Archive for August, 2009

Kawaii Shopping: Chicki

I don’t know how I found this awesome site (the are in the UK but the site ships to the US and also has prices in US dollars) but CHICKI is my new fave shopping site for kawaii goodies.

chicklogo2The first thing you will see when you get to the site is a rainbow of color and cuteness that pulls you into the site so fast your wallet will not even know what’s hit it!

There are so many brands to chose from, some that are new to me (like Ruby Gloom) and others that are old faves like Tokidoki, Pucca, Paul Frank, Loungefly, Scrummy, Ukiyo5 and Gloomy Bear.

You’ve got all kinds of items to choose from  clothes, bags, jewelry, stationery and cute toys too.

Here are some of the goodies I got:

Adorable candy bottle necklace from Scrummyland.

Adorable candy bottle necklace from Scrummyland.

Ruby Gloom medium handbag with ribbons.

Ruby Gloom medium handbag with ribbons.

Ruby Gloom Doom Kitty bag in bright red.

Ruby Gloom Doom Kitty bag in bright red.

Tokidoki Bad Trip punk rock messenger bag with pins.

Tokidoki Bad Trip punk rock bag with pins.

This is an old Tokidoki European bag from before Tokidoki was branded with LeSportsac and before it became its own brand. They are rare and hard to find and the price was superb. They are not as high quality as the current Tokidoki bag but the print is totally awesome.

Kawaii Cosmetics: CAKE Beauty

Yes, I am still on my quest for kawaii cosmetics (and bath products too) and lucked into this fabulous brand called CAKE Beauty. While they may not fall into the most kawaii looking products – if a scent can be called kawaii – then these products certainly qualify!

Oh my heavens – CAKE is delicious, so yummy it is like a pink swirled cupcake of delight. I thought they had some interesting products but I was totally not prepared for the super yummy smell. I am now addicted to CAKE.

CAKE Beauty is a Canadian brand that was created by Heather Reier. Here is more about her from the CAKE beauty site:

This is pretty Heather.

This is pretty Heather.

“From her childhood days, Heather Reier was always interested in beauty products. In 2003 her passion for indulgence and products had not wavered. After using various products on the market, while she loved many of them, she couldn’t help but feel as though something was missing. She realized that the beauty world needed a line of cremes, suds and scrubs with decadent, nourishing ingredients accompanied by sophisticated packaging and a sassy, fun concept. And from there the philosophy of was born.

Working initially in the kitchen, Heather spent nights and weekends not resting until she had finally created the ultimate cremes, suds and scrubs. No detail was overlooked. She studied the properties of each ingredient, insisting on using only those that would benefit both physical and emotional needs while yielding the most superior textures. Ingredients such as, mango and shea butters, coconut and jojoba oils, turbinado sugar, marshmallow, pure essential oils and whole milk were used.”

Here is what I got:

CAKE milk made cuticle buffer.

CAKE milk made hand buffer.

At first I was perplexed by how this appeared – it looked like an oil with some kind of sediment in the bottle and a spoon too. Closer inspection revealed it was not sediment but SUGAR and the oil was meant to be stirred with the sugar and then a bit of the mix would be applied to the hands. I did as instructed and buffed my hands with the delectable smelling sugar scrub, rinsed under warm water and then could not believe the level of softness of my hands. My skin felt like silk satin and smelled like a luscious vanilla milkshake. No, even BETTER than that. It is almost indescribable – maybe it’s a vanilla cupcake with butter-cream frosting (keeping it in the cake theme). Whatever you want to call it the scent is divine and the product works like a dream. This is one of the best scrubs I have ever used. You can use it on elbows and knees too and I don’t see why your feet would have to be left out of the bliss. This is one of those hidden beauty gems, one of those finds that you marvel that the entire world hasn’t caught onto this but no matter my hands are as soft as a kitten’s tushie. Lucky me!

CAKE milk made hand lotion.

CAKE milk made hand cream.

I have long used milk as part of my beauty regimen, from the days in my youth taking milk baths, to using milk based products (from Fresh) in the shower too. Milk is very soothing to sensitive skin and has numerous benefits that include calming irritated skin and helping moiturize dry skin. This hand cream is amazing. It smells like sugary vanilla with a hint of raspberry coulis. I put it on my hands right before bed to drift into the sweetest slumber. My kitteh Lucy likes to lick it off my hands! It has mango butter, milk powder, shea butter and marshmallow extract (from the plant, not the stuff in a fluffernutter!) making it silky and fast absorbing and locks in moisture wonderfully. I bought one tube but I will get another because I need one in my purse. It is that good.

CAKE walk triple-mint foot cream.

CAKE walk triple-mint foot cream.

From hands to feet – this powerful cream packs a triple threat of minty goodness that will bring your feet and legs back to life. It has menthol, peppermint and spearmint plus mango butter, coconut oil and avocado oil as its active ingredients. It is especially important to me because I need good circulation in my feet and this really helps to keep my toes tapping. Mint is wonderfully for reviving tired tootsies. Oh and the cream is pink so bonus – it is pretty too!

CAKE satin sugar hair & body refreshing powder.

CAKE satin sugar hair & body refreshing powder.

This is a wonder – I mean – totally fabulous genius product that will blow your mind. We all have those in-between shampoo times when our hair gets a little lackluster. You know how they say now not to wash your hair every day because it strips your hair of healthy natural oils? But admit it sometimes that second or third day hair is kind of – well – not so fresh. That is why you need this satin sugar hair powder. It comes in a light shade or a dark shade and you shake some into your hands, rub it between your palms then apply it to your roots. It absorbs excess oils and gives your hair renewed vitality and body. Plus it smells like lemon butter-cream with sugar spinkles. You can use it on your body too – it feels silky and is completely natural made from cornstarch. Don’t be surprised if you need to get everything in the satin sugar line because you want to smell this good all over!

CAKE satin sugar balm.

CAKE satin sugar balm.

This is another wonder product. This is almost 90 percent pure shea butter with that incredible lemon butter-cream with sugar sprinkles scent. This is for your split ends, your dry areas (elbows, knees, heels), or just melt it between your palms for a super indulgent hand treatment. The smell will transport you to a sugary-sweet fairyland. And your skin will thank you. I use it every day on rough patches and it has healing properties that really make a difference. It is worth every cent and a little goes a long way.

CAKE satin sugar refreshing hair & body mist.

CAKE satin sugar refreshing hair & body mist.

Just using this on your body and hair would be a mistake. You can spray it on your sheets and pillowcases too and go to sleep in the wonderful aromatherapy of this delicious scent. It does work wonders for your hair, especially if it needs a little refreshing (like when you walk through a crowd of people smoking in front of a restaurant – ewwww!) and you will give your hair a toss after you spritz and feel sweet and clean once again.

CAKE kiss lip butter.

CAKE kiss lip butter.

I got the lip butter in berry flavor and it is delish as all the products are. It isn’t sticky and is very soothing. I put it on at night and give my lips a little spa treatment. It is a bit glossy so it is a treatment product that is wearable too.

Kawaii Food: Bento Addiction

One of my largest collections of completely adorable things is my huge bento box and bento accessories collection. This is actually quite humorous since I work from home and never take a lunch anywhere. On a couple of occasions I have made bento for road trips or picnics but otherwise my bento collection is quite pristine. I keep telling myself that someday I will make bentos the way the Japanese do (every day) since I have some wonderful bento cookbooks and even belong to a couple of vegetarian and vegan bento groups at Flickr.

Perhaps the sheer volume of bento stuff intimidates me or maybe it is just the notion of having to make all these little bits of food and stick them on kawaii little picks and stuff them in Hello Kitty bento boxes that keeps me staring at the piled high clear totes where I store my bento collection.

If I was better organized I might not have this problem. It would be good (I tell myself) to make bento every day, to take time out and create a healthy meal and spend creativity energy on making it kawaii. It could even be meditative.

So why don’t I do it?

Here are some beautiful bentos that should inspire me. I will let you know if they actually do.

bento1This Hello Kitty fruit bento just screams summer fresh! How about the super cute bunny pick in the nectarines? So love.

bento2Another fruitie bento with some added veg. Check out the purple cauliflower. How about Pandapple and the pick of edamame? Yikes too much for me!

bento3Veggie sushi with grapes and other kawaii accessories. Yummy.  I must have veggie sushi – stat!

bento4Hello Kitty fruit bunny bento – awwwww!

bento5Check out the lychees that look like acorns and the cute little bunny sauce bottle. So sweet. Looks delish.

bento7Blue potato bunny and then egg flowers! Oh my gosh – I am stunned at the adorability! Little sheep sauce container.

bento8I love the little animal food dividers. Super sweet.

bento9Happy acorn sammie! Bunny apples and smiley face boo-berries.

bento10
I love the monkey mayo container and elephnat pick in the falafel. Yummy!

Kawaii Cosmetics: SUGAR

I cama little late to the SUGAR brand of cosmetics. And now sadly I believe that it has bitten the dust like so many  kawaii cosmetics lines (Pinkie Swear, Rocket City, Bloom (still available in Australia), Girlactik, Tony & Tina, Hard Candy (bought out by Walmart and soon to debut) and Sephora Piiink to name a few). You can still find it available at several websites and I suggest if you like the brand you buy it up because it will disappear like my old fave Dessert Beauty.

Here’s what I got:

sugar_zip_kits
Sugar Zip Kits – really cool little metal tins that zip with a quad eyeshadow set, lipgloss (sugar flavored) and applicator. You can take the stuff out of the plastic insert and have more room for other mini makeup too. It may seem like a teeny-bopper item but the shadows are great and the lipgloss is primo. It’s not sticky, tastes great and actually stays on fairly well. The shadows are pearly and highly pigmented and go on super silky.

sugar_perfect_day

Another kit in a tin, these are perfect shadows for everyday wear. These are mostly matte and a couple of shimmers and some glitters too. If you think, oh well I can’t wear glittery shades in the daytime – think again! I wear them all the time, it adds a magical dimension to your makeup like fairy dust!

sugar_lip_habit
Lip habit is a really nice lipstick on one end and a sugary gloss on the other. And duh – how kawaii is this? It’s so cute I want to take a bit out of the clear pink case.
sugar_kaleidoscope
The kaleidoscope kit comes with shadows, lip glosses, and applicators all in a portable book style case. Too cute. Nice quality, fun but workable shades.
sugar_eye_candy

Eye candy shadow duos are fresh and funky and shimmery sweet.

Here are some places where you can get your SUGAR rush:

Makeup.com

Cherry Culture

Dermstore.com

Hello Kitty Kimora Lee Simmons Jewelry

This is no slam against the Kimora Lee Simmons Hello Kitty Collection available at Sanrio except for – well, the prices. I thought I’d post some info and photos so you can judge for yourself.

Princess Kitty Charm bracelet $450

Princess Kitty Charm bracelet $450

The charm bracelet is sterling silver with enamel, 18K rose gold (around the crown) and pink sapphires in the crown. Granted, pink sapphires will raise the price a bit but couldn’t pink tourmaline’s have been used instead? Consider that the charm is done in enamel, no pave stones, no diamonds.

Hello Kitty Princess Kitty enamel ring.

Hello Kitty Princess Kitty enamel ring $450

This is the matching ring. I like the style of the ring, it is positively kawaii but if I purchased the ring and bracelet it would be almost a thousand bucks! YIKES!

Hello Kitty pave flower necklace $1395

Hello Kitty pave flower necklace $1395

Diamonds may be a girl’s best friend but you will have to PAY for the friendship! This is the diamond pave necklace with accents of rose gold, yellow gold and pink and yellow sapphires. The carat weight is .33 which is nuthin’ really. The chain and settings are 18K white gold however.

Hello Kitty watch $1095

Hello Kitty watch $1095

This is a stainless steel watch with diamonds around Hello Kitty’s face and a pink sapphire flower. It has a mother of pearl face and leather band.

Hello Kitty diamond pave ring $1950

Hello Kitty diamond pave ring $1950

The ring is 18K white gold, the diamonds are .60 carats, the bow and nose are yellow gold and the eyes are onyx. She’s cute all right but she’s also almost 2 grand. On the Sanrio site they recommend getting your boyfriend to buy her for you as an engagement ring. Whoa.

Black and white diamond Hello Kitty necklace $25000

Black and white diamond Hello Kitty necklace $25000

Finally here is the priciest Kimora Lee Simmons Hello Kitty design I found. This is 9.2 carats worth of black and white diamonds, 18K white gold, yellow gold, pink sapphires and black and white diamond stations in the chain. This is pricey enough to make Solomon blush (and if you get that reference you are a die-hard Eddie Izzard fan and I love you!).