There is so much I want to say but I need to keep this as short as possible so I don't bore you all. I want to start by thanking everyone who has been a part of my life in the last year, even if it was only a brief one. I have grown so much as an individual and made some amazing memories and had some incredible experiences. I feel truly blessed to have spent the time I have in Helsinki, Kensington and Barcelona and to have met some of the incredible people I have. In the last year I feel like I have grown a lot as an individual both emotionally and "style" wise and I hope 2013 will be a continuation of all this and more.
Here is a mini photo summary of my 2012 :)
Just a quick summary of my year and some of the fun looks, things and people I have done and met.
I have never been the type of person who makes resolutions and lives by set rules but I do set myself goals to achieve. I'm also a firm believer in starting how you mean to go on and I think this applies to how you enter a new year. For me I started 2013 in Barcelona with friends enjoying food and culture as well as having lots of fun while picking up some Spanish. This is how I want 2013 to be. I am hoping to be fluent in Spanish again by the end of year and to continue travelling, learning and exploring both myself and the world around me and that is why (TIME TO ANNOUNCE THE BIG NEWS) I am moving to Buenos Aires in Argentina for 7 months at the start of February! I am hoping to rediscover my cultural roots, spend time with my family, learn Spanish properly again and explore South America. I am so excited about this and hopefully it will be another life changing experience.
Buenos Aires, also called the Paris of South America. Another exciting adventure and a fabulous excuse for me to change my look and my wardrobe as it will be summer when I arrive.
I wish all of you luck and prosperity for the year ahead and I hope you all take advantage of the opportunities that come your way. With love, Tobi x
Yesterday I went down to London to see my Dad for the first time in about 8 months and to see my best friend Lorraine. I haven't seen my dad in ages because he lives and works in Nigeria now.
My Dad is from Argentina so we went to the amazing Argentinian restaurant (where the vegetarian option is just chips) It was still fun though and so nice to have my family all together for the first time in years.
We talked about Nigeria, had a fight about the Falklands and then took photos ... unfortunately I have recently started going Kurogyaruo ... and I had a fake tan accident in the morning so you can only see my Purikura pictures!
Incredible Argentinian food <3 Shame I can't eat it!
My Family x
While my Dad is Argentinian, they met in Paris (where I was born) so we all talk in French together ... except my sister because her French isn't good enough yet :P she just sat there drinking coke.
Trafalgar Square, London. Beautiful city :P <3
Then after Lunch with my family I went to meet Lorraine for Gyaru shopping, Purikura and to catch up after not seeing each other for ages ^_^ Lorraine is normally a Manba but yesterday she wasn't feeling too good so she dressed more casual (but bitch is way more tanned than me!!!)
She will kill me for putting this picture up!
We went to a little expensive Tapas bar thing near the Japan centre that we always end up in for some reason. I had this yummy tomato on bread thingy and Marinated olives ... Lorraine had some weird meat thing that looked like the stuff you find down the back of a sofa.
It was yummy!
They don't sell Gyaru magazines in Finland so I did a little shopping trip for some people, Men's egg for me, Men's egg for Alex, Jelly for Marinka and Egg for Viivi. :)
I also bought myself some special paper you use to take grease off your skin without ruining your makeup! It's amazing.
Lorraine also gave me some presents, An Alba Rosa necklace (she has one too, they are now our friendship necklaces because we are cute and childish) this Alba Rosa top (I need to lose a few more pounds so I can fit in it better) and some lashes :) So I bought her a little Stitch bag that said Disneyland Tokyo on it ^_^ x
Okay, another little update already! I dyed my hair with the help of my scary sister (she's a moody bitch) My roots were totally horrendous and while I liked my old two tone, the trend seems to have passed and mine had definitely grown out. I was debating between going blonde or going for a light brown which seems to be popular amongst gyaruo at the moment. In the end I chose blonde just because I haven't been blonde in a very long time. (good reason)
I made this stupid gif of us dying my hair and my eyebrows. Sorry I look so ugly!
Here are a few photos of me doing a more traditional gyaruo look with my new hair colour. I think I went a bit too light because it makes my eyes a bit dark and creepy.
Okay! It has been a while since I have done a real post. It is now 21 days and counting until I fly to Finland and less than two weeks until my last two exams. Everything is quite panicky at the moment and I can't quite keep up. Today I went shopping with my mum to put my Finland money in the bank and get a few little things. Here are the things I bought.
1) Okay I didn't buy these today but I needed to include them, my mum gave me these sandals for the summer as I don't really have any summer appropriate shoes. I really like them even though they are quite painful. I am planning on using them for some Kuronba inspired outfits while in Finland.
2) Vogue was on offer and I haven't bought it in ages! So picked up Vogue for only £2.
3) Sunglasses, as I don't have any and the sun stays up for a very long time during Finnish summer and I am planning a lot of hangovers so these are a must have!
4) An eyeshadow palette from Makeup Academy (yay cheapness)
5) Finally I decided on what colour to dye my hair this summer, I am just going to bleach it blonde again as my roots are horrendous and I want to change my two tone hair. No idea what colour it will go! but you know ... YOLO.
Sunglasses and eyeshadow close up
Also my Alba Rosa coat came last week! It is so comfy and I love it. It is in surprisingly good condition considering it only cost me £30 including shipping from Germany. My friend Riku (formerly Tiia) has the same coat. I can't wait to meet him and Project Q this summer while in Helsinki.
Now for a ridiculous picture of me. Chronic bitch-face is an understatement. I look so happy to be here. Lol well here is my outfit shot for the day. Sorry it isn't very detailed. It was gyaruo inspired but I kept it simple ... because I couldn't be bothered to go full out just for a quick trip to the shops. Ugly hat because I didn't want to do my hair and sunglasses because I wanted to try them on and I am wearing no make-up and I am between contacts.
Coat: Alba Rosa
Top: All Saints
Jeans: Deepstyle
Chains: London Chinatown Market
Boots: House of Fraser
Gloves: Paris Fur Stall
Sunglasses: Tattler
Hat: from my distant past, just found it in my cupboard.
In other news I just bought a d.i.a belt ready for my trip to Finland and for my Kuronba, old school gyaruo inspired summer wardrobe. I will post better pictures when it comes but in the mean time here are the sellers pictures.
I did have a rather long internal struggle as to whether to buy this belt or not but in the end I think I made the right decision, won't know until it comes haha.
That is all for now, but I will be buying and modifying clothes and working on my hair and makeup in time for Finland so expect more posts very soon. I hope everyone is enjoying their holidays and for those, like me, who haven't finished yet GOOD LUCK with your exams!
The wonderful Lizzie and the gorgeous Alice created a Gyaru meme because there is a serious lack of gyaru related online activity/memes! It is meant to be a 30 day meme but ... I don't think I could handle that! So I am going to do several of them in one post. This is the full Meme for anyone that wants to do it! x
Day 01 – When did you start dressing gyaru?
Day 02 - A picture of yourself with fifteen facts
Day 03 – What’s your best and worst experience with non-gyarus?
Day 04 - A picture of a memorable night
Day 05 – What do you love and dislike about gyaru?
Day 06 - A picture of something you want to do before you die
Day 07 – Your favourite accessories that you own. (a.p)
Day 08 - A picture of something you wish you were better at
Day 09 – Your wish list. (a.p)
Day 10 - A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
Day 11 – If you could have any dress for free what would it be? (a.p)
Day 12 - A picture of someone who has made a huge impact on your life.
Day 13 – Name the best websites for gyarus.
Day 14 - A picture that makes you laugh.
Day 15 – What’s your gyaru inspiration? (a.p)
Day 16 - A picture of your typical night.
Day 17 – Show a photo for every year (or month if you’re new) that you’ve being into gyaru.
Day 18 - A picture of your favorite memory.
Day 19 – Share your best tips.
Day 20 - A picture of your most treasured item.
Day 21 – How did you come across gyaru?
Day 22 – Take a picture of your wardrobe.
Day 23 – Is there local gyarus in your area? If so where and how many.
Day 24 – Are you a lifestyle gyaru? (If not will would you?)
Day 25 – Worst hair/wig experience.
Day 26 – What do you wear when you are not in gyaru?
Day 27 – Did you ever consider leaving gyaru?
Day 28 – What do you think will and would like to happen to gyaru in the future?
Day 29 – The gyaru items you have brought over the past 29 days. (a.p)
Hello everyone! I haven't updated this blog in a while because I have been super busy with my exams. In fact I shouldn't be writing this now, I should be working on my exam prep for tomorrows exam but oh well ... I'll do that later I promise YOLO.
Yesterday my best friend Lorraine came up to my house from London for the first time. Normally I go see her in London and we have fun kawaii weabo times in Chinatown and whatnot but we have been talking about her coming up for a while and I needed some help with my artwork so she came for moral support to get me through it. Unfortunately we didn't have that long because she needed to get back early so we didn't have any time for fun gyaru shit or to style her wig.
I woke up super bloody early so I could get ready and dress in gyaruo for her which took way longer than it used to (I blame the hair). I haven't dressed in gyaruo for about 4/5 months! So it was nice to try it out again. As you can see I have quite a few men's egg magazines and I tried out one of the hair tutorials for the first time! I missed the smell of Gatsby. The feeling on my fingers not so much.
