So, you are curious with how to be a kawaii material yourself. Well, lucky for you, here I am to give you a list of the things that will help you achieve that kawaii aesthetic that you are wishing for! Just follow these steps and you are on your way to achieving the kawaii aesthetic!
1 - Picking the right clothes
Kawaii fashion is really girly. No matter how you think about it, everything is about pastels. From skirts to dresses, to cute socks, to heavy wigs, there’s a lot of styles to choose from. What type of kawaii will you be? The right clothes will often speak for themselves. I also honestly think the pastel tennis skirt is the staple statement of the kawaii. You can’t be kawaii without sporting some cute pastel tennis skirts now, can you? (Of course, we’re kidding.) But kidding aside, don’t you ever feel cute whenever you wear one? No? Just me? If you haven’t tried one, then you’re missing out!
2 - The right makeup makes a lot of difference
One of the most identifying features of kawaii lies in their makeup. What makes kawaii especially unique is highly dependent on how you are supposed to apply your makeup products. The eyeshadow makeup doesn’t need to be extravagant. Just one (1) to three (3) layers of eyeshadow is enough. Though, instead of using a lot of matte ones, you should use at least two (2) glittery eyeshadow products, one lighter than the other, for your eyelids and eye bags. The matte eyeshadow will be your base for your eyeshadow.
Another key feature from the eyes is the use of mascara and eyeliner. Eyeliners typically used in kawaii is mostly brown in color (or any color with the same hue, at least). The purpose of having a colored eyeliner and not a black eyeliner is to lighten the products that are already in your face. If one uses a black eyeliner, there a chance that the overall makeup would appear bold, and you don’t want that (unless you are going for a strong eye, kawaii makeup), so let’s try not to change that.
The purpose of doing this is to create an illusion of a wider eye. This is because having bigger eyes is known to be cuter from where kawaii originated from.
If you want to learn more about kawaii makeup, you can refer to Kawaii Vibe's guide to achieve it.
3 - Hairstyles that bring out the cute in you
First, we have the blunt bangs! These bangs are typically associated to cutesify your look so it makes perfect sense that this style is used a lot in kawaii! But do be aware that you don’t have to put up an excessive blunt or else it will give off a strong impression instead! Having a simple blunt is sufficient enough to style your look. Couple this with the schoolgirl effect and its perfect!
Another is the most common one - space bun and pigtails! I’m pretty much sure you’ve tried this one before. So far, this is the most accessible style to do without having to cut your hair short. Just get a pair of ties to tie your hair with and you can style it any way you think is appropriate for your getup.
Another way to style your hair to achieve kawaii is to color it. Long story short, yes, coloring your hair will make you look cute. But! Always make sure that the color you are using is suitable for you. We don’t want to color our hair red and then turn out it doesn’t suit us and the style we are looking for, am I right? For kawaii, lighter pastel colors are usually the trend but I personally love light brown colors, but some go as far as pastel pink (which is adorable by the way!). Some even go for pastel blue or even ash gray! The choice is yours to take. Also, if you do not know how to choose the right hair color, you can decide by knowing what your skin tone is and start from there! Choosing the right color to complement your skin tone is always the best call to take.
4 - Accessorize as you mean it
Accessorizing with the right accessories is key to make sure that you are dressing the part. Pearly necklaces, hair clips, giant hair ribbons, the variety is endless! But here are some of the ways you can accessorize the part:
- Hair clips, large ribbons, hairbands - they may come in sizes great and small, but they all made for a purpose, to make you look cute! Make use of these hair accessories the next time you plan your kawaii attire.
- Eyeglasses are actually cute, too! - yes you heard that right. Try using specs the next time you take that next selfie.
- Anime accessories are a thing you know - just in case you don’t know, anime accessories are a thing so go ahead and find the right accessories for you!
5 - Plushies for you
Who says plushies are for kids alone? No! Plushies are for everyone! And all the more, plushies are for the kawaii ones! As plushies are cute, you need to have one! Being kawaii in itself is cute, and plushies are cute, so why is it that you still don’t have one in your own room? Just kidding! Of course, you are free to choose if you want a plushie or not, but why not right?
Plushies are a must-have kawaii accessory, and they are not just there because of the cute demeanor that they manifest, but they also keep you company at times when you feel lonely! Having someone to guard you at night when you sleep sounds comforting, doesn’t it? How’s that for convenient? Double the power - cute and handy!
6 - Stickers are a thing?
While most of the things we mentioned so far are things that are visible for others to see, how about the ones that make you feel good about yourself?
Personally, the ones that make me feel good to be kawaii myself are stickers. Stickers are just small things that are found in my study drawer so why would it matter if I have stickers or not?
You know, whenever I place a Hinata Shoyo (from Haikyuu!) sticker on my work desk, it sure makes me feel better for the day. Stickers are a useful part of the decor, too! You can put them in your journal when you feel that there is a lot of negative space associated there, or you can place it on your laptop as part of your kawaii aesthetic!
While stickers are just “small things” that you can acquire (or choose not to acquire), they also define a little part of you that makes you feel good about yourself. It’s the little accomplishments that make you happy and fulfilled to carry on your journey! Choosing the right “kawaii” stickers to associate yourself with is already part of the journey to creating the ideal identity that best describes you.
7 - Kawaii mannerisms
Manners maketh man. The kawaii is known to be shy, innocent, charming, and cute. But in general, you don’t really need to follow this one. Think of the best way of when you were the most kawaii, just be yourself! Honestly, just having the basic decorum as a practice is enough to make you feel kawaii. You’re not only making yourself proper, you are also practicing a habit that you can always go back from!
8 - Develop your aesthetic consistently
What kawaii aesthetic are you going for? This is to help you evaluate how you want to be seen. If you are still not sure on how you are going to go with your aesthetic, then focus on the simplest details like changing your phone cases with kawaii ones, changing your slippers with kawaii ones, having nekomimi earphones - all these make a huge difference despite it feeling like a minute one. And guess what, we have those at our store so check them out!
9 - Keep your selfie game strong
- Make sure you are taking the photo in an area with good lighting and sufficient sunlight, with good white balance! This is to ensure that the colors of your clothing and your surroundings are as identical to the photo you just took it.
- Use filters! Don’t be afraid to use them! There are a lot of filters to choose from right now so make them count! Make sure that it complements the kawaii aesthetic to you are so trying to share with others!
- Covering your face while you take the photo - this is one trend that I commonly see when others take their own pictures. The purpose of this selfies is too highlight your outfit, so do this when you are trying to wow your audience with your kawaii fashion!
- Accessorize using your plushies! Your plushies here are technically your best friend for when taking those cute selfies!
10 - Re-evaluate your room decor
If your room decor is not keeping up with your personal aesthetic then it’s about time you change that. Your personal room speaks a lot about your personal identity and if your room fails to show the kawaii that you have been trying to achieve so far, let’s change that up!
Start by making a specific color scheme for your room. Remember that the usual color scheme for the kawaii is centered around pastel colors. Therefore, using pastels to decorate your room is highly recommended! This can be manifested by changing your current curtains with pastel-colored ones, painting your walls with the same pastel colors, or just leave it as white, and/or designing a lamp system for your room that adheres to the specific color scheme of your choice! KawaiiVibe also has the right accessories to put up as your room decoration so go ahead and check them out!
11 - Find inspiration from anime
The source of them all. Honestly, if you want anything kawaii, you can just look it up on the different anime shows that you are watching (except of course, if the one you are watching isn’t kawaii at all).
Turning to your favorite kawaii anime girls is the way to go. One example of such the Mahou Shoujo that we all love, the definition of kawaii herself, Sailor Moon, is one icon of the kawaii culture. From the way she moves, the way she dresses, the way she fights against villains - there’s just a lot to love, and a lot to get inspired from!
There are still a lot of kawaii anime girls out there, like the ones from K-On!, The Melancholy of Haruhi Suzumiya, and more! There are more to see and to discover for when you don’t feel inspired. Rest assured when you watch these anime, you’ll get energized to do your aesthetic, again!
12 - Keeping it simple
And finally, just keep it simple. Always remember that you can always be kawaii in many way, however you like it to be. Don't let a simple lable define what you can do and what you want to be! Keep exploring!
These are just some of the simple steps that you can do to achieve the kawaii! Are you up for the challenge? Here's to becoming kawaii!
