I was facebook-ing yesterday and came across a post by one of my friends which says:" Less friends, less b*llshit. Keep your circle small."
If only I could hit a million likes for her post because that's exactly what I've been doing now- keeping my circle small. I am friendly yes- but pleasing everyone, no- I am not that kind of person now. I realized there is joy in keeping only those who never left, who stood by me when I've got nothing on my wallet, who walked with me when I didn't have a car back then and so on and so forth. In short, when my circle got smaller, my perspective of genuine friendship also got clearer.
I have said this before so I am going to say it again: I color my hair a lot like every 6-8 weeks. It's a hard habit to kick when I started coloring my hair. If you haven't colored your hair before, don't start it if you cannot commit to giving it more care than it ever had.
I subject myself to a weekly hair treatment to combat damage brought by frequent coloring. My ends would have the occasional split ends too and overtime, I see some strands being brittle. I also don't like my hair sounding "crunchy".
One of my best buys in Japan is the Detclear Bright and Peel Fruits Cleansing Liquid with AHA and BHA.It is an exfoliating Japanese cleansing liquid which dissolves waterproof makeup.
I picked this up without any idea whether it has good or bad reviews. Also there wasn't an English translation in the packaging which could have helped that time. But anyhow, I picked it up and paid it right away.
I only have one regret this year, and that is NOT buying a white Adidas Superstar when I traveled to Japan last December and April this year!
Then work came and I was able to finally afford some pressed powders. I used to buy the one from Johnson's and Johnson's. I am unsure if they still carry it these days, but if they do, hey there my first powder:)
I always try to stick to my DIY weekly hair and skin treatments no matter how busy I am. I feel bad whenever can't because that means I failed miserably in time management.
I put on some hair mask/ treatment weekly because I color my hair a lot and I mean every 6 weeks! To get rid of white/ blackheads, excess sebum and impurities, I use the Mario Badescu Silver Powder.
I added toner as part of my skin care regimen quite late. For many
years, I would only do the wash-moisturize regimen. Nothing too fancy
but since I can't stick to the 10-step Korean skin care regimen, I figured the
wash-tone-moisturize would be a slightly better option.
My skin's not perfect to begin with and I would have dark spots from pimples every time after each menstrual period. It would take some time to lighten them unless I go through a serious exfoliation and so I would look for skin care with brightening properties not necessarily to whiten my skin.
The Andalou Naturals Clementine + C Illuminating Toner description says this: Fruit Stem Cell Complex, superfruit antioxidants, and Vitamin C, work as powerful cell energizers to target hyperpigmentation and UV damage, improving skin tone and texture. Aloe vera effectively hydrates and oxygenates, balancing pH, and stimulating circulation for healthy luminosity.
My skin's not perfect to begin with and I would have dark spots from pimples every time after each menstrual period. It would take some time to lighten them unless I go through a serious exfoliation and so I would look for skin care with brightening properties not necessarily to whiten my skin.
The Andalou Naturals Clementine + C Illuminating Toner description says this: Fruit Stem Cell Complex, superfruit antioxidants, and Vitamin C, work as powerful cell energizers to target hyperpigmentation and UV damage, improving skin tone and texture. Aloe vera effectively hydrates and oxygenates, balancing pH, and stimulating circulation for healthy luminosity.
You know what's another thing I love about Japan? It's the winter- I kid you not! I love the cold weather for selfish reasons. My makeup can stay for a really long time- yeah!
My time in Sapporo was just wonderful. I had finally seen and touched lots of snow! Strange but my very first snow encounter was in Beijing few years ago however, it wasn't that much of a writing piece.
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| (Top to Bottom: Revlon Colorstay in Wardrobe, Victoria Secret lipgloss, Loreal Collection Star in Pure Garnet, MAC Pro Longwear Lip Creme in Unlimited, Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolor in Addiction Dependence, Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in #15 from Japan and Loreal lipstick in Spring Rosette) |
To put it, I just wanted to simplify my everyday makeup life. And so my story goes by me applying my foundation or tinted moisturizer/ sunblock first, set with a powder, do my eyebrows, apply some blush and on with my usual fave lippies mostly from Revlon. I really think Revlon has great lipsticks selection and they work pretty well on me.
I wanted to catch the tail of Japan's winter and so what a better way to do that is fly to the island of Hokkaido. It is already spring in Tokyo (in fact almost about to end) but in Hokkaido, I could still get a taste of its winter season.
Hokkaido is the second largest, northernmost and said to be least developed of Japan's four main islands. Temperature on winter can be unforgiving with lots of snowfall, below zero temperatures and even frozen seas (Let it go, Elsa), while in summer it does not get as hot and humid as in other parts of Japan.
