Momopuri Booster Serum

Last of the Momopuri items, for now at least: the Booster Serum sold in a box of 8 x 3mL individual "blister packs," so a total of 24mL product content per box. I bought two boxes, for a total of 48mL, which I ended up pouring all into a pump bottle. Because 3mL is a lot to use in one go, and once I open a blister pack, I'm not too keen on leaving it exposed over the course of a few days.

Momopuri Milk

I started using the Momopuri Lotion and Lotion Concentrated a month ago and they got me to bust out this 150mL bottle of the Milk and the Booster Serum too. The review below is for the Milk and will post on the Booster Serum next. The only thing I'm not using is the Gel Cream, which I'm saving for hubby.

Momopuri Lotion

Been using both the Momopuri Lotion and Lotion Concentrated and enjoying them very much! I bought the 180mL refill packages and just pour them into an empty glass toner bottle. 

Ladit Mirrorless Tint Rouge

These Ladit Mirrorless Tint Rouge came out in the fall of 2018 and although they look interesting with a diamond-shaped core, I thought the permanent lineup was meh and skipped them. It took some LE releases in the fall of 2019 that I finally caved and picked up some colors to try. From the permanent lineup, I got 02 Noble Red and 03 Spice Coral. And I also got three LE releases 07 Apricot Fizz, 14 Garnet Snow, and 15 Night Party. 

Of course, I'm super slow to get to them and now that I'm posting a review finally, I think they've been discontinued. I don't see their brand page on BCL's official website, and they're barely in stock on Amazon JP and elsewhere. Sigh.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

Saborino Treatment in Shampoo Part II

Hubby and I are using this 480mL pump bottle of Saborino Treatment in Shampoo Rich Moist right now. Some plumbing problems have forced upon us a last-minute remodeling of our master bathroom, which means we're invading sharing the boys' bathroom for a while, so having a 2-in-1 shampoo and conditioner helps save space. 

Saborino Treatment in Shampoo

Already half way through this 460mL bottle of Saborino Treatment in Shampoo! There are two versions, Moist and Rich Moist. I bought both but hubby and I are currently using the Moist first. We started using it more than a month ago. 

I first read about this on Citrine's Blog and was excited to try it. My hair is getting long again which means conditioner takes forever to rinse and I just don't have the energy or the time. So a shampoo and conditioner in one is exactly what I need. Plus this brand is new and I haven't tried it before.

Clear Last UV Loose Face Powder SPF50+ PA+++

This Clear Last UV Loose Face Powder SPF50+ PA+++ in a 6g jar had been around for quite a while now, being released way back in 2009 and discontinued in 2012. There are actually 3 types available, Light Ocher, Mat Ocher, and Sparkle Ocher. Of course, being this late to the party, the only one I could find was Sparkle Ocher, so I picked it up to try.

All pictures taken in natural light without flash.

My Favorite Mannan Gel Peeling

Can you believe it took me a year and a half to finish my bottle of Tabibijin Tea Peeling Gel?!? And I was using it liberally too, 3 pumps once a week for face, neck, and décolletage! Before I left Japan, I seriously thought about getting another bottle, but as I huffed and puffed through the last of it, I was actually glad I didn't buy more. Despite having thoroughly enjoyed using it, I was just as happy to finally be rid of it LOL!

This 5.1oz/145g bottle of My Favorite Mannan Gel Peeling was its replacement. I've been using 2-3 pumps of it weekly since January and have only gotten through, umm, may be a fifth. Argh. At this rate it's probably going to take me another one and half year!!!

Tsururi Pore Cleansing Brush

Stumbled onto this Tsururi Pore Cleansing Brush while browsing my local Japanese drugstore back then. It was on sale for around 600yen, down from the 1,000yen retail. Plus I remembered reading about a Daiso duplicate of it so I picked one up out of curiosity (I also tried the Daiso Puff & Sponge Detergent Yumeko recommended, will review next). Yup, that just sums up why hubby was always wary of my drugstore browsing trips, because I always came home with some useless impulse buys. Good thing this wasn't too big a damage ^.^

Makemania Sparkle Glitter Eye Shadow

Happy New Year!!!

I figured all the sparklies in Makemania Sparkle Glitter Eye Shadow would be best to ring in the new year with ^.^ Plus I did promise to review them in the Kiss Kiss My Eyes Glamorize Shadow post. These are super duper sparkly eye shadows that can be worn as a sparkling top wash or by themselves. Totally my style xD They only come in 3 colors: SV - Silver, GD - Gold, and BR - Brown. These have been out since 2010, so not too long ago, but I don't see them in the stores anymore so I'm not sure if this means they have been discontinued and no longer available.

Makemania Sparkle Glitter Eye Shadow - SV (Silver). All pictures taken indoor with flash, unless otherwise noted.

NYX Duping B&C Lab Lip Creams?!?

Oh no they didn't! They couldn't! Knocking of those ridiculously cute little fruity tuitty packaging of the B&C Lab Lip Creams? Noooo!

Then I saw this - GASP!!! <*O*>

Oh yes they did...down to Mikan chan's green nub!!!

They did it alright, even poor La France couldn't escape the fate, although their Apuru chan looks a bit, umm, *plump* ^.^

***Pictures from NYX.

But hey, I guess this is sorta good news for those who's been going crazy trying to find the now-discontinued Kumomo chan (Peach), right? Plus instead of paying $6-8 for each B&C lip cream, you'll get all 4 flavors for $9 from NYX! Oh yeah, and the glosses, as NYX calls it, all look like they have color in them instead of being just completely clear lip treatment creams. I'm not exactly tempted to try them though, so I can't say a thing about their quality, fragrance, texture, or how they measure up to the "real" things :P

Actually, now that I think about it, I remember seeing another dupe of these B&C Lab Lip Creams from yet a different brand, an Asian brand, perhaps a Korean or a Taiwanese brand, I don't really remember too well. If I run into it again, I'll post an update :)

B&C Laboratories Lip & Moist Creams Part III

Silly me, on my trip to visit my folks out in the mountainous desert I left my nightly lip saver Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm at home. And even though I slathered on chapstick every couple of hours or so, my lips were still cracking up and bleeding. I woke up every morning with chapped lips! It was miserable! Then a nifty little package arrived from my sister in Japan. It was Christmas presents, and goodies for me included two sets of these B&C Lab Lemon Lip & Moist Creams.



I just can't get enough of these creams, and not just because they're good stuff. I mean, how can anyone possibly resist packaging like this? Aren't they just freakin' cute or what? I promptly added them to my nightstand collection, which now has apple, peach, orange, pear, and lemon :D It's like I have a fruit basket next to my bed LOL!





In addition to the irresistible packaging, both the creams smelled sooooo good, very lemony but nothing too overwhelming. It was a very a clean and crisp citrus scent. Love it!


The moist cream, I must say, was probably the lightest out the entire collection, even lighter than the La France Pear Moist Cream! So at times, it wasn't enough to help my dry in such a drying environment where my parents live. I would say this is more of a summer hand cream and probably not suitable for winter use.


The lip cream, on the other hand, had the exact texture and consistency as the La France Pear Lip Cream, thinner than Apuru chan and Mikan chan, but thicker than Kumomo chan lip cream. Looks like the Kumomo chan Lip Cream still has the cake on being the thinnest lip cream in the group :) Anyway, the Lemon Lip Cream was moisturizing and long lasting, and it literally saved my lips during my trip. Of course, to me no lip creams will ever replace the VS Soothing Lip Balm, but at least this Lemon cream made a decent substitute and I stopped waking up to chapped lips during my trip.

See my previous posts:
- B&C Lab Lip & Moist Creams
- B&C Lab Lip & Moist Creams Part II

Lip Balms Part II

ChapSticks
The original ChapStick goes back in the days with me, as in, like, elementary school days. I'm sure it has been there for everyone else as well. I still have memories of looking out of the school bus's window while fiddling with my Cherry ChapStick! I honestly prefer these to the Bonne Belle Lip Smackers and Soft Lips. My favorite would have to be the Cherry, because it had a slight pink tint to it, it was only lightly scented and it just worked best for me. The Original flavor smelled kind of sickening, I dislike the Spearmint flavor (in general), and Strawberry smelled kind of fake to me. I stuck with the Cherry ChapStick for the longest time, all the way to college until I found the Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Soothing Lip Balm that quickly replaced it. Blame Victoria's Secret, but they've converted me into a fan of oil-based lip balms and since then I have fallen out of love with ChapSticks because they are now way too waxy for my taste.

***Picture from Chapstick.com.

Softlips Lip Conditioners
Okay, I probably have tried every single Soft Lips lip balms out there, both regular and limited edition flavors. They were all the rage when I was in high school, leading me to stray from my ChapStick. In the end though, they couldn't keep me. They feel nice and not as waxy, but they also last for a whole 15 minutes! Plus the tube was so tiny, cost twice as much as the ChapStick, and I kept having to reapply them so often, I'd go through a tube in a couple of weeks! But every now and then they would come out with these new or limited edition flavors and tricked me into trying them again! I have used Cherry, Strawberry, Vanilla, and Raspberry on and off when I needed something quick and too lazy to reach for my gazillion other lip balms. Most recently, I tried the limited edition Sugar Cookie, which was only okay because I still prefer the regular flavors. And the Tinted Lip Conditioner in Pearl, oh man, it was a BIG mistake to try this one. It turned my lips white with frosty and opaque wax! Yuck!

***Picture from Softlips.com.

C.O. Bigelow
The folks behind the well known Mentha Lip Shines. They're not my favorite, but they're not bad. I've tried a few things from them.

Mentha Lip Shine-Breath Freshener
The original lip shine and breath freshener in one. I tried these as soon as Bath & Body Works introduced them, thinking they would be similar to the VS Soothing Lip Balm. I thought it was going to be my favorite lip balm in a tube, so why not, right? Well, not to be mean, but who the heck's idea was it to combine lip balm and breath freshener? I really liked the strong mint flavor, and I really appreciated that it was an oil-based lip balm, but did it have to taste like I've slathered toothpaste all over my lips? Worse, it was sugary sweet, for poop's sake! This very product was what started my loathing for candy-wannabe lip products, not to mention whatever they used to sweetened the thing with irritated the hell out of my skin - it was so thin and runny it bled beyond my lip line! I tossed it ASAP. Garr...

***Picture from C.O. Bigelow.

Mentha Lip Shine Soda Fountain Collection
Yes, I know what I said about the Mentha Lip Shine. Did I mention I have a weakness for sales? Bath & Body Works had a sale for the Soda Fountain Collection, ok? I couldn't help it. I reviewed both the Butterscotch Vanilla Sundae and Strawberry Sundae just a few days ago, so I won't repeat myself here.
Butterscotch Vanilla Sundae


Strawberry Sundae


Rose Salve
I never saw this at Bath & Body Works before, so I wonder if it's new? Anyways, when I did see in the store, I grabbed 3 :D And I was happy I did. It's a milkier version of the salmony pink Smith's Rosebud Salve, only with Smith's Minted Rose Lip Balm's texture, which I like a lot! In fact, I prefer this C.O. Bigelow Rose Salve over the Smith's Rosebud Salve. It could be because the C.O. Bigelow version doesn't go all "rosy" on me. It smells like rose-flavored Carmex :D And while I don't particularly like the smell of Carmex because it's a bit strong, the hints of rose actually softens it! Basically, it's not too strong one way or another, and that's a hit with me. Minus the minty factor, it's basically identical Smith's Minted Rose. I love it and am considering restocking already (along with some more Smith's Minted Rose, of course) :D


B&C Laboratories
I think the single factor that sold me on these Lip and Moist Creams was their packaging. However, that's not to say the products are less than stellar - they are all marvelous! I keep all the lip creams at my end table, where I usually lounge and all the moist creams at my nightstand. I get kind of fickle and pick out my flavor depending on my mood :D

I have already reviewed these, so you can see my previous posts on them below:
- B&C Lab Lip & Moist Creams
- B&C Lab Lip & Moist Creams Part II

Because this post is on lip balms, I'm posting only the pictures of the lip creams :D

Apuru chan


Kumomo chan


Mikan chan


La France


Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Minty Lip Shine
Yep, more Victoria's Secret. I swear they must have made thousands off of me. I kept telling myself I'd never fall for their tricks again, only to trip all over the place every time. Damn! This Minty Lip Shine runs pretty darn close to the Mentha Lip Shine, only it's a bit thicker (and doesn't smear as much) and lasts longer, so it was spared my wrath. While it is sugary sweet, which I very much dislike, I've warmed up to it quite a bit and reach for it more often than not. You can see my previous post on it below:
- Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush Minty Lip Shine



See my previous Lip Balms post.

B&C Laboratories Lip & Moist Creams Part II

Another one of the goodies my sister brought me from Japan was the B&C Laboratories La France Lip & Moist Creams.



These creams are pear-shaped because they are supposed to smell like French Butter Pears! Let's just say I heartily welcome this set to the collection on my night stand. Who could resist those ridiculously cute packaging?





I normally dislike, okay, more like intensely dislike, any pear-scented lotion or cream because I just don't get along with the fragrance at all. It gives me headaches! I like the fruit, just not anything scented with it. That said, I LOVE this pear scent! It's so subtle, light, and simply delectable! I wanted to eat the stuff, seriously!


In comparison with the rest of the collection, the La France Moist Cream is on the light side, being just a dab thicker than the Kumomo chan Moist Cream but definitely much thinner than the Apuru chan and Mikan chan Moist Creams. However, being on the thinner side doesn't mean it's not as moisturizing. It is, and I use it on days when my alligator hands aren't as scaly (the alligator scales need intense treatment!). And the cream smells so good I couldn't stop sniffing my hand everytime I put some on :D


The La France Lip Cream is awesome! Again, in comparison to the rest it's on the thinner side, thicker than the Kumomo chan Lip Cream but definitely lighter than Apuru chan and Mikan chan Lip Creams. I'm pretty sure it's wax-based, but it doesn't feel waxy at all! If anything, I would compare the buttery texture to the Rosebud Perfume Company's Smith Minted Rose or Brambleberry Rose Lip Balms. May be it's the silicone? Either way, I love it! Very moisturizing with good lasting power. Definitely one of my favorites!

See my previous "B&C Laboratories Lip & Moist Creams" post.