Online Store: Kawaii Honbu

I've been asked by online store Kawaii Honbu to review a few things from their shop! The sell cute clothing, accessories, plushies and anime merch. They sell a lot of stuff from china, I think its a really good option if you feel like shopping services, taobao and everything like that is a bit complicated. They also offer free worldwide shipping with every order, which makes it easy to order just a few things at the time from them. If you just need one thing shipping can make cheap items expensive. 

Here are the items from them:

Plushie $25

Shoes $46

Stockings $17

Bunny Ears $33

So I put together an outfit to try them out! The dress if from kokokim, striped socks from Angelic Pretty and necklace from Vivienne Westwood.

The shoes are pretty comfortable for high heel shoes and they are stable to walk in. The quality feels nice. The plastic part work great for showing off pretty lolita socks. Its a pretty pale shade of pink, I would probably prefer a bit more bright pink but since you can change out the laces that makes them more diverse.

I was very positively surprised by the stockings actually. They are very stretchy both over the legs and in the waist. I often have problems with stockings being uncomfortable over the waist because I'm pretty sensitive and have sensory issues so its a really big deal for me. This also means that I would totally recommend these if you are plus size, they would probably fit comfortably even if you're twice my size. They don't feel fragile either and are soft. The pattern is really cute and doesn't look cheap like many lace style stockings often do.

The bunny ears are cute but not totally my style. They sit comfortably and are not too tight on your head. One thing that I really did like is that it has lace laying under it which really nicely covers my unbleached roots, which is a plus.

The plush is cute, though its not proper San-x which I think you also can see by the cheap price. Its well made and really soft. So its up to you whats most important! I think some of their stuff is from the brands, you can usually see on the price which is which.

The shop owner is based in England so you can easily message them questions in English. Though the items are sent directly from china, which means if they are from different original sources you might not get everything in the same package. A actually good thing with this is its a lot less likely to get hit by customs fees if you are ordering a lot of stuff. And if you live in London they will also be selling at Hyper Japan this summer!

The have a wide variety of items so I recommend to check them out!

Photos by: Emma Macintosh

Angelic Pretty: Winter Coat Collection 2016

Angelic Pretty has released a bunch of new winter coats. There are many different styles of lolita winter coats. A lot depends on what cut of dresses you prefer.

 

I think the Milky Dream coat is really cute. I'm a big fan of scallops, its super cute but not too much details on it. The waist is pretty high but it should suit most basic AP dresses.

While the Victoria coat has nice fabric the cut is a bit off I think. Having the length just be slightly shorter than the dress makes it look like its too small and doesn't fit right. I think it could work with more casual shorter dresses but I don't think its worth the high price for that.

The Bear coat is cute and the cut works great if you want it to be more form fitting. Though think about that it wont look good with high waist dresses. These long coats really need a good petticoat under to look good. Otherwise they can look kinda floppy. This also comes in a pink colorway that is adorable.

The coat to the right is really cute and would work with various dress styles.  It comes in a gorgeous antique pink colorway with white faux fur. The only thing that could be a problem is that its probably a very heavy coat to wear and also I think its kinda boring that it covers the whole dress. If you hang out with your lolita friends outside it can feel like you are wearing the same thing all the time.

The Bunny poncho coat is cute but I think its really personal preference if you like that type of coat or not. On the plus side it wont feel tight or uncomfortable!

The Classic coat is really not my style it comes in two shades of brown, red, white and black. I just don't like it to be honest.

These two coats are really more my style. I like the shorter coats because they show of your dress and are not as heavy as the longer coats. Both of these are really adorable and I would generally recommend this type of coat.

It's really nice having a warm coat that fits well over your lolita clothes. It's really cold here so I'm happy I have my lavender bunny coat to wear this winter.

//Love Mintyfrills

Angelic Pretty: Astro Regimen

Angelic Pretty is now releasing Astro Regimen, a mix between space and military themes and it is actually really working. Aside from the quite bad red colorway I actually really like this! I think what makes it is the interesting cuts and how they chose to use the print fabric. They have done many OP's in this style and I think it works nicely with this print. The jsk on the left looks basic at first but still has some interesting details. Like the pentagram straps on the back, its an interesting idea and I wonder how people will work it into coords. The jacket and skirt set is pretty cool, haven't seen them do this with print fabric any time recently.

But by far my favorite is the jsk on the right. The bodice is as simple as it needs to be to not take over from the fabulousness of the rest of the dress. It looks amazing how the printed fabric folds to the side to reveal the tierd skirt under it with fantastic color combo on the fabric and lace. I love that the didn't just let the fabric hang, its folded and sown into place. They made such great choices with how to line the print with the cut of the dress. Its just a really fabulous design and more of this please.

//Love Mintyfrills

Wearing Classic Lolita

I have a new dress from Devilinspired; its this lovely classic dress that is not at all my usual style but I still really love it! Its super fun to try something new and I find that I still had some things to match it with. I love that the skirt is really long and wide, there is so much fabric! Much longer than I'm used to but it feels quite comfy that my knees are covered. I'm not a huge fan of faces on dress prints but its just a small part and most of the rest of the dress is sky, fields and roses. I think the back is really beautiful. Since it has a lot of colors there are so many options for coording it. 

Here I'm wearing it with a cardigan from Liz Lisa and my Love Moschino bag. I thought the hat would go since it has a nice 'lady' feel too it. The necklace is from Vivienne Westwood and the shoes are bought in a second hand shop in Harajuku. My hair doesn't really go with classic that much since its bright blue but I still think it works. I will make more coords with this dress and try wearing a natural colored wig. I'm thinking about trying to coord it with cult party kei! Could be interesting.

//Love Mintyfrills

Angelic Pretty: Magic Princess Release

Angelic Pretty are starting up their line up of spring releases with Magic Princess! I actually really love this print, it looks like magic sand castles. 

Print

The print is really cute and has so many nice details. I like the star detailing at the bottom and I think the boarder print has a nice scale. The scepters with unicorns, stars and other motifs really pulls the boarder together with the rest of the print that has chandeliers and stars hanging down. Finally a print that doesn't feel like a new version of something they already did before. I like that the sax version has pink stars on the bottom, prints with contrasting colors is really my thing. All the colorways look super cute actually. I'm just totally on board with this concept.

Cuts

I think the cuts are really pretty too. The Op has really nice detailing, I think the sheer sleeves will look really cute with this print, I like that the bow on the top is in a contrasting color, I hope it is so on the other colorways too. The jsk with the button detailing is nice but the buttons looks a bit just thrown on there, I think it needs more detailing around the buttons. I like the second jsk but this cut makes it harder to find a blouse that suits it I think. The star buttons look cute though. Its too bad that the bottom part of the dress is super plain on them, a little more trim and frills on at least one of them would of been cuter. All in all I think they are still cute.

I really look forward to seeing people coord this print, I think it would work perfectly with ott sweet. There are so many options for making custom made pieces to go with it. I just hope that someone makes a scepter or perhaps a castle headpiece? I hope I can someday get my hands on this!

//Love Minty

To Alice: Ice Doll

To Alice has released a dress called Ice Doll and I think that it is super cute! I seldom really like taobao print dresses but this one has what I like about Angelic Pretty but without being a copy in any way. Its like the lovechild of Toy Parade and Sugar Dream Dome. The cuts are nice, I don't like the overlay but its removable so it really doesn't matter much to me that its there. The fluffy collar is also removable. Even though the OP is cute I would go for the jsk for versatility. If you are new OP's can be great though because you have the whole outfit and don't have to think about getting a matching blouse.

I like the light colorway a lot more, I generally dislike really dark colorways of this type of light print. The print is really sweet, toys in a ice theme dress is a great idea. And I love that it has a rocking horse (big fan of those). The print is not too messy and had a good color balance. Its really nice that they have a really cute bottom lace but I feel like some more detailing at the bottom would of improved it, its a bit to simple with the design of the rest of the dress. All in all I think its really worth the price tag and a good option if buying Angelic Pretty feels a bit too expensive. I might just get it myself at some point!

//Love Mintyfrills

Royal Princess Alice: Twinkle Snow Carnival

Royal Princess Alice has a new print called Twinkle Snow Carnival. I think it looks like a boring winter version of Castle Mirage. The characters on the print look so tacked on since they are in a compleatly different style than the rest of the print and I feel like there is something off with them. I think the whole print would of been better without them altogether if they are not going to match the style of the castle. The name of the brand in the print looks so pasted on there that I looked at different pictures to be sure that it was actually on the print and not just on these pictures. The scale if way too big for the cut since it barely fits onto the dress. The part above the boarder is really really boring, they could of just had it be a night sky with snowflakes falling down and it would of looked much better. I wish they would at least have a more interesting cut, this just leaves no room for coording it creatively. I'm not really impressed.

//Love Minty

Angelic Pretty: 2016 Lucky Packs!

Here is Angelic Pretty's lucky packs! 

Print:

The print is called Whip Factory and I think it is really cute, it will probably look even cuter in real life. The cakes are pretty and look pretty creative, not just like a copypaste of earlier prints. The Black colorway is as always really harsh, though I like that the bottom part is lavender and pink candy striped. I wish the pink colorway would of had more contrasting candy striped but I think that's more a personal preference as I like high contrast dresses. The pink and sax bottom on the sax dress is quite cute. The little miniature animals around the cakes are pretty.

Cuts:

I don't really like the salopette, as I have said before they are often in that in between length. Its too short to be a proper lolita dress and its too long to be a comfy casual look. The pink jsk is my favorite cut, I like the higher waist and it gives enough space for this print since the boarder is pretty covering. Its simple and lovely. The sax jsk I'm not really sure of, its not bad but I don't really like it all that much, I feel like the middle seam is unnecessary and just cuts off the print, the front lacing just looks cheap. Other than that its pretty cute.

Other pieces:

I like that the cutsew for the salopette set has a collar, even if its simple it still makes it more useful. The socks are really cute in the pink color, I love that they put sax detailing on them.The Blouse is the same basic blouse they have every year. As you all might know I don't really like basic coording with white, its really boring. But of course you can coord the dress with whatever you want. I wish they would of maybe made the jacket a little bit more interesting. It also is the same jacket they always have. I find it weird that a purse is no longer included, why not?

They also have the basic set that I think is awesome for a lolita that is starting out, it has a nice old school feel and comes at a really good price!

I still haven't decided if I want one of the sets but it is really cute.

//Love Minty

Circle Lens Review: EOS Ice Green

Review of  EOS Ice Green from PinkyParadise!

Color Rating: natural

I really love the color on these, it really mixes well with my hazel eyes! the best thing is that the trasistion is really smooth so you cant see where the lenses ens and my eye color begins which gives them a nice natural look. I recommend them if you want a eye color that pops but still looks pretty natural. 

Comfort rating: Don’t even feel them

I’ve been wearing these lenses for the last few months and they are still perfectly comfortable, they are really soft. I can wear them all day without even feeling that they are there!

Overall rating: Lovely

I really like these lenses, so much that I got them in the blue color also! They are on 50% sale right now so I totally recommend them. I think they go best with brown or hazel eyes.

use the code mintxmint to get a free mystery gift!

(please read this wear and care guide before using circle lenses) 

Angelic Pretty Happy Garden jsk Review

Recently I bought Happy Garden from the Swedish Lolita forum. The purchase went smooth but not much sense in giving a review for a sale from a private person. So I'll just review the dress.

The version I bought is the High Waist Jsk in Sax. The model is different from other Angelic Pretty dresses I have since it has more of an A-line shape, so I think I need to get a new petti to better suit this dress. The dress has really nice fabric that has a rough feel. Nice change up from having the same cotton fabric as most dresses have.

The Print is really adorable and I think its very different from other AP prints, I love the brighter colours that give possibility to make different coords. The rough texture of the fabric also makes the print look really nice. The blue colour is more blue than for example the Sax Jewellery Jelly. The lace has little bunnies made to match the print, as expected from Angelic Pretty.

All in all its a very nice dress, perfect for Easter but look's great the rest of the year too. :)

Angelic Pretty Toy Parade OP review

I just ordered the Toy Parade OP in mint from Angelic Pretty's overseas shop. So I thought Id do a review of it. :)

The overseas page is easy to navigate, its simple to calculate the shipping fee and nothing makes it a hassle. The only pay method available is Paypal, which is just fine by me since its a simple way to pay. There was always status information on the payment being confirmed and later on the tracking number for the package. They send the package with EMS so it arrived later the same week after being sent. I was unlucky and got insane customs fee's. But not much to do about that.

The dress arrived in a pink soft plastic package. Inside the dress was in a plastic dress cover and on a black hanger. There was also a pink Angelic Pretty plastic bag folded up in the package. Aside from folding marks, the dress was in perfect condition and just amazingly lovely, as always from AP.

The dress is really cute! The print is perfectly cute and clear, the main colour of the dress was more bright than I expected, which I only think is a good thing. Its a really pop looking bright coloured dress that stands out. Considering size I would advice caution, as it has no shirring whatsoever and if one is a little to big it would be really uncomfortable around the neck as I can easily see it being a bit snug around there. Luckily it fit me like a glove, but one centimetre less and Id be in trouble!


I hope this has been helpful for people thinking about ordering! :)