March was another No-Buy month! You’re expecting a blank post, right? Nope:
😳 I can explain!
March 2017 No-Buy-Low-Buy Accountability
Japanese makeup
ChuLip Lip Balm SPF22 in Sweet Pink
I picked this up in back in May last year in my Japan trip… I’ve been quite slow in trying the items I’ve purchased in Japan. Part of me wants to dig in but a big part of me just want to look at the pretty stuff and keep them in pristine condition! 😛 I mean, just look at how cute this thing is!
But, nothing can remain perfect forever… 😛
I’m on MyLipAddiction.com Beauty Podcast!
It is with a mixture of trepidation and giddy excitement that I announce my first ever appearance on MyLipAddiction.com Beauty Podcast!
There are several options to listen to the Podcast:
It’s ME! Having a chat with Cat! We talk about makeup and random stuff – it’s around 45 minutes, so grab yourself a drink. Have a listen! Now you know what I sound like… please be kind… 😛
And in honour of the the MyLipAddiction (MLA) Podcast, I’ve changed my background and logo! 😀 (this was the previous blog background discussed in the episode) Be sure to subscribe to the MLA Beauty Podcast for new episodes every week featuring guests from beauty bloggers to brand owners. 😀
Blog posts mentioned on the episode:
• May & June Trash Stash
• MUJI to GO Open House
• Japan Trip Photos
• Japanese Makeup Haul
• MAC Twig lipstick
• CoverGirl TruNaked palette in Roses
• Favourites Lately: Mid-2016
• CoverGirl LashBlast Mascaras
• Makeup Inventory Spreadsheet
And the peeps I talk about:
• Cat of MyLipAddiction
• Jodi of A Brash Attitude
• Chris of fivezero
• Polished and Inspired
⭐
May & June 2016 Low-Buy Accountability
Since I skipped May’s accountability post, I’m lumping both months together. Let’s recap, in April, I was able to carry over $122.48. My combined budget for May and June was $100. So in total, I had $222.48 to play with. Let’s see how I did. First, let’s get the elephant in the room out of the way, I hauled BIG time in Japan:
But in the rule books of Low-Buys, out of country purchases do not count. I didn’t create the rules, I just follow them, mkay? 😉 But I did a lot of shopping at home too, especially prior to my trip…
MUJI to GO! [+ Giveaway!]
[THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED]
Exactly a week ago, I had the pleasure of attending an intimate Open House at the MUJI Canada HQ in Toronto. Imagine my excitement to get a behind-the-scenes look at where the busy bees make MUJI happen! And how timely, since I’d just visited MUJI in Japan, the mothership! 😀
The Open House was focused on introducing us to the MUJI to GO concept, which is all about travel essentials. Myself, along with 4 other Toronto bloggers and YouTubers, were given a hands-on demonstration of the MUJI to GO products.
Japanese Makeup Shopping: My Experiences
Today I’ll discuss some of my observations and experiences in shopping for makeup in Japan. Hopefully this will help someone out there who might be taking a trip to Japan.
First thing. There are SO. MANY. BRANDS.
It’s overwhelming! In an average Canadian drugstore, there may be about 8 key brands. In Japan, there’s at least double that amount. And some of them look so similar, it’s hard to distinguish between them (cue joke about how all Asians look alike 😛 ) I spent some visits in the beginning just surveying my options and noting down potential buys without buying anything – I didn’t want to buy things I’d regret. As far as I know, there are no returns on makeup in Japan.
Japanese Makeup Haul!!!
Yeah you were all waiting for this, weren’t you! 😛
Personally, I didn’t think I went completely overboard with makeup shopping. For one thing, I was supremely worried about wandering around Tokyo at night by myself to go shopping. Why I had to go shopping in the evenings was because my days were filled with sightseeing! And then, by the evening, I was so tired from walking around all day, I didn’t spend too much time shopping. Also, I was shopping rather critically: lots of Japanese makeup is super sparkly and sheer. If it wasn’t something I’d truly use, I passed on it – so that left me with a more narrow band of items I’d spend my money on (not to mention, haul home). Here’s what I got:
CANMAKE
• Marshmallow Finish Powder in MO Matte Ochre and MB Matte Beige Ochre
• Cream Cheek in #05 Sweet Apricot and #14 Apple Cream Red (I swear I had another shade in my basket but it didn’t make it home with me!)
• Gokubuto mascara (volumizing)
• Gokunobi mascara (lengthening)
• Colourful Nails polish in #33 Pink Glitter
• Lasting Multi Eyebase WP (eye shadow primer)
I had some ideas of brands I’d want to look at when I was in Japan. I originally glossed over Canmake as being too girly for me. But it turns out their products are quite well reviewed and very reasonably priced! I ended up researching a lot on @cosme awards (which seems to be the Japanese makeup Bible) to find out which items to try and several of these were award winners. I do wish I’d gotten more cheek products – they have so many cute ones to choose from.
Japan Trip Photos!
Helloooo, I’m baaaaack! 🙂
I’ve been back since last week and getting back into reading blogs a bit here and there… it’s always a challenge to get back into blogging for some reason. I think it’s about routine. Having 2 weeks of unstructured time really makes it difficult to follow a schedule again.
Anyway, this post is about my trip! I debated about the level of detail to include about my Japan trip – this isn’t a travel blog and I’m no travel writer. So I’ll devote a few posts to the trip itself: today will be an overview of where we visited with photos. I’ll do another post on random stuff like food and cultural stuff. Then, the MAKEUP!!! 😀 😀 😀
We started our trip out with a 5 day stay in Tokyo:
Japan Makeup Shopping List
As you may know, I’m leaving soon for a 2 week vacation to Japan! You guys can’t even imagine the excitement of preparing a shopping list for freakin’ Japan! 😀
😮
Before Korean cosmetics took the world by storm, Japanese makeup was the main Asian makeup game in town. I remember pouring over online resources to learn about the various Japanese brands and subsidiaries (Kanebo, Shiseido, Kose and Sana own the lion’s share of brands – Shiseido has so many sub-brands, it’s hard to keep them straight), and placing many orders online for Japanese cosmetics. Now, I finally get to see this stuff firsthand!
stash matters 