Cosmetics from the MAC Hello Kitty Collection.

I’m including these reviews here even though the collections has been out for a while. I purchased several of the items and just so you know many of them are still available from MAC. Just check out their website and search for Hello Kitty.

Here is what I purchased and my reviews of the goodies:

Hello Kitty Eyeshadow in Hello Dolly(first kit in the photo): the compacts are gorgeous and super adorable. They are solid, a kind of black lacquer plastic and have a decent amount of shadow in them. You will need your own brushes as there are no applicators. They colors look incredibly bold but trust me they go on quite sheer. You could build the color up if you wanted to especially if you used a wet brush to get more of a slick deposit of color but you can actually use these shadows with a light hand for everyday wear. I use the black to line my eyes with a wet eyeliner brush.

Hello Kitty Eyeshadow in Lucky Tom (the second kit in the photo): This kit is more dramatic, definitely more for clubbing and going out at night. You can just go wild with these colors. I especially like the orange and purple with the black as a liner. You can mute everything using the beige color if you like. As with all MAC shadows they are highly pigmented and go on like a dream. Both of these kits are still available at MAC (online) for $38 each and are handily well worth the price since you get four shadows in each kit.

Hello Kitty Lipglass: I have two colors  of the seven that were offered, Nice Kitty (very pink) and She Loves Candy (a mauve-pink). The lipglass cases are sweet (topped with the black and white and pink Hello Kitty graphics), they taste terrific (sweet candy) but they tend to go on a little light and have zero staying power. Plan on re-applying often. I didn’t purchase the limited edition Dazzleglass Dazzlepuss or Kitty Couture gloss, because I thought $28 was a little pricey for lipgloss with a Hello Kitty charm attached. They still have it available however at the MAC online store.

Hello Kitty Lipstick: I purchased the color Strayin’ which is definitely much better than the lipglass for staying power. It is soft and frosty and sweet pink. The case is nicely weighted and graphic and there is plenty of product inside. You could use a lipbrush with this and it would last forever. It is still available online for $14 each.

Hello Kitty Sheer Mystery Powder: I’ll be honest I bought this for the case. The silver compact is encrusted with crystals in the image of the kitteh herself and is too too too cute to pass up. It is the priciest item at $90 but a true collector’s piece. They still have it online too. I will say that I don’t usually use much powder but I found this to provide sheer coverage and it feels weightless on my skin. I had no idea I would end up liking it as much as I did. Plus, oh, the bonus of taking out the compact to check my lipstick or reduce shine – worth every cent!

There are many items from the collection available on ebay for much higher prices than the MAC online store – so don’t be fooled. Check there first to see if they still have the items before you go to ebay. Many of the special items (the cases, bracelet, brush set) are completely sold out and only available on ebay at this point. The powder in the crystal compact is running $40 to $50 more on ebay than you would pay from MAC online. Shop wise!

Cute Purikura Online cute

Yes that is me above – I have been puricuted!

The site is adorable, offers all these neat little photo frames (and the application to use to puricute yourself and your friends) stamps and artsy tools to cutify photos to use on myspace or your website. It is positively irresistible and I can see myself playing around there with big ol’ ugly mug photos of myself making me cuter than I could ever possibly be in real life.

I signed up to be a member and you can keep your photos private or let others see them. You can also view other peoples cuteness too. You can also get stickers made – don’t think I am not tempted to get stickers of myself made up and start posting them all around where I live. Ok, it is a bit egocentric but jeez – look at how freakin’ cute I am!

I was so sad to hear that my favorite bento box provider Ichiban Kan (a Japanese dollar store in San Francisco) was shutting down its online operation. I bought many dozens of bento boxes and accessories from them and got the greatest prices ever too. Previously I had been paying high prices directly from Japan to soothe my bento madness. Ichiban Kan changed all that – I got the same great products but at low prices.

I suppose in the end it is not that sad for me since I had everything they offered anyway but still I liked knowing that they were there. I felt reassured. I used to go to the store when I lived in Japantown in San Francisco and I loved it though at the time I didn’t really know what a bento box was.

Now years deep into my bento-love I feel kind of like I lost a really good friend.

There are other cool places to purchase bento boxes and supplies but none with prices as good. I will post later about some of the bento places online where I have gotten kawaii bento goodies from.

For now though, I say goodbye to Ichiban Kan (the store will stay open in San Francisco and they are opening another retail outlet too) online and remember it fondly.

Just a few of the kawaii bento boxes I got there.

I’m a total handbag freak and have been buying Hello Kitty handbags for over ten years. I’ve gotten some other pretty kawaii Sanrio characters too (one of my faves was a Bad Batz Maru handbag, it was so groovy, I bought it when I lived in San Francisco at the flagship store there) and just loved the comments I’d get from chicas who would so want to steal my cuteness from me! But there is no need for stealies when you can just go to Sanrio and buy your own handbag (or wallet) of adorableness.

Here are a few of my current favorites:

Cute polka-dot tote bag is bursting with color!

Perfect summer shoulder bag. The colors are so sweet.

Graffiti-like tote that glitters.

Adorable purple bag, there is never enough Pochacco!

Candy sweet cinnamoroll bag - floppy ears, yay!

Toki Doki has the cutest bags of all - this one is pink.

Who doesn't want a Hello Kitty nerd wallet?

Cheap, vinyl and super kawaii - I love My Melody!

More Toki Doki - this is a card case. Nothing cuter.

Except of course for Hello Kitty wearing a doughnut.

I was fortunate enough to beta-test the new online game, Free Realms back in the spring and have loved playing it since. I mention it here because well, the world is just – so darn cute!

The animals are friendly and adorable and the avatars can dress up in silly outfits – even in a banana suit or a hotdog suit (for those with Oscar Meyer envy). It is geared toward tweens but lots of adults play it because SOE (Sony Online Entertainment) took great pains to make it a truly family-friendly environment. It is safe for kids to play as well as enjoyable for teens and adults too.

Hardcore gamers probably won’t be that into it (though they may like the leisurely pace, I know I do) which is fine because most of the people playing the game (SOE claims over 3 million have signed up) are there because they really want to be.

Wait, did I mention that it is FREE?

Yup, totally free – as in you don’t have to pay for anything – well, except if you want anything cool, like certain quests,  weapons (there is fighting in the game but no one ever dies – they get knocked out), you will have to pony up for a monthly membership fee ($4.99) and anything extra will have to be purchased through their online store. This is the real money sink, so be careful.

The online card game (which has a real-world counterpart) is completely addictive. I play online and collect the cards to play offline with my Mom. We love the game. It is inventive and not complicated to learn, though I don’t know how many kids would get into it. Or maybe I just want to think I’m very clever?

One of the things I love about the game (besides how gorgeous the world is) is that it is a peaceful place for the most part. Lots of varied natural landscapes and all kinds of levels of lush beauty from a swampy netherworld to a silly Oktoberfest themed Alpine village. It just captivates you at every turn.

There is much to do there, many careers to try, groovy cars to race, games to play and people to meet and greet. You can also have a pet dog and cat if you’d like. The “free” in the name is double entendre, yes, the game is free but it is the FREEDOM to be whatever you want within the game that is what will keep you playing.