10 Things You Can't Live Without in Lolita

1. Gothic & Lolita Bibles

Even in the midst of a bad day, month, or season, in which I can't bring myself to wear Lolita, I have my Bibles within arm's reach to look through and get my fix of beautiful things.

2. Cardigans and Boleros

I hugely prefer these to blouses, especially since I have a taste for full-coverage prints that I often want to break up and tone down with blocks of color. When worn in just the right way, they can also be used to help define your waist and smooth out your bodice.

3. Over-the-Knee Socks

These are by and large my preferred leg wear. I find tights to be uncomfortable, and anything knee-length or shorter usually doesn't look flattering on my legs.

4. Petticoats

Because, with very few exceptions, what is Lolita without the silhouette-shaping underfluff?

5. My Makeup Arsenal

Disclaimer: this isn't my makeup, I pulled this off of Google

I almost never leave my apartment without at least minimal makeup, and Lolita absolutely feels incomplete to me if I decide to walk around with a bare face.

6. Bloomers

I know this keeps making its way into my lists, but I'm just super dependent on bloomers! They're perfect for modesty in windy weather and guarding against thigh chafing.

7. Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

I don't think I would have fallen nearly as hard for Lolita as I did if it hadn't been for my all-time favorite brand! Baby is just so classically Lolita. If someone asked me to define Lolita for them, all I would have to do is direct them to the Classic Series page on the BtSSB website.

8. Metamorphose temps de Fille

On the flip side, I don't think I would have been able to really build up any confidence in wearing Lolita if it weren't for Meta! Their clothes are comfortable, easy to wear, and often found cheap on the secondhand sales, and my first brand dress was a Meta JSK that I still have and love.

9. Lace Market

I know it's a love-to-hate website, but it's frankly the easiest secondhand selling site that I've used. Most of my transactions, either buying or selling, have taken place here, and I'll definitely continue to use it.

10. Other Lolita Bloggers

Lolita bloggers have always been my #1 inspiration and resource for Lolita fashion: Parfait Doll and F Yeah Lolita! in particular are the two I first found, and still go back to when I'm feeling uninspired. Being able to hear from and see the Lolita world through different people is absolutely invaluable, and you should never stop searching for new blogs to check out. You never know who might spark an idea in your mind for your next great coordinate!

10 Different Foods You Like

Another fun list from the 30 Day Lolita challenge!

1. Apples

I have a mighty devotion to Red Delicious apples, particularly the ones I get to go pick at the local orchard back in my hometown. They're massive, and way too big to cut with my slicer.

2. Pickled Green Beans

I'm not a huge fan of green beans, even though I've been cooking them for dinner a lot recently (the secret was apparently garlic and cheese), but dill-pickled beans were the first recipe that I tried (and made) and liked. Ugh, they're just so good!

3. Negimaki

This is a dish that I always have whenever I go to my favorite Japanese steakhouse back home: thinly sliced beef rolled around scallions with black pepper sauce and a sprinkle of sesame seeds! It comes as an appetizer, but I'm set with having just this for dinner.

4. Cereal

If I'm being honest, I'll come right out and say that cereal is kind of my go-to easy meal, particularly if my stomach's upset. My boyfriend likes to tease me about only liking "boring" stuff like plain Cheerios or Cornflakes, but that just means he won't eat them when I'm not around ;)

5. Strawberries

Who doesn't love a good strawberry? Though I have to admit, I'm a bit spoiled on them; homegrown is just so much better! After spending months eating only the berries I picked out of my grandfather's patch, the store bought ones now look weird and unripe.

6. Macarons

If you hadn't figured it out by now, I love macarons. Nothing beats a decent one. I was disappointed when a French-Lebanese bakery opened in my hometown and turned out to have terrible macarons (they were way too sweet). My favorite so far has been a raspberry-flavored one from Ladurée.

7. Lemon Cake

But not just any lemon cake. This is the Lemon Tower Cake from an Italian bistro called Biaggi's. Lemon is really easy to screw up, and it's simple to make the flavor overpowering. Biaggi's did it right. It's a white cake with a thin lemon sauce and filling and white chocolate shavings on the side. Neither the vanilla nor the lemon dominate the dessert, and it just came out perfectly.

8. Flax Fortune Coins

My boyfriend started subscribing to NatureBox, which is a snack box with healthier alternatives to a lot of the super-sugary or processed foods you find in a store. So far, my favorite snacks are the Flax Fortune Coins. I really love fortune cookies, and these taste just like them!

9. Root Beer Floats

This is funny, because I'm not a huge fan of rootbeer. But vanilla ice cream goes really well with it, and I love to have this occasionally in the summer!

10. Popcorn

Popcorn is hands-down my favorite snack. I had it all the time growing up, as we owned an air-popper. A few months ago, my mom won a decent air popper in a raffle and gave it to me, so now I can have it whenever I want! I like it a lot better than bagged or stovetop popcorn because you don't need oil to make it, it's fast, and you can put whatever toppings you want on it. Though, I really love most popcorn you throw in front of me-- especially this salted caramel apple corn from Naturebox.

10 Things I Hate in Lolita

Alas, while I had lots of fun writing up the Things I Love post, its counterpart was also on the list. Here we go!

1. Having Money but Nothing You Like on the Comm Sales

Every Lolita's curse. This usually goes double for things like shoes or accessories needed to complete a coordinate. And then, the second you buy something, your dream dress pops up!

2. A Lot of the Brand Plus-Sized Options

Let's face it: a majority of plus-sized friendly options coming out of brands look terrible on plus-sized figures. Full back shirring is great, and I'm glad that the brands are at least open to the idea of larger sizes, but the current options on Angelic Pretty's USA site need a B-cup bust or smaller to actually look like a waistline, and Baby (though they often have some decent old school, fully-shirred pieces) does similarly if they choose shirring at all.

3. Driving in Lolita

Because I have a small car, and no one likes to squish themselves into the driver's seat.

4. Rocking Horse Shoes

This is a personal problem. I like how rocking horse shoes look, and I can appreciate it when coordinates make good use of them, but RHS and I just can't seem to get along. I only bought one pair, and I only wore them once. I fell down so many times that day, and still have a scar on my leg from one of the worst tumbles. At the end of the day, one of the shoes even broke beyond repair. I went on to my home comm's page and asked how in the world people walked in these, only to be met with a dozen comments like "I don't know what you're talking about, I stumble, but I never have any real trouble with them. :)" I swore that day to never get RHS again.

5. Angelic Pretty Custom Lace

It's totally cute, and I get why AP fans love it, but I just have this irrational dislike for it. I think it's because when I was in my early Lolita days and still researching, I had it drilled into my head that lace with a net base was Bad, and only things like eyelet, cluny, or Venice lace were acceptable.

6. LaceMarket and Lolibrary Constantly Going Offline

I generally like both of these websites: Lolibrary is obviously the best database of brand items we have right now, and LaceMarket makes purchasing and selling pretty easy, especially since I don't do anything on LiveJournal (I came into the fashion after Facebook became the primary platform for Lolita communities). However, if you've ever used either of them, then you probably know that they go down all the time. It gets annoying.

7. Antlers

This is another personal choice. I just don't like the antler headpieces, and I'm kind of glad that the trend is dying. They're very pretty when done well, but I can't help but lump it in with animal ears, which are also a Lolita no-go.

8. Toy Prints

I have one exception to this: I love Melody Toys. Stuffed animals playing in a little musical ensemble are just so adorable. Other than that, I've never really been into toy prints.

9. Cleaning Your Dresses

Most of my Lolita wardrobe is, luckily, able to get wet, but that doesn't stop it from being a pain. Though, honestly, the drying part has always been the phase I hate most. I can't use my shower for quite a while, and no matter what I do, the floor always seems to get wet.

10. Not having stock photos or info for older pieces

I don't know why, but I love having the release information about my dresses! What are the official measurements, what year did it come out, what did the stock photos look like? Unfortunately, some of my older and rarer pieces (*coughRibbonDollcough*) have rather lackluster Lolibrary entries and terrible stock photos.

What are some things that you dislike in or about Lolita fashion? Let me know in the comments below!

10 Things I Love in Lolita

Day Two of the 30 Day Lolita Challenge is all about things you love in or about Lolita! Here we go!

1. Fancy Bloomers 

I just love lace-trimmed and pintucked bloomers! I know they aren't meant to be seen, but having fancy underwear is just fun.

2. Gothic and Lolita Bibles

I'd never been that into fashion magazines until I finally bought a Bible a little more than a year ago, and now I can't get enough of them! I especially love looking at street snaps, the makeup and hair guides, and the sticker pages.

3. Non-Print Dresses

Finding a good stock photo of this OP is nearly
impossible.

Don't get me wrong, I love and adore prints, too, but the solid pieces are detail-heavy in a completely different way. I love to see a dress have the lace, ruffles, pintucks, and ribbons piled on, like Innocent World's Ribbon Doll OP.

4. Casual Lolita

Taking something as fancy as Lolita and then turning it into casual, everyday wear is highly appealing to me, because it lets me wear my frills on lazy days when I don't want to go the extra mile, or even the whole one. Some days, I just want to look sweet and girly!

5. Cat Prints

Sleepy kitties!!!

I once saw a large sales post on the comm sales and almost every piece was a cat print. My heart skipped a beat before it started racing, and I can remember thinking "I wish I was brave enough to have that wardrobe." I still don't own any cat prints, but I have my heart set on a couple-- I'm forever kicking myself for missing the release of Meta's Dozing Cat!

6. Novelty Pillows



I'm not a particular fan of the Decoration Dream dress, but I love seeing this cute pillow on my bed! I also have the yellow Sweet Jam cushion, and I'd love to collect more!

7. Parasols



Another one of my favorite accessories, parasols are just the perfect touch for a lot of coordinates. I'm glad that Baby sells them for around $45-50, because I always have a hard time finding them on the secondhand sales. I'd love to be able to find one with the little curlicue handle!

8. Handmade Accessories



Now, I don't own a lot of handmade things, and I'm not great at making things, myself, but I love that the community as a whole has a real love affair with crafting their own pieces! It's a great way to get that final addition that matches your coordinate perfectly.

9. Apron Skirts

The brands don't put out too many of these, anymore, but I'm still obsessed with them! Something about it just makes it look more like a period piece, but not too maid-ish or Alice-like. Last year, Angelic Pretty put one out as part of their Wonder Gallery series, and I really hope they make a comeback.

10. The Jokes



It's no secret that I dislike Behind the Bows as a whole. Backbiting and internet hate are terrible, and not what I'm talking about. I mean the things you can find on the Lolita Memes in English page on Facebook, humor videos on Youtube, and occasionally BtB. The nice, silly ones usually brighten my day a little.

What are things that you love in or about Lolita? Let me know in the comments below!

10 Items From My Wishlist

So you'll notice that there's been a change to the blog: the name is different! I finally decided to go with "Floating on Macarons" instead of Grisaille Dreams in Color. I like it better, I think. Anyway, on to the blogging challenge!

This is a topic from the 30 Day Lolita Challenge (you can find the original list here) that caught my eye. I have an extensive wishlist, so I'll just have to boil it down to 10 dream dresses!

1. Melty Ribbon Chocolate JSK by Angelic Pretty

2. Fancy Rose JSK by Angelic Pretty

3. Chocolat-Chan Going Out JSK by Angelic Pretty

4. Dozing Cat Bustle Pinafore JSK by Metamorphose Temps de Fille

5. Horror Garden JSK by Angelic Pretty

6. Wonder Story JSK by Angelic Pretty

7. Fairy Tale Square JSK by Innocent World

8. Bambi de la Forêt Secrete ~Petite Princesse de la Forêt JSK I by Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

9. Strawberry Jam Long JSK by Innocent World

10. Kuma-Chan's Christmas Holly Night Ribbon JSK by Baby, the Stars Shine Bright

It's funny because I started slapping down dresses and I noticed a couple things about my list: first, while I love OPs and wish I had more, almost my entire wishlist is made of JSKs. Second, I claim that Baby is my favorite brand, but half of my wishlist is Angelic Pretty. I think I'm a closet AP fangirl.

Anyway, what's on your wishlist? Let me know or post links in the comments below!