Things I am loving: Uniqlo

Right now I am really loving Uniqlo clothing: great quality for the price, consistent sizing and solid basics. 

Uniqlo U items are my jam right now; particularly their cotton tees. I have multiple versions of their crewneck short sleeve t-shirt - and I even bought one in white! It has been years since I bought a white t-shirt, since they're usually pretty see through at the price point I shop at. But these Uniqlo U cotton tees are thick and soft and comfortable - the perfect relaxed fit for me.

Other faves:

https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/product/women-u-tank-top-406458.html

https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/product/women-u-crewneck-short-sleeve-tee-dress-406471.html

https://www.uniqlo.com/us/en/product/men-supima-cotton-wide-rib-socks-406401.html

I always check out the Ines De La Fressange collection, and this summer one is a hit with me. Her french terry items sold out pretty quickly, but I did get her linen blended round collar long sleeve shirt and it is the perfect summer topper that I have been looking for; a heavier weight than their regular linen shirts.

I am currently enjoying the 3D cotton crewneck short sleeve sweater but I may need to size up for my preferred loose fit.

I also live in a Uniqlo U sweatshirt from the winter collection, and have a few of their slacks - great for work. Their regular supima cotton shirts are great for layering, so I just picked up a few more long-sleeved and 3/4-sleeved shirts. Their pants consistently tend to fit me well - I like their jeans a lot.

Also, a thumbs up to their Karakami, ramen, and Gudetama t-shirt collaborations, and a thumbs down for their mobile app. Their website needs to speed up too. Informative, and the reviews are great, but so slow.

All photos taken from uniqlo.com

Mini Review: Puma Socks, Santigold - Chasing Shadows

I got some low profile black Puma socks, but they slide off my heels. The Nike socks fit better, although they pill and fade after a while.

Santigold - Chasing Shadows:

Egads, May already?!? Poshmark update

Yikes, I cannot believe it's been months since I last posted here.

I thought I'd give you an update on Poshmark, in bullet points.
The tl;dr summary: buying on Poshmark is great if you know the product very well, but be very careful to confirm the things that you care about. Selling is tough though.

Pros:

• An extensive variety of items for sale, some extremely unique
• One-stop shopping from your phone has never been so easy!
• Discontinued items for sale
• I can often find discontinued versions of a product that I can't get anywhere else. For example, I like Eddie Bauer wrinkle-free shirts in bright striped patterns, but for the most part they don't make them in those patterns any more.  However, on Poshmark, I've found quite a few of these shirts in like-new and sometimes brand-new condition. Similarly for Under Armour cold gear shirts. The new versions of the shirt have an itchier seam, but the old versions of the shirt are great. I live in these shirts in the winter, and I've stocked up on a few basics via Poshmark already.
• Prices are low
• A corollary to the fact that selling is hard, the abundance of items means that prices go low if the sellers really want to sell. So Poshmark is an excellent place to buy jeans, dresses, and purses, as American women seem to have an excess of both! Also, high end items can be had for quite reasonable prices.
• Unique items sell well
• Simply because they stand out from the mass of similar items. However, I've seen beautiful dresses sell for super low prices - great for the buyer, not as great for the seller.
• Comments cannot be erased
• This can be a source of useful information about a seller/buyer

Cons:

• No returns
• Since individual sellers are shipping the items, they would also have to process the returns, and this is super tedious for individuals, so Poshmark has sensibly decided not to allow returns. However, it is disappointing to receive an item and realize that it doesn't fit. The only solution is to donate or "re-posh" sell the item on Poshmark.
• Sellers omit information
• Whether deliberately or because they don't have time, sellers may leave out information that is important to the buyer. As a buyer, you have to be careful to ask any questions that are important to you, which can be irritating to the seller. However, since you can't return anything, it's a necessary evil. I've stopped buying items that I don't already know well, as it's too tiring to try think of every possible issue.
• Technically, if the item is not as expected, you could probably open a case and ask to return the item, but errors of omission are a bit borderline. I received a sweater that had pilling, which wasn't mentioned. I didn't ask in advance, so I chose to accept the item, rather than challenge it. Similarly, I bought a coat that fit well, but turned out to be rather rough to the touch. Since I neglected to ask this in advance, I chose not to open a case.
• Sizing is difficult
• It's hard to measure a 3D item like a dress, and even if you ask for measurements, it's difficult to know if an item fits until you actually try it on. There are all sorts of wonderful shoes for sale, but I've given up on judging whether shoes fit me, unless I already know the item.
• Seller ratings are not visible
• Seller's can post a screenshot of their rating, but they're not publicly accessible to buyers. So a careful buyer needs to check the "Love Notes" from other buyers, to make sure that there are no issues with the seller.  This is pretty time consuming, and often there isn't much information.  Sellers can also choose not to display a particular "Love Note" so buyers cannot access that information
• Selling is hard
• There are so many sellers that it is really hard to find buyers for your items
• Shipping is $6
• It makes it hard to justify buying an item unless you can bundle to save on shipping.
• You only get notified of a comment if tagged
• Unless it is your own listing, users need to tag you in order for you to notice a comment that they have left. Often users forget this, so I have missed comments/replies as a result.
• Only women's and unisex clothing allowed
• I would love to buy items for my husband, as clothing manufacturers have stopped producing loose fit pants, but the Poshmark platform can't handle men's or children's clothing yet. They just came out with Plus, Petites, and Juniors sizing, so maybe this will change eventually.

I leave you with the latest song from Kiley Dean, "Long Gone":

household tip: use shampoo to remove makeup stains

Any shampoo works to remove makeup stains - I'm using up some Johnson's baby shampoo.  Just apply as a pre-treatment and wash out in the laundry.  If you're worried, you can apply and then rinse out by hand to make sure the stain comes out.  This works on everything including red lipstick.  I've saved many shirts this way.

Mini Review: Biokleen Sport Laundry Liquid

Biokleen Sport Laundry Liquid is working out really well for me.  I like the soft lavender scent, and it even gets the stinky SO's clothing smelling nice and fresh.  And it's theoretically ecologically friendly!

orange! bags!

Gosh, I love the look of this orange blazer from Zara.

This orange shopper also looks amazing, but I need a zipper.

This brown square bowling bag is also cute, but not quite as stunning.

H&M is taking in clothes for recycling; they give a 500 yen coupon (good for any purchase 3000 yen or more) and will take any clothes, even if there are holes or stains, as they can recycle them for purposes other than re-wear.  Unlike Uniqlo, they will take any brand of clothing.  That's pretty awesome, as currently I just throw out such clothing with the burnable trash.

These bags look like they'd be great for work:

Brown H&M bag

 

Black H&M bag

reflections on 2012

In General

I'm trying to just get things done, so that I can spend more carefree time on the fun things.  I'm also trying not to over-think things.
* do more vegetable cooking (first up, Ars Aromatica's lentil white bean soup)

* Start on the Chinese

Someday

* Learn to make scallion pancakes (Saveur.com recipe)

* figure out how to make those Bretagne-style galettes

I hope I never develop a gluten allergy.  I'm sure I'll survive, but it would be really sad at first.

Old Favorites

I still love Yves Saint Laurent Golden Gloss.  The messy packaging is annoying; gloss collects around the opening of the container.  However, it's an easy, no-fail glamorous gloss that I look great in.  I have #2 Golden Praline, and the gloss and shimmer are just right for evenings when you want to feel fabulous but not over-the-top.  The color is a totally wearable soft rose, and I enjoy the scent, personally.  When I use it up, I'll want another one, but I won't let myself until I use up my ridiculous stash of glosses.

Saying Goodbye To

I love the festive but wearable Fasio Melting Glossy Rouge RD441, but the lasting power is average-to-poor, so I don't think it's worth repurchasing.  I do love the color though, so if I don't find a replacement in a better formulation, perhaps I'll revisit this decision.  For now I'll just layer one of my many sparkly glosses on top of Addiction lipstick in Last Scene.

New Favorites

Hands down, the most amazing makeup release was Shiseido's Camellia Compact, sadly limited edition to celebrate the 140th anniversary of the brand.  A real pity that it was limited edition.  I have not yet been able to mar the pristine surface of this blush/highlighter, but I will, I swear.

I am still in love with Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge lipstick - BE-2 is my default work lipstick.  Don Quixote offers a small discount on certain Lavshuca products, so I will pick up one in red once I use up a few other lipsticks.

I am quite impressed with the eyeshadow palette in the Lavshuca Pure Blossoming Eyes Limited Edition Set.  I got the PK Pink Variation, which is a bit too warm for me, but the texture of the eyeshadows is fantastic!  If they put out a color variation that I like, I may have to get a Star Decoration Eyes.  However, I have too many neglected eyeshadow palettes; I probably should try a different brand.

I love the liquid blush Cream de Cheek released by Majolica Majorca last year.  I haven't bought any of them yet, but I will definitely be picking up the red RD411 at least.  I'm also tempted to buy the new Clear series of Cream Cheek blushes from Canmake, especially the lovely red.

Clothing

This year I spent a good amount of time editing my closet, however, it is far from finished.  Of course, any fun closet should evolve over time, so the concept of "finishing" is a bit inaccurate, but I am not happy with my closet as it currently is.  Wardrobe Oxygen and Ars Aromatica have　really gotten me thinking about the concept of editing my wardrobe.  I particularly like Wardrobe Oxygen's office wear posts.  I am also being motivated by The Minimalist Mom's journey in minimizing her wardrobe.  More and more, I want to look good without putting effort into it, which often means buying clothing that is comfortable, looks good, and is easy to coordinate.  I've thrown out a lot of awkward clothing this year!  It makes me sad to waste money on clothing, but it's necessary to move forward and cull out the items that waste my time.

I've judiciously indulged in this year's massive New Year sales, picking up some necessities and adding 3 pieces to my work wardrobe.  However, I still lack some basics such as a black coat and suit.  I'm also debating whether to buy a new winter scarf - my silk scarf has seen better days.  Perhaps I will hold out until next year.

I'm breaking in some new winter shoes; I do need to add one casual winter shoe option.  I don't know where to find good quality shoes in my size at a reasonable price in Tokyo.

Garance's interview with Jean-Philippe Delhomme

One thing is for sure, you should never wait. If you wait, it’s like you’re stuck somewhere, it’s very bad. So it’s just always trying to keep yourself moving, even if you think you should go in a different direction.

 -  Jean-Philippe Delhomme as interviewed by Garance

Oops 2: I have unfairly maligned L.L. Bean Japan

Turns out that they actually do carry regular sizes!
At least online.

I stand corrected.
I will have to go check if they carry regular sizes in store too.  How excellent!  Looks like I am an XS in L.L. Bean sizes. They should probably add a XXS for Japanese consumers.  But it's good for the larger Japanese consumers - their needs have been woefully under-served until now.