If you’ve read my previous rambles about planners and whatnot, you could probably tell what I’m going to talk about in this post just by looking at the title. I’ve been indecisive whether I should place an order for this year’s Hobonichi planner since I was trying to save some money for something else. I thought I shouldn’t give in, but my planner junkie instincts kicked in and finally made me purchase one three days ago. (Forgive me, me).
I decided to get the A6 sized planner this year since the A5 size was too big and a bit heavy for me. I didn’t purchase any of the 2017 covers that I’ve mentioned before since I’m a bit tight on money. But instead of that, I decided to reuse my old A6 cover (which had no actual planner inside it) that I purchased last year.
Weeks 2017 plastic cover
I made an additional purchase for this cover since I wanted to keep my existing Weeks planner safe. I really liked the design of it and it wasn’t that expensive, so why not! The cover has two multipurpose slots for cards, pen loop and some sort of bookmark tab. All in all, it’s a pretty handy cover!
The original A6 planner with the freebies
For those who don’t know, every purchase of Hobonichi planner through their online webshop will include a freebie of Uni Jetstream pen and a different extra each year. Last year’s pen was yellow colored and the extra freebie was a tissue holder which was very nice to have! 2017’s freebie is a toast-shaped plate … which I have no idea what to use for.
My planners with their ‘accessories’ on
Overall, I was really satisfied by this purchase. Their shipping was lightning fast! It only took three days for them to process the order and get the items to my place. Price wise, it’s quite on the high end, however it won’t betray your expectations for their quality are so far the best that I know. If you want to know more about this planner, do check some Youtube videos! They have all the explanations and previews of the planners as well as their covers.
This is my first time trying out a Lush product. I’ve heard and read great reviews about this brand so I decided to give one of their most popular products a shot: Ocean Salt. There are two versions of the product one being self-preserving (SP) and the other one in the original version. I got myself the SP one via their website.
Shipping and Packaging
I placed the order on the 22nd of March and just got it yesterday at 27th. The shipping process took quite a long time because they had to pack everything by hand and send it from Tokyo. In the website, there was a drop-down bar in which you can select the delivery time that suites you. I picked 8-12 in the morning, however, it reached my place 9 PM. I am not happy with that. But I’m glad it’s just several hours late compared to the Innisfree things that I purchased from Korea.
The box when it came. The edges are sealed with a sticker.Inside the box. Those fluffy little balls make me happy.
I must say I am happy with the packaging. I guess it’s because they put some effort in arranging those white balls to fit the box properly. I’ve tried taking the products out and then tried to put them back in place, but the box won’t shut because the stuffings aren’t properly arranged. Haha. I’m also pleased that they gave me a free tester of their other product for me to try.
Stickers … of their employee’s face
This has nothing to do with the review, but I just had to mention this. I was genuinely amused when I saw these stickers inside the box and on the product’s tub. It tells you who were packing and handling your products.
Thank you, Yusa!And you too, Tomo
Product
Screw lid containerBeautiful. But has a funny smell.
The product does not come with a spoon or anything to scoop the product. So you have to use your own hands to dig in and take it out. Not exactly hygienic if you’re using for both body and face. So, for the meantime I’m just going to use this as a body scrub to see how well it works.
I love the product color just because it’s aesthetically pleasing. The salt inside acts as a scrub for your body but it’s not that rough for your skin. It does have a strangely refreshing smell, though. I wouldn’t recommend this to people who aren’t fond of strange and strong smell.
When applied to a damp skin and rinsed after, it does give you a soft and smooth sensation. The smell stays there for awhile and will just disappear after some time so it doesn’t really bother me. It managed to get off some dead skin off my scaly legs (lol) so I guess I’m quite satisfied with it for now.
Price
This product has three sizes available starting from 120g, the medium sized being 250g and the biggest at 500g. I got myself the 120g for ¥1,670 (tax included). A bit pricey but I think it’s worth it if you’re just splurging once in a while. A little goes a long way if you use it wisely.
Final verdict
Strange and strong smell. Exfoliates well. Not irritating. Aesthetically beautiful. A bit pricey.
I will continue using this product for the time being and see if I can finish this tub. I won’t be purchasing any other products from this brand for awhile since I’m quite considerate of the smell that Lush products give. I would have to visit the actual store to test it out in the future.
I decided to do a review for the skincare products that I bought several weeks ago on a whim. Overall, the products were good but there are certainly some that I wouldn’t repurchase unless I have no other alternatives.
DHC Cleansing Oil
This cleansing oil was actually really good on removing makeups, however, it dries my skin a little and has a bit of scent that I don’t really like. Moreover, it’s a bit pricey for the amount that I get. I don’t know about other cleansing oils, but I heard the one by Biore is pretty good and has a cheaper price compared to this product. While it has a good quality, I won’t be repurchasing this because of the price and because the effect it gives is the same with other products with a lower price.
Cure Natural Aqua Gel
Cleansing oil (left) and exfoliator (right)
I must say that this exfoliator is amazing. It peels off the dead skin so fast and makes your skin so smooth in an instant after application. If there is any reason for me to not repurchase this product, it would be the price. Spending ¥2500 for one bottle is quite too much even though the bottle would last for months because you don’t use this product on a daily basis. But for now, I will continue to use it until I find a cheaper and better substitute for this product (if any) in the future.
Update 20/5: My skin became super dry after several uses of this product and it started to peel like crazy. It’s like my skin is shedding. Not going to repurchase this. Will just use Lush instead.
Shiseido Perfect Whip
This is my very first foam cleanser that I have and I really love it since it makes my face feel so clean and refreshed after usage. I only need a small amount of it every time and add water to create the foam. I did state on my first haul post that creating the foam was a bit hard, but it turns out to be very easy! I just need to add more water to the soap and it creates more foam in an instant. Maybe I will repurchase this product, but I have another cleanser that I wanted to try, so maybe after I finished the other product then I will decide on this matter.
Update 20/5: I don’t if it’s my skin or it’s because of the weather, but recently my face has become so dry after washing using this cleanser. I feel like everything was stripped off and dry. It’s ‘too clean’ to the point my natural oils were stripped off.
Hadalabo Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion
I think that this product has a reasonable pricing for the amount we get. You only need three to four drops of this moisturizer per application to keep your skin moist every day, which is amazing. It doesn’t have any strong smell or anything and it feels light on your skin as well. A good thing about this product is that it doesn’t give my skin any bad effects or breakouts. Same with the foam cleanser, I also had some other products that I wanted to test out and compare to this moisturizer before deciding to repurchase or not. But it’s definitely my favorite moisturizer for now.
Hatomugi Skin Lotion
I couldn’t find a clear picture of the product online so I decided to just use my previously taken picture for the haul post.
This product (left side of the picture) is so watery and takes a few seconds for your skin to absorb. It has a light scent and alcohol-free, which I like, but unfortunately is only able to moisturize my skin for several hours a day. I have a very dry skin for my legs so having to reapply this moisturizer every several hours might be troublesome. I won’t be repurchasing this and will resort to other body moisturizers in the future.
Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Gel
This might be my favorite sunscreen for now! It’s applicable for both face and your body so it’s very convenient to have. This product is also water resistant and has SPF 50+ as well as PA++++! The product has the consistency of a watery gel and is really easy to be absorbed by the skin. I will definitely purchase this product in the future. Love it to bits!
That is it for the product review for now. I will try more different products in the future and share it when I get the time to do so. I hope this is informational for others who are interested in these Japanese products.
I purchased this backpack when I saw that it was on discount back in my country. I don’t want to admit it, but I’m a sucker for discounted items which is why I decided to go and purchase this bag the moment I saw it. 😥
The bag was originally ￥11,664 (converted from Rp) but I got it for ￥6466. There were several colors available but this navy bag is the only one that gets discounted. Since this bag was really pricey, I decided that this would be something that I bought using my birthday present money. Lol.
Now the reason why I bought this was:
It had a nice laptop compartment (which my previous bag didn’t have)
More slots than my previous bag (my old school bag only had 1)
Lightweight and sturdy
It looks … nice (I can give this to my brother later on)
The only problem was this bag has a bigger size compared to my old one.
The dimensions of the bag
My first bag was so small that I thought this bag would look gigantic on me. I was originally going to buy the Mid Volume size but the downside was the unavailability of these wonderful organizers in the front pocket.
Lots of dividers
Which is why I decided to choose the organizers over the smaller compact size of the bag. The front zipper was quite hard to access, though, which made me frustrated just by trying to get it open sometimes because the stiff canvas material makes it hard for the zipper to glide. Hopefully, after several times of usage, the material won’t be as stiff anymore.
I couldn’t get a nice picture of it, but if you see the main picture on the top of the page you could see a single zipper hanging from the top of the bag which grants you access to a little pocket for sunglasses or any small thing you would like to insert, which is really nice. Also, the inside of the bag has a cushioned laptop compartment and a sleeve for an MP3 player, which I used it as my umbrella storage.
That is all for the backpack review! Overall, I’m glad that I got to purchase this bag but at the same time, I regret a little bit because I don’t really need a new backpack for now since my old ones are still usable. Maybe I will keep this bag for the time being and give it to my brother if I decide to use my old bag once I get home. 😉
Milkbox 