Best in Beauty 2015 -Skin, Body and Fragrance

GLAMGLOW Glamtastic Facial Set
I tried out GLAMGLDW for the first time in 2015, and it did wow me. Especially BrightMud, the mask for the eye area worked amazingly. It contains caffeine and reduces puffiness of the eyes instantly. I also love SuperMud and YouthMud too, that they both cleans my skin properly -though I always break out after use, I still love them all.

Kielh's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel-Cream
Such a perfect morning moisturiser for oily, combination and dehydrated skin. During summer my skin becomes super oily that makeup melts during the day. This moisturiser creates a perfect base without making the skin oily, and it helps makeup to stay longer. In winter it's a little too light for me but I will 100% repurchase it next spring / summer, as it really did make a big difference on the lasting power of my makeup.

EVE LOM CLEANSER
A mini size of this much-loved cleansing balm was in one of lookfantastic Beauty Box. Not sure if it's the cleanser or the muslin cloth, but it makes my skin feel like baby's skin. It takes my makeup off completely, whilst leaving moisture but not an oily residue. I am not a huge fan of the scent -which is very oriental and herbal- but I can cope with it because the result is just AMAZING.

Rituals True Happiness Gift Set 
Rituals could be my favourite body care brand ever. I love their pink range (Ayurveda?) and their body cream is the best body moisturiser I have ever used. I wanted to purchase all of their products back in August when I went to the UK, but I restricted myself and only bought two gift sets for myself to try out different products. I ended up loving the body scrub and shower foam in Laughing Buddha range. The scrub is harsh enough to remove all the dead skin cells on my legs and elbows, the parts I find pretty hard to polish with crappy scrubs. The shower form is fun to use in the shower, I love how it turns to a foam. The scent is very relaxing, and a little bit masculine that I like. I still like the pink ones, but as I mentioned it in the last year's best in beauty post, I thought to mention this range this year instead.

Lola's Apothecary Restorative Winter Clarifying Bath & Shower Oil
If you haven't tried out any products from Lola's Apothecary, you should. This Bath & Shower Oil is my recommendation for you, if you like a herbal scent. The glass bottle looks so pretty on the bathroom shelf, with flower petals inside, but that's not all. The blend of peppermint, lemon, eucalyptus, rosemary and marjoram smells absolutely beautiful. Not only does it calm you down, it also helps your muscle pain, blocked nose and body ache. I love how soothing and relaxing the scent is, and it's perfect for a morning shower. I rub the oil on my body before having a shower, which makes a shower time super relaxing and luxurious.

Therapie Roques Oneil Joie Bath Infusion
Another product makes you feel completely relaxed. A bath soak powder that contains rose quartz, jasper, butter milk and french clay along with beautiful essential oils such as frankincense, cedarwood and sandalwood, helps you detox and relax. They recommend you not to use any electric devises after having a bath with this product, so that you can maximise the effectiveness of this product. I have never smelt anything like this before, it's such a unique yet addictive scent. This tiny sachet costed £12.00 which is ridiculously expensive, but I am dying to try out their bath salt, too.

Estée Lauder Bronze Goddess
I now understand why people have been raving about this fragrance. It is the BEST summer fragrance, ever!! I got mine this summer at Bicester Village with about £15.00 - 20.00 discount. I like the latest bottle -as mine is one year older- but I don't care much because the scent is just beautiful. When I heard some beauty YouTubers raving about this fragrance saying 'it smells like a beach holiday' and 'smells of sunscreen', I never thought I would like this scent because I thought a sunscreen-scented fragrance is a little too childish to me. But I was wrong, this scent is very sophisticated yet fun and playful, I highly recommend it to anyone who likes creamy coconut scent blended with fresh citrus. 

Penhaligon's Lothair
My autumn/winter fragrance of the year! It smells masculine yet not too manly if that makes sense -such a perfect scent for both men and women. The blend of bergamot, grapefruit, berries, fig milk, magnolia, lavender, vanilla, musk and ceaderwood smells so lovely that I have been wearing it non-stop for months. The key note of this fragrance is tea, which is my favourite scent when it comes to fragrance. My husband and I had been wearing the tea fragrance from BVLGARI -which I forgot the name of- for years and years and it brings me a nostalgic feel.

Estée Lauder Modern Muse 
Who doesn't like this scent? It might not be some people's favourite, but who gets offensive by this scent? It's such a lady-like, feminine, clean scent that gives a good-girl-impression. I think it's perfect for an interview, meeting and a first date, when you have no idea what kind of scent your date likes. And also, this is a fragrance you can wear all year round!

I hope you enjoyed my Best in Beauty posts! Wishing you a happy new year!

Best in Beauty 2015 -Makeup and Hair

I apologize for not being able to blog for a while, December is the busiest month work wise and I had to get everything done before my long winter holiday. In Japan Christmas is a working day but the winter holiday is pretty long that everyone spends time with their family to welcome a new year. As I am off until the 3rd of January, I picked up my favourite products I discovered in 2015 to share with you all.

Maihada CC Cream (REVIEW)
This CC cream is what I have been wearing on my day off. It's perfect for when you do not want to wear foundation, concealer, highlighter and powder on, because it covers all the imperfections of your skin and makes it look flawless and dewy, yet very natural. I have the lighter shade and it's a perfect match for NC20 skin I guess. The texture is very light yet moisturising enough, this is a perfect BB CC whatever cream.

Three Shimmering Lip Jam / Moon Whisper (REVIEW)
I just wrote a review on this lipgloss the other day, so am not going into too much details. All I can say is that this is the pink I was looking for.

Bobbi Brown Intensive Skin Serum Foundation (REVIEW)
This is the foundation I wear on daily basis. As mentioned in my 'My Base Makeup Routine' post, it is one of the foundations that give dewiness to oily / combination skin without making it look shiny or oily. It hides my pores on the cheeks, gives a flawless finish with a natural glow to it. I also LOVE the lavender scent.

Bobbi Brown Instant Pretty Eyes and Cheek Palette (REVIEW)
The eyeshadow palette that I used the most in 2015. Grab yours if you ever see it at Duty-free, it's such a lovely palette that you won't regret spending money on. Though I do not use the blush much, the eyeshadows are worth the money themselves. They last ages on the lids which means I can rely on this palette when I have a long day at work. It's also tiny that can fit into my makeup bag easily. The matte brown shade is my favourite, although it's a little hard to blend, it makes the whole look sophisticated somehow.

Max Factor Creme Puff Blush / Nude Mauve 
I am about to hit the pan. That's how much I adore this blusher. I got it back in August when I went to the UK. I wasn't sure about this blush because I thought shimmery blush would emphasises the pores on my cheeks, so I only purchase only one. I came back to Japan and tried it on, and it blew me away! It's such a beautiful blush that makes my skin look AMAZING. It does not emphasise the pores at all, instead it gives such an amazing glow and warmth to the skin, making my face look sculpted. I would buy all the shades, and 5 of Nude Mauve next time I go to the UK.

Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion
I had heard a lot about this primer, and I bought a mini from House of Fraser to try out. Now I regret that I didn't buy a bigger one! It naturally covers the discolouration on my lids, while creating a perfect base for eyeshadow to stick. Since I started using this eyeshadow primer, my eye makeup never smudges or get ruined, even on a long long day at work -I'm talking about 17 hours of wearing makeup. I will 100% repurchase once I've used it up, but I doubt I would in the near future, as a tiny bit goes a long way.

Percy & Reed The Perfect Blow Dry Spray
My hair cannot be the same without this product. I have no idea what's in it, but it gives natural volume in the hair by spraying it before blow-drying. It also protects the hair from the heat, and leaves such a beautiful scent in it. Though it does not make my hair feel crispy or tacky, it definitely makes it thicker and voluminous. I love everything this spray does, I cannot live without it.

Fudge Urban Texture Spray
Another product I regret not buying a few at least. This candy-scented hair spray gives serious volume in my hair. Yes it makes it feel a little tacky, but I don't care because the volume lasts all day and the scent is to die for! I am definitely buying their dry shampoo, styling mousse and salt spray too next time I go to the UK.

I will reveal other favourite products of the year on the 31st! Don't miss it ;)

Three Shimmering Lip Jam Moon Whisper

Three Shimmering Lip Jam / Moon Whisper  3,240yen
If you ask me which Japanese beauty brands I recommend, I would answer THREE and ADDICTION. ADDICTION is like a Japanese version of NARS, and THREE is...well, very unique and different. THREE is famous for their beautiful shop in Aoyama, Tokyo called THREE AOYAMA where you can shop their products, have healthy food and experience their relaxing treatment. The layout of the shop is simple yet sophisticated, and their café serves healthy and yummy food and drink. Their spa is open from 7:30 in the morning, and though I have never had their treatment, I heard it's amazing. One thing you need to be careful is that they reject any customers who have tattoos -even a tiny one. They opened THREE AOYAMA a few years ago but I've been a fan of the brand for more than 5 years I believe. Possibly since their debut.

First of all, their skincare products smell divine. If you like a spa-like aromatherapeutic scents, you will love their products. Their oil cleanser is one of their best-sellers. Secondly, their makeup products are also lovely they always bring out very simple, conservative yet beautiful products.

Though I do not buy high-end makeup products often, I couldn't resist purchasing this beautiful lipgloss when it came out as one of their holiday limited products in November. A couple of days before the launch, I went to THREE AOYAMA and tried this lipgloss on. I didn't expect to like it much, but it was one of the most beautiful lipgloss I had ever tried. On the launch day I purchased it online from Isetan Website.

There are 4 limited shades came out in November. They contain 'moonlight pearl' that makes your lips glowing from within. My shade is Moon Whisper, such a beautiful yellow toned pink. The texture is very comfortable to wear on the lips, not too sticky yet stays on the lips for a couple of hours without touch-up. I also like the fact it doesn't have fragrance which makes it suitable in any scenes.

It instantly brightens up the complexion once applied and gives such a gorgeous glowing effect to the lips. It makes them look plumped and 'juicy' -though I hate the word for some reason- and I cannot rave enough about it. Blue toned pink looks awful on me, so I usually avoid pinky lip products but this one is absolutely beautiful. The glitter particles are super tiny that you don't feel at all, yet the effect of them is visible.

The chic packaging design under the theme of moon and dark sky is also unique. I've been wearing it almost every day since I got it, as it goes well with any kind of makeup. It looks beautiful with natural makeup, and it enhances the whole look worn with smoky eyes. Though it's pink, it's not a kiddish pink -it's such an elegant pink for grownup women. I highly recommend this shade if you have olive or neutral skin tone, or if you are looking for a natural pink lipgloss.

THREE AOYAMA

My Autumn Skincare Must-Haves

Though I have pretty oily skin during summer that all my makeup melts throughout the day, I suffer from dryness during winter -which is why I call my skin type combination rather than oily. December started and the air is getting colder and drier in Tokyo that instantly spoil my mood. I love trying out different skincare items though I have some products that I completely rely on when my skin becomes unstable.

Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream is definitely one of those products. This unscented cream seems very simple and kind of boring, but it basically mends the skin and make it look plumped. Even when I have rash due to some kind of allergy to new skincare products that my skin doesn't agree with, it heals the skin within a couple of days of use. It hydrates the skin whilst keeping the skin surface feeling smooth. I used up my first jar now that I am ready to repurchase. Though, I might wait for a while as I just ordered the moisturiser from First Aid Beauty which I have heard works similar to this one.

Terracuore Damask Rose Dew Oil that I mentioned in the past (HERE) can be used in different ways. I usually use it as serum, but it can be used right after the cleanser to softens the skin, or you can of course mix it with a moisturiser. The mix of rosehip oil, almond oil, avocado oil and safflower oil makes your skin feel soft and hydrated.

It smells like rose perfume in the nicest possible way, though I do not like a rose scent, but this one is an exception. It smells divine that I recommend to ANYONE. This is definitely one of the best smelling face oils out there. This none-greasy oil protects the skin from dryness, and balances out the oil production.

Hada Labo Gokujyun Premium Oil Jelly that you can read an in-depth review HERE has been living in my makeup bag. During the colder months, my makeup tends to look cakey and kind of powdery though I only use liquid foundation, and that can be fixed with a product like this. I LOVE how light it feels on the skin. It can be used in the morning, night and during the day -basically ANYTIME! This is what you want to keep in your bag all the time, ditch your vaseline and grab this one instead!

I use Trilogy Everything Balm  when my skin requires even more hydration. This is quite an oily balm that I rarely use, but when my skin feels very dry that Gokujyun Premium Oil Jelly cannot even fix, I rely on this balm. It smells very 'natural and organic'-like, which not everyone would love. I definitely smell something like ylang ylang or patchouli. The great thing about this is that you can use it on your hair, nails, hands, face...everywhere on your body. Apparently this is one of their best-selling products, and I understand why. It's slightly more tacky than Gokujyun Premium Oil Jelly but it works wonders on my skin. This mini that came in one of the look fantastic beauty box is super handy!

Do you have any products that you cannot live without during the colder months? Let me know!

Majolica Majorca Romantic Night Mascara & Eyeliner Set

Majolica Majorca Romantic Night Mascara & Eyeliner Set  1,800yen

I had been looking for a good navy eyeliner and mascara since the end of summer. But unfortunately, most of them I came across did't have the right shade -to my liking. They were either too dark or too bluey. So when I saw this limited set at Aintz-Tulpe, my favourite drugstore in Harajuku (other branches are pretty small, go to the one in Harajuku if you are interested) I did not even hesitate to take it to the till.

This set comes with their best-selling mascara called Lash Expander Edge Meister and eyeliner called Perfect Automatic Liner, both in the limited shade 'Romantic Night'. They also launched other limited products at the same time: body lotion that smells heavenly, lip stain / gloss, eyeshadow palette and nail-caviar thing that was very popular a couple of years ago.

The liquid eyeliner has this pretty design on the body -which somehow reminds me of Sailor Moon. It's the type of eyeliner that you twist the end part to dispense the ink. At first it would tend to dispense too much ink at once which I wiped excess on the back of my hand, but it started working fine after using it for a couple of times.

I twist the end of the eyeliner once, and apply it on both eyes. The amount of the ink it dispense by one twist is absolutely perfect. The shade "Romantic Night' is such a lovely midnight blue. It's shimmery which makes it even more appropriate for the coming holiday season. It dries very quickly, meaning you have little time to apply it without making the eyeliner look messy, but once you're used to it you won't find any problems.

As you can see, it looks absolutely gorgeous on the eyes!! The metallic finish is very pretty and trendy, yet it's not too in-your-face at all. It definitely defines the eyes like a black eyeliner does, but definitely makes the whole look softer and more natural. It also makes my eyes look brighter for some reason, which is another plus point in my opinion.

The mascara is even more gorgeous than the eyeliner, as it contains bigger glitter particles that look absolutely amazing on the lashes. The brush looks rather odd, and I didn't think it would work on my lashes at first. I assumed that it would make them stick together and look clumpy. But I admit it did not do any of those -it separates the lashes and holds the curl for hours and hours.

It's got loads of fibres which I usually hate because they make my lashes look wonky, but for some reason this mascara does not do that much. I just comb my lashes with a clean spooli right after applying the mascara, and all the excess fibres come out.

In this photo, I only applied the mascara on my bottom lashes as I didn't want to look too much with the blue eyeliner and mascara on. You can if you want, but I just wanted to tone it down. You can see the bottom lashes look sparkly, but it's not too bluey at all.

When applied on both top and bottom lashes, it makes the whole look kind of mysterious -which I LOVE!! I tend to pair it with a black pencil eyeliner to balance out the look. It goes well with olive green eyeshadow -my favourite is Eyes to Mesmerise Cream Eyeshadow in Veruschka by Charlotte Tilbury- as well as taupe, silver and purple eyeshadows.

I have been wearing them 3-4 times a week since I got them. Especially the eyeliner is suitable for a daily use as they are quite subtle. The mascara is perfect for a special occasion, like a night-out or a special event. It's a shame they are limited, as I would repurchase them if they were permanent. They are sold out online already, but I have spotted them in some local drugstores recently. Grab them if you've seen them, as I promise you that you won't regret it!

Limited sets for this holiday season! Coffret D'or Party Coffret

Coffret D'or Party Coffret / EX-1  5,000yen
Just like any other countries, Christmas Coffret' is huge around this time of the year in Japan. Most of the beauty brands come up with limited sets that look pretty and gorgeous that you cannot resist. I usually do not buy Christmas Coffret but this year I was given a wonderful opportunity to try out Coffret D'or Party Coffret to review for GLAM. They have 4 different sets that you can choose depending on your liking, and I was given EX-1 which comes with a bright pink makeup bag that kind of represents the colour theme of this set.

EX-1 contains Soft Glamorous Eyes Eyeshadow Palette in Rose, Premium Stay Rouge in PK- 293 and a nail oil. Pink is not what I usually wear when it comes to makeup, as I do not dress 'kawaii' and 'cute' like Japanese uni students do, and I always feel like pink makeup doesn't go well with my style. But this set completely changed my point of view!

Soft Glamorous Eyes Eyeshadow Palette in Rose is such a lovely palette for grown women. Just like most of Japanese eyeshadow palettes, there is no matte shade to define the crease in this palette which is the only downside I can think of. It's got a very pale baby pink, dusty mauve, brown cream shadow, brownish burgundy and glittery gold eyeshadows which create such a beautiful look when they are used in conjunction with each other.

As you can see, all of the powder eyeshadows are super shimmery. The pigmentation isn't the best in the world, but the shades are very pretty.

Don't you think it looks pretty on the eyes? Even though I did not use an eyeliner, the cream eyeshadow worked as eyeliner and defined my lash line perfectly. It is definitely pink, but it's not a 'kawaii' type of pink, it's more mature and classy.

Premium Stay Rouge in PK- 293 is a lovely pink which I usually avoid, but this one looks quite nice on my lips as it's sheer. The nail oil didn't excite me to be honest as I have much better one which is spilt-free and smells amazing.

As you can see it's sheer and has tiny glitter particles that make my lips look plumped and juicy! The shade is a little too bright for my liking but it doesn't look childish at all which I like.

The makeup bag is also very useful -the size and the material is very nice and it holds so much stuff!! If you are into pink, this set is a must-buy. And for those who usually don't gravitate towards pink makeup, it's still worth checking out.