One Year Anniversary Giveaway!!!

Hi all, I know most of you readers and followers are pretty recent, so it may come as a surprise that this blog is already a year old! I, too, lost track of time and was scrolling thru my old posts when it dawned upon me that it's actually been a whole year since I chose to start this blog. If you actually scroll thru my old posts, you can see that there was less me and more cold information taken from other sources (of course, I always gave credit!) and I wasn't really gyaru though I had already chosen to focus on Japanese fashion. Eventually however, I learnt more and more and developed slowly into the person I am now, and made some friends along the way all thanks to this blog of mine.

Haha, so I figured, why not celebrate and thank my readers and followers with a little giveaway?

It's just a little token of gratitude for all the kind comments and friendships I've developed thru this blog so to one lucky follower, you'll receive:
Lancome Blanc Expert ultimate whitening beauty lotion (trial size)

Premier Dead Sea Salt Luxury Hand Cream (trial size)

Dollywink No.8 Pure Little (lower individual lashes)

Lancome Blanc Expert Ultimate Whitening Hydrating Emulsion (trial size)

Lancome Blanc Expert Ultimate Whitening Hydrating Cream (trial size)

Of course some ground rules in order to participate in this little giveaway:

1. You MUST be a follower PUBLICLY
2. One entry for leaving a comment with your contact details
3. An additional entry if you share with people about this giveaway via your own blog, Livejournal etc. but please remember to share the link here and notify me so that it qualifies
4. If the winner does not respond to my attempts of contact (I will give 3 days leeway) or hasn't left valid contact details, the win will thus be forfeited and I will draw another winner
5. Entries after the closing time and date will not be entertained or considered valid
6. Closing date for the giveaway is on the 11/9/2010 or 11th September at 1pm International time

Everybody got it? I'll be using Randomizer.org to draw out the winner so that everybody is given a fair fighting chance okays?

So good luck then!

Makeup Review: Heroine Make BB Cream

I had finished my previous underbase last month and had the itch to try something alittle different, so off I trotted to my nearest Sasa (a local makeup/skincare shop that brings on mostly Taiwanese/Japanese drugstore brands) shop to have a look. I ended up getting the Heroine Make Bb cream to replace my used up base:

The said product...

It claims to "hide the 7 obstacles to beautiful skin: unsightly pores, freckles, spots, dullness, unwanted shine, dryness and sunburn"

Aid in "pore coverage & acts as a makeup base" (smoothen skin and absorb excess sebum)
Offer "skincare functions"(namely moisturisation and healing)

& UVA protection "SPF 30 PA++"

This is my skin when I broke out last month due to PMS, lots of open pores and little pimples here and there...

After one layer of the BB cream, Voila! Most if not all blemishes are covered, with zero need for concealer! However, I had a really nasty zit recently and no matter what I did to attempt to conceal it, nothing, not even this BB cream helped. So I guess it can't work miracles...

I've tested this cream out for the past month or so, just to see if my senstive skin would take to it and so far it's been a thumbs up for me. It's also helped to control my combination skin by reducing excess shine and oiliness which is useful with my RMK foundation that has little help in dealing with oily skin. However, on days when I feel like applying less makeup, I simply apply this and dust alittle loose powder and that's my base for the day. So here's the summary:

Coverage: 9/10 (little need for concealer except for stubbon marks)

Sebum control: 6/10 (controls most shine and excess sebum, but still needs a dab with oil absorbant paper once in the day)

Texture: 7/10 (bit thicker then I would have liked, but probably explains the great coverage)

Price: 9/10 (cost bout $20++)

Amount needed: Probably bout the size of a small coin for both the face and neck

Smudge-proof: 7/10 (little creases at the corners of my mouth thanks to laughing and smiling all day, but that's pretty much it)

Overall: A pretty good buy for a Japanese drugstore product

Personal Outfit 34 & cosplay photoshoot

Oufit of the day consisted of:

Leopard print dress: Pepperplus

Black belt: borrowed from mom

Jacket: Nichii

Black usamimi: random shop in Orchard Cineleisure (this one's more expensive then my Chameleon ones)

Engineer boots: Bought in Macau

Last Saturday, I was given little notice before being roped in to assist in my friends' cosplay photoshoot, thus I ended up juggling different roles for the day as wardrobe manager, makeup artist, artistic director, a shoulder to balance on (in case one falls from wearing platforms) and photography assistant.



It was really fun though, however I had to run off early because moi conveniently left her tickets to the play she was watching that very evening at home! So I had to run all the way home and get to the theatre in time! Was barely able to make it, but the whole day's experience was fun and I learnt abit about photography.



Would be assisting this coming Friday once again! Soon it'll be my turn to be the model! Hahaha...

My Current Favourite Songs 5

It's the end of the month once again, so here's the latest 5 songs:


Melt (Vocaloids: Hatsune Miku): This song is really cheerful and sweet, so it's been playing in my head from the very first moment I heard it. Not to mention, I assisted in a photoshoot for my friend who was attempting to recreate a different version of the video for this song (note, the cosplayers here aren't people I know personally).


Butterfly (G-Dragon): Not actually interested in the singer or the song, but I thoroughly enjoy this Alice in Wonderland-inspired video alot. The artist who did the illustrations really took my breath away...


Cross Game (Alice Nine): My sis and I are big fans of this group (she's more obssessed with them then I am...), they're music are really creative and they fall between the crack of being labelled as a rock/pop group.


If (Kana Nishino): Really beautiful set for this video and she appears so tall in the video! She has really blossomed from her earlier days where she was styled to look kindda like Koda Kumi with the tan, dark eyes and half braids *shudder*, not to mention, she was made to dance when it was so painfully obvious that it wasn't her best talent. Now after better management, sweeter songs and a new image she seems set to conquer the charts of Japanese pop.


Kimi Ni Negai Wo (Miyavi): An oldie but a goodie, gotta love Miyavi's eccentricity, awesome guitar skills and wearing enough colours on his clothes to rival a girl decked out in decora. This song is cute despite him singing in pajyamas to a cut-out paper star hahaahahah

Till next month then... bye....

Contact Lens Review: Barbie Super Nudy Brown

Awhile back, I ordered and received a pair of contact lens as I had thrown away my previous lenses afetr they started to irritate my eyes pretty badly, and I knew it couldn't be due to the way I was handling the lenese as I'm pretty anal about it and clean them as much as I possible could everytime after use.

So I decided to try out a different brand of lens and after seeking Steph's advice, I gave Barbie Eye a go:

This was the poster of the lens I bought

It was delivered in this nifty little box and had layers upon layers of bubble wrap over it

The lens bottles...

Tried the lens out, this is how it looks like with flash...

This is without flash...

As you can clearly see, the effect of the lens, don't quite match up to what was originally shown in the poster, the colour is so light that my dark eyes just wash out the light colour leaving behind a weird speckled, greenish/yellowish colour of the lens. I liken the effect to pond scum actually....

It was also advertised that the lens are of 15.8mm diameter which I don't exactly believe considering how much enlargement it has, honestly, without the black ring around it, the lens would probably look like ordinary fashion lenses.

I was so disappointed with it that I kept lamenting to Steph about it (which must have probably irked the hell out of her, sorry Steph!). However, Steph urged me to give it awhile as I probably wasn't used to the effectas compared to my other more obvious lenses.

After wearing it for nearly a month, I can say it's a pair of extremely comfortable lenses! I can use it all day and even took a nap once with them on and my eyes were as good as ever! Sometimes in air-conditioned areas, they do tend to dry out abit, but it isn't something that a couple of eyedrops wouldn't help, but that's a rare occurence.

However, I'm still not very fond of the effects of this pair of lens, so I'll probably end up using it for school and such in due time. However, if you're looking for a pair of really comfotable lens over fancy effects, I highly recommend using them!

Clothes for Fashion Frustrations by Edge*s September Issue

More often then not, most of us tend to have "bad" days or simply lack the physique which most models seem to be genetically blessed with that makes us so envious and yet idolise them. So this article which Edge*s came up with is pretty useful, it shows you how to use the latest gal trends to hide your flaws and draw attention to other areas. I find alot of these kind of articles in English magazines, but somehow, most Japanese magazines don't seem to find any reason to write such an article, so I just felt compelled to share it.

The article lists down clothes to aid 3 common fashion frustrations namely, being short, flat (small-chested) and chubby:

Short: Jumpsuits that taper at the ends of the legs to make legs appear longer and a illusion of a longer body with the bustier style top

Chubby: The jumpsuit widens at the legs to accommodate and conceal alittle bulge, the row of buttons also give the illusion of a slimmer silhouette

Flat: The fur vest and belt draws the eye upwards and gives the illusion of a more ample chest, the straight leg of the jumsuit keeps the legs lookin trim and slim so that you don't end up looking fat

Chubby: Vests nip the waist in and gives your body more definition, the harem pants also help to whittle down legs to make them appear slimmer

Flat: Bustiers are a great way to push up fats to your chest and bring more emphasis to them, the floral skirt keeps the outfit looking innocent

Short: A crop top over a maxi dress tricks the eye into thinking your body is longer and the solid black colour of the dress lengthens your whole silhouette, of course heels are always a neccesity to appear taller

Chubby: An oversized top conceals and the black colour slims the figure, the leather leggings bring attention to the slimmest part of the legs and with black from head to toe, the over all figure looks leaner (I personally tend to dress this way on "fat" days)

Flat: A loose, billowy peasant blouse with the waist nipped in with a wide belt again draws attention to the top and makes people assume that there is a larger bust under the blouse

Short: This outfit I don't get, being personally short myself, I feel that the huge, wide-legged pants, long shawl held in place with a wide belt would simply swallow up one's petite frame, but perhaps the pants would give the illusion of longer legs and hide the fact that one's wearing a really high pair of platformed clogs

Chubby: Top shows a loose blouse over a pair of straight legged capris, the straight leg would downsize hips and thighs. Bottom shows an oversized blouse, tucked into an A-line mini skirt, Mode but without having to deal with a muffin top by attempting to squeeze one's self into a bandage skirt

Flat: Top shows a oversized blouse with a tight pair of olive jeggings, again to emphasis the slim legs whilst skimming over the chest to try and make it appear fuller, same logic with the bottom picture except that it's with bandage skirt this time

Short: Top shows a pair of high waisted shorts with a tight top, tucked in. Bottom also shows a high waisted skirt with the top tucked in too. Both are to allow legs to appear longer, hence appear taller and of course the basic requirement for the illusion of height, a good pair of heels

Chubby: An oversized top with tie-dyed leggings and thigh highs, great way to show your legs

Flat: Colourful top to draw the eyes paired with a neutral black bandage skirt and funky lace leggings to show off slim legs

Short: An oversized top with shoulder detailing to draw the eye up and then paired with printed leggings to draw the eyes down to the legs and give the illusion of longer gams

Bottom picture: How to wear a simple long sleeved tunic in 2 completely different ways (I think?)

I hope more articles like these would pop up in the future as I would be more willing to attempt certain trends which I may have once assumed would make me appear shorter (in this case, the cropped top). I find the chubby parts to be useful for days when I am bloated like a hot air balloon, great ways to cover a not so flat tummy but not appear frumpy!

I just wish they would use a bigger sized model for the chubby parts to prove their point, it's abit useless and contradictory when their model still appears to be a size 2 or under...

Natsu Matsuri 2010

The best picture of Esther's and my Yukatas, did my hair up in 2 messy ponytails, because I didn't think it was worth the hassle of doing a too elegant hairdo when a Yukata is casual wear in the first place, not to mention, I didn't want to have my hair bothering me when I'm having fun...

Walking on the muddy field to get to the games stalls, haha! Check out my adorable Pokemon fan!

Francine was there with us, actually it was thanks to her sacrifice of queueing the entire afternoon that allowed us to quit waiting for Esther's very late friend and get tickets in

Met a friend during the event, he hung out with us for awhile before running away with his friends after one threatened to off himself before being forced to listen to Ponyo's theme one more time... (O_O)"

All the water balloons that we managed to win... I took one home as a souvenir

Tata! Till next year!!!

Last Saturday, a couple of friends and I headed down to Singapore's Japanese Primary School to participate in the annual Natsu Matsuri event! This year was different from others as I had finally gotten my hands on an actual Yukata, thanks to Esther's and Sab's birthday gift!

Unfortunately with word getting out of the event, more and more people somehow pop up each year thus forcing more food stalls to appear and the games stalls to move over to the muddy field, however, no matter, after all this is simply a funfair, albeit a Japanese one.

Had a fun time mingling and bumping into friends not to mention, I finally understand why Japanese girls walk with such small steps, sit with their backs straight all day and eat such small meals, the koshi himo (waist cords hidden under the obi and basically holding the entire outfit in place) forces you to hold your back straight and your stomach can only expand so much under all the knots, hence explains all the above.

But nonetheless, it was a really enjoyable experience and a fun time to mingle with friends with something different from the norm, I'm looking forward to next year!