I'm pretty sure these Color Inks that popped up in my drug store last week are the much talked about Color Tattoos elsewhere in the world.
Maybelline has been hard at work increasing their brand in Japan and while some have been grave misses (Baby Pore Primer, I'm looking at you). Others, well, I know I've been dying to try out.
Renamed Color Ink for what I'm assuming is a cultural reason (tattoos are still a pretty big no-no in Japan), Maybelline has launched five colors in the line. I'm guessing these pretty things aren't going to become part of their permanent line, judging from the fancy displays in stores and the Japanese love-affair with limited edition products.
I've already picked up the color BR-1 but I still find myself circling around the display like a shark waiting for it's prey. I can't decided if I want to pick up a fun bright color, like the green or gold, or if I should stick to my everyday colors and snatch the beige or rose.
What do you think? Are these something your eyeing up?
You
know how some times your life just seems to explode and you just have
to let go and ride it out? This past week as been one of those weeks.
Work and personal stuff just seemed to erupt into a torrent of
insanity that mixed and meshed together and I was just trying to keep
my head above water. So, what I'm trying to say is, sorry for not
posting Thursday and it wasn't because I forgot. I just had run out
of buffer and my life was not allowing me to sit down and write a
blog post.
Anyway,
let's get to it. Bioré's
Body Deli Body Cream in Rose and Herbs (しっとり/moist
type).
Japan's
winters may not be as drying as other places, but when one compares
it to the oppressive humidity we all suffer through here in the
summer, it seems to be far drier than any other winter I've
experienced. And maybe it's just me, but Japanese people don't seem
to have the desire to drench their skin in lotion and oils to parch
the skin.
How
I miss 450 ml bottles of lotion for reasonable prices (or at all)!
For the first few years, when I went to Kokura every weekend, I would
always swing by the Body Shop in Riverwalk to get a tub of body
butter. But the price tag is a bit hefty for something you're using a
generous amount of everyday. And these days I don't get to Kokura or
even Fukuoka all that often. So I hunted for something that would
quench my skin's thirst better than the skin milks that seem to swamp
Japanese skin care shelves.
Enter
Bioré's Body Deli Body Cream!
There are three types, とてもしっとり/really
moist, しっとり/moist,
and さっぱり/refreshed.
I've just started using the しっとり/moist
lotion. It has avocado oil, wild rose oil, and olive oil (also
glycerin? Is that a thing now?). Recently I've started really getting
into avocado oil (I just used up a avocado toner sampler from Skin
Food – love!) in beauty products. But this was actually just a
really great coincidence.
I
can't say I'm super crazy about the smell, I'm not a fan of rose
scented things – especially the sweet rose scent Japan seems to be
so into. However the way it leaves my skin feeling soft and hydrated
more than makes up for it!
What
about you? Do you get dry skin come winter? Have you tried any of
Bioré's Body Deli's line? Hope you're having a fabulous weekend!
I
have a travel confession. I am totally one of those girls who puts on
a sheet mask as soon as the lights dim on trans-Pacific flights. But
hopefully the lucky ones of you are already sleeping by then, and the
other not so-lucky ones are engrossed in a movie, so no one will care
that I've got a mask stuck to my face.
I
love sheet masks and on my last trip to the States I picked up a
honey sheet mask from Skin Food and loved it. So I asked my friend to
grab me some more on a trip to Korea a while back. She brought back
something other than what I was expecting and I'm so glad she did.
This
two step sheet mask is a bit more work, definitely not suitable for
the plane, but totally worth it. Especially in winter when my skin
feels like it's a bit rougher and drier than usual.
First
you apply the Royal Honey Ampoule (the what?) and pat into your skin.
And quickly before it dries, you slap on the Essence Mask Sheet.
Sheet masks can be a pain in the ass, I know, but I find that Skin
Food's masks fit me better than most (I'm looking at you Face Shop).
Then you just lay back and relax for fifteen minutes or so; I like to
do this right before bed so I'll relax, maybe read a little or catch
up on some family e-mails. After fifteen minutes have passed you peel
off the mask, toss it, and rub the excess into your skin following up
with your normal moisturizer.
My
skin feels so soft and hydrated after using this mask and definitely
much lively in the morning than usual. I just used up my last one of
these so I'll have to hunt down some more or try and find a
substitute.
What
are your favorite masks? Do you like sheet or wash off masks?
I
know in my January favorites post I was raving on and on (or I could
have been, I just tried not to bore you) about Lush's Seanik shampoo,
but . . . Seanik and Big aren't everyday shampoos for me. They're
just a little too . . . much.
My
hair looks amazing. Until my scalp dries out and starts flaking off
every where. Dandruff is never a good look for anyone.
So
my daily shampoo until this week has been CliniCare with Pantene's
Full and Thick shampoo. And I have to say, I quite like it. I'm not
in love with it by any means, but seeing as I just finished my second
bottle, I find it's pros highly outweighs it's cons.
Probably
it's biggest plus mark for me, is I can buy it at my local drug
store. Nothing beats the convenience of being able to (theoretically)
walk in your pyjamas to the drug store to pick up a new bottle. It's
also not supremely costly, around Y1200 for a bottle, which isn't
very painful for me.
Another
thing to toss into the pro column is the formula. I have what most
white people would consider normal textured hair, but in Japan it's
considered quite fine, so a lot of typical Japanese shampoos tend to
weigh my hair down or make it feel overly greasy. This shampoo
doesn't do that for me, and it doesn't dry out my scalp so bonus
points for that.
My
friend told me to try looking for bottles that had 'ハリ'
or 'コシ' which means
'bounce' and 'resilience' in hair.
The
only con I can really think of is that it's a Pantene product and
I've never heard good things about Pantene from my hair dressers. I
remember one telling me Pantene products have a tendency to cover the
individual hair strand with some coating or other that gives the
illusion and feel of healthy strong hair, when in fact it's not.
At
any rate, I'm looking to branch out with a new shampoo now that this
one is all used up. Any recommendations or suggestions?
January, January. Where have you gone? Anyway, let's get down to it! It's been a month and some favorites have clearly emerged.
Lush
Seanik Shampo
I've
actually had this shampoo lying about for ages, and just never got
around to using it. It was bought on a total whim on my last trip to
Seoul, thanks to a very good sales girl at the Lush Myeongdong store.
I wanted something that would work as a travel substitute for Big and
was recommended Seanik.
I
think actually prefer the smell of Seanik to Big, and it leaves my
hair feeling much more oomphy than normal. I haven't been able to
actually test it against Big, since I only picked up it up because
I'd run out of the former. But I'm certainly not rushing to get Big
back when I've got a whole lot of this left. I love it!
Yes
to Tomatoes
Part
of my Christmas present from my lovely sister. She actually bought me
the whole range of Yes to Tomatoes! Sometimes she can be so charming
and lovable.
I
had picked up the spot treatment when I was in the States for the
holidays in 2012 and mourning the loss of it once I'd finished it up,
so I was giddily excited when I found this in my Christmas package.
My acne has cleared up for the most part, but every once and a while
I'll get one massive flare up. And it'll be one of those cystic like
spots that just sits under the skin and festers. The Yes to Tomatoes!
spot treatment has been super helpful in wishing those problem spots
off on their way.
The
serum has also helped keep period related flare-ups to a minimum.
HURRAH! Such a life-saver.
Dove
Vanilla and Shea Body Wash
Nothing
really exciting about this body wash. It's pretty straight forward.
But I swear Dove changes their body wash range depending on the
season. My favorite lemongrass or something, is only available in
summer so I've taken to purchasing two refill sacks at once. And
while I really do love that scent, especially after a work-out, the
vanilla-shea is just a really nice rich scent to send me off to bed
with. (I don't have an actual picture of this, since I used a refill pack and tossed it without really thinking about it. Whoops!)
Essie
Vested Interest
I
always winced at the price of OPI and Essie back in university. Eight
dollars for a bottle of nail polish? EIGHT DOLLARS? You can buy a
whole meal at Chipotle for eight dollars!!
It
wasn't until I moved to Japan and saw the 2,100 yen price tag that I
was wishing for the eight dollar sign again. So when I friend picked
this bottle of Essie up for me, I was thrilled!
I
can't wear many nail polishes at work, but when five o'clock Friday
rolls around, you better believe I'm zipping home and doing my nails
up with this beautiful color. All weekend. Every weekend.
OPI
Samoan Sands
Now,
this lovely nude is a color I can get away with at school and as such
I wear it almost every day. It's a perfect match for my skin tone and
I feel like it makes my hands look so long and elegant and graceful,
when they're not sabotaging my lessons, which probably means
practically never in reality and only in my head.
Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Luxembourg
Anna
from Vivianna Loves Make-up just kept going on, and on, and on about
the Nars lip pencils. And when I finally got myself out of Hakata and
over to Tenjin and rediscovered Iwataya's make-up counters, I had to
buy one of my own. I love this color, it's not a true red – it's a
bit pink-y for that, but I think it'll be a beautiful shade to rock
into spring time. I also apologize since I clearly have not quite
figured out to take pictures of swatches.
EXTRAS
Zendaya "Replay"
Aside from being obsessed with Frozen and it's accompanying soundtrack, like the rest of the world, I've been playing some good dance music to get me through the month. This song has been playing on repeat (a tad ironic, here) in my apartment for weeks now and I'm still not tired of dancing around to it. And the choreography is amazing. Love it!
