About Me
- Kalhevki
- I'm 25 year old student at UAF double majoring in English and Japanese. I'm a goofy person and I love to have fun and meet new people. I have been a closet fashionista for years and I love fashion as much as I love my games =)
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Sapporo, Take 2
4:48 AM | 
Posted by
Kalhevki
The last few days have been AMAZING. In my previous post was the pictures from doing Bon Odori (Bon Matsuri [festival] dancing). The next day we went to Jidaimura, which is also called Edo Wonderland. Edo wonderland is a town and tourist attraction that is a Edo Period correct place. We were all put into traditional clothing (Kimono for women, and the male version for the men) and had traditional edo period class, we then got to wander the town for 3 hours. It was a LOT of fun. There were carnival horror house type things, one for ninja, another for oni (monsters/demons), and one for neko (cats). The pictures are linked below! Check them out!
Then today, our teacher met up with one of our 4th year students, Megan, who is studying at Hokudate (a private school). The 4 of us decided to do some hiking and as we got to the trolly we saw 4th ave was closed off for a bunch of matsuri (festival). There was music, trick shows, wrestling, all sorts of cool things. The best was the 4th ave shrine that houses the kami was brought out of the local shrine and taken around 4th ave!! They only do this once or twice a year! It was amazing to see! The man playing music was playing Miyazaki film music, so it was amazing to hear Mononoke Hime's theme song, it's one of my favorite pieces of music from his films!
Since the trail we wanted to take was closed, we ended up going and getting desert, which I ended up getting this AMAZING parfait that was made of green tea ice cream, mochi, and sweet beans with different sauces. It was DELICIOUS! After that it was off to do some shopping! I finally found the one thing I was looking for :D.
Saturday Sapporo
Japan Haul Photos
Jidaimura
Then today, our teacher met up with one of our 4th year students, Megan, who is studying at Hokudate (a private school). The 4 of us decided to do some hiking and as we got to the trolly we saw 4th ave was closed off for a bunch of matsuri (festival). There was music, trick shows, wrestling, all sorts of cool things. The best was the 4th ave shrine that houses the kami was brought out of the local shrine and taken around 4th ave!! They only do this once or twice a year! It was amazing to see! The man playing music was playing Miyazaki film music, so it was amazing to hear Mononoke Hime's theme song, it's one of my favorite pieces of music from his films!
Since the trail we wanted to take was closed, we ended up going and getting desert, which I ended up getting this AMAZING parfait that was made of green tea ice cream, mochi, and sweet beans with different sauces. It was DELICIOUS! After that it was off to do some shopping! I finally found the one thing I was looking for :D.
Saturday Sapporo
Japan Haul Photos
Jidaimura
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Sapporo Japan, The Experiences
For the last 3 weeks I have been in Sapporo, Hokkaido Japan attending a 6 credit summer session that lasts from June 18th to July 18th. Classes are a mix of Japanese language, English lecture, and then a class held by our professor Henry-Sensei. University of Massachusetts, Portland State University, and University of Alaska Fairbanks are the 3 universities attending the program.
Almost all of us are staying with host families. Mine personally has been wonderful. I have two host sisters who are in grade school (Mi-Chan and Rena) and a host brother who is in middle school (Yoshikazu), plus my host mom and dad. We've had many many good laughs and they care a lot about me and how I am doing. They've taken me to as many awesome places as the University program has and I've taken pictures and videos along the way. Below are the pictures, links to my personal facebook photo albums. I still need to edit and upload the Miko Dance from the Shrine and the Hokudai Dance Club routine. Expect those on my you tube page by the end of the weekend =).
I hope you enjoy the pictures and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask and leave them!
Exotic Botanical Gardens
Random Pictures of Sapporo
Hokudai Campus
Sumi-e
Okura Ski Jump
Bon Odori with Hokudai Dance Club
Maruyama Zoo
Ikebana (Flower Arranging)
Local shrine
Almost all of us are staying with host families. Mine personally has been wonderful. I have two host sisters who are in grade school (Mi-Chan and Rena) and a host brother who is in middle school (Yoshikazu), plus my host mom and dad. We've had many many good laughs and they care a lot about me and how I am doing. They've taken me to as many awesome places as the University program has and I've taken pictures and videos along the way. Below are the pictures, links to my personal facebook photo albums. I still need to edit and upload the Miko Dance from the Shrine and the Hokudai Dance Club routine. Expect those on my you tube page by the end of the weekend =).
I hope you enjoy the pictures and if you have any questions or comments, please feel free to ask and leave them!
Exotic Botanical Gardens
Random Pictures of Sapporo
Hokudai Campus
Sumi-e
Okura Ski Jump
Bon Odori with Hokudai Dance Club
Maruyama Zoo
Ikebana (Flower Arranging)
Local shrine
Labels:
Bon Odori,
Garden,
Hokkaido,
Hokudai,
Ikebana,
Japan,
Maruyama Zoo,
Okura Ski Jump,
PSU,
Sapporo,
Shrine,
Sumi-e,
UAF,
UMASS
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Monday, May 10, 2010
Shiseido: The Skincare
I've used Shiseido's products for a couple of years now; both skincare and makeup. I've used items from almost every one of their lines, so this is the background I'm coming from going into this review. Specifically I've been using the following products for the last couple of months from "The Skincare" line:
Hydro-balancing Softner Alcohol Free - 35.00$
Day moisture Protect spf 15 - 40.00$
Night moisture recharge light - 42.00$
Eye moisture recharge - 35.00$
Facial Cottons - 9.50$
The video review can be found here: Shiseido Review
With that lets get on to the last of the review!
Shiseido: The Skincare :
In general I'm very pleased with The Skincare line from Shiseido. Their products haven't broken my skin out which is really important to me since I have combination/oily, sensitive, acne prone skin. All of the skincare products I have used have a very light floral scent to them that DOES NOT linger on the skin for me. Shiseido puts a focus on aromatherapy with their products so, as mentioned, I have never encountered a product that smells bad.
The Skincare line also caters to a large array of skin types, which I also really like. It means if you like these products, even if you move and your skin concerns or needs change, they have you covered. Their products for The Skincare line range from very dry to combination/oily skin for those concerned with maintaing their skin's health and prevention. If you are a person with oily skin I would suggest their Pureness line, or if your skin concerns are with fighting those first stages of maturing skin, I would suggest their Benefiance line. Regardless, Shiseido has products to cover all your skin concerns as well as formulas that will fit your skin type. I really REALLY like that about Shiseido. So even as my skin ages with me, I don't have to worry about their products being the wrong type for my skin type or concern.
One downfall is that Shiseido is a Japanese company, so a lot of their extra products aren't available in the US, which is a big bummer for me. The makeup from their other lines looks AMAZING and I can't try them till I go to Japan. The only options is to import them from a trusted place. This is also the same for the skin products that they don't distribute to the States as well.
Eye moisture Recharge:
I used to think that I didn't need an eye cream and that my moisturizers were enough. I had always heard that one should use an eye cream because the skin is more delicate, but again I figured with combo/oily skin that it wouldn't be parched enough to warrant it's own cream right? I was WRONG. After getting this and using it I have noticed a SIGNIFICANT improvement in how my eyes look. The Eye Moisture Recharge isn't targeted for any specific concern, it's a general eye cream and I have noticed the dark circles are less noticeable and that my eyes in general look less tired and look healthier. I have also noticed that my makeup and concealer under my eyes wears a LOT better throughout the day.
The cream has a very light gel texture that absorbs very quickly. It will sting your eyes a little if you get any in them, but it's nothing bad or something I would say is a buy breaker. It does have that light smell to it that all The Skincare products do, but again it doesn't perfume the skin. The bottle is plastic with a nozzle like tip, and from the indent in the picture you can gauge how much product is left in the bottle (sorry for some reason I can't rotate the picture and my editor is being silly).
The 0.54 oz bottle runs 35.00$ and I think this is well worth the price. I've used this every day, day and night for the last 2 almost 3 months. A little goes a LONG way for how much I use it. I would highly recommend this product to anyone as it doesn't over moisturizer my skin and I have seen an improvement in my skin's health. I LOVE this product and while I am tempted to try other eye products just to see what's out there, this one has become a staple for me.
Facial Cotton:
Ok so I know this seems REALLY silly but I promise it's not. Of all the cottons I have EVER used I always come back to these. A package comes with 100 cottons and I use them twice a day so a package will last me 2 months before I need to reorder them. The package is 9.50$, which seems silly right? First, to buy 100 cottons at our local stores I'm going to be spending close to 9.50 anyway since they don't come in packs of 100. More importantly, these cottons are super super thin.
Since they are really thin, about 2 or 3 pumps of my softener will fit into the pad, so I waste LESS product (and by proxy, waste less money by not buying product more often) because I don't waste or over use my product with these pads. These pads don't leave cotton residue nor do they irritate my skin unlike drug store cottons. They are about 3 fingers in width and about a finger in length, so they aren't huge but they aren't tiny either. I find they are the perfect size for a one time application for the face and neck.
The only thing I HATE about these cottons is the packaging. It's a very light plastic that doesn't tear easily and it's not resealable. I don't want dust and other daily germs getting on my pads so I have to clip my bag shut because I can't reseal it. If you don't cut the top open you get the picture you see, a nice nasty tear. So what I end up doing is opening the package and taking out the cottons I need to put into a small container on my desk (see picture below) and then clip the bag shut until I need more cottons in my container. Plus this is super cute on my desk where I have everything put away and organized. So it's a little extra work but I think it's worth it especially for these cottons.
Hydro-balancing Softner Alcohol Free - 35.00$
Day moisture Protect spf 15 - 40.00$
Night moisture recharge light - 42.00$
Eye moisture recharge - 35.00$
Facial Cottons - 9.50$
The video review can be found here: Shiseido Review
With that lets get on to the last of the review!
Shiseido: The Skincare :
In general I'm very pleased with The Skincare line from Shiseido. Their products haven't broken my skin out which is really important to me since I have combination/oily, sensitive, acne prone skin. All of the skincare products I have used have a very light floral scent to them that DOES NOT linger on the skin for me. Shiseido puts a focus on aromatherapy with their products so, as mentioned, I have never encountered a product that smells bad.
The Skincare line also caters to a large array of skin types, which I also really like. It means if you like these products, even if you move and your skin concerns or needs change, they have you covered. Their products for The Skincare line range from very dry to combination/oily skin for those concerned with maintaing their skin's health and prevention. If you are a person with oily skin I would suggest their Pureness line, or if your skin concerns are with fighting those first stages of maturing skin, I would suggest their Benefiance line. Regardless, Shiseido has products to cover all your skin concerns as well as formulas that will fit your skin type. I really REALLY like that about Shiseido. So even as my skin ages with me, I don't have to worry about their products being the wrong type for my skin type or concern.
One downfall is that Shiseido is a Japanese company, so a lot of their extra products aren't available in the US, which is a big bummer for me. The makeup from their other lines looks AMAZING and I can't try them till I go to Japan. The only options is to import them from a trusted place. This is also the same for the skin products that they don't distribute to the States as well.
I used to think that I didn't need an eye cream and that my moisturizers were enough. I had always heard that one should use an eye cream because the skin is more delicate, but again I figured with combo/oily skin that it wouldn't be parched enough to warrant it's own cream right? I was WRONG. After getting this and using it I have noticed a SIGNIFICANT improvement in how my eyes look. The Eye Moisture Recharge isn't targeted for any specific concern, it's a general eye cream and I have noticed the dark circles are less noticeable and that my eyes in general look less tired and look healthier. I have also noticed that my makeup and concealer under my eyes wears a LOT better throughout the day.
The cream has a very light gel texture that absorbs very quickly. It will sting your eyes a little if you get any in them, but it's nothing bad or something I would say is a buy breaker. It does have that light smell to it that all The Skincare products do, but again it doesn't perfume the skin. The bottle is plastic with a nozzle like tip, and from the indent in the picture you can gauge how much product is left in the bottle (sorry for some reason I can't rotate the picture and my editor is being silly).
The 0.54 oz bottle runs 35.00$ and I think this is well worth the price. I've used this every day, day and night for the last 2 almost 3 months. A little goes a LONG way for how much I use it. I would highly recommend this product to anyone as it doesn't over moisturizer my skin and I have seen an improvement in my skin's health. I LOVE this product and while I am tempted to try other eye products just to see what's out there, this one has become a staple for me.
Ok so I know this seems REALLY silly but I promise it's not. Of all the cottons I have EVER used I always come back to these. A package comes with 100 cottons and I use them twice a day so a package will last me 2 months before I need to reorder them. The package is 9.50$, which seems silly right? First, to buy 100 cottons at our local stores I'm going to be spending close to 9.50 anyway since they don't come in packs of 100. More importantly, these cottons are super super thin.
Since they are really thin, about 2 or 3 pumps of my softener will fit into the pad, so I waste LESS product (and by proxy, waste less money by not buying product more often) because I don't waste or over use my product with these pads. These pads don't leave cotton residue nor do they irritate my skin unlike drug store cottons. They are about 3 fingers in width and about a finger in length, so they aren't huge but they aren't tiny either. I find they are the perfect size for a one time application for the face and neck.
In all I think the Shiseido The Skincare line is WELL worth looking into regardless of your skin type and concern as the company does cary a large variety of items for all skin types and concerns. If you are looking to try these out and you can get samples TRY IT! That's what I did before I bought the full bottles. These products are (obviously) more expensive than drug store items but because of their performance and longevity I think they are well worth their price since they are quality over quantity.
I hope this helped and if you have any questions please let me know either here, on you tube, facebook!
Stay beautiful!
Thursday, April 8, 2010
Everyday Look
It's not uncommon to see women with makeup on everyday, and like those women I normally have makeup on every day as well, though I think mine is much more simplistic than a lot of people's that I have seen.
From Left to Right, bottles to compacts:
From Left to Right, bottles to compacts:
M.A.C. Cremesheen Glass: Fashion Scoop
Nars Sheer Glow Foundation: Gobi
Diorskin Skin Perfecting Hydrating Concealer: Nude
Chanel Exceptionnel Mascara: Noir Obscur
Lancome Ombre Prefecteur Eye Base: Clair
Lancome Artliner Liquid Eyeliner: Smoke
Michael Kors Perfume: Very Hollywood
M.A.C. Skinfinish Natural Powder: Light
Products from Left to Right:
Shiseido The Skincare: Day Moisture Protection SPF 15
Sigma SS 194: Conceal under eyes, around nose, and any acne scars
I conceal any areas that are in need and follow up with my foundation. I apply my concealer with a brush and then pat the product into my skin and blend. Similarly I apply my eye base from the sponge applicator and blend with my ring finger, patting the product into my eye lids. Then I take my powder brush and lightly dust setting powder into my T-zone. I avoid the cheeks for now.
After evening out my skin tone I move onto defining my features using the following products.
Using a small soft brush I apply the body powder as a blush onto the apples of my cheeks and blend outward with my kabuki brush. I then apply my eyeliner and follow up with my mascara. Lastly I put on my lipgloss (I have been loving Fashion Scoop and I often pair it with the M.A.C. Viva La Glam in GAGA). The last thing I put on is my perfume which is Michael Kors' Very Hollywood.
M.A.C. Liberty of London Beauty Powder: Shell Pearl
The key to a good foundation is by starting with a good foundation to build on. To achieve this I wash, exfoliate, soften, and moisturize my face every morning (and by proxy, every night except for exfoliate).
Products from Left to Right:
Shiseido The Skincare: Day Moisture Protection SPF 15
Shiseido The Skincare: Hydro-Balancing Softener
Shiseido The Skincare: Eye Moisture Recharge
Laura Mercier Skincare: One Step Cleanser
Laura Mercier Skincare: Face Polish
Every morning I wash my face with the LM One step cleanser and my Clarisonic Skin Brush (Not pictured) and follow with the LM Face polish. After I use the STS: HB Softener to hydrate the top layers of my skin before applying STS: EMR with my ring fingers to my eyes and STS: DPM with my finger tips.
This creates a clean, exfoliated, and hydrated surface to apply makeup. Adequate hydration will keep your makeup from drying your skin or over producing oil.
Once my moisturizer has absorbed into my face I start with my foundation application.
I use brushes to apply my makeup, I've really become a fan of the Sigma brushes. I use the following brushes to apply my makeup (From front to back):
Sigma SS 194: Conceal under eyes, around nose, and any acne scars
Sigma SS 190: Apply foundation
M.A.C. 109: Apply blush to apples of cheeks (not pictured)
Sigma SS 150: Apply setting powder
Sigma SS 182: Blend blush before setting powder
To get an even skin tone I start with the following products.
I conceal any areas that are in need and follow up with my foundation. I apply my concealer with a brush and then pat the product into my skin and blend. Similarly I apply my eye base from the sponge applicator and blend with my ring finger, patting the product into my eye lids. Then I take my powder brush and lightly dust setting powder into my T-zone. I avoid the cheeks for now.
After evening out my skin tone I move onto defining my features using the following products.
Using a small soft brush I apply the body powder as a blush onto the apples of my cheeks and blend outward with my kabuki brush. I then apply my eyeliner and follow up with my mascara. Lastly I put on my lipgloss (I have been loving Fashion Scoop and I often pair it with the M.A.C. Viva La Glam in GAGA). The last thing I put on is my perfume which is Michael Kors' Very Hollywood.
After I have applied my makeup, my everyday look includes fixing my hair. I have very thick, naturally curly/wavy hair. If I don't do something with it, it goes everywhere because of the length. I wash my hair every other day or every 3 days, my hair is very resilient and doesn't get oily quickly, so I don't want to damage it. I've been using Nexus Sleektress line (not pictured). After washing I have to blow dry my hair otherwise it will stick up everywhere.
T3: Lightweight Luxe hairdryer
Not Pictured:
T3: Free Flow Vent Brush
T3: Anti-gravity Barrel Brush
T3: Hair Clips
After my hair has been dried I straighten my hair. Normally my hair will stay straight until I will wash it again with no or very minimal products; which is good for my hair. I don't have to straighten my hair everyday (because it lasts) and that is extra heat damage I am not subjecting my hair too.
And for all the hard word (or lack there of, this honestly doesn't take long at all to do) the finished product:
I know I look so happy, I've actually been sick, thus the blanket. I hope you enjoyed the post! I promise this doesn't take long to do at all! Especially doing my hair, the T3 products were a great investment for my very thick hair!
Friday, March 26, 2010
School Work
UGH, school work. Whenever it seems like I get ahead on it, I realize I really am not. Mind you, I love school, and I love my majors, but it's times like this I realize just how, not on the ball I am. I at least got my registration done for next fall. Prospects:
Women's Voices in Japanese Literature
Continental Literature in Translation: Ancient World
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Intermediate Japanese
Fundamentals in Japanese History
Sounds like a fun load right? Ok it is except for that bloody Anatomy course. Stupid sciences. At least I'm trucking away on my general requirements. After next fall the only courses I will need for my general BA requirements will be an ethics course, another science course (The Dynamic Earth take 2? Since I had to drop it this last semester), and I think that's it..actually. Holy crap! If I can get credit for the women's voices class in my English degree it should knock out having to take another lit course. I still need to look at it.
Anyway, obviously I'm taking a break from studying and homework because, I need it or my brain will fry. I also need to clean, but no way in hell that's happening this weekend between work and all my projects due this week in school. I really can't wait to dig into my Shakespeare project on the Queer Theory. Which reminds me I wanted to look into an analysis of Sonnet 1.
Well, short blurp over. I feel better now. Talking about school actually helps me relieve stress about it. Go me! =)
Women's Voices in Japanese Literature
Continental Literature in Translation: Ancient World
Human Anatomy and Physiology
Intermediate Japanese
Fundamentals in Japanese History
Sounds like a fun load right? Ok it is except for that bloody Anatomy course. Stupid sciences. At least I'm trucking away on my general requirements. After next fall the only courses I will need for my general BA requirements will be an ethics course, another science course (The Dynamic Earth take 2? Since I had to drop it this last semester), and I think that's it..actually. Holy crap! If I can get credit for the women's voices class in my English degree it should knock out having to take another lit course. I still need to look at it.
Anyway, obviously I'm taking a break from studying and homework because, I need it or my brain will fry. I also need to clean, but no way in hell that's happening this weekend between work and all my projects due this week in school. I really can't wait to dig into my Shakespeare project on the Queer Theory. Which reminds me I wanted to look into an analysis of Sonnet 1.
Well, short blurp over. I feel better now. Talking about school actually helps me relieve stress about it. Go me! =)
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
This Blog!
So there are a lot of things I am interested in, and I'm going to start this blog with everything being posted in it. If for some reason I find that one of my hobbies is taking up more of this than another, then I will probably branch it off and create a specific blog just for that.
This blog will include different makeup trends I like, as well as small tutorials and reviews on anything makeup and fashion related. It will also include my models that I make, and a break down of those, more in detail then what I can do on my facebook page. I'll also be posting just every day things I'm going through, especially since I'll be going to Japan this summer!
So yeah, that's the blog =)
Kalhe
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