Sneak Preview: DollyEye Brown

I just ordered another pair of contacts from Honey Color! This time I ordered DollyEye Brown lenses. They look like this:

So these are a little bit more on the alienesque side, because the circle is very pronounced. For my next pair of contacts, I wanted something dramatic. Plus, I go to a lot of concerts, and these would be simply awesome for that purpose. Expect a review soon!

Review: Honeycolor.com and Geo Nudy Contact Lenses in Gray

     Hi, guys! Last week, I ordered a pair of color contacts from Honey Color. This is a website which sells prescription and nonprescription color contact lenses, mascaras, and other cosmetics. I love this website, because the shipping is only around $6 USD, and the contacts are sold at a good price. The contacts from this website are delivered in vials full of antibacterial solution (This is NOT the same as contact solution, so the contacts will need to soak in contact solution for at least four hours before wearing) and come with a free animal contact lenses case. Mine was a fish :). The contacts I ordered came in 8 days later, which is awesome, considering the fact that the wait was estimated to be 14 days.

     After four long hours, I put them in. (If you have never worn color contacts before, I warn you. There is a slight umbra effect around the edges of your vision. This is where the opaque color is meeting your pupil.) 

     The first thing I noticed was that, although these lenses were larger than my normal lenses, they were still very comfortable. They fit correctly and matched my prescription perfectly. However, I thought they would look a little more natural and a little less doll-like. Nonetheless, I absolutely adore them. I chose gray, because I wanted a subtle color change, and not something super vibrant. Here are some before and after pictures:

 Click here to enlarge this image.

I purchased these lenses for $19.90 + shipping.

Guess what I made today!

Yep:). Some delicious melon bread and bubble tea. Want to savor the same Japanese delicacies? 

Melon Bread (Melonpan) recipe:

3 ounces (6 tablespoons) softened butter
3.25 ounces (scant half cup) sugar
7.5 ounces (1 1/2 cups) all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon lemon zest
Superfine sugar for dusting

In the bowl of a mixer fitted with the beater, beat the butter and sugar until light in color. Meanwhile, whisk the flour, baking powder and salt together in one bowl and the egg, egg white and extract (if you have it) in another. Add the egg mixture in two additions, beating well and scraping the bowl as needed. Once the egg is incorporated, slowly add in the flour and beat on low until it’s incorporated. Roll the dough into a log and place it in the refrigerator, covered, for at least half an hour. Meanwhile, prepare the buns. You’ll need:

10.5 ounces (scant 2 cups) bread flour
1/4 ounces (1 tablespoon) milk powder (dry milk)
1 1/2 teaspoons instant yeast
1.25 ounces (3 tablespoons) sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt
6 ounces (3/4 cup) lukewarm water
1 ounce (2 tablespoons) unsalted butter (bring to room temperature)

Place all the dry ingredients in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle (beater). Stir to combine, then add the water. Continue to stir until all the ingredients are moistened, then switch to the dough hook and knead on medium until a ball forms, about three minutes. Add the softened butter and knead until it’s incorporated.

Transfer the dough to an oiled bowl and let rise about an hour until doubled (you’ll want to cover it with plastic wrap or towel to keep it from drying out). When the dough has risen, divide it into twelve equal portions and roll the pieces into balls. Cover them with a slightly moistened towel and let them sit about 10-15 minutes.

Meanwhile, remove the cookie dough balls from refrigerator. One at a time, roll them out between two layers of plastic wrap, to a diameter of about three inches. When you finish one, remove the top layer of plastic, place a ball of dough in the center and enclose it in the cookie dough (you’ll want to leave a small hole at the top, which will actually be the bottom, to allow for expansion). Invert the ball onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and carefully remove the plastic wrap.

With a sharp knife, score the cookie dough in a criss-cross pattern (or any pattern you like, really). Let the balls proof for another 45 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 375. When the balls have swelled slightly, sprinkle superfine sugar all over them. Insert the pan into the oven and bake 15-20 minutes until golden brown. 

(Taken from http://www.joepastry.com/2011/melon-pan-recipe/)

Bubble Tea (Boba) recipe: 

The tea should be very strong. A Hong Kong-style tea or Ceylon Black tea is recommended. If using coffee, espresso is a good choice.

1/2 cup chilled, cooked bubble tea pearls
1 cup crushed ice
1 cup very strong chilled black tea
1 cup homogenized milk, or to taste
Honey or granulated sugar, to taste 

Place pearls in a large parfait glass. Combine all remaining ingredients in a

cocktail shaker and shake rigorously until mixture is frothy. Pour into glass and serve with large-diameter straws.

Makes 1 (16 ounce) drink.

(Taken from http://www.bobafind.com/bubble-tea-recipes/classic.php)

Enjoy these oishii nippon recipes!

$42 Concealer giveaway!

You read right! I recently stopped by Sephora to pick up a concealer that had super reviews and had been raved by several makeup artists. Unfortunately, the one I picked up wasn't my color, and I just barely missed the 30-day return mark. Fortunately for you, I'm giving it away free! The color I got is Light Golden, which is good for fair to medium complexions with warmer undertones.

All you have to do is comment below and fill out this form to win this really awesome concealer! The winner will be selected randomly. Raffle ends on 8/1/11. Good luck~

Your information will never be shared with third parties. You address and email address will only be used under the circumstances in which you've won. I will email you if you've won and will ship the product to you using the address you've given me.

Review: Dariya Palty Hair Bleach Hard Gold Brown

I actually colored my hair with this dye almost a week ago, but I wanted to wait to be able to give more accurate results as time went on.

Foreword: Palty is a Japanese hair dye meant for dark Asian hair, but can be used by any other race. This hair dye seemed to be all the rage, so I absolutely HAD to try it. Plus, Tsubasa Masuwaka was on the front of the box, flaunting her beautiful gyaru golden brown hair. I had dark brown hair, and I wanted a dramatic color change, so I opted for one from Palty's bleaching hair dye line.

Here's a picture of the box I bought.

     So, finally, after much research, I decided to buy it. I found from reading other people's reviews that I had to buy two boxes, because I have very long hair, and one box would not cut it.
     When my hair dye came in the mail, I was super excited and decided to start right away. I asked someone to help me, because they would be apply hair dye more evenly and accurately than I would be able to alone.

Here's what came in each box:

1.) Packaging
2.)  Oxide Water
3.) Bleach Powder
4.) Hair Color
5.) Conditioning Camellia Oil
6.) Japanese Instructions and Plastic Gloves
7.) Comb Applicator

Directions:

1.) Pour the bleach powder in into the bottle of oxide water (labeled with a #2), secure regular lid on bottle, and shake vigorously.
2.) Squeeze hair color (labeled with a #1) into the oxide water and bleach mixture, secure lid on bottle, and shake vigorously once more.
3.) Remove regular lid and replace with the comb applicator.
4.)  Apply a water resistant lubricant, such as vaseline, to your hairline to prevent staining of the skin in this area.
5.) Apply hair color to your hair in sections, starting from the nape of the neck and working your way up.
6.) Cover the hair with a shower cap or plastic grocery bag tied tight around the hairline, and wait 10-30 minutes, depending on how light you want you hair to be.
7.) Rinse out the color until the water runs clear, shampoo twice, and apply the camellia oil conditioner. Let this sit in 3-5 minutes, and rinse.

My first impression: The first thing I noticed was how extraordinarily pleasant it smelled for a hair dye, especially one with bleach in it! The scent was floral and very tolerable. I was also worried about the stinging the bleach would cause, but it was tolerable.

After coloring my hair: I left the dye in for 20 minutes, and immediately after I washed out the color, I was startled. The roots of my hair were bright orange, and the bottom of my hair looked like it had barely changed color at all! I was freaking out, but after my hair actually dried, the color toned down to the exact color shown on the box. I did, however, have a very slight ombre effect due to the fact that I applied significantly more hair dye to my roots than I did to the tips of my hair. Talk about relief! The damage done to my hair was not extreme, and can easily be restored to its former health with a little bit of extra conditioning. It's a little fuzzy, but certainly not strawlike.

Overall, I really like this product. It's very easy for first timers to use, and I would not choose any other store bought hair dye over it. It delivers pretty even color and lightens dark hair effectively.

Tips:

• If you have long hair past your shoulders, I highly recommend buying two boxes. One box is NOT going to be enough.
• Wear an old T-shirt that you do not mind getting bleach on. Do NOT wear your favorite Lynyrd Skynyrd T-shirt like I did (haha), because you will be much too fussy about applying your color.
• Ask somebody else, preferably someone experienced with at home hair dying, to dye your hair for you. They can see parts of your hair that you would normally miss, giving you a more accurate application.
• After bleaching your hair, I recommend washing your hair only once or twice a week, using a leave in conditioner after each wash. This will help your hair repair better and will make it more soft and supple than brittle and strawlike. You can also use a deep conditioner once or twice a month. I recommend using one with keratin to restore your hair's natural protein.

Purchase information: I paid roughly $13 USD for each box. If Palty is not sold in stores near you, you may buy it here. Other websites that sell palty are Webichi and Pretty & Cute.

Thanks lovelies! Stay tuned for more reviews, recipes, tutorials, and other fun stuff!


Expect a Geo Nudy Lenses review by the end of next week.

Review: Gatsby Moving Rubber - Loose Shuffle

Foreword: I recently purchased a product called Gatsby Moving Rubber. I was drawn to this product because I spend plenty of time on Asian cosmetics websites, and this product seemed to pop up on every single one of them.

Gatsby Moving Rubber comes in several different formulas, each having a certain gloss and hold level. Also, on Gatsby's website, they are each accompanied by their own video, which shows a demo of how the wax works and one way to style your hair with the specific wax.

I chose Gatsby's Loose Shuffle formula (pictured above in orange), because it seemed to promise a moderate gloss level, easily manipulable hold, and extra volume, which seemed like it could come in handy for messy or visual-kei looks. Here is the video I had watched:

Price: I ended up buying an 80 gram tub of Gatsby Wax on ebay for around $7.00-$8.00, which is really good for the size.

Review: I was so excited when my product came in that I decided to use it immediately. The first thing I noticed was how incredible the green apple scent was. The second thing I noticed was how extremely sticky it was! That made it a little hard to work with, but it didn't really affect my opinion of the product. This is probably due to the fact that it was made to create wavy textures. As for creating perm-like waves, this product certainly came through for me. It worked exactly the way it was demonstrated in the video, and it was certainly very easy to create a nice style in my hair. However, though the waves are quite easily formed, they most likely will not hold for long periods of time without a hairspray to finish the style off.

Note!: This product was made for men, but it worked just as fine in my long hair.

My overall opinion of Gatsby is definitely a positive one. I really like this wax, and I plan on buying another tub as soon as I finish my current one.

Expect a Palty Bleach/Hair Dye review with lots of pictures by the end of the week! :D

Sooo excited!♥

Sami Spoon is having a blog giveaway! Check it out here; bit.ly/iPHqbi ♥