LAST POST OF 2010

So I'm sad this won't be a well-thought out post, but I just wanted to at least post something on the last day of 2010. I'll just show you some preview pics for whats to come in my upcoming posts!

But just to sum up my thoughts of 2010:

Disappointments turned into epiphanies turned into a more optimistic, cheerful, stronger, independent me.

How would you sum up your 2010?

☃MERRY CHRISTMAS☃

M E R R Y  C H R I S T M A S,

everyone!

Got lots to update with once the holidays are over! Plus since I won't be going to school till April, I'll have plenty of time to catch up on blogging :)

How was everyone's Christmas Eve/Day? Mine was well spent with my family! I hope everyone got what they wanted! I wasn't expecting anything because my family is already helping me with my fundings for Japan but they were still sweet enough to give me money and my brother and my sisterinlaw got me a Beatles calendar and the John Lennon issue from Life Magazine! I also got a shopping spree from Jac :)  What did you all get for Christmas???

You're a mean one... Mr. Rilakkuma! My Rilakkuma kigurumi was from my wifey! :) I'm sure most of you know Monica and how she is back in Hawaii this month! I'll have LOTS of updates on our adventures! Also, if you haven't come follow us on our joined blog teamkuma.blogspot.com! For now, I'll leave you with a quick pic of the two of us ♡

P.S. I'll be catching up on everyones blogs and comments too! :) Also also, thank you to my new followers <3 Hiiii!

Stress Pimples?...and freedom from Finals Week!

OMG I'M OFFICIALLY FREE FROM THE STRESS OF FINALS! If I may, let me start of by saying I TOTALLY ACED MY FIRST FINAL (JPN318). It was a 30 minute one-on-one Japanese conversation with my sensei. That was probably the longest one-on-one that I had with any of my senseis that was to be graded! After it was over, she told me how I did and finally told me that I received an 'A' for my oral!
My last exam was for JPN302 which actually wasn't AS easy. I wasn't the only one who felt that way though so I don't feel as embarrassed.

BUT IT'S ALL WORTH THE PAIN BECAUSE MY WIFEY IS COMING HOME FOR CHRISTMAS IN 5 DAYS! Rilakkuma is getting reunited with her Korilakkuma! I'm sooooo excited!

OKAY SO...PIMPLES!

Not only did I get my monthly gift a week early, monthly gift hormones + stress from finals week and other things = PIMPLES PIMPLES PIMPLES! What to do for a quick fix?

Some of you out there may know about this, but for those who don't, this is my go-to to minimize pimple size and redness.

Here is some info on tea tree oil: here!

How I use it:

Whenever I get a really stubborn pimple that I just can't get rid of, or when pimples start popping up like crazy and I feel like I'm being invaded, I simply take a Q-tip, dip it in the oil and then dab some over the pimples. (Never re-dip! One dip is good enough to use once)

I usually put it on after I wash my face. Do make sure that your hair is tied back! And be prepared for a strong medicinal smell. Because of the smell I usually just do it during bedtime. To me, anything during night time is effective because that's the time your skin repairs itself. I sometimes use it in the morning (if I'm desperate). 

First time users, dab a little on your arm to see if you have any skin reaction to it.

Results:

In the morning my pimples are practically gone and the redness disappears! 

Where to buy:

I bought my ORIGINS brand Tea Tree Oil at Target for about $8. You don't necessarily have to buy the same brand, this is just the brand I use. 

Before using tea tree oil, I tried:

And honestly for me, IT DOES NOT WORK. Instead, what I find in the morning after using it is MORE pimples! And the original pimple gets bigger in size :(. If it works for you, then that's good for you :)! 

Other things to consider:

✧ Always keep your makeup brushes clean! I usually deep-clean my makeup brushes every week with Sephora's anti-bacterial brush cleaner. It's about $6.

✦ Keep your finger nails clean!

✧ Try to lay off heavy foods like fast foods during stressful times.

✦ Water, water, water!

✧ Try to destress yourself!  Take a breather and smile :)

✦ Use a different towel aside from the towel you use for your body to dry your face.

✧ Get your sleep! That may be hard to do during stressful times but always think about the hours of sleep you'll be getting.

Anything else you'd like to add to that list, comment away! I'd love to hear how you deal with stress and pimples. How was everyone's Finals Week? For those who are done, JOB WELL DONE, now go enjoy your winter break! For those still taking finals, HANG IN THERE! 

i'm so excited! & i just can't hide it!

YAAAY! My official acceptance letter to Doshisha University just came in this past week! SUPER EXCITED CAN YOU TELL? (don't these robo.to things remind you of photos from "The Daily Prophet" newspaper from Harry Potter?)

---------12/14 edit----------

omg so i guess everytime i update my Robo.to, it changes the robo.to i originally made for certain posts! BOO! But FYI...i took the robo.to above off because it wasn't the correct one for this post. Instead, i just moved it to the sidebar :3 every update will show on there!

If you'd like to see my past robo.to or if you wanna add me, here's my link robo.to/oalimay

Robo.to

(oops i had to take it off because i accidentally erased the robo.to vid for this post!)


Omg sorry guys! I've been so busy because it's the end of semester! I just wanted to make a quick post saying HELLO! :) I'm actually about to head to school right now but I'll leave you with a quick robo.to clip of me and my un-cooperative hair :( Have a good day everyone!

Weekly Coordidates 11/21 ~ 11/27 (missing some days)

 11/21

[denim vest] Wet Seal
[floral top] Forever 21
[bubble shorts] NEX
[maryjane shoes] Forever 21
[owl necklace] Charlotte Russe

I haven't worn this floral top in a while and my maryjanes also so I decided to make use of them for work. And again, since I'm cleaning out my closet, you'll be seeing my wear a few items over and over again.

I'm also contemplating on selling my maryjanes since I barely use them and since they are one size too big for me. If anyone is interested, let me know! It's a US size 8.

 11/22

[cancan hat] Royal Party (bought @ Spiral Girl)

[crochet vest] Papaya

[bunny off shoulder top] Forever 21

[denim shorts] Charlotte Russe

[leggings] キュチチオ

[slouch booties] Charlotte Russe

Wanted to be comfy yet stylish for school. I bought the crochet vest a while back and never found the opportunity to wear it.  I was thinking of selling both the vest and the top, but I think I like this coordinate so I might hold on to it.

 11/23

[jacket] Genius Outfitters
[romper] Pineapple County
[leggings] キュチチオ
[belt] Charlotte Russe
[teddy bear necklace] Forever 21

Again, comfy yet stylish for school.  I've only worn this romper twice since buying it a while back. And again (again) I was thinking of selling it, but I think I'm going to hold on to this one too.

 11/25

[denim vest] Wet Seal

[plaid button up] Charlotte Russe ($5!)

[leggings] キュチチオ

What I wore for Thanksgiving!  We also went to go watch part one of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows! Wearing my handy dandy vest.  I've been using it more often lately,  I just feel like sometimes a vest pulls it all together.  

11/27

[vest] Charlotte Russe
[dress] Forever 21
[leggings] American Apparel
[heels with bows in the back] Charlotte Russe

What I wore for work yesterday. BUSY BUSY at work since Thanksgiving. Lots of holiday drama though between customers.  Not only at work but everywhere else I went.  It's crazy!  I just can't wait for this year to close so that I can begin to a fresh new start to whats going to be (hopefully) the best and challenging year of my life.

How was everyone's Thanksgiving?  Did anyone go and see the Harry Potter movie too?

Any suggestions or opinions on any coordinate always welcome! :)

Eyelash Collection (Dolly Wink, Missha)

DOLLY WINK No.5 ("Real Nude" bottom lashes) These bottom lashes are surprisingly really comfortable. This was my 2nd attempt at trying them on (I'm still perfecting my bottom lash placement). Just as the name of the lashes imply, these lashes are "nude" I guess meaning that they are for more of a natural look.
These lashes were also given to me by my wifey, Monica❤
I used the Dolly Wink eye lash glue that was provided in the package.

DOLLY WINK No.4 ("Feminine Style") This style of lashes fan out towards the ends.  Reminds me of cartoon eyelashes like on Daisy Duck. Very feminine! As much as I wanted to like these lashes, these lashes were so-so. I guess they don't really match on me. I'll probably try to wear these on top of another pair of eyelashes. Caution when pulling off the old glue: the lashes come off quite off the clear strip very easily.

UNKNOWN BRAND No.0501 (bought at the dollar store) These lashes surprised me! I love how full they look. I still can't read the brand of these eyelashes though. I even tried to search for the kanji in my japanese dictionary but came up with nothing! These lashes were comfortable also. My eyes usually get watery from wearing certain eyelashes, but I did not have that affect with these! I'm definitely going to be buying more from this unknown brand.

MISSHA DOLLY EYELASH C-306 
These lashes were just as amazing as the ones above. A bit more exaggerated but still good enough to wear on a daily basis. I prefer the full look. I do want to try these lashes on top of another pair. I bought 2 other styles in the Missha brand. I haven't got around to trying them on yet though!

CONCLUSION:

There are many things I like about Dolly Wink and a few things I don't like. I like and at the same time I don't like how the Dolly Wink eyelashes are *too* natural feeling. It's great that they are very lightweight and they feel like your own lashes but I feel that for certain styles of Dolly Wink, it makes it a bit harder to put on.

The cheaper brands that I bought (Missha and the unknown brand) They were firm and they kept it's shape. Even though they aren't as natural feeling as Dolly Wink, I somewhat felt more secure with the other brands. What are your opinions (to anyone who owns any of these)?

Playing around with the bottom lashes. 1) Wearing them 2) Took one side off 3) Mustache time!

That's it for today's post. Sorry for the picture qualities. I like things to be uniform but I've been busy with school (semester is almost over) and work (holiday rush!) so I had to take pictures of me wearing the lashes whenever I actually did where them out. Let me know you what you guys think! Opinions, suggestions, anything! :)

Weekly Coordinates 11/13 ~ 11/20

(click on images for a slightly enlarged image)

11/13

[headband] Forever 21

[top] Charlotte Russe

[belt] Charlotte Russe

[shorts] NEX

[leggings] American Apparel

[bag] Eden in Love (Nila Anthony brand)

11/14

[top] Forever 21

[vest] Wet Seal

[necklace] Charlotte Russe

[leggings] Charlotte Russe

[heels] Charlotte Russe

11/15

[hat] Sprial Girl (Royal Party brand)

[top] Charlotte Russe

[shorts] Forever 21

[boots] Charlotte Russe

[bag] vintage Fendi

[top] Charlotte Russe

[shorts] Forever 21

[heart print stocking] Charlotte Russe

[boots] Charlotte Russe

[bag] Chanel

[cardigan] Forever 21

[dress] Charlotte Russe

[boots] Charlotte Russe

[teddy bear necklace] Forever 21

[fox print top] Pineapple County

[jeans] Charlotte Russe

[boots] Charlotte Russe

[necklace] Charlotte Russe

[bag] Chanel

[skull scarf] Jeans Warehouse

[top] Jeans Warehouse

[jeans] Charlotte Russe

[heels] Nine West

[jacket] Forever 21

[top] Shibuya Mon Amour 

[jeans] Charlotte Russe

[heels] Nine West

Summary:

This week, the weather has been up and down in Hawaii.  Cold and then hot, then all of a sudden STORMY then back to hot.  In most of my coordinates, I'm wearing my slouchy boots.  I usually like to wear those to school because they are super comfy and at the same time still fashionable. Yes I noticed a lot of my items come from Charlotte Russe.  I can't help it! I work there lol. My coordinates aren't all that great, but that's because I barely have anything in my closet!  I'm actually trying to get rid of all my clothes. Mission half accomplished!

Suggestions, opinions, whatever you guys think, let me know! :)

Today's Makeup & First Vlog Post.

Makeup for work today:

[Face]: Etude House BB Magic Cream 

[Cheeks]: Makeup Forever in orange (not really visible in photos)

[Eyeliner]: Wet n Wild H20 #881

[Eyelashes]: Missha Dolly Eyelash C-306

[Circle lenses]: Angel series in brown

[Lips]: Maybelline Colorsensational in 'Pink Sand'

Bunny Slippers I bought today from Charlotte Russe

Taken after work. Trying on clothes! This is a size M.
I knew I should have got the S when it was still there T_____T.
Do you think it looks okay?  Too big?

I believe this was an XL. Do you think I could pull off an XL?
Does it look funny? I thought this was a cute sweater.
(sorta) Reminded me of the nordic trend I see gals wearing.

What about you guys?  Do you guys buy anything that's waaaayy over your normal clothes size?  How do you make it work if it's too big?  Forget it? Or get it? --Oh and I didn't buy the clothes posted above. I just wanted to try them on.

AND... MY FIRST VIDEO BLOG! YAY! Sorry, I'm pretty much rambling. Nervous much? Haha. Enjoy!

Upcoming posts: 

☆ reviews on my eyelash collection (Dolly Wink, NYX, Missha)

☆ my weekly coordinates going to be posted every Saturday!

☆ video blogs!

Pinklovesoxygen 2006 'Banana Chips'

P I N K  L O V E S O X Y G E N 

(2006)

Song: 'Banana Chips' by Shonen Knife

Janis (pinksugarichigo) and I in our 'Pinklovesoxygen' days. We used to do all sorts of weird things! We have another video "Smily" which I'll try to upload onto here a little later.  Keep in mind that this was made when Janis and I were still in our crazy color, harajuku days. Since then, both of our styles changed. I'm slowly but surely uploading recent videos we took together from her Hawaii trip this past summer. But for now, enjoy our first video we ever made :)

Read a little about Pinklovesoxygen history here.

Purchases from this week.

Let's start off with shoes! Yay! I know I should be saving up money for Japan, but I couldn't resist buying these two pairs of shoes:

[Charlotte Russe - Black suede heels with large bow]

[Charlotte Russe - Beige slouch booties]

Yes I couldn't resist!  And with my employee discount, it made it even harder!ｷｬｯｰ (^ω^*) I also have the slouch booties in black!  You'll be seeing me wearing these shoes in my (soon to come) weekly outfit snaps!

Next up, purchases from a newly discovered 'dollar' store that has imported asian goods!  I say 'dollar' because prices range but are still relatively cheap!  I was informed of this wonderful store by Juse (jusebox). ﾐ★(*^▽ﾟ)v Thanks!!★彡

Check out her blog too when you have the chance! Lots of makeup tutorials!  Now onto my purchases. I've been meaning to buy a desktop mirror for the longest time because I hate having to grab my full sized mirror to the other side of the room just to put my makeup on. Since I'm such a HUGE fan of Rilakkuma and my bff Monica (cuterockmoni) is my Korilakkuma, I just HAD to get this cute kuma mirror! For a GREAT price too. Mirrors like these that sell at places like ArtBox are soooo expensive. I got this for $6.00.  It's pretty big too! They had all sorts of animals like a bunny, cow, kitty and pig.

[The box it came in. Isn't it cute?]

[Eyelashes - unknown brand & Missha 'Dolly Eyelash']

Next I kind of splurged on these eyelashes! I couldn't figure out what brand the orange packaged ones were. Packaging is in Japanese, but I could not really read the brand well. These came out to $3 for the 2 pack! Then we have the Missha brand 'Dolly Eyelash'. Instructions are in Korean, but the site they have on the package is a Chinese website. The website is pretty, so I can't wait to see how these actually look on! You can look at their website here. I bought these eyelashes for $1.99 per pair. They had so many different style lashes to choose from I was there for a while! I'll most likely be doing a review of these lashes sometime soon when I get the chance to!

[White & strawberry choco!]

Then I couldn't resist to buy these cute chocolate bar mirrors! I bought both colors they had (sadly they didn't have the 'chocolate' version). These remind me of my bff's, Janis (pinksugarichigo) and Lani (eat-juice). I'm probably gonna give one of these away when I decide which one I want to keep. Which color would you keep? I'm leaning towards the white choco! Aren't the wrappers cute? I'll take pictures when I get the courage to rip apart the packages they are in! (○´ω｀○)ﾉゃぁ I thought they were a tad bit on the expensive side ($3 for each) but I couldn't pass up how cute it was and also, the size of the mirror is pretty reasonable. It's about the size of my whole hand.

[Arm cell roller]

Lastly, I bought myself an arm cell roller. I JUST HAD TO! I always see these at asian goods stores and in magazines, so when I saw these there for only $4, I said "WHY THE HELL NOT". I'm such a sucker for things like these. I'll let you know how it goes! Hopefully I see SOME results at least!
That's pretty much it for my purchases! Let me know of any opinions or questions you may have on any of them! I'm also thinking that if ever I hold contests, I'll probably get some prizes from this store :) 


And last but not least, THANK YOU TO ALL MY WONDERFUL NEW FOLLOWERS! :) It's great to meet you all and I can't wait to hear from all of you ♡

Updates

[Logo stamp I made for all my photos.]

I know, I changed my layout ONCE AGAIN!  There was just something about the previous layout that that made me feel claustrophobic.  I feel this layout feeds my interest for minimalism.  That there to the left is going to be my little logo for pictures. Yet again, something simple, straight to the point with a splash of color!  What do you guys think about the new layout and logo?

A lot of new and exciting things are going to be happening to me so this post is just a friendly reminder to myself.

THINGS I HAVE BEEN DOING:

✧ HipHop Abs & Insanity (getting back in shape! my body aches, but it feels goooood lol)
✧ $$$$aving that money (it's pretty hard sometimes!)
✧ blogging more! (have you noticed)
✧ waiting for this school semester to be over so I can really focus on spending time with fam/friends & preparing for Japan!
✧ continuing to sell my clothes and etc at my local swap meet and on ebay. Check it out if you have the chance! (http://myworld.ebay.com/tokyo8love updated weekly!)

THINGS I'LL BE DOING/REVIEWING HERE:

✦ reviews (health/beauty, food, places, products)
✦ weekly outfit snapshots
✦ video blogs
✦ documentation of my upcoming study abroad trip

anything else you guys would like to see?  Let me know! I'd love to hear from you guys ♡

-----update part 2-----

[More logos! It all depends on what mood I'm in!]

Angel Violet Circle Lens (review)

These are my 3rd pair of circle lenses bought from dollfront.com. I figure I'd do a review of my most recent purchase of circle lenses.

(What I write in this review are my own honest opinions.

I don't work for dollfront.com)

Angel Violet

BC: 8.6 mm

DIA: 14.0 mm

Water content: 38%

Material: Phema

The violet color is very noticeable in the sunlight and through flash photography. In normal light you can't really tell that well, it looks more like a deep dark purple. I think this color would suit a person who has a noticeably light eye color. My eye color is dark brown.

I love wearing circle lenses (not because it's trendy) but because it's actually more comfortable than my normal contact lenses. I try not to wear them often, so I've only limited them for work and for special occasions (where I know pictures will be taken).

For those who are planning on purchasing circle lens (and you're from the US), dollfront.com is a good site to purchase your first pair of lens! Their site is easy to navigate through and there are plenty of example pictures of the lens. They are located in the US so shipping time is about 2~3 days. They usually have monthly promotions and the prices for their lenses are quite reasonable. According to their website, all their lenses are authenticated by 'GEO'.

Next, I'm going to be purchasing the Candy series in brown :)

inspiration

School Coordinate:

cardigan - Charlotte Russe

tank top - Forever 21

belt - Forever 21

leggings - Charlotte Russe

ankle boots - Charlotte Russe

bag - Kmart

I've been looking through a lot of my old Japanese magazines (Sweet, Cutie, PS, Nonno) for inspiration. I'm so tempted to buy more magazines but I figure I'll wait till I'm actually in Japan :)

Looking through the magazines, I took time to actually read the articles instead of flipping through gawking at the pretty models in fashionable clothes. Very interesting information! Plus, it helps me brush up on my Japanese.

The pictures below I took with my phone camera are from Cutie magazine. In the back section there's a page called "Weekly Minami Akina" where it shows a week's worth of her coordinates. It makes me miss dressing up and taking pictures like this so I will try this out!

There's also another page called "Bekki's monthly best 10 shots!!" It's pretty much self explanatory. I think I wanna try this too. I'm still trying to find a format for blogging for when I'm studying abroad in Japan. I'll try this first! <---- scratch that, I'm gonna be posting gajillion pictures when I'm there! But I will try it anyway.