Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer (vanilla)

I splurged on a new concealer (about 3600 yen at Isetan), and man am I glad that I did. This pulls my entire routine together. The coverage is amazing. It is thick without being heavy. The color is brightening without being shiny. Covers all my under eye circles. Is great for contouring.

Holy grail product.

Maquillage Dual Color Rouge (30)

I loved my red Maquillage lipstick so much I splurged on a second, more neutral, shade. I tried the new two-in-one which was supposed to give me that gradation effect I see in magazines. I found it on Amazon for about 2200 yen, and in drugstores for about 2900 yen.

The color was nice, the darker shade is better for my skin tone. It's like 3 lipsticks in one: light shade, mixed shade, and dark shade. I couldn't notice the gradation effect at all. It doesn't bleed or make my mouth area oily. It has good staying power.

I like the red better.

Neal's Yard Remedies: Lemon and Coriander Deodorant Spray

I'm obviously on a bit of a natural ingredient beauty care kick (this happens to me every few years), so once I ran out of my Japanese Soft Stone deodorant, I decided to take the (expensive) plunge and purchase a deodorant spray from Neal's Yard Remedies. It's available online, in stores, and on Amazon.co.jp.

First off, I couldn't find the lavender scent here in Japan (which I would have preferred) so I had to make due with the lemon. It smells like lemon pledge to me. Over time I've gotten used to it, but the lavender would be better.

Second, this is just a deodorant - read not an antiperspirant. It will do nothing for sweat. This is where the certain dri comes in. It does a remarkably good job and lasts pretty much all day.

Finally, I don't know if I'm using it wrong, but I feel like it takes a long time to dry. It's now the first thing I apply during my morning routine so that I'm ready to get dressed after my morning toilet.

I wouldn't buy it again.

Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay

I purchased this on Amazon to take care of some stubborn hormonal acne that nothing else would treat. I have to admit that the first two times I used this, I didn't really get any result. However, the third time, when I really lathered the stuff on and let it sit for 40 minutes, really did the trick. This is a hard-core get-the-gunk-out mask. It will leave you red and dry for at least 30 minutes afterwards. But, my acne is now gone.

My plan is to use this 3-4 times a week in the morning, and the Vicco cream at night. Wish me luck!

Vicco tumeric cream and DIY tumeric/lemon mask

I recently read a glowing review of this cream over at refinery29 and decided to give it a go since it's only around $7USD a tube (I got mine on amazon).

I've been using this every night for about 3 weeks and can easily say it will be my new go-to night cream. It lessens the red marks from acne, prevents breakouts (but not completely), and even nipped a cystic pimple in the bud before it could become a huge problem. It is not as much of a miracle cream as R29 makes it sound. I still have red marks from previous acne flare-ups, but, even if it's temporary, they are lessened. And, the anti-acne properties make it a keeper. (and it doesn't seem to be staining my sheets.)

Problem is, this is hard to find in Japan. So I tried a DIY turmeric and lemon facial mask. It seems to be giving me the same benefits, but with more drawbacks: it will stain your skin and any fabric it comes in contact with. It takes a good scrub and a few cleanses with my bioderma make up remover to get the yellow off my face.

Final verdict is: buy the cream when you can. In a pinch, do the DIY mask a few times a week, when time allows.

Pore Putty BB cream (smoothing)

I see this everywhere, so at 1200 yen I thought I would give it a try. It's ok, not as great as my smashbox primer. It's about as good as the make-up for ever primer, and much cheaper... It has ok coverage, nothing fantastic...

Dove Oxygen Moisture shampoo and conditioner

Nothing too great here. The conditioner works better than the Lux, but I'm still on the hunt for a good, well priced, shampoo and conditioner set.