Review: Hand Stitched Leather T

I ordered a handmade leather cover for my Hobonichi weeks last month and it arrived just yesterday, 3 weeks after the seller shipped it. I purchased the Weeks cover from this Etsy shop for 35 euros after watching a review from a Youtuber the other day. The leather looked so nice in that video so I decided to get myself one since the price was rather affordable and it was free shipping.

Unfortunately, as you may have noticed, the package arrived in a bit deformed shape. There was another plastic wrapping made by the Japan post office and a little note stating that the package had arrived drenched so they had to dry it off for some time in their office before sending it to me. They even apologized that they had to send me the package in that state. I mean, it’s not their fault the package got deformed anyway lol. Japanese companies are so good with customer service, I swear.

It’s a bit hard to notice, but you can see the signs of the wrapping paper got wet on the right side.

I was a bit relieved that the leather cover itself had sustained no damage from the water seeping through. Tanya (the seller) even included a bonus key holder. The leather smelled so nice and I love how thin and floppy the leather is. I thought I could just ignore the damaged package since the product was alright until …

There was a chipped part of the leather on the backside of the cover! My heart sank a bit when I discovered it. I’m fine with scratches on the leather but a chipped part … Sigh.

Other than the chipped part, the interior of the cover seemed fine. There’s a tiny stain on the upper left part but I guess complaining about it wouldn’t change anything lol.

The planner fits perfectly inside the cover. It closes nicely too. When I made the order, there was an option whether I wanted an elastic closure and pen loop and I didn’t opt for it since I don’t want to drill a hole on my cover. Based on the Youtube reviews, you could also request specific designs such as secretarial pockets on the sides. I didn’t ask for any either this time and I kind of regret it. Haha.

Overall, I think the product is well made. But I guess I’m a bit disappointed with the cover because of the chipped part and stain since I had high expectations from reading the shop and Youtube reviews. I originally thought of ordering another cover for my other planners if it had turned out great, but I guess I’ll put off that idea for now.

Huxley Cushion Unboxing + First Impressions

Stylekorean had Huxley products on a 50% discount so I thought I’d try out the (not so new) cushion they released back then. It was really pricey without the discount so I couldn’t get it, but this time it was only ¥2250 and my current cushion is almost done so I thought why not?

I will start the post with the unboxing pictures followed by my impressions last. Click here to jump into the impressions.

I must say, the packaging is really extra for a cushion. It opens up just like a new iPhone box lol. The cushion case sits right on the top of it. Isn’t the color just pretty?

The cushion filling (it’s not a refill because the cushion case is empty) and the pouch is seated below the first compartment.

So within this box you get: 1 cushion case, 1 cushion filling (with the puff inside), and 1 cushion pouch.

When I took off the seal the first thing that came into my mind was, “Whoa, what a waste!” The amount of foundation (what do you call the cushion contents, anyway?) stuck on the seal was tremendous I feel like it’s a waste to just throw the seal away.

First Impressions

The cushion gives a cool sensation upon application, which is nice, but the coverage is almost non-existent. I’m not surprised by it, though, since the description clearly said that this cushion only claims to give ‘lightweight coverage’. But even for my light blemishes, you need to add another layer to cover it properly. So this cushion is clearly not for people who want to cover up their heavy blemishes/acne.

I wouldn’t recommend it to anybody because of the price, though. Also, they don’t give the best results if you’re looking for a cushion with heavy coverage. ¥4500 for a ‘lightweight moisturizing cushion’ is not worth the money. There are many alternatives out there with cheaper price and equivalent or even better results.

So yeah, unless you have a goddess-like porcelain skin and lots of money to spend, then you better skip this. As much as I love Huxley products, I don’t think this is a good one. (Even though I really love their work on the packaging for this.) They should just stick to their skincare range since I think that would a better thing to focus into if they want to develop their products further. I mean, they don’t even sell a separate refill. I guess that means they’re just making this to rake in more money from packaging-loving people. They’re not expecting people to buy the whole cushion casing + pouch again once the cushion itself ran out, right?

Chuu 2017/2018 Winter Fashion Haul

Despite living in Japan, I’m not a really big fan of Japanese fashion style. I mean, I like brands such as Uniqlo for their simplicity in design and comfortable clothing, but after some time, I realize that most of their clothing lineups are the same and boring and repetitive.

During my winter holidays, I was super reluctant to leave my apartment because of the bad weather and wind. I spent my days browsing Youtube videos and I finally discovered this Korean clothing brand named Chuu. They have websites for languages in Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Hongkong, China, and English. I, of course, accessed the Japanese website and was really delighted when I found out that they accepted convenience store payment. This means someone who doesn’t have a credit card like me could also make a purchase from them!

They will prepare the items as soon they receive the payment and will ship 7 days after they receive the payment. After the arrival in the customs, it will take another 4 days to get it to my place. I think 11 days (technically 4 days if you exclude the 7 days out) of wait is not that long for international shipping. They will ship it for free if your purchase exceeds 8000 yen.

Okay then, on to the haul!

Pink Strawberry Milk cap from their collection

When I first saw this cap, I really felt the urge to get it because it was aesthetically cute and I personally only have 1 cap with me before I made this purchase. There are two versions of this cap but I got the one with letters in front instead of a milk carton symbol.

I really love the little detail of strawberry embroidery they put at the back of the cap. The material is really nice and it’s pretty comfortable to wear. I might not wear it now but will definitely wear it during spring/summer!

Special tote bag featuring Chuu’s -5kg Jean line

I didn’t intend to get this tote bag at first, but I saw that it was on discount and it was pretty cheap as well so I decided to get it. The materials used are really nice and I love the choice of color they used for this tote. Definitely going to use it when I’m out and about!

Most of my bottoms are black and I think I only have one pair of white bottoms. Haha. This legging was on the ranking list and many of the reviews stated that they’re comfortable to wear. What really made me purchase this legging was because of it’s (again) cheap price and the inner material.

Look at that soft fluffy inner material …

They have two versions of this legging. One with and one without the soft inner. I chose the one with the soft inner material because winter is killing my leg, really. I haven’t tried it out but I’ll update the outcome in this post when I do!

Next is this boyfriend denim jacket! This is probably the most expensive thing I got from the haul but I really love the big size of it! I’ve never had any over-sized type clothing before so I got this one. I didn’t regret purchasing this, though! It’s quite warm on chilly days and the long sleeves just cover all of my hands. This jacket definitely has some weight, but that just shows how good the quality is!

This is the second top I got from Chuu and it’s a long oversized parka. This, like the cap I bought, is made by Chuu itself so it has a really high-quality material. The insides of this parka are also soft just like the leggings I got.

Since it’s a loose fit parka, I can layer so many underneath and it really keeps me warm even when it snows. The length of this parka is long enough to cover just a bit over my knees so it keeps my thighs warm at the same time as well! This parka is quite pricey but I think it’s a nice investment for a winter clothing.

I’m actually not a skirt person and I only have two skirts in my closet. I don’t know what crossed my mind and made me want to purchase a skirt, but if I had to say, it’s probably because of the design and color.

Most plaid skirts are in red and I don’t fancy them because they’re flashy. But this one has a subtle color and the pink is really soft as well, making it a good combination. Design wise, Chuu also made this skirt and it’s in their -5 lineup, which is what Chuu is famous for. I’ve read reviews and pictures of people wearing -5 bottoms from Chuu and they do look slim! Well, I’m already too skinny (I swear I need to gain weight somehow), so I probably don’t need this -5 thing but it really looks good when I tried it out.

The inner pants is the biggest plus point that made me purchase the skirt! I’ve never felt comfortable wearing short mini skirts but since this one has an inner I don’t need to worry about things going … wrong. Haha. I’ve tried wearing this in the cold weather combined with a warm legging and it holds of the cold pretty well! I just love it!

This is the third top and the last item I got from Chuu. It’s a simple over-sized pullover. This probably the only item that didn’t really live up to my expectations in terms of quality. The material is really thick, which is good, but there are other things that made me slightly dislike this piece.

The soft fabric from the inside will sometimes go through (?) to the outer side of the sweater and I can’t really pull it out or do anything to push it back to the inner side of the pullover. (I don’t know how to describe this, honestly. Haha.) This top was quite pricey so I was kind of upset about this issue, but oh well, it’s still wearable and it’s warm enough so that’s ok.

That’s the end of the haul! I hope it’s somehow helpful for you who want to do online shopping from this brand too. I think I won’t do another fashion haul for winter since I’ve bought enough. We’ll see what they’ll have for summer next time!

Trying Out Jibun Techo

Yes. ‘Tis another post about planner, people.

I was supposed to publish this back then in 2017 but then I just completely got swallowed by uni and sleeping during my winter holiday. So yeah, before my holiday ends I’m just gonna post a quick post about what this planner is and why I switched my main planner to this from Hobonichi!

What it is

Basically, this is just another planner under the brand of Kokuyo (pretty sure everyone knows this brand). It’s unique because it’s basically a 3-in-1 planner. If you purchase the starter kit you’ll get a Life, Idea, and the main journal in one pack. The Life book is designed to last your entire life, while the Idea book is basically a blank grided paper. The main journal is pretty much similar to Hobonichi Weeks with the only exception of the weekly layout being vertical instead of horizontal like Hobo’s.

When you buy the journal, it will always come with the plastic cover (as seen in the cover picture) and also this “pencil board” that functions as your portable ruler and a band to keep your book shut. I wouldn’t say that it’s a functional pencil board like Hobonichi’s though since the size is smaller than the pages and the bands make the surface bump when you want to write on it. So yeah …

As you can see, the cover picture has two covers, white and dark blue. The dark blue version is an Amazon limited edition cover, so usually they only come with one cover per set!

Layouts!

The main planner’s paper is made out of Tomoe River Paper, the same type of paper that Hobonichi uses, so it’s really thin but bleed-proof, which is awesome. Jibun Techo uses more variety of colors to indicate dates and tabs, which makes it look more colorful and exciting to use. They also come with an abundant amount of checkboxes for your free list, as well as a mood tracker for each date.

As opposed to Hobonichi Week’s horizontal weekly spread, Jibun Techo comes in a vertical spread with a timeline bar! This is really similar to Hobonichi’s Cousin weekly spread. But what I like about this planner is because I can focus more on systematic journalling since they don’t have daily pages that I’ll feel obligated to fill in each day. Also, it’s way less heavy than the Cousin!

The weekly spread has a weather checker on the top of the bar, a mood checker on the lower bottom, and meal trackers in the last three rows of each column. I found those extras very functional and helpful to keep track of what I feel and eat very briefly. The timeline, which you can see, has a filled line and empty ones. It indicates when the sun rises and sets each day and it will change throughout the year! Since I don’t use the first 6 hours of the day to plan anything, I usually just write down how long I’ve slept in that space to keep track of my sleeping schedule. Yay for functionality!

The main journal has also many other pages like 2018 Goals, miscellaneous tracker, gifts received/given page, books/movie page, and others! It’s too many for me to take a picture of it one by one, but if you’re curious, you can always check Youtube review videos for better resolution of images and explanation!

The Life book

The life book is a really interesting concept for me since this is the first time I’ve had one. The anniversary spread basically just tracks down everything that occurs yearly. Birthdays, anniversaries, events, etc. I find this very useful since I won’t need to rewrite everyone’s birthday each year in a new journal and can just refer to this one instead!

This spread is supposed to be filled in with events that have occurred in your lifetime, be it personal, family, or world events. Honestly, I didn’t know what to do with these pages because I don’t remember anything amazing that had happened to me and needed to be noted lol. So I just wrote things like graduating from high school and enrolling to a university in my 19th year of the spread lol.

This is really interesting but I still haven’t been able to fill those boxes in because I’m still not sure if I feel the need to haha. It starts from your grandfather and grandmother, then your parents, and then yourself. It continues down until your grandchildren’s generation, which I think will be … fun? (If I do have children in the future. But, eh…)

Last but not least,

Jibun Techo’s height is pretty much the same as the Weeks, but it’s a bit wider. The weight is also similar if you take out both the Life and Idea booklets out of the cover. Price wise, Jibun Techo is just a bit pricier at ￥3780 (Starter kit + Amazon limited edition, free shipping) while the Hobo Weeks cost me ￥3596 (the main planner, cover, pencil board, and the freaking ￥756 shipping cost). If I were to only buy the main planner without the life and idea books, it would be much cheaper than Hobonichi and you get to get the same quality planner. The cover of Jibun Techo might be too plain for some people, though, so they might prefer Hobo’s beautiful covers. But in the end, it’s up to your preference of journaling that leads to your buying decision!

What do you think of the planner? If you use a similar type of planner, how are you using them to organize your day? Feel free to share in the comments!

Unboxing the Hobonichi 2018!

I finally placed my Hobonichi order on the 24th while I was still back in my home country. It took them just three days to ship the thing off and one day for it to reach my apartment! The package reached my place exactly one day after I returned to Japan so I was really hyped!

If you’ve read the post I made about 2018’s line-up impressions, you would know that this cover wasn’t originally inside the list of covers that caught my eye. To be honest, I just bought this cover on a whim because all three covers that I had my eye on got sold out before I could place my order. But to be honest, I was so glad I purchased this cover after I got to see it and feel the material directly. It’s just simply gorgeous.

This tori-to-hana cover (lit. bird and flower) is a collaboration cover together with a brand named minä perhonen, a Japanese fashion brand. Each year, they produce a different cover together but I was never really interested in their designs. To be honest, I never would’ve wanted to purchase a cotton-type cover because it’s hard to maintain, however, I find that this cover’s color combination is really soothing for me. The insides of the cover are made of synthetic leather, giving it a unique touch.

At first, I thought that the embroideries on this cover would be rough, but it’s actually really soft and smooth it really feels satisfying to feel it on your hands. The dotted lace bookmarks are beautiful on its own as well, but I found a little problem caused by this which will be discussed more below.

Comparison of the original and avec planners

Moving on to the planners. This year I decided to try out the avec version of the planners that Hobonichi has. I found out that my current 2017 planner was too chunky for me to bring out and I always end up leaving it in my drawer. Avec planners are divided into two, so it’s lighter and slimmer as well.

As usual, Hobonichi will give you bonus goodies for purchasing their planner online. This year’s goodies consists of a fluorescent yellow ballpoint and a meal decider dice. I love the pens provided by Hobonichi since they’re easy to write with. The dice, however, will remain untouched just like the toaster plate they give out for 2017.

Since this cover has lace bookmarks, it’s thicker than the usual bookmark they have. It ended up creating that somewhat big gap between the pages when I tried to close the book. It was disturbing when I found out at first because my planner couldn’t close flatly, but I’ve learned to bear with it lol.

So that’s it for the unboxing + mini review. I hope you find those poorly taken photos satisfying for your needs. Overall, I’m really pleased with the service and delivery for this year since it was processed really quick (as usual). This planner cover might be the most expensive one that I’ve purchased, but the quality does not fail me at all! I’m looking forward to using this cover in 2018 and find out what 2019 (I know it’s still far, but time flies) will offer!

Review: Daniel Wellington Classic Petite Melrose

I’m not a fan of wristwatches. In fact, I only have one with me every time. Unfortunately, my old little white Swatch kinda stopped functioning properly. No matter how many times I adjusted the time and changed the battery, the time will eventually get delayed. I told my mom about it and she said it’s time to get a new watch.

The problem with wristwatches was, of course, my wrist. As you can see in the featured image above, my wrist is extremely small, so I had to search for watches with adjustable bands and a not-so-big dial.

And so, I found this elegant-looking watch by Daniel Wellington on Amazon. Moreover, it had a 56% discount at that time, so I jumped on the offer and paid around 9000 yen for a 21000 yen watch.

The packaging was really nice and thoughtful. The seller prepared a gift-wrapped box for every wristwatch they sell in their online store. At this point, I was already delighted and hurried up to open the box only to find something rather disappointing.

This box made me a thousand times more suspicious that this product is not genuine. The watch that I bought came out as a new series this year, and so the packaging is all supposed to be remodeled and new. However, what I got here was a very old version of the Daniel Wellington box. Suspicious much?

Take note that the picture I took was after I used the watch, so the plastic protectors for the dials and the tags have been removed beforehand.Underneath the foam padding that holds the watch, lies the manual and other guarantee cards. It upsets me more because all the contents are different from what the real Classic Petite series packaging would have. The manual versions, as well as the guarantee cards, are different. I didn’t take a picture of it here, but I also noticed that the papers were all yellow, just like an old aged paper.

Another detail that made me sure this product (at least the packaging) was not genuine was the tag that came with the watch. On the tag, the materials, series numbers, and such were written down. The watch that I got has a stainless mesh material for the bands, but the tag said synthetic leather. Uh-oh.

The whole packaging and contents were really disappointing, but I do think the watch alone is still genuine. I even went to DW’s website and checked the product details. I also watched a lot of Youtube videos that shows the unboxing of the watch. The materials for the watch also felt really nice and lightweight. The details also match with what was depicted and described, which is why I think that the watch is still real. It’s just the packaging’s that quite … awful.

So far, the watch is working fine. Even though I’m happy that the watch still somewhat genuine, the fact that the box was switched out still a huge disappointment for me. I didn’t know that Amazon would sell these kinds of ingenuine products to the customers. Luckily, they do accept refunds and replacements, so I’m planning to do so when I get the time to go to the post office next week.

I hope they’ll send the correct product next time.

Review: Clio Kill Cover Liquid Founwear Ampoule Cushion (#4 Ginger)

I’ve mentioned this product on my Missha cushion review but then I realized I’ve never got the chance to give this product a shout out, yet. I’ve taken photos of when the product was still fresh and new but eventually forgot to post about it because … well, reasons.

So now I’m gonna review my currently favorite cushion for you!

I got mine from Amazon (as always) for ￥2580 with the darkest shade, #4 Ginger. This box comes with the cushion and an extra refill and puff, which I think is really nice since it makes the price all more worth it! An extra puff is always nice in case you’re too lazy (like me) to wash the puff before changing into a new cushion refill.

Cushion and refill nested inside the box

Ok, let me be honest. The packaging isn’t the most beautiful among all the other cushions I’ve known, but it’s got its own aesthetic. Lol. I’m also going to note that this cushion has a pretty thick container and it is the thickest among all the other cushions I have (two of the others being Missha cushions). The overall diameter of the cushion is also wider than the Missha’s so this might be a little bulky for you if you have a small makeup pouch. Otherwise, I don’t think it’ll cause a problem for the size!

As you can see, this cushion is just normal like all the other cushions out there. In contrary to Missha’s Tension Pact, Clio still uses the original cushion puff to deliver the products, which I admit could be a little bit troublesome when your product’s about to run out because you’ll have to press so hard to get every single drop of product out.

Okay, let’s focus on the coverage and longevity.

As the name suggests, the Kill Cover line is literally killing the cover (in a good way). This cushion could cover almost all of the imperfections on my face, except when I have a severe acne that’s as red as a tomato. The shade also matches my skin pretty nicely with a yellowish undertone. However, this cushion can get cakey if you’re not careful during the application process. It also accentuates dry patches (which is horrible during winter), so beware if you have concerns regarding those.

Longevity wise, I’d have to say it’s average, which sadly contrasts to their claims of being a 24-hour long lasting cushion. It stays put for the first 5 or 6 hours for me when I use a primer (new primer review coming soon!) and powder my face, but then it could also depend on the weather and other factors. Sometimes it breaks down faster when it’s hot and humid and when my skin is producing too much sebum.

One (or two) good things from this product are that it doesn’t feel heavy or transfer after it settles down. I usually just apply a thin layer over my face and that already gives so much coverage so I don’t need to layer it and make my makeup feel heavy instead. Also, once you finish applying the cushion, it won’t transfer or smudge easily (still beware if you use white clothes) so you don’t need to worry about retouching your makeup every now and then!

Verdict

For acne prone and face with lots of scarring like me, this product does it’s job quite well to cover those things! Though the longevity might be an issue for others, it could be tackled by applying primer and setting powder. Moreover, you can get the cushion and refills for a good price and still be happy with the overall quality of the product! Absolute fave!

Review: Missha The Original Tension Pact (Shade 23)

I wanted to give this cushion a shot after I watched several Youtube videos and blog post reviews about how wonderful this cushion is. Another reason was that my first cushion brand was Missha, which I am quite fond of. This retails slightly more expensive than the original Magic Cushion and has more variety as well.

Can we talk about the packaging? I have to say that the packaging actually lured me in to purchase this cushion. The cover is topped with another glass to give that slightly holographic look, which is cool. They also have the rose gold metallic edges which makes this cushion aesthetically pleasing.

Ok. Onto the details. I got the Perfect Cover type with the shade 23. I usually get the darkest shade because it matches my skin tone well. However, I have to say that this cushion has a slightly lighter shade compared to other number 23 cushions that I have purchased. But the difference isn’t too visible, so it’s still okay for me. This product also has a lower SPF compared to the Magic Cushion (SPF 50 / PA+++) with only SPF 37/ PA++.

This tension cushion is different compared to the normal Magic Cushion by Missha because of the delivery system. The tension pact uses a net filter to deliver the foundation evenly onto your puff so you don’t need to dab too hard to get your products out. Just one light tap could provide enough product to cover (it has a decent coverage) your entire face lightly. Overall, I think the new mesh system is quite a nice change from the usual sponge type, but here comes the downside.

This cushion foundation won’t stay still. It transfers so easily that it leaves marks if you accidentally swipe your face or something. I found it very hard to apply it to the crevices of my nose because every time I apply dab a little harder on my face, it will look like that I’ve just stamped a circle shaped foundation onto my face. I have to blend out things several times before I get the desirable results. I’ve also tried setting it with a loose powder, but it didn’t work that well.

Longevity wise, I think that it didn’t have that much of a lasting power. It wears off really fast, especially near my nose area because I wear glasses. It kinda melts under the heat as well …

Verdict

The only good thing I can say about this cushion is probably the packaging and coverage. There are too many downsides so I don’t think that I will be repurchasing this cushion in the future. I still like the Kill Cover cushion by Clio better for the overall results.

Review: April Skin Turn Up Color Treatment [Peach Pink]

This is my first time trying out a hair dye. I’ve never had the courage to try it because I was afraid it would ruin my hair instead. But then I discovered this supposedly wonderful product that tints your hair instead of bleaching and coloring it. April Skin’s Turn Up Color Treatment‘s complete information of the product can be seen here.

I heard a lot about April Skin products but I was never interested in their makeup line because I heard not so good reviews about it. And then I saw several Youtube videos that featured this product and said this temporary dye worked quite well. My mom wouldn’t let me dye my hair, but I’m in Japan right now and I thought if I dyed my hair for two weeks, it wouldn’t be so bad!

So I bought the Peach Pink color of the dye just because I like how lovely the color is. The image shows how the colors will show up on bleach and dyed hair. My hair is way darker than the image so for a split second, I thought of the possibility that the color might not show up on my hair at all. I ended up buying out of curiosity, though.

The box comes with a plastic gown and gloves for convenience. The dye (or ‘treatment’) is stored inside the tube so I had to squeeze it all out onto a paper plate so I could access it easier when I dye. The product has a paste-like consistency so I had to work on my hair a little bit longer to spread the dye evenly. You’re supposed to shampoo your hair first and apply the dye onto your damp hair and wait for 20 minutes before rinsing it off with warm water.

Results

This product is a no, unfortunately. While it had made my hair really smooth and had this nice strawberry fragrance that still lingers even after two days after the application, my hair stayed completely black. I even tried going out to see how it looks under the sunlight, still a nope. Probably it would’ve worked if I had bleached my hair beforehand, but I wanted to avoid bleaching at all costs. It was really unfortunate that it didn’t work. I guess I need to try other brands or a more pigmented color from this product.

I really think that this would be way better as a shampoo or normal treatment product, though. Too bad, April Skin.

Review: Innisfree Products

I purchased these products several months ago before leaving Japan to return to my country during the winter break. I got it through an Amazon seller based in Korea. At that time I was getting more sucked in into the skincare world (specifically Korea’s) and found out more about different brands. This road-shop brand particularly intrigued me and made me purchase several things that were very popular in the skincare world.

This review is just a short mini one because I believe more in-depth and detailed reviews are out there. This post is about how the product works and what I think about it. Different people may have different results with these products.

Well, this is not a skincare product. But this loose setting powder has the functionality of controlling your skin sebum. It will give you a matte finish if applied on the top of your makeup, which is something that I aim for. I love the cute little puff it came with. So soft. This powder can maintain your skin from producing excess sebum for several hours. In my case, it held off for around 4~5 hours. After that my T-zone will start to get oily again and I’ll have to reapply it.

I’m guessing most of the skincare lovers know this product since everyone loves it. Despite being a clay mask, it doesn’t get dry enough when you leave it on so it’s really easy to rinse off. This product is targeted to fix your pore concerns. I notice that it kinda minimizes the appearance of the pores on my nose (I have gigantic pores), so I guess I could understand why it was a cult favorite. I came to fall in love with this product after several uses. 😀

Hydrating green tea serum (contains alcohol)

I wasn’t originally going to purchase this product because it was quite on the pricier side. However, winter in Japan has somehow dried my skin and I watched several youtube videos that stated this was nice for hydrating your skin as well, so I gave it a try. I didn’t realize it contained alcohol in the first place, but thankfully my skin is OK with this product after several uses. It reacts a bit on the first few applications, making my skin a bit red, but afterward, it’s fine.

This serum absorbs really fast to your skin because of the alcohol, but it doesn’t dry my skin either. Applying moisturizer afterward works to keep my skin moisturized for the rest of the day.

Another non-skincare product, but I came to love it because it works so much better than my old primer. My old one was Tony Moly’s Egg Pore Silky Smooth Balm (long name, I know), which dried my skin really bad to the point of making my cheek area look really flaky. Thankfully, this one from Innisfree does not accentuate my flaky skin. It keeps my makeup for a longer time as well (this depends on what you use) and makes my skin surface smooth.