materialism: to buy or not to buy

I'm contemplating a purchase of Lunasol's Sheer Contrast Eyes eyeshadow quad in EX01 Blue Green Coral. The shimmering sea blue is a gorgeous color that can be layered on for intensity. The pale green and dark silvery brown (as Rouge Deluxe put it) are lovely colors too. However, the shimmering white shade is a standard highlighter of which I have far too many already. Still, the blue and brown are quite gorgeous so I'm debating a purchase (5250yen).

Shadow Customize, Majolica Majorca's individual eyeshadow line, has a lovely shimmery blue-green shade BL724(熱帯魚 tropical fish) that is similar but not as blue as Lunasol's color. Considering how much eyeshadow I own and how much I would be able to use the Lunasol quad, EX01 is really not a justifiable purchase. The quad is also limited edition, so it couldn't be a permanent part of my stash.

This minimalism thing is quite difficult. Or rather, finding the perfect items that would allow me to be minimalistic is quite a time-consuming task.

image from http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol

Fantastic W cover

The Lipstick Page Forums Beauty & Fashion Blog has a post about Charlize Theron on the cover of W (high end [inaccessible] fashion magazine). Check it out! It's an interestingly-composed picture with perfect light exposure and impeccable colors. Theron looks fantastic.

Update: my comment on exposure was probably redundant - any good photographer can get perfect exposure - whereas there's something about the color balance and saturation that enhances the burnished effect. A washed out yet rich image that makes me feel like she's in the desert.

The photo fascinates me so I'm spending an inordinate amount of time trying to put it into words :P

Hermes Hermessence line

Someday, I'd love to get the Hermes Hermessence Discovery set (4 15ml bottles). The ones I've tried at the Tokyo Narita airport's duty-free store have been quite lovely. Ambre Narguile is a warm, foody scent. Vetiver Tonka smells of musk and coffee yet remains light. I have a fainter impression of Rose Ikebana - citrus. Osmanthe Yunnan is one that I would like to retry in particular.

awadzuke soy sauce at Seijo Ishii supermarket

A while back I posted about a soy sauce that I quite like: Awadzuke Soy Sauce. I finally found that Seijo Ishii Supermarket carries it, so quickly snapped up a bottle. Amusingly, I have 3 bottles of soy sauce right now. I'm almost done with one bottle, but still, 2 bottles seems a little excessive. They have different uses though, so it's ok.

quiche in Tokyo

Yes! I have found tasty quiche in Tokyo. Le Jardin Gaulois has multiple locations in the Tokyo area, but I only discovered them yesterday at Shin Marunouchi Building near Tokyo station. I got their assorted quiche plate. Delicious! The texture of steamed eggs. I'll post a picture later.

fragrance: L'Artisan Parfumeur, Les Parfums de Rosines

I sprayed on a few Rosines yesterday. They all have a similar base; very pretty rose, but I guess I'm not that into rose. I have a small decant of Un Zest du Rose, which I like but am not often inclined to wear. It comes out when I attend weddings.

I got a chance to play with the L'Artisan fragrances available in Japan, and I am quite a fan of Premier Figuier. A very nice, quiet fragrance with a bit of green. It would be quite easy to wear. However, I don't really feel any pull to wear it. Ananas Fizz came 2nd to Premier Figuier, and I was not drawn to La Chasse Aux Papillions.

So far, Barbara Bui's fragance is probably the most likely purchase for me. I did get a chance to try Sarah Jessica Parker's Covet (why don't they bring Lovely to Japan?) and it was quite nice, but I feel no pull.

About You Now

This song by the current incarnation of Sugababes is quite addictive: About You Now. The contrasting melody and harmony are clean and simple.