What's My Japanese Clothing Size?? -- An Easy Guide

hey everyone! i get a lot of questions from all of you about what size to buy japanese clothing in, usually trying to convert it from US or UK sizes. let me tell you, that's not the way to do it! the process is very easy and works with bodyline, angelic pretty, rakuten, etc-- ANY site that shows the measurements of their clothing in CM.

so let's look how to find your size!

whatever you do, do NOT convert your clothing size using any kind of online chart. for one thing, numbered sizes vary a lot. for example, medium isnt the same with every company or country, and a size 5 might be a lot bigger in japan. THE SAME GOES FOR SHOE SIZES!! i cannot stress this enough. girls in my lolita group are always asking how to find their shoe size to buy from bodyline, because japanese shoe sizes are in centimeters instead of arbitrary numbers. i made the mistake of trying to convert my shoe size to japanese using a chart and ended up getting shoes that were either too big or too small.

so in short, whatever size you are in your native country, you might not be in a japanese brand. 

as japan uses the metric system, the measurements of japanese clothing will be given in centimeters. even if they're sold in lettered sizes like S, M, L, etc. they will usually have a description of the measurements in the details of the page.

to find out how to measure yourself for clothes, click here! to measure for your shoe size, simply take a tape measure and measure the length of your regular ol' foot without any socks or shoes on. 

now, consult the measurements on the site. for example with bodyline, they will have the measurements for each letter size in a little sidebar above where you add the item to your cart. make sure to double check everything before you buy it, and always buy a few CM bigger-- you don't want buy something that has your EXACT measurements because that would make it skintight (unless that's what you need). if there's elastic measured flat instead of stretched, then buying something that matches your measurements should be okay.

with shoes, you just want to buy a size that matches your foot measurement. always round up! you might find sometimes you'd want to buy something a half centimeter bigger in case of socks/tights/etc.

and that's it! it's really easy, and i only went into so much detail to make sure i covered everything. if there's still anything you have questions about, feel free to ask me and i'll get back to you as soon as i can! i hope this helps.

NYC Matte Me Crazy Review + Winter Nail Polish Haul

hey pizza cuties! recently i found a target gift card i hadn't yet used, and i decided to use it to get some makeup! i ended up buying almost entirely nail polish.

from left to right i bought- nicole by OPI "totally in the dark," sally hansen 290 "commander in chic," NYC "matte me crazy" mattifier, and sally hansen 160 "something blue!"

something blue

"something blue" is absolutely adorable, and very wintry! at first it reminded me of sparkly snow, but as i noticed the combination of silvery-white and blue glitter i was increasingly reminded of cinderella's dress in the disney film. i love this combination of glitters. i don't know how the coverage is yet because i haven't used it, but i would assume it covers sort of like this similar glitter polish i reviewed. 

totally in the dark

this nail polish is so, so rad. i love it. i edited the lighting in this a little bit to try and show the glitter, but it's very difficult to capture on camera. "totally in the dark" is a very dark black polish with completely black, fine glitter. not silver glitter or anything lighter than the blackest black. they should have called this "none more black" because that's what it is. i love the packaging as well. you just have to see this for yourself in person, because it looks so cool!

now, for the mattifier review!

 

NYC matte me crazy

 NYC's "matte me crazy" is a clear topcoat that turns any manicure matte. i've talked about how cool i think matte polish is before, but i've never seen it around until now. i know people love essie's mattifier, so i was a little bit afraid this wouldn't be good because i hadn't heard about it yet. but it was only 0.99 so i didn't feel like it would be a huge waste if i didn't like it. 

well, turns out that i absolutely love it!

here i used it on top of "commander in chic," which is a lovely brown-gray with little hints of purple. 

i really love the result i got. i put on two coats of "commander in chic" because it was slightly too thin with one coat, and then one coat of the mattifier. it works extremely quickly, drying almost completely within a few minutes. it's also pretty cool that once it's dry, the nails sort of repel water and stay matte and dry looking when wet too. i really love the matte look and pairing it with this color was just perfect for fall.

as for how it wears, the texture is just as smooth as regular nail polish, just with a slightly dry touch to it. maybe it was the combination of polishes here as well, but this barely chips at all. i applied this a week ago, and though i don't have a photo of how it looks now, it is still in great shape. i had some chipping and wear at the tips of my longest nails after a couple days, especially right after i showered. but i just clipped it and they look fine.

as of right now, it seems almost like they might be getting slightly shiny again like the topcoat is thinning, but i'm just going to re-coat them tonight and see how that does. 

 

anyway, that's all for now! overall, i love the colors i picked out and i really am crazy about the mattifier. i have a feeling a lot of matte manicures are in my future...

don't forget to like PKC on facebook for updates!

Being gone!!

hey everyone!! i'm so sorry i haven't posted in months without explanation. college has been very busy for me and i've barely had time to use the computer for fun. thankfully though, it seems like activity from you readers hasn't gone down, and i'm writing up a nail polish review for you all right now!!

i'll be sure to blog more often. i have a lot of posts i still want to do, and if i can't do them during the next few weeks of school, i'll definitely be posting nearly daily on my winter break. 

thank you all for sticking around! i will be sure to make time to give you all new posts to read.

Sugar Coat Review

hey everyone! sorry i haven't been blogging too often. today i have a review of some cool textured nail polish for you!

this is the sugar coat nail polish by sally hansen in cotton candy. the idea is that you apply the polish normally, and the result looks like you dipped your wet nails into a pot of sugar! i thought that seemed really cute and i loved the colors they had. they also had a mint and a purple at the target i got this at, but i had to go with the pink.

the bottle is printed with a texture somewhat similar to how your nails come out, but a bit finer. 

 

the application process is pretty interesting. when you crack open the bottle, the nail polish is completely smooth and like any other non-textured polish. the instructions say to apply a couple thin layers, and wait for each layer to completely dry before painting another one. i followed the instructions, and when i applied the first layer it stayed pretty smooth while i painted. but as it dried, it became extremely grainy. the second layer really makes and finishes the look and achieves an awesome sugar texture!

i personally think the textured polish trend is very cool. i love anything having to do with sugar or sweets so i think this goes well with my style, as well as just looking really interesting. from afar it's hard to tell there is texture but i had fun trying to get people to feel my nails! the application was easy and it never dried too quickly. the only problem i had was that once it chipped, it was pretty much impossible to touch up because of the texture effect. i had to just paint a couple of layers over what i had and deal with the different amounts of polish on my nails.

overall i would really recommend trying this out! it's very novel, and looks pretty rad. i love the other colors offered too and might end up getting those if i can.

that's all for today! hope you enjoyed the review. stay tuned for more regular posting coming soon, and some back to school stuff too!

Bodyline Seifuku (Sailor Uniform) Review

hey everyone! sorry i haven't been posting. this summer has been unexpectedly busy for me, and when i'm free i'm honestly too tired to do very much! but it's been a fun summer so far.  

so for today i will be reviewing bodyline's summer short sleeved seifuku! i got this for my birthday recently. the model on the website is COSTUME410. they offer it in many different colors, but i chose very pale lilac-y pink (the model is wearing it). 

now, usually when i buy anything from bodyline their M is a pretty good choice for me. the measurements for the M on this seifuku looked good to me, but when i got it it was pretty small. the top fit okay, but it was too short-- it's a sort of cropped top that hits around the end of your natural waist, and then a high waisted skirt. but the skirt was very very tight and too short, and though the top wasnt exactly too small it ended too high on me.

i also didn't know about the thread connecting the pleats at the bottom you were supposed to remove, but i was informed of that pretty quickly.

so i went back and ordered a 2L and it finally arrived recently. it fits pretty well! i'd still like the skirt to be a little longer, but if i wear shorts i would feel perfectly comfortable with it.

as you can see, the ratio of where the top ends and the skirt begins is perfect and just as intended. the skirt fits perfectly fine. there are two little spots of elastic in the waistband of the skirt, and it closes with a zipper and a hook. 

the seifuku top closes with a zipper straight up the front, but it's covered by a seam. this makes it a little hard to zip, but if you're careful it's fine. it also created a few stray threads on the inside after a few times of zipping and unzipping, but i just pulled them off. i don't think it would cause any long-term damage even if that keeps happening.

here's the seifuku on the hanger, looking a little wrinkled from wear. the construction is nice and it looks very clean-edged. my favorite element is the bow, as it's so big and adorable! the material of the white fabric on the top is relatively thick and somewhat rough, but that's (to my knowledge) how actual seifuku are, and i've seen some people complain about this like it's an issue of quality, which it isn't. i think if you were to buy an authentic seifuku from j-list or anywhere, it'd be the same texture. it didn't bother me at all, as i fully expected it.

the white middle section of the top is sewn into one side of the collar and snaps closed on the opposite side. the little triangle of fabric is the same as the rest of the white on the top. i always wondered how those little triangles worked, so it's interesting to see that and i'll have to file away the info for cosplay!

the skirt is very very lightweight and almost see-through, but it is opaque. it's perfect for hot weather! i will probably wear this with ankle socks and my light pink converse in the summer, but it would also be great with tights or high socks and cardigans when it's colder. 

here is what the bow's strap is comprised of under the collar. the bow is fully independent of the top (as in, it doesn't snap on anywhere.) it's basically a bow sewn onto a bra strap- theres a place to hook it on like a necklace underneath the collar, and an adjustment piece just like any bra strap has to make it longer or shorter so that it fits well. i had to make mine a lot bigger to fit around the collar.

❤REVIEW RECAP❤

quality-

 i think the quality is pretty good. i'm not crazy about the zipper making stray threads, but it's not too big of a deal. i did have to buy a size up as measurements on the original size weren't super accurate. 4.5/5

 services -

i love bodyline and have never had any problems with them, and i've ordered from them a lot. the second seifuku took a while to arrive and update on the tracking, but that was just the US post's fault. the seifuku didn't come in a heart bag, but i think they just do that for lolita fashion items. 5/5

so, that's it for today! if you've been looking to get this seifuku, i think it's really worth it. it''s adorable and i can't wait to wear it! 

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New Trend: Oil Slick Look

hey everyone! i wanted to share something i've been noticing around a little bit recently in fashion that i think is really cool. i've only seen it over the past few months or so, but it seems to have been surfacing since 2009. anyway, i love it and the best way i can describe it is an oil slick look. it's a dark color such as gray or black with a rainbow effect on the surface that looks like an oil slick or bubble solution.

leggings from Black Milk

i found the most common way this look was achieved was on patent leather items, and with the nature of the effect, it really does look best on something shiny.

Dr. Marten lex shoe

Dr. Marten langston black petrol boot

T.U.K. mondo creepers available at Urban Outfitters

heels by sportmax

coach madison

gucci

jeffrey campbell has done a lot of oil slick shoes:

but this cool effect isn't limited to patent leather and shiny shoes!

asos

source

it's also something that is common in nail polish and can be achieved with makeup.

source

this manicure was made by swirling these colors together!

other than the above method for getting an oil slick manicure, some polishes inherently have this effect to them. this glitter polish by wet n wild i just reviewed has the oil slick effect to it.

wet n wild "gray's anatomy"

 i also got this polish for christmas in pursuit of the oil slick rainbow and i recommend it! the only bad thing about it is that it takes a lot of coats as it is very thin. looking at photos online from other bloggers, it seems to work best with a basecoat of black or another dark or like color.

both available at asos

i havent tried these polishes by accessorize, but they look very cool. i like the variations on the effect with the different colors.

so, while it's not a very summery trend with all the black and dark colors, do you like the oil slick look? i really do and i think it could become a much bigger trend this year, especially in the fall and winter. i do think it would look cool on a black tank top and i'd like to see it in jewelry more, and those ideas would totally work as summer items. plus, any of the shoes could go with summer outfits. what do you think?

remember to like Pizza-Kei Cute on facebook for future updates!

Lolita 52: How strangers react to my clothes, and how I react to their reactions

hey everybody! sorry for the slowdown in posting lately. i have another lolita 52 for you all today!

a popular topic, especially among new lolitas, is how strangers typically react to lolita fashion. a lot of new lolitas fear being made fun of, or especially being bullied in school environments. i've had kind of a mixed bag of reactions, but dealing with them tactfully is the most important thing to keep in mind. 

in the 6th grade i started to get into wearing gothic-lolita-esque outfits. it was all things altered from hot topic because i was afraid to buy brand because i was still growing and i didn't want to drop a ton of money on something that might get too small for me quickly. i got really made fun of by other students, but my middle school is notorious for TERRIBLE bullying situations. a lot of people complimented me as well and teachers and friends supported me too, so i never let it get to me. i hated the school and switched to homeschooling after one year there. but while i was there, the way i dealt with it was by just either ignoring jerks or snapping comebacks at them. 

for example, i wore a punk lolita sort of outfit to the valentine's day dance. during the cha cha slide (ahh, when i was twelve!) a boy said "where did you get your clothes, the UGLY STORE?" i replied "yeah your mom told me about it actually!" as a 12 year old i was very proud of my simple defense. it shut the kid up, so i was satisfied.

in high school, i wore lolita a lot, including simple sweet lolita outfits as well as gothic lolita. i got onto the fashion page of the yearbook for it every year, because the girls in the yearbook committee were in some classes with me when we were little and they liked my outfits.

i got made fun of a bit, but it was honestly by a bunch of jerks whose opinions i didnt care about, and some people who were close to me. my friends loved it, one of my teachers made me get up and show the class, and for the most part it was really pleasant! i got a LOT of "little bo peep"s in high school, though, to which i would just say "yeah i've gotten that a lot."

in college i've worn lolita a few times so far. one day no one said a thing about it to me, another day i got showered with compliments and a girl asked for a photo! but i never got any negative attention or creepers. if you do, just use caution and your best judgement on what is a safe situation or not.

my general advice on dealing with people who make fun of your lolita is to simply ignore them. comebacks are useful in certain pinches, but i would generally avoid them unless you know it will help and will stop the other person instead of making them fight you more. if you are ever harassed in a way that makes you uncomfortable or is really aggressive, tell someone like an administrator, teacher, or campus safety. i recommend to EVERY girl to take a self defense class. but with simple insults, if you just ignore them and show them their opinion doesnt matter, they will usually shut up. that's what i've discovered over my lifetime of wearing alt-fashion in a close-minded area.

to all lolitas reading this getting ready to wear it for their first time, good luck!

and to everyone, never let anyone ruin what you enjoy!

"I think we should enjoy life. We should wear whatever we think looks nice and wear it with confidence. That will put you in a better mood, and I think it will lead to an abundant society." -Kyary Pamyu Pamyu