Japan Diaries #2 Making OBento!

HI GUYS, I'm back with a second post in my "Japan Diaries" series! Today, I'm going to teach y'all how to cook! JUST KIDDING, those of you that know me, know that I can't cook to save my life >.> SOOOO, what I meant was I'm going to make a 'bento' with one of those small candy cooking packets. I've always seen these in supermarkets but never reached out to try it. However, since I'm in Japan and have heaps of spare time I thought, why not? They have lots of variety, you can make sushi, candy, fast food sets and much more but I choose the panda bento because ISNT IT ADORABLE?! This box only costed around 300yen so I wanted to recommend it to you guys if you need an idea to kill time and bond with friends and family!

So the box itself looks like this:

On the back there are a bunch of instructions in Japanese (If you can't read it, google translate will be your best friend!)

These are the things that are included in the box (I've labelled everything according to steps for you guys)!

The packaging itself is important as well so don't chuck that out! We are going to cut it up to make the plate for the bento and also the flag and other decorative pieces.

Step #1: Cut off the little triangle compartment on the side. We are going to use this as a little measuring cup for the water. 

Step #2: Pour powder packet #1 in the large rectangle compartment to the right. Pour in 2 cups of water and mix. This will make the rice for the triangle and panda onigiri. Break this rice into two big lumps and select one lump from which you will make one lump for the panda head and two small lumps for the ears. 

Step #3: Pour powder packet #2 into the small rectangle on the left and the panda eyes/mouth, then place the remaining into the oval shaped compartment. This powder is super yummy btw! Taste like sour whizz-fizz if anyone remembers what that tastes like ;D Now we are going to stamp the rice blobs we made before into the panda face to make the face and then the rice ball into the rectangle to make the seaweed. Dump the ears into the oval and roll them around until they are fully covered in the black powder. Assemble to make the panda. (Try not to be messy like I was haha). 

Step #4: Pour packet #4 into the original large rectangle compartment. Mix two cups of water. Separate into two blobs and you get two pieces of karage chicken! 

Step #5: Pour packet #5 into the same compartment and add two cups of water. Mix and then put the final mixture into the plastic bag given. Cut a small hole in the corner of the bag and pipe out the mixture (like you would with cream) onto a plate. Then wa-lah you get spaghetti. 

Step #6: This you can do all together. Pour packet #6,7,8 into their allocated compartment. Add one cup of water to them all, mix and wa-lah. You get a broccoli, egg and octopus (looks nothing like it...). 

Step #7: Now all you have to do it cut out the plate and decorations from the packaging and assemble everything! Taaa-daaaaa, how's that for cooking skills? ;D

Right guys, hope you had fun either making it with me or 'watching' me make it! 

Thanks for reading, see you again soon! ^_^

xx H. 

Best Lip Balm Ever! [DHC Lip Cream Review]

HI GUYS, I'm back!! It was 体育の日yesterday, a public holiday celebrating sports and health? IDK I swear Japanese people are so in love with holidays that they pretty much have one with any excuse they get ;D. Making good use of the day, I went to Canal City in Hakata and did a lot of shopping and eating (two things I do best hehe). I think once I've visited enough places/restaurants to recommend, I'll do any individual post on that, so I won't blabber on about that any further. Have you guys had any public holidays recently in your countries? Feel free to comment which weird public holidays y'all have going on in your country~

Today I wanted to share with you guys my amazing discovery. I've heard lots about this DHC Lip cream, however never reached out to try it. BUT I'm so glad I finally did!!! Its basically all I could ask for in a lip balm. It is long lasting, smooths out any cracks or lines in your lips and also has a glossy finish. I found that it work especially well with these two products. 

1. Dior Addict Fluid Lip Shade #754 "Pandore"

2. YSL Baby Doll Kiss and Blush Shade #6 "Liberti"

Both these two lip products I initially didn't like, applied by itself on bare lips (or with any other lip balm). I even made a post about the YSL one asking if anyone had any suggestion on wearing it so that the application would be smoother and the colour would last longer! Now I've discovered the way myself :D

First off with the Dior Fluid Lip, the formulae is extremely thick and sticky making application very difficult and uneven. The pigmentation is also very extreme, making it hard to wear in daily life with a light makeup look. However, if you first apply the DHC lip balm as a base coat and then apply this top, it glides on effortlessly and you get a glossy and gentle look. It is also very suitable for doing the gradient lip as the colour is buildable around the centre of the lips. 

Next, with the YSL baby doll, I previously said that the colour fades with contact with the air, turning from a vibrant red to a dark pink. Also the formulae is very velvety, almost like there is an amount of primer mixed within. However, with the lip balm as a base coat, you get a very smooth application and I feel that the colour is preserved for longer as well. It is a very wearable red, again very suitable for gradient lip which I think is the best lip look for a light face of makeup. It is still a little patchy and uneven, however it is hardly noticeable in real life. I'm so glad I discovered this because I really didn't want to give up on this lip product, its packaging is just LIFE. The finish is also matte compared to the glossy finish of the Dior. 

I'm so excited to share this product with you because if you can't already tell, IM SO IN LOOOOVE, so much so that I went back and grabbed a second one within a week. PLUS, it is so afforable- it sits at around the 500yen mark- such great value for money compared some other lip balms I've tried! 

If you end up trying this please let me know how it went! Hoping to hear just as much love in the comments~

Right guys, again thanks for reading. Bye for now~

xx H. 

Too Faced Waterproof Better than Sex Mascara Review

HI GUYS, how's it going? I'm starting to get a bit of a culture shock here, the fact that you have to divide your rubbish into three different bags, burnable, non-burnable and plastic bottles and the overly expensive transportation and fruit is starting to get to me :O. On the bright side, I finished my Japanese placements tests yesterday and have been pretty free since then so I thought I'd come back and do a review for you guys :D

I love the way the BTSM original version lengthens and volumes with one single coat. Its thick brush makes application super easy and quick. However because of its brush size, it is also easy to get mascara on your eyelids but I usually just go back in with a Q-tip to clean things up, so no biggie. My love for the BTSM meant that when I heard they were coming out with a waterproof formulae, it went straight onto my to-buy list. However, after giving it several goes, I have fixed feelings about it.

First off, it take ages to dry, even longer when compared to the non-waterproof formulae, which I find kind of odd... And because of this I find that transfer of mascara onto my lids and eye area is a problem if I'm trying to rush out the door. Since it is a waterproof formulae it does seems to hold the curl a little better than the original version and that is something I'm happy about because otherwise my limp little asian eyelashes always be facing the ground LOL. Something else I'm really impressed with is the packaging. The water droplets look so legit!! It is definitely a piece of eye-candy, this one. On the other hand, another major thing I am disappointed with is its lack of waterproof properties. It can withstand a few rain droplets or so but definitely does not stay put if you go swimming or take a shower (even if its a cold one). Now, I don't exactly expect a mascara to stand against oil or hot water because otherwise, it'd be impossible to remove but I'd presume a normal person would opt for a waterproof mascara when attending a pool party, beach outing or a super emotional movie session. So, if this mascara can't stay put even through those events, it kind of defeats the purpose of it all. One last thing to be mindful about is that although this mascara has weak holding power, it is also very difficult to remove. Now, I know that sounds weird but what I mean is, it smudges easily under water but to remove it entirely is a chore. Definitely not something a lazy person like me is into! So in the end, I think I'd prefer the non-waterproof formula, just because it dries faster, gives off a similar effect and is easier to remove. I think a great alternative would be the Heroine Make Mascara in the hot pink tube (I think they've changed the packaging though), that one is SUPER waterproof and doesn't budge even when you take a hot shower! However, it is easily removed with some oil eye makeup remover. If you try it out, let me know what you think, or if you know a better alternative, please let me know about it! :D

Right guys, lets leave it short and choppy today! Hope you enjoyed reading this post and that it helped you out if you were kind of on the fence about buying it! Have a nice day guys. Bye~

xx H.