Marc Jacobs - Daisy

© Beauty and Aikido

Last night I slept at the Fiumicino Airport in Rome because my flight was delayed. This means I had pretty much time to look around all the shops at the airport. As for about 4 hours there was no gate displayed for my flight I pretty much ran around and got to know the whole airport. In the end this solid perfume necklace was my salvation and comfort among the sweaty and tensed people also waiting to finally get home. But today in the morning my flight landed safely.

This is the package

© Beauty and Aikido

This is what it looks like closed, just to have an idea because on the package you can see it only opened.

© Beauty and Aikido

It was very creative to put the perfume into the medal of a necklace. It can just hang in your neck and have multiple functions. I would always flip it open whenever I got too upset from waiting. If you take a closer look you can observe that the solid perfume also has light discreet shimmer.

© Beauty and Aikido

It comes with a pouch

© Beauty and Aikido

It was the lightness and the freshness of this perfume that caught my attention. I find it perfect for the summer. If I were to choose the liquid version, I would go for the eau de toilette not the eau de parfum. The reason is that when on the skin, it becomes somewhat heavier and more poignant. I don't like wearing perfumes that would put off people the moment I enter a room. As I also fell uncomfortable in such a situation I would not like putting others in it. I consider that one should smell my perfume only accidentally when coming a bit closer or as I pass. Heavy perfumes that fill the room are a big no go for me. I am really happy with this cute solid perfume in a medal. Do you also have similar solid perfumes that you love?

The Nightstand of a Minimalist

^.^y I got tagged by Elle, you know when someone writes a post or does a video about something and you are supposed to do the same. I like the blog and videos of Elle a lot. She does pretty straight forward and really detailed reviews that I enjoy reading and watching. The tag is called What's on My Nightstand. Apparently at this chapter it is not my most girly side that comes to light. I just thought I would take a picture of my nightstand just as it looks right now, at 2 p.m.

My nightstand is in fact a metallic chair with a Sony dream machine on it that wakes me up every morning (except weekends) at 6:15. Right near it is a metallic spotlight at the light of which I am reading at the moment two great books from the Japanese library: The Paper Door and Other Stories by Shiga Naoya and Best Aikido. The Fundamentals by Kisshomaru and Moriteru Ueshiba. I will do some voice recordings soon from the letter. And voila the whole picture:

And a close-up with the spotlight:

If I had more stuff lying around near me I probably could not get sleep. I am a big fan of simplicity and because of that of Japanese interiors. I sometimes look at albums in the library with Japanese interior decoration and I love it a lot. I am aware that the average Japanese live in small spaces where everything is crammed together. I have seen pictures of that, too. But what I am talking about is the pictures of clean and simple interiors that are supposed to inspire you. These pictures are more or less works of arts in themselves. I love the poetry of the empty spaces as it appears in interior decoration, just as much as I admire it in haikus or ikebana. Here is a sample of simple and clean interior decoration:

Source: beinteriordecorator.com

So now it is time for me to tag the blog I love and would love to see what the nightstands of these bloggers look like.

I tag: Petit Elefant, kittylovesmakup, Anna Saccone, Made in Beauty, Miss Kei Kei, Plastic Tinkerbell, Tozando Girl, Mishi à la Mode, Ady´s Blog, Trend it up-Alice, Make-up Diary.

The Voice of Aikido- The Meaning of Study

Another voice recording this time Chapter 15 from The Principles of Aikido by Mitsugi Saotome (1989 p.197-199)

Saotome Sensei's Approach to Budo and the Dojo

This chapter describes Budo as a study applied to the whole self being a lifetime study. The skills that you learn in aikido can be applied in your everyday endeavors.

We are introduced to the importance of the dojo as a microcosm. In Saotome Sensei's view it is a place where you feel well, meet a lot of different people and make friends. It is a place where you enrich yourself as a person through building new relationships.

The Parable of the Old Man

The voice recording also includes a story of the man over 70 who decides he would like to take up aikido. O'Sensei does not for a moment hesitate in inviting him to start practicing aikido. It is never too late to open up for new things! Never be mislead by the rigidity of the limits imposed by your own mind!

Ikkyo

One moment and one movement can be decisive. You cannot hesitate and waste time because there is no second chance. Each encounter should be seen as a one time event through which your own self can be sharpened.

Your Teacher

You should see him as a guide, not a guru. He can help you and offer suggestions. He is a person you should respect and not idealize. This is most important to be kept in mind because he also has his flaws and virtues. He cannot be a perfect master. You should take what is of value from him and improve it. Improving and bettering your self is the greatest tribute you can pay him.

Remember that you are part of the Universe. To ruin your life or to waste it is to ruin a piece of the Universe. (M. Saotome)

Five Reasons Why you Should Visit a Cosmetician...Right Now

Source: praeha.de

Hi Everyone! I am writing now a post in which I would like to highlight the importance of visiting a cosmetician. 

1. Prevention

In fact you should first go to a cosmetician when you are around 14, 15 years old. That is when girlst start to break out and start having issues with their skin. At this stage, you are making a preventive move. The cosmetician will tell you what type of skin you have. She will also tell you what creams you should use as a start and how to choose later when you will buy your own creams.While a teen, your skin is still young and regenerating without having to be helped too much. However it is your responsibility to keep it clean.

2. Thorough Cleaning

You will never be able to clean your skin from impurities so well as a specialist can do it for you. She will use professional products and tools and give you the best and most suitable treatment. I am not saying that it is not painful but the results are really worth the suffering.

3. Find out more about your skin

The face you have is the one with which you will get old, so you should be interested in finding out more about it. A cosmetician will be able to answer all your questions and concerns while working on your skin. She will reveal you your imperfections and your positive traits. She can also recommend you what vitamins to take, that is how well certain lacks of vitamins can show on your skin. Remember you can help your skin be more beautiful from the outside but from the inside as well!

4. Seasonal Skincare

I must confess I was planning for long to visit the cosmetician since the weather got warmer. It became an urgency now as my summer holiday is approaching. One thing you don't want to do is to go and sunbathe with a skin filled with impurities. You will tan, but the impurities will also burn into your skin. So when summer comes, a skin cleaning session is a must. My cosmetician also advised me to get back to her as soon as I am back from holiday for a hydrating session. She is such a sweetie.

5. You are basically getting a new face

If you haven't had your skin cleared yet by a professional you cannot even imagine how great difference it makes. You sure look dreadful and your face is red in the few couple of hours after the session, but later on you will just look in the mirror astonished of the result. Your skin will not only be cleaner but brighter also. You will be completely satisfied by the new face that was there all the time but hiding and waiting to be brought to light. It is that simple! An that will give you the certitude that all the suffering was worth doing.

^^y I hope this article helped you! Should you have any further questions, do not hesitate to ask. Also feel free to share experiences with your visits to a cosmetician in the comments. ^^y

The Voice of Aikido- Ukemi

Another voice recording this time Chapter 4 from The Principles of Aikido by Mitsugi Saotome (1989 p.23-25)

As a beginner one of the first things you will learn in aikido is ukemi. It is used in aikido in order to prevent injuries when you are thrown. This voice material presents further explanations about the uke nage relationship and about ukemi. I cannot emphasize the importance on ukemi in the aikido training. The excerpt I am reading in this recording states it once again that taking the ukemi is not a break during doing techniques but an opportunity to improve it. Seeing how it feels like being thrown can make you understand better how the given technique is best performed. I think all of you already experienced how different it is to be thrown by a beginner or an advanced aikidoka. From person to person it is also different. From being gently rolled to finding yourself flying across the dojo, that is how varied ukemi can be. You can find further reading about ukemi here. 

My opinion is that the only way you can improve your ukemi is practicing it a lot. My ukemi started improving slightly when I went to my first summer aikido training camp. 

Please share with in a comment me how you improved your ukemi.

Gel Nails Tutorial- Purple Grape

A quick tutorial of how to make these great 

grape colored

gel nails. 

You need to apply first an UV gel Base coat. Then the two coats of colored nail polish by Crystal Nails. You can do it yourself also. However it is always easier if someone does it for you because you need to take care and be precise. In my case it is always my mother who does the gel nails and we can can chitchat in the mean while.

The positive thing about Gel Nails is that they last much longer than normal nail polishes. They are also shock resistant and do not chop that easily. In my case I type a lot the whole day at work and then do the break-falls on the tatami at aikido, but the gel nails still resist at least one week. Usually I get tired of the color sooner then it starts to chop and I remove them. For the removal technique check out my How to Remove Gel Nails post and video. This removal technique is my most popular video on YouTube.