Canmake Creamy Touch Liner review

Canmake's Creamy Touch Liner

 In 2018 I discovered eyeliner. Once you see yourself with eyeliner, you can't go back. It is life-changing. It makes you feel awake and without it, you always seem to look tired.

Since I am still very new to all of this, I am constantly on the lookout for eyeliners (you will see my reviews on other eyeliners as I find ones that really stand out (good or bad)).

Canmake's Creamy Touch Liner was one of the first that really impressed me.

The promotions at the drugstore said that it is a gel liner in a form of a stick, making it easy to use.

There are two colours: dark brown and black. I have used both and both are good

dark brown on the left and black on the right

and a disclaimer, this product is new but very popular... I had to go to 5 drugstores to find them.

pros:

• glides on your eyes
• easy to control the consistency
• stays on and lasts all day
• doesn't smudge (but will fade if you rub your eyes)
• easy to use (I'm still a beginner and it was easy to get the shape I wanted)
• clean (just turn the dial and get 
• always sharp and stays the same diameter
• it is a gel eyeliner but you don't have to carry a brush and container with you, only a stick!

cons:

• easily dries out
• once you have gotten too much product out, you can't put it back in the stick (so be careful)
• you never know how much you have left
• not waterproof
• if you rub your eyes too hard, it will transfer (but you can still see the product on your eyes, faded)

I will definitely repurchase. Since I am still quite new with eyeliners, I can only give a score based on my limited experience with eyeliners.

score: 8.5/10
website: http://www.canmake.com/en/eeye/item_eye080.html

Twinings of London Peach & Orange tea review

I love tea. I mean... I love coffee... but it is something about growing up Chinese and the fact that it is in my blood, that I love tea, especially fruit teas. 

While shopping at Kaldi's, I came across these two teas (I will do the Apple one later).

I usually don't buy tea bags because they have given me such frustrations with quality... but since Twinings (of London) is known for their quality in teabags, they are probably one of the few brands I would actually buy my teabags.

I really like the packaging

type: red tea

country of origin of tea: China and Argentina

they recommend that this can be drunk: straight, with milk or cold

I drank half of it before I remembered to take a picture

impressions:

• very smooth (I wouldn't have thought it came from a teabag)
• peach and orange are a good mix
• only takes two minutes to make (follow the instructions and it will work)
• didn't have a rough aftertaste 
• Happy and Lively (it does live up to its description)
• quenches thirst
• given the taste, it will taste good with the recommended: straight, cold, with milk
• leaves a nice peachy aftertaste

I'm not sure whether this product is only limited to Japan because I couldn't find the specific product on their UK website.

My one and only complaint is that it seems the flavours were not from dried peaches/dried oranges. It would have been perfect if it were (might be wrong, but the packaging says "aroma").

score: 9.8/10 (that is very high)

website: https://www.twinings-tea.jp/products/peach-orange.html (in Japanese)

Saratoga Springs Made in USA Kettle Cooked Cheddar & Onion chips review

chip bag

While shopping at Kaldi's, the words "Kettle Cooked" caught my eye. For those of you who live in Japan, you know the frustration of finding kettle cooked potato chips... they are rare. So without giving it much thought, I went ahead and bought Cheddar & Onion. (I also bought Black Pepper, I will talk about it in another post).

There are definitely a few things I miss: real cheddar tasting snacks, onion tasting snacks AND Kettle chips... so this already had my name on it. 

As they claim, these were made in the US, a quick search on Google told me that Saratoga chips are famous and very well known. 

According to their website:

Saratoga Chips Original Kettle Potato Chips are as crisp and delicious as Chef George Crum intended when he invented the potato chip at the Cary Moon's Lake Lodge in 1853 in Saratoga Springs, New York.

I guess I was really lucky and made the right decision to buy them!

Their chips claim to be:
certified gluten-free no trans fats allergen free 100% all natural no cholesterol also non-GMO Verified.


The description on the bag also says

According to culinary legend, the potato chip originated in 1853 at a fashionable New York restaurant when railroad magnate Cornelius Vanderbilt sent his potatoes back to the kitchen, complaining that they were too thick. Annoyed, chef George Crum scornfully sliced some potatoes into a kettle of boiling oil and fried them to a crisp. The result was a hit and the potato chip was born.

In succession to this traditional recipe, we kettle-cook select potatoes in small batches using vegetable oil. We use totally natural ingredients, hand-rake every batch, and test chips at every stage of preparation to ensure quality and taste. Enjoy our traditional kettle cooked potato chips. 

So after knowing ALL about these chips, how do they taste:

impressions:

• very solid 
• very crispy (even after leaving them out for a day (by accident) they were still very fresh)
• oily to the fingers
• cheddar and onion taste was very mild
• perfect combination with avocado
• does not leave you with onion breath but there is a slight onion flavour lingering

and last but not least, the ingredients:
potatoes, cottonseed oil, sunflower oil and/or safflower oil, maltodextrin whey powder, sea salt, dried cheddar cheese (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), whey, buttermilk, disodium phosphate, lactic acid), natural & artificial flavours, onion powder, yeast extract, extractives of annatto, sugar, citric acid, lactic acid, garlic powder, extractive of turmeric. 

score: 9.5/10
website: http://originalsaratogachips.com/ 

Lion's feet and legs soothing sheets resting time neat foot review

Kyusoku Jikan - Lion Corporation

I threw away the actual box, but if you take this picture to any drugstore in Japan, they will know what you are looking for. The box looks more colourful.

As I have started working and officially an office lady, I have no choice but to wear heels all the time. When I get home at night, my feet would cramp (super painful). 

I found these (which by the way are one of the more popular souvenirs in Tokyo) and decided to give them a try. 

Description:

• A moisture-rich sheet that cools your legs through the vaporization of water, helps to care for your tired legs after a long day of standing, walking, wearing high or doing sports. 
• Formulated with 5 aromatic oil fragrances, it also relaxes your senses while pampering your legs. 
• The adhesive is gentle on your skin and adheres firmly to the leg till the next morning.

Directions:

1. Use it after showering or before going to bed.
2. Ensure skin is dry and clean before using.
3. Remove half of the transparent film and affix to the required area i.e. calf, sole or ankle. Remove the other half of the transparent film.
4. For best cooling results, refrigerate it prior to use. Do not store in freezer.

pros:

• easy to apply
• slight minty smell
• works! 
• gets rid of foot cramps (on heel days)
• self-adhesive
• works on leg muscles (you will feel the difference the next day)
• affordable - ¥700 (approx) for 18 sheets

cons:

• smell
• easily slips off of feet (especially when you walk) 
• need to be absolutely still

I put them on my feet/legs before I go to sleep (so I don't have to use my legs and feet as much) and when I wake up the next day, my feet and leg muscles feel much more soothed.

Sometimes (depending on the season and your body temperature) you will slowly get a minty cooling sensation which also helps you relax. (I haven't tried storing them in the refrigerator before... so I'm not sure whether that would enhance the cooling feeling).

I highly recommend it!

score: 9.5/10
website: http://www.lioncorp.com.sg/Kyusoku%20Jikan/kyusoku-jikan.html

OPI Top Coat review

a disclaimer: this won't be a long review. (you will see why)

Before I get to my review and thoughts on this product, here is what it claims:

Product Description

• Top coat for regular lacquer shades.
• Used as the final step in a manicure service to seal in color and extend wear.

Benefits: 

• Protective, high-gloss shine
• Prevents smudges
• Non-yellowing formula

This is what I think: 

This is possibly one of the worse nail products I have bought this year.

I am very disappointed because I thought OPI is known for its quality (especially when you look at its price).

For ¥1500, I bought this Top Coat believing it will protect my nail polish from chipping, fading... or at least... function as a top coat.

None of that happened.

I first noticed something was seriously wrong as I applied it to my already dried nail polish was it starting to wipe off my already dried nail polish...  the top coat's brush starting collecting all my nail polish as if it was drenched in nail polish remover. It completely smudged my nail polish :(.

After the catastrophic event, I decided to leave my nail polish on and see how the top coat will protect it. After a few days, my nail polish began to chip and chunks of nail polish were falling off.

I tried not to panic and thought it might only be a random Revlon nail polish which might not be compatible with it (for some reason) but after testing it on a few other brands... the same thing happened... so my verdict is... this top coat is bad.


score: 0/10
website: https://www.opi.com/nail-care/top-and-base-coats/opi-top-coat

紅茶花伝 Craftea review

I finally bought it! I give in easily to advertisements and good looking bottles XD.

first impressions:

• 9% juice (whoa...)
• Minute Maid
• The drink was rough (they over brewed the tea)
• Loved the combination of orange/Apple tea

I liked this drink... the only downside was that the tea was completely over brewed... and tasted very rough...  other than that, I really liked the taste.

score: 7/10
website: https://c.cocacola.co.jp/kochakaden/craftea/

- I listed this as a Coca-Cola because it is owned by CocaCola.

also... if you are interested, please check out my personal blog and follow me around Tokyo :)

Egg Tempura review

egg tempura - 卵天ぷら

If you ever get the chance, I would highly recommend you to try egg tempura!... it is unbelievably good!

egg tempura 卵天ぷら

I was skeptical at first because how can egg tempura be good? it sounds so... gimmicky... but my taste buds told me otherwise! 

You can think of it like Onsen egg but covered in crispy tempura batter... 

Look for this word: 卵天ぷら if you are interested in trying it.

I ate this at 天ぷら定食まきの at 武蔵小山(Musashi Koyama). (I will do a full review of this place soon)

Address: 品川区荏原3-8-5 東京都, 142-0063