Prisila Demonstration and Easy Hime Hair Tutorial!

Hello all~~

Ahh, it feels good to be back for real now.   I learned a lot about myself during that soul searching, so I guess it was good that I left, but I hope I won't have to go on hiatus like that anytime soon!  I missed you all!


Anyway, during my time away, I began collecting a few things to start my Hime wardrobe, and one of the main things I absolutely needed was hair pieces.

I realized that I prefer to go the Jesus Diamante/La Pafait girls route.  Though I've got plenty of hair, I just don't want to damage it with all the teasing and curling and whatnot (I probably damage it enough straightening it every other week anyway).   It took me a really long time to get it to be as healthy as it is today, and I don't want to ruin it!  Besides, it gives me the option to go different colors on a whim.  But I think my biggest reason is that this is waaaaaay easier, lol.

So anyway!
I decided to order some Prisila hairpieces from Moery back in April!   I originally came across them while searching for a place that ships these wigs overseas a couple years back, and later Blackkoi did a review of their services, so I knew they were legitimate.  Sure enough, my experience of it was fantastic, though a little strange, lol.  It took a few days for them to confirm my payment, then two days later, I received it without even getting the tracking number!  All in all, it took a week from ordering to receive them.  Make sure you keep up with your bank though.   This was the very first order in which my bank was flagged.  Man, all those hundreds of dollars spent in China, Korea, and Japan, and this was the store that freaked them out....



I guess it didn't have to be Prisila, but I wanted to go for a brand whose quality I could trust.  I tried to buy cheap with some wigs before to start out, and that's $50 I'll never get back....   At least with Prisila, I knew it'd be okay, and now that I've got them, I can go ahead and test other brands, because at least I have one set with great quality to fall back on.

The adorable, extremely durable bag my package arrived in.

 Cute little folder the invoice comes in.

For those who don't know, Moery is a shop headed by former Ageha model Momoeri, and they sell a lot of things for hostess wear, like dresses and shoes and whatnot.   Of course, included in the 'whatnot' are some Prisila wigs and hairpieces!  They don't carry the complete line, but everything I've wanted is there, at least.

In March's issue of Ageha, Himena demonstrated an easy way to get that Hime bouffant using specific Prisila pieces, so I decided to buy from her suggestion, plus a fringe piece, since I decided to go a different color than my own hair.  As I've said before, the problem with dark hair is that details are pretty much unnoticeable, so while I love being a brunette, playing with texture is almost pointless.  Once in February, I spent some 30 minutes making a French braid headband with my hair, and you couldn't even notice it!   But I still like being brunette, so I wanted to go a bit lighter.  I chose the color labeled TMB, which is an auburn brown kind of color.  I was a little worried that it would look washed out against my skin tone, which is on the beige side, and a former wig I got was so orange that it made me look super yellow and sick!  But I figured that if people in Japan can wear it and look okay, I should be able to as well.  Fortunately everything worked out just fine!

Everything all laid out

For all you new Himes out there doing some research, I'll tell you, Prisila is amazing quality.   The hair doesn't look overly shiny, and in fact in indoor light has the same shine as my actual hair.  It does have a bit of a plastic-y smell.  I'm not sure if its due to the packaging it sat in or if it's the hair itself, but a nice airing out will fix that.  According to the little pamphlet that comes with them, they are heat resistant up to 100°C-120°C.   I haven't tested it (I don't need to just yet), but I'm sure as long as you try a low setting, it'll be alright.  It's probably even better to use hot water and rollers.

Here is a comparison of my fringe piece and my own hair.  No flash, no color altering, no hair products.
The pieces have highlights and lowlights, and feels soft to touch like real hair.  No wonder it's so highly recommended!   But do keep in mind, like real hair, it's pretty easy to get too messy.  If you want it to be smoother, you can use silicon spray (that stuff they sell to make hair look extra shiny), but it'll probably just get messy anyway once you go out.   You can also use hairspray on it to keep it in place, and if you're into Sujimori, you can easily do that to the hair pieces (especially if you get a volumizing piece to set on top).  And just like real hair, make sure you wash it!   Use a wig specific shampoo and conditioner, as the real stuff has ingredients specifically made to absorb in your hair, but will only create buildup in your hair pieces and wigs which could make them look dull or weigh them down.  And make sure you use cold water, as warm water can soften the strands and cause you to lose the style.  If the water is too hot, you can damage the wigs, as the plastic would melt!   And you definitely want to comb it every now and then.  You can use a wig brush, or you can just get a wide tooth comb.  Do brush it carefully, and never pull on it.  You'll make the fibers fall out more and shorten its longevity.  When not in use, you may want to wrap it back up in the hair nets they came in.  It'll help prevent them from getting overly tangled.

Now, Prisila hair pieces can be pretty expensive.   Just the fringe alone cost me about $26.  I bought a half wig, two extensions, and a fringe, which, after tax and shipping, came to a little over $190 USD.  For that amount, I probably could have gotten a wig and a volumizing piece from Prisila for about $40 less.  Why go for so many pieces instead?  Well, it's so much easier to customize hair arrangements for one, which means I have more control over how it looks.  Also, since your head won't be completely covered by a huge, thick wig, it allows for better air circulation and won't be as hot.  Finally, at least in my case, I've got a lot of hair, so it's kind of hard to get it laying flat.  With this way, I can work around my hair.  Find out what works best for you!


Anyway, I've rambled on long enough about Prisila itself.  Let's get to the fun part of the hair pieces!


I'll be linking to the actual Prisila website pages for each of the hair pieces shown, as they have more detailed photos than those provided at Moery (and sometimes, the extra photos don't even correspond with what you're actually getting!).  But as I've said, you can find all of these at the Moery website provided above.  Click on the 'Bags, Accessories, and Designer Items' tab to filter all of them out.

Fringe:

Item name:  FX- 07
Originally, I was thinking of getting the blunt cut bangs that are pretty well associated with Hime-kei.   But because I have a small forehead (which blunt cut bangs can look way too 'Moe from the Three Stooges' on if you're not careful), and I know the side swept look works great on me, I decided to go with this instead.  I really wanted to make sure that I started with a whole style I could put together immediately, something safe to start with.  If the bangs hadn't worked, I wouldn't have been able to wear my hair pieces at all until I got a proper set.  Fortunately for me, it was a fantastic choice.

I could probably get these in natural black and wear it with my own hair.   It looks pretty natural.  The top is rounded and very narrow, so it's pretty easy to blend in with your own hair (as long as you get a matching color) because it curves with your head.  You can sweep the piece to the left or right, and clip it in with bobby pin.  I love the way it frames my face.

Underneath is a layer of short hair, probably made to simulate baby hair as well as to create a little volume.  If instead of wearing them in the middle of your head, you put them off to the side at an angle, you can sweep the whole piece to the side.  Gives it a bit of a different feel.

Extensions:

Item name:  TX-21L
This is the long, curly extension they have.  Individually, they don't look like much, but two layered is actually perfect.  One problem I had though is that it's really easy to get them messy.  In fact, as soon as I took them out of the container, they started to get a little tangled up!  But that's to be expected with curly hair.  It's probably much easier to deal with the wavy and straight extensions.

The middle is longer than the edges, so it gives it a more natural look.  My natural hair is about 68cm from the middle part of my head to the tip of the longest part of my hair, and about 53cm from scalp to tip, so these things are definitely longer than my own hair individually.  If you don't want to deal with such long hair, they do have a shorter version which is 45cm long.  But I love long hair.  I mean, I wouldn't have grown my own hair that long if I didn't!

There's 3 very solid clips.  Nothing much to report there.

Half wig:

Item name:  J-807
This one was chosen not just because Himena recommended it for the hair arrangement tutorial, but because it was the curliest of the versions of this half wig they have, slightly straight on top, with the curls at the bottom.  The top part comes pre-volumized, as in it looks as if you've back combed your own hair, so I'll probably have to be a bit careful with combing it.  It's also got layers of length to it, to give it even more volume.

My favorite part of my hair pieces, because it gives me that bouffant I need!  Unlike the other pieces I got, this one needs to be stretched on instead of clipped.  If you've got long hair, you can get huge height on your bouffant by putting your hair up in a high bun.  However, if your hair is short and you still want that height, you'll probably have to invest in a rope wig, a bun piece, or even some cheap extensions to wrap around your hair (braid it, then pin it around your hair.  Go to an ethnic hair supply, I once bought some 18" extensions for $1).  If you've got really short hair, make 2 buns, one high and one low.  With all of the extensions, you shouldn't see it, and if you've got a wig cap, even better.  Surprisingly, the curls are really easy to maintain, much easier than the extensions.  Maybe because it's thicker?

The smooth part at the top tends to come down, allowing me to blend it in with the rest of my hair pieces easier.  Then it's all just a matter of pinning things down into place.  Oh, and this one is the easiest to store, because it's the only one that came with a resealable plastic pouch.  You could probably use it as a makeup bag too.

And, because I'm glad to be back, here's a quick and easy Hime hairstyle using these pieces!  Optional pieces include a stocking cap, some bobby pins (preferably in a similar color as the hair pieces), hairspray, and if your hair is short, either a rope wig, cheap extensions, or a fake bun to put over it.  If you do it right, you shouldn't see any of your real hair, so if you like, get the hair pieces in a different color!

  Put your hair up in a high bun.  The higher its placement, the bigger the bouffant.  Make sure it's extra secure!

  A step that is purely optional, but very recommended is that you get a wig cap for your hair.  I like the ones with the open top.  You just pull it around your neck, making sure all of your hair is up, then pull it back up onto your head like so.  Then put in a few bobby pins to keep it in place.  It keeps all of my actual hair out of the way, and because of its fishnet design, clipping everything in and keeping my hair pieces in place is really easy.  I've seen them for as low as 2 for $1 on Ebay.  If your hair is really dark but your hair pieces are really light, you might want to find a light colored cap instead.

  Clip the extensions around your head.  I like to put one kind of low and the other really close to the bun, as it gives me more length and covers more of my head.  To put on the extensions, clip the middle clip in first, then wrap the edges around and clip them in.  Don't worry about any buckling on the extension band, because it'll be covered up anyway.

  Put the half wig over the bun.  I like to position the top comb in first, then stretch out the bottom comb to make sure it stays in place.  If you still feel it pull after you've put it on, it's too tight!  Don't be afraid to get your extensions in there.  They'll be okay!

  Clip in the fringe as close to the half wig as possible.  Position it where you like and clip them in, then adjust the half wig over it.  If you prefer your bangs higher or lower than where your half wig is sitting, simply pull the top comb of the half wig out and reposition to where you want it to be.

  Fluff out the hair, and for more security, pin in a few places.  You can pretty much treat it like your own hair now.  If you need more volume, do a little back combing, and if you like it where it is, use a little hairspray to keep it in place.  And a hair accessory is a must for the Hime-Gyaru~!

Done~!!


It may take a little practice to get the positioning correct, but even on my first try, it took me about 7 minutes to do, including brushing my hair into the bun.  As for weight, it's not really all that heavy for me, but if you've got less hair than I do, it might be a little noticeable.  You'll get used to it though.  I don't think it's *that* heavy.

Getting my hair pieces really made me so happy~!   Sometimes I worry that it's all just a phase and as soon as I get something expensive, I'll realize that it wasn't at all what I wanted to do.  But every time I add another piece to my Hime collection, even something tiny like a cute headband or floral emery boards, I just feel more and more at home.

I've got a long way to go before I can officially call myself a Hime-Gyaru, but I'll get there, and I'll make sure to keep you all in the loop!


Oh!  And for those of you who like La Pafait, they'll be interviewing La Pafait shop staff Ayano on an online show called Kawaii International tomorrow (the 27th Central time) through Saturday!  There's more info found here including the link to where it will show and the times it will play, or you can find out more about this show and upcoming shows on their Facebook page.  They'll only be streaming the show 6 times, and after that, it won't come on anymore, so make sure you set an alarm if you want to catch it!  It's all in English too~!  I saw last month's episode, and I absolutely loved it.  It was soooo worth staying up all night to watch it, lol!  And here's a hint: if you want to watch it in a large screen, set the video to 512K.  I didn't know that until 20 minutes into the broadcast before.  So try to catch it!


Until next time~!!