More June 2011 (Picture heavy!)

Last June issue, woohoo!!!

This is More June 2011 with an Agnes B. makeup/toiletry travel case as freebie. I actually wasn't planning to get this but bought it in the end because of the unisex black and gray stripe design.

Let's just say I won't have as much difficulty convincing hubby to pack our toiletries in this case for a trip than say, this Dip Drops one from Non-no April 2011 or, heavens forbid, the Jill Stuart one from the We Love Jill Mook ^.^

The makeup/toiletry case is made of thick polyester that feels somewhat coarse to the touch. It feels similar to the Jill Stuart one actually, while the Dip Drops one feels much smoother and softer. It measures 15(height) x 22(length) x 6(width) cm.

It also has a red plastic charm with Agnes B. Voyage logo on it, though other than that, I really don't see the point of having a red piece of plastic dangling from my toiletry case, i.e., it's crap and I should just toss it.

Thankfully the rest of the case is well made. It could use some padding, but the outer thick polyester feels substantial enough to compensate. The inside is lined with all inner seams covered. Although having only 4 pockets, I think I rather like the simplicity. Plus whenever there are so many pockets, I find myself trying to come up with things to put in it. Not good.

One side has 2 pockets.

The other side has 2 mesh pockets.

And one large outer pocket.

Let's just say this magazine has a boat load of contents! Wow! I was getting tired of taking pictures of it!!!

Style editor's pick.

I am so keeping my eyes peeled for a pair of lace up oxfords like these! The magazine says the brand is Mode et Jacomo, but I looked everywhere on the web but couldn't find any Mode et Jacomo shoes that look like this. Perhaps these are new and not on the market yet? Though that can't be right either since this issue was released in May. And even if they were sold out, there should still be pictures on the web, but I couldn't find even that! Weird.

Models and staff members of the magazine writing encouraging notes to survivors of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami disaster. A nice gesture, I guess.

Interview with actor Ninomiya Kazunari of Arashi fame, whom you may recognized from Clint Eastwood's Letters from Iwo Jima, the film adaptation of the first 2 (or may be just 1?) volumes of Ooku: The Inner Chambers (excellent manga, by the way!), as well as the film adaption of Gantz.

The actor with his costume in the Gantz films.

More rankings from a survey of 2,000 participants. Ranked 1st was the white shirt.

#2 - flower prints

#3 - vintage lace

#4 - Chino and cargo pants

#5 - Retro dots

#6 - Shirt dresses

#7 - Maxi (urgh) dresses

#8 - Shoes in shades of nude

#9 - Shoes in shades of red

#10 - Baggy pants

#11 - Printed scarves

#12 - Belts

#13 - Airy knits

#14 - Culottes (basically skorts)

#15 - Summer jackets

#16 - Straw totes

#17 - Pochettes

#18 - Dangly earrings

#19 - Ethnic stoles

#20 - Straw hats

Tricks to skim 5kg (~11 lbs.) off your frame. I think this is a nice idea, because contrary to popular belief, there are plus size people in Japan.

Psst...I'll let you in on a secret - unlike what they say, Japanese food is *not* healthier than any other cuisines on this planet. Almost half the hot food section at any given grocery store consists of deep fried items (katsu, tempura, karaage, korokke, etc.) - can you imagine a similar display in an American grocery store? The bread here is just as processed, if not more so, and the main starch is rice, which means carbs, carbs, and more carbs! Yes, they invented sushi, but it's just as luxury a meal as it is in the states with a similarly expensive price tag. The difference is in the food portion and the life style. Food portion in Japan is much smaller than that in the US, and the average Japanese is much more active than the average American. The vast majority of the folks here walk or bike on a daily basis, whereas the vast majority of us at home just hop on our cars and speed away!

Not quite sure what's going here, but it's some kind of challenge...

Cute outfits!

Okay, these next few pages are a bit...umm...complicated. They have 2 models, one is the "cool OL" (which stands for "office lady", the secretary/clerk/office worker what have you, a position that is overwhelmingly dominated by women in Japan), and the other is "idol OL" (whatever the hell that means...). They each add 3 new pieces to their wardrobe of standard staples, mix things up a bit for 30 days and "change their image."

This is the "idol OL," I think it just means she's the super feminine cutesy type.

And obviously, the outfits are a mix of work and play, because obviously some of them are too casual for the office.

This is the "cool OL," and erhh...she looks just as cutesy and feminine if you ask me.

Another 2 models scenario and 15 days of work styles, one features no denim, the other features at least 1 denim piece, be it jeans, skirts, jackets, etc. As if the previous spread isn't odd enough, this one is even weirder - jeans to work? In conservative Japanese office? Har?!?

Summer toenail arts.

Model with the freebie makeup/toiletry case, with stripe prints that matches the new Agnes B. Voyage travel bags.

30 Great outfits with stripes (from models, celebrities, etc.)

More cute outfits!

I included this picture just to scoff at how inflated the prices are in Japan for imported skincare and cosmetics. This Clinique skincare trial set costs a cool 6,650yen (~$83!!!), and all it has is a 50mL jar of Moisture Surge Extended Thirst Relief (the same size jar goes for $34 on Clinique USA), a tiny 30mL spray bottle of Moisture Surge Face Spray Thirsty Skin Relief (a 4th of the 125mL bottle that's $20), a 15mL tube of the Turnaround Concentrate Visible Skin Renewer (half the 30mL bottle that's $39.50), and a mini Superbalm Moisturizing Gloss that you normally get for free as GWP or buy 4 in the Kisser sets (like I did) for $20. So really, the US retail value for the set is $65 at most, and over this side of the shore it balloons up to about $83 with the current exchange rates! Sure one can argue that the cute makeup/toiletry case costs money too, but hey, the same cases also come as magazine freebies! The point is not to buy Western brands in Japan. Japanese skincare and cosmetics are just as good, if not better, and for heaps cheaper!

Different types of stockings, though I swear these gals' legs don't look like they have any stockings on, other than the obvious black ones of course.

Cute and easy styles for hair

An article featuring actress Shibasaki Kou, whom you may recognize from the controversial Battle Royale as well as the more recent Ooku: The Inner Chambers along with her co-star Ninomiya Kazunari above.

I've seen Ikko a lot on magazines lately, so I thought I'd include a page of her.

More proof of the K-pop phenomenon in Japan with an article featuring 2PM.

How to apply false lashes and make it look natural.

Yes, the BB cream invasion, with Korean brands at top left, various brands at lower left, Japanese brands at top right (not sure how these are different from the various brands, since those look like Japanese brands to me...), and American brands at lower right.

24 Hours process of skincare and (base) makeup.

Wedding party styles. Yes, it's wedding season, folks.