Went to meet my friends from college up for dinner since one of our friends was in town. So many Texans in LA now! We need to hang out more often. As you get older, it gets harder — but I need to get on it.

Used all of this:

to get this look

shirt: uniqlo, shorts: harajuku, tights: kohls, booties: seoul, cardigan: h&m

Gene, Viet, Clarice, Stephanie, & me – all of us live in LA now except for Stephanie who was visiting from NYC

My awesome friends that live in Japan, Ai & Yuta totally made me cry when I opened my email and saw this — how freakin’ amazing are they?? I miss them so much! I am so thankful to have such wonderful and thoughtful friends.

I love you guys!  No matter how far apart we are, you guys are always near and dear to me!

,

Do you know what it says?

Looking at these make me miss the four seasons in Japan -  Fall is gorgeous!

The other day I tried to see what I look I could do with minimal products – I ended up choosing these 4 products.

on lips: mark. gloss blossom – it goes on clear, but is supposed to react with your body chemistry to develop your own customized shade, (hello? anybody remember MOOD LIPSTICKS? omg – I used to LOVE those!) – supposed it really does create a different color on everyone’s lips. the texture is a bit stickier than I would like (though most lipglosses are) and the staying power wasn’t great, but it is fun to try since it’s supposed to be the ‘perfect’ color on everyone. I guess my color is clear (maybe I was having a bad day? who knows.)

on eyes: sephora eyeshadow to fill in eyebrows, maquillage by shiseido eyelash curler

face: face atelier ultra sheer in peach - according to the face atelier site, it says “silicone-based Ultra Sheer is magic in a bottle. hydrating yet oil-free, add it to ultra foundation to subtly alter its hue, or use it over ultra foundation to hightlight. apply it over your moisturizer for a diaphanous finish that floats on your skin as it luminates. it’s a blush. it’s a bronzer.”   I bought a sample of this and used it on my cheeks to give me a sheer finish. Though it was neat to use, I won’t be buying a full bottle because I didn’t like the texture of it, a bit too sticky to be putting on my cheeks. Maybe if I would have mixed it in foundation instead of using it on its own – it would have been less sticky.

Had an “I LOVE ME” day – drove around this big ole city with a goal in mind! I wanted to check out some of the makeup stores that my friends have recommended — because I wanted to add some things that I needed to my makeup kit. I have soooo many products and I really need to organize them more. I’m pretty good at keeping my things clean and in order, but you can always organize it more, you know?

So after spending time in Studio City/Burbank and stopping by the mall (which I discovered by accident), I came home with some makeup goodies, 4 headbands, and 2 tops! I came home and stayed up until 6:30am working on organizing my shadows, depotting, mixing and pressing my pigments. I felt like a mad scientist!

dress: f21, socks: shibuya, boots: nature , cardigan: contempo

my makeup mess!

THEIR TAKE:

What’s written: Scrub with purifying “dermatological-nutrients,” polishes away dullnss, leaving skin smooth and pure.

How is it different?: Garnier Nutritioniste Nutri-Pure is our 1st microbead scrub with a unique combination of “dermatological-nutrients,” that gently exfoliates and detoxifies surface-cells.

Ingredients: Vitamin E + Grape Extract (anti-oxidant to help detoxify), Vitamin B5 (infuses skin with moisture, to prevent overdrying), Green Leaf Extract (naturally soothes and refreshes)

How do I use it?: Moisten hands and face. Squeese cream scrub into hands and gently massage onto face. Rinse with water. Avoid eye area.

* Dermatologist tested for safety

* Oil-free

*Non comedogenic – won’t clog pores, gentle to skin

* Allergy tested

MY TAKE:

I’ve been using this for awhile – about 6 months off and on. I squeeze a small amount onto my hand and massage it onto my moistened face (I usually use this in the shower) with my fingertips, I massage it all round my face for a good minute while letting the microbeads do its job, then rinse. With facial scrubs, it is important to be diligent about rinsing it off, take time to make sure that you have removed all of the scrub, a quick and light splash of water won’t do.

Afterwards my skin feels refreshed & squeeky clean. It does leave my skin feeling moisturized, not dry and tight.  I am really picky about the scent of products and although this one has a pretty strong smell (you might not think so – I have a sensitive nose), I really enjoy the fruity scent that it has on days when I need a pick me up.

Although I really like this scrub, it doesn’t scream HG (holy grail) to me. Since I have a lot of other scrubs I still need to try, I probably won’t be buying it again for awhile. If you aren’t currently using a scrub – you should! They really help soothen your skin.  If you are looking for a scrub, I do think this one is worth a try!

$5.99 – can be found at your local drugstore (CVS, Walgreen’s, Rite Aid), Walmart, Target, etc.

tokyostargirl gives this product a 4/5 stars****

With inspiration from my geisha pics, I decided to go for a red lips look. I even fierced up my brows a bit by using black liner instead of my usual dark brown powder. I ended up only wearing this look to go to the bank and Walgreen’s (I know, not exactly “cool”) but it was fun. At first when I drew on my brows, it looked so weird to me, but as the day progressed – it grew on me. You just gotta roll with the punches and not be scared to try something new along the way. =)

shoes: diesel, jacket: h&m, shirt: hanes, tights: kohls, shorts: harajuku

for a peek of me with the same look minus the red lips, click below.

When I was living in Japan, I had the opportunity to go to Kyoto and dress up as a Geisha girl. These pictures were taken at a professional Geisha studio. My friends and I had our 15 minutes of fame as we walked outside and tourists stopped in their tracks to take pictures of us. We didn’t have the heart to tell them we weren’t real. =/

Since Halloween is this weekend, a lot of people have come to my page by looking up the word “Geisha” so I thought I should give you the real deal. Here are pictures of the process – no modern touches like I’ve seen a lot of people try to do online. This is really how the Geishas back then (and now) wore/wear their makeup.

People who try to duplicate this look always focus on the face and never do the detail of the back – leaving just a bit of  bare skin at the nape of the neck for added allure and femininity.

I broke the rule – Geishas aren’t supposed to smile.

I got my hair cut at Juan Juan Salon in Brentwood today by an extremely charming girl named Jean. It was easy to remember her name because it’s like mine, but shorter. =) She is so passionate about all aspects of hair and her job – she is really easy to talk to and really made me enjoy my time in the chair.  I really trusted her to give me the best look for my face, while keeping most of my length.

With the help and expertise of the salon owner, Sean, she helped create a look that I love and really is perfect for my face. Thanks so much, Jean! Now I want to wear my hair down instead of tying it up all the time.

What do you think?

Sun damage alters the way your skin looks and feels. You do not want to start looking older before you have to! When I talk to people who are older and ask them about their beauty advice – they always tell me to wear sunscreen! They all say that they wish they would have started wearing it at an earlier age to protect themselves from UV rays.

UV rays are an undetectable form of radiation that is emitted by the sun. There are two types of UV rays, UVA and UVB. UVA reays penetrate deep into the skin and are the major source of early aging and skin cancer. UVB rays primarily access the surface of the skin and are the key source of sunburns.  credit

Can you believe it? You are exposed to harmful UV rays in your daily life – walking, driving, or even sitting near a window! It’s called secondary exposure and occurs when you least expect it. That’s why people tell you that you should always wear sunscreen – even when it’s cloudy out.

Finding a good sunscreen was always the hardest thing for me.  I really don’t like the smell of typical sunscreen so that was where I was pickiest! I needed it to have just the right texture, thick enough so I could feel protected, but not too thick where I felt it weighing down my face all day, the right smell, and enough SPF – now that is hard! Luckily for me, while in Korea a couple years ago – I FINALLY found my HG (holy grail) sunscreen and it was all by chance! I had heard good things about a brand in Korea called Banila Co. While I was browsing around the store, I happen to come across the sunscreen and decided to try it out. Little did I know that I would LOVE it! It has enough SPF 50+ protection, it smells great (remember I’m picky!), and it has the perfect texture (you’ll feel comfortable wearing it all year long). I absolutely love this and will always make sure I have a tube in my makeup bag at all times. I sincerely believe it’s the best sunscreen out there! =)

Not sure if you can get it online, but if you happen to go to Korea or have a friend there – make sure you ask them to pick you up one – it’s the best!

So I probably shouldn’t be buying new boots.

1) I already have 10+ pairs.

2) I am jobless.

3) I am jobless.

but – after seeing these, I just HAD to. I ended up getting the black pair. It’s so hard for me to find a good pair of boots that fit right since my calves are big (I have my HS soccer days to thank for that). I have to steer far away from boots that zipper up because those for sure don’t fit. I have never bought boots online because I fear that they won’t fit (oh I pray these will). I always have to try them on first, but here’s to a 1st – hoping it will be a good experience!

I found this site called Newport News and they seem to have pretty good stuff for decent prices. I first heard about them while looking through Glamour Magazine – it featured some of their handbags that were pretty enough for me to want to find out more. This is the first time I’m ordering from them – so will let you know how it goes. I just placed the order so I’ll probably get them in about a week or so.

If you want to take a better look at these boots – go here.