I've been meaning to swatch more of my Japanese makeup for you all. I know what it's like to want to drop a ridic amount on some makeup but you still want a tinsy bit more info before you commit. So I'll really do my best to share what I do have. Sorry, I've been so lazy/busy lately.
Anyways, let's take a look at Jewel Crystal Eyes in 03 Princess Sapphire from Jill Stuart!
As with all the JS cosmetics, it comes in a beautifully ornate silver casing perfectly fit for a princess.
This palette contains 4 shadows: a light bubblegum pink, a silvery lavender, a magenta pink, and a dark mauvey purple.
And, as expected, tonnes of sparkles.
I can't blog about Princess Sapphire without mentioning... well Princess Sapphire from Ribon no Kishi by Osamu Tezuka of Astroboy fame.
I don't really see the connection tho... Probably just a coincidence.
Like all Lunasol palettes it comes in the classic mirrored bronze cases and has Lunasol patterned into the bottom two shades of the palette.
This palette is called 'Sweet Peach' which immediately made me think of Peach from Wedding Peach.
Peach, in the style of Mucha
I would describe these shades from left to right, top to bottom as:
sparkly shimmer highlighter
sparkly pale pink
sparkly beige pink
sparkly deep dark brown
Now for the swatches.
I love this palette. It's very wearable and full of shimmery sparkle. I often wear this as an everyday work look. As usual, another Lunasol palette that is OL friendly (Office Lady). :)
This retails for 5,000 yen and is now available at Ichibankao.
I actually bought these 3 just before Christmas and have to say that my winter skin has really loved this trio!
Honestly I use the Intense Beauty Serum religiously, and try to remember to use the Day Cream. I usually completely forget about the Night Cream. That's not true, I don't forget, I've just been really lazy at night before bed.
While the creams are amazing, the Beauty Serum is what I've been most impressed with. I know I'm not the first, but it has really won me over. Those five little pumps each morning after washing my face make all the difference. I've already bought myself a refill and am halfway through it. I prefer it in the glass bottle with the pump top, but it also comes in a squeeze tube - same amount of product and same price (not really sure why they do that!?)
Using the serum, I have really noticed a glowing difference in my skin, that I can only put down to using this product. It's amazing and I whole-hardheartedly recommend it.
Then completely not related...
There's going to be a Rurouni Kenshin / るろうに剣心 (also known as Samurai X) movie this summer in Japan! Sounds great. Here's a trailer with English subtitles. Are you excited too?
Back when I lived in the land of luxury (aka Santa Barbara) I used to love a good pamper and a wax. I've had it all over the years (well, not *everything* but I'm no stranger to the waxing table!) From bikini area, to eye brows, from legs to underarms, I've been there. I am lucky, in that I have not really had any bad experiences with waxing, and I also don't find it too painful.
When I moved to the UK, I looked desperately for a local salon to get my usual waxes, but it was hard and expensive to find. More expensive and inconvenient than I found it in California, so I started doing it myself with Parissa Wax.
For a long time I couldn't find Parissa in the UK. Recently I have seen it in Boots and on Amazon.co.uk. It's available in drugstores and Ulta in the US.
My fav is Parissa Chamomile Body Sugar Wax for legs, body, & face. It's pretty easy. Just heat the body sugar up in the microwave or with a wax warmer, dip the stick in, apply a thin layer of wax (check it's not too hot!), then use the washable strips to remove. You get it all in the kit!
What I love most about it is that it's a sugar, so it will dissolve in water, so if you get some on your floor or clothes, it's not a big deal.
It also has a relaxing scent.
I can't recommend this enough. I would literally not function without this in my bathroom!
Still not convinced you wanna try wax? They also have ready made strips. Just warm them by placing them between your hands, pull apart and use. Beyond easy. Give them a try.
I've used them a few times, but still find that altho the body sugar wax is a bit more time consuming, I find that I get better results and prefer it to the pre-made strips. (Note: The pre-made strips are plastic cellulose rather than fabric)
Update: The pre-made strips they are NOT plastic, they are cellulose. You can read more about it here!
I just watched a special live action/drama based on the manga Ranma ½ (らんま½), yep, called Ranma ½. For those of you who don't know it, it's a comic series based around a daughter, Akane, due to inherit her family dojo and her arranged fiance, Ranma, who turns into a girl when cool water is thrown on his head. Hot water on the head returns him to his male form. It sounds a bit crazy. It is. It's hilarious. Did I mention that Akane doesn't want or need a fiance and is kick ass on her own?
I really love it when they take a manga from my childhood and turn it into a live action drama. I suppose a lot of the martial arts and transformations in Ranma ½ make it difficult to turn this into a drama with actors, but I appreciated the effort. I was a bit let down by the villain who was not based on anyone from the manga. (Was it just me or were all his henchmen dressed like Hard Gay!?) Also, as it was only a one-off, sadly many of the characters weren't in it, most notably for me, Ryouga/P-chan.
Decided to include a couple of songs from Ranma ½ TV anime: the opening song to the first series (with English subs) and an opening song from the OVAs, which is actually my all time fav song from Ranma ½.
I read more of the manga than watched the show, but still loved it all the same. I also still have my stuffed animal P-chan! Ryouga/P-chan was my fav character and I was always routing for him to get Akane in the end! Did you like Ranma growing up?
