Sunday, November 21, 2010

What gal is to me. What is it to you?

This is my opinion, how I've experienced and
understand gal, so I know some people
will agree as well disagree, its ok :)

I'm not sure if this will seem all over the place
to anyone, the ordering of this is just in
the order my mind thinks...
Some points may appear a few times :P

Gal to me
I do believe there is a sort of lifestyle revolving
around gal style, but in the end no matter how
you look at it, it will always be about the fashion.
Whats new in makeup, clothing trends, hair trends.

When I mention lifestyle, its not para para dancing
though I do enjoy it, but more its like,
busting your ass off at work so you can achieve your style.
You work to get your nails done.
You work to get your hair dyed.
You work to buy the newest trendy items.
You work to buy that new style of lens,
that new style of lashes, that new whatever! :)

Often making friends with similar interests,
its easy to talk to each other, enjoy company,
do the same things, have fun and talk a lot!

Always reading articles, magazines, watching videos,
etc about things related to the style. Researching and
hearing about new fun trends and booms~

The more you know, the more you can expand
your understanding and improve your own look :)
When I first got into the gyaru style, I had nooo idea
what I was doing or what I should be doing.
If you have a passion for the style it will come to you~
I don't stick to just one style either,
I love rock, ame-kaji, sweet/dolly, b-kei, etc...

I really think you can wear ANY style
as long as your makeup is so gal! ♥
You could be kaji, hime, b-kei, mode, whatever :)
There are so many styles and I think
its important for newer gals to really try
to research the looks they like, the brands
they're interested in, the idols they look up to.

There are gal styles which can work for anyone.
I used to be discouraged that I was too pale,
too fat, too white. It takes time to find yourself
within the style of your choice. I often heard,
a few years ago (and sometimes still now)
that people will say you can only be gal if you're
skinny, you can only be gal if you're asian.
No no no!
I sometimes get emails from people
who always ask questions like
"can I be gal if i'm *insert race here*?"
"can I be gal if i'm *insert height here*?"
"can I be gal if i'm *insert weight here*?"
"can I be gal if i'm *insert something here*?"
yes yes yes!
of course! Finding the look which suits you best!
Its the key. It took me over a year and i'm still learning

You don't need to buy brand, or expensive clothes either.
I always shop in clearance racks, thrift stores, auctions.


How to achieve your own gal style???

EMULATION OF YOUR GAL IDOLS

PRACTICE!!!!
My Bulaklak sister Shannon often tells to
people who ask her about her hair,
just to try. To sit down and practice.
Its true! Practice and try everything you can~

FIND YOUR STYLE
I recommend downloading as many (current)
magazines as you can and then looking at them
page by page, if you find you're bored of the magazine,
probably that style isnt for you! When you find
your favorite magazine, you can also find out what brands/styles
suit the look you love :)

NEVER GIVE UP! NEVER SURRENDER!!
If you recieve bad criticism, use it to improve yourself.
If you're posted to g_s, blow that shit off! :P



Steps to being gal?
I believe so! But they aren't RULES! They're kind of guidelines!
This is just what applies to me and I think
its a pretty good opinion to share with everyone

1~MAKEUP


There is so much going into this look than
just liner, mascara, lenses, eyelashes.
I find those 4 things satisfy western gals but
it doesn't complete your look.
Here's what you can do!

★ Makeup primer/moisturizer or BB cream

★ Foundation

★ Contouring. I use bronzer to contour my
jawline, forehead, and side of face. Then I use
a lighter shade of liquid foundation to highlight

★ Blush. Pink blush is always gonna be cute so try~
Gals apply quite liberally to be honest haha.
If you think its too much, its probably juuust right

★ Put your favorite lens in. I think if you want to have
a stronger look, lenses really help to pull it together!

★ Eyeshadows on top and bottom of eye.
Follow some tutorials, you can't mess up with eyeshadow.
Even with the natural make trend, they still use a lot
of shadow in neutral color. If you want to be bold, use
bright color for a fun look~

★ liner. Lots of liner!! But don't go overboard :P
Find the shape which suits your eye best because
if you're white and you follow liner tutorials for
asians it won't look right! Just experiment

★ I usually recommend to smudge your liner with
black eyeshadow to make it softer/last longer

★ Apply false lashes on top AND bottom
They don't have to be crazy but it helps your look! :)

★ Nude lipstick/foundation/whatever on your lips + gloss!

★ Eyebrows!! DO YOUR EYEBROWS its so important
for your look! Even if you have black hair, lightening
your brows and using a grey/ash tone powder/pencil
will look soooo good! If you're unsure about your brows,
why not choose a style you like from a model
and ask someone to do it for you?? You could go to a salon
or ask a friend who does her own to do yours.
If its messed up, THEY GROW BACK so dont worry!

★ Eyelid glue/tape. Not totally necessary for white girls
but sometimes it actually does help! I tried it a few times
and it just gives you that extra oomph with your lid and
how you can shadow it :)

★ Fun tip. Don't want your makeup to sweat off?
HAIRSPRAY YOUR FACE seriously lol!!

There is no excuse to as why you cannot achieve
a gal makeup style. There are so many
beautiful western gals, of any race, who can.
So why can't you? It takes time to develop it.
We all started off looking stupid, but practice :)


2. HAIR


(just a sample pic, not the only style of gal hair)

★There is no one hairstyle. You can have curls, wavy, straight
Just remember it needs to be styled. Natural curls
often dont work. Unstyled straight hair looks boring!

★ Style!! In every magazine, there are hair tutorials.
Try them! Also, watch styling videos!!
Instead of going to youtube to search "gyaru hair"
Search for "voluminous curls", "teasing",
"voluminous straight hair" etc! Keywords specific to
you and in your own language :P

Some people argue their hair is too thin, or too thick,
or too fine, too something, which deters them from
reaching their desired style. No way!!
You're just being lazy when you say this.
You haven't really tried everything :)
I have super fine, thin hair. But that doesn't stop me!

★ Color. Natural color is almost extinct in gal.
Some gals totally rock dark/black hair but they've got their
entire look down too. Try lightening a few shades,
or totally changing the color up. My hair is brown,
and I always love to be blonde!
Blonde however does not equal gyaru!
There are a wide range of colors to choose
from so just finding what suits your style,
your budget, your skintone, etc, is important.
Sometimes having your natural color and doing
something funky like 2 tone or adding colored
streaks helps your look. Try highlighting and
lowlighting too :)

★ Extensions. Some people might find this step
to be too much but every gal has probably
had or has now, extensions. They don't
need to be for length either. They can be for
volume or color as well. I think headkandy is
really nice site for decent priced extensions.
Look for extensions in human hair because
they last longer and you can style them :)

★ Take care of your hair using products which
protect against heat styling, treatments for damage,
sprays which help to keep curls, etc. This is all pretty basic :P
When you style, having a great hairspray is KEY!
I found (after recommendation) herbal essences to be pretty good.
Look for hairsprays with "maxium hold", "extreme hold"




3. NAILS



★ Can be short, can be long.
Can be deco'd, can be plain color.
Can be gel, acrylic, press on, or natural!
But gals always have their nails done :P

★ Doesn't have to be at an expensive salon,
you can paint them yourself, you can ask
a friend to do them for you, you can also
go to schools with nail programs and they
do it for cheap!



4. Tan



Look there are so many levels to tanning!
You can be lightly tanned, still pale, but have color.
Or you can be bold and have a sexy dark tan~

I find lots of excuses in the western gal community
as to why they're pale... but I think at least a healthy
color will make you feel better! :)

Doesn't have to be the kind of tan that kills your skin
either. Opt for spray tans, tanning lotion, use bronzers
on your face, etc. Lots of ways to fake a glow :P

5. Follow the trends!


Its simple. Open a recent magazine, disect the trends,
and go shopping :) It's not hard to be
fashionable and gal. You don't need to be rich~
There are so many styles you can follow,
with so many trends, and so many places to get them
(you can see in this post as an example)

★Possible styles:
~ Haady, Onee, Rock, Ero-kawa, Dolly/sweet,
B-gal, Agejo, Hime, Ame-kaji, Mode
There are mooore so find what you love!

★Magazines you can find your favorite styles
and trends to follow which are gal are...
~ Egg, Nuts, Ranzuki, Popteen, Ageha,
Blenda, S Cawaii

★ If you're unsure about your styling/coordinate
abilities, try to just copy exactly what you see.
Find your favorite coordinates, try to see what you
already have, and purchase what you need. Style
yourself the same as you see, you'll start to understand
more about color coordination, balance, what fits you, etc.


Guys! Comment this post with what you think.
When I read people's comments it gives me
a better idea how to word something, or strengthen
a point, or add something I've missed.

Go forth and gal-ify your world!

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