My pathetic attempt of sewing a key cover =P

I consider myself a somewhat crafty person...that doesn´t say anything about having talent for it lol...but I try! As a mom of 3 kids I have to be crafty to a certain extent anyway hehe =D

I like to sew little uncomplicated things from time to time but since my sewing machine is broken I am doing it all by hand =X I ordered a new sewing machine so that will remedy this at least =D

I recently ordered bunches of stuff from Japankawaiiya, both her online shop and her Etsy store, among them tons of stickers, memo pads, pencils and other stuff. I have been hauling more stationery than makeup this month lol!
Since she had (and still has!) a sale on Etsy with everything being 50% off (excluding "sale" and "new arrival" items) I picked up a bunch of pretty Japanese fabrics, too, as they are usually great quality and come in the cutest designs.
I got half yards of various fabrics for as little as $2.50-6/each (depending on quality) which means I can sew lots of little things now! Half a yard is actually plenty of material, it can last for several pouches etc.!

I also got fat quarters of a few other fabrics...one of them being that pretty beige fabric printed with lace, pink roses and black kitties! 
And that´s the material I used for my first pathetic attempt of doing a key cover! =) the stitches on top are less than perfect, ouch! =X
 
I was inspired by the cute key covers from HouseofJam (one of my favorite Etsy stores as you might remember) but of course mine came out much simpler and less perfect but still I like it and use it right now!
I didn´t have a pattern so I just made it as I imagined would be correct and I even lined it and put some medium thick interface inside. There are some things I will make differently next time...as you know: learning by doing! =)

It took me about 1 1/2 hours to sew this =X

All keys incl. my bulky car key fit inside completely so (at least) the size is perfect!

Hakugen Bath Salts in Yuzu & Forest

I think my love for Japanese bath powders/salts/milks etc. is no secret here =P It started years ago with the bath powders from Kracie Tabinoyado and ever since I have tried a plethora of different products from various brands.
The scent and colorful water just feel like a spa treatment...really love that!

I like getting big containers with bath powders instead of the usual single use sachets as this is on the long run more economical (I like to take at least 2-3 baths per week, other days I will just take showers) but on the other hand it can happen that the scent is not good and then I am stuck with a big amount of bath powder (thankfully that didn´t really happen yet as most Japanese brands manage to scent their products nicely but I have couple of big bath powders I am not that fond of).

Recently I purchased 2 big 680g containers of the Bath Salts (or actually powders) from Hakugen in the 2 scents that appealed to me: Yuzu and Forest.
I am not a fan of floral scents so I skipped the one in the Rose scent which was also available.

The Yuzu (a kind of citrus fruit...like grapefruit?) tub looks like it´s some instant drink and not a bath product =P I can well imagine my husband drinking it if I would let it stand near the kitchen =P
The 680g containers are good for about 23 baths each if you use the full 30g they suggest per use. Inside the cap there is a circle to dose the salts and I usually use a little less as the water smells really intensely enouhg so probably I can get close to 30 baths out of one tub.


The salts are finelly milled and dissolve in the water right away without leaving any annoying sandy bits behind.
Both aren´t drying out my skin at all but aren´t particularly moisturizing either. I always use a body lotion after bathing anyway.

Yuzu is a wonderful sweet citrus scent without any bitter or overly sour notes. The water color is a cheerful yellow.

Forest is a spicy herbal scent, not quite too forest-y as this can smell harsh but rather a sweeter and lighter version. 
The water color of course is a bright green even though the salts look somehow brownish.

Overall really lovely products and very worth getting. I purchased mine from Alphabeautyuk on eBay.


Rating 4.5/5

Xmas 2010: Lunasol Party Coffret 2010U - Sheer Gold Holiday collection

This year the Lunasol Party Coffret 2010U turned to be out the most anticipated release for me as the kit looked like an incredible value for money and the contents like very pretty and wearable products.

I reviewed the sets from 2008 and 2009 so check out the reviews if you are interested.
The 2009 collection contained my favorite Lunasol palette (gray and pink!) and featured very pretty white compacts instead of the regular bronze color. 
2008 saw a pretty blush and a nice reddish-brown palette along with other goodies.


This year´s theme is Sheer Gold and for 6825 Yen the kit includes the following products:
-Aurorized Eyes in EX01 Sheer Gold Beige Brown, 5.5g
-Coloring Cheeks in EX01 Sheer Gold Beige Pink, 10g 
-Full Glamour Gloss N in EX18 Sheer Gold Beige Pink, 7.3g
-High Stylized Mascara in 01 Clear Black, 4g
-Makeup Pouch

All products are full-sized except for the mascara which contains half of a regular size. Overall a fantastic deal and great value for money!


So here are the reviews for the individual items:
I tried the Aurorized Eyes in the purple version but wasn´t so impressed so I sold it on LP Sales.

The Sheer Gold Beige Brown palette that comes in the kit is really an amazingly nice eyeshadow quint and a nice departure from the Lighting For Eyes series Kanebo put in every single Xmas coffret for at least the past 4-5 years.

This eyeshadow palette has an incredibly smooth and pigmented texture with a gorgeous glistening metallic finish. Really, the interesting thing about these eyeshadows doesn´t lie so much within the colors but rather in the finish of them.
Lasting power is great, I wore the palette today from morning till evening and the shadows still looked very fresh and crease-free.


The colors are very safe neutral beiges and browns, suitable for probably about any skin-tone out there.

 

The Coloring Cheeks blush doesn´t come in the regular-sized case but in a smaller one without a brush. Still the exterior of the compact looks like the normal Lunasol range and the blush itself is full-sized so it´s perfect for me.
The Coloring Cheeks has a sheer, glowy and silky texture. The pigment in this appears quite weak when swatched with fingers but oddly when applying it with a brush it shows up very well on me. 

The color is a very soft beige pink with fine shimmer which shows up as a pretty glow with a few scattered glitter bits on me. There are 3 shades ranging from lighter to medium so you can apply the lighter colors as a highlighter.
 

The Full Glamour Lips N is full-sized but comes in the special rounded instead of the angular tube. 
 
It´s a slightly thick and sticky gloss with a gorgeous pearlescent and shimmery finish which makes my lips look plump and pretty. The applicator is a regular soft doe-foot type.

The color is light but pigmented enough to show up and it gives those perfect nude-ish glossy lips without washing me out as still my natural lip color can shine through a little.
This is a hue of soft pearly pearl beige pink.


The High Stylized Mascara has thin application wand and contains fibers. It´s a lengthening mascara which looks super natural on me and since it features a drier formula it takes several layers to coat my lashes sufficiently.
The main draw-back is that this mascara weighs my lashes down even despite its dry texture.

It gives a super natural result and this is boring as I don´t like natural lashes :P

The makeup pouch is really pretty, it´s made of a glittery fabric which reminds me of the middle shade in the eyeshadow palette. It´s lined with a heavy pale golden satin fabric and has one interior pocket.

Overall my favorite Xmas coffret so far this year as it contains all pretty and wearable items and no single fail in my opinion...well the mascara is so-so but still it´s usable. I am waiting for the one from Esprique Precious but I doubt it can reach the Lunasol one in terms of color composition and wearability. 
Actually this year I didn´t really buy much of the Xmas stuff as there weren´t so many interesting collection featured for Xmas 2010 in my opinions.

I got mine from Adambeauty but he sold the kit out within 2 days after I posted the info here on my blog :P You can still snatch one up on Facial-Shop.com and Goddealer.com.

PS the background I used for these pics is a pretty Japanese Xmas fabric printed with pale blue deer, trees and silver stars =)


Rating 4.5/5

Shiseido Integrate Gracy Lipstick RD620

Right now is the time for crimson lipstick here! It´s really cold, misty, leaves turned brown or yellow (and mostly fell from the trees) and we even had a load of snow already.

I am not shy when it comes to red lipstick, I have quite a few I love and wear them with a neutral eye, especially in winter and fall.

I picked up a pretty new red lippy recently on eBay (alphabeautyuk) from Integrate Gracy, it´s their Lipstick or Rouge (don´t know if that´s the proper name) in RD620.

The Lipstick comes in a simple deep blue swivel-up tube made of plastic. It´s pretty basic packaging like all the products from Integrate Gracy since this line from Shiseido is targeted towards more mature ladies. 

This lip color has a creamy and smooth but not too soft texture. It feels moisturizing and comfortable and lasts quite well. This is really a pigmented lipstick with a creamy finish and without any scent or flavor. 
For such a strong color I recommend using a lip liner and a base as this lisptick´s only fault is that it can accentuate flaky lip skin. Some might like to use a lipbrush but I dislike lip brushes so I apply straight from the tube.

This is a full-sized lipstick which contains 4g. I am not sure about the retail price but I paid about US$12 or so....not pricey at all for a nice quality lipstick.

RD620 is a rich red, quite neutral and deep. It was hard to capture the color as it looked strangely orange on the flash pics...however I cannot detect orange tones in natural light. 




 Rating 4/5

Kanebo MFC Cheek Color RS-1

Time to renew the next Kanebo MFC product I picked up with my previous haul from Fumiko´s blog sale!

The Cheek Color is definitely the first product that caught my eye as it looks really super cute in its small compact and the heart-embossed powder.
The color RS-1 looked like my perfect kind of color.

The texture is quite smooth with good color pay-off. There are 3 blush colors and a highlighter in each compact but they individual blocks of color are quite small so it might be a bit difficult to pick them up.
The included brush is small but soft so it would do the job when you are on the go or in a hurry.

RS-1 is a combination of gorgeous cool pinks, the darkest color even has a slight blue duo-chrome quality. The colors are all shimmery but not to the disco-ball extent.

Overall a lovely blush I love using often these days.

Rating 4/5

PS I will post a giveaway within the next days so be sure to check my blog regularly =)

Lotus Palace Sales to be updated...

I will update my sale blog with new goodies tomorrow, Tuesday Nov 16th at 3 PM (my time, Vienna-Zurich time-zone).
I will list almost all of my remaining Banila Co, Laneige and Cathy Cat stash so you can expect some fine products. I still love these things but I have so much and I figured out I want to focus on Japanese brands.


There will also be some Japanese goodies of course so it´s worth having a look =)

Xmas 2010: Kanebo Lavshuca Star Decoration Eyes BR-2 & Star Glow Rouge RS-1 & RD-3

As promised here is my review for a few more Lavshuca holiday products. I am really fond of the Star Decoration Eyes palettes so I purchased the neutral one in BR-2 as well. Please read my review of PU-1 and GN-1 here!

The Star Decoration Eyes look really gorgeous, just like jewels. I won´t go into details regarding packaging and texture though as I reviewed them thoroughly in my previous review.

The shadows in this palette are as silky and super smooth and very pigmented. I also love the gorgeous metallic finish and blendability of these colors.
Only the color in the center has a glittery texture as it´s meant to be used as a top-coat (and it looks very pretty when used as such!)

BR-2 is a very neutral palette that should work with about any skin-tone and eyecolor. The colors are ivory, medium brown, dark brown and a pink glittery shade. 

If you are looking for a cute and high-quality neutral brown palette this is definitely worth your consideration!


I am probably going to pick up PK-1, too, whenever it pops up on Adambeauty =) 


Retails for 1680 Yen.

Rating 5/5

The new Star Glow Rouge lipsticks looked a bit bland and matte on the swatches provided on the Lavshuca website. I thought that´s a bit odd as matte colors aren´t that festive for the holiday season, maybe unless it´s a vibrant deep red or so.

I purchased 2 colors as I supposed that the "Glow" in the name of the lipstick would indicate that they aren´t matte.

The Star Glow Rouge lipsticks come in really pretty swivel-up tubes with a rhinestone on the top. These are regular sized lipsticks (3.8g) and cost 1575 Yen.

The lipsticks have a wonderful creamy texture which wears comfortably even for longer time. They feel quite hydrating but aren´t too glossy or oily/slick.
They show up very well on me so I´d say these are medium-pigmented.
 
The finish is creamy, shiny and with shimmer. Verrrrrrrrry pretty!
Of course these are unscented like all other Lavshuca lipsticks.


RS-1 is a cool pink

RD-3 is a pretty natural reddish pink.

Rating 5/5

Again great products from Lavshuca, this brand is really getting better and better in my opinion. I got mine from Ichibankao.