Advanced Coordinating: #1 Hair & Makeup

Look up advice for putting together lolita coordinates and you’ll find plenty. For beginners. This is, of course, understandable: those new to something are the ones actually needing guidance and by the time they are quite advanced themselves, they don’t need further advice.

Still, from my own experience I remember there being a noticeable step between “this is a solid albeit simple coordinate, obviously from a newbie” and “this is intricate and detailed, reads as a long-time lolita’s work”. And it takes conscious effort to go from one to the other. There was a lot of conscious deconstructing of the outfits lolitas I admired were putting together to figure out what made them look that much more special and how I could apply that to what I was doing. Just scroll back to the coords from 2016 (especially the first half) and compare them to now, you’ll see what I mean.

Any attempts at containing my thoughts into one post would end up in a giant monster that no-one would read, so instead I will split this into a short series. These posts are aimed at those intermediate lolitas: the ones who already know the rules and have a solid grasp of what they’re doing, but are trying to pinpoint the things that will make their coords look even nicer and more polished. I will aim to show this based on my own coords because I’m not in the habit of saving other people’s outfits for future reference or admiration, plus this would involve a lot of asking permission of various people. Moreover, everyone’s taste is different. So while I lay out some of the things that helped me take my outfits to the next level, I encourage you to apply that lens to the coords that you really like and admire, to see whether those are the reasons why you like that particular outfit so much and then figure out how you can transfer that onto yourself.

The first instalment of this will talk about hair and makeup. Now, this isn’t to say that everyone has to have elaborately styled hair/wigs and tonnes of skillfully applied makeup. Not every lolita style requires that (e.g. oldschool) and people have legitimate reasons for not being able to do so (scalp sensitivities, allergies to products, mobility and physical restrictions etc.). However, how you style your entire head, face included, is as much part of a coordinate as the headbow or socks you pick for the dress. The key aspects here I’d say are maintaining balance and staying within your theme.

Balance is probably the easier one to wrap your head around. If your skirt is very big and you’re wearing tonnes of accessories, having a bare face and flat hair will seem out of place, and could even make your head appear small in comparison. Similarly, a gigantic twin tail wig with accessories piled onto it and false lashes big enough to cast a shadow down to your chin will be excessive when the clothes themselves are simple, overpowering and overshadowing the outfit. Consider how elaborate and physically voluminous your coordinate is, then aim to match that with your hair and makeup. This may require extra time/practice/trial and error if you’re aiming for the more OTT looks, but the end result will be worth it. Compare these two Diner Doll outfits. The left one is very simple: the headbow is small, the poof minimal and there are only three pieces of accessories (two bracelets and a ring). For such a casual look a bare face and brushed hair was enough. Of course, had I done something special, it could’ve elevated the outfit, but my head doesn’t look disconnected from my body. This is in contrast to the right outfit, which is more elaborate, relying both on more accessories, patterns and detail to create a look. As this outfit was also going for a specific theme (larme-kei), without the right hairstyle and makeup not only would the theme seem incomplete, but the whole outfit would look out of place. If you can, try to imagine the right-hand side outfit with the left-hand side head. It just doesn’t work, does it?

Whilst the left coord would work with the right one's hair and makeup, this doesn't go the other way.
July 2020 vs May 2020.

And now that I’ve mentioned theme: keeping your hair and makeup styling within your theme of choice completes the look. Theme here doesn’t refer strictly to themed outfits, like the ones we associate with big events and meetups that have a theme set. Instead it refers to the overall look that you may be trying to achieve and the purpose of the outfit. Are you trying to exude a certain energy with the outfit where specific hair and makeup styles would add that extra layer (like a retro 1950s feel)? Is this coord something you’re wearing for a particular activity (such as walking)? Do you need to remain practical or within certain limitations (dress code, weather, whatever)? The occasion will determine your outfit, which in turn affects your choice of hair and makeup. Let’s compare these two looks with Meta’s Gold Braid Tuck Pinafore JSK. The left one is very clearly themed. Even if you don’t immediately catch the character reference, between the princess sleeves, the gold jewellery and the crown it is obvious that this is an outfit that I have carefully considered and not something I wore for a trip to Aldi. (No shame to those who wear more OTT coordinates for mundane activities, this is simply not very common in this fashion.) The blonde wig, which is visibly deliberately styled, adds to the overall impression of royalty and, if you do catch the character reference, points to the source. Again, with such styling a bare face would seem out of place, so the makeup adds dimension, as well as colour. Compare this with the right outfit, a much simpler one with a completely different tone to it. Where on the left the aim is to appear regal, the right coord goes almost for the opposite, more peasant vibes. Accessories are still present, but there are fewer of them, very suitable for the occasion that was working from home. Add to this that the day was very warm and the milkmaid braids make a lot of sense as a practical choice, as well as in the context of this more medieval townsfolk-inspired outfit. That is not a social class we associate with elaborate hairstyles or visible makeup, but with practical looks for a day filled with work and a natural fresh-looking face, possibly flushed from said work. Because of this, nothing more than the lipstick and blush was necessary. Instead of aiming for perfection in the left outfit, the right one’s theme was comfort, both in the weather and for the activity at hand.

Regardless of whether there was a theme actually set, the clothes themselves create one. And again, the simpler coord might work with the more elaborate head, but not the other way round.
April 2020 vs August 2020.

Such is the power of hair and makeup. These two elements alone can drastically alter how an outfit reads, which is something people dressing in vintage and historical fashions will know particularly well. If any of you follow Rachel Maksy, then you’ll know that she wears plenty of mainstream modern clothing, faking it to be vintage through styling, and hair and makeup is a big part of that styling. Applying the same energy to lolita will have the same result: with the right choice of hair and makeup you can transform the same coordinate into completely different looks. This doesn’t have to involve anything elaborate either! Start by comparing hair down with hair braided or natural hair vs a wig, if you have one. With makeup, try bare face and then minimal makeup, then as OTT as you can accomplish with your skills.

I also encourage you to experiment with creating themes through your hair and makeup. This can be particularly fun if you do have only one or two complete coordinates at the moment, as it would allow you to fake having more outfits than you actually do. What you can try will depend on what your hair is like, what your makeup skills are like, and what your go-to lolita style is. So let’s assume that we’re talking about a sweet lolita with average makeup skills and shoulder length straight hair. A tiny bit of shimmery eyeshadow and gloss with either two braids or loose hair gives you a very typical sweet lolita look. Now pile on some igari blush and a darker pink lipstick and change your hair to bubble braids - boom, you’ve got yourself some simple larme-inspired lolita. Tease the crown of your hair to create a bump and pair it with big eyelashes for a more hime look. Then try pincurling your hair or doing victory rolls to match a winged eyeliner for a retro style. Lastly, you could try pinning your two braids into a crown and doing a natural makeup for a more toned down, classic-leaning version. All whilst using the exact same outfit, with maybe some small differences if you wish to swap things like hair accessories or jewellery.

The OP, the hat and even the lighting is the same in every photo. The only things changing are hair and makeup (I deliberately omitted glasses too) to show just how much they can change up a look.

As lockdown continues and my emotional energy/motivation levels continue to be on the lower end of the scale, I became very aware myself how much hair and makeup changes things for me, to what extent they affect how much I like an outfit or not. Not just on myself, but also on others. For example, for all the admiration that I have for @fannyrosie and her genuine skills and style, I realised that her looks appeal to me so much because on the photos she shares she always makes the effort to match her hair and do her makeup to the outfit. This isn’t the entire secret to her style, of course, but take those two elements away and the overall styling loses something very important, don’t you think? And in cases where the outfit is on paper very simple, say, jeans and T-shirt or skirt and blouse, her hair and makeup do add to the charm and create a story to the look, be that a more kitchy vintage, something more elegant or something quintessentially lolita.

You may wonder why I’ve talked about makeup and hair first, and the reason for that is very simple: those are the things that involve no additional costs. Sure, they might if you ran out of hairpins or don’t own any makeup, but generally speaking playing with your hair and makeup is free, utilising what you already own. This makes it perfect for building that stepping stone to levelling up your coordinates because the only things that you will need are time and patience to practice. The more you do something, the easier it becomes. And even at the best of times, postage for lolita items from Japan or China takes enough time to allow you to visibly improve your braiding skills or steady your eyeliner hand before the clothes arrive if you practice daily.

Hopefully this post has been helpful and you were able to see the difference that hair and makeup can make for a coordinate. So armed with that knowledge and understanding, go figure out what sort of lolita look you are aiming for, look up some people who do it in a way that you like and aspire to, then use that to work out what you should do. And don’t get discouraged if it doesn’t look the same - after all, your face is yours, not theirs, and not every first attempt will be successful straight away. I believe in you and know that you will figure it out.