Vegan Festival!

Hello, my darling dears!

Today I went to the West Midlands' Vegan Festival with my mom, and my two cousins Ryan and Sophie. There were loads of really cool stalls at the festival and I just wanted to make a little post to show you a few things I bought today!

  This is the stamp for the Vegan Festival! It has the Vegan registered trademark symbol on it! (The stamp was drying out I think :P)






When we first got in there we saw a girl practically hanging from the ceiling doing some crazy gymnastic stuff. I have no idea what they are called, but it was really cool. It's a shame I didn't get any great photos of her, but here's one. 

 I was terrified for her! She did a really great job entertaining the huge crowds, though. c: 



Now for something completely different...

CAKE. 

Now, not only are these cakes absolutely mahoosive, they were rediculously delicious (if a little sickly after a while!) I would definitely recommend the Big Fat Vegan Bakery for all you with a sweet tooth (vegan or not!)



 This is my (almost) complete haul of the things I got from the vegan festival. It includes, vegan popcorn, chocolate cookie thingies, wagon wheels and turkish delight, vegan cosmetics: lipgloss, foundation and a lip balm a vegan cookbook and a couple of necklaces and wrist bands and a VEGAN for life t-shirt. c: 

The reason I say it's almost the full haul is because there's one major item missing...

 I bought a coconut! Drinking fresh coconut water is the best thing in the world. We all got vegan fever. :P  Afterwards my dad cracked open the coconut with a meat cleaver and I ate the fleshy bit inside. It was really nice, but not how I expected it to taste. It doesn't taste how most people would expect it to. Like coconut. Anyway, that was my vegan festival haul!

Lolita Fashion Diary: #18 - My Wish List #2

Hello my darlings!

My wish list has been updated again c: (Every update is really an addition to the previous updates. So the list will just grow and grow...)

Here we go! My wish list update #2!

So that's my wish list update guys! c:

Why are you vegan?

Hello my lovely darlings,


Recently I've been getting asked more and more questions about why I chose to be vegan. There are a few simple answers I give, but I think some people who ask me expect me to lecture them on why they should be a vegan demi-god like me.  Before I get on to that though, I will share with you my extremely simple reasons for becoming vegan. 

1. Animals are adorable.
2. Being abused, caged, branded, castrated, slaughtered etc is shitty. 
3. Health.
4. The planet, dude.

There isn't much more to say about my reasons other than that. It's true that for me it was mostly about my health rather than the welfare of animals and the planet, but it's hard to ignore those things when you really know how much it affects them, too. Now I will get on to the main reasons why I don't lecture people about eating meat and dairy products and why it doesn't bother me that people eat those products in front of me (and all other things vegans are supposed to hate about meat eaters.)
       The first reason that I don't lecture people on eating meat and dairy products (etc) is because I wouldn't like it if they lectured me on my eating habits. I personally do not have the right to tell them what they can and can't eat, and I'd expect anyone else to feel the same about telling vegetarians and vegans (etc)  what they should be eating. As vegans, I think we have to be tactical in how we advise people about their eating habits, because it's easy for them to turn it on us and criticise us right back. Of course it's easy for us to say "but the animals...", "but you're killing yourself...", "but the planet..." If things were easier to digest and understand, I don't think people would be as offensive towards the idea of veganism. Right now many people are at the point where they think vegans are going to shove hugging trees down their throats and so completely abandon the idea before they have even heard it out. This I completely understand because when people are being bombarded with information in a way that criticises them, they aren't going to want to listen. It's about being careful and explaining things properly.
       The second reason is because I understand why so many people are set in their ways. From the moment they are born they are taught that animals are put on this earth to feed and sustain us as humans and something that is drilled into you as a child is very hard to break away from in later life. I know what so many people are thinking. "Well, I managed to do it and I was brought up eating meat and dairy products (etc.)" While that may be true and certainly is in many cases, some people are scared of diet change and find it physically, mentally and emotionally difficult to prise themselves away from certain foods that were said to be good for them. The media these days tells us that everything is bad for us, everything is killing us. So, it's no wonder people are terrified of these kinds of diets, because they just don't know what to expect. This is where many of the concerns of not getting enough protein and certain vitamins come from, because people just aren't taught well enough about nutrition and are just going on what they have learned over time from when they were a child. I'm not going to penalise people for that. 
       The third reason I don't lecture people about eating meat and dairy products is because I know many of them aren't going to listen to a person who has been vegan for a little over a month now. I'm in no way shape or form the perfect vegan, I don't know everything and I'm glad to be learning and growing every single day. I've been documenting things I've learned in a journal and it's exciting to be trying new recipes and food ideas and I think if more people were informed and had an excitement for new foods and healthier foods it would be an insentive to carry on and be a healthier person but also help animals, the planet and the people around them. 
       The final reason I don't lecture people about it is because people all around the world need to realise for themselves the problems they face every day and the problems every other thing in the world faces due to it. Bad health, bad environment, bad food, feeling bad, low energy, fluctuating weight and emotional instability are all things I have experienced and many people experience it still now. My environment isn't changing, but I am and that circles round to help the environment by reducing waste and not promoting the destruction of environment for animal factories and other horrible places. I can control what I eat, how much I eat, how much effort I put into it and who it harms. If it harms animals or the inside of my body I'm not going to eat it. I've realised something in myself the past month; you can lecture someone for as long as you want about changing their bad habits, they might moan about their weight or how they look or even how they feel, but just lecturing them doesn't work. If anything it makes them even lower. What we have to try and do is find a way to help them come to that self realisation, teach them how to make the changes and have themselves feel better and in the end, make everyone feel better. A good feeling is infectious, as are smiles and laughter. That isn't a bad thing, but in the end we all have to do it for ourselves. 

So, I've been at University for 3 weeks now!

Hey, all!

I haven't posted for a little while, so I thought I'd vomit something out now I'm done reading Animal Farm for my 9:15am lecture tomorrow. (Recommend it, but don't recommend reading it the day before your lecture, give yourself some more time :P)

I moved out of my house! Ahhhhhhh!

So, yeah I'm living in the halls at university now and I've been here for almost three weeks. I haven't really had much to post about until now, so I can tell you guys a few things about what's been going on!

My first and only night out in three weeks.

I met some really awesome people three days into my time at university. And we decided to go out to the club that is linked with the university for the fresher's week nights out! Mode, Tramps and Velvet are all connected. We only got as far as Mode then Tramps, though. :P
It was a UV paint party for that night, so people, including myself were covered in glowy paint! Woo!
Here's a couple of pictures! (It isn't difficult to spot me in them both, it's embarrassing xD)

Gotta say, pretty photogenic in the first one eh? How about that guy with the massive glow stick and the beard in the second one! Super photogenic!
Man it was a great night I have to admit. Can't say I'm bothered about going out again, though.

Being VEGAN at university.This has been a fun experience for sure. Yesterday I bought vegan cheese for the first time. I haven't tried it yet though. We're having pizza at Freya's flat and they're going to be ordering from Pizza Hut, so I'll be making a pizza from scratch instead! Just a pitta bread pizza mind, I'm a poor student. :P
       There's a couple of other things I've discovered as well while being here and having to feed myself. I absolutely loveee almond milk. Especially on cereal. It's sweet enough to not have to put sugar on your cereal if you have a sweet tooth and mild enough to not be too full on to ruin the cereal in general. I would suggest from personal experience just plain Wheetabix (or the cheapest imitation a student can afford...) with almond milk, with fresh banana pieces if you feel like it. Absolutely delicious and 100% vegan!        I had a nice surprise today when I went to the post office! A parcel for me! My mom told me she was sending me something nice, so I was really happy. It was nice. She wouldn't tell me what she sent, though! I didn't have long to wait. So I'll show you here...!

      
Delicious chocolate, dried fruit, fruit and nut bites, bagels, bread wraps, rocky road and caramel rice squares treats! <3
It's annoying looking around for vegan treats, but now I don't need to for a while at least! <3

Soooo, yeah. There's that.
I'm going to take a photo of my pizza from tomorrow and post it on here. I'll also let you know how the vegan cheese goes... because apparently it isn't very high regarded...
Anyway, thank you for reading my lovelies!

Going Vegan.

Hey, everyone!

I decided that I wanted to become a vegan instead of vegan here and there. I wish I could say that it's easy but it really isn't! It's true what they say. When you first start, you're so focussed on what you can't have rather than finding out what you can have. Everything I look at recently has eggs, milk or cheese and it's difficult to really tear myself away from those foods.
       Bit by bit it is getting easier and I've been discovering foods that are "accidentally vegan" which is really cool. Like, oreos for example (apparently the American ones have whey? not sure, but then they aren't vegan) are vegan also the sweet chili Dorito crisps. Which is awesome because I lovee them!
      Today I was talking with my family about going out for a meal the day before I leave for univeristy and was asking about where they wanted to go to eat. A couple of them suggested that I choose because it needed to be somewhere I could get a vegan option (or as close to vegan as physically possible) but they all eat meat so I wanted somewhere they could eat meat but where I could get a vegetarian meal, too. In the end we decided on Sizzler. I only have a choice of two things on the menu, but they both seem nice so I'm down! :) I've heard it is quite difficult to find restaurants that cater specifically to vegans, but I suppose there's more money in a restaurant that serves meat.
     While I was searching for vegan restaurants on the net I came across a little take-away restaurant very close to me that does vegetarian and vegan pizza, which I didn't know about. It's about 10 minutes from my house! Very happy. I definitely want to visit there before I move!

I searched on google for "vegan memes" and picked some of my favourite to share with you.
I find them hilariously funny. I think it's silly that some vegans get upset about this stuff...
Anyway here we go!

 Good guy vegan!

Hope you enjoyed those, guys!
Until next time.

Sick of Being Sick: Why I decided to go Vegetarian and Vegan where I can.

Hello, my darling dears!

Recently I've been doing some serious thinking about my diet and what kinds of mixed up rubbish I've been pumping into my body since I have had the mental capacity to choose the foods I eat. The answer is: a lot.
     Frequently eating take away food and not getting enough raw, fresh fruit and vegetables resulted in me not having the energy a regular 18 year old should have and is beginning to weigh me down. (Along with a couple of other parts of me that are weighing me down...) Along with the things I have seen physically that need to change, I think I need to completely change my view on food all together and start thinking back to basics.
     I recently watched a documentary called "Hungry for Change", which exposes the secrets of diet, diets and the food industry. Not to mention the medical industry... It makes sense to me that the food we eat that is man made and ridiculously processed is not suitable for our bodies, make it work harder and harm it because it doesn't have the tools necessary to break down these modified and man made substances and this is one thing the documentary taught me.
     Having a harmful addiction to fast food and sugary foods is one of the reasons I needed to make this lifestyle change. I know several people will look at me and say "you won't last 5 minutes", many of those my close family, but if you'd give me the benefit of the doubt I'd really appreciate that. It's beginning to scare me now just how tired I am all the time and the lack of energy I posess, so if this radical change in diet can help me to live a happier healthier life, I can live without junk food, meat, excessive amounts of refined sugar and processed foods. I plan to do just that.

Where I'm going to start

I wrote down in my journal the things I was going to do to help me with my diet. I will write what I orignally put in my journal in red, and then add the amendments I made afterwards in purple.

1. I will only drink water, organic milk and pure and natural fruit and veg juices.
- Tea is permitted with the water
- No hot chocolate drinks at all
- No dilute or from concentrate drinks
 
+ I won't be drinking cows' milk anymore.

2. I will not eat processed meats or fish if possible.
-No processed sandwich meat
-Frozen meat and fish is permitted given it isn't processed excessively
-Tinned fish is permitted

+No meat, no fish.
 
3. I will not eat frozen processed food.
- breaded fish, chicken nuggets, frozen pizza etc.


4. I will incorperate at least 2 vegetables into my main meals every day.


5. I will eat at least 2 fruits a day.


6. I will try to be more adventurous with seeds and nuts.
- Chia seeds, flax seeds, almonds, hazel nuts


7. I will look into home grown foods and eventually grow some of my own.
- Strawberries, tomatoes, herbs etc

8. I will keep reminding myself that "I can have it, but I don't want it. Neither does my body."


"We're not eating food anymore, we're eating food-like products" - Dr Alejandro Junger

"People are over fed, but also starving to death." - David Vitalis


My basic goal is to stop pumping toxic foods into my body and actually get the vital nutrients I need. I'll also be dabbling in veganism and raw foods, too.
It's really exciting and I think if more people did get excited about it and loved discovering new ways to keep an interesting but balanced diet, more people would ignore the fast, fatty, sugary foods and start eating for their body, not for their taste buds.

Now I know I didn't touch on animal cruelty at all until now, but I am very passionate about that, too. Seeing animals being slaughtered, castrated, artificially impregnated and caged is a disgusting sight and that is another reason I've decided to go vegetarian and to go vegan where I can.

Thanks for reading everyone and if you're going through a drastic diet based life change like I am, I wish you the very best of luck!

Lolita Fashion Diary: #17 - 45 Lolita Questions

Hello, my sweeties.

So, I came across a set of 45 lolita questions when looking up most common lolita questions. I've been itching to make another post so I thought I'd answer them!

 (I'm not sure who originally made the list of questions and if anyone knows, please comment! Thank you!)

1. Please tell us your Hand Name (name that’s used ONLY in internet.) and hometown.

My internet names are DressUpJess and Hiroshi Yuki.


2. About how long is your history as a Lolita? 

Erm... I've been a lolita for about 9 months now.


3. What first motivated you to do Lolita fashion?

I guess the fact that I loved the aesthetics of it. Very flattering and adorable, but also classy and sweet. I don't like showing off very much skin often (sometimes I'll wear shorts and stuff like that but nothing like having my rear end hanging out or anything..) so lolita is perfect.


4. After knowing Lolita fashion, have you had any time-gap or resistance till you actually started to be Lolita?

It was at least 2 years knowing about lolita before I decided to take the plunge. I remember telling my ex that I was going to become a lolita, and what her view was on it. To be honest, I didn't believe myself when I said I was actually going to do it; I did and I'm glad!


5. Please define your Lolita style as much as possible. (eg. gothic Lolita, sweet Lolita, white Lolita…. Etc).

Erm... It's pretty much mainly sweet. My very first coord was gothic, and I definitely want to expand on that, but I have MANY planned sweet coords I need to finish first. c:

6. About how many Lolita friends do you have?

Erm... I have like.. maybe 2 or 3? I don't have any close lolita friends at all. I'm the first lolita in my town, but there are some the town over.


7. What is the best thing about doing Lolita? 

Feeling adorable.


8. Conversely, what's the worst thing?

Equally; the amount of effort it takes, how expensive it is and getting sweaty when it's too hot...


9. Which Lolita Brands do you like?

Bodyline, AP,  Meta, IW. Before you say Bodyline isn't a brand, go look up the definition of brand.


10. What was the first Lolita item that you’ve owned?

The first lolita item I bought was from Bodyline and it was a flowery, gross, glittery red JSK. I hate it now.


11. What is the “must have!” Lolita item?

Cute socks and/or tights.


12. Do you wear drawers?

Nope. I do want to get some but I usually just put shorts on.


13. Do you have any favourite Japanese music?

I like Dir En Grey, GazettE, Veltpunch, Mizuki Nana etc...


14. Where do you particularly visit as Lolita? 

Town, the library, cafés.


15. About how many times per week do you dress as Lolita? 

I wear lolita very rarely, maybe once a week. I'm trying to wear it more now I'm off school, and I'll have the freedom to wear it whenever I like when I start university, which is awesome!


16. Please tell us about one embarrassing episode from the time when you were
just beginning Lolita.

My square dance petticoat fiasco! D; Nuu....
I was a spacker, bought the first petticoat I could find for my horrible red lolita dress and thought, yeah this totally works. (Ironically, it did work because it was the perfect length for the A-line dress, but that doesn't mean it wasn't an ITA mistake!


17. What's hairstyle and color that you think Lolita would suite the most?

Depends entirely on the style and colour of the coord. A sweet coord consisting of the pastel colours I'd say a nice ash blonde colour in a princess hair cut, curled or straight pigtails or a cute bob. I rarely see short hair in lolita and wish it was more popular.

For classic and gothic styles I'd say sleek black hair is cute, with tight ringlets for elegance, or a loose curly style in a auburn brown colour.


18. Have you ever thought of stopping Lolita? The reason? 

No, not really. I do get discouraged sometimes, but never enough I'd give it up all together.


19. Please tell us your heart's bible as a Lolita. (anything like a book, magazine, CD, idol...)

My lolita bible is the countless groups, blogs and videos that are provided by lolitas all over the world. I don't read the G&L Bible, because at £25 an issue, that's a bit of a stretch for me, although I wish I could afford it.


20. Do you own a doll? Tell us your feelings about her intensely!

I own one doll. I had it for my 13th birthday from my nan's sister. She's a gothic doll with a beautiful long black dress and a matching black veil. An eyelash has begun come off on one eye and she has black lipstick. Her hair has white streaks in it, but she doesn't look like a weird Halloween doll or anything. Her rosy red cheeks give her this elegant glow, and she has fair olive skin. She isn't ball joint and her legs are fabric until the shin where they are china down to the foot. She has painted on black shoes. Her legs are cable tied to her stand because she flops over if her legs aren't strapped to it.
She doesn't actually have a name yet, so I'd love to name her.
My doll doesn't actually mean very much to me. The only reason I've kept her is because she's beautiful, even if she is floppy and has an eyelash hanging off. She just stands on my shelf near my books, where everyone can see her.

She:
























21. What kind of make-up do you wear when you wear Lolita clothes? 

It really depends. If I'm in casual lolita i tend to go a bit more OTT with makeup, adding circle lenses and lashes etc. But normally, I just try to keep it natural. Mostly because it's just easier that way.


22. Have you ever secretly changed clothes in a train station bathroom on Lolita day-out?

Nope.


23. Are you composed when doing Lolita all by yourself? 

Yeah, totally. Because I do.


24. How much do you spend in your Lolita clothes& accessory monthly?

Monthly, I couldn't tell you because it totally depends.


25. What is the most expensive Lolita thing you've bought so far? How much was it? 

Erm... Probably my Angelic Pretty, Chocolate Porter sweatshirt... I think it was £58. Something like that.


26. So far about how much has the expense been for Lolita goods?

Around £450. |:



27. Lolita outfits really cost a lot of money. How do you raise money to cover the cost of
Lolita?

I pretty much just have to wait for my birthday and Christmas. I had a lot of my Christmas money left over so I used it for lolita, and my birthday money, too. I used to get some money every month from my parents which I'd save up as well, and it adds up over time so I can buy things. It really does cost a lot... |: At the moment, I don't have any way of getting money. Looking for a job sucks, and I also have uni to pay for... |:


28. Have you ever bought from an online store? If so, please tell us its good
and bad points and some advice for the future. If not, please tell us why not.

Yeah, I've ordered from Clobba, Angelic Pretty USA, Metamorphose and Bodyline. All were positive experiences.


29. Even if you sort of want to keep it a secret, please clandestinely tell us
about a private manufacturer that is the best.

I don't really know any.


30. Is there a brand and/or an item that you think, "I could never get it! But I unreasonably want it!
Nope.


31. What do you think about people who only do Lolita at music-lives or cosplay? 

As in AS cosplay or at cosplay events like comicon?

AS cosplay I think it's a little tedious. But if it is a COSPLAY and they aren't saying, 'Oh, look at me, I'm a lolita, la di da di da...' then I'm down, they can do what they like. If they are calling it lolita, and it's clearly a cosplay of a popular lolita character from a manga or anime etc, then that is not OK. Usually because these 'lolitas' are not lolitas at all.
Many lolitas wear it in public for the first time at comicon events and similar, because it's usually recognised and accepted, and other people are dressed up and look weird anyway, so it's a good way to get used to wearing it without feeling out of place. I did that myself, it's not a bad thing at all.

As for being in lolita for live music events, I think it's fine. Like I say, as long as they aren't saying it's a costume for these events, then it's cool. Personally, unless I was going to like a symphony or something I wouldn't wear lolita, and as a metal fan, I wouldn't do that. However, what other lolitas wear to enjoy their leisure time is up to them and if they feel comfortable doing it there, then more power to them!

32. From what age to what age is it acceptable to do Lolita? Do you think that there's a state in which someone must graduate from Lolita?

There isn't an age limit. I loved looking up veteran lolitas blogs and videos to watch. They're really inspirational and it's really cool to listen to their views and experiences as they've watched the fashion develop and change over time.


33. Is there a Lolita fashion or behaviour that you think "I don't want Lolitas to do this!" about?

I don't like the idea of lolitas being rude. I mean, I don't expect lady likeness unless that certain lolita prefers to do that, but I just think that being kind and slightly more elegant that normal is beautiful when in lolita.


34. Is there something you think "Lolita has to be this way!" about?

Um... only one thing. Just the look itself has to be respected. If you don't fit the silhouette of a lolita, don't call yourself a lolita. The right shape and length of skirt is a must and it HAS to be A-line or bell shaped. No doubt about that. Everything else is pretty much optional. I'm open to the idea of other lolitas experimentation, however i'd suggest they get the basics down first before they try to be their own original snowflake.


35. While wearing Lolita, has anything changed from before you wore Lolita?

Not much has changed, really. My friends seem cool about it, and no one really cares if I wear it.


36. Do you go to school/work as Lolita?

At school we had a uniform, no lolita allowed. However, I did wear my rings and sometimes my more subtle hair accessories. ;)


37. Do you wear Lolita clothes as casual wear?

I do like casual lolita, yes.


38. Do you have a boyfriend (or husband)? Do you understand each other?

No, I don't have a boyfriend.


39. What do the people around you think of your doing Lolita? Do they accept it?

My parents and brother thought it was so weird in the beginning. After a little while I stopped getting reactions, so it's just accepted. My nan absolutely loves it and my close friends (both of whom are guys) accept it too.


40. What kind of Lolita has impressed you the most up until now?

The kind of lolita that impresses me the most is the kind that can use con-crit to benefit themselves and others around them. Sharing experiences and ideas are one of the best ways to learn. Taking con-crit to heart is the worst thing someone can do. When you take criticisms to heart, it becomes a personal attack rather than something that is intending to help and people then forget what they asked for con-crit for, because they can't use it in an effective way when they are given it.


41. Have you ever made your own Lolita clothing or/and accessories? If so, what was the best item that you’ve made?

I made a wrist cuff... It sucked.


42. If you have an ideal Lolita outfit or coordination, please tell us. 

I want to do a full shiro coord.


43. Is there a motif that you think “this is a sample of Lolita”?

The image of bows and or forest animals, bunnies and cards.


44. Would you want to dress your children as Lolita?

Want to, probably not. If they like the idea of lolita, then they are welcome to wear it. It's really up to them. Also, just as an extra note, that goes for if they are a girl or a boy.

45. What's your image of the ideal Lolita?
I don't think I really have one, because my idea of a perfect lolita is always changing as my style and coordination ideas improve and I learn more about the fashion.


So, there you have it guys!
45 lolita questions answered!