Julep Nail Vernis Hayden (2012 Resort Collection)
| January 19, 2012 | Posted by peach_ under Julep |
Out of the three polishes I received in my January 2012 It Girl Box, I was most excited for Julep Hayden and didn’t hesitate to wear it first.
But it’s not because I particularly like orange nail polish or it looked the prettiest; in fact, it’s because my first thought was, “there’s no way it’s going to look good on my nails!”
And as I expected, it doesn’t look pretty…nor pretty good. It’s actually the sort of “fugly” shade that grew on me as I wore it for the past few days. It might very well be because I stared at it for too long and my eyesight have gone awry, but I’m completely fascinated with this intense shade!
Julep Maven Box #6: It-Girl (Polish Lover) Resort Collection January 2012
| January 18, 2012 | Posted by peach_ under Julep Maven |
This month has been the most exciting month yet to receive a Julep Maven Box! My eyes lit up as soon as I’d received the email notice revealing its content, and I was so stoked to see the nail polishes in person.
For this month, Julep came out with the Resort Collection to start off the year, and while tropical colors may seem out of place in the middle of January, I was more than eager add these spring-ready polishes to my arsenal. Besides, aren’t fashion and beauty always a season ahead?
Julep Nail Vernis Helena
| January 16, 2012 | Posted by peach_ under Julep |
Did you hear? Neon is in for 2012. 
And while I’m not quite ready to go out rocking bright pink eyeshadow or donning a highlighter yellow dress, what better way to embrace a trend than to wear it on the nails?
I dove into the trend with Julep Helena, which is not only a spunky hue, but also has a finish that’s edgier than a traditional creme.
Julep Maven Box #5: It-Girl December 2011 & 1-Cent Sign Up Deal
| January 15, 2012 | Posted by peach_ under Julep Maven |
December 2011? Really?
Yes, really! There was a mix-up with the mailing system (beyond Julep’s control) so I only got my hands on last month’s It Girl Julep Maven Box a week ago. I suppose it worked in my favor as its contents aren’t time-sensitive with holiday colors and prints, so no worries there!
It was the first month Julep made all the other box choices visible right on their site instead of having to manually request them via email. After going through the options, I stuck with my original It Girl box.
On MWS: Dior Vernis Forget-Me-Not 694 (Spring 2012 Garden Party Collection)
| January 12, 2012 | Posted by peach_ under Dior, Limited Edition, MWS Guest Post |
My second contributor post on My Women Stuff is up!
Paris B, the girl behind WMS, generously sent me Dior Forget-Me-Not (along with Inglot 603 from yesterday’s post!) all the way from Malaysia to swatch and review for her blog.
Please check it out here and let me know what you think!
xoxo,
peach
Inglot 603 O2M Breathable Nail Enamel
| January 11, 2012 | Posted by peach_ under Inglot |
I’m the type that’d really like to expand my brand horizon, but have difficulty doing so. I tend to be brand loyal; when I find something that I like within a brand, I stick with it and want to try other products within that range. That’s not a bad thing (especially for that company!) but how do you know something is great if you haven’t explored others, right?
Well, a push in the right direction came when a sweet girl recently gave me Inglot O2M Breathable Nail Enamel to try in the color 603. I’d heard raves over this Polish (as in the country, not nail varnish 
) brand, but since it’s only sold in select countries and not readily available to me, I had never tried it. Thanks to her, I was stoked and ready to dive into the world of beauty polygamy!
Dior Vernis Silver Lake 071 (Allure Magazine 20th Anniversary Special Edition)
| January 5, 2012 | Posted by peach_ under Dior, Limited Edition |
I’ve had Dior Silver Lake in my possession for weeks, but just got around to wearing it for the first time. I’m unsure exactly why, but I might’ve waited for the right occasion to do so since the boyfriend had kindly gotten it for me when I thought I wouldn’t be able to get my hands on one.
This color was apparently created to celebrate the 20th Anniversary of Allure Magazine. The backstory of how this came to be is unknown, but I decided the first manicure of 2012 was the perfect occasion for a little sparkle.
Hello, 2012
| January 1, 2012 | Posted by peach_ under Life |
Girl selling good luck and protection amulets at a local shrine
We had a shaky start of the year 2012 here in Japan, and quite literally so; there was a magnitude 7.0 earthquake today, the strongest we’d felt in months. Although there weren’t damages or warnings of tsunami, it came as a shock and a sore reminder of the catastrophe of last year, right at a time when the nation is trying its best to move forward and start anew.
2011 was unfortunately filled with disasters all over the world, one after another, and so my #1 wish for 2012 is for us all to have a safe year.
Mochitsuki mochi-pounding ceremony
Besides the quake, I would say I had quite a slow, relaxing, modest New Year Day. Unlike many Asian countries that celebrate the Lunar New Year, Japan celebrates its New Year on January 1st. And no, it’s not much about the count-down or hard partying; it’s to be spent with family and most return to their hometowns. Since Christmas is not a holiday in Japan, I’d say New Years is our Christmas.
Here are some New Year-related photos I took with my iPhone and camera.
Best Nail Polishes of 2011 à la Peach
| December 31, 2011 | Posted by peach_ under Best of, Chanel, Dior, Julep |
Or should I say, the best of CHANEL, Dior, and Julep in the second half of 2011?
I posted my very first post on à la peach at the end of June this year and it’s been a wonderful half a year of blogging, sharing my obsessions, reading each of your comments, and meeting wonderful readers and fellow beauty bloggers from all over the world.
It took me a while to start blogging and finally feel “okay” to indulge in and talk about such “frivolous” things as nails and beauty after the earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011 in Japan. But I’m so glad I did and I’m thankful for your taking the time to read my posts!
So let’s jump right in! In the past 6 months, I focused on CHANEL, Dior, and Julep polishes and here are my picks for the best of 2011.
CHANEL
On MWS: Holiday Nails with Shu Uemura x Wong Kar Wai Festive Rouge Mini Nail Duo
| December 22, 2011 | Posted by peach_ under MWS Guest Post, Shu Uemura |
Hi, polish lovers. My very first contributor nail post at My Women Stuff is live!
I talk about my first experience with Shu Uemura polishes, playing with the Festive Rouge Mini Nail Duo that’s part of the current limited edition collection with cinematographer Wong Kar Wai. I did some simple designs with glitter for quick and easy festive nails.
Please check it out here if you haven’t done so already. I’d love to know what you think. 
Thank you again to ParisB for the opportunity. xo
