Japanese Makeup Haul From apopofkawaii

I love Japanese cosmetics and have recently placed an order on the beautiful Nicola's online store apopofkawaii. It's a terrific shop filled with lots of little gems only available in Asia. My order arrived really quickly - within a week if i'm not mistaken, which is amazing seeing as it's sourced in and shipped from Japan.

Here's my order all neatly packaged together:

I bought 4 products:

Visee Mineral Cheeks Baby Finish RD-2

Shiseido Integrate Blush PK210
Lavshuca Melting Eyes BE-1
Integrate Eyebrow Pencil GY941

I first set eyes on the Visee Mineral Cheeks Baby Finish at Worship at the House of Blues, a beautifully written blog with the most gorgeous pictures. The blush looked so gorgeous, and after some deliberating, I decided to make a purchase.

The blush is so pretty, I spent many lost moments admiring it.

More pictures of the lovely blush:

Swatches of each of the 4 shades, and a swatch of the 4 shades blended together (on the extreme right). Blended together, this blush is a bright peachy-pink shimmery shade.

The blush on my cheeks, all 4 shades blended:

The blush on my cheeks came across quite shimmery, which I'm not used to. I think the next time I use it, I'll avoid the shimmery white shade.

My favourite makeup item is blush, and I couldn't resist trying the Shiseido Integrate Blush in PK210.

This blush is a cool toned baby pink.

The blush on my cheek:

It gives a soft, baby pink cheek. I can imagine this blush to be very popular in creating either cute 'Ulzzang' makeup or a sweet 'doll' look.

I also bought the Lavshuca Melting Eyes in BE-1. It has a funny name, but the I think the shades of in this eyeshadow palette are gorgeous.

The shades are fairly shimmery. I find Japanese brands to have really beautiful shades of makeup, but some of their formulas tend to be a bit on the shimmery side.

Swatches of the 4 shades:

As I'm growing my fringe out, I need to start grooming my unruly brows. I bought Integrate's Eyebrow Pencil GY941. I've read great things about how easy to use and natural looking this eyebrow pencil is. GY941 is a dark grey with a hint of brown.

The shade is a perfect match for my eyebrows.

Nicola also added a packet Hello Kitty facial blotters. So cute!

Before I forget, thanks to all of you who wished me good luck in my Citizenship test. Lucky for me, it was very straightforward and I passed!

I Won Aintthatpretty's Gorgeous Giveaway!

I was so excited to have won Aintthatpretty's 200 Follower Giveaway! Natasha of Aintthatpretty is extremely creative and has her own online boutique. She's also gorgeous with beautiful features and porcelain skin reminiscent of the 1950s.

My Prize:

The prize included 3 items of jewellery from her online shop.

These crystal drop earrings are so beautiful! My pictures do not do justice to how intricate these earrings are.

I can't stop marveling at how extremely well made they are.

I also really love the bracelet and brooch!

I've wanted to buy this Jazz and Petunias Tote from her Femme Fatal Collection ever since I first browsed her shop, so was really happy when I won it. As the winner of the Giveaway, I was able to choose which design I wanted. I loved all of her designs, but this was my favourite.

Natasha even added extra goodies in the prize. These included Beauty Friends Potato and Cucumber Sheet Masks, Collagen Eye Mask, DHC Coenzyme Q10 Facial Film Soap and Nivea Soft Cream. I've not tried any of these brands before (apart from the Nivea) and am really excited to try them.

And lastly a pic of the cute flyer and card of http://www.aintthatpretty.co.uk/

Thanks Natasha for these amazing prizes, I really love them all.

My Beauty Inspirations

Hi everyone, sorry for another short post. I've been super busy this past week, especially with my UK Citizenship exam tomorrow. I haven't been keeping up-to-date with the reading of my favourite beauty blogs, but hopefully I'll manage to find time soon.

For today's short post, I'd like to share with you my list of women who I find incredibly beautiful. Those who inspire me to take better care of my skin, and sometimes inspire my makeup application.

I'd first like to start with two celebrities whom I think have the most gorgeous skin. Scarlet Johansson and Jessica Alba.

Their peachy, flawless complexions have inspired me not only to be serious about my skincare, but to make more effort as to what I put into my body. Just looking at their skin makes me want to drink lots of water and to eat plenty of healthy fruits and vegetables.

Olivia Palermo is more famous for her amazing dress sense, but I can't help but admire her delicate features and superb makeup application. With her huge eyes, long lashes and pink cheeks, she always looks as pretty as a doll.

Next up, this young model from Hungary has the most exquisite features - especially her wolf-like blue eyes.

Barbara Palvin

I admire the next three women for their extraordinary exotic beauty, as well as their timeless elegance and poise.

Gong Li:

Not only is she such a beautiful woman, but I really admire her acting skills and am a big fan of her films.

Queen Rania Of Jordan:

Not only is she beautiful and a Queen, but she's intelligent and speaks out for what she believes in.

Aishwarya Rai:

I think the picture speaks for itself.

Who are your beauty inspirations?

Chanel Tweed Corail

Hi everyone, just a quick post on my latest blush acquisition: Chanel Blush Duo Tweed Effect in Tweed Corail 20.

I've read lovely things about Chanel's tweed effect blushes, and after much deliberating (and researching through various beauty blogs) I chose Tweed Corail (french for Coral) for its gorgeous peachy coral shade.

This blush has a stunning embossed tweed look which unfortunately (but not surprisingly) gets more and more blended with each application.

A close up of the tweed effect:

The colour is a beautiful peachy-pink coral shade with gold flecks. Just perfect for brightening up my cheeks for Summer, giving me a pop of colour and a sun-kissed glow.

The powder feels soft and blends easily onto the cheeks. This blush is buildable; you can apply the blush sparingly for a natural look, or you can apply more layers for stronger colour. Here is a medium application of the blush on my left cheek (your right).

The sales assistant at Chanel was lovely and gave me this cute little Chanel charm with my purchase.

Anyway, sorry for the short post, hope you all have a wonderful weekend ahead!

Tutorial: Natural Looking Makeup

This is my first makeup tutorial, and I decided to stick to looks which I love. I'll be sticking to what I know best. Since I'm no expert in eye makeup application, I will refrain from any looks which require complicated eyeshadow techniques. My tutorials will mostly center around soft, subtle daytime looks, as well as the occasional evening makeup.

I've been inspired my minimal makeup recently and wanted to do a natural makeup look. This look isn't trying to look like I'm not wearing any makeup, but instead it's using makeup to enhance my natural features.

The tutorial takes inspiration from women who tend to favour natural looking makeup, and have glorious complexion like Song Hye Kyo and Jessica Alba.

Please note: I'm not trying to look like them, and this tutorial is not based on their makeup application. I'm just inspired by their natural beauty.

*You'll see pics of me looking very different in various stages of this tutorial. I'm not confidant baring my unmade face to the internet, but decided it's necessary for the tutorial!*

Tutorial:

1. Foundation should blend in perfectly with the skin, having absolutely no difference in shade from your face. Apply foundation only on areas where it is needed. It shouldn't be obvious that you are wearing foundation, so use a light-weight formula and only apply a light layer during the day. A tinted moisturiser would be ideal. For a super natural look, I advise skipping foundation altogether and let your own beautiful skin breathe.

For this tutorial though, I'm wearing an illuminating tinted moisturiser. It evens out my skintone, but I have noticed this shade does dull my skin slightly.

Product Used: Madara Moonflower Tinting Fluid

2. Either forego eyeshadow, or use shades that are light, natural and flatters your skintone. I used a warm neutral brown shade on the upper lash line.

Product Used: Chanel Eyeshadow in Sand

3. Unfortunately, my eyes need eyeliner to make them look more wide awake. Apply a thin line of eyeliner (either brown or black) to the lashline. I used the blending tip end of my pencil liner to gently smudge line for a softer look.

Curl the lashes, and apply a coat of mascara. I tend to miss out the mascara during the day (mostly due to laziness), but when I do wear mascara , Clinique's Naturally Glossy Mascara would be my daytime choice. It's one of the more subtle mascara's out there. It lifts and lengthens the lashes without the clumping and false lash look.

Products Used: Benefit BADgal Eyeliner in Waterproof Black, Clinique Natural Glossy Mascara in Jet Black


4. Choose a shade of blush that doesn't contrast too much from your complexion. For a healthy, glowing, natural look avoid blushes which are too powdery. A cream blusher is highly recommended, or a powder blush which has silky smooth texture.

I'm using a powder blush from Guerlain, and tapped off the excess powder before applying it to the apple of my cheeks (the flashy part when you smile). This blush is halfway between a blush and a bronzer, and gives a very subtle browny-pink colour to the cheeks.

Product Used: Guerlain Blush 4 Eclats in Tendre Aurore

5. Apply a tinted lip balm, or a subtle shade of lipstick. I find Laura Mercier's Sheer Lip Colour in Baby Lips my perfect 'my lips but better' shade.

Product Used: Laura Mercier Sheer Lip Colour in Baby Lips

The finished look:

Affordable Beauty: My First e.l.f Haul

I've read so much about e.l.f. cosmetics from beauty bloggers and decided to give them a try. e.l.f. stands for eyes lips face. They are an American brand which strive to deliver good quality makeup at very low prices.

Products bought:

Conditioning Lip Balm in Blissful Berry and Romantic Rouge (£3.50 each)

Mineral Lipstick in Pouty Petal (£3.50)

Mineral Blush in Joy (£3.50)

Studio Blush in Tickled Pink (£3.50)

Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Raspberry (£1.50)

The first thing I noticed about the Conditioning Lip Balm is that the packaging is pretty huge! I'm not too impressed with how chunky they are, and it's quite difficult to access the balm if you have long nails.

The balms look bigger in real life than they do in these pics (4 x 4 x 3cm in dimension).

These balms have nice, thick consistency and have good pigmentation (more of a lipstick than a balm). In addition, they contain SPF15 to protect against the sun. The finish is creamy rather than overly shiny. Romantic Rouge is a sheer, rosy red. Blissful Berry is a warm, berry rose.

L-R: Romantic Rouge, Blissful Berry

Lip swatches of Romantic Rouge...

...and Blissful Berry

I love both shades, but my favourite of the two is Romantic rouge for providing sheer rosy red lips.

I tried a couple of items from their mineral makeup range. Their Mineral Lipstick in Pouty Petal is a light cool pink.

I absolutely adore this Mineral Blush in Joy. The texture is smooth and soft, and the shade is a gorgeous pale lilac pink. It gave my cheeks a very healthy looking glow.

Swatches of the Mineral Lipstick in Pouty Petal (L) and Mineral Blush in Joy (R)

Lip swatch of Pouty Petal

Pouty Petal turned out fairly pale on my lips. It's a pretty shade, but I find this would be better suited to those with fairer complexions than I. I would prefer a more pigmented lipstick, and this shade required a few coats of application to get the colour to show up on my lips.

Next up is e.l.f's Studio Blush in Tickled Pink, a pretty muted pink shade.

Here is a swatch of it on the far left, in comparison to Pouty Petal and Joy.

As pretty as the blush was, it didn't do much for my complexion and I much preferred the Mineral Blush in Joy.

On to the cheapest of the lot, the Luscious Liquid Lipstick in Raspberry that only costs £1.50

These glosses have the same twist application as Stila Lip Glazes. The packaging of the e.l.f. glosses were of lesser quality in comparison to the Lip Glazes. I'm not complaining though as they only cost £1.50. (even cheaper if you are in the U.S.).

Raspberry is a pretty reddish-pink:

The formula is thicker than the average gloss and it has a nice, creamy finish and my lips look plumper with it on. It has a sweet, minty scent. Like a lot of glosses they tend not to last very long. All in all, a good buy and I already have my eye on other shades in the range -namely Strawberry and Cherry Tart.