Oct 30, 2011 | Beauty
(click for enlarged)
Winter is creeping up on us again – and I’m always at a loss as to how to style my hair during these months of mandatory headwear. Japanese fashion magazines usually supply a plethora of cute styling options that are totally doable for a variety of hair lengths. Master the art of the turband, the side bow, the messy pony, and the double-wrapped bun, courtesy of Vivi Magazine.
Are you inspired to try anything outside your usual Winter hairstyle? I love the textural velvet and mohair bows!
xoxox
Carly
*scans from Vivi Magazine Dec 2010 (I think)
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
Sep 15, 2011 | DIY
I’ve been utterly exhausted this week since it’s Lil Tot’s first full week of school, and driving him to and picking him up from requires a total daily commitment of about 3 hours from me. Three hours in the car, every.day. This means that although I do have a block of time uninterrupted at home, I now am spending so much time behind the wheel I’ve found I’ve had to skimp on time spent elsewhere. And what’s first to go when I get busy? DIY’ing. Then updating my blog. It’s unfortunate, but I have to figure out some compromise here.
This week I managed to do a mini-DIY with my nails. Sally Hansen Chrome Nail Makeup in Pure Chrome (Sally Hansen Titanium Chrome
is similar), with Essie’ Chinchilly dotted on. Finished up with some messy splotches with Sally Hansen Nail Art Pen in Black, and a clear topcoat (because this nail art pen’s doodles come off fast if not sealed with a topcoat). Of course you could always use Sally Hansen Salon Effects in Kitty, but I wanted a silvery manicure anyway.
Now off to pick Lil Tot up from school! Just how does one deal with school commutes when there is no bus and no public transport??
Hope everyone’s having a great week!
xoxox
Carly
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
Jul 14, 2011 | Beauty, Fashion
I love hitting up the drugstore whenever I’m in Japan to browse all the new and uniquely Japanese products available. Some never even make it to the U.S., so it’s a treat to scoop up the latest. Above are some of my recent finds:
1. Pukkuri Faux Gel Nail Topcoat With CalGel nails being the norm amongst the nail-art-loving Japanese, some girls want to give their natural nails a break, but still have the plumped-up, glossy, smooth look to their nails. This topcoat promises to create a similar look to gel nails, and yet is removable with regular nail polish remover.
I admit I don’t notice much of a difference between this and a regular topcoat, but it certainly is thick and seals in glittery polishes well.
2. BYS Color Change Nail Enamel I had to sneak this one in, but I think it’s actually an Australian brand. (Aussie readers, correct me if I’m wrong!!) I remember color change nail polishes being popular back in the early 90’s (I think TOMA made a good one), but I haven’t seen one for ages. This went on rather pink to my dismay, but I found that exposure to cold turned it purple. It didn’t quite produce the “gradient” color that the bottle advertised, even though my nails are med-long.
3. KOSE Concentrated Whitening Mask I believe one component in the average Japanese girl’s skincare routine that is essential to their beautiful complexions is the frequent usage of facial masks. Collagen-Infused; Vitamin-Enriched; Whitening; Smoothing; Softening; Brightening; Hyaluronic-Acid-Filled; Packed with Minerals – there are so many different types available I couldn’t ever detail all of them. This one makes my skin feel like Lil Tot’s bottom (which is a good thing!!;-)
4. Odango Cushion Though it reminds me of a tawashi scrubber (usually used for cleaning toilets in Japan!!), this is a base for a nice, fluffy bun.
I don’t yet have a good picture of me wearing it, but it takes my sad little topknot into puffy, fluffy mayhem. Lovely!
5. Cooling Gel In the unbearably hot Tokyo summer, cooling products are rocketing off the shelves of the stores. Hub has a cooling body spray with menthol in it that he’s partial to, and this cooling gel works similarly. I spread it on the back of my neck and on the insides of my elbows for ultimate relief. (Of course, they only provide cool relief for about 10-20 minutes until you start to feel the sticky, oppressive heat again.)
6. “Glamorous” gum A gum created as a collaboration between fashion designer KEITA MARUYAMA and Lotte (I think). It’s apricot-flavored. Imagine if Marc Jacobs or Michael Kors collaborated with Hubba Bubba!!
7. Cooling Neck-Wrap It’s so true that your body temperature is affected by what you wear on your neck!! I never really thought about it but once I experienced this wrap it’s like a difference of night and day. Inside the cloth is water-absorbing cooling particles (similar to gel ice-packs), and they plump up when soaked in water. I’ve been wearing it whenever I’m out and about, and though not exactly fashionable per se, it definitely keeps me cool!
8. Gradation Eye Pencil Creates the smoky eye perfectly; one end is a wedge-shaped kohl pencil; the other end is a large wedge-shaped hard rubber tip (not a sponge, that tends to soak up the color you just laid down) that you rub over the line to create a smudgy smoky eye. Why have I never seen this before in the US??!
And in addition, here are a couple more products I’ve seen:
Stick-on Body Jewels with Dangling Chain and Charms: Perfect for when Carnivale comes through your town.
Stick-on Faux Mustaches and Goatees: For when you just can’t seem to grow facial hair.
xoxxo
Carly
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
Jun 19, 2011 | DIY
How many of us have been drooling over the chic-ness of the metallic Minx manicure since it debuted a few years back?
Being someone who loves metals, I’ve been dying to get my hands on one – well, get one on my hands, really – for ages. But the $40+ pricetag (for a set of nails that barely lasts 2 weeks) has been a big deterrent.
Now, Sally Hansen Salon Effects Nail Polish Strips have been out awhile in drugstores here in the U.S. – but though there are glitters there are no true metals offered in the line.:-( So I was on the hunt for something similar – that could mimic that Minx look for less.
Enter Nail Rocks Nail Wraps (for a mere $11.55 from ASOS.com). (And with Free Shipping to the U.S. too – how about that?) With a little fiddling (and a home hairdryer) that gorgeous liquid metal manicure can be yours for a fraction of the cost. Here’s how to use them:
Leave Comment
May 24, 2011 | Beauty, Score!
I’ve never thought of my underarms as particularly attractive. Though I have major and minor quibbles with many of my bodyparts, I’ve always felt a little bit embarrassed about my underarms. Stubbly, sticky, bumpy, red…definitely not my best feature.:-/
So I was thrilled to hear about Dove Go Sleeveless deodorant, that softens and smooths this hard-to-beautify area of the body. I’ve been an avid Degree clear user for years, since I hate white mess on my clothing and tend to have very damp underarms year-round. (ew) Many deodorants just aren’t strong enough to combat this problem for me.
But the problem with Degree is that it’s so strong, it leaves a thick residue on me that numerous washings just can’t seem to remove completely. My underarms always feel like they’re coated with something, even after scrubbing in the bath at night – and all that scrubbing makes my skin rough, red, and tortured.
When I received Dove deodorant in Nourished Beauty, I couldn’t wait to try it. Upon application, the smell is a bit strong – kind of like baby powder with some added perfumes. But the smell fades fairly quickly, and I was surprised how even after 2 days of applications, my underarms felt…well, smoother. This may be TMI, but you know how those little bumps form in horizontal lines across your underarms the day after you shave? Strangely, this time around they were much smaller/flatter for me, and were not red at all. My underarms are looking better than they ever have…and though I never really thought about making them “pretty,” so to speak – whatever’s in this deodorant (extra moisturizers and Vitamin E and Vitamin F, according to the label – wait, there’s a Vitamin F?? Essential Fatty Acids, apparently), have really smoothed this area out! Plus it keeps underarm dampness at bay, even when I’m working out, and leaves no powdery residue when I wash off in the bath. I can raise my arm now that I’m SURE! (LOL) – that Dove has done its job.;-) (I know you’ll all be checking out my underarms in the top photo – I did no Photoshopping precisely because of that! The photo below looks…well…a little airbrushed IMHO…)
So anyway to get the word out about this new deodorant Dove has teamed up with the stylish Jessica Szohr (of Gossip Girl-fame), to inspire women to get more beautiful underarms and Go Sleeveless with Dove. As part of this campaign, you are invited to design your own sleeveless top with the Go Sleeveless Fashion Challenge app on Dove’s Facebook page, where you can also view the sleeveless top gallery and vote on your favorite designs. By submitting a unique design, each participant will automatically be entered for a chance to win a New York City shopping trip with Jessica Szohr worth $5,000!
(Entries accepted until May 27, 2011 – so get them in now!!)
According to a recent study, nearly 100% of women surveyed think their underarms are unattractive, and more than half of
these women say the condition of their underarms affects their wardrobe choices.
The above statistic had me amused, because I’d be willing to bet that most women’s first reaction when being asked if they thought their underarms were beautiful was probably “Um, I never really thought about it.”;-) Regardless of whether you’ve ever considered the question of Pretty or No? when it comes to your underarms, now you can have a chance to try this deodorant and see if it really, truly makes a difference. (It improved my skin and deodorant build-up issue for me…now if it could only do something about visible stubble!;-)
The PR company who is working with Dove is generously offering full-sized samples of Dove’s new Go Sleeveless deodorant to U.S.-based Chic Steals readers – just leave a comment with your email address on this post and I’ll pick 4 comments at random after next Tuesday (May 31, 11:59 PM PST).
Leave your email address below for a chance
to try out the new Dove Go Sleeveless deodorant!
FTC Disclosure: I received a full size of Dove Go Sleeveless deodorant, and am being provided with 4 samples for my readers. I have not received any cash or compensation for this post; the above is my honest opinion and review of the deodorant. To read my full Disclosure Policy, see here.
xoxo
Carly
~If you liked this post, please share it!~
Leave Comment
