Hey guys, if you have been following me on Instagram, then you might have noticed I started a food blog earlier this year in January. My foodstagram handle is Eating With Stephano.

One of my photos was selected to be a finalist for a contest! I entered the contest thinking I wouldn't actually get selected for the final round, but to my surprise this morning, here I am. I'd appreciate it if you could give me a vote by liking the picture via Instagram.

@eatingwithstephano

When I saw the black sesame flavor paired with the dark cone, I knew I had to capture it in its goth food glory. Using h.NAOTO's Dragon Vest as a textured background, I think it accentuate the ice cream's smoothness.

It's quick and easy to vote. Just head over to @aquas_us and like Picture #3!

Your help is much appreciated! Voting ends this Sunday 7/29/18.

Oni-Con 2017 Things That Go Bump in the Night Tea Party

Oni-Con 2017's lolita tea party was titled "Things That Go Bump in the Night." Oni-Con usually takes place on Halloween weekend, so a spooky themed tea party is a perfect fit for the season. Featured brands included Royal Princess Alice, designer and manager Aito, KawaiiHolic, designer and KERA model Kimura U, and Puvithel!

Skulls, spiders, and plenty of witches, oh my! The decor was on point with the theme.

The dim lighting enhanced the gothic aesthetic. That made photography difficult, so unfortunately I didn't get many pictures.

Each attendee received a goodie bag. There were more items inside, but I carelessly forgot to take my bag home!

There were a ton of prizes donated by various indie brands for the raffle. Aito-san and Kimura U both drew a shikishi signboard featuring their original characters.

Royal Princess Alices's Okitsune-sama print was the crowd favorite of the party; five is a crowd. This print is a collaboration between Royal Princess Alice and watercolor illustrator Tama and was also featured in the fashion show. Tama's vivid watercolor style is a perfect match for wa lolita.

Puvithel wore her original Slaughterhouse 413 print. The story of this print is about a girl who wandered into a butcher shop and fell into a meat grinder. The names of the colorways, Pallid (white) and Bruised (black), even match the theme. It's really a unique take on guro lolita! Both colorways were also featured in the fashion show. I won another Crystal Heart Brooch from Puvithel from the raffle, so now I own three of them!

The guest traveled table to table interacting with every attendee. The designers had such positive energies. It was very easy to communicate with them even with the small language barrier.

Personally, I loved themed parties because creativity reaches peak levels. I love seeing the handmade and personalized pieces. That's it for my photos, so here's a few group photos of my table. Skeleton-kun was our MVP.

photo by Lightningsavage Photography

photo by Lightningsavage Photography

Oni-Con has already started announcing their line-up for the 2018 event. This year Oni-Con will take place on November 9-11, 2018. So far, Lovely Lor, AKIRA, and DISACODE have been announced. I'll look forward to seeing which brands will be featured.

Oni-Con also revamped their website for this year; it's super sleek now. You may recognize who's photo is used for the header. Hint: it's by yours truly!

Read my other Oni-Con 2017 posts: Royal Princess Alice Fashion Show | KawaiiHolic Fashion Show | Puvithel Fashion Show | Baby Ponytail Fashion Show | Sakurako Hoshina Concert

Follow Oni-Con on social media: OHP | Facebook | J-Fashion Facebook | Twitter

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Oni-Con 2017 Sakurako Hoshina International Debut Live Concert!

KERA model and musician Sakurako Hoshina held her first international live show at Oni-Con 2017. Her concert took place right after the fashion show, so she definitely had a busy day. Sakurako went from modeling outfits from both KawaiiHolic and Royal Princess Alice to diving straight into rehearsal.

At the time, Sakurako was new to the music scene and only had one PV on her Youtube channel. To my surprise, I learned that Oni (ex-GANGLION) writes all of her music. I really liked GANGLION before they broke up (R.I.P.) and was lucky enough to see them in 2014, so I was glad to hear that Oni was still making music.

For the concert, Sakurako changed into a wa lolita coordinate featuring the Nostalgic Candy Bar Ribbon Shirred JSK and 3/4 Sleeve Chiffon Blouse by Metamorphose. The accessories are from Metamorphose as well. Unlike the official release, her JSK has a cute ribbon embellishment along the hem. The headdress is also a custom item.

Sakurako played 5 of her original songs. The majority of her songs can be categorized as pop-rock. She even played 2 anisong covers of Moonlight Densetsu from Sailor Moon and A Cruel Angel's Thesis from Neon Genesis Evangelion.

Despite being a little nervous, she put on a great show! It was only natural to be nervous playing in a foreign country for the first time with the little rehearsal time she was given.

Sakurako held her second concert last weekend at Animex 2018 which reminded me to finish up the rest of my Oni-Con photos. Also, keep your eyes out for my interview with her once I find a translator. Sakurako also wrote a KERA article about her experience!

Follow Sakurako Hoshina on social media: Twitter | Instagram | Youtube | Blog