I just got this email.  Apparently my readers like Utada too so I'm posting this up.

1 reader asked about RSVPing to the event, but I don't see any information about that.  It just says it's opened to public.  I'm going to suggest that you get there early to avoid a long line.  Lastly, there's going to be a $500 gift certificate from Sephora for 1 lucky winner!!  How awesome is that?

So again, the event to meet Utada Hikaru is on March 24, from 6 PM to 8 PM at the Sephora store on Hollywood and Highland.  From what I can tell, there's no RSVP, so get there early!  I noticed my previous Utada post had a lot of views, and saw that a lot of people are coming to my page straight from googling about this event.  So that means tons of people are interested in going!

EDIT:  One reader just informed me that you must RSVP.  Space is limited. Please e-mail your RSVP to vip@sephora.com with your name and the event location you would like to attend.

If you guys are going, look out for me and come and say hi!  Utada (and beauty) fans unite!

I might be one of the FEW Asians who is not already a big fan of Hikki.  Sure, I know who Hikki is and I like her work, but I've never been a big fan.  Especially not the way I was with CoCo Lee.  For some odd reason, I just didn't really get into JPop.  Anyhow.. She's coming back to the states with her 3rd English album, hoping to make it mainstream this time.  Her first album came back when I was still in HS, and her second one was very theatrical and not pop-friendly at all.  I like it now, years later, but that second album had to grow on me.

This video for her "debut" song, Come Back to Me, was just released, and baby, I've got chills.  It's such a beautiful song with a gorgeous video.  Hikki looks HOT in it!  The style, the makeup, the hair; everything is just bangin'!  Some people think the chorus is a bit repetitive, but I think it works with the song.  Btw.. anyone have an idea what that dark red color is?  I love it on her!  I think this weekend I'm gonna sport some heavy black rimmed eyes with a dark lip.  Baby come back to me!

Er.. I can't sleep so I've just been blogging and blogging.  Plus I had jury duty today, so I had a LOT of time of doing nothing.  =P

Recently on Lovelyish.com, there's a recent post on Asian women being obsessed with looking "white."  The author of the post wrote that recently she was in China taking glamour shots, and some older ladies commented that she looked so beautiful, like a white person.  So she asks, what's up with that?

Some comments argued that Asian, or more specifically, Chinese women, always wanted lighter skin because having lighter skin meant you were from a wealthier class and didn't have to work out in the fields all day.  Others are like, nonono, Asians just want to look white because they have an inferiority complex.

I never know what to think when I hear this type of stories.  This sort of stories has been posted multiple times in the past, whether on blogs o forums, but it's definitely not the first time I've read it.  Everytime I feel confused!

Since I was a mere baby in Taiwan, people on the streets have always stopped my mom to look at me, saying that I was so cute and wondering if I was white or mixed.  I was extremely pale with really dark black hair.  My eyes are on the big side with the lusted "double eyelids," but they are undoubtly almond shape, thus Asian IMO.  My nose is on the tall side, but it's also really wide and round.  Somehow, all of that lead people to conclude that I was mixed, Latina, or white.

Now I don't mind the ethnicity mix ups.  With my hair (multi color with blonde highlights, red-ish base, some pink streaks, and copper strands), makeup and colored contacts nowadays, it's bound to occur.  I'm no longer pale after living under the SoCal sun for almost 20 years.  But I really don't know how I feel when people tell me that I'm so pretty BECAUSE I look white/mix/non-Asian.  That really makes me think, so if a person looks Asian, does that mean they aren't pretty?  I want to take offense to the comment since I'm Asian, but then how can I be insulted when a person was trying to compliment me?

Or perhaps it's the vagueness of my looks that leads people to think I'm pretty, rather then the non-Asianness?  And is there really that inferiority complex?  Or do people simply find mixed looking people to look better?  Like Hannah Montana's song, "The Best of Both Worlds"?

"Beautiful" Asians.  Note both have rather "caucasian" features.

Here's a picture of the haul my sister got from Taiwan for me.  As I've said before in another post, somewhat offhand, is that in Taiwan, you can find pretty much all Japanese brand cosmetics at a lower price due to the currency conversion rate.  The New Taiwan Dollar (NT) is weaker than the Yen, so you definitely get a steal if you're visiting Taiwan.  If you live in Taiwan and earn Taiwanese work wages, then it's a whole different story.

Here's a picture I took after I dumped everything on my mom's bed.  I wanted to take more pix before I open anything, but my camera died after this one shot.  I'm such a doofus, I know.

Click for full size picture

Some obvious items include Lavshuca eyeshadow palettes, MJ eyeshadow palettes, and mascara.  That blue package is from Kiss Me, which I'm thinkng is the same brand as those Heroine mascaras, but I can't find it online anywhere.  I've been searching and searching so when I review it, people outside Asia can actually get it, but my searches has been fruitless.

I think my sister spent about $100 USD for all these.  I've only opened the blue Kiss Me mascara, the Susie NY powder on the bottom, and the MJ mascara (which I have to figure out which one it is before I review).  I've also tried that small eyelash curler on the right top corner, but I'm the worst person to review eyelash curlers.  I've also taken that pink Lavshuca Color Select palette to be my X-mas 2008 palette.  It is so pretty!

Oh.. my sister went to various drugstores like Watson and Sasa to buy all of these.  She didn't bother going to department stores for any high end Japanese brands since she figured that this haul was more than enough.  Little does she know, I could have bought so so so much more.

I was browsing beauty blogs today and came across Cosmetic-Candy.  The blog itself is so cute, and like PJ of A Touch of Blusher, Cosmetic-Candy hails from the UK, and has lots of knowledge when it comes to Asian makeup brands.

She has a category on Taiwan Cosmetics, which I'm uber curious about since when you think Taiwan and cosmetics, you'd usually think of Japanese brands at a lower price due to the NT being weaker than then Yen.  I clicked and came across this post, which featured a youtube video with a guy talking about MUGU, a Taiwanese brand.

I'll get to MUGU later, since I'm still looking at their website.  It's all in Chinese, which I er, sadly, can't read, despite er, being born in Taiwan and even taking a whole year of Chinese for Native Speakers at UCLA (got As too, woot!), so it's going to take some time.

Anyhow... I came across this video on creating a well blended smoky eye that properly accentuates your eyes, without the black being too harsh.  Smoky eyes is a tad tricky on Asian eyes, since the technique is really really different.  Most Asians just have different eye shapes than non-Asians, so the idea of applying the darkest color on the crease, then blending it up/down and what not doesn't really work.  So this video really helps.

The guy basically tells you to apply black pencil liner on top of your lash line, then gently blend it upwards.  Then blend the whole lid area with a dark metallic color.  Do the same for the bottom lash line.  Highlight the inner corner of your eye with a nude or pink shimmery shade, rather than white since white looks too harsh against the black, then finish the entire look with false lashes.  This draws attention to your eyes, instead of making it look heavy and dark like how the girl looked previously.  Hope you like this video!