As you know, I haven't been a good blogger. My update schedule was messed up and never consistent, and recently I wasn't blogging at all. The reason is already talked about here and on my Twitter 800 times, so I'm not going to bore you with my excuses. But today I reached my conclusion after thinking and thinking about this.
First of all, I closed Beaut in Japan temporary. I am thinking of opening it up in September again, but I am not 100% sure as I have been feeling terrible not being able to add new items to the collection. I will have to think a little further about whether I'll keep running the site or completely shut it down.
Secondly, I am letting you know that I might not blog for a while. I know it's not new (and you might be used to it by now) but this time, I'm thinking of leaving it for a while.
There was an incident that hit me hard, and that's been on my mind since the day it happened. It made me rethink about the whole blogging thing, my own ability and skills. I am not blaming this incident, or trying to b a victim here at all, but I've been struggling to regain my strength and confidence.
Beauty has been all I love since I was 17. Blogging about beauty had been my biggest hobby, and it gave me joy and happiness whenever I was taking photos for my blogs, coming up with new ides and trying new things. But now I see myself from the third person's point of view, I am lacking originality and am nothing special. When I realised that, though I had been trying my best to be creative as much as I could, everything I do began to seem foolish.
I am very sad losing motivation for blogging considering how passionate I was. I would wake up early in the morning on my day off, go to the florist and get some flowers, set up my little 'photo booth' and try new things, play the music and take photos for hours and hours. Then edit the photos taking another day or two, then start writing about the products with joy. Now I don't have any ideas for photos, I take crappy ones when I force myself to do so, and because the photos are crap, I don't even want to write about them. Negative spiral, indeed.
So, cut the (already) long story short, I will keep my Japanese blog mainly because I have more than 1000 photos taken and be ready to be put on my blog, and I've been running the blog for more than 5 years, but I decided to leave this English blog for a while. Until I regain my confidence, or when I can enjoy blogging again.
Thank you so much if you are a regular reader of my blog, and I am sorry for letting you down. I hope you have a lovely day, and see you when I see you...!
I have been possibly the busiest in my life since this spring. Juggling a job in central Tokyo which takes more than 3 hours / day by a packed train, and some writing jobs, running two blogs and one website, and taking care of my family issues is simply handful. I love my jobs and blogging is my hobby, so I am not complaining at all -because I am grateful- but as my health isn't in its best condition for years now, sometimes it gets hard to handle.
I apologize for not being able to blog often or reply to emails and comments. I have tons of beauty magazines to sell on Beaut in Japan as well as some ideas on new additions to the website, but I simply do not have time to do anything besides working, meeting people and blogging in Japanese where I have deadlines to review products.
But thanks to the busy schedule, it gave me such an amazing opportunity the other day. I cannot share details here but I was able to assist some incredibly talented professionals who are working for fashion shows, high fashion magazines and red carpet events.
I was there to help them communicate with Japanese staff for a couple of days, so most of the time I was just there and watching them work. They were very friendly, never shouted at anyone, yet very professional and creative. I got goosebumps observing them.
This experience reminded me how much I wanted to become a makeup artist when I was a teenager. I was really specific that I wanted to become one for fashion shows. Though I would respect any kind of makeup artists, I was not interested in doing makeup on clients. I wanted to work behind runways. I wanted working in the chaos where people are running, rushing, yelling and possibly crying. I love events, where you create something that audience is waiting for, and impress them by create something more than they expected. I love that sense of tension, and the combination of fashion, music and beauty is just right up my street.
Dreaming to become a makeup artist kept me going during the hardest time in my life in high school. Without it, I might have been gone. I wanted to study in the UK although I did not speak English at all at that point. However, I did not hesitate when I gave up on my dream because I had no choice but to do so. Now I'm back in the beauty industry, I am feeling how much I love beauty every single day. And now I am seeking for a possibility to become a makeup artist for fashion shows, though it's a very late start considering my age.
More than 10 years ago when I was a teenager, you had to learn hair styling to become a makeup artist, unless you would go to a tiny makeup school for 2 weeks or so, in which case you would have no guarantee to be able to work professionally as a makeup artist. I still find it very hard to find a makeup school that I like in Japan, thus I am thinking of going to one in London.
I have absolutely no idea which school I should choose, to be able to become an intern or assistant to work behind runways. I cannot afford studying for a year, so it has to be the shortest course to become professional. I have been doing research but still haven't found out if it's even possible for 31 years old to start the career. As I am going to the UK next month, I want to visit some schools if possible, as it would be a good opportunity to see what schools are like, and to judge if I have a possibility.
If you have any information, even a tiny tiny information, it would be great if you could share it with me in the comment below!
OPERA Sheer Lip Color / Nude Pink 1,200yen
Do you remember this post I wrote in October? I was really obsessed with this beautiful product which is like a hybrid of lipstick and lipgloss over last summer - autumn. I wasn't using it as often during winter, just because I preferred deeper shades in the colder season, but I finally used it up last month. It lasted longer than I expected, and I started missing it so much that I had to go back to SHOP IN where I purchased the first one, to get another one.
I really loved the shade Salmon Pink, but this time I decided to pick up the intense version in this pink packaging, in Nude Pink. I used the word 'intense' to describe it, but it's not THAT intense to be honest. But compared to the one in the white tube, this one gives a little more colour.
Nude Pink looks like baby pink on their website, but I think it's more like a beigy nude pink. I tried all of the shades at the store, and all of them looked very pretty. I almost repurchased Salmon Pink, but I decided to go for a little more grown-up shade.
It's a very pretty nude pink that goes with any makeup looks. Especially when I put a bold shade on my eyes such as blue or green, I put this lipstick to tone the whole look down.
I love the formula because it just melts on the lips instantly and gives shine and colour at the same time. It puts on beautifully even when my lips are dry, which is another good thing! I always keep it in my handbag, and apply it while waiting for a train, or in the lift, or sometimes as walking down the street, because I don't need a mirror to apply it. How convenient!
I will definitely repurchase it when it's run out, but maybe in a different shade just for a change!
