Ava's Crystal World: Review

Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Sunday, November 27, 2016

Review: FujiFilm Instax Mini 8

A lot of Lolitas have them and that's how I first came in Contact with this Camera too, through Lolita. I saw Lolitas with strange big but colorful Cameras at Meet-Ups and Events taking Pictures of thierself with friends and wohoo...a few seconds later the just taken Picture came out of the Camera. So retro and soooo cool.
On the Christmas-Event 2014 a Lolita showed me her camera and the Pictures she made. The Pictures had super cute Frames. Kawaiiiii <3
I knew, that I would buy me a Instax Camera as well, but why should I? Christmas was near, so I put it on my Wishlist and got it a few days after Christmas from my parents. Thank you Mom & Dad <3

Now a few facts about the Camera:

Manual (PDF)
Instax Mini 8 - Information Sheet (PDF)

Accessories: Selfi-Mirror, Colour-Lense, Sticker, Bag, speical Pens to write and paint on the Picture

Instax Mini-Films: First of all you have to know, that Instax Films have a expiration date! I guess this is a result of the chemical Componenten that are responsable for the developing of the Picture. If you have a expired Film it could be, that the Picture will not develop properly.
Because of the expiration date most Motive-Films/Special Editions are only avaiable for a limited time. They get produced once and if they are sold out or expired they wont be re-stocked. But you don't have to panic. If a Motive was very popular it mostly get's re-released in a litte chanced design.

This is my Instax <3

Résumé: Well, of course this Camera is not practical for high quality pictures. If you want something like this, you should not buy this Camera. A Instax is more Toy than Camera. It's funny to take pictures and look how they appear slowly on the film. I use my Camera mostly on Lolita Events. Through 2015 I made around 40 Pictures.

These are only a few Films. Some of them my not be purchaseable anymore. If you are searching for a Shop where you can buy Instax-Films I recommend you this Seller from etsy:
https://www.etsy.com/de/shop/TitaniumSeller

I ordered there twice now. They are super fast (around 10 Days from China to Europe - normally I have to wait 3 to 4 weeks), the Films are very well packed, the expiration date of my two Films was between 16 and 20 Month in the future and the Price is fair.
Of cause you have to make your own experience, but I'm very happy and will order from this Seller again.

Wednesday, May 18, 2016

Loli(Ta)lk: "Under the Sea" - Amsterdam Impressions

The Event is over and I left Amsterdam one day earlier than planned because I became sick. Now I'm sitting at home and trying to defeat the cold I catched. Luckily my body managed to stay as fit as possible so that I had no bigger Problems during the Event.

Here are some Shots of Amsterdam that I made:

This Picture is from the Sunday-Location. I love this chandelier <3

My Outfits:

Yes, it's AKIRA on the right! She was so patient! I suspect almost everybody asked for a Picture on Sunday. There where waiting lines through the whole room.

And there where that many People at the Event. And everybody looked so damn beautiful. Aaaahhh I felt soooo underdressed.

Here are some YouTube-Videos I found:

I'm in this Video...more than once! I didn't knew ^^

Here is the offical Gallerys:
https://flic.kr/s/aHskAbfiwn

And here are Blogs with Reviews:
Puppenschloss Blogspot
Marinette in Wonderland Blogspot
Cutetravels.com
Roselolitawonderland Blogspot
Roselolitawonderland Blogspot.de (Post 2)
Luniechan Blogspot
Roselolitawonderland Blogspot
Marietuonetar Blogspot

Wednesday, March 2, 2016

Loli(Ta)lk: Alice and the Pirates - Masquerade Theater

http://lolibrary.org/apparel/masquerade-theater-jsk

Masquerade Theater or "The Phantom"-Dress, how I call it, was THE Dress that gave me the last little push to start with Lolita-Fashion. I'm a big Musical-Fan, especially of "The Phantom of the Opera" and when I saw this dress during my Lolita-Research I directly fell in Love with it and thought "I want this Dress! I need this Dress! I must have it!". Luckily I found a Asian-Girl which bought this dress a few Month ago and when I asked her, if she would be willing to sell it, she said yes.
Of cause my preferred color was the red version, but ivory was my second choice and I was very happy with it. Unfortunately the dress got very expensive because of custom duties that I had to pay ;(

The Dress itself was and still is one of my most favorite Dresses, even if I don't own it anymore. I had to let it go. The Dress was very strait on me, therefore wearing it was not very comfortable, but I found a good new home for it ^^

Cut: I loooove the cute of this dress. It's one of my most favorite Cuts, which Baby/Alice ever made.
The Straps can be completly removed. On the Chest is a big Bow that is not removable. This JSK does not have Waist Ties. On the Back it has Shirring and Corset-Lacing, but actually you can't really use the Corset-Lacing. You would destroy the Lace, therefore it's only for the appealing look. This is a major Problem with a lot of Baby/AatP-Dresses..I don't know, why they keep doing this =/ The Skirt has Lace on the End. Due to the Corset-Boning, this Dress makes a great silhouette.

Print: IT'S THE PHANTOM!! What else do I have to say? On the Skirt are Scenes from the Phantom of the Opera, like the Boat with the Phantom and Christin on the underground Lake. The Letters that the Phantom writes, Roses, Angels, Music Sheets of Don Juan (the Opera which the Phantom writes) AND of course THE CHANDELIER!!

Allover Impression: Yes I love this Dress! The only negative Point for me: the Measurements. This Dress is only for petit Girls. I don't think that I'm a "Fetty-chan", but I signed up at the gym especially for this dress. Crazy right?

As I said, I sold this Dress a little while ago. I think it was the right decision, but I miss the Dress. I'm now searching for "Angel of Music" (Size M, black) from Haenuli to get a new "Phantom"-Dress.

Monday, February 1, 2016

Loli(Ta)lk: Under the Sea - Teaparty Amsterdam 7. + 8.May 2016

Hello World! I thought that nobody's readying this Blog, but I now know, that one Person (a real Person, not Google) visited and read my Blog - yeaaahhh! ^^

This Year Streetfashion Europe is holding a big Lolita-Teaparty and Meet-Up in Amsterdam. The Motto is "Under the Sea". Me and my Friends got Tickets for both days. It will be the first Time for me to travel to the Netherlands. Therefore it will also my first Visit in Amsterdam. I am very excited and already trying to create Outfits for both days.
Unfortunately I don't have anything that matches the Motto like AP's Marine Kingdom or Dream Marine and I will not buy one of this Dresses for the Event (because I don't like them). My current Plan is, to make a Pirate-Lolita Outfit and for the Second Day..well I don't have many Ideas right now.

The Organisators already announced a lot of Vendors, Guests and of course the Location.

Location:
The Teaparty will take place at the 5* InterContinental Amstel Amsterdam. Check this Pictures. Doesn't it look totally stunning? A Perfect Location for a Teaparty ^^

The Event on the second Day will take place at the Royal Tropical Institute. Looks great as well!

Sunday, January 17, 2016

Loli(Ta)lk: Glitzy Wonderland Review

Hello everybody, it's Time for a new Review!

I was searching for a Lolita-Raincoat and finally found it at Glitzy Wonderland. That's how I discovered this Shop. It was the only Shop which offered a Lolita-Raincoat at that time and I thought "Well, let's give it a try".

The Shop itself:
It does not have this incredible Amount of Items like my-lolita-dress and of course a lot of Items are the same, but they also offer Items, I have never seen anywhere else before.

Costumer Service/Communication:
I already ordered twice at this shop. I did not have any Problems with my first order. My second Order did not work out that smoothly. I ordered a Blouse and paid for it with Paypal but besides the usual PayPal-Mail I did not receive an Order Confirmation or anything else per Mail (like a Shipping Notification) from the Shop. I contacted the Costumer Service with the Contact Form on their Homepage but did not receive an answer within the next days.
After that I sent them a direct Mail and got my answer within 24 Hours. The Blouse was already shipped. I received it a week or two later without any issues.

Shipping/Packaging:
Standard Shipping is free at Glitzery Wonderland. That's why I would never order more than one Item per Order and take the risk, that a bigger parcel causes attention at customs.
My Raincoat was packed in a grey plastic bag. No additional padding, but this was not necessary for the Coat.
The declaration on the Bag was like expected. I did not had any Problems with customs. I received my first order (the Coat) around two weeks after I got the information, that my order was shipped.
I can't tell the exact Time of my second Order, becaus I did not receive a shipping notification, but I guess it was around 3 weeks.

Résumé:
My Résumé after two Orders: I would order from Glitzery Wonderland again. I guess the lack of information at my second order was a Computer-Problem and in the end I received my order. The only negativ Point is, that I did not receive a answer after using their Contact Form.

A Review about the Rain Coat will follow ;)

Monday, November 2, 2015

Review: Yankee Candle

Winter is coming and it’s time to light a candle. So why not light a candle that fills your room with delicious scents?
Well, I can tell you that I tried a lot of perfumed candles and oil in my life but Yankee candles are the greatest one I know till now.
Yankee Candle is a American Company that offers perfumed candles in an incredible number of different fragrance. From “Fresh Cut Roses” over “Serengeti Sunset” to “Fluffy Towels” you can find nearly every flavor you can think of.
Yankee Candles are expensive (if you match them with normal perfumed candles that you can buy in any drugstore), but they are made of natural ingredients, what is very important for me. I don’t want a chemical bomb, where I don’t now, what it’s blowing into the air that I’m breathing.
Yankee Candles are offered in different sizes and forms:

Wax Tarts (22g): up to 8 Hours
Votive (49g): up to 15 Hours
Small Jar Candle (104g): 25 to 40 Hours
Medium Jar Candle (411g): 65 to 90 Hours
Large Jar Candle (623g): 110 to 150 Hours

Of cause you can buy matching glasses and other Stuff for the Candles as well.

I usually buy a votive or a wax tart if I find a scent, I want to have. There is only one scent that I bought as large Jar Candle, because it was reduced after last Christmas. And that’s what I can recommend you. Yankee Candle offers special scents for every season and after a season is over a lot of this scents get reduced ;)

This is my current collection (most of them are from the last Christmas-Collection) :

By the way, Yankee Candles are a great gift, especially in the dark and cold time of the Year.

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Loli(Ta)lk: Alice and the Pirates: Cogwheel of Time and Eternal El Dorado JSK

http://lolibrary.org/apparel/cogwheel-time-and-eternal-el-dorado-jsk-i

I like Pirate- and Steampunk-Lolita AND I love Bustle Butts, so this Dress seemed to be perfect for me. The only critical Point was the Waist-Measurement. My Waist isn’t very small and I knew that it would get tight, but I had to try it. Unfortunately I was wrong. The Dress is too small for me...too bad.

But let's talk about the Dress itself. This Dress has wonderful Details in its Print that are not really visible on the Stockpicktures from Alice and the Pirates.
There are Parts of Maps, Roses ....and of course Cogwheels. The Fabric is very soft and thin. The Fabric of the Underskirt / Ruffle Botty is a little more solid.

I really like the Buttons and the Chains on the Bust. The Buttons have a emblem on it. The Lace on the Top is not too cute/romantic in it's style which fits the Steampunk-Style very good.

To bad I could not wear this Dress myself...

Sunday, August 23, 2015

Music-Review: Nightwish - Endless Forms Most Beautiful

Music is one of the biggest Parts in my Life. Without Music I would turn completly mad. My taste of music is characterised by it's versatility. I like a lot of the current Radio-Charts and -Artist, but I also love Classic, Musical, Soundtracks, J-Pop, 80's AND Symphomic Metal. That's the point, which leads me to one of my absolut favorite Bands:

I'm listening to the Music of Nightwish since 2003. In 12 Years their Music was never boring to me.
I got the new Album in the limited "Super" Delux Edition on my Birthday. It's a big Book with 3 CDs and a LP. The Book shows the Song-Lyrichs, a lot of beautiful Pictures and of course Photographs of the Band.

Front

When I opend the Book and saw the three CDs I was a little bit confused. I know that the normal Delux-Edition contains the Album- + Instrumental-Version, so I was hoping for a DVD that would show two or three Songs live on Stage, but it turned out as a Orchestral-Version. I'm not disappointed about it! I like the Orchestral-Version more than the Instrumental-Version.

When I listened to the Album the first time it was like "Well it's okay, but nothing special". If you haven't heared of this Band until now you have to know, that they have a new Front-Singer...again. Originally Tarja Turunen was the Leadsinger of Nightwish. She has a classical vocal-education and sang the songs with her classical voice, what made the special and unique Sound of Nightwish. Unfortunately Tarja left Nightwish in 2005 to start a solo career. Nightwish found Anette Olzon as new Frontsinger and produced the Album "Imagenerium".

Nightwish with Anette Olzon as Frontsinger

Anette is a great singer and she has a great voice, but it's a "normal" Pop-Voice and Nightwish lost a bit of it's uniqueness. Anyway "Imagenerium" is a amazing Album, with great Songs!
It only took a few years and Nightwish had to search for a new Frontsinger again. Floor Jansen was and still is the new choice.

Nightwish with Floor Jansen as Frontsinger

Floor has a Rock-Voice, that sounds strong and aduld.
Luckily Floor is also able to sing in a soft and calm way, like she does in "Our Decades in the Sun" which is one of my Favorit Songs of the Album. I don't like the Look of Floor, but that is just my opinion and much more important is her voice that suits the Music of Nightwish much better than Anette. Unfortunately Floor will never never NEVER reach Tarja, but the more I listen to the new Album, the more I like it. Sometimes it takes a little time ;-)

You may be surprised about the number of Titels. There are only 11 Tracks on the Album BUT the last Song "The Greatest Show on Earth" has a incredible duration of over 23 Minutes! You can count this Titel as 4 Songs xD

Track-List:

Back

CD 1 is the normal Album
1: Schudder Before the Beautiful
2: Weak Fantasy
3: Élan
4: Yours Is an Empty Hope
5: Our Decades in the Sun
6: My Walden
7: Endless Forms Most Beautiful
8: Edema Ruh
9: Alpenglow
10: The Eyes of Sharbat Gula
11: The Greatest Show on Earth

3 CDs (Album/Instrumental/Orchestral)

CD 2 is Instrumental
1: Schudder Before the Beautiful
2: Weak Fantasy
3: Élan
4: Yours Is an Empty Hope
5: Our Decades in the Sun
6: My Walden
7: Endless Forms Most Beautiful
8: Edema Ruh
9: Alpenglow
10: The Eyes of Sharbat Gula
11: The Greatest Show on Earth

CD 3 is Orchestral

1: Schudder Before the Beautiful
2: Weak Fantasy
3: Élan
4: Yours Is an Empty Hope
5: Our Decades in the Sun
6: Endless Forms Most Beautiful
7: Alpenglow
8: The Eyes of Sharbat Gula
9: The Greatest Show on Earth

LP
Side A: Endless Forms Most Beautiful (Alternativ Version)
Side B: Élan (Alternativ Version)

My Favorit Songs are "Our Decades in the Sun", "Edema Ruh", Élan" and "Alpenglow" (eventhough the Word "Alpenglow" sounds very strange to me).

Nightwish - Èlan (Official Video)

Nightwish Homepage

If you want a Reviews of a previous Nightwish-Album or maybe a Nightwish DVD, just let me know ;-)

Did you like this Review? Please leave a comment =)