Pink hair!

I decided to dye my hair pink... lol.

The story behind this? I went to an anime convention this past weekend and my friend and I planned on cosplaying Nurse Joy and Officer Jenny from Pokemon. BUT being my lazy, procrastinating, broke-ass self, I couldn't pull my costume together that well in time... which means that I totally couldn't buy a wig for my Nurse Joy costume. SO I just decided to dye my hair pink again! This time I tried doing all of my hair but still some blonde parts refused to turn pink :/ but its okay! I kind of like it, its like a pink/blonde gradient. Like melted ice cream! I super miss my blonde hair but I'm also enjoying this pink :)

Here are some pictures of my awesome weekend:

Since I failed at making a cosplay, I just did "Deco Nurse Joy" ... I know lol a creative cop out really xD

So I met these two girls at the J-fashion show on Sunday and it was super fun! They came up to me and was like "omg you're so cute" and I was like "omg no YOU'RE cute!" And it was awesome. I love it when people come up to me and tell me that they've seen me around or on the internet and think that I'm cute haha. Is that bad? It makes me feel better about myself.... lol. Anyway, shout out to Jamie and Sarah for being super cool and cute :)

I wore my Liz Lisa dress that I bought in Japan a few years back and paired it will a belt that I just got at some random shop in Thailand. Since I had no idea what to put in my hair I used the belt thing that actually went with the dress and tied it in a bow in my hair... lol. Then I wore some wedges that I bought at Flag J and a purse from Rose Fan Fan. All items bought in Shibuya109! Sorry that I don't have pictures of my coordinate :/ I super fail!

PLUS bonus, I bought an Alpaca. Yeaaaah :D

My roommate said "this is you if you were an alpaca" ...TRUE.

Alright I think that's it! Hope everyone had a fun weekend ^^

Class for the working class...(plus 'the Avengers' nails)

Okay I don't really know what "class" has to do with anything here, but it's a catchy title right??

Anyways, I've been back at work for 2 weeks now and as a manager I can finally wear something other than that ugly uniform. To go with my work-casual look, I also want my makeup to look perfect and fresh everyday! I don't have a full body mirror at my mom's house so I can't show you pictures of what my work-casual outfits look like, but as always I can share my makeup :)

This is how it looks like. I tried to go for a natural, bright look which contrasts how I feel when I'm actually at work. I didn't used to do my full makeup everyday but ever since I did, people have been commenting that I look "happier" and "brighter" so I'm going to say its because of the extra time I've been spending in the morning to get ready. I wake up around 7am and finish in about half an hour which gives me time to make coffee and then head to work!

These are the products I use: (** products are ones that are unique to this look)

Face:
-KMA foundation powder
-MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Gold Deposit
-E.L.F Studio Cool Bronzer
-Sheercover Duo Concealer
-Canmake Shading Powder #01

Eyes:
** -Pop Beauty Goddess Clutch Day to Play 
-Mary Kay mascara
-NYX felt tip pen eyeliner
-NYX jumbo pencil in cottage cheese
-Urban Decay Naked Palette- Buck (for eyebrows)
-Dolly Wink eyelashes No.1
-Princess Mimi Sesame grey circle lenses

This is the color that I used for my eyeshadow from the Pop Beauty Goddess Clutch: Day to Play palette

(image from Dermstore.com)

Its a shimmery bronze/copper kind of color and I absolutely love it it gives my eyes like a certain glow to them. I put it on the bottom of my eyes and on my eyelids.

I've also started using the E.L.F Studio cool bronzer because I ran out of the Bare Minerals one that I used to use. I SUPER love this bronzer though and it was only $3 USD! So cheap and I think the quality is alright. It lasts like all day. It looks like this:

There are 4 colors but for this look I only used the right half of the palette. I like the darker shade to contour and then I use my mineralize MAC bronzer for the apples of my cheeks for a nice glow! And here is a swatch of all the colors in this bronzer:

They are pretty pigmented and like I said it lasts like all day! I highly recommend this product if you are looking for a cheap bronzer that really works. There are more shades to choose from as well and you can check that all out on eyeslipsface.com :)

Here are more pictures of my look:

Close up of the eyes

Cute but not too much right? This is how I've been wearing it everyday and I really like it ^^

***

BONUS.

I did my nails "The Avengers" style (the movie). It took me like an hour :)

 The top one is the left hand and the bottom is the right hand. The right hand was so hard omg because my left hand is retarded and cannot be controlled. But I think it turned out rather nice! Unfortunately my nails are all weak and flimsy from using acrylics all the time so these nails only lasted like 2 days QQ but I'm glad I got pictures of them at least lol.

Okay that's all! :)

***

As always, if you want to, follow my twitter and instagram, both @xsakisaki and my tumblr is xsakisaki.tumblr.com

YouTube... First Video!

I had to create a new YouTube account because Google is like dominating the social world. I couldn't link my old YouTube to the Google account that my blog is linked to (after hours of trying to get around it to no avail), I just gave up and made a new one.

Thinking of a new username is HARD. Since I made xsakisaki I haven't needed a new username so it's been such a long time! Its like committing to a new name for life like I will never be able to change it :( But luckily I thought of a name that's pretty cute so hopefully I'll still like it in the future!

My channel is youtube.com/sakiwatarin

I really want to start doing youtube videos because well, its nice to get to talk about things that I want to once in a while because I feel so lonely and bored at home sometimes lol. I have NO idea what I want to do though so maybe I'll just make one whenever I have something to show or talk about.  I don't have a camera too so I can only record through webcam... :(

Anyways here is my first video! I talk about my awesome Erin Condren planner that I got last month and it is to DIE for if you like staying neat and organized.

Should I make more videos? What should I talk about? Hahaha re-watching this video I am so lame I can't believe I'm willing to talk on camera to the internet. 

Hahaha if anyone has ideas let me know :)

Thanks for reading!

Let's Practice Japanese!

I've decided that I really need to start blogging at LEAST once as week as it gives me something to do and something to focus on other than work and school. Plus, I love blogging- it's very fun and relaxing ^^

Today's topic is Practicing Japanese because school is starting up for me real soon and I've realized I've gone the whole entire summer without even having spoken one Japanese word. (Which is terrible because I'm going to be thrown right into advanced Japanese classes this coming semester! >_<) So I've been gathering up all my resources and coming up with ways to enjoy practicing and reviewing Japanese! Let's start!

***

So what I find most difficult about this language learning process is practicing and applying things that I have learned in class to things in real life context. What I mean by this is, for example, I can study a grammar point until I think I've mastered it, but then I still feel unfamiliar with it when I hear it being spoken out loud in a different context or when I'm not expecting it. Which is how the real world works right? To help with this I recommend 2 things- anime and youtube videos!

~~Anime~~

Yes I know this is a common one, watch anime if you're learning Japanese which I would normally NOT agree with because they use such weird and obscure words sometimes, and I mean jeez what's up with those voices? BUT with reviewing I've come to learn that it sometimes is helpful to pick up an anime to watch.  I also have a short attention span and don't like watching something really long on my computer like a movie or drama, so I find this super refreshing since anime episodes are usually no more than 30 minutes long. I also try to find series that are uploaded without subtitles too sharpen my listening and see how much I can pick up!

**I recommend: Mamegoma anime because I think this one is great for listening practice. Its a story about children and their small seals (aka mamegoma) and their adventures! It's a kid's show and relatively normal so they use simple language and nothing too obscure! Plus its so cute I mean look:

---> Link to watch Mamegoma online for free without english subtitles!

~~Youtube Videos~~

Talk about real life, youtube is the perfect place to get great videos because there is such a huge variety of them and you can basically find anything you're looking for! I think it's easier to understand a scripted anime, but if you're looking for practice with the real thing, watch a youtube video with actual Japanese people talking in it.  You can practice listening to native speakers talk and see how much you understand! I have so many Japanese youtube channels that I love watching.

**I recommend: Popteen TV and Kawaii.i youtube channels. Of course I recommend these channels because of their awesome gyaru fashion >< I think they are helpful because you get to hear what language teens are using now in Japan and more specifically, gyaru teens! I've been able to pick up a few words and some useful things here and there. These may not be the best channels with reviewing since they don't talk as much as like vloggers do, but they are super interesting and entertaining!
--Popteen TV has short videos of the Popteen models doing their thing, hanging out and just being cute. I don't think many people know it exists, hell it took me a long time to find it but its so awesome and cute!
--Kawaii.i follows Jelly model Mana Honda as she explores Japans and tells foreigners about great places to visit and explores different kinds of Japanese fashion styles. Not only is it helpful and makes me want to go to Japan again SO bad, but it has a variety of cool things that you can learn about Japan and Japanese culture. The only downsides are they have stopped updating and there are subtitles (which could be an upside if you're not that comfortable with the language yet!) but there are plenty of existing episodes to watch so no worries there!

---> LINK for Popteen TV
---> LINK for Kawaii.i

***

For serious- get down to business- type reviewing, what helps me is to go through a few lessons, meaning, I focus on let's say one grammar point or set of vocabulary words. By doing this I feel like I am using the "divide and conquer" technique! I start building my way up one step at a time. I like to pick out lessons that on things that I know I've had trouble with in the past (such as keigo and kenjougo -shudder-) and go from there. Or even picking out random lessons is fun too! You can do this by picking a chapter in an old or current textbook, or if you are not learning Japanese in school, any book that you can find on learning Japanese from a local library or bookstore! ....OR you can enjoy listening to a 20-30 minute podcast which is what I love to do! Download one on your ipod or from online and listen anytime you want! I like to listen mostly before I go to sleep (I've heard that it helps stick hearing something right before you go to bed) or when I'm driving because driving is so boring and it keeps my brain on!

**I recommend: JapanesePod101.com These podcasts are AMAZING. They have different series that you can download that range from "absolute beginner", to advanced! You can pick whichever level podcasts you are comfortable with and start listening. Most of them are stand alone podcasts, meaning you don't have to listen to them in a specific order, but it is also good to follow them from the start because they structure their lessons super well.  They range from around 20-30 minutes but I've seen some that have been shorter. Perfect for my attention span hahahaha.
--If you have an ipod/iphone or whatever, you can just search "Learn Japanese" in iTunes on your computer and it will be the first podcast! Or if you want to download directly from the site just go to JapanesePod101.com and sign up for a free trial and download podcasts there! The only downsides are that if you want to use the website with the podcasts (which they will recommend to you over, and over, and over), you do have to pay to join but if you've never been before you can sign up for a 7 day trial and hurry up and use as many resources as you can! The ones on iTunes are always free though (to my knowledge) so that's a good bonus if you are only interested in the podcasts :)

---> LINK to JapanesePod101.com

Alright well that's all I have for tips! I realize this doesn't help if your focus is on reading or writing, but I struggle so much with listening practice so I thought I'd just share some of the things I like doing.  I hope this helps someone out :)

Until next time~~~~

(yes old picture but I just found this in photobooth lololol)

***

As always, if you want to, follow my twitter and instagram, both @xsakisaki and my tumblr is xsakisaki.tumblr.com

Purikura On The Go!

So since I've been doing absolutely nothing at home, I decided to check out some apps for my iPhone! And I have found two MUST haves for the purikura fans! If you don't know, purikura in Japan are sticker pictures that you can take in a photobooth, and they are fancy machines that look like this:

(image from google search)

I have seen these booths in malls and they are absolutely FUN. You take pictures with your friends and decorate them! Cool right? Well I'm sure 99% of you know what purikura pictures are so I'm going to stop, but here is what the pictures out of the machine look like.

 There used to be a store with the machines where I live, but then it closed down T~~T SO I've had to find alternatives! I've already reviewed an app called the Princess Camera in this post HERE but I have two more apps that I think are absolutely PERFECT and wonderful that everyone with an iPhone and loves decorating pics should get :P

The first one is called Girls Camera and the second one is called Rakuga-Cute (楽画cute). I'm going to review Girls Camera first because it's my favorite!

This app is free so keep that in mind!

Okay so basically the app starts off with you can take a picture right then or you can choose to decorate a photo that you've already taken. I've chosen to do the latter. The main menu screen looks like this: 

Then after you've chosen your picture, you decorate it just like you would in the purikura machine! There are stamps, pens, frames and backgrounds that you can use to decorate your picture as cute as you want to ^^ here are some screen caps to show you how awesome it is.

AWESOME RIGHT? And here are a few pictures that I have decorated with this app :) 

What do you think? Isn't is so cute? And its completely FREE! Yes so go download it now iPhone lovers :)

The second app is Rakuga-Cute (楽画cute) and it's basically the same thing, but I had to pay $3.99 USD to unlock the decorations and pens. The actual app is free, but they only give you a few stamps and a few pen colors, etc. I really wanted to see the other things so I sucked it up and paid the 4 bucks to get more!

Its the same concept, where you either choose a pic or take one there and here is the menu screen:

What I love about this app in particular is that it looks like the program in the purikura machines! Like the font, the layout and the style. I'm just a sucker for presentation so because it's presented so well, I just love love it.  Here are some more screen caps that I took for y'all :)

As you can see its basically the same, but look at the layout! If you've been in a purikura machine, doesn't it look exactly the same?? I'm so happy with it and this is definitely an app I would recommend. Here is some pictures that I decorated:

Lol okay ignore my face in those I look horrible, but basically the decorating is so much fun with this app :P

Thats all I have, hope you guys enjoy checking those apps out! Download them if you have an iPhone ^^

And if you want to, follow my twitter and instagram, both @xsakisaki and my tumblr is xsakisaki.tumblr.com

Hello hello in summer reds!

What is the cutest print of the summer? Floral! I just love love floral print clothing and its what I've been rockin' all summer. I bought this shirt from Love Culture on sale for $3 USD. Isn't that a steal?! I love the pink and orange flowers blending together to great a perfect balance. Its bright and colorful which is perfect for summer! Its also a high rise so that I stay nice and cool in the heat :) Here's a preview of everything today!

To go along with my summer look I also decided to try out this new Victoria's Secret eyeshadow palette that I bought at the semi annual sale. It was about $10 USD when I got it and its so pretty. Its got a lot of vibrant colors along with some darker colors so that you can blend the two together. Its also SUPER pigmented like seriously, a little goes a long way. I love the quality and the packaging is also super cute. Win!

For this look I used the top two colors on the right (the deep red and the brown) to create this blend of colors that goes perfect with my shirt! I'm not very daring so I'm too afraid to use bright colors, but that's why I love this red so much its only like a tint. You can see it, but from far away it doesn't look so vibrant and gaudy.  

Here's a list of all the makeup I used for my look (and its seriously just copied and pasted from my earlier blog post because well, I use the same face makeup everyday! The only thing thats really different are the eyes and lips ^^; I starred the ones that are key!)

Face:
-KMA foundation powder
-MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Gold Deposit
-Bare Minerals bronzing mineral powder
-Sheercover Duo Concealer

Eyes:
** -Spring Shimmer Eye Kit by Victoria's Secret eyeshadow palette
-Mary Kay mascara
-NYX felt tip pen eyeliner
-Canmake Coloring Eyebrow in Honey Gold
-Dolly Wink eyelashes No.1
-Princess Mimi Sesame grey circle lenses

Lips:
**-NYX Black Label Matte Lipstick in Diva

And more pictures of my look:

 ... I'm totally pulling a Kotobuki Rui face in that first picture... doesn't she always take her pictures like that?? 

Anyways...Very cutesy style! Yes back to my comfort zone. But hey that doesn't mean I can't try a sexy pose with it too :P

 Yep lol I'm lame I only have one 'sexy' face. It looks like I'm about to cry or something. But anyways I hope you enjoyed reading this! Happy summertime ^^

OH and if you'd like, follow my instagram ans twitter! both @xsakisaki kk bye!

...and my tumblr is xsakisaki.tumblr.com k goodbye for real xD

Better late than never ^^;

Around this time last year (summertime, that is) I started really writing in this blog. I'm so sad that so far it seems that its been at the back of my mind lately and I haven't really taken the time to write in it. QQ probably no one even cares about or remembers me anymore.

BUT better late than never right?

I just took a trip to California last week and stayed for only 6 days. While I was there though I managed to snag up a few things! Mostly we were at the beach (which I will post pictures of later ^^) but we spent a few days in the city. I went to Little Tokyo! It was so cute and I've been there before but have never bought anything. There are so many makeup stores and stores with cute little Japanese things. I love love loved it!

The first thing I bought was a NYX eyeliner. I've been looking for a good liquid eyeliner ever since I ran out of the Dolly Wink one that I love and unfortunately used up :( I've tried many things from the E.L.F felt pen and liquid liner, Maybelline's Stiletto eyeliner, to NARS' eyeliner, but nothing has satisfied me! And I don't want to shell out 20 bucks for another Dollywink (even though I probably could have bought it for the money that I spent on the others that I've tried LOL). Anyway... I bought this one and I think its pretty good! It was $7.99 USD and its a waterproof, felt tip pen, liquid eyeliner. Its not very waterproof though... not at all actually. And when I take it off the residue is blue! How weird. But other wise it glides on pretty well which is really the winning factor for me. And its thick and doesn't look watery (unlike the Maybelline's stiletto and E.L.F liquid eyeliner). This is the eyeliner:

(omg please ignore the hair on my floor... gross lmfao)

The only other makeup product that I bought was a pair of Dolly Wink eyelashes No. 1. Of course everyone knows what these look like by now hopefully... lol but here they are anyway:

These are my favorite lashes I have ever worn! So soft and long and pretty... I just love them so much even though they are HELLA expensive. I bought these for $14.99 USD which is the cheapest I've ever seen them. Which is still a lot. You get 2 pairs though so thats at least a little better.

I did do a makeup look with these two products so here it is:

(This is like the only HD picture btw lol it was hard to get a good one so the rest are just self cams from my phone heehee)

For the eyes, I used the Naked palette from Urban Decay which is yes, the best eyeshadow palette in the whole entire world lol. The colors I used were Half Baked, Smog, and Darkhorse. I used half baked as the base and on the inner corner of the eyes, then smog on top of that and to blend, then darkhorse for the crease and along the bottom and outer corners.

Here's a closer look!

And here is a list of the other products that I used for my whole look (sorry that I don't have pictures!)

Face:
-KMA foundation powder
-MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Gold Deposit
-Bare Minerals bronzing mineral powder
-Sheercover Duo Concealer

Eyes:
-Naked by Urban Decay eyeshadow palette
-Mary Kay mascara
-NYX felt tip pen eyeliner
-Canmake Coloring Eyebrow in Honey Gold
-Dolly Wink eyelashes No.1
-Dolly Wink eyelashes No.5
-Princess Mimi Sesame grey circle lenses

Lips:
-Sephora Matte Lipstick in Matte Cherry Rose
-Sephora Ultra Shine lip gloss in Fresh Peach shimmery

And here are more pictures of the look:

Yes those were my "I'm trying to be sexy faces" hahaha. Now here's a smiley one :)

What do you think of the look? I was inspired by the new Happie Nuts magazine that I bought. Its for September 2012 ^^

I was blown away by how pretty and sexy Sayoko Ozaki looked omg she is so awesome! Here are some pictures of her that I love:

She's so pretty omg *_* I don't know if I can pull off the sexy look in real life though loool I come off as way too cutesy >w<

Okay thats it! I hope someone reads this lol.