Quick Review: Castledew Watershot Foundation

This is a review for VOV Castledew Water Shot Foundation!

(as requested by Blair and Songling!)

Picture from http://www.tradekorea.com

Sarah gave me a VERY generous sample of this in her love pack!
She suggested I try it because Japan is VERY hot and humid in the summer!!!
And yes, it is still VERY MUCH summer in Japan!!!! It will be hot and humid until mid-September at least!!!!

Pros:

• Very light, doesn't feel heavy on my face
  
• coverage is very good, and very buildable!!!
  
• the finish is matte
• does a very good job in hiding redness
• doesn't settle into pores
• very easy to blend!
  

Cons:

• Not widely available in Japan (I couldn't find this on Korea Depart or on Rakuten) I did find this on Korea Depart!
• Smells like my mom's makeup (this is not a deal breaker for me, but I know people are partial to smells!)
  

Wow, this was really great! I didn't really expect anything from it, but I like it a lot!!
I did a quick search for it, and I found that Jamilla and Kathi both have done reviews on it!!

Jamilla's FOTD/Review here
Kathi's Review here (she also says that it costs only $7. WOW!!!)

When you've got Jamilla and Kathi both recommending this foundation, you know it's got to be good!!!

I baked some very yummy brownies this past weekend!
I have been trying to find a good brownie recipe!

The recipe is from Smitten Kitchen, one of my ALL TIME favorite foodie blogs!
Deb, the author, lives in NYC. If she can cook in her teeny kitchen (you know what I mean if you've ever lived in NYC), I know I can!!!!

What would you like to see me cook next?

xoxo, K

TAG: Getting To Know Each Other

GETTING TO KNOW EACH OTHER

I was tagged by Anastacia!

1. What time did you get up this morning?
5:45 AM on weekdays, 8 AM on weekends

2. How do you like your steak?
if I'm at a good Kobe beef restaurant, rare!
at any other restaurant, medium rare!
Good beef is best raw!!!

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
I don't remember when I went to the movie theater!

4. What is your favorite TV show?
the CSI series, the Star Trek series, SATC

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be?
NYC!!!

6. What did you have for breakfast?
grilled veggies and rice

7. What is your favorite cuisine?
Japanese food, Korean food, Vietnamese food, Thai food
I like my vegetables and seafood!!
I also like foods which are "acquired tastes" - olives, blue cheese, natto, lamb, etc!

8. What foods do you dislike?
processed meats like baloney and spam, whipped cream

9. Favorite place to eat?
a really pricey, very delicious sushi place in Kobe!

10. Favorite dressing?
Japanese non-oil dressings are the best! American non-oil dressings tend to be too sweet for me...Ponzu is always yummy!

11. What kind of vehicle do you drive?
2004(?) Toyota Yaris

12. What are your favorite clothes?
I love my polo shirts!

13. Where would you visit if you had the chance?
Ooooh there are way too many places I want to go! Vietnam, some of the smaller islands of Hawaii, Alaska, Turkey, etc!

14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full?
I try to be optimistic, but in an assertive way. Like, if I'm in a difficult situation, I don't try to see the good in it - I try to take action to make it the way I want it to be!

15. Where would you want to retire?
I'd say Hawaii, but the strong sun would damage my skin! Maybe the suburbs of NY?

16. Favorite time of day?
Early morning, a little after sunrise

17. Where were you born?
Tokyo, Japan. 4 months later we moved back to London!

18. What is your favorite sport to watch?
BASKETBALL!!!!

19. Who do you think will not tag you back?
I haven't really thought about that!

20. Person you expect to tag you back first?
I haven't thought about that either!

21. Who are you most curious about their responses to this?
I'm planning on tagging some girls I haven't really talked to!

22. Bird watcher?
Nah, I don't have the patience for that!

23. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Basically I'm a morning person... but I need my sleep!

24. Do you have any pets?
Nope!

25. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share?
I found a good brownie recipe!! Yum yum!!!

26. What did you want to be when you were little?
An engineer. And I am one now!

27. What is your best childhood memory?
Playing with my friends! Going to see musicals in the city!

28. Are you a cat or dog person?
dogs rule! http://ihasahotdog.com/

29. Are you married?
Nope! A friend of mine predicted 2 years ago that I would be married by late 2009... We'll see if I make the deadline!

30. Always wear your seat belt?
YES!

31. Been in a car accident?
Yeah, in NYC. I was in a taxi. Who hasn't been in an accident in Manhattan in a taxi?

32. Any pet peeves?
Some people at work have really bad spelling in documents are shared broadly. Come on people, that's what spell check is for!!!

33. Favorite Pizza Toppings?
Italian sausage and mushrooms!

34. Favorite Flower?
Roses and sunflowers

35. Favorite ice cream?
anything chocolate, or anything intensely fruity. I recently had this Haagen Dazs ice cream that was INTENSE! SOO GOOD!!! http://www.haagen-dazs.co.jp/product/lineup/index.html?0107400


36. Favorite fast food restaurant?
I haven't been to any recently!

37. How many times did you fail your driver's test?
I passed on the first try!

38. From whom did you get your last email?
Mona!

39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card?
I have never maxed out my credit card! I'm too chicken for that!!

40. Do anything spontaneous lately?
Not really!

41. Like your job?
YES YES YES I LOVE MY JOB!!!
But I'm still trying to get used to my new assignment...

42. Broccoli?
Yummy dipped in mayonnaise and soy sauce with katsuobushi (bonito flakes).
Hahaha, is this really Japanese or what???

43. What was your favorite vacation?
I have loved all of my vacations!!
Hong Kong, Guam, Hawaii, Paris... and now London!

44. Last person you went out to dinner with?
The people in my new group!

45. What are you listening to right now?
the radio

46. What is your favorite color?
To wear? Most of my clothes are black or navy blue.

47. How many tattoos do you have?
None, but I've got 9 piercings!

48. How many are you tagging for this quiz?
I don't know yet!

49. What time did you finish this quiz?
just now!

50. Coffee drinker?
ＹＥＳ but I'm not addicted. I used to drink coffee every morning, and now I've gone without coffee since June. The reason? Because it's too hot to drink coffee!

I tag:
Lane (Blovent Beauty)
Catherine (Pretty Shiny Things)
Mika (Beauty Snap)
And anyone else that wants to do this!

Pressed pigments and FOTD!

I pressed some pigments and loose mineral eyeshadows!

Loose eyeshadow is really messy and hard to use so I pressed them!

I pressed the pigments with rubbing alcohol. Mineral eyeshadows flake if they are pressed with only alcohol. I didn't want to spend money to buy a pressing medium, so I mixed a little bit of glycol with the alcohol to press it.

There are a million tutorials on pressing pigments/eyeshadows on youtube, so I won't go into the details, but I didn't do anything special after pressing them.

Palette #1

MAC Your Ladyship Pigment
EDM Ginger Peach
EDM Mystic Night
EDM In The Garden

Palette #2

Jesse's Girl Pixie Dust
EDM Pink Snowflakes

EDM Samba Lessons
EDM Autumn Afternoon

Palette #3

The Face Shop Shiny Green
MAC Dark Soul Pigment
EDM Bird Bath

Palette #4

MAC Shimmer Time Pigment
MAC Deep Purple Pigment

I'm still not sure if these are the way I want to arrange my quads!

I did a quick EOTD with Palette #2

Base: MAC Rubenesque Paint Pot
Lid Color: Pink Snowflakes
Outer corner: Samba Lessons
Blending color: Autumn Afternoon
Brow highlight: Pixie Dust
Mascara: Covergirl Lashblast Waterproof

I made some quiche this weekend as well!

A crustless quiche with spinach, bacon, mushrooms and onions!
Cheese is really expensive in Japan, so I substituted cream cheese in the egg mixture.
Yummy!!!!

What yummy foods have you made recently?

xoxo, K

NO BUY!!!!

Yes everyone, I'm going on a no-buy!

I've bought so much stuff in Korea/Guam/everywhere else I've been lately, and I've gotten so much love from my fellow bloggers that it's time to use stuff up before I buy new things!!

PLUS I'm traveling to London in mid-September, and I KNOW I'll be hauling like mad at MAC...
(Yes, I know I'll be breaking my no-buy, but who can not buy on vacation????)


I'm not sure how long I'm going to go on my no-buy, but let's hope I can use up at least 10 things before I buy something new!

I'm not going to include a few things though...

Items included in my no-buy/Project 10 pan

• Eyeshadows/blushes/lipsticks/lipglosses
• Foundations/bb creams/concealers/finishing powders
• Shampoo/hair mask/shower gels/body lotions
  
• Facial masks
• Anything that I have more than 1 of
  

Items not included in my Project 10 Pan/no-buy (I will be buying these since they are necessities)

• Contact lens related items
• Toner/lotion
• Sunscreen
• Mascara/Mascara primer /Eyeliner (I religiously throw away my mascara after 2 months, so I know I will use it up anyway)

Wish me luck everyone!
If you're doing a no-buy as well, please leave a comment!
I really need the support!!!!

xoxo, K

PS: Mona is doing a giveaway! Check it out here!

MAJOR love from Sarah!

Sarah hit me with this HUGE love pack!!!

The girl is SNEAKY!!!!
She asked me for my address so she could send me a few mascaras....

Um yeah, obviously this held more than that!!!!!

Look at all the things she sent me!!!She apparently knows me REALLY well!
She basically knocked all the stuff off of my wish list!!!

This super cute note was at the top!

"no enryo!"
Enryo （遠慮, えんりょ）is such an Asian concept...
Wow, it's so hard to describe!
In Japanese culture, you shouldn't accept gifts/nice things/someone else paying your bill/etc right away. You should always decline first, and accept later. Obviously, it's hard to decide when you should accept and when you should keep protesting!
This is "enryo"!

Here's a link to some stories about the concept of Enryo!
http://runker_room.tripod.com/tiestalk/enryo.htm
http://neojaponisme.com/2009/01/15/enryo/

Everyone seems to know about my Milky Way addiction! LOL!
(I also like the mini Twix... hahaha!!!)
These miniatures are perfect for me.
I really only need one bite of chocolate at a time!
A big candy bar is just WAY too much for me!!!

Nyquil! Ibuprofen!!!

Thank you SO MUCH Sarah dear, for sending me these!!!!
We don't have Nyquil in Japan!!
Japanese medicine is a lot weaker than American medicine!!!

Queen Helene Mint Julep Masque

Is this ghetto? LOL
I used it the other day and I LOVE how it gets the oil out of my face!
Maybe I should do a FOTD with this mask? hahaha!

Brushes!
I've never tried Essence of Beauty brushes but I've seen so much about them on Youtube!
I'm excited to try these!

Castledew Watershot foundation and eye primer!
I've been using this foundation for a while and I like it!
It's very light weight but it gives me just enough coverage!

Max Factor 2000 Calorie Extreme Lash Plumper (Waterproof)
Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof
Thank you so much for getting these for me!
I'd been dying to try this mascara but since Max Factor is being discontinued in the US next year, it's become hard to find!!!!
I'm using the Cover Girl mascara now and I love it!
(I don't love the GIGANTIC brush, though!!!)

Maybelline mascaras!
Sarah obviously figured out that I'm all about volumizing mascaras!
Thank you so much!!!!
I can't wait to try these! The one with the primer is going on my rotation soon!

THANK YOU SO MUCH Sarah!!!!
You are such a sweetie to send these to me!!!
You know I'm gonna be hitting you back REALLY soon!!!!!

いずみちゃん、ほんとうにありがとう！！！！

xoxo, K

quick love from Old Cow! & FOTD!!!!

Old Cow sent me something!

Aren't these SOOOOO beautiful?
Wow, I was amazed!
Old Cow makes shiny fings.
Get them at Worship At The House Of Blues!

Being the super generous person that she is, she sent me a lot of stuff!

The box at the front contains the earrings!

She also got me some sheet masks and hair masks!

My Beauty Diary Sheet Masks!

Hair mask samples!

She noticed that I love hair treatments!
Yes, you are sooo right!

Did you see that she put a sweet note into EACH of her packages?
WOW!!! She is SO thoughtful!

Let's put on the earrings!

Made with sterling silver, Swarovski pearls and crystals!

The purple crystals inspired me to play with purple eyeshadow again!
Wow, a FOTD! It has been like FOREVER since I did one of these!

This is an accidental picture!
Don't they tend to come out the best?

Here's what I used!

The Face:
Everyday Minerals Light Olive foundation, Mint concealer, Natural Reflections Light finishing powder
Skin Food Peach Sake powder (I know a LOT of you want a review of this!)
Makeup protector facial mist

The Eyes:
TFSI
MAC Shimmer Time loose pigment
Everyday Minerals Mystic Night Eyeshadow
Maybelline Expert Wear Eyeshadow 8 pan Twighlight Rays
Revlon Color Stay Eyeliner / Liquid Eyeliner (I LOVE this. Even better than K-Palette 24 hr IMO!)
Mascara primer
Cover Girl Lash Blast Waterproof (I WISH I could get another one of these!)
Bipo Eyebrow Pencil & Eyebrow sealant
...and various brushes

The Cheeks:
Main color - EDM Waffle Cone Blush (I find loose blush easier to use if I decant it into the sample jars)
Contour - Celebulous Jewelrina Cheek
Highlight - Milani Beach Sand

And nothing on my lips! (Yes, my lips were cooperating with me today!)

A bit of cam whoring since I never do that!

My new department had a welcome party for me!
I'm the youngest person there! Everyone is in their mid 40s!
I still had a great time, and I got to know them much better!
I got some very pretty flowers!

Our secretary said that she requested orange flowers and a sunflower because they remind her of me!
How sweet of her!!!!
See the bumpy thing in the middle? (It's right above the word "bihada" in the watermark)
That's a pineapple!!! How summery!!!

Compare these flowers with the ones given to me at my farewell party (for my previous group):

Orange flowers again!
Apparently people associate me with orange flowers!!

Hope you are all having a great week!

xoxo, K

quick review: The Face Shop Black Head EX Pore Strip

This is a quick review of The Face Shop Black Head EX Charcoal Pore Strip!

(Whew! What a long name!)

I totally don't remember how much this was...

Anyway, you use it just like any other pore strip.
Wet your nose, slap it on, and peel it off when it dries!

Warning: Disgusting gunk out from K's nose ahead!

LOL!

This works pretty well!
I think it works better than Biore's pore strips!
The down side is that it smells like charcoal!

Some people have told me that pore strips don't work for them.
Here are some tips!

1. Make sure your pores are REALLY open. A quick way to do this is to microwave a damp towel for 20 seconds and put it on your nose for at least 1 minute!

2. Make sure your nose is damp. Not wet, not dry! The moisture helps the stuff on the pore strip get into your pores! But if your nose is too wet, it will melt the stuff off!

3. Keep the pore strip on until it dries completely!

4. Peel it off from the bottom!

5. Don't use pore strips if you've got pimples/cuts/any kind of skin damage on your nose!

Hope this helps!!!

xoxo, K

EDM haul!

My recent haul from Everyday Minerals came a little while ago!
Nothing too new!

EDM has changed their packaging since I last ordered from them (sometime in March?)
The new lids have "Base" "Cheek" etc on them.

The samples are cute as well. They have "Try Me" on them!!!

Flat Top Kabuki Brush

I looove this brush! I already have one and this is a backup.
I'm going to keep it in my locker at work!

Golden Light Foundation - Intensive
Light Olive Foundation - Intensive
Intensive Medium Concealer
Natural Reflections Light
Blush - Snuggle

Both Golden Light and Light Olive match my skin tone.
Light Olive might be better for me in the summer, since it makes me look less yellowish.

Remember when I asked everyone for recommendations?
My order for NR and Snuggle comes from everyone's suggestions!
I got the other blush everyone recommended (Waffle Cone) in a blog sale!

You gotta order the sample set!
Just more Golden Light / Light Olive foundations...
Also, the multitasking concealer and the Blush in Nick Nack!

I always decant the full sized foundations/blushes to the sample jars.
They are just so much easier to handle!

Since I ordered during a special, these three samples were also included!
Peach Concealer
Bird Bath Eyeshadow
Mystic Night Eyeshadow
Can't wait to try them!

Beauty blogging really opened up my eyes!
I had been using liquid foundation for the past 5 years!
Now I have mineral makeup... and BB creams... and I'm avoiding regular foundations!
WOW! Thanks to everyone in the beauty blogger community who taught me so much!!!

xoxo, K