Japan: Pepsi Baobab

When you live in Japan, you get used to seeing some pretty interesting goods and food.
Each year Pepsi Japan releases a "new" flavor of its product that acts as a sign that summer is almost upon us. In previous years they came out with the following flavors:


2007- Ice Cucumber
(it actually tasted like a cucumber and was sold out in 2 weeks)



2008 - Blue Hawaii
(tasted like pineapple and lemon, quite nice actually)


2009 (summer spring)- Shiso (Beefsteak plant)
It was nasty! While I like shiso alcohol, this drink was vile! However one of my coworkers (a fellow American) drank many bottles of this stuff!



2009 (fall) - Azuki (red bean)
Tasted pretty flowery and super sweet, wasn't bad but wasn't super either.


That brings us to this years offering:



2010 - Pepsi Baobab (on the bottle it says "refreshing cola flavor")
The Baobab part is in relation to Africa and represented on the bottle. So what does it taste like? Its kinda like a watered down version of coke or pepsi with an orange/grapfruit aftertaste. Its not a bad taste and its not very sweet at all which is pretty nice.

I generally don't drink soda, so its kinda fun to experience this part of Japanese culture. What are some interesting drinks you have experienced?

Hair: Hair Envy

Just some photos of some hair I wish want to have, perhaps one day mine will look like theirs. Till then I continue to have envy!



Kate Hudson



Bar Refeli





And of course the woman whos hair I want most, Sarah Jessica Parker!

Jewelry: Lisa Taubes 42" Link Chain Necklace in Sterling Silver

After having watched Lorraine Stanick's videos on youtube and seen many other beauty gurus wearing this necklace, I decided to treat myself to a late April early May present. I ordered the 42" Lisa Taubes Link Chain Necklace in sterling silver. And after about 2 weeks it finally arrived here in Japan. It was definitely a nice surprise to come home to after a hard day at work.

I have to say I really love this necklace, its really flattering and can be worn with many different outfits. Have anyone else bought from Lorraine Stanick, or have anything they want to buy from her?

Nails: I love Yokohama by OPI

When I was younger the only type of nail polish I used was that disgusting stuff to keep you from biting your nails. It was my mother's plan to get me to stop biting them. It never really worked and eventually I found ways around having that disgusting taste in my mouth. Of course over time I eventually outgrew my nail biting and now have natural nails to put polish on.

One of the spring trends here in Japan was peachy/pink nails. Of course my complexion is not as dark as the Japanese but I found a cute color I really loved by OPI. I liked it even more after I found out its name, "I love Yokohama". Although OPI is one of the more expensive brands here, I figure once I move back to the states this polish and its name will bring back good memories.

Makeup: NARS haul

I had decided on Friday that after my part-time job on Saturday I was going to stop by the Yokohama Sogo (the closest department store near my house that carries NARS and MAC) and check out the NARS brand. I wasn't sure if I would end up buying anything, but its always fun to go in there and check out whats new.

When I arrived at the counter the woman was very helpful. She had asked me if I was interested in anything in particular, so I told her I was interested in the laguna bronzer and the Orgasm blush. Having heard about both of these via blogs and youtube I was curious to see what they would look like on my skin. She had asked me if I had time for her to try them on my face and since I was just off work I was game. In addition to the two products I was interested in, she also used the Copacabana multiple, Love Devotion lipstick, and Orgasm lip gloss.

I ended up really liking the way the bronze and blush looked together, so I purchased both in their full-sizes as the duo is not available here in Japan. I already have a highlighting powder so I wasn't too keen on the Copacabana multiple. I did like the look of the lipstick and lip gloss combo, so I may have to go back later and pick them up. I also want to try the NARS shear glo foundation, but I have decided that I have to wait till the last of my Perscriptives is gone. Which if I time it right will be just after summer is over, till them I will use that and my LM tinted moisturizer.

Anyone else using NARS? Any products that should be given consideration?

Fitness: Meet my trainer

While I am not as big as some of the participants on [The Biggest Loser], I would still like to have a body I am comfortable in. For this reason I have been doing the [30 day shred] by Jillian Michaels. I have been doing it at least 3-4 times a week for about 3 weeks now and have started to notice a change in parts of my body and in my endurance. When I first started on level 1 it was really a challenge for me, however now I am able to work level 1 like a pro and I still feel the burn and sweat. I think what makes this workout really easy to do is that its only 20 minutes long, although its an intense 20 minutes. With other videos I own I often think to myself "ugh I don't wanna do that for an hour", but with this its really hard to say that to.
Has anyone else tried Jillian Michaels as a trainer, via her videos? Any healthy tips?

Skincare: Foot Pee! Pack

Japanese drugstores really are a place to find some pretty interesting things. One of the things I picked up last weekend was this, the "Foot Pee! Pack". With summer and sandal-wearing season coming up I figured it was about time to do something about my dry feet. This product looked like it might do the trick.
So what is it and what does it do, you ask? Well for about 1,800yen (18.00USD) you get a package with two plastic booties that have this pink rose-scented goo inside. The idea is that you are supposed to sit with your feet in these booties for 30mins to an hour, then remove the booties and wash your feet. After about 5-7 days your feet are basically supposed to shed all of their dry skin and look clean and fresh.
I fianlly used my pack on Tuesday night while I was watching "Back to the Future" with my bf.(we are on an 80's movie kick) So far the great peel/shred of my dry skin hasn't happened yet, but I will keep you posted. This is just one of the more "interesting" things you find in Japan.

Makeup: Laura Mercier Oil-Free Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20

When I first started wearing makeup, I was using Perscriptives for everything. At the time I was in jr. high and my mother believed that Perscriptives was a good brand for me. As I got older I branched out to other brands, but always stuck to perscriptives for my foundation. Unfortunately earlier this year my beloved Perscriptives went out of business, leaving me without a place to go to foundation. So after watching many youtube gurus and reading many blogs talk about the Laura Mercier, I decided to check it out for myself. I knew little about the brand and thankfully the counter girl was very helpful and even offered to give me a mini makeover with the products I was interested in. I went home with the oil-free tinted moisturizer in the color porcelain.
As I have been using this product now for a few weeks, I will give you my initial thoughts. I honestly really like this product. It is definitely not a fulltime replacement for foundation, however it is great for days when you want to give your skin a break and want a more natural look. The coverage is very minimal, but that works for me. It is very lightweight and in the humid weather we are having here, that is defintely a plus.
I would recommend trying this product if you are looking for something lightweight and easy to wear. While the price is pretty expensive, I have found that a little goes a long way and the tube will last a while.
Has anyone else tried this or have any foundation suggestions, I am still looking for a new proper foundation. :)

Makeup: Review :L'Oreal Paris Extra-Volume Collagen Mascara

Since mascara is one of those make-up products that you should replace every 2-3 months, I am always trying new brands and formulas. My most recent purchase was the L'Oreal Paris Extra-Volume Collagen mascara in the dark black color. I have been using this product for almost a month now and I have to say that while I don't hate it, I am not too thrilled with it. I think my biggest problem with it is the applicator, its very big and the mascara comes out very clumpy on the wand. In addition to this, my wand was a bit bent (I am not sure if this is the way it is supposed to be, or if mine is just bent during production). I was able to bend my wand straight, but nothing can be done to help the bristles. The actual mascara looks very nice on and does make my lashes look very long and volumnious, but because of the wand it takes alot of effort to make them look nice and not have any clumps of mascara in them.

I would have to say these are my Pros and Cons:

Pros:
- does make lashes look long and full
- is made by L'oreal so its likely comparable to one of the YSL mascaras.

Cons:
- the applicator wand, was all sorts or problems.
- clumping

Would I buy this again? Probably not unless it came out with a new applicator. In the states this mascara runs about $8.00, here in Japan its 1,600yen or about $16.00 which compared to Maybeline is expensive here.

Haircare: Rose de Marrakech

My hair is both color and perm processed(highlights and a year-old Japanese straight perm), so I am always on the hunt for products that will help to soften it and make it look less damaged. After having read various blogs and seen various youtube videos about argan oil, I became very interested in trying it out. As I have written before, I live in Japan so finding argan oil here was no easy task. Finally after about a week or so, yesterday I found a product that had it in it at my local Sony Plaza store. I found the Argan Oil Hair Conditioner by a brand here in Japan called Rose de Marrakech. For 1,365yen I got a tube of it and the Ghassoul Clay Shampoo bundled together.

My review, well at this point I have only used the set once, but I really like it. My hair is smooth, soft and shiny. In additon it smells like roses! I would recommend this set to anyone who has damaged hair here in Japan, it works nicely and is pretty affordable for a trial set. Until I can find actual argan oil itself, this is a pretty good substitute.

Makeup: Softymo Collagen make-up removing wipes

I have used various brands of makeup removers and makeup removing wipes in my 5 years of being in Japan, but I would have to say the brand that I keep going back to would be the Softymo Collagen makeup removing wipes by Kose Cosmeport. On average the price for this type of wipe runs about 250-700¥ depending on the brand. This brand at my local drugstore runs me about 239¥(about $2.50) per package and the package lasts me over a couple of months with daily usage. If you are living in Japan, even if you are not, I would highly recommend these cleansing wipes. They are affordable and get the job done.

Has anyone else tried these? Or want to try these?

Japan Life: Date Day!

Yesterday was a rare day in the sense that my bf actually had a day off of work on a weekend, so we took advanatage of that and made it a "date day". Our original plan had been to go to Yoyogi park and check out the Jamaica festival, however went ended up going to many other places as well.


We decided to walk to Yoyogi park from Shibuya and on the way stopped at the newest addition to the "American fast food " invasion there. This past month a Sbarro was opened near Shibuya station. I think this is the first stand-alone Sbarro I have ever seen or been to, usually when I think of Sbarro, I think of it as "that pizza place in the food court at the mall". Since eating food (even fast food) from the states is pretty rare, we decided to have a slice. After seeing the menu I ordered the sausage and cheese stromboli and my bf had the NYC style pizza. I have to say both tasted great and for the price you can't beat! I definitely see us going back there every once in a while to get that "American" taste fix.

After we finished our Sbarro we were on our way to Yoyogi park, it took us about 30 minutes to walk there from Shibuya. The weather yesterday was beautiful and not too hot and humid, so it was a nice stroll. Once we arrived at Yoyogi park, we checked out the Jamaican festival. Having been to various other festivals in Yoyogi and other parks throughout Japan, I have to say this one was not-so-good. Now, I have never been to Jamaica but this festival would one to believe it is a country filled with lots of Thai food and clothing as well as many hippies! I do have a Jamaican friend who lives in London and well she is none of those things, so I would guess to say that this was a VERY Japanesey take on Jamaica. They did have about 3 food stalls that sold jerk chicken, but each of them had a line that was about an hour long so we decided to pass on it. Both my bf I left the Jamaica festival feeling rather letdown.





From the Jamaica festival we walked through the other side of Yoyogi park and people watched on our way to Harajuku and Omotesando. I finally got to see the famed rockabillies in Yoyogi park. It was like a throwback to the 1950's USA. Really cool to see! We also went to Meiji Jingu shrine, its beautiful!

We walked through Harajuku and then stopped at the MAC store in Omotesando Hills. I have to say as much as I have come to really like MAC cosmetics, I really dislike how MAC is represented here in Japan. Generally most of the staff at the counters are rude and don't even approach customers, which always makes me not even want to buy anything. Yesterday was no exception to this. I did however get to swatch the new coral paintpot and am glad I ordered it online. In additon to this the price and availability of certain items is awful here in Japan. I understand that releases will be pushed back, but to charge customers double the price and not make pan form/pallets available is a bit insane. Oh well just gives me something to look forward to once I move back to the US.

After my disappointing trip to MAC we walked to Aoyama and decided to take a coffee break. We hit up a nearby Starbucks and rested for a bit. It was then that I realized that there was a crocs store in that area that I wanted to go to. I have to say as much as I am not fond of crocs, in a country where finding a size 9 shoe is nearlly impossible crocs tend to be available. So after our coffeebreak we went to the crocs store where I bought a new pair of crocs in the black wedge style.
Finally it was dinner time so we went to a place on the 8th floor of the Tsutaya building in Shibuya called "Shibuya Dining", it was more of a classy izakaiya. We had a nice dinner and a few drinks. After dinner we got back on the train from Shibuya and headed back towards Yokohama. Yesterday was definitely a great day!

Welcome!

I was inspired to start this new blog after having read so many good ones recently. I plan to write about things I am interested in such as arts and crafts, food, makeup, fashion, fitness, and of course part of what life is like living as an American in Japan.