Looking good in Japan

I realised today that, the make up i use now, won't or might not exist in Japan…
now adding on top of my change to cruelty free make up and my dark skin, we've got a mission.

Now how do you prepare yourself for life in another country where it's not normal to have your skin tone. . .?

Anyone. . .?

Well i'll tell you a few ways.

1. Bulk buy before you go
it seems like an obvious one; buy everything you use, full and fresh, just before you go and it should last you a  few months (depending on how much you wear and how often).
a good side to this is - you'll have it already so you won't need to go around spending your money on it. you can save up for other stuff like food an water.
downside? you might find something better. but then again that always happens when you shop around for makeup. only thing to do is use up what you've got then go get what you want after.

2. Search for way to get your faves sent to you.
Checking if the store has firstly, an online store. and secondly, one that ships to the country that you plan to move to, that would be very smart and very helpful. you'll just have to keep a permanent note of the make up tones and shades you use.
good.? its simple and easy and less hassle than walking around town or taking up room in your suitcase.
downside.? you can't test or try out the make up. most girls experience a change of skin tone throughout the year, weather that be because of the seasons or hormonal reasons it happens and it can have a major affect on how our make up looks on us. not too mention how something looks on the monitor might not represent its exact colour in real life or compared to your skin.

3. Find out who else is in Japan
Or the country you're moving too. . .
Search for your favourite brands and find out if they have stores in the country itself. like i had to do some serious research for the past week since i've got a lot of filters to go through.

So on to my tales of discovery.

If you don't know i am black or brown, however you like to say it.
I'm caribbean by background so i'm light skinned but still brown an tanned.
i get lighter in the winter and darker in the summer just like any other girl or guy.
i have natural bags and dark under eye circles (slightly) and an uneven skin tone on my cheek.
combo skin type (oily t-zone and dry everywhere else)
and i like a light coverage; i barely wear foundation, unless the event is major. For me it's mostly eyeshadow, concealer, mascara, eyeliner and lip stuff for moisture and colour.

 This is me with full make up ~ foundation and all!

 My everyday look in winter ~ i'm a little pale here. 

Just eyeshadow an eyeliner with lip gloss

I don't have a pic of me at my darkest for some reason. (new laptop) ~ but this is me with a little more make up since i was going to a party. 

i miss the green colour ~

Now that you get a brief idea about my face and make up preference. . . 
Lets move onto what i found exactly.

I've made the decision that from now on any and all make up and beauty products and other stuff i buy will be cruelty free. Sooooo . . .

Here are my four target brands for my next haul.

Bare Escentuals - Bare Minerals

NYX Cosmetics

NARS

The Body Shop

These four brands are all cruelty free and have stores in Japan plus i've heard good reviews for most of them.
The way i found them was firstly i searched for a list of cruelty free brands and noted down the ones i recognised, which came up to 22. Then i narrowed it down to ones with dark tones and lastly i searched their online store for nearby places to buy or try these products. 7 now.
The next step was to go through the 3 methods i mentioned above.
So i checked and compared their prices.
Found out their policies on international deliveries.
Researched if they have any stores actually located in Japan.
then TADAA~~

It was narrowed down to the four i had now.
I haven't tried or tested any of these products before, but i went on youtube and google and did a bit more research to see peoples' reviews and they were mixed but i still want to try them out myself so next time i go into central, which will be next saturday for work, i'll go on a little try and buy shopping spree and hopefully come back with a haul and then a review vid for you guys ^_^

Aren't i great !

If you have any brands that you want me to try, just leave a comment and i'll test it out for you and give you my feed back if i can. I'm leaving in a month so it might not happen. sorry


Before i go...

~ Check out BeautyCrush on Youtube or her blog.
http://www.beautycrush.co.uk
http://www.youtube.com/user/beautycrush

 She uses NARS and other various ones similar. i follow her because we have similar skin tones, although she is slightly lighter, her being in London and brown skinned makes it easier for me to find beauty products.

~ One Darker skinned girl who i also follow is Patricia Bright.
http://www.youtube.com/user/BritPopPrincess
https://momentsofstyle.com

She's another British black woman who is great at giving beauty tips and advice. plus her accent is just amazing to listen too. 

Doctor Who 50th Celebration ? or Rave it up with my girls? . . .

There's always that one time. you finally get invited out with your friends, and then just before it happens, something else gets thrown into the mix.

Now for me this was all last minute.
i went out last night with the girls and i knew that the Doctor Who Special would be on today but then as they were leaving they just randomly said, as if we had already agreed; "so are you coming tomorrow? we're meeting up at mine for 7" and of course i replied "yeah course"

then when they're gone. "fuck!~ nooooo! its Doctor Who Tomorrow. . ."

So my question is, what would you do?

Friends night out VS David Tennant and Matt Smith both as the doctor together.

Hard one aint it.

Toodles ~

A new face ?

Hiya!~

Think i'm getting good at this blog posting business, it's not been too long since i last posted so that great in my books.

Onto the topic at hand.

So lately i've been thinking. thinking mainly about my self and how i contribute to things.
what is my part in time right now?

now i'm not on some soul searching voyage to discover myself. no.
i'll find me eventually or i'll walk right by her, never know.
But what i want to know is, am i doing enough. . . ?

Everyone should have something that they contribute to the world.
anything can count as long as you can see the good it does and it is out of your own good will.

Me? i don't think i actually do anything like that. the most i do is feeding my cats even if i can't.
I've tried to giving and caring in the past but it ends up like a diet. starts out great and fades away before there's any results.

i am on a new mission.
one that will be easier to control and work into my new life.

Now i use to watch this YouTuber - Morgan i think her name was - and she had very strong beliefs. She wasn't the type to be like "you are sinning against all things natural and you'll burn in hell if you don't do like i do!" no. she was more like an information point. she started out normally slowly letting her beliefs and ideas float into her videos, they were never the main topic unless viewers asked for it.
Eventually she started promoting it more and more without shoving it into everyone's faces. And this is how i got inspired to aim to become cruelty free.

Now if you don't know what cruelty free is, it is a term for products such as cosmetics, household goods etc that have not been tested on animals in no way shape or form.

Honestly i though
-well i basically can't wear make up anymore.-
but i found i can.
my new cosmetic suppliers are
Urban Decay
Body Shop
MUA
Nails Inc.
Gosh

These, i found are all cruelty free. Yaaaay ~
Plus they cater to my skin shade (i'm light skinned black girl from the caribbean tadaa), it's hard enough to find good make up for black women any way and now i've thrown in the hurdle of adding cruelty free to every search.

But to be honest it doesn't seem that hard now that i've found the brands local to me. i just have to try them out an see what ones work best - like you usually do

So i'll be back to talk more about how much i love animals another time but i just wanted to share my new aim in life.

^_^ see you guys later x

So what do you need to move to Japan?

Everything.

Everything is nearly sorted. i have my new suitcase and i'll buy my ticket next week or soonish, i've started sorting out what i don't/can't bring with me.. sewing machine, desk etc haha but packing is a lot
more difficult than i thought.

I usually pack only for a two week holiday at most.

So packing for a year with one suitcase, one carry on and a handbag is proving difficult. i'll save buying new clothes for when i get out there. Or when i next past by primark. (gotta have the essentials at least)

I'm gonna help you guys out a bit to tell you the first things you should think to pack for uni, if its UK USA or else where.

- Bed sheets/bedding: they may say it comes with all of that but they've probably stacked up on those cheep material types
- Pillow&blanket: a bit of home comfort wont kill you. If you can bring it then do so.
- Clothes: well duh, unless you want to walk into your lectures in your birthday suits... but pack for the season you'll be arriving in. autumn to winter clothes
- Girls, pack all the bras you own and buy some more
- Guys, Buy new boxers.
- If you can't fit your whole make up collection always go for the basics; concealer, mascara, lip gloss and eyebrow pencil. that's all you need to make yourself look good anything else is extra baggage.
- hair supplies; brush comb, everything!
-headphones speakers just bring your music.

well i could list everything but you'd just be like "well duh!"

Sorry this is so slap dash.. i'm just not in the mood this week -__-

Speed Date - Table 1

おはいよございます！

げんきですか？

If you can translate that then 50 points to your house team!~

wow two post in less than 24hrs, i'm spoiling you guys. But i don't have anything better to do today so i'll lay down the actual information about me an some of my life.

so a speed date of sorts x

I'm Nova
18~ 19 in November
grown up in a big city, well the suburbs.
went to an all girls school and didn't become a lesbian
then back to mixed classes in college
and now i'm here! tadaa!

I'll leave you to guess what my ethnic back ground is . .

Now onto my attempt to seduce you into following my blog ;)

I'll be living in Tokyo from January, might even get there before the new year starts.
i am now a student at a university there, wont tell you which one since i don't really like to be followed home.
- i was technically on a gap year between the end of college and now, so i took up a course at my local college to enhance my photography skills -

I'll be sharing about my stay in Tokyo and about my experience as being a foreign body in a country of tradition and culture.

Keep watching for pages and photos of Fashion, Food, Language, Culture, Jobs, Studying and everything else that comes with it.

seduced yet?