Weekend Trip to Glasgow

...or How Three EGL YouTubers Got Together in Scotland. Yes, last weekend I made a trip to Glasgow to visit Lou Graves together with Joëlle (Fluffy Tori/Fluffy Kawaii Jo) for the explicit purpose of filming videos for all of our YouTube channels. This is a very new experience for me – the ‘I’m off specifically to film’ part, not the hanging out with friends dressed in lolita. And although I am extremely tired as I write this, since I ran that weekend on very little sleep and then went straight back to work on Monday, every minute of it was worth it, I would do this all over again in a heartbeat and I feel inspired to improve my own online presence on YouTube and other platforms.

Such a dear memory!

This post is not quite a meetup report nor an outfit post, though it has elements of both. Obviously, I can’t give away too much about the video content itself, you’ll have to wait for them to release, although I’m not sure yet when that will be. Chances are that we will get into rambling/storytime territory, so take this as your cue to boil the kettle and maybe get a snack to go with your tea.

All of this started waaaaay back when Joëlle and I first collaborated on the videos where we styled each other. This sparked a ‘this is fun, I want to join’ response from Lou and before we realised, it became a fully fleshed out collaboration plan with actual makeovers. Since then Lou has also started his own ouji makeovers series, which I thoroughly recommend. We agreed on a date, made travel arrangements and life kept us all busy enough to make time fly until March.

Let me preface this with a bit about my own feelings, as I feel that this will put my behind the scenes peek into a bit more context. I never aimed to become a lolita YouTuber – this blog has always been and likely always will be my priority. Any and all videos I make supplement that first and foremost, so while they can be enjoyed on their own, my goal is not to match my YouTube output with my blog one. I had only one brief spike of activity for Vlogmas 2018, which was more of a personal challenge, to see if I could produce one video a day over Christmas. It was a valuable lesson about the content I feel comfortable making and exactly how much goes into being a regular YouTuber (the answer: as much as being a regular blogger). So joining two established and committed YouTubers on this project had an element of ‘I’m just happy to tag along and be here’ for me. Neither of them ever said or did anything to make me feel this way, this was purely an internal reaction that I think anyone in my position would have (i.e. someone with just over 300 subscribers joining those with 9k subscribers together). I’m very happy to have been part of this and as I said, it inspired me to dedicate more time and thought to my YouTube activity, so the individual impact of this collaboration has been purely positive, however you look at it.

What better excuse to use my Fluffy Tori stickers and pink glitter washi tape?
Also, Pusheen's guide to selfies was completely appropriate on that page, though purely coincidental.

Having arrived in Glasgow Friday evening, Joëlle and I headed over to our Airbnb after confirming arrival time with Lou. There was a definite ‘lolita event’ vibe as we unpacked our coords and chatted about so many various lolita-related things. Except that this time, instead of getting ready to be up early for our VIP event entry or for modelling practice, we were preparing to shoot for good six hours – not including the commute or our getting ready.

Keep them curls safe. And also the scarf matched the dress - not a coicidence.

Whether this was luck or whether we are simply that compatible as people, we succeeded in filming everything we planned bang on time. Joëlle is an incredibly organised person who put together a schedule for the day. This sort of stuff really works well for me, as I can then focus on the task and know when it’s ok to relax. Since we filmed at Lou’s, he knew exactly where to set everything up, so could do that while we were changing or while we did something else, which also contributed to making the process more efficient. On my part I added a bit of method into the filming: instead of filming one full makeover at a time, we filmed each segment (intro, makeover, outfit shots and outro) for all makeovers together. Or in other words, rather than split the day according to what was being filmed, we split it according to where it was filmed, to maximise time and use of each camera setup. Between our collective strengths we managed to stick to that schedule without even thinking about it, and had enough time for lunch and some goofing around in between the various takes. A truly unstoppable force!

A glimpse into how organised Joëlle is, as well as what videos you can expect.

As I said, you’ll have to wait to see the results for that. What I can show you is how I started the day out – because it certainly wasn’t in that turban from earlier! The hair gods have truly smiled upon me and my hair curled well that day, while the turban protected the rollers until we arrived at Lou’s. Of course, curls never last, not without a divine-strength hairspray, though they held well enough to still be considered curls at the end of that long day. I was happy with my simple look: it represented my style and was comfortable enough to wear for hours on end.

| Innocent World Revival Sweet Teddybear JSK | New Look mesh cutsew | Angelic Pretty Lovely Ribbon OTKs | Sosic Shop heels | Angelic Pretty Dolly Chiffon headbow | offbrand beret | vintage necklace | rings from twinkle Kitty Boutique and Sweet Dolly House |

A blessing from the hair gods.

Pro tip: if you ever forget a safety pin for your belts - use a bobby pin. Though maybe hide it better than I did.

After filming Lou has organised a casual lolita meetup with the local community at his house. Everyone had brought something, be it a drink or a snack, and we also ordered pizzas (completely vegan and gluten free, yet if you hadn’t told me, I wouldn’t have known). And let me tell you, even though it wasn’t anything major as far as lolita meetups go, the overall vibe was so positive and fantastic that I really didn’t want to leave (my tired body forced me). I felt like at my happiest times at university, surrounded by people with similar interest and just enjoying the company, the simple spread and the conversation, which, as usually is with lolita, ranged between purchases to feminism/politics to pure gossip. Lou’s partner had remarked on this earlier how they only really end up in discussions like this with other lolitas, which is exactly my experience too.

The day after Joëlle and I squeezed in two more videos, this time filmed at the Airbnb. Despite telling ourselves that we can have a lie in, we still naturally woke up early (resulting in maybe 5 hours of sleep that night). This allowed for a more relaxed breakfast and getting ready, although for all the promises to myself of doing something casual, I still somehow ended up with a pretty complex vintage up-do. Casual? Don’t know her!

| Haenuli Whipped Cream Kitty JSK | Ank Rouge cutsew (barely seen) | Hell Bunny cardigan | Innocent World Anchor OTKs | Bodyline Heels | BtSSB Secret AIR MAIL from Sweet Kitty headbow | Mademoiselle Boutique necklace | offbrand and Twinkle Kitty Boutique rings |

This hair gives me Rachel from Blade Runner vibes.

A matryoshka necklace to go with the matryoshka cats on the print. And a teeny tiny glimpse of my cutsew.

Though once again, our filming was precisely as scheduled, not a minute over, despite one video we filmed running longer than we originally suspected it would. It’s a shame that I had to dash to catch my train because I really would’ve loved to stay longer. However, I had to prioritise saving my annual leave entitlement, given how many events I’m already signed up to attend, and I didn’t want to get home too late. We managed to grab a quick Tim Hortons for late lunch (which I’m very impressed with – £2.99 for a ‘hot chicken sandwich’ meal set is great value, I approve) and I got to the platform shortly before the train was due, then headed back South without any adventures.

I am now a fan of Tim Hortons, though while there is one in Manchester, it's completely out of the way, which is sad.

Farewell meal.

Overall I felt like this was one of the best weekends of my life. How do I know that? Because not once have I thought “let’s check social media” and every second all I wanted was for this experience to keep going. Free of FOMO, free of daily stress, free of any boredom, surrounded by amazing people whom I could talk to for hours on end – what more could one need?

Other than having one of the best experiences ever, what have I learned from this weekend? For one that Lou, Joëlle and I are now officially a squad – and ever since that term became popular, I really wanted to be a part of a squad! We’ve already agreed to visit Joëlle in Switzerland and keep filming, although to be honest, we’d probably go even without YouTube as an excuse.

Secondly, YouTube can be loads of fun. I think the reason why I put off doing it when I’m on my own is the perceived effort that getting ready in lolita is, but after witnessing first hand how three people can make 4.5 videos in just six hours, I don’t think I can use that excuse any longer. Between the actual filming experience and the various conversations around being a lolita Youtuber I have new ideas on what I’d like to do and how, which include my (very much neglected!) Ko-Fi page, as well as just video content. And I want to make more effort to film and publish videos beyond the Around Your Wardrobe in 30 Coordinates lookbooks. There are some other Youtube friends who shyly mentioned collaborating, as well as ideas I’ve had in my head already. Whilst I’d love to get some better equipment to make this a better process, this weekend also helped me realise how it’s completely possible to create good content with what I already have. A mobile phone camera, an editing software and my own organisation, time management and discipline skills are enough to make videos I’m happy with.

So here’s to more video content coming your way. If there’s anything you’d like me to do, whether a topic/content idea, some features on my blog/YT channel/Ko-Fi page or how I do certain things, then don’t hesitate to make a suggestion. Whether you send these as a comment, email, DM via social media or whatever else you can think of, as long as it gets to me, I’m open to your ideas.

And as for you, the readers – make sure to reward yourselves with something nice for sticking all the way to the end of this very lengthy and wordy post. You’ve earned it!