Etude House Silk Scarf Double Care Hair Mask review

Etude House Silk Scarf Double Care Hair Mask

You know a product is good if you want to repurchase it the moment you finish using it. This happens to be one of those products.

Thankfully there are instructions in English

For those who are new to this blog, you know how much I care about the health of my hair. If you type of "hair" in the search --> you are bound to find loads of posts relating to hair.

close up of diagrams and Korean instructions

close up of the ingredients

impressions:

• my hair smells so nice! 
• smells like a sort of grapefruit
• hair felt like silky, smooth and soft
• no tangles
• did I mention it smells really nice?... I can't stop sniffing my hair!
• results lasted for about 5 days

the mask

pros:

• smells nice
• works and easy to use
• made hair so silky, soft and smooth!
• cheaper (compared to professional salons)

cons:

• too many steps + very time consuming (wash and dry and apply and wash and dry...)
• the cap part was slightly troublesome (how can I tell all the essence was properly rubbed in?)
• expensive (compared to other home hair masks -  $5 USD)
• only lasted for 5 days

the shower cap to seal the product

the shower cap also had its own ingredients to help with making your hair feel silky smooth

I will definitely be purchasing this hair mask again! I loved my hair! It made my hair so silky smooth and smelled so good!! But because of the hefty price tag (and you can only use it once), I might save my future purchases for special occasions.


score: 9.5/10
website: https://www.etudehouse.com/int/en/index.php/silk-scarf-double-hair-mask.html

Ichiran Instant ramen noodles 一蘭ラーメン review

ichiran ramen

If you have been following me for a while, you will know that Ichiran is one of my favourite-go-to fast food places in Tokyo (minus the long lines). Because of this, I was very curious to know how similar or different their instant ramen version is to the ones in their shop.

A package costs ¥2000 (or a bit more, less than ¥2800 for sure) and contains five servings. 

the instructions

A disclaimer, after cooking and preparing for these ramen noodles for 3 times... my verdict is... PLEASE follow your own instinct... the instructions DO NOT work... I had a frustrating 2 times before I decided to use my common sense and they tasted how I wanted to. (This includes how much water you should add, how long the ramen/noodles should be cooked for).

the bowl of Ichiran instant ramen I made at home!

impressions:

• easy to make (again, DO NOT FOLLOW THEIR INSTRUCTIONS)
• 80% similar to the taste at the shop
• you can put in how much hot sauce you would like
• good souvenir if you do not live in Japan

So I took this picture before I added in the garnishes and eggs since these were the only items included in the package.

I was impressed with how similar in taste this is to the real thing.

You can find them all over Tokyo but I wouldn't procrastinate if you want to buy them because I have seen a lot of sold out signs for these in a lot of places. (These are in demand!)

I love how I can have something similar at home without having to go to the shop and wait in line!

score: 8.3/10
website: https://en.ichiran.com/index.php
I found it on Amazon (affiliated link)--> https://amzn.to/2HIA8qK

also... please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

Japan 7-Eleven's fried chicken mini review

their regular ななチキン (7 chicken)

Japan 7-Eleven's fried chicken is so good! :P you'd be surprised to know that I was full after eating only 2 pieces!

this one had cheese inside

They are marinaded properly (meaning: enough salt and spices to make it taste good but not too much to steal the flavour from the meat) the meat was very tender, juicy and fresh.

After trying their regular 7 chicken and the one with cheese, I would get the normal one. If you are adventurous and curious, then get the cheese one. The cheese one was not worth the extra ¥10-¥30.

score: 8/10
website: no website

德發牛肉丸大排檔 review

when you are near this sign you are close to this place

My family has never been fans of 大排檔s. We never had a good image of them and considered them not very clean. Of course, things are different now in Hong Kong, especially with the vigilance of the Hong Kong Health and Food Inspectors, to ensure food safety laws are kept especially among the local 大排檔s and street vendors.

the entrance to the 大排檔s

Other than 德發牛肉丸, there are other stalls there too. I didn't have a chance to try the other ones. But one thing for sure, it is a very local place, and I would recommend grabbing a Cantonese speaking friend along. The people are nice, just a little rough and can be slightly misunderstood. Also, keep in mind that the place can feel a bit wet and dirty, it isn't... but it will appear that way. (you can tell by what I mean when you look at the menu in the next picture).

simple menu (taken in 2015)

You can see that the prices are quite reasonable, and the menu is extremely simple.

Note that at the bottom of the sign it says they are closed on Wednesdays.

For every beef meatball, beef brisket, beef organs (various) and beef ligament (?) you can choose to have it with by itself, with noodles, or rice.

update: ok, so one of my friends went and said that the prices have increased - $28 --> $32 || $12-->$15 (which is not bad given it has been almost 4 years)

a bowl of Beef meatballs

Their name means Beef meatballs, so it's a no brainer what I was going to get there.

Beef Meatball Noodles

My mom settled for one with noodles just because wanted some starch to fill up her stomach.

Beef MeatBalls

• very bouncy
• very nicely marinaded
• very flavourful
• the best beef meatballs I have ever had
• goes well with chilli sauce

I'm sorry I can't be more descriptive... but they were really good. Honestly, I felt that if I dropped one on the floor, it will go bounce, bounce, bounce, ... . They were very 單 - bouncy, so it tough shoving my chopsticks into one without the risk of it flying off like a ping pong ball.

I love them! The noodles were only there to make me full... - my mom

Cold Lemon Tea

I was a bit disappointed with their Cold Lemon Tea... it is better than the ones I have had in Canada/Japan but compared to other places in Hong Kong especially to other Chachantengs (茶餐廳), it was not a winner.

score: 9/10
website: no website

Sweet Box Fried Potato Sticks review

While a lot of people like Calbee's fried potato sticks, I was never a fan of those. I felt that they were too thin and reminded me too much of potato chips for me to consider them potato sticks. 

I came across these while shopping at my local grocery store (I was craving something cheesy) and decided to give these a try, they were only ¥99 for 50g, which is quite reasonable.

impressions:

• thick cut
• similar to French Fries
• very crispy on the outside with a slight softness on the inside
• needs more of a cheesy taste
• strong potato taste

I prefer these to Calbee's because they are shaped more like French fries and are crispy, like a very crispy French Fry (they are slightly soft inside, whereas Calbee's are hard and crispy inside and out).

Like most Japanese cheesy flavoured snacks, they need to put WAY more cheese flavour.

Other than that, I'm quite fancying these :)

score: 8/10

website: no website

also... please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

Reusable Stainless Steel straws review

stainless steel straw

If you reached this post from my daily blog... thanks for visiting both my blogs :), and welcome to my reviews blog! (I wrote these two blog posts at the same time, so apologies if you already read this same intro from my glass straws review)

another view of the straw

It has been a while since I wanted to buy reusable straws. Unfortunately, reusable straws aren't so big in Japan... in fact, most people have never even heard of them. I couldn't find them locally, so I had to get them from Amazon.

I'm not sure why I decided to get a stainless steel straw (in addition to the glass straws I've bought), but I don't regret buying this. It is good to take to places where I know I might be a bit clumsy (and possibly drop my glass straws and break them).

pros:

• I am not bothered by the fact they are slightly thicker than regular plastic straws
• I can stir my drinks with it!
• easy to clean (just buy a straw cleaner)
• durable (who has ever heard of stainless steel breaking easily? :D)
• this size is good for most drinks
• the finish is really nice and smooth
• I love the sound of ice hitting against this straw <3

cons:

• I'm not sure how clean it is as I can't see inside.
• this straw adds a slight metallic taste to some drinks (this does bother me a bit)
• this size is good for most drinks
• if a drink is slightly on the hot side, it can feel a little too warm

score: 8.5/10

link to where I purchased them (not affiliated): https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B07FSFNLQ6/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1


I did a review on glass straws here, click if you want to learn about what I thought of them.

Reusable Glass straws review

my glass straws

If you reached this post from my daily blog... thanks for visiting both my blogs :), and welcome to my reviews blog!

It has been a while since I wanted to buy reusable straws. Unfortunately, reusable straws aren't so big in Japan... in fact, most people have never even heard of them. 

I forgot where I first heard of glass straws, but I was intrigued the moment I heard about them! I couldn't find them in Japan so I went on Amazon (my new friend) and bought them there. 

thicker than plastic straws

pros:

• they do not affect the taste of the drink! (a total win!)
• I am not bothered by the fact they are slightly thicker than regular plastic straws
• does not conduct heat
• makes my drink feel more "expensive" (no plastic taste and these glass straws can stir my drink properly)
• easy to clean (just buy a straw cleaner)
• the finish is really nice and smooth

cons:

• they can be loud when I stir and they hit the cup
• this hasn't happened but sometimes I'm afraid they might break (so I need to be gentle)
• the glass (possibly tempered glass) feels strong and sturdy, but at the end of the day, glass is still glass

One of my pet peeves is when plastic straws add an unnecessary strange plastic taste to my drinks (I notice these things). I was happy to not have that problem when I was drinking from these glass straws. The drink tastes exact as how it should... and they are environmentally friendly. 

score: 9.5
link to where I purchased them (not affiliated): https://www.amazon.co.jp/gp/product/B07LCGPMN8/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I will talk about my experiences and do a review on the stainless steel straw here (link available on April 9th)

Kua'Aina sandwiches review

When most people think of Kua'Aina they would usually think of their burgers (Hawaiian burgers!). But today I learned they have sandwiches as well! 

They also have lunch sets for both burgers and sandwich. I chose the BLT sandwich, it comes with thin french fries (you will know what I mean in the next picture) and a drink of your choice. I chose Guava juice. 

They gave me a tray with a number so I didn't have to wait for my sandwich. (I'm totally fine with this... I want a freshly made sandwich rather than an old soggy one).

The sandwich and fries took around 10 minutes to come.

lots of thin fries

I was appalled by the amount of fries they gave me... but I didn't mind :) They were thinner than regular ones (e.g. thinner than McDonald's).

You can see how the ingredients were properly stacked. You can see the lettuce, avocado, tomato, onions, bacon. 

It looks simple but combined with their sauce, it was good. It tasted very healthy too. I was full towards the end but I wasn't bloated. 

score: 8/10 (it is a little pricy for a sandwich)

website: https://www.kua-aina.com/

please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)