Tiki Fire Emblem Awakening Cosplay Progress

Strangely enough I don't have many cosplay conventions to attend this summer so I've decided to take up another project: Tiki from Fire Emblem Awakening!

I've watched my brother play the past Fire Emblem games, so I'm somewhat familiar with them but Awakening is my first official Fire Emblem game. When you catch a glimpse of Tiki during the story quests I thought she was really beautiful and intriguing! I've been looking for an excuse to wear pointed ears for a cosplay for forever to so I'm really excited to wear some now!

It's a very girly cosplay for me! I typically end up doing the tomboy characters in groups, or the cold types when solo. Tiki seems to be a very calm and feminine character in this game... it's a nice change of pace! This costume will present some new challenges for me too! I already know how to make shoe covers, so now I can expand with different length boots. It'll also be my first time making gloves from scratch!

For the cape I really hope Genniieeee can give me some insight in how she did her Meruru cape hehe, it's nice to have talented friends who might be able to help you!

This wigs (I'm using 2 because I couldn't find one online with a ponytail premade that I liked) are on it's way already. I've purchased the red material I'll need (boots will have a zipper this time! eeeek!!), the elf ears I'm using are here and the thigh highs I ordered have been shipped too!

 (The ears are from Aradani, and I was too impatient to put glue on so they might not be at the right angle lol)

As I go along I'll do my best to capture my processes and which tutorials I used! I'm really excited for this costume since many of my friends are also doing Fire Emblem this year..! I'll be getting to work soon so stay tuned!!

Animal Crossing: New Leaf First Impressions

So last Sunday, June 9th, 2013 was the release of the new Animal Crossing game for the 3DS! I admit I've been waiting for the new game for a couple years since it was first announced. I was so excited when it finally came overseas!

I admit I'm a bit of a noob, my first game was City Folk, but it got me so hooked! It's the same kind of addicting as Harvest Moon was for me...

The premise is mostly the same though now you've got the added benefits of being the actual mayor of your town! While I miss Tortimer, being able to really customize my town with projects like fountains and extra bridges is really nice! You can also decorate the exterior of your home too which personalizes it even more. I really like these changes!

Another aspect of the game that I really enjoy now is the online multiplayer experience they've set up. You can connect locally and through wifi to other players on the 3DS! With the additions of Re-tail, the island and the HH Academy, there are more ways for me to interact with my fellow players. The only annoyance I experienced through wifi play is that when someone loses connection, both players are reverted back to before the multiplayer session. So for long sessions, it's really annoying when everything is reverted to before! Oh well...

There are a lot more townspeople you can meet too, which is nice. Molly (a cute brown duckie) is by far my favourite! SHE'S SO CUTE!!

I also really like the pacing of this game. It forces you to go through a couple of days before you have access to most of the features! Most shops will be unlocked over time.. I only just got an axe today (a week after release)! While I like it because it means I won't rush through the game, it's also a little frustrating because I have little patience for these things!

One thing that perhaps is nice.. but also a little exploitative... is how easy it is to get money via exotic fruits. If you have a friend with a fruit different than yours, through the online mutliplayer it's super easy to pay off loans, etc. I have yet to really decide if this takes away from the game or not, as there are WAY more things to spend your money on now than in past games. Saving up isn't as much of a pain though.. which is nice!

Overall I'm thoroughly enjoying my experience so far and I would totally recommend this game if you're a casual gamer who enjoys games like Harvest Moon. I think both kids and adults can enjoy this game too, as well as both men and women.

Aqualillies for tarte Amazonian clay waterproof eye and cheek palette Review

WHOA WHAT A LONG NAME! This was created with the USA's synchronized swimming team the Aqualillies in order to create a palette worthy of the spring and summer months! Apparently all the shades are waterproof, which should make it ideal for the pool. I saw it on the Sephora website and was coveting it until I saw it in store while I was in Vegas!

The palette offers six eyeshadows, a champaign-coloured highlighter, a bronzer and a unique blush only available in this palette. Pretty damn good for the price ($46 CAD) when one of their blushes costs $31 CAD! Two of the six shadows are a brown matte, which is always nice. I hate it when the palette is all shimmery! The lighter shades work well as highlights without being glittery, although sadly the only unique colour (the blue/teal) doesn't show up as vibrantly as it does in the pan. That was a bit disappointing really...

The blush is what you would expect from tarte's amazing Amazonian clay blushes. Pigmented, gorgeous, wearable colour that lasts a long time! The highlighter is a typical champagne colour, but it works well with my fair skin to give me a nice glow. The bronzer was a new experience for me, as I typically stay away from them with my pale skin. When slowly built up, I think it can work as a good contour colour.

When I compare the formula to my other palettes, Urban Decay NAKED is still a lot more buttery smooth, but the tarte Aqualillies palette does well to give me a smooth application. I'd say the shades are a little smoother than my Lorac Pro palette but give around the same payoff with some of the matte shades.

The overall aesthetic of the palette is very retro and all-in-all just pretty. I love the packaging and the large mirror. Sadly it doesn't come with an eyeshadow brush but these shades are easy to apply with my fingers. The compact is large and easy to hold in one hand. It's also very travel friendly as it has all your essentials in one area. More space for your luggage!

Whether they are waterproof or not I cannot say for sure. The shadows rub off throughout the day though.

In all I really like this palette! It's pretty standard for colours, but it's handy to have everything in one cute package. I've been using this everyday for work!