Sweet Spirits Review: Suzy Cat

Hey there everyone!

Happy Saturday!

I hope you're having a good day today.

Since my last few posts were related to the music industry, I decided to change it up today with a review!  I've had this product for a few months already, so it's way overdue!

So back in April, I was looking through my jewelry box and after getting rid of some things I didn't wear anymore, I decided to look for some new things.  Other fashion blogs like Pastel Cubes had shown products from a store called Sweet Spirits.

Sweet Spirits specializes in pastel accessories that are in a Fairy Kei 80s style.  Fairy Kei is something I've been interested in for a long time, so I thought I would give this shop a try.  The item I bought is the Suzy Cat brooch, which also doubles as a hair clip!

Here's the stock photo!  

Now, onto the unboxing!

There were little doodles all over the package in pastel colors.  I thought it was a cute touch.

Inside the package, I noticed some extras wrapped in pink bubble wrap!

Stickers!  They say "Sweet Spirits" in Katakana.  I'll put one on my laptop with the rest of my stickers.

A magical unicorn magnet!  It's pretty big!  It's now on my freezer.  It keeps the ice cream safe. XD

And another magnet, this time a small one.  It has a pastel rainbow planet with a ring around it!  I love the look of this magnet, since galaxy themes, especially in pastel colors, are something I've been into recently.

Now, onto the actual product.

The brooch was in this little plastic bag tied up with a pink ribbon!

And inside the plastic bag was a cloth bag, also pink, that you can see though.  The product was well protected, and I think the cloth bags are darling.  I felt like I was opening a present instead of receiving something I bought online.

Here's the brooch finally unwrapped!  Isn't it adorable?  It's more delicate than I thought it would be.  The wings are made from a very thin material, so I have to be careful not to bend them.  Also, you can see the purple alligator clip through the wings if you look closely.

Taking a look at the back, you can see both clips firmly attached to the cat base, and the base actually has a very clean finish on the back.  Some shops don't put as much care into the back of their clips since they aren't seen, but I appreciate the attention to detail that Sweet Spirits put into this.

Going back to the front, this brooch looks just like the stock photo!  The resin is made well, it has a wonderful sparkle, and the little heart on the front is glued down and sturdy so it won't fall off easily.

I like how there are even ridges in the resin for the whiskers!  Too cute!  It's smooth and lightweight, so whether on a shirt, your bag, or in your hair, this brooch will stay put without being too heavy, and you'll look super cute!

Here's how it looks in an outfit!

As you can see, I used it as a pin on my shirt, and I think it complimented Pikachu well, don't you? XD

I used it as a pink accent with my hair, my striped earrings, and my Sailor Moon cap!  It was a character kind of day.

Since this product is well made, versatile, and easy to coordinate, I give it a 5/5 stars!  The team at Sweet Spirits also sent it well packaged, in a timely manner, and were kind enough to send along cute extras!

If you'd like to get your own Suzy Cat clip, you can get it here for $15!  We can match!

I'll definitely shop at Sweet Spirits again in the future, as my experience with them was a good one!  Make sure you check them out!

I hope you enjoyed the review, and I'll see you in my next post!

xoxo

Martha

I'm Divorcing Kpop

Good Evening lovelies!

I apologize for the long absence, but I was off in Germany studying abroad!  It was amazing, and it couldn't have come at a better time.

Now unless you've been living under a rock, you already know that EXO's Kris filed suit against SM Entertainment to have his contract be terminated with the company.  Fortunately, since I was in Germany for the past two weeks, I could stay away from the internet and from most of the crazy fan wars that were circulating.

Unfortunately, that left me to obsess in my own head.

And after thinking about this for a good long while, I had to ask myself something.

Is the escape really worth it?

Kpop, specifically EXO, has been my escape for the past year.  Whenever something would go wrong in my life, I'd turn to these pretty, shiny idols to make me feel better and push away the real world.  In doing so, I did something that I told myself I would never do.  I somehow forgot that idols are people too.  And I'm incredibly disappointed in myself for doing so.  These idols work so hard and in such terrible conditions to make their fans happy, and a lot of fans seem to think it's all sunshine and rainbows for them, or they just don't care either way and just want the shiny costumes and catchy music.

I was wary to get into Kpop for that very reason, but somehow when EXO came along, I got sucked in.  The logical part of my brain was screaming about the JYJ lawsuit, and being a conscious consumer, but the part of me that somehow needed an escape was much stronger than logic.  

I had gotten so sucked in that when the news of Kris's lawsuit broke out, it hit me like a bomb.  I actually cried.  And not just getting teary eyed like a Morning Musume graduation, I mean like the ugly cry.  It was bad.

But at the same time, it was the perfect wake up call.  Reading accounts of his poor health and other such things that I will not mention to give him some sort of privacy, set alarm bells going off in my head.

This is wrong.  This whole system--this machine.  That's the thing about Kpop.  It's a machine, and the idols are just cogs to work it so that their companies can profit from it.  After thinking about it and writing my thoughts down repeatedly, it made me sick to my stomach.  These companies take these young, passionate, talented people and turn them into puppets...

Some fans are calling Kris a traitor and other such things, but can you really blame him for leaving?  When you aren't respected as a human being, let alone an artist, something has to be done.  Humans aren't meant to be kept in cages, whether a literal cage with iron bars, or one shaped like an entertainment company.

Then I decided to look beyond Kris and SM.  I remembered articles I had read in the past and brushed off.  B.A.P's constant promotion cycles with no rest, Secret only allowed one meal a day, T-ara members only getting two to three hours of sleep a night, not to mention Hwayoung's ugly departure.  And so much more, too many horror stories to count.

I had let myself become a part of the machine, supporting the grind of its gears, and I couldn't let myself do that anymore.  The night before I left for Germany I deleted every single Kpop song I had off of my iPod.

Every. Single. Song.

Let me tell you, I have a good chunk of space available now...

It's bizarre really, seeing how this one thing took over my life.  Kpop affected how I thought about the world, about music, and about myself.  I was so obsessed and in so deep it was unhealthy.  I've only been away from it for two weeks and I already feel so much better.

I'm not constantly comparing my looks to girl groups, I'm not trying to make art conform to anyone else's standards but my own...it's like I've found my true self again.

Though as I'm writing this, I did add a few groups back on.  Namely JYJ and Block B.  Those two groups have made names for themselves with companies that treat them fairly (as far as we know), and have found a way around the most hideous parts of the Kpop machine.

It's tough though.  I'll find myself looking for a song and realize I deleted it, and the fact that a large majority of my friends still listen to it makes me a little uncomfortable.  I just don't want to talk about it anymore, and whenever I see someone post something about their favorite Kpop idol, I have to scroll past.

After all of the emotional ups and downs, what I have it down to is this:

I will not listen to Kpop music unless it's from a company that treats its artists well.  So far, that comes to JYJ, Block B, U-Kiss (though that may be debatable for some), and any independent musicians that I can find.  The groups that I loved for so long I now have to push away.

It's not like I don't want to support the idols.  I do.  I think they're all talented and wonderful.  I just can't support them because their companies profit off of them.  And the only way things are going to change is if those companies lose money.  That's the only language they know.

But this change can't start with me.  It can't start with international fans.  It has to start in South Korea, with South Korean fans, since those fans are the ones with the power, and the ones paying most of the money.  Unfortunately, those are the fans that are most loyal to the companies.

I have a feeling it will take a great many years before we see any change to the machine, but until then, I'll be hoping that these idols can survive.  That they can be okay, even though their careers are in the hands of greedy businessmen.  

I think about the members of EXO still.  I hear about their injuries from friends, and I hate to know that they let themselves be treated so terribly.

But then I think of Kris.  It's bittersweet, but I know he has a chance for a new beginning.  He has another chance to define himself as an artist, to pave his own path.  I'll be waiting to see what he does, and whatever it is, I'm sure it will be great.

Thank you, Kris.  Thank you for the wake up call that I so desperately needed.  Thank you for standing up for yourself.  

I hope that young Kpop fans who read this will have a few second thoughts before they choose which companies to support.  I hope that this decision I've made with Kpop can transfer to all music, to all companies.

This situation has helped me start on a path to being a conscious consumer, and a better person.  It's time for the idols in shiny costumes to go away, and to be replaced with something real.

Review: Pinkly Ever After

Hey there honey bears!  It's time for my first product review!  Wahoo!

Today I'll be reviewing my latest order from one of my favorite brands:  Pinkly Ever After!

For those of you who don't know, Pinkly Ever After is "a brand for girls who are curiously drawn to light and happy pastel color combinations based on different types of pink."  Designer Robin and her partner and model Leah like to think of themselves as the Magical Fairy Godmothers of all of the magical girls all over the world!  In the Pinkly Ever After Shop, they sell "Pinkly Ever After originals, Japanese select shop items and vintage findings that came right out of the fairytale book."

You can find out more about PEA (and the quotes used above) on their website!

Actually, you see a Pinkly Ever After item every time you visit my blog!  Where?  Check out my sidebar image!

It's the Magical Lalala Star Princess dress!  As you can see, I have the pink version.  ^^  This dress was my first PEA purchase, and I love it to pieces!  I've worn it twice so far, and people are always impressed by it.

For my most recent order, I ordered these items:

Princess Crystal Ribbon in Mint:

And the Candy Chick Jacket in Pink!  I apologize, the stock photo seems to have been taken down!  But let's get on with the review!

                                      

They always send their stuff in pink packaging!  Too cute!

The first thing out of the packages are the Princess Crystal Ribbons!  Check 'em out!

I love the fabric they're made out of and the jewel in the center is so adorable! The bows have an alligator clip on the bottom to put into your hair.  Most bows have the clip on the back of the bow, but I'm glad these don't so they'll stand up better!  But as you can see, one of them is a little wonky.  I tried moving it around and tugging on the edges but that just seems to be the way it was made.  

You can see the difference in the quality between the bows on the back as well.  The first ribbon is impeccably well made, and has a very clean finish.  The bow above it on the other hand seems to be a little thrown together.  It was like they were at the end of their fabric and wanted to use every last bit of it.  I'm all for being economical, and it's not a huge deal, but I can't help but be a little disappointed in the difference in quality between the two.  I don't think it's all too noticeable when you're wearing them together, but when you're examining them together for a review it's hard to miss.  

I wore the well-made bow last Monday for a little pick me up, and here's how it looked!

It's so perky!  I'm very happy with the way this looks.  I've tried to clip in other bows that I have to a half updo, but they tend to sit flat on my head rather than be obnoxious and perky, which is what I wanted from this product.  I love the color as well.  Mint green goes so well with pink, and I think the color is very true to the stock photos they posted.

Overall I give the Princess Crystal Ribbons a 4/5 stars.  I had to take a star off for the wonkiness of one of the bows, but there was nothing wrong with the other, and they are both sturdy either way.

I want these in every color. XD

Before I get to the main event (the jacket), let me show you the little freebies that came with my order!

First we have some stick on nails!  I've never seen this kind of design for nails before!  It's super cute!

The instructions are all in Korean, so I'm glad there are pictures!  I think you stick the nail sticker on, and then cut off the excess material on the ends.  I'll post a photo on my instagram when I try them out!

At first I didn't know what this was, but after taking it out of its little plastic sleeve I discovered it was a STICKER!  Rilakkuma is adorable, but I didn't have anything Rilakkuma until I received this!  It's super cute, and I put it on my laptop along with all of my other cute stickers.

PEA always includes a few pieces of candy with their products, and since I have a sweet tooth, I definitely appreciate that!  The candy I got in my last order was muscat flavored and super delicious.  This time, it's a strawberry milk candy!  The little cow on the package is too cute!

Here's what the actual candy looks like.  Heart shaped!  I tried one and it has a nice strawberry flavor, and is slightly creamy.  I have the other in my backpack for an emergency. xP

The last freebie I received is a photo card with a lovely note on the back!  Robin and Leah are so sweet, and it warms my heart to know that they take the time to hand write these.

Here is the front of the card!  Leah is a wonderful model, and their studio is really magical!  This will go in my cute picture collection!

Now, on to the main event:  The Candy Chick Jacket!  I really wish I could've found the stock photo...Leah looked wonderful modeling this.  Anyway, let's take a look!

The jacket came wrapped up safely in a plastic sleeve, all nicely folded.

As you can see from the tag, this item isn't a PEA original, but a resale item.  I think it's pretty cool that they have a variety of different items in their store, but they always make sure they're cute and magical!

One thing that surprised me about the jacket though...when I opened the plastic sleeve, the jacket had a very distinct smell.  Like a very strong perfume or something.  I'm not sure whether PEA sprayed it with something, but nothing in my previous order had this scent to it so I'm assuming it was from the previous owner.  But, like most resale items, the smell came out after a wash, so no worries!

Here's an outfit I put together with the jacket!

I LOVE this jacket!!  It makes me feel like a 90's pop star. XD  I did my hair in low pigtails, and it reminded me of old school Britney.  As well as being super cute and stylish, this jacket is also very comfortable and warm.  I felt like I was wearing a hug!  I've also worn this to a few sleepovers at my neighbor's apartment, and it goes so well with my pink pajamas.  I'll be using this in a photo shoot later so keep an eye out!

Here's a happy Martha with her new jacket!

And as you can see, I'm wearing my rose quartz necklace that Natsume so kindly bought for me at All-Con.  I thought it gave the whole outfit an eclectic look.

The Candy Chick Jacket gets a 5/5 stars from me!

The overall rating for this order is a 4.5 out of 5, only losing points for the one wonky bow.

Pinkly Ever After is a wonderful, magical shop that is perfect for anyone who loves cute and pastel colored fashion!  Their most recent collection includes some more sophisticated wear in lovely colors like peach and a light salmon pink.  

Please go check out their store!

Go support their amazing art and have fun spreading your magical cuteness to the world!

Thanks so much for reading, and I'll see you in my next post!

xoxo

Martha