Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Body Creme

Finished this 15mL/0.5floz. jar of Jo Malone Pomegranate Noir Body Creme within two weeks, so here's a short review for it.

This was a body cream scented in the Pomegranate Noir cologne line. I don't wear perfume so I was rather weary, thinking this body cream would be heavily scented. It turned out not so bad. The scent was a slightly tart fruit with lots of woodsy notes and a touch of musk. The first time I used this cream, hubby took a sniff of my arm and said, "You smell...different." xD The scent was pretty mild but super long-lasting, as in I could smell it throughout the next day, until I showered and it washed off!

The cream itself was great though! Thick, creamy, and moisturizing but left a velvety finish on my skin and wasn't greasy at all. If it were unscented I'd definitely repurchase. I used it exclusively on my arms.

Paul & Joe Lipstick and Lipstick CS Comparison Swatches

Here's my humble Paul & Joe Lipstick and Lipstick CS collection so far, along with their Lipstick Case CS. These aren't all of them as I've passed on several colors I don't use to family and friends, but I'm pretty happy with those that remains.

What I've noticed over the years is that the collection gets repetitive. There are few exceptions like the 2016 fall collection with different and lovely colors that were still seasonally appropriate. Otherwise, there's always a shade of pink, coral or orange, and red, and while I love those colors I'm getting bored seeing the same stuff over and over. So I'll probably stop here unless P&J comes up with something really fresh.

Lipstick Case CS. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Tea Time! Part III

More teas, hooray, now that I'm reunited with my tea shelf ^.^ Here are some new acquisitions since moving home last October. After spending a few years sampling extensively from numerous vendors, I now only purchase very specific favorites that I haven't found elsewhere. There are many other favorites that aren't featured in this post, but I figured I'll run out sooner or later and will have to restock, at which point I'll take photos and post about them.

***Disclaimer: I'm *not affiliated* with any of these vendors. Just sharing the goodies I enjoy is all.

I like a few things from American Tea Room of Beverly Hills, CA. Their teas are of decent quality but are on the pricier side, so I don't buy anything else from them other than these 4 teas: Anastasia, Brioche, Madam Bergamot, and Victoria.

Paul & Joe Lipstick CS Part VI

Yes, even more Paul & Joe Lipstick CS ^.^ I told you I'd gone back for the last of the 2016 spring collection, namely 096 In Bloom, and while at it I also picked up the three colors from the 2016 fall collection, 099 Autumn Sun, 100 Kiss in the Park, and 101 Snuggle Up.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

And of course I needed more Lipstick Case CS for those refills, so I got another 011 having given my previous one away, 034, and 036. The duplicate 011 was an accident, a total goof on my part when I was placing the order.

Kamatora Delivery Part III

One of my most favorite Japanese foods is kamameshi, basically rice cooked in an iron pot with various pre-cooked toppings added at the last minute. So of course coming back to Tokyo means seeking out our favorite kamameshi delivery--Kamatora. Thank goodness they were still around and like Nabezo and Botejyu, they'd only gotten better over time. 

We were thrilled, as you can tell ^.^ And I tried to branch out and try different things on their menu too.

Missha Aqua Gel Tint

This Missha Aqua Gel Tint in Scarlet Orange was a cart filler when I went back for more of the Moisture Coating Tint in Hollywood Pink and Dream Orchid. It has been a while since my last lip stain anyway (Etude House Dear Darling Tint AD), so I thought I'd give it a try.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Only in Japan... Part V

I've caught up with my Japan food photos but there are still several Japan-related posts lining up in draft form, like this one in the Only in Japan series for example. I didn't do a post in this series throughout our time in Tokyo but it's better late than never.

Spotted this cool-dude-who-gives-zero-f*ck outside the Marunouchi Cafe Kai on the ground floor of the Kitte Building, across the street from Tokyo Station. Let's just say when you were minding your own business and then looked out the door to see guy sporting samurai hair, outfit, and hiking shoes, you just couldn't help but sneak a photo or two. I do wonder if there were a theater or film studio of some sorts nearby. Then again, he didn't look like he had any stage or film makeup on.

Tarte Skinny SmolderEyes Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner

J. and I were huge fans of Three Flash Performance Eyeliner Pencil. It boggled our minds that Three would discontinued these, only to replace them with the Meh-smerizing Performance Eyeliner Pencil so bland not even the LE colors could tempt either of us!

In the end, I moved to secure my favorite Flash backups while J. moved on to these Tarte Skinny SmolderEyes Amazonian Clay Waterproof Liner. She really liked them and recommended them to me, so I picked up four colors when they went on sale last summer: Deep Amethyst, Emerald, Jade, and Slate.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Tokyo Eats - Shibuya Area

Shibuya was another under-explored area for me and hubby. Believe it or not, we went to Shibuya more often while living in Yokohama than we did while living in Tokyo. I blame the same big, dense city exhaustion, because being a suburb Yokohama was nowhere as crowded as Tokyo.

Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel

Finished my jar of Belif Moisturizing and Firming Eye Cream two weeks ago. Since it's getting warming, I went with a lighter option for my daytime eye treatment: a 7mL/0.25fl. oz. jar of Ole Henriksen Ultimate Lift Eye Gel from the Ultimate Lift Wonders set. The set also includes another same size jar of Ultimate Lift Eye Cream and a 15mL/0.5fl. oz. pump bottle of Ultimate Lift Firming Serum.