Monday, December 10, 2012

Authentic vs bootleg: Serah Farron and Snow Villier's engagement pendant

It's been a few years since my last review on an official Square-Enix product (partially because their sterling silver jewelry is so expensive) but I really feel the need to write this one to prevent people from getting ripped off.  For this, I will be using stock photos of the bootleg and authentic versions (my personal review of the one I own will come once I can take better looking photos).  Ever since the Square-Enix online merchandise website went down sometime in September, a great deal of bootleg engagement pendants have been popping up on eBay for ridiculous prices.  When I say ridiculous, I mean they're going for just as much if not more than how much the official piece costs!  The main tip-off of the bootlegs is the design.  Here is what the bootleg looks like:

(Bootleg engagement necklace)
Notice the chain of this necklace.  The official one does not have those little beads on the chain.  Another thing is that the bootleg can't even fit the ring on the chain properly.  It's supposed to rest on top of the actual pendant... not sit weirdly on the chain.  The links and eye pins look very poorly made.  This thing can break on you within a matter of time and that will be a ton of money wasted.

(Bootleg engagement necklace)
Its luster is incredibly dull.  This is because it isn't made out of sterling silver but instead made out of some kind of mystery metal (probably lead) with an electroplated coating to give it its silvery color.  Don't know what that means?  It means it's made out of the same stuff that you can get out of a $0.25 ring machine from a grocery store.  Do you want to pay $190-$260+ for that????  Why would you want to pay that much money for something that will turn your skin green?  Better yet, pay that much for something that you can't resell for anywhere near that value because it is a fake?  It's an extremely unwise investment...


(Bootleg engagement necklace)
Notice the ring.  It is incredibly dull.  Sterling silver doesn't do this.

This is a very bad bootleg and it doesn't look anywhere near as beautiful as the official one.  This necklace has zero resell value since in reality it's not worth more than $5-10 in materials and it's mass produced in some Chinese sweatshop.  Why pay like $260 for a bootleg when you can get the real one for $250!?



Now onto images of the official one:

(Authentic engagement necklace)
Notice the luster.  This is made out of sterling silver and the craftsmanship is beautiful!  The construction is very sturdy as well it should be.  This necklace weighs a ton but that's okay because it's made out of genuine sterling silver and is worth it's value (it goes for $250 on the official website... which is down for the moment)

(Authentic engagement necklace)
The chain is very thick and well constructed.  The pendant itself is quite heavy so you'll want the chain to be strong and thick enough to support it!  In fact, you can probably swing this thing around and knock someone out with it.

(Authentic necklace)
The ring sits on top of the necklace since it easily slips through the simplistic yet strong chain (unlike the bootleg from earlier in the review).  There are clear cubic zirconias in the slide ring, the small solitaire ring, and a nice sized one inside of the pendant.  It sparkles quite brilliantly because the pendant itself is quite shiny and the cubic zirconia is also very shiny.



So there you go.  A detailed comparison of the bootleg and the authentic product.  The authentic product is priced at $249.99 on the Square-Enix Online Merchandise website but unfortunately, at this time the website is down due to some hackers attacking the Japanese servers so I don't really know when it'll be up and running for the general public again.  Because of this, the price has drastically increased to over $400+ on websites such as eBay, Yahoo! Japan, and whatnot.  This price is a lot more understandable because the value of sterling silver has constantly been going up.

The bootleg... that is a huge waste of money no matter how you look at it.  It is made out of the same materials as a children's $.25 grocery store jewelry machine necklace.  Chances are it's made out of a lead-based base and the plating is electroplated... or as what some are claiming to be cupronickel.  ...Seriously though.  You do not want to be wearing that around your neck.  It starts to stink after mere minutes.  It's laughable that they want to charge $190+ for it when you can get the real one for just a little bit more and it'll actually have resale value.

Now that you know this, you won't fall to a bad deal on this product.  You won't get ripped off!  But if you still want to buy an overpriced bootleg after reading this then... well... you are a gigantic idiot.

Saturday, October 20, 2012

Crystal and pearl encrusted Ariel mermaid seashell bra!



(Customer requested example)

Now available in my Etsy store!

Up for sale is a pair of Ariel style mermaid seashell bra shells! Unlike real seashells, these are made out of plastic and will not shatter if they are dropped. Also unlike a real seashell, these are light weight and very sturdy! They'll endure years and years of wear and tear. Each shell has been bedazzled with 5 different kinds of pearls (plastic, glass, and real freshwater pearls) of varying sizes. A generous amount of genuine Swarovski crystals (not cheap rhinestones!!) for a maximum amount of shine. The purple paint also has glitter! Super sparkly!

This is *not* a finished bra! You are only getting the finished shells--assembly is up to you because everyone has a unique frame. They can be easily glued onto a bra (with fabric glue), sewn into the bra through the holes on the shells, worn bikini-style with ribbons, or attached to a stick-on bra with adhesive. They can fit anywhere from a 32A cup to a 36D cup (anything larger than that will show lots of cleavage). The shells measure 6 x 6 inches. I make these very sparkly and my camera doesn't pick it up too well, but it can be better viewed in this video:



Buy today and become your favorite mermaid princess!                                            

If you have any questions, please ask me though my Etsy store in a conversation (because comment notifications here don't get reply notifications).  Thanks for looking!


Sunday, September 30, 2012

Customizable mermaid seashell bras for sale!

I've improved my previous mermaid seashell bras just in time for Halloween!  I'm selling the older models for a discounted rate in my shop.




Now available in gradient colors!


(A video of the deluxe version with crystals and pearls in action!  Super Sparkly!)

These can be any color you like (including color gradients) and are made out of a sturdy plastic. Available in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, gold, silver, grey, black--any color you name it! Unlike a real seashell, these will not shatter if they drop to the floor! Realistic shape and very sturdy; they are made to last for years of wear and tear. Each set is individually hand painted which means no two bras will ever be the same.

This is *not* a finished bra! You are only getting the finished shells--assembly is up to you because everyone has a unique frame. They can be easily glued onto a bra (with fabric glue), sewn into the bra through the holes on the shells, worn bikini-style with ribbons, or attached to a stick-on bra with adhesive. They can fit anywhere from a 32A cup to a 36C cup (anything larger than that will show lots of cleavage but is still wearable). The shells measure 6 x 6 inches.

If you are interested in buying one of these or viewing my other costume items, check out my shop listing!  You can also view my storefront here.

I make these extra sparkly for a magical mermaid look.  To better view the sparkle, check out this Youtube video:


Customizable mermaid seashell bras for sale!

I've improved my previous mermaid seashell bras just in time for Halloween!  I'm selling the older models for a discounted rate in my shop.



(A video of the glittery solid colored shells in motion)


Now available in gradient colors!


(A video of the deluxe version with crystals and pearls in action!  Super Sparkly!)

These can be any color you like (including color gradients) and are made out of a sturdy plastic. Available in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, pink, gold, silver, grey, black--any color you name it! Unlike a real seashell, these will not shatter if they drop to the floor! Realistic shape and very sturdy; they are made to last for years of wear and tear. Each set is individually hand painted which means no two bras will ever be the same.

This is *not* a finished bra! You are only getting the finished shells--assembly is up to you because everyone has a unique frame. They can be easily glued onto a bra (with fabric glue), sewn into the bra through the holes on the shells, worn bikini-style with ribbons, or attached to a stick-on bra with adhesive. They can fit anywhere from a 32A cup to a 36C cup (anything larger than that will show lots of cleavage but is still wearable). The shells measure 6 x 6 inches.

If you are interested in buying one of these or viewing my other costume items, check out my shop listing!  You can also view my storefront here.

I make these extra sparkly for a magical mermaid look.  To better view the sparkle, check out this Youtube video:


Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Wig recap

All information about ordering wigs can be found in this post.

Sunday, August 19, 2012

Animegacon 2012 review...

This convention was held August 17th-19th at the Las Vegas Hotel and Casino (formerly The Hilton).

Yeah, fuck that con.  I'm never going back there again.  It was hands down the worst convention I have been to in years.  The entire thing was nothing but hype.  They promised snacks and drinks will be served at the masquerade ball and they didn't deliver.  All they had was water in the back of the room (as with every panel room) from what a friend tells me.  Why in the hell were they charging a fee to enter when they said it would cover the cost of snacks and drink and yet didn't have it!?  The theme was Gundam Wing but they didn't have anything to even represent said theme.  At all.

The dealer's hall was quite small and there were only two vendors that interested me, one of which was selling the ever so popular necomimi and another one was Epic Cosplay.  Other than that, the selection was filled with mostly bootleg Chinese goods.  Why can't cons ban this crap?  It looks awful and the jewelry is filled with lead.  There were some vendors selling items that were better left concealed from general view.  You do not want a child to walk past a pillow of an anime girl with her exposed breasts for the world to see!

There were several rooms showing anime which never interests me since I can do that at home.  Then again, I don't really watch anime anymore since I'm more of a gamer.  Even if I were into anime, these conventions don't show the old school stuff I enjoyed.  I walked past several of these screening rooms and they were pretty much empty.  Nothing was of interest to me except for Panty & Stocking with Garterbelt since that show is so unique compared to most anime crap of the modern era.  In short, I passed on the screening rooms.

Biggest con in the universe, eh?  Well, it sure lived up to its name as in it was the other kind of con (if you know what I mean).  There was hardly anyone there.  The con was so small and not worth the $60 at the door price for a badge or the $40 one day only pass.  I would say $25 at the most.  For a con to brag about people pre-registering by the thousands I sure didn't see that many people there--a few hundred at the most.  This con hyped itself up so much about being such an amazing convention and it failed to deliver.  The most unusual aspect about this convention's attendance was that there were more cosplay videographers and photographers than cosplayers themselves.  This never happens.  I think this happened because that huge hype of a large masquerade prize draws out some amazing cosplayers... but the majority of the cosplayers that were in it to win it were in the screening room and not walking about.

That brings me to the biggest drama maker of this con--the cosplay masquerade contest.  The promise of the $10,001 drew out a lot of cosplayers that brought out their A-game.  When you're using the cosplay masquerade contest as the main draw of a convention, you better fucking make sure you have appropriate prizes for the winners.  Every costume that entered this thing was nothing short of amazing (honestly I was really surprised by this).  Several awards were given out and for some reason or another, they were giving some groups multiple awards.  Weird, but okay whatever.  This is what left a bad taste in everyone's mouth that was involved in the competition (including myself): no one but "Best in Show" got a worthwhile prize.  Say you win... "Best Overall Craftsmanship" (which I believe is second place).  The prize you got was merely a DVD boxset donated by one of the convention sponsors and a useless trophy.  Most people would say, "Better than nothing at all, right?"

NO.

There is a huge jump when first place is $10,001 and second place is just a trophy and a DVD boxset.  This is equivalent to winning nothing at all.  The trophy has no monetary value and the DVD boxset is worth about $40 at the most (since DVDs have very little to no value at all these days), yet the first place winner gets $10,001.  There were numerous awards given out which were the exact same thing that second place got.  Now do you see how unfair this was?  This is wrong on multiple levels.  The way they handled winning is fucking stupid.  The way things ended, they should've just used the entire $10,001 to split among the winners so no one gets screwed over (when in this case, everyone but one group did).  DON'T HAVE THE GRAND PRIZE BE $10,001 WHEN YOU DON'T HAVE SHIT FOR LESSER PRIZES.  This leaves zero incentive for any cosplayer to even bother with this sham of a masquerade next year.

And in case you're wondering, no, I didn't even place.  I am however, angry at how the prizes for everyone else was handled.  A trophy and a DVD boxset... what a slap in the face.

I won't even get started on that maid cafe... but I will.

This entire convention was centered around the maid cafe which was way overkill.  Not everyone who goes to an anime convention goes just for the maid cafe!  The whole idea of charging a fee to get into said cafe was stupid enough when you have to pay for food inside in the first place.  Needless to say, by the middle of day 2 I was sick and tired of it.  During every event, for whatever reason they were dancing to Kpop songs on stage.  Why was everything at this convention centered around the damn maid cafe???  Opening ceremonies?  Maid dance!  Gundam Wing ball (which was changed at the last minute)?  Maid dance!  Taking way too long to decide on a winner for the sham of a masquerade that cheated everyone but one group?  Maid dance!!!  Closing ceremonies?  Oh, let's add a stupid last minute maid graduation for no reason!!  The CEO guy claimed that the maid graduation was supposed to be a private event for the friends and family members of the maids in the cafe... but if that's true, then why was it part of the closing ceremonies?  Why was it in the program guide!?  His excuse for why we saw so much of the maid cafe is because "There were no other groups at the con avaliable to entertain."  Well, they were the only group the con had put together to entertain so what the hell is he talking about??  Dude can't even keep track of his lies.

The people running this con didn't know what the hell they were doing--that much was obvious.

Sunday, July 22, 2012

So I just bought materials for Serah and... another character

I went to Joann's the other day with a book full of 50% off coupons to buy materials for Serah, some jewelry making supplies (for shop items), and some fabric for... another character.  I'm going to keep that other character under wraps for now until it's time for me to debut it.  I'll just say that I love this character a lot and she quickly became a favorite.

I bought:

  • 1 1/2 yards of casa chiffon in light pink for Serah ($7.49)
  • 1 1/2 yards of basic combed cotton for Serah ($3.74)
  • 2 yards of violet casa crepe for another cosplay ($7.99)
  • 2 packs of black buttons for Serah ($1.80)


I bought a few other things but thanks to all of the 50% off coupons I had, it brought a $79 bill down to about $41.  If it weren't for those coupons, man!

Serah's turning out to be an expensive cosplay mainly because of the jewelry I bought from the Square-Enix store but I bought it mainly because I'm a collector.  I'm still kicking myself for missing out on Squall's griever necklace and it's out of production now (insert tears here).  The wig cost me about $35 on eBay which is worth every penny.  The quality is fantastic but it needs a lot of major styling to get it perfect since the ponytail wasn't exactly to the side.  It's the perfect color and it has a skin-part and that's what really matters.

I bought the lace for the skirt from a Taobao store and it needs to be dyed black but other than that, it's the perfect pattern!  The stockings were a gift from my friend and they came from Sock Dreams (they're the only store that sells them long enough to reach my thighs since I'm so tall).  The boots... I need to make covers for a pair of ankle boots I own since I've never seen a pair of already existing shoes that didn't come from an overpriced eBay store look like hers.  A lot of people use converse sneakers but to me those don't look right and don't flatter the legs when wearing thigh-high stockings.  I bought the tear-drop crystals for the bracelet and hair tie off of an eBay seller for pretty cheap but I still need to get off my lazy butt and actually make said accessories.

The only thing I can't really hunt down is fabric for the skirt... I've never seen a red plaid that came even close to the fabric of Serah's skirt so I'm going to have to custom print that if I want to be satisfied with this costume.  Gotta bite the bullet, I guess... I'll need at least 2 yards.  I have the pattern for the skirt already (thank you Joann's for $1 Simplicity pattern sales!) but I'll have to make my own patterns for the shirt and duster which shouldn't be too hard.  The ribbons for the back of my duster will be made out of light pink casa satin since I have that laying around from a Lina Inverse costume that is on indefinite hiatus.  It'll come in handy for something!

Total for this cosplay so far?  Somewhere over $400 mostly because of the earrings and necklace.  That price can be easily avoided by making your own or buying those two items off of Etsy but yeah.  Speaking of which, I'm going to try my hand at making Serah's earrings soon.  My friend plans on cosplaying as Serah in the future and she of course needs a pair of earrings.  Not sure if I'll attempt to make the necklace but the earrings look easy enough.  I'll start selling those in my Etsy shop depending on how hard or easy they are for me to produce.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Teavana

I love Teavana teas!  I never heard of the company until a friend started working there though.  I went to the Fashion Show Mall about a year ago or so and was surprised when I came in and she was on her shift.  We talked for a little bit (made it short because I didn't wanna get her in trouble) and she gave me a sample of one of their red teas.  Sometime later, she gave me a gift of some of their Earl Grey tea.  I loved it!!  It had a fresh taste to it with a hint of vanilla.  The texture of the raw tea is also a lot different from what I'm used to which was a pleasant surprise.  To prepare it, I used my coffee machine and coffee filter.  Best cup of tea I've had in ages.

Monday, July 2, 2012

Ariel bra shells for sale!

*UPDATE: October 2nd, 2010: I have a new and improved model here and the colors are now customizable

I've recently created a pair of shells for Ariel's bra from Disney's The Little Mermaid for costume purposes.  They can easily be attached to a bra with the holes on the sides or worn as is with some rope.  I suggest wearing them with a same-colored purple strapless bra just for a bit more modesty.  The assembly of the bra is up to you since not everyone's torso (frame) is the same width and not everyone has the same breast size.  The shells measure 6in. x 6in. and can be bought in my store!  I will be making these in different colors in the future as well as adding things like pearls and crystals to them, but for now they only come in the "Ariel colorway."


If you are interested in buying this set, click here to go to my store!

If you're interested in a custom styled Ariel wig to go with your shells, I can do that as well!  Visit my store for more details!

Sunday, April 8, 2012

Usagi Tsukino's engagement ring (updated version)

Edit 4/31/13:  I am holding a giveaway to win one here!

I've recently updated my Usagi Tsukino (from Sailor Moon) ring replicas.  Now they are on slimmer bands so they're more accurate!  I am of course, selling them in my Etsy store along with various other goodies.

Direct link to the listing can be found here.


Details are similar to the previous version.  The only difference is the band is slimmer.  The jewels are clear cubic zirconia and simulated pink moonstone.  The band is silver-colored copper.  It's an adjustable band so it will be able to fit multiple sizes (usually up to a 10) comfortably.

Because several people have asked me, I will say this again.  You will not be able to find a real diamond ring at the price I'm offering these for!  Genuine diamond rings start at about $800 and those jewels will be small at best and let's not forget the fluctuating prices of gold, silver, and platinum.  My price is cheaper than the going price of the eBay versions and more accurate when compared to a reference picture:


I try my best to keep them at a reasonable since the prices on eBay are downright ridiculous and they aren’t even accurate.  I mean come on, there isn’t a friggin’ “split” in the band in the artwork.  That girl doesn’t even know a thing about jewelry terminology so she’s obviously not making them.  And hers one is nowhere near as “rare” as she claims to even try justifying that $60 price tag. -__-

Thursday, March 22, 2012

Now selling: Usagi Tsukino's engagement ring!

Edit 4/31/13:  I am holding a giveaway for one here until April 14th, 2013.

Edit 4/8/12:  The updated version of it can be found here.

I've been working on replicating the engagement ring that Usagi Tsukino (from Sailor Moon) wears in season 5 of the anime and last arc of the manga "Sailor Moon Sailor Stars."  I've created two so far and hope to make more in the future.  Here's a compiled picture:


The ring is made out of clear cubic zirconia, simulated pink moonstone, and silver colored brass.  If you're interested in buying, check out the listing in my Etsy shop!  Much cheaper than those listed on eBay!

Reference image: 


Sunday, February 12, 2012

Kingdom Hearts Namine sandals

Sometime last month I've created another pair of Naminé sandals.  They're perfect for a Namine cosplay or a Kingdom Hearts fan!  They are hand painted with swarovski crystal topped iridescent stars.  I put a lot of care into these shoes and hope they'll make someone happy! :)


They fit a women's US size 9.  If you are interested in buying these, check out my Etsy listing.

Saturday, January 21, 2012

Dream Angels Rinoa duster review

Back sometime in 2008, I paid the website Dream Angels to make a customized Rinoa Heartilly duster and sleeve set for me.  Usually, I make my own stuff but finding the right rib knit fabric for Rinoa usually proves nothing short of impossible (unless you get lucky).  The other option is to hand knit it, but I didn't know how to.  I've heard nothing but good things about their Rinoa dusters so I decided to take the plunge and buy one.  Everything went great at first, I paid for everything, gave my measurements, and received my item within 2-3 weeks.  It looked beautiful, but I noticed right off the bat that it was not properly hemmed nor was it overlocked.  If someone is paying you $130 for a costume, you better hem it properly!  Of course, I contacted them and guess what?  She never returned my emails!  I've sent her several and never received a single reply.  I gave up, decided to make the best of it and try wearing it.



I wore this duster for a grand total of two times: once for a mini photoshoot and another for one day at a convention.  It was starting to look kinda dirty so I decided to hand wash it.  Oh my gods, was that ever a mistake.  In fact, just buying it was a mistake.  After just one gentle hand wash (with my very own two hands), the raw edges started to look like this:




Would you sell a costume this shitty to someone for $130!?  I hand washed it once in cool water and gentle detergent and this is how bad it looked afterwards.  Not only did it fray like no tomorrow, but it shrunk up quite a noticeable amount!!  I'm 5'10 and it shrunk up so much that it was small enough to fit someone that's 5'2!  I didn't even put this thing in the drier, either--I lay it flat to air dry.  In fact, while I was washing it, the water turned blue and there were tiny pieces of fabric all over my sink.


Then to start with, the sleeves were always too damn small.  I need them to be at least 11in. and you can clearly see from this picture that they are 8in. long.  It looked really stupid on me.

Because the duster had shrunk up so much that it was unwearable (unless I wanted to look really stupid), I ended up selling it off for less than half of what I paid for it due to the quality.  If someone is paying you a lot of money to make something, you had better know what the hell you're doing and if you don't, don't accept commissions!!  I can't believe that this company has such glowing reviews and feedback when their product is less than stellar.  You do not make and sell a custom-made item to someone with very visible raw edges, hems that are not properly hemmed, and most importantly, you don't sell something where you didn't pre-treat the fabric!

I cannot stress the importance of pre-treating your fabrics to eliminate any possible shrinkage or you'll end up with a garment that won't survive the wash.

My whole experience with Dream Angels has been an unpleasant one and I do not recommend commissioning them or Sakura Wigs.  I've had an experience with Heki-chan or whatever her name is around the same time I ordered my duster from Dream Angels.