lilac magic!

* Again gladly inspired by Miss Fuzz :), thank you!
Several japanese brands feature face powder in lilacs. Why? From reading around and using some of them, it seems because the soft lilac tones brighten an otherwise dull skin. Last year's lunasol highlighter was a lilac-pink highlighter, Paul & Joe features a permanent pressed powder in this hue. Anna Sui has a loose powder version, and so other japanese lines.What this hue does is to counteract the orange tones on the skin and balance it out.
I have tried t le clerck's lilac loose powder after seeing it all over Paris' pharmacies ( they usually sell cosmetics). While it does brighten I did not find the texture as fine milled as the Anna Sui ( hee I only touched it!) and the container is very difficult to transport. In other words, expect to lose powder upon movement. On the plus side, the powder was made from rice, which is gentler than talc. Also the finish was a tad too heavy and dry.
So now I am looking for a lilac powder to complement my base makeup routine, as I am running out of my Dior, which was nice ( and definitely not lilac ) but did not provide brightening qualities.
Maybe Kose AQ cosme decorte pink-lilac beauty....??the problem is that retails for 21000 yen for 30 gr. I will be looking around for others.

Decisions! Red palettes

From reading rouge deluxe's post on the entire list of lunasol eyeshadows , I remembered that I had to get some red/wine palette from then. The problem is to decide which one to get...this is too hard!!!! This would be my first lunasol purchase :)


Red variation from last fall seems like a nice constrast of red and brown. I wonder if it is a tad too warm as I am usually flattered by neutral colors.

The ruby variation seems more pink and the monochromatic look is fail-safe.

Black tea has a red but also a green, purple and yellow-white. this remind me of this year's trend of greens and eggplants.

I wish I could get all of them...hee hee, but let's decide. Please if you would like to comment on your favorite lunasol palette, let me know!thank you!

tired but happy

I am exhausted after the first class meeting of this year and now to nap!
* this is my cat, back home..he is much fatter now. Ahem.

*.* extra fridge for your addiction

When I was into natural skincare, I often worried about expiration dates and the products going bad ( either moldy, smelly, bacteria stuff ). Also I was reading that skincare is better preserved in non humid, not too warm environment. So I would just put my skin items in the fridge, but I hated it since I do not want my face creams to smell like seaweed/olives/whatever-is-in-the-fridge...:(
These days I just have my skin products in the restroom cabinets ( hmm, yay for preservatives).
Googling around I saw this skincare mini fridge (!) in a japanese website. I am glad I am into regular products now,although...this might not be a bad idea...

Fuz-inspired : hair treatment

One summer ago, I was living in ny, where my japanese roommate introduced me to the fantastic world of profession home hair styling...which codes for meeting with the hair stylist at their place and enjoy an afternoon of hair cutting, iced tea and a reasonable fee. I understand this to be kind of weird, but the hair stylist can make an extra income and they can practice their skills...on my hair ( aaahhh the joys to be a beauty loving student). So , since she would only trust asian hair salons, we made an appointment with a friend of hers who works in some high end place. At the end of the afternoon I walked out with one of the best haircuts I ever had and a recommendation to try Esthe clay pack, a hair washing treatment chok full of good ingredients ( squalane, several herb extracts, clay...) . Told to buy it at Ricky's ( some hair mecca which apparently has japanese products in stock) . This worked for my itchy scalp, it totally relieved it from the greasy feeling and left my hair very full. My roommate loved it too and used it far more than me....which was ok since my hair is a little too dry for the clay pack, so I had to follow with a really rich conditioner. Overall I think this is great for people with problematic oily scalps. Mine is only greasy in the summer, and becomes really dry in the winter. So I opt to share the clay pack with a friend, since I can not use it the rest of the time.

In the traincase: paul & joe

Such gorgeous prints and clear brand image...Paul & Joe is definitely one of my favorite brands. My first encounter with the brand was in the paul & joe counters at the Printemps...at that time, I just stared ( WHY?! I guess it was just like love.. ehh..not exactly but..for some reason I was broke ). Back in the us, I found the brand to be available online and because I want what I can not have...I started my small collection.

I was able to catch one of their limited collection lippies,057 the one with the cat print. It is a sheer yet lively shade of pink coral. It goes on moist and does not have visible glitters. I am not sure if this lipstick belongs to the old series or the new lipsticks..it is sheer but still noticeable on my pigmented lips.

The next beauty to be reviewed is the pearl powder, I have it in Afterglow, which is a medium warm pink. The fine milled powder goes on shiny, almost glossy. After trying this one,I am looking forward to try the other colors for the pearl powder. I will post swatches later..when my camera recovers from being tossed in the laundry...so I guess until I get a new camera...but yes, this moist- to-the- touch powder is so pretty.

Eye gloss. I have the old version in Aurora..so maybe this review is useless...but anyway...the gloss goes on watery and dries up very quickly to a warm?! icy shade. Yes this sounds contradictory, but that is exactly how this color shows up...a silver blue with golden shimmer. It is gorgeous for those snow-girl looks. Ahem. Well, when comparing the new eye glosses with the old ones I saw that the pink color of the container's cap is different. The original version is more of a salmon pink whereas the current paul & joe packaging is pink.


The summer 08 protective powder foundation and protective primer with spf. They just work so well together. The primer seems a bit sticky and heavy, but paired up with the powder foundation, it provides glowy hydrating coverage for all day. I had this one bought by a friend in Japan and it came in a wonderful paper bag with the imprinted pattern of the pink flower. Maybe I am crazy.. I go gaga for stuff like this. This combo might be a bit too dry for extra-dry skin types.

....and the black liquid liner. I bought it for the packaging...and it is a glossy shade of black. Unfortunately on my lids it flakes if rubbed. But maybe with primer? I have not tried it with a base. In general I am really bad with liquid liners as I do not have a perfect control over the line.

In my opinion this is a brand for those that like soft feminine looks and a romantic looking collection of makeup. Hopefully they will launch some pearl powder in pewter gray...I would be crazy about that.

beautiful girl- rinka

...she is just so pretty, her face has this great photogenic definition ( to me anyways...). Here are some pictures just grabbed from the net. I do not know but when looking at other beautiful-stylish girls, one finds inspiration and sometimes a "type" that comes useful when selecting a style to borrow a bit from... if I could...

drugstore find - paris

While studying in Paris, I have seen my love of makeup grow. From owning the very basics ( and even less) to actually having enough to vary my looks.
Maybe is that women were groomed all around? is it the air?
But also as a student ( traveling abroad when the dollar was really weak) I had very little money to spare. So it became my time for drugstore shopping.

Luckily in Paris, pharmacies carry skincare and base makeup lines that are very nice and not terribly expensive. I have tried there nuxe, avene, and the dermablend foundations.
But the post today is about something more fun...metallic creamy lilac shadow!
I saw a Nivea counter in the market and I was surprised since we only get their basic skincare here in the us. Looking through the stuff, I picked up the 03 chromic lilac Creamy metal eye shadow, which comes in a tiny painter's metallic tube. The shadow stays put and is a nice base for lilac or purple looks. I use it by brushing it along my lower lashes as it brightens my eyes since the finish is glowy iridescent rather than powdery. I love its light texture.

FOTD with this product:
With the Nars Habanera duo, blend the green mint on the lid and the purple smoke on the crease and outer v. To intensify,brush the green layer over the purple slightly. Peacock feather effect!
Line only your upper lash line. I used kate black gel eye liner.
Now swipe the lilac cream shadow along your lower lashes making the stroke thicker as you go to the outer edge of your eye!
ta da!

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