HANDROID, Robot Hand by ITK

Last Sunday at Hyper Japan Xmas 2012 showcasing their pioneering innovations Japanese engineering company ITK (www.itk.co.jp) had us all in awe. The star of the show was the HANDROID - a robotic hand

The show was very interesting and inspirational. It gave us a glimpse into a future where the HANDROID could be used not only in dangerous engineering environments but also as a prosthetic hand controllable by brain waves and cerebral nerves. And that would be so helpful to so many people. I am all for it. :)

What makes this HANDROID different from other robotic hands, is that it can move all five fingers and lift small objects like a human hand. And it looks amazing!

HANDROID is remotely operable, lightweight, durable and has a fluid motion. After the show visitors were given the opportunity to try it out, and of course I wanted to give it a go.

There are two ways of operating the robot hand; one being by glove controller and other just by positioning your hand directly above a motion detector, like that used for XBox. I have tried the latter one.

Till next time...
Kiss Kiss Girly-G

''KAWAII STYLE'' Japanese Street Fashion

click picture to enlarge

If you've never been, HyperJapan is an annual event celebrating all things Japanese. This weekend I went along for the first time. Even before I reached the Exhibition Centre in Earls Court, London I could not help but notice groups of girls dressed up in cute outfits. Straight away I knew they were off to HyperJapan Expo too and it just put a smile on my face to know there are so many others that share my enthusiasm for Japanese culture and fashion.

One of the main events on Sunday 25 of November was a Kawaii Fashion Show. Kawaii in few words means cute, cool, sweet ... As the words say this fashion show was like no other, it was cuteness overload in the most of loveliest ways.

The best part of the show to me was seeing the great diversity of crowed watching, from young children to older generation all gathered to celebrate Japanese culture and fashion.

As we walked around the exhibition hall we met many of the pretty girlies and they were kind enough to let us take their picture for me to share with you today. So if you were there, maybe you'll find your picture here; I'd love to hear from you!

click picture to enlarge

Coming soon: Handroid at HyperJapan. You have to see it to beleive it!

Till next time. Sayonara! (sah-yoh-nah-rah) Goodbye!

Kiss Kiss Girly-G

A new way to wash your face; Bubble Foaming Face Wash Net

There are many ways of washing your face and one of the most common is to lather a facial cleanser on your palm and apply to your face.

One step up in a face washing routine is to use Face Wash Net. It is well known and widely used beauty tool in Japan that helps to form a creamy, fine, dense lather/bubbles.

The reason why this way of washing your face is so recommended is because using a net creates dense whipped like foam that is impossible to achieve by just using your hands alone. The foam is supposed to clean your face better and really get into the pores. Density of this form then creates a cushioning layer that prevents harsh rubbing on your skin, therefore even someone with a sensitive skin could use it.

The other great thing about Face Wash Net is that I need to use so much less cleansing product and that is always a cost saving bonus :)

This is how I use it:

1. First I run the Face Wash Net under water and put a bit of a cleanser on it. (Any foaming cleanser will do)

2. Then I rub the Face Wash Net between my hands (this creates shaving foam like lather)

3. And squeeze the Face Wash Net like a toothpaste :)

4. Gently massage with fingertips onto face and just wash off with warm water.

You can see the whole procedure on this video:

By the way, DO NOT use this kind of net directly on the face as it is too harsh.

I find trying out Asian skincare and tools so much fun, as they always seems to be ahead of the game compared to what we have here in the UK. Maybe this might become trendy here soon too... I have seen this kind of a foaming net in Muji shops in London (www.muji.co.uk). I bought mine online.

Till next time...

Kiss Kiss Girly-G

Japanese Eyebrow Mascara

Wow!!! As I was browsing my favourite e-bay shop I could not help myself but to stop at this product. I was so intrigued by it that I had to try it out. This Dariya Palty Mascara is a Japanese product, sold mainly in Asia and North America. It is I believe aimed towards fashionable Asian market, but as I have noticed myself there is a growing trend in importing Japanese, Korean, as well as skincare and make-up from Taiwan to Europe.

Dariya Corporation was established in 1950s and is a super trendy hair colouring and styling brand that produces easy to use products, with very cute packaging and attractive results.

There is a belief with Japanese and Korean make-up artists that it is a good idea to match your trendy hair colour to your eyebrow colour. It instantly leaves one looking more bright-eyed and dazzling, so get your eyebrows coloured too!

The shade I've purchased (from ebay shop Alpha Beauty Store) is in Natural Brown (there is also Light Brown, Milk tea Brown and Golden Brown). I was pleasantly surprised that it was not too light and I really like it.

As instructions are in Japanese I was playing around with my eyebrows and tried it out.

I noticed that it was quick to dry, water-proof and sweat-proof with a long lasting finish. It has spiral brush head, designed for even application of mascara and combing of eyebrows.

To use it is actually very simple. Firstly I started from the outer end of my eyebrows and applied towards the inner end. Then I just repeated in the other direction - inner end to out end - (doing this the colour is distributed much more evenly). Later to remove it I just used ordinary cleansing oil.

As I said, I am so gobsmacked by this eyebrow mascara, it works so well for me and I did not even know this kind of thing exists ;o)