One Year Challenge Week 39: Minimal

It seems difficult to describe outfits in Style Boutique as minimal sometimes as there are just so many unique items in the game! Of course there are plenty of basic looking items (there is even an entire brand called Basic U) however you often get distracted by all the crazy looking fun stuff. So this weeks theme is minimal however I didn't want to stick with only the basic image. I ended up with three minimal styled looks from three different images. First up is a cute girly look which could almost pass for boho chic as well. Nice and casual for a warm summer day and I've become a fan of this style of top this summer. I was gifted a lovely top in this style from someone and it is the best thing to wear on a super hot day with shorts. Second look is a gorgeous feminine outfit and is more styled for spring or autumn. Lastly I went with a lively look which almost looks like something from Basic U. I adore these pastel toned shorts from April Bonbon and have been obsessed lately.

After School The 6th Maxi Single 첫 사랑 Cheot Sarang - Single Review (Lizzy Version)

After School is a popular group here on Marzipan Wonderland and I've reviewed a number of their releases previously. Well today I am back with yet another After School review and this time it is their sixth single 첫 사랑 Cheot Sarang. The single and sites on the internet lists this release as a maxi single. According to the KpopFandom wiki, there are only a few k-pop releases that are called maxi singles and I have no clue what the difference is in regards to regular singles. I'm guess it means the size of the album or content as this particular one is quite massive. Anyway let's get into the review!

첫 사랑 Cheot Sarang or it is also known as First Love, is the sixth single from Korean girl group After School. It is referred to as a maxi single like the group's previous single Flashback was. The single was released on March 25th 2013 and came in eight versions with one for each member. I brought my copy of the single second hand and was lucky enough to score the Lizzy version who is one of my biases in the group. All the member covers look amazing though especially E-Young who I kinda low key want now. The single came with the following contents:

• CD - 6 track single
• Cardboard sleeve
• Photobook
• Member postcard (Random 1 from 9 types)

Strawberry Milk 1st Mini Album - Album Review

This mini album from Strawberry Milk has to be one of the cutest in my collection. Ever since I got it, I've just loved looking at it and it also has the most amazing texture to it! It has this textured gloss to the front and back cover. Everything about it is perfect from the large size to the lovely photo book of Choa and Way. There is no official title for this mini besides being called the 1st Mini Album which is super imaginative.

The 1st Mini Album is the first and only mini album from the duo Strawberry Milk who are a sub-unit of the Korean girl group Crayon Pop. The group consists of twins Choa and Way who are still together as a sub-unit now under the name Choa and Way. The mini album was released on October 15th 2014 and came in one version. I believe I brought my copy from YesAsia and it's just so long ago since I got it. I remember being super excited to order it as I'm a huge Crayon Pop stan. The mini album comes with the following contents:

• CD - 8 track mini album
• Photobook

Girls Mode 3 Glitter ☆ Coordination Book - flute f

A request came through from a reader of the blog for another Girls Mode 3 Glitter ☆ Coordination Book post who was after the items from the brand Chorale. This lovely request made it super easy to decide on the next set of photos to post from the book! In Girls Mode 3, the brand Chorale is called flute f which is a perfectly elegantly sounding name to match the feminine brand of the series. I absolutely adore the outfit that brand representative Aisling has one in the photo below. It encapsulates what flute f represents and the colours tones are gorgeous. 

flute f is home to a variety of styles that are not just feminine. Of course we have the girly style which I personally feel can be quite similar to the feminine one. Sometimes I even get the items mixed up or make outfits that I look back on and wonder whether it is girly or feminine. The other styles that are found at flute f are basic, psychedelic, gothic, baby-doll, chic and preppy. flute f is a brand that I came to love the more I played the game and feel that I've used it quite a lot in the latest instalment in the series. Looking at these photos of the items showcases how the brand jumps from beautiful pastel tones to sophisticated dark tones. I feel with this brand that I can always piece together a stylish looking outfit and it is a great brand to mix with other ones such as Marzipan Sky, Enid Chen or Brooke Bridge.

One Year Challenge Week 38: Basic U

Basic U is a simple brand that allows you to create some lovely styled outfits once you start to explore the range. I feel like I've always ignored Basic U in all the other Style Boutique games and only started to appreciate it in Styling Star. Maybe it was because I forced myself to use it more with challenges and it has been quite fun. I've discovered the kind of outfits I usually leans towards with the brand and I always seem to stick to one colour. This weeks outfits are very yellow, red and blue like the primary colours! The second outfit with the sporty dress would be my favourite from the bunch and it paired perfectly with the striped socks and sneakers. I feel the first outfit is the closest to what I would wear in real life as I'm a die hard fan for skinny jeans and long cardigans. 

AKB48 ここにいたこと Koko ni Ita Koto - Album Review (Theatre Edition)

Big day today with the first AKB48 review on Marzipan Wonderland! Now I don't have a massive AKB48 collection however I do have a number of items to showcase. First off we shall look at the theatre edition of their album ここにいたこと Koko ni Ita Koto.

ここにいたこと Koko ni Ita Koto is the first original studio album from the Japanese idol group AKB48. It was released on June 8th 2011 and came in three editions: Limited Edition CD+DVD, Regular Edition CD+DVD and Theatre Edition CD Only. I picked up the theatre edition as it was a good price but I'd love to get the limited edition one as you get a 100-page photobook which I bet looks gorgeous. The theatre edition is super cute with the Kami 7 featured on the front and back covers. My copy of ここにいたこと Koko ni Ita Koto came with the following contents:

• CD - 16 track album
• Jewel case
• OBI
• Lyrics booklet
• 14 alternative covers featuring the Senbatsu members

Aespa 2nd Mini Album Girls - Album Review (Retail Exclusive Edition)

Today's music review is actually a newer album and one that is still in print! Most reviews I post are for older albums from older groups however today I have an album to share from aespa! This mini was released in a few different versions and the one I have is the Retail Exclusive Edition. It is basically the Target Exclusive one but it was called the Retail Exclusive and was sold through JB Hi-Fi.

Girls is the 2nd Mini Album from Korean girl group aespa and it was released on July 8th 2022. The mini was released in eight versions: Kwangya, Real World, Girls, Target Exclusive, Rocket Puncher (Karina ver.), Armamenter (Winter ver.), Xenoglossy (Giselle ver.) and E.d Hacker (Ningning ver.). The mini album was available for pre-order and at JB Hi-Fi stores however only a few versions were available there. You could only get the digipack ones that come in these cardboard sleeves and it was disappointing as I wanted to get the Real World version as it was my favourite concept. I ended up ordering the Retail Exclusive one which had a cool cover of the girls and it was reasonably priced around $30. The Retail Exclusive edition I got came with the following contents:

• CD - 6 track mini
• Digipack casing
• English lyric booklet
• Lyric booklet
• Poster (Random 1 out of 4 members)
• Poster (Random 1 out of 2)
• Kwangya Version Photocard (Random 1 out of 4)
• Digipack Photocard (Random 1 out of 4)