Shu Uemura UV Under Base TSUYA Mousse Moist

Shu Uemura UV Under Base TSUYA Mousse Moist  4,000yen
In Japan, it's common knowledge that you need to protect your skin from the sun every single day, even when on a cloudy, miserable winter day. UV ways come through windows which means you must wear a sunblock in the office, too. I'd been being lazy relying on my favourite Bobbi Brown foundation which has SPF40 SPF+++ since last summer but I'd been on the hunt for a good sunblock / sunscreen at the same time. I hate the tacky feeling and the unpleasant smell of sunblock, which makes me super picky and fussy when it comes to choosing sunblocks.

This sunblock from Shu Uemura seemed very interesting, as it comes out as mousse and leaves natural glow to your skin. I usually avoid any base products that makes my skin look shiny as I have combination skin that becomes shiny without a help from beauty products, but my skin has been looking dry and dull during the winter. Thus, I thought it could be a good idea to add slight glow to my skin to make it look healthier.

They also have a different type of mousse sunblocks without the glowy finish called UV Under Base Mousse CC, which come in 4 shades such as pink, ivory, beige and deep beige.

First of all, it's hard to control how much of the product you dispense. I always end up wiping the half of it with tissue as it dispenses too much. I have to be really careful not to apply it too much as it makes my face look like one tiny disco ball. It smells of vanilla which is sickly sweet that I wonder why they decided to put this fragrance in it. It's OK for a body lotion to have a sweet scent, but not a sunblock! Then, it feels tacky. The combination of the tackiness and the sweet scent makes me feel like I'm smearing sweets on my face. Yuck, right?

But it's too early to judge that this is a crappy sunblock -because it makes your skin look super healthy as if you've had 10 hours sleep last night. As it's tacky, you must blot with tissue paper before applying your foundation on top. Then, apply your primer, foundation and concealer as usual. If you have oily to combination skin, finish up with powder -I like Me Me Me one which I've been using for years now.

Then voi-la! You look glowing yet not shiny in a gross way.

The only thing I cannot get over is the scent. It lingers for hours and hours that every time wind blows I can smell my own face. You're lucky if you like the scent, great, but it's a torture if you are not a big fan of a sickly sweet scent.  I recommend this sunblock for those who have dull and possibly dry skin.

My new favourite lip pencil -MAC Pro Longware Lip Pencil in Cultured

MAC Pro Longware Lip Pencil in Cultured  2,916yen
I am going to be honest with you here. I have never been a huge fan of MAC. The only MAC products I own are the limited eyeshadows that I bought a couple of years ago -which I haven't used for ages. I have heard a lot of great things about their lipsticks, foundations, concealers and highlighters....but none of them was appealing to me for some reason. MAC seemed too practical for me.

But the other day I just dropped by their counter in a mall while shopping, and their lip pencils caught my eyes. I was just looking for a perfect lip pencil to correct the uneven tone on my lips and brightens up my complexion. I also had tons of lipsticks that I wouldn't wear on their own, and wanted a lip pencil that I could wear underneath them. I had Spice in mind but it was too orange. So I asked a sales assistant to pick a perfect shade for me, and she picked Cultured.

I personally have never heard of a beauty youtuber / blogger talking about this shade, but Cultured is such a lovely shade that looks natural yet add something on the lips. The finish isn't too matte but definitely not shimmery or pearly, which makes my lips look fuller as it catches the light. It glides on smoothly and doesn't make my lips feel too dry.

I use it as a base underneath a pale-toned lipstick / lipgloss, or sometimes I just wear it on its own with a little bit of a lip balm on top.

This is how it looks on its own.

This is my favourite combo at the moment -MAC Cultured + Clarins Lip Perfecter in 03 Nude Shimmer. I love how Nude Shimmer adds beigy colour to the lips, and tones down the redness of Cultured. I cannot get enough of this combination recently, that I am wearing it every day to work.

As the name suggests, it lasts for hours -actually it's designed to last for 6 hours according to the shop assistant- so when I apply it before leaving my house in the morning, I do not have to do a touch-up until the lunch time. How genius!

The only downside is that I've used up 1/3 of it already in about a month. I don't think it will last more than 3 months if I keep using it at this pace. About 3,000yen for a lip pencil that I would use up in 3 months seems a little too expensive in my opinion, especially now that drugstores have brilliant lip pencils too...although I might repurchase it once I've used it up, that's how much I am in love with this shade.

Keep your hot drink warm for hours! +wireless Tumbler

+wireless Tumbler  11,340yen
Today I am writing about something not related to beauty but something I cannot live without -it's +wireless tumbler which keeps your hot drink warm for hours and hours. Literally.  I got it in December when it started getting freezing cold in Tokyo. I love hot drinks, I want my drink boiling hot and never get cold. I always durn my tongue but I don't care -I care more about my drink being hot than burning my tongue. If you are crazy like me, you would absolutely love this tumbler.

How it works is this: you place this tumbler on the 'cradle' that keeps drink at the temperature of 60-70 degrees for hours and enjoy your hot drink. You need to keep the cradle plugged in the whole time while using it, which I found is a little inconvenient because it means you only can use it when there is a socket. I wish it was chargeable.

When you place the tumbler on the cradle, the red light comes on -which means it's working. You can simply remove the tumbler when it's too hot, and the tumbler is washable which makes it super easy to keep it clean.

It has a lid as well that helps drink to stay as warm as possible. I leave my drink on the cradle for hours, and even if it was cold at the beginning, the cradle makes it really hot that I sometimes burn my tongue. That's how powerful it is.

I know it's pretty expensive, and I wouldn't have been talking about it now if I wasn't given the opportunity. But now I've used it, I don't think I can live without it. It is so good that I can enjoy some of my favourite hot drinks for hours without worrying about them getting cold. You also can cook chocolate fondue or Bagna càuda with it. It's a must-have item in winter!