Hiatus

Due to some personal issues, I'm putting Sweet Teef off on an indefinite hiatus.

Thanks for reading.

Candlelight Photo Post

Here are a few of my recent favorite long exposure photos!
I was desperate for ideas the evening before I had an assignment due and trying to come up with anything, and eventually, inspired by some hand-altered religious decor pictures I have in my room, made a run to the mall before it closed to pick up the candles.













I like the way these came out, particularly the haunting glow! Ready for Halloween, everyone? I think I'm going to be a cheeseburger...

♥ Jesi Carroll

Autumn Sweets

In Savannah, autumn is a barely existant season, and it's one of the few things I miss about New England - being able to watch the foliage change colors around me, sweater weather, and the sweet, homely scent of fall. It's one of the rare times when people actually travel TO Connecticut to get the full autumn experience!

Here are some delicious sweets and treats to dine upon while reminscing of a New England autumn, and if you're lucky enough to live near an orchard, go apple and pear picking, get a pumpkin, and purchase some locally made maple syrup!


Pumpkin Bread


Pear Maple Cobblers


Pumpkin Spice Granola


Apple Oatmeal Muffins


Spiced Pumpkin Cheesecake with Bourbon Whip Cream



Hope you enjoy!
♥ Jesi Carroll

I'm Alive!

Woohoo, finally a new post!
I apologize for my absence, it's been hard to find free time to settle down and compose an entry, and while my boyfriend's at class and it's gloomy and rainy outside, I figured it's a great time to put out an update.
For a quick rundown of what's been going on: Moved into my new apartment at the end of August, started classes - fashion technology, photo 1, and math (online), which are all going great, and otherwise just doing class work and spending time with Zach and my friends!

So, how have I been keeping it sweet?
Take a peep into my apartment:


I love my bedding! I feel like I'm a princess sleeping on a cloud, so cozy... Also, I just made the "It Will Be OK In The Morning" banner over the weekend, cutting letters out from magazines and hanging it with string and tape. I made another for our kitchen that says "Bon Appetit", great for covering up blank white walls!


I had picked up this chair at a tag sale for $15, it was in okay shape, but needed to be reupholstered and a cushion, so after a lot of crafty work from my lovely mother, we have this beautiful (and super comfy!) channel back chair.


At the same tag sale for $10 I snagged this telephone bench, repainted it white, and reupholstered it myself.


What's sweeter than kittens? Nothing, I'm pretty sure. I just got this baby boy yesterday at the humane society, he has yet to have a name though... Thomason? George-Michael? Pascal? James St James? Tobias? Let's hope a few of you still check in on Sweet Teef, patiently waiting for a new post, voice your opinions or offer other options for my baby!
He's full of energy, currently darting around the bed with a little toy mouse and scrambling all over the place, but sleeps pretty peacefully next to me at night, and gets along with my roommates dog, Peanut (as long as Peanut isn't trying to snatch the mouse).

Keep an eye out for a photo post soon! I woke up at 5:45 AM yesterday morning to take photos at the beach at sunrise, and got some great shots. These might show up on my flickr as well, possibly before a blog post, so if you want to poke around there I'm at http://www.flickr.com/photos/ciel-vide/
And for more from me, check out my tumblr which I update daily most of the time, usually with photo posts: http://ciel-vide.tumblr.com

Anyways, I'm off to cook some dinner with Zach and chill with my baby kitty then perhaps off to a friends, so I hope you enjoyed the update!

♥ Jesi Carroll

Inspiration: Overglow

OVERGLOW - jsmonzani.com from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.

I feel like I'm taking the easy way out here, but what with my mini-vacation last week (lots of fun, by the way), working, and packing up my life - I'm headed back to Savannah on Friday - I'm SUPER busy, so I apologize for the lack of written content, but I hope you enjoy another one of Jean-Sebastien Monzani's short films! You may remember him from 'Your Secret', which I posted a few weeks ago, I absolutely love him.
Again, I apologize, and once I'm all moved in I hope to have some nice content-filled posts - I'd love to share with you the telephone bench I painted/reupholstered, and this gorgeous channel-back chair we've reupholstered as well, as well as all the other magical things I've got in store for my new place ;)
♥ Jesi Carroll

Life Journey Journal - Jersey Shore II

What, New Jersey again??
Yep! I'm spending a few days at my aunt's shore house again with some friends, and I won't be back until Friday. Hopefully I'll return with some nice photos to share (is the intense debate between becoming a photography or fashion major leaning towards photo?!)
Have a great week!

♥ Jesi Carroll

Sweet Nothings from the Prince Charming

I absolutely couldn't help but share this little message from my boyfriend to me today -

"This is gonna sound totally dorky, but...
You're my magic kingdom
hrfeuikdjheuwkfhyeuw"


(he's at Disney World this week with his family)

He never ceases to make me "awww"!
This evening he was publicly embarrassed in front of tons of people at a restaurant by one of the evil step sisters and the evil step mother from Cinderella - the step sister apparently was chatting with him in character and decided he would make a suitable husband and SCREAMED for her mother to come over, who proceeded to demand where the ring was and reprimand him for his tattoos and nose piercing, and THEN, even after leaving he received a phone call from his own father who said someone wanted to talk to him - and it was of course the evil step sister demanding how could he have left her like that! Absolutely hilarious... After the whole ordeal, his 10 year old sister asked him, "What are you going to tell Jesi?!"
Haha!

♥ Jesi Carroll

Inspiration - Words

WORDS from Everynone on Vimeo.

Beautiful. I love how the clips flow together by the different words describing what's going on.
♥ Jesi Carroll

Photo Post: Harkness Park

Last Sunday, I joined a group of fellow lolitas to model in a big promo shoot for various local lolita designer's shops, some old and new!
Among the group was Aly of Her Lumpiness and her recently opened shop Aramanth Opulent which specializes in ecofriendly lolita & mori inspired jewelry; Carolyn of F Yeah Lolita and her shop, Ophanim Gothique, specializing in Victorian inspired bonnets, jewelry, and corsages; and Lindsay of Lolitas n Cream, her sweets jewelry shop, and her new clothing line Lolita Nouveau.
Also present was Crystal of Pretty Wonderland and her gentleman, Dalin of La Vida Frills, Cate, another Lindsay, and our photographer Sean (whew, that's a lot of links, hope I got everything right!)
We met on the gorgeous grounds of Harkness Park, and had a great day - although it got a bit hot after a while - modeling and photographing, followed by a little picnic. I'm not going to post the modeling photos, since I think Aly, Carolyn, and Lindsay have covered that pretty well via their blogs and shops, so check them out if you haven't already! Instead, I'm just going to share a couple of my favorite shots I took that day.











I had a great day with everyone!
♥ Jesi Carroll

Cooking Cute

Saturday when I was grocery shopping, I found the most delicious, prefectly ripe strawberries and couldn't resist buying them - but I couldn't eat the whole carton by myself before they went bad so what to do? Inspired by the recipe mentioned in the S.O.S. kitchen entry, I picked up a bar of white chocolate and sugar cookie mix, and decided to make some strawberries n cream cookies myself and a little sort of photo cooking tutorial.
So, let's get cooking cute!

Ahem, I said -cute-

Much better!

Get your strawberries, white chocolate, and sugar cookie mix of choice, be it pre-mixed or from scratch!

Mix your sugar cookie mix up nice and good according to instructions.

Dice up your strawberries and white chocolate as shown - if you buy white chocolate chips, it's probably easier than breaking up a bar.
Mix the strawberries and white chocolate chunks in with your sugar cookie mix.
Note: I was originally planning on rolling the dough out and using my new bunny shaped cookie cutter, however the moisture from the strawberries will make your dough VERY sticky, so this didn't work out. I added probably about a half cup of flour trying to make it so I could roll it out, but I gave up in the end.
Scoop your dough onto cookie sheets.

Bake at the temperature/time indicated in your sugar cookies recipe, but keep an eye on your cookies! They may require more time due to the added ingredients, I had to bake my cookies probably 5-7 minutes longer. To be safe, check your cookies at the minimum baking time, and then every minute or so after.

And enjoy!
Sunday, I was modeling some jewelry for a photoshoot put together by some tri-state area designers, and brought these along for during the shoot and after for the little picnic we had. They were completely devoured! I was glad they turned out so great since I'm generally not a daring cook as far as adding additional ingredients and winging it. I'll definitely be cooking these again! ♥ Jesi Carroll

Photo Post

"I loved you first
beneath the stars came falling on our heads
but they're just old light,
they're just old light"

The last few days have been magical for me,
so I'll share a little of my magic with you.
♥ Jesi Carroll

S.O.S. - Kitchen Style!

It's been a while since I've done a Spoonful of Sugar, so here are some tips for sweetening up your kitchen!

Recycle old silverware as drawer pulls:


Cute doily coasters from Urban Outfitters:


So cute/fun for fresh picked corn in the summer:


Antique/vintage dinnerware - scope out tag sales, estate sales, and the like for these gems!


I think there's something so dreamy about glass jars...


Can't decide between a beautiful cake or cute cupcakes? No need to settle, just bake a GIANT CUPCAKE


What's classier than diamond ice cubes??


And do I even need to step into the world of tea sets? These should be a given!


Don't stop there either!

* Go berry picking and store your fresh summer berries in those glass jars
* Remember those tea cup candles from the first S.O.S. on bathrooms? No need to restrict them to one room! I'll probably have these everywhere once I move into my new place
* In the summer especially, we've always got home made iced tea in a pretty glass pitcher in our fridge. For about a gallon of iced tea, boil one or two cups of water, and brew 5 or 6 bags of tea. We generally throw in 5 bags of regular black tea with one bag of a flavored tea. Once the tea is brewed, pour into a glass pitcher and fill the rest of it with ice.
* If you like baking, show off your pastry delights with glass bell jars, such as these strawberries n cream cookies

Hope you enjoyed these tips to sweeten up your kitchen!

♥ Jesi Carroll

"The Rules", or Cool Kid Psychology

I'm one of those people who think that people who follow fashion guidelines religiously are a little uptight, to say the least. There are people who treat fashion magazines like bibles, and worship labels like Versace, Dior, and Valentino like dieties. A popular term in lolita for girls who only purchase brand label pieces are 'brand whores', and while not so popular of a term in the general fashion world, you know that one girl who refuses to carry any bag without clearly showing off that it's a Coach. Whether it's a niche fashion like lolita, or general fashion trends for the season, some people just take it way too seriously!

And you know what? I think this all stems from the need to be the cool kid.
Seriously. Let's take a peek into the psychology of trends and fashion.

As early as elementary school, we're all exposed to trends, some of them more innocent as toys - pokemon cards, yoyos, and recent generation's silly bandz - and some even pertaining to fashion. I recall in 5th grade, popcorn shirts were all the rage, as well as those patchwork looking jeans that look like several different washes of denims were run over with a lawn mower and sewn back together with the frayed edges showing, anyone remember those? Something about these toys or pieces of clothing caught our attention and made us want them. Why did we want them? Because so-and-so had them, and you thought they looked cool, so that meant so-and-so was cool, so obviously if you had them, you would be cool!!


Even earlier than elementary school - did you ever notice the way toddlers are sometimes completely uninterested in a toy, that is, until someone else starts playing with it? Then they pitch a fit until THEY can have this newly deemed awesome toy.
Would it be so arbitrary to suggest that even now as young adults and adults, we're still acting like babies?

Fashion can have a captivating effect on people. New clothing can boost self-esteem, change your identity, and give you confidence enabling one to feel special and unique - sounds like our 'special snowflake' syndrome, right? Any piece of clothing can boost a person's self-esteem simply by having a designer label on it. How does this happen? By connecting themselves to popular, expensive, and high end names, a person wearing designer labels is creating a status symbol of who they are and who they want to be. If a person can afford designer, others will recognize this, and thus a feeling of importance is created, boosting ones socioeconomic status solely on the clothes one is wearing. This allows one to find comfort in situations where we might feel socially anxious. Take going to a party, for example. You know you won't know everyone there - in fact, maybe you won't even know anybody! So you slip on a designer label dress (lolitas, read 'brand') and pick up a tote with a designer logo emblazoned all over it, and head out in confidence, because even though other people who have never met you before will have no idea of your personality, because they will recognize the designer labels, they will associate the labels with this person has money, and maybe even connections in high places, they have designer, they must be in-the-know with fashion, they must be... cool! At least, this is how we think our brand-conscious peers think, and we're probably right, only not everyone cares so much about designer labels.

Fashion is a vicious cycle for those who follow trends. Everyone wants to buy the very newest style to set themselves apart as an indivudual, to be 'cool' - these are our trendsetters - but predictably, the styles turn into trends with everyone and their mothers wearing the same thing, wanting to be like the cool kid. But then, fashion designers come to our rescue, releasing new styles once the trend becomes too dull, and thus the cycle begins again. For those who want to feel like the fashion elite, this can cost a pretty penny.

Getting back to our cool kid statement, people who feel designer labels are most prestigious, who monitor fashion trends like a hawk, and even lash out against those who are "doing it wrong" and breaking the "rules" of how to wear something or what to wear, I believe, are simply trying to ensure that they are the cool kid. By creating a fashion standard for themselves and ordering others to follow, they are trying to force themselves as a trendsetter and fashion leader. Maybe they have lost confidence somewhere in life and are trying to restore it via fashion as an outlet, maybe they enjoy the glamour of being trendy and followed - I can't answer for our cool kids, but being lighthearted about most matters I would suggest everyone to just relax and lighten up, yet I know not everyone can take matters so lightly. Designer labels will always be captivating icons to some, while others can feel just as comfortable with themselves in lower end brands.

In reality, there is no unseen panel of judges monitoring you for faux-pas, giving points to those who are trendy, and condemning others or breaking fashion commandments.
Coco Chanel is not grinning at you from the afterlife for sporting her label's shades.
Maki and Asuka are not going to show up at your door and give you a pat on the back for only wearing Angelic Pretty.
Your favorite celebrity icon is not going to give you a trophy for mimicking their style.
There is no fashion rulebook.

So, relax, take a deep breath, it's only fashion.

♥ Jesi Carroll

Inspiration - Your Secret

Today, I just wanted to share this charming video I stumbled upon the other week...

Your secret from Jean-Sebastien Monzani on Vimeo.

♥ Jesi Carroll

Life Journey Journal - Wardrobe Building

Whoops, sorry about the little gap in posting! I've been really busy lately, what with Connecticon and Warped Tour this past weekend, working two jobs, and some personal going-ons, yikes!

Anyways, a week or so ago I treated myself and bought a new jumperskirt; it's a black milky chan replica. Some people like replicas, and some hate them, and as much as I'd love the real thing, it simply isn't in my budget. I could wait and wait to save up, however keeping in mind that I need to furnish and equip an apartment, save up for art supplies, and possibly even get a car for when I'm back at school so I could continue working at Ulta down in Savannah, and get to and from classes without jumping through hoops - well, it'd take a while!
Of course the quality isn't the absolute best, but it's pretty good in my opinion. The lace is decent and cute, the print is done well, and it's put together nicely. The fabric is a little bit stiffer, but this could just be from starch as my mother pointed out.
I'm happy with it, though, and I think that's what's most important. Also, had it been the real deal, I would be a lot more hesitant to wear it out and about for fear of wrecking something precious on accident, so I feel a lot more freer about wearing it casually rather than letting in sit in the closet for only the best occasions.
All in all, the dress is cute, the quality isn't the absolute best but it's good, it didn't cost me an arm and a leg, and most importantly: I'm happy.



A quick coord after opening - way too hot today for socks/blouse!!

In other news, I recently started at Ulta - we've only just been setting the store up though, not quite open yet ;) Even though it's been 8 and a half hour shifts, it goes by quick and I really enjoy it - I actually feel like I'm doing something productive when the progress is as visually apparent as it is when you're setting up a store and things start filling up the shelves. Plus, my best friend works there!! Hopefully I can just transfer to the Ulta located in Savannah, it's only about five miles away from my apartment, and a girl who graduated from my highschool a year before me who also attends SCAD works with us too, so it would be even better if we could carpool!
If any CT lolitas follow my blogspot and want discount coupons and such for Ulta, there's a soft opening for friends & family a week before the grand opening, so let me know if you're interested, I can hook a girl up ;)

♥ Jesi Carroll

Finding your Season - Colors best for your skin tone

Sometimes when dressing, you might find your appearance to look off - but it's not the style of clothes, it's the color. So, as promised, I'm delivering an entry regarding which colors look best with your skin tone! I did a lot of digging for this, and decided it would be best to create a guide based on color analysis, or color seasons.

To start off, note that a persons season is the same for life - a tan will NOT change it, because you still have the same color skin, just in a darker hue. Determining your color season mostly relies on your skin tone, do not rely on your hair color and eye color, because throughout the years and even seasons, hair color changes, can be dyed, and eye color can be changed with colored contacts.

To help determine your season, figuring out whether you are warm or cool skinned, and clear or muted skinned is a good start.
Cool skin has pink or blue undertones, and visible viens will appear blue.
Warm skin has yellow undertones, and veins will appear more green.
Easy enough, right?
Clear skin does not refer to blemish-free skin in this situation. Clear in color analysis refers to large contrasts between skin, hair, and eyes, and generally skin will have a transluscent quality.
Muted skin has little contrast between skin, hair, and eyes, with more ashy tones, and will have softer color than that of a clear skin tone.

Winters are cool and clear
Summers are cool and muted
Autumns are warm and muted
Springs are warm and clear

If you're still stumped, don't worry, I'm here to provide you with more in depth descriptions of the seasons, and try to create a comprehensive guide.

* Winters are often stark and dramatic. People of Asian or African descent are often winters, as well as Caucasians with very pale skin and dark hair, such as black, dark chestnut, ash chestnut, white, and salt and pepper. Skin might be cold brown, olive, neutral beige, sallow beige, or pink beige, and will contrast dramatically with hair and eye color, and can be described as 'intense'. Gray, blue, brown-black, chestnut, and hazel eyes are winter characteristics.

* Summers often have pinkish, pink-beige, or ivory skin; ashy blonde, dark chestnut, mousy brown hair - and especially natural blondes - and a strong complexion that tans easily. There will be a low level of contrast between eye, hair, and skin color, and the contrasts will be gentle and seen as softer and less intense. Eyes will generally be lighter and gray or blue.

* Autumns will tend to have warmer skin, such as dark brown, golden brown, light gold, olive, warm beige, and ivory; red, brown, dark brown, copper, chestnut, golden blonde hair, and golden-brown, amber, hazel, green, or darker eyes. Blue eyes with a gray or turquoise cast may also be autumn traits. If you're an autumn, you might also burn easily in the sun.

* Springs also have warmer coloring, though skin will be extremely light, and possibly freckled and rosy cheeked. Golden beige, pink beige, peach, ivory, and porcelain are very characteristic of springs. Light blonde, auburn, strawberry blonde, dark brown, and golden hair are spring traits, with clear light blue, aqua, green, golden brown or amber eyes that may tend to be paler.

***

Hopefully, now you are able to figure out which season you are! So the next step is figuring out which colors look best with your season.

* Winters - you will look best in true white, as well as true black, cool grays, navy blue, deep reds, bright pinks, jewel tones (emerald, royal blue and purple), and icy pastels. Colors that are relatively more intense and contain sharper contrast will create an intense, pure, and clean look.
Avoid: beige, orange, gold, camel, brown, & other washed out shades - this will make you look faded and ashy. Less intense or highly contrasting colors will wash out the strong contrasts between your skin and hair and eyes.

* Summers - pastels, neutrals, muted colors such as lavender, rose, mauve, pale yellow, and light blue are best for you. Dressing in these colors that are relatively softer, less intense, and contain less dramatic contrasts will make you look subtle and harmonious.
Avoid: black and orange. Intense and vivid colors will be too harsh for you'll appear drowned out. In higher contrasting and intense colors, the gentle contrast between your skin and hai rand eyes will be overpowered.

* Autumns - stay with rich and muted earth tones, such as caramel, beige, burnt orange, gold, dark reds, olive, ivory, camel, and rich brown. Strong autumns will look great in black. Essentially, anything with warm yellow undertones.
Avoid: Cool shades, you'll look pale. Pink may be unflattering for you, as well as clear bright colors. Black & white will make you look faded.

* Springs - pale and soft colors are great for you! Ivory, peach, true reds, clear blues, camel, light pink, coral, salmon, golden yellow, golden brown, aqua, and bright greens are highly recommended. Similar to autumns, warm yellows will compliment your skin. If you have dark hair and vivid skin, black will look good on you.
Avoid: dark, dull colors. Black & white will cause too much contrast.

***

Since I don't have all the time and resources to instruct you as per my winter semester color theory class, hopefully this color analysis guide has introduced you to the fantastical world of seeing colors like no man or woman ever has, and provided you with guidelines as to what colors work for you!

Don't let a guide like this limit your experimentation, though, it's merely meant as an aid to help determine what may and may not look good on you. If you're in love with a color, work it!

♥ Jesi Carroll

Life Journey Journal - New Job & To The Shore!

Just a more personal update for today, I'm pleased to say I got hired the other day at Ulta! If you're not familiar with Ulta, it is a beauty store similar to Sephora, and in addition to more expensive brands, one can also find inexpensive no-names as well, and on top of that, it also contains a full service salon!

So, I'm pretty stoked for that :) The store isn't open yet, they're still finishing up building, and the first few days of work will be setting the store up, followed by a 'soft' opening in which the store is open but not advertised and I get all sorts of coupons and discounts and goodies to give out to friends and family and such, and then the grand opening.

And Sunday (tomorrow!) through Tuesday I'm headed to a shore cottage my aunt has in New Jersey with a few friends, which I'm really excited for since 2 of them I haven't seen in over a year! Let's hope the weather cooperates with us, and I'll try not to overpack too terribly - and of course I'll be taking my own advice from my previous entry. As much as I'd like to have a fair complexion sometimes, I'm naturally more of an olive-y skin toned, and I tan - as my mom puts it, "disgustingly fast", so might as well give in, spray myself down with sunblock to protect against the UVs, and rock the inevitable tan. So, let's go New Jersey shore, and save the Snooki jokes please ;)

♥ Jesi Carroll

Your skin, the sun, and other such summery matters

Summer is officially upon us (in the northern hemisphere, at least), and that means warmer weather and sunny skies. For some of us, this means sunbathing by the beach, but for others this means trying to avoid sunlight exposure as much as possible. Up until the early 1900's, fair skin was ideal, as tanned skin was considered characteristic of the social or lower class, as those who worked for hours in the sun had tanned skin. Societies would use chalks, lead paints, and even arsenic to whiten skin! Less dangerously, women would carry parasols to shade themselves from the sunlight.

This ideal changed in 1923 when Coco Chanel returned from the French Riviera with a deep suntan, which she claimed to be from staying out in the sun too long, yet her fans began to adopt the trend. In addition to Coco, Parisians adored Josephine Baker, a caramel skinned African-American singer, and wanted darker skin like her. These two women were the forerunners of the tanning trend.

***

Precautions should be taken if you desire a darker complexion, because the suns rays can be harmful, and put you at risk for sun burn and even skin cancer. If you choose to tan, always use a sunscreen, and apply it generously. If you don't put on enough sunscreen, you're not getting full protection. Using a higher SPF sunscreen will allow you to reduce the amount applied, in case you are uncomfortable with slathering on a low SPF for full protection. Ideally, you should be using a sunscreen that blocks UVA AND UVB rays, as well as being hypoallergenic and noncomedogenic - this means it won't irritate your skin or clog pores. Also, make sure you reapply it after swimming, or if you're doing an activity that causes you to sweat.
Tanning beds are NOT a safe alternative to natural sunlight, both cause exposure to UV radiation that can increase your risk of skin cancer and premature skin aging. Tanning beds mostly emit UVA rays, the kind that increase the risk of melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

Your safest bet for a golden tan without exposing yourself to harmful UV rays is by using sunless tanning products. To create a believeable tan, use different products for your face, chest/torso, and legs, because using only one product will create a flatter look. By using different products meant for different parts of your body, your sunless tan will be more believable.

***

Now, you might be the kind of person who finds fair skin ideal. Obviously, you will want to stay out of the sun, particularly from around 11 am - 2 pm, where the sun is at its strongest. You can't exactly shut yourself in a closet for the whole season, so when you do go out, use a parasol or umbrella with UV protection to shade yourself from the rays, and apply a high SPF sun screen. I suggest using a spray on variety, since they go on much lighter. It's also a good idea if your facial products contain UV protection, but it's generally not enough for full protection. Cover up with cute hats, sunglasses, and light long sleeves.
There are also skin lightening products out there, but do your research as some can contain harmful active ingredients, such as mercury, so use caution, read reviews, and know what's safe to use!

I hope you found this article informative, whether you prefer lighter or darker skin! Next time I hope to have an entry relating to what color clothing looks best with different complexions, so stay tuned!
Also, I encourage you to comment and leave feedback so I know if I'm keeping things interesting or not ;)

♥ Jesi Carroll

Get the Look

I've been tossing the idea of this entry around in my mind for the past few days, and I'm not sure if it's something I want to continue or not. I think I need to clearly define what it is I want from the concept for it to be a solid continuing trend to write about, but here it is:

Over the top (OTT) sweet lolita seems to be a trend these days, piling on accessories and creating a very dynamic and detailed coordinate.
Take a look at Takulu, and you should get the idea:



You may love it, you my hate it. But let's face it; lolita, especially OTT, isn't always appropriate for certain occasions - you don't want to upstage the bride at a wedding - and other occasions, you may wish to dress up but know it would be wiser to tone it down.

So, I wanted to create a more 'wearable' version of Takulu's OTT sweet lolita:

Pleated Bow Dress, $35
Ruffle Anglais Shrug, $55
Faux Fur Stole, $28
Cotton Spandex Jersey Legging, $26
PRADA SPORT Ballet flats - Item 44209064, $215
ELECTRIC HEART CUFF BRACELET, $200
Karen Walker Sterling Silver Carousel Pony Pendant Necklace, $237
QUEEN ALICE RIBBON HEADBAND, $105
ASOS Bow Skinny Belt, $10

Most of the more reconizable lolita elements are removed - a shorter cocktail dress, no petticoat. The color palette is kept essentially the same, however, and we can still see hints inspired from Takulu's coord. A cute silver carousel horse necklace mimics the lolita dress pattern and bag. We still have a cute (faux) fur capelet, or a cropped white bolero. Socks and shoes are toned down to solid color leggings and a pair of cute flats. A single bracelet replaces the numerous ones, and swap all those bows for a simpler, yet equally cute head band and a pink belt to add some variation to the dress and to better tie in the pink.

♥ Jesi Carroll