15 Random Facts Tag

Hey everyone,

I've seen this tag going around several blogs, but after seeing it on FunnyFace Beauty I decided that I should do it too. Because I love reading those random facts from  other bloggers, so I'm sure someone will find this interesting.

1. I am addicted... no OBSESSED with kimono. I wear it fairly regularly, and always look for opportunities to wear kimono more often. You can check out my Strawberry Kimono blog, devoted to.. yup KIMONO! Because of kimono I already have friends in many countries, and it definitely helped me a lot when I moved to UK because I already knew several people, and after meeting them in person we became even better friends. I can only imagine what will happen if we ever get stationed in Japan..... ;P

2. Aside from kimono, I'm also in love with all kinds of funky and fun shoes. Irregular Choice would be my all time favorite brand. In fact, just yesterday I bought myself 3 pairs of their shoes on sale, and 1 pair off eBay. Bad, bad Lyuba! My new favorite thing is to wear western shoes with kimono. ;P At some point I had more kimono shoes (zori, geta) than western, but now I'm all caught up and western shoes definitely win. 

3. I love reading and always bring a book with me anywhere I go. Currently my collection consists of Russian, Ukrainian (although they are harder to come by) and English books and I tend to read either fantasy or women/cultural studies or history books. And I don't like sci fi. My all time favorite book is Tarzan, I own the complete series in Russian and currently collecting Grosseet&Dunlap early prints in English. It's a lot of fun to read those books when they were originally published, some words are rarely used now or have a completely different meaning! "He ejaculated his words" is just one of those examples that make me GIGGLE like crazy every time I read it.

4. I'm extremely comfortable with my body. It all happened after I decided to cosplay Red Sonja at San Diego Comic Con 2006. Until then I was very self conscious about my body, thinking I was getting fat and doing all kinds of stupid diets (yes, now I realize how stupid it was and don't have those thoughts any more). After SDCC I realized that hey, I actually LIKE myself the way I am stopped obsessing over things that were not true (like me being fat) and started appreciate what was given to me by parents. My latest costume is Jungle Girl, although I hated the way my wig looked so I went with my natural hair. I haven't posted these photos anywhere yet, so I guess you can say my readers are getting a sort of preview.

Image credit

5. I took photos with a real alligator. Yup, I am pretty proud of it even if the day was kinda ugly and photos did not turn out as well as I wanted them to. But at the same time, how many of you can say that you sat on an alligator, walked away alive and had photos to prove it? ;P You can also see me riding one in this video.Photos and videos were taken at the Alligator Alley in Alabama, which is an alligator farm and rescue. Really cool place, next time I'm visiting in the States I will make sure to visit it again.

6. I have two cats, Mittens and Echo, and they are my "babies". I call them "my little kitties" and anyone who knows me knows that I am a crazy married cat lady and will not shut up about my kitties ;P But they are my very first cats, so I think I'm allowed to cherish and love them right? I'm very happy that I have them, especially when my husband goes deployed I still know that there is someone waiting for me at home. And yes, they do greet me at the door every day and Echo (spotted bengal) even plays fetch with me :) :) :) Oh no, crazy cat lady mode had started! ;P

7. I rarely have a bad hair day, but I have bad eyebrows day quite often. The thing is, my eyebrows are so LIGHT that you can barely see them and I have to fill them in every single day. Sometimes it turns out, sometimes it doesn't. Needless to say, this is one aspect of makeup that I'm looking forward to the least.

8. I refuse to learn how to drive a manual transmission car. It is one thing that I feel is very childish, yet  I do not want to give in. I like my automatic car, I enjoy driving with one foot, and I can wear kimono and drive in automatic. I doubt I will be able to do it in manual. But even if it was possible to wear kimono and drive a manual car, I still refuse to learn. Maybe it's because a lot (not all of course) of manual car drivers, including my husband, look down on automatic cars and it drives me crazy. So I'm making a PRO-automatic car stand lol.

9. Another thing that I refuse to do is listen to any American music. I'm not saying that I don't like it, or that it's bad, but you won't find it on my ipod. Of course, there are few exceptions, but they are so few that I don't think you can consider me hypocritical for it. I only listen to Russian, Ukrainian and occasionally Japanese music. Why? Because when I lived in Ukraine, about 80% of music played there was foreign, and about 90% of that foreign music was American. So now, after moving to US, I want to listen to MY OWN country's music, something I wasn't exposed to growing up and something I would like to be exposed to now. LOL my husband and I argue about this all the time, because he is refusing to accept my reasons saying that he listens to MY music, yet I refuse to listen to HIS music.

10. I am addicted to my phone, it's my link to life. I'm also addicted to texting, but sadly here in UK I don't have as many people to text to as I had in the States, and I miss it terribly. I can't wait to get an iPhone, and get that free texting application that would allow me to text my friends in the States for free :) :) :) Just couple more month, I can do it!

11. I am very particular about being called Ukrainian instead of Russian. And yes, I speak both languages, and speak primarily Russian, but that doesn't give anyone right to tell me that it makes me Russian. People in Brazil speak Portuguese, yet no one calls them Portuguese, they are called Brazilians. Just because Ukraine was under Russian rule for centuries, does not mean that Ukrainian is just a Russian dialect (yup, several people told me that). It just means that certain parts of Ukraine are still primarily Russian speaking, yet EVERYONE in Ukraine knows Ukrainian too. And can choose which language to speak. It is not unusual to see two friends talking, one will be speaking in Russian and another replying in Ukrainian. I choose Russian because my mom's side of family moved to Ukraine from Russia in 1970s, and primary language in my family is Russian. Also, the area of Ukraine where we're from is primarily Russian speaking. Yet when I had a choice of picking my nationality, because mom is Russian and dad is Ukrainian, I choose Ukrainian and I would like people who ask me where I'm from to respect that. Can you see it's a little bit of a sore subject for me?

12. I did not know how to cook until 2 years ago when I got married. I even used to think that maybe I'm a bad cook, but turned out it's not true. I'm a pretty good cook, I just never had a need to do it before marriage. :)

13. I can be pretty bitter about my status of a military wife and all the negative things it brings. Yes, there are some good thing but until we go to Japan I refuse to see them lol. It is not unusual to see me complaining about negative aspects, even if I knew pretty well ( but why no one warned me that it will be a lot worse than I imagined?) what I was getting myself into. But after complaining to my heart content I move on until the next 'down' period. 

14. I miss Barnes & Noble!!! It is my favorite American book store, and so far nothing in England quite compares to it. Yes, Waterstones is nice but where I live we only have a small one so it's not the same. Back in the States I used to go to BN almost every day, and write letters to friends or do homework. Or read manga. It was my home away from home, and I miss that a lot.

15. I love organizing things like trips or events. Back in the States I dragged my poor friends and husband around to all kinds of different festivals or conventions or fairs. Or other places that I could think of. I have a little bit harder time doing it in UK, mostly because I do not have many friends where I live, and all my other friends live too far away. But I still try. :) Kimono de Jack events are just one of the examples that I started in UK (although the idea originally came from Japan) and now my kimono friends are helping me with ideas and organization.

I don't have anyone specific to tag, so I'm just going to tag my readers :) I would like to read some random facts about you.

~ Lyuba

UNE Sheer Lips Balm

Hi girls,

I've been pretty slacking on the review posts, even if these are my favorite to read. Mostly it's my hate of taking and then cropping photos, but I'm working on it because there are a lot of products that I've been using lately that I think deserve a review. 

One of these products is UNE Sheer Lips Balm in S03 which I picked up as my 3rd item during Superdrug's 3 for 2 sale (those sales are EVIL for me, I should avoid them at all costs lol). I've been looking at UNE for a long time, but never really picking up anything to try.

I am not too concerned with everything natural deal, but once in a while I do like to pick something up that claims that "100% of the total ingredients are from natural origin", and that "9.44% of the total ingredients are from Organic Farming". I thought the organic ingredients percentage was a little on the low, seeing as (it seems) everyone is obsessed with organic now, but that's just my opinion.

Why did I pick this up? I'm not a lipstick or lip gloss person, I own them but rarely use. I am, however, a HUGE lip balm junkie, and I constantly have at least 3 of them on me at any give time. This product is a lip balm that promised to "moisturize and enhance the natural color and shine of lips" so I simply had to try it.

The formula is very moisturizing and the color is light enough that I don't have to worry about a mirror. At first I was, but after checking numerous times in the mirror I decided that I don't need to worry as much. In the photos, the very top right photo is the closes to the actual color, but as we all know it all depends on the lighting. This lip balm might look very dark in the tube, but it goes on very sheer and light. Definitely my lips-but-better color.

The first two photos in the swatches are the closest to actual color. And here it is how it appears on my lips.

So will I buy it again? For £7.99 is a little steep for me, especially considering the exchange rate, but if the brand is ever on sale I will definitely get more. You can find this brand in many Boots or Superdrug stores. I'm also considering trying some other stuff, mostly lip products. The rest of the range just doesn't appear to me, because I rarely like the natural look on anything other than my lips.

Have you tried anything from UNE? 

~ Lyuba

When work schedule sucks

Hello everyone,

My work schedule is really not great for blogging. By the time I get off at 11 and get home, and unwind by reading the blogs I subscribe to and cropping photos, I have no energy to write anything  useful. And in the mornings, I'll have to get up pretty early in order to fit in a blog entry (and I'm a poor writer, it takes me forever to write anything!). For past 2 days I was planning on writing a review for UNE Sheer Lips Balm, but I will have to put it off until tomorrow (again haha, but I promise I'll write it for sure tomorrow).

Meanwhile, here is FOTD that I had on yesterday.

I wanted to go for something different to what I usually do, so I only put eyeshadow on the bottom lid. I used purple Collection 2000 felt eyeliner and put a dot of their liquid gold eyeliner on top. Not sure that I like it there, because I thought it would show up better.

I used my trusty Sleek SUNSET palette, and this time I was brave enough to use yellow and orange from it (something I avoided doing before). I love those colors! Especially their combination. They blend so well and stand out so much from my skin. Love, love, love!

I used UNE Sheer Lips Balm on the lips by the way :) Tomorrow I'll post a full review on it.

~ Lyuba

This or That Tag

Hello everyone, 

I saw this tag on two blogs today, and thought it was fun to do it myself. Plus I don't want to go to sleep yet, so I think it's a great excuse to write another post.

MAKEUP:

Blush or Bronzer: Blush. I'm too pale for bronzer, plus I'm kinda proud of my paleness :) And I don't know how to use bronzer properly, so I'll just stick to my blush.

Lip gloss or Lipstick: Lip balm. I'm not a big lipstick or lip gloss fan, but I am a lip balm crazy. I always have one at home, one in my purse (two actually), and one in my coat pocket that I wear to work.

Eye liner or Mascara: Mascara. My eyelashes are virtually invisible without mascara lol. 

 
Foundation or Concealer: Foundation. Especially after I discovered which method of application really works for me.

Neutral or Color Eyeshadow: Color all the way!!!!

Pressed or Loose Eyeshadows: I'm good with both, although I have to be in the mood to use loose. Mostly because I have so many un-opened ones and I don't really want to touch them yet due to lack of space.

Brushes or Sponges: Brushes. Never mastered the art of applying foundation with a sponge.

NAILS:

OPI or China Glaze: Neither. I love Sally Hansen Salon Manicure ones.

Long or Short: Long I guess. Or what looks long on my nails, since they are so small/short naturally.

Acrylic or Natural: Gel. I'm lucky enough to have a friend from Italy who does Kylia (don't remember how to spell correctly lol) gel nails, so I get them done about once a month.

Brights or Darks: Brights. With designs and everything.

Flower or No Flower: I prefer fruits :) Well actually I just love nail art in general.


BODY:

Perfume or Body Splash: I guess either lol, because I use them so rarely....
Lotion or Body Butter: Lotions, body butters are too rich for my skin.

Body Wash or Soap:Body was all the way!

 
Lush or Other Bath Company: Any company that smells great. Don't have a definite favorite.


FASHION:Jeans or Sweat Pants: Never, EVER, sweat pants. I don't even own any. So jeans all the way.

Long Sleeve or Short: Depends on the weather.

Dresses or Skirts: Dresses!!! :)

Stripes or Plaid: Vertical stripes, like on my kimono!
Flip Flops or Sandals: Flips flops get the same treatment as sweat pants, so sandals. Sadly it's too cold in UK for me to wear them. :(

Scarves or Hats: Hats!!!! I am not known as a crazy hat lady for nothing lol ;P

Studs or Dangly Earrings: Dangly.

Necklaces or Bracelets: Bracelets.

Heels or Flats: Heels, but I do wear flats a lot too. 

 
Cowboy Boots or Riding Boots: Cowboy haha, the only pair that I own and like.

Jacket or Hoodie: Jacket. I hate hoods with a passion, hoodies too.

Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe: I've never been to Forever 21 while in the States, and only briefly walked into one in Birmingham. So I can't decide :( :(

Abercombie or Hollister: So NOT my style lol.

Saks 5th or Nordstrom: Never been to any of those, so how about I say Debenhams?


HAIR:

Curly or Straight: Straight.

Bun or Ponytail: Ponytail.

Bobby Pins or Butterfly Clips: Probably bobby pins, but I don't really use either of those.

Hair Spray or Gel: Hairspray.

Long or Short: Short! Pixie cut that my husband is not letting me have :)

Light or Dark: Red, like Red Sonja red!

Side Swept or Full Bangs: Full bangs. And if only I knew how to style my hair better, I would be a happy camper completely.

Up or Down: Haha, down considering that's all I can do with my short hair.


RANDOM:

Rain or Shine: Shine. I could tolerate rain in Florida, but let's just say I HATE it now in UK.

Summer or Winter: Summer in UK. I would loved winter if it actually had some snow. But I live in a Lakenheath "bubble" as I like to call it, because no matter how much snow the rest of the country gets, we are always missing out on all the "fun". :(

Fall or Spring: Spring.

Chocolate or Vanilla: Chocolate.

East Coast or West Coast: Florida!!!!! I miss all my friends there :) West Coast is nice to visit, but I wasn't that impressed with it.

Matte eyeshadows are not for everyone or a beauty rant

Hi girls,

I spent the whole day thinking if I should write this entry.... or should not. Then I thought I probably should, but then I changed my mind again. Finally the "should" won since, as Anastasia at Lipsticks & Lightsabers says, it's my space and I can write whatever I want, and whoever doesn't like it should not read it. 

Few days ago I was looking for some makeup inspiration on DeviantArt and through it found Olga Ekaterincheva, a Russian makeup artist who does GORGEOUS makeup work . She even has an English version of her site, so all of you can check it out. She also does makeup lessons on the side, which in itself I think is a great idea. I guess people come to her house (she doesn't say where they come, just that they come over) and bring ALL of their makeup for evaluation. For the lessons, she tries to use as much of person's makeup as possible, only recommending new stuff if theirs are absolutely un-usable. She seems really down to earth and a fun lady, I would love to get a makeup lesson with her myself. (sadly this whole Makeup Lessons part of her site is only available in Russian, but you can still look at photos)

And here where the big BUT comes in. After reading through description of lessons with examples I got a distinct feeling that she is very against shimmer eye shadows and very much pro-luxury makeup brands. Why do I get that feeling? Because she is constantly repeating how matte eye shadows are the way to go (especially when she said that one of the girls had the ONLY  eye palette from Chanel that she would have called GOOD, since it barely had any shimmer - my poor translation/paraphrasing) and only recommends luxury brands (from what I could decipher from small writings in the example photos).

Yes, I agree that everyone is entitled to their own opinion. After all, I wouldn't be writing this if I didn't have my own opinion on makeup. For example, I hate matte eye shadows, but I do not tell everyone that only shimmers are allowed to "live" so to say. Or I am a budget makeup buyer, from luxury brands I only own some Urban Decay and some Benefit. Actually, I'm not even sure I consider those as "luxury" brands, they are too funky for that :) When I think luxury, I think sophisticated but somewhat minimalistic approach, not fun and funky ways of Urban Decay and Benefit. Yet I am not against luxury brands, I just don't feel the need to spend lots of $$ on a product when I could find a cheaper alternative. At the same time, I am dying to get a luxury brand foundation from say Mac, concealer from Bobbi Brown, or a primer from Guerlain. One of those days I will.

Now I really don't know how is the situation with makeup in Russia, when I went to Ukraine I had no problem finding skin care and hair care ranges made in Russia (Ukraine, Belarus, etc...) but sadly I didn't have time to look better for makeup brands. I think I noticed some 'normal' brands available everywhere, like Maybelline and Revlon, and I think I even saw some luxury makeup brands. Didn't notice any Russian or Ukrainian ones, but I didn't look too well. :( So assuming that all the drugstore brands that we have available are also available there, WHY DOES SHE HAVE TO RECOMMEND ONLY THE LUXURY BRANDS? We wouldn't have dupes if cheaper makeup did not perform as well, or in some cases as better than luxury brands. It just really irked me.

The next thing that irked me quite a lot was her constant use of matte eye shadows. It might be my humble opinion, but only 2 looks from the whole page worked, and even those only worked because of darker, more natural matte eye shadows were used. I even think the other looks would have looked better have there been some shimmer/highlight on the brow bone. And maybe more than one color used (yes, I am referring to that blue eye shadow look on the 1st model).

Why can't day look have more shimmer to it? Why should a night look only have shimmer in moderation? Why, why, WHY? Why would a makeup artist who does such gorgeous works, stubbornly suggest the same thing to everyone who comes in for a lesson? I bet if I had a lesson, she would disapprove of my WHOLE eye shadow collection, because they are all shimmer. Of course she also says that she doesn't forbid anything to anyone, so if you like shimmer, go for it but in moderation. Then why not post a look with shimmer in the examples?

So who knows, maybe the women in examples asked for those looks. Maybe the ones with shimmer did not allow their photos to be posted.  But overall, I got a very one sided impression of the whole makeup lessons, an it really made frustrated so I had to rant about it.

On the bright side, yesterday my friend and I went makeup shopping! She haven't really been to Boots or Superdrug, so when we walked in and she saw that drugstore makeup brands can be swatched and tried, she was just as excited as I was over a year ago. I recommended her a few things that I already tried, she picked up some stuff that she heard about, and was in general makeup heaven. I decided to pick up some No7 stuff that I've been wanting to try, thankfully Boots has a 3 for 2 offer on it right now and with the No7 voucher I was a very happy camper.

So here is what I got:

Exceptional Definition Mascara
The one I have is starting to dry out, so it was a perfect excuse to get a replacement. This time I got it in Black, instead of Black/Brown.

Instant Radiance Concealer in shade II
I wanted to try it ever since one of the blogs I follow mentioned it as either their best of 2010, or just as a favorite.

Colour Calming Primer
It is GREEN so of course I had to try it. Plus because of the offer, it was free. My face tend to get very red in cold or hot weather, so I'm hoping this will help me fix the problem.

Hm.... this is turning out to be quite a long post, but I have one more thing to add. This is FOTD I had few days ago, and I really want to post it especially after all that matte vs. shimmer eye talk.

Here is a look I created with Sleek SUNSET palette, which is my go to palette right now. Not that I don't want to try other stuff, but my makeup storage space is quite limited so I tend to use one thing until I get tired of it, then put it away and start on something new. But for now I'm very happy with the SUNSET palette, and don't see myself getting tired of it any time soon.

I was inspired by Eye Candy makeup book that I got few weeks ago in Birmingham. I love the book, and I love the looks the author creates there, with some modifications (read MUCH BRIGHTER) if I had to re-create them. This look was inspired by some of the examples, and was very quick to do. And very eye catching too, I had several people comment on it.

I didn't use an eyeliner because I felt it will overpower the blue and red, but if I had to repeat this look I would use blue and red eyeliner. If I can find them in the same color as those eye shadows. :)

So what do you think? Should shimmer eye shadows be allowed to be used in every day makeup? Could we get away with using cheaper brands for good (or amazing results)? What do you think about the above look?

~ Lyuba