Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Adventures in KawaiiLand: Ciali in KawaiiLand Review! [ 08-29-2012 ]



Hi, bunnies! It's that time again! What's in the box today?(Fair warning - I might use the words cute, kawaii and adorable a lot in this post xD )



This sweetie lives all the way in Italy and makes just as sweet jewelry and accessories. Her rings, necklaces and earrings all resemble cute things like bunnies and cookies and very delicious looking cupcakes.She is ♥ Ciali in KawaiiLand ♥! (That is the English version to her shop's site. Of course, she also has an Italian version of her site)

For the longest time, I have wanted to own some of her work and I finally got the chance to! Since it was the middle of convention season, I caught her at the right time just as she was making many more goodies to sell. I got quite the haul!



I was able to get a few necklaces, a couple of bracelets, two pairs of earrings and about four yummy-looking rings! She was so very nice to work with. And I even got a free gift!

Now, I know a lot of the people I follow or buy from come from all different art backgrounds but I seldom see graphic designers. I appreciate that she is one and her sites look great. Everything is just too adorable and her hard work shows.


The packaging is another thing I love - very pastel and kawaii, just like the things she makes. I was really happy with the tiny purple stars confetti that dressed up the little packages even more. The first things I opened were the rings I chose. Almost all of her pieces are made with polymer clay and silicone "icing".


I got a lilac bunny cookie, a violet shooting star creme and cookies, a lime green bow creme and cookie, and a very cute pastel rainbow. All of the cookie rings are tall layers with alternating cookie and creme. On the top, there is more creme with different decorations. As you can see, I had to get one of the rings with a bunny. The rainbow ring is the only one that is not layered but still just cute as the rest of them. Each ring comes in their own little gift box with a bright bow.


Next is a pair of candy-looking earrings. These remind me of multicolored twisty marshmallows.Three different colored pieces of polymer clay twist in a spiral up to little yellow stars which are then connected to fish hook earrings. My friends are always tempted to eat them xD


I also got these very delicious-looking macaron earrings. They're pastel blue with little pink bows and white creme in the middle.


The first of the necklaces is a very Fairy-Kei piece. It's a silver chain holding a baby blue rocking horse and a polymer clay rainbow with clouds and a star. I never saw a necklace put together like that but I love it. I wear it often!


The next necklace is actually very similar to the rings I bought. Except this one is an actual cupcake. It's a pink cupcake with lilac icing with a lot of whip cream and star cookies with of course a lot of glitter. And just in case you found yourself really wanting to eat it, there is even a tiny spoon hanging from the silver chain as well.


Another necklace in this batch is more like a set along with one of the bracelets I got. First, the necklace is a long black chain with two little pastel blue stars on either side of a black bunny face. The bracelet has the same bunny but with a rainbow, a lightning bolt, a little moon and a heart all on a baby pink plastic chain.





Another "set" is also from Ciali's macaron section. I got two bracelets, one with regular rounded macarons in different colors and another has heart-shaped ones with mini stars in between. The necklace mimics the bracelet with the star-shapes and mini hearts in between.





 












Of course, I couldn't go without a hair accessory! One of my favorite shapes is the star so I was really excited when I could get a cute little shooting star for my hair. Like all of the other pieces in my order, it is made out of polymer clay. The tail has blue, pink and yellow while the star itself is yellow with a super adorable smiling face.


And finally, my free gift! I thought it was so sweet of her~ It turned out to be a cupcake necklace! It's a very good sized polymer clay cupcake with purple icing and sprinkles. It sits on a silver chain with 6 little stars in similar colors.


I'm so happy that I finally got KawaiiLand stuff! It's very easy to work with her, she makes it a totally fun and painless experience and you get very awesome jewelry that is perfect for any Lolita.


Thank you so much, Ciali! I will definitely be shopping there again!


 Until Next Time~

Cuddles & Kisses,

~ Kieli ~

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

A Twinkle in the Dark: Lolita Dark CD Review! [ 08-22-2012 ]


Hello, lil bunnies! Today is a new "What's In the Box Wednesday". Inside the box are a lot of goodies from my new favorite band - Lolita Dark! If you are looking for good and pure rock music with a mix of Japanese and English, then this band is for you.



A few weeks ago, a Twitter user had contacted me with a direct message, asking me if I wanted to hear some of her friend's band's work. I said sure, why not! I am so glad she did. I have been hooked since then.



Lolita Dark is a rock band from California. (And they dress in Gothic Lolita too! I love it!) It consists of: two Japanese singers - Ray (Vocals/Guitar) and May (Vocals/Keyboard), Rain Balen (Bass), Patrick Cabrera (Lead Guitar) and Joey Felix (Drums).

More often times than not, whenever I buy a CD I'm disappointed and only like maybe 2-3 songs out of a CD that's holding at least 10 songs. I am very happy to say that this is not the case here.



Tokyo Status, Lolita Dark's first album, displays a very good portfolio of the variety the band shows they can do. When looking for music in the rock genre, my biggest problem is finding something with a good melody and guitar that can keep up with the drums and the vocals. I love the fact there is harmony and it's beautiful.

The tracks on the CD are:

Zesshou
All Tyranny
Who's the One
Death to Iris
Insane
Legacy
Girls
Nothing At All
Tokyo Status
Mad Times

They're all really great tracks. Though if I had to choose my top favorite, it would probably have to be a tie between "Zesshou" and "Legacy". "Zesshou" just has the most catchy sound and I always find myself singing along to it. And "Legacy" makes me want to make an AMV.



Along with the CD, I also got a thank you card written by actual members of the band, business cards and this gorgeous signed poster! I am super happy with the package they sent me. And it feels so personal too! I feel very lucky to actually have been in contact with them because they're so nice and the friend that introduced me to them is just as sweet.

So definitely check them out! You can hear samples of their songs and more on their site ♥ Lolita Dark ♥.



Thank you so much, Lolita Dark! I wish you guys all the best and make your dreams come true.

Until Next Time~

Cuddles & Kisses,

~ Kieli ~