More Japanese Goodies and Reviews FTW!! ♥

Okay, don't be mad at me if this post makes you want to go shopping!!

First things first:

DIANA-APPROVED Sana Salon De Porejo Peeling Gel

I stumbled upon this when I was at Ohayo last month. I tried some on my hand and really liked it. So guess what? I took my sister to Mitsuwa and Marukai for her first time and I found it for $12.99 at Mitsuwa!! Woot woot.

REVIEW:

I have used it twice so far (I only exfoliate my face 2-3 times a week) and I LOVE IT. It's very gentle and has a light fragrance that reminds me of guava. Immediately after using it and prior to moisturizing, my skin feels so SOFT and smooth! (FYI I have dry/combination skin, moisturizing is a MUST for me.)

I have tried many face scrubs (including Benefit Honey Snap Out Of It Scrub, $28, and Murad's AHA/BHA Exfoliating Cleanser, $35), and this one definitely RULES. It's the same size as Benefit's and slightly smaller than Murad's, but costs less than half the price! You only need a small amount (dime size at the most), and if you only use it a few times a week (as you should, because exfoliating strips your skin of a lot of its much-needed...um, stuff, haha but basically you shouldn't exfoliate daily because it strips your skin of what it needs), it will last you for a very long time. Say, anywhere from six months to over a year. I'm serious!

For more info on this peeling gel, plus lovely pictures of how it brings up all the dirt and dead skin (very lovely), check out Tia's review.

I'm also very happy to say I finally got the NARIS UP Eggshell + Carbon peel! I think it was only $5.79 or so at Mitsuwa. Can't wait to try it.

You might remember that I'd gotten the NARIS UP Natural Facial Pack (Natural Silk Powder + Hyaluronate), which is a skin moisturizing mask, while with Tia at Ohayo last month too.

REVIEW:I've only used the NARIS UP Natural Facial Pack (Natural Silk Powder + Hyaluronate) twice so far. The one I'd gotten is for dry skin (there are two other versions, green tea for oily skin and another eggshell + carbon). I'm not sure if it made a difference, or much of a difference. I can say that since it's clear, it's a bit hard to tell where you've already applied it on your face as you're still applying. So my advice is better to apply too much all over, or else you'll have a hard time peeling it off. Also, when you peel it off...slowly, hehe, and what you get feels and looks like a thin latex mask of your face. Another note, don't expect it to smell good. If anything, it smells like glue.

So what's my recommendation? Definitely the Sana Salon De Porejo Peeling gel! It's the fastest and most effective.

Moving on...

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Japanese magazines! And guess what? MITSUWA OWNS when it comes to prices and selection for all products, including magazines! I went to the Mitsuwa in Torrance for the first time and their bookstore amazes me. The magazine rack is fully stocked with all of the latest magazines, PLUS the top shelf has back issues! *falls to floor* So if you think it's hard deciding between which of this month's magazines to get, you also get to choose between this month's issue and last month's! Wow.

So I got Cawaii (November), Honey Girl (November), and S Cawaii (December)...for $30.67!! ($8.99 Cawaii + $8.83 Honey Girl +$10.51 S Cawaii + tax).

It's expensive compared to American magazines, but I've seen other places like Famima and Marukai sell Japanese magazines for more, as much as almost $20 an issue. (The bookstore inside Mitsuwa is actually Sanseido Bookstore.)

Yes people, I'm officially endorsing Mitsuwa. ;) I actually prefer the Torrance one over the Costa Mesa, because Torrance is closer to me, has more of an authentic Japanese market feel (Costa Mesa feels too Americanized or touristy), and a kick ass magazine selection!! And guess what? One of the little shops inside the Torrance Mitsuwa even sells NYX.

Here's the Ravijour bag that came with my Cawaii...

It's a soft fabric bag, not a plastic or canvas tote.

Sneak peeks inside my mags (I snapped photos with my cam so these are not scans):

Holy sh*t, this girl is beautiful! (Either that or that's some kick ass makeup/lighting/photography!)

YUM...look at the makeup goodies!

And fashion, I love military coats!!

And more Ravijour goodies...

Here's my Cawaii November with the purple Egoist tote bag it came with...

Now that I'm looking at that picture, I'm wondering why I didn't stick the magazine half in the bag for a better picture? Oh well, next time!

Funny, I didn't realize that Yumeko already had scans of this magazine. I actually took pics of the same pages as her scans! These pics are different pages though.

I also didn't take any pics of the Honey Girl because you can see Yumeko's scans. ^_^V

If nothing else, I would definitely recommend getting the Sana Salon De Porejo Peeling Gel and the December S Cawaii issue! And if you like looking at different hair curling how-to's, the Honey Girl, hehe.