This is my one and only haul from Japan Skin because they are going out of business, sadly. I saw someone on Instragram say the bought some items from their closing sale, so I decided to check it out myself, and I indulged. 

I suppose it's kind of pointless to talk about shipping and stuff, but I'll do it anyway. I placed my order on June 5, it shipped on the same day, and it took nearly three weeks to get here. It came straight from Japan, so I was okay with it taking that long. It came in a nice red box and was stuffed with packing peanuts. 

The sale is ridiculous. As in, ridiculously cheap. It was about 80% off, which is insane. I was able to get Canmake items for about what I'd buy it for in actual Japan. Crazy! 

It also came with a freebie! Tooth brush sheets! I haven't opened the package yet, but it appears to be like wet naps for your teeth, instead of a brush. Neat concept, I'll definitely be trying it. 

THIS. Diamond Lash brand lash adhesive is my favorite lash glue in the world. On oahu at Don Quijote, it's maybe between $5.00 - $8.00 for one (last time I looked). I managed to get them for $9.37 for a pack of three. WHAT! 

I also got some adorable blotting papers and lip balm. I have no idea what this brand is, I just got it because it was cute and really cheap. These are blotting papers, but I thought it was really neat because there is a puff, which is sticky, so when you open the pack it picks up a sheet of blotting paper. That way, you don't have to struggle to get a sheet out, and you have something to hold on to when you blot your face. I got three packs so I could give away as gifts (but let's face it, I'll probably keep it for myself, who am I kidding). I use it often, and it absorbs oil nicely like any other blotting paper. 

Look at this packaging. It says puro puro lip cream, whatever that means. 

UGH IT'S SO CUTE. 

I'm not sure I'd call it a cream. It's definitely more like a balm. 

Hello, Canmake! I love Canmake products. They're an adorable drugstore brand that is actually decent. I took a chance and got a tinted powder, and luckily it seems to match my skin well enough. 

This is the Marshmallow Finish Loose Face Powder, with SPF, which is pretty much the main reason I got it ($9.37).  Inside is a mirror under the cap, and a standard puff covering the holes for the loose powder. I don't know why I didn't take a picture of that. 

I also got a matte blush ($7.19)...

And a highlighter ($7.19). I got it in a blue shade because I don't really have an everyday blue highlight. I'm not sure blue could be used for everyday, though, but there you go. There was also a glowy blush, but I didn't see it at the time. Ah well, it's not like a need another blush. 

The store is still up and running, and there are still some products left. If you want to snag some Japanese skincare and makeup, get there fast and get it while it lasts! 

May's BB Bag is themed May Flowers. First and foremost, can we talk about the bag? Cutest bag I've ever received from Beauteque! Of course I forgot to take a picture of it, though. I always forget to snap a picture of the bags. 

Total value: Just under $69.00

It's Skin My Bottle Vita Soothing Gel ($20.99) 

You could get either Vita-P Grape or Vita-K Kale, and I got grape. This particular one contains grape and paprika extracts enriched with "vitamin P" to nourish your skin. It is a moisturizer that also firms. I have never heard of vitamin P in my life and I feel like someone just made that up. If anyone knows what that is, let me know in the comments section. I love getting cooling gels because I like to use them on hot days, and of course when I inevitably get sun burned at the beach. This one feels nice and dries down quickly. I'm just not a big fan of the bottle because it's a bit awkward to squeeze. It looks like it should have a wide mouth, but it's just a tiny hole to squeeze out of. 

Etude House Lovely Cookie Blusher ($10.00)

I was verrrrryy excited to get an Etude House makeup product! I mean, look at it. It's super adorable. But unfortunately this product was a bust for me. The shade I got was #2 Strawberry Choux (such a cute name), but when I put it on my face and it literally looked like I just smudged cornstarch on my cheeks. So bummed. The puff is also very awkward to use because there is nothing to really hold on to. You can't really grab the bow easily. Le sigh. 

Lindsay Lavender Modeling Mask ($6.00)

This product contains lavender, which helps detoxify the skin and gently lift dead skin cells away. This product came in a cup with a lid and a scooper, so all you had to do was add water to the container. It even has a lid! I was excited to use this product, but again, it was a bust! It was definitely because of user error, though. I didn't move fast enough and it just gummed up so quickly. I got two smears on my cheeks and that was it. Oh well, at least I can use the container again for my other modeling mask! 

Tsaio Camellia Wash-Remove Oil Mousse ($16.99)

This is an "oil mousse" cleanser that contains amino acids and moisturizing oil. This is a face wash that removes makeup, and also removes oils from your face, and may even help any acne issues. I don't know what an oil mousse is. It just seems like a standard foaming cleanser to me. It smells alright, and it does make my face feel really clean without a squeaky feeling, unlike another Tsaio cleanser that I have. Nothing amazing, but a decent product. 

Peripera Speedy Eyebrow Auto Pencil ($8.00)

Flat, wide tip

Useless spooly

The color matches me, but I find the product to be kind of waxy and stiff. It takes a bit of pressure to use which tugs at the skin, which I don't like, and can be damaging to the skin. And don't even bother using the spooly. The bristles are so soft they just skate right over your brow hairs and don't blend out the product at all. 

Shimeiyi Oval Face Brush ($6.99)

Obviously, I did not take this photo of this brush. But let me tell you why I don't have a photo of it. I took it out of the packaging and ran my finger over it to feel it, and the bristles started to fall out. Every time I swiped my finger through the bristles, more bristles would fall out. It was awful. And it wasn't one or two hairs. It was a LOT of hairs, every time I ran my finger over it. I wasn't even going to bother putting it on my face, and I was so annoyed that I just threw it in the trash. So, that's why I don't have a picture of it. 

I wanted to love all of these products, but most of them just didn't do it for me. If the blush was in a different color it would have worked for me, and if I wasn't an idiot and knew how to use a modeling mask, I probably would have enjoyed it. It wasn't all the bag's fault. It's not the bag, it's me...partially. Did these products work for you? What did you like best?

If you thought that Macy's was the only place on Kauai that you could find high end cosmetics and skincare, think again!  

Beauty Bar Kauai is located in the Princeville Center on the North Shore of Kauai. It's a small shop, and you might pass right by it if you're not looking carefully. The store name is on the window, but it's difficult to see. The window display, as of this writing, doesn't really show you that this store has cosmetics, in my opinion. It looks a bit more like a surf shop at first glance, displaying bikini bags and Quay sunglasses.

On this inside, there's a variety of local Kauai products, and other Hawaii products. They carry the super popular Leahlani Skincare products, which you can sample (which is great, I wish everyone let you sample products here)! 

They have quite the variety of Leahlani, more than I've seen anywhere else on Kauai, so far. The prices for these products range from $24.00 - $89.00, depending on the product, and depending if it's a set. 

Beauty Bar carries Jane Iredale cosmetics, which admittedly, is a brand I've never heard of. According to the Beauty Bar website (listed below), the products range from $20.00 - $49.00. Some examples of the prices are: $32.00 for an eyeshadow pot, $49.00 for foundation, $30.00 for a highlighter. To me, these prices seem steep, but then again I don't know this brand. 

If you are a fan of Smashbox, you can find a lot of products here! Foundations, blushes, eye liners, brushes, etc. It's not a Sephora sized selection, but it's a good amount of items. 

There are also some Butter London items, but a much smaller selection, and it seems to be mostly nail polishes (next to the OPI polishes). There are also Ardell brand falsies (which you can buy at CVS), lash adhesive, and assorted brushes and foundation blenders. 

On the more affordable end, they carry The Balm Cosmetics products! There were small eye shadow palettes, a bronzer, two lippies, and some other various products pictured. The lippie was $18.00, and I think the bronzer was $20.00. Pretty standard prices for this brand. 

I was surprised to see that they carried the Cailyn Cosmetics O! Wow brush! The single brush was $42.00 and the double sided brush was $34.00, which is standard pricing for it. So if anyone here on Kauai has been wanting to try a brush foundation applicator like this, you know where to find it! 

Beauty Bar also carries a variety of Tokyo Milk and Lollia by Margot Elena products. The only other place that I've seen here that carries any Margot Elena products is Jane Kauai, who carries their Lollia line. These products would make great gifts because they come in really adorable and fun boxes, and the packaging is adorable. 

There is also a variety of Juice Beauty products. I've heard of this brand, but have never tried any of their products. At least I know if I'm ever curious, I can have my pick here! 

There is also a variety of hair care products here. Again, many of these lines I've never heard of. 

You can find what I believe is handmade jewlery as well, and more local products, like these cute bikini bags and pouches. 

I apologize for not being able to be more detailed. I was with my family and couldn't really dilly dally. I snapped as many pictures as I could, but didn't get to look at prices. The prices that I mentioned in this post are from their website, which I assume is the same prices in store. So, from what I've seen, let's break it down:

Variety:

Beauty Bar carries the following cosmetic brands (that I saw): 

• Smashbox
• Butter London
• Leahlani Skincare
• Tokyo Milk
• Lollia
• The Balm
• Jane Iredale
• Caitlyn Cosmetics
• Juice Beauty 

For the size of this store, the variety of products is pretty large. There's a lot to choose from in a lot of lines, like Leahlani Skincare, Juice Beauty, Jane Iredale, and Smashbox Cosmetics. I'd like to see a bit more The Balm products, or maybe another more affordable line like that one. 

Ease of Browsing:

The store is small but easy to navigate. If you take your time you'll be able to see most of the products easily, but I can see that store getting pretty cramped on a busy day. There's only one employee (at least when I went), and they will help you if you want to sample something. 

On Trend:

Mmm, it's hard to gauge this one. They carry trendy brands, and a lot of products in those brands, so I suppose in that sense you could consider this place pretty on trend. 

Prices:

Expensive. But, this is higher end stuff. Higher end skincare, higher end hair care, higher end cosmetics. The prices don't appear to be grossly exaggerated and seem to be pretty much what you'd pay online, so you might as well buy it from Beauty Bar and test out the products while you're at it to make sure you really like it. 

Conclusions: 

I love that you can sample so many products in here, which is something you can't really do at a drugstore. I love that the products are just there for you to try, and it's not like Macy's where they have testers, but no products in them. I like that I can find some high end brands there that aren't at Macy's, but man, it's far. Beauty Bar Kauai is quite out of the way for anyone that lives any further than Kapaa, but if you're a tourist (or playing tourist), chances are you will find yourself on the North Shore. And if you do, check this place out.

Beauty Bar Kauai

Princeville Center

5-4280 Kuhio Highway, Management Office

Princeville, HI 96722

Website: beautybarkauai.com

Email: beautybarkauai2@gmail.com

HOURS:

10:00am-6:00pm Sunday-Thursday

10:00am-8:00pm Friday-Saturday

I'm still not over the seashell nail trend, and I thought I'd give it a Hawaii twist by making it look like a sunrise shell! 

Sunrise shells are endemic to Hawaii and are so named because, well, just look at this: 

Each shell looks like a sunrise! The pink, orange and yellow color is what most people see in stores, but sunrise shells can also come in hues of greens and blues. I decided to do my nails like the really bright pink and orange sunrise shells that I prefer. I'm not in love with what I did, though. I think if I were to do it again, I'd forego the row of pearls on the nails, and maybe paint my other nails either pink or orange instead of the pale pink. I'm also not a big fan of the shell bits on those fingers. I feel meh about this manicure, but I do love the sunrise shell look!