Korean Cosmetics: sneak peak part 1

Hey everyone! I know I haven't been around much recently so here's a little preview for an upcoming Korea haul post and video!

Lucky Bags!

So much stuff!

Last weekend I went to Hiroshima to do a little Christmas shopping, and get out of the prefecture. At Loft, an essential stop for any shopper, I found some amazing deals! They had these 'lucky bags' for different brands. It's a little gift set which would be a perfect gift for a lady on your list, or yourself!

Revlon, Rimmel, Bourjois, and a Japanese brand I can't remember had these sets. They were all between 1500-1900 yen (~$15-19), with around 8000 yen (~$80) worth of product inside. I grabbed the Revlon one because normally it's so expensive here, and all those holiday nail polishes and lip products was just too tempting! I'm now wishing I'd gotten the Bourjois one too, but I'm trying to save up for a major Korean cosmetics haul on my trip at the end of the month. These bags are great because I probably wouldn't have bought these products or colours if I could pick out everything myself but I really like them!

Here's a little list of what was in the Revlon lucky bag.
-top speed nail polish in emerald and spirit
- color stay nail polish in red carpet
- just bitten kissable balm stain in cherish
- lip butter in brown sugar
- BB moisture cream in 03 medium beige (way to dark for me! If you think this is your colour, send me a message and you can have it!)
- Age defying translucent finishing powder with botafirm (whatever that is...)
- a little pink pencil sharpener

Thanks for reading! Talk soon!

PS. Am I the only one that thinks lucky bags sounds like an innuendo for boobs?

PPS. If you have any recommendations for Korean cosmetics please leave a comment! I'm going to Korea in a couple weeks and have been doing some research but first hand tips are always the best!

A Very Late November Favourites

Here is my mega-late November Favourites video. I want to say that I will do better with December Favs, but I know myself too well. It will take a Christmas miracle to get that up on time. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this! Thanks for watching!

Bath Time: Bombs, Salts, and Tablets

It's this picture again! Hurray!!!

If you're not into bubbles I've got a few bath fizzy things that will make your skin soft and smell nice. One I will definitely be repurchasing is the Butterball. It's a vanilla scented bomb with chunks of cocoa butter. I recommend this if you suffer from dry skin, especially in the winter! With the Christmas season approaching, there's a lovely assortment of holiday scented things. The Bombardino is a lemon pie scented bomb, full of cocoa butter bits. I used this one last night and it was amazing! It smells great and made my skin feel so nice! The Melting Snowman, and regular Snowman are in my stockpile.

Muji bath tablets only promise to make your bath smell nice, not to benefit your skin, but they're much cheaper than Lush or the Body Shop. When I bought them I saw that Muji has a selection of bath salts. On further inspection, they all seem to be advertised at 'medicated bath salts'. I find this concerning. If anyone knows what they actually do, leave me a comment.

I know bath products are luxury items, and can be expensive. You can get two baths out of some bath bomb or bubble bar.

How do you like to enjoy your baths? Let me know what bath-time things you're loving! (A particular book, magazine, podcast, wine, tea, or Hot Toddy recipe can count as bath accessories, too). Lately I've been listening to the Savage Lovecast or Throwing Shade podcast while I soak. I highly recommend both!

Bath Time: Bubbles

So many happy baths!

On my youtube channel I've mentioned once or twice that I quite like my bathtub here, in Japan. Actually, I really like it. Okay, I totally love that thing! Now you know. Just to put everyone on the same page, Japanese-style bathtubs are a little different than Western-style tubs. In general, tubs in Japan are deeper and shorter. It's more for sitting up than lying down. Japanese people shower first, and then get in the bath to soak. A few people have told me that they have a bath every day. Although I am still definitely a shower girl (I don't have time for a bath every time I wash myself!), I have been having a lot of baths since meeting my new tub. In Canada, I would have a bath maybe three times a year. Bath covers are really common here, too. It keeps the heat in, and you can put things on it while you're in the bath, like a candle, or a book......or a glass of wine. Enough about the logistics! Time to get into the products!

My go-to bath product has been the shower gel from The Body Shop. It doubles as bubble bath and always smells amazing! Recently I've been using the Gold Fun bubble bath/shampoo/body wash from Lush. It smells like honey and toffee and makes the best bubbles that last for days! Another great thing is that you don't need very much to get a lot of bubbles. On a recent trip to Lush I picked up the vanilla scented Candy Mountain bubble bar. I've also tried and loved the Comforter bubble bar, which smells like black current. If sweet smells are not your thing I wouldn't recommend any of these, but if you are on the fence give these a sniff next time you find yourself in Lush.

Christmas Times at Lush and The Body Shop

Christmas time at Lush!

Melty snowmen are the cutest!

One of the many things I love about the Christmas season is all the special holiday scents and characters. Every year I pick up the Cranberry Joy body wash from the Body Shop. I picked up a couple regular items, too: grapeseed glossing serum for hair, and the All-in-One BB Cream. I will post a separate review for the BB cream soon. Tyler picked up a travel shampoo and conditioner set for dry hair.

I'm not sure what the names of all the bath products I got from Lush are, so I'll just describe them. First, bought two more of the little tea tree fizzing discs. I tried one in October and liked it. There are two melty snowmen which were too cute to resist! They smell like warm spices! I think the spots on them are made of cinnamon and nutmeg. I used one and got two baths out of it, and probably could have used it one more time if I really wanted to. The other snowman, wearing a red scarf has cocoa butter in it, I think. The last bath bomb looks like a little round head wearing a hat. It smells sweet, warm, and happy! Finally, I picked up the candy mountain bubble bath. I LOVE the Lush bubble baths. This one smells really sweet, which is not something I normally go for, but I really like it.

I'm a sucker for holiday bath and body stuff! I just love it! 

What do you look forward to getting around the holidays?

What's in my Purse

My latest video! Check out what I've got in my purse! Do you carry around as many lipsticks as I do? The only other person I know who does is my mom.....that explains a lot.

Enjoy!

Face of the Day

Yesterday being Sunday, I had lots of time to get ready and play with some new things I've acquired recently. I got my iherb order yesterday, too! You can read about it here! 

Here's a list of what I put on my face:

NARS creamy concealer with elf concealer brush

Majolica Majorca gel liquid blush in coral with my real techniques stippling brush

Elf eye crayon in feeling lucky on my eyelid

Elf little black book cool edition, the champagne shade in the corner on my inner corner and lower lash line

Quo angled eyeliner brush

Elf matte lip colour in coral

That's all for now. I hope you're all staying warm!

ELF Haul! (And granola bars)

I just couldn't resist!

This weekend my iherb order came in (thanks for delivering mail even on Sundays Japan!) I haven't had any ELF products since I was in high school when I randomly had one of their lip glosses. I might have gone a little crazy, but these are such good quality for the price! I couldn't say no to a 48 shade eye shadow palette for $5!

Here's a little list of what I got.

Little black beauty book in warm and cool (48 piece)

Matte lip colour in praline and coral

Mysterious nail polish set

Jumbo eye shadow stick in feeling lucky

Concealer brush

...and nature's path pumpkin'n'spice granola bars

Do you have any ELF products you love? Let me know in the comments!

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October Favourites

                              

I know it's the middle of November already, but I really wanted to film a monthly favourites video for October. Monthly fav videos are my absolute favourite ones to watch! Click here to view my video on YouTube.

Let me know what you think and tell me what your favourite things from October are!

Lavshuca Lav Fake review

This beautiful little red-potted beauty is part of Lavshuca's limited edition winter collection. It comes in two colours: pink and red. I have the red one, shade 1. This is a creamy stain for eyes, lips, and cheeks. I've only used it mostly on my cheeks and lips, which is where I like it best. I'm not sure how I feel about red eye shadow. Cranberry shadow seems to be a fall makeup trends.

First, let's talk about the packaging. It is beautiful! I love colour, the design, even the box it came in was adorable. The only thing I would change if I could is the pot. It's plastic, which makes the product feel a bit cheaper. A glass pot would be much nicer. I didn't break the bank buying this, but it wasn't super cheap either. Lavshuca is more of a mid to high end drugstore brand. Most of its products fall between the 1000-2000￥ (or 10-20$) mark.

Also I think the name gets lost in translation, but sometimes that can't be helped. Google translated 'Lav' to 'Love'. I asked one of my teachers, though, and she said it makes as much sense in Japanese as it does in English, meaning none. My only guess is that it's trying to say it makes you look like you have the flush of love, but unless you are attracted to cosmetics in a chemical way (you will find no judgement here) your rosy glow is fake, because it's makeup. Obviously. To conclude this pointless segment, the name is stupid in both English and Japanese.

The way I've been wearing this most is as a stain on my lips, with a lip balm over top. I usually throw it on as I leave my apartment in the morning. What I like most about this is the texture. It's got a velvety, matte finish. I feel like most potted blush, lip things are shinier but this has a really natural finish. It's super pigmented, very red. It's a beautiful winter flush just waiting to decorate your cheeks.

The moisturizing ingredient is silk pearl essence, whatever that means.

That's enough of me. Bye!

What is it?

Look what I found today. Can you guess what it is? I'll give you a hint. The colour is coral cream. Any guesses?

Glossybox

I got my Glossybox tonight! I'm really excited to try the Mineral Flowers moisturiIng night cream with camomile wax and mud. 

Lipstick Challenge: Day 23

Rimmel volume lipstick in gold digger (085). 

I love my red lipsticks!!! And totally forgot how many I have. This shade is a brighter  red with gold shimmer. Gorgeous!

I'm not sure if I find this to add volume to my lips. What do you think? Do they look more voluminous? Can we say that word again? Voluminous! Love it! Moving on. 

For me this is more of a daytime red, like revlon red lacquer and cover girl's anemone, but with more punch. I think Rimmel has to be one of my top lipstick brands. I'm always so impressed with the wearability of the colours, the formula, and the quality. These are excellent value for your money. I've also had most of my Rimmel lipsticks for a few years and they still work beautifully. They haven't dried out. 

As for this specific lipstick, I find it needs a touch up after eating but can last through a tea or coffee. It's got Greta pigmentation and can be worn more sheer or built up to a bold and sparkly spectacle. 

I would also like to draw your attention to my BANGS! I cut my bangs back into existence this weekend! The weather has finally cooled off enough yo act and feel like a normal human being again. Thank god!!!! I picked up a pair of hair scissors at the discount store and went for it. Does anyone else cut their own hair? Let me know! I'd love to read your comments!

Bye xo

Lipstick Challenge: Day 22

Avon shimmer lip tints in berry. 

I knew I've had this one for a long time but I didn't realize how long until I looked at the label. The copyright is from 2004!! Oh boy! I remember wearing this a lot in high school. I'm not sure if that was a good thing or not. In the photo I'm wearing this lipstick very lightly but I layered this baby on when I was younger.   I think what this says is my lipstick addiction started young and has been with me for a long time. (After I wrote this I wanted to know how it would look dark. Answer: I was a fierce high schooler with my dark berry lips!)

So besides the awful packaging, I think this is a great lipstick. Seriously though!? It looks so bad! Come on Avon! 

Moving on. I'm not sure if this is supposed to be a tinted lip balm type lip colour. I think it was released as a limited edition fall product. It's got great pigmentation and can be worn more sheer, like I'm wearing in this photo or you can build it up to be quite dramatic. I love berry shades in the fall and winter! It's finally starting to be cool enough here to make me start craving these colours and my cozy sweaters. 

This lip tint is also very moisturizing. It goes on really smoothly. It's not very long lasting but in lipstick years this liptint is a grandma! I think she's held up really well. 

That's enough rambling from me! I'm wearing this shade in my next YouTube video which I will post soon! Let me know what kind of lips you rocked in high school? We're you a stick girl in a gloss world, like me?

Lipstick Challenge: Day 21

Lavshuca double colours lipstick in pk-2. 

This product is so unique that I had to buy it! I've never seen anything like it!  Lavshuca is a middle range Japanese drugstore brand by Kanebo (a high end brand). There were five shades and I chose a pinker one because I thought it would be the easiest to wear. There were other shades in red, peach, and brown. 

This lipstick gets mega points for creativity! It's a bit of a mix for me. I like the colour and texture. I think it lasts okay. I have to reapply after eating, but that's the case with most lipsticks. I do find it to be a bit drying (it might just be the changing weather). I expected it to be more hydrating based on the texture and how long it lasts. Also, the tip is too small for my lips. I get that the two colour combo is a way to make lips appear fuller, meaning it was made for ladies with thinner lips, but it's a bit of a challenge for me to get the right effect on my naturally full pout. 

Has anyone else seen anything like this? What do you think of the dual colour combo? Leave me a comment!

Lipstick Challenge: Day 20

Clinique different lipstick in a different grape. 

I'm pretty sure everyone and their mom has this colour since it's been in a million Clinique bonuses. (My mom does have this one, too!)

This is the same formula as tender heart, which I mentioned in my All-time Favourites video. I won't bother doing a seperate review for that one since I find it wears just as well as this one. I will do a seperate post with photos though. If you haven't read that review yet you can read it here!

This is everything I want in a lipstick. It's moisturizing, creamy, applies nicely, has excellent colour payoff, and lasts. I wouldn't call this a long lasting lipstick. I have to reapply after meals, but it does last through a giant mug of tea (the only size of tea I drink!).  I like the texture, and find it doesn't dry out my lips at all.

I never really liked this colour until this fall, but now I LOVE it. I guess the timing was never right. Now we can be happy together. Haha!

That's all for now.

Lipstick Challenge: Day 19

                 Arty mirror selfie!

Revlon super lustrous lipstick pearl in red lacquer (029). 

I thought it might be useful to include some swatches of today's lipstick and yesterday's since they seem similar. 

Overall, I really like revlon lipsticks but some of them are really disappointing. I love the colour of this one and the texture but it falls short in many areas. 

This lipstick doesn't last at all. It wears of instantly! Also it smells awful, like another revlon lipstick I have. I don't know why! It's very unfortunate.

That's all for now. 

Lipstick Challenge: Day 18

CoverGirl natureluxe gloss balm in anemone (225). 

This is one of, or maybe even the only, CoverGirl lip product I have. The brand has never really appealed to me, except for their mascaras. I have the volume mascara in the orange tube that I brought from Canada. I should have thrown it out a couple months ago but I freaking love it and have not been willing to part with it even though Japanese mascaras are supposed to be amazing. I just haven't found anything I like as well. Also I like the spikey plastic mascara wands versus the brush style. The latter is more popular here. But I digress! Let's get down to brass tacks. 

I like tinted lip glosses. I think they're a great, low maintenance way to rock a little lip colour if your not up for committing to a lipstick for the day. This was the only shade that appealed to me at the time. It's always much more long lasting than I expect it to be. It's got a great texture. It's moisturizing. It's got good pigments. You can build up the colour or wear it more sheer. This product exceeded my expectations! 

It's not as pigmented or long lasting as the revlon just bitten kissable balm stains (my holy grail lip product) but it's a little more moisturizing. I think it's cheaper, too. 

That's all for now. Cheers. 

Fukuoka Take 2 Goodies

After a mix up that meant we didn't have all of the pieces for our bed, I took another trip to Fukuoka to remedy the situation and do a little more shopping for myself. 

In addition to Ikea, I picked a few things up from Loft, Streamcream, The Body Shop, and Lush. 

The cute old fashioned alarm clock is from Ikea. 

Lush:

Sorry I don't have the proper names for the Lush stuff. The labels are all in Japanese. Anyway, I got a cocao butter bath bomb, a bubble bath (that's the pink swirly one), gold bubble bath/shampoo that's the consistency of play dough, and a tea tree disc which I'm hoping to turn into a toner. 

Body Shop:

Aloe Vera body butter. This is pure gold and my second tub. It's great for new tattoos and I find it helps calm my armpits after shaving. They can get really itchy and irritated. (Sorry for talking about armpits). 

Honeymania eau de toilet. This smelled so great in the store I had to get it. Again, for this who don't know, I'm obsessed with honey. 

Loft:

Mary-Lou Manizer by The Balm. Great highlighter. I heard lots of good things about this. It's super pigmented and gorgeous! I'm planning on wearing it every day forever. 

Powder eyebrow expert by Suzie N.Y. I think the idea is to use each colour on a different section of your brow but I've been blending them together. This powder stays put all day long! I've never used powder on my brows before but I'm a fan!

Steamcream. It took me 20 minutes to decide on a tin and then I realized I should have bought 8 more to send home as gifts because they are so beautiful!

No more spending for a while. I'm going to post more reviews now. 

What kind of posts would you like to see?

Lipstick Challenge: Day 17

Canmake whip mousse lip in misty peach (03). 

I didn't know what to expect when I bought this. I've never seen a whipped lip product before, even though there have been the whip cheeks and foundations. I just thought it was so cute! I really like it!

It's so silky and soft when it goes on. I love the way it feels. It seems like it won't last and is going to wear off right away bit I find that after a little while it sinks right in and lasts well. I tried layering it over the lip I wore on day 16. It lasts even longer. 

Apparently this can be used as cheek colour. I tried it the other both and it works well. I prefer powder blush but it's still a neat extra. 

That's all for now. 

Ps. I wasn't lying about starting a YouTube channel! My home Internet has not arrived yet and Tyler took his mifi to Tokyo for the week. Talk soon! 

Lipstick Challenge: Day 16

Revlon super lustrous lipstick in twinkled pink (413). 

Lately I've been wanting to wear a nude lip and then I remembered I have this one. I think this colour is subtle, girly and very flattering. However, this lIatick stinks. I hate the smell!! A beauty blogger once said she had a highlighter that smells like ladybugs. I'm not sure what they smell like but there is something similar happening. Every time I use this I can't believe how bad it smells. It's so bad. 

Everything else about this product is good. I haven't worn it much but I like the texture and wearability. 

That's all for now. 

Lipstick Challenge: Day 15

Clinique high impact SPF 15 in extreme pink. 

Same as all Clinique lipsticks but more pigmented, as the name suggests.

I always know which cup is mine ;)

Lipstick Challenge: Day 14

Revlon just bitten kissable balm stain in honey (001). 

I should have just combined this one with rendezvous. Here's the link to that review:

http://tybeccainjapan.blogspot.jp/2013/09/lipstick-challenge-day-7.html?m=1

This colour is gorgeous. It lasts forever. 

Exciting announcement!!!! I'm starting a beauty YouTube channel! I filmed my first video last weekend and it's being edited. I'm hoping to have it all up and running this weekend. I will also likely have a corresponding blog of the same name, which means this blog will return to being about Japan. I will post more info as soon as it's ready!

That's all for now!

Lipstick Challenge: naked lips!

A friend of mine, you know who you are lovely, suggested I post a photo with no lipstick. Gasp! Haha. I think it's a great idea to give everyone a reference point. I think my lips are quite pink with no colour on.  

So here you go!

Lipstick Challenge: Day 13

Clinique almost lipstick in black honey (06). 

I got a sample of this in a Clinique bonus a few years ago and liked it so much I bought the full size when it ran out. I wear this during fall and winter. It's more of a lip stain than a lipstick. 

It looks much darker in the tube than it does on the lips. It feels very moisturizing and nice. I love this product. I love the colour, the packagin, and formula. I haven't looked at the other colours available in this line but I would consider getting another one. It's similar to but less glossy than the canmake rouge-on lip balms I reviewed last week. They have similar coverage and opacity. 

That's all for now.