Review: Lush Imperialis Moisturizer

I recently bought a facial moisturizer from Lush called 'Imperialis'. It's for combination skin. I've been using it for a few weeks now, and so far, I haven't broken out from it. I have sensitive skin, and if it doesn't like a certain product it, little white/clear bumps will surface, or I'll get an itchy red rash that eventually dries out my skin...weird huh?

The label says this batch was made on Jan. 31st '08. It expires Jan. 30 '09. It was made by Hide!


What it claims to do...

The lavender encourages dry skin to produce more natural oils and discourages oily skin from overdoing it. The orange flower water tones, and St John's wort soothes irritation. The company claims it's 'not too heavy, not too light, bordering on perfection'. Corny!

Ingredients: (Safe Synthetic listed in Blue)

Lavender Infusion (Lavendula hybrida), Mullein Leaf Infusion (Verbascum thapsus), Orange Blossom Water (Citrus dulcis), Olive Oil (Olea europaea), Stearic Acid, Shea Butter (Butyrospermum parkii), Fair Trade Cocoa Butter (Theobroma cacao), Glycerine, Cetearyl Alcohol, Orange Blossom Absolute (Citrus dulcis), Tiger Lily Extract (Lilium candidum), St. Johns Wort Extract (Hypericum perforatum), Elderflower Extract (Sambucus nigra), Sweet Violet Extract (Viola odorata), Sunflower Petal Extract (Helianthus annuus), Alkanett Extract (Alkanna tinctoria), Triethanolamine, Methylparaben, Propylparaben.

My Ratings

Product: 4/5

This cream is a little greasy for my liking. I wore it under my makeup a few times. The first time, I put some on my eyelids just out of habit...bad idea! Although I wore a primer (UDPP), my eyeshadow MELTED (aka creased and faded in a few hours). I have slightly oily lids as is, but the moisturizer made them even oilier.

I do like the product for the fact that it's made with a combo of safe synthetic and natural or organic ingredients. Nothing too fancy-schmancy, and it doesn't make my face feel like it's burning. M.A.C and Lancome facial care products are too strong for my skin.

Packaging: 5/5
I love the unique container, and I love the fact that it's made from recycled plastic!

Price: 3/5
It was about 3300 yen. It's cheaper in the U.S. ($21.35). Kinda pricey for 1.5 oz of an everyday moisturizer if you ask me...My Holy Grail moisturizer, Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel is $30 for 6.7 oz.

Overall: 4/5
For day, I tried to beat the oiliness factor of this cream by combining a small amount with a lighter, oil-free moisturizer. It's still too greasy! It kept my skin looking fresh and dewy for a few hours, then I realized that the dewiness was oiliness. Grrrrrr...I DEFINITELY CAN'T use it solo underneath my makeup, as it's too rich on it's own.

This is a GREAT night cream. I use it before I go to bed. I like the soothing lavender scent, perfect for relaxing before bedtime. When I wake up, my skin looks rejuvenated, un-pasty and AWAKE. Perfect for a girl like me, who rarely gets enough sleep!

The final verdict:
I recommend this product to anyone who has combination skin, but more towards the dry side.

Weekend haul

I hung out with my middle sister last Saturday. I hadn't seen her in months!!! I need to start hanging out with her more...she's going to school in Toronto for a year from August. So we met up at the Zara in Omotesando, stopped by the M.A.C Pro store where we both picked up some stuff and walked to Shibuya. We had lots of fun catching up and goofing off. We ate dinner with one of her friends at a Hawaiian restaurant. It was more Japanese-y than Hawaiian though. The restaurant itself was cute but the food was NASTY.

We also went to the Uniqlo UT Store. It's not a regular Uniqlo store. They only sell T-shirts and select denim. The store is really cool! The floors are covered in manga, and all the T-shirts are sold in plastic containers with red screw-top lids. I will take pics of the T-shirt I bought later. What's even cooler is that all the T-shirts are 1500 yen (about $13). All the T-shirts are designed by upcoming AND famous designers alike.

So onto my M.A.C Haul...I bought eye shadow refills in Humid (green) and Parfait Amour (purple). I think everyone has these colors so I didn't swatch them. I also bought a lipstick in Lovelorn. It's a blue-pink. I wanted a mod, cool-tone pink to match my Spring looks. I think I'm beginning to like pink a lot more. I used to only wear nude or peach lip colors.


The Uniqlo UT store. See all the screens on the wall? And the manga-printed floor? And my cheesin' dorko sister?


Here's a look I've been rockin' at work lately. It's subtle, but still contoured...me likey! Plus it's really easy. I use M.A.C e/s in Cork (a midtone matte brown) from the outer corner of my eye and bring it into my contour.

With flash:

Can't wait to try out new looks this Spring!

Tag: 6 Fun Facts

Thank you, K.G. for tagging me! Here are six random facts about me:

Things I’m passionate about:
Makeup, obviously! I have always loved trying new makeup and looks. I also love reading about makeup. I buy fashion magazines just to read reviews of new products. I'm also passionate about tacos and burritos. Without them, my life would be incomplete.

Books I’ve recently read:
"Asian Faces" by Taylor Chang-Babaian, "Awaken the Giant Within" by Anthony Robbins and "Breakfast at Tiffany's" by Truman Capote.

Songs I could listen to over and over:
Anything by Veruca Salt...I love female grunge bands from the '90's. Also "Travelling Man" by Mos Def, "Get By" by Talib Kweli, "1000 Oceans" by Tori Amos and "King of Sorrow" by Sade.

Traits I’m attracted to in my best friends:
Honesty, wit, and their courage. I have so many beautiful friends who have accomplished so much in life. I admire them ALL.

Things I say often:
At work I often yell "No, you can't close the ticket!" a lot to other carriers. I also swear a lot, especially when I talk to snobby female network engineers around the globe. You won't believe how stuck-up some of them are! Thank goodness for the mute button. I say "I love you" a lot too, but only to certain people :)

Things I’d like to do before I die:
I want to finish school. I deferred after my sophomore year at college. But this time around, I want to go to a school that actually has the major I've always wanted to pursue...journalism. I'd also like to work in the makeup/beauty industry for a bit. I want children too...a few rowdy boys!

I tag Chiara, Muse, and Nic Nic!

Sakura : Cherry Blossoms

It's cherry blossom season in Japan now. The sakura trees are in full bloom and it's snowing pink petals EVERYWHERE! Spring is my favorite season in Japan. Everything is bright, yet soft and subtle, kind of like the people here ;) The Tamagawa River runs behind my house, and it's lined with a million sakura trees. I didn't want to miss the chance to enjoy them since they'll be gone in about a week, so I took a lot of pictures after I got home from work the other morning. I also did a look inspired by cherry blossoms, which I wore out at that night. My girl and I ended up at club Harlem in Shibuya...fun! Anywho, hope you guys enjoy the pictures :)


Onto the FOTD!

Products used for eyes:

- M.A.C Paint Pot in Painterly
- M.A.C e/s in Howzat (shimmery charcoal)
- M.A.C e/s in Hey (shimmery ivory)
- Milani Runway Eyes e/s in Royalty (pinkish purple)
- Kate Super Sharp Liner in Black
- Maybelline Volum' Express Mascara in Black

Eyes How To:

1. Apply Painterly Paint Pot from lash line to brow bone as a base.
2. Apply Hey e/s from lash line to brow.
3. Apply Royalty e/s foiled from lash line, extend slightly past crease.
4. With a tapered blending brush apply Howzat e/s from outer corner of lid, and bring it up into contour. Stop in the middle of contour. Apply with windshield-wiper motions.
5. With flat e/s brush, apply Howzat e/s to outer 2/3 of lid, and blend the pink into the dark gray color.

5 Beauty Crimes

"Whaaat? Whatchu lookin' at?"

(This pic has nada to do with the post, I just like it a lot, it always puts a smile on my face)

Since everyone and their Momma's been fessin' up their 5 beauty crimes, thought I'd jump on the bandwagon...I haven't been tagged, but whatever, I'm bored...it's seven a.m. and I'm still at work...to hell with long-ass night shifts!

Aya's 5 Beauty Crimes:

5. I don't get enough sleep. I work over 170 hours per month. This includes six night shifts and ten or eleven day shifts. So my internal clock is all screwed up. Even when I'm tired, I have a hard time falling asleep. Then on my days off, I tend to sleep in...apparently it's not good for your body to 'catch up' on sleep like that. You can tell that I have insomnia by my dry skin, perma-undereye bags and lifeless hair. So much for trying to become an engineer :[

4. I don't take care of my hair. In the last year, I've had it straightened twice, bleached AND dyed. You would think I'd take the time to deep-condition and get regular haircuts, but I am LAZY when it comes to hair. I just rub in leave-in conditioner every day and call it good. Someday when I'm old and greying and my hair is falling out at warp-speed, I will kick myself in the ass.

3. I don't do my nails. I don't even push back my cuticles. I constantly have hangnails...not a pretty site! I get pedicures during the summer. I really hate doing my own nails, always have. But now that I can afford to get them done on a regular basis, I STILL don't bother. I used to wanted to be one of those girls who always has impeccable looking hands and feet, but I've accepted that I just don't care enough to be so meticulous about a part of my body that needs constant removal (wait, that sounds mildly gross, LOL).

2. I have an unhealty diet. I used to cook more often than I do now. I've never been a health nut, and I still aint! I always eat out and I also don't eat enough...I only eat three full meals a day occasionally. This is becoming a problem because in the last two years since I started my current job, I have lost a LOT of weight. I am always in a rush in the mornings so I just grab an onigiri (rice ball) or pastry at the convenience store IF I have the time. Then I'll eat out for lunch, eat junk food to stave off hunger, then MAYBE have fast food for dinner, if I do eat. I would blame this on my job and the fact that I live two hours away from it...but I know there are no excuses for NOT eating...I used to LOVE eating and cooking, but now I feel to lazy/tired to do so...Eeeeeek!

1. I STILL smoke. All the endless facts of smoking and the kind of harm it will do to you have been drilled into my brain. I lost a loved one to years and years of heavy drinking and smoking but I haven't kicked the habit quite yet. I don't light up on the regular anymore, and I don't carry cigarettes with me...But I DO smoke when I'm out drinking, and also when I'm particualry stressed out. The BF always asks me what's wrong when he sees me smoking...I need to quit! I don't even want to know what my lungs look like. I think my skin would be a lot clearer if I hadn't smoked for so many years. Maybe I do need to see how dark my lungs are...I need a good scare to quit this habit for good!

So there your have it...I came clean!

04/04 Edit: Chiara-chan had actually tagged me...I thought I checked your blog yesterday? Anywho thanks for the tag girl, and your kind words :)

Coastal Scents Haul

I got my haul from Coastal Scents in the mail on Monday. The eye shadow brushes were a lot smaller than I had anticipated, but they'll work just fine. I am in LOVE with their Deluxe Buffer Brush. Everyone needs one in their life! Even if you don't use mineral foundation, you can use it to apply regular powder foundation, loose powder, blush and bronzer. I just might get another one so I have backup!!! I love the fact that the face brushes are inexpensive, yet AWESOME quality. I do think they need to work a bit more on their eye shadow brushes...I wish they were more dense...but I can't complain, none of the brushes I bought were over 3 bucks!

I also got a new lipstick from M.A.C called Pinky D. I checked it out on my way home from an all-nighter downtown last Friday...I had crashed at someone's place in the morning to recuperate and decided to stop by a M.A.C counter on my way home. I'm glad I saw it, 'cause I looked it up online and found out that it's an Asia exclusive...It's rare to find products from a high-end Western brand that are ONLY sold in Asia. If any of you want one, and don't have access to it, holla at your girl!

So here I am again babbling and sharing my thoughts. I apologize that this video is long...I made it after I got home from work today. I couldn't verbalize my thoughts too well so I'm talking all slow...hope you guys enjoy my review. I'm off to bed. Good night! (-__-)Zzzzz

Edit:
Here are some pics of the brushes...enjoy!

From L to R: Chisel Angle Fluff Brush, Chisel Fluff Medium Brush, Chisel Fluff/Pointed Crease Duet, Pink Oval Synthetic Concealer Brush, Silver Deluxe Kabuki and Deluxe Buffer Brush

Milani Runway Eyes FOTD

I finally got around to doing a FOTD using my new Milani wet/dry eye shadows...I LOVE them to death! The color payoff after foiling is amazing! I used Leaf Green and Blue Lagoon.

Face:
- Lush 'Imperialis' moisturizer
- Everyday Minerals foundation in Light Medium
- Everyday Minerals concealer in Intensive Light

Eyes:
- M.A.C Paint Pot in Cash Flow
- Milani Runway Eyes e/s in Green Leaf
- Milani Runway Eyes e/s in Blue Lagoon
- Urban Decay e/s in Ransom
- Kate Super Sharp liquid liner in Black
- Maybelline Volum' Express Mascara in Black

Cheeks:
- Everyday Minerals blush in Waffle Cone

Lips:
- Carmex Chapstick
- Canmake lipliner in Beige
- M.A.C lipstick in Peachstock

Eyes How To:

1. Apply Cash Flow Paint Pot from lash to brow bone as a base.

2. Apply Green Leaf e/s WET from lash line and extend slightly past crease.


3. Apply Ransom e/s on crease and lower outer V.


4. Apply Blue Lagoon e/s DRY on outer 2/3 of lid. Extend past crease. Blend in with green e/s.


5. Pack on more green and blue eye shadow (dry) to intensify color. Blend harsh lines with tapered blending brush with soft circular motions.


Here's what it should look like...


6. Line outer half of bottom lash line with Blue Lagoon e/s and Green Leaf on inner half. Then line top lash line with black liquid liner and apply mascara.


TaDaaaaaaaa (o_O)/

Squishee Faces (o__o)


Hope everyone had a lovely weekend :)