♡ Food Debate; Takoyaki Kei vs. KFC Crisps ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I have had this blog post planned for so long that I think it's now time to actually write it. Now, as someone who (kind of) follows the latest food crazes in Japan, some I had passed because they just didn't appeal to me but KFC crisps from Calbee... it's weird but I had this image of roast chicken crisps exactly like we get here in the UK and boy, was I wrong. On the other hand; Takoyaki Kei by Frito Lay, I went in thinking that this would be horrible because it's based on takoyaki - doughy balls with octopus in the middle - sounds wrong right? Well read on...

Calbee KFC Crisps

The pictures don't give justice to how H U G E this bag actually is. Compared to the usual single bags of crisps here, this is about two pushing two and a half bags in comparison? 

The smell is a bit unique, like yes there is a hint of fried chicken-ness bbbuuuttt the over powering smell of black pepper just was overwhelming. Ugh. Even thinking about the taste now brings back shudders. I could only eat five crisps maximum because these are disgusting, vile and a monstrosity. No chicken taste whatsoever, just black pepper and the taste of fried potato. Nothing else. This is not how I imagined it and I am disappointed but at least I can say that I did try it, it's just not for me. If you like the taste of plain potato crisps with black pepper sprinkled over it then you go ahead and try them, just don't say that I didn't warn you!

Frito Lay Takoyaki Kei

Again with the huge bag... compared to single bags of crisps here in the UK, the bags in Japan certainly come up massive! I loved the smell that hit me when I first opened it up, it was a familiar smell - like I've had something similar before - but I can't quite put my finger onto it on what the specific product is nor will I probably ever remember whoops!

I loved these crisps. These little delicious corn puff balls are amazing and made me feel so happy inside at how tasty they really were. I had a complete 180 turn with these because when you think that you're going to eat a corn ball tasting of octopus... well that doesn't really sound appetizing does it? I did try to stop myself and not eat the whole bag in one go but that didn't really prevail whatsoever... it was gone within 15 minutes and the wave of instant regret appeared because I didn't have another bag in my stash boooooooo!

Final Verdict:  the Takoyaki Kei wins hand down. Compared to the KFC crisps, they are the clear winner by miles in smell and taste. I can't put into any more words at how delicious they are and how I felt a tiny bit nostalgic when I ate these crisps. So at the end of the day... KFC crisps bad and Takoyaki Kei good!

Thanks for reading!

xoxo

♡ My Sweden Diary - LUSH Sweden ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I decided to do a separate post for this haul instead of bundling it all together in the next post but I wanted to talk about my experience in this store and go into (kind of) full detail about the products I purchased! The location of the store I went into was in Central Station in Stockholm! I was confused about where it specifically was... but after working out that I had to go up some escalators, it was all good in the end!

First off; the staff. They were super friendly, bubbly and kind. I know that it's their job to make sales but they made me feel so at home and welcome, well in all honesty I didn't want to leave. From the moment I walked in, everyone said "Hello!" and one lovely lady started speaking to me in Swedish but once I stated that I didn't know Swedish, she happily switched to English. She then asked one of her colleagues to help me find what I needed - at this point I wanted a face mask, some bath bombs, moisturiser and lip scrub. The lady was really thorough, wanting to know my skin type and if I had tried any products in the past and then we went to the face mask section. She did a demo on the back of my hand, using some other products and oh my goodness I was in heaven. Normally, I am the kind of person that just dashes into a store, grab what I need, pay and then dash out again before I can even interact with any staff member... but here I really liked the little bit of pampering and knowing about the different products. Sadly, because I was enjoying my pampering just a little bit too much, I missed out on the last pot of the 'Catastrophic Cosmetic' face mask but it didn't stop me going on a bit of a splurge none the less!

Celestial help troubled, dry skin become angelic by smoothing this light cream on your face daily. It's made of skin-soothing ingredients that form a light barrier on the skin to help it retain its moisture. Almonds are high in vitamin E, which is said to help protect skin from damage, while dove orchids condition and soothe.
Ocean Salt limes steeped in vodka, grapefruit and lashings of salt go into this invigorating face and body scrub. Sea salt is rich in minerals and is excellent for scrubbing away any dead skin. We also add rich, silky avocado butter, coconut oil and seaweed absolute to keep your skin soft, smooth and conditioned.
It's Raining Men when your skin’s crying out for some TLC, It’s Raining Men will come to the rescue. God bless Mother Nature for providing all the honey we pack into our luscious gel that nurtures as it washes. Honey is used for its many benefits for the skin. A natural antiseptic, it soothes and helps it retain moisture. We also add softening rosehip oil for good measure, while bergamot and sweet wild orange oils add brightness and lift the mood.
Ro's Argan this is chock-a-block with delicious butters and oils to leave your skin looking plumped up, gorgeous, and smelling of roses. Take this into the shower or bath, massage over wet skin and rinse off just as you would a hair conditioner. We've used deeply nourishing argan oil, which is thought to have anti-ageing properties as it's rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, and added brazil nut and almond oils as well as cocoa, shea and cupuaçu butters to leave your skin supple and radiant.
Lemony Flutter perfect for softening our hardest bits: knees, elbows, heels, brittle nails and cuticles finally get the attention they deserve. Lemony Flutter revives a traditional method of cream-making that even the Romans would recognise. A little goes a long way, and within just a few applications, those neglected areas will be rejuvenated and smelling delicious, just like lemon curd.
Bubblegum Lip Scrub prep your lips with a buff and polish at the start of your make-up routine to ensure your lipstick glides on and stays put. Just apply with a clean finger, and let the exfoliating caster sugar and softening jojoba oil scrub away dead skin and infuse moisture to rejuvenate your smile. Bubblegum lip scrub won’t leave any greasy residue; just a sweet candy taste that you’ll enjoy licking off. Lip-smackingly good.

Dragon's Egg dragon’s egg makes bathtime exciting as it fizzes and crackles and changes the colour of your water to a gorgeous citrusy gold. Its scent is reminiscent of lemon sherbet, with a hint of jasmine, leaving you feeling great and ready for a good day. Its citrus scents leave you feeling transformed and invigorated.
Sakura this is a celebration of spring in a bath bomb, bursting into a floral fragrance. Inspired by the cherry blossom in Japan, this pretty bomb is designed to evoke the burst of optimism the first sign of spring brings. We've used calming mimosa and jasmine oils complemented by lemon oil and orange flower to bring to mind the smell of this colourful season.
Phoenix Rising a mystical, shimmering purple and green layered bath bomb that rises in the water on a cloud of exotic spice fragrance. When your skin is feeling over-cooked and in desperate need of hydration, the luxurious blend of cocoa and shea butters will have you rising out of the bath with soft, luscious skin. Its rich, cinnamon fragrance will also lift your mood if you’re feeling out of sorts.
Mother Superior the calming and uplifting Mother Superior bubble bar comes in quite a generous size and is packed with lovely fresh ingredients like Sicilian lemon oil, mimosa, jasmine and orange blossom absolute.
Yuzu and Cocoa for those times when you need a bit of comfort. Instead of reaching for a sweet treat, run a bath and pop this macaroon-shaped bar into the water for some serious indulgence. With moisturising coconut oil and shea butter, Yuzu and Cocoa has a mood-brightening colour and scent thanks to a blend of citrus oils, with a chocolatey undertone. Coconut and shea butter get to work feeding your skin as you soak, while the citrus oils pep up your mood.
The Comforter sometimes you just need to shut yourself off from the outside world under a blanket of fruity foam that will put you back in the right frame of mind to face the world. This bar is supersized, so you’ll only need to crumble half a bar under your tap to make enough bubbles for a long, comforting soak. Cassis absolute gives a distinctive blackcurrant fragrance, while bergamot adds an uplifting note. 

I loved my experience at LUSH Sweden and I would happily go there again if I lived in Stockholm but I will definitely go every now and again to my LUSH here in the UK! Plus, I do need to get my hands on the 'Catastrophic Cosmetic' face mask because that stuff was so, so, so, sssoooooo good oh my goodness words fail me on how fabulous it actually was! Plus, since I have returned from Stockholm I have used nearly ALL of the products listed here... I only have about three products left and they are running out PDQ! Oh and one final note; all the descriptions of products are from the LUSH UK website! I had a lazy moment and couldn't remember all of the products purchased.

Thanks for reading!
xoxo

♡ My Sweden Photo Diary ♡

みなさん、こんにちは!

I still haven't (really) finished editing all my photography from my holiday... my mother still hasn't seen any pictures... I am such a fail at getting shit done omg! I have decided though, that than rather writing a real lengthy blog post about what I did, where I visited etc, I would write the locations down with a tiny bit of info from wikipedia (because I can't remember anything information wise, only name wise) and let the photography speak for itself... simple right? So enjoy!

Gamla Stan

Gamla stan (The Old Town), until 1980 officially Staden mellan broarna (The Town between the Bridges), is the old town of Stockholm, Sweden. The word "stan" is simply a contraction of the word "staden" ("sta'n"), meaning "the town."

Odenplan, Hötorget & Birger Jarlsgatan 

Odenplan is a plaza located in the district Vasastaden in central Stockholm, Sweden, named after the old Norse god Odin. Hötorget (Haymarket) is a city square in the center of Stockholm. During the daytime it is the site of a fruit and vegetable market, except on Sundays, when flea markets are arranged. Birger Jarlsgatan is one of the longest streets in central Stockholm, Sweden. The street forms the border between Östermalm and the two neighbouring districts Norrmalm and Vasastaden.

Vasamuseet

The Vasa Museum (Swedish: Vasamuseet) is a maritime museum in Stockholm, Sweden. Located on the island of Djurgården, the museum displays the only almost fully intact 17th century ship that has ever been salvaged, the 64-gun warship Vasa that sank on her maiden voyage in 1628. More info about the Vasa warship here.

Skansen
Skansen is the first open-air museum and zoo in Sweden and is located on the island Djurgården in Stockholm, Sweden. It was founded in 1891 by Artur Hazelius to show the way of life in the different parts of Sweden before the industrial era.

Royal Palace & Kungsträdgårdsgatan
The Stockholm Palace or The Royal Palace (Swedish: Stockholms slott or Kungliga slottet) is the official residence and major royal palace of the Swedish monarch. Kungsträdgårdsgatan, is a street in Norrmalm in Stockholm, which runs along the eastern side of the Royal Garden.

Hagsätra & Årsta

Hagsätra is a quarter in Söderort, the southern part of Stockholm Municipality, Sweden. It borders with the quarters of Älvsjö, Örby and Rågsved in Stockholm, as well as Stuvsta in neighboring Huddinge Municipality. Årsta is a neighborhood in southern Stockholm in Stockholm Municipality, near Gullmarsplan.

Misc Photography
This section is just the pictures in between all the rest... food, purchases, random snaps really! I noticed that I didn't eat as much food as I would have liked to? OH well... I tried!!

Despite having one bad experience on my second day in Stockholm - an old lady came up to me in Monki, slapped my belly and said something in Swedish and judging by the horror on Christina's face and the other shoppers... it was really rude. Christina wouldn't tell me what she said and I'm kinda glad she didn't? Other than that, I adored Stockholm, everyone was super friendly and I felt so at home in such a wonderful city. I probably looked a little weird just staring at the buildings... but I can't help but have a fascination with architecture! I would, hand on my heart, recommend Stockholm to everyone! Next time, I'd love to travel a bit further out and even, maybe, go to Gothenburg and Örebro... but I already have my next travel destination for my next vacation so possibly another time in the near future I believe! ♡

Thanks for reading!
xoxo