Thoughts about Friends and a Fun Weekend!

Hey guys!

Are you good at making friends?

It's hard for me but I feel that I'm getting better at it.

My husband is the opposite.

He has many good friends and has an atmosphere that welcomes people.

There was a time when I was worried about the fact that I have only a small number of friends and was not sure what to talk about with people.

I still have a small number of friends, but I don't worry too much about it now.

There is a person who no longer hangs out with me.

I have asked my husband what he thought I did wrong but we couldn't figure anything out.

I may have done something bad to her and not realized it, so I even asked her. She said that I didn't do anything bad, and rather, I am one of the nicest people she knows.

I was so sad about the fact that she no longer hangs out with me, but now I feel I want to focus on the current friends I have.

One thing I've been doing lately is to try not to make myself look better.

If I do so, I will need to do so every time I see the person, and it will make me tired.

Now, I feel somewhat confident in myself and I know that many people will like me as I am (there will always be some people who don't like me, but I won't worry about this small number of people.)

The "confidence" part is still a work in progress.

My husband and daughter gave me the confidence.

He knows my drawbacks and he still loves me. She loves me as I am.

Also, I've become friends with other moms!

I feel that having something in common makes it easier to connect with the other person.

Last Friday, I went to a girls' night party thrown by my coworker.

She is very nice to organize this party!

We had drinks (I had seltzer water) and played "Cards against Humanity".

Have you played the game?

People say it's an adult version of "Apples to Apples".

My husband took care of our 15-month old daughter that night.

It's been a while that I had a girl's night and I had lots of fun.

Last Sunday, we had a BBQ with the Goldman family and the Kamper family.

The Goldmans organized this (for a little bit of background about these nice families, read here).

The Goldman family brought hamburgers and pastas, the Kamper family brought skewered beef/chicken/vegetables, and we brought guacamole (recipe is here) and beer.

Gavin and Ken (baby boys) walked around and played.

Our daughter only walks several steps at a time now, so she stayed with me most of the time, but had some interactions with them.

We had a great time.

If you feel the same as the old me regarding friends, take a deep breath.

If you feel you want to change the situation, don't wait until you have a husband or a baby.

Most likely you don't need to change your personality (if you care for friends and are reading this article trying to get hints about friendship), but you just need to change the frame of mind and action.

I think three important things are to love yourself, have confidence, and thank people.

I thanked my coworker and the Goldman family not only on that day, but also on Monday at work to my coworker and via text to the Goldmans.

I thanked the Kamper family on that day, and would have thanked them next day as well, if I knew their contact number.

Let people know that you enjoyed your time with them so that there will be a "next time".

Thanks for reading and have a great day :)

How to Prevent Your Makeup from Coming off on Your Wedding Day

Hey girls!

In the previous post, I wrote about how I dealt with my concern of getting a whitish appearance in flash photographs by using makeup with SPF.

Today, I will write about how to prevent your makeup from coming off: tips you should know if you will do your own makeup on your wedding day.

1. Hydrate your skin well.

If your skin is not hydrated well, it tries to produce more oil, so it is important to hydrate your skin well.

2. Use a foundation primer that prevents shine.

I used "OC8 Mattifying Gel", but you can use a different one.

This is a translucent gel.

I got samples from their facebook and I liked it.

3. Use an eyeshadow primer.

I used "e.l.f. Shadow Lock Eyelid Primer" in shade 7501 Sheer.

It was surprisingly just $2 and it got the job done.

4. Use face powder.

After applying foundation, apply face powder.

 I used "Lancome Absolue Powder" in shade Absolute Pearl.

This face powder is not that mattifying, but I used it since I like this powder.

If you put some on your fingers, you will see very fine pearly particles.

They are very subtle on your face.

5. Use a setting spray / water spray.

I first purchased "Ben Nye Final Seal".

This is a spray that is supposed to make your makeup smudge-proof and water-resistant.

I wish I liked this item, but I didn't like the way the content comes out.

It's in a spray container but the mist is not fine, rather, larger drops came out, and I was not able to apply it evenly.

So, I looked for another solution.

I learned that you can use just water spray over face powder to set your makeup.

So I purchased "Avene Thermal Spring Water Spray".

After applying plenty of face powder, put a tissue paper on your face.

Then, apply Avene / evian water spray - spray evenly over the tissue paper.

That sets your makeup.

The key is to use one in a Nitrogen based aerosol container (safe for you and environment) instead of one in a pump spray bottle.

With the former, the mist is finer and you can apply it evenly.

I followed these steps and my makeup stayed on nicely on my wedding day.

Now I will talk about how I enhanced the look of my body skin.

I used the following shimmer body powder on and below the collarbones and the back: Victoria's Secret & PINK Scented Shimmer Body Powder (scent: Sweet & Flirty).

(Note: this product has been discontinued. However, I see some other shimmer body powders from Victoria's secret on ebay.)

I like this powder.

It gives just right level of shimmer and makes your decollete look beautiful.

I also thought of applying body foundation, and got samples of the following foundations at Sephora:

Make Up For Ever Face & Body Liquid Foundation in shade #1, #20, and #32.

(Note: this product has been discontinued. Water Blend Face & Body Foundation is available as of writing this.)

I ended up not using them since I didn't feel I needed them.

I hope you got some useful hints.

Thanks for reading and have a great day :)

Can You Wear Sunscreen / Makeup with SPF at Your Wedding?

Hey girls!

In the previous post, I wrote about how I decided to do my own makeup for my wedding.

That means I needed to prepare all the cosmetics and know all the details.

There were two main concerns:

1. How can I avoid getting a whitish appearance on my face in flash photographs?

2. How can I prevent my makeup from coming off?

Today, I will write about how I dealt with concern #1.

I've heard that you are not supposed to wear makeup with SPF since it will create a whitish appearance in flash photographs.

I wanted to prevent that from happening so I searched online.

I learned that you can wear sunscreen (without titanium dioxide or zinc oxide, which both reflect camera flashes) but it's better not to have SPF in your foundation or face powder on your wedding day.

I'd like to mention that titanium dioxide and zinc oxide are minerals and good ingredients for sunscreens except for flash photography occasions.

So I checked my sunscreen for my face: Clinique Super City Block SPF 40.

It does contain titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

However, since I will apply foundation and face powder over the sunscreen, I decided to use this for my trial run and see how it turned out.

Next, I checked my foundations: Clinique Even Better Makeup (SFP15) in #16 golden neutral and DHC Q10 Cream Foundation (SPF18) in yellow ocher 01.

(Note: DHC Q10 Cream Foundation has been discontinued. Q10 Moisture Care Liquid Foundation is available as of writing this.)

Both of them contain titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

I was disappointed since I liked these foundations, but I wanted to look my best on my wedding day, so I decided to look for another foundation.

I searched online and it seemed the following two foundations are good for photography: Make Up For Ever HD High Definition Foundation and Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet Foundation.

(Note: HD High Definition Foundation has been discontinued. Ultra HD Foundation is available as of writing this.)

I went to Sephora and got the following samples: HD Foundation in shade #117, #120, #123, and #125, and Mat Velvet Foundation in shade #20, #30, #35, and #40.

I also visited an Estee Lauder counter and got samples of Double Wear Foundation.

When I tried HD foundation, I felt that I wanted more coverage for my wedding.

As for Mat Velvet Foundation, it looked too matte for my taste.

Even after trying the ones that were supposed to look great in pictures, they didn't look so great on me.

That disappointed me and also reminded me of how I like the look when I wear the Clinique and DHC foundations.

So I wore these foundations, applied other makeups including face powder, and took pictures.

I used this face powder: Lancome Absolue Powder (shade: Absolute Pearl). This doesn't contain SPF/titanium dioxide/zinc oxide.

I really liked the look.

I didn't feel that my face had a whitish appearance in pictures although my sunscreen and foundations contained titanium dioxide and zinc oxide.

I used these items on my wedding day and professional photos/personal photos turned out very well.

(This doesn't guarantee that you won't get a whitish appearance on your face, so definitely do a trial run.)

I ended up not trying the Estee Lauder foundation.

In conclusion, I recommend that you try foundations that don't contain titanium dioxide or zinc oxide since you don't need to worry about getting a whitish appearance on your face.

However, if you have difficulty in finding the right one for you that doesn't contain them, you could try one with these ingredients and do a photo shoot to see if flash photographs turn out well. 

I will write about tips to prevent your makeup from coming off in the next post.

Stay tuned!

Thanks for reading and have a great day :)

Should You Do Your Own Makeup for Your Wedding?

Do you want to do your own makeup for your wedding?

Do you enjoy makeup?

This may be a common question that comes to mind when you are planning your wedding.

I wanted to look my best on my wedding day.

So I thought I may want to get my makeup done by a professional makeup artist.

However, I'm Japanese and was not sure if American makeup artists are good at applying makeup that suits a Japanese.

I wondered which option would make me look my best: I do my own makeup or let a makeup artist do my makeup.

The answer I thought is - it depends.

If the makeup artist is not familiar with Asian faces/skin or does not have good makeup skills, you may do better.

If you usually don't wear makeup and are not used to it, it may be better to ask a makeup artist.

You can check which statement group below describes you best:

Group A:

1. You want to have a special experience of having makeup done by a makeup artist.

2. You don't have a strong image about how you want to look at your wedding, you don't know what kind of makeup suits you, and want advice from a pro.

3. You think you are not good at applying makeup.

4. You don't have a lot of time to practice makeup.

Group B:

1. You have a strong image about how you want to look at your wedding.

2. You have good makeup skills - you like your makeup.

3. You have time to practice bridal makeup.

4. You have a low budget and want to keep the cost low.

If you find the group A describes you best, you may want to hire a makeup artist.

If you find the group B describes you best, you may want to do your own makeup.

In my case, I didn't have a clear image about how I wanted to look at my wedding, but I think I'm good at applying makeup and I was not sure if I could find an American makeup artist who is good at applying makeup to Asians.

So, I looked through many bridal makeup pictures online and grasped a clear image of how I wanted to look.

Then, I looked through some online articles and videos.

Finally, I practiced.

I have an important tip: regardless of the option you choose (do it yourself or makeup artist), do a trial run and take pictures.

If you decide to ask a makeup artist, although most makeup artists charge you some fee, do a run through with him/her.

I have read many sad stories where the makeup the artist applied on your wedding day was totally different than what you imagined and you totally didn't like it.

If you decide to do it yourself, even when you think you're good at applying makeup, do a trial run and take pictures.

You may find that the makeup looks too casual for a wedding or too subtle in the pictures.

After seeing the result, you could change your mind.

You thought you want to hire a makeup artist for the special day, did a run through with him/her, but didn't like the result, then you can tell him/her how you want to change, try another artist, or you can do it yourself.

You thought you want to do it yourself, did a trial run, but you were not able to achieve the look you wanted, then you can practice more or you can seek a makeup artist.

I'm personally really glad that I did my own makeup.

Many people complimented it (and it's kind of silly to say but I myself thought I looked very nice).

I improved my makeup skills and I can enjoy elegant makeup even after the wedding!

Thanks for reading and have a great day :)