Upcoming Arrivals: 9/22-9/28 & Inventory Update

Good morning!

It's Monday again, which means the week's new listings are on the way! 

If you missed last week's post you can find it here, and act fast! Halloween jewelry is flying out of the store! I'm down to my last bat rings(one in each color left) and the lady skull cameo earrings are sold out! 

I've been experimenting with bigger, bolder, brighter statement jewelry, as well as more unique, decoden-inspired pieces.:3 I'm also adding more visual kei inventory! 

Monday: 

Industrial Key Earrings, $9.99 USD

Tuesday: 

Faceted Cross Earrings, $9.99 USD

 Wednesday: 

Kawaii Mermaid Necklace, $19.99 USD

Thursday:

Hello Kitty Pink Glitter Statement Ring, $4.99 USD

Friday:

 Coral Hello Kitty Statement Ring, $4.99 USD

Saturday: 

Black Glitter Bow Statement Ring, $4.99 USD

Sunday:

Pink Wrapped Candy Stud Earrings, $4.99 USD

I'm also working on more Halloween pieces. We had some cloudy, yucky weather so we fell a bit behind in the studio with photoshoots, but we'll have it all ready for next week! 

In the meantime, keep an eye on the Etsy shop! Tomorrow's earrings should be up before noon.

If you ordered anything last week, keep an eye on your mailboxes! Orders are going into the mail tomorrow. 

Until next time...stay fabulous! 

-Vik 

The Tenacity of Decora Fashion/Decora Tutorials

While not nearly as many people are wearing Decora today(the style became hugely popular in the early 2000's before settling down) it's holding its own on the streets of Harajuku. Trends and styles come and go, but the strong ones ebb and flow back in like ocean waves, and Decora meetups still happen in the fashion districts of Japan. 

What's not to love about Decora? Bright colors and rainbows mixed with heavy layers of hair clips, bracelets, and neon hair don't just recede into the background. They say "Here I am! I am AWESOME!"

Style icons, such as Kyary Pamyu Pamyu and Haruka Kurebayashi are keeping Decora fashion in the limelight. Kurebayashi is the creative mastermind behind the brand 90884, and she's done a couple of tutorials for Kawaii Pateen. The first tutorials is on hair, and how to create a cute look without making your bangs look overdone. 

Her second tutorial is on how to make a bright, kawaii Decora makeup look. :3 It's interesting to note that she uses her fingers to do some of the blending rather than a brush. I might experiment with that to see if makes a difference in blending colors as opposed to using a brush to blend.  Here's a Decora meetup video shot by Tokyo Fashion, back in May. So many cute outfits! They mentioned that people are starting to mix Decora with shironuri, and I think it's a lovely combination! 
With the rise of Akihabara/Otaku culture in Harajuku, it will be interesting to see if these two combine or not. I think the otaku fashion combined with decora would make for some awesome outfits. :3
Only thing to do now is keep an eye on the street snaps! :D
Until next time...stay fabulous! -Vik

New Arrivals: Halloween!

Good morning darlings!

We are at mid-September, and while Halloween is six weeks away we figured we'd get started now, because Halloween is AWESOME!!

Each day a new piece from our Halloween collection will go up in the Etsy shop. Here's a preview of what's going into the shop this week, with a little bonus: we posted one already! 

Monday: 

Pastel Bat Snap Clips, $4.99 per pair

 Tuesday: 

Tombstone Earrings, $4.99

Wednesday:

Skull Cameo Earrings, $4.99

 Thursday:

Lady Skull Cameo Earrings, $4.99

 Friday:

Tombstone Filigree Ring, $4.99

 Saturday: 

Black Rose Filigree Rings, $4.99 each

 Sunday:

Glitter Skull Adjustable Ring, $2.49

 BONUS:

Acrylic Bat Ring, $2.49 Each. These are already up in the shop! Click the pic to see the listing. 

We're  working on a few more Halloween stuff in the meantime, so keep an eye on the blog for updates! Until next time...stay fabulous!

-Vik 

Saboten Videos: Cosplay Showcase, WCS Prelims and Award Ceremony

Good morning! Please try to ignore the fact that it's Monday. XP

To make today less...Mondayish, here are some more videos from Saboten.

ChillyWilly shot a cosplay showcase video:

And here are the WCS Preliminaries, shot by Pyroguy Productions:

And last but not least, here is the awards ceremony video. It's on Saboten's Facebook page so I can't embed it. The link to the video is here. 
In other news, I'm still waiting on supplies, but as soon as they arrive I will be able to restock a ton of stuff! Keep an eye out for the upcoming arrivals post this week! 
-Vik

Saboten Con 2014 Writeup and Pics!

Hello darlings!

Saboten was a BLAST this year! We had so much fun!!!

There were a ton of awesome cosplayers and great panels, and the staff announced next year it was moving to a bigger venue! :D 

Roughly half the Etsy inventory was sold this weekend along with lots of new pieces we didn't get a chance to post yet. We will be starting an archive to feature these pieces, but that's another post. :P 

In addition to the cosplays there were lots of adorable and amazing street fashion outfits! We didn't get many pictures because we were busy manning the booth but we did get a few, and they can be found in the album below, and also on our Facebook page. Please note that a couple photos are not posted because a couple attendees were under the age of 18.

Also, I cosplayed as a delphox. Team Rocket tried to recruit me, but failed. :3

Also...here is the video for the Jfashion show! Our Visual Kei outfit is at 4:34 and the pop kei outfit is at 17:10. Many thanks to Studio 2 for recording the show!

Here are a few photo galleries showcasing the awesome cosplayers: 

Cynagen's Saboten Con Gallery 8/29/14

Alvin Johnson Photography Saboten Gallery

Eurobeat Kasumi Photography: Friday Vol 1
Eurobeat Kasumi Photography: Friday Vol. 2
Eurobeat Kasumi Photography: Saturday Vol. 1

There will be more links as I find them/as they are posted, and also more videos to post that would make this blog entry quite long. xD Time to get cracking on the next post! 

Stay fabulous!
-Vik 

Convention Survival Guide: Food and Artist Alley

Happy Tuesday!

This will most likely be the last entry in our convention survival guide, unless I did, in fact, leave out something important. Here we go!

FOOD

Food is something that is often forgotten when planning out your convention schedule but it is necessary! It is understandable though: walking into a sit-down restaurant or even a Taco Bell when you're dressed as Ryuko Matoi and lugging around a 30 pound scissor blade isn't exactly appealing, most con food is expensive($5 for a cookie? No thank you), and some cons don't have much in the way of food(man cannot live on boba tea alone!). That's where snacks come in! I don't know about you, but I love snacks. Who doesn't love snacks? I digress. Anywho, if you pack the right type of snacks you'll stay nourished and happy throughout the day. I'm not a big junk food eater, so I won't be listing much here today(it won't stay with you anyway, it's empty calories and chemicals). Good snacks and food to pack for a con include:

Granola bars(I'm partial to KIND bars, myself)

Dried fruit(Trader Joe's has a ton of it and it's cheap!).

Fresh fruit in tupperware containers(to prevent it from getting bruised and smushed)

If you can pack a cold pack: Salami, cheese, and crackers

Fruit Snacks

Bottled Drinks

Sandwiches

Proteins will help keep you fuller longer because it takes longer for your body to digest them. Don't forget carbs, they may digest quicker but your body needs them for fuel when you're walking around the con or dancing at a con rave/concert/club. Try to get a good balance of both. Also, don't forget to stay hydrated! When it's hot or you have a heavy costume you will get dehydrated quickly. By the time you feel symptoms your body is already severely dehydrated, so drink a little water even if you don't feel thirsty. 

Note: Check convention rules before bringing food with you! Depending on the venue, outside food and drinks may not be allowed. As an alternative, for Phoenix Comicon this year myself and several others brought ice chests that we kept in the our cars, and when we got hungry we had a mini tailgate picnic in the parking garage. :D 

ARTIST ALLEY

Artist alley can be overwhelming to the newcomer. Manga and posters and plushies, oh my! Here are a few tips for surviving artist alley without having to declare bankruptcy: 

Make a budget and stick to it. Determine your budget before you get to the con. You can break it down by day or have a lump sum for the entire trip, whatever works for you. DO NOT GO OVER YOUR BUDGET. If you go over by one item or a few dollars the temptation to buy "just one more thing" gets stronger and before you know it you might not have enough money for food. Be strong! If you can't afford to get it right away, ask for a business card. Most artist alley vendors have online shops and most dealers have websites. You may be able to get it later, after the convention. 

Look at everything before buying. Some places may be selling the same manga or plushie but at different prices. Look around. Find out who is selling what, how much it costs, and plan accordingly so you don't overpay for something. 

Ask questions. If you are looking for something specific a dealer may have it in their overall stock even if they didn't bring it to the convention. If you are looking for a more customized item some artists do commissioned pieces, and sometimes they don't advertise. Don't be afraid to ask. If they don't have what you are looking for they may know where you can find it. 

+=+=+=+

This concludes our convention survival guide! I hope you found the information helpful, and that you have a BLAST at whatever convention you are attending! :) As always, if you feel I forgot something post in the comments and...stay fabulous! 

Three days till Saboten!

-Vik 

Convention Survival Guide: Packing

Now that you have your travel plans hashed out, it's time to pack!

Packing can be overwhelming, and disorganized, but with a little planning and careful thought you'll be able to take everything you need without forgetting something or dragging too much stuff with you. :)

A Basic Packing List

This is in no way set in stone, it's just a reference list for you to get started. Add or remove things from this list as needed. :)  If you are flying, remember that liquids need to be in containers that are 3 ounces or smaller or you will either have to check your luggage or toss the liquid. 

Costumes(Depending on how ornate your costume is, you may want to put together a separate checklist for each one). 

Props

Wigs

Makeup

Sewing Kit for Repairs: Needle, matching or neutral colored thread, E6000, Fray-Check, Scissors

First Aid Kit: Band Aids, Scissors, Rubbing Alcohol, Aloe, Advil, Tylenol, Neosporin, Gauze, Medical Tape, Thermometer, Directions and phone number to nearest emergency room

Toiletries: Shampoo, Conditioner, Makeup Remover, Soap, Shaving Razors

Street clothes if you don't feel like cosplaying or if you need to make an emergency trip

Wallet with Money/Debit Card

Cell Phone and Charger

Proper Legal Identification(State ID or Driver's license)

Boarding Pass if you are flying

Camera

Batteries or charger for camera

Extra Camera lenses

Laptop and Adapter

Memory cards for camera

Food, ice chest with ice, and drinks if you are driving
If you are driving: Jumper Cables, oil, coolant, power steering fluid, brake fluid, transmission fluid, Tire Jack, tire iron

Packing Your Props:

If you are flying you may have to disassemble your prop to pack it into a suitcase. Pack it carefully. Cushion it with clothes or other padding so it won't get damaged. Baggage handlers rarely pay attention to bags marked as fragile and a broken prop means an unhappy cosplayer.

Pack as lightly as you can. The less stuff you have to haul aroud an airport or to a hotel, the better. Depeding on the airline you're flying or how much space you have in your car you may be able to take an extra suitcase for Artist Alley and dealer room purchases. 

Comment below if you have any pointers to add, and I will be back tomorrow with...food! Eating is important! Eating is delish! 

*crickets*

Ahem...stay fabulous. xD 

-Vik