A collection of cards, one sent to me by my good friend and the rest designed with inspiration from Sanrio, to celebrate the beginning of the year of the rooster!
hello kitty
Yesstyle Beauty Mini-haul
I have shopped with Yesstyle a few times over the past couple of years. The items on sale are more of a different variety and sizing to what you would in UK’s high street shops. As a Chinese girl, I find some of the clothes don’t suit me nor fit me very well, so I recommend Yesstyle if you are looking for something a bit different.
Yesstyle don’t only sell clothes but they sell lifestyle accessories and beauty products. The next two posts are about items I bought recently which fall into those two categories.
I originally bought some Hello Kitty Wet Wipes (no longer available on the website) only to be told that the item had been cancelled because it was found to be defective (I was told at the last minute after waiting nearly a month!). However, when I received my parcel I was surprised to find that they had been sent! Should I use these or not?…Yesstyle didn’t really comment on why it was defective, the Hello Kitty cover is not attached, is that why?
There is a lot of Hello Kitty make up on the site. I thought the nail polish bottle looked really cute and I selected gold as a party shade. On close inspection, the nail polish is quite small and there is slight marking on Hello Kitty’s face which cannot be cleaned off. However, the colour of the polish is nice and it applies well.
Tony Moly is a popular cosmetics brand in South Korea – as well as being high quality make up, the packaging and design are really cute and unusual! I bought the perfume bar which is shaped like a bunny. It is quite small but the scent is strong, so you wouldn’t have to apply a lot.
At the time, Yesstyle were doing the Daily Free Gifts promotion. The selection was a bit hit and miss but with this parcel I received a cat ears headband, which is useful for cleansing your face, applying make up or if you want to look like a cat. This is very snug and tight, but with increased usage over time, it should loosen a little.
As mentioned before, it took nearly a month for my parcel to arrive because I was waiting of another item. If you want to avoid the wait, only buy from the ready-to-ship items! The customer service is slightly bizarre. Having waited so long, it was only upon shipping that Yesstyle revealed that they had cancelled the Hello Kitty wet wipes. I wonder why they didn’t try to source an alternative one during that time! Another thing to note is that the price and quality varies between the different stores on the site – shop around and look at customer reviews before you buy. If you are a frequent shopper, you can get loyalty points as part of the Elite Club system – the more points you get, the higher the level you are. This can bring you bigger discounts as well as shopping vouchers to use.
London Haul
Despite what little time we had, I did manage to do a little bit of shopping…
From Artbox in Covent Garden I picked up a Harro Panda tote bag (it was a tough choice between this and the Nyan Poop bag >.<), a Summiko Gurrashi notebook and a A4 Shima and Shima exercise book. I really like to collect cute notebooks! I also bought some snacks: Lotte Koala March Shibuya Honey Toast and some Puccho candy – melon and grapefruit flavour.
In Chinatown, I visited a supermarket called Oriental Delight. It opened half an hour after opening time, but there is a lot of snacks inside. I have started to like Matcha Latte and I am looking for a good instant version I can make at home. The Gold Kili version tastes nice but it is a little too much on the sweet side. My boyfriend really likes Lipton Milk Tea and it is really hard to find it in the UK, so when I saw it in the window I had to buy it! This comes in a multipack of 20 sachets, so it should keep him happy for a while! I can’t remember the name but there is a small shop with lots of cheap Chinese items. I saw this Hello Kitty coin bank which is on offer at £1.
Speaking of Hello Kitty, this is my Cutter and Squidge haul. I picked up some leaflets about the afternoon tea and the cakes that they do. The ribbon is what they used to tie the cutlery together, and I think it looks really cute! At the top I have the menu, and you get a free sheet of stickers with the afternoon tea. I also bought some badges (two I gave to my sister) and a Hello Kitty mug from the shop.
Last but not least, these are things from the Strand Palace Hotel I took away. There is some stationery, Zanyah toiletries, a free shower cap, Border biscuits, Nescafe coffee sachets and English Tea Shop teabags. In reception, they have a selection of newspapers and magazines which are up to date. I took Look (a favourite of mine), Harper’s Bazaar and Tatler.
London Part 7: A Kawaii Afternoon!
When reading the Stylist magazine app, I was excited to read about the Hello Kitty Afternoon Tea that Cutter and Squidge, Soho were hosting. There has never been anything like this in the UK before, and I wanted to go so bad! I managed to make time (near my birthday) and reserved a table online for my sister and I.
Cutter and Squidge pride themselves on using natural ingredients. Unlike other cakes, they only use food colouring made out of fruit and vegetables and they don’t add any artificial flavours to their food. A lot of the choices on the menu are gluten free, dairy free and vegetarian, so they can cater for dietary requirements.
Upon arrival we were given a bottle of pink lemonade each, with a Hello Kitty straw, and we were shown to the Hello Kitty Secret Garden. It looked like something out of a book. On the walls are pictures of Hello Kitty and her friends. The carpet is an astro-turf like material and there are hedges and vines, and a sneaky monkey in one corner. Plus it has my new best friend, AIR CONDITIONING!
Not long after, we ordered our tea. I opted for Fine Earl Grey, which was lovely and strong. And now…the food! As you expect, everything is Hello Kitty themed.
The food is brought out in stacked steamers, something I normally associate with yum cha and dim sum. First off, sandwiches! Kitty’s Snacktime Sandwiches include cucumber and team cheese, hummus and pepper, cheese and red onion and smoked salmon and chives.
This is followed by scones. Normally in an afternoon tea, you are given sweet scones but here you get savoury cheese scones, which are warm and delicious! To go with it is some cream cheese and red pepper relish. There is also a Hello Kitty coronation cracker.
Now we move to the sweet stuff. We have strawberries (I assume the dipping sauce is in the next steamer), chocolate cake truffle, Mimmy’s Pink Lemonade Marshmallow (not a fan of this one) and Mimmy’s Very Berry (although this one tasted like lychee) Jelly Kiss.
Next, we have the dipping sauces – chocolate and matcha (this one was so tasty!), the Strawberry Milkshake Biskie (the Biskie is a speciality of Cutter and Squidge – a cake/biscuit sandwich with sweet cream in the middle) and a Hello Kitty cookie.
Finally, to finish off is the Kitty’s Chocolate Mud Pie (Chocolate cake sandwich finished off with gold flakes and chocolate Hello Kitty button) and Mama’s Apple Pie Mousse, with a touch of cinnamon. Unfortunately, by this stage I was too full to finish so I packed the rest for takeaway to eat later that evening!
For £40 each, you get all of this, and unlimited refills of food (if you can fit it in!) and drink. Also included is ice cream, which we were given after we left. On the top floor, there is also a small shop with Hello Kitty merchandise.
Overall, I enjoyed this – the experience was amazing and the attention to detail paid is fantastic. The food looks fantastic – my only problem was some of the sweet food was a little too sweet, but the rest was really tasty. I had read reviews of people complaining about the service and how they felt rushed. At the time we went, it wasn’t very busy (this was a month after they opened the afternoon tea) so we had no problems about being rushed. The service was friendly and fantastic. The price is expensive so it isn’t something I would do frequently, but for a one time special experience, I had a great time!
Here are some more photos!
A blurry photo of a Hello Kitty hedge.
A Hello Kitty tree stood next to a Hello Kitty figure.
A Hello Kitty map of London. Hmm…where shall we go next?
Hello Kitty Surprise Egg
On Monday, I bought two Hello Kitty Surprise eggs from SO Sweet in Barnstaple. Normally they cost 69p each but they were on offer at 2 for £1. One of the eggs I gave away and the other I kept for myself haha.
Each egg contains a Hello Kitty figurine, small packet of sweets (bow shaped and Hello Kitty shaped) and Hello Kitty Tungtoos (temporary tattoos).
London Part 5: The Japan Centre
I am a huge fan of Japanese food, culture and snacks. When I was researching places to see before my trip, the Japan Centre came up. Located on Shaftesbury Avenue, a few minutes from Piccadilly Centre Underground, it has everything for fans of Japan – fresh food (hot and cold), fresh desserts, bakery, cooking ingredients, sake, magazines and cds, tea, vegetables and fruits, and so on. I only wish I could come here all of the time!
Ramune Soda is a very popular drink. It is flavoured lemonade in a uniquely designed bottle. At the top, there is a marble, which you need to push down with the plastic stopper to release the drink. Be careful not to shake the drink too much before opening – it can get a little messy as I found out! Taste wise it is nice, not overly sweet – I bought orange and melon.
The Japan Centre also do a lot of different desserts and ice creams. I like green tea, so I wanted to try a green tea cheesecake. I tried a Japanese cotton cheesecake last month, so I saw a vanilla soufflé cheesecake, which is so soft and crumbly and light – so delicious!
I have tried Japanese Kit Kats before, they are so different to ones in England! They are smaller in size and come in a variety of flavours, which don’t tend to be as sweet as the chocolate ones you find here. I bought a bag of sweet potato Kit Kats. I also got some Kabaya Saku Saku Panda cookies, which I am a big fan of already. I am also a big fan of Tohato Caramel Corn, flavoured corn grits which are very moreish. I bought two flavours I haven’t tried – Condensed milk azuki and almond.
AND I LOVE THE BAKERY!!! I wanted to buy so much! In the end, I settled for these character buns – Rilakkuma *chocolate*, Hello Kitty *chocolate, and half price* and Totoro *custard*. You can also buy red bean Anpanman and Doraemon bread buns. These are so yummy and cute – they made a good late night snack/breakfast!
***ahhhh hello kitty!****
Update: Happy Kawaii Summer
Coming up is my review of Yume Twins, a new subscription box filled with cute goodness direct from Japan. What sets it apart is that it contains many big brand names such as Sanrio and Amuse. I tried a one-off box on special offer…what did I think?
How are my Chuppon and Peropon plants getting on a few weeks later?
For my birthday, I went to London with my sister. We stayed at a 4* star hotel, the Strand Palace Hotel. So much to see, so little time! We did manage to visit a few of the main tourist attractions and my reason for coming to London – a Hello Kitty pop-up cafe courtesy of Cutter and Squidge!
Pictures and words to follow soon!
Sanrio Curry Competition
As you’d see in any election race, there are sweet characters, stern faces and some crazy candidates you’d never think would win… When you think about curry, it’s usually a plain-looking stew-like dish, filled with vegetables and perhaps a few chunks of meat, with hues generally landing somewhere along the brown colour spectrum. In Japan, though, curries can run…
via Time to vote for your favourite in Japan’s Sanrio Character Curry Election — RocketNews24
I would like to eat all of these curries!!! >.<
Super Cute Box – Happy New Year!
This is the third box in my three month subscription, so are we leaving on a high?
We have our contents wrapped in purple tissue paper instead of the usual pink (new year, new colour?) and a photocard featuring the diary charm. The caption, for some reason, strikes me…makes me hopeful to make the most of a new year.
What is really cute is this Hello Kitty soap – it smells great and it comes in this red organza bag, which feels like they have gone to the effort to present it well. We also have some russian doll page references from Index-It. Not what I would usually go for, but they can be put to good use. Next is the Totoro pencil case, which is adorable.
Next is a pink diary with bears, bicycles, flowers and other things printed on them, as well as some diary stcikers to go with it. I think it is quite stylish and practical as well, and I was thinking of getting a diary too, so it saves me the trouble! There is also a sweet pair of cookie earrings from Boplet.
The next item I think is a mini envelope which you construct yourself. We also have a musical pencil with a music note dangling at the top and the diary charm.
All in all, there are some great things in this box. I particularly like the diary – it is cute, useful and small, so it is easy to carry in your handbag. I like the soap as well, it almost feels too pretty to use!
Sadly this is my last box. Overall, I have been impressed with Super Cute Box. The inclusion of big favourites such as Hello Kitty, Rilakkuma, etc. mixed in with some new designers has made me eager to open each month’s box. There are some items which haven’t impressed me, because I have no use for (Christmas cake toppers) or because of personal taste (Choochoocat stickers). However, due to the nature of a subscription box, it can’t be expected that you will always like 100% of the items sent. Pricewise, it is reasonable and covers delivery charge. If you keep an eye on their Twitter, they sometimes offer discounts to new subscribers. The customer service is excellent as well. If you have any queries, they give a speedy response. I mentioned on one entry how I was sad that I missed out on a cute charm (I had ordered a one off box, which do not included the bracelet charms) and the next month, they sent that charm to me! So good!
I would definitely recommend Super Cute Box if you like kawaii things! You get a great mix of items and top service too 🙂
hellohappybunny 