Finding joy in life's small victories...

...like THIS GUY over here finally joining my blog.  I mean, just look at him and tell me you wouldn't want him to join your blog! lolz
Sorry ladies, that's my brother Ryan, and yes, he does indeed exude pure Awesomness ;)

Purikura - Japanese photo editing is fun and cute!

All over Japan, a popular thing for girls (and guys) to do while out and about is to step into a purikura booth and make cool, cute photo stickers like this.  You simply put in your money, take a few shots, then decorate them with frames, stickers, glitter, and words, then print them out. 

Since I haven't gotten to Japan yet, I can recreate these awesome little pics with the loads of great purikura apps on my iPod touch. As you can see, the results are only limited by your imagination.  You can go subtle, like the one below, or crazy out there like the ones above.

If you have an iPhone or iPod touch, simply go to the app store and search "purikura" and you're on your way!  So fun and definitely kawaii!

Here's my brother Ryan and my mom.  I love this one!  The one below is a cool pic I made of my boyfriend dressed up like Iron Man.  I added the frame and stamps to make it look like manga!

Better late than never!

  For ages now, I have had a love affair with cosmetics.  What began as a few hand-me-downs from my mom when I was a teenager, has turned into a respectable collection that continues to grow.  I vividly remember watching her apply her makeup before work (always blue and pink eyeshadow and frosty pink lips) and waiting with anticipation until the day I was old enough to wear makeup out of the house.
  Now, many years later, I still love it.  I discovered the blogs of tons of talented gals offering advice, tutorials, and product reviews, and have been hooked ever since.  Unlike some of those blogs, I am not an expert or professional makeup artist, just a big fan :)
  So, this blog will be quite a bit about makeup, but it will also be about my other interests in life: making jewelry, Japan, Hello Kitty, video games, school and life in general...and any other cute or shiny things that catch my eye along the way. Part blog/part photo album/part diary - that's what I'm going for here.

Wish me luck!