Working on a new mermaid costume!

• All products on this page can be bought at Celcia's Creations.

Long time, no post!  Halloween is coming up and I finished up part of my costume for this year!  Check it out:

(Video to show the details in action.  Look, glitter!)

I plan on being a mermaid for Halloween this year so I decided to get started a little early... these were finished last week or so.  I still have to make my mermaid tail but I'm not sure when I'll get around to that sadly... I'm still in the process of moving and have so many things to keep coming back for!

I was inspired by the colors of Princess Aurora's color changing dress (from Disney's Sleeping Beauty) but love pastel colors so much.  Topped it off with a purple starfish!  Lots and lots of pearls and Swarovski crystals went into this one!  Once the glue calms down a little I'm going to attach them to a nude bra for a more seamless look.  I'm going to go with pastel hair for this but still need to make more hair accessories... I may make them similar to a pair of starfish clips I made with a Rapunzel theme a while back for my shop:

But with a blue and pink theme, of course!  My tail is going to be a deep pink though.  It was the prettiest material I've ever seen to make a walkable mermaid tail out of while I was visiting to fashion district in downtown Los Angeles a few years back.  Sadly, I've been too sidetracked to finally go through with this costume!  Hopefully next month will be the month.  If not, I can still wear it for a photoshoot for fun.

Sailor Moon Miracle Romance Shining Moon Powder Compact REVIEW

So it's been a long time since I've done an item review but now that I have better equipment, I can actually do them again!  I'm going to re-do my Yuna and Kairi necklace ones with better pictures... and actually do my Serah pendant one but for the time being, Sailor Moon!

Last summer, the Premium Bandai website announced that they were going to release a special line of Sailor Moon cosmetic items aimed at those who grew up with the original 90s show (aka women).  This line started out with cosmetics and the first of which to be released was the powder compact priced for sale at 3,999 Yen (around $38 USD).  When this announcement was made they said that they had plans to release this item overseas but sadly, they don't seem to plan on making good on that promise.  I believe they only got so far as Hong Kong... not the western market.  Since I felt its better to be safe than sorry and wait on that, I went on and bought my compact through Mio Boutique Tokyo where it has since then sold out and is out of production.  This item was incredibly hard to get your hands on outside of Japan because inside of the country, they were only allowing 2 items per household making it pretty much near impossible for shopping services to get them for people.  There were 2 rounds of pre-orders for this item both of which sold out within hours.  Finally, they had another round of pre-orders that was unlimited (and once again, Japan only).  I was able to secure one through this and these pre-orders were up for only a week before they sold out for good.

I paid roughly $43 for my compact sometime in June 2013 and waited 6 months for Bandai to ship them.  In total, my compact came to $57 including EMS shipping from Mio Boutique Tokyo to me.  Not a bad deal at all if I do say so myself.  I've been wanting a Sailor Moon compact since I was 7 years old and figured this may very well be my only chance to nab an affordable one.  A few days ago after a ton of drama with my designated post office, my compact arrived!  Onto the photos:

(Click to enlarge the photos)

The box is a pretty sugar pink color with a silver silhouette of Princess Serenity

Side of the box

...another side of the box.  The other side of the box has a silver silhouette of Luna but it kept photographing blurry so I don't have a picture of that.  I may do a video when I'm not feeling lazy but who knows!

The bottom of the box

Inside flaps of the box that say, "Moon Prism Power Make Up!" in a rainbow font.  I thought that was a pretty cute touch.

Onto what everyone wants, the compact!  It's nice and shiny and has acrylic rhinestones.  I consider this to be a step up from the original 90s Japanese toy since that one just had color plastic instead of "crystals."

The compact by itself.  It's a nice size but...

DEFINE COMPACT FOR ME, PLEASE.  Out of all the compacts that I own (and I collect them), this is by far the fattest and most impractical one of them all!  Powder compacts are typically thicker than dual mirror ones (duh) but I think this one is just a bit much...  It opens by pressing on the rectangle.

View of the bottom

The compact opened.  It comes with a really cute powder puff.  It's quite small compared to every other powder puff that comes in my other compacts though.

Opened compact for a view of the mirror.  The mirror is very tiny and impractical.  I could hardly see myself in it because it's so small... but the moon and star relief surrounding it is pretty cute.

The compact opened showing the design of the silver crystal and ribbon.  Now this is where I become very disappointed.  In the promotional photos of the compact, I couldn't tell how the powder and powder puff would be separated but...

...as you can see here, the only thing separating the powder, the powder puff, and the mirror is a crappy sheet of clear plastic with the crystal and ribbon printed on it.  I found this to be very cheap and tacky.  Most high quality powder compacts have a separating compartment to store the powder puff beneath it.  This was a very stupid decision on Bandai's part not to include this feature.


All in all, it's a pretty cute but very impractical powder compact.  Originally, I planned on actually using this compact for the mirror and keeping it in a silk pouch so it would be safe in my purse but... this thing is way too chunky!  I was honestly expecting it to look a bit nicer too since its aimed at adult women but it looks just as childish as the finish on the 90s toys.  The construction of the compact left me unsatisfied as well since there really wasn't anything to separate the mirror, powder puff, and powder from one another except for a crummy round sheet of plastic.  That's... not very practical for a functional compact.  I haven't tested the quality of the powder (and I probably won't at this point) but it does smell pretty nice.  On the Premium Bandai website its described as smelling like "princess rose."  I don't really think it smells a thing like a rose but the smell is quite pretty and inoffensive.

Now for the quality of the powder itself... it's pretty mediocre drug store quality but I was expecting that since this item was marketed solely for its packaging.  It's a pretty crappy as far as highlighters are concerned and its filled with small glitter rather than quality mica powder.  It doesn't pick up very well and goes on quite cakey.  It's decent for reducing the look of oil but all in all, the powder is lousy but who actually bought this for the product alone?  The compact is a cute collectible and my classmates in cosmetology school comment on it all the time (and laugh at its size) but if you're looking for a good highlighter, I highly recommend Too Faced's Candelight Glow Highlighting Powder Duo.

As for where to buy this compact, as of right now the only place that I know of is on eBay although you will be paying higher than retail prices for it as this is a sold out limited edition item.  If you're a Sailor Moon collector, I recommend it as a piece for your collection.  For those of you who wanted to actually use this compact... I don't really recommend it since it's very impractical.  The next upcoming Sailor Moon anniversary item on my list is the Proplica Crescent Moon wand!  I've been wanting a crescent moon wand my entire childhood and I went on and pre-ordered mine through Ami Ami.  From what I've seen, it looks a lot better than the sought after Sailor Moon World version of the wand and the (now) funny looking 90s toy.  Best of all, it's perfect for cosplay!  I'll finally have a pretty prop for Princess and Queen Serenity. ;__;

Storenvy shop now open!

I've spent the past week or so trying to set up my new sales account over at Storenvy and it's all up and running now!  Halloween is coming up and since not everyone wants to make an account to shop at Etsy, I've set up on Storenvy to make things a little easier for myself and everyone.  However, unlike the Etsy store, Shopenvy will only accept Paypal so no credit cards this time around.  I will be keeping both stores open though!  The Shopenvy store will have more items listed since they have a lot more benefits for me selling there versus Etsy (Facebook app, no sellers fees, more layout customization, etc.).  When I open back up for cosplay and wig commissions again, it will more than likely be over at Storenvy since it'll be cheaper for everyone that way.

I'm still selling mermaid bras for Halloween so drop by either store!  I hear that Lady Gaga's seashell bikini outfit from the VMAs will be a popular costume this year.  If you're looking for the white seashell bra that she wore, drop on by!

I expect to open back up for cosplay commissions sometime after Halloween so keep a look out and add my shop to your favorites!

Something that has confused me for a while...

...and that is why do people buy cosplay wigs from Hello Cosplay?  I mean, come on people!  You can get the same wig on eBay FOR A LOT LESS MONEY.  For example, a long unstyled wig on Hello Cosplay's site costs $30 plus $15 shipping (if you're in the USA) bringing your total cost up to $45.  Then there's eBay... you can get the same wig for $23-$28 and not have to pay shipping!  Then there's the recent drama about this company stealing images of products sold by other sellers.  Chances are high you will not get what you think you're getting in the photo.

If you're looking for a cheap cosplay wig and you're just starting out, check out eBay!!  Seriously people, they have some of the cheapest un-styled cosplay wigs you can find outside of Taobao.  eBay wigs are often the cheapest cosplay wigs you can find when you're new and on a budget.  The key to finding a good eBay wig is research and checking out the seller's feedback.  If I'm looking for a cheap wig to style or do some experimenting on, I usually check out sellers like CosplayDNA and cosplaywig.  CosplayDNA has some really cheap wigs that are okay in terms of quality since they're pretty shiny.  cosplaywig is pretty much the same but a little pricier and offers pre-styled character wigs.

All in all... check eBay before throwing your money away on a random Chinese cosplay website.  Sure, the wigs from the 2 sellers I recommended ship directly from China but you'll get a much better price than you would get at places like Hello Cosplay and Cosplay House.  Research is the key!

Sailor Moon Usagi Tsukino ring giveaway!!!

Hey, guys!  From now until April 14th, I am holding a Facebook giveaway for my popular Usagi Tsukino engagement ring!  The contest is being held on Facebook and one lucky person will win!  Do not miss this chance!  Click here for how to win!

Wig reviews, anyone?

I've decided to do some wig reviews on this blog in the future since I shop from many different vendors for them.  If I'm able to, I'll have one written by next week.  First up, Arda Wigs.

Upcoming wig projects

I've decided to take on a few new wig projects in between working on my personal cosplays for convention season.  I will be offering various styled wigs in my shop soon!  One of the upcoming styles will be Mimi Tachikawa (Digimon Adventure season 2)!  It's a wig I've been wanting to style for a long time and since I never got any requests for it, I'll just style it for fun then sell it off.  It'll be a fun way to learn to use a few new styling methods!  It will also come with the cute little star clips. :)

Stay tuned for rave wigs making their way to Celcia's Creations!

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.

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!

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:

Wig recap

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

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.

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.

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.

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!

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. -__-

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: 

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.

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.