat tolerance, though I have some South African blood!

Taobao order; I placed an order a couple of weeks ago through Bhiner as I have heard good things about their service and their website seems really easy to use. I wanted to place another order with taobaoring, but sadly the item was sold out when they tried to purchase it. Maybe I'll try taobaoring next time! I chose a cardigan from ToMyBear/ToAlice, which is an adorable shop selling cute dresses and lolita/casual items and which has good reviews for selling high quality clothes! I also picked two dresses from Bobon21 and some plain tights (you can never have too many tights), both of which I had been eyeing for a while.

This paw detail just kills me!

This reminds me of Swankiss...

(Looks so cute and like a santa dress XD I ordered the pink one!)

I found these Liz Lisa sheepskin boots on yahoo! auctions for cheap (only 3000 yen new!) , and I really need some more winter shoes, so I bought them through Japonica Market! They are on their way to me now and I think should arrive by the end of the week! They ended up weighing 1.75kg in their package though T_T so shipping was a little pricy :_;* The shoes have a 12cm heel which is big for me, but I think the platform soles will make them easier to walk in!!

I snapped up this cute DreamV skirt from a Facebook sales community; it was a great bargain and I really want a plain skirt to wear with the gyaru/more casual clothes I bought recently. I want to expand across a wide range of fashion styles, so I'm altering my wardrobe a little!

I decided to give Tenso's forwarding service a try; it keeps popping up when I look at reviews, and their fees are very cheap! I ordered this cute Liz Lisa top from the Shibuya109 (ichi-maru-kyuu) web shop in their sale for half price, so I was thrilled! It's in lavender which is one of my favourite colours to wear, and it looks very very warm. I love faux fur at the moment to, and I think it'll suit my big fluffy Russian hat nicely! I also think it will go well with the kokokim tights I bought back last year, so I can mix gyaru and moehara styles in an outfit ^^ I only placed this order the other day, so I'm waiting for it to arrive at Tenso's office!

I was looking for items from Angelic Pretty's Sugar Dream Dome release, and I found the sax cardigan on UsagiYouHinten (a second hand shop similar to ClosetChild) for a reasonable price, so I was very excited to be able to purchase it! I hope I can buy the skirt at a later date, I keep watching Yahoo! auctions just in case. I just adore the collar and sleeve detail.

It reminds me somewhat of Frozen! Perhaps I will pair it with my blonde wig in a braid and do an Elsa-inspired coordinate...*begins daydreaming*

Cute Can Kill did an update of their shop today, and whilst I didn't see anything new I liked, I had wanted these earrings and the ring for a long time and was thrilled that Lila was offering 30% off with a special code, so I just had to get them! My friend has the milkshakes in ring form, and they are just adorable in person. I can't wait to wear them in a cute pastel outfit. Shipping from Italy seems faster now that Lila uses registered mail, which I'm so happy about!

Her items are just so dreamy! There are still some phone cases and earrings left, so please go have a look!

Last but not least, I had been searching for an off-the shoulder top to wear in a casual gyaru style outfit since I saw one in Shibuya 109. Honey Cinnamon had one but the material was odd, but luckily this top from Ingni came up on the Facebook sales group. It looks very soft and creamy, and it has cute pearls sewn into the bow part of the sweater. It will also be coming from Italy; the packages will be racing each other to arrive first!

And there you have it! It seems like a lot of stuff, but it was actually spaced out over a few weeks and months of me deciding and agonising over what to buy! I can't wait to experiment with gyaru and himekaji style as well as trying out new fairy kei ideas! If you have any questions please drop me a comment! I hope all your weeks are lovely and I will post soon!

Love, Cee x

Cutesy Kink Review!

Hello cuties! Today I'm going to be doing a review of the haul I made just before Christmas from the UK-based shop CutesyKink! CutesyKink is a fairly new shop which sells kawaii clothing, some cosplay items, accessories and San-X plush, and accessories. They are based in Hampshire, UK and operate from their website as well as running stalls at certain conventions
  The items I bought are similar to a number of items I have seen in taobao stores and on storenvy, so I assume that they are sourced from the same/similar suppliers ^^

To visit the store, click here !

Warning; this review s super picture-heavy!
Disclaimer; this is not a sponsored review, all items were bought by myself. The opinions in this review are mine and mine only.

Now onto the items! I bought 10 items in total; I will be reviewing 8 of these today, as 1 was a gift for a friend, and another I unfortunately had to return, as I didn't like how it looked in person. I ordered my items late one night; they were shipped by next day mail (I wanted them super fast!) that next day, and the day after they arrived at about 8am! I was impressed with how quickly they were sent out. They were well packaged in plastic bags (the shoes had a canvas bag, not a box, which isn't the most secure wrapping) and everything was clean and smelt very new!

1. "Cute Gyaru Style Pink Plaid Pinafore Dress" 

I was very pleasantly surprised with this dress/suspender skirt! It is made of a really warm and heavy material which is soft to the touch.It's really cosy to wear on a chilly winter day, and it served me well when I went shopping in London in the middle of January! The pockets on the front are sadly decorative, but still a very cute design. The straps can also be adjusted using  a button to lengthen/shorten the skirt. 

The skirt is one of my favourite items from this haul; it's well made and sturdy, with a convenient inner lining. Sadly the waist is a little big on me, but it's hardly noticeable when I wear a baggy blouse. I think this skirt would best fit someone of a UK 8-10 (of a 26-28cm waist or so). 

Rating: 5/5

2. "Kawaii Baby Blue Gingham and White Lace Top"

This top is super cute and perfect for summer as the lacy arms mean your skin can breathe! I love the floral lace detailing and the cute buttons that CutesyKink have on a lot of their items. This top had a couple of threads around the bow, but otherwise it's very sturdy and well constructed. I haven't worn it outside yet as its very cold here at the moment! I will be taking it to Japan in the summer for sure, as its perfect for a casual shopping trip. I would recommend this top if you have a small-ish bust (32 inches or below), as it runs on the smaller side. 

Rating; 4.5/5

3. "Soft cosy cream bear cape coat with hood"

This cape is just the softest and cosiest thing ever! I will admit, I have fallen asleep in bed snuggled up in this cape a few times. It is very well made and the material is just lovely; its also big and roomy which is perfect for lazing around in. It's a cute soft creamy colour (a little lighter than in the stock photo) and the buttons are robust and easy to use. 

Rating; 5/5

(so soft!!)

4. Pastel blue cutest bow smock dress

This dress is another of my favourite items from this haul; its adorable in person! I wore it on Christmas day and it was very comfortable to sit around and eat lots of food in! The sleeves are light but still keep you fairly warm, and the lace is so cute with the little bow design! It is very short however, so I would recommend wearing shorts or a sukapan with it, especially if you're taller than 5'4 or so! 

Rating; 5/5

The colour also goes perfectly with my badge from Moon Bunny!

                                      5. Cute White Sailor Collar Frilly Lolita Shirt (these titles are so long!)

This shirt comes with a detachable collar tie which I have removed in these pictures ^^ This shirt is so cute and versatile, I have so many outfits planned with it! It's well made, other than a few rogue threads I spotted around the button area. The collar is very cute and jazzes up a lolita coord nicely. Once again, it features the cute gold-coloured buttons. This shirt is a little more roomy than some of CutesyKink's other items, which is ideal if you have a larger bust! The sleeves are also very warm and comfy.

Rating: 4.5/5

(sneaky loose thread!)

6. Fluffy Dusty Pink Pom Pom Bloomer Shorts Skirt

These shorts/supakan are super super soft and very warm! The pom poms they have are removable and I have taken them off in these pictures, as I wore them under a dress as safety shorts! The material is extremely comfortable and heavy, and the shorts are very solid. I noticed that the lace has a couple of loose threads as with a couple of other items; this may be a manufacturing thing, but hopefully CutesyKink will pay super close attention to these details as they grow and expand. 

Rating; 4.5/5

(such soft material!!) 

Wearing my supakan, shirt and shoes!

7. Platform white post and bow shoes

Sadly, these shoes were a little disappointing. When I unwrapped them, I noticed that the flowers at the front of the shoes had fallen off (they had not remained stuck with the glue that was used by the manufacturer) as had a couple of the fake pearls at the back. I wondered if this was due to them getting damaged a little in the post, but other reviewers have had the same problem, so I expect it is a manufacturing flaw with the glue not being strong enough or right for the material. I fixed some of the flowers using super strong glue, but have not re-glued the flowers at the front yet. I'm content with how they look now so I may leave them as they are.  I haven't worn the shoes outside yet, but I think the flowers will hold up well now they have been re-glued. Hopefully the company will check these shoes more carefully in future to make sure they are up to selling standards; they are a very cute design and comfy to wear, and the sole of the shoe seems sturdy and easy to walk in. The detailed construction is what lets them down unfortunately. 

I decided to keep the simple laces for these photos (the ribbons are removable) so that you can see the shoes more closely. 

Rating; 3.5/5 

(Very cute looking). 8. Sumikko Garashi Sparrow (no way am I writing his whole title! ^^)

This cutie was a little impulsive extra I added to my order (anyone who knows me will tell you I adorable birds!). He is from one of the San-X collections and is so cute! Apparently he bothers another character, a Tonkatsu (pork cutlet) by pecking at his crumbs XD, He is so tiny and adorable in person. 

(so small!)

(with other bird friends Trouser seagull and Hoots owl) Rating; 5/5 

Overall, I was very pleased with my experience with Cutesy Kink! They were very helpful when I had to return an item and refunded me in a timely manner, and also  kept up good communication when I messaged them, even during the holiday period. I was also very pleased with their shipping speed, and my items overall. I feel they could improve a little on checking product quality in the case of the shoes and checking for loose threads, but otherwise I think everything is super cute and good quality! I would definitely recommend buying from their website as they are very friendly and helpful and the clothing is reasonably priced! More people are also leaving ratings/reviews now for their purchases, so you can read what other people say about an item if you're curious, which is super useful! They also are currently having a sale on some gyaru/steampunk items, and they frequently add new lines to the online shop, so I hope you will check it out! 

Communication: 5/5

Shipping: 5/5

Packaging: 4.5/5

Clothing quality: 4.5/5

Overall: 4.5/5 

Thank you all so much for reading! I hope this was a useful review, I tried to be as detailed as possible and give my full opinion; if you have any queries please contact me! 

Love, Cee x