Macadamia Flawless Cleansing Conditioner│Review

M acadamia Flawless ($33.00 for 8 oz) is a 6 in 1 cleansing conditioner that claims to refine hair texture, cut down blow drying time and optimize styling process. It's great for all hair types and is surfactant and paraben free. My hair type is processed, damaged hair and I can say this product has worked wonders on my hair. Basically, you use this instead of your shampoo and conditioner and voilá! you're ready to go. Not only this product leaves my hair feeling soft but also super clean. 

The Flawless formula comes out as a lightweight mousse, but as I rub it on my hands it becomes more creamy. I apply 2 pumps directly to my scalp, gently massage it and let it sit for 5 minutes. I can feel the texture of my hair change, it becomes softer and detangled. At the same time, my hair feels clean. I always like to make sure I've rinsed out all of the product to avoid any build up as I try not to wash my hair everyday. 

I find it works way better than dry shampoo, as dry shampoo tends to add more to the hair instead of actually cleaning it. I liked that it really detangled my hair as I never brush it when it's wet. I follow with the Macadamia Deep Repair Mask and the No Tangle Spray for styling. I'm not sure about the cut blow drying time claim, but my hair usually takes a long time to air dry.

Have you tried cleansing conditioners?

Oishii! Japanese Cuisine│Travel

P repare yourself as you read this post, as you might get a bit hungry :) So back in August when I traveled to Japan for the first time I set a goal: I would try anything new, as I usually try to do when Im abroad. I was a vegetarian for 4 years and my eating habits didn't include any meat (of any kind), dairy or any animal-based food. But I had to be a little flexible during my stay (I wanted to) so I tried almost everything! Japanese cuisine is one of the world's most famous, healthy and tasteful so I figured, I'll try anything once. Besides being delicious, japanese goodies also have a kawaii presentation and a HUGE variety. Since everything is so different from what I normally eat, I did a photo diary of most things I had during my stay. 

Above: a meat patty covered with barbecue/ sweet and sour sauce with cheddar cheese on the inside and a Hello Kitty shaped cheese slice on top & two pieces of fried chicken. I know this isn't exactly traditional japanese, but it isn't something you'll find anywhere else as the meat is so different!

I had this for lunch at Sanrio Puroland, most known as Kitty Land. A Hello Kitty theme amusement park, mostly for kids as the rides aren't as fast or big or scary! For dessert I had Hello Kitty's mochi. Mochi is a rice cake made of short-grain japonica glutinous rice. The filling of mochi can vary, I don't remember very well what this one was made of but I think it was sweet bean.

I find Square watermelons quite cute, but these weren't grown like this for that reason. The logic is because square watermelons are easier to stack, which makes them easier to ship. Also because in crowded areas of Japan, the square watermelon is designed to fit inside smaller japanese refrigerators. But having an unsual shape makes square watermelons expensive, I didn't get to try it but I bet it tastes just the same as a regular watermelon. I found it on a depachika (the basement floor of department stores) at Hikarie in Shibuya, a lovely 11th floor department store!

Rilakkuma macarons :)

Everything tempurized nom nom!

On the same building, I had dinner with some friends that night. My friend's japanese friend ordered a lot of food with names I cannot remember. But the one thing I do remember was Okonomiyaki, a japanese savoury pancake made of flour, grated nagaimo, water or dashi, eggs, shredded cabbage, meat, green onion and pork belly, okonomiyaki is often referred to as japanese pizza. But quite frankly, it tastes nothing like pizza!

My favourite dish, Ramen. Holy mother, this was sooooo good. Ramen is a noodle soup dish served in a meat broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso and sliced pork as topping. Also dried seaweek and green onions (as the one below) There are many variations of ramen, but every single one tastes heavenly. Most restaurants have value menus that might include gyozas and a beverage such as natural iced tea. 

Now, let's talk about sushi. The one I had been eating all this years at my local sushi place isn't the real deal. I can assure you that. Most are just a variation of the California Roll which is a western adaptation. I tried sushi at the Tsukiji Fish Market, the world's largest and busiest fish market and I was overwhelmed with all the things I saw in there! Fresh sushi for breakfast never tasted so good. Below: a rice, cucumber cone.

I had this meal near Yokohama Station one evening as I was craving french fries (?) lol. It's like a healthier version of fast food but presented as fast food.

BENTO! Bento is a single-portion takeout meal common in japanese cuisine. I picked up a few but this one was my favourite. It had scrambled egg, rice, chicken, meat and a few veggies. I bought this at a JR station when I was heading to Kyoto on a shinkansen!

Family Mart Bento ^^

Below, curry with rice + mango lassi from the chain curry resto Coco Curry House.

The cutest packaging for Minute Maid's Apple juice.

The japanese are very keen on anything french. Especially sweets. The japanese crepe is very popular around the Harajuku area and it tastes great! I had both sweet and non-sweet crepes. The one below was and avocado-shrimp crepe. YUM!

More sweets below! <3

Phew! That was a lot of food. 

Have you tried anything from this post? 

Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Mask│Review

Skincare is something I'm really into, I like doing research on key ingredients that could possibly help improve the condition of my skin. I'm not saying I have terrible skin, I just like looking after it. I guess I could say I'm still jumping on the bandwagon as I don't really have a million face masks or lots of serums (ew serum texture). But I'll probably start a new obsession. As I did with hair care! Masks are something I'm always looking forward to, as I find they're directly related to relaxing and having a nice quiet time. The Aesop Parsley Seed Cleansing Masque ($39.00 for 2 fl.oz) is a clay-based deep cleansing mask, but surprisingly it isn't abrasive to any type of skin. I have normal - sensitive skin and I find this mask to work great. I leave it on for 20 minutes and after I wash it out my skin feels softened, refreshed and more importantly deep-cleansed. Whilst drying, there are some patches that dry faster than others, I don't really know why this happens but it seems to me that it takes more time to dry on dry or problem areas. Did that made sense? The key ingredients are parsley seed, evening primrose and rosehip seed. 

Here's a little ingredient breakdown:

Parsley: this herb contains volatile oils and flavonoids, the beneficial properties of parsley include: antibacterial, anti-inflamatory and antioxidant properties. Parsley is also a great source of vitamin C and beta-carotene (pro-vitamin A).

Evening Primrose: contains a high concentration of a fatty acid called GLA, a fatty acid that has healing properties. It also has gamma-linoleic acid, linoleic acid and other nutrients that are essential for cell structure and improving elasticity of the skin.

Rosehip Seed (Rosa Canina): these seeds are one of the richest source of vitamin C and contain essential fatty acids; omega 6, omega 3 as well as antioxidant lycopene and beta-carotene. The essential fatty acids provide moisture and antioxidants. The vitamins help combat wrinkles, sun damage and most importantly, uneven skin tone.

Full ingredient list: Water (Aqua), Kaolin, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Bentonite, Alcohol Denat., Glycerin, Lavandula Angustifolia (Lavender) Oil, Oenothera Biennis (Evening Primrose) Oil, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Phenoxyethanol, Ormenis Multicaulis Oil, Carum Petroselinum (Parsley) Seed Oil, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Methylisothiazolinone, Linalool.

Have you tried this mask?