Amazing Etsy shops you must check out!

I love surfing around Etsy for unique and amazing pretties. It’s one of those websites that is just SO DAMN VAST, and it can feel like you’re giving yourself eye strain by endlessly scrolling through all the gorgeous stuff. Yes, Etsy gets a bad rep for being expensive – but it’s all handmade! You want to pay fairly for the product you’re getting, don’t you? Plus, most Etsy sellers I speak to are really awesome and would be the sort of person you could have a glitter fight with. Even the goths. Black glitter in that case, followed by copious amounts of sacrificial blood. And then more glitter.

So do something amazing and support these amazing creators below by checking out their stuff and shop for TEH PRETTIES!

Nails

http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CandyOverdose

Candy Overdose is perfect for your 3D nail needs – each of the sets have been lovingly designed with bright colours and the cutest little cabochons. It’s about £12 for a set, a great price for a handmade set. Also available are some cute pastel necklaces, phone cases and lip butters.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/AuroraDecora

THOSE. HOGWARTS. NAILS. The second I saw them I think I fell off my unicorn. Even though I would technically be in Slytherin was I in the Potter-verse, I’m far more drawn to the vivid colours of that Ravenclaw set. An absolute must for Potter-loonies. NAIL-ART-PATRONUM! (Visual image of glowing nails flying towards the enemy)

Headpieces/Headdresses/Hairbands/Clips

http://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LoliMillie

Loli Millie do the cutest kitsch hairbands which would go well with Cult Party Kei, Shironuri, Fairy Kei, Lolita, Gyaru and more. Prices are around £12 for a headband – and they’re all handmade. GIVING THEM AWAY!!!!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/LittleBanshees

These bows are the absolute CUTEST!! I’ve got a bit of a thing for the key motif, so anything vaguely goth-y, featuring keys, gets my bow-senses tingling. Bow-sense? That’s found right behind the SQUEEE brain button. Don’t set them both off at the same time, that’s how Hello Kitty was born. The bows go for around £8.

Clothing, Shoes and Accessories

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/Cyanidekissx

Cyanide Kiss take Geek Chic to the max, mainly featuring some gorgeous dresses for the superhero inclined, but also sell a good range of gothic and retro-inspired dresses. £45 for a handmade dress – epically cheaper than branded dresses and you’ll get a OOAK.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/zefora

A fairy-kei and pastel-lovers paradise! Everything sold here is KAWAII to the MAX – pastels, brights, cute characters, lovehearts, sweeties. Accessories start from £8 up to £20.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MedusaCouture

I love the clothes, but not the logo – I have a severe phobia of jellyfish, even right now I’m writing this part without looking at the actual picture. So I REALLY love the clothes, otherwise I wouldn’t risk putting the photos up AT ALL!! Everything is handmade and gorgeous through and through. With the handmade element, the price is higher – £95 for a skirt. Urgh, jellyfish, urgh, WHY DO YOU EXIST, YOU JELLY-BASED HARBRINGERS OF DEATH.

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/MadModesty

Not only can I not get over the cuteness of the Unicorn-kitty eyes – but their model is GORGEOUS!! Everything from T-shirts to tote bags, and all around a tenner! Will be ordering from them when I have sufficient pennies and then a haul is in order!!

https://www.etsy.com/uk/shop/CrudeThings

Each piece made by this creative and inspiring designer is handmade, and runs the shop all alone! What’s a trooper!! Perfect for gyarus, decora, visual kei and pastel goths, you’ll definitely find something to fall in love with here! As is handmade, is more on the expensive side – look to be spending about £13 for the arm warmers above, but more than worth the extra cost!!

If anyone has any reviews of the above sellers – leave a comment below! SHOP ‘TIL YOU DROP, MY MARSHMALLOW FLUFFIES!

Instagram: http://instagram.com/spookyruthy

Twitter: http://twitter.com/spookyruthy

Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014!

HYPER JAPAN CHRISTMAS MARKET!

http://hyperjapan.co.uk/

 London was the place to be for the Hyper Japan Christmas Market – just to get our last dose of Japanese culture, food, kawaii and awesomeness before the lunacy of Christmas kicks off! Was so nice to see so many people arrive dressed to the nines – effort is definitely increasing each year you lovely, lovely Japanese fashion lovers out there! Anyone who was there, say hi! And then we can squee over how awesome it was 😀

My make-up for the Friday of Hyper Japan. I went for a kitty-fairy kei style, with big pad pad paws to add, which I used to give passers-by a severe biff attack on the nose and then a RUN AWAAAAAY for added measure. Although the pink corset was a bit restricting and hot after a while. SIGHTS WERE SEEN NONETHELESS. There was a video of the aforementioned biffing, except on an unsuspecting snowflake, so when I work out how to pop it onto Youtube, I’ll share it 🙂 And so! Onto the event!!

Dreamy Bows (http://www.dreamybows.com/) had their gorgeous pretty-in-pink stall, and were selling OFFICIAL SAILOR MOON MERCHANDISE!! Just look at those compacts… In fact, just look at everything. MOON PRISM POWER, MAKE UP~~~~! That reminds me, need to watch Act.10 of Sailor Moon Crystal. And if you’ve seen it, do a dance 😀 The performers at Gypsy Pyksy (http://www.gypsypyksy.com/) enjoying a bit of pink power!

After being in Japan and hanging out at the Japanese Yatai stalls, coming to Hyper Japan and seeing the food stalls here was like being back again, the smells, the layouts, the energy and excitement, all a very authentic experience at Hyper Japan. As a Vegetarian, your food choices at these typical yatai stalls are very limited, but you can pick up Vegetable Yakisoba at most stalls, which are so tasty you’ll go back for a second helping. For you meaty-eaters out there, you can’t go wrong with takoyaki (octopus balls). They’re not literally the balls of an octopus, because octopuses don’t have testicles to start off with, and I know Japanese food gets a bad rap for being weird, but come on, it’s not ‘eat-the-balls-of-animals’ weird.

There was an incredible stall near the centre on the bottom level which sold beautiful kimonos, haoris, yukata, geta and tabi socks – if anyone can remember the name of the stall, let me know and I’ll link them on the blog. The green furisode kimono I had my eye on was 998 EUROS!! Bargain by first-hand kimono standards, and lime green isn’t right for this time of year anyway, but still… OH GOD THOSE KIMONOS O.O

Just all of the cute… I just cannot. CANNOT. Rikkakuma heads in the back with the Totoro, I just want to smoosh my face into it and melt into a river of cute. Yes, a fitting end.

What an amazing and just down-right fabulous Card Captor Sakura cosplayer. Just all of the kawaii, and so on point. Pose is perfect! And the hair, just all of it. Yes, all of it. OMOCHIKAERI~~~~~

Just some of the kawaii ladies at the event, lots of Fairy Kei and Lolita. I especially love the Rococo Hime look in the centre, so refined, and just look at that bag… I wish I had asked where it was from! If anyone knows please let me know! Also, if you’re one of these fine lovelies, get in touch and I’ll link your sites/blogs on here! Also… GIANT HELLO KITTY UWAAAAAA~~~~~ Yes, just had a bit of a kawaii vom. Mmmmm sparkly regurgitation. (Also, big versions of the above images are available on my Twitter – https://twitter.com/spookyruthy or just drop me an email and I’ll send them to you)

And finally, my Shironuri makeup for the Fashion Show on Sunday. Wig and Headpiece by Ghoulia’s Peculiars (https://www.facebook.com/ghouliaspeculiars) SHE A TALENTED LADY, YOU GO THERE AND HAVE A LADY FAP OVER THE WIGS AND ALL THE PRETTIES. Not literally. Ew. FOR SHAME.

So all in all, Hyper Japan Christmas Market 2014, a big big success. It gets bigger every year and I can’t wait for the next one in July (date to be confirmed)! I WANT MY YATAI FOOD DAMMIT!! And if I don’t get my kawaii dose, I’ll have to do something drastic, like up my caffeine intake.

Instagram: http://instagram.com/spookyruthy

Twitter: http://twitter.com/spookyruthy