Heroine Make-up from Japan!

Hello Everyone!

Today I've a quick post on a Heroine make-up compact all the way from Japan - I'm very lucky that one of my good friends bought this back for me on a recent trip there a few months ago! (Sadly the Kit-Kats she also bought back for me didn't quite make it to the photos!)

The powder compact comes packaged on the cute little card - inside has the powder, a mirror and a little puff for applying it with. I really like the illustration on the packaging, I think it'd draw my eye to it in a store.

The powder itself is the lightest that they do - it's quite pigmented but not heavy. It applies very smoothly. It doesn't have much of a scent either which is good for those that don't like perfumed products

The coverage is very good too - I've not blended the edge in so you can see where the powder is - it's a pretty good match for my skin tone. My skin felt very soft and smooth after applying this - the only thing I did find was that it didn't last terribly long and needed touching up around lunch time and again later on in the day, but that could just be skin type, I imagine for someone with normal to dry skin this powder would be ideal.

Bonus photo! This was my make up with the Heroine Make Powder! As an over all powder for fixing foundation I found I had a few problems. It seemed to react differently with different foundations - for some reason when used with the Benefit Flawless foundation, it went super orange! I also found that it didn't react well to one of Miss Sporty's BB cream as it went a different shade of orange! However used on it's own its fine, it doesn't react and is great for days when you only want a little bit of coverage.

Have you ever tried any of Heroine's make up? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Ta-ta for now,

X

Mini Korean beauty haul!

Hello Everyone!

Today as promised I'm going show you my mini beauty haul! (I'm not sure why the photos are so washed out, sorry!)

So here was the first lot I ordered - this is Tony Moly's Luminous Goddess Aura Perfume Make-up Mist and Saemmul's Pure CC cream. The package arrived very quickly and was accompanied by these cute little samples! I've been wanting to try out the Panda's dream range for awhile so this is a great bonus! (The Panda's dream range comes in these adorable little containers which might be influencing me in my want to purchase them!)

So here are the two items I ordered on their own - I've ordered the Goddess Aura before - probably over a year ago and as mine had run out I decided to order another - I was a little apprehensive about re-ordering this as they seem to have changed the packaging since the last time I ordered and I was worried it wouldn't have the same scent as it has before. I really loved the perfume used for my original bottle, its very fresh and floral. I've not used anything by Saemmul before but desperately needed some sort of CC or BB - I just can't find anything light enough to match my skin tone here (Seriously, Rimmel's Light BB is so, so orange!!) This CC has microbeads which burst and change colour to blend into your skin tone.

The back of the CC cream - for some odd reason I don't seem to have the front! Handily the back of the tube has Korean and English writing with ingredients and usage directions.

There isn't much of a scent to this which is great, as you can see in the picture on the left, the product goes on white. It's very silky and smooth and blends in very easily as shown on the picture on the right. I found that it did even out my skin tone rather well but didn't feel heavy on the skin. I've also tried mixing it with an orangey foundation for extra coverage which worked quite well too and lightened the foundation.

Here is the Goddess Aura - again the back of the packet has Korean and English - this mist can be used to set make-up or just as a refreshing mist. I tend to use it as both and as a perfume too - the scent is VERY similar to the original one I had, and might actually be better, it's very light and refreshing.

It adds a slight glisten before the spray dries - this is it on top of the CC cream. 

(The red patch on the side of my hand is a swatch from the lipgloss below!)

The third item I ordered was this cute little Tony Moly Blueberry tinted lip balm/gloss! The company sent me a couple of samples to try out as well as a full size sheet mask! The samples look super fun - I like a lot of these products are fruit based.

Look how cute this is! The actual blueberry is a metallic purple colour and really looks like a giant blueberry.

The pot splits in half and has a Tony Moly seal above the product to stop it moving about in transit should it get too warm and melt.

The lip balm/gloss - it's a lovely subtle colour. It's very easy to apply and glides on smoothly - I've been using a lip brush for it as I hate getting gloss/balm all over my fingers, and I can be more accurate with where I am applying it with a brush.

It's quite hard to photograph the swatch for this as it is a very sheer colour - but it moisturises well and isn't too sticky - it adds a very lovely coloured sheen to lips.

I'm really pleased with my latest purchases and can't wait to try out the samples soon - maybe I'll have an at home spa day! Have you tried out any of the above cosmetics? Have any spa day tips? Let me know in the comments below!

Ta-ta for now,

x

Kawaii & Cute on a budget! Stationary

Hello Everyone!

As promised, here is the first post for Kawaii & Cute on a budget!
Today's subject is stationary! I love cute stationary, but its often hard to find or really, really over priced.

Paperchase and some of the other high street stores in the UK have started to stock kawaii items like the Iwako erasers, or in Paperchase's case, their own lines, but these are often quite expensive outside of a sale, but do keep them in mind around sale seasons - eg. After Christmas, as I've managed to find quite a few bargains here, if you don't mind stocking up you can even pick up cute Christmas cards and decorations for next year!

Of course buying online is nearly always cheaper and usually offers a better selection than you would find on the high street and if you don't mind waiting a week or two you can also purchase from abroad giving you even more choice!

So for online purchases you have a few options: eBay is one of the main ones, though it can be a tad hit and miss. As long as you stick with sellers that don't have too high a percentage of negative reviews you should be fine - and you can always dispute if paying by Paypal if you have an issue. The key to finding great and cute things is to search worldwide - there are a lot of sellers charging way over for items they have imported from China for a fraction of the cost, if you look carefully, you'll be able to find the item direct! Another way is, again keeping the world wide selection on, search for the item you want and switch the sort by to items ending soonest, quite often I've found items with very few or extremely low bids.

I thought I'd also share a couple of stationary shops that I've found whilst on my travels on the web too!

MIMO PENCIL CASE SHOP

USA BASED - free shipping for domestic USA orders - other countries need to email for a shipping quote.

Oh my gosh you guys, I recently discovered this store after a friend tagged me on a photo of a Rilakkuma pencil case (I can't imagine why they tagged me, haha!) it's totally filled with the most Kawaii and cute stationary! MIMO specialise in providing cute stationary that you won't find in main stream stores. 

There's my favourite Rilakkuma, the adorable Bunny Molang, cute kitties and so much more! They sell a variety of themes but more importantly they stock a really wide selection of items. I also love that they sell planners and everything to do with decorating planners! 

I've found pens, markers, pencils, highlighters, diaries, tapes, stickers, mascots and more!! The site itself is bright and cheerful and really makes you want to browse the contents which is also super easy due to the clean layout

I also like the banner at the top which features new and upcoming products (it currently has the Rilakkuma pencil cases and some pretty pastel coloured Macaron planners that are arriving soon. 

The prices are also very good and definitely on the cheaper side of the scale, which is always good news! Handily for those not in the USA there's an option to change the prices from USD to GBP, CAD or Euro too. They also offer a gift wrapping service for a little extra, which is great news if you are buying a gift for someone. 

MIMO also has their own reward scheme which means you'll get discounts with them for future purchases too - I like when stores offer this as it makes me think that they care about return customers.

To check out their store click the link below!

www.mimopencilcaseshop.com

MODES4U

Hong kong based £2.25 base postage + fee based on weight OR free postage for orders over £54.00 FedEx also available for those in a rush!

Now Modes4u I have known about for a few years and I've used them once or twice to purchase presents for a friend. Modes4u only stock genuine products -  Rather than just stationary Modes4u also stock lunch boxes/bento, phone cases, fabrics and other items too! The site itself is very easy to navigate with different categories and there's a useful search bar so you can go directly to what you are looking for. 

Some of the stock seems quite expensive but they are well worth checking out if you are looking for something specific, especially as its genuine, and its definitely worth checking out the sale page!

You can also change the currency from USD to GBP and the site is available in a few different languages too. I seem to remember the last time I ordered was around Chinese New Year and they sent a little new year gift of washi tape  with a card which I thought was a lovely touch - everything arrived quite quickly too which is always a plus.

www.modes4u.com

Do you have any favourite shops for stationary? Let me know in the comments below!

Ta-ta for now!

X

A stroke (or two!) Of luck!

Hello Everyone!

I'm sorry for the lack of updates, real life has become really hectic and I'm just not getting time to sit and write anything, though hopefully, this won't be for too much longer!

Today I thought I'd share with you some good news! I rarely win anything so was super surprised when I won not one, but two give-aways with in a week of each other!

The first prize was from the lovely Luna Rain! I was so excited to receive this! (Her site runs from Luna Rain - You should totally go check it out!) As my name was first out (there were two prizes to choose from). I chose the sweet prize.

Inside were so many things and a very cute letter! (We have the same note paper!)

Here are the prizes. The colours are so pretty!

First up is this adorable cake keyring - the colour matches my nail varnish!

Next is this lovely double bow headband. I've not work anything this pretty for quite some time since I retired from lolita but I know for sure I will wear this as it's so cute! 

Two hair clips! These will fit perfectly with my newer style and are one of my favourite colours.

Kitty socks! This is my favourite part of the prize! I love cats, these are so, so cute - they even have little tails on the back! 

Macaroon blanket! This is super soft and snuggly.

Sketchbook - I've been looking for a small book for sketching down notes and ideas and this is perfect!

Wrist cuffs - these are really lovely too, the colour is really pretty and the materials used are really soft. There were a few other items which I didn't photograph but loved very much too!

~~~~~~~~~

The second prize I won was from Yutaka/Tofu cute.

Inside the box was a sushi kit for two and a funny little pea keyring - I had way to much fun with this and it's on my bag now, the little peas pop out when you squeeze it and one has a face on it!

I want to say thank you very much to Luna and Yutaka as these prizes really cheered me up! I always think I have such bad luck but occasionally something like this will happen and make me think otherwise!

Hopefully we'll be back to our regularly scheduled posts soon!

Thanks for sticking with me!

Ta-ta for now,

X

Sponsored Review: Riku's Raving Hama Revolution ~*~Positive~*~

Hello Lovelies,

Today I have a sponsored review for you from Riku's Raving Hama Revolution.I contacted Riku after seeing she was looking for testers for her new designs and wares and after contacting her we discussed a custom design at a discounted price of £6.00 which included postage, I was also able to tell her what I liked and pick a colour chain for the necklace.I could also pick out two bonus gifts and I picked some Sailor Moon stickers and cards. Riku informed me that commissions usually take a week maximum but are normally much quicker. A few days later I received a photo of my commission, which I instantly knew I was going to love! Riku then popped in the post to me.

Just for fun I asked Riku a couple of interview like questions so I could get to know more about her before posting the review!

Q: Who are you? What's your name, and can you tell us a bit about yourself?

A: My fb name is Riku Brennan, I'm a cosplayer, crafter and big gamer.

Q: What made you want to start Riku's Raving Hama Revolution?

A: I started Riku's Raving Hama Revolution a couple of years back as I was rubbish at most conventional art eg, drawing and painting. I was a huge fan of minecraft and I used my lobby games in minecrafts as virtual hama studio then translated that to hama bead.

Q: What’s your favourite thing about owning Riku's Raving Hama Revolution?

A: I love making pieces of jewellery and canvas art pieces that nobody else has. It makes the job worth it to know that you have worked hours on a canvas to please someone.

Q: What would you like Riku's Raving Hama Revolution to achieve in the future?

A: Stalls and to get my name out there as a bead artist, since not many people do hama art.

Q: Is everything at Riku's Raving Hama Revolution handmade? How long do you spend crafting on a weekly basis?

A: Everything is handmade  from jewellery pieces to canvas pieces to 3d sprites. I work alone so I spend at least 10 hours a day doing hama, either making hama or making templates for future pieces.

Q: Do you try and incorporate cute things into your décor at home or at the office?

A: My room is my workspace - so I'm surrounded by anime and video games custom art that I've commissioned from other artists.

A while later after a postal issue, a jiffy bag marked fragile arrived! This is what's inside! Look how awesome it is, this is Sailor Uranus doing her World Shaking attack! (She is my second favourite Sailor Scout!) Everything was sealed up in a cellobag.

Inside were my bonus items, the necklace and a business card.

Look how much detail went into this, it must have taken forever to plan out and make! I so, so like this! It's really beautiful and colourful and the perfect size. I was a little apprehensive about it being of hama beads as I wasn't sure how sturdy it'd be but it really feels quite robust.

Here we go! This is the necklace on, it works so well with this t-shirt too!

If you'd like to check out Riku's Raving Hama Revolution, you can check out her
facebook page below:

Rikus Raving Hama Revolution

I hope you enjoyed this review! Let me know your thoughts in the comments below!

Ta-ta for now,

x