♡ BeautyBay Haul; Makeup Geek + Gerard Cosmetics ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I am a sucker for offers on make-up, and a while ago now (like literally, back in May - that's how far behind, I am on things) BeautyBay was holding a "buy one, get one half price" offer on Gerard Cosmetics items, I swear that I was in there like a bat outta hell! And I couldn't resist purchasing some other goodies as well...

I'd had an empty Z palette lying around for ages now, and I knew that it needed to be filled, otherwise it would continue on being empty. So, seeing the selection of Makeup Geek pans on offer (and the fact that I got a free foiled eyeshadow pan after spending a certain amount) I decided to, just go for it and see what the outcome was, and the outcome was this! Oh,  and after sorting out each pan into alphabetical order (yes, this is what I do, w/ my organising) from left, to right, the pans go as follows;

○ Barcelona Beach ○ Bedrock ○ Bitten ○ Burlesque ○ Cinderella ○ Goddess ○ In The Spotlight ○ Latte ○ Vintage ○

I love these colours. I've been using all of these shades, besides the 'In The Spotlight' foiled eyeshadow, as transition shades mainly, and I've yet to use them just on their own? I feel that I probably need a primer for these pans though, as I did do tester swatches on my arms (which, the photographs turned out horrible, so no putting them in. Nope) and they needed, a good four to five swipes of colour, before they seemed usable? So basically, these pans are good for a build up of colour, and as I'm not using primer on my eyes at the moment, using them as transition shades, is the best option for sure. I do love these colours though, they are all, honestly, super pretty, and can be introduced to either everyday looks, or added to a glam look too.

Next up, are the stunning (and boy, do I mean s t u n n i n g) hydra matte lipsticks, as well as normal lipsticks, by Gerard Cosmetics. I love the hydra matte lipstick range - I even did a post about the colour CHER, which you can re-cap here if you so desire - because the formula agrees with me, on so many levels. They're creamy to apply, they don't dry to the point where the colour cracks, and makes my lips look awful, and the colours are just gorgeous in pigmentation. I cannot fault these liquid lipsticks... I really cannot. I also decided to get a few of the creamy lipsticks too, and I'm glad that I did! I really love these colours - even though I still haven't used them yet... oops! I will try to use them soon. Promise!

○ Gravity ○ Iced Mocha ○ Invasion ○ Mystic Moon ○ Rodeo Drive ○ London Fog ○

Oh, and I also purchased a pot of loose pigment powder from Makeup Geek - it's a beautiful champagne rose colour - which is a colour I have been after for a while, and it's just that extra bit of glitz, to make any eye look, well, pop!

So there we have it, a haul post that has been sitting in my drafts for over four months now *doom and gloom*, is finally finished! Boy, I sure do take my time... don't I.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ My First Colourpop Haul ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

Note; I was going to do swatches... but they turned out terrible - slightly out of focus because of shaky arms, even though I used a tripod, and the lighting was awful too, so  I'll do some proper lip swatches (with added reviews) as soon as I have some free time~

I messed up. Well, I didn't really mess up bbbuuuttt as I'm meant to be saving for my Japan trip at the end of the year... I messed up. Colourpop has been on my radar for a while now, and after seeing more UK bloggers purchasing pieces, I decided to dive in further. As Colourpop don't do shipping to the UK at the moment, the easiest way to do so, is by getting an American shipping address - I use Shipto - and doing it that way! You literally add items to your cart, enter the American address you've signed up for, in the shipping and billing sections and away you go! You wait (very patiently) for the email, saying that your parcel is in their care, then you pay a small service fee and the shipping fee from their warehouse, to you doorstep! It really is as simple as 1, 2, 3!

Now, I actually did two different orders - my first order being when Colourpop had a sale on, and the second one when they offered a free limited edition eyeshadow single, to celebrate their second birthday. I wasn't intending on doing the second purchase, but all I had to do was spend $30 (which is easily done) and voila! It happened... But basically, because both orders were put together, the shipping fee and service fee didn't mount up in the end - I paid less than $15 for both.

Eyeshadow Singles

○ Glow ○ Birthday Boy ○ KathleenLights ○ Cornelious ○

How stunning are these? Glow, KathleenLights and Cornelious are actually three single colours from the Kathleen Lights Quad collection, but when I did my first order, it was, sadly, out of stock - so I had to make do with these three for now! Birthday Boy just oozes that little bit of swish and glitter that could probably make any look pop!

Eyeshadow Collections 

○ Kaepop ○ Jenn Ne Sais Quad ○

Two stunning quads for $20 each? I was sold in all honesty. I love how different the formula is of these eyeshadows... they don't seem powdery? It almost feels as if it's a cushioned liquid/mousse kind of formula?! It's weird, but I'm super looking forward to using the beauties properly! On first impressions, the Jenn Ne Sais Quad appeals to me more, because of the two bottom colours (brick red and a blackened brown) are more... well, me I suppose? 

Ultra Matte Lip

○ Are & Be ○ Bianca ○ Cheap Thrills ○ Lumiere II ○ Trap ○ Tulle ○

Matte lipsticks are my favourite at the moment, and after searching through different swatches on google - the above six colours were my favourite! I will probably make my way through the whole collection in the future... but these six will satisfy. At first glance, I'm more pulled towards Cheap Thrills and Are & Be, compared to the others, and normally I would have a berry/bold red matte lip colour in ANY haul but this time, I stuck with nudes and pinks - for now.

Ultra Satin Lip

○ Dopey ○ Echo Park ○ Frick 'n' Frack ○ Marshmallow ○ Prim ○ Tansy ○ Toolips ○

As soon as I saw Marshmallow, I just knew that I had to have it. And it's shocking for me, because I don't have any satin lipstick in my collection any more? I just have a few Gerard Cosmetics lipsticks and some Etude House ones, but the rest are liquid and matte... that's how predictable I am these days. But it wasn't just Marshmallow I had to have straight away, Tansy and Toolips also won me over... Tansy because it's a little weird and Toolips because... I actually don't know why, but the swatch looked amazing. I am, so looking forward to using the beauties soon!

Lippie Stix

○ Cami ○ Creature ○ Lumiere ○ Pillow Talk ○ Taurus ○ Tootsi ○

I was slightly heartbroken, that Cami and Creature came a little bit weird? Cami was backwards and all twisted, whilst Creature was slightly twisted in the tube. None the less, all the colours are simply stunning. A couple of colours are from the Matte X collection - I think Cami, Pillow Talk and Tootsi? Lumiere was part of the Kathleen Lights collection, and hence why I got this was because of Lumiere II as well! I love all of these colours in all honesty... I really don't know how I'm going to choose whenever I need a lip colour!

So there we have it! I love each and every item, even the ones that are a little twisted, but I am looking forward to incorporating these items into my everyday - and extreme - looks!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Jeffree Star Velour Liquid Lipsticks in Doll Parts, Gemini & Scorpio ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I don't think, that it really comes as a shock to anybody, any more, that I love the Jeffree Star's Cosmetics line. I have my eyes on the Beauty Killer palette, for when I get paid (SOON!) and, when the Skin Frost line comes back in stock, I am getting my hands on the Ice Cold version - I have the Mint Condition version on its way to me, but Ice Cold was my first choice originally.

But, before those items were released, I purchased three liquid velour lipsticks - two new colours; Scorpio (duh, it is my star sign!) and Gemini, and a restock of Doll Parts. I still want a few more colours - especially the two new colours, Rose Matter and Mannequin, but sadly I will have to wait for the next restock of those, because they get released five days before my payday, sob. But anyway, waiting over 10 days, very patiently, for these lipsticks was EXCRUCIATINGLY painful, especially after seeing lots of different swatches - videos and pictures - online, but it was worth it in the end, and lets just say, I was not disappointed~

All three colours are just, simply stunning in person, and the formula is still the best. Doll Parts is a soft, but beautiful cool toned pink and against my skin, uuuggghhh. So nice! Gemini is a terracotta warm-toned nude, and I didn't think this would suit me at first, but boy was I wrong! And finally, Scorpio (yyyaaasss!) is, like a love child of purple and grey and holy shit, it is a stunner.

As usual, I cannot fault these lipsticks for their formula. The colours are just divine, and my collection just keeps on growing every time! I love how, each colour can suit all skin tones, no matter what, even if it seems like that a specific one, wouldn't suit you because you're a... lets say olive complexion with cool undertones - any lipstick from this line would possibly suit you.
Also, I love how you can mix the colours together and create a totally, new and awesome colour! I just love experimenting, and I think you can find different mixes and matches from the shades somewhere online... I need to do the searching again!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Japan Centre Haul ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

Recently; I've been on a cooking whirl, and one of the cuisines I have been wanting to cook for aaagggeeesss is Japanese - but because of where I live, it's hard to get certain ingredients.

I have used Japan Centre in the past - when I used to live in London for university, whenever it was payday from student loans, I would go up to there (when it was located on Regent Street) and get the basics I liked cooking with, i.e. dashi stock, noodles, karaage seasoning and more. Fast forward a few years, and the fact I haven't shopped in Japan Centre for a long time, and we're here!

Besides the basics; soya sauce, mirin, cooking sake, sushi rice, sushi nori and dashi stock, I went with a couple of kits; the breakfast set and miso soup kit, fish cake, udon noodles and noodle extras, some snack pieces (as a treat), my favourite strawberry milk, some other basic store cupboard ingredients, a couple of bento items, and finally; a gorgeous black, matte ramen bowl w/ chopsticks. I just, literally, spent over the £75 limit and got free next day delivery because of it... score!

There are also a few items, I purchased that aren't listed here either! I managed to get hold of a few bars of the Lotte Ghana White Chocolate and some matcha powder - because I had seen a recipe for a matcha latte using those specific ingredients, I couldn't resist!

Everything was so well packed, and preserved - as the fishcake was a cold item, it came in a cool box with the gel ice blocks! Nothing came damaged, and it did stick to the "next day delivery" as I had ordered before the cut off point. I will, certainly, use the online shop again in the future, but for bigger purchases, and when I need a few items here and there, I will just wait until I go into London to pick them up myself!

I haven't cooked many dishes yet - only tanuki udon, donburi, ongiri and used the tofu for a different dish, but I cannot wait to try more! What's also handy, is that Japan Centre has a recipe section, so you don't have to scour the internet, looking for one.

Until then, do check out their site. I know you can rack up points whenever you spend, can purchase a subscription for either snacks or tea, and sometimes they hold special offers with things i.e. extra points, or discounted items because of holidays etc.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Dollywink Eyelashes in No. 9 Natural Dolly // Honey LY Shop ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

OH LOOK... more eyelashes. I do have a confession to make, this is my first ever packet of Dollywink eyelashes I have ever come into contact with. After reading and hearing about how *wonderful* and *superb* this brand is when it comes to lashes (I must admit, the liquid eyeliner is "toteballs amaze") I just had to find out for myself what all the fuss is about with this particular brand and its lashes. But first, about the shop!

About Honey LY Shop

Honey LY is run by my gorgeous friend Charli and she brings to us mere mortals in the UK (and worldwide) a wonderful selection of make-up, masks, lashes, mirrors, charms, extra cute keyrings and even a few Gyaru style clothing pieces / belts from Japan. I know that there are sites already out there for this sort of thing but Charli, seriously, has some amazing deals and a wide selection of things to choose from and her services are 100% on point with excellent communication and extra fast shipping. After (finally) making the decision of purchasing two boxes of eyelashes from Charli, oh my goodness it only took 2 working days from our last message for the package to arrive on my doorstep... I like that, I like that a lot.

About Dollywink

Dollywink is just one of those brands everyone seems to know about - or at least have some form of knowledge about. Their formula used in their liquid eyeliners seem to be a winner to people all over the world and their designs for their eyelashes are... slightly different to other brands even though they do stick with styles more known/common. Tsubasa Masuwaka (the founder and former Gyaru model) is, most certainly, pioneering forward with her make-up line Candydoll - a line that focuses on different make-up products such as foundation, powder and lipstick - as well as with Dollywink which the focus for this brand is the eyes like lashes, eyeshadow and liner etc.

The Product

I chose to get the No.9 Natural Dolly style as I want to start turning my make-up into a more "natural" style, Even though I do have an interest in gal style make-up, I have never ever touched upon that subject with my make-up until I started becoming more interested in "Onee Gal" style make-up.

"Onee Gal; (Highly Active Style) A ”gyaru” who has graduated from high school, and thus become a more mature ”onee-san” (literally “elder sister”). A sophisticated style and more sexual style similar to regular gyaru-kei" quote from here

Seems intriguing right? A few of my friends are really into Gyaru style and are super cute with their make-up all the time ;A; oh well... one day!

I like how this product has the invisible band like other brands of eyelashes, that's always a major plus for myself as I really dislike lashes with the thick, black band for some reason? I always struggle with getting it to stay in shape yet with an invisible band, it's just a lot easier to control and bend into the right eye shape. I had to trim these lashes down quite a bit before it fitted the size/shape of my eye and I'm glad that there are two pairs in one packet as I want to try a more elongated eye shape next time I use these lashes. I had a little bit of trouble making them actually "stick" to my eye for some reason... probably my eyelash glue knowing my luck, but these lashes don't really scream to me? I can understand ever so slightly why people rave about them but for me... eh. Just... eh.

Pros;
↑↑gorgeous, natural style lashes
↑↑ came with a free glue attached (aheuheuheu)
↑↑ pretty packaging
↑↑ extremely lightweight
↑↑ didn't irritate inner eye (extremely sensitive area)

Cons;
↑↑ tricky to manoeuvre into shape on first use
↑↑ pricey (after comparing on different sites that sell online)
↑↑ overrated a little (sorry!)

Overall Verdict; ★★★☆☆
Would I buy this particular product again? It would take a lot to convince me otherwise... there are some styles I do like the look of (I've used two in a past wishlist) but... eh.  I will try to use these a few more times to see if the difficulty of placing them onto my eye reduces, maybe it was just beginners bad luck with this particular item? Not sure, but really not enthralled by them oh well :c

To check out Honey LY Shop, they have a facebook page and an instagram!

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ Foodie Day with Ahjumma ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

Warning; there shall be a tremendous amount of food pictures in this post so if you are reading this on an empty stomach... I caution you when proceeding any further!

I love Sharan to pieces, she lets me call her ahjumma without destroying me, and adore spending time with her whenever possible and so when I missed her birthday last month because of the vomiting sickness I had, it upset me greatly. But; when one door closes, another does open in some cases and thus we were able to arrange another date to hang out! We met literally just as I was getting off the train at Stratford station... talk about amazing timing and went ahead into Westfields. Honestly this place is just spectacular with the amount of shops, restaurants and activities to do... there is legit something for everyone. We headed over to L'orchidee in the food court on the ground floor for coffee and cake and swear down this is one of my favourite little hidey hole places in the entire shopping centre. With delicate desserts and tantalising cakes on offer as well as signature macarons with many flavours under the sun you really are spoiled for choice there. I ordered a latte whilst Sharan had a mocha and we both shared a piece of rainbow cake. Hands down the best rainbow cake I have tasted so far in my life as it wasn't overly sweet and was still so moist and juicy as if it had come straight from the oven.

After cake, coffee, and a catch up we went for a walk around, heading outside into the sunshine and window shopping at the same time. We went past David's Bridal which had some of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen in my life... if I ever win the lottery I will go to this particular store just to get a whole wardrobe full of their dresses.

After much crying over the stunning garments that we would never be able to afford yet, we headed over to the MAC store back inside for a bit of pampering in there. Holy shit was it crowded inside though, especially around the lipstick counter which is where I wanted to be the most tch. Ahhh well when we finally managed to get to the counter, we tested out as many lipsticks as possible... which only added to my list of ones that I want one day (´；ω；`) Once we managed to drag ourselves away from MAC we then headed over to Wahaca's, a restaurant that I have been dying to drag Sharan to for an extremely long time now and I finally succeeded in doing so! The best part about Wahaca is that they do portions big enough to share with others, but small enough so you don't fill yourself up on one thing. We decided to order a main to keep to ourselves alongside a couple of sides to share and in the end we had; pulled pork burrito, pork pibil tacos, potato and chorizo quesadillas and queso fundido. Everything was amazing and didn't cease to disappoint, plus we didn't even feel slightly full after this meal and with the fact we had lots more walking to do... well it is just the tip of the iceberg here.

Oh what isn't a trip to Westfields with an obligatory trip to the Disney Store... aka me dragging my poor friends into my insane obsession with anything Disney. I wanted to buy all of the plushies and character cushions but alas... next time.

We then hopped over to Tottenham Court Road to meet one of Sharan's friends Rosie for food and a catch up - for Sharan as it was the first time meeting her from my perspective. We headed into Woo Jung's (which is a couple of doors down from Seoul Bakery) for a meal which I proceeded to order 돼지고기볶음 and some fried chicken with a sake, soy and garlic dipping sauce. Sadly the chicken was a little overdone so the outside tasted a little burnt but the kimchi and pork jeyuk was absolutely delicious!

We then met another of Sharan's friends Ikran and as she needed to go into Seoul Bakery and get some food herself, I hopped into the supermarket across the street for a couple of things. Coffee and biscuits... yep I'm transported back to my old student self immediately with this purchase. Oh and Rosie had to go at this point but I'm glad I met her because she's a very interesting person!

As it was still glorious weather wise, we decided to walk over to Trafalgar Square and on the way there was this quaint (and I think abandoned) church with a beautiful magnolia tree, that was blossoming, outside. I couldn't resist taking some pictures.

I'm so glad we walked to Trafalgar Square as we were able to enjoy the sunshine and talk without getting squished by unnecessary people on the underground. When we arrived, the sun was beginning to set and just wow... I can't remember the last time I watched the sun set in London and I'm glad we were somewhere where we could see all the pretty colours in the sky.

Sharan, Ikran and myself then proceeded to sit on the steps at the square over by the big giant blue chicken... don't ask. We sat and talked for well over two hours and when it started to get slightly chilly, we decided to head over to Boba Jam for bubble tea and even more foods. It kind of felt like that we didn't stop eating at all that day but we did have breaks in between consuming... honest. I've only been in Boba Jam a couple of times previously so I wasn't fussed with what to order. In the end I decided on strawberry milk tea with tapioca pearls and brick toast with strawberries, banana and chocolate ice-cream. I normally don't like chocolate ice-cream but I didn't have the courage to ask if I could swap for a different flavour... my bad. Sorry for the duplicate pictures... I wanted to do a close-up shot as well!

After our time in Boba Jam, I was starting to feel a little sleepy and knowing that it would take a couple of hours to get back home, I said my goodbyes to my friends and departed. On the way, I had to go through Liverpool Street station and taking upon the opportunity, I nipped into Wasabi for a couple of boxes of sushi for my lunch on Sunday ahurhur o(｀ω´*)o

When I arrived back home there were a couple of parcels waiting for me! Despite the fact it was almost midnight and I was bare knackered... I still opened them! Inside one were my 嵐 singles and 「Popcorn」live dvd! Sadly a piece is broken on the inside, making a part of it loose and rattly, so I'll have to send it back so they can send me another copy ｡･ﾟﾟ･(>д<;)･ﾟﾟ･｡In the other parcels were my make-up brushes and Little Twin Stars cosmetic pouch  (*≧▽≦)

All in all, I had a pretty spectactular day filled with delicious food and amazing company. I'm glad ahjumma pushes me out of my comfort bubble and physically /m a k e s/ me meet new people because if she didn't... I would just stick with my very small circle of people I do trust and keep close to me. Did everyone else enjoy their weekend? Was the weather good wherever in the world you're located?

Thanks for reading!
xoxo