Materialism

new posts will be at tokyokuri

2008-04-05T22:55:00.000-07:00

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

2008-04-04T03:56:00.001-07:00

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

2008-02-29T07:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-29T06:12:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-17T10:37:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-17T02:09:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-17T02:03:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-17T01:58:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-13T08:07:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-12T16:38:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-09T07:12:00.000-08:00

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?

2008-02-03T06:10:00.001-08:00

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

2008-02-03T05:42:00.000-08:00

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

2008-02-03T05:35:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-05T16:48:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-04T18:49:00.000-08:00

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

2008-01-04T15:40:00.001-08:00

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

some perfume sampling

2007-12-29T00:35:00.000-08:00

Narciso Rodriguez For Her - thumbs up. Dense, sweet.
Hanae Mori pour Homme - thumbs up. Dense, sweet-ish. Quite like this.
Yves Saint Laurent Nu - thumbs up so far. A bit lighter than the above two.

Molinard Gardenia - undecided. Seemed to have a bit of gardenia, but not very buttery at all.

Lanvin Arpege - thumbs down. Doesn't really go where I want it to go.

I also sampled Annick Goutal Songes in the dept. store - I am unable to properly appreciate the Goutals at the moment.

Hermes Hermessences Rose Ikebana and Vetiver Tonka - two thumbs up. I really like both of these. I am going to need to buy decants. They were perfection. The coffee in Vetiver Tonka wasn't overbearing at all, nor was the Vetiver. Love. I need to retry the Osmanthe Yunnan, of which I had a good first impression. The only one I definitely do not want to wear (for long periods of time) is Ambre Narguile - very lovely but a bit too gourmand for my taste. I have not gotten around to trying Paprika Brasil.

Quite enjoyed my sniff of L'Occitane's Eau d'Iparie. I would like a decant.

I also liked Shiseido's We're, so I will test it on skin again the next time I pass a Shiseido store.

nothing wrong with taking your time

2007-12-21T07:38:00.000-08:00

An excellent column about the strangely harsh treatment of Jessica Simpson in the media: Since when is Jessica Simpson a Spinster?

Japanese Powder Foundations part 2

2007-10-16T10:01:00.000-07:00

Revue Superior Stay Pact UV SPF 25, PA++ (a brand of Kanebo, made in Japan)
* Good coverage, but less than natural finish. Surprisingly bad finish, actually. Perhaps it was my application method? I'll try it with a sponge.

Maquillage Climax Lasting Powdery UV SP 25, PA++ (a brand of Shiseido, made in Japan, spring and summer foundation)
** Good coverage and normal finish. Unchanged impression from last time.

Paul & Joe Protective Dual Powder Foundation SPF 25, PA++
* Moderate coverage with a rather natural finish. I rather liked this, but I would like a bit more coverage. Not particularly impressive with oil-control.

Elixir Superieur Whitening Compact UV SPF 26, PA+++ (a brand of Shiseido, made in Japan, all seasons foundation)
** Good coverage and normal finish. I can't really detect any difference between Elixir and Maquillage yet.

None of the foundations that I've tried has been particularly good with oil control. Elixir might have been okay, but it could have been my imagination.

Still to review:

Dr. Ci:Labo Compact Foundation SPF 16 PA++

Japanese Powder Foundations

2007-10-12T09:02:00.000-07:00

I've received various powder foundation samples from shops and friends (mostly from friends) and I've finally gotten around to testing them out properly. At first I was reluctant to wear the samples in public as most of the shades don't match me well, but I figure that one day in the wrong foundation shade isn't going to affect me much.

Doltier Selective Powdery (a brand of Kanebo, made in Japan)
*** Very natural finish, but only provides light coverage. It seems average on oil-control, although I didn't pay that much attention.

Maybelline Angel Fit Pact (made in China)
** It fits seamlessly with my skin, but despite that the finish isn't quite as natural as Doltier. It only provides light coverage. The sample package is the most space-effective one though. This foundation was supposedly developed for either the Japanese market or the Asian market, I don't remember which.

Ayura Superior Skin Pact SPF20, PA++ (made in Japan)
* Not much coverage, and an average finish. Not particularly natural, and normal about oil-control.

I've tried the above foundations for two days each. I rotated through twice. The following foundations remain to be tested for this second round:

Revue Superior Stay Pact UV SPF 25, PA++ (a brand of Kanebo, made in Japan)
* From what I recall, it was okay. Revue foundations seem very popular here.

Paul & Joe Protective Dual Powder Foundation SPF 25, PA++
* very cute sample packaging, I was unimpressed on my first try, but the color was really off.

Dr. Ci:Labo Compact Foundation SPF 16 PA++
* Good coverage and average finish. I liked the fact that the sample package contains 3 colors for you to try.

Elixir Superieur Whitening Compact UV SPF 26, PA+++ (a brand of Shiseido, made in Japan, all seasons foundation)
*** Good coverage, average finish, average oil-control. I don't want to like this one, as I expect it is quite expensive. Elixir skin care is on the costly side.

Maquillage Climax Lasting Powdery UV SP 25, PA++ (a brand of Shiseido, made in Japan, spring and summer foundation)
*** Good coverage, average finish, average oil-control. Amusing name, eh?

Of course, I should just be using up my Inoui ID foundation instead of buying another one, but liquid foundation just takes too much time.

h&s hair care

2007-09-14T09:05:00.000-07:00

I'll say it now. I'm going to buy h&s's introductory set of shampoo, conditioner and treatment primarily because Tomoko Yamaguchi is the spokesperson for it. Actually, I only want to buy the treatment, but the set is cheaper so I'm going to get it all.

En Vogue - Free Your Mind

2007-09-08T01:27:00.000-07:00

Still a perfect video. Great stuff. Is it me or are a lot of the pop videos today really simplistic?

The Fugees are still one of the best groups ever. And Lauryn Hill is the bomb.
Lucy Pearl was pretty cool too. I love Dawn Robinson's vocals.

A top artists list would have to include:
Prince
Michael Jackson
The Beatles

Listening to one of Prince's older songs is fascinating because it's just a level of complexity and depth above a lot of the popular stuff today.

I have an ongoing theory that the very best, transcendent musicians are a little weird. They have to be, in order to make music that cuts through all the polite facades of the "normal" world. Popular music works with and/or maintains the niceties of popular culture, but music that remains listen-able over time holds a bit of truth that never gets old.

talib kweli

2007-09-07T23:01:00.000-07:00

When's the last time you heard "Reaganomics" in a song? Talib Kweli rocks. Listen to the song "Say Something" (the second song on the player).

style

2007-08-23T07:22:00.000-07:00

The girl in this picture looks fantastic. This fellow looks pretty good too, but I don't wish I looked like him. Heh.

Gotsta Go

2007-08-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

I'm really enjoying Kelly Rowland's song Gotsta Go from her new album. Her live performance at MTV Japan sounds much better than the album version, which apparently isn't on the U.S. version.

as old as my tongue

2007-08-03T09:19:00.000-07:00

A curiously poetic title for a documentary about Bi Kidude, a Zanzibar singer perhaps 100 years old. Afrobella has the coolest info.

outstanding music albums

2007-07-09T22:43:00.000-07:00

I mean albums that are perfection in their entirety. They're still as strong and original today as when I first heard them years ago. I started making a list. It's a personal list, as I've only heard a fraction of the music out there (I wonder what fraction, heh).

Of the top of my head:

Lauryn Hill: The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill - At first, I didn't really like many of the songs on this album, although I could tell that it was good. 10 years or so later I've realized that there is no flaw on this album. Magnificent.
Tori Amos: Little Earthquakes - a beautiful album that still resonates with me today.
The Cranberries: No Need to Argue - this captured my college angst (although it was much lighter than angst). I still love it. Speaking of which, I need to check out O'Riordan's new album.

I'm not sure about these albums:

U2 - the Joshua Tree - I actually don't own this one so I can't judge it.
Sarah McLachlan - Fumbling Towards Ecstasy - I loved this album, but it doesn't hold much for me now.

edit: I changed the title of this post because I was misusing the word "seminal."

All my lipsticks are from different makeup lines

2007-07-08T18:04:00.000-07:00

All except two lipsticks, actually. This has the advantage that I don't need to read the label to know what color is inside. Very convenient, now that I think about it. I will continue this fortuitous coincidence. Gloss usually comes in translucent or clear containers so there isn't the same issue of wondering what color a product is.

while I procrastinate

2007-07-08T00:11:00.000-07:00

As a reward for passing my Java test, I opened up my new Bloom lipstick Indulge. It's a warm pink on me with a touch of frost but very wearable. It's not as orange as I thought it would be. I think it'll be a very nice color for summer. Good for work. As usual, very emollient and soothing on. I love Bloom's lip products.

I need to go check out madebyblog. Very behind on all the blogs!

Current staples

2007-06-07T04:45:00.000-07:00

It can take a while to work out whether I like a product or not. They're often more complex than immediately apparent.

My current favorites are

Lipgloss: Bloom lip gloss is my undisputed favorite at the moment. Giorgio Armani lipshimmer is prettier (it sparkles!), but Bloom feels better.
Mascara: Opera MyLash; a lot of Japanese mascaras are wonderfully smudge-free and MyLash is a moderately priced (about 1000 yen) non-fiber mascara with good lengthening and darkening properties, and some ability to thicken lashes. The formula is pretty light and not watery or goopy.
Nail polish: Mavala Ottoman; a shimmery bright red. Not a true red, it has a bit of a fuschia tinge with one coat, but two coats gives a lovely, bright, rich red. Reds and burgundies look fantastic on my toes. I don't wear anything on my fingernails because my nails feel like they can't breathe with nailpolish. My toenails don't have any objections. I love the tiny 5ml size. I've never used up a polish in my life, so with Mavala and mini Bourjois, I can stick to small sizes from now on. Ettusais has a charming summer collection of small polishes too.
Eye shadow: Inoui ID and Majolica Majorca eye shadow; wonderful texture and fun, wearable colors. My brown Kate quad is lovely but the colors just aren't very exciting. My taupe Shu Uemura shadow has the most beautiful texture and shimmer but the color closely approximates shadows on my skin. Not the most flattering effect on me; I'll have to try mixing it up with some other colors.
Lipstick: I still love my Armanisilk, Dior Addict 2, and Shiseido lipsticks, but I get bored of lipstick colors pretty quickly. I have to change it up more than once a week.
Eyebrow color: Inoui ID eyebrow pencil. I need nothing more than this. Canmake's eyebrow powder duo is also very nice and creates a natural look.

I can live without everything else, although I wouldn't want to. I suppose I shouldn't buy makeup again for a year or two. Maybe even three years.

Jean Patou's Sublime is rather a comforting scent on me. Warm and close to the skin. It's rather similar to Ungaro's Desnuda on me. I wonder which I like better. At the moment I'm leaning towards Desnuda.

Elizabeth Arden's Iced Green Tea turns into something akin to astringent herbs on my skin. Not a particularly pleasant smell. Rather medicinal.

I love the hit of grapefruit in the opening of YSL In Love; the perfect slightly bitter scent of a cut grapefruit. It's pretty addictive. Too bad it's only the top notes of a limited edition fragrance. I no longer buy limited editions; at least not for personal use.

On Saturday I bought a nice rugged nylon bag for work - about messenger bag size, with a zip pocket and two magnetic snap enclosure pockets in front, a zip pocket on the back, and one zip pocket plus two open pockets inside. The color is not very exciting, an olive brown, but very functional and appropriately muted for work. Large enough to fit my textbooks and any documents I may be carrying around.

So, having just bought this bag (and retiring a similarly sized corduroy bag), I have zero need for another bag. However! Before I went on vacation I had been eyeing a sky blue nylon Mandarina Duck bag. It was sold out when I went to look again on Saturday, so I ended up buying the olive brown bag instead. The coveted blue bag is now back in stock so I'm going to take a look at it this weekend. In terms of shape, my brown bag is nicer, but the sky blue color and futuristic design of the Mandarina Duck bag make me covet it also. I will probably buy it, because I can't think of a reason not to. I've been looking for large bags for more than a year, so I buy them if I find them.

Ugh. I need to go donate some money. My materialism has been out of control this year! At least I'm sick of shopping right now.

life passing us by: children are the smartest

2007-06-01T07:23:00.000-07:00

I posted on my regular blog about a fascinating experiment by The Washington Post and violinist Joshua Bell.

It's a bit of a sad commentary on the daily grind, but very interesting nonetheless. And the music is stunning. Even the jerky video feed takes my breath away. ドキドキしてしまいました！

I have to see Joshua Bell in concert sometime.

On the perfume front, I gave away those samples and bottles of stuff that I never touched. One step closer to minimal! My new policy is to only buy a new sample/bottle if I use up a sample/bottle, so it's going to be a while before I can make a sample order. YSL In Love might be the first to get used up; there're only a couple spritzes left. It'll be hard to throw away the cute little sample atomizer though. I really like the top notes: it's a very authentic burst of grapefruit to me. Unfortunately I don't detect much after the top notes evaporate.

I will wear Ungaro's Desnuda tomorrow. It's been a while since I've touched it; looking forward to it!

use up my perfume

2007-05-30T08:31:00.000-07:00

Having a surfeit of perfume, I've resolved to put on perfume everyday (at night, as I never seem to remember in the morning) and give away the perfume that I don't particularly like.

* A little square pendant of stuff - definitely a candidate to give away. Don't particularly like it. It's either Calvin Klein Eternity Summer or the local perfume shop's homemade Green Tea fragrance.
* A sample of Curve; definitely, as I already have a bottle thanks to Brooke.
* Lanvin Eclat d'Arpege - nice but I just don't reach for it. I'll keep a little sample but give away the rest.
* debating about Crazylibellule and the Poppies Tout Oublier solid perfume. It's nice, and I haven't gotten sick of it like other perfumes I own. But it's not really me. It's rather colder than I'm usually in the mood for, although I quite like it. It's very easy to wear though. We'll see. It's handy to carry around so I am using it quite a bit.

Everything else I'll rotate through. I should only own 5 ml or less of any particular perfume. Anything more is really excessive considering how much I use it. I have yet to open my Chanel No. 5 or Le Feu d'Issey light. I might open Le Feu as a treat after taking my Java exam. I'm going to wait till my nose progresses a bit more before opening No. 5. Have to be able to appreciate it fully, although I'm making progress on that front.

That mystery perfume that Amy gave me is quite nice, I have to ask her what it is. I may be Michael Kors.

You know you have too much stuff when the thought of getting rid of it is exciting. I like a lot of the stuff, but I just want to focus on the stuff I love. I'm planning to do the same thing with my clothing. At least only 2 items in my closet are unworn.

Because making lists is fun, I will list my collection (minus that little square pendant of perfume):

agnes b. le petit b.b.
Amy's mystery perfume
Bvlgari Omnia Amethyste
Caron Farnesiana
Chanel No. 5
Crazylibellule and the Poppies Tout Oublier solid perfume
Givenchy Oblique
Emanuel Ungaro Desnuda
Etude House Bijou Pure White solid perfume
Fragonard Eau du Bonheur solid perfume
Hermes Eau de Cologne (wonder if I'll grow to like this)
Issey Miyake L'eau d'Issey
Issey Miyake Le Feu d'Issey light
Jean Patou Sublime
Lanvin Eclat d'Arpege
Laura Biagiotti Roma (wonder if I'll grow to like this)
Laurent Le Guernec's perfume mod
Les Parfums de Rosine Un Zest de Rose
Liz Clairborne Curve
Missha
Muelhens 4711 original cologne
The Body Shop Indian Gardenia
Yves Saint Laurent With Love

Gee, seems like I have a ton of stuff. Most of these are little sample vials though. Quite a random collection, don't you think?

In other perfume "news," I finally got a chance to try ElisabethW's perfumes in Kichijoji a while back. Everything was really nice, but the Sweet Tea was too sweet (imagine that). A pity. Very nice fragrances though. I need to go back and sniff again. They appear to have discontinued 6 of their scents though; what a pity. Violet, Woods, Redwoods, and Blue Sage sounded very nice.

I am not my hair

2007-05-20T08:54:00.000-07:00

Loving India.Arie's song "I Am Not My Hair"! I also caught a bit of her duet with Anthony David called "Words." That is music. Great duet. Yes, yes, I am way behind on music news, but some of this stuff just doesn't come here. We get Beyonce and Paris Hilton and Posh Spice.

cooking

2007-05-19T11:15:00.000-07:00

I'm shifting my energy from makeup to being healthy; exercising and eating well. Real Simple has some excellent suggestions for alternative cooking with one's rice cooker; I'm going to try the risotto tomorrow.

These recipes look scrumptious too:
Barley Risotto with Asparagas
Corn Risotto
Sweet Pea Risotto

Marina's new fragrance mods are out!

2007-05-17T03:49:00.000-07:00

The newest versions of Marina's Holy Grail fragrance are out! Marina has posted on Made By Blog about her impressions of the two versions created by perfumer Clement Gavarry of International Flavors & Fragrances Inc.

I made a comment about my impressions too.

In other news, Scentzilla has an extremely well-written post about blogging and ethics.

About me, I am cleaning house! I won't be buying any more makeup or perfume for myself for the rest of the year. Other than one good concealer. I'm just going to run around sampling fragrances for the rest of 2007. Maybe I'll finally get through my list of fragrances-to-sniff. Isetan department store is going to be sick of me soon, haha.

skincare and sunscreen

2007-05-06T09:20:00.000-07:00

Since my skin has been freaking out lately, I haven't been using much on my face. It's down to salicylic acid for the breakouts, a bit of Avene thermal water as moisturizer, lip balm, and sunscreen. Unfortunately the sunscreen has been one of the reasons I've been breaking out, so I've been scrambling for other sunscreens to try.

It's kind of a pain. I think the DHC and Fancl cleansing oils leave my skin sensitive to other products. Perhaps they're just too harsh. I've been using them everyday as a makeup remover, but I will try getting a separate makeup remover and using the oils two or three times a week.

having computer issues, but in the meantime, my current faves

2007-04-07T09:12:00.000-07:00

My computer is having issues (lost the will to live on its first birthday?), but I feel like advertising my current favorite products.

Also, some new purchases:
petit b.b. by agnes b.: found in a little store in Shimokitazawa; a bit of sweet citrus? Disappears in an instant; I think this is a perfume for children as it is labelled eau de scenteur. Anyway, I found the 10 seconds addictive and the 60% off difficult to resist. They also had Petit Guerlain and an array of perfumes I've never heard of. I had the impression that Petit Guerlain was hard to find, but perhaps I am mistaken. I liked the top notes of quite a few of the perfumes, but they all seemed to remind me of Farnesiana. As I have a large decant of Farnesiana (will I ever use it up?) it was easy to say no to the other perfumes.

I also bought Tout Oublier from the Les Divines Alcoves Perfume Collection by Crazylibellule and The Poppies. I can't wait to use this cool, quiet perfume, but I feel a bit guilty about all the things I've been buying lately, so I'm thinking of making it a gift for someone.

Anyway, my current favorite cosmetics and toiletries:

* 4711: addictive citrusy cologne. Lasts half an hour but it's cheap to buy lots.

* Giorgio Armani ArmaniSilk #27: a beautiful beige lipstick with a silky finish. It's not matte, it's not glossy, but it's lovely. And has great lasting power. Too bad it's ludicrously expensive. It's a good thing that it'll probably go bad before I use it up. This stuff is practically pure pigment. I can't wait for the ArmaniReds collection to come to Japan, but my wallet quails.

* Giorgio Armani Lipshimmer #22: a beautiful, peachy nude with sparkle. Not frosty or shimmery or glittery, but sparkly. I stare at my lips when I wear this with the ArmaniSilk. It's so pretty! Again, I'm flabbergasted by the price, but this is a beautiful, lightweight, scentless lipgloss with good lasting power. I can also see the amount of product decrease, so it's not going to hold out nearly as long as the lipstick will.

* Visee Aqua Shining Eyes BE 300: a pretty, glittery pale yellow/gold cream eyeshadow. It's long lasting and looks gorgeous. Visee is sometimes on sale at department stores so it's possible to get it for about 1400 yen ($12 or so). It's a pity glitter doesn't quite work for weekdays.

* Majolica Majorca Majolook eyeshadow palette: longlasting, silky eyeshadows in a terribly cute palette. I want to collect them all!

* Opera MyLash mascara: nice amount of volume and lengthening; no clumpiness, and best of all, doesn't smear at all. Trumps Dejavu Fiberwig as MyLash is quite a bit cheaper.

* Inoui ID eyebrow pencil: natural effect, terribly easy to use, and beautiful packaging. It's really a pity that Shiseido discontinued this brand.

current lemmings

2007-03-30T21:38:00.000-07:00

* L'Artisan Creme d'Ananas (body cream) - it's a good thing that they only appear to sell the fragrances in Japan, although I will check on the main store in Tokyo one day. 200ml for $80.
* Bourjois Effet 3D Nudes - I want either Brun Poetic 33 or Nude Energic 35; they look gorgeous. But I have way too many glosses at the moment. I'll have to use up two nude glosses before I can buy this one. It'll probably be a year at this rate.

Recurring but quiet lemmings (don't feel the urge to buy immediately, but have wanted for at least half a year):
* Shiseido &Face Washing powder - Fancl and DHC are probably just as good, but &Face is just luxurious. I'm still debating which washing powder to buy, as I'll need something for my upcoming trip. 70g for 2,625 yen. I think I'll buy whatever is available in the smallest size, which probably means DHC.
* Fresh lip balm - luxurious and wonderfully moisturizing. But I currently can't spend that much money on a lip balm ($22). Although I do want to try the infamous Prada lip balm.
* LUSH Honey I washed the Kids soap - it's really popular and I'd like to see if it's as wonderful as people say. We'll see. I like LUSH soaps like snowcake, which is great for winter; moisturizing and very fine lather. But I have 3 soaps in my bath at the moment, so there's really no room for more.
* 4711 cologne (the original) - I'm halfway through my current decant; It's a great spicy citrus.
* L'Occitane Amande Shower Gel - I love almond, and this gel smells delicately of almonds without sugar. It's important that the scent not be too sweet, otherwise it reminds me of marzipan and makes me hungry.
* Anna Sui Moisturizing Touch Up Stick - no longer found on the Victoria's Secret website, but still available at evecare.com. Should I buy it? Dilemmas. Maybe in July. I am over quota for June. If you include shipping, it's about as much as Fresh lip balm. Hrm...
* Yves Saint Laurent Golden Gloss - it just looks gorgeous. Pretty sparkle. Someday, haha.
* Awake Stardom lip gloss - again, it looks terribly pretty. Can you tell that I like gloss?
* L'Occitane Ruban d'Orange Shower Gel - the sweet orange is strangely addictive to me. I think the perfume is a little too simplistic but it's a very sunny fragrance. Plotting to buy it one of these days.

They have CB I Hate Perfume; Frederic Malle, and Serge Lutens in Isetan Shinjuku Men's building!!! I tried the library scent; very nice. I don't know where to start with the Frederic Malles. But I think I'll be visiting the Men's building a lot. The salespeople are going to think I'm crazy. And it's highly unlikely that I'll buy any full bottles, although the Blu Meditteraneo citrus sounds lovely.

Satisfied lemmings:
* Crazylibellule and The Poppies: purchased Les Divines Alcoves in "tout oublier" for my birthday. Being greedy, I want more. It's a lovely, quiet, Iris scent in adorable packaging. Currently carrying around in my purse.
* Bloom lip gloss - this is the most emollient lip gloss I've tried so far. Love it. Pout is a wonderfully flattering shade, so I've been wearing this to work for the past week.

Shift to skin care

2007-03-04T03:37:00.000-08:00

So, I've finally recognized the wisdom of the Lipstick Page Forums Beauty Blog.

I went a little crazy over the past few months, in a "kid in a candy store" phase. I bought quite a few cosmetics which are great fun to play with (lipgloss, eyeshadow, blush). But now I'm noticing that my skin just isn't very clear at the moment, so I'm going to focus on improving that before dumping color cosmetics on top of it. Lipgloss and lipstick are about the only things I can wear easily at the moment. It's a good thing that those are the things I buy most often. In any case, I'm on a purchase freeze for anything other than skin care.

Some posts from the Lipstick Page blogs that I find particularly helpful:
The simplicity of skin: an excellent guide to skincare
Dain's exposition on Minimalism
Old School Dain Minimalism
A return to minimalism: Introduction
A return to Minimalism part 1
A return to Minimalism part 2

Despite all those posts on minimalism that I find compelling, I still want to buy more lip color. I don't know why, but I seem to get bored of everything fairly quickly. Everything that I've gotten lately looks lovely, but the novelty wears off and I want to try something new. Unhealthy or something.

Currently love:

Korres Mint Tea body milk (lovely scent that lasts, good moisturizing products, organic?)
DHC deep cleansing oil (I would love to try the Soft Touch Cleansing Oil but it can only be ordered from the website)
Beauty Credit Double Moist Pomegranate Collagen (frankly, it's the scent that I adore. I think the moisturizing properties are average as they are unnoticeable to me, but I'll gladly keep buying this for the divine scent. The Q10 coenzyme cream has a marvelous light rose scent).

Thanks to a friend, I have been testing a few of Kiehl's products. The texture of their products is lovely! But I find the ingredient lists a little iffy (the Foaming Non-Detergent Washable Cleanser contains detergents). I'm going through Sodium PCA "Oil-Free" Moisturizer at the moment; lovely feel and quite moisturizing. However, it contains multiple parabens and alcohols, which I would like to stay away from.

Anna Nicole Smith

2007-02-26T05:14:00.000-08:00

Colleen from The Lipstick Page Beauty Blog made an excellent post about Anna Nicole Smith's passing. All I can think of is that it's a waste that her life should end at such an point. So very sad.

swoon

2007-02-02T07:11:00.000-08:00

Vanessa L. Williams looked fantastic at the Screen Actors Guild awards! I love the earrings! And she's so beautiful.

Almost the weekend

2007-02-01T06:39:00.000-08:00

Time for pictures of eyeshadow and lip gloss from Inoui ID (Shiseido's line with makeup artist Dick Page). The eyeshadow is wonderful; easy to apply with beautiful colors that build up wonderfully. The case is sold separately but I'm glad I bought it; the brush applicator that it comes with is excellent and I've been carrying the quad around every day. I'm going to buy one or two more quads before Inoui ID closes in March (late Feb?), and refills for the eyebrow pencil. I might get another lip gloss too.

Inoui ID eyeshadow quad #35 and case

Inoui ID lip gloss #5 (Sweet)

TGIF

2007-01-26T06:33:00.000-08:00

Yay, it's Friday! This was a busy week, so in celebration I'm going to post one of my pretties from late last year when I discovered that some Japanese drugstores have semi-permanent sales on various Japanese cosmetics. The blush at the bottom is much more peach in real life. My flash washed it out quite a bit.

Shu, JAR, Fresh, grass

2007-01-13T06:45:00.000-08:00

I picked up my first Shu Uemura eyeshadow from a duty free shop in Taipei. Love! It's a metallic brown color with a surprising hint of pink in it. Dark but quite wearable, and wow does it last a long time. It even prevents my eye liner from smudging. That has never happened before. I can hardly believe it. Brilliant! I will have to get other colors.

In my whirlwind (albeit longest ever since childhood) tour of NYC, I ventured into Bergdorf Goodman and sought out the fabled JAR boutique. I'd imagined a sheltered cave, but it was more like a dark little alcove with dark velvet. An unmanned dark little alcove, with people flitting in and out of the secret room on the side, and no one giving me a second glance as I peered into the alcove.

I wandered in and out, hoping someone would appear to stand duty over the JARs, but no one did. So eventually I just waltzed into the alcove and peered at the bottles lying in a velvet tray. The bolt of lightening insignia in lieu of any words is rather spiffy. Since no one materialized to assist me, I thought about just picking up a bottle and trying it on, but I wasn't in the mood to talk to security that day. And what if I dropped it?! No new debts needed for the new year. So, that was my experience, or lack of, with JAR.

In lieu of that, I sniffed a bunch of the Carons and Annick Goutals in the perfume area next to the alcove while two sales people ignored me. I tried on the ETRO with almond on it (very nice). I dabbed on one of CB I Hate Perfume's products, a black tea if I remember correctly. Very interesting! I asked around for the Slatkins perfumes and got to try one on; lovely. The lady on duty there was very friendly; we chatted about the unavailability of the perfume in Japan. As I left the store, I slid past a group seeking a restroom being denied entry because closing time had been reached.

In Saks a friendly Bond No. 9 saleslady showed me the most recent Bond perfume; I can see why this line is popular. In Bloomingdales I finally ran across Hanae Mori Butterfly; I'd like to get a sample of this to try on longer. I was impressed that my NY friend had almost used up a bottle of Sarah Jessica Parker's Lovely.

At the Fresh store in Soho, a friendly saleslady let us try on Fresh's Sugar lip balm. The scent is pretty but it didn't seem all that spectacular. An hour or two later though, I noticed how pretty the balm looked on my lips. At the end of the day my lips were still soft and moisturized. I can see why this is their top seller; I'm tempted to buy it in spite of the exorbitant price tag.

The nice thing about my trip to NY and Taiwan was the realization that my "the grass is always greener" thinking has been in effect for a long time during my residence in Japan. But other than a few items (shoes in my size), there isn't a lot that I can't get for reasonable prices in Japan. Pretty much the only difference is that certain foods can be a lot cheaper and better outside of Japan (say Chinese food), but there's a heck of a lot of good food in Japan. So now I'll stop thinking "I could get this way cheaper in the U.S." and just focus on whether I like it or not.

I really like my T'estimo metallicolor liner, and I'm still addicted to the smell of Beauty Credit Pomegranate Emulsion. And I have no desire to shop for a long, long time. Which is good because I need to exercise and do some volunteer work.

I still need more shoes though.

Makeup advertising campaigns: Aube, T'estimo, Esprique Precious

2006-12-18T20:50:00.000-08:00

Sofina's Aube, Kanebo's T'estimo makeup lines have been relaunched recently and Kose just launched their new line Esprique Precious (not to be confused with Esprique Select).

Rinka, currently a quite popular model and TV personality in Japan, is the spokesmodel for Aube's relaunch. She looks good in the ads - in particular her skin looks perfect - but the hair styling is a little unnatural in the photos for the pink look. They used the purple and pink eye shadow palettes for the photos. The colors don't really appeal to me but they look pretty good on her. I'm still not sold on the purple though.

The actress Asami Mizukawa is the face of T'estimo's relaunch. I don't like the makeup they put on her. The shimmer and colors just doesn't suit. She's super pretty so I think it's just the color selection that I have an issue with. I've seen her in all of the new palettes and I don't think I liked any of them on her!

The supermodel Gemma Ward is the face of Esprique Precious, the catch phrase for which is "おとな。 but カワイイ," which translates into "grown-up. but cute." I'm guessing she's the most expensive of the spokesmodels for these campaigns, since she's internationally famous, but who know? Heh. For some reason, I really don't like the makeup they put on her. She's gorgeous but the colors seem to kind of wash her out, although they do bring out her grey-blue eyes. They should have gone with lighter lip colors. The pink is a bit too heavy on her. You may be unsurprised that the whole concept of the line is of little interest to me.

Maybe the problem is just that I don't like salmon pinkish colors. But other pinks look absolutely gorgeous - the magazine bea's Up this month has lovely layouts of a myriad of pretty pink lip colors - so I don't think that's the issue.

So far, I like the winter ad campain for Shiseido's Majolica Majorca line the best. Pretty and well done. The lip colors don't appeal to me, but they suit the model perfectly. The makeup for Chanel's Spring campaign is stunning though. Strong impact and looks great on the model. The model for Jill Stuart Spring also looks beautiful.

Recent purchases: Origins Underwear for Lips, and Covermark stick concealer

2006-11-29T07:56:00.000-08:00

I bought this because the Armani salesman was a little scary and the friendly saleslady was no where to be found, so I had to flee to the Origins counter instead. Underwear for Lips is a lip base to wear under lipstick or lip gloss. It neutralizes the pigmentation in your lips a bit, and lipstick goes on quite smoothly. Still, I haven't noticed any marked improvement in appearance (I wipe off all my lipstick and gloss at lunch) so I am not overly enthusiastic about this item.

My unplanned purchase of CoverMark stick concealer was the result of an uninterested Inoui ID saleslady (again, the friendly lady from my previous visit was not working that day). Lately, I seem to be unable to say no if I try something on. So I have to hide from cosmetic counters. Too dangerous! Anyway, the concealer is convenient and easy to apply, but does sink into lines a little bit. And I could use a bit more coverage. I'll use it up, but again, I am not overly enthusiastic.

Ah well. My clothing purchases have gone much better (although they have also been pricy). I may take pictures for an end-of-the-year entry (inspired by Koneko).

What do you think of this laptop bag? and furgles

2006-11-26T01:29:00.000-08:00

Jade laptop bag from the Darci collection by Abbi New York.
I think I might get it. They have a purple version too, but I found the green one for $54.

Funny how easy it is to shop. I wasn't even looking for anything.

Picture from Abbi New York's site.

Is this not the cutest thing ever?!?!

It's a baby furgles cd/dvd holder.
Picture from kleargear.com.
I'd so buy it for presents, but I'm very leery about credit card purchases these days. Can you tell it's much easier for me to shop for women than for men? And if you like ghibli or moomin stuff; such a snap for me to buy gifts.

City maps

2006-11-22T07:12:00.000-08:00

I just discovered superfuture. It has an awesome amount of detail on the Harajuku/Aoyama area. I had no idea that all these stores were there! I should wander around a lot this weekend. Holiday tomorrow!

laugh out loud

2006-11-21T05:32:00.000-08:00

Today's post at Go Fug Yourself is absolutely brilliant.

email from Jesus (reputedly)

2006-11-20T03:39:00.000-08:00

Spam mail is getting more and more interesting. I saved one just because it was interestingly incongruous ("narrative toothbrush"). But today, I got an email from Jesus (reputedly), entitled "thousand of war with me, And slew between cattle? The river,". Nonsensical but rather poetic. Despite containing both the words "war" and "slew," it is an oddly non-violent series of sentence fragments. Perhaps non-violent because there are only sentence fragments and thus manage to avoid having any meaning whatsoever.

Dude, these kids can dance! Some groups really need to stop dancing (coughcoughsmapcoughmorningmusumecough); they should just hire these kids.

2006-11-21: today I got an email entitled "apprentice floppy disk" and the text body begins with "rootless." Heh, a rootless apprentice floppy disk! I love it.

2nd impressions of the secret gardenia

2006-11-17T21:19:00.000-08:00

I can't think of a good name for the Laurent Le Guernec creation sent to me by Made By Blog, so for now I'll call it Secret Gardenia. Although that sounds a little silly. Whatever.

At first, the utter creaminess of this fragrance rather overpowered me, but now I'm getting quite used to it and find it rather comforting. A single spritz quickly and softly envelopes me. I like this sensation. It has a pleasant dash of sweetness but isn't over the top. I wouldn't call it simple but rather uncomplicated. Easy to enjoy but interesting although I can't tell you what I find interesting about it! It's certainly nothing like the new stuff in the department stores!

Have you smelled Nina Ricci's new scent? Geez, that stuff is sweet.

In a semi-related note, I have so far been able to test Armani Code (leading to an unmeditated purchase of Origins underwear for lips; I lay all blame on the Armani salesguy) and Bulgari Au Parfumee The Rouge. Now Smell This also has a lovely review of The Rouge.

Armani Code for Women is very interesting; I can't describe it at all. I don't get the orange or ginger that Now Smell This describes; perhaps it's too well blended for me to pick out. It's very nice, but I liked the drydown better than the opening for some reason. Maybe the opening has too much going on for me. This is the second time I've tried it. The first time, my 6 year old friend preferred it over Hermes Ambre Narguile on me :)

In contrast, I lurvve the opening to Bulgari Au Parfumee The Rouge. On skin, I get a n opening blast of dark, slightly bitter tea. Glorious, really. Haha. I love that opening. After a while it morphs into smelling like The Vert, which is nice, but not quite my cup of tea. Har. Um, yeah. The friendly saleslady at Takashimaya Shinjuku described the drydown as powdery. I don't really think of powder when I smell it; it seems more soft than anything.

I'm very happy to have met a friendly perfume saleslady though! It's a first.

Unrelated, but because the Inoui ID saleslady on Thursday was unhelpful, I ended up buying expensive concealer from Covermark. Yikes, there goes my budget! If only the nice lady from Tuesday had been there :(

Prizes have arrived!

2006-11-14T20:05:00.000-08:00

My prizes from Made by Blog and PerfumeCritic.com arrived this week! I am rich in perfumes these days.

I'm currently testing both the Laurent Le Guernec creation that Made by Blog sent me, and the Missha travel size perfume from Perfume Critic.

First impressions of my MBB prize: creeammmy! Like butter.
I wrote up some thoughts on it, but as I take notes, I think "geez, Katie and Marina would never write anything so bland and inexpressive." But life is what it is so I will just put down what I think. MBB sent me a great big bottle allowing me to test this fragrance with abandon. I get lots and lots of gardenia, and a bit of almond at the beginning. Imagine a big creamy gardenia blossom the size of a canteloupe melon. The scent stays pretty close to the skin but I can still smell it 10 hours later. I wouldn't characterize the fragrance as sweet, although the creaminess makes any sweetness very evident, akin to how a white canvas makes colors stand out.

Missha: It's hard to categorize, because I'm not familiar with anything like it. I'm guessing it's a greenish perfume; that's the impression I get. Biting raw sap kind of effect, although the fragrance is not that sharp. I don't have any olfactory experience here :)

Kose Visee Aqua Shining Eyes BE 300

2006-11-12T06:23:00.000-08:00

Aqua Shining Eyes from Visee is an excellent liquid eyeshadow. It doesn't crease or smear after 8 hours (although I did only test with a light coating, so I don't know what happens if you apply it normally), and looks absolutely beautiful. Shimmer and bits of sparkle give a beautiful effect. Definitely something for evening use though; I think it's a bit much for daytime. It's so lovely that I want to buy more, despite the limited opportunities to use it. I will refrain, of course.

The BE 300 is a pale peach champagne color. One swipe of the doe's foot applicator applies the pigment clearly; you can smooth it out for a sheerer effect.

Packaging is light and a bit on the cheap side but seems perfectly functional.

List price is 1800 yen, which is a bit expensive but you do get a quality product.

Perfume and Rap

2006-11-09T04:04:00.000-08:00

No actual correllation between the two in my post, but the title does neatly sum up this entry.

Rapper/singer Akon doesn't always say what I would like to hear, but he has some catchy songs.

15 minutes into Trevor Nelson's show, you can hear his new song. Although if you go directly to his website, you can hear "Smack That" immediately. "Mr. Lonely" and "Locked up" are other classics. Apparently his native language is French. It'd be cool if he used French lyrics sometime. He already has, for all I know.

For catchy but less edgy music, you can check out Cassie.

Perfume Posse poses an interesting question: what 3 perfumes you would get if money were no object?

My choices:
Hermes Hermessence Discovery Set
Frederic Malle Test Kit
Shiseido White Rose

I've only tested White Rose and Hermessence Ambre Narguile once, so these aren't purchases I would actually make, but if I had money to burn, I'd want them.

In the meantime: Vera Wang, Monotheme White tea

2006-11-07T20:23:00.000-08:00

I am currently searching for the perfumes recommended by the Director of Fragrance Development at IFF. As sneaky department stores do not like to list on their websites which brands of perfumes that they carry, I have to physically go and search. I didn't realize Armani was so hard to find; so far Odakyu and Keio do not carry it. Today I will visit Seibu and Tobu.

I never noticed that Vera Wang was available at Odakyu though; I tried it out yesterday. Floral, sweet, rich. A bit too strong somehow for me. It's pretty though; I can see why it is popular. But Fracas is nicer. Fracas lovers would probably freak out at that understatement, haha. Thumbs up for Vera Wang.

Odakyu has a nice layout for their fragrance area. It's spread out and low key; usually the sales people leave you alone to browse through.

In contrast, the Keio fragrance area has fragrances all packed together four shelves high in a little corner, so it's bewildering to browse, not to mention guarded by a garrulous but not terribly helpful salesperson.

They have a new tester at Odakyu's Makeup Solutions area (which carries a lot of foreign brands including Too Faced, Bloom, and Hard Candy): Monotheme White Tea. It's quite nice. A simple sweet tea scent. On the light side, and lasting power seems moderate, but it's a quiet scent with little sillage from what I can tell, and not much development that I noticed. I've only tested it twice. It's quite pleasant, but I'm not enamored enough to buy it. It would be easy to wear, but perhaps a little dull. Anyway, a thumbs up from me (I like tea).

I am currently purging unneeded clothing from my wardrobe. My friend B helped me out a lot the last time she visited, but there's still quite a bit of stuff that I don't need. It's funny how difficult it is to get rid of clothing that I wear rarely but actually like. And clothing that I find inadequate for my purposes, but I use occasionally. And clothing that I don't really like but use a lot. All reasons that I have a lot of unnecessary clothing.
I found some excellent articles on minimizing:

a new take on attractive perfume

2006-11-06T05:51:00.000-08:00

Found via NowSmellThis: an excellent article from Luca Turin is available at the Sunday Times.

a prize for me

2006-11-02T19:17:00.000-08:00

Hee, sorry about the self-centered title.

If you're curious, there's a post at Made by blog regarding the perfume recommendations that Ms. Ferval of IFF made for me, and the perfume prize that she picked out. If this post doesn't make any sense, go read Nobi's post, as he explains it all nicely.

Skinceuticals mask, AHA foaming face wash

2006-11-01T06:15:00.000-08:00

Kind of busy, but have various mini-reviews to post anyway.

Skinceuticals mask mini-review: excellent. Lovely scent and texture. It only takes a small amount to cover my face; will take years to use up this jar. I keep it in the refrigerator and use once a week.

AHA foaming face wash mini-review: Smells faintly of chlorine. No noticeable foam. Haven't noticed any difference in my skin. It does remove makeup though.

Perfumers

2006-10-27T22:45:00.000-07:00

Made by Blog is some fascinating stuff.

I really enjoy the glimpses into perfumery and what various perfumers are like. And Katie and Marina and Nobi's comments are always marvelous.

I gush, but it's true! (Whenever I say "It's true", I always think of Calvin and Hobbes and Calvin-the-alien saying "It twoo!" when he asserts that Calvin-the-boy has taken his space ship and stranded him. Anyone else get that? Anyway, Calvin and Hobbes is genius)

simple, frugal links

2006-10-16T20:12:00.000-07:00

I found some good blogs on simple living and living frugally. It's funny how they seem to go together.

* The Frugal Duchess
* Simplicity in Kansas
* Frugal for Life

edit: Found through The Budget Fashionista

where to buy atomizers?

2006-10-11T08:15:00.000-07:00

Having too many bottles sitting around, I'd like to decant them. But buying atomizers from the local drugstores is getting old. Where's a good place to buy plastic or glass atomizer bottles?

4711 Cologne

2006-10-05T06:19:00.000-07:00

I am currently addicted to 4711 Original Eau de Cologne but it disappears within 30 minutes. A pity. I guess I just have to carry it around if I want to be able to detect it.

While in Yokohama I ran across Fragonard's store in Minatomirai, and picked up a charming case of Eau du Bonheur solid perfume. It's quite bright and cheerful so far.

And Emanual Ungaro's Desnuda is very nice. I want a bigger decant. It doesn't seem readily available in Japan, but I will have to look around.

commenting on what other people eat

2006-10-01T05:11:00.000-07:00

Even monitoring what others eat is rude, much less commenting on it.

- Miss Manners

I've been guilty of this at times, unfortunately.

shopping issues, luca turin can sell anything

2006-09-30T22:07:00.000-07:00

I identify a lot with this post from High Fashion Girl.

Have you read Luca Turin's September column at NZZ Folio? I don't even like most lavenders, but promptly after reading the column, I was off and searching the web to find places to buy Caldey Island Lavender Water. Turin's descriptions are simply entrancing. I'm looking forward to his book "Secret of Scent" which will be out in Nov. in the U.S. I think it's already been published in Europe and available in Japan, which makes me wonder why the U.S. publisher is so slow.

Armani lemming!

2006-09-13T06:57:00.000-07:00

I finally stopped by Isetan today and asked the Armani saleslady to show me a nude lip look. It was beautiful! Just the lipstick (over concealer) was a lovely nude (just a hint of rose/mauve to it, so it wasn't colorless). And when she applied a lip shimmer to it, it was really gorgeous. Such a simple look but so pretty! Specks of gold sparkled in the gloss. I really may have to go back and buy it. I think I'll ask the Saleslady to reapply it so I can confirm that the colors are correct. I don't know what color shimmer she applied and I think she used Armanisilk lipstick #18, but I want to be sure. I tried replicating the look with other lip glosses, but I don't have anything with that pretty gold glitter. It's not a metallic look but more glittery. A clear gap in my lip gloss collection. :P

I'm balking a bit at the price though! Both the lipstick and the shimmer together would come to more than $50. I wonder which I want more. I could buy the other one for Christmas :D

I liked the saleslady too. She was helpful and not pushy. When I told her I would think about the lipstick, she chirped that I should come back anytime. I haven't run across too many cheerful salesladies in dept. stores yet. I don't remember what she looked like though, and I didn't get her name.

I'm very impressed by the fuschia Chanel lipstick I have. At first I was a bit daunted by the brightness, but it's very blendable so I'm using just a touch to get a light pink look. The Estee Lauder lipsticks blend very well too. I suppose that's a sign of quality. The Fasio lipstick I have doesn't blend very well.

mini reviews: Fruits & Passion, Caswell Massey, L'Occitane

2006-09-09T21:21:00.000-07:00

- Fruits & Passion Fruity Deodorant in Pear-Linden: The pear linden smell is lovely, but I'm finding the deodorant to be a little too heavily perfumed. I catch whiffs of it at work. It's not quite complex enough to want to perfume myself with it. I sampled Solstis deodorant in the Manila store, and that smells lovely! Light and interesting and summery. I may buy that next.

I have not yet opened my little pot of Monoi Hand Butter but the gardenia scent is luxurious. I look forward to using it in winter. The jasmine lotions also smelled divine; that may be a future purchase if I ever get tired of gardenia and almond. Current objects of desire (and greed):
* Body Care Gift Set in Monoi
* Refreshing Ritual
(Fruits & Passion have a Canadian site too.)

- Caswell Massey Almond sampler kit: Not bad. The unscented lip balm is very moisturizing so I enjoy using it at night. A little too greasy for a repurchase though. The shower lotion and hand lotion are very nice, but a little too sweet like marzipan for my taste. Haven't tried the almond shampoo or bar soap yet. Someday I hope to find Crawford & Williams hand soap for sale somewhere! That is a perfect almond scent. L'Occitane's almond line is nice, but way too pricy in Japan for me to stomach buying.

- L'Occitane Almond shea butter soap: Meh. Not much of any scent, not to mention almond. But the soap itself seems like a very nice, high quality soap. I was annoyed when one saleslady in Omotesando told me that L'Occitane doesn't make almond soap, even though I knew they sold it in the Shinjuku shop. I guess they're no longer producing it, as I could only find a link to the milk and verbena scents.

I would like to try the Almond Shower oil sometime; now it comes in a nice travel size.

mini u.k. street poll on celebrity perfumes

2006-09-08T21:09:00.000-07:00

One of the reporters on Trevor Nelson's weekend radio show (BBC radio) went out and had three teenagers sample three celebrity perfumes and rank them. The reporter remarked on the booming celebrity fragrance trend. The sampled perfumes were JLo Love at First Glow, Sean John's Unforgivable, and Britney Spears' Curious.

The final ranking:
3. JLo - comments about the bottle: "It's quite stylish, I think a lot of girls our age would like it." About the scent, "Um, It's not my favorite but it's ok. Um, it's for like older peo... older teens." (LOL at the definition of age).
2. Sean John - "Smells quite nice, a bit fruity." "slightly fe-mi-nine smell, it's not very manly..."
and ....
1. Britney Spears "It smells quite young, like fresh and fruity. Quite good for our age group, I think. Smells how it looks, you know what I mean."

The kids seemed to really like the fruity juice: "It smells really good." Trevor Nelson would only say that Curious smells "really young" to him. And he tried Unforgivable, which was "not bad." Very amusing segment.

The perfume section of Trevor Nelson's Saturday show is at about 10:46 (an hour and 46 minutes into the show) so if you hit the skip 15min button 6 times and the skip 5 min button 3 times, you'll be right at the interview clip. I don't know how long that weekend's show will be up though.

Shiseido Anessa town use sunscreen

2006-09-08T06:17:00.000-07:00

There's a lot I could post about my trip to Manila (fun!), but I am being lazy so for now I'll just put a mini-review of Shiseido's Anessa town use sunscreen SPF 30 PA++, from Shiseido's Anessa line of suncreens and sun-protecting makeup.

I finally used up my little bottle of sunblock from last year (or 2 years ago), so thought I would give this popular sunscreen line a try. Sunblock in Japan is pretty expensive; I'd say twice as expensive as in the U.S., but Anessa and Kanebo's competitor Allie go for about $26 for 60 grams. Very expensive in my opinion. However, a friend of a friend buys a ton of Shiseido sunblock whenever she visits Japan, so I wanted to see if it was worth the price tag. Also, now is a good time to buy sunblock since it's on sale at certain drugstores. I picked up mine for 30% off. I would go back and buy more, but this tube may last me a year.

I'm very impressed so far. It has a pleasant, light rose scent (a Shiseido trademark, if I'm not mistaken), and feels very light. Apparently it's supposed to provide a nice base for your makeup, hee. I guess that's very important. It is also advertized as waterproof (although it is for everyday use as opposed to the beach, so I don't think it'll stand up too well to a swim). They recommend you remove the sunscreen with makeup remover. I enjoy applying it each morning, which is a plus (the power of fragrance and texture). I'd like to compare this sunscreen with much cheaper alternatives like Banana Boat Faces Plus and Coppertone Spectra, neither of which are available in Japan. Still, might as well take advantage of the local products.

I wonder if I should still look for a moisturizer.

In unrelated news, I was surprised to find Crest entered the dental products market here! Although they've only started with some motorized toothbrushes. No toothpaste.

Has anyone tried out Integrate, one of Shiseido's new cosmetic brands? Angelina Jolie is the spokesmodel, but I'm bothered by the peachy lipstick they put on her (I just looked at the website and the color looks much better. I think the printing job wasn't very good). The line itself seems pretty nice. The glosses and lipsticks are light but pretty, and they have a very tempting gloss in a lip crayon form! The line is very reasonably priced with lipsticks and lipglosses around $10. 1/3 of the price of Maquillage.

I just noticed that Shiseido has an eponymous suncare line also. I wonder if that's what the friend of a friend buys.

the cost

2006-08-30T21:05:00.000-07:00

The price of anything is the amount of life you exchange for it.

Henry David Thoreau

aol lacks proofreaders

2006-08-25T06:30:00.000-07:00

Or people who can spell. On their music videos site, in the "Hear New Songs First" category, they spelled Nelly Furtado's song "Promiscuous" as "Permiscuous," although it is correctly spelled in the "Top 100 Music Videos" listing.

shampoo accessorized with toothpaste, nyc hotels

2006-08-18T07:31:00.000-07:00

So, someone tell me why drugstore.com thinks that toothpaste and dental floss are the perfect accessories for Neutrogena Triple Moisture Cream Lather Shampoo.

My theory? Poor categorizations. Like Amazon. Although drugstore's search engine is better.

In a completely unrelated question, anyone have recommendations for NY City hotels?

stain removal

2006-08-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

I was freaking out because the permanent ink at the bottom of my bottle of face wash seeped into the plastic of my shower unit. But! This site had wonderful recommendations. I can state that a denture tablet sprayed with hot water and left overnight will get pesky stains out.

Shampoo is great for getting makeup stains out of clothing.

And when you cut yourself shaving and don't notice until it's on your socks, hydrogen peroxide is great. I actually ran across a site which said shampoo works well too, but I haven't personally tried that.

desnuda by emanuel ungaro, The Emperor of Scent

2006-08-04T11:08:00.000-07:00

I may be a fan! It smells soft and refined. A bit on the delicate side but interesting. Something a bit spicy and lightly sweet.

I can't remember who recommended this, but it's quite lovely so far. Not quite me, but not bad.

Chandler Burr's book The Emperor of Scent is excellent. The intelligent, clear writing is a relief to read after scanning through too many poorly written best sellers and I really enjoyed his highly accessible treatment of the science described. Luca Turin sounds absolutely fascinating. Very readable. My father enjoyed it too.

styling my hair... not!

2006-08-03T10:33:00.000-07:00

I tried blowdrying my hair straight today. Just for a more groomed appearance because none of the styling products I own seem to be able to do anything with my currently wavy and frizzy hair.

I lost patience after 5 minutes. Straightening hair takes too long! Hee. I am so impatient.

In other news, I bought Coty's Sand and Sable perfume. A big bottle of summery gardenia. But there's something about the coconut? mixed with gardenia that I don't quite like. I prefer The Body Shop Indian Gardenia over it. I guess I'll just break Sand and Sable up into little samples for my friends to mess around with.

I also found Le Feu D'Issey Light at the duty free shop in Narita Airport, and because it smelled interesting and has been discontinued and is in the absolute cleverest little red rubber casing (you rotate the bottle inside it's case until the nozzle is higher than the rubber casing, then you can spray it; rotate it back for normal storage). I still can't decide whether to resell it or open it up :D. I want it, but it's pure materialism speaking.

I finally (finally!) got to try Yves Saint Laurent's In Love Again. The sample atomizer is kind of poorly designed and dribbles after you spray it, although the logo is cute. The scent is rather nice but a little duller than I hoped for. I wonder if the sample had gone bad? No fresh grapefruit tang. Pretty weak sillage too. Ah well. I need to try 4711. Maybe that'll give me a nice grapefruit.

I also spotted Flower by Kenzo Oriental in the Chicago airport, but they didn't have a tester so I couldn't justify buying it. They did have a tester for the recently discontinued Carolina Herrera Chic, which didn't impress me at first but the drydown was nice and rather chic (harhar). Not addictive though, so I am safe from that lemming.

packing

2006-07-22T02:49:00.000-07:00

I've only packed gifts and my suitcase is almost full. I hereby will stop hoarding gifts for people. Even though it's fun. At least I've stopped sending packages to people (for the most part; I still take requests).

I have a long list of things (mostly beauty products) that are recommended and I would like to try. This list is pretty much just an invitation to consumerism, so I'm really tempted to throw away the list. That way I'll only buy the things that I can recall from the list. However, if I were to throw away the list, I would probably regret it later and be forced to reassemble it by trolling all my favorite websites. Which would be a waste of time. So I keep the list. I've stopped updating the perfume list though. Now I just read perfume reviews and think "How lovely!" and go back to work.

I had my Japanese teacher sniff my Une Zeste de Rose. She seemed to like it quite a lot, even though she's fairly anti-perfume. She only wears 4711 and finds everything else too strong. Despite not being a perfume fan, she apparently receives presents of perfume quite frequently. I am encouraging her to give out little decants of the perfumes, as she never wears them herself. One way to get rid of them :D Perfume should be used and enjoyed, after all.

I bet English teachers read blogs like this and cry about the declining education level in America. Yes, yes, I will proofread and brush up on my punctuation.

In an unrelated note, have you read Shirley Manson's blog (of the group Garbage)? She sounds super cool.

toilet paper from recycled pulp

2006-07-18T07:23:00.000-07:00

All of the toilet paper that is made from 100% recycled wood pulp seems to be pretty flat and unfluffy. I guess the recycled paper just doesn't have any elasticity left?

Listening to:
DT8 Project - 'Hold Me' (Mondo)
Andy Galea vs Soulshaker - 'Unknown' (White Label)
Peetu S - 'Bigger Palace' (Altitude Netherlands )
Memoir - 'Listen To The Release' (White Label)
Chocolate Puma - 'Always And Forever' (Positiva)

Les Parfums de Rosine: Un Zest de Rose

2006-07-17T00:05:00.000-07:00

I stopped by a little shop in Jiyugaoka where they supposedly carry 1300 perfumes. They had an impressive display of perfumes though I don't think I saw 1300. Probably they keep a lot in back. I noticed that they carry Hermes Amazone which perfumecritic bought on his trip to the shop Jasina in Singapore. They seem to have lots of Carons also. The lady in the tiny shop had me sniff Perry Ellis F and Les Parfums de Rosine Un Zest de Rose. I liked both scents but the tea in Un Zest de Rose really appealed to me, so I bought the sampler size that she offered. Sigh, looking at fragrances is dangerous. I need to stick to trying stuff on skin, then getting a small sample. No purchasing allowed on first sniff!

update 2006-07-22: The perfume is lovely but doesn't really smell like me. I like smelling it though. I wonder if my mother would like it.

update 2006-08-14: fixed the name of Un Zest de Rose, and typos. Spelling check is my friend.

waiting for Mille et une Roses

2006-06-29T21:17:00.000-07:00

I swung by the Lancome counter at Keio Department store to inquire about it. Apparently it will hit stores in Japan in August. So about a month left before I can try it out. I've heard very good things about it.

Since they don't have it yet, I decided to test out Estee Lauder's Azuree Body Oil spray. I was amused to notice that most of the items in the new Azuree collection are sold out at Keio. Guess it's popular! Anyway, I sprayed on a dash of the body oil and in the process splattered a bit on the counter. Ah well, that's what you get when you spray oil! I'm not so sure a body oil spray is a good idea. Seems to be asking for a mess. The scent itself is nice. Coconut and beachy, but wasn't addictive or anything, so I'll be able to survive the sold out state of things.

I ran across some scrumptious soaps in gardenia and lily, but I am still holding out for an almond soap.

fragrance spritzes

2006-06-28T06:58:00.000-07:00

GF Ferre for Her - floral, simple, pretty. It's ok. Thumbs sideways.

GF Ferre for Him - darker, more woodsy? Reminds me of a fragrance that I can't talk about yet. Would like to smell it on a guy, but I think Omnia is more interesting. Thumbs sideways.

L'Eau par Kenzo for Women - light, methinks these are ozone notes. Not bad. Thumbs sideways.

Flower by Kenzo - what the heck? It smells... like some common chemical that escapes me at the moment. All I can come up with is fragrant nail polish, but that's not it. Household detergent? Ajax? Laf. I don't know what, but it's a very straightforward smell. Laf. Flower?!? Thumbs down, although it's not bad or boring; it just doesn't smell good on me.

And that was all the real estate I had available to test with.

for people who remember 90210 and Aaron Spelling

2006-06-27T08:16:00.000-07:00

I love the postscript on this blog entry!

Santa Maria Novella in Tokyo

2006-06-23T22:17:00.000-07:00

Wow, I had no idea that this Italian apothecary has shops in Tokyo! Next time I'm in Aoyama I am there! I've read quite a few reviews of their perfumes. The Japanese site seems more modern than the Italian one. Not enough pictures though.

Modest Needs

2006-06-16T07:24:00.000-07:00

I read about Modest Needs at Perfume Posse today. It seems like a nice way to help a little bit. I really should donate my time too, but since I'm not doing that at the moment...

On a far more frivolous note, remember Raven-Simone from The Cosby Show? She's apparently a singer now. She seems like quite a technically skilled singer, but I don't like her songs themselves too much. Feel rather Disney-like and lacking depth.

I need to pick up Tori Amos's more recent albums. She's a little strange as a person, but I love her music. I probably still like her album Little Earthquakes the best though. She has a series of bootlegs out; maybe I'll pick up a few.

Go U.S.A.!

2006-06-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Soccer, of course. (er, football if you're not American or Japanese). Good luck!

Revlon ColorStay Overtime Sheer Lipcolor

2006-06-10T08:34:00.001-07:00

After my last post, this post is a little ironic. I just tried out Revlon ColorStay Overtime Sheer Lipcolor (sheer mocha). I'm a fan. It's easy to apply and a simple, flattering color. No discomfort and it lasts as long as advertised, through dinner and dessert. I'd like to try the other colors. There's something really nice about lipstick that stays on forever. I'm pretty lazy about touchups so this is convenient. Maybe I'll give up on regular lipsticks and glosses.

current lip favorites

2006-06-09T18:41:00.000-07:00

It's funny how quickly I got bored of the Revlon MoistureShine Lipgloss. Well, it took a couple months, so maybe not too quickly?

I bought a Shiseido The Makeup Perfecting Lipstick in April; I love it! Lovely, light texture and strong pigment. And I am rediscovering how awesome the Shiseido The Makeup Lipgloss (clear) is. It makes any lipstick look pretty. I don't know how they do it. If only they'd fix the taste (although it's not too noticeable on top of lipstick). As it is I'll use it happily but not repurchase. Oddly enough the lipstick has no bothersome taste to speak of.

My current favorite lipstick is Shu Uemura Lolishine Rouge #769. It's light and pretty, with a nice glossy shine. I want to try the other Lolishine colors, but 2600 yen is a little hard to justify spending often.

The Shu Uemura Lip Shimmer (strawberry compote) is also a great lipgloss. It goes well with anything.

It's interesting how my favorites turned out to be my most expensive purchases.

Woot! Perfumes to be shaped by blog

2006-06-01T06:13:00.000-07:00

Scentzilla, Perfume Smellin' Things and Nobi Shioya (S-Perfume) are collaborating to see what kinds of perfumes can be created when driven by a passion for perfume, as opposed to marketing.

We'll be able to read and discuss the development of the perfumes at Made by Blog. Katie and Marina's proposals are already up and look very interesting. I wonder what the perfumers will make of their desires!

spritzed at the department store

2006-05-30T20:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I swung by Tobu while waiting for a dinner appointment, and tested three fragrances.

The first: Dolly Girl limited edition 2006 something or other. Smells nice; in fact, smells just like Secret Wish! Do all Anna Sui perfumes smell the same? I shall have to investigate. Sweetly floral; a little powdery; pleasant but I wouldn't buy. I did buy the eyebrow brush #1 though. I guess there's no lack of stock in Japan.

The second was Givenchy Amarige. Very nice top notes! Love gardenia. But it turned powdery on me within the hour, so I lost interest. The bottle is gorgeous.

The third was Mat Matsushima's Mintea. Lovely top notes; mint and citrus. But it too dried down into a powdery something that lost my interest.

Japanese yukata (light summer kimono)

2006-05-25T22:35:00.000-07:00

I bought a yukata at Uniqlo the other day. I've always thought that they were pretty, but as people normally only wear them to the summer fireworks festivals and obon festivals, there are limited oppportunities to wear a yukata. I didn't even go to any summer festivals last year. However, this year I decided that life is short and yukata are pretty and a nice aspect of living in Japan, so I picked up an inexpensive red one from Uniqlo. Normally yukata run from 6000 yen and up (way up; can get into the hundreds of dollars), but they're only 4000 yen at Uniqlo (cheaper materials and more limited selection). I am now the proud owner of a yukata. It's cute, and I think the quality has improved from last year. Made in China of course.

It's surprisingly difficult to put a yukata on properly, but I think I'll manage. The yukata comes with a matching little purse, which I didn't expect. I probably ought to get a white slip for it too.

pop music

2006-05-12T12:00:00.000-07:00

I think I'm a new Rihanna fan. Fun music!

i was just looking for good gift sites

2006-05-08T04:47:00.000-07:00

Sadly, I forgot that the one problem with gift shopping is that you might encounter something that you want for yourself.

Want:
good fortune necklace (but I don't think it's worth $85)

spiral drop lariat (cute...)

ditto

2006-05-07T03:41:00.000-07:00

Urban Chick has a great quote:

It is preoccupation with possessions, more than anything else, that prevents us from living freely and nobly. - Bertrand Russell

for perfume enthusiasts

2006-05-03T06:13:00.000-07:00

You might find the pictures of this fragrance shop interesting. It would be fun to visit the shop and see all the fragrances, but I'd be afraid of damaging a fortune's worth of bottles if I stepped inside the place.

Shiseido The Makeup Perfecting Lipstick P12

2006-04-29T11:10:00.000-07:00

For some reason, this extremely dark brown lipstick with a hint of mauve suits my coloring perfectly. Despite that, I have to apply it lightly and cover with gloss in order to get a wearable look. Normally applied, it gives a gothic effect because it's so dark. Still, I love the color! A lighter version would be perfect, but all the lighter colors had too much red in them for me. The lipstick is very nicely packaged in a smooth metal tube with a comfortable heft to it. It feels like a precision crafted gadget, really. Rather luxurious. Estee Lauder doesn't have nearly as nice packaging for their Pure Color lipstick.

About 3000 yen in department stores.

I've noticed that Shiseido The Makeup (one of Shiseido's makeup lines) does not seem to be carried by the Shiseido retail shops, although they carry everything else including Cle de Peu. The Makeup only seems to be in dept. stores.

By the way, Clé de Peau has a very nice moisturizing stick. Greasy yet very light. It looks as pretty as a gloss. Sadly it's about 5000 yen.

quick post about Shiseido Men, Shiseido Chant du Coeur

2006-04-28T21:00:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd start giving thumbs up/thumbs sideways/thumbs down ratings of the fragrances that I try. I don't try most fragrances for a long enough period of time to give them proper reviews. Please keep in mind I have very limited experience with fragrances, so what is interesting to me may be terribly old hat.

Shiseido Men edt - I was curious because scenteur7 did a nice review of it. It's in a sleek, modern bottle. I would love to give it as a gift to someone. It seems quite reasonably priced too at 5500 yen. I got the impression of mint, without smelling mint. Interesting, fresh, would probably smell great on a guy. Thumbs up!

Shiseido Chant du Coeur - Nice, powdery (but not annoyingly powdery), sweet. Seems sweeter than Saso and a bit lighter in feel. Thumbs sideways, as not personally drawn to it.

Guerlain Lovely Cherry Blossom parfum - recommended by the sales assistant. Nicer than the limited edition put out this year (that thing is way too fruity!), but not terribly exciting considering it's Guerlain. I was drawn to the citrus top notes. Thumbs sideways, as you could do a lot worse, I think.

Clinique Happy for Men - more interesting than Clinique Happy for Women, but didn't particularly like the notes meself. Thumbs sideways.

Bulgari Omnia - Interesting! Spicy, lively. Would like to smell it on a guy, I think, as it was better than Clinique Happy for Men. Thumbs up.

In other news, stymied by the testers for two Rosarium perfumes: papa meiland and another Rosarium no longer being produced. They were those squeeze type perfume bottles and the rubber balloons were broken, which I suppose accounts for the testers being almost completely full. Sigh.

Next time I visit that Shinjuku Shiseido store, I'll try out Tentatrice and Vocalise. After that, We're. I love commuting through Shinjuku!

Clinique Happy, Lancome Miracle

2006-04-10T07:39:00.000-07:00

Swung by the Ainz/Tulpe drugstore in Harajuku today, and sprayed on Clinique Happy and Lancome Miracle to give them a try. I really wanted to try Hermes Un Jardin Sur Le Nil but the tester had apparently fled from the weekend shoppers. Mat Matsushima Orange was tempting too, but since it smells like orange, and I know what an orange smells like, I passed on it. I wonder why grapefruit is more appealling.

Anyway, the verdict: Happy was lighter and a little more interesting (less powdery?) than Miracle. But neither was terribly exciting.

recommended duty-free perfumes?

2006-03-29T17:08:00.000-08:00

Suggestions, anyone? Because I need more ways to spend money. Yeah, right.

I will be in various airports this year (why do direct flights from Tokyo to Toronto have to cost $4,000+?), so I was thinking, "Ooh, duty free. Wonder if I can find any bargains there." Unlikely, but it would be handy (bad for my wallet, but fun for me) to have a list of duty-free only fragrances that I should try out.

Ooh, there're two Sephoras in Toronto. Wonder if I will have time to visit.

Gabriel & Dresden

2006-03-28T18:53:00.000-08:00

Addictive song of the week: Gabriel & Dresden - 'Tracking Treasures Down' [Club Mix] (Organized Nature). A rather hypnotic song. The lyrics are a little nonsensical at times, but eh. It's all good.

Forward to 10:20 on Judge Jules's program (only the most recent week's show is available though, so it is probably gone now). The forward 5 minutes and forward 15 minutes buttons are very convenient. You do need RealPlayer though.

I'm kind of sick of Amber's song "Sexual." Old and overplayed, although the recent remix is bearable.

what I want

2006-03-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

As I seem to have successfully persuaded myself (or perhaps my superego has persuaded my id?) that even perfume samples may only be bought after I have tested the perfume on skin, I wanted to list other things that I want.

I will debate whether this impulse is good or bad later, but listing things is fun.

* almond scented bath goods (liquid soap, moisturizer, anything!)
* facial scrub (preferably almond-scented, but it is more important that it be effective than almond-scented)
* a lip balm in a tube/stick form. Something that smells nice, in a sophisticated package. I am currently drooling over:
- Fresh Sugar Lip Balm $22
- Anna Sui Moisturizing Touch-Up Stick $16 (katiedid recommends)
- KenzoKi Sensual Rice Steam Lip Duo $20
They're all a little pricy, but still conceivable. Now, the Prada Beauty Shielding Balm SPF 15/Lip/Tint at $38...

* 1 gig SD card
* a laptop under $1000
* various comic books and cds (ooh, need to update my budget)

Hrmph. As expected, none of this stuff is important. Time to look for some NGOs to volunteer for.

Saso Soap and Rosarium Papa Meiland or gah, the web is evil

2006-03-23T17:25:00.000-08:00

So, the web is clearly evil. I found this shop in Nagoya which appears to have a stock of a lot of discontinued perfumes and cosmetics by Shiseido and other brands. In particular, they have an entire Saso page, including Saso soap, which one Fragrance holic recommended. Simply because it's rare, I want to buy it. How silly is that? It might make a nice present for a friend of mine, but I really have no idea if she will like it. I like it, but...

I was poking around the site a little more, and discovered ばら園パパメイラン (Rosarium papa meiland). I sniffed the fragrance beads at the Shiseido exhibit in Ginza; it had a lovely tea rose fragrance. Naturally, I have no idea if it will actually suit my skin chemistry, but I want it. Bah. Pure materialism. Argh!

And there's this Shiseido fragrance called 禅（Zen) not to be confused with the fragrance later released by Shiseido called ZEN. Fragrance holic describes it as smelling of lily of the valley and gardenia. Apparently suzuran means lily of the valley in Japanese. At least 禅 is still available in various Shiseido resellers, so I can probably test it somewhere.

Must not buy fragrances unless I've tested them. Right.

Good grief, Suzuro perfume is 47,000yen? About $450. Wow. I should stop reading about discontinued or ludicrously priced fragrances.