new posts will be at tokyokuri

I've decided to consolidate my blogs for simplicity, so new posts will be at tokyo kuri with the "materialism" label.

Japanese perfume guide to Paris

I just found the coolest site in Japanese, explaining the locations of key perfume landmarks around Paris.

Now I just need to make my way over to Paris in my copious free time. With an unlimited budget.

In other news, Parfums de Nicolai needs to offer sampler packs, given their limited distribution. Apparently the candles and such can be easily found online in Japan, but not the perfumes.

wishlist: Casual Style Up Baggy Pants from Uniqlo

I tried these pants on a week or two ago at Uniqlo - very nice! I don't really need any more pants though, so I'm waiting for the price to drop to half off or less. I hope to take a look at their suits this weekend.

image from uniqlo.com

Tina Fey talking about Hillary Clinton

Found this at The Lipstick Page Forums Blog. An excellent piece by Tina Fey regarding people's opposition to Hillary Clinton.

mini review: Lip Balm SPF 15 by Kiehls

Summary: overpriced Vaseline? As a product, it's okay.

Pros: SPF 15, 15 ml of product.
Cons: so-so moisturizing, faint bad taste, looks like petrolatum, overpriced for so-so moisturizing, not fond of the slanted tip applicator. I guess I like stick lipbalms for better control in application.

This is such an apparently popular product that I was really expecting something more than Vaseline, but I should have paid more attention to the ingredient list and tested the product out. For twice the price I can get the Sugar Lip Balm by Fresh for fantastic packaging, a great scent, and great moisturizing properties all in a stick. Or for one fifth the price I can get the same product from Vaseline.

lemming: Color Fever Gloss in Burning Up by Lancome

I'm not such a big Lancome fan, as their popular Bi-Facil eye-makeup cleanser was somewhat oilier than I expected and stung my eyes. So I've never paid much attention to their products. However, at a friend's recent wedding, the makeup artist put the loveliest shade of a rich reddish-orange gloss on me. Burning Up is quite a suitable name, as the shade is rather fiery. The website swatch doesn't do it justice (at least on my monitor). So, although $23 + tax is quite ridiculous to spend on gloss (although I've spent more), I will be stalking the airport duty-free shops for this color.

mini review: Honey Foaming Jelly for Body and Hair by L'Occitane

Summary: I don't like the smell, and the jelly texture is inconvenient.

I'd been intrigued by reviews online and picked this up on sale this past winter. I'm very glad it was on sale, as I don't like the scent of this product at all. It's kind of astringent and medicinal to my nose. Also, the jelly is a bit unwieldy in my opinion; it's slippery. I suppose I prefer more of a lotion thickness, where I can control application easily. I love the scent of L'Occitane's Honey and Lemon, so I was surprised to really dislike the scent of this older product. The new stuff by L'Occitane intrigues me though, such as the Ruban d'Orange line. It is similar to BLISS's Shine line for Sheraton, but easier to find.

mini review: Almond Shower Oil by L'Occitane

Summary: It's okay.

I bought a little travel size of the Almond Shower Oil, intrigued because it is supposed to smell like almonds, and reputed to be very moisturizing for the winter months. It is almond-y, but a very mild, watered-down almond. The texture is not bad; the oil feels like the cleansing oils I use to remove makeup. It does seem to leave my skin a bit more moisturized than normal. However, the smell doesn't win me over - I prefer LUSH's seasonal Snowcake soap, despite its tendency to smell a bit clay-like depending on the batch. So the search continues for a convenient almond-scented body cleanser.

Update 2008-02-19: Actually, this oil is rather drying. I'll have to use it up in the summer months.

lemming: Giorgio Armani black gem shine lipstick #40

Described as "sparkling red," black gem shine lipstick #40 fit the description aptly when I tested it at Isetan last winter. Sadly, I think $38 is a bit expensive for a bright and shimmery red that is limited to parties and special nights out. It's a lovely holiday color though.

image from www.giorgioarmanibeauty-usa.com

mini review: Farouk Biosilk Silk Therapy

Summary: so-so product.

Silk Therapy is a silicone hair product for smoothing and adding shine to your hair. It's marketed as a hair treatment, although I don't understand the science of silicone treating your hair. I think it might protect your hair a bit from heat.

Cons: It has a very strong chemical smell. Maybe I got a bad batch? If I apply it on wet hair, the smell dissipates, but on dry hair, it's rather bothersome. I feel uncomfortable inflicting it on my coworkers.

Pros: It does an okay job of smoothing my thick hair, whether applied wet or dry. Perhaps I need to apply more product.

lemming: Wave necklace

On my last few plane trips, I've been admiring this pearl necklace available from United duty-free shopping ($114).

It's not an unreasonable amount of money to spend, but it's not something I need by any means. And if I started buying all of the reasonably-priced jewelry I liked, I'd be in trouble. We'll see. Maybe on my next flight. I wonder what will happen when the rope becomes dirty. Perhaps a regular jeweler can clean it?

Image from dutyfreeunited.com

Judge Jules AKA who needs clubs?

Judge Jules' show was excellent last week, but dang, off the hook this week!

Judge Jules has a House techno (do they still call it techno?) radio show on BBC's Radio 1; you can catch the past week's show on their web player. Along with many other excellent shows. I usually listen to him and Trevor Nelson (R&B/Hip Hop, etc.)

6 pairs of socks for 1000 yen, or why I love Uniqlo

For a limited time, Uniqlo is selling nice medium-weight socks at 6 pairs/1000 yen. A total steal, considering normally socks can be 500 yen/pair or so (okay, so only 280 at Uniqlo). I stocked up on black and some other colors, but I may go back for another set of 6 if they wear nicely this week. I'm pretty sure that this collection is targeted at men, but they fit me and look gender-neutral, so it's all good.

They have lovely colors like burnt orange and deep red, but when am I going to wear orange socks? Lemme know if you want any...

Image from Uniqlo.com

Update 2008-02-09: The socks are nice but nothing spectacular. I'm going to try some of Uniqlo's more expensive socks to see if I like them better.

Giorgio Armani Caffe Collection

The Shinjuku, Tokyo Isetan counter is getting an early release of the Caffe collection on February 8th. In addition to the 4 limited edition ArmaniSilk lipsticks, there will be one limited edition Shine lipstick and two limited edition Sheer lipsticks. Five new Lip Shimmers will be released (not limited edition), and two limited edition nail polishes.

ArmaniSilk lipstick: 3990 yen
Shine lipstick: 3990 yen
Sheer lipstick: 3990 yen
Lip Shimmer: 3675 yen
Nail Polish: 3150 yen

The darker lip colors look gorgeous but are probably too dark for me to wear easily. Anyway, I'm staying away from limited edition stuff. I think Shinjuku will sell out quickly. I wish they'd bring back the Red collection; I completely missed that one.

uniqlo jacket

Isn't this coat cute?

I am tempted to buy it in red or orange, but I am not yet convinced that I need it.

frivolity limit

My frivolity limit on unnecessary clothing is now 3000 yen.

*insert rant about how online shopping is far too tempting*

Update: And we have willpower! Just stopped myself from placing an order for more clothing (that I don't need). Whew! Actually, lack of bandwidth proved more valuable than willpower.

online stores and a fast connection

Are feeding my rampant consumerism lately. Urgh. I should go do something productive.