bloomzy /

Velvet & Hearts ♥

(Velvet Dress; Topshop, Shoes; H&M, Accessories; Marc Jacobs & Swarovski)
New Years Eve Celebrations; Dressing-up for Mexican Food

I don’t usually go ‘all out’ on NYE, just drinks/food with friends or family. 
For 2011 I wanted to spend it with family, as it was our first New Year together for 2 years – I had abandoned them for Japan in previous years. 
Anyway we (parents, me and the fiancé) booked a table at a Mexican restaurant in the city, as I adore Mexican food. Needless to say the night was wonderful, filled with good food, cocktails & champagne. I couldn’t have asked for more…actually I would have preferred it if I had been able to eat all my dessert, but unfortunately it was too much for me. I only managed half.
It’s a little embarrassing that I’ve only just remembered to post my NYE pictures, so please forgive me. I promise to make it up to you.
bloomzy /

Update; Wakatsuki Chinatsu

A small update on Chinatsu Wakatsuki.
The producer of W♥C recently revealed through a blog post that she is 5 months pregnant, and now married to a non-celebrity husband. The couple have known each other for 3 years and have been dating for half of those. 
She is very happy, and promises her fans she will do her best.
Congratulations & Good Luck
bloomzy /

Instagram Weekly 1

I love how Eki updates once a week with photos from her Instagram.

I think it adds a new twist to the ‘photo diary‘ portion of blogs.
Therefore I decided to take a leaf out of her book, as I realised that not everyone has Instagram, nor do you all follow me on Twitter and sometimes I don’t even post my photos there.

This first post will be a catch-up of my favourite photos from previous weeks, then I shall continue with the weekly updates.

Click ‘read more’ for the full post.

I hope you will enjoy this new weekly feature.
Thank you for the inspiration Eki!

bloomzy /

Treats from Japan & Paris

Delicious Christmas treats from the fiancé and friends.

This year I received some delicious treats from people.
One of my best friends from Japan sent me Matcha (Green Tea) Fran & Gianduja Meltykiss. My fiancé bought me Macarons & Matcha Madeleines from Paris, whilst his family bought me a Matcha, Cherry Cake Mix, along with some Oolong Pocky and some delectable Chocolate & Peppermint Fudge.
I have started on the madeleines, but after that I won’t know where to begin.
What do you guys think?
bloomzy /

Candy, Candy


Back in November I tweeted about a very big order from The Body Shop.
Candied Ginger; body lotion, shower gel, body butter, lip balm and hand cream. Spiced Vanilla; body lotion and shower gel. Rose; lip care stick. Facial massager.
I fell in love with their Christmas collections, namely the Spiced Vanilla & Candied Ginger range. I can’t explain how much I love the smell and taste of ginger, so I was beyond excited to see this range. The vanilla products also won me over with their subtle but yummy scent!
I’ve only just started using the shower gel and body butter, thanks to a backlog of products I need to get through, but I already love them. Let me know if you fancy a review.
bloomzy /

Vin Rouge

(Topshop, Egoist, Urban Outfitters)

Lately I love layering shirts and jumpers, for practical & fashionable reasons.
I can’t say I was disappointed with the Catholic schoolgirl look that I ended up creating with this coordinate, however it certainly wasn’t my intention. Although now I think about it, nothing else could have come from these items. 
Love my pleated leather skirt right now, red wine (as a colour & beverage) and comfy, on-trend jumpers.

bloomzy /

プリクラ for your phone!

My own personal ‘purikura’
プリクラ (purikura) is the name given to the photo-booths and pictures well known and loved in Japan. Why are they so popular? Purikura machines allow you to take a variety of pictures with different backdrops and lighting, afterwards you are given the chance to decorate the final photos.
As they gain popularity worldwide (they’re in a city near you!) mobile app stores have seen an increase in the amount of ‘purikura apps’.
Here is a small review of my current favourite purikura app; DecoPic
Click ‘read more’ for the full post.

I’m not a fan of a lot of the purikura apps on the app store as I find they’re all pretty similar, but DecoPic intrigued me as the stamps, frames etc are very close to the ones used in the machines in Japan.

Once you have chosen to take a picture or use one from your album (awww look at my cute puppy), you can move and scale it to your needs. Then you have the option of adding lots of pretty, sparkly things.

Options include:

Art filters – much like instagram etc.
Not something you would find on a regular purikura machine. Obviously an addition that is aimed at the current ‘filter’ trend hitting the app stores.

Frames – a varied and not bad selection.

Stamps – 15 pages worth, all of which are just like the stamps you find on the machines in Japan.

Message – add messages such as ‘Today’s coordinate’ & ‘I love you’.

Pen – various colours/styles of pen to write by freehand.
Text – various styles and a selection of colours to write by text.

When adding a message, stamp, text etc. there is the option of: resizing, rotating, moving and undoing the item. 
Finally, when you click ‘save’ the photo is automatically stored in your photo album and you have the option of sharing it with the community, or Facebook/Twitter etc.
I like the categories they have used for the stamps, messages and borders (feminine, blogger, vintage and more) – giving you the chance to pick your item depending on your mood/the feeling of the photo. There is also an ‘event’ category, which changes throughout the year.
With over 300 design options, if you want an app to decorate your photos with that is easy-to-use, authentic to the machines and FREE, then this is the one for you!

Want your own personal purikura photobooth on your iPhone/Android?

 

If anyone knows if it is on any other app stores please let me know.