Lorina Liddell and Pastel Parade Review

I recently bought a beautiful chocolate headdress by Pastel Parade via Lorina Liddell.

Lorina Liddell is a "Online boutique for all the lover of Classic, Sweet and Gothic Lolita fashion.

Offering many quality Japanese brands with worldwide shipping from Japan!". They have English speaking staff which made it really easy to communicate.

Pastel Parade is a newly arrived brand to Lorina Liddell. They're an indie brand that specializes on food themed accessories (which I like to call "food kei) that's been featured on Gothic & Lolita Bible vol.44, 46, 47, and 50. I've been admiring them for a while, so I'm happy to finally be able to own something by them!

Let's get the review started!

We'll first start with Lorina Liddell (packaging and shipping), then Pastel Parade.

Packaging: 

My packaging was just adorable, It was decorated with a doily and cute white and red string in a brown paper envelope. The design gave a real vintage feel. The way it was packaged really made it memorable, which I can appreciate.

Rating: 

Shipping:

The box which contained the headdress was wrapped around bubble wrap. The box itself came in pretty bent, the headdress came undamaged. It was shipped about 5 days after purchase via EMS, so it arrived about 3 business days later. 

Rating: 

Design:

This is one of the most unique pieces I own! This headdress also comes in a strawberry chocolate x lavender and white chocolate x gold, each one having its own unique quirks.

I've always had an issue with the name being branded all over the product, but Pastel Parade is very subtle!

Rating: 

Quality:

I was very conflicted about the quality.

The Bad:  If you look above, some areas in the chocolate bar area are very bumpy and bubbly. Also, some of the chocolate cream deco did have some stray fur/hair/fuzz on them. There's also one layer of glitter raschel lace (rashcel lace is a big no-no for me). Lastly, the headband itself is very stiff, which gives it a higher chance of being broken, and is also fairly heavy for anyone not used to OTT headpieces.

The Good: The headband is very sturdy. I packed it in my check-in suitcase (with two layers of thin bubble wrap) and it came out just fine. There's two layers of soft, high-quality lace (there's nothing I love more than good lace). Since the soft lace is on the outermost layer, it actually helped with the comfort.  

Here is a shot of the underside of the headpiece. The fabric used is pretty soft and not uncomfortable at all. I wore the headband for a recent coord, and the alligator clips held up and stuck to my wig pretty well. Just be careful storing this piece, I recommend storing this in a cool dry place (not sure how the chocolate deco will stand up to a warmer temperature).

Rating:  

Lorina Liddell Overall Rating:   

Pastel Parade Overall Rating:  

I hope you guys found this useful! I'll definitely be buying more Pastel Parade pieces via Lorina Liddell. After checking out the Pastel Parade website, it seems that every piece is unique in their own way, so if there is one you truly want, make sure to grab it fast. Have a great week y'all!

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~Lapin Chocolat

Bownuts Cafe Review

Hey everybody!

I just got in my Bownuts Cafe order!

Bownuts Cafe is a dessert inspired hair bow shop! Each bow is sold as singles and are made to order, the owner gives you the option of which side the clip opens, which is great if you decide to order two. 

Let's get started!

Packaging + Shipping:

It came in this adorable pink box that is reminiscent of stereotypical donut boxes! They take about a week or so to make (drying process of the sweets designs), and she ships them out almost immediately! I am located within the US and upgraded to Priority Mail so they arrived within 2 days (they would have arivedwithin 3-5 days without the upgrade, so it is still quick with or without!)

I love packages with extra goodies included! The bows themselves traveled well, so there wasn't any extra cushion included, or needed!

Besides the hair bows, it also came with a package of confetti that contained two Easter themed mini erasers, a lollipop, and their business card/tag!

Packaging Rating: 

Shipping Rating: 

Quality:

The bow themselves are made of a thick, cotton fabric, possibly muslin. The deco paint is very thick, and is well glossed. No cracking, bubbling or noticable lumps!  The little graham crackers were also very well made. They stick well to the paint, and I don't think they'll be coming off anytime soon! 

Here is the stock photo of their clips. They're smooth, so I will probably replacing them with alligator clips for better grip.. The clip they use are just fine, but since I wear wigs often, I need clips that have a stronger grip.

Rating: 

Worn:

They work perfectly on buns! The bow size is 3.5"w x 2.5"h, so they're perfect for clip in bun and hair falls. 

See what I mean?  I really recommend buying in pairs, these will compliment a lot of different bun and pig tail styles. With the current clips, they slide and grip in perfectly wig cap and the buns. But I still do recommend possibly replacing them with alligator clips. With the current clips, the hair bows wiggle and slide around just a tiny bit. but not enough for it lower the quality/

Rating: 

Overall Rating: 

I'm having the best time creating different hair styles and hair accessory combos! I'll definitely come back and buy other designs. I'm going to try and get a pair to match every single one of my coords. They'll be the perfect start for my "food kei" venture!

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~Lapin Chocolat

Bling Up Review: Nail Art

Hey everyone!

Today, I’m reviewing a pair of donut themed deco nails from a wonderful decoden company that I met through a few Texas based convention, Bling Up! They specialize in handmade nail art, but they also do jewelry and decoden accessories (they can deco almost anything!). Along with the main artist of Bling Up, they also work with several artists in Japan (Tokyo/Osaka) or Korea. Each artist has her own specialty! So the rhinestone types we only commission rhinestone type of nail art, gel nails go to the gel artist, powder with the 3D art goes to the girl who does the best powder work and so on and so forth. This means you know you get the best of the best artist for each type of nail art!  The girls love working with them as they give them the freedom to create their own work instead of being told what to do literally step by step by their offices/salons. Unlike other decoden companies who are factory made, all their nail art and cabochons are 100% handmade!

Now let’s get on to the review~

Packaging:

Absolutely adorable! The packaging box is personalized to the company. unlike other companies who don’t take the time.

With the nails, it also came with nail glue, nail stickers, and a nail file! It’s very convenient since you can immediately try on The nail stickers can be very useful, I highly recommend them~

Rating:

Quality:

I’ve worn many fake nails over the years, and I have to say that these are one of my favourites! The nails are a lot thicker compared to others, and the 3D art are very well crafted~

One thing I noticed is that the handmade 3D art is sealed with the nail with a clear some type of clear gloss that adds an extra layer of protection to the nails! I’ve been wearing the nails around the house they hold up very well. None of the gemstones or art have fallen off. 

Some nails I tried peel from the inside when you remove them after wearing them with nail glue or nail stickers, but these nails kept their quality and thickness even after! It’s completely re-wearable and will last a long time with care~

Rating:

Design:

Bling-Up does custom orders as well! I’m usually very particular with my nail art, but I very much enjoy how these are designed! If you check their website, BlingUp.Net, you can see that they have a wide array of different designs! From elegant wedding nails to very over the top rhinestone designs, there’s a design for all styles! But they also do custom designs if you really want something unique to you~

Rating:

Comfortability:

A great thing about Bling Up nails is that they come in 2 basic sizes (Med, and Large) and you can request a custom size! This is their medium size (I also ordered custom sized ones from them as well, they fit perfectly!). Even though these do not fit custom to my own nail size, they still fit comfortably! My only problem with them is that they don’t curve to my cuticle so part of my nail shows, but that shouldn't be a problem for everyone~

Rating:

Overall Rating:

I absolutely adore these nails! The company and staff are also very nice and communicate with their customers fast and in a friendly mannor. My favourite attribute about this company is how original their designs are, from their decoden to even their booths (you guys HAVE to see them at a convention sometime! They cover everything with adorable handmade decoden, it makes you feel like you’re in a tea party!). I’m sure Bling Up will leave a positive impression, 10/10 would recommend~

~Lapin Chocolat

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