#WigWednesday Wig Care Tutorial: How to Store Wigs

Hi everyone! It's that time again... #WigWednesday!! This Wednesday we are going to discuss how to store your wigs! If you have missed the previous posts in this series, you can check them out there:

How to Brush a Wig

How to Brush and Restore Straight Wigs

How to Brush and Restore Curly Wigs

So let's get to it!

How to Store Wigs

People always ask me, 

"You have so many wigs. How do you store them all???" 

Well, whether you have a lot or a little, you store them the same way! The best way to store wigs is in the package they come in. Once you have them back in their bag, you can store them just about anywhere, as long as it's a dry place with a reasonable room temperature. 

Most people I know store them in drawers or baskets. I just have so many that I have a whole dresser dedicated to living the wig life. XD

Post by Alexa Poletti.

So, wigs are wild and crazy. How do you get them back in the package they came in?

Wigs come with a hair net and a bag. Sometimes they come with tissue paper and a cardboard lining. For the sake of this guide, we are going to pretend your wig came with all of these things. If your wig didn't, just skip that step. ;D

Start by putting the ball of tissue paper into the wig cap. The idea is that it helps keep the base rounded out (like a head) so that it doesn't lay completely flat & look totally whack when you put it on again later. To be honest, I hardly ever use the tissue paper when packing my wigs and I have never had an issue with them not fitting my head when I pull them out of the bag later. So, if your wig didn't come with a ball of tissue paper, I really wouldn't sweat it. But in the spirit of a thorough tutorial, I am going to pack it with the tissue paper anyway. (OvO)

Then you want to wrap your wig back up in a wig net. This will help keep your wig contained and help it keep its style. If you just shove it back into it's bag without a net, you'll increase the risk of frizziness and total chaos when you pull it back out later. Sometimes you can get away with not using a net on short bobs or boy style wigs. I'm convinced that little wig fairies come in and steal wig nets, so if you are short a few nets, use them on your longer curlier wigs instead of short boy style. Got it?

There are lots of different ways to get them back in the net, but I usually just like to gather the longest parts of the wig and carefully tuck them up into the cap. Some people do it other ways, but I find it easier to put the net on if all the curls, longer pieces, etc., are contained inside the base of the wig. 

Once your wig is tucked into a cute little ball, just stretch the net over the wig. Simple as that!

Next, it's time to pack it up! I always label my bags so that I can keep my wigs organized. This is the Gothic Lolita Wigs NeoClassic in Turquoise.

This step is pretty self explanatory in the graphic above, but in case you can't see it for whatever reason, I'll explain.

Take your netted wig and put it inside the cardboard. Put the cardboard in the bag.

I guess that wasn't much of an explanation XD

So, that's it!!! Then I put the wig back into its corresponding drawer. In the case of the NeoClassic Turquoise, its home is the "Bright" drawer.

Now that I've teased you with a glimpse into the "Bright" drawer, I know you're curious about all of the other drawers.

Blonde:

Brown/Burgundy:

Black:

Pastel:

Bright:

Hahahah, okay. I know. I'm ridiculous and excessive.

Oh, and I definitely want to touch on this reallllllly quick.

I know a TON of you LOVE to display your wigs as storage. And why wouldn't you?? They are beautiful!

This is a fine way to store them, but there are two main things to beware of when doing this, especially if you don't wear them very often~

1. If your wig is sitting out on display, it is likely that it will collect dust while sitting out. Who wants dusty hair? Storing it in its bag will keep dust out of it.

2. IF YOUR WIG IS CURLY: If you keep your curly wig out on display, keep in mind that gravity is a thing. When there is a constant pull of gravity on the curls, they will start to lose their shape over time. Think about it. It makes sense. Straight wigs are a better choice for display wigs ;D

&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&&

That's it!!!!

I hope you learned something from today's #WigWednesday Wig Care Tutorial! Check back next week for

How to Restyle Tight Curls into Voluminous Loose Curls

xoxoxo

How to Look Like a Kawaii Doll: A Makeup Tutorial by Alexa Poletti

Hi guys! After about a million requests, I've finally made a kawaii doll makeup tutorial! I hope you enjoy it! :3

xoxo

How To Be A Model - Beginning Modeling Guide & How I Became a GLW Muse by Alexa Poletti

Hi hi hi!! Today I have a very special post for you. This topic is a little outside of my usual fashion posts, but it is a topic that I get asked about soooo often that I felt like it deserved it's own post. I am excited about it, so I hope that you are excited to read it!

Drum roll pleaseeeeee....

Now, of course, I am not a modeling agent or anything like that, but I have just put together a personal guide of tips and whatnot that I have learned over the last few years of being a model. And of course, this isn't the only way to be a model! There are many, many other ways to go about it! Everyone wants to know how to start modeling. People literally ask me this more than ANYTHING ever. So let's get started! 

FIRST THINGS FIRST.

I know this seems like a given, but SKIN CARE. 

I can not stress this enough! Please, people! Take care of your skin! Wash your face & moisturize (if your skin needs it) every day. Washing is important for obvious reasons. Moisturizing will help skin keep its elasticity which helps reduce wrinkles and promotes healthy skin. If you have to go out in the sun, or are someone who likes to tan, protect your skin with sunscreen. I literally keep sunscreen in my purse and in my car. I hate being tan! *hiss*!!

 I know many of you reading this blog are teenagers, so what I want to stress to you is DO NOT SLEEP IN YOUR MAKEUP. I was sooo guilty of this when I was a teenager. Whenever you want to just fall into bed and sleep and the thought of taking off your makeup makes you want to die, at the very least, take off your makeup with a makeup remover wipe or something. Sleeping in your makeup at night will rapidly increase how fast your skin ages. Annoying right? We just can't win. But as a teenager, I know you don't care about wrinkles. But you will care one day, and especially if you want to be a model, think twice before sleeping in your makeup. Sleeping in your makeup also increases your chances of breakouts. Find a skin care routine that works for you. Everyone gets a pimple from time to time, but if you show up to a photoshoot or fashion show with acne spread all over your lovely face, you are definitely not going to have a happy photographer/client.

Learn Your Angles

Pretend your mirror is a camera and move your head around in every direction and angle that you can think of. Faces look different every way you turn them. What is your most flattering way? Try to angle your head to accentuate your great features and downplay features you don't like. For example... If you have a square jaw, you may want to tilt your head down. If you have a long nose, you may want to look straight on. If you have a round face, you may want to turn your head slightly one way or the other. 

But let's get real. I know you've got your selfie game on lock. You probably already know your angles.

*TIP*  My favorite tip for pictures where you aren't directly facing the camera: Tilt your head towards the camera, to create a sharper jaw line. When you tilt your head away from the camera, you quickly lose definition in your chin. 

cat glasses because why not?

Learn How To Pose

Do some homework. Research models that you like, styles you like, photographers you like, and fashion you like. Take note of how the models are posed in these pictures that you find appealing. Try to keep some of those poses in mind while you practice poses in the mirror. You'll learn pretty quickly what looks bad. The body part that I find (as a photographer) to be the most often neglected are the hands. Keep your hands pretty! Pretend you're a dancer and you want soft little delicate princess hands. Unless you're a grunge goth model, but even then, you don't want to look like you have robot hands. It is easy to forget because you are busy concentrating on posing your face, your hips, legs, arms, etc. You can have the best pose everrrr and it will still look uncomfortable and unnatural just by forgetting to pose your hands. Once you've found a few poses that you think are solid, get your sister or best friend or brother or dog to take some practice photos of you on their phone just so you can see how your poses translate when seen from another person's perspective/camera. It's helpful to check it out on an iPhone screen before you even bother jumping in front of a real camera.

*TIP* Check out this great article for tons of tips on posing:

http://petapixel.com/2013/05/24/dear-model-posing-tips-for-how-to-look-your-best-in-photographs

Screenshot from PetaPixel's article on posing. Read the article HERE.

Once you feel like you're ready with your posing and angles... 

Hire an amazing photographer to start your portfolio.

If you're serious about being a model, bite the bullet, save up, and pay for a good photographer. No amazing photographer is going to want to shoot a new model for free and no one is going to want to shoot a model with a shitty portfolio period. It's as simple as that. Find a photographer in your area that you love (Google is your best friend) and hire them. Great photographers make YOU look good and a lot of them will help direct your posing, which is super helpful to newbies. Once you have a solid start to your portfolio, more photographers will be willing to work with you for cheaper rates or even just TF (trade for... time, prints, etc. = free).  It all starts with those initial great shots for your port.

Build your portfolio the right way.

Only include your best photos. QUALITY OVER QUANTITY. If your photographer gives you 10 photos from that look similar with slight pose changes, CHOOSE ONE. We don't need to see an album on Facebook with 45 pictures from the same shoot. Narrow them down to only your best shots where the posing, expression, setting and/or framing are noticeably different from one another. Once you have a ton of shoots under your belt, start only using your best shoots in your port. Portfolios are constantly evolving, so don't be afraid to give older shoots the boot. You want your portfolio to be something you're proud of. 

-BE MINDFUL OF COPYRIGHT AND NEVER EVER CROP OUT LOGOS (unless you state somewhere else ON THE PHOTO, not description). It is illegal to sell your pictures even if they are of you. Copyright belongs to the photographer unless you have a contractual agreement saying you are allowed to use the photo for profit. It's a small industry. Photographers are friends with photographers. If you treat one photographer poorly, word will get around and no one will want to work with you anymore.

Once you have a great port...

-One thing you could do is get an agent.
But I don't have an agent so I am not going to talk about that because I have zero knowledge on the subject. So instead...

Start reaching out! Start a fan page. Start an Instagram account. Find a way to get your modeling photos online. Think of companies you like or admire and see if they are looking for models. Enter contests. Send companies pics of you wearing their clothes... They love that! Try to get featured on their social media pages & maybe they will just be blown away by your awesomeness. Show them your portfolio and show them that you have something to offer. If your portfolio is strong enough, they won't feel as nervous about taking a risk on you. Try contacting small businesses or etsy sellers about modeling their items. Get your face out there. But also be mindful that once you are trying to make yourself a public figure, you have to always portray yourself the way you want people to see you on social media and in life in general.

-Prepare for disappointment. Expect to be let down. When it comes to modeling, you hear no a lot more often than you hear yes. Plus, when you put yourself out there, people are going to hate on you because they have nothing better going on in their lives. They are going to call you names, insult you, and beat you down. To them, you'll always be too fat, too skinny, too ugly, too tall, too stupid. Expect your figure, your race, your expressions, and even something as stupid as styling choices that didn't even have anything to do with you to be attacked, and to somehow make you a "terrible" model. You'll never win if you try to make everyone happy. Just make yourself happy! Grow a tough skin and brush off the negativity. Don't let words hurt you or you'll never make it. Haters and trolls don't go away, unfortunately. 

-& I debated including this, but I constantly get asked about Model Mayhem for newbie models, so I will address it.

This site is SKETCHY so if you choose to use it, be careful. Do not try to shoot with every photographer who contacts you. Take a VERY CLOSE look at their portfolios and shoot only with those who would benefit you the most. Do your research on the photographer before you shoot with them. Do they have a website that is legit? Do they have a business page on Facebook? Basically, find their internet footprint and see what you can find out about them before you agree to go meet a stranger and stand in front of their sketchy camera. You wouldn't go model for someone on Craigslist without doing any research about the potential serial killer photographer, so be smart about it. Bring a friend with you if it's your first time shooting with a new Model Mayhem photographer. Your safety is worth bribing your friend to come with you and sit around for two hours playing Flappy Bird.
Also, prepare to get bailed on. Model Mayhem users are notorious for bailing last minute. It's annoying.

But every now and then, Model Mayhem can come through for you, which leads me right into...

How I Became a Model/GLW Muse

So all in all, I think if it weren't for Model Mayhem, I wouldn't be where I am today. Just PLEASE be smart about meeting people from the internet. 

Sincerely,

A Person from the Internet 

Good luck with your modeling endeavors! I hope you find this guide helpful!

#WigWednesday Wig Care Tutorial: How to Brush and Restore Curly Wigs

Happy #WigWednesday!! Are you ready for Week 3 of #WigWednesday Wig Care Tutorials? In case you've missed the previous two weeks, you can read them here:
How to Brush a Wig
How to Brush and Restore Straight Wigs

& now, on to Week 3:

How to Brush and Restore Curly Wigs

Curly wigs can be a little more difficult to maintain than straight wigs. My preferred method for brushing curly wigs is finger-combing. Finger-combing just means using your fingers to brush through hair. It is a much more gentle way to handle hair and can extend the life of curls. You may still need to use a comb in areas that are badly tangled.

This demo wig is Gothic Lolita Wigs NeoClassic in Turquoise.

When finger-combing curls, the best way to do it is to section off the curls. You want to handle each curl individually, so again, patience is key! As you run your fingers through the curls, you want to go in the direction of the curl. This means spinning your hand as you work down the curl. After the curl is detangled, you may need to reshape the curl a little bit. 

There are a few ways to reshape curls. The quickest and easiest way is to wrap the curl around your finger and hold. I think you will be surprised how much this helps the curl bounce back. If that's not enough to restore your curls, apply heat. Again, like with straightening, you should check the max temp your wig can handle.

 A curling wand (no clamp) is ideal for curling wigs. If you don't have one, just be sure not to use the clamp of your styling tool. The clamp will make creases & could burn the hair, eww! Wrap the curl around the curling iron the same way you did your finger, hold for just a few seconds, then gently slide the curl off. 

If your wig has tight curls (ex. GLW Ringlet Redux), you should wrap the hair tighter. If it has loose curls (ex. GLW Duchess Elodie), then wrap the hair loosely. Simple as that!

There is no guarantee that you can restore curls exactly to their original state, but I hope these tips help!

Good luck!

Check back next Wednesday for:
How to Store Wigs

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Creepy Cute Pink Pirate Daily Style Post

Yarrr! Hello bunnies! Today's Daily Style began as a simple creepy cute eyeball-themed outfit, much like my usual style, but once I added the pink hat and striped skirt to the mix, I got a pirate vibe that I immediately just loved. So now... I'm a creepy cute pink pirate! & there is nothing you can do about it. XD

Fun Fact: When I was just a small kitten, all I ever wanted to be was a pirate!~

Daily Style Link List~

Hat: unknown

Hair: Gothic Lolita Wigs Rhapsody in Grape

http://www.dolluxe.com/collections/rhapsody/products/rhapsody-grape

Eye Bow: KawaiiGoods.com

www.kawaiigoods.com

Bone Clip: Gothic Bimbo's Bubblegum Emporium Bone Clip in Pink

http://www.gothicbimbo.co.uk/collections/307212-headcandy/products/2119665-bone-clips-2pk

Wing Clips: KawaiiGoods.com Cherub's Angel Wing Clips in White

http://kawaiigoods.storenvy.com/collections/550021-cult-party-kei/products/3862600-cherubs-angel-wings-clips

Lashes: Dolluxe Lashing Out Loud x Underlash A

http://www.dolluxe.com/collections/top-lashes/products/1-lashing-out-loud-3-pack

http://www.dolluxe.com/collections/underlash/products/7-underlash-a-3-pack

Contacts: LensVillage iFairy Casper Violet
http://www.lensvillage.com/i-fairy-casper-violet-lenses
See my review of these lenses here:
http://alexapoletti.blogspot.com/2014/03/lensvillagecom-super-crystal-pink-and.html

Top: eBay "Eyes"
http://www.ebay.com/itm/331059088508?var=540261226484&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEWNX%3AIT&_trksid=p3984.m1439.l2649

Necklace: Gothic Bimbo's Bubblegum Emporium EyeC Necklace
http://www.gothicbimbo.co.uk/collections/307062-chains/products/2117676-eyec

Bag: hi-di-hi Liberty Winky Bag
http://www.hi-di-hi.com/collections/winky/products/liberty-winky
See my review of this bag here:
http://alexapoletti.blogspot.com/2013/05/hi-di-hi-liberty-winky-cross-body-bag.html
Not sure if this code still works, but you can try~
Use code: MYFRIENDALEXA for $20 off any purchase of $50 or more!

Eyeball Bracelet: eBay
http://www.ebay.com/itm/STREET-PUNK-visual-cosplay-KERA-grave-digger-eyeball-bead-elastic-bracelet-/251257618636?pt=Fashion_Jewelry&hash=item3a801f00cc

Wing Rings: KawaiiGoods.com Angel Wing Rings
http://kawaiigoods.storenvy.com/collections/550021-cult-party-kei/products/1445757-angel-wings-rings

Flower Ring: Gothic Bimbo's Bubblegum Emporium Lacy Days Ring in Purple
http://www.gothicbimbo.co.uk/collections/307269-rings/products/4830343-lacy-days

Eyeball Ring: Hypnotic Sweet Treats
http://hypnoticsweettreats.storenvy.com/products

Heart Ring: unknown
If this ring is from your shop, please let me know!

Bat Ring: unknown
If this ring is from your shop, please let me know!

Skirt: ROMWE Dual-tone Striped Skirt
http://www.romwe.com/dualtone-striped-skirt-p-57528.html?alexapoletti

Socks: eBay

Shoes: Converse Chuck Taylors Classic in Pink
http://www.converse.com/regular/chuck-taylor-classic-colors/MP_50.html?dwvar_MP__50_color=pink&dwvar_MP__50_size=030

xoxoxo

ROWME Aztec Cardigan GIVEAWAY!

Romwe Aztec Tribal Cardigan Giveaway! 

Open worldwide & Free shipping!

How to win:

1.       Add a comment on the product page via Facebook to show your love for the cardigan :

http://www.romwe.com/romwe-offwhite-oversized-aztec-tribal-cardigan-p-69353.html

2.       Tell me you have done it by leaving me a comment following this post. I will verify!

1 lucky winner will be picked in 5 DAYS!

By the way, the cardigan will be only $15.99 on 6th March GMT. Save 54%.

Get or miss it?

Good luck!

xoxo

LensVillage.com - Super Crystal Pink and I.Fairy Casper Violet Circle Lenses Product Review

Happy weekend, sweeties! I hope your weekend was filled with fun & super cute activities! :3

I'm topping off this weekend with an amazing product review! Meet LensVillage.com! LensVillage is an online circle lens store with over 400 lenses to choose from! You're probably wondering how on earth I narrowed down which lenses to review for you. Well, I am on a mission to find my favorite lenses in every color. I have already found my favorite green and blue lenses, so now I am testing purple and pink lenses. And I am happy to report, I have now found my most faaaaaavoritest violet lenses OF ALL TIME.

Okay, hold on. Let me back up.

The LensVillage website lets you sort lenses by color, so that was my starting point.

After getting to the color I wanted, I just checked out designs that looked awesome and were the largest size. When searching the violet category, I saw a lens that I've never seen before. I.Fairy Casper Violet. It practically jumped out of the page at me... It was just so striking! Then I checked out the pinks, and found that they had I.Fairy Super Crystal in Pink. You may remember in my last circle lens review, I gave the Super Crystal Green a less-than-great review, but I do think the design is nice and wanted to give it a chance in another color, which led me to my choice to get I.Fairy Super Crystal in Pink.

Weeee~ Let's start!

My package from LensVillage arrived to me safe and sound. When I opened it, I found these contents: A cute pink LensVillage business card, a padded ball of circle lens vials, and two cute animal cases!

Yayyy! I *love* when circle lens shops offer cute cases! I got a piggy and an elephant! I especially love these cases because they match the lenses I got. That makes it so easy for me to identify which is which by their case!

Now it's just time to open them up, put them in their new cases, and let them soak in contact solution for AT LEAST SIX HOURS before trying them on!

Let's start with I.Fairy Casper Violet!

I.Fairy Casper Violet comes in a glass vial that is a very common way to ship circle lenses.

JUST LOOK AT THIS BEAUTIFUL DESIGN! I am seriously soooo happy! The color is so bright and beautiful and perfect! Let's take a closer look:

OuO

...6 hours later...

Check 'em out!

They are freaking gorgeous, yall.

OMFG. FREAKING OUT.

*cries with happiness*

I just love them so much.

They are my current favorite lenses, which is why I've worn them in my past two Daily Style posts: Monster Girl and Meowgical Decora Girl.

Post by Alexa Poletti.

Post by Alexa Poletti.

Breakdown time~

Overall Rating

Design~ 5/5

I love this design. It is soooo beautiful! I think it's pretty obvious that I'm really excited about this one hahaha... The design has a thin outer black ring, followed by a deep purple, then a lighter shade of purple, and topped off with golden ring in the middle to help them blend with your eyes. There are also gold flecks throughout the lenses which mimic natural eye flecks.

Color~ 5/5

These lenses are a beautiful violet. As I said above, these lenses use two different shades of purple, which is why I think I like them so much. They aren't just one flat color. I really like the dark violet to light violet. The color is very vibrant. Unique and awesome!

Enlargement~ 5/5

These are huge! They are listed as 16.2mm.

Comfort~ 5/5

So comfort. Much wow.

 Naturalness~ 3/5

While these lenses are purple and huge,  I think the violet color variations and gold inner ring help make these lenses seem more natural.

MY NEW FAVORITE LENSES!

Get them here:

http://www.lensvillage.com/i-fairy-casper-violet-lenses#oid=1017_1

BONUS:

You can check out these lenses in action in my verrrryyy first makeup tutorial!

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

Now let's take a look at I.Fairy Super Crystal Pink!

Just like the Casper Violet lenses, the Super Crystal Pink comes in little I.Fairy vials.

My main problem with the green version of these lenses was that they looked nothing like the stock photo on the website I got them from. The pink ones look just like their picture on LensVillage! I really like the color of these!

I'm very excited to put these in! 

Eeee! I like them very much!

Wee! They are cute, don't you think!!?

Let's go in for a breakdown!

Overall Rating

Design~ 3/5

I like this design, but the design itself is very pixelated. When worn, you can barely see the pixelation, but I would prefer them to be full color. It also has a very large opening in the middle, so you can see a lot of the natural eye color. It doesn't have any sort of blending effect, so I think this lens would probably look better on someone with dark eyes.

Color~ 5/5

I really like this shade of pink! Looks just like the stock photo.

Enlargement~ 5/5

Even without a dark outer ring, these lenses look gigantic! They are listed as 16.2mm.

Comfort~ 5/5

These are very comfortable. I can barely feel them.

 Naturalness~ 2/5

Hehehe... they are huge, don't blend well, and are PINK. Natural was not my goal with these lenses. ;D

~~~*~*~~~

Pink lenses are really great for fairy kei, pastel goth, and cult party kei looks! These are so cute that I wore them in my Romantic Cult Party Kei Inspired Daily Style Post! See it here:

Post by Alexa Poletti.

Get these lenses here:

http://www.lensvillage.com/super-crystal-pink-16-2mm#oid=1017_1

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So, that's it for today! What do you think of these lenses?

I *love* them!!

Find the lenses I just reviewed here:

I.Fairy Casper Violet

Super Crystal Pink

Shop LensVillage here:

LensVillage.com

Find LensVillage on Facebook here:

LensVillage on Facebook

& of course, find me here:

Alexa Poletti

xoxoxoxo

To have your shop reviewed, email me here:

AlexaPolettiOfficial@gmail.com

with the subject "*Shop Name* Product Review"