Sunday, November 28, 2010

Love Packs: Annasalbe Ace, Fancl White Advance, Kasugai 苺フロマージュグミ, Majolica Majorca Eyes Reset Gel, Maxim Café Menu Matcha Latte

This is a super belated post! Afterall it has been a few months since my birthday *oops* Thank you ladies, for the love and friendship that you have shown me and for spoiling me rotten *mwah*

Kay.


Nic Nic.


nlngstar.


Starryxuan.


Sorry girls if I missed some items, I lost my first set of pictures when I accidentally deleted all of the pictures in my SD card (´ ω `) The data recovery softwares that I used didn't manage to recover the files that I want, they retrieved lots of random forgotten pictures instead hahaha (' ω ') Never mind that, here are some reviews!


Name: Annasalbe Ace
Contents: 18 g
@cosme rating: 4.6


A pimple cream! It claims that it can effectively remove acne and at the same time prevent scarring.

I got misfortune to test these claims out the day after I received Kay’s package (´ ω `) This cream only works on nodules, it flattens them within a few days to a week and it leaves no scarring as advertised. However it does dry the affected area out.

Another con to this cream is it smells horrid but any product with sulphur as an ingredient will smell exactly the same – like rotten eggs (> ω <)


Name: Fancl White Advance
Contents: 180 tablets
@cosme rating: 4.8
Release date: 19.2.2010

One pack is good for one month. You need to take two tablets three times per day after meals.

I have been taking this supplement for three weeks, and they seem to agree with my skin - they don’t cause any wanted reactions but so far I did not notice any noticeable whitening either.

For those of you who are interested in it, these tablets contain 20 mg Hydroxytyrosol, 240 mg L-Cystine, 300 mg Vitamin C and 15 mg Niacin.



Yeah they are stuck together!

Name: Kasugai 苺フロマージュグミ
Contents: 35 g

The packaging attracts attention and even the gummy itself is pretty cute – it has a two-tiered structure! I’m guessing the flavour is strawberry cheesecake? It tastes better than other strawberry gummies out there – milky sweet although it doesn’t have any hint of cheesecake at all. It seems that Kasugai is trying to base their flavours on the power of suggestion (* ω *)

I know that 苺 stands for strawberry but what about the rest? Thanks Kay, Vanessa and Kat! フロマージュグミ = cheese gummy.


Name: Majolica Majorca Eyes Reset Gel
Contents: 30 g
@cosme rating: 4.2
Release date: 21.7.2010


It stings and makes my vision cloudy for a few minutes when I get it in my eyes and doesn’t remove my HG liner Kate Super Sharp Liner.

That being said, it melts off eyeshadow and waterproof mascaras easily. I have not tested it against a Majolica Majorca mascara, I’ll have to get back to you later. I had high hopes for this remover, but sadly it didn’t deliver (´ ω `)


(Source: agf.co.jp/)

Name: Maxim Café Menu Matcha Latte
Contents: 15 g x 4


I adore this latte - it is creamy and tastes divine!

You can prepare your own matcha latte in the comforts of your own home. But the thing is, will the one that I concoct taste as good as the Maxim Café Menu one? Hmmm…

Let me know if you would like reviews on the products not reviewed in this entry (^ ω ^)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Eye Candies: Lunasol Sheer Gold Collection, Japanese Magazines, Alice Kitty, Biscuit Bear Kitty...

Nobody gives me a second look when I covertly take pictures with my mobile.. so yeah you guys will have to deal with bad lighting and blurriness haha (^ ω ~)

Part of Lunasol’s Sheer Gold Collection for Winter 2010. The eyeshadow palette is very wearable! I went to the Kanebo counter two hours after it opened, and there were only four sets left (o ω O)


Majolica Majorca’s newest offering, Majoromantica. Lovely scent~


Ayumi Hamasaki for Rimmel.


Kiss Me Heroine and Heavy Rotation stand.


A plethora of Japanese magazines as well as mooks!





Sweet has pretty nice GWPs. From left: October to December 2010 issues.



YSL, Hunting World 2010 A/W Collection, Peanuts 60th Anniversary Book Snoopy.



Tommy / Tommy Girl 2010 Fall & Winter Collection, Marc by Marc Jacobs 2010 Spring/Summer Collection, Cath Kidston “Fly to the UK!”, Tsumori Chisato 2010-11 Autumn & Winter Collection, Harrods.



Mary Quant 日本上陸40thアニバーサリーBook, Jill Stuart 世界中がWe Love Jill!



Laforet Harajuku 2010A/W, Gelato Pique 2010-11 Winter Collection.

Recipes of Japanese Cooking is a good Japanese cookbook! It's in English (no translations needed (^ ω ~)) and the instructions are really concise.


Even Harrods has gotten into the Hello Kitty craze~


Winter clothing in Uniqlo. Gahh, can't they bring their summer collection in?!




Macarons to get your salivary glands working overtime (^ ω ^)


I usually post these pictures on Twitter, but this time around I thought that I’d share them on my blog.

On another note, I have these adorable Hello Kitty images to share with you! I’m not a big Hello Kitty fan, but this changed recently. Sanrio’s aggressive marketing certainly helps in captivating me; Hello Kitty merchandise is everywhere!

This time around, she is in an Alice in Wonderland costume. This series is limited edition as well as made in Japan (does this mean that the other series aren’t made in Japan? Haha)


Plushie ¥ 3,990


Clip Frame Purse ¥ 2,415


Mug ¥ 1,365


There’s also an uber adorable Biscuit Bear Kitty range~


Bracelet ¥ 3,150


Makeup Box ¥ 6,300


Tote ¥ 3,150


I want need them!!!

Do check out Sanrio’s website for the other items as well as series available.

Going back to beauty related topics.. here are some scans from the December issues of Sweet, ViVi and VoCE.







Is it just me, or are all MUAs in Japanese magazines feeling the same trend? All of these models are sporting neutral understated looks.

As usual, I’ll end my randomness with something that I nommed!


Name: Meiji Creamy Marshmallow Chocolate クリーミーマシュマロチョコレー
Contents: 42 g
Calorie content: 229 kcal
Release date: 31.8.2010

This marshmallow chocolate bar smells perfectly ordinary, but the texture is softer and creamier than normal milk chocolate.


It's a nice change from chocolates with raisin, nut etc fillings. You can taste the quality and care that goes into these chocolate squares, it has the perfect combination of milk chocolate and soft, fluffy marshmallow It gets a thumbs up from me!

I hope I wasn't too gluttony in finishing the whole thing within 5 minutes! In my defence the sweetness level is very bearable, it isn't teeth-rotteningly sweet at all ← gave me the illusion that I was indulging in something healthier than chocolate hahaha

You can purchase Meiji's Creamy Marshmallow Chocolate from your snacks aisles or napaJapan.

What are your plans for the weekend? Do share!

(Source: All Hello Kitty images are from sanrio.co.jp/)

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Nestlé Kit Kats: Beni Imo, Blueberry Cheesecake, Hojicha, Strawberry Cheesecake

I have a love-hate relationship with rainy days on weekends, on one hand it makes the hot weather much more bearable, on the other, it forces me to stay indoors.

Anyways... after spending another weekend at home because of the rain, I ended up with a boxful of Japanese confectionery from napaJapan.

My goodies arrived super quickly!!! This impressed me so much, it was incredibly fast even for EMS shipping. I liked how everything reached me intact and the boxes weren’t squashed at all.

On to my review! (^ ω ^)

Beni Imo/ Purple Sweet Potato



Name: Nestlé Kit Kat Beni Imo
Price: US$ 2.49
Contents: 12.3 g
Release date: 13.9.2010
Sales area: Okinawa/ Kyushu regions

Those who have tasted the Roasted Sweet Potato flavour (reviewed here) will feel a jolt of recognition. They taste fairly similar! They also have the same white chocolate base where the only variation is Nestlé coloured this flavour in a pretty lavender shade.


Blueberry Cheesecake



Name: Nestlé Kit Kat Blueberry Cheesecake
Price: US$ 2.49
Contents: 12.3 g
Release date: 13.9.2010
Sales area: Koshin area (Nagano and Yamanashi Prefectures)

The blueberry flavour married so well with the white chocolate base. My mouth salivates just thinking about this kit kat bar!!

It is pretty faithful to its name, it tastes lightly of blueberry and not forgetting a generous helping of sweet cream cheese. It is so creamy and utterly palatable!

This flavour is my favourite amongst the four reviewed in this entry ♥♥♥


Hojicha



Name: Nestlé Kit Kat Hojicha
Price: US$ 2.49
Contents: 12.3 g
Release date: 13.9.2010
Sales area: Kansai region

An established tea maker specializing in Uji tea, Itoh Kyuemon, collaborated with Nestlé for this hojicha flavoured kit kat. Hojicha is a type of green tea that is rendered brown by roasting over charcoals.

This kit kat has got a wonderful rich fragrance, the aroma reminded me of caramel. The hojicha flavour was nutty and toasty without being bitter and it merged magnificently with the white chocolate bar. I’m devastated that I only got two fingers to try, it is remarkably good!


Strawberry Cheesecake



Name: Nestlé Kit Kat Strawberry Cheesecake
Price: US$ 2.49
Contents: 12.3 g
Release date: 13.9.2010
Sales area: Kanto region

Another cheesecake flavour! They were even released at the same time (but in different regions).

The outer shell is made from white chocolate (my favourite)! Unlike its blueberry cousin, the strawberry one has an artificial aftertaste. I am on the fence with this flavour, I thought that the other strawberry kit kat that I ate a while ago was much better comparatively but it isn't terrible per se.


Got more kit kat reviews coming up, so please stay tuned! And thanks for reading (^ ω ^)

(Source: Promotional images are from d.nestle.jp/)