Credits to wincci @ iloveayu.com

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Hamasaki Ayumi Romantic

Slowly, step by step, the pop princess has landed aflutter out of the sun rays bearing the hint of the coming of spring. Her gaze is strong, beautiful. Hamasaki Ayumi, whom many girls yearn to be like, is the cover girl for this issue. Receiving lots of love from her fans, she now returns that love to us. She talked to us about the different forms of love.

“For work, for family, for friends, for lovers… There are many forms of love, but the love I recall now is love for my comrades”

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“Everything will be so much easier if I can compromise on things. But I can’t, so maybe that’s what others don’t like about me”

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HOW TO MAKE UP
Adult ayu-styled cuteness depends on the balance between the eyes and the lips
The secret to looking like an adult is the eye make-up. Simple eyeliner, curving up at the very end of the eye like a wing. Starting from the fold of the eyelid, apply a brown gradient along the socket depression. Colour the lips with beige as a base, followed by pink-beige. The highlight is the balance between the neat eye make-up and the sweet lips.

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“I wanted to take all the love I’ve received, make them into songs, and give them back to everyone as a present.”

White translucent skin and blonde hair. With those large eyes that could suck you right in, pop princess ayu is back at Bea’s Up. Her appearance resembles a painting, or a scene out of a movie. She puts on many expressions, following the beat set by the camera shutter. For a moment, she looks just like a foreigner. ayu talks to us about this.
“Everyone seems to be telling me that nowadays. (laugh) Maybe it’s because my hair colour has become super light lately. The colour is so light, that in the middle of dye-ing, there was a moment when my hair looked totally white. (laugh) My skin is really pale now too.”

For this album, she spent a month overseas at LA, recording and filming PVs.
“I often release albums at the beginning of spring, and very few at the end of the year. But I’ve always felt that it would be wonderful if I could make an album and give it to all my fans as a Christmas present. However, the tour went on for really long last year, so even though I wanted to make an album then, there were so many other things that I needed to do. I was so busy then, I didn’t even have time to go shopping. (laugh)”

The title for this album “Love songs” seems to have been born during last year’s 7-days live.
“The 7-days live last years held much meaning for me. Though I have always put all my energy into lives, that 7-days was a battle which involved my whole body and soul. From the preparation, through the live, and even after. I felt duty, and accomplishment too. Of course, it’s not only about me. The whole troupe (band, dancers, staff) too. Now, my memories are of “smiling faces” and “comrade love”. That’s why, when I was thinking of the album in LA, this title naturally came to mind. It’s not something superficial, but represents all the love which I received last year.”

The new album shows how ayu loves and accepts herself, so we asked her about times when she hated herself.
“If there are moments when I love myself, I will want to do my best. But you may say that that’s my nature anyway. (laugh) I probably dislike myself when others point out my faults, like when I’m not being serious enough, or when I’m trying to cut corners.”

Is there any part of yourself which you cannot bring yourself to love?
“That I can’t accept help from anyone. Sometimes, I don’t have the ability to achieve things, and I know it, but because I want everything to be perfect, I continue trying way past my limit. Everything would be easier if I could just learn to say “I can’t do that.””

That is just like ayu, who told us “I just have to keep running” in a past issue. And as she said, from the start of the New Year of 2010, a new tour, 50th single commemoration, 7-days live at Yoyogi Gymanasium, and then Countdown Live, she has never stopped. And as a result, she has broken the record for most consecutive No.1 singles for solo female artists, at 25 singles, and became a true champion. Furthermore, she has a digital 3D movie featuring her live concert, a first for Japanese artists. On top of that, she has also moved out of her own sphere, to produce a single for AAA member URATA NAOYA.
“I take pride in the fact that, no matter what the results are, I alone am responsible for it. It’s just different when someone else that is not me takes the responsibility. I want to be in charge of everything, right down to the details.”

And only ayu, who is self-produced, right down to her nails, clothes and make-up, can say that. The last time, we asked her “So who would you like to be producer for?” and her answer was “If I do it, I want to produce male artists.” And maybe she needs to do that. So, what new things will ayu bring to us in this new year?

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“If I can love myself, I may discover parts of me which I’ve never known before”