Thursday, June 23, 2011

Diamond Beauty Eyelash Fixer ♥

Diamond Beauty, the makers of the ever-popular Diamond Lash lashes that models and gyarus everywhere love, is coming out with its own lash glue~

Named the Diamond Lash Eyelash Fixer, it promises to be gentle to the skin, containing ingredients like hyaluronic acid and collagen. It's clear and waterproof, claiming resistance to water, sweat and sebum.

They did a test on it, gluing the lash onto a board and aimed a shower hose at it for 5 minutes. The lash didn't come off!

Comes in a tube with wand applicator, (my favorite sort of lash glue packaging yay, I greatly dislike squeeze-tube packaing!) The tube is light purple with the Diamond Beauty signature fairy.

It will go on sale at the end of June, retailing for 840yen. FYI most other lash glues in the market retail for 945 yen, eg Dolly Wink Eyelash Fix, DUP Eyelash Fixer, Eyemazing Super Fit etc, can't wait to see how the Diamond Beauty one will compare! Diamond Beauty is really an amazing brand, the quality of their products is great, as proven by their lashes and blushes.

Wednesday, June 22, 2011

Seibu Ikebukuro's Depachika ♥

Depachikas are like food heavens, filled with lots of yummy goodies and treats, all in one convenient location! They refer to the food sections in department store (depaatoデパート) basements (chika地下), hence the term depachika (デパ地下). They're usually buy-and-go counters, in which the food is displayed, you buy what you want to go, and eat it elsewhere/at home. Thus sitting areas by the stores are few, if any.

Depachikas are usually sectioned into the meat/side-dish section and the dessert section.

And the desserts are sometimes further divided into Japanese sweets (和菓子) and Western sweets (洋菓子); French and German(baumkuchen) confectioneries are really popular.

The meat/side-dish sections usually has stuff like gyoza, sushi, fried foods, side-dishes, prepacked noodles/rice dishes etc, to cater to salarymen and OLs who don't wanna/don't have time to cook^^

Needless to say, my favorite section is the desserts section! Anyway, in Ikebukuro's Seibu they had a leaflet listing 30 top picks for the dessert section, and here's introducing them!

Obviously I didn't get a chance to try them all, though I wish I did!

1| シュガーファース || Sugarfers
Western sweets.
Waffles.


2| ボン+ボヌ アニバーサリー || Bon+Bonne anniversary
Western sweets.
Cakes.


3| 新宿高野 || Shinjuku Takano
Western sweets.
Fruits.


4| ラスコッティ東京 || Ruscotte Tokyo
Western sweets.
Ruscotti and tea snacks (madeleines etc)


5| ル パティシェ タカギ || Le Pâtissiere Takagi
Western sweets. French.
Pâtisseries.


6| 麻布かりんと || Azabu Karinto
Japanese sweets.
Karinto (花林糖) Snack made of yeast, flour and sugar.


7| ジョトォ || Giotto
Western sweets. Italian.
Biscotti and cookies.


8| マイスターバウム || Meister Baum
Western sweets. German.
Baumkuchen.
By Juchheim, inarguably the most famous baumkuchen maker in Japan.
(Baumkuchen was introduced to Japan by Karl Juchheim)


9| ねんりん家 || Nenrinya
Western sweets.
Baumkuchen.


10| 京丹波口 きたお || Kyou Tanbaguchi Kitao
Japanese sweets.


11| ピエール・エルメ・パリ || Pierre Hermé
Western sweets. French.
Macarons, pâtisseries.
From Paris, one of the best macaron makers in the world (after Ladurée! )
Famous for macarons and Ipsahan.


12| モロゾフ || Morozoff
Western sweets.


13| 黒船 || Quolofune
Japanese sweets.


14|とらや || Toraya
Japanese sweets.
One of the oldest makers of Japanese confectioneries.
Traditonal Japanese confectioneries.


15| 桂新堂 || Keishindo
Japanese sweets.
Famous for its ebi senbei (shrimp rice cracker)


16| たねや || Taneya
Japanese sweets.


17| 鶴屋吉信 || Tsuruya Yoshinobu
Japanese sweets.


18| 奥井海生堂 || Okui Kaiseido
Japanese sweets.


19| 鎌倉五郎本店 || Kamakura Goro
Japanese sweets.
Famous for their 鎌倉半月 (Kamakura Hangetsu),
two layers of thin wafer filled with cream.


20| 平翠軒 || Heisuiken
Japanese sweets.


21| ヴィノスやまざき&平翠軒 || Vinos Yamazaki & Heisuiken
Japanese sweets. Wine.


22| ケーニヒスクローネ || Königs Krone
Western sweets. German.
Biscuits and others.


23| 銀のぶどう || Ginnobudo
Western sweets.
They're the makers of Tokyo Banana.


24| アンテノール || Antenor
Western sweets. French.


25| 和楽紅屋 || Waraku Beniya
Japanese-style French sweets.
Famous for their rusks.


26| パイヤール || Payard
Western sweets.
Pâtisseries, chocolates.

27| 十火 || JUKKA
Japanese sweets.


28| アンリ・シャルパンティエ || Henri Charpentier
Western sweets. French.
Macarons, pâtisseries and other French confectioneries.


29| 小倉山荘 || Ogura Sansou
Japanese sweets.
Senbei (rice crackers)


30| 叶匠寿庵 || Kanou Shoujuan
Japanese sweets.
Famous for red bean items like zenzai, jelly, amo.

And the 30 isn't even all of the stores that they have, they have more! And Seibu isn't the only department store in Ikebukuro, there's also Tobu, Parco and Lumine right in the vicinity, and each of them have their own depachikas too! Mmmm.

I really wish Singapore could have even half the variety they have, especially the sweets! *cough*karinto*cough*Ladurée*cough* There's seriously a lack of good pâtisseries around here :( There is a Juchheim here though, yay for baumkuchen

Monday, June 20, 2011

竹下通り Takeshita Doori ♥

A little walk-through shopping guide to the stores on Takeshita Doori (竹下通り). Obviously these aren't all the stores along the street, but mainly the ones that I like, the ones that cater to gyaru and the more general everyone-can-find-something-they-like ones

When you go out of Harajuku 原宿 station at the Takeshita Doori 竹下通り exit, you'll see this arch. The decor changes every now and then, but the street is the same. This is how it looks like on a lazy day, no crowds. One of the first things you'll see on the left is stairs going down to a Family Mart. People like to take shelter there when it rains ^^

This is my condensed map of Takeshita Doori, listed on it are the stores I like (: It's not all the stores, just the more general ones and ones catering to gyaru. Not exactly drawn to scale, but the I guarantee that the locations are quite accurate!

Brief description of the stores, starting from the right side of Takeshita Doori:
Family Mart: Convenience store
I love looking at all the drinks and desserts they have in convenience stores! Family Mart sells delicious mini choux puffs that come in packs of 10pcs for 150yen!

Lotteria, McDonalds: Fast food

Paris Kids: 315yen accessories store.
Lots of pretty hair accessories, necklaces, phone straps, earrings etc, all for 315yen.

Daiso: 105yen store
6 storeys I believe? Lots of different goods, all for 105yen.

大戸屋 (Ootoya): Japanese restaurant

Fancy Pocket (2F): Cheap hair accessories/school bag deco, by Sunhoseki
Conomi (1F): School uniform style clothes

SBY Happy Room: Gyaru store
Sells gyaru cosmetics, lashes, accessories, small goods, bags.

Main store is in Shibuya 109, which is amazing! This Harajuku store just sells goods, but the store in 109 has a little cafe where you'll often see highschool gyarus hanging around, and it also has a dolling-up station where they have curling irons/straigteners, makeup and big mirrors on the walls, you can sit there and use them all to doll yourself up. For free! The staff are really friendly too

Claire's: Accessories

Angels Heart Crepes: Crepes


Marion Crepes: Crepes
(This is right beside the public toilets though!)

7-11: Convenience store

Liz Lisa: LIZ LISA!
Also has Tralala and the Chambre a coucher on the upper levels.
To be honest, I almost missed this cos the store name is in lights but the lights weren't on, and against the white wall background they were hardly visible. I only noticed it after seeing the red floor mat!

Aimer Feel: Lingerie

Left side of Takeshita Doori:
Yoshinoya: Beef bowls, really delish!

Mighty Soxer: Socks

Harada's: Gyaru clothes
Goodday House: Gyaru clothes
Momo: Gyaru clothes

Tutuanna: Hosiery, legwear.
Upper floor is lingerie.

Luceo: Gyaru clothes

ManiaQ: Fairy-kei clothes

MatsuKiyo: Drugstore
There's no Donki at Harajuku, so if you must get cosmetics you can try MatsuKiyo. They have shower stuff, sheet masks, loads of drugstore cosmetics like Majomajo, Kate, Integrate etc. They have lashes too! Luminous Change, Astrea V., Tsuji-chan, Dolly Wink, older Diamond Lash. However if you want gyaru/model-produced cosmetics go to SBY Happy Room!

Cafe Crepes: Crepes

ANAP: Clothes
Thank You Mart: 390yen store
Toko Kirakira: 500yen store

SoLaDo: A building.
Houses Pink Latte, Claire's, Wego (used clothing) and others.

Pink Latte: Pink, girly accessories, clothes and candy.

Lotteria: Fastfood

At the end of Takeshita Doori, turn right to Meiji Doori 明治通り:
Forever 21: American clothing store chain
The shopping bags are NEON PINK!
They also have the regular yellow ones, but the NEON PINK ones are so cool!

H&M: Swedish clothing store chain
Don't let that 799yen sign fool you. H&M is comparatively more expensive in Japan? It's more expensive than Forever21. Perhaps my comparison basis isn't fair because when I spammed H&M it was in Marseille and Barcelona during summer sales^^

ABC Mart: shoes
After ABC mart, around Laforet, right where there starts to be railings on the sidewalk, lots of magazine photographers/editors/staff or whatnot like to hang around? In the two times on two different days (a Thursday and a Saturday) that I walked by that exact same spot I was approached thrice. Exact same spot. And you can't really differentiate staff from regular peopl cos they're just...around and blend in? :/

Laforet: department store.
Houses many brands including Kitson and Swimmer, a cute small goods store.

At the intersection after Laforet, turn left for Omotesando, where all the luxury goods stores are, or turn right to go back to Harajuku station or to visit Meiji Jingu shrine. This is towards Harajuku Station.

Sembikiya, nice desserts!

Harajuku Station.
I really like this station, it's so pretty!

I love Takeshita Doori. It does however cater to a younger crowd, but everyone can love the stuff they sell there!