Maneki Neko says...

...HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX

Update Saturday, December 31, 2011.

Finally found a list of ingredients in form of a picture taken by Paris B. from My Women Stuff. I have received her permission to post the picture here, so up it goes ^.^ Thank you Paris. B.

***Picture from My Women Stuff.

----------------------------------------
Original post Tuesday, October 19, 2010.

This Laneige Water Sleeping Pack EX is the third update of Laneige's most hyped product, this time containing no alcohol (it says so on the printed slip inside)!

I can definitely say I like this version best, not because it is alcohol-free but it also seems to be the most lightly scented out of the three. The fragrance is different from the last two, still keeping that clean and fresh scent but with a touch of floral this time and not so much the sweet musky scent in the 2nd installment by the name of Water Sleeping Pack Plus.

Sea Breeze Shampoo

Almost finished with my current bottle of Sea Breeze Shampoo, which is actually made by Shiseido! I forgot to take a picture so there's only a stock photo from Sea Breeze's website. I noticed I've done this a few times now with shampoos. It's odd, but unlike skincare or cosmetics, normally don't browse around for different options with haircare products and line up what I want to try next. I usually simply just pick one out at the drugstore, use it, then when it runs out, I run to the store again in a panic and pick out something else on the spot. I guess I should pay more attention to my hair -.-'

From left to right: Sea Breeze Shampoo and refill, Conditioner and refill, Shampoo and Conditioner and refill.

***Picture from Sea Breeze Japan.

Mameshiba Soy Milk Isoflavone Glutinous Moist Lotion

I spotted this Mameshiba Soy Milk Isoflavone Glutinous Moist Lotion at a random drugstore and couldn't help my curiosity. First of all, what the heck are those mameshiba?!? I googled them the moment I got home and found their Wikipedia page. They have an official website too, if you're curious like me ^.^

Anyway, this is a product by Dentsu Inc., and although I've seen several other of their items at my local drugstores, this is my first time trying one! This Mameshiba Moist Lotion is an unscented toner with milky appearance and slight viscous texture. It does not appear to have an oil ingredient, at least not that I can tell from the ingredients list on the back of the bottle, so I am categorizing it as a hydrator. It does contain alcohol. 

More desserts at Denny's Part III

It has been a while since we last visited Denny's, and so we "indulged" ourselves a couple of times before my trip to visit my family for Christmas ^.^

More seasonal offerings were added to the menu, including a different version of my favorite mixed fruits sundae. Oh, and since the early fall when I had this spectacularly delicious omurice dish topped with kimchi and beef bulgogi, I have officially become an omurice addict too. An omurice is a Japanese fusion dish that blends an omelette with fried rice and various toppings. Sounds yummy? That's because it is! 

I ordered a beef and mushroom omurice. I particularly like the omurice at Denny's. The egg omelette they make is fluffy and jiggly and melts in your mouth! Hubby hates it though. He likes his egg well done and not fluffy or jiggly ^.^

Hanoi no Hoi-san

Meeting up in Shibuya for K.'s bday party a couple of weeks ago, hubby ran across this Vietnamese restaurant Hanoi no Hoi-san's while waiting for my train to arrive. He happened to have class in Ikebukuro that day, and so in the late afternoon he had tons of time to explore the Shibuya Station area while I take the train up from Yokohama.

Super Aqua Detoxifying Peeling Gel

I got this Missha Deluxe Sampler back in the late spring/early summer and even after several trips, both within (Shizuoka, Nikko) and outside of Japan (Seattle, and a few home visits), I still haven't finished the 20mL tube of Super Aqua Detoxifying Peeling Gel in the set! 

Missha Deluxe Sampler

Left to right: travel sizes of Super Aqua Detoxifying Peeling Gel (20mL), Deep Cleansing Oil (18mL), Luminous Color Lip Gloss (2.5g), Perfect Cover B.B. Cream #23 (10mL), and B.B. Boomer (10mL).

Kiss Kiss My Eyes Glamorize Shadow

Got snowed in today so that means some quality time via words with friends, net surfing, and blogging ^.^ Good thing I was all prepared with notes and pictures taken prior to the trip!

I really have no idea what came over me when I bought these Kiss My Eyes Glamorize Shadows which, by the way, are my very first eye shadows from Kiss! I have been collecting their Pure Bloom Cheeks (will hopefully get to these soon, because they're gorgeous!), but I have never tried any of the eye shadows from the brand. So when I was browsing around in Plaza one day, I spotted these and started playing with the testers. Their silky soft texture totally impressed me and given their price, only 1,260yen/each tax included, I picked up 3 palettes: 02 Chocolate Brown BR-1, 03 Pink Beige PK-1, and 04 Wine Brown WN-1.

02 Chocolate Brown BR-1 and 03 Pink Beige PK-1. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

04 Wine Brown WN-1

Naive Makeup Cleansing Oil

Happy Holidays everyone!!! I'm home visiting my folks for the rest of this month so posting will be sporadic until I get back. Keep warm (unless you're in the Southern hemisphere, in that case, keep cool!) and take care!

Anyway, this bottle of Naive Makeup Cleansing Oil actually says "cleansing oil for use in bathtubs." I think that pretty much sums up this cleansing oil, yep, it can be used dry or wet! I spotted this newbie a few months ago when it first came out. At the time I was still using Hada Labo Super Hydrating Olive Oil Cleansing, but I bought it anyway and have been using it now for the past month. And it was cheap so that helped ^.^

Badger Healing Balm

A short (kind of, not really) post for a straightforward product here - the Badger Healing Balm. I like it and have been using it for the past couple of years now, ever since discovering the Sleep Balm back in late 2009.

The cold weather right now means my ragged cuticles have an excuse to frequently going on a rampage. Plus I'm a clean freak and I wash my hands more often than not, if not too often, so that probably doesn't help. But I will have you know that I'm not an antibacterial freak and I do understand that some bacterias are indeed good for the body. So the only place with antibacterial soap in my house is the kitchen (handling raw meat and fish!). The rest are just plain soaps. But I digress.

T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes Part IV

Playing around with Coffret D'Or Trance Deep Eyes made me nostalgic for my beloved T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes, so I dug them out and promptly discovered that one of the 4 palettes I own, the 02 Gray, was never used. What?!? How did that happen? O.o

T'estimo Layered Impact Eyes palette 02 Gray. All pictures taken indoor with flash unless otherwise noted.

The Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream

Been using this Body Shop Nutriganics Smoothing Eye Cream for a few weeks now, so here's a quick review for it.

This is an eye cream that comes in a sanitary pump bottle, much like its serums such as the Vitamin E Moisture Serum and the Aloe Protective Serum. The bottle contains 0.5 fl. oz., which is a good amount considering The Body Shop has frequent sales and promotion and you can get these at a very reasonable price. And plus I don't need to begin with, as this cream is very light and fast absorbing but at the same time decently moisturizing. I use this at night only, before going to bed, and it makes my eye area feel nice and comfortable upon application. 

Mina January 2012

I was looking for a new day planner when I spotted this Mina January 2012 issue that comes with a -tadaa- Jill Stuart day planner ^.^ Perfecto! It has been a while since I last picked up a Mina issue anyway :)

Hmm...I do wonder why the cover model is wearing her flannel pjs with a hat ^.^

Genji Monogatari Starring Ikuta Toma

Hubby said to me one afternoon, "Hey, want to go see a really short Noh performance? It's going to be in a Noh theater up in Shibuya, and it's related to Genji Monogatari. A. senpai just sent me an invitation."

I was never really excited about Noh, but hey, I'm in Japan, and we have a free invitation, so why the hell not, right? Turns out this was a promotional event for the Genji Monogatari movie starring Ikuta Toma of the original HanaKimi and Honey and Clover fame. Check out the trailer for the movie! It looks interesting enough, though I didn't know a thing about the movie prior to attending the event.

Naturie Coixseed Skin Conditioner

Been using this Naturie Hatomugi Coixseed Skin Conditioner after I ran out of the Rosette Soys Lotion a couple of months ago. I've never heard of the Naturie brand, but I have seen the miscellaneous Imju cosmetic and skincare items scattered here and there. 

Coixseed, also known as Job's Tears, is an edible a nutritious grain that counts natural jewelry beads among its various uses! How cool is that? I like this stuff and have eaten it aplenty in Cantonese tong sui (chè), sâm bổ lượng in particular. But to use a toner with its extract? Now that's new to me, and I'm all game! Not to mention this bottle of Naturie toner was dirt cheap, about 700yen for a whopping 500mL that will probably last me for freakin' ever! Of course I know being cheap means it's mostly alcohol and water, but then so is the more expensive stuff, no? :P 

Visee x Royal Party Glam Nude Eyes

This is a follow up post to the original Visee Glam Nude Eyes review 2 weeks ago. First off, I have to say these Visee x Royal Party Glam Nude Eyes palettes work out so, so, so, so much better for me than the other 3 from the permanent line up! Secondly, who the heck was in charge of naming these color? I mean, the colors are gorgeous, but what the hell, Rose Pink Fur and Blond Fur? What fur? And whose? And what fashion house would name a freakin' eye shadow "fur"? Doesn't those names just make you wince?

Ahh...I feel so much better now. Thanks for letting me get that off my chest. Okay, back to the topic.

I have already described the details of these Glam Nude Eyes palettes in the last post, so I won't repeat myself here. Where as the permanent lineup are packaged in deep metallic brown compacts, these limited edition ones come in pretty white metallic pearl white compacts. Packaging aside, however, I was totally sold on the two color combinations ever since I saw the promotional picture months before their actual release. At the time, I wasn't even interested in the permanent line up due to the cream shade, instead I was lemming these two ^.^ I would even say it was because of them that I went back to take a closer look at the permanent lineup and finally picked up 3, among which unfortunately only 1 I really liked.

Visee x Royal Party LE N-6 Rose Pink Fur. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Visee x Royal Party LE N-7 Blond Fur

Taiyaki Part VIII

Over the past few months there has been several more flavors at my local taiyaki stand.

Groceries Randomness

Found a couple of random things on a typical trip to the groceries and decided to take pictures of them to show you ^.^ The neighborhood groceries store is a 15-20 minutes walk from our apartment, and yes, we carry all our groceries by hand, which is a pain, but I guess we're getting [forced] some exercise so it's okay xD Plus it's just me and hubby, and the fridge is a college dorm size anyway, so it's not like we can buy a giant cart full even if we want to. That said, somehow we always end up with 3 giant and heavy bags, which fills our mini fridge to the brim and keep us fed for a week :P 

The Yokohama manhole cover is actually really cool looking!

Avon Cool Bliss Eyeshadow

Out of pure curiosity, I picked up these Avon Cool Bliss Eyeshadow among other things during a super sale. I think Avon makes nice blushes but crappy eye shadows, and out of the several I've tried, only one, the Avon 8-in-1 Palette, intrigued me enough to write a review for a few years ago and even then, it wasn't a good review. The rest I didn't even bother with.

So I've got to give these Cool Bliss Eyeshadows some brownie points for reviving my interest after such a long time. I'm not sure if there were other colors available, but there was only 2 when I made my purchase, N01 Pebble Stone and N701 Sparkling Plum. I bought both.

N01 Pebble Stone. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

N701 Sparkling Plum

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel CreamLiner

While on the short home visit back in late September early October, I saw quite a few interesting things at my local Target, one of which is the Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Custom Eye Enhancing Gel CreamLiner (urgh, what a mouthful!). There were several choices, but the Glam Collection in particular caught my eyes due to the metallic colors and I walked out with Glam Hazel Eyes, Glam Blue Eyes, and Glam Green Eyes. I wanted to get Glam Brown Eyes too, but it had sold out so I guess that's for next time ^.^

Just 2 words "Gel CreamLiner" in the unnecessarily long name is enough to explain this product in whole. A series of cream liners to enhance eyes with a certain color is a lovely concept, but by now I think it's safe to declare poor packaging a permanent character for Physicians Formula's products. I'd ranted on how much I hated the compact for the Mineral Wear Mineral Correcting Powder, and unfortunately the packaging for these cream liners aren't any better. These look like square stackable cubes of cream liners, don't they? Nope, they're actually not stackable at all. Trust me, I've tried unstacking them, and they didn't budge. The metallic colored sections are actually twist caps, and crappy ones at that. Some will twist close nicely, some don't. So they actually don't line up into a nice and neat square cube like this if you really want to close each cube tightly, and you will, because otherwise the cream liners will dry up! So yeah, my cubes are all twisted funny with sharp corners sticking out here and there. Grrr...

Glam Hazel Eyes. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

PN Blossoming Face Color Part II

This is a bit of a blast from the past, but I've been using these PN Blossoming Face Color (For Cheeks) for a loooooong time now. Since they were discontinued several years earlier, I wasn't in a hurry to post about them, but I guess I'm not being fair. So here's the much much much belated post, especially since these two have been excellent blushes still, after all these years!!!

The Blossoming Face Color range had 4 colors, 2 of which are highlighters/finishing powders and comes in Lucent Orange and Lucent Blue (and by blue they meant lilac), though I don't have a picture of this Blue color and can't seem to find one anywhere on the web either! The remaining 2 are blushes and comes in 16 Pink Rose and 26 Coral Orange, which is why their names have the "(For Cheeks)" attached, as if people couldn't figure it out by looking at the colors themselves. Also, this is kind of trivial, but I have seen these blushes being called Fresh Color Veil, and yet on the original packaging for both 16 Pink Rose and 26 Coral Orange, it definitely says Blossoming Face Color and I don't see Fresh Color Veil anywhere, not even on Shiseido's official website for PN (which stands for Pieds Nus), which still has a product page for these blushes. Perhaps it was marketed as Fresh Color Veil else where?

PN Blossoming Face Color (For Cheeks)

***Picture from Shiseido PN.

The Body Shop Sheer Lip Shine

These Body Shop Sheer Lip Shine are the predecessors to the current Delipscious Sheer Lip Color, and I bought them on deep discount just right after they disappeared from the stores. And of course they've since sat sealed and untouched in my cabinet until a few months ago when I decided to finally try them. I have 3 colors: 01 Sheer Rose, 03 Sheer Strawberry, and 08 Sheer Peach.

I guess these are supposed to be the fancier and shinier version, at least packaging wise, of the lower end Jordana Easy Shine Glossy Lip Color, which are dupes for the now discontinued Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Glossy Shine Sticks. That said, I surprised myself in preferring the lower end Jordanas over these. While I don't dislike them, I don't like them either and I expected myself to! They are, at best, ho-hum. Keep in mind though, that these are the older version and I haven't tried the newer Delipscious ones, so things might be very different (and hopefully better) now. That is to say I can see why The Body Shop phased these out and introduced a new line. 

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Maquillage Design Cheek Color

Been using these Maquillage Design Cheek Color for the past 2 months so I guess it's about time I post at least a short review for them ^.^

These came out a few years ago and has been in the permanent line up ever since. They're pretty and straightforward, being a gradation blush with just 2 color choices: 70 Red Variation and 80 Pink Variation. I love Maquillage for their buttery eye shadows (Eye Color, Eye Color N, and Christopher Kane's Jeweling Palettes a while back), but their blush and powder department is a tad inconsistent in my opinion. Thank goodness these Design Cheek Colors are among the hits for me, with just one other being the Precious Design Powder. 

70 Red Variation. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Coffret D'Or Trance Deep Eyes

I finally got around to using my Coffret D'Or Trance Deep Eyes a few months ago and they've been out for ages!! These are my very first Coffret D'Or palettes, and I have 3 of them, 01 Rose Variation, 03 Khaki Green Variation, and 05 Beige Variation.

Picture taken in natural light without flash.

These come in sleek silver compacts with a bejeweled cross in the middle. Kind of funky, but pretty I guess. There is a mirror inside and 2 double-ended applicators, one end with a sponge tip and the other a brush. I bought a couple of these while at home and a third while here in Japan, so some pictures are taken indoor with flash and others in natural light without flash, which I will be sure to note.

Picture taken indoor with flash.

Visee Glam Nude Eyes

Happy December!

More Visee palettes today, the Glam Nude Eyes! Visee is a nice brand with affordable prices and decent quality, though I have also been trying my best to stay away because of the cream base/color that seems to be a requisite of all Visee eye palettes. And then Visee x Mercury Duo Brilliance Forming Eyes came around and I took the plunge into the brand, and even then I hated these at first. It finally took a friendly nudge for me to realize I have been using those cream colors incorrectly, and I now have the confidence (and an excuse) to go back for more ^.^

I have been eyeing these Glam Nude Eyes for the longest time! To be honest they look very "OL" (the Japanese "office lady" type) and are all earthy neutral colors, but at the same time they're so pretty and are not intimidating at all, at least for the chickenshit me. So after playing around with them for a while at my local drugstore, I picked up N-2 Pink Beige, N-4 Khaki Beige, and N-5 Smoky Beige.

N-2 Pink Beige. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

N-4 Khaki Beige

N-5 Smoky Beige

Year-end Surprise ^.^

Yesterday I got quite a pleasant surprise in my Inbox - a comment from Julia of Colour Me Cute giving me a neat little blog award ^.^ 

I started this blog in 2007 as an outlet for my hobby, and the occasional interaction with the lovely gals who dropped me a comment or two, and gave some excellent advices and recommendations along the way(!!!), is already more than enough of a reward for me. But for someone to actually think of giving me a blog award? How sweet is that? Thank you for thinking of me, Julia!

And so I am happily passing this sweet gesture on. The "rule" is really just to pass this on to 7 other blogs that you read with a brief note, so below are my 7. Oh, and repeats are okay, or so I've been told. 

My 7 in no particular order:

- Julia from Colour Me Cute has given me some great advices, the best of which has totally changed the way I view and use Japanese greasy cream eyeshadows. 

- Same goes for Kuri from Tokyo クリ

- Citrine from Citrine's Blog and I have had some fun conversations too ^.^ And some of her blog posts cracks me up and I really appreciate her humor and candor. 

- Rouge Deluxe

- Kimoko's Journal

- Bang Bang She Shoots

- Snowkei's Blog (in Chinese)

Canmake Cream Cheek (Picture Heavy!)

I've been collecting these Canmake Cream Cheek since they came out, skipping only 06 Nut Cream because it was too brown for my taste. Though now that I think about it, I should have bought it too and use it for contouring. Or not. I can't decide. It just looked so...brown. Oh well, may be I'll go back and check it out more carefully later!

I like cream blushes in general, but these Canmake ones go above and beyond your average ho-hum cream blush. They're really just as fantastic as everybody says they are. Smooth, creamy, and pigmented colors that can be sheered out or layered. In short, they're awesome and very buildable, suitable for the chicken-shit me and the braver others. And they're cheap too, only 580yen (~$7.50) a piece. Given that you really only need a tiny dab for each cheek, these will probably last for a loooong time. What's not to love? 

Here are all the Canmake Cream Cheeks I have, from 01-05, 07-12, only missing 06 Nut Cream.

Because I bought some while back at home and some here in Japan, some pictures were taken indoor with flash and some in natural light without flash. I'll be sure to note which is which. These two were taken in natural light without flash.

Non-no October 2011

Posting the Non-no October 2011 backissue today! It came with a set of MilkFed pouch, pen case, and tissue holder. I was actually going to skip this issue, but then I was starting school and was looking for a pencil case and decided I should just get this.

And plus I saw this set on display at a local bookstore and they don't feel too bad, despite being unlined.

More otaku dorkiness

Another totally random post ^.^

My sister finally got a glass cabinet to enshrine her growing collection of figurines which includes the 3 Gintama figurines I bought for her back in August. 

Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Shadow-Liner Part II

Here's a preview for a couple more of Benefit Cosmetics Creaseless Cream Shadow-Liner. Back in mid September, after posting about Bunny Hop, I went and got 2 more colors off of E(vil)bay just to try  out and brought both back with me from my home visit in late September. Again I haven't actually worn these out and have only played with them at home, so they haven't been tested for lasting power.

Sippin' n Dippin': a very pretty and bright candied peachy orange with an iridescent gold sheen. So depends on which angle the lights hit, this will look either peach or golden orange, like an iridescent and peachier version of Canmake Metallic Eyes in 11 Summer Orange. That said, it's a tad too opaque for my liking and I wish it was more translucent, though I guess that would be tough to do since it is iridescent ^.^ I'm asking for a lot, I know. 

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Only in Japan...

It's not just fashion and cosmetic brands that churn out seasonal, and often limited edition, collections. I don't know about else where in Asia, but in Japan, many snack and beverage (read: American) brands like Pepsi, Cocacola, and KitKat like to put out "limited edition flavors" too. And I don't know why that works so well in Japan, but the folks here are beyond curious and these limited edition flavors almost always sell out extremely quickly. I remember one Christmas a couple of years ago, my sister came home with a giant box of KitKat with 12 different flavors as present for my dad and he looked at her like she was nuts. Mean while, both she and I marveled over the different flavors and how far and beyond she had gone to get a hold of that gift box LOL! I guess that makes us one of the curious ^.^

And then the other day at the local groceries, I spotted this curiously pink bottle of Pepsi. Alas, it was one of the 2 bottles left on the shelf of the limited edition Pepsi Pink "Strawberry and Milk" flavor. I grabbed it, despite hubby's eyebrow-raising. It was...interesting. Like a strawberry and milk flavored soda and nothing reminiscent of Pepsi. LOL!

T'estimo Color Lighting Part III

Happy Thanksgiving!

These are the last of my T'estimo Color Lightings that I've been holding onto since forever but haven't had the chance to try :( But it's shimmer season, so I'm going all out with all my pretty daytime highlighters ^.^ 

These T'estimo ones are even more subtle than the Canmake Highlighter in 05 Beige I reviewed yesterday. Their pearlized shimmers are less dense, so even with scattered shimmer particles that are a little more visible, the overall effect is more gentle. This makes me regret not trying these sooner as they might be passable for use during the summer too. Oh well, there are sunny days during the winter, and these light up my face when the sun hits. Love it! The down side is that during cloudy days without any sun, these don't make much of a difference at all and I couldn't even tell I was wearing any highlighter. Boo. 

EX-08: an off white with gold color dots and gold shimmer overspray. 

All pictures taken indoor with flash.

Canmake Highlighter Part II

I saw this new Canmake Highlighter in 05 Baby Beige at the local drugstore about a month or two ago and snapped it up immediately. I was hoping it would be like the original Canmake Highlighter that I bought a few years back in that I can use it for daytime without looking like a disco ball ^.^

Highlighter in 05 Baby Beige. All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

SkinFood Fresh Fruit Lip & Cheek

I've had my eyes on these SkinFood Fresh Fruit Lip & Cheek for a long time and only recently did I buy all 6 available colors, though not all at once.  

I bought #1-4 on a home visit earlier in the year, so I was able to take pictures of those with my SLR at home, which has a nicer flash with more consistent indoor lighting. I prefer natural lighting over indoor with flash, but here in my apartment the sunlight shines directly in through my windows and paints everything yellow -.-' That's why many of the pictures I took here in Japan in the past year are either washed out (the sun was too bright), having a distinct yellow tint (from the sunlight), or too dark (cloudy/rainy day) T.T 

From left to right: #1 Pomegranate, #2 Berry, #3 Grapefruit, and #4 Apricot. Left picture taken indoor with flash. Right picture taken in natural light without flash. I was lucky on that day to have caught the perfect natural lighting that's just right, not too bright and yellow, but not too dark either ^.^

#5 Peach and #6 Lychee I bought while living here in Japan, as shipping from Korea to Japan is a breeze. The 2 countries are next door neighbors, after all.