Haul: Long Time No See, Mr. Drugstore!

It's definitely been a while since I've had a proper look around drugstores as I have recently. STILL being unemployed, the department stores are becoming less and less affordable! And after having a revelation with my VIVO blush crush, I decided to hunt for some gems lurking around the aisles of Boots and Superdrug.. and this is what I came out with :)

It does make me sad that all this cost me less than a foundation I had splurged on a week earlier..

A bit of an on-trend product here, is the 17 Wild Metallic Eyes mousse eyeshadow in Wild Bronze. I've used it once, and it is a gorgeous wash of bronze that kind of creases if you put too much product - it's definitely meant for a sheer effect. I initially wanted all the colours, but after swatching, I may or may not go back for just one more - Wild Nude :)

A necessary purchase was a new topcoat, and while I used to think nothing of spending £6-7 on one, I've now resorted to £4 to save pennies anywhere I can. So I went for Rimmel's trusty 60 Seconds line's Clear polish in 740. My main objective of using a topcoat is the fast drying effect, so I thought this line (that I already have about 3 polishes from!) would be perfect :)

Need I say more? My first tube is on its way out, and with a 3 for 2 currently at Superdrug, I had to repurchase! This is my HG nude lipstick, Rimmel Moisture Renew lipstick in Nude Delight.

Yes, that is a chafing gel - Lanacane Chafing Gel to be exact.. After being told by George that it is a great mattifying primer, I went through the slightly embarassing process of picking it up in front of 5 people in a Boots which is usually empty - I did half think she'd told me about it to put me through it all! :P It hasn't worked wonders yet, but I may be applying too little..

On the bottom there is the infamous L'oreal Super Liner - except I got the wrong shade. I got it in Black Crystals which has glitter in it and is definitely not as black as it should be. However, I bought it to have in my on-the-go make-up bag so not too fussed. Surpised to say that the applicator is quite nice!

My biggest giggle of the haul, is the Rimmel Glam' Eyes eyeshadow quad in 002 Smokey Brun. I'm pretty sure the last drugstore eyeshadow I bought was the Sleek Storm palette in Spring 2010.. so it's been a while! What made me get this was my urge for a high-end eyeshadow palette for on-the-go, which I have been trying to supress until Duty Free when I'm heading off to Japan.. so this is meant to keep me in tact until then. Not to mention, I fell in LOVE with the shades, especially the taupey shade on the left! I love the sleek packaging, but only wish it had a mirror, so it would be more on-the-go friendly!

Anything stand out to you?

What's been your favourite drugstore purchase recently? ENABLE ME! :)

<3yu

"Back to Japan": Lips

With the limited amount of make up I have here with me in Tokyo, I decided to do a series to show you guys things that I've brought back with me :) I didn't wanna do it all at once because, let's face it, I didn't bring THAT little so I thought it best to do it in categories! Hopefully it'll trigger some review requests or post ideas - if you have  any please let me know!

Anyway I decided to kick it off with lips - I didn't include lipbalms, but here are the lippies and lipglosses that have made the trip back with me :)

Lipsticks

Left to Right:

* Rimmel Moisture Renew Lipstick in Nude Delight 700

(for my everyday beige nude)

* 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive

(for my everyday, glossy pink nude)

* GSpot Cosmetics Matte Lipstick in Lustrus

(not actually sure why this came with..)

* MAC Amplified Lipstick in Warm Me Up (LE)
(MLBB colour, was a candidate for graduation lipstick)

* MAC Matte Lipstick in Please Me

(bright but dusky pink!)

* MAC Amplified Lipstick in Vegas Volt

(for the brave summer day cravings of reddish coral)

(Rimmel Nude Delight; 17 Beehive; GSpot Lustrus; MAC Warm Me Up; MAC Please Me; MAC Vegas Volt)


Summery colours? Meh, some of them. But I tried to choose on the basis of "what if" - what if I feel like wearing this, what if I start wanting this - so I tried to cover the spectrum in shades. I just wish I had something like MAC's Ever Hip or TopShop's Ooh La La - a pinky peach/peachy pink - anyone have suggestions? :P

I would've done the same in finishes, but I usually love pigmented lips, and 17 Beehive is the only glossy one I have - I'd love more tbh, so please let me know if you have any suggestions for that as well! :)

Lipglosses

Left to Right

* The Body Shop Love Gloss in 17

(it goes with anything and it's also gorgeous alone!)

* Jemma Kidd Hi-Shine Silk Touch Lipgloss in 15 Coral

(just in case I didn't feel like Vegas Volt ;) )

(The Body Shop 17; Jemma Kidd 15 Coral)

To be honest I haven't worn either of the lipglosses.. no idea why! Sometimes I think glosses look too wet, and I suppose in this humidity (it was 91% the other night!) I'm trying to keep my body to look as dried and unmoist as possible! :P

On that gross note, what have your lipstick/lipgloss picks been recently? :)

<3yu

Sheer Lip Colour Love :)

A few months ago, tell me a lipstick was sheer and I would've written it off. But somehow over the past few weeks, I've been craving some colour and gloss but not a block of full-on colour that makes it so obvious I'm wearing lipstick. I've been wanting something more natural.

Here are the things I've been turning to, to achieve this more natural look that provides some colour and gloss - not a solid colour like lipsticks, and not a glossy faff of a lipgloss :) (I always find lippies easier to keep up during the day than glosses).

The Body Shop Born Lippy in Watermelon

17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Nudist Peach (depotted)

17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Beehive

L to R: TBS Born Lippy Watermelon; 17 Nudist Peach; 17 Beehive

The Body Shop Born Lippy, which retails for £2, gives a really pale pink-ish tint, and the smell is lovely! However, the rest of the range are more like the two lipsticks, in that the formula is more see-through than this - so Watermelon is the one I've been reaching for :)

17 Beehive

The 17 Nudist Peach doesn't do much to my pigmented lips, just give it more warmth. 17 Beehive is my newest addition, which gives me a pale pink lip (as above) - a bit cooler than what I would prefer in the summer, but mixing the two 17 lippies gives a really nice pale peach that I've been loving :) That being said, at £4.59 it's not the most expensive lipstick so I find it has that nasty cheap, plastic, lippie smell.. but the effect is lovely :)

As you can see they have a very nice sheen, that makes it quite natural and great for the summer, and the pigmentation is just right to have a wash over your lips - somehow I associate matte pigmented colour with colder climates and gloss sheer colour with warmer climates.. am I nuts? :P Either way, it's what I've been loving recently! :D

Do you prefer sheerer colours on your lips sometimes?
What are your favourite products for this? :)

<3yu

Yu's Guide to Simple Festive Attempts

At the moment it's 5PM on the 23rd of December, and as my dad has been repeatedly complaining about, Tokyo's Christmas spirit has lost it's appreciation in Christmas music and it is quite difficult to get in the mood (especially when I know most of my friends in the UK are going to have a White Christmas and it's bloody 12C here still!).

So I've made little attempts to get into the spirit, and I'm not a very complicated person, so I thought I'd show two things that I've done that anyone else could do, to get into the festive mood :)

Firstly, jewelry!

 This somewhat obscene earring is from Claire's and retails at £3, and it's also a part of the 3 for 2 deal that they have. Right up my street - nothing serious, something colourful and kinda cheeky. I saw this pair last year early December, mistakenly put them in a bag that I threw away, and spent Christmas without them. This year, I went back in hopes of Claire's having them again and they did! Snatched them up - they will be my Christmas earrings for a very long time :)

My second attempt was with my nails..

 

 (L to R: Glittery Red, 17 Nail Polish; Pearl Green, Barry M Emerald Green 284, Taupe/Gold, 17 Nail Polish.)

So sorry I can't tell you the exact colours of the 17 Nail Polishes as the names are on the back of the 17 Nail Library that I left in England, but I don't think any of them are limited edition (Thank you to my bf's parents for getting the set for me :)!) All these polishes are brilliant quality - I've had these on for about 3 days now, no top coat, and I've done loads of washing and other things.

I could probably do all the little Santa drawings and whatnot on my nails, cuz I do have the hand-eye coordination.. but I lack the patience of waiting for it to dry. So I thought this would be the best way to go for me :)

So yes.. simple but very effective. My mom has finally put my gift under the tree - she had waited until today because she didn't trust that I wouldn't open it before Christmas day. Lame, but probably a good idea.

What have you been doing to get in the festive mood? :)

<3yu

Blogsale Lipstick Purchase & Boots 3 for 2 :)

I can't believe it's still a month to go before Christmas and I'm doing my Christmas shopping!

So yesterday I went into town before my friend's surprise 21st (see left for cake candle-lighting disaster) to grab a few gifts, and decided on Boots' 3 for 2. Seeing as I was there to get gifts for 2 people, I decided to treat myself to the third free gift :)

And earlier that day, a post had arrived from ViviannaDoesMakeup, with my first ever MAC lippie, Faerie Glen from the Tartan Tales collection :) To my surprise, she'd also included a 17 Mirror Shine Lipstick in Nudist Peach which was so sweet of her. I've fallen in love with both of them, and thought I'd include them in my semi-haul post along with my treat from aforementioned gift-buying session! :)

So here they are:

 

I felt like there have been quite good reviews about this Umberto Giannini's Big Hair line, so I thought I'd give it a shot since I'm cursed with flat hair.. It's technically £10 for a mousse and a hairspray, and both are designed to give you, well, big hair (well done, Yu). The packaging is gorgeous, and the illustration is so pretty! And as far as I can tell, they are both full-sized, and, they smell GOOOOORGE! Definitely want to do a review on this soon :)

 And here are the lippies! The 17 one is quite sheer and kind of gives a peachy tint to my lips which is great for a lazy day :) It's quite moisturey and lovely! And the MAC one is just oh so gorgeous. The colour is something that I've been looking for for a while, it's like a pinky nude, but it doesn't wash me out at all. A great pink sister to my Rimmel Moisture Renew in Nude Delight. The consistency is really smooth, and at some point I feel like it dries a little bit but I think that helps the staying power..maybe? I have crazy pigmented lips and wasn't sure if a Lustre finish would be pigmented enough, and it was :) Yay! This being my farewell to my MAC lippie v-card, I've been exposed to the lovely smell and the gorgeous feel of the packaging of MAC lippies :) (which makes me want more.. eek!)

 (L: swatches of 17 Nudist Peach & MAC Faerie Glen; R: MAC Faerie Glen on lips!)

Anyway, I've been on a crazy shopping hype..
- Boots was sold out of Benefit's Her Name Was Glowla - PAIN! Will be persistent in search.
- Glitzy Glam customized make-up bag.. hehehe. Tempting!

Tonight, I'm heading off to the Birmingham Christmas Market with mine and Lisa's society - should be good fun (especially after a night at a Chinese all you can eat! Prepare for fat chunky Yu!)

What is No. 1 on your Christmas wishlist then ladies? :)

<3yu