The Japan Series: Missha Signature Glam Art Rouge Lipstick

Let's just pause for a moment - you ever seen more beautiful packaging? I had a 'magpie moment' when I saw this and basically handed over my Yen before even swatching this lipstick. I visited the Harajuku branch of Missha whilst in Tokyo as I'd heard great things about their BB/CC Creams, but this little gem was by the till and I think I like it even better than the base I picked up.

This is one of their Signature Glam Art Rouge Lipsticks which sadly may have been in limited edition packaging as their website shows this line encased in black and gold, and mine was a little discounted too. The shade I picked up is SPK108 - Missha put more effort into their packaging than the names of their products! It's a pale pink that may wash out the fairer skinned among us but it's a perfect pairing for a smokey eye and winged liner look. The formula is balmy and very comfortable to wear - and it tastes like coconut which was an unexpected bonus. The bullet is also octagonal which is really unique and sort of makes me not want to use it as I know it won't be octagonal forever...

Missha is a Korean brand but I believe you can get your hands on it if you live in the US and of course in Japan too.  Definitely a brand to check out if you can!

K x

Best of Korres Gift Set // A Lovely Present Idea.

I got lots of lovely Christmas presents this year, some beauty related and quite a lot that were puppy themed - my latest and very unoriginal obsession. One of my favourite beauty gifts was the Best of Korres set.  Korres get it bang on with their brand - marketing nerd alert!  Their packaging is super appealing and looks high end without being overly extravagant, plus pretty much all of their scents smell like they could transport you straight to a peaceful Greek island. Big ticks from me.

In this set you get the Guava Body Butter, Basil Lemon Shower Gel, Wild Rose Cream and Mask, and the White Tea Cleansing Gel. The shower gels and body butters are free from most nasties found in cheap cosmetics which is a major selling point, and the guava/basil lemon scents are just lovely. They've really perked me up on dreary January mornings. The Guava body butter in particular reminds me of beach holidays - there's a perfect blend of cocktails and sun cream in that little tube. Oh and it's moisturising too! All of their shower gels have that luxurious lather you just can't get from a supermarket alternative which is a great way to start the day.

I prefer Korres body products in general, but the skincare is definitely worth trying out. I've been a little careful with my sensitive skin this month but the cleanser did no harm and I enjoyed the scent of the rose products. I've used Korres Rose Brightening line in the past and it's always worked well for me, hydrating without causing breakouts.  More brands should consider a capsule collection of well loved products in miniature. It's certainly a nice way to get a proper taster of a beauty brand and has put Korres right to the front of my mind again - top marks!

K x

A Post-Christmas Skin Miracle...

Aloha...So I've been pretty much M.I.A over Christmas, and I've now been struck down (dramatic!) by the usual winter bugs. Needless to say, 2015 hasn't got off to the best start. But through this, I've also experienced what I'm deeming to be a small-but-significant skin miracle.

I've had that sore, dry, red rash around my nose that comes with the common cold - permanently since June. Concealer really highlights what a flaky mess it is, and no medication or over the counter creams have made any improvement. 

On Monday I decided to have some make up free days since I'd be spending most of my time with my kindle, and low and behold the rash has pretty much disappeared. It sounds so obvious now, but I think it was a very localised allergic reaction to my much loved L'Oreal True Match Foundation. This made me realise that I never, ever don't wear make up. I just love it too much - choosing the products and seeing them transform my face is one of my favourite daily activities. But donning a bare face has been surprisingly refreshing! I've been following a very paired back skincare routine morning and night for the last four days which seems to be doing no harm:

CLEANSE: Clarins Gentle Cleanser or Bioderma 

MOISTURISE: Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cream

EYE CREAM: Kiehl's Creamy Avocado Eye Treatment

TREATMENT: A little Homeoplasmine around my healing nose!

I can't tell you how much this has improved my January considering it hasn't been so great so far. As much as I've been spending my days in bed researching a new foundation, I'll definitely be embracing a few more make up free days once I'm back on my feet too :)

K x

The Japan Series: Yojiya, Kyoto

You'd think by the time we reached Kyoto that I'd be all shopped out. But me being me, I managed to stumble upon an absolute gem of a store in one of Kyoto's Geisha districts, Gion. We went to the Geisha's autumn dance show and were killing time before our pre-show tea ceremony - this little shop was just around the corner from the theatre.

Yojiya was a far cry from the beauty stores of Tokyo - there's no artificial looking products or flashy signs here.  It has a much more natural vibe, specialising in Aburatorigami - better known as blotting papers. The brand's essence is routed in Kyoto, their products were beautifully packaged with a nod to traditional Japan, and the store was quite minimalist.

They mostly stock skincare, but the make up they had was beautiful and reminded me a lot of the bright geisha make up. I can't find any information online about whether they supply make up to Geiko/Maiko, but I wouldn't be surprised. It wasn't the most practical for those of us that aren't geisha, so I managed to resist it!

I only purchased a few hand creams as gifts from here, but the scent of the product takes me right back to Kyoto.  It's hard to place what exactly it smells of, but its beautiful none the less.  Definitely somewhere to hunt out during a visit to Kyoto - the store was packed with Japanese women picking up armfuls of products, which was enough to convince me!

K x

The Japan Series: Shopping for Cosmetics in Tokyo

It might sound slightly sad...but shopping for cosmetics in Japan was one of my favourite things we did. Their drugstores are crazy, department stores filled with brands unknown to me, and I stumbled across some fab stand alone cosmetic shops too.  Here are my top places to hit up for a make up binge in Tokyo:

Matsumoto KiYoshi: This store was the Boots/Superdrug of Tokyo.  But unlike our drugstores, it was cram packed with products and the point of sale was incredibly flashy and over the top. But I sort of loved it. They stock most Japanese drugstore brands along with more high end offerings from Shiseido, DHC etc. Matsumoto KiYoshi is not particularly foreigner friendly as most packaging is in Japanese, but for an authentic experience this is definitely the place to go.

Harajuku: If you want to shop for anything remotely girly, head to the Harajuku area of Tokyo. Takeshita Street is filled with teenagers wearing the more extreme Japanese fashion, from girls dressed as life sized dolls to cyber punks and anime look-a-likes. It's worth a trip just to see the amazing outfits, hair and make up Harajuku girls wear, but Harajuku also has some great stores for cosmetics. Don't miss Missha, the Korean brand home to some of the very best BB/CC creams.

Just around the corner from Takeshita Street is Omotesando, a really high end shopping street home to MAC and various designer brands with make up lines, so you pretty much get the best of both worlds in Harajuku. PS - if you managed not to laugh at the word Takeshita, you're a better person than I am.

Plaza: Plaza is filled with various products from around the world, including a HUGE cosmetic section.  They had loads of British/US brands, so if you live in Tokyo this is the place to go for Rimmel, Maybelline, L'Oreal etc.  They also stock Etude House, a Korean brand that has great sheet masks and quirky packaging, and Dolly Wink lashes which I'm told are the false lashes of choice in Japan. I saw a Plaza in Shibuya 109, and also one near Ginza Station.


Shiseido Parlour, Ginza: I never actually bought anything here, but it was such a nice store to wander around. Shiseido own lots of Japanese brands at varying levels of luxury, so there was something for all budgets in here. I particularly enjoyed looking at all the whitening powders/creams they stock here - very Japanese.

Mitsukoshi:  Tokyo has HUNDREDS of department stores. Most are run/owned by the transport companies (weird!) so tend to be located near train stations. One of my favourite department stores for beauty was Mitsukoshi in Ginza. Reminiscent of Selfridges or Harvey Nichols this was a typical department store beauty hall.

You could shop in Tokyo's cosmetic stores for weeks and never cover them all. Saying that, there are some pretty special things to do in this wonderful city that don't involve make up, so hopefully this has helped refine your beauty hit list.

K x

A Gift from Berlin: KIKO Luxurious Collection Supreme Eyeshadow

So my lovely friend and fellow blogger was in Berlin, Germany last month and very kindly picked me up one of the new Luxurious Collection Supreme Eyeshadows by KIKO when she was shopping in their Berlin store. And it's an absolute beauty.

The shade I have is 'Posh Crystal Rose' - a beautiful, pale pink-champagne colour with a silver sparkle. The name alone would probably have drawn me to this shade, and the packaging is as special as the name. The pot has a nice weight to it that makes it feel expensive! It's hard to believe these retail for £11 - they really give higher end counterparts a run for their money, not just in terms of packaging but also quality.  The shadow stays on all day - I've mostly been using it as an all over base with a little of Burberry's Pearl Grey shadow in the crease and lashings of mascara. This gives a really pretty effect that works for daytime but can be majorly amped up for a Christmas night out. Perfect!

It's safe to say that more of these shadows have gone straight on my Christmas wishlist, one of which is the shade Exquisite Jasper Green. My friend reviewed this one and it looks beautiful - you can see her post here.

It's a shame that KIKO have a £25 minimum spend for an online order, although it wasn't hard to add some bits and pieces to the list to total £25...

K x

The Japan Series: Asian Beauty Haul

I have made it home from Japan! Had a blogging hiatus whilst I was away, mainly because we hardly stopped to breathe let alone blog. So here starts The Japan Series as I have so, so much to blog about. Japan is an incredible place...just when you think you've really seen it all there's something else that'll blow your mind right around the corner.  

But first things first, I spent a pretty penny (or yen) in the Japanese cosmetics aisles, so I thought I'd kick proceedings off with a haul - expect in depth reviews of these products in the next month or so as I can't wait to try them all out. The Japanese drugstore is a sight to behold in itself with shelves of bright packaging and buckets of products to peruse - literal buckets, the Japanese like to rake!

So what did I pick up? The Pikachus and Wallpaper City Guides in these pictures are just for effect...although I have grown rather attached to my Christmas Pikachu.

In Tokyo I hit up Shibuya 109, a magical mall filled with clothes/make up stores - a general girly haven. The top floor was home to Plaza which has a huge international make up section including Etude House, a Korean brand I was hunting for after seeing Fleur De Force's Asian Beauty Haul. I picked up three of their Sheet Masks: Q10, Green Tea, and White Pearl.

Next stop was the drugstore where I picked up another Fleur De Force recommendation, Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara. I've not tried this yet but it smells really strong. So slightly worried I might be allergic...

Tokyo ladies are so into their liquid liner and the choice was quite overwhelming. The 1 day Tattoo Liner by K-Palette seemed to be on sale everywhere so I'm going to give that a whirl mainly because it wouldn't come off my hand for two days! I wish I'd picked up one of the SEVERAL liners with cats on the packaging but this one was definitely the most long lasting.

In my favourite area of Tokyo, Harajuku, we stumbled upon a Missha store, an inexpensive Korean brand. A very helpful sales assistant pointed me in the direction of their best BB/CC creams so I picked up their Signature Real Complete BB Cream and their Signature Complexion Correcting BB Cream. One for me and one for a friend and fellow blogger. Plus a £4 lipstick with the prettiest packaging.

Phew...I'm almost done. Last up were some bath salts and blotting papers from Tokyu Hands department store. The Japanese certainly like their bath salts as there was hundreds to choose from with weird and wonderful smells I frankly wouldn't want to soak myself in. However I picked up some lavender salts and some ginger scented ones...brands are unknown since all the packaging is in Japanese! The Japanese also do blotting papers pretty well, so I threw some in to try out for those days when my face has more liquid than your average bowl of ramen.

Interestingly I hardly picked up anything that was originally on my original wishlist! The only thing I'm still yearning after is the Fairy Drops Mascara - this isn't widely available in Japan any longer so I'll be making a cheeky BeautyMart order instead.

I hope you enjoyed this rather long post, stay tuned for product reviews, raves about Asian packaging, the lowdown on the best places to shop, and maybe even some highlights that didn't involve shopping (Cat Cafes...)


K x