Sephora Lockout

I don't know what is going on in Sephora land at the moment.

With the 20% off sale I was excited to go and get my family and friends a bunch of Christmas gifts and perhaps a few exciting new additions to my own collection on the side. But, no. I live in Japan. A place which, it seems, Sephora is deliberately blocking out of this major sale.

I guess the politically correct way to say that would be 'ALLEGEDLY' deliberately blocking.

Granted I have only recently been able to purchase from Sephora. I went on a trip to Hawaii back in July of this year and was overwhelmed by the excitement of a store centered around us beauty product obsessed. A shop you could walk into a complete and utter mess and walk out of with a brand new face.

So many brands and a variety of prices it's hard for me to find a reason not to validify my expenses resulting in almost immediate upgrade to VIB level.

I thought when I returned to Japan a week later, laden with nail polish, lipstick and bronzer, I would never have a chance like that again. Japan is sorely lacking in the ranges I crave and, especially, the colours I need for my porcelain white skin. But then, I discovered Sephora.com the remedy to all my woes.

I saved a bit more and by the time my Hawaiian purchases had run dry I was ready to make another order. I anticipated my new makeups arrival every waking second. When it finally came I played around and changed my whole makeup routine. With the help of Kat Von D I was now an eyeliner specialist where before I would get frustrated before I even began.

As my makeup once again began to dry up I started saving again and researching into more new and exciting brands. A constant flow of filling and emptying my basket. I looked forward to the help of First Aid to clear my dry spots in the colder season and the use of Bite lipstick to give me gorgeous lips but still keep it appropriate for the work place. I even listed up a bunch of gift sets ready for the season of giving.

Then I got the 20% off email.

I could've screamed but the walls here in Japan are very thin and explaining my excitement over a beauty sale to my neighbour would've been a hassle and my vain would have been open to judgement.

I counted down the days and talked over my intended purchases with my friends. I even recommended and directed a few new-to-makeup types to the site and showed them my favourites.

But for the past few days I have been completely blocked from the site.

A supposed 404 message stopped me at every link.

I read the articles online and, while I still don't believe they are 100% the truth, I do find some of the evidence astounding.

What I'm trying to say to you, Sephora, is; I'm here for the love of makeup, not the blatantly illegal profit making business.

Twitter keeps assuring me that the tech people are on it and it will be fixed soon but the time is almost up and I have no answers.

Whether or not this will stop me from purchasing from Sephora in the future, I do not know. But it will, most certainly, stop me from refreshing my supply for now and you can bet I will not be buying Christmas gifts from Sephora this year.

You missed out on one loyal customer Sephora. I will not be going back to the norm once this sale ends.

As Walt Disney said to P.L. Travers, "That ship has sailed".

Autumn Jewellery Ideas

I have had these pieces for a while but have been hesitant to use them due to what is deemed "work appropriate" in my office. However, after seeing one particularly glamourous co-worker wearing a beautiful necklace with bright blue thread and diamantés I decided it was time to give them a go.

This is not how I would wear them to work (a little too out there perhaps) but I will definitely be incorporating them into my work wear from now on.

Necklace and Ring from H&M

Necklace and Rings from H&M

Necklace from H&M(?) and Ring from TopShop

You always need a little glam in the colder weather. 

Autumn Retail Therapy

After an awful week of work I could think of nothing better but heading down to the mall and shopping up some Autumn goodies at Plaza.

Some delicious deep reds for Autumn

I headed in fully intending to come out with a nude nailpolish for work in perhaps a grey or beige tone but ended up at the completely opposite end of the spectrum with this beautiful oxblood. Essie nail polish has only arrived in our local plaza in the last month or so and there could be no worse temptation. This Bordeaux colour was exactly what my heart really wanted despite my practical intentions.

Essie's Bordeaux

As the Autumn turns into Winter our skin suffers more and more with the wind and dry air of the season. So, I thought this would be the perfect time to try the 'Chulip' lip-balm I've seen recently on the shelves of Plaza. Each balm is named after a city and after going through every scent I settled on Paris. I can't say this actually smells or relates very closely to Paris but it is a perfectly yummy berry scent. 

Chulip's Paris Lip-balm

Finally, my attention was drawn to the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms. In all honesty, I could have bought the lot. They are perfectly smooth and feel almost moisturising. They have great application too and the colours are great for the colder months. I chose number 15 as it would be deep but subtle enough for work. I love this colour and will no doubt be wearing it for the next few months in between my other favourite for the season, Bite's Musk lipstick.

Revlon Colorburst Matte Balms no.15

P.S. the lovely book background is Barnes and Nobles collectors edition of Grimm's fairytales