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.

Japanese Powder Foundations part 2

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

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.

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

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.

Almost the weekend

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

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.

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

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.

Kose Visee Aqua Shining Eyes BE 300

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.

Japanese yukata (light summer kimono)

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.

although i find it irritating

It's probably a good thing that most of the online cosmetic stores that I know of don't ship to Japan. I'd probably buy way too much stuff if I lived in the U.S. As it is, my mother is already upset about the amount of stuff I find necessary to order from overstock.com and drugstore.com. I suppose I will have to limit myself to buying within Japan.

Sumida River Hanabi

I wore a yukata for the first time. It's quite complicated to put on. It was very fun though. Tsuneko arranged it all, borrowing it from a friend. She did a lovely job helping me put it on. she took pictures too.

The sumida river fireworks were lovely. they had very pretty twirly glittery ones that end up in little fan shapes.

Long Vacation

This famous Japanese drama is probably 10 years old by now. At least 8 years old.

I watched the first episode. It was really good! Higher quality than a lot of the stuff on TV right now. The main actress Yamaguchi is really cute, I like her character a lot. She's quite a good actress. The episode seemed an hour and a half long though.

I watched it all in Japanese, as it was faster than reading the Chinese subtitles.

Anyone ever slam into train doors trying to catch one?

Random tidbits: my kenneth cole wallet was fashionable but didn't last that long.

There was a McDonalds deal: chicken mcnuggets 5 for 100 yen, yum!

On July 23, it smelled like scallion pancakes. Scallion pancakes are good.

sunkus drinks

Sunkus (convenience store), has a really boring selection of drinks. The one at 中野坂上 near work doesn't even have the lemon tea flavor of "Afternoon Tea". They only have the darker, more bitter version, and probably the milk tea flavor.

They have a nice selection of おにぎり (rice balls) though. I tried the anago one today. The unagi (freshwater grilled eel) one is also pretty good.

I am banned from buying any new non-necessities for myself. I lose stuff too easily. I stopped carrying around my dictionary as I am afraid that I will lose it. I'll just bring it when I study Japanese. Maybe it would be good to put everything on long chains attached to my purse or whatever. Then it would be much harder to lose. I think I'll do that. Laf.

CD review: HAJIME Chitose "wadatsumi no ki"

Artist: HAJIME Chitose
CD title: ワダツミの木
Country: Japan

It's not a full album, with only 3 songs but quite good. Mellow stuff, but pretty. She's an Okinawan singer apparently. I'll have to buy more of her stuff.

CD review: Globe "Cruise Record, 1995-2000"

Artist: Globe
CD title: Cruise Record, 1995-2000
Country: Japan

A 2 disc set I got for cheap at Disk Union. I like it a lot, especially the songs "Still Growing Up" and another one whose title I forgot. Quite worth the 500 yen or so. I think I may have all the older Globe hits now. Still don't like MARC's rapping.

inoue takehiko lithograph

Other than the comic books, Inoue merchandise seems to be out of my price range. First the limited edition anime dvd set runs for about $800. Now Jump comics is offering limited edition Inoue lithographs of the manga REAL for a mere $300 each. They're signed, but that's still a lot of money. 1 onsen trip. I'd rather go on the onsen, although an Inoue lithograph would be nice. Still, I like the subjects in his artbook better, which I got for a relatively cheap $16 or $20.

Anyway, since they're only offering 100 lithographs of the Inoue poster, it's unlikely that I'd even be able to buy it. I was unclear on the Japanese text, but the order form seemed to imply that they'd randomly pick 100 people from among the postcards sent in.

I wonder how much one would go for on auction.

i don't love uniqlo as much

This weekend, Uniqlo had a big sale, cutting 700 yen from the price of each of the 2 shirts that I bought last weekend. Oh well. It's too bad that I hate ironing. Then I wouldn't be buying any tops.

I wanted to go shopping this past weekend, but wanted to sleep more.

i luv uniqlo

Revelling in my new polyester shirt. A pale green that goes nicely with my pale yellow suit. Laf. Very springtime. I may buy the same shirt in a light gray color. Wasn't so crazy about the grey, but for all I know, this green doesn't even suit me.

Uniqlo is great for work clothing. I retired 2 of my dress shirts, because 1 is impossible to iron, and 1 is too tight. Of my other 3 tops, 2 have had sad encounters with bleach, and the third is a bit short, so I can't take my suit jacket off when I wear them. That really makes summer days painful. I guess I need another 3 tops, but the other uniqlo colors weren't very nice. Have to find other work shirts! I have long sleeved shirts I could wear, but they're kind of thick. The silk one would work though. So I need another 2 tops. I saw a nice knit top in a shimokitazawa store, but it was $60. I could buy 3 uniqlo tops at that price.

12:00pm note: I just looked at my shirt again in the mirror, and it actually looks a bit cheap. I guess I have to muck around the department stores for some nice shirts.

manga

I've been a bit sad since my relatives left, so I bought a bunch of manga.

Nakamura Yoshiki's "スキップビート" is my favorite so far. The art and story are highly enjoyable. It's all about revenge, and self-discovery. Not revenge in a "I must revenge my parents' death" kind of way though. It's more of a "You asshole, I'm going to become a greater star than you since you crushed my heart" type of revenge. So not too sappy, and the character is pretty smart and resilient.

"赤ずきんチャチャ" is pretty funny, but I actually like the little author's notes even better. That author is hilarious! She has this one note about cutting her hair short, and how it made every day an adventure. Her alarm woke her up, and she fell back to sleep automatically. The second time she woke up, her hair was sticking up like Vegita from Dragonball (this guy who's hair sticks up like a candle flame, coming to a point in the back). She has a mirror at the foot of her bed, and she looked at herself and woke up instantly. Then she ran through the house to show someone her hair, so that it wouldn't go to waste. Hilarious. Having trouble finding volume 4 on the used book stores. Chacha's kind of stupid though. I'd rather read about a smart heroine.

"やまとなでしこ七変化" is pretty darn funny, but the female character is weirder than she is strong.

I also picked up "パンプアップ" by UEDA Rinko. It was cute and I enjoyed it. The female characters were ok - the first one was pretty strong. I really like the way she draws guys.

I bought "Blue Wars", also by Nakamura Yoshiki, which is kind of funny because the protagonist is a gay muscleman of a high school kid, who loves gardening. It's interesting, but more funny than deep.

I checked out a manga by the author of "ネバギバ！". While nice, "愛っていうのは" (or something like that), especially the cute second story, the female characters again aren't that strong. Persistent though. Persistence is good.

I bought a NASU Yuki book "天使とダイアモンド”which I bought mostly because it's NASU Yuki, the author of "Here is Greenwood". It looks like a bit of mystery and supernatural stuff, which she really seems to like. It's a 2 volume series. Haven't read it yet.