My Leopard Print Hat!

♡Glamour photo set!♡

I did wear falsies here. They're so much fun!! They aren't something I am willing to do everyday again...yet. I'll probably  come around!( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

日本語で少なく書かなかったごめんね。最近、薬のふつうの投薬が先生ので少なくなりました。んで、気持ちはなんとなく大変すぎるになってしまったの。言いにくくて、ごめん！

Ahhhh. I'll start crying if I keep going. English is safer. Www

Nighty night!!

Cheers,

Kat

♡Beauty and Other Things♡

Hello there! ♥

Recently I have been *bum bum buuuum* working two jobs. As having one job scares the crap out of me, having two is very stressful for me. Whilst coping, I also need to look my best, of course. I wanted to share with you what two products I have started using that really help keep my look put-together! (＝゜ω゜)ノ

♥Number one! Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous.♥

 This stuff is ちょうすごい！(so amazing!) It has foundation, primer, concealer, and stays matte. It also has SPF 20! I love it! It really does stick, though, so I have to make sure to use my make-up remover in conjunction with sudsing-up when I'm washing my face at the end of the night to avoid breakouts. But check out that coverage! It's pretty flawless!

♥Number two! L'Oreal Telescopic Mascara♥

あ、好きになったわ！(Ah, I'm in love!) This mascara means that I don't have to use falsies. Don't get me wrong, I love falsies. But I don't think that they looks really good on my eyes unless they are those more natural kinds, and then why would I bother wearing them at all anyway? This mascara can build up and not look chunky. My favourite method is to put it on, let it dry for a minute, and then add on some extra length with a second or third coat. You will get long, gorgeous lashes. I love 'em. It definitely gives off a dolly-esque vibe when you do the lower lashes. Squee!

I will be doing a post on hair soon here because I need to make a decision on my hair. It's just not very cute, sexy, or cool. It's nothing. Just blah. So, I'm on the search for a good haircut! Maybe something shorter? Σ(゜д゜|||)

Cheers,

Kat

♡Errands♡

I'm so excited!!

Okay, so not super duper excited. I mean, they are 用事, after all. But it is the first day of no work and no school. Time for some time getting things done. 

Ian and I got the house all nice and prettified yesterday. It is always a lovely feeling to have the house feeling airy and light after a major cleaning. The cats seem to be pretty happy cat-campers, too.  Now for laundry!

Books sold back to school resulted in a whopping 87 bucks! Woot! That is money that I am very happy to see. Speaking of, Dad says for me to find a second job anyhow. Who knows if my current one will give me the hours I need or not. I need to act now to secure a job before all the other uni students get there first!! Hehe! 

Looks like I have my work cut out or me!

Wish me luck!!

-Kat

♥Hello Lovely People!♥

♡Time for a Change♡

Hello again Internet!
Today is a special day dear to my heart. I have turned in my last take-home final and finished my last exam which means it is-- officially-- SUMMER TIME~! ♬♪♬ 

It is also waiting time for miss Kat (that's me) to hear back for the results from Ritsumeikan University and the scholarships she applied to. I have been told that I am basically accepted, but you aren't really in until you're in. I need that piece of paper that says it. Or e-mail. I'm unsure which it will be. 

In terms of scholarships and grants, I applied to five different ones. I have since been rejected by two, a scholarship and a grant. Do not fret, I already had my miniature meltdown. Fiance talked me through it and all is okay. I figure that I will be very lucky and grateful to be given money to go abroad with by one scholarship or grant. ( o u o )

It is aaaaalso work work work time. I had this beautiful plan to get awesome hours and not only be able to pay for all my bills and rent but also save money for Japan. This plan has subsequently gone out the window. It looks like I will be getting a second job. My employer (of whom think I should not mention here for keeping-my-job purposes) has decided to cut hours across the board. Most everyone is struggling to keep good enough time on the clock. Oh well. 就職しお！(job searching!)

I plan on keeping this blog up for my study abroad, which may mean that earlier posts will disappear for continuity. I'll take pictures of pretty things and upload them for you all, though! I have four months to go before I leave so I will be using the blog in the mean time to post about daily life happenstance. ( o J o )v

Cheers,

Kat

♥OH! It's Been a While!♥

♡Let Me Tell You Where I've Been!♡



I already told you that I'm applying for studying abroad in Japan, yes?
I believe so. Well, if I hadn't yet, you know now. 

Here I am now, in the present, all applied to go. What does it entail? In order to finish the application before the due date on the 13th this month, I finished: 

1. My course planning draft ("list 12 different courses you want to take and their descriptions, please")
2. My curriculum vitae (thank you to my big brother who helped me out with it), 
3. My statement of purpose in JAPANESE (thank you to Rekochan for helping me make my 3rd grader sentences sound more like those of an adult)
4. Sending them my official transcripts
5. Paying them a $200 dollar application processing fee (*cries a little*)

ugh

But that's not all! (On top of regular homework) I'm also working on scholarships~!☆ミ

Regents, Japan Bridge, Boren, Gilman, not to mention finishing my fafsa~! All of them are due this month~! Ahahaha~~ It's so funny because it makes me so sad! Ha-ahaha~!

So now you know. I have been a lazy blogger due to life. And now I'm a ridiculous-looking cat, strung out on who knows what and rolling around on the floor. That's what I've become.

Cheers,

Kat

P.S. That is a picture of myself.

♥I Found Out Why I'm Not Pretty♥

♡Technique!♡

Who would have thought it! (Well, probably a lot of people have thought it.) My technique of applying my foundation, my eyelashes, and my eyeliner has been off for the shape of my eyes.

I have been applying eyeliner to the area of the lower eyelid towards the outer corners. But after looking at the inspiration I posted last night, namely this one,

I realised that I should try this approach for giving that emphasis on the middle of the eye, which can make your eyes look more...erhm.. endearing? Is that what I want to say? Hahaha! I want to say "doll-like", but the whole eye is supposed to be "dolly". Oh well. Moving on!

The second thing I realised I needed to do was to sort of twist my eyelashes before I put them on. I realised this by accidentally squishing the end half of on of my eyelashes whilst putting on makeup and had a lightbulb-over-head moment. 

Ah-Ha!

It is exactly what I was trying to achieve. I don't even think I will need to double up my falsies. The effect here is that it makes my eyes look more rounded and my eyelashes more dynamic.

The lassst thing I discovered is that I desperately needed a good moisturizer (but was stubbornly waiting for money to be able to get my favourite), and really needed a new foundation. I really like Shiseido brand cosmetics but they are so expensive I just can't do it right now. I've had The Makeup Dual Balancing Foundation

 for a while and really liked it, but I thought I was just not applying it correctly. I think now it is just the makeup itself that doesn't work right for me. I use a primer, I exfoliate my skin, I was using  the Shiseido moisturizer. I finally started using a brush instead of fingers to apply it and that was when I realised the makeup just didn't work. It was always going to look chalky on my face.

Any tips you guys can give will be greatly appreciated!♡

Cheers,

Kat

♥What I Like♥

♡And What I Want To Look Like♡

Here are some of my inspirational girlie looks!

あん〜！どうしおね！こんな女の子のように可愛い子になりたいだけど、出来るかな．．．ヽ(;´д｀)ノ

今これはライフの中に一番問題わ。(～o～)

I'm going to sleep now.

Augh, なんかnow I'm depressed.

-Kat

That's Much Better! (And Some Makeup Photos!)

How do you like all the pink? 

(´･ω･｀)

I really like this template. I got it off of this website. Cute, でしょう！

I need some help from you guys out there. I have a conundrum figuring out where and what to buy for my eye makeup. I've been struggling to figure out what kind of makeup I should use for my eyes. There are SO many kinds to look at. Let me give you some examples:

Those are only a few different kinds. But of course the possibilities are almost endless.

You may notice that these eyes are gyaru style. I have been refraining from using that term because I don't consider myself gyaru-- rather, I just want to look as cute and pretty as I can. 

It is a problem that I have caucasian eyes for the use of this kind of eye makeup. I have a hard time following the tutorials because some aspects of it don't deliver the same effects that they do on an Asian-looking eye. 

What I want, people, is a clean and simple eye makeup that gives a pretty 《ＰＯＰ》. 

Here are some pictures of my makeup trials:

A little too much eyeliner, no real eye enlargement.

Okay, but really just elongating my eye, and not adding much in terms of height due to lack of attention to the lower lid.

Same complaint as above.

This is my favourite look yet (except for the fact that I managed to do something very weird while putting on my foundation that made me look chalky). A Little too much eyeliner on top, but the lower lashes were awesome. I lost one of them, though, so I currently don't have any lower falsies. This look gave my eyes that enlargement I want with minimal makeup. My only complaint is that this look was a little more spiky and less soft and dolly like I want.

I'm not sure exactly where to take this at this point. I'll do a post on the looks I find most ideal in a minute.

Any help??

Baibai Cuties,

Kat

Changing the Blog's Template

Sorry Guys

But it looks like there is something fishy going on with the template editor on blogger.

I can't change the background picture, the colour, the font, or the font sizes. They just won't apply.

I know it's drab-looking right now, so pardon the construction!

Cheers,

Kat

Are You Busty?

Then This Might Take A While.

This is my experience with looking for clothes on Asia-fashion-wholesale.com.

So I should make a confession that I am a busty, busty girlie. 36DDD, to be exact. Gyabo! This is something about my body I have reeeally hated for a long time now. Want to find a bra? Nope. A blouse that doesn't pucker? Sorry.

Boo.

But here is the sick and twisted part that the Universe decided to impose on me: I love Japanese and Korean fashion. Korean and Japanese aren't busty, though. Therefore, most things don't fit me.

オッパイなら、もうすぐ悲しくなる。

In general, most cute style things don't fit me.

If I wanted to wear sexy things, then I could probably wear a lot of things. But I like a cute look. *sigh*

Please excuse my hands here! ごめん! I was rushing a bit. ( o u o;)

Please do not get me wrong here, I think sexiness is a really lovely thing on girls. But it doesn't fit my personality. And because of where I live, when I do wear anything semi-revealing (for a dance or by accident) people will honk at me or approach me. No, it isn't nice boys my own age doing this. Yes, it is creepers in their forties or fifties who assume I would really appreciate their comments. 

I'll stick to the style I like better.

But let's get to the point of this post: shopping online. If you go on to the website Asia-fashion-wholesale.com-- stocked with duper cute cheaply priced clothing-- you might find it a little overwhelming. There is just SO MUCH STUFF. Bags, Dresses, Shoes, Shirts, Blouses (Summer AND Fall), Jackets, Accessories, Kittens, Kanye West, Kangaroos.. Okay, maybe not those last three. Anywho! In each category there is a LOT of stuff to view. I mean like over one-hundred pages of content for some categories.

I have decided that I'm not going to try and squeeze my breasts into clothes that are too tight or wear sports bras that squish them for the same reason. I will respect my boobs and only buy clothing that fits all of me. The magic number of centimeters I am looking for is 104. If the shirt/blouse/dress says it can fit 104 cm, I can buy it. Sadly, this proved to be just as challenging as I had thought.

They list the sizings for each item. So, I went through hundreds of pages of content to find some things that I liked, and of those few I found a smaller number of clothing items that were over 100 cm. Most shirts/blouses/dresses/etcetera range from 75-90 cms in the bust.

If you are an average height and usually wear a medium, you will probably find you can fit most things.

If you are a busty gal, you will have your work cut out for you.

That said, the customer service is excellent. I had many questions and was happy to discover a live chat button on the "Contact Us" page. I spoke with a woman named "joy" who was helpful and polite and called me "dear" the whole time. How cute!

"I recommend!"

Check them out!

Cheers,

Kat

Circle Lenses! Soon, soon...

They're Coming!

Heeey! So, I'm on the waiting end of many packages.

I sadly confessed of spending too much moolah and compulsively buying lots of stuff online. If you want all that update, you can find the post here.

Sigh.

Oh well! I'm done with that! No more spending. Now I just get to be excited about the coming stuff!

I ordered both lenses from Circlelens.net:

I ordered Neo Vision Dali Brown Black

And I also ordered Vassen Super Size Hyper Barbie Brown

Eeks! I'm so excited! I have dark blue eyes so there is a risk that I'll look strange. But! I have naturally large pupils, so I'm hoooooping it will turn out alright. (*゜―゜)

I'll be posting a video when I receive them, yu guise. （＾ω＾）♡

Cheers

-Kat

On the Lighter Side: Look How Pretty I am!

Pictures of my Pretty Progress

I decided to post some pictures of me in my new official everyday makeup and hair for evidence that I am trying to do what I said I would.

Here is a picture of my old makeup routine

I used eyeliner, mascara and foundation. That's it! I found that the cat-eye look just didn't really match my style very well. I was growing out my bangs at the time also...

BUT! Then came a night when I just couldn't handle the awkward length my bangs were at and --as has happened many a time in my life-- 

I cut them.　Σ(゜д　゜|||)

"I cut my hair!"

The bangs style I was looking for is similar to this kind of a look.

Note: Just the bangs, not the whole hairstyle.

For my base face makeup now I'm using a primer (Sephora Luminous Foundation Primer) and a foundation (Shiseido The Makeup) and a setting powder (Sephora brand again) and blush (in these photos Bare Minerals). This is the first time I've ever had my foundation look so flawless and last so long. (＝゜ω゜)ノ

Sorry for the under eye bags, yu guise. ( < x > ||) 

As I had posted about, my sleep has been less than it usually is.

I am also wearing false eyelashes on both my top and bottom. I have been trying to achieve a big eye look and had tried a few times to wear a look similar to a simple Gyaru-style, but it didn't quite work out. That is, until I saw this picture of Kyari Pamyu Pamyu:

"Ah", I thought, "I've been approaching the 'big eye' makeup the wrong way!" I had been trying to enlarge the look of my eyes by making the sides of my eyes look bigger. This requires more makeup than I'm used to and I just made my eyes look weird and overdone. If I try to make my eyes look bigger by making them look taller, though, I could achieve something pretty close to my objective! 

My eye now consists of eyelashes on top with some black eyeliner over the middle top of the lid near the lashes for emphasis. Then I line the inside of my eye on the bottom lid with more eyeliner from the outer corner to a little less than half way, and put on a short eyelash near the lined part. I use light pink shiny eyeshadow all the way under my eye and emphasize the middle with a little shiny white eyeshadow and blend.

I think it has worked out pretty well, but I'll probably continue tinkering with it.

Oh yeah, check out my weave〜！

キラキラ

Ehehehe! So loooong! Well, actually my clip ins aren't much longer than my own hair. They add probably like 3 or 4 inches but quite a bit of volume and help to even out my hairstyle.

So that's it for now. I'll post some reviews of the products I'm using...maybe.

Cheers

-Kat

チュ〜〜

Oh Crapotatos

Dealing with Emotions

Right. "Dealing" with them. I don't need to deal with my emotions. They'll just go away if I ignore them long enough.. Right?

Not really, I find out again and a-freaking-gain. No. What emotions do when they aren't dealt with is they mess up your life. 

Say you are feeling sad. But you don't want to sit down and explore the sadness, so you just ignore it and focus on something else. Well, get ready for chaos, because you've just made a mistake. Noooooo, you can't just ignore it! What's wrong with bottling things up? You find a way to express it in some other way, that's what's wrong with it. "Bottling it up" doesn't actually exist. Maybe there is a slight delay or it isn't so noticeable, but emotions are ALWAYS expressed one way or another.

Take my case for example. I've told you about how I will be going to Japan to study, でしょうね?　Yes, well, I forgot to mention how terrified I am of it.

It has been a dream of mine to study in Japan for over 5 years. But right now I have my amazing fiancee, my two lovely cats, and I-- for the forst time in a long long time-- have really good support from my family. This is the most emotionally secure and safe I can remember being in my life. I don't want to go. But I'm applying. But I don't want to go. But I've told all my friends and family members. BUT I DON'T WANT TO GO. So, instead of talking about it and crying my eyes out as I should have done to find some sense of relief, I spent over $600 dollars on all sorts of things. I have three Japanese textbooks, a few sets of fake eyelashes, and three sets of circle lenses coming to me in the mail in the next few weeks. I have bought makeup, hair extensions, and food and coffees. I have been buying and downloading apps and music. My rationale was that "I will pay it off when I get my financial aid! Lalalalala~!♪ ♪"


But that of course is not the point. I also was staying up very late at night. Sometimes until three or four in the morning. I wasn't listening to my stress indicators. My typing and wallet-pulling-out little fingers were saying something small that I chose not to listen to. "You are really upset about something!", they cried whilst purchasing white eyeliner, "For goodness' sake do something, please!" But I didn't.

I kept spending until last night when, at four in the morning, I asked myself why I was awake so late. The answer was very clear. Fiancee is probably mad at me. I called him at work and told him all about it. Lying to someone who is so kind to you is really awful, but owning up to those lies feels worse and somehow good at the same time.

No more spending until I get my financial aid wherein I will first and foremost pay off and close out my credit card account.

-Kat

Songs from a Period Mix CD

Bleeding Love

If you have ever seen the movie No Strings Attached, you'll probably remember the scene where Natalie Portman's character, Emma, is driving, crying, and singing while eating a couple boxes of donut holes, complete with powdered sugar smeared across her chin.

Here's a photo I snagged off of Netflix

The moral of the story:
I will probably never again be able to take Leona Lewis' Bleeding Love seriously ever again in the entirety of my life.

Cheers
-Kat

Why Did I Start This Blog Anyway? ( Part 2: The Pretty Project)

♡The Pretty Project♡

The reason I started this blog was to document my research and trials and errors in becoming pretty.

The Pretty Project is for me to boost my confidence by investing time and energy into my looks and achieving good results.

As I said in Part 1, I am doing Intuitive Eating. I am hoping to lose weight in doing this, but in order to achieve any weight loss, I have to stop thinking about food. And by "food" I mean weight, clothing size, calories, meal planning, and foods. Because when I'm obsessed, I am stressed, and I am eating to cope with it.

So the Pretty Project is my way of focusing on something else.

I will be wearing these things most days:

• Hair Extensions
• False Eyelashes
• Full Foundation
• Eyeliner
• Eyeshadow

I will also be posting pictures of my progress and products I'm using and how, etcetera.

Ciao Fellow Bellas

-Kat

Why Did I Start This Blog Anyway? (Part 1)

Well, I'll Tell You!

I have made an early New Year's resolution to myself to get prettier.

Yeah, everyone is pretty. Yes, beauty is second to intelligence.

But! Beauty, or more specifically effort put forth towards achieving prettiness, can boost confidence!

The first thing on my list is to lose weight. And it is this exact goal which has prompted me to start this prettiness-escapade. I am a gal who has suffered from b.e.d. (binge eating disorder) and emotional eating for most of my life, intermittently with losing a whole bunch of weight by being on a diet.

I recently started vlogging with this brand new diet idea: I was going t count calories and plan my meals the day before and weigh myself everyday and be oh-so-good and become the skinniest damn girlie this world has seen!

Well, two weeks in and over four major binges later, I was disgusted with myself and downtrodden. What do you do when the thing that helps you is hurting you? You ask "why". And the answer is that I was dieting. Period. The answer is that I have been dieting and hating myself and making up rules around food and eating and weight to the point that I didn't even like eating anymore. I hated it.

Now I'm doing Intuitive Eating. I have been doing it for a little over a week now. I don't think I have lost any weight, but I do know that I have calmed down a lot! I am in a phase of disarming foods though exposure; a.k.a. eating foods I have told myself I wasn't allowed to because of different reasons ("eat something healthier", "If you start eating that you'll never stop, so don't start", etcetera). 

I like the calmness that has been coming on. I'm going to continue. I haven't lost any weight yet, as I said, but I haven't gained any either. In fact, I think my legs look pretty good recently. I'll maybe do a post on Intuitive Eating at some point when I have more experience under my belt.

Hold the banana phone! There was a tangent in there! I'm going to reign that in and explaaaaaiiiiin the original Pretty Project here. "Pretty Project". I rather like that. ( *o u o *)
Part Two coming up!

Norris and Presley Were Jerks

Hello Everyboooody!

I didn't ask before, but how was Christmas for you guys?

Mine was pretty nice.

I went with the fiancee to his Aunt and Uncle's house for dinner. We chatted it up and ate his Aunt's amaaaaazing food. Mmm.

But then there was a person there who made things interesting.

His name is Bill. He is a martial arts teacher in his 70's, and is a pretty spry guy. Well, Bill was hilarious. But the problem is that I felt he was flirting with me (a 22-year-old engaged young lady) the entire dinner. Eeks!

Let me tell you about Bill's experiences in the world. This guy has apparently fought with Elvis Presley and Chuck Norris. And I believe him. What I do not believe is his image of these two famous people.

Bill: "And that was the day I ended up meeting Elvis!"
Me: "Oh. Wasn't Elvis Presley sort of a jerky guy?"
Bill: "Oh, no no no, Sweetheart!"--touches my shoulder--"He was such a gentleman!"

[goes on to talk about how Elvis "accidentally" kicked him in the groin three times over in a warm up session at a martial arts studio whilst touching my shoulder five more times]

Elvis = Satan?

Bill: "Do you happen to know who Chuck Norris is?"

Me: "Haha! Well, yeah. And I also know, truly, that he is a Republican jerk."

Bill: "Nooo! Darlin' let me tell you about how nice this guy is."

Chuck Norris not only lit a box Bill was in on the set of Walker Texas Ranger on fire, but he also was a total child about some match their respective students had and was super duper prideful and.. well, jerky. In addition, Norris once invited his friends to dinner at Beni-Freaking-Hana's and then--oopsie dasies!-- forgot his wallet. Also, he likes dogs. I mean, really, I am not persuaded to like Norris by these accounts with him. 

I lost track of the shoulder touches, by the way. But, there were a lot.

Anywho, that was my Christmas: getting flirted with by an old man who has an apparently difficult time giving credit where it is due.

-Kat

（；￣ェ￣）。。。

Oh My Goodness

Am I starting another blog? "Yes". "Yes" is the answer to that question. 

So, hi. ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ

名前はバートン・キャサリンです。でも、「キャット」と読んで下さい♡このブログhs冬休みで作ってるのに、私は学期が始める時に続いて書けるかなねー

Woah, sorry. I guess I should tell you guys that this blog is being made by a Japanese-loving university student. I may be probe to bouts of writing in the Nihongo. 

In English, my name is Katherine Barton. But pease call me by my nickname "Kat". I don't make any promises to myself or others if I will keep this up since I'm starting it during my Winter break.

Lets get to know each other anyway, though, shall we?

My name, as I said, is Kat. I am also a cat-lover ("...and I love to run.. Oh no I'm  thinking about cat again..")

I have been in love with learning the Japanese language for over five years now. But my Japanese is "madamada". I will be going to Japan for a year (hopefully a full year!) to study abroad. 

Retsu ribyuu!

My name is "Kat". 

It sounds like "cat", which is also something that I adore. 

Look! It's a cat! In a box! Hahaha! It's so funny because its also cute!!

I also loooove the Japanese language and culture!

Look another cat! But this one is a Japanese cat. A combination of two of my favorite things in one picture! Needless to say, I really like this picture. P.s. if you don't know who this kitty-mc-meowzers is you may need to increase the level of internetting you have been doing. 

So there you have it!! That's me in a crazy-cat-lady-in-about-twenty-years nutshell. 

"Is there anything else you're going to talk about"you ask? Why, yes! But I'm sleepy. 

I'll talktalk more tomorrowtomorrow. 

Goodnight

-Kat