Bits and bobs

You ladies are so sweet.. dont worry I am getting used to my hair.. it's so hot these days that I tie it up mostly!! LOL. Oh I dyed my hair too. I haven't really taken any pics of it. It's just a medium brown colour. Done by DIY of course! LOL. The bf helped so it wasn't so bad!

Before going to Japan, I used a Boots gift card that given by my Red Cross manager, worth about £20 I didn't really know what to spend it on... In the end I gave in and decided to get some makeup with it since there was nothing particular i needed to buy for Japan.

I ended up buying Bourjois Blush in 95 Rose, I heard it was a good dupe of the NARS Orgasm!! I went to the NARS counter for a good swatch of Orgasm, I must say they look very similar... Indeed!! Have a look at the swatches yourself ;)

I also ended up buying Wet N Wild 3-of-kind in Blushed - very pretty! I also saw No7's tinted blush in 15, thought it was so pretty I had to get it! Altogether it added up to £19.50! LOL. The sticks have been convenient to carry around, and are great for blush base, especially the Wet N Wild one! I heard from PincStuff that there was a Copacabana dupe from Wet N Wild but I couldn't find it... ended up getting Blushed and the actual Copacabana multiple stick lol.

Pretty huh?

***

Went to Hakone for a long weekend break.. since it was Obon, it was very busy... we usually drive down by car but this time we caught the train, being faster (by not being stuck in long traffic) and more economical! Hakone is famous for it's hotsprings, and is located relatively close to Mount Fuji by driving. Luckily my bf's grandad has an apartment there so we stayed there for free ^_^ My bf also gets discounts for using hotsprings from local hotels, we stuck to one close by! Hotsprings are very good for the skin.. On my back I had marks on my back that's been coming and going for last 2 years, the hotspring (or Japan in general for some reason) has improved these marks, they are starting to disappear now! I hope it stays that way, though it can get itchy sometimes =(

we went to a famous waterfall in Hakone.. cant remember what it's called! ^^" 

Fireworks on saturday for Obon festival, the fireworks was just behind the bf's grandad apartment, we had such a good view watching the fireworks from the balcony! They also have the 大文字 (correct me if im wrong Aya!) lit up at the mountain, where the Ghosts go back...

Dango from Hakone Immigration Museum lol

Hot dango sold near the waterfall, yummy!

hand made mochii from Hakone o-tera.. I went to pick up a fortune paper, i got big luck! haha.

The bf's grandad also  keeps a car at his Hakone apartment, so we were able to drive around there. We drive about 40 mins to place called Gotemba for the Premium Outlet, i wanted to buy some (more) clothes and a bag for work! They were giving some awesome discounts, I mean there was the summer sales anyway and on top with outlet discounts from 30 to 70% off!!

I bought 2 polo shirts from GAP for ￥3,900, which is pretty cheap, considering they are like 20pounds each in UK (more or less), some nude underwear from Sloggi for over ￥3,000...

a pair of shorts that were reduced from 11,000 to 9,000 then until 6,000!

Then bought a checkerd shirt... cute?? haha. it was reduced from ¥5000 to ￥3899．not bad considering i was trying on a similar kind of top which cost 15,000! wtf! LOL.

tees i bought last week:

From Pepe Jeans! haha...reduced from 8,000 to 4,000!

I think i have enough clothes for now....!! 

***

Food post I promised!!

Turnip Salad

Fried tofu! YUM!!

These chicken wings were GOOOOOOOOOOD.

omg. it's taken me 2 hrs to blog this, lol!

ps. sorry guys, had a blip with my watermark.. had to take them down and upload them ALL again... should work fine now :)

NARS and hair drama.

Hey all! I was shopping yesterday in Ginza, and guess what I found??? A NARS counter! At first I didn't really want to check it out since NARS in quite expensive in UK.. would have thought it would have cost about the same or even more in Japan. But, in actual fact, to my surprise it's cheaper here!!

They were offering a Summer Vacances Kit for ￥6300 basically, you get a multiple stick and a 31ml bottle of the famous Monoi Body Glow II oil. You also get a free bag with it... I was a bit hesitant in getting it, but then I thought it's actually pretty good value for what it's worth, so I bought the kit! I finally have the Copacabana Multiple stick!! The multiple stick cost about ￥5000 here, so it's in fact more affordable here :D I have a NARS membership card too! that means each ￥100 i get 1 points, when you get upto 1000 points you actually receive a NARS exclusive makeup box. This isn't too bad, at least I get some back at the end if I spend a lot from it.


the haul...

***

I've finally cut my hair. I really wanted it cut since I was getting a lot of kinks lately.. so my bf took me a salon near our train station called Ash. The language proved to be a problem.. I wanted to have a "trim" and wanted my length to be slightly thinned out so it would be lighter. The hair stylist asked if I wanted "volume" and I said yes I like volume.. and he misunderstood what I wanted... my bf's explanation obviously didn't help!

In the end he gave me TOO much layers, he got scissors happy. It REALLY upset me with how much hair they took off. Well, it's grown on me for the last two days, but I'm waiting to grow out my hair now. I don't think I'll be cutting my hair anytime too. I've resorted to buying some new hair straighteners because I have much volume around my crown :( my bf, sister and mum tried to console me.. I feel crap everytime I see these girls with long hair! *sigh* :( I'll cope!

Fotd:

Brave face with new haircut ;_;

Face: Laura Mercier oil free tinted moisturiser in Nude, EDM multitasking concealer, Silk Natural Perfecting Powder, MAC Light Flush MSF as highlighter, L'Oreal Bronzer, EDM Waffle blush

Eyes: Shiseido Mascara base, MAC X mascara, MAC brow set in Beguile - love this stuff, it's my HG brow product for now!

Lips: Chanel lip treatment, Bourjois lip tint, Chanel Freeze lipgloss


Silly face... haha.

It's really hot over in Japan. My eyes has been itchy lately, and even a little swollen.. I don't know what's wrong, this has never really happened to me before... So i've been wearing just mascara. I've been wearing my tinted moisturiser a lot as well since it's too hot to slather on face makeup!




I'm trying to put myself in a budget, since I've not started work yet. It's really hard since I want to buy every time I see something. My bf helps, he discourages me from going into drugstores haha. I did, however, manage to buy SANA's Clear Pore Putty, I've been looking for this ever since I saw Aya's video on it!! It's quite hard to find this particular SANA product for some reason, but I finally found it and it was just over ￥1000, still pretty cheap in my opinion!

Japanese fashion is very different here, either very girly, or mature looking. It's hard to find something in between. Clothes can be really expensive here too. I'm lucky to be able to catch the final summer sales, yday I bought 2 cute tees and some flat birkenstock style sandals. The wedges have taken the toll on my feet! LOL. I also finally bought a work skirt and some more vest tops in a very reasonable price. My bf tells me that that Shibuya's famous 109 is mostly shopped by teenagers, and that Im too old for it...so it's put me off from shopping there haha! I like shopping in a place located in Kawasaki, a huge plaza called Lazona, they have everything! It's also just 2 stops from my local train station.


Shirt Dress from Ingni, was only ￥5000 something!


cheap top from Global Work! around ￥2000！安いですね。

i'll do a food post later ;) I am thinking of changing my blog's name. I'll keep you posted when I change it..!! I'll catch up tonight.. gotta get ready!

みんなさん、こんばんは！ (good evening everyone!)

hey ladies! Just a quick update here :D

Thanks to everyone who left kind messages on my comment box!! It's very sweet of you!! Honestly, it doesn't feel like it's been 3 days since I got here. It feels like I have been here a lot longer! LOL. It's been really hot in Japan, I need time to get used to it. I haven't sweated so much in a while! LOL. The bf's family has been very welcoming and very kind to me. My bf has been so great in preparing my apartment and everything, it's been crazy! I am still jet-lagged. I feel sleepy at 8pm lol.

Just thought I'd quickly answer a few  questions raised in the comment box:

AH! Congratulations!! It sounds so awesome **envy*. I was just wondering, to teach abroad, like Japan, do you need to be fluent in Japanese? Sarah

Thank you :) You don't have to be fluent in Japanese to teach English as foreign language. You will need to be fluent in Japanese if you want to work in a certain profession or office job. I hope I will be able to progress to that one day. Also knowing Japanese helps, at the moment I am at elementary level and I plan to learn more during my stay here.

Hey pumpkin, what are you going to be doing at your new job? Jaimie

I am going to be teaching Business English :)

hey bella.. i'm happy for you.. Japan is a great place to live i think.. but you have to get use to their fast living pace. btw i'm heading to Japan at the end of this year.. which city are you at? PurpleSnowFlake

I'm in Tokyo, Ota-ku! I'm loving it! Let's meet when you come ;)

***

So the last few days I have been busy sorting out official documents like Alien card, health insurance etc. I have to open a bank account tmrw too.  I have also been buying stuff to fill my apartment as well. It's been very hectic and exhausting, but I wouldn't change it for the world. 

A peek of my cosy apartment. It's not big, but enough for one (or 2 including my bf) hehe. I'm very close to his place... 

 

A beauty junkie never stops, even when you're busy! haha

Finally bought Sofina Perfect UV SPF 50+ PA+++ Nuance up!! :D Also got the M&M Lash expander! I spent around ¥8000 on my drugstore haul.. this is a one off. I'm putting myself on a budget!

Finally bought my humble mobile phone. I can watch TV on it!!!

That's miffy on my screen! haha. リラックマ！

my first and only lip gloss from Chanel from Duty Free, was only 20 Euros! Was not my intentions to buy makeup at Duty Free... I needed some change :P

Ohhh I forgot my retainers in UK.... I only realised this when I was in the car, on the way to the airport! So I ended up asking my sister to post it to my bf's Japanese addy. I was so shocked on how much it costed for "priority" mail... £50!!! WTF. It better arrive tmrw. I have been pining for it ever since...!! I feel so bad for my parents who paid for the postal cost. 

Hopefully I shall have a new haircut tmrw as well. I'm gonna try and catch up through out this coming week, bare with me please!!

Until then, ciao bella! xoxo

さようなら イギリス！ (Sayonora U.K.)

The last 3 months has been a bit of a whirlwind for me, and I can't believe I am finally leaving for Japan. My flight is at 9:50am but I will leave for the airport in about 2 hrs time (that's 5am). I should be in bed...

I know this isn't a personal blog but I'm kinda feeling overwhelmed, so I gonna let it out here!

All this seems a bit surreal. I can't believe this is REALLY HAPPENING. I don't have words for this. I think my nerves will grow as the days come nearer when I begin my job.

I will update when I goto Japan (I have a lot to sort out) but once I am settled, I will do some catching up here! My bf isn't an internet person, lol. So when he studies, I will have plenty of time to catch up.

I just wanna say I will miss my family A LOT, especially my mum and sister. I have grown really close to my sister in the 3 years that I consider her to a best friend. I will miss her a great deal. She gave me so much support during university, and when I came back home. I would not be here if she wasn't there egging me (Other significant people did too but my sister made me see sense!) So I thank her! 

I'll miss my mum, she always says I am her right hand. She is such a loving mother. I will miss her SO much. I love her. She's the best mum a girl can have! I am forever indebted to her. I love my dad too, and I will miss him too. I know my brother will be in the safe hands of his gf...

I miss Sara.. my awesome friend.. lets keep in touch!! 

haha sorry getting emotional huh? Japan is gonna be a brand new-spankin' start for me :)

I am planning to expand this blog, to an all-rounder blog - I don't want to just talk about cosmetics... I feel kind of restricted sometimes.. I have xanga too but it's boring lol. I will probably change my link at one point. Stay tuned!!

Thank you so much to everyone who reads my blog and leaves nice comments. it means a lot... even though my blog isn't really much. I'll try to update as much as possible. 

As for now.. bed!!

Goodnight lovelies xoxo

Quick review: MAC prep + prime Microfine Lip Refinisher & update

Hi ladies, I've been pretty busy all week, trying to get everything sorted before I leave on Thurs and just trying to spend time with the family as much as possible. I'm traveling back to London tmrw to collect my visa, going down by car with my mum (and probably sister) hopefully we can do a bit of shopping in-between! xD Thanks to everyone who left me kind wishes. I will definitely keep blogging when I go to Japan :)

I've had a few go at using the prep + primer and have finally got around in doing a quick review on it. This lip scrub reminds me of the Body Shop they used to have... I'm not sure if they sell it anymore, only just slightly different, it doesn't leaves a residue of exfoliant.


I was luckily enough to get the American price when Gee helped me purchase some MAC stuff, it was just slightly cheaper than the UK price , which would have cost £10. I don't think it cost too bad, opposed to some pricier lip exfoliants such as Benefit, Laura Mercia...

MAC promises: " A two-in-one lip-conditioning and exfoliating stick. On one side, a botanically-derived natural exfoliator, on the other a lip conditioner that moisturizes, nourishes, and soothes the lips."

My first reaction was how compact it was! I like that it comes in like a chap-stick form and not like that squeezable tubes, because you could just swipe it on your lips without the hassle of squeezing the product out on your finger etc.

Quick instructions are given with a tiny leaflet: "A thin coating over entire lip area and rub with finger until dead skin is removed then wipe off with damp tissue or rinse with water"

So the instructions are pretty easy to follow, I give my lips a thorough swipe of the product, I notice these black grit-like exfoliant all over my lips.




I use my index finger to give it a good rub all-over my lips for about 30 seconds, then I use a damp tissue to clean it off. My lips feels noticeably exfoliated, almost like raw... you know the sensation you get when you use a old toothbrush to exfoliate your lips? Like that, only less harsh. My lips does feel smoother.

I have tried it on my chapped lips before, and I was surprised it didn't work very well. I think it's more like a maintaining product in order not to get chapped lips lol. Although it says it's conditioning, my lips definitely needs lip balm after using it.

Overall? I like it, it's compact, it smells nice... and it definitely beats using an old tooth brush! I would use this a good 2-3 times a week to maintain smooth lips. I don't recommend using it on chapped lips (I'm talking about really dry flaky lips!), it would just make it feel more raw and doesn't really take away the excess flaky skin! You definitely need a lip moisturiser after using the refinisher... oh and I'm really conscious of getting that black stuff IN my mouth! LOL. 4 out of 5 baby!

I recommend Blistex Intensive Moisturiser for any chapped lips, it's really soothes, and leaves a tingling sensation after using it, oh and it really works!

***

My sister came back from Vienna/Venice.. and brought back some souvenirs, which was really nice of her! She got me a pair of pretty earrings from Vienna, which are encrusted with real Swarovski Crystals (which originates from Austria). The piece is supposed to be influenced by Elisabeth of Austria who also used to wear Swarovski jewelry back then.





I just think it's so pretty! I would never thought of myself wearing something like this, but actually I like it a lot :D Most of my ear holes have closed up. Some times I use my second ear holes but it feels weird, the holes needs to be stretched or something.. I'm happy with just one pair :P



She bought back some expensive Viennese chocolate, which were suppose to be eaten by the Imperial Royal family back in those days, haha. MMM...



In Venice, she bought me a really pretty decorative real hand-made Venetian mask.



She bought herself a hand-made mask too! xD So Baz Luhrmann- Romeo -Juliet-esque! xD

I never post up food pics, but I just have to! My dad bought these MASSIVE king prawns from the markets. They are HUGE! They cost about a couple of pounds each. My dad makes the best seafood. I'll sorely miss his cooking when I leave ;_;




They are big as my head, folks! One prawn is VERY filling too LOL! 

I'll probable give a quick update before my flight! hope everyone had a nice weekend! I need to seriously pack...

Toodles!

Stoked.

Guess what ladies?? My visa documents have finally arrived today! I am very relieved, not to mention very happy. I have been anxious about this, for the last 7 weeks LOL! Blogging has helped me burn time :D I am most DEFINITELY going to Japan! *Cartwheels* LOL. For the new readers out there, I am moving to Tokyo for work - to teach English. I am flying on 7th Aug, so that's next thurs. I can't believe it's just around the corner, all this time I thought time was passing very slow, now it's seems to be passing by very fast! (can't win -_-;;)

Just wanna say BIG THANK YOU to the BF, who has not only sorted out my flight but also my apartment, which I will be residing when I get there. It's conveniently 10 mins away from his place haha. Now I have to get packing.. !! o_O

I'm heading to London tmrw, and will be crashing at my brother's place so I can head to the Japanese Embassy in Picadilly at Wednesday morning to sort out my Entry Visa. I have loads of souvenirs to buy for my bf's family... just to say thank you :)

Oh yeah, I've had a quite overwhelming response to the hair ideas, I'm really glad you liked the styles that I posted and that it could help some of you bloggers/readers out there :D I will definitely post some pics up once I've decided how to cut it ;)

***

Okay, here's my work attire. It's pretty boring, I'm like the "woman in black" lol. I apologise for the poor quality of pictures with the ugly flash! I tried to clean my mirror as much as poss :P


My trousers are too long :( They need altering!



Boring right?? LOL!

But seriously, I'm a little worried it'll be too hot to wear in Japan now. It's sweltering here, nevermind Japan, and I was sweating (eww) as I tried this on =_= I might need to buy a black skirt, right now I have 2 trousers..

Today I bought some working shoes :D They are from Carvela by Kurt Geiger, thought they looked cute but formal enough and comfortable to wear on a daily basis!



And here's today's FOTD, where I finally used Strada to contour, it's pretty good you know :D

I don't think you can see the contouring in this picture..haha!

Face: EDM multi-tasking concealer, NARS powder foundation in Fiji, MAC Strada blush, EDM Waffle blush

Eyes: Milky Base, MAC Engraved eye pencil, Print e/s, Warmed e/s, Shiseido Mascara base, MAC X Mascara

Lips: Bourjois lip tint & MAC Pucker tendertone

***

My sister's gone Euro-triping with a friend to Vienna and Venice for 8 days, lucky girl.. she'll be back on Thurs.. she told me she got me some earrings! Can't wait to see them! I'll prob post some pics of it when I get it xD

Ps. Please make a warm welcome to my REAL bestfriend Sara aka MysteriousSa. Me and Sa go back nearly 4 years, first years at university! Boy, were those the days! Unfortunately we don't see each other anymore 'cos we live in polar opposite directions :(. Give her some warm support on blogspot! :D

Okay, I can finally have a good night sleep :D

Experimentation: Polar Opposite and some haircut ideas...

Is it me or are we getting a heatwave??! It's been really hot lately! I'm sweating when I sleep and it doesn't feel very pleasant! I tend to roll about when I'm sleeping anyway, so I'm probably rolling 10x more than usual! LOL.

Having niggling feelings of worries and stress doesn't help my sleeping my pattern...


So I finally got around to using MAC's mineralized shadow in Polar Opposite. I noticed this colour is definitely not as popular as the other colours in this collection, because looks created with this duo are pretty limited. The dirty grey purple strangely reminds me of the Earthly Riches's purple side and I actually prefer Earthly Riches duo, the colours are just easier to use! Nevertheless, I had fun playing around with this duo. The silver is a little chalky, which is annoying but I think it worked okay in the end. I tried using it as a highlighter, the shimmer is just a bit all too much!

Washed out by cam, definitely more intense in real life..

(All MAC unless otherwise stated)
- Painterly p/p as base, Polar Opposite/Silver side - all over eye lid, dirty greyish purple on outer corner V-shape and blended out to above crease. Print e/s blended on outer corner V-shape and above crease. More Dirty greyish purple on the lower lash line

- Lined Bobbi Brown Black Ink Gel eyeliner with 209 brush

- Lightly lined Engraved on lower lash liner from out to middle

- Rimmel White eye pencil on lower lash line from inner to middle.

- Shiseido mascara base

- X mascara

finally enough light without flash :P

Basically a smokey silver/dirty greyish purple overall!

***

It's been over 6 months since I last cut my hair properly... I have been cutting off split ends by myself with some proper hair scissors, so not much split ends. Loving the length but it's getting over grown, in terms of it shape (I mean, what shape???!) haha. I have finally decided to cut my hair in Japan when I arrive. I might colour it... but DIY way since Japanese hair dyes are very potent and does not pre-lightening. I hate dying my hair in salons and getting disappointed with it at the end!

Here are some hair cut I've been looking at... There were so many pretty perms about, but I am adamant NOT to get a perm because I've had a Japanese perm before, it didn't last very long and ended up damaging my hair so I had to chop A LOT off!

My boring hair as it stands...(btw I am not wearing Polar Opposites here :P)

Some side bangs, and soft layers... keep the length!! (or most)

More info @ http://hairstyle.woman.excite.co.jp/style/detail/262


Her hair is so shiny, i want! haha.
More info @ http://b-colle.jp/salon/hair_catalog.php?sid=10001970&clg=4169


Forget the hair, I want her face! she's totally hot! LOL! Jk jk, i love this hair cut.. don't think my hair is long as this.. or at least it wont be if it gets trimmed but love the side bangs and layers! one of my faves..
More info @ http://www.rasysa.com/pkg/style/length/long/d.phtml?st=18542&page=107


what i love about Japanese hair sites, they show you the side and back view!! They also give you details of what type hair it suits (like having thick or thin hair) and the face shapes!!



Probably the shortest I will go in terms or layers and bangs..actually I'm not sure I'll go that short with the bangs but I like the layers! :]

More info @ http://www.rasysa.com/pkg/style/length/long/d.phtml?st=19919&page=82

Sorry those websites are in Japanese...!

These pictures are just ideas of how i wanna cut my hair. Realistically I don't want any major changes, i want to keep growing my hair but have some sort of style!!