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!
Friday, June 01, 2007
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
use up my perfume
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):
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.
* 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
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.
Sunday, May 20, 2007
I am not my hair
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.
Saturday, May 19, 2007
cooking
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
These recipes look scrumptious too:
Barley Risotto with Asparagas
Corn Risotto
Sweet Pea Risotto
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Marina's new fragrance mods are out!
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.
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.
Sunday, May 06, 2007
skincare and sunscreen
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.
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.
Saturday, April 07, 2007
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.
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.
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