Anime Boston 2014!!

Hey everyone!
If you live somewhere on the east coast, you might now about Anime Boston, which is (I believe) the largest anime convention which goes on on the east coast~ I went today with a friend of mine (it's actually a three day event- but I was reluctant to spend $60 in order to be able to attend -.-), so we went just today. I though I'd write a bit about the experience~
I only had decided to go about a week before the actual con, so I didn't have much time to prepare a decent cosplay. Since I had a pink wig, I decided to go as Lucy/Nyu from Elfen Lied~

This was after one of the horns fell off ;A;

So yes, one of the horns fell off (which was disappointing, considering that that happened only about 30 minutes after I entered -.-), and the wig is curly, which it isn't supposed to be, but overall I'm not too disappointed about how it turned out~

I was planning on taking a bunch of photos of everything, but.... laziness xD So I did a bit of shopping at the many booths which they have, so here's the stuff I got if you're curious~

Homestuck pin!

As a few (some?) of you may know, I am somewhat a homestuck fan (though I haven't finished reading it yet... I should get to that), and Roxy's one of my favorite characters, so I got a pin that's the design on her shirt~

Miku pendant!

I saw this pendant in the shape of the silhouette of Hatsune Miku, and I was determined to get it x3 It also came on a chain to wear as a necklace, but that was an extra $3, and I'm really cheap, so I just got it in pendant form (I have plenty of chains on which I can wear it as a necklace at home).

Grab bag!

There was also this one booth which had a TON of adorable stationary items- however I couldn't decide at all what I wanted to get because I'm super indecisive like that xD. So, when I saw that they had grab-bags that were only $10 for $20 of stuff inside, I decided to get it, because I doubted that there could be stuff I hated in it (which is generally why I'm reluctant to get grab bags- you never quite know what you're getting, and if it's at an anime convention, there could be a chance that it's from an anime which you don't know and all that, which would be annoying). Thankfully, though, I was hardly at all disappointed by what was inside ^.^ It wasn't what I would choose first pick, but it still is a bunch of cute stuff~

Rilakkuma Folder~

Nyaaa~ I love folders, so I was happy to see this one x3 It looks odd because it's mildly translucent, so the back design shows through.

Notebook~

I have never seen this design before, so it was interesting. Not sure if it's my favorite, but still cute~

Bus letter-writing set~

I have no idea whether I'll use this, ever, but I do think it's cute for writing letters x3 It's travel themed and all~

Memo pad, pencil, and pin~

I loooove memo pads, even though I hardly ever use them -.- The pencil and the pin were also cute~ There was also a set of bowling erasers, but I gave them to my sister before I could take photos of stuff and I was too lazy to ask for them back xD 

And finally...

SHEEP :D

It's so tiny and so fluffy and so adorable I couldn't resist getting it >3< And it has lint on the flower, but that's my fault :P 

I kinda spent too much money at the convention... hehehe... but I'm sure that other people spent more xD So it's okay. 

I do wish that I had looked around more carefully though, because first, I thought that it ended at 12 (which it didn't- it ended at 4 -.-), and second, because there were a bunch of different events going on which I was oblivious to :/ (like a plushie workshop, which, I don't know what it consisted of, but it sounds cute ;n;).

I'll be going next year with a friend of mine and we're doing some fancier cosplay, so I plan on going all three days and hopefully this time I won't miss out on as much xD

I did have quite a bit of fun though- while waiting for the shops/booths/dealers to open, we sat and watched Madoka Magica in some room, which was fun c: Then afterwards we watched some other anime, but it was strange .-. So, despite not having a ton of time, what time I had was great, and I definitely look forward to going next year ^.^ If any of you are ever in Boston, and are an anime fan, I highly suggest you go~ It's great  c:

And now here are some photos of my makeup/hair for the cosplay, which I think turned out better than the costume its self xD

This was before the ears fell off xD

I have red contacts in, but because of the lighting, it's not all that noticeable >_>

Pink eyebrows!

It's very difficult to try to look evil when you have pink hair and you look like you have cat ears.

Nyuuu!

Don't scold me I'm awful at posing >n<

*glare*

See this is what happens when I try to look evil. I just look ridiculous instead :P

And with that, this post is concluded~ I hope you found it interesting x3 Next year I'm planning on doing more elaborate cosplays, but I have yet to start :P

Have you guys ever been to anime conventions? How were they?

Ciaoo~

Sakura <3

My Beauty Diary Orange Blossom & White Lotus Sleep Concentrate Review

Hey beauties~
Today I'll be reviewing a product which I've been loving lately: the My Beauty Diary Orange Blossom and White Lotus Sleep Concentrate~

The packaging~ I love the lacy looking part c:

I picked this up a couple of weeks ago while in New York, and I've been loving it ever since. Here's a brief description of the product:

This jelly-like sleep concentrate moisturizer is for both day & night. It contains orange & white lotus essence, plus the patented ingredient "AquaxylTM", it instantly replenishes skin with moisture needs, helps improve and increase the ability of moisture preservation of skin, and leave your skin moisture rich and supple all day long. 

First, a look at the box, and all the instructions/ingredients on it.

English directions and warning

Ingredients~

Bunch of Chinese .-.

You can use this mask as both a nightly moisturizer (in which case you take 2 scoops of product) or a daily one (with only one scoop of product).

Just so you get the size of a 'scoop' (no, it's not picking up a bunch with your fingers xD), here's the mini-spatula it comes with

Sorry that the background is so dark .-. Shadows were being strange

As you can see, it's very tiny, so not a lot is needed. It has a jelly like texture- though it's not globby. Just a gel.

Smells so good *u*

This moisturizes really, really well. I only use it at night because I worry that if I use it in the day, my skin will get even oilier than it really is >_> However, over night it manages to hydrate my skin very well. A while ago my skin was very dry in some places, however once using this nightly, the condition went away and now my skin is super soft and hydrated. 

I was very worried that this would make me break out, since lately my skin has been a lot more sensitive, and usually very moisturizing creams do that to my face :/ With this however, it was not a problem at all, which I was very happy with.

...The only downside to this product is that it's about a third empty. Sure, it comes filled to the top, but the actual compartment where the moisturizer is held is smaller than the jar. So there's about a third part of plastic/empty space, which is a disappointment. However, I definitely will repurchase this again, since I've never had such a wonderful experience with a deep moisturizer.

If you're interested in purchasing it, I bought it from this store for about $14 (the link is to their online store). Though, you do have to pay for shipping (after $65 shipping is free though!). Or, if you're ever in the New York area and you go to china town, go to their store and they should have it (as well as many other nice things).

I'm in love with this moisturizer- I highly recommend it to anyone.

Have any of you ever tried this? What were your experience with it?

Hope you enjoyed the post~

Also: I will be going to Japan for 2 weeks at the end of June, and I was wondering if any of you knew some good beauty products to buy there. I figure that prices of things made there will be cheaper than buying things online, so I wondered if you had any suggestions~

Holika Holika Aqua Petit Jelly BB Review~

Hello beauties~!
I was in need of a new BB cream, so I purchased a fairly popular one in my last Jolse Mini-haul. They've recently  changed the packaging, I've noticed .-. But I think I prefer the current one to the old one x3

Polka dots instead of bubbles! I think it's cuter with them :3

It also comes with a sponge, which is a bit useless to me since I don't use sponges xD I prefer to blend with my fingers~

Here's a closer look at the box, though a lot of it is in Korean

Looong list of ingredients

Description of product: Jelly BB Makes moist and bouncy jelly skin. Has jelly texture that helps spread evenly and creates fully hydrated and shiny skin. It is also perfect for covering up facial blemishes. Mint water hydrates facial skin, and marine jelly complex makes soft and bouncy skin.

Instructions: Take an appropriate amount with spatula and evenly spread onto facial skin by patting gently with its puff enclosed inside.

*Do not eat

I find it funny that they mention that you shouldn't eat it xD

Mostly Korean O-o Though there is a warning~

It's all in Korean O_o

And now some more looks at the product its self, which I think has a super cool texture that I like a lot~

The lid~

I love polka dots :3

The jelly textured product!

If I didn't know any better, I would think that there were something wrong with this product due to the very odd texture. However, these blobs melt nicely into the skin~

The spatula!

The spatula is really nothing special; it's plastic and boring, and doesn't reach the entire interior >_> I'll need to use a brush to get the product out once I've used up a lot.

Swatch of the product~

I need to say this: It blends out. A LOT. So you really don't need all that much.

Once blended out~

And now on to the reviewing~

Scent: The scent of this BB cream is sort of flowery/baby powder-y, but it fades pretty quickly leaving only a faint scent after application. It's not unpleasantly sweet, nor extremely artificial. I like it!

SPF?: Yes, there's SPF 20 and PA++, which I think is pretty standard for most BB creams. If you burn easily, I suggest you still use a sunscreen under this during the summer, since the sun's rays can be harmful.

Consistency: As you can see, this product is very unique in the sense that it's so strange and unlike a typical BB cream. However you don't need a lot to cover your whole face, since the lumps melt away and become smooth~ It's also pretty watery. It leaves a matte finish, so you don't want to apply too much otherwise it'll cake up. The oil control isn't great though, so if you have oily skin like me, you might want to keep a pressed powder or blotting sheets around.

Coverage: The coverage is quite good- it doesn't cover bigger blemishes, but it does brighten the skin and make it seem more flawless and glowy.

Before~ (Also, sorry about not wearing normal clothes. I was in pajamas while putting on makeup xD)

After!

I'm overall really happy with this BB cream! I'd say it's one of the better ones that I've tried recently, though I'm not sure if I'd repurchase it, since I've tried one of the Lioele BB creams which is fantastic, but it's expensive >_> So I'll see~

Have you guys tried this before? What did you think of it?

Also, I was craving bubble tea  today, so I went into town and also bought a few things~

Raven skull necklace :3

Morbid, maybe, but I liked the vintage feel of this metal bird skull necklace~ (no real birds were harmed in the process of making it~). I recently got a stop watch necklace, and I wanted to get something to compliment it as well, and since this had the same vibe, I got it too~

Belgian Eggwhite Soap

When I first saw this a while back I was drawn to how good it smelled, however it was $4, so I thought that was too much to pay for regular soap. However, I looked it up and found out that it was facial soap, and apparently very good facial soap. It has egg whites and chamomile, and once it's foamed up, you leave it on your face for 5 minutes and it draws out impurities from the skin. I'm excited to try it~

I also stopped by Lush, because I've wanted to get something from there for forever, but the prices always intimidated me. Today though, I wanted to pamper myself, so I got a bath bomb!

The Sakura bath bomb! Felt fitting, considering that my blog name is Red Sakura x3

Here's a close up of the crystals on top, which I thought were super pretty.

It's sea salt on the top!

A brief description of the bath bomb from their website (or, not that brief): When the blossoms burst forth in spring, it’s a tradition to take a picnic and bottle of sake and enjoy the beauty. Noriko, one of our product inventors, hails from Japan and this beautiful Bath Bomb represents what it’s like to be in a park while the breeze blows through the blossoms in the trees. Instead of heading to the park, lay back in serene waters while the gorgeous scents of mimosa and jasmine envelop you to give you the joyful feeling of springtime. Sakura: simple, elegant, and endearingly beautiful bathing.

It smells very nice, so I'm excited to use it~

They also gave me a sample of the Rub Rub Rub shower scrub, which apparently has the same scent as this! (it does x3)

I love the mini container~

I really like all the stuff they have there, it's just so expensive! >n<

So yep, that concludes today's post~ Hope you found the review helpful, and the mini haul interesting~!

Ciao!

Etude House Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base in #2, Berry Choux {Mini Review}

Hey dolls~
I decided to do a short mini-review today, since I was too lazy to do a full one of a full sized product >u<
I got a sample of the Berry Choux version of Etude House's Sweet Recipe Baby Choux Base (which I've tried before in #1, Mint Green) in my most recent Jolse Mini-haul. 

The front of the sample pack~

There are three different 'flavours' of this product; Mint, Berry, and Peach. The mint corrects redness, the berry brightens skin, and I believe the peach does the same thing as the berry, except it's for more yellow skin-tones.

The back~ (mostly Korean >_>)

Like all bases, you apply it before you put on other makeup. I was surprised with how much I liked this base!

The scent isn't great- it doesn't smell like berries (which I somewhat expected), but it does fade pretty quickly, leaving just a mild sweet scent, so it shouldn't irritate those of you with sensitive noses. It is pretty grainy though, which makes it not all that pleasant to apply... 

The cream~

The cream is a light pinkish color, and you don't need too much to cover your entire face. It's effects were surprising though. Here are some before/after photos.

Before- sorry my skin looks bad >n<

After!~

Looks brighter, right?~ In addition to that I think my skin looks less flawed- obviously there are still imperfections, but I think it looks better than the before photo. It was brightening, as promised~ 

My main shock about this base is that it's... oil controlling!! I found this out while at school today. Normally I need to blot my face about halfway through the day due to oily skin (bleh), but after doing so I noticed that there was no oil to blot :o I didn't change anything else in my makeup routine for that day, so it must've been this base! >u<

So, despite not being too satisfied with the application of this product, the pleasant surprise of it's qualities has left me liking it quite a bit. I'm definitely going to buy the full sized version of this (maybe in mint- though I can't recall if that controlled oily skin).

Hope you guys found this useful!~

Bye <3

Mini Jolse Haul No.2~

Back again with a fairly short post~
I recently purchased two items from Jolse, which, if you don't know, is a store which sells many different Korean cosmetics at fairly low prices. I purchase from them pretty much whenever I need more makeup~
I actually got these items before leaving for New York, but I didn't have time to write a post. So, I'm writing it now!~

The stuff and the samples~

I needed a new BB cream, as well as a new mascara, so I ended up getting two products from Holika Holika~ They were the Magic Pole Mascara (waterproof version), and the Aqua Petite Jelly BB cream~

In the box~

The two main products were bubble wrapped, but I unwrapped them before taking the photo. Oops >.<

Unpackaged~

I notice that the Aqua Petite Jelly BB cream comes in different packaging than it previously did- not that I'm complaining~ I think that the newer version is quite cute~ And like the old, it comes with a makeup sponge, which is useful. The mascara has super pretty packaging, and the top is holographic so it looks cool~ I'll have reviews of both of these products posted sometime soon- but so far I'm liking both quite a lot.

The samples~

I also like the samples they sent out this time- the pore strip worked especially well ^_^

So yeah, that just about sums up this post. I'll have reviews posted soon!~

Ciao <3

Do you guys have any experiences with these products? What did you think of them?

New York/Birthday~~

Hi lovelies!
Today I returned from my three day long trip to New York City (which was in my opinion, too short of a trip). I ventured there in order to celebrate my birthday, so I figured I'd write a blog post about it c:
Hope you find it interesting!
Firstly: birthday OOTD!

Yesstyle.com tights and dress, Urban Outfitters scarf, Dr Marten shoes (though they aren't visible)

The first place I went that day was the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA). They have a very beautiful collection of art there, albeit some of it is difficult to understand due to how modern it is (such as a green plank of wood.) I could easily have spent all day there, but that would've been a sort of bad use of a day x3 I really like the MoMA because they have one of my favorite paintings: The Starry Night by Van Gogh. I know it's a somewhat cliched favorite, but up close it's a very beautiful painting. 

I also stopped by two of the gift stores there (they have three .-.) and picked up these two things~

Wallet and postcards~

I never send postcards, but they were by an artist which I like quite a bit (Yoshitomo Nara, as it says on the cover~). In addition to that I got a bunny mimi Pochibi, which is really cute~

Close up!

After that I headed to a Japanese tea house called Cha-an Tea House. I went there because I once read about them having an afternoon tea service. Unfortunately though, they didn't have it when I got there. But, that's okay~ Because it was a very amazing place anyways :3 They serve lunch in addition to tea and desserts, but I had already eaten, so the family and I just split a dessert sampler, an appetizer sampler, and several teas.

Appetizers~

From top left going clockwise, it's a seaweed and edamame salad, smoked haddock (I wasn't a huge fan of it- a bit too dry), shrimps, celery, and egg in some sort of mayonnaise dressing; fried tofu with some sort of vegetable on top, dried tofu, and raw salmon on some kind of leaves with a dressing on top. The last three were my favorites- they were delicious <3

Desserts!

I took very many photos of the deserts, so here are some brief descriptions of each, as well as photos~

Black sesame ice cream with a black sesame tuile

The ice cream was very, very good. There wasn't enough of it, in my opinion x3

A parfait with puff pastry, berries, and lemon cream

This was okay, a bit average, but still pretty good.

Matcha shortbread cookie and chocolate shortbread cookie

I really liked the presentation of this dessert~ Shortbread isn't my favorite, but this wasn't bad.

Yukimi Zenzai (with a maple leaf on top~)

I think this was my favorite of the deserts. It was a red bean 'porridge' type thing, with bits of soft mochi in it. In addition to that, on top there was some sort of fluff. The combination of everything was delicious; I wish there were more of it xD

Black Sesame Creme Brulee

This was also a surprisingly good dessert. Creme Brulee is a custard dessert with caramelized sugar on top. The fact that it was black sesame makes it much more interesting than traditional creme brulee.

The tea!

There was also a very large selection of teas. I got an oolong tea that was called 'Golden Dragon'. It was very nice, had a flowery scent and tasted pretty good. Was quite pricey though >.<

So yes, if you're ever in NYC, I suggest you visit. It's a pleasant experience~

After that I headed to a store in China town called oo35mm, which is a small shop which has Asian cosmetics, and various cute things. If you're interested, they also have an online shop which sells the majority of the things they have in the store. The prices are generally higher than what you'd find on ebay, persay, but it is a nice store.

I mainly got beauty related things there. I also got a cute folder, but silly me, I forgot to take a photo >n<

My Beauty Diary Face masks

I got four of these masks, in pearl powder, arbutin, birds nest, and collagen. I really like the new packaging of the masks, it's much cuter <3

I Love You Bath

These are bath salts made for couples, which I didn't realize until I bought it, but I don't think it makes much of a difference whether you bathe alone or with someone xD I just thought the packaging was cute, so I bought it~ Plus, it's strawberry scented!

Innisfree 'it's real' Masks

Some more, pricier masks, these by innisfree. I've been wanting to try this line of masks, so I took the green tea, royal jelly, and rose ones.

Naris Up Nose Pore Clear Pack and My Beauty Diary Orange Blossom and White Lotus Sleep Concentrate

The nose pore clear pack I think is an interesting product- it's like a typical nose pore strip, except you can put it anywhere since it's in a mask form. Whether it works or not is a question unanswered yet, but I'll make a review of it once I actually use it. The sleep concentrate smells amazing, and in addition to that, it works fairly well too. My skin felt very hydrated after using it for the first time, and it seems to have caused no negative effects on my skin (yet)

After that I had my dinner

Jasmine green tea and shrimp tempura sushi

I originally wanted to go to this one sushi buffet which seemed nice, however there wasn't enough time. After dinner, I went to Broadway's "Phantom of the Opera" which was the best show I have ever seen. The music, the singing, the scenery; everything about it was perfect. 

So, that about sums up the day, and what I did in New York.

As a conclusion, here's a pic of a plushie I got which is a collaboration between tokidoki and Sanrio

Hello!

He's a bit spiky, but still huggable~

So yep! Hope you found the post entertaining~ Bye beauties <3