Tag: kawaii

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Unboxing: ISpyKawaiiSuppliesKawaii Mystery Box

ohnoitsjade

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My childhood stationery obsession has come back full force, and I cannot stop buying stationery mystery boxes. I had bought one from ISpyKawaiiSupplies at the tail end of 2020, and really loved everything I got in it. I didn’t do an unboxing so you’ll just have to take my word on that one. ISpyKawaiiSupplies is UK based, so I was really happy to be supporting a local seller and knew that the shipping would be quick (well, as quick as it can be in a pandemic!). ISpyKawaiiSupplies has an option on their Etsy that you can pick a character or theme for the smaller boxes, or you can pick a larger box. I think the boxes are the best value for money for any subscription box that I’ve got so far – the smaller boxes are £15 plus shipping, and the larger boxes are £30 including shipping. A bargain!

IMG_8641The first thing that struck me when I opened up my mystery box was how many things were in the box. I could immediately tell that the items were easily worth over how much I spent on the box, which is always a good thing. It was also really colourful and had a big visual impact as soon as I opened it, and I could instantly see some items that looked really exciting! Let’s get into it.

 

 

IMG_8642First up, some really cute pens! I love the design on them. The ones on the right have a highlighter end and a fine felt-tip pen end. They’re actually a lot darker in tone than the pastel outside would let you believe, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing as I have plenty of pastel pens as it is! The pens on the left are blue fine-liners, and so cute!

 

IMG_8644Next I got some stickers! The ones on the left came with a couple of pencils too, and are all cat themed and very cute. The right hand ones are Molang, which isn’t something I really know too well, but I also got some Molang stickers in my last box from ISpyKawaiiSupplies, and I thought the characters were really cute then and I still do! As I said before, I really love getting stickers so I can jazz up my bullet journal!

IMG_8645I also got a Sumikko Gurashi PVC wallet file. At first I wasn’t totally sure what to do with it, but I realised it’s the perfect size for a pencil case! Again, I’m not too familiar with Sumikko Gurashi, but I seem to get something in every subscription box I get so I should probably get into it more!

 

 

IMG_8647I’m getting quite the collection of sticky notes! I got these two in my box this time. I love the shiba one, I have used it already for some work reminders that I have stuck up on my desk and every time I look at it I smile, he’s just so cute! I actually just did a quick online search for the pack on the left, and I found out that sadly it is counterfeit art stolen from a Korean artist, so it’s a little disappointing that it’s in the box, but I will give the benefit of the doubt and assume that the seller didn’t know. The original artist is Studio Dalgona, and here is a tweet about the stolen artwork! I will do my best to support Studio Dalgona in future and place an order with them when I can to make up for this as I don’t want to be in the habit of supporting art theft.

IMG_8648To end on a much lighter note, my two favourite items in the box! The item on the left, believe it or not, is a Pikachu themed pair of scissors! They’re just so cool, I’m amazed by them. You pull the top half off, and then the actual scissor mechanism is spring loaded. I’ve used them at every available opportunity this weekend. On the right is some My Neighbor Totoro washi tape, which is something I use a lot of for journalling, so I’m very happy to have it.

 

 

You’ll notice I’m a huge dummy, and there are a couple of items that I forgot to photograph. Firstly a Rilakkuma rubber (eraser!), and secondly some correctional tape. Both very useful items to have!

I hope you liked seeing what I got in my box. I hope you’ll agree that it was really good value for money, and I got a lot of really cool items! What was your favourite thing that I got?

 

 

 

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Unboxing: Blippo Kawaii Shop Fukubukuro

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IMG_8631I saw an advert for Blippo Kawaii Shop, and thought it would be a really cute idea to get a fukubukuro this year. A fukubukuro, for those that don’t know, is a Japanese New Year’s custom of filling up lucky bags with leftover stock and selling them at a big discount. Mine was actually fairly cheap, approximately £19 including shipping. Initially I wanted either the ‘Kawaii Stationery Bag’ or the ‘Kawaii Sticker Bag’, but annoyingly both of those were sold out when I placed my order, so I opted for the ‘Kawaii Mixed Bag’ instead. I’m still not sure how I feel about the bag overall, but here’s what I got…

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We’ll start with the positive! I got this really cute Cinnamoroll mini-plushie and a pair of San-X socks. I’m really unfamiliar with San-X, but the character is really cute, and you can never go wrong with socks, right?

 

 

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Next up, some toiletries of sorts. The small item is a mirror, which folds out, and then as is custom these days, some face masks! Both of which will be really handy to pop in my handbag in the eventuality I ever leave the house. I also got this cute make-up bag, which I might even use as a pencil case as I have so many make-up bags now!

 

 

IMG_8636I also got a lot of stationery, which I’m really happy about! In my last unboxing post I mentioned that I wanted more practical items out of these boxes, so that box is definitely ticked! I got some sticky notes in the shape of a little bottle (not sure what, I could make an effort and translate the writing, but I’m not that bothered!), a pen, a lipstick shaped rubber (eraser for you over the pond), and some Disney stickers. I’m sure I’ll get plenty of use out of all of these items! The only one I’m less certain of is the transport themed stickers, as they’re not really my aesthetic, but you never know!

IMG_8632Now onto the not so great… I got some sweets, which I’m sure are probably nice, but due to all my allergies and dietary requirements I can’t eat. Again, I could spend some time translating the ingredients but I don’t really want to risk a mistranslation, so I’ll just let my parents have these! 

IMG_8637I then got a few items which just baffled me. These were a clip in hair extension with bright pink hair, a set of mesh clip-in hair bows, and an iPhone case for a model so old I’m not even sure what it is. I’m pretty certain I’m too old to pull off the hair accessories, and I don’t know anyone with the model of phone that the case would fit, so sad to say, all of these items went into the bin.

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the items I got in my fukubukuro bag. For £19 I think I got my money’s worth. There were some duff items but the other items made up for it. What did you think of the things I got in the bag?

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Unboxing: January Inku Crate

ohnoitsjade

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I’ve loved getting subscription boxes throughout 2020, I think it’s brought me an edge of excitement to an otherwise dull and stressful year. As I said in my Anime Limited unboxing, there’s something about a mystery package that’s really appealing to me – I think really just boils down to the element of surprise and chance. I bought a fair number of boxes in 2020, and whilst I have loved pretty much every one, there does come a time where I think, “But do I really need this item?” where they’re purely decorative. I obviously collect a lot of anime merchandise, but I think there’s something inherently different about buying a figure or plushie of a character you love, rather than one you just happen to get in a subscription box (looking at you, Donald Duck plushie).

From a young age, I’ve always really loved stationery. Even now I have drawers full of stationery and shelves full of unused notebooks. I promised myself in 2021 I’d get back into creating a bullet journal, something I have done in previous years and really enjoyed, and I also want to find penpals to write to. This all led me to plumping for a stationery themed subscription box. I knew they’d be full of practical items that I’d definitely use.

This is a very long winded way of saying my January subscription box was Inku Crate – a subscription box themed around Japanese stationery.

The box itself was really cute, I loved that it looked like a book and opened from the side like a book would, I thought that was a really nice touch. I know there are a good amount of items in the box, but due to the size of one of them they had to use a bigger box and it seems a little sparse as a result – to reiterate, I know it’s not, but it’s an initial feeling of “oh, kinda empty” as a visual thing when you first open.

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Onto the items! I got a couple of pens – first up is a sweets u-marker. It’s double-ended, and each end smells like a different sweet – mine is melon cream soda and it smells so good. The pen nibs are highlighters, which I use a lot of for journalling! The second pen is a fude colour marker of which I got a pink one (fitting!). I need to learn to do fancy writing, so hopefully this pen will give me an incentive!

 

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Next up I got these items which will be perfect for journalling. At first I could not figure out what the blue item was, but it’s glue in the shape of a detergent bottle. How cute is that?! When I was journalling at the weekend I said to myself that next time I went to a supermarket I needed to buy glue, so this has come at the right time! I love putting stickers on my journal pages and on penpal letters, so these stickers will be perfect!

 

 

IMG_8574Finally, I have the larger items. First up, a Hello Kitty notebook. Hello Kitty is dressed like a cow, because it’s the Year of the Ox! At first I was totally baffled by it, but when I realised, it all made sense! I also got a daruma doll sticky note set, which are always useful for putting little reminders on! There’s also the cutest little rubber (eraser!) set, which is fairy tale themed – mine are Alice in Wonderland, which is just perfect for me as I’m not really a traditional fairy tale kind of person. Last up is a clear file decorated with Japanese New Year iconography. I use these clear files all the time to store documents!

I’m so happy with my Inku Crate! I know I’ll definitely use these items all the time, so it feels like a really smart purchase over some of the items I was getting in other subscription boxes. I’ll still get the occasional box with normal kawaii goods in it, but I’m saving myself for when there’s a theme I really like the look of or content that I really like – most companies give a preview of what characters or properties will feature in the box. I think I’ll get the next Inku Crate to see how that goes, and I may keep it going as a rolling thing!

What was your favourite item in this box? I think mine is the detergent shaped glue, it’s so cute!

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Unboxing: Kinda Kawaii

ohnoitsjade

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I haven’t bought a subscription box for a while, partly because I haven’t seen one with a theme I like, and partly because a lot of my usual companies I buy with are now charging a mandatory £10 extra shipping for tracked shipping, which seems a little unfair to me as I was pretty happy with waiting it out for the standard shipping and I never had an issue. I get why they’ve put it on there, but I think it should at least be optional.

Regardless, last month I felt like getting a box, and after a lot of searching for a UK supplier, I found Kinda Kawaii. I opted for a single box, just to test the waters and bought via Etsy, so it was really simple.

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My first impression was that the box was really cute! The box itself is pastel coloured (just my vibe!), and on opening there was a strong visual impact with the box packaged really cutely and bursting with goodies! A great start!

 

 

 

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Obviously the first thing I saw when I opened the box was this bunny plushie! I don’t think it’s a specific character (feel free to correct me!), but it’s so cute! It’s so soft, and the pastel purple is one of my favourite colours, so I’m really happy with this item!

 

 

 

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Next up was this Pokémon mug! It hasn’t photographed particularly well, and it is a lot more muted and pastel in real life, which is totally my aesthetic. It’s a really cute mug, but much like tupperware, I own far too many mugs and I’m being threatened that if I get any more they’ll be binned! Still, a cute mug for my last one!

 

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I also received these Sumikko Gurashi socks! They’re packaged really nicely, so I didn’t know what they were at first, but when I unboxed them and folded them out, they’re a really cute pair of socks! I especially love them because they’re a bit thicker, so they’re warm and stop any rubbing shoes!

 

 

 

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I’m a sucker for stationery, so luckily for me I got these two pieces in my box. Firstly, a colour changing pen which is really nice to write with (I don’t know the characters though!), and secondly, some Gudetama sticky notes. Both are coming in very handy in keeping me nice and organised.

 

 

IMG_8259 Last but not least, I got these Sumikko Gurashi chopsticks – I’m also amassing quite the chopstick collection! Luckily I’m not too bad with a pair, so now I just need to learn some Japanese recipes to put them to use!

 

 

 

 

The Kinda Kawaii box was beautifully presented, with a lot of high end items. I spent more than I usually would on a subscription box, but with the price of boxes going up it made more sense to support a local business and get quicker shipping time. I’m really glad I chose to get a Kinda Kawaii box, and would definitely do so again in the future!

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Unboxing: June KawaiiBox

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Until this box arrived, I had entirely forgotten that I’d bought a KawaiiBox subscription for June. This was my first KawaiiBox, and the theme was ‘Kawaii Summer Picnic’! I was a little apprehensive when it arrived, as the box was quite small – but, the best things come in small packages as they say, and I was proven wrong to be so concerned! When I opened it, I was immediately happy as it was presented really nicely (it doesn’t take much to impress me, it turns out), with tissue paper and a cute pamphlet.

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My first item was this super cute bento box! I’m getting quite the collection of bento boxes now, but they’re always handy. In normal times I use them to take breakfast, lunch and snacks to work, but at the moment they’re just in the cupboard waiting to be used!

 

 

Next up was these chopsticks in my signature colour, pink! Luckily, I’m pretty adept with chopsticks these days, so I’ll be using them to show off when I have takeout!

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Keeping on the food theme, in the box there was also these Little Twin Stars onigiri covers. I’ve not made any Japanese food at home before, but getting these has inspired me to try!

 

 

 

There was also some cute stationary in the box! Some paper sticky tabs, which I’m sure will come in handy at some point, these sorts of things always do! The stickers I’m going to save for when I make my next scrapbook, whenever that will be! I’m thinking of taking a leaf out of Chelsie’s (scrap)book and making one for my next holiday, whenever that will be! The next item was a pen, with a cute moon on the end! It’s a really cool pen, and nice to write with, so that’s a bonus!

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We got sweeties in our boxes too! These were peach flavour, which is one of my favourite flavours, but unfortunately, I couldn’t eat them as they contained gelatine, so I gave them to my parents to share. Their verdict was “weird”, I think in so far as the texture, rather than the flavour.

 

 

Finally, the loot box Gods smiled on me, and I got a plushie of my favourite Sanrio character, Pompompurin! He’s so cute and fluffy!

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I was really happy with my KawaiiBox! For a purchase I’d totally forgotten about, there were a lot of really cool items which I’m happy to own! Especially the Pompompurin plushie!

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Unboxing: April SoKawaii

ohnoitsjade

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I’ve previously mentioned that I wasn’t going to buy any subscription boxes prior to my trip to Japan, and then the subsequent cancellation of the trip led to March “sad-time spending”. I decided during this period that I would buy myself a subscription box, which I felt would either cheer me up, or depress me further as it would remind me of what I was supposed to be experiencing. Just to double down on any potential pitfalls, I also opted for the SoKawaii box, as it had a theme of “Sakura”, and I was due to see the sakura blossoms during my trip.

The first thing that struck me was how cutely the box was packaged. My previous Yumetwins box was just the items in a box, which is totally fine, I didn’t have any packaging expections, but the SoKawaii box was cutely laid out with pink tissue paper and just had a more visual impact when I opened it. It instantly made me happy, and I was excited to unpack and see what I got.

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Item number 1 was this really cute Rilakkuma blanket. I’m not the biggest Rilakkuma fan, but this blanket is super soft. It’s so hard to take a photo of these blankets, I also struggled in my Christmas box, but this is it on my double bed, so it’s quite large! It also fits my colour scheme in my bedroom, albeit it’s a slightly darker shade of pink.

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The next item was a Cardcaptor Sakura keychain. I knew in advance that the box was coming with a CCS item, and to be honest, it almost stopped me from buying it because I’ve never seen CCS before. I went ahead as I have lots of friends who like it, so I figured I could gift the item to one of them, which is exactly what I’ve done (or will do once lockdown is over!). Still, it’s a really cute item, and it’s a shame I can’t appreciate it fully, but I’m sure its new owner will!

IMG_6758Next up was some sakura chocolate. The packaging is so cute, and totally my aesthetic. I’ve yet to try the chocolate, because I haven’t got round to translating the ingredients yet, and I have a lot of allergies and dietary requirements, so I can’t just trust that chocolate will be okay for me to eat and there’s no translation label. I’m also super fussy with food, so I’m not sure whether I’m looking forward to trying this or not! I guess it’s in keeping with my Japan trip, as I was going to force myself to try some new foods just for the experience!

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Item number four was this really cute bowl! It’s the perfect size for me to put little trinkets in, or little sweets and keep on my coffee table for guests.

 

 

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I also got this cute Pokémon figure with Plusle and Minun! It’s a stackable figure, so there are others to collect with different Pokémon on, and then they make up a larger tree. I’m glad I got Plusle and Minun, they’re probably up there with my favourite Pokémon, and there are plenty of worse options I could have got.

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And last but definitely not least, we have my favourite item this month – the sakura Cinnamoroll! He’s just so cute, and so soft! He matches the colour of my bedroom perfectly, so I have him in there hanging off my wardrobe door so I can see him every day, and every time I do he just makes me so happy!

 

 

I’m really happy with my SoKawaii box! It did the job of dulling the void I felt by having to cancel my trip to Japan, and I’m mostly happy with everything that I got (and have found a good home for the one item that I didn’t want to keep). I’d definitely get a SoKawaii box again, in fact I forgot to cancel the subscription, so I am getting a box this month too!