dame dashi

There's an interesting word in Japanese called ダメ出し; 駄目出し (dame-dashi).

According to Jim Breen's dictionary, it means "judging someone (negatively) and urging them to improve; finding fault (in somebody's work)."

It's easy to communicate negatively rather than positively; I'm guilty of this and I think many people around me are too.

Gotta work on emphasizing the positive!

jill stuart mook

Darn, I want this upcoming tote from Jill Stuart. Because you know I really need another tote bag. I don't like Sweet Magazine much either.

wait what? bacon and chocolate?

Vosges is blowing my mind.

That's my next present for the bf!

Addiction eyeshadow swatches

I had some time to play with some Addiction eyeshadows (on my way to buy some Spanish chocolate at Mitsukoshi), so enjoy some swatch pics. All pictures were taken in department store lighting, so the shades are a little off.

In other news, my black and white GAP sweater looks like it'll only last the season - the yarn is already piling into little knots. Guess the quality's not very good.

Inoue Takehiko's column

His irregular column is quite touching this week.

Some updates

Downgraded: Sephora Liner Metallic: it's not that smooth to apply, and doesn't last very long on my lower lashline. I can't wear it on my upper lashline as it creases after an hour or so. Setting with powder doesn't help at all. Can't wait till I use this up, but it'll be a while at this rate!

I've also given up on my MAC paintpot - it's too dry to apply smoothly and it's too frosty to use as anything other than a sheer base. Maybe I can use it on the lower lashline?

Dain at ArsAromatica recommends Suqqu and Addiction; I'm now really tempted to check them out, although I should cut my stash in half first.

I had the chance to test some Jo Malone fragrances at Mitsukoshi.
Jo Malone Vintage Gardenia - not bad, not bad at all. A soft gardenia - wears quite close to the skin; I don't get much sillage from this. 1 hour 1/2 so far.

Jo Malone English Pear & Freesia is apparently the most popular fragrance in Japan (or at least Ginza Mitsukoshi and I can see why; a very pretty fruity floral. Decent sillage. I like it.

I must say that I'm loving Shu Uemura red:juvenus enriched lotion (a softener). It smells fantastic and my skin absorbs it well. However, the price is hard to justify, so I don't know if I'll repurchase when my travel size runs out. I do enjoy using it though, so we'll see.

My condolences to Whitney Houston's family

It's a terribly sad and shocking loss.

I grew up with her music; I had her debut album on cassette and played it repeatedly. My favorite songs are probably "How Will I Know" and "Greatest Love of All". And "I Wanna Dance with Somebody" - I used to dance to this with my friend in elementary school - we'd just let loose and dance around in her house. Her parents probably thought we were pretty silly.

ugh, 1200 yen for 3 songs?!?

Man, the margins these Japanese music companies are making!
But I will fork it out for MiCHi's latest single "Tokyo Night", which is so good.
Argh. I should start renting from the video store instead.

Japanese katakana is hard to keep up with!

I ran across the phrase ブレスト (bu-re-su-to) in a thread today, and thought "huh?" According to the dictionary, it's an abbreviation for brainstorming (brai-sto)!

That would never have occurred to me, but it's quite natural to abbreviate things in this way in Japanese.

Garance Dore is so charming!

I was reading her post on skin care and it just made me smile. So charmingly girly and yet not frivolous, somehow.

Really, the design on the packaging of pharmacy products makes me want to die.

foundation match: Esprique Precious

Esprique Precious Dramatic Veil Pact Moisture in OC-405 is a good match for my skin. The powder foundation is not bad too, but I don't think I'll be buying anything for a while. I have lots of foundations and bb creams to test!

MiChi - Tokyo Night

MiChi - Tokyo Night is addictive pop!

Yves Saint Laurent Golden Gloss #2 Golden Praline

I've probably mentioned this gloss before, but after several years I've come to a new appreciation for this lovely, dependable gloss. The color #2 Golden Praline is a lovely, moderately pigmented, delightfully easy to wear color. The formula is moderately thick and wears comfortably in this dry and cold weather. I've discovered that I like thicker glosses in the winter - it just feels comfortable.

For understated elegance, this is my gloss of choice - the color is flattering but subtle, and the gold flecks add a touch of luxury but not over-the-top bling.

I really like the light fragrance - every time I apply it I'm happy. My tube has lasted several years without going bad - I'm discovering that that's the distinguishing factor for high quality products - they last longer.

I will always want one of these in my stash, and I may need to repurchase this color rather than branch out into a light brown or orange - this one is just really easy and flattering.

If buying this gloss in Japan, buy it at the duty-free shops in the airports - it's about 2600 yen there, compared to 3000 yen domestically. Better yet, buy it abroad!

I'm addicted to this song right now: