My new Starbucks tumbler!

The Starbucks in Japan launches a Sakura (Cherry Blossoms) Collection every year around this time of the year. To me, Sakura marks the beginning of spring. 


When I saw this tumbler at Starbucks yesterday, I knew I had to bring it home! I was so excited that it's available in Hong Kong! 


For those of you who want to have healthy skin, you have to keep yourself hydrated. This means you have to drink more water on a daily basis. With a good-looking tumbler, I'm definitely going to have adequate H2O intake. 


This tumbler is perfect to hold hot/cold beverages. However, it's always preferred not to drink too much coffee. If you need that boost of caffeine, maybe you can consider green tea as an alternative. 

A gift from Okinawa

My sister just came back from Okinawa. She got me a Shikuwasa facial soap. Shikuwasa is a fruit which belongs to the citrus family. It is grown in Okinawa, Japan. 

This facial soap contains oils from the Shikuwasa peel. The package doesn't come with any explanation sheet, but I think it's safe to assume that Shikuwasa has similar therapeutic benefits as lemon. Lemon essential oils can be said to have invigorating, anti-infection, detoxifying effects. The soap is also made with glycerin and jojoba oils, which will help maintain the moisture level of the skin. I can't wait to try this out! But before I do so, I still have a Korean facial soap made with Korean medical herbs. :)

This facial soap comes with a foaming net, which helps lather up the soap in just a few seconds.

Laka Nail Polish

I used to be a fan of OPI nail polishes because they have a large varieties of colours. Lately, I encountered this new brand, Laka. To my surprise, they also have a wide range of colours and finishings- you can find light, dark, pastel, bright, shimmery, opaque... You can actually find any colour you can imagine!! 

I bought 2 nail colours. No. 35 - a mauve colour and No. 85 - a black colour with pearl-ish sheen. You can actually tell from the picture which one I love most, since I lied them flat for photoshooting! No. 35 is an amazing colour and I think that it is one of the latest trendy colours. 

No. 35 & No.82

What's good about these nail polishes?
If you ask me whether Laka's nail polish is better than OPI, I would tell you definitely yes for the following reasons:-

1. You don't need too many coats to achieve a fully opaque finish. Sometimes I just need 1 coat;
2. They dry pretty quickly without any scratches. (FYI, most of the time I only apply 2 coats for any OPI products, and I used the same top coat, INM Looks Wet Ultra High Gloss Topcoat; I'll still have scratches and marks even if they are dried to the touch)

The only thing that make me hesitate in giving a perfect score (I give them 95% of satisfaction!) to Laka nail polishes is that they chip after 2 days. I think it's due to the fact that I only need to apply 1 coat to some nails. I will see if it will improve if I put 2 coats.