flan in Tokyo

In addition to the addictive Portuguese flan at Villa Moura Ginza ヴィラモウラ 銀座 (closer to 日比谷 really), Junkadelic in 中目黒 does an excellent flan.

Both are highly recommended!

KATE rouge hg (high glam) in OR-10, LUX hair mask

KATE rouge hg (high glam) in OR-10 is a pretty, wearable coral.  On my pigmented lips it seems moderately pigmented.  Quite good value, as you can sometimes find KATE sold at 30% off list price.  Unless I find a color I absolutely have to have, this will be the most I spend on lipsticks until I use up a few lip products.  Kanebo Media will probably be able to fill the orange lipstick gap in my wardrobe, and Addiction Last Scene has my red lipstick craving satisfied, so I'm set for now.

I'm testing out LUX super rich shine hair mask - in terms of texture and detangling it feels great. After blow-drying, my hair is not quite dry but it's not silky soft either, so I would describe this as average.

I don't think I've mentioned this before, but I do love reading Miss Manners.  I just finished reading her Guide to Domestic Tranquility which I found quite educational, although admittedly slow at times.  I will need to read it a few more times and practice actually being polite in certain areas where I have repeatedly failed in the past.

Addiction Moroccan Rose Coffret

I picked up this holiday coffret in 2012 as it was absolutely gorgeous, but it turns out that it's actually a bit too gorgeous to touch.  Now I'm waffling about posting it on eBay minus the nail polish as Japan Post doesn't allow nail polishes to be mailed.

Hum de dum, it's so gorgeous, but do I really need it?

Dick Page explores cities around the world

There's this fantastic series of videos published by Shiseido in April where Dick Page shows his favorite spots around a few cities:

The cities:
* Dick Page takes Paris
* Dick Page Discovers Hong Kong
* Dick Page in New York City
* Dick Page in Tokyo

The full list of Shiseido Dick Page videos.

Le Couvent Des Minimes, Moomin

Wow, Le Couvent Des Minimes and C.O. Bigelow have reached Japan!

I'm a bit afraid look at the prices, but the local availability is quite welcome!

In other news, Uniqlo has a Moomin collection!  Orbis also has packaged their cleansing oil with Moomin characters (limited edition), and has a set of cosmetic pouches out.
This unrelated masking tape looks so cute! More types here too.

Cavalieri

Glad to see that Cavalieri seems to be doing well in 幡ヶ谷.
They had the most delicious desserts when I used to live in the area, but I haven't been back since.

Lip colors that flatter

I didn't realize it until swatching my lipsticks on white paper, but it turns out that all the colors that I find unflattering are mauve shades.

• Nivea Fruity shine in Pomegranate - a sheer mauve.
• Revlon Balm Stain in Honey 001 - a medium pinkish mauve.
• L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Plush Plum (219) - a cool mauve.
• Lancome Color Fever 306 - a decidedly purple mauve shade.
• Maybelline Moisture Extreme Toasted Almond (210) - even this seemingly brick red-like shade definitely has tendencies towards mauve and away from berry.
• Maquillage Glossy Perfect Rouge RD224 - a bright pink mauve.

Warm roses like Dior Addict Lip Polish in 002 and YSL Golden Gloss in Praline - these I can handle. Warm pinks like Maybelline Water Shiny Gloss in S01, I can handle. I like berry shades too, although right now I lack one.

But mauve makes my skin look sallow, and I'm finally getting rid of them.

I can also confirm that I don't have a proper peach/orange lipstick in my lipstick wardrobe. I plan to seek out Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge in OR-1 to fill this spot.  I also lack a proper berry/wine shade.  Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge RD-2 might be good for this, but it might be too much on the mauve side for me.  A bright watermelon wouldn't go amiss either - I have a red Nivea care gloss that fills this spot at the moment, but I haven't got a lipstick yet.  I'm eying Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge RD-1 for this.
Can you tell that I have Dramatic Memory Rouge on the brain?