And Now...a Hideously Overdue Kikori Con Writeup!

Hello lovlies!

So yes, I am aware that Kikori Con was LAST NOVEMBER, mainly because I was there. xD 

And now that my life is back in place(at least for now xD), I actually have time to do the writeup!!!

Kikori Con is currently prepping for its fourth year, and it takes place at the Little America Hotel in Flagstaff. The hotel itself is gorgeous! It's warm, and cozy, and very homey feeling. I wish I'd snapped pictures...next year!

If you're curious to see what it looks like check out their website here. <3

Anywho...

The drive was long. Very long. Hideously long. xD Okay, that was a slight exaggeration. It took about three hours one way. Not too shabby. 

Fun useless fact: The drive to the con and back takes exactly almost one full tank of gas in my truck. I topped off before I left Mesa and the low fuel light literally came on as I pulled into the hotel. xD

This just in: My truck does not like hills. :P 

Look at that view!

The dealers room/Artist Alley was quite small this year, but it was a ton of fun! My booth was on the end, and I tried a new setup that I have since decided will be getting changed for Saboten. xD 

Booth setup! 

More booth pics...

Since I was flying solo for this one I didn't get much of a chance to leave the booth, but had a wonderful time nonetheless. :) As I said before this is a small con, but it has a lot of great energy. A lot of lucky packs were sold this year, and my customers loved them! 

I also got some great JFashion snaps and cosplay snaps!

Will I be back this year? Of course! I booked my table at the end of the convention. They are expanding Artist Alley this year and I am so excited! I can't wait to go back!

As always, thank you so much to all the wonderful people who stopped by my booth, and a big THANK YOU to the convention organizers and coordinators! It was wonderful. <3

Are you planning on going to Kikori Con this year? Did you go to Kikori Con last year? If you did, how was your experience? Let us know in the comments! 

As always...stay fabulous!

-Vik 

J-Fashion on a Budget: Thrifting and Fairy Kei

Hello Darlings!

Seems like every time I try to resurrect this blog real life crap happens. But that's another update for another time. 

Anywho...

This is a topic I've wanted to write about for a long time, as Candy Graffiti does so much upcycled clothing, and roughly 90% of my wardrobe is from one of the many awesome Goodwill shops in Phoenix. xD 

Let's face it: Fairy Kei clothing can be expensive, especially if you're buying from well-knowndesigners like 6% DOKIDOKI or Nile Perch, and if you're buying directly from their websites shipping and currency exchange can take an even bigger bite out of your wallet. o.O

This is, thankfully, a topic that's been tackled by quite a few YouTubers and bloggers so I wanted to share my findings here. :3 

MinaMinaKawaii shares her favorite thrifted Fairy Kei pieces, where she got them and tips for finding Fairy Kei clothes in unexpected places. 

LawlFactory did a video some time ago about thrifting. I like it because she takes her viewers through the thrift store in a 'follow me around' format, and as she finds pieces she explains how to apply them to your wardrobe, accessorize them, or alter them to fit.

If you can't get to physical stores, online thrifting is a great option! I found this awesome video by kakkoi hana, in which she gives a basic tutorial on how to thrift online using sites like eBay and Etsy.

Last but not least... Minty Fresh Fashion recently made a video on her dollar store Fairy Kei haul! The most expensive item she got was only $2. :3 She will be making a thrift haul video soon, and I can't wait to see it!  Alright, guys! How many of use hit the thirft stores to find kawaii clothes/accessories? What shops do you like and why, and what are some of your favorite thrifted pieces? Let us know in the comments and as always, stay fabulous! 
-Vik 

RinRinDoll x Gasaxxxy Japan Collab!

Hello darlings!

Fan Fest and Kikori Con writeups are coming soon, I swear. xD

My day job is super busy right now due to the holiday rush, and then the Candy Graffiti holiday rush!

I do want to take a moment and thank everyone who came out to see us at Fan Fest! Didn't get very many cosplay photos(two, in fact :P), but it was a blast, and I met awesome people, got to attend Denise Crosby's panel (squeeeee!) and I learned a ton! 

On to the subject for today...

RinRin Doll did a collaboration with Galaxxxy Japan! 

It's called NEO LOLITA and it's her first collection, and I LOVE IT! It's a small collection, and they've described it as 'casual street lolita.' 

Always a fan of contrasts, my favorite thing about the collection is the black/pink/lavender color scheme. 

There are four items in the collection: Two sweatshirts, a dress, and some buttons. 

Small, yes, but it's a good start and I can't wait to see what she does next!

Tokyo Fashion covered the photo shoot:

Galaxxxy has the collection on sale here.

As always...stay fabulous! <3
-Vik 

Halloween Creepy Butler Makeup Tutorial!

Hello darlings!

Halloween is coming! I'm super excited!!! This is my absolute favorite holiday of the year! It is said that during this time of year the veil between the living and the deceased wanes to its thinnest point, and in some traditions offerings of food and drink are left out for visiting loved ones who have departed the physical world. 

I also enjoy any excuse to pull out a cosplay. :3

I thought this would be a great time to start posting makeup tutorials again, so today I'm posting a creepy butler makuep tutorial by Kawaii Pateen!

This video is in English, so it is easier to follow along! :3 

As always, if you try this tutorial, post in the comments how it went, and if you have pics and video send them to us(candygraffitishop@gmail.com) so we can feature it on the blog! 
(Pssst...we're still looking for models for Kikori Con too, so if you're interested read the entry here and send us an email! :3 )
As always...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

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