Postcard from Tokyo, pt. 2

Another peek at a few of the the wonderful (and quirky) things I love about Japan from my recent trip to Tokyo: the sea of neon lights in Shinjuku and Shibuya (that never dim) juxtaposed with the tranquil, residential backstreets; sitting cross-legged on the floor to a keiseki (traditional Japanese feast) at a ryokan in peaceful Hakone against the looming backdrop of Mt Fuji and babbling streams; the face it is perfectly acceptable to be wearing a business suit with a tangle of Rilakkuma bear charms hanging from a bag (in an entirely non-ironic way); slurping noodles shoulder-to-shoulder with businessmen in Ebisu; cat cafes (the strangest/coolest invention for stressed out city-dwellers); the romance of an entire city turning pink beneath the canopy of the sakura blossom’s first blush. Love, Miss B xx

Beauty Wednesday: The Sugared Almond Manicure

I don’t know why, but much like brooches and expensive shoes and scented candles, I collect nail polish like an crazy woman. So given I own enough pastel polishes to wear a different colour each day of the week, obviously the only thing for it was to embrace my crazy woman tendencies and put them all on at once.

This is the easiest manicure there is, and it earns bonus points in my book for making me feeling like a kid in art class (in a good way). Here’s how to do it:

1) Choose your pastel rainbow. Although all the colours should contrast, you want them to be of the same whiteness/brightness (mine are all milky, sugared almond tones) so that one doesn’t stand out more than the others. You can use anywhere from 3 to 10 colours (I used 5 with the same order repeated on each hand). 2) Prep your nails. Buff, smooth and file nails so that they are all short and neat. Apply a base coat so the colours go on smoothly.

3) Paint in a graduated rainbow so the most similar colours are beside each other. Because pastels tend to be quite streaky and opaque, paint between 2 or 3 coats of each colour so that they look even and flawless. The key to pulling off girlish trends is to ensure everything looks perfect, so finish with a clear topcoat and clean up any edges with a polish correction pen. (L-R: Orly Lemonade, Essie Fiji, Nails Inc. Cambridge, Nails Inc. Oxford, Essie Mint Candy Apple)

Et voila! The perfect sugared almond nails. Best paired with bicycle rides, picnics and a big scoop of strawberry ice cream in the sunshine.

What is your favourite nail polish colour at the moment?

Love, Miss B xx

Postcard from Tokyo

I’ve just returned from a whirlwind week in Tokyo and still have the sounds of giddy schoolgirls calling ‘kawaii!!’ at every turn and the glorious sight of the first sakura blossoms racing around in my head in a happy, exotic fusion of memories.

It is a remarkable country, full of strange and wonderful dichotomies I relish each time I visit; of proud, ancient traditions and of others so modern it at times feels like an alternate, futuristic reality. From the peaceful stillness of the Shinto shrines to the sensory overload of Shinjuku after dark; from the sounds of the shuffling of wooden shoes shoes down tiny, neat backstreets to the blaring beats of the latest J-Pop band at the Shibuya crossing; a flash of crimson as girls in traditional Kimonos scurry past a sea of men in identical black suits; from the sight of the first cherry blossoms sprouting in the parks and mountains to the glimpse of a perfect bonsai in the window of a home; from sumo wrestlers to the unashamed embracing of all things saccharine and cute.

This really is a city of wonderful quirks so very unique to Tokyo, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Love, Miss B xx