My every day look

Hi everyone!

Sure, we all have our fancy going-out looks, but what about your every day look?  I would like to share mine, I actually discovered it by watching someone else's video and making it my own (my products, etc).

This video actually got me interested in the BeautyBlender (which I later bought and will review later).

Here's my product list for this look- All are MAC except where otherwise noted.

Face

As a base (she doesn't use one) Skin79 Lovely Girl BB Cream

In dry weather:

Studio Sculpt Foundation in NC25

In humid weather

Studio Fix  powder in NC25

Tenderling blush

Skinfinish in Soft and Gentle

Eyes:

Eyeshadow in Crystal Avalanche

Fluidline Gel Liner in Blacktrack

Eye Kohl in Fascinating (for my lower waterline- she does not do this)

Shiseido Lash Curler

Plushlash Mascara in Plushblack

Lips:

Lip Pencil in Subculture

When I decide to wear gloss I wear one of the following:

Prr

Glam Gaga

When I want to wear lipstick:

Creme Cup

Glam Gaga 2

Snob

Creme D'Nude

Even though this look is called "Korean Makeup" in the video, it looks good on me, a white girl as well. I get a lot of compliments when I do my face like this, so give it a try!

Japanese Bath Salt Review #1

Hi everyone!

If you love taking baths, then this post will be of great interest.  I love taking baths too, but most bubble baths dry me out, skin-wise.  Don't get me wrong, they smell good, I love the bubbles, but when I get out I feel drier than a bucket of sand.  I heard from a penpal of mine in Japan that they have many different types of bath salts, from anti-aging to those meant to replicate an experience at a particular hot spring.  This sounded interesting to me, so I went to my local Japanese market and lo and behold, they also had a bunch of different salts to choose from!  I bought two kinds (hence the #1 in the title) and tried them both out.

#1 Bathclin Pureskin Bath Salts

These salts also have Hyaluronic Acid and Aloe, both of which moisturize the skin. In fact, we have Hyaluronic Acid in our skins already but this decreases as we age.  The salts are a dark green, and make the bath water a milky green color but they do not stain the bathtub or anything else.   It has a nice clean scent, I think it could be suitable for unisex use, the scent does stay on your skin pretty strongly, but not sickeningly strong. 

When I get out of the bath after using this stuff, I'm not nearly as dry-skinned as I normally would be coming out of a regular bubble bath.

This is also more cost-effective than bubble bath (I go through a bottle every two weeks or less because I take a bath after my showers almost nightly).  This 660 gram package has enough to give over 30 baths (the directions say 20 grams per bath, which is about half of the cap that is on the package.) and costs between 9.99-12.99 depending on where you get it from. 

You can order it online, or it could be carried at an Asian market in the health/beauty section.


I highly recommend this stuff, will review the next salt, Bathclin Cherry Blossom, in an upcoming post!

Product Review: Biore Pore Perfect Ice Cleanser

Hello everyone!

I picked up another face cleanser at the store (I do that a lot, I know.) and this one had my interest for a while but I never got around to getting it until recently. What is it? Biore Pore Perfect Blemish Fighting Ice Cleanser (whew!)

Packaging: Comes in a nice green pump bottle. No complaints.

Texture: No granules or "sandy" feeling. It's a regular liquid cleanser.

How does it feel: It's called an Ice cleanser for a reason.  It gives a pleasant cool tingle on the face and leaves the face feeling very clean.  It may dry the skin a little because it contains salicylic acid, a common acne medication.

I've used it for a week now, and I can say it's a very good product. It was also given great reviews by editors at Allure Magazine. The product also claims that it works 60% better than the Proactiv system, which sadly, I cannot review because I tried it once and it felt like it was burning my skin.

Price: around $10 USD per bottle.

Product Review- It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in

Hello!

Over this past weekend, I went to go get a hair cut and deep conditioning treatment.  During the actual hair cut, my stylist recommended a product to use on my hair every time I wash it, because my hair is color treated and a little on the dry side.  She sprayed this product on my hair and styled it, and my hair felt like new!

What is this product? 

 It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Plus Keratin

This is a professional product sold in salons, and the price does reflect this. It retails at I believe $16.99, I got it on sale for $9.99.

Why is it called "It's a 10"? Because, according to the back label, it does 10 things instantly:

1. Maintenance of keratin straightening treatments

2. Increases styling and manageability

3. Perfect for all hair types

4. Replaces lost protein

5. Protects the natural keratin in hair

6. Protects against heat

7. Restores hydration balance

8. Detangles, defrizzes and adds shine

9. Strengthens hair structure

10. Seals cuticles for extra silky hair

I have used this product a few times since getting my hair done and I must say I am pretty happy with it.

My reasons for loving this stuff:

- Smells really nice

- Very little is needed- I have very long, midback length hair and 5-6 sprays throughout my hair is plenty

- My hair does feel softer after using it and is easy to comb

- My ends do not feel like dry grass

- My hair does look shiny and pretty, even after blow drying it

- Alcohol free

- Convenient little spray bottle container

The only con I can really think of is the price, but it is a professional product, so you get what you pay for in this case.

Speaking of haircut, I will post pics soon with the before and after!

How to save a little money at MAC!

Hello everyone!

As you all know, I am a total MAC addict- and being a MAC addict can be very costly! However, when I went to the MAC store today, I realized there is a way to save a few bucks on eye shadows.  No Pro  membership, coupons, etc needed, just this knowledge.

Buy your shadows in palette pan form. I'll explain how this can save space in your makeup kits and money in your wallet.  However, this can only be done through www.maccosmetics.com or purchasing from an actual MAC store, NOT the counter in a department store. They do not sell these items.

Step 1: Buy an empty MAC pro palette. These cost $14 USD and the eye shadow version holds 15 colors, while the blush version holds 6.

Step 2: Buy the colors you want- but ask for the palette refill pans. Eyeshadows cost $11 USD whereas the individual retail packaged ones will cost $14.50. 

Total Savings:

Eyeshadows:

Retail Packaging:

Shadows x 15 = $217.50

Palette version:

Palette: $14

Shadows x15 = $165

Total: $179 USD - Total savings of $38.50.

There is, however just ONE setback, you cannot "Back 2 Mac" the empty pans, meaning you cannot trade in used containers for free lipstick. However, the money saved is more than 2 lipsticks would be worth.

Palty Hair Color- Before!

Hello everyone! 

So, it's been about 3 years since I last touched any kind of color to my hair.   Last time I did, my hair was horribly damaged, dry, and it was like I had a dry blonde birds nest on my head.

For the year 2011, I am going to be changing my hair color for the first time in 3 years- Coloring my hair symbolizes (to me) the changes I plan to make for the next year. 

I decided this time I want to try Palty hair color, a Japanese brand that seems to be popular and work a bit better on dark hair (like mine).  I went to my local Japanese market (I have a Mitsuwa Marketplace nearby and the stuff is 10 bucks a box, not different from American brands you'd find at any drugstore.) and bought 2 boxes of a color called Milk Tea Brown.  This is what it is supposed to look like:

One thing I have heard about this brand is it tends to not do much within the 20 minutes that the instructions say to leave it on, I have heard of people leaving this color on for up to an hour, so I think that's how long I will leave it.   My hair is virgin (all natural) and in good shape so this shouldn't be too damaging. 

This is my current hair color:

I don't expect that my hair will lighten to that extent but we'll see. Sometimes I am pleasantly surprised with hair color.

The dye kit is actually quite simple- it comes with developer, color, and a leave in conditioner. (I'll post pictures of what comes inside in my next post, as well as my version of English instructions because they are in Japanese ONLY)  It also has a nifty comb nozzle so you can just comb it into your hair. 

Well, I am probably going to color it today or tonight, and I will post pictures of the end result and a review next post.

We're getting revamped!!!

Hi everyone!!!

Long time no post!  This is just a little blurb about changes I am going to make for the new year. 

What to expect:

1. This blog will focus mainly on looks from Japan and Korea- both the mainstream styles and subculture styles (Gothic Lolita, Hime Gyaru, etc.) 

2. More tutorials!

3. New Layout!

4. New name- which is where YOU come in!

Send me suggestions for a new name for this blog! The winner will receive a tube of Lovely Girl BB Cream by Skin 79! (One of my favorites!)   I have some suggestions of my own but would also like my readers' input as well. 

Contest ends Jan 31, 2010 at midnight!