It seems that nearly everyone in the blogging community has been raving about the Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua foundation. It seemed irreplaceable to many bloggers, including myself. Until the Estee Lauder launched their Invisible Fluid Makeup. I have to say, I think Estee Lauder flipped off Chanel pretty well.  The packaging is not all that different, as you can see: (same container, same vigorous shaking needed).

The Chanel packaging does look a bit sleeker, however, it’s the content that matters. People will be looking at your face and skin, not the bottle. The only pro-Chanel point, is that it comes with SPF 15, which isn’t all important for me. I prefer to apply a base with a higher SPF anyway.

Shades:

Let’s start with the shade variations. If you are as pale as I am, or don’t tan naturally, or are fair in general – forget about the Chanel foundation. It just won’t match. Vitalumiere Aqua only comes in 8 shades, in 3 sub categories: rosy beige, beige, or beige ocre. That’s a lot of beige. The Invisible Fluid Makeup comes in 16 different shades categorized under: neutral, cool, or warm – the way foundation is supposed to be. I was matched as a true 1N1, the palest shade available. It will not wash you out if you are really pale, and will give you a subtle glow.

Price / GWP:

The price difference (in Canada), isn’t dramatic. Estee Lauder is $42.50 vs. the $48.00 for Chanel. However, Estee Lauder offers (from May 23 to June 7th 2012) a free GWP when you spend $42.50 or more on any skincare or foundation. And let me tell you, I LOVE Gift w/ Purchases! They’re a great way to re-stock on something you love and get to try amazing new products you’d otherwise never buy for yourself. And this year, Estee Lauder’s GWP is the BOMB!

You receive: a beach tote; a hair comb; 15 ml. your choice of moisturize (among 3); a mini Sumptuous Bold Volume mascara; Long Lasting Lipstick in Pink Parfait; Lip Conditioner with SPF 15; 30 ml. Take It Away Total Makeup Remover; and because the Estee Lauder beauty consultant was so sweet, she gave me another 30ml of  Soft Clean Tender Cream Cleanser, since I had to wait a bit for her to match my shade.

Application:

After shaking both containers and applying them, the Estee Lauder one comes out much more silky. Another blogger wrote that the Chanel one came out a bit divided – meaning the contents didn’t mix well together, despite vigorous shaking.

That is all! I hope my review was at least a bit helpful! Now, speaking about living in Japan, I do wish that here we had more Gift w/ Purchases from high end brands. But there’s the benefit of having friends abroad who are willing to ship you things!   

ＸＯＸＯ，有菜。

Labels: Chanel, Estee Lauder, Foundation, Makeup, Review

If you are anywhere near a Sears (or a computer, in my case) and are as obsessed with Anna Sui as I am, go check their counter out. Until May 31st, Anna Sui offers a free gift with purchase of $60 Canadian dollars or more on anything at their counter. Your gift includes a limited edition cosmetic bag, a FULL sized mascara (your choice of volume or length), vials of their newest Fairy Dance fragrance, and samples of their skincare line: moisturizing lotion; moisturizing milk; & (2) moisturizing gel creams.

For my purchase, I decided to try out their liquid eye liner, which, btw, does smell like roses like anything else in their makeup, skin and hair care range. Also, this is something I’ve been dying to get, and I’ve actually waited for the Spring 2012 GWP event before getting it: the Eyebrow Color Compact. They come in 3 color variations. The Anna Sui beauty consultant said I was a true “02” – something meant for light haired girls with dark(er) eyebrows. I swear by this compact. Also, I’ve picked up 2 Powder Puffs for my 2 powders. While on the subject of Anna Sui beauty consultants, I have shopped at both Anna Sui in Japan and abroad, and I find the two experiences completely different. But that’s a whole different subject entirely.

I know I sound like a complete Anna Sui pimp here, and would probably be perfect for that job, but the majority of my makeup consists of Anna Sui products and I swear by that brand. Not to mention, you get your money’s worth, imo.

I remember I was really satisfied with my last year’s Spring 2011 GWP. It was as always a limited edition item: a big tin box! At first I thought how useless that item would be, but, boy, was I wrong. It’s amazing for storage! Don’t be deceived by the picture, it is much bigger in person. I’ve browsed at a few places online, and this box on its own now goes for around ~$50 ! Plus, you got a full sized lip-gloss! The color is so beautiful! And vials of their Rock me! fragrance.

 

Alright, I think I’m done being an Anna Sui pimp for today. I’m planning on doing a post about my Anna Sui items (from both Japan & abroad!).

ｘｏｘｏ, 有菜。

Labels: Anna Sui, Makeup

This blog post is a bit of a “Thank you” to Gossip Girl for some awesome seasons. In commemoration of its quickly approaching season finale.

While in Tokyo for my birthday, my friend and I came across a Gossip Girl Museum ad in Shibuya. It was quite intriguing. So that same night just minutes later we were heading towards its location just minutes away. It was located in quite a prestigious shopping mall on one of its top floors. The exhibition ran from Wednesday, March 28th, to Sunday, April 8th. We were there on its second day of opening, so I was able to snatch an awesome limited edition gift! Oh, and did I mention this exhibition was one-hundred percent free?

It showcased various high-end outfits the cast wore for some of its episodes, behind the scenes commentary and a multitude of art with each characters’ bio and personality. (click to enlarge)

 

On the 27th of March it was open exclusively for Japan’s celebrities who attended the museum, and one of the members of AKB48 signed the wall of the gallery.

Labels: Exhibition, Gallery, Gossip Girl, Japan, Museum, Outfit, Tokyo

I recently watched the Alexander McQueen and Louis Vuitton S/S 2012 shows on television. I think those two shows are the most inspirational for me for the coming seasons. Needless to say, the clothes were impeccable, but I do want to touch on the makeup at the Louis Vuitton show. The hair, which I consider a cardinal point to the look was also something I'll go for this spring and summer. It was a slight messy up-do with a delicate hairband. The makeup focuses on strong accent lashes and natural, peachy tones with natural eyebrows.

I’ll let it speak for itself:

(click to enlarge)

What are your favourite makeup trends this season? <3

Labels: Makeup

If you live in Japan and want to enjoy vintage / thrift shopping, Don Don Down on Wednesday is a place I highly recommend you visit! There are many locations all throughout Japan. I myself have visited one of the two locations in Akita City where I lived, which is accessible by bus from Akita JR Station. All their locations and more can be found at their website:

http://www.dondondown.com/

Also, check out the Staff Blogs! Find each shop's blog by prefecture, than see how they style their merchandise, what new items they have, and of course awesome deals.

Don Don Down's concept is very simple. Costumer sell their clothes, after which the staff price them on a scale. Each price is represented by either a fruit or a vegetable, and each have their own price. Prices go down every Wednesday; for example something which was priced. For example something priced a "Banana" (1500円) can go down to a "Mushroom" price (900円), and so on. The concept is very simple, not to mention incredibly cute and creative! They even have a video posted on their website explaining the process.

You can find tons of clothing and accessories, and they even have a special "branded" clothing, with very affordable pieces!

Check out these 4 ads I came across from an immense pile of magazines I accumulated while living in Japan: (click to enlarge)

 

 

[How incredibly cute are the assembled coordinates? And so cheap too!]

Labels: Akita, don don down, fashion, Japan, on wednesday, vintage

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Labels: Bloglovin

One of the difficulties about living in Japan is the lack of vegan or cruelty-free items on the market. You might be surprised that Japan-giants Kao, Shiseido, and Kanebo (and their lines such as Lavshuca, Majolica Majorca, Liese, etc) are all notoriously known for animal testing. The one well known Japanese company that checks out though, is DHC!

If you like myself are now living in Japan and want to switch to cruelty-free products, its deffinetely possible! I myself have changed all my beauty products to be cruelty-free - which was one of my resolutions for 2012. The few companies that I have turned to and are available in Japan, are LUSH (my personal favorite and easily found throughout Japan), L'Occitane, Eyeko (online only) and Muji (無印良品 Mujirushi Ryōhin).

So what can YOU do? Well, boycott is the first step. Second, sign online petitions, such as this one made by a Japanese organization: (available in both Japanese and English!) Theire banne is on the left hand side.



Happy cruelty-free shopping!

Labels: Beauty, Cruelty-Free, Japan, Kanebo, Kao, Shiseido, Vegan