MAC Glitter & Ice/Ice Parade Wishlist

I haven't bought from a single MAC limited edition collection since the Cham-Pale collection in January 2011 - and when I am at the poorest of poor, they fling a collection that I really like at me. Why, why now?!

A girl can only wish in times like these, and for this I bring you my 2nd wishlist ;P (which is definitely in order of "want"-ness!)

Mineralized Eyeshadow in Snow Season (£16.50)

On numerous occasions, I've found "the perfect nude" eyeshadow. I'm allowed more than one "perfect nude" right? :P

Make It Perfect Brush Essential Kit (£39.50)

I adore MAC brushes, and as a person that travels a lot, I've always wanted travel sized brushes. These are incredibly pricey, and don't always have the best reputation, so I'm hoping to feel them in store :)

Lipstick in Whirls & Twirls (£14)

I'm a pretty firm believer in "buy it if you need it". But hey, rules are there to be broken right? :P It just looked so pretty on Temptalia..

Paint Pot in Morning Frost (£14)

I ADORE Paint Pots so it's a bit weird that this is so far down on my list. But I've heard it's quite similar to Vintage Selection Paint Pot (my last purchase from a LE collection!) and I have a feeling it'll be similar to Satin Taupe - so I'm afraid I probably wont get a lot of use out of it even if I get it.. but hey, what's the harm of wishlists? :P

Mineralized Eyeshadow in Hold That Pose! (£16.50)

There seems to be a lack of a consensus upon viewing swatches on what this shade is - so I'm interested :P

Beauty Powder in Snow Globe (£20.50)

It looks like it could make me pretty - ON YOU GO ON THE WISHLIST! :P

Dazzleglass in Dressed to Dazzle (£17)

Again. It just looked so pretty on Temptalia, but whether I could justify £17 on a glitter gloss is very.. dubious.

Lipstick in What Joy! (£14)

I swear to you I have been on a hunt for a wine/dark red lipstick for a few weeks now - this is just a contender :P

Not bad for a broke person ey? :P With my new "3 products a month" rule that I've self-imposed, what I'll actually get is very much up in the air! :P

What takes your fancy in the Ice Parade/Glitter & Ice collections? :)

<3yu

Make-Up: Japan vs. the West & ADDICTION by Ayako

Until last night, I've been sat in Japan for the past month thinking about all the lovely Western cosmetics brands that I miss, and then I spoke to H who I remembered always had an interest in Japanese make-up and I realised - what on EARTH am I doing?!

It's true - Japanese make up is VERY different from the typical Western ideal, in both products and looks. I feel like Japanese make up is a lot more sheer and glitter-oriented (you can kinda get the idea if you look up brands like Majolica Majolca, CANMAKE, RMK, Jill Stuart, KATE Lavshuca, Maquillage etc., etc.,), and much less bold or pigmented than what is popular in the West. I've got to admit that I typically lean towards the latter, and so while I have been perusing around Japanese drugstore brands, there was never much that took my fancy (okay, bar a few).

Then I discovered ADDICTION by Ayako. EEP!

Ayako is the former right-hand woman of (the incredible blush-maker!) Francois Nars. She left Japan for New York in 1990 with not much but her portfolio and she lives there today with her very own make-up line, which has launched here in Japan.

I read a bit of her interview, and the phrase that caught my attention the most was what I wrote above - the difference in the cultural taste in cosmetics. As a person who has lived less than half her life in Japan and the rest elsewhere, I'm always interested in transcultural topics and so this line caught my eye as something that may be the make-up equivalent of who I am - a Japanese with very different inspirations.

Tomorrow I'm off into the centre of Tokyo to pick up my student visa, and hope to take a quick (maybe not) detour into an ADDICTION counter, just to see if anything takes my fancy! Here are the things that have already caught my eye..

The blushes..

The customizable compacts.. (not that I don't have enough..)

Somewhat the lippies..

and the cheek sticks :D

Sorry for some of the poor quality pictures, but I didn't wanna take other people's photographs so do take a look on Google yourselves :)

As you can see, a VERY heavy influence from Francois Nars himself, but I am curious to see what she's done to make it hers :) I LOVE the packaging (check out the lipgloss packagings, they are LUSH.)

The Cheek Sticks are multifunctional, and can be used as eyeshadow bases as well as lipsticks. They've won an award for best cheek product of the year, and Ayako's powder foundation and nailpolishes have both won first place in their respective categories too.. so those 3 I will definitely be checking out! I am so excited. If that even covers it.

I am crapping myself (put ever so eloquently if I say so myself) at how much dosh I may be parting with tomorrow.. time to bust out more vouchers maybe?

What brands' philosophy/story fascinate you? :)

<3yu

Products I Miss Most..

We all do it - we overpack when we're going somewhere, and we still manage to forget things or not think of a situation that may require different/more make up - am I right? :P I've definitely had that these past few weeks, and sure there have been several products I thought "dang, I wish I had that with me!", but there have been a couple that I thought that on several occasions!

Here are probably the ones I've thought of the most..

NARS Sin

(I thought it was an autumn/winter colour but it'd be a nice natural accent on the face when I'm not wearing e/s and having a tan. Pinks/corals makes me look a be clowny atm..) 

 28 Neutral Palette

(I want this for highlighting - not liking MAC Brule very much - and for matte light browns!)

Lipbalms

(I only brought my Body Shop Lip Roll On, which is lovely - but it's a bit wet. I miss that balmy feel! The ones in particular that I miss are the BodyShop Born Lippy, the LipIce ones and the Burt's Bees.) 

 OPI Coney Island Cotton Candy (centre)

(A sheer nude that when you have long nails, can make you look like you have french nails - compliments the lightness of summer! I've only got cream/opaque or bright colours atm!)

MAC Style

(Like I said, corals and pinks can look a bit clowny on me at, but MAC Style is relatively sheer - so it'd be a nice wash of colour on my cheeks right about now :( )

Sigma F80 (right)

(Getting a bit sick of applying foundation with my hands - it can get a bit dirty, and I always have to be cautious about streaks! At the same time, I'm not quite sure how often I would've used it cuz it doesn't seem to work with my Diorskin Forever.) 

Pirates of the Caribbean Box Set

(It's not make up but I've watched this set more times than I care to mention - atm I only have the third one, because it was what was in my laptop when I left the UK and as much as I love the film, it's getting a bit repetitive.. AND my favourite one is the second one.)

and finally..

Dior Amber Diamond

(No, I'm not quite sure you can miss something you never had - but I miss having a shimmery white highlight for my inner corner, and I miss highlighting my cheek bones. I actually only have 1 e/s shimmery highlight and 1 powder highlight and that one can look quite white on me when I'm tan, so I'm thinking it would be wise to invest in this at a early stage so I don't spend so much finding the perfect one. I've swatched it and it was a bit shimmery but I reckon it's cuz your finger picks up a lot! Other than that I thought it was perfect, esp cuz I've heard it can be used as eyeshadow too! So I'm debating using some vouchers to get this baby.. of course, after I try it on my face :))

A bit of a self-ramble there at the end, lol, oops. But I'm thinking this is proof that all these products are, or have been at one point, some of my favourite products, as I don't need to see them to think about them and how good they are, and they just pop into mind when you want something in particular!

It sucks, but it's also a good feeling cuz you know you've got some gems in your collection :)

What products have you missed when you were out and about? :)

<3yu

No Income = WISHLIST TIME!

For the first time in a good 7 years, I'm jobless, and this has been posing several problems for me. The main one being my taste just keeps getting more and more expensive :P So do excuse me while I attempt to channel my 'wants' through the much underrated method of a wishlist:

Skincare

1. Liz Earle Skin Repair Moisturizer for Oily/Combination Skin

This is probably my favourite day moisturizer - it's probably a bit rich to have now in the intense humidity of Japan, but I'm looking forward to getting it when I'm back :)

2. Clinique 3 Step System

This really seems to work for me, so I'm excited to pick up the trial kit campaign they are running in Japan on the 26th :)

3. Bioderma Non-Rinse Cleansing Water for Oily/Combination Skin

I got a tester for this - in love. The great thing is you use it like a toner but it takes off your make up really well and it isn't greasy or drying at all :)

4. Origins OutSmart Sunscreen or Simple Face Sunscreen

I haven't decided which - one is £16 and the other is £6, but I want to make sure that the latter isn't going to have a white cast!

Clothes

I've decided it's time for a clear out - when I get back to the UK, there are some things I need to throw out, mostly clothes that have lost its shape or is just generally knackered.. I know what I like to wear now, so it's time I start investing in better quality clothes on things I know I'll wear, and venturing outside of H&M and Primark! (pics taken from F21 - I know it isn't much of a step up, but hey it's a start :P)

1. Oversized/Boyfriend Blazer

I need one because I know I will wear the heck out of it. It's so ridiculously me that I have no idea why I don't have a tailored one - the one I have now is made out of t-shirt material and starting to lose its shape!

2. Long Tank Top

I live in tank tops, 365 days a year. I love long ones, and I've bought ones from F21 before which has lasted a good 2 years of 3 days a week wear.

3. Patterned Top

I hardly ever get more adventurous than stripes - so I'm trying to branch out a bit :)

Make Up

1. NARS Casino Bronzer

My beloved Rimmel Sunshimmer Bronzer is on its last legs, and while I love that bronzer the staying power just doesn't cut it sometimes so I want to take it up a notch and invest in a higher end bronzer for the first time! Everytime I seem to think: "WOW look at those cheekbones" at another blogger, the culprit is usually Casino!

2. MAC 217

Been craving a bit of sheer wash on my eyes, and I think this would make brighter eyeshadows easier to wear.

3. Dior Addict Lipstick in Miss Dior

I really want peach lipsticks - both pigmented/matte ones and glossy ones, but with the summer time I prefer a glossy one first. I probably wont get this cuz of the price but hey, no harm in including it ey, it's a wishlist :P

4. MAC Face & Body

Thanks to the Clinique 3 Step System my skin has been pretty good, so I've been wanting a sheer foundation. Tbh, this is probably a bit dewy to be wearing now, and Japan's MAC doesn't even stock this so it really is just a mental wishlist :P

Accessories

1. Louis Vuitton Speedy 30 in that pattern

If you saw my "What's In My Bag" video, you can see that I have a poor dupe of it, and it's probably one of my favourite handbags due to its shape and how it doesn't put strain on my shoulders/hips (long story short, I have back/shoulder/hip issues from sports/birth :P) so I really want a good quality one that I wont have to repurchase every 6 months. However, the mother is now adverse to the idea of a uni student owning LV even when saved with own hard-earned cash. Fml.

2. Longchamp Jacquard Tote

I'm a bit meh about this, I really just want a nice tote, and have been searching for a good few weeks now and have none that I'm willing to pay the dosh for. Fail.

3. iPod Nano in Pink

My vintage iPod classic from 5 or 6 years ago is on its last legs, and also in the UK so I haven't had music to bounce to at the gym. In my defense, these babies are cheaper in Japan unlike everything else in the world, so I may as well get them while I'm here. Feel a bit bad for my old iPod though, I get attached to objects quite easily :P

Hair

At the moment I have pretty inconspiciously ombre hair, mostly consisting of highlights on a base colour a shade or 2 lighter than my natural hair colour. I'm thinking I wanna step this up, but I'm not sure if I wanna go full on ombre, or just highlights-ombre.. any ideas?

I'm not even going to put the prices cuz I'd just get upset at how much I'm short by :P

What's #1 on your wishlist atm? :)

Does anyone know how to make collages that don't crop at ridiculous places? Atm I'm using Picasa..

<3yu