Winter Blues: candles, tea, manga and a sneak peak of spring makeup

Okay, I'll admit it. I've got a case of the Winter Blues.

The days are short and busy, and it's freezing out. I feel like hibernating.

Snowy evening in my 'hood

I don't fight the feeling. I wrap up in blankets, curl up with a cup of tea in front of the TV or a with a good book (sometimes the book isn't good).

One of my favourite teas 

I just read the latest English translation of volume 1 of the Sailor Moon manga by Takeuchi Naoko. I actually read this as a child in French translation (the Glenat release), and then later I read them all in Japanese. For those who were fans, the Mixx/Tokyo Pop translations were pretty disappointing.

The latest releases are by Kodansha, the Japanese publisher of the Japanese manga, and the translations are much better. Okay, to be fair, I don't have my Japanese manga with me to truly compare, but I'm pretty impressed. I love love loved this series as a child, a teenager, and well okay, I guess I never stopped loving it. I'm happy to see it being re-released in English with a better translation for more people to be able to read this amazing story!

I also like to light some candles to help me relax.

Coventry Creations candles

Even tho, I love to stay in when it's cold, I did venture out into the snow today and built a little snowman for one of my besties. And yes, it's supposed to be minimal, so he's not supposed to have a face. :P

Also I'm planning my next giveaway and really excited about it. I really want to know what my lovely readers want, so please vote in the poll (it's on the right hand scroll towards the top of the page/post). You can vote for more than one option, or leave me a comment, send me a tweet, etc!

Fear not, I will get back to beauty blogging! In the meantime, I thought you might like a sneak peak of some of what I've got coming up!

Lunasol spring release

Update: 

Lunasol Glowing Powder Cheeks EX01 Pure Coral Review

Lunasol Petal Pure Eyes Review: Sweet Peach  

Visée meets blondy spring limited editions

Update:

Swatches and Review of Visée meets blondy spring limited editions

Update: Enter my White Day giveaway to win one of these!

Paul  & Joe Matte Pressed Powder - Spring limited edition

Pigments from Victorian Disco Cosmetics

Updates:

Sailor Moon collection

Pannier and Revolutionary Ball from Rococo Roller Rink collection

Accessorize lip glosses

Do you have the Winter Blues? What do you do to beat them? 

MAC Fluidline Cream Eyeliner in Blacktrack and Dipdown Review and Swatch

This summer I booked myself a makeup lesson at my local MAC counter. The booking cost £25 but was refundable against purchases, and I picked up my first Fluidline Cream Eyeliner in Blacktrack (on left above). The MAC makeup artist was very helpful and taught me how to do a wonderful smokey eye and of course, introduced me to Fluidline in Blacktrack. As it comes in a little pot, you need an eye liner brush (such as MAC 209), dip in the pot and then just glide on.

I loved Blacktrack (black) so much, I have since picked up Dipdown (on right above, brown). Here are swatches of both: Blacktrack on the left and Dipdown on the right.

They are so opaque and creamy and have staying power. I really do love them. They're really good for doing a thin line or a thick 60s style eye. I don't have any complaints about these. They are so pigmented and lovely, I recommend you try them out if you haven't yet.

Fluidline is available from MAC and retails for £13.50 or $15.00 US. I'm  currently tempted to add Ash Violet to my collection!

Just felt like sharing the manga (Japanese comic) I'm currently reading: Tsumi ni Nureta Futari 罪に濡れたふたり. I picked up the series used from BookOff in Paris. It's about a brother and sister separated as children end up hooking up as young adults without realizing they're related. Eep!  It's an interesting read so far! The first cover is pretty racy, isn't it?

Are you reading anything interesting? Have you tried MAC Fluidline?