I will start with a giant map image that you will not be able to understand to give you an idea how huge Little Tokyo is.
It's not just Little Tokyo Village.

Confused? Ok.

Here is a minimalist map of the main section of Little Tokyo.
Westside and South(East)side being mentioned in my last AX/LA post.

I'll start with Little Tokyo Village on the North East side of the map.

Little Tokyo Village has tons of different stores. 
I usually end up at Anime Jungle, a giant anime/figure store that has almost as much as a dealer's den at small conventions. Trading cards, toys, pillows, all kinds of collectibles are found there.

There are two main bakeries, Yamazaki and Cafe Dulce. My favorite is Yamazaki. Their baked goods are more Japanese and their iced coffee is more coffee...y? They also have hot, steamed buns in 3 flavors! Anko, Pork and Curry. 
Cafe Dulce is great don't get me wrong, but their goods are more European fusion and their iced coffee is too sweet and creamy in my opinion.

There is a Japanese grocery store, Nijiya.
I go there for a quick fix if I need a drink or snack since the other grocery store is bigger but further away. (in West Side)

When I want ice cream I tend to hit up Mikawaya for their ice cream omochi. Don't bother with the green tea normal icecream though. You don't taste ocha/matcha. :c

For clothes, Zakanaka has great designs and I looooove their underwear. Most comfortable undies ever.

My last post was about a cosmetic from Make Asobi. The store was well organized and had a really good variety of inexpensive to medium cost cosmetics.

The hotel I stay at, New Daimaru, is right between San Pedro and Central on 1st St.

You can't really go wrong with the restaurants, but I usually go to the West side.
West Side will be in part 2.

While in Little Tokyo I went to a few cosmetic stores. 
"Make Asobi" is probably my favorite because of their selection and cleanliness.

In the front case I saw the cutest shade of pink by Aube Couture. While not a bright pink, it was orange enough to be vibrant.

You can see that it has that annoying popular sponge in the stock image.
I thought the sponge was going to suck, but it wasn't as bad as I thought. It layers on in medium thickness and isn't too pigmented.

You can buy this and other Aube products here.

As you probably know, there is a fuck ton of options for makeup.
I'll list what I use and what it's for in order of application. 
Uh I don't recommend buying it all at once or it'll cost you around $500+..

Moisturizer

Very important so that you don't get acne after washing the stuff off!
Since I live in the desert and have slightly sensitive skin, the product used is Burt's Bees Intense Hydration day lotion.
Very mild and leaves your skin supple after it has settled.

Primer

Recently I started using Smashbox Photo Finish. 
It's heavier than my usual, Lorac's I'm So Sensitive, but overall a good primer.

BB Cream

Smashbox Camera Ready is really good. Helps with redness and smooths everything.
Already 2 Smashbox products, so do I have a thing for the brand? The products are well rounded.
I recommend getting the product as an additive promotion from Ulta's web site. 
Scout products you want and order them online for freebies. Usually $30+ I think. 

My Smashbox products were free. xD

Eye Moisturizer

NYX Honey Dew Me UP uhh the label didn't really say what it is exactly, but it's a honey glazing primer with gold specs and it rejuvenates your eyes. 
It comes after BB cream and before foundation because you want it to be smothered so that it doesn't cause gloopiness with your eyeshadow.

Concealer

NYX Dark Circle Concealer works well for even the darkest of circles. That shit slathers on like acrylic paint. 
Use it first and be sure to do it right. 
If you're a beginner it takes a few tries because you are supposed to paint downward from side to side underneath the eye which can be tricky.

After that I use Urban Decay's Naked Skin to help smooth out the sides of the NYX product, hide pimples, and brighten shadowy areas like my sunken smile lines and chin... hole things.

Foundation

ZA True White pressed powder is a great product! 
Ordered from Ebay awhile back and it's marvelous. Makes the airbrushed look so it's great for cosplay.
Make Up For Ever's Pro Finish pressed powder is great too if you want a more natural, less dolly look.

Usually dabbing on with a sponge first and then brushing it on makes pressed powder fill in best.

Eye Shadow Primer

Urban Decay's Eye Shadow Primer Potion works really well. Use it way before the rest so that it dries.

Brightener

For extra brightening I use Benefit's Girl Meets Pearl. 
Super glossy and just use a bit to brighten a few places concealer couldn't fix.

Eye Liner

I start with Majorca Majolica's Linehunter for a fine line and fill in the large curves with the NYX Super Skinny Marker for definition.

Eye Shadow

This part is difficult for me. 
I start with a skinny, white eye pencil to outline the lid in a crescent shape and use Maybelline's Luminous Lights, the white portion below the pencil. 
Then Tarte's Tartelette Amazonian Clay Matte Palette. I hate the girly names of the colors but they're cute colors.

After all that shit I use Napoleon's Golden Peach loose eye dust near my temples.

Mascara

First start with Perfekt's lash perfecting gel to make lashes flair and let it dry. Then Majolica Majorca's Lash Expander Edge Meister.

Contour

The Cocoa Contour by Too Faced is perfect! 
Has all 4 shades that you'll need so you don't have to throw $120 at a full set. Smells sooo good. 
This stuff is important because it makes your face less round looking if you have that problem especially.

Cheeks

I start with Too Faced Candlelight Glow on the cheeks for a cute glowy look. Then layer on Japonesque's Velvet Touch blush and maybe a quick poof of Bare Minerals blush for more pigmentation.

Powder Finish

First I brush on Bobbi Brown's pink retouch powder just on the cheeks and then Shiseido's translucent loose powder for the rest of the face.

Setting Spray

If you're going to cosplay in hot weather or at a con use this. Pur's Miracle Mist works well.

Sparkles

The Fairydrops Vanilla mineral powder will add a touch of tinted sparkliness. Use a kabuki brush!

Makeup Remover

Japonesque's individually wrapped wipes. 
Yes! Individually wrapped! Mine always dry up because I don't use makeup often.
Eye Makeup Corrector/Remover by Hollywood Fashion Secrets. Little swabs that'll get off waterproof eyeliner and mascara.

After Makeup Moisturizer

Not ready for bedtime moisturizer yet? 
Hydraluron moisture jelly will restore lost moisture after you remove your makeup.

Everyone starts somewhere I guess.
Up until I turned 19 I had never even thought of using makeup! So figuring it out took a ton of effort.
A friend of mine uses makeup every day and pointed out the basics and brands she uses. Many people make tutorials on the net on how to use makeup but not how to get accustomed to the shit.

How I got used to makeup items in person.

Welp I had it a little easy in terms of exploring cheap makeup. Dad had me do the grocery shopping so I experimented with makeup with an allowance of $15 a week. To get a good feel of the stuff it probably costed $50 overall. Products I tried were different types of foundations, eye sparkles, BB creams, mascaras, lotions, etc.

As a beginner, the Maybelline Dream Air Foam and Maybelline The Lifter were cheap and easy to use.

The catch is that they're really heavy and also irritate your skin if left on for a few hours.

After learning how to apply makeup and playing with different types, I learned that my skin is a fair ivory depending on how tan I am a the time. My skin is also a bit sensitive. Eventually I realized that liquid foundation is not for me and that cream pressed and pressed work way better for my skin.

After I finally landed a job, Ulta spread its' doors wide open to me. And it was then that I learned how addictive makeup can be, especially if you really like how the packaging of the product looks. Spent $250 in a month I did.

My taste is a little expensive but it does last me a long time since it's only worn for special occasions and cosplay.

After reading/watching lolita tutorials I found ZA to be a good foundation product. My gosh it is. That and MakeupForever Pro.
ZA for cute, MUF for natural.

No I can't wear circle lenses. Shit. I've wasted 3 pairs with my failure to apply them. Eyes are too fucking sensitive.
On the topic of sensitive eyes, eyeliner is so hard for me. Finally found an eyeliner so easy not even I can fuck up!
Shiseido Majolica Majorca Linehunter!

My tips for the makeup beginner:

• start cheap
• try a lot of different types
• find your skin tone color and favorite type of foundation
• learn how these products work and application
• know what you are trying to find before asking a cosmetics employee

Eventually I might make a video on how I use this stuff. If you read this and found it even the tiniest bit interesting or useful, thank you.