weekend fun: going up north!

Things may have seemed a bit quiet around here lately and that is because I just came back from a brief trip to Northern Minnesota along Lake Superior. I was able to go with my boyfriend and his family and had an amazing time - I am always amazed by how beautiful the Midwest actually is! Needless to say, I took quite a few snapshots but culled through a majority of them and picked out my favorites (as an obvious warning, this will be a really picture-heavy post).

The cabin we stayed in was right on Lake Superior so on the first day we took a walk down to the beach and I couldn't get enough of the colors there - so pretty!

Another shot by the beach and, once again, there were so many gorgeous colors to see.

A shot from a scenic overlook on the Oberg hike.

Daisies outside the tent = a great way to wake up

Lovely beach at Grand Marais

On our last day we decided to do an impromptu hike on the Devil's Trail and although we were unexpectedly confronted with 200+ steep stairs at one point, the scenic points of the trail was well worth the hike, especially with what lay at the end of the trek: the Devil's Kettle!

The Devil's Kettle is a double waterfall that has a pretty neat mystery to it; one of the two falls leads into a deep hole and no one knows where it goes!

Not only was there plenty of hiking and touristy things to do in the five days I was there, but it turns out there's still a lot I missed! One thing I'm dying to do is go moose viewing :) I also had the chance to read by the lake, which was so relaxing! It was a wonderful trip and I was glad to see the beautiful area around Lake Superior - definitely keeping this area on my "places to revisit" list. 

japan: some snapshots

As I've mentioned elsewhere I am half-Japanese and was born in Japan, lived there for many years, moved to the USA, and was able to go back to Japan every year to see family. Due to the sheer number of trips I have taken over my lifetime, I have a huge pool of photos sitting in my hard drive. I thought it would be fun to feature of few Japan pictures since I know that Japan is a hot topic online! I will try to keep the images cohesive to year or location but, like I said, this is only a tiny sampling and I'll keep posting more if people enjoy seeing my take on Japan.

名古屋城 - Nagoya Castle (from afar)

Although my family is from Osaka, Japan (where I was born!) in later years they fanned out to other cities as well, such as Nagoya. Thus, I have spent the most time in Osaka and Nagoya, though I do have family in Tokyo who I visit on a regular basis.

There was a bonsai competition being held one year and I have to say, it was a stunning exhibition to walk through!

I am a huge fan of architecture in general - so happy to be dividing my time between two of the most architecturally gorgeous locations.

My grandparents live directly across from Nagoya University (名古屋大学) - as in, I can look out over campus from the room I stay in at their condo. There is a large clock on the campus building closest to us that is solar powered, which is how I always checked the time.

These were on the way to Mie Prefecture I believe? It has been a while so I am struggling to remember.

travel: what's in my make-up bag

I am about to head out on a week long trip (for spring break woo hoo!) and since I personally love any sort of "what's in my bag" type posts, I thought I would make my own. I'm going to focus on what's in my travel make-up bag!

The bag I use to store ALL my makeup in is an old freebie bag that I got from Clinique years ago, but it's still in perfect shape and I absolutely love the print on it! This one is pretty big so I like to use it to consolidate my toiletries and my makeup into one handy little bag.

And here are my travel makeup essentials! This isn't the whole collection, just what I have to bring with me on trips. I do have quite a bit of Physicians Formula because a) I live right across the street from a CVS (they ALWAYS have good deals on their PF makeup) and b) I have super sensitive, break-out prone skin. I just find that American cosmetics are usually harsh on my skin, so I stick to PF, though I have been more and more tempted to try out bare Minerals and tarte. I'm especially drawn to tarte's adorable packaging.

- Chifure Liquid Foundation UV SPF33 PA++ in ピンク (pink): as someone who is mixed, I have a hard time finding foundations that suit my skin tone in the United States. Fortunately, I found a great match for me in Japan! I have been using this Chifure foundation for years and have yet to have any complaints. I would say it is a light-coverage foundation but it is buildable and works well with any concealers or powders on top.

- Organic Wear Jumbo Lash Mascara: I grew up with a mother who was always really conscious about bad chemicals in everything, so I have always been wary about putting harsh chemically things near my eyes. I also wear contacts, so I want to make sure that nothing irritates my eyes. At the same time I do want to have mascara because I like how my lashes look when curled + marscara-ed. I also love this mascara because it has never smudged on me and I have a very smudge-prone eye area. I usually schedule my classes and seminars all on one day so I need something that stays on for 10-12 hrs and this definitely delivers for me!

-Physicians Formula Mineral Wear Talc-Free Mineral Face Powder in Translucent Light: I was using a Covergirl pressed powder before this one but wanted to try something different. I find it goes on well with a fluffy brush and mattifies the skin well. I tested its staying power on a day I had to go downtown for an interview; I put on my makeup at around 8:30am and rode the bus, walked around downtown for a few hours, had an interview, walked around more, rode the bus back, and when I checked in the mirror my makeup was still looking good! I was glad that the powder didn't cake or break apart like my other powders have done in the past.

- Conceal Rx Physicians Strength Concealer in Light: I think most people are familiar with the Physicians Formula concealers, because a lot of people have raved about them. I have to throw in my own praise because every time I put it on I can't believe how well it covers up blemishes - and as someone who is prone to problem spots on the skin, I approve!

-hair clips to get my bangs out of my face when I do my makeup or wash my face: pretty self explanatory, I think.

-Maybelline Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Radiant: I've talked about this product before and I'm still using it! Great concealer and after switching between two colors a few times, I've settled on 'Radiant' as my color. My only complaint about this product is that the brush tip leaks sometimes and although it has yet to leak out of the plastic cap, I always travel with it in its own plastic baggie just to be safe.

- Physicians Formula Happy Booster Glow & Mood Boosting Blush in Natural: How cute is this? I love the packaging and it's a great blush to boot! I decided to bring this blush along because it is a little more compact than my NudeWear blush and is easier to slip into your handbag if you decide to bring it along. And also, did I say it has super cute packaging?

- Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips for Brown Eyes: Who is getting sick of Physicians Formula? Clearly not me! This is a great go-to small palette for travel and has all my favorite shades, including a gorgeous deep plum color that I use in lieu of an eyeliner. It has all shimmer shades as well because I am a huge fan of shimmer eyeshadow - shimmer all day, every day, please!

-Physicians Formula Matte Collection Quad Eye Shadow in Canyon Classic: But since shimmer isn't always the best option, I have a matte quad as well. The colors are incredibly pigmented and smooth - when I first got it I was a little heavy handed and got way too much of the cream color on my brush and ended up with a white brow bone. Oops. I also use the darkest shade in this palette to fill in my brows when I want my already fairly defined brows to be an even bigger statement.

- Japanese drugstore makeup brand in brown: I can't find the brand name anywhere and it was also a gift from my mother after a trip, so I have no idea where it's from! That being said it's a pretty standard Japanese eyeshadow palette with neutral colors that are incredibly sparkly. Personally, I love it and I use it almost everyday, which is why I am getting close to hitting pan on the two lightest shades!

I also carry two sets of lip products (which didn't get pictured) to switch up my look:

-Julep Lipgloss in Charming and Enchanted
-Revlon's Just Been Bitten Kisseable Balm Stain in Honey and Rendezvous

Phew that was a lengthy post, but hope it was enjoyable! Let me know your travel essentials as well :)