JUNE EMPTIES (BEAUTY EMPTIES 2016 #3)

BIORE U BODY WASH
I'm not particular about body wash. Biore
is famous for skin care brand (hand wash, body wash, etc), so when I stopped by drugstore, I bought this body wash and a refill. This is mild acidic body wash featuring new cleasing technology called SPT (Skin Purifying Technology.) Both of kids and adults can use this. It has a lovely peach scent. I like the scent, but I think it's a bit strong for kids or babies. I used up a refill, too:)

T.K. DICKEN'S WITCH HAZEL
I often used it before do makeup. My skin feels comfortable after wipe with it using cosmetic cotton pad. It's 100% natural formula, therefore it has a strong scent of witch hazel plant (it's like vinegar...) I'm not expert about the effect of witch hazel, but I think it actually worked for my skin.

YUSKIN S LOTION
It's a gel type lotion. You can apply it the whole body. I mainly used this for my face. When applied it on my skin, I feel like it's turning from gel texture to watery texture. And it was very comfortable. YUSKIN S series is good for sensitive skin.

THE BODY SHOP TEA TREE SKIN CLEASING TONER
It's supposed to be suitable for blemished skin. In my opinion it's not a bad product, but it did nothing for my acne. When I applied this toner on my skin, I felt it's burning my skin lile sunburn... It was a pity because I was really expecting the tea tree effect.

BAN SWEAT-BLOCKING ROLL-ON
It's roll on type deodorant for armpits. I applied it on my armpits before I wear clothes. It's non-sticky, and it dries quickly. I chose soap scent one. And I repurchased this.

SABORINO 朝用マスク
When you wake up, you take 1 sheet, and put it on your face. After only 60 seconds, you can start doing makeup. Yes! It's for a lazy girl like me! This sheet mask works as face wash, skin care and makeup base. But it's hard for me to skip washing face during hot and humid summer days. So I recommend to use this after washing your face. It contains menthol that wake you up in the morning:)

BIORE SARASARA POWER SHEETS
I think the Japanese expression 'sarasara' means 'powdery'
, 'non-sticky', 'smooth' in English:) This body powder sheets remove stickiness and leave your skin very smooth and comfortable. This stuff is helpful for hot weather. And the scent of lime and peach makes me feel refreshed.

INTEGRATE BEAUTY GUIDE EYEBROW IN BR621
Integrate is one of drugstore makeup brands from Shiseido. And this is a 2-in-1 eyebrow pencil. One side (on the left in the picture) is liquid, and the other side is powder. You can shape and fill in eyebrow easily using this. Incidentally, this is water proof! I think this is the first eyebrow makeup product I've used up. I don't know I'll repurchase this or not.

THIERRY MUGLER ALIEN EAU EXTRAORDINAIRE EAU DE TOILETTE
I've adored wearing this fragrance! Tunisian neroli, bergamot, tahitian tiare, cashmere wood, white amber...I'm in love with the classic scent. I saw many reviews about this on the Internet, and many people say that eau extraordinaire is lighter than original alien eau de toilette. I agree. Eau extraordinaire is good for daily use. However I love both! I used up a sample bottle this time. I would like to get a full size bottle some time... I think it tends to be my signature scent.


Have you tried any of these products before?



By the way, about half the 2016 is already over! Time flies!



Matsuri
(Thanks for stopping by and reading! I love hearing your comments:) I'm not good at English! When finding mistakes in my English, will you correct them if you don't mind?)

MAY EMPTIES (BEAUTY EMPTIES 2016 #2)

It's time to share with you my MAY EMPTIES! I used up 9 items in total:)

AHA WASH CLEANSING
It's a facialscrub type cleanser with AHA (Alpha Hydroxy Acids.) It made my skin feel clean after use it. You can use it to remove your makeup.


極潤 スキンコンディショナー
GOKUJUN SKIN CONDITIONER
After washing my face, I used it the first. The texture is very watery. I pat it on my face by both of hands every time. It cleaned up my skin without drying. And this toner is also supposed to help acne, but it didn't help me prevent acne unfortunately.


無印良品 化粧水・敏感肌用 高保湿タイプ LIGHT TONING WATER HIGH MOISTURE
Muji skin care products are popular in Japan these days. So I decided to try this toner. I chose the mini size. To be honest it was neither good nor bad for my skin. I think the toner is good for people who have dry skin or sensitive skin. Maybe I should know which type my skin belongs to. By the way, it's only 300 yen! So you can feel free to try it:)


明色化粧品 美顔水
MEISHOKU SKIN LOTION BIGANSUI
This is one of time-honored skin care products in Japan. I applied it gently using cosmetic cotton pad after washing my face and before I do makeup. It made my skin very fresh (it's supposed to prevent appearance of acne.) It has a strong scent like herbs but I like the scent.


CREME 21
When I used to work at nursing home as a care worker (I quit my job in March. I'm going to write about it before long), I was suffered from rough hands. So I used this one as hand cream. The texture of it is not sticky. But it has a moisturizing effect. I like the size. I always put it in back pocket of trousers.


我的美麗日記 ハトムギマスク
COIX SEED MASK
This face mask didn't work for me. I didn't feel special effect:'( 我的美麗日記 is launching many kinds of face masks, so I would like to try other face masks some time.


NIVEA REFRESH PLUS AQUA GEL
It's a gel type body lotion. So far I didn't use body lotion daily because I'm a lazy person when it comes to body care. But these days I came to do body care. Because summer season is around the corner (Japan has just entered the rainy season.) Of course I think I should do it even in winter season. The scent of orange and bergamot tea makes me relax. It applies very smoothly and the texture is very light. So my clothes didn't stick to my skin even after applying. I think the lasting power is not so strong, but this stuff made my skin condition much better:) I recommend to use it especially during summer season!


SHISEIDO MA CHERIE AIR FEEL SHAMPOO AND CONDITIONER
The shampoo is non-silicon type. I like the floral fruity scent. But they didn't work for my hair type. My hair feels super dry after use them. I won't repurchase...





I hope you enjoy this post:)

I would like to update my blog more often. It's hard for me to write blog posts in English:'( However, I started my blog to improve my English skills!


Matsuri
(Thanks for stopping by and reading! I love hearing your comments:) I'm not good at English! When finding mistakes in my English, will you correct them if you don't mind?)

BEAUTY EMPTIES 2016 #1

Hi everyone! How have you been? About four months has already passed since New Year. How time flies! And...it's been a while to write new post today!

I think I haven't done an empties/ products I've used up post so far. So this time I would like to share with you about my beauty empties from the past few months.



CERACOLLA MOISTURE FOAM
This is cleansing foam for dry skin. I bought it last November. I was looking for skin care products which contain ceramide 1 〜 3 and found the product. It didn't feel tight after using it. It worked well during winter season.


ACNE BARRIER PROTECT MAKE CLEAR
It's an oil-free based makeup remover for oily skin or people who suffer from acne. It has gel texture and removes my makeup very easily and smoothly. And a tea tree scent relaxes me. I like beauty products related to Tea tree oil. Because tea tree oil treats acne and blackheads. So I repurchased it!

SEKKISUI WHITE WASHING CREAM
You can buy this cleansing foam at corner stores (convenience stores) called Seven Eleven in Japan. I often see many tourist from Asian countries buy it. I don't know why but it seems popular among them.
The cleansing foam makes my skin feel fresh. But I think moisturizing effect of this product is so-so. So I recommend to use this during summer season.

蜂乳クリーム石鹸
This cleansing foam is liquid type and doesn't lather well. But the texture is comfortable for me. This is known as favourite of some members of Takarazuka Revue Company. Because it works as makeup remover. It has a subtle scent like honey and flowers. I like the scent. I think I'll repurchase.

MEDICATED SEKKISEI ENRICHED
I'm a fan of SEKKISEI toner and emulsion. So I was expecting that a series of 'enriched' launches (they were released in October 2015.)
This is hard to say, but...I was a little disappointed. I don't like the texture of it. My skin feels a little sticky. So I mainly used it for body. I also got a emulsion of the same range, but I gave it to my sister because the texture of it was a little heavy and greasy which I dislike.


MEDICATED SEKKISEI
As I said, I prefer SEKKISEI 'standard' toner to 'enriched'. It's the best toner I've ever used. It agrees with my skin. But if I had to say one thing, it's hard for me to continue to use. Because it's a little expensive (around 5000yen. But you can get a 30 percent - a 40 percent discount at some drugstores in Japan. Even though about 3000yen, it's expensive!)


ほまれ化粧水
It's a toner which is blended Japanese Sake with lavender oil. Therefore it has very strong lavender scent. Maybe some like it, but others don't. But I like it. If you want to relax when you do skin care, I recommend it.

THE BODY SHOP TEA TREE PORE MINIMISER
I finally used up! This makeup base is suitable for oily skin. It makes pore look smaller, and makes skin mattify instantly. I mainly applied it around my nose (because I apply other makeup base on my t zone.) So it took a long time to used it up.

MELANO CC TONER AND SERUM
These products are said effective for blemished skin like freckles, pores and so on. But they were not effective for my skin. I guess if I want to obtain the effect, I have to continue to use some bottles.

BEAUTY MAGIC MAKEUP BASE
I used to like CONTROL SERUM by Dejavu. But unfortunately it's a discontinued product now. So I needed another makeup base to replace it! This makeup base works as well as Dejavu product. It makes my t zone stay matte for longer hours. I love it!


ESSENCE SUN CLUB SHIMMER BRONZING POWDER IN 10 SUNKISSED
This is my first Essence Cosmetics product I've used up. The shimmering bronzing powder gives a natural sunkissed tan effect. I've already repurchased it. I'm looking forward to use
it for summer season.

SEKKISEI EMULSION

I really like this emulsion so much! Texture, scent...everything is perfect for me. So I've repurchased this for 4 or 5 times so far.

LUSH CUP O' COFFEE FACE AND BODY MASK
Yes! I'm a coffee addict! This is a coffee based facial mask. Of course it can be used body, too. I applied it on clean face and left 10 or 15 minutes. And then, I scrubed slowly before wash off the mask. Afterwards, my skin felt very softer and a faint fragrance of coffee left on my skin.
I would like to repurchase some time.

AQUALABEL WHITENING JELLY ESSENCE
I used up this jelly textured toner once so far. A few years ago, it was enough for my skin to just use this toner. But now I need more moisture, so I applyed SEKKISEI emulsion after the toner.

ROSETTE GHASSOUL BRIGHT FACE FOAM
I was troubled by rough skin last month. So I decided to try other cleansing foam product. It contains argan oil, rich in vitamin E oil and polyphenols. The product says 'skin's healthy glow' , but my face feels dry after using this... When I bought this yellow, I saw other colours (pink, blue and green) at the same time. So I would like to try other things.

ROSETTE FACE SCRUB
ROSETTE GHASSOUL BRIGHT FACE FOAM came with a free gift. This is it. I didn't get the peeling effect. And I couldn't find any good points about this product. So I won't buy full-sized bottle.



That's all my beauty empties of the past few months! I hope this post was help for you:)


Matsuri

p.s. I have so many things I would like to tell you! I'm going to write about them little by little...

(Thanks for stopping by and reading! I love hearing your comments:) I'm not good at English! When finding mistakes in my English, will you correct them if you don't mind?)

CHOCOLATE INSPIRED MAKEUP LOOK

Last week I met a friend after a long time. We had lunch at a cafe and talked a lot (sorry for my poor English.)
When we separated, she gave me a box of chocolates. It was Toffifee which I've been wanting to eat! It tasted so good just as expected. Thank you, Marion!

When I enjoyed the chocolates while watching movies at home, I came up with an idea for a new post of my (boring) blog.
It's to share my chocolate inspired makeup look (aka my updated cat eye makeup look.)

Reddish brown is my all time favourite colour on my eyes. Brown part of CANMAKE EYE NUANCE IN 32 CHOCOLAT APPLE is my least favourite. And these days I often use CANMAKE BROWN EYELINER which is a cute reddish brown colour (unfortunately, it is a discontinued product.) I don't apply mascara as always even though my eyelashes look very poor...
I apply orange toned blush on my cheeks and add highlighter a little bit.
And I wear RIMMEL LONDON LASTING FINISH LIPSTICK BY KATE IN 48. It's an exquisite brown colour! I wish I could buy it at drugstores in Japan (thanks feelunique website!)


What's your favourite makeup look?


Matsuri
(Thanks for stopping by and reading! I love hearing your comments:) I'm not good at English! When finding mistakes in my English, will you correct them if you don't mind?)

THINGS TO DO ON MY DAY OFF

Hi, all! How have you been?
I'm pretty exhausted from my work! I always think that I would like to take a mental break. So today I'm going to write about what I did for a change of my pace during this summer.

1. NAIL PAINTING
Each day off I tried to have time to nail my fingers. I think nail painting gives the spice to my fashion (as you know I prefer to wear clothes which were based around the colour black.)
Essence Nail Polish and Barry M Nail Paint are my favourites. They have good colour selection and they are inexpensive. When it comes to Japanese brand, I like Sweets-Sweets nail polishes. I was into earth colours (I'm not going to collect anymore.)
However, I feel so sad when I have to remove the polish from my nails. It means ''Ah, my day off is almost over. I have work again from tomorrow!''

2. WEAR LIPSTICK
Lipstick is very important to me. It helps my feeling and fashion tie together.
My current go-to is Rimmel London Lasting Finish Lipstick By Kate in 48. It's my favourite lipstick ever! It's a beautiful dark nude colour what I've been looking for!

3. WEAR PERFUME
I think fragrances are like personalities.
In my early twenties, I really loved very sweet scented perfumes like Fantasy by Britney Spears, Amorito by the Body Shop, Chocolat Matt by Masaki Matsushima and so on. I still like them, but sometimes I think they are for young girls...
About two years ago a friend and I visited 北野異人館 Kitano Ijinkan in 神戸 Kobe, and I got my original perfume at 香りの家 オランダ館 Kaori No Ie Oranda Kan. I answered some questions like 'what kind of music/fashion/colour do you like?', and then perfumers blended perfumes referring to my answers. At that time I felt the scent is to classy for my age, but it's growing on me. I also like Alien by Thierry Mugler. I would like to figure out my signature scent.

4. WATCH FOREIGN MOVIES
I'll write about it some other time!




What do you do for a change of pace?



Matsuri
(Thanks for stopping by and reading! I love hearing your comments:) I'm not good at English! When finding mistakes in my English, will you correct them if you don't mind?)

I KILLED MY MOTHER - XAVIER DOLAN

Xavier Dolan... He is a young talented person as a director, an actor, a writer.

It was 2014 that I saw his works for the first time. I've seen his four works (Heartbeats, Laurence Always, Tom At The Farm and Mommy) so far.

And about two weeks ago I had a chance to watch his first film 'I Killed My Mother' at cinema finally.
Xavier Dolan described that I Killed My Mother as semi-autobiographical. The story is focusing on relationship between Hubert Minel, 16-year-old homosexual highschooler and his single mother.

To be honest, this wasn't a heart-warming story in my opinion. Because their relationship seems like me and my mother. It was something like frustrated, depressed, emptied...

My mother and I often fight over trivial things, ignore each other. It's not that I hate her (and I hope that she doesn't hate me too.) I don't know why our relationship is so complicated.
But some words that Hubert says in the film touched my heart.
'It's crazy. If someone hurt her, I would kill that person. Absolutely.'


Have you ever seen Xavier Dolan's movies? What do you think about his works?


Matsuri
(Thanks for stopping by and reading! I love hearing your comments:) I'm not good at English! When finding mistakes in my English, will you correct them if you don't mind?)

SUMMER BEAUTY ESSENTIALS 2015

SUNSCREEN/SUNBLOCK
Yes, Sunscreen is one of my must have stuff of summer. I'm using Sekkisei Sun Protect as a makeup base almost everyday. I used up the first one so I repurchased. I like the texture of it. It's a gel-type sunscreen. Of course you can use it on your body, too. Incidentally I'm using a milk-type of the same range for body. I'll use up it soon. But I don't know if I'll repurchase or not.

MAKEUP BASE FOR OILY SKIN
I'm suffered from oily and shiny forehead all the time. But Dejavu Control Serum saved my makeup life! It prevents my skin from oily and shiny. I've been repurchasing it for many times so far. But unfortunately the great product is no longer produced now. I have some in stock. And I'll have to look for other product which is similar to Dejavu product.

FACE POWDER
I don't use neither powder nor liquid foundation. I use the only two things- makeup base (includes sunscreen) and face powder. I prefer transparent shade. So I often use Rimmel London Stay Matte Powder or Shiseido Baby Powder. They work very well for oily shiny skin. They keep my skin matte but not cakey.

HIGHLIGHTER
I'm obsessed with highlighter at the moment! I like applying highlighter along the top of cheekbones. Barry M Radiant Rod is a interesting stuff. I apply it directly to my cheekbones and blend with finger tips. Rimmel London Good Glow is also interesting. It gives dewy glow. I recommend that you apply it before face powder.

BRONZER
I don't want to get a suntan, but I want a healthy look. So I use bronzers. I prefer a matte finish to a shimmery finish. But I have a problem...when I want to apply both of bronzer and blush naturally, how should I do?? Please give me some advice!

NON-STICKY LIP GLOSS
I'm a big lipstick fan. But sometimes I feel I want to wear lip gloss. A sticky texture makes me feel dull. Barry M's lip glosses are always my favourites. They give super mirror shine with lovely scents. They have longwearing fomula without sticky.

LIP BALM WITH SPF
I think lip balm is one of skin care and makeup essentials that you can find easily at your local drugstores.
Carmex Ultra Moisturising Lip Balm moisturises my lips really well without sunscreen taste and smell.

SUMMER SCENT PERFUMES
I really enjoyed sweet, delicious scents like chocolate, caramel and vanilla during winter. And now I switched it up with more summery scents. I've been looking for some coconut scent perfumes. At first I tried the Body Shop Coconut Body Mist, but it smells like a wax or a crayon... And finally I found! Comptoir Sud Pacifique Coco Extreme is my ideal summery/coconut scent. I'm going to enjoy the scent this summer.




Are you ready for the summer?

Matsuri
(Thanks for stopping by and reading! I love hearing your comments:) I'm not good at English! When finding mistakes in my English, will you correct them if you don't mind?)