Witch's Pouch (Moisture Ampoule Base & Lipstick)

You may already know why I got into this beauty brand. A few years back, I often bought products from this brand to give as gifts to my girlfriends, but I never got anything for myself until recently. There's a huge cosmetics store nearby called "Mimosa" and it provides ALL kinds of cosmetics from around the world and that includes beauty products from Korea. I didn't go into much research into this brand, but it seems to be a brand from Korea and it's called, "Witch's Pouch". And everything from this brand is so cute. I just can't get enough and I wanted to buy more (including the pretty eyeshadows), but I didn't want to go overboard since I was mainly there trying to find a present for a friend's birthday. So here's what I purchased that day from the store, Witch's Pouch Real Skin Moisture Ampoule Base and a Witch's Pouch POPO Lipstick. 

I want to first talk about the Real Skin Moisture Ampoule Base (¥1,800 - $18.00 USD). This thing is like...magic! It has everything you need as a moisturizer. It keeps your skin moisturizing with ceramide. It provides hyaluronic acid, preventing from dryness and for fresh skin. Aloe Vera leaf extract to tone, brighten and clear the skin. Water-soluble collagen for elasticity, firmness and moisture that are all maintained into this one product. Not to mention there is gold chips mixed into it for richness, and natural glowing skin.

I've already used this for 3 days now, and I love it! Love it, love it, love it. This is to be used before applying makeup on. Because of this product, it really keeps my makeup intact. It gives off a dewy, natural glow to my skin; the healthy kind, not the overly-oily kind. Honestly, my skin can probably go without moisturizer, because I do have oil-prone skin. There is only one time of the year where my skin gets really dry and that's before winter. Believe it or not, my skin gets oily even during the dry and cold season. It's funny, because it only happens in Japan. When I was in the states, I never had this problem. But! I know I should use moisturizer or it'll affect me later on in life. What I really love is how easy it is to apply. This has a watery base and soaks into the skin right away! And though there are gold chips in the product, as soon as you rub it into the skin, they become smaller to the point where you no longer see them and I think they're the reason for the dewy skin (kind of gives off that soft glitter effect too). Don't worry ladies, you won't become gold-faced, if that's what you were worried about. Because of this moisturizer, I don't need any highlighting to give this effect. It definitely keeps my skin plump and hydrated.

Next; the POPO Lipstick (¥800 - $8.00 USD). There were a lot to choose from! But knowing me, I think red suits me best. There was an option between gloss or matte lipstick, and I chose matte. I don't necessarily go around with just matte lipstick, it tends to dry my lips and appears flaky. I always apply DHC's lip cream as the bottom coat and then apply the matte. Even though you might think what's the point when I could've gotten the gloss, but it's different. Gloss is definitely easy to apply, but matte has a darker tone to it that goes better with my features. I use gloss too, but only on occasions where I don't have to be presentable? LOL. Gloss makes me look sick sometimes, I gotta be honest with you. Here I have Burgundy Wine in S21. I love wine, and I love the color of red wine, so as soon as I spotted this, I had to get it. It looks dark, but when you apply it on the lips, it looks a little lighter compared to the lipstick itself. Maybe it depends on the person. I really love this color, but the only problem is that it doesn't exactly stay on long. Within a day, I'd say I had to reapply 2 or 3 times. It isn't my favorite lipstick, but I will still use it.

This isn't exactly a popular brand. I think it's still fairly new, that's why it isn't quite well-known. It's affordable, and there's a huge selection you can choose from. What can I say, anything that has to do with witches, I go for it. I often get fooled by packaging, but at least I can say that one out of the two products was definitely worth it. If I happen to buy more from this brand, I will post about it. I'm hoping they will come out with new products soon. Bye for now witches (or warlocks)! ✨

Shows/Movies Recommendations #2

It's been a while since I last did these. Here is part 2 of Shows/Movies Recommendations. Part 1 is here from 2017 (though I didn't rate them at the time, I'm doing the rating system now). Ever since then, my taste hasn't really changed but I have seen new shows and movies. Note that I didn't list everything. I'm sure there were more that I've forgotten. I mean...it's been 2 years since my last recommendations. But! All that's listed below, I really enjoyed/still enjoy watching! And I hope you guys check them out.


Kill It 킬잇

Kim Soo Hyun is a veterinarian who is also a professional killer. Many individuals and organizations hire him for large sums of money. Nobody in the public knows anything about him as a killer, including his age, name, and race. Animals are his only companions, but deep inside, he constantly yearns for love. He struggles to develop and maintain any pure relationships around him. One day, a client asks him to kill in exchange for information regarding his mysterious past and a conspiracy involving his birth. Do Hyun Jin was once a ballerina, but now she is a detective working in Seoul, who graduated from police academy as the most excelled. Although she looks cold and stern on the outside, she is, in fact, a very sympathetic individual. Hyun Jin trusts her instincts and isn't afraid to rely on the things around her to make a decision to the best of her abilities. She has suffered trauma but still keeps pushing forward. She starts to chase after Kim Soo Hyun as she believes he is a serial killer. What happens when both get to know that the connection between them has started years ago?


Ok, so some of you may already know this but I'm fan of Nana. She is my all-time favorite model and not only is she gorgeous, but I love her personality. She was in a kpop group called "After School" (sadly they all went their separate ways), and she wanted to pursue being an actress. Nana has already been in a few films now. I think I really got into her acting when was in the Korean drama, "The Good Wife". But I loved her acting even more after watching this drama. She's becoming such a great actress, that I totally forget at times that she was in a kpop group. Well! It's been a long time since I last watched a Korean drama. I guess I got kind of tired of the same old love stories, and I'm more interested in action, mystery and suspense! This gave me that and I was just dying to know what was going to happen next. There are about 12 episodes altogether and it took me a week to finish the series, because I wanted to take my time, but once I was half-way through it, I binge-watched the rest lol. You already know the main character pretty well right from the start since from the beginning you know he's a killer, so you're kind of afraid of how things will turn out for him later in the series...

4/5 ★★★★☆

Terrace House テラスハウス

Terrace House is an unscripted reality television show about six strangers who move in together while the viewer watches what happens as a result. The group is composed of three girls and three boys aged from their teens to their 30s. While not explicitly described as a dating show, Terrace House has been labelled as such by several reviewers. Viewing drama comes from watching members pursue romance with each other and dealing with the differences in their personalities, morals, hopes and dreams. The show provides access to a furnished house and two cars, all of which are equipped with cameras, in a fly on the wall style. While in Terrace House members keep their day jobs and are allowed to go about their daily lives as they please. At various times the cameras will also follow members to other locations, such as restaurants or their work. Should one of the housemates decide to permanently leave the show they are replaced by a new member of the same gender. A group of studio commentators introduce each episode and watch along with the viewer. They provide commentary at regular intervals: analyzing conversations, deciphering members' body language and joking about the last 10 minutes of footage.

I already mentioned this many times on social media. I was hesitate on watching it at first because I always thought it was a "falling in love" reality show, when really, that's not just it. It's showing how people cope with each other whether it is romance, friendship, or trying to find yourself. Almost all my friends are watching it and they finally convinced me to watch it and I'm all caught up! The new season just started last week. It's a really interesting series, because you can somewhat relate to a lot of the members. I'd be lying if I said that Terrace House didn't make me cry many times already. Also the commentary is SO funny. I think if they didn't have the commentary it'd be kind of boring, but because they have it, it makes the series unique in its own little way.

4/5 ★★★★☆

Chilling Adventures of Sabrina

This adaptation of the "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" tale is a dark coming-of-age story that traffics in horror and the occult. In the reimagined origin story, Sabrina Spellman wrestles to reconcile her dual nature -- half-witch, half-mortal, while standing against the evil forces that threaten her, her family including aunts Hilda and Zelda, and the daylight world humans inhabit.

I'm a big witch fan. Anything witch-related, I'm all down for it. Once I found out about this series, I watched it right away. I did watch Sabrina the Teenage Witch when I was younger. It's a classic! I watched it almost everyday it was on TV, but it wasn't exactly my favorite. It's interesting how these two adaptations of Sabrina are really different. Sabrina the Teenage Witch was more comedic and very family-friendly, which isn't a problem, but I really like all that "dark stuff", so for them to bring CAOS into our lives, means everything. Dark stuff is more witchy, right? Since it takes place in Greendale, I always thought it'd be nice for Riverdale and CAOS to have a crossover.

4/5 ★★★★☆


The Haunting of Hill House

In the summer of 1992, Hugh and Olivia Crain and their children – Steven, Shirley, Theodora, Luke, and Nell – move into Hill House to renovate the mansion in order to sell it and build their own house, designed by Olivia. However, due to unexpected repairs, they have to stay longer, and they begin to experience increasing paranormal phenomena that results in a tragic loss and the family fleeing from the house. Twenty-six years later, the Crain siblings and their estranged father reunite after tragedy strikes again, and they are forced to confront how their time in Hill House had affected each of them.

A friend recommended me to watch this series and I'm so glad I did. This isn't like any other haunted house movie or tv series I've seen before. I like how with each character, you get a backstory of what happened that night at Hill House. And as you watch every backstory of each character, things slowly start to make sense and you see a connection. I just feel that doesn't really happen much nowadays, but it's a good concept because it helps you learn not only what happened, but more about the character too.

4/5 ★★★★☆

Supernatural

This haunting series follows the thrilling yet terrifying journeys of Sam and Dean Winchester, two brothers who face an increasingly sinister landscape as they hunt monsters. After losing their mother to a supernatural force, the brothers were raised by their father as soldiers who track mysterious and demonic creatures. Violent memories and relationship-threatening secrets add additional burdens on Sam and Dean as they investigate all things that go bump in the night. As old tricks and tools are rendered useless and friends betray them, the brothers must rely on each other as they encounter new enemies.


I like this series! I love the brotherly bound. I definitely get some Full Metal Alchemist vibes. I'm gonna be honest with you though, after like season 9 or 10, things kind of died down for me. Of course they do have some suspense going on, but I kind of feel like they're speeding things up? Maybe I'm wrong, but they do have one more season! I just feel like the beginning was something to look forward to and there were a lot of surprises and I get some good laughs as well. Maybe because they're getting older? Or maybe some of the same things keep happening? I don't know what it is. I still enjoy the show, because the characters are so lovable, but I'm still unsure of the series itself. I hope season 15 will end with a bang!

3/5 ★★★☆☆

American Horror Story

American Horror Story (AHS) is an American anthology horror television series created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for the basic cable network FX. Each season is conceived as a self-contained miniseries, following a different set of characters and settings, and a storyline with its own "beginning, middle, and end." Some plot elements of each season are loosely inspired by true events.

I love horror! And I know this series had been going on for quite some time, but I finally started watching it in the summer of 2018. I'm also caught up with this series. They recently announced a season 9 will be happening. Every season has a different story, and I might be a bit bias but season 1 was definitely my favorite out of the entire series. It's interesting because even though each season has a different story, each season has some sort of connection to each other. I fell in love with Evan Peters as soon as he showed up and his acting is phenomenal! But sadly there were rumors saying that he'll be leaving the series?! So that makes me so sad because he is the main reason why I watch the series. I hope it isn't so! But I do highly recommend this to all you horror fans.

4/5 ★★★★☆

The Originals

A spin-off from The Vampire Diaries, centers around three of the Mikaelson siblings: Klaus (Joseph Morgan), Elijah (Daniel Gillies), and Rebekah (Claire Holt). The Mikaelson family is called "the Originals" as they are the first vampires to ever exist. Niklaus "Klaus" Mikaelson is a descendant of a witch and a werewolf, and his quest to unleash his hybrid nature was detailed in The Vampire Diaries. The backdoor pilot, which aired on April 25, 2013, also revealed that the werewolf Hayley (Phoebe Tonkin) is pregnant with Klaus's child. The series begins with the Original siblings returning to the city of New Orleans for the first time since 1919, where a pregnant Hayley has also settled. Having originally built the city, they had been forced to abandon it when fleeing from their vengeful father. In their absence, Klaus's protégé, Marcel (Charles Michael Davis), took charge of the city. Klaus resolves that they must take down Marcel and get back the city that once belonged to them. While doing that they must also protect their city from a war brewing between vampires, werewolves, and witches. Over time, new and old friendships are formed, love is in the air, death surrounds them, and the Originals learn more about their own family past. The first season describes how Klaus's mystical child is going to be born and speaks of the threats that the Originals together must keep her safe from. The second season deals with the return of Klaus and his siblings' parents, and the arrival of an aunt who threatens the baby's life. The third season shows the Mikaelsons facing both a prophecy that speaks of their downfall, and the first-sired vampires who have wanted revenge for a millennium. The fourth season jumps ahead five years, with the Mikaelsons returning to New Orleans and having to face a reawakened ancient menace set on destroying anything in its path. The fifth and final season of the series takes place seven years after the fourth season, with Hope now being a teenager at a school for supernatural children, the Salvatore Boarding School for the Young and Gifted.

Watching this series gave me The Vampire Diaries feels all over again. I like how they made a spin-off for this family. Of course they showed up in The Vampire Diaries, but once they disappeared, I wanted to know them a little bit more. I really didn't like Klaus in the beginning, but as the series goes, I really started to sympathize with him and he probably became one of my favorite characters. When the series ended, I was actually really sad! I bawled my eyes out on the last episode. I think because after all the ups and downs this family goes through (and I mean SO much happens), you finally get to see how they know the importance of family and the lengths they'd go through for it. And that really hit me in the feels.

4/5 ★★★★☆

Legacies

The town of Mystic Falls has a new generation of protectors in this spin-off of "The Vampire Diaries" and "The Originals." The Salvatore School for the Young and Gifted is home to Klaus Mikaelson's daughter Hope, Alaric Saltzman's twins Lizzie and Josie, and other young adults who are coming of age as witches, vampires and werewolves, nurtured to be their best selves and overcome their villainous impulses. Together, they rely on ancient folklore and tales to learn how to battle their far-reaching enemies and attempt to keep balance in the world.


This series only just started, and I was kind of iffy about watching it because I knew it wasn't going to star the original cast (well at least not ALL of them), so I knew it wasn't going to give me the same feels. But I'm actually enjoying it. Because I'm so stuck on The Vampire Diaries and The Originals, it's nice that they made another spin-off where my mind can just be focusing on what's happening in the storyline now than what is in the past is in the past now. I do not suggest you watch this series first. You really have to go all the way back and start watching from chronological order; The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and then Legacies. Or you're not gonna know what's going on. They just finished season 1 and season 2 is on the way.

3/5 ★★★☆☆

Kingdom キングダム

Set in Qin Dynasty during the warring states period in ancient China. Shin (Kento Yamazaki) was a war orphan. He has a dream of becoming a great general Shin has a fateful encounter with young King Eisei (Ryo Yoshizawa). King Eisei aims to unify all of China.

I didn't know it, but this movie was based off a manga. Once I saw the previews I was wanting to go see it. I finally went to see it the other day and I'm so glad I did. Great action. Great actors. Yoshizawa Ryo really captured my heart in this film, compared to the other films he's been in. And by coincidence...my student's brother (Kato Masaya) was also in the movie. She didn't mention it to me, but she did tell me last year that her brother was in China filming for a movie. Little did I know, it was THIS movie. If any of you guys are into these kind of ancient period films, this was a refreshing one for me. I definitely enjoyed it.

4/5 ★★★★☆

I was going to add in Avengers, but I know many people have already seen it. It's like, who hasn't yet? I'm wanting to put shows and movies on here that maybe not many people are familiar...you get my drift? Well, that's all for now. If you don't have anything to watch right now, I hope you are able to check some of these out. Let's see when part 3 will come out. I'll see you in the next segment of Shows/Movies Recommedations! Bye for now.

LuLuLun Face Masks (Okinawa Edition)

Haisai! 🌺 Back with another blog post...surprised? If I don’t have a vlog prepared, I thought a blog post could be a substitute for the time being. Anyways! I wanted to talk about these Okinawa Edition LuLuLun Face Masks. This isn’t a review or anything, I just felt like sharing them because I just love this brand. I have that Okinawan blood in me, so I couldn’t resist getting these. Since these are Okinawa edition, these obviously gotta be goya-scented, right? When I went to Okinawa 3 years back, I bought two different Okinawa edition face masks from this brand and that was hibiscus-scented and shikuwasa-scented. Yum yum yum, I love shikuwasa~ but not the point. 

LuLuLun is one of my favorite face mask brands. Not just because of how cute they make the packaging, or how they have special editions for areas in Japan or during the seasons, but that they really work well with my skin. My skin is very sensitive. And I mean VERY. Like I have to be careful with what products to use on my face or I break out like mad. I’ve always had sensitive skin since junior high school. My skin isn’t as bad as it was since I try to take better care of it now, but it’s still not perfect. LuLuLun is very gentle with my skin. It doesn’t overpower it or harshens my skin. Plus, it's not heavily scented. I say this all the time, but it's best to stay away from heavily scented products. They may smell nice, but if it's heavily soaked with that scent, it can't exactly be good for your skin. There's a chance it could cause damage. So I've been told multiple times by a beauty guru and a dermatologist. Getting back to these face masks, they really sooth my skin from all the chaos that it goes through lol. I don’t use face masks quite often. I’m told it’s not good to use them a lot during the week or it could overwhelm the skin. I used to do it twice a week, but now I’ve lowered it to once a week and that is usually on a Saturday after a whole week of work finishes. I really pamper myself (with a glass of red/rose wine 🍷, sake🍶 or Orion beer of course🍻). I do also use Korean face masks from Missha, but rarely since Missha face masks are not exactly easy to find here. They sell them at a specific store. Not to mention the face masks from Korea are huge! From what I’ve experienced anyway. I think face masks from Japan are a perfect (errr sorta) size for my face. But I’m not complaining. As long as they do the job for my skin, I’m fine with whatever size it comes in. 

I know my eyes are like super red haha. They always get like that after a long day of work, especially having contact lenses in for an entire day. I should stick to my glasses at work once in awhile~

Alexia Stam Seashell Necklace

I don't really wear necklaces, but when I do, it has to be a necklace of my taste. I noticed I have been getting into ocean-related things (especially involving mermaids). It was never a phase in my life before, until now. How did that happen? Well, it's all thanks to Terrace House! 😂 The first season introduced a member named Michiko Yamanaka and when she first appeared, I really loved her style. I don't exactly know why. It wasn't the first time I saw a style like that, but maybe because it really suited her and how she presented everything was so intriguing. She loved anything that had to do with the ocean. Because of that, she made her own brand called "Alexia Stam" which is mainly swimwear, but has expanded further into other clothing pieces and accessories. It's a very cute line! What made me get into things ocean-related even more was after watching Terrace House: Aloha State. The girls on the show had different styles compared to Michiko's, but they were still very...refreshing. Like what you would see people in Hawaii wear. I loved all their styles. I don't know what it is! I guess it's because I never been to Hawaii before, but I've always been dying to go. The closest is probably Okinawa. I know Okinawa can not compare, but I feel there are similarities between the islands. I love the Okinawan vibes, and I'm sure I would feel the same for Hawaii if I ever go.

I've always been just a silver kind of girl, but I guess as I get older, my taste constantly changes? Is that just me? Haha. I still love silver, but recently I've been leaning into gold a lot. This necklace set altogether was about ¥1,800 ($18 in USD), which is a reasonable price for 3 necklaces as a set. But then again, I bought this from an app called Mercari, which items/products tend to be a lot cheaper, even when it comes to high end brands. The usual price could probably go between $100-200. Ouch. 😬 SHOCKER. I honestly refuse to pay that much, so I'm lucky to have Mercari there to help a girl out. If Mercari is available in your country (or app store), I highly recommend getting it because it's...amazing. And saves me a lot of time especially when I want to buy gifts for people. The only problem is that you might scroll through it for hours lol.

It's pricey if you look here, but those of you who may be interested to see what's in store, check out the site: here 

*note that not all items are listed on this site

Also if you like to watch shows where people "want to find love", watch Terrace House! Haha. I personally never liked reality shows and I kind of get tired of watching the same old love stuff, but my friends have been pushing me to watch this series and it's so good. It gets really stressful along the way because some members are so hard to understand, but there are loveable members as well. And there are times where I bawl my eyes out. I'm almost finished with Terrace House: Opening New Doors, and I'll be all caught up with the series. I can't wait for the new season that's coming this month.

Thank You Heisei, Hello Reiwa

When was the last time I posted a blog? Lol. I say this all the time. I felt like posting something, because I kept getting notifications about my blog about my absence. I thought it would be nice to come back with a new era post. I always feel bad abandoning this place. Also, I think it's better for me to share updates here if I need to get something across (of course I'm not going to share everything), because it's hard to express myself in a limited space, when I have all the space I need right here. As always, I'm still working on like a 2-month-old vlog. I don't know when I'll be able to get it done. It's not that I'm not motivated, I just haven't had a lot of time to sit and focus on them. I've really been keeping myself busy these days and trying to spend the time I can get with the people (*and cat, I will not leave you out of this Kuu 😆) close to me. Typing up a blog isn't so bad, but when it comes to editing videos, I REALLY need to be in concentration mode. I don't want to guarantee anything anymore with vlogs and blogs, because I really don't have a specific time where I post them. So it'll all just come as a surprise hehe~

I wanted to talk a little bit about the new era that has arrived! Yes, Japan has entered a new era and it is called "Reiwa". For me (and there are others of course), I feel it's a huge deal because this is my first time witnessing a new era. I was born Heisei 3rd Year, so to come this far to witness a new era is a blessing! I'm so happy and I can't wait to see what this era brings to everyone. My friends who live outside of Japan don't really know how the whole system works and they ask me what's gonna happen to Japan? Are there gonna be some big government changes? Honestly, I don't think so...or at least that's what everyone around me has been saying. All we know is that the dates are going to be changed. And there's now a new emperor and he is the son of the emperor of Heisei. I guess this time around is different because usually when an emperor passes away, a new one takes over and that's when a new era starts. But in this case, the Heisei's emperor is still alive, but is kind of "retiring" and passing the position to his eldest son. It's a big deal for Japan, so I think this is going to be a memorable moment for me to have witnessed it. I spent the first day in Motomachi, Kobe with a friend, we had lunch and did some shopping (omg especially with Mother's Day around the corner). I came home in the evening to be with everyone. It was a nice, simple day. But sooooo many people! Considering it is Golden Week vacation so it gets a little stressful, but I had fun.

I didn't exactly know how a new era coming works around here, but I'd like to think of it as a new year. This new year did start off great! I got to visit the states and see my mom, family and friends. But coming back from the states was a disaster with a lot of tragedy that was happening around us. It was an overwhelming few months and I'm hoping things will get better this year. I also want to make some proper changes to my life and to myself. It's time for me to be a little bit more serious compared to where I was at. It's not going to be easy, and I may fail along the way, but I'm going to do my best! Ganbarimasu! FIGHTING!! Please treat me well, Reiwa! Yoroshiku onegaishimasu! 🙏✨