Tanya Burr Lip Gloss / Champagne Toast £6.99
When I first heard that Tanya Burr launched a lip gloss collection, I was not that keen on it to be honest. Don't get me wrong, I love Tanya and her videos, I have been watching her for years now and she always inspires me when it comes to beauty and makeup. But I thought her collection including lip gloss and nail polish, was for more younger viewers of her. So I wasn't even planning to purchase it, but eventually I did for some reason. I think it was because I spotted this particular shade "Champagne Toast" when I was looking for a beigy lip gloss.
In her original collection, I didn't see many nude shades. This one and Chic were the only nude shades and Chic was sold out (and it was too pinky for me anyway), so I decided to purchase Champagne Toast on feelunique.
I like this slim applicator which takes out the perfect amount of lip gloss. The firmness of it very good as well, unlike some really hard applicators that actually hurt your lips, it's very soft and hugs the lips.
Of course I hate lip gloss that is sticky, but I also hate one that is too thin and runny that makes me look like I just ate something oily like chips. In my opinion lip gloss has to be quite thick yet not sticky, like this one.
It might look too natural in the photos, but actually it gives a very nice beigy colour to my lips. I like adding it on top of a lip stick that looks too strong on its own, as it mutes the tone down instantly, plus it adds this sparkling effect. Although I don't usually like glittery lip gloss, I don't mind this one at all because it doesn't leave the glitter particles on the lips when the lip gloss has been worn off.
One last -and the biggest- thing that I love about this lip gloss is the scent. It smells like strawberry candies, which makes me feel so happy instantly. It says it expires 4 months after opening the product, but I don't think I can finish up within 4 months as it's pretty big and I don't need to touch up many times throughout the day, because it lasts on my lips for hours. It's rare for a lip gloss to stay on the lips for hours especially at work when I'm talking, drinking and eating constantly.
It's impressive how good the quality is for the price, I am thinking of purchasing more from her collection. Recently she added new shades and I really want Berry Picking (a perfect wintery shade!) and Lunch Date (a pretty nudy pinky coral shade), but I'm waiting for YEN to be stronger again as it's 185yen / pound, though it used to be like 126yen / pound when I went to England for the first time in 2012! I can hardly shop at feelunique now :( Anyway, let me know if you have tried anything from her collection!
Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek / Cherry Mix
I had been eying on this beautiful blusher since I saw it in a beauty magazine a couple of months ago. Majolica Majorca always had the blushes in the cute tins with their signature girly design on them called Puff de Cheek, but they were not appealing to me particularly. But this new range called "Puff de Cheek Flower Harmony"got into my wishlist instantly, mainly because of its cute looks. But I found out that it wasn't just the looks that was amazing about this product, the actual blush is brilliant too.
Puff de Cheek Flower Harmony comes in two permanent and one limited shades. Permanent shades are PK302 Strawberry Mix and RD303 Mandarin Mix, and a limited shade is RD401 Cherry Mix. As it's easy to get hold of the permanent shades, I decided to go for the limited one. And also, it looked like the perfect shade for autumn and winter.
The marble pattern is not only pretty but it's designed to give you a beautiful flush that looks like coming from within, simply by applying it with the fully puff that comes along in the cute tin. This shade is supposed to be red, but it looks more like hot pink with a blue undertone to me. It contains a little bit of shimmer but not the big glitter particles that make your face look like a disco ball. It's a "slightly lifts your cheekbones and make you look healthy" kind of shimmer. You know what I mean!
Another good point is the puff. It's very thick and fully, plus it's got a cute ribbon on top! What more can you ask for? I like the fact they pay attentions to small details like this, this is when I feel Japanese brands are amazing.
As you may have noticed, this beautiful gradation of the blush creates a perfect "I'm blushing from within" kind of look. The centre of the blusher is the darkest pink, and it's got a lighter pink around it and more of the highlighter kind of shade at the edge. When you place the puff in the tin and swirl it around a little bit, you will get a perfect amount of the blusher.
And all you need to do is just pat your cheek with the puff a couple of times without re-applying the blusher. You will be amazed by the pigmentation of the blush as well as the perfect "ombre" kind of look on your cheek. Obviously I applied much more in this photo than I would apply it on my cheeks, but you can see what I mean by the "ombre" look. It's actually very beautiful that I always get compliments whenever I wear it. It may sound weird but I feel like it makes you look innocent and pure when you wear it, maybe because it makes your complexion look perfect for some reason just like a baby's!
It's also very long lasting which is another bonus! I hate it when I apply a blusher in the morning and it's completely gone by the the time I get to the office, because then I have to look dead all day. It stays on the cheeks for all day without smudging, which is great but be careful if you are heavy-handed, it would be pain in the butt to remove if you've applied too much.
I just cannot rave enough about this blush. I am no longer wearing my favourite Tarte blush, or Sweets Sweets blush, because I'm completely obsessed with this one. It's already sold out at the drugstores and I got hold of a couple for you guys online. If you want to see more details of the blush, please have a look at my first-ever video on YouTube below!
You can purchase the product on my eBay shop Beaut in Japan! Click HERE to view the page.
Sweets Sweets Velvet Souffle Cheek 900yen
I cannot believe that I forgot to write about this amazing blusher that I got back in August. I thought I wrote about it as it has been one of my favourite makeup items since I got it. This jelly-like blusher is from a Japanese drugstore brand called Sweets Sweets. The pricing is a little lower than Majolica Majorca, and a little higher than CANMAKE. I think they used to be a tacky brand before, but their stand at Matsu-Kiyo looks really nice now.
I picked up this blusher as the idea that it's got this jelly-like texture sounded interesting, and the colour payoff was amazing when I tested at the store. There are 4 shades in total, and I picked the shade 03 Apricot Souffle as it was summer. I am thinking of purchasing 01 Apple Souffle now because I am looking for a deeper shade for the colder season.
I know you can't tell from the photos but the texture is very unique. It literally like jelly, soft and cold, and very pigmented as you can see from the photo above. The top swatch is when applied with a stippling brush, and the bottom one is done with my finger. It goes on a little patchy when I use my finger to apply, so I dip my stippling brush from Real Techniques directly, and apply on my cheeks. That way it gives a perfect finish that looks like my glow is coming from within.
I sometimes apply it as a "blush primer" if there was such a thing. I apply this before powder as you should be doing, and then add another powder blusher on top to make it last longer. It's such a lovely shade that never looks too much, so it's easy to pair it with a different blusher.
I absolutely love this blusher and think it's an amazing quality for 900yen. I am so going to purchase 01 Apple Souffle after writing this review, I want to go buy it now although it's 2:30AM. They just came out with some glossy lip sticks and oh gosh some shades look so pretty! I will definitely write another review when I've got them!
I had been a black liquid eyeliner type of girl for more than 10 years. I had never liked pencil eyeliners as they would smudge -or that's what I thought. This year, none-black eyeliners are on trend in Japan. Paired with berry toned lips, a brown eyeliner crates a sophisticated look. I started collecting autumnal eyeliners a couple of months ago, and here I'm sharing my favourites.
From top: Sweet Salon W Eyeliner (eyeshadow end), Sweet Salon W Eyeliner (eyeliner end), Visee Color Impact Gel Liner, Dodo Liquid Eyeliner, Dolly Wink Eyeliner
Sweet Salon W Eyeliner has two ends, one with a brown liquid eyeliner which is a tad too weak in terms of pigmentation by itself, and another end with a shimmery gorgeous eyeshadow which looks so pretty on top of the eyeliner. You don't even need any eyeshadow as long as you have this eyeliner as it's easy to create a neutral look with it.
Dolly Wink Eyeliner in Dark Brown is my current favourite for sure, the brush is so thin which makes it super easy to draw both very thin lines (as shown in the photo above) and dramatic winged lines. The shade is perfect for those who don't like orangy brown as it's deeper and darker.
This eyeliner was the first product I had ever tried from the Korean brand, dodo. The eyeliner is in metallic copper that again, doesn't look orangy at all and suits my eye colour. The brush isn't thin enough to my liking but the colour is amazing. I like applying a nude eyeshadow as a base, and use this metallic eyeliner to add a little bit of a twist.
Last but not least, Visee Color Impact Gel Liner in PU100 is my first ever pencil eyeliner that I love. It glides on so smoothly and makes it easy to draw a straight line. You only have like 5 seconds to smudge before it sets, but the great thing is that it never moves once it's set. It never transfers to my eyelid, or the bottom part of my eye. The shade PU is a gorgeous burgundy shade that goes well with brown eyeshadow. The limited shades are coming out soon in the end of November, which I'm so looking forward to getting my hands on.
I am into brown mascaras too which go well with these eyeliners. I would like to explore more coloured eyeliners, as they are fun and different. To me black eyeliners are kind of boring right now and when I wear them, I feel like I'm put too much makeup on. Now I would love to try some coloured gel liners too!
It was a short but pretty hot summer we had in Japan this year. I am so sad that it's autumn now and it definitely is getting colder day by day. I hate winter, I just hate everything about winter, and I'm getting so depressed as writing this thinking about winter...BUT I am excited about autumn / winter makeup. I'm all about coral cheeks and coral lips in summer, but I tend to gravitate towards darker lips in colder seasons like everyone else.
The problem is, I don't look good with dark or bright lips although I'm dying to wear rosy or berry toned lips. And I came up with this idea to mix the lipsticks I own already to create new shades rather than to look for the perfect autumnal shade.
Rimmel London Kate Matte Lipstick / 107 × Moisture Renew Lipstick / Nude Delight
I didn't know that when I bought it but 107 seems to be a very popular shade. On my lips it looks too bright and pinky, so I tone it down with Nude Delight, which is one of my favourite shades of the entire lippie collection.
This is how it looks when both of them are on the lips. They are both matte formula, which creates this beautiful velvet kind of texture which is perfect for autumn.
REVLON Lip Butter / Berrï½™ Smoothie
×Maybelline Baby Lips / Peach Kiss
It's been ages since I stopped wearing Lip Butter although I was pretty obsessed with it when it came out. There is no particular reason why I stopped wearing it, but now I remember how pretty it looked on my lips! Having said that, it's still too bright on its own. So I applied Peach Kiss from Maybelline on top, and voi-la!
It has the right amount of pinkness but not too bright. Baby Lips give a little bit of shine and I kind of like that.
Estee Lauder Pure Colour Envy Shine / Surreal Sun
× LUNASOL Full Glamour Liquid Lips/ 03
This combo is what I've been loving since summer. Surreal Sun is a very bright orange that I cannot wear on its own. I dab Surreal Sun on my lips and blend with my finger, then add LUNASOL lip gloss on top. This shade 03 is no longer available apparently, but it's such a useful shade added on top of any kind of shades. I love how it feels on the lips.
I LOVE this shade!! I don't know what to do when I run out of this lip gloss, as it looks totally different when the lip gloss isn't added on top. This lip shade makes the whole look more sophisticated, and goes really well with autumnal eye makeup.
Bourjois Effet 3D MAX Lipgloss / #68 × CANMAKE Stay on Balm Rouge / 04
This lip gloss from Bourjois is awesome. It smells awful like rose petals burnt with vinyl or something like that...which is pretty gross. But how gorgeous it looks is unbelievable. It has this rosy undertone to it, which makes my lips look beautiful. It has glitter particles which might not be everyone's cup of tea, but I like it. I paired it with CANMAKE Stay on Balm Rouge in 04, which is a very natural beige.
Browny beige with a hint of rose is such a perfect shade for the colder season. And the glitters make it suitable for the holiday season as well!
It's so much fun paring lipsticks and lipglosses because sometimes it creates a completely different shade. And I can save money by not purchasing a bunch of new lipsticks!
OPERA Sheer Lip Color / Salmon Pink 1,200yen
OPERA is a brand that is sold in the beauty shops such as Shop in and Makeup Solutions, and some "variety shops" such as LOFT, PLAZA and Tokyu hands. I knew the existence of the brand but had never tried anything from them as nothing seemed appealing to me. Until I found this "stick" lip gloss.
This one is from the basic range, which is very sheer and you can see your natural lip colour through, and they just came out with the new range called "coloring range" which gives more intense colour and that is why they had a special stand in Shop in.
After testing all of the shades on the back of my hand, I picked up this gorgeous peachy pink called Salmon Pink. This is literally a stick lip gloss as the name claims. It glides on smoothly, and gives shine like a lip gloss does. What I love the most about this product is that the tint is not too sheer.
You can see how glossy it looks! And the shade is to die for...this is such a pretty pink that is not too bright and suitable for yellowy skin tone like mine.
In the photos it looks very sheer, but it does brightens up the whole complexion when applied. It creates the most beautiful, plumped and glossy lips within a second. I LOVE the colour, the name "salmon pink" is perfect to describe the shade. I pair it with anything from simple makeup to dark smoky eyes, it goes well with any looks.
It feels like lip balm on the lips, not sticky or greasy at all. If you don't like the sticky feeling of lip gloss but want the glossy look on your lips, this one is prefect for you.
I thought it was too tiny for 1200yen and I would use it up within a week or so, but surprisingly it lasts for quite a long time. I've been using it for a month now and only used up 20% or so. I would definitely pick up other shades once I've used this one up.
Me Me Me Inspire Catwalk Quad Smouldering Eyes £6.50
When I saw the Me Me Me stand in Superdrug for the first time, almost everything on the shelf was sold out. It was the summer 2013, and I think right after someone quite popular in the YouTube world mentioned their products. I was gutted that I couldn't get anything, but I am so glad that I could finally try out some of their products.
How gorgeous is this eyeshadow quad in Smouldering Eyes? You can use it wet or dry, depending on how intense you want it to be on the lid. I love how it has different kind of shades in one. Usually when you have a quad, it tends to have similar shades or the shades that have the same undertone. But with this one, you can create different looks.
Look how pigmented they are! And the metallic finish looks gorgeous. I love all of the shades, but especially the brown shades are my favourites as they are not orangy brown (which is pretty common) but rather smoky, golden brown. I am not a big fan of orangy brown as it looks boring to me, but it's hard to find a unique brown like this quad has.
Absolutely gorgeous. I applied the lighter brown all over, and the darker brown on the outer corner. It's such a gorgeous yet simple way to wear brown.
The blue shades look pretty too. Sometimes blue can be too strong on me and makes me look like I'm going to a club, but these look natural yet gorgeous. I wear this combo to work sometimes, as it never looks OTT.
The texture is buttery and there is no fall off. They last for hours, and when I say "hours", I mean like 10 hours or more. It's such a small eyeshadow quad which is handy to have in my makeup bag and carry around. You can wear brown in daytime and switch to blue for a night out. I'm so keen on trying out some other shades from the same range!
Common knowledge is such an unreliable thing. Not sure if "unreliable" is the best word to describe it, but it really is, because your common knowledge can be senseless in other places. But it's always good to know what is common in other countries, isn't it? Especially when the "country" is Japan, where women give so much attention to beauty!
Skincare
- Don't rub your skin with a towel, nor with a cotton pad.
It's surprising to see how girls in Europe and the US rub their skin when they wash their face or pat it dry. Whenever I'm watching "skincare routine" video, and see a girl rubbing her eyes with a cotton pad with Bioderma, then with a muslin cloth, then with a towel, and then again with a cotton pad soaked with toner, it makes me want to scream "NOOOOOO!". That's a huge NO-NO in Japan because it does irritate your skin obviously, and ruin your skin texture. Do not ever rub your skin, even when you wipe your face with a towel, gently pat dry rather than scrubbing.
- Moisturise with lotion before applying a moisturiser.
In Japan, we all use moisturising lotion before moisturiser. Moisturiser replenishes your skin with oil and other ingredients, whilst lotion gives moisture back to the skin. You can either apply with a cotton pad or your hands. I choose depending on the texture of the lotion, but when I use a cotton pad I make sure not to rub, and I gently press my skin with my hands in the end to help the lotion sink in completely.
- Always wear SPF, even on a cloudy day or indoor.
UV rays are always attacking your skin. Even when you stay indoors. Make sure to apply sunscreen in the morning after washing your face. This is why I love Clinique Superdefence SPF20, as it works as a moisturiser and sunscreen in one!
Hair care
- Blow dry your hair with a hair dryer.
You need to blow dry your hair unless you have super short hair to maintain both your hair and scalp healthy. When your hair is wet, the cuticle is open which makes your hair in a very fragile state. It causes hair breakage, split ends and dry hair. Also it's easy to imagine your scalp is also wet when your hair is wet. It encourages bacterial growth which can lead to skin diseases and odour.
If you don't blow dry your hair with a hair dryer only because you are worried it would damage your hair, use a heat protecting spray. Ideally ones with an effective ingredient Erucalactone that seals up the cuticles by the heat. We are aware that the heat damages the hair, but maintaining healthy scalp is much more important as you can cut your hair but your scalp is a part of your body skin, like your face.
- Wash your hair every day or at least every other day.
I was shocked when I learnt there were countries where people didn't wash their hair every day. That's how it's common sense to wash hair daily. We don't care if it damages our hair (just invest on a good hair mask!), we need to be clean!! I am sorry if I sound harsh, but it is quite disgusting for Japanese people to imagine not washing hair for days, and you sleep with it.
- Silicone is bad for your hair. Wait, it's not too bad actually.
It's crazy how people went "anti-silicone" a few years ago and brands started bringing loads of silicone-free shampoo and conditioner. But then some brands started claiming that silicone wasn't always bad, there were some kinds that would clog pores, but not all of them. Silicone-free hair care products are still popular in Japan, but consumers are not as particular as they were. One thing you need to watch out is that the products especially hair treatment or conditioner, that don't contain silicone tend to contain more oils, which get oxidised on your scalp which smell bad. Trust me, it happened to me and I wondered why. I much prefer silicone!
- Avoid any friction when your hair is wet.
My hair used to get tangled and dry so bad during winter. I asked my hair dresser why, and he asked "You don't go out with wet hair, do you?". I looked back, and realised that I would wash my hair in the morning and blow dry, but as I didn't have much time I would just dry 70% and wrap a scarf around my neck and went out. Again, your hair is very fragile when it's wet. Any frictions would cause a damage to it. Dry your hair completely before you leave your house, or go to bed.
Body care
- Apply moisturiser on the butt.
I cannot believe how people are unconcerned about their butt! You are sitting down like 10 hours a day (or more?) and your butt always rubs against chairs. This area tends to get dry as well, and the combination of frictions and dryness can cause pigmentation and rough skin. I scrub and moisturise my butt daily, to keep it like a baby's (TMI).
Makeup
- Leave the top part of your eyebrows as natural as possible.
I know you can go crazy pulling out your eyebrows. But do not touch the top part of your eyebrows, that way they look more natural. In other words, when the baby hairs on top of your eyebrows are completely gone, they look fake and old fashioned.
- Make your eyebrows a little brighter than your hair colour.
This is common in Japan too, but apparently not so much in other countries. Blonde hair + dark eyebrows look very strange to me, but it might depend on each person. I personally don't like dark eyebrows with my bright hair colour, so I dye them every other week at home, and use an eyebrow mascara to colour them daily.
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Blot before applying foundation
Apply a moisturiser, then blot with a tissue. Apply a primer, then blot again. You don't need any excess oil before applying foundation. Make sure your skin is completely oil-free, and then apply it. It prevents your makeup to slip off during the day, and make it last much longer.
There are the ones just came up in my head! Let me know what the beauty habits in your country are, on Twitter or Instagram!
P.S. I'm getting many responses saying "I don't agree" or "That's wrong", but there are just common things in Japan and obviously you have different habits in other countries. I am not claiming that you all should follow them, I'm just sharing how Japanese girls take care of ourselves, as Japan is tend to be one step ahead when it comes to beauty.
Bourjois 123 Perfect CC Cream £10.99
I thought I was over this "BB or CC or DD cream craze" that has been going on. But when I saw this CC cream in a sale back in July when Bourjois sadly left Japan, I couldn't resist only because I had heard loads of British beauty bloggers raving about it. I wanted the shade ivory but it was sold out, so I picked up light beige, one shade darker.
Despite mismatch of the shade (it's a tad too dark for my skin, but doesn't make me look like Oompa Loompa so it's all good), I must say I love this CC cream. I thought CC cream is more like a primer than foundation, but this is definitely like foundation with a very sheer and natural coverage. I have no problem going to a coffee shop or supermarket near my house without foundation on my day off, as my skin is in a very good condition lately, but it's good to have a light coverage CC cream in hand.
It doesn't cover my dark circles, but does cover everything else. Pigmentation around my nose and tiny dark spots are gone in a second once it's applied. And what I love the most about this CC cream is that it makes my skin look super healthy, moisturised, plumped and flawless. I think my husband would believe me if I apply this and say I'm not wearing any makeup. It's that natural, yet it does even out the skin tone perfectly.
It's so sad Bourjois left Japan, as they have amazing products such as Healthy Mix, the CC eye cream concealer, Chocolate bronzer, nail polishes, lipsticks...basically everything they make is good quality yet affordable. I am glad feelunique annd ASOS carry their products at least. Now all I need to do is to wish Yen gets stronger as it used to be, so that I can shop.
Pmel Eyeliner 1,200yen
I had never heard of this brand "Pmel" before, but apparently they have a mascara, a mascara primer and some eyeliners. I got this eyeliner to review, tried without any advance knowledge, and it kind of wowed me.
They claim this eyeliner makes your eyes look bigger. The ink has a pearly effect, and this super black, glossy ink makes your eyes pop.
Also this brush is different from any other eyeliners. Not sure if you can see, but it's actually a flat brush which makes it super easy to draw a thick or thin line depending on the angle.
I like a thin line but if you are aiming for a very thick flick like Amy Winehouse (I miss her), this eyeliner definitely comes in handy. Also the ink is pretty black which I love.
As you can see in the first photo, unfortunately it bleeds a little bit which is the only downside. Other than that, it's such a beautiful eyeliner that helps me draw a perfect line and makes my eyes look rounder and bigger.
It doesn't smudge at all which is good for me as I tear up a lot because of my contact lenses. At the same time, it's hard to remove. I don't have a problem with it as I always use a cleansing oil or balm, but I guess you really need to scrub it off if you are using a cleansing milk or cream. Overall, it's a lovely product that I might repurchase when I have used it up. I have tried some eyeliners from foreign brands but I LOVE Japanese ones the best. If you ever come to Japan, grab some drugstore eyeliners. They are amazing.
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