Sara Mari - J-fashion lifestyle

Baby Ponytail Mermaid's Castle jumperskirt

2016-09-30T12:04:00.000-07:00

Hello there my friends, how are you now that it is officially autumn? The weather here has been very beautiful somedays, though I know in other parts of the US it's quite hot and humid. Well that is why I live in Minnesota haha! This is certainly the best time of year for fashion, so it seems like a perfect time to post a fashion review!

I was approached by Claudia of Baby Ponytail almost a year ago now honestly, about if I would like to collaborate and talk about one of her amazing Lolita pieces. I am obviously not a lolita, but I have followed the fashion as an observer since the mid 2000s and find it truly elegant. Claudia is hoping to show through our collaboration the ways Lolita fashion can be enjoyed and utilized by us in other Japanese fashions!

Firstly I want to say the Mermaid's Castle JSK is very very well made for the price point. It is not the most intricate or over the top design, but the construction is of quality. I have bought many Japanese dresses, gyaru, lolita, larme etc. And most were more expensive than this with many falling short of Baby Ponytail's feeling of quality.

The back is fully shirred and ties are attached with clear buttons

The fabric is substantial without being bulky or stiff, you can see the threading is voluminous while being soft. It was a good choice as it also shows off the printing of the graphic well. The lace is also quite nice, it's soft and not plastic like at all. I know the Lolita community is particular about lace, so your standards may be even higher than mine, but I would never count this as cheap. The ribbon could be less shiny but taking into consideration the price point I feel it's suitable.

Where this dress truly shines is the print of course! Mermaids! They are so trendy now, and have been for awhile, so you certainly will be charmed by the artwork. It's beautiful, and serene, the color palette is also expert as it will be easy to use in both cute and mature coordinates.

top: Ehyphen World Gallery Bonbon - necklace: Handmade - shoes: Fabulious

No here is how I decided to coordinate it myself, I'm using all items from my own closet which I would categorize as girly. I'm obviously not wearing a petticoat (it's at my mom's house) which I feel is fine as I'm not Lolita, but it would make the dress cuter with one. I chose a Size Medium since as I am between S and M on the measurement chart, but I'd personally go with an S as the medium is rather loose on me.

top, cardigan, hairbow: Katie - bag: Memnon - shoes: ASOS

I also made a cooler weather flatlay, it's perfect for early Autumn this time of the year, and shows how easy it is to coordinate this jumperskirt! Please check out Baby Ponytail, they have several other designs as well which are also lovely!

Barbie Doll circle lenses in grey Review

2016-08-18T14:36:00.002-07:00

Good afternoon everyone! I just couldn't keep my promise of blogging regularly though I had plans and ideas for it, my laziness won out again. I basically have like 5 hours of free time per day but I apparently I just want to veg out during those. I'll try to blog about some interesting things, but seeing as the blogging world is pretty much drying up, outside a few niche topics, I probably won't come on here much.

But I do have a sponsor review to share with you! Through out all my style changes, gyaru, creepy cute, aomoji-kei and now Larme, one thing that has been consistent is my love and use of circle lenses! I think for any style you are trying to create striking or sweet look, circle lenses are must.

Barbie Doll circle lens in Grey

Today I am reviewing the Barbie Doll lenses, which were sponsored to me by LensVillage.com. I have worked with them several times in the past and they are always prompt and courteous - I have been pleased by their customer service and I'm sure you will too.

These lenses are listed at 14.5 mm and I have to say I think they might actually by 15.5 mm because they are the largest lenses I have ever worn! I noticed their large diameter immediately when emptying them from their storage bottles. Despite the large size, I had no troubles applying them to my eyes.

Natural lighting

With flash

They certainly so enlarge! Please note the one lens in and one lens out photo, you can see just how dramatic of an increase they can do for you. If you are looking very dolly lenses, these are just the ticket! Any time you need very large eyes, I think you'd do no better than these. I have a lot of white to my eyes, and found most of it was filled when wearing the Barbie Doll lenses.

Design wise, they are more bold. There are strong contrasts between the 3 colors I can spot on the lens: black, grey and blue. The black is strong and veins through the other colors creating a nice natural break out, but as you can see these are not soft natural lenses.

I was able to wear these lenses about 6 hours, which I think is a good amount and you should really wear circle lenses long than that. I had a bit of sting putting them in, which often happens to me, so remember to gentle rub your eyes after applying the lenses and use eye drops. I could feel these lenses a bit more than usual, not to say they were uncomfortable, I was just aware that they were on my eyes the whole time (perhaps due to the size).

So if you are looking to truly enlarge your eyes, achieve that living doll look, or have a cosplay I think you should certainly try out the Barbie Doll lenses. This grey color should work well on blue, grey and brown eyes. Lens Village will get the lenses to you quickly and safely, so check them out!

A little girl, Roses still in her hand exhibition writeup

2016-07-12T14:48:00.000-07:00

Good day friends, am I still continuing to blog? I am, and it is shocking! Haha, but I was feeling rather down about things today so I thought the best way to handle it was to do something productive. In this case, a write up about one of my favorite things I did in Tokyo 1.5 weeks ago! I know I haven't blogged much about my 2015 trip and nothing about my trip this March, but for me it's easy to do this writeup since it's still fresh :D

I came across this exhibition/pop-up shop via several instragram accounts I follow, and of course namely by Rio Ninomiya's account. She is a stylist in Japan, and an all around cute girly girl. Her taste in girl style and culture is perfect so when I saw she was holding a pop-up shop concurrently with the launch of her new zine I put it on my To-Do list immediately.

The marketing image, showing dates, location and featured brands

Furthermore, many of my utmost favorite brands would be on display. The pop-up shop, taking place in the Isetan Girl section of Isetan in Shinjuku, would carry selected items from the zine and hand picked by Rio herself. It's a Larme girl's dream shop suffice to say.

That day I was lucky enough to meetup with Noora again, and we went together! This was a dream for me, not only was able to hang out with a friend from half way across the world, but we could visit a limited time event that appealed to our tastes. We also did a twin outfit with our matching Katie babaydoll and tees so we got a lot of compliments :)

I'm sure you can tell by now I thought everything was to die for, the pop-up shop was not only a shop but it had a ton of displays and fixtures so it had the feeling of a cute room. They kindly allowed us to take photos, and it was hard to decide which little details to capture. There was a vintage phone, fans, a wall collage, books, ribbons, everything you need for a proper girly lifestyle.

mannequin wearing the limited edition Verybrain gown

The mannequins also were styled lovingly, with bright looks. I personally would not wear the outfits displayed, since I have a specific color palette and style, but these were very inspiring and displayed unique ways to combine items.

There were a few items that were limited to this exhibition, including a gown by Verybrain and the Gold Collection by Memnon. The Verybrain gown was so cute but I wasn't convinced by the half sleeves and price tag, but I knew I needed a gold Memnon item. I picked the seashell purse/pouch since I already have the tablet case and a lip pouch.

Noora, me and Rio Ninomiya (my hair was not having it that day!)

Since Noora and I visited on opening day we were also able to meet Rio herself, and take a photo together! The lighting was absolutely harsh and ugly but I think the photo turned out well considering :D I also saw several other girls whom I follow on IG but I was too shy to talk. Later on Mirai Saito and Ayumi, the owner of Rose Marie Seoir, showed up.

I hope you had fun seeing the pictures, a glimpse into just one of the many wonderful limited time events and exhibitions that happen in Japan!

Katie AW16 Lookbook picks and thoughts

2016-07-08T07:50:00.000-07:00

Japanese girly brand Katie recently (last night?) uploaded their lookbook for the 2016 autumn and winter season, since I promised myself and this blog I would post again today I thought sharing my opinions would be relevant haha! Katie has become one of my favorite brands for sure over the past couple of years, this summer's collection was not up to their usual level but I can see them swinging back with AW16.

This upcoming collection is in tribute to Courtney Love and named "Alternative Queen". The name evokes a feeling of grunge and womanhood; many outfits in the lookbook have been styled to have a general "Courtney" feeling while 3 dresses are direct nods to ones she had worn herself. I am not a fan of Courtney so I honestly don't know much about her, but even I can recognize these looks as influenced by her.

The nice thing however is the items are still 100% Katie, and you can style them to have a more girly look that is quintessential Katie. You'll notice a lot of re-releases of popular items and expansions on established lines.

You can start to see Katie's color palette for AW16, darker with natural tones more than they usually do. There's more charcoals and browns, with pops of red and demin blue as you'll see below. The sheer babydoll is a must buy (also in black). The long cardigan is returning and in the new caramel color (also ivory and pink). I like the tight onepiece and cami combo, the cami makes it very girly.

The upper two are editions to the Mad Honey line, the onepiece is really intriguing to me but I'm not sure if I'd pull it off. The skirt with the apron frill is a popular design from this spring, several brands have done their take on it, going into autumn. Another spring trend continuing is the pajama pants on the bottom, paired with the oversize sweater makes it a cozy winter look. And the 2nd to last outfit - perfect! I will buy it all! The fuzzy short cardigan, and the Cafe Chic skirt which sold out immediately this spring.

The gingham set with the turtleneck top is a surprising combo for AW but the deep red (which will be a trend color this season) brings it to a less springy place. The long Cafe Chic skirt from the second picture is lovely, on trend color keeping the pencil skirt going. And some very Katie looks to finish my picks out. Onto accessories!

Milk chocolate and caramel chocolate hair clips

Frill card cases and compact wallets

Long hairbows and big hairbows in velour

The accessories expand on the feeling of the lookbook nicely, there's a strong chocolate theme for this collection as well if you go look at the entire thing. I like the hairclips a lot even if chocolate colors don't match my wardrobe haha. And the edition of compact wallets to their Frill wallet line is welcome, I personally like the smaller size. I love the new hairbows! I know they've done velour before but it's great to see it on these sizes, will get the pink long one and the black big one.

Make sure to check out the Lookbook here! There's so much more in it, these are just my personal favorites. I think they did a nice job producing a cohesive collection this season, much more than SS16.

Tokyo Trip summer 2016 haul

2016-07-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

Hi friends, I always show up once I have a haul post, then after that its just long radio silence haha. Radio btw was invented to entertain bored dinosaurs, but thank goodness we have spotify now. Anyhow, I ended up taking another trip to Tokyo this year after my last trip this spring in March, I hadn't planned on another one already... But I have to start a new job now (start day was yesterday sigh) and this being America I knew I wouldn't be allowed to take a vacation for a very long time. So I booked a last minute Tokyo trip while I still had the chance.

This most recent trip was for only one week making it my shortest trip to date. I left on June 25 and returned on July 3, it was a stressful return with July 4th holiday the next morning and my work starting on July 5th. Despite the breakneck schedule, I am really happy that I went! I did a lot of fun things, met some wonderful people and pretended my life is interesting a last time for the foreseeable future.

But I do have to say, one week in Tokyo is not enough! I would never recommend it if it's your first trip especially. Since it was my 12th trip I was fine skipping a lot of things which I've seen before but I still had the feeling I didn't get to do much, and some things I planned had to be nixed. When you have the chance to go to Japan (or anywhere abroad) make sure to stay as long as your schedule and money permit!

Books, stationary and snacks! I had to get some of the Sailor Moon Carddass revival series even tho I have most of the originals :D

Having such a short time also made it harder to shop, I didn't want to devote all my time to shopping but I also go to Japan mainly to shop. Overall I got many cute things, tho not many things on my list since it was summer sales time and all the good stuff was gone.

Cute things! I played gacha more this time. And I luckily found the Q-posket Shirahoshi in Akihabara

Didn't get much makeup this time, just a few necessary items, and cute Sailor Moon eyeliner and hand cream

The accessories! Got the Q-pot luna ring (wish I got more), limited gold Memnon shell purse, Roretta's Room handmade earrings

As you can see compared to my previous haul posts, which should be the next posts even though they are from months and months ago.., this haul was more "manageable". Many times I went places looking for something specific only to leave empty handed. The positive points of this was my wallet was much less damaged than I expected and I only had to schlep one suitcase back to the airport. Generally I have to bring a duffle back as well.

Honey mi Honey sale skirt, floral Bonbon sale shirt, lilLilly sheer top, and 2 Katie tops

Katie sale skirt, and Bonbon dress

Verybrain all in one

Honey mi honey sale dress and Jouetie pants (which are gauchos on me haha)

A smaller haul, but I think everything I picked is quite nice the only thing I should've left behind was the lilLilly sheer top. I kinda just bought that because I wasn't finding much I wanted and got caught up in the moment. Autumn items will start hitting the stores next month so I can always destroy my bank account then haha. Good thing I have to start the endless grind of working just in time :D

Bonus!
Here's something I bought just before going to Tokyo so I'll include it as part of my haul. I got some Miu Miu platform sandals from the summer clearance! They are similar to some of the Miu Miu sandals that Risa Nakamura has.

Well I really do hope to get back into blogging, my new work schedule should allow me some time to dress up, take photos, and blog as long as I stay focused. My goal is to blog twice a week, I think it's a doable amount while producing enough content. Dressing up, my goal is 3 times a week but that might be too much with a full time schedule but I'll try it out and see how it goes. Well here's one blog post this week, I'll try again friday morning!

My Tokyo March 2016 haul

2016-04-17T15:59:00.001-07:00

Hello everyone, maybe this will be all my blog is now: me checking in every several months when something interesting or important happens haha. I have always been an insecure person and as the internet changes/expands everyday, and makes it easier for individuals to share every minute detail of their lives I feel like what I have to share and say becomes more irrelevant . I mean now you really need to be outstanding to grab attention.

But I wanted to share my haul here again, as I can always look back over my blog throughout the years and remember what I did and where I was. Hopefully you'll have fun seeing what my trip entailed as well.

This was my very first trip to Tokyo totally alone, no friends, family or significant other to help me out. I navigated everything alone, but I have to say having gone to Japan 10 times before this trip certainly made it easy. I already know the train system, where to get essentials, how to buy tickets etc. The only new thing was using the Keisei Skyliner and staying in Nishi-Nippori, which I was very happy with and would recommend as a base.

Last month, I only spent 9 days in Tokyo so that was another first, I used to stay in Tokyo for months but now my only purpose for going was shopping and seeing cute things. I don't need months for that! Haha, or do I? Because I really want to go back for the Sailor Moon museum in Roppongi Hills!

Makeup haul! I bought the circle lenses at SBY, super easy. And excited about my Les Merveilleuses Laduree rose petal blush
I'll try to review some of these items like the Love Liner since they are so good but unknown in the west

Accessories, Lots of handmade and indie brand items this time. I attended some small craft shows which I hope to blog about

Kawaii goods, I got the figures in Radio Kaikan, I had been wanting this Utena for sooo long

(from l-r) Top: My Melody Uniqlo top, Honey mi Honey sweatshirt, Kriss Soonik LaForet limited Susan top
Bottom: Katie vegan leather bustier, frill heart Tee (actually I bought it at a used clothing shop!) and Bettie Tee

(from l-r) Top: one*spo sukejan, Eatme grey keyhole tee
Bottom: one*spo "my room" tee, lace cardigan, and Honey mi Honey backpack

(from l-r) Top: Ehyphen World Gallery BonBon ribbon sweater, Honey mi Honey lace up crop top, BonBon collar top and purse
Bottom: Honey mi Honey tulle cardigan, heart cutout sweater, and BonBon sailor top

Overall I spent about the same amount in Tokyo as I did back in October 2015, but I came home with less I feel! I know this time I spent more on gifts, food and necessities, my mom helped me with such expenses last time. Also I bought more high cost items, meaning overall I couldn't get as much, but I did get many things on my list haha.

One thing I regret was spending so much on UFO catchers, they've become so difficult and rigged that it's just a waste of time and money playing them. It's not even good entertainment. I recommend just going to Akihabara or Nakano Broadway to buy catcher prizes.

Another thing I want to note, is I used my credit card a lot as an experiment, and it turned out well. Many people wonder if Japan is really the "cash society" still, many websites out there say to bring only cash but haven't been updated recently. Is Tokyo cash only? I would say No, not anymore. My card was accepted at every store, even places I paid in cash I noticed card readers. Still bring cash for restaurants, train fare and small mom & pop shops, but you can mostly rely on your card!

Adorable accessories and stationary - Papercute review

2016-01-10T17:13:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone, welcome to a new year! The holidays and some personal things brought me a lot of business so I haven't been able to do much, and when I have time I don't prioritize haha! I was supposed to have this review up before the holidays so hopefully no one was too sad being denied this cuteness until now.

Today I'm going to show you some supremely cute and useful items handmade by my friend An :D I have known An for awhile now, we were able to connect thanks to the blogging community and recently she approached me to ask if I'd share beautiful works from her and her partner Giang's company Papercute with you. She hand chose these items to suit my style and the taste of my readers so I know you'll love them as much as me!

I'll make this post in 2 parts, in this first part I'll review the non-wearable items and then in the second part I'll show off the amazing headbands.

One of the unique items An and Giang create are these sweet little cards that feature charming hand drawn images with sparkling glitter elements. The glitter is such a nice touch, it adds a pop of color and glitter is deciding factor in whether an item is cute or not haha. The cards also have a nice pun on the front of the card, some are related to specific events and some are great for any time you want to let someone know you care.

These cards would also make great wall art and decorations!

An sent me the Happy Howlidays (which will be given to someone special next Christmas) and the You are Berry Special pun cards. I think both are very charming! The paper is substantial enough but still flexible, with a rustic texture. They are blank inside you can easily customize it with your own message, and stickers!

Some of my other favorite pun cards include: I'm Crazy Pho You, I Loaf You, and Thank you Very Mochi. I wish I could be so clever haha!

An and Giang also sent me one of their hand drawn smartphone straps. These are made of arcylic and seem quite sturdy which is important to me since I hate when straps break or get dirty easily. The straps feature a food theme - donuts and lattes, on which cute animals are transposed. So that means cute penguin and bear donuts :D I received the Caticorn donut, and it really looks kawaii attached to my phone.

Doesn't the Caticorn look great on my phone?

It also comes with a phone jack pug so you can use it with phones that have no strap spot

If you are a gaming person, or have a loved one that is, make sure to shop the chocobo or Pokemon phone straps. They would make a charming gift, you can use my coupon code "SARAMARI10" for 10% off your order. Of course keep your eyes peeled for the second part of this review for even more cute gifts ideas.

In the mean time, you should enter Papercute's current giveaway - featuring tons of cute items like the ones you've seen above. Everyone can earn up to 25 entries and it's open until January 24th so get entering now!

Papercute 2015 Giveaway

My Little Pony pop-up cafe

2015-12-22T12:51:00.000-08:00

Hi again everyone, I'm posting again and not a review. But what makes the post similar to my other recent entries is that it is fashionably late! Yes this particular pop-up cafe is long gone, but the photos are too cute not to share! If you are in Tokyo and need a pony fix tho there is a nice display at Isetan girl currently!

Well while I was in Tokyo this October I saw this My Little Pony cafe one several of the Japanese twitter accounts I followed, so I did a little Googling and discovered the cafe was located in the Sunday Jam cafe located in the heart of Harajuku. It's quite easy to find, after you've gone down Takashita dori cross Meiji dori and go a block or so and it's on your right in a brick building.

The menu, regular items and special Pony items

But since it was during the My Little Pony pop-up, it was very easy to spot this cafe with it's adorable window deco!. There were also a couple sign boards outside showing the menu, which I find very nice but I had already perused the menu online ahead of time haha. The door also had a pony deco sign, and when you got to the entry stairs it was like ascending into pony heaven.

The cute Fluttershy at my table, she's my 2nd fave of the mane 6

A wall mural

Now I am a MLP collector, I have loved the original retro ones for awhile and when the reboot animation came on TV I got back into it. When I entered there were plenty of tables available, but it was after lunch time so I can't speak to how busy it may have gotten.

I would say about 65-70% of the patrons (while I was there) were foreign women in the mid 20s thru mid 30s. Then a handful of teenage Japanese girls and some foreign families with little girls. I know there were a ton of English blogs running the new of the cafe opening so I imagine that attracted a lot of foreigners. But thank you god there were no bronies.

Carrot and Chicken sandwich and it didn't have mayo hurray!

The deco was spot on, huge beautiful murals of both G1 and G4 ponies, with little stuffies at each table. I got Fluttershy at my table, but if other stuffies aren't keeping people company you can grab them and bring them to your table. It felt very comfortable, I didn't think it was over the top cutesy but maybe I have a high tolerance? The bathroom was even decorated. There was a UFO catcher with Funko vinyls near the entry and a cutout you could pose with.

The food was decent too. As Sunday Jam serves as a regular cafe most of the time they were competant with food. They also had a healthy choice which amazed me, most character cafes are just sugary desserts and drinks. I got the carrot and chicken sandwich with veggies and soup on the side.

Sorry about the quality but I can prove I was really there haha!

I also got a lovely strawberry soda, mostly just for the photo aesthetics haha, I only had a couple drinks, but the pic looks great right? I personally enjoyed it and character cafes are perfect for going out with your girlfriends, mom, children etc. There's always some sort of pop-up cafes (right now there's a cinnamoroll one) but the Pom Pom Purin one on Takeshita dori is permanent. Make sure to go to one during your trip!

The goods I got, postcards keychain and the coaster from my drink

Larme style eyeglasses GlassesShop review

2015-12-19T08:57:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone, another long break for me. I'm starting to wonder if I am just over blogging. Even though I want to blog and I have plenty of post content I just won't do it. I know blogs are becoming passe, particularly personal blogs so that may be part of it as well. I want to get my youtube channel really rolling after Christmas... I have finally gotten turned onto youtube, I love casting Fashion Photo Ruview, MissFame's tutorials, and any makeup swatches haha.

I know, today is another review which some may not want to see so many in a row, but even if I can't make myself blog I need to write these lovely products up. And please rest assured I only accept review items I think suit my blog/tastes. I gets offers of reviews and sponsorships constantly but I also put a filter on.

So on that note today I'm going to review some eyeglasses! This is my first time reviewing eyeglasses, but I have had prescription eyeglasses since I was in middle school. I literally never wear them because I'm only lightly near-sighted so I don't often need to, but I do know how glasses should feel and fit, and what styles suit different face shapes.

GlassesShop.com provides the free case and cleaning cloth

I was really excited to try some glasses from GlassesShop.com because of their huge variety to choose from! Any personal style you have, you'll be able to find matching glasses here. Also they have cheap glasses.

Which I think is an important thing to note! Eyeglasses can get very expensive in the US (esp. if you don't have insurance) and I have a lot of readers still in school/just starting out on their own like me. If you can save some money and look cute at the same time that is the perfect world!

GlassesShop Hatford Wayfarer glasses, also comes in clear and tortoise

I personally chose to get these glasses plano, but you can get whatever strength you need because GlassesShop.com carries prescription glasses. They have single distance, bifocals and progressive lenses which is really nice, the ordering system is really easy too - it's just a click through that is very simple to follow. You can read all the customer reviews for each frame, which I always make sure to do haha. Furthermore you can pick no lenses and Sunglasses as well!

The style I chose was the "Hartford Wayfarer". I was looking for something similar to the Larme x Alook first series collab glasses. I think these have the perfect shape but I found them to be a longer lense and thinner framed than I expected. I would love to see Glassesshop.com have the glasses modeled, either on a person or a mannequin. Just something to give context for the glasses shape and size.

You can see they work perfectly with my Larme Kei outfit

But overall I am super pleased. For 30$ I can't imagine getting a nice pair of eyeglasses. Plus GlassesShop.com has some great deals for the holiday season - right now you can get your first pair free, a great deal for us with light prescription. Or you can also buy one get one free during Christmas. Or you can use GSHOT50 to get 50% off frames with free lenses.

Haul from my Tokyo Trip Oct. 2015

2015-11-09T16:29:00.000-08:00

Hello friends, sorry, I meant to have this posted last week but alas I am in Minnesota and this time of year is notoriously grey and depressing. I don't live in my 3rd floor apartment anymore so my natural lighting is further limited. Suffice to say I had like a 2 hour window to get these pictures taken on one of the few sunny days so far this month haha. Then I had chores and errands over the weekend, so I made it a priority to post these today!

I was really happy on this trip because I had enough money to buy everything I wanted with out having to think "I'd better look but not touch because I have like 10,000Y to my name" haha. I saved a lot of money with accommodation (split the cost with my mom) and ate cheaply by preparing meals at the apartment we rented. Still I have an expensive taste in clothing now so it didn't go super far haha!

Sorry the pics still aren't lovely, tho I did try my best! There are several things I didn't picture - snacks, gifts for others, some plushies and such, the billion magazines I bought. I bought so many Larme back issues to fill in the gaps in my collection :D

Beauty and cosmetics!
I went happy on the eyelinner, lots of drugstore brands I see often in magazines. New lashes, lenses and tools

Not really part of the haul, but I wanted to show you the awesome swag bag from 109's Halloween Night!

Stationary and house items, I really wanted to get a bunch of cute pens like I see stationary enthustiats getting but I stopped myself
My Little Pony goods are from the pop up MLP cafe which I will write up soon!

Small items and accessories! The wrapping on my Katie wallet is to nice to remove...

Nerdy things, gachapon and UFO catcher items. The Rilakkuma is so cute, it's a phone speaker and it dances to the music :O

Bags and pouches

l to r: Fallin's long cardi, Peach John bras, EATME onepiece

l to r: one*spo oversize knit, Swankiss off shoulder top, Titty&co suede skirt

l to r: Honey mi honey collar top, lilLilly knit top, Honeycinnamon ruffle top, Katie x Petite Meller tshirt

l to r: Envym MA-1 jacket, verybrain mohair cardigan, Bubbles lace top

I made these collages so you can see the clothes I bought more easily.
I realize now I didn't add the grey hat and lilLilly wide pants to my photos..

I also ordered some clothing online while I was in Japan, some of it arrived already but I have one more package coming so once that gets here I'll make another post of my webshop haul haha. Even now I miss shopping in Tokyo, I wanna see the stores, the pop up shops and I wanna go to all the theme cafes :D

Girly style with Jord Wood Watch review

2015-11-03T19:08:00.000-08:00

Hi and good evening friends! Remember me? Yes it's Sara Mari, I live but not as well as I wish I could haha. The past month has brought a lot of change for me, my bf left me, I had to move back home, I quit my job and I had a trip to Japan. So it really was like a 180 and I have to figure out what I want to do now. One thing I have been wanting to do for years now is get back into being fashionable, with new clothes from Japan that shouldn't be a challenge haha.

So today's post will be fashion focused, I am reviewing a very unique and elegant accessory which I don't normally wear - a watch! And what makes it unique is the material, it's a wood watch, like I have never seen before. I have never been much of a watch person, though I do always notice and admire them on others. I think it might stem from having tiny wrists (making it hard to wear watches) and not knowing how to coordinate them with my fashion style.

My goal with this post is to not only review the watch but to show how you can wear it with a Larme kei sweet girly style!

Amongst JORD's lovely wood watch designs I chose the Sidney model in the rose gold color. There are many designs, slim, sporty, bold for both men and women so I think it's not hard to find one that suits your style. I love rose gold and a big reason I picked Sidney in rose gold was to match my iPhone 6s rose gold haha.

Jord wood watch, Sidney in rose gold

What's in my bag?

Besides matching one of my phones, the pink hue of rose gold blends perfectly with my wardrobe. My Larme kei closet is based on black, white and light pink. The light maple wood that the watch is made of is is sturdy but not heavy so it feel quite comfortable on the wrist, and the watch face is so luminous and beautiful. It instantly adds a focal point to any look.

Dealing with Jord was very easy as well, they always replied to my messaged within a couple days with thoroughness. Furthermore, the website is very easy to navigate, and they offer free shipping worldwide. The watches are shipped in a strong wood box, which also look pretty :D and there are instruction cards on setting the watch which are very helpful.

Wood watch coordinated with a turtleneck, lilLilly wide pants and Risa Nakamura purse!

Overall I am very happy with the watch, it looks great with my phone as I thought, and add elegance to any outfit. I think this wood watch is perfect for work wear, it's so polished it really begs to be worn with a mature outfit. Make sure to check out woodwatches.com to find a new unique accessory!

outfit idea

Luxury Wood Watch

Larme 018 scans of my favorite pages

2015-09-27T18:05:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone, Long time no see. I decided that I would just wait to blog again when I finished working my stressful job. Well, my last day was on Tuesday and a lot has been going on since then. It was a huge relief to be done with that job once and for all, it had gotten so awful by the end many people had quit before me and that made it extremely hectic. But it is still a bit hectic for me now since I am trying to move back into my mom's house while I prepared for my Trip to Tokyo on Saturday :O

I'm not prepared for traveling to Japan at all! I haven't packed, I've barely made an schedule or researched haha. There's just not enough time in a day. But one thing (two things actually) I do know about my upcoming trip is what I want to wear and what I want to buy :) And that is all thanks to my all time favorite magazine - Larme. The newest issue come out on September 17 and I had it preordered so it only took two days to reach me.

Really the joy I feel when I look through Larme is something I rarely feel in daily life. I get excited and inspired, reading Larme just makes me want to make a lot of coordinates and improve my style. It speaks to me with it's girly look with a touch of darkness :D Anyhow, please enjoy the scans I took of my favorite Larme 018 pages.

Update your bookmarks - moving to Saramari.com

2015-08-18T14:34:00.003-07:00

Hello everyone! I haven't been keeping up with updating as I hoped, work has gotten even more hectic and stressful (something I didn't even think was possible). But I do have lots of ideas flying around in my head, and I know once I get back to Japan things will be different in my life and around here on my blog. To get a jump on things changing I'm finally doing something I have been thinking about doing for a while now - getting a domain!

So this is my notice that moments like diamonds will be ending and saramari.com will be starting. It's a nice timing in my life as I really want a new chapter, and to leave the past couple of years behind. Please make sure to update any bookmarks or subscriptions. I'm going to make this url redirect to my new domain so hopefully everything will be working and looking good.

Also you may have noticed the new template, I'm really happy with how this blog looks with it. Much more trendy and up to date. I think it will also let me incorporate more informative and professional looking articles. Anyhow can't wait to get going!

Larme 017 magazine scans and favorites - img hvy

2015-07-28T20:33:00.000-07:00

Hello good evening friends. I can blog for you today finally because I took a mini "vacation" from work, I used 2 personal days and lined them up with my 2 days off so that I could be free of that grueling schedule for a little bit haha. The change in my mood and body is already evident, it's so sad I'll have to go back, but I'm trying not to think of that right now.

Last week my copy of my precious manual Larme arrived at my door step. Every issue is so exciting to me, looking through all the beautiful images and outfits is so inspiring for me. It's really nice to feel like I click with a fashion. The makeup, the hair, the models are all very appealing and enjoyable to look at. So I thought why not share some of my favorites again! I share my faves from the 012 issue previously.

Larme 017 is a late summer issue, so there are a lot of great outfits for the last bit of the hot days facing us as well as some transitional outfits for early autumn. I'm happy to see that a lot of the trends I love (one color outfits, pastels, fur, pom pom etc) will return this autumn. Though this issue didn't have a bunch of outfits I thought the articles were all very cute.

Ah once again it was a bit Risa heavy haha! Well they always dress her in the outfits I like best, and of all the models her personal style is my favorite as well. I do really also love Monaca and Sonia. I appreciate seeing outfits on Sonia because we are the same height so I can visual how the items might actually look on me. My other faves are Maria Kurotaki and Nana Komatsu.

Earlier today while surfing around the net I noticed there seems to be a lot of confusion as to what Larme kei really is. I see a lot of gyaru, hime-kaji and even fairy kei tagged under Larme-kei and I think this might be the lack of expose to the west. I mean we can find lots of Popteen, Zipper, and Cutie scans but not so many Larme. So I began thinking I should do a post of what Larme kei is and isn't with coordinate examples.

* Sponsor review * Fairy Con Princess in violet circle lens

2015-07-12T19:52:00.001-07:00

Hello again everyone! It was hard work but I made myself blog more than once so far this month, what an accomplishment! Haha. Well I'm almost caught up on my sponsored reviews so soon I'll be able to write some different types of blog posts, as long as I make myself take the time to do so haha. Maybe if I blog more it will take my mind off of work and make the time until I travel back to Japan go quicker as well :D

Today I get to review another 1 day lens from Pinkicon, this time was not as foreign to me since I tried the Twinkle Eyes in pink last week. But I actually took the photos for this review together during a long break during my work day on Friday. I thought it would be good to wear these when I went back to work after to see how they preformed in daily life!

Fairy Con 1 day Princess in violet

These lenses were fairly easy to apply, they are not too thin so they don't flop much when you put them in your eyes. However I did notice the printing on the lens does not go very close to the edge. So I'm not sure the diameter measurement on these lenses is accurate. But the quality is very nice, and like I said before daily lenses are very convenient! When they started getting irritating I could just take toss them out and keep working.

Natural light

With flash

Side view

Like I said they printed design on these lenses doesn't go near the edges, and as 14.2 mm lens they are not very enlarging. So I would most certainly recommend these for daily wear (which is perfect since they are daily lenses haha) and for more light looks/makeup. You won't get a large dolly eye look from these, but they are enough to be noticeable. All my co-workers noticed them right away and complimented them!

The color is very lovely, it's strong and bold without being all unnatural. I think they would be more subtle on dark eyes (still obviously violet however) but on light eyes the violet shade is very purple. The blue of my own iris stood out a bit in contrast to the lens, but a couple people said they liked how that looked. The design is simple, but it is tasteful and cool.

Comfort wise, I would say these lenses are average. I thought they would be more comfortable like the Twinkle Eyes lenses, but I felt more irritation and lack of clarity with them. But that isn't to say I couldn't wear them long. I wore them for 8 hours, a good chunk of my work day! I think the ideal length of time to wear them is 6 hours however, to avoid any discomfort and for your eye health. I would love to wear these to work everyday haha.

Overall I did like these lenses, they were perfect for the situation I used them for - daily life and work. They went very well with my Larme style makeup (I used a bit heavier black eyeliner this time and I like how it turned out!) but I could see them going with more cool type makeup and gyaru obviously. Make sure to check out Pinkicon.com for more Japanese circle lenses! It's a great way to get ahold of your favorite Japanese models' lenses!

* Sponsor Review * Twinkle Eyes rose pink circle lens

2015-07-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Hello good evening everyone. How is your summer going so far? For me it has been entirely uneventful, spending all my days and nights at work and trying to recoup whenever I am not there haha. I did do a little tweaking on the blog layout here, and that made me strongly want to begin blogging more. Looking over my past entries I just thought about how fun it was to share all my experiences and thoughts with everyone.

Right now all I have time and mental energy for are doing my sponsor reviews, but I will be going back to Japan soon (it's what's keeping me going at this point) so I know I will start up my blog in full then. I also plan to finally buy a domain! But anyhow I hope you will enjoy this pink circle lens on light eyes review!

Twinkle Eye in Rose Pink

Your lenses from Pinkicon come with a lovely manual!

Pinkicon.com approached me again to review some of their daily wear circle lenses a while ago (this review is long overdue TT) and I was very interested in the offer! I have never used daily 1 time contacts before so it was a new experience. First off it was very strange to not open these the night before and let them soak 8+ hours. I was able to just pop open the pull-back lid and insert them on my eyes. I think this is very convenient as you can travel with them, or put them in your bag to wear later without worry about them leaking.

Because they are 1 time use, I found them to be a lot thinner and breathable than my usual 1 year circle lenses. They don't have to hold up as long so they can be made of more comfortable material. I found I was able to wear them a little over 8 hours before my eyes got too irritated and I had to take them out. It was also strange just tossing them in the waste bin after! But again they were comfortable and convenient.

sunlight

flash

sideview

The pattern on the lens is quite nice and natural, it features a few colors in a striated design that closely blends in with your own iris. However these are designed for dark eyes so rather than gentle pink lenses they show up like a murky hazel on my light eyes. It isn't terribly unnatural or anything, but the lovely color of these lenses is lost on light eyes. I'd love to try the Twinkle Eyes Sky Grey, I think those would be perfect for light eyes!

As for enlargement, these do a decent job, they are 14,5mm so you will get a nice dolly eye without it being too alien like. They are a big difficult to apply, again because they are thinner, they tended to fold in on themselves when I tried to get them in haha. I liked how they filled up my eye but looked natural enough to wear with Larme-kei.

Overall I was very happy with the Twinkle Eyes in rose pink, it would not be my first color choice as I know pink doesn't work on me. But I really like how comfortable they are and that I can carry them with me on the go easily. You can get a set of 5 pairs on Pinkicon.com here! Pinkicon ships quickly and it one of the few webshops I've seen selling lenses you can get in Japan online!

Kimura U's brand KOKOkim and skirt review!

2015-06-10T15:36:00.000-07:00

Hi everyone! I hope your summers are starting out nicely, mine is ever the same - heavy stress and boredom from my job haha. Now that I work full time, summer isn't special anymore. I know people in school talk about how hard and stressful their lives are, but I dearly want to tell them it doesn't get better. But the good point is the money, even tho I hate everyday I can easily save money for my Japan Trip 10 and that keeps me going haha :D

The other thing that keeps me going is Japanese fashion, Larme, my fave models and cute stuff. So it really makes me happy today I can write about fashion once again. I know lately all I've been writing is reviews (this is one too really XP) but today I can show something a bit different. Today we are going to learn about a Harajuku/Shibuya brand called KOKOkim!

via Kimura U's official twitter

Kimura U is a well known and cute model from the Japanese magazine Kera, she is also featured in other magazines like Zipper now and then. Mostly she is shown in Lolita style, but her personal style is somewhere between Lolita, Aomoji, fairy kei with a dash of Anime. In fact she lists anime and manga appreciation as one of her main hobbies along side crafting and remaking clothing. In 2014 she took that love of cloth styling and turned it into a full blown brand called KOKOkim.

KOKOkim is a super cute youth brand focusing on sweet details and pastel colors. The word Kimura U invented to describe her brand's style is "MoeHara" - combining the words Harajuku and Moe. This is a nod to her love of anime, Moe has no direct translation to english but it basically means an endearing cute feeling you get from anime characters (or idols, etc). So KOKOkim style is Harajuku with a fantasy twist. However the physical store is located in Shibuya 109.

KOKOkim skirt courtesy of Yesstyle

I was recently given the chance to try incorporating a piece of KOKOkim clothing into my wardrobe thanks to Yesstyle.com - they offered me to review a Japanese fashion brand item of my choice and I ended up picking this skirt as I thought it would best fit into my Larme Kei style!

This skirt came from the debut collection, which featured Risa Nakamura as the lookbook model. Did that sway my choice... maybe :D I was a bit worried that the skirt would be too short for me. But luckily this skirt comes just past the scandalous length on me (I'm 173cm) and would be a perfect miniskirt length on anyone shorter. The volume of it also makes it appear more covering than it it. The waistband is partially elasticized so it can accommodate a variety of sizes.

The material is pretty regular quality polyester, it has a light inner skirt and a sheer over-skirt with a ruffle trim. The two combined makes a very sweet appearance, but it is sheer! You will need nude color panties when you wear it.

However the main charm of this skirt is the removeable apron! I really love that you get a little apron to wear with other dresses, and you can wear the skirt plain without it as well. The apron is very well made with a nice ruffle and a gold embroidered "Kokokim" along the edge. This style can be dressed up to make a cute maid MoeHara look, or dressed down for something more Larme as I would wear.

Skirt worn by me

my larme-kei style coordinate feat. KOKOkim skirt!

Overall I really love the skirt and I think I came up with the perfect coordinate for it! Yesstyle has always provided me with great service, fast shipping, lots of timely communication and positive attitude. They have tons of Asian fashion and accessories, so make sure to check them out!

And right now KOKOkim is doing a collab with @home maid cafe! Take a look at Kimura U's twitter for the cute clothing and desserts she's designing for KOKOkim and @home, I really wish I could eat this parfait!

* Sponsor Review * Geo Bella circle lenses in Grey

2015-05-23T12:47:00.001-07:00

Hi everyone, remember me? Haha, yes I still plan to blog from time to time, though blogging seems to have gone the way of geocities and myspace - it's passe. Still I think this format is best for reviews, or travel write ups. I am thinking of doing some more youtube videos, I'm just so not confident that I feel like any video I make would be useless and boring. I guess most peoples' youtubes are useless but they make them anyway, so should I! haha.

Anyhow, now I am saving and planning my next trip to Japan! Yes that's right - Japan Trip 10! I can't wait to see all the things I love again, and explore all the new shops, sites and cafes that have popped up since I was last there. Also I'm excited to wear all my fancy Larme-kei clothing there (and buy all the awesome AW15 items I'm peeping). To complete any larme-kei look you need the right circle lenses, and today I have a perfect pair for you :D

GEO Bella in grey

natural light

flash

I was approached by LensVillage.com to join their ambassador program, which allowed me the chance to review these lenses. I know they are one of the older/well known models but I had never tried them before. Based on preview photos I thought they would be too dark for my eyes, but now that I have been able to try them on my own light eyes, I can safely say these circle lenses would flatter anyone!

The color in a lens case appears dark grey with a black outer ring that tends towards the smaller end. There aren't many different colors, just a couple shades of grey, but it has a very natural fade out into the lens part. So when applied to your eye there is a very soft and sweet appearance. I'm not sure how much the grey would be able to lighten dark eyes, as I did notice these darkened my iris a little bit. Overall the design blended with my eyes very well!

one lens in

Despite the fact these lenses are just 14.2mm they have very good enlarging as you may notice in the picture above. I usually tend towards 15mm lenses, but these are as good or better than some large diameter lenses. This is because the printing is all the way up to the edge so you get maximum payoff haha. I felt these did a good job enlarging my eye, making a sweet dolly look without being too large and alien like. I can wear them with lighter makeup and look nice also.

Comfort wise, they are just as you would expect with a big brand like Geo. They are easy to apply to the eye, without much flipping and floating about. Furthermore I was able to wear them over 6 hours without any troubles, I didn't even re-wet though you should always do that periodically. I'm glad these lenses are comfortable and wearable because they are the type I would want to wear daily - they go well with many looks and styles.

I was very satisfied with the Geo Bella in grey lenses, beautiful big and comfy! LensVillage was so prompt in replying to me, making sure my items were correct and got to me in a timely manner. They have so many cute circle lenses and asian cosmetic items to browse thru, they certainly have what you are looking for so make sure to check them out!

Right Now you can save 30% off all ICK circle lenses until May 25th!

Maetel cosplay plus G&G Natural Blue lens review

2015-03-31T07:41:00.000-07:00

Good morning friends! I can't keep up with blogging at all, I can't make promises even at this point cause I know I won't be able to follow through. My current job is taking an enormous chunk of my life and health but it's too difficult to find something else so I kinda just have to roll with it for now. Once and a while I get time to do something fun, and this post will show a bit of that! Pinky Paradise announced their Media Diva contest sometime ago and it stuck me as a fun way to do a lens review, so I went about thinking of what I could do to make my usual reviews cooler :D

What I came up with was a quick Maetel cosplay!

Maetel is probably not well known anymore, especially not so in the west here, but she is a character from Leiji Matsumoto's anime titled Galaxy Express 999. And to be frank I don't know that much about her either as it was well before my time/I haven't watched it. But one time I was told I look like Maetel, Leiji draws his women with noses similar to mine haha, and since then I have wanted to cosplay her. Luckily I have just the right hat.

I have seen Maetel drawn with dark eyes and light eyes, being that I am light eyed I decided to go with a lens that would blend with my own eye color while creating a soft, sweet look. Hunting through Pinky Paradise's extensive stock of circle lenses eventually lead me to the G&G Natural Blue Lens and I couldn't be happier.

This circle lens features a blue color design, but the blue is nicely transparent so over light eyes it just enhances blue tones. I have seen a lot of blue lenses that are very opaque, to stand out over dark eyes, but when worn on light eyes look totally fake. So the G&G Natural Blue really has a wonderful design in that it looks lovely on all color eyes. The outer ring of the lens is dark, but not bold. It is a dark grey/blue color so it is not as harsh as a black ring.

While the G&G Natural in blue has a diameter of 14.5mm I found it to be noticeably enlarging, it created a very nice dolly look. The printing on the lens goes well towards the edge of the lens, combined with the overall design you get a lens that makes your eyes look obviously larger but not completely unnatural in appearance. For me this sort of look and enlargement are just right! The lenses were easy to apply as well.

As for comfort, I had a decent experience with them. Unfortunately I did get a piece of glitter in my eye from my eyeliner, and I couldn't flush it out so it was a bit distracting for some time as I wore these lenses. I was able to wear them for about 4-5 hours before I experienced any irritation. I wetted my eyes and I was able to wear them another hour before I had to take them out. So I would say these have an average comfort level.

Wouldn't it be fun one day if I could complete a Maetel cosplay, all I really need to do is make the coat so it's just a matter of getting some materials together! She has such a willowy appearance and somber expression, I wonder if I could pull it off haha. But I had a fun time putting on a wig and wearing long lashes again, I hope you had as much fun checking out this post :3

* Sponsor Review * Lenspop Bunny Color in brown circle lens

2015-03-12T14:04:00.000-07:00

Hi friends! How are you. I feel like I can start every blog post complaining about my job and life, then excusing myself from not blogging haha. Those facts remain true, but it's starting to become obvious I won't be able to quit this job for some time so I just have to find some way to cope with the stress and physical pain. I generally work 2nd shift, if you have ever worked fulltime you know that's the worst, so I only have a couple free hours a day. I'm going to start making lists for myself so I can get at least a couple things done a week haha! I'm counting this post as one accomplishment for this week!

Lenspop Bunny Color in Brown

Anywho I was approached by KpopLens.com to review one of their house brand circle lenses, they offered me the Bunny Color in brown lens and I was happy to try a new brown lens as it's been a couple years. What struck me immediately about the lens as I was browsing the product page was the lovely design. Kpop Lens sent me the lenses at the very end of January, and they arrived to me about 2.5 weeks later. The packaging was very nice and secure, with the lenses and a kit in a cute little box.

natural light

flash

One lens in

Again, when I opened up the little bottles and took out the lenses I was taken with the beautiful natural design. There is a obvious outer ring, but it is blended with the body of the lens. There are several tones in the graphic producing a very soft and realistic lens. You can easily wear these lenses in the day time, and they will go very well with sweet gyaru, Larme-kei, and the trend toward softer makeup.

While the diameter of the Bunny Color lenses is only 14mm, they appear much larger and have more enlargement than you'd expect! I have lenses with wider diameter that don't have the same enlargement as these ones do. I think this is due to the printing, which looks like it goes right up to the very edge of the lens. So in my mind you are getting a great value with this lens. Of course being a brown lens it doesn't blend with my light eyes, but for a brown lens this one looks pretty good on me! And it looks so sweet and pretty on brown eyes.

I was able to wear these for several hours, I didn't find them irritating or itchy but I did find I needed to re-wet and/or remove them sooner than some other lenses I have. I think they have decent comfort and quality for the price. Just make sure if you are going out and about to bring a lens kit with you so you can remove them after 4 hours or so to keep your eyes in good condition :)

* Sponsor Review * Born Pretty brown false eyelash #HW-47

2015-02-27T14:25:00.002-08:00

Hello everyone! Pardon my absence as usual, my current job is really one of the most tiring I've ever had so I'm in the process of trying to find something more suitable for my lifestyle, mental health and goals. It's particularly hard when no one will even let me get to the interview even haha. I'm only able to write this post now because I took the day off, I'm really glad I did because I feel so calm for once. Furthermore I've wanted to share these lashes with you for awhile now because they are just so beautiful and perfect for larme-kei makeup!

Born Pretty false eyelashes #HW-47

When BornPrettystore.com approached me to review some of their items, this product stood out to me immediately. Japanese makeup is trending away from bold false eyelashes: towards brown, or natural false lashes, eyelash extensions and even just mascara. I've seen many of my favorite models using brown eyelashes from some of my favorite eyelash brands, and never having used brown eyelashes myself I thought this was the right time to try them out!

These particular eyelashes are handmade (though I cannot really imagine being dexterous enough to make these little lashes all by hand!) out of synthetic fibers. The first thing I noticed was the beautiful and unique design of these eyelashes, they are not dense and have a criss cross pattern which results in a very soft and natural appearance when worn! They create a sweet dolly look, and would flatter all eyes with their design. The fibers are also rather long, but since they are not thick even with the length they look natural.

Another great point of these eyelashes is their lack of shininess. I did not find any shine to them even when I took photos using flash, they are very matte. The fibers are also very soft and comfortable to wear. The band is flexible and super easy to apply, they shape to your eyelid easily. I am having a hard time finding any negative points to the #HW-14 eyelashes, they meet or exceed all of my expectations :)

For the price of 3.74$ you'll have a hard time finding another type of eyelashes that are as trendy and well made as these. They are on par with lashes 4x the cost, and even better than some brand name. There are several other eyelashes in this series which look equally lovely, and Born Pretty has a ton of brown eyelashes if this design doesn't catch your eye.

My experiences with BornPrettyStore.com have all been positive so far, they carry a very large selection of cosmetics from China which are very comparable to local drug store brands quality and price wise. They are always prompt in replying to me and shipping times are good considering the distance. The packaging is very secure. I will certainly repurchase these eyelashes again when I run out, they are really lovely!

Make sure to use code CHZ10 at checkout to get 10% off your order!

* Sponsor Review * Breakfast for Your Face masks

2015-02-10T16:55:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone, finally I have a day off and actually I have 2 in a row, what a relief. My current job is really stressing me out, and I miss out on so much because of it. I'm still trying to keep my blog going, so I appreciate everyone who takes the time to read my entries though they come along irregularly haha. I also hope everyone is happy to read my reviews, they are becoming a larger portion of my posts and will continue to be for the foreseeable future. I always try to review items I think you'll like to learn more about, and hopefully if you're like me you are into skin care!

I was approached by UncommonGoods.com to review some of their unique and lovely products, their assortment is particularly great for gift giving. Check out their gifts for wives, or here for gifts for mom to browse really sweet items that appeal to us ladies! Many of their items you'll see on UncommonGoods are created by artisans or small businesses, which I feel supporting is a priority. Their hand crafted items not only cover decor and jewelry, but beauty products as well. One thing I have been more concerned with over the last year or so is the condition of my skin, When I saw they offered this really neat trio of face masks that are 99% natural, I knew right away I would love to try them myself.

The Breakfast For Your Face masks are made of natural ingredients you might find in your own panty! They are in powder form and come smartly packaged in spice bottles. What is great about the powdered consistency of these masks is they have a longer shelf life then some other natural masks I have seen out there (12-18 months once opened). They are produced here in the USA by the small business Rinse, which makes a range of bath and soap products.

Everything comes packaged well in a sturdy cardboard box, inside that is a cotton drawstring bag containing the three masks and a business card. All the information you'll need about the masks is printed right on the labels. The ingredient lists are so short! The instructions are simple and easy to follow - just use 1 tsp of the mask powder and mix with your liquid of choice to make into a paste. They suggest milk, cream, olive oil, honey, tomato juice etc depending on your skin type.

I have used honey and milk when making my masks and find the texture to turn out very easy to work with and smoothing. Honey, olive oil and milk are all very high in nutrients and well known to be great for skin.

The Oatbrasion mask works very well at exfoliating and revealing softer skin, the small pieces of pumice can be a bit rough so I made sure not to rub it on my face too much. My face felt especially clean after this mask!

The Cafe Mocha mask smells so amazing! You won't want to wash it off haha. It really does de-puff your skin and it has a cooling effect on the skin.

The Yogurt mask is great now during these winter months, when the cold air dries out your face. Using this mask made my skin softer, and took care of patchiness.

Cafe Mocha mask, made with milk. You can see there are actual pieces of espresso beans in there!

Overall I was very pleased by these masks, the packaging was endearing and the powdered form is easy to work with. Also as you only use 1 tsp with each mask, the bottles last a long time so you get a great value for the price. I like how they are customizable and address common issues everyone experiences. My only complaint is that a teaspoon can't fit into the opening on the bottle so it can be a little messy measuring them out. But they are natural, smell great, and support a small business.

These masks are sold exclusively at UncommonGoods, so make sure to check out their website. They ship quickly, and package very very well. I have enjoyed their service, and it's fun to browse all the unique gifts they sell. Uncommon goods also carries gifts for husbands here as well, or personalized gifts for everyone.

* Sponsor Review * ICK T-1 circle lens in grey

2015-02-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

Hello all, I fell off track for a bit there again. My work schedule is just a true nightmare, like yesterday I had a 10 hour shift, why should I have a 10 hour shift when I work 5 days a week? Suffice to say my personal time is barely existent haha. I'm thinking about my next move so I can have more time for my real life, but I'm at the point where I have to be really careful about my job moves. So I'll keep trying to blog as much as I can, but it's just not something I can do often anymore.

Anyhow, today I'm bringing you a new lens review. Lately I've been interested a lot in the natural type of lenses you see in current Japanese fashion magazines, they are almost so natural you can't tell they are there! So when Lens Village approached me to review one of their lenses, I thought I would try a very natural one myself. After a bit of browsing I picked the ICK T-1 lens. I had never heard of the brand before but it looked very stunning!

ICK T-1 in grey

natural light

flash

one lens in

At first Lens Village replied to me a few days later that they were out of stock of this lens, I was disappointed as I couldn't tell that from the website but picked another ICK brand lens anyway. However what arrived at my door was the T-1 lens afterall, so I guess there was some communication error on their end. I'm happy to have the lens I originally wanted but the mix up was not the best experience.

The first thing I noticed about the lens when I opened them up was the diameter. It's listed as 15mm, however that is just the actual size of the lens the printing on it is much smaller. I would say the actual diameter is around 13.8 to 14mm so don't expect to get much enlargement from these circle lenses. That might be a selling point for some - the natural design with a more manageable diameter creates a very soft lens. However I was excited to find such a natural pattern with a large diameter. This lens does not create a dolly eye so for me that was a detractor.

However, I really do love the design! The color of the grey is very soft and opaque so it makes a light color on any iris. There aren't many tones in the graphic but there is a lot of break up which makes it blend very easily with your own eyes. I found this design to be very close to my own eyes, but more sweet and airy. It's like my eyes but more soft and beautiful :D

As for comfort during wearing them, I found them to be about average meaning I could wear them for the bulk of the day without much irritation. I only needed to re-wet my eyes twice or so. Make sure you don't wear circle lenses more than 8 hours a day, and keep a lens kit with you! I had no trouble getting these in either, though they might as well cut down the lens and make it a 14mm overall.

I liked these lenses, and I found them to be a very wearable and trendy lens! You can see lots of models in Larme, Popteen etc wearing this sort of smaller softer design so why not try it yourself! As I have wide eyes I think 15mm suits me best, but I would try other lenses from the ICK brand. Lens Village kept open communication with me, and the shipping time was good, the item arrived promptly. They have twice now told me the items they have initially offered me are out of stock, so be aware of that before making your purchase.

* Sponsor Review * Korilakkuma hoodie blanket

2015-01-26T17:04:00.000-08:00

Hi again friends! I'm posting two days in a row, that's even more surprising than me posting regularly haha, but I will be working until nighttime tomorrow and I know myself well enough to know I will never bring myself to blog after a long evening of working haha. I think you won't mind reading this review a day ahead of time however since it's a super cute one. From the title you already know it's about one of my favorite Japanese characters ever - Korilakkuma the little partner to the relax bear Rilakkuma.

I was approached by Yesstyle with the opportunity to review some products from their Iswas series, and even amongst all the amazingly cute products this Korilakkuma product stood out to me! Iswas is a lifestyle goods brand from South Korea, meaning they offer a wide variety of items that you utilize in daily life. They have pouches, pencils, notebooks, utensils, pillows, slippers etc all with a touch of whimsy and cuteness! They also have tie ins with characters, Rilakkuma being just one of them. Make sure to look over the Iswas product page to discover more adorable goodies.

Rilakkuma series Hooded Blanket

When I first saw this Korilakkuma hooded blanket, I thought it would be a perfect item for me haha. One because it's at the top of my list of beloved characters, and two because I keep the heat quite low in my apartment to save money haha! Which means I usually need a blanket covering me to stay comfortable. How great is a hooded blanket then? It covers your body and head, the place where most of your heat escapes so this blanket will keep you extra cozy :D

As I opened the blanket I was immediately impressed with the quality of the construction, Korilakkuma's face is all in order and easily recognizable. The pink trimming runs along every edge of the blanket and is very even, plus it even has Korilakkuma's little red button to help secure the blanket in place around your shoulders. That's a very handy feature as you can move around, do your chores etc, without worrying about it dropping off and you freezing (well probably you won't freeze unless you keep it cold like me haha!)

The material isn't super luxurious, but it is soft and traps body heat well. One thing I did notice was a strong plastic smell to the blanket, so I recommend taking it out of the package promptly and airing it out a couple days before you plan to wear it. Yesstyle also recommends laying the blanket across your lap and using the hood part as a hand warmer, that sounds really smart to me so I'll be using that tip myself! I read a couple other people stating they found the blanket small, I found no problem wearing the hood even with a wig as you can see.

It could also be a quick costume :D

I expected to like this hoodie blanket, and I was not disappointed! It's very cute to look at and wear, it keeps you properly warm and looks nice draped on your sofa when not in use. I also forsee this as a great item for days you feel like looking cute but are feeling too lazy to get dressed up haha :D

Once again, I want to say that I've only had positive experiences with Yesstyle, they always answer me promptly and explain thoroughly. They pack the items very securely and safely, shipping takes just as long as you would expect coming from Asia, but it's not slow. Check out these items to complete your comfy night in!

Curl Up Cafe, a curly kitty cafe!

2015-01-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

Good evening everyone, this post got delayed a day or two but after another full week of working by friday night I was like "nope, I'm not doing anything!" That mentality extended into Saturday, then today... But, I figured, I shall recoup no more and get down to business haha! It's been sometime since I last wrote about Japan, what a shame cause it's fun for me to share my experience and hopefully lead people to exploring new places in Tokyo. On the other hand it's also good that I'm stretching it out as I keep hoping I'll go back and get some new blog fodder... we'll see!

Inside Curl Up Cafe

Without any more introduction, let's get into it. Today I am going to introduce a new Cat Cafe I visited during my 8th trip to Japan, I've written about some other more well known cafes before. However, Curl Up Cafe is not a chain or as well known, maybe a bit off the beaten track but certainly worth the train fare with its atmosphere and charming kitty stars!

My friend booked tickets for us to visit Curl Up Cafe, and I was very excited naturally as I love cat cafes and seeing new places. This cafe in particular is a bit smaller than others I have been two and lists it's occupancy at just 8 people. Which you will understand when you get there as the interaction room (there's a waiting room in the front where you can just sit and have a drink) is close quarters and more than 8 people would make it hard to relax/play with the cats. If you want to make sure of your spot, call ahead and make a reservation. They are closed mondays.

I had an iced tea and my friend had a strawberry yogurt drink

The 90 minute course, including one drink is 1620Y which I find to be quite reasonable. They will also give you a small cookie or biscuit with your drink! Like I mentioned the atmosphere is very lovely, the decor reflects the owners tastes well while still being airy and modern. It has more of a cafe feel than other cat cafes I've been to, which can feel more like just a recreation room sometimes. It was a bit tight for me with my shyness, but you can grab a corner there are plenty of cats to go around!

One of the unique features of Curl Up Cafe are it's signature LaPerm cats. This type of cat has a very curly and luxurious coats, so you will enjoy petting them. Furthermore, the owner has shown her cats and they are award winners! Most cats you see in cat cafes are pure breeds, but how often do you interact with show cats haha :D

I found some of the cats to be much more active than the usual cat cafe kitties, and some were laying about as normal. Luckily a couple of cats I actually played with and it was very fun for me to interact with a cat a lot. However some cats in the cafe were not interested in interactions and I heard a lot of hissing or growling, so just make sure not approach a cat who warns you or stick to just taking pictures!

Overall I really enjoyed Curl Up cafe, I hope they will get more attention from tourists. It's not a central spot like some others, but you will be very happy you took the extra time heading over there!

ACCESS:
Meguro-ku, Tokyo Haramachi 1-chome 7-4
東京都目黒区原町1丁目7－4
Take the Tokyu Meguro line to Nishikoyama station, It's about a 1-2 minute walk from the station. MAP