How old are you?

I was born in 1987.

Are you Hime Gyaru? Are you Lolita?

No. I no longer wear Lolita fashion. I do not consider myself to be exclusively Hime Gyaru either even though I love the style. I like a lot of styles (including 1920’s, 1940’s, Rococo and many many others) and I take bits and pieces from each to create a look that is my own. I enjoy specific fashions but I also enjoy having the freedom to wear what I feel like when I feel like it without conforming to arbitrary rules.

Can you make me a set of nails/deco something/draw me an avatar/whatever for *insert special reason here* I can’t pay you for your time or materials but could you do it anyway for free?

No. I occasionally take paid commissions but I don’t generally have time for things like that sorry!

Why don’t you sell your crafts?

Mostly because that would take the fun out of making them. Also the pay is terrible 😛 I have a short crafting attention span and so making the same thing over and over again sounds stressful. Honestly I’d rather just show you guys how to make things yourself 🙂 That said, if you want to support the site I sell Bergamot shirts in my Zazzle store here!

About my look…

Why do you wear these clothes and do your hair like this?

The same reason you wear your clothes and do your hair like that: I like it 🙂

How do you do your hair?

Currently I have blonde to pink  gradient because I like it 🙂 Here’s a video on how I dye it. I touch it up once every few weeks and bleach once a month. Here is a post on my hair history. Please see this post for a complete hair FAQ.

What brand of dye do you use?

Fudge Paint Box. I mix the pinks to my own shade. There’s a review of them here.

Do you get it done at a salon?

No. I cut and colour my own hair due to financial constraints.

Why do you have such dark circles under your eyes?

They are hereditary and I quite like them. No they won’t go away with more sleep or water. They are a physical shape on my face and the colour of my skin.

Where did you buy….

Craft supplies-

Generally at local junk/$2 stores, sometimes actual craft stores. I like to buy fabric from the stores on Sydney Rd in Brunswick as the prices are really reasonable.

Nail bases and supplies-

Ebay or in bulk from China. I don’t use a particular seller I just search “false nails” and see what looks good at the time. People restock and run out of them all the time so just have a look.

Deco Supplies-

The Sticker Monster is awesome. Also  Full Moon Deco is great. I usually buy things locally when I find them and sometimes bulk order things on ebay.

Clothing-

I buy at local shops, thrift stores, online and make a lot of my things. It can be hard to find things I like or that fit locally but the more you hunt the more likely you are to find something! My favourite local stores are Femme Connection/7Angels and Valley Girl. Online I usually just buy from import stores on ebay or Taobao

About my family…

Who is James? How long have you been together and where did you meet?

He is my extremely awesome boyfriend. We have been together since 2007. He’s a professional photographer and he’s pretty awesome. We are the same age but met while I was working at the reception of the college he was attending. It’s a much longer story than that though and maybe one day I’ll write it all down!

Who is Lottie? What kind of dog is she? Why is she so big?

She is my best friend, also known as my puppy. You can read a full post about how she came into our lives here and watch the videos. She is a Pomeranian. She was the biggest in her litter and honestly she’s not actually that big in real life. People ask about this a lot for some reason. Both James and I are quite small and I take photos of her from low angles so she ends up looking huge.

About Tales Of An Ingenue (… this blog)

What camera do you use?

Currently I am using a Panasonic GF6. Previously I used the GF3. I also sometimes use James’ Canon 5D Mark 3 but it’s so heavy that I avoid it if at all possible so that’s mostly for filming.

Can I use your photos/artwork/text on my website?

Not generally but I do make exceptions. If you want to use my photos please email for written permission first.

Can you make a tutorial on *BLANK*?

I am happy to take suggestions for tutorials to make! I love to help with stuff like this! You can email me any suggestions you have. Please be aware that my time is limited so I can’t do every request and as I already have a long list it can take me quite a while to finish things. If you have a time sensitive request (eg. Can you show me how to make a head piece to match my dress for prom in 2 days) I probably won’t be able to help sorry.

Why does it take you so long to reply to comments and why don’t you reply to Youtube comments anymore?

Generally it’s because I’m spending most of my time making new content for you guys to read. I haven’t been as organised as I would like to be lately but I hope to change that soon and be able to reply to your awesome comments on a weekly basis. I’m not able to reply on every form of social media because I don’t have time to check them all regularly. I reply to blog, Instagram and Facebook comments so if you need to get a hold of me, that’s the best way to do it!

Why don’t you vlog every day all the time?

Honestly, my life just isn’t that interesting! Mostly though its because sometimes I don’t have time to edit vlogs every day. I really wish I did because I love making them but there are some days that I just don’t have time 🙁

Why does anyone read this crap? You’re ugly/your hair sucks etc…

Your guess is as good as mine.

While I’m happy to accept constructive criticism and you are more than welcome to have that opinion please remember that the little “X” in the corner of your browser is there for a reason, if you don’t like my site or find it in some way offensive then perhaps you should use it 🙂

I want to learn about Hime Gyaru…

I am in no way an expert on Hime Gyaru fashion and it only wear it sometimes these days. Due to receiving a lot of questions on the subject I did a quick FAQ on the subject here. That post is extremely old and I have no plans to update it any time soon but hopefully that will give you a place to start.

I want to learn about false nails and nail art…

I am in no way an expert on nail art but I do have a passion for it. Due to receiving a lot of questions on the subject I did an FAQ here. It’s a very old post and really needs an update but hopefully that will give you a place to start 🙂

Do you accept sponsored content?

Yes, on a discretionary basis to counter the number of hours I spend working on the site. I try to keep everything interesting and on topic. For the full version or more information about why I take sponsorships on this blog, please refer to this page.

As always thanks so much for reading my blog and if you have any other questions please let me know!