First experience at a Japanese Public Bath (Kyoto)

As most of you might know, I went to Japan for a short holiday (last last year. This is a VERY delayed post). In the last week of my CoFesta trip I went to Kyoto and stayed at Hostel Mundo. Nearby the hostel was a public bath which the owner of the hostel highly recommended. According to her, Choja-Yu (长者汤） is the second oldest public bath in Kyoto.

 
Address: 上長者町通松屋町西入須浜東町, 450上京区 , 京都府Japan
Tel: +81 75 441 1223 
 
 


 
According to Midori-san (Hostel Mundo’s Owner) , Choja-Yu Public bath operates till 12：00 midnight. But when i was there the public bath signage seems to say that it closes at 11:30 even though I did stayed till 11:45 pm =X.

Autumn Kyoto day 7 (Kinkakuji & Nijo Castle)

The 28th October 2013 marks the 7th day of my extended CoFesta Ambassador trip in Japan last autumn. I was invited as an Ambassador for CoFesta in recognition of my continuous work of sharing Japanese related content online. I extended the trip and made it into a 12 days trip from Tokyo to Osaka and Kyoto.

 

- Read about my CoFesta related travel trips here (Click!)

- Read about my Japan related travel blogs & tips here (Click!)

 

 

 

So yes, that Monday morning marked my first morning in Kyoto! I’ve been dreaming of a Kyoto flooded red with maple leaves ever since reading the grotesque and romanticised descriptions in Yami no Matsuei.  After a tedious and anxious day of rushing for my Shinkansen and lugging my luggage from Tokyo to Kyoto the day before, I woke up at 10am haha. By the time I got out of the Hostel it was already 12:30pm hahaha. This is why I like travelling solo; I sleep and rise according to my own wishes. 

Review: Hada Labo Koi-Gokujyun Whitening Perfect Gel

Name: Hada Labo Koi-Gokujyun Whitening Perfect Gel
Price: SGD$ 21 - $38.90 (Price varies drastically depending on where you purchase)
Volume: 100gm (Jar) 80gm (Refill) 

 
I've really been sitting on this review for far too long but here it finally is! I'll just cut to the chase, this is my favourite Hada Labo moisturiser by far ( and I've tried mannnyyy of HL's moisturisers) and if i go back to Japan again I'm gonna buy at least 3 packets of refill back!

photo source: Hada Labo (SG)

 

Colour

Product looks translucent white in the jar however goes on clear.
 

Texture & Absorption

The product is easy to spread and has a pretty watery effect (pretty not very).

It takes a bit of time to get absorbed into the skin but after you are done it doesn't feel sticky at all! This has got to be the first Hada Labo moisturiser I’ve use that doesn't feel sticky at all after patting. It felt light on the skin and skin feels well hydrated.
 

Effect

This is what i consider a 'Hydrating Moisturiser'. A product that works on pumping moisture into the skin and while it’s not the most hydrating moisturiser out there, I personally think it does a pretty darn good job! I'm not really into whitening; partly because i think I'm fair enough and partly because I don't think any products that claim to whiten the skin has worked for me before.

However this is the first time I felt that this moisturiser, with continuous use, has really brightened my overall complexion. While we can argue that brightening is not whitening , it's hard to deny the fact that it has evened out my overall complexion. My skin looks significantly hydrated and healthy.
 

Price

Singapore Sasa sells each jar of this for $38.90 for 80gm (not sure why this jar is 80gm instead of 100gm) . After knowing how much this sells in Japan I refuse to buy it in Singapore!! The refill pack sells for roughly 1400 yen in Japan and that’s like just SGD$15.3!!!! What we get in Singapore is twice the cost!

Objectively, i think this is considered expensive for a drugstore product.



 
 
Overall

For anyone who’s hoping to get one shade lighter , this might not be the holy grail you’re looking for. But if you tend to have dull, sallow skin; this product should help brighten and even out your skin tone. 


Would I recommend you to buy it? Well, I absolutely love everything about this product! From how it gets absorbed, how it isn’t sticky to how well it hydrates and brightened my skin! The only thing stopping me from replenishing my stock in Singapore is the exorbitant price tag. Now I beg friends who are travelling to Japan to lug a few packs back for me ^_^;; 

If you are not too concerned with the price tag, have oily, normal, acne prone, uneven skin; then this product is suitable for you. Because it hydrates reasonably well yet gives a non-sticky finish. So I presume it would be good for people with oily or acne prone skin who don't need any more oily stuffs on their face. 

For people who have dehydrated or dry skin ( like mine, it's oily on the outside but dry on the inside) I would suggesting using another cream moisturiser on top of it to enhance your skin's ability to retain moisturise. 

Review: Healthy Care Lanolin Cream w/ Vit E

Name: Healthy Care , All Natural Lanoline Cream Tube
Price: Bought it locally at a discount for maybe AUD 5?
Volume: 100 gm
Website: http://healthycare.com.au/product/natural-lanoline-cream-tube-30g/ 
 


 
 
The actual name of the product is pretty confusing thanks to the packaging design and the website but I hope I got them right! I bought this during my first trip to Australian a couple of years back when i attended S.M.A.S.H.  i only bought it because it was on extreme discount and definitely didn't think highly of its cheap looking container at all.
 
However this turned out to be one of my best skincare purchase from Australia! I have gone on to finishing 5 jars haha! Sadly i didn't managed to get any on my recent trip back T.T

Gohotels (Manila) Review

Hotel Name: GoHotels
Branch: Mandaluyong (Cybergate Plaza, EDSA)
Address: UG/F, Robinsons Cybergate Plaza, EDSA cor. Pioneer Street, Mandaluyong City
Contact: +63(2) 3988788/  +63(2) 3988119
Website: http://gohotels.ph/index.php/mandaluyong
Price: 880 peso – 1388 pesos (Price varies)

 

 

Gohotels is a chain of Essential Service hotel in Philippines. They have numerous hotel chains all over the country and even in Palawan Islands. I stayed at the Mandaluyong (Cybergate Plaza, EDSA) branch last month for 4 nights when I was on my Manila YOLO Cosplay Trip. This is my simple review of the place.

Review: Benefit Cosmetics: They're Real! Push-Up Liner

I got this eyeliner from the October BellaBox. I have to admit this is probably one of my first high end eyeliner so I was understandably excited to try it out.

Photo source: Sephora

 
Before my review let's look at some information about the product from Benefit’s website.
 
 

Review: Laneige BB cushion (Pore Control)

My first Laneige BB cushion Pore Control experience came as a sample on my monthly Bellabox subscription.

Name: Laneige BB cushion (Pore Control)
Weight: 15 gm X 2 (they sell 1 + 1)
Price: $35:90 - $39:90 (Online price) $58:00 (Retail Price)
Buy from: Qoo10 

 
* Update 2: I bought my own full size product via Qoo10 and have been testing it for the last 4 months and shared my new thoughts here! I bought #13 True Beige and while I love the brightening effect, I found the colour too light on me. Take note that I am a relatively fair toned person -__-; . To neutralise the colour difference, I lightly dust my ZA 2way foundation and always tried to avoid piling too much bbcream onto my face.

What is this Laneige Bb cushion?

The Laneige BB Cushion (Pore Control) is a new, cushion-type BB cream that has multiple skincare properties   “Pore purifying BB Cushion for a fresh-looking and semi-matte complexion all day” .

Some of the special points below.

1. 1 - Contains SPF50+ PA+++, this high SPF amount means you can do without sunscreen. Strong protection!
2. 2 - Utilizes a revolutionary cushion mechanism with 800,000 pores (the cushion thing where you get your bb cream from). The mechanism helps disperse the bbcream onto the customized puff in extremely fine sprays. When the puff is used correctly (in a patting/stamping motion), better adherence and hydration is achieved.
3. 3 - The customised puff is an Air-cell puff that can instantly absorbs the moisture and transfers moisture onto the surface of the skin.
4. 4 - Pore Purifying Complex ™ purifies pores and protects skin against pore trouble
5. 5 - Excellent coverage of pore and skin bumps with soft focus powder which diffuse light.
6. 6 - Semi-matte finish. Product has a powerful dual powder formula of anti-darkening and sebum control powder regulates shine for a fresh and supple-looking complexion.
7. 7 - Water-resistant. Strong resistance against perspiration and sebum for long-lasting Make-up
8. 8 - Soothing effect. Fresh cooling sensation instantly cools the skin surface to refresh and soothe fatigued skin.

I’m sorry if the last few points were a direct copy from the picture below but I thought they did a great job explaining so, why not copy 8D?

Photo credit: http://www.laneige.com.sg/

Review: Automatic Beauty, Single Eye Tape

So you guys know i attended the awesome AB Mezical fiber event which Taiwanese Celebrity Makeup artist Mr Kelvin graced. Japalang Pte Ltd was nice enough to let each blogger walk away with a bag full of AB products and I'm here to share my experience with them. Sorry for being so slow!
 

 
 

Brand introduction

Automatic Beauty is a Japanese Beauty Brand under Dear Laura Inc.. This Brand focus primarily on makeup products for creating natural looking double eyelids. As of current, they have a range of 6 products and it comes in a variety of materials such as fiber, rubber, liquid, and tape.

 
Mr Kelvin informed us during the event that he had chosen to work with AB eyelid tapes (amongst the multitudes of double eye tape brands) because he personally endorses the quality of the product and approves of the way QC is being done for this product. Other than making sure the eyelid tapes work, AB also tested vigorously to ensure that even with multiple uses of sticking on and peeling off , the product would not cause any discomfort to the wearer. Producing safe and quality products that works was the brand objective.
 

Product introduction

In this entry, I'm using the Single Eye tape ( Yellow Box) which is sticky only on one side; much like traditional double eyelid tape. Each product comes in a cute and sturdy plastic box that I will totally re-use for other makeup stuffs 8D. Inside the box is 4 sheets of the pre-cut eyelid tapes ( 80 pieces in total ) and a small Shaping stick .

Review: K-Palette Brow Mascara

Product info: http://k-palette.net/ebmascara/

 
In my opinion, one of the often most neglected part of makeup is making sure the colour of your eye brow matches your hair.

There's nothing quite as jarring as a head of light hair with black brows (unless you are Daenerys Targaryen from Game of Thrones or someone equally gorgeous xD) . I admit,  I'm guilty as charged too. It's not that I don't know about the problem,  it's just that I find it too much of a hassle to tackle on normal days.
 
 
 
If you've seen my makeup videos,  you would see me using concealer, powder, elf eyelid primer (yes.), more concealer, more powder, eyeshadow and more eyeshadows to change the colour of my brows. I feel tired just typing that out,  what more doing it on normal days =_=! It's not that I'm not aware of brow mascara previously, I was just too much of a scrounge to get it haha!
 
But thanks to Japalang Pte Ltd, i finally have a chance to try it! This product was given to me by Japalang Pte Ltd for review. This however does not affect my opinions on the product.




Relle from Japalang was generous enough to give me both shades to try! Cool! Now, I can use the lighter one for Cosplays :D

Review: SexyLook Redwine Platinum Intensive Firming Duo Mask

I went to Taiwan for a short trip last month to attend a friend’s wedding. Of course as a girl, one of the most important task we have while traveling is to assist in boosting the destination’s economy. So shopping is the only way to go! Don't judge me! Most of them were souvenirs for my friends!!!

To my Taiwanese readers (don’t think I have any 8D) , I have done my part for your nation! Go you!

Anyway, on the last day of my trip, I went shopping around Shilin area since it was literally where my hostel was (read my hostel review here). Most of the shops were not opened yet except for Bubble Tea shops and Drug stores =( . Anyway, cut my bullshit short, the drug store was having a 1 for 1 promotion so I bought 2 box of Taiwan facemasks!

Photo credit: SexyLook Singapore