How to Cut Tokyo Love Soap Without Crumbling

Or any kind of soap for that matter...

So you ask why do you cut soaps? 

Simply because it will last longer!!! ♥

Ever since I've heard of this I never went back to using whole soaps. Who wouldn't want their stuff to last longer? Not only can you easily hold the soap without slipping, you also save money this way.

I jumped in to the hype of this soap that is said to have amazing benefits aside from whitening in just one wash! If you're an online junkie and shopper, you probably heard of the popular Tokyo Love Soap.

Please wait for my review on this soap. For now I will share with you how I cut Tokyo Love Soap without it crumbling.

Now if you know about this soap then you should know that this is PRICEY for a soap therefore, cutting it to make it last longer is a must!

I've read online that this usually lasts a month to 1 1/2 month. We can stretch that time period by cutting it.

I have four Tokyo Love Soaps: 1 Original, 2 Professional and 1 Premium

I tried the original first and my first cutting was fine and I just used our kitchen knife that I always use for cutting soaps. 

I just cut a 1/4 slice on the side. It lasted for 3 weeks or more.

 and then I needed to cut again but....

It crumbled! 

This has never happened to me before! 

And so I just patched these pieces together with drops of water and pressing them.

As you can see I still have more than half of the soap left after cutting.

I just forced finished the patched up bar today and before that happened I thought about a way to cut this soap nicely and perfectly without crumbling like that.

And that is by using a simple cutter. Also some sunflower oil (or any oil you have) and cotton.

So I'll be cutting this Professional variant which sadly, got attacked by ants before getting to me...

The problem was in the plastic of the packaging.

Why do they have 4 holes in them?!!! Arg!!

Oh well, atleast they didn't devour the whole thing...

Anyways going back to the cutting...

♥ Coat the blade thoroughly with oil using cotton.

                     ♥ Start sliding the blade in a straight line using a bit of pressure until you hit the bottom.

♥ Clean and coat the blade again before cutting the half into a quarter.

♥ At this point, I was able to slide the blade downward very easily

♥ Almost perfect except a thin part on the bottom. 

♥ That's the result of cutting too quickly. :p

Use less pressure and just slide the blade as you approach the bottom part. 

♥ You can cut it even smaller but I'm happy with the size since I'll use it for my whole body and not just the face.

♥ Get a  piece and place it in your soap dish.

♥ Don't leave it in the shower as it will just melt.

♥ Don't wet it too much and use just the right amount.

♥ See how longer your soap will last.

Meiko Octard Cover Face Mini Review + Updated Cover Face Swatches!

Click here to know more about Naturactor and MC Collection.

This is only a mini review as I just have a limited experience of the product. 

I borrowed my cousin's Octard for this purpose. She also got it from the Meiko store in Kofu Japan.

I've initially read that it's good for oily skin but please read on to know how my oily skin faired.

Packaging is peachy and girly and when my mom first saw it she said it reminded her of Chin Chun Su or Mena whitening face creams.

Texture is so different from Naturactor and MC Collection. This one is sooo light and slightly Mousy. It is Matte too! I like the feel and finish actually. Even the pot of Octard is lighter than Naturactor though they are both 20g.

It's so smooth and blendable and I found out that it sets when I swatched it on my arm. It was hard to blend out when it has already set and almost didn't budge so I immediately fell in love and thought " this is great for my oily skin!! And will probably last longer! Not to mention that it matte! ♥".

I got even more excited as I've always preferred yellow for my undereye and I didn't feel that the green concealer was doing anything! 

1st Try:  So I tried the yellow and I was wowed as it really brightened my face. The redness and darkness was greatly decreased. It was awesome for my undereye area! I really just used a bit of the product. If you dab at it on the pot lightly, you really get a lot of product already and you could just tap it out on areas that you'sre applying it to. You can also use a thin layer of it on your whole face just to brighten it and just apply a bit more as needed on areas that you are correcting.The only thing is that I think it's not creamy enough for the eye area.

So I went on and tried out the S41 over the yellow as that was what the SA of Meiko did to my cousin when they asked how to use it. I just applied it as thin as I can. Sooo yeahh, S41 is too light for me but WOW! I LOVE the finish!!! I love how matte it is! It's that natural matte look. 

I didn't put any primer and powder over it and after just a few hours, I was an oily shiny mess. And when I touch my nose, the product comes off. Probably my fault too because I double moisturized that time. 

2nd Try: Tried it out again on half of my face the next day. I used primer this time and setting powder. I also used a bit more amount to cover my blemishes. On the other half, I used Naturactor 151 which is more my shade. Surprise! the Octard looked nice even if you apply it a bit thick! It covered come shallow icepick scars nicely.

They both lasted this time! Octard really stayed matte, covered nicer and looked better in pictures too! That's my opinion and experience though.

Random Shiz: I learned from a friend from a forum that Filipino Celebrity Make-up Artist, Bambbi Fuentes use this on her clients.   

Another thing I loved is their shades. Having able to try S41, I have an idea on their color equivalents on Naturactor and MC. Check out the photo below:

This is just an idea okay?

Again, this is just my theory though. I like how they have darker shades as they really come off ghostly when you think you're using the 'right shade'. I personally pick shades that look darker for me because those turn out to be just right. I like 152 in MC collection better because I don't look like I have any makeup on and I have even skintone. I use my arm as my basis for this btw. 

I want to look as natural as I can and for me, the purpose of using foundation and concealer is not to draw attention on your blemishes and zits. You do the opposite when you use a lighter shade on your face. Plus it's a dead giveaway that you have makeup on or you have a lighter face than the rest of your body. Both are not flattering IMO.  ♥

Meiko Cover Face: Naturactor, Octard and MC Collection

 You know the drill... Click to enlage and open in new tab for a larger image. ♥

♥♥♥

What are the Yellow and Green Concealer Correctors used for?

What are these things used for EXACTLY anyway?

I've been asking that question to myself lately as I have been questioning if the green one was worth buying.

Basically, these are corrector concealers. You use these before you use your regular concealer and/or foundation. They say these are for redness and other discolorations. But what discolorations are supposed to be used for exactly?

Good thing there's this nifty function in photoshop where you can invert the color to see it's exact opposite.  

Lo' and behold the true shades that they are meant to cancel out:

 Inverted shades

Looks like Yellow cancels the Bluer purple hues and green cancels out the reddish purple hues. G

This means Yellow can brighten the skin with less power over redness. It will just remove the dark bluish hues from your complexion. Good for freckles and blemishes. This will also do great for the undereye as it will remove darkness and will not add blue that can darken it more.

And the Green will be better at removing the pulplish shades. Good for reddish discolorations such as pimples and red blemishes as well as reddish bruises.

So how does it look when canceled?

50% opacity of the Inverted color over the original image:

30% opacity of the Inverted color over the original image:

70%opacity of the Inverted color over the original image:

Ofcourse, this varies too as your skintone will also be a factor. You'd probably get something near white when done correctly. That's when you'll cover it with your skintone's shade of the cover face you have. Others like to set it with powder first. 

Goodluck!!! ♥

Meiko Naturactor Cover Face and MC Collection Review + Swatches

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I was going to say that I owe my "Aunt" a huge favor but then I just recently found out that she's not actually an "Aunt" but just my COUSIN!! Talk about shock! O.o
Anyways, the photos from the Meiko Store are from her.

She and my cousin err... niece went to the Meiko Store in Kofu, Japan just to buy my stuff that I kept raving about!

When I get hyped about a product I always do my research if it has fakes or what etc. And so I was looking for Meiko's official website from Japan but the Malaysian branch's website was the only thing popping up and finally this: http://www.meikocosmetics.co.jp/catalog_e/index.html

Which got me confused because the copyright at the bottom says 2003-2009 only and I thought "did they got bankrupt or something?" Until the next day their site finally popped up! But there was a problem...

Check it out: http://www.meikocosmetics.co.jp/

Everything's in Japanese!!! Even Google translate wasn't enough because a lot of the texts are images. ;(

It did helped though.

I searched the site looking for the Naturactor Cover Face concealer foundation and the only thing I found was this: http://meikoshop.com/53_mccf.html

That was the nearest thing I could find to what I was looking for and so I panicked! Is the white Naturactor fake?! Because that's the only thing that my cousin in Japan found and she said she looked everywhere even online! Then I thought to myself: "Could this be a new packaging?"

Good thing I got to talk to someone (who is staying in Japan) on a forum and found out that the white one is really not shown in their website and can only be bought in their stores or through phone and fax. It was their first version of the concealer foundation and it was used by celebrities in the Philippines for quite some time. No one knew their secret until they endorsed it in Instagram and when they did a lot of people got curious and went GAGA for it!

Check them out! Photos from Georgina Sasha : https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.617777061567118.1073741841.578038115541013&type=3

Now who wouldn't want to look like these pretty celebrities? There's even been rumors that most if not all ABS CBN celebrities use this! We all know how flawless their makeup looks like on TV, right?

 A little overview about the Meiko Cover Face products:

According to my research....

 NATURACTOR Cover Face concealer foundation is the First version and also the cheapest. This is the much RAVED about product here in the Philippines. It is said to not contain any sunscreen thus no white cast in pictures! ♥

Price: I got mine for 825 Yen/ 361PHP. Local prices range from P550- P1200 

Ingredients: Jojoba Oil - improve dry and flaky skin. 

Mica - moisture your skin,in smaller portions will still offer this benefit for youthful looking skin without the added irritation. 

Tocopherol, Vitamin E - improving metabolism and immune system skin. 

Swatches from Meiko Malaysia: http://meikocosmeticsmalaysia.blogspot.com/2012/10/meiko-naturactor-cover-face.html

I think these are not consistent as these are too dark and purplish so I edited them a bit to better show their true colors:

The OCTARD Cover Foundation is the second and improved version of the Cover Face from Meiko. The price is a bit higher than Naturactor. It is said to be more moist and has UV protection and protects against sweat and water. 

Price: Meiko shop: 840 Yen.  Local sellers: P850-P950 (so far)

(From Meiko Japan website) Contains: Squalane agent scattering ultraviolet (moisturizing ingredient)

(From Meiko Malaysia website) Ingredients: Hyaluronic acid, Royal jelly extract preparation, Honey 

(From http://www.cosdna.com) Titanium (IV) oxide, Cyclopentasiloxane, Mica,  C14-15 Dialkyl Carbonate, Iron Oxides, Polyetheyline, Dextrin Palmitate, Squalene, Vitamin E, Amuminum Hydroxide, Stearic acid, Propylparaben, Butyl Paraben. 

Judging from the ingredients this version seems to be best for dry skin (though they say it's for all skin types )and has UV protection unlike the previous version which is Naturactor.

I also browsed the shades of this and they all seemed pinkish but there's a yellow concealer that can help "warm-up" the color for those with yellowish or warm skintone. Now I get why my cousin has the yellow and a skintone shade of this as the SA of Meiko used both on her.

Swatch from meikocosmetics.com.my

And finally the MC COLLECTION is the third and latest version of the Cover Face. The priciest of the three. It is said to have the best formulation of the three and is made for sensitive and acne prone skin! The texture is said to be creamy and silky. 

Price: Meiko shop: 1,260 yen, I got mine for 1,360 Yen/594PHP.  Local stores sell them for P850-P1000 (so far)

(From Meiko Japan Website) Contains: VCIP <persistent oil-soluble vitamin C derivative> Tetraisopalmitate ascorbyl] (moisturizing ingredient), jojoba seed oil (moisturizing ingredient)

(From Meiko Japan Website) Ingredients labeling:

Kishirudekan ascorbyl, polyethelene, ethylhexyl, methoxycinnamate, tocopherol, fragrance myristate isocetyl, mica, poly (methyl methacrylate), malic acid diisotearyl, oleic acid Porigureiriru - 2, carnauba wax, candelilla wax, jojoba seed oil, to tetra, t-butyl methoxy dibenzoyl methane, butyl paraben, propyl paraben, (+/-) titanium oxide, iron oxide, hydroxide, A1, blue 404

Also from Meiko website Japan: Feature: 

Ingredients derived from vitamin humidity retention]

VCIP <persistent oil-soluble vitamin C derivative> (Tetraisopalmitate ascorbyl)

and I make treatment while hiding and two millet and trace? stain freckles.

Err...I think they mean to say that it helps treat acne(millet?), blemishes and freckles while hiding them...

The [humidity retention vegetable (emollient) ingredient]

Jojoba seed oil

so as to extend smoothly on the skin and does not dry not it like powder.

Uhm, I guess this is to prolong the smoothness on the skin and so that it doesn't cake(?) or dry like powder. 

Swatches and image below from Meiko website

I also searched for reviews but there was no local reviews about MC Collection and Octard. I only found some Malaysian reviews that I struggled to understand with Google translate again. 

Having sensitive acne prone skin I got curious about the MC Collection. Aside from the ingredients I noticed that they have the widest color range. I haven't seen a Naturator concealer in person nor do I know my MAC shade so I got crazy and bought almost all the shades!!! O.o That's all shades in Naturactor + the 2 darker shades in MC Collection!

But alas! The green one in the Naturactor was out of stock so I got the one from MC! So now I have 4 Naturactors and 3 MC Collection. Ah, the painter side of me must've made me get all shades! I loooooveee blending! I plan to paint mah face! Weeeeeeeeeeeeee!!! But bad move! I didn't get the yellow!!!!

 TT.TT 

Even if I don't get to use all colors on my face it's okay since I sometimes do makeup on other people too. ;p

I know that the shades of naturactor are very light and I really wanted more options because not everyone here in the Philippines are that light.

I asked my cousin what the darker shades looked like from the MC Collection. I figured I can mix the shades. EXCITING!!!! XD

This is the shade 150 and is the darkest.

This one is the shade 152 and the second darkest. 

Do you see how close it is on the color of her hand? I know my cousin has light skin. I really felt this one is my shade!

And finally, my LOOT from the Meiko Counter!!! ♥.♥

And now these are the pictures I took when I got my babies!

Here is my review as promised!

First off, I just got these yesterday and took initial swatches last night and it turned out the shade 152 from MC collection as my perfect match. I took a shower this morning using Tokyo Love Soap original and I was surprised that 152 looked a little dark on me today. Did I get lighter THAT fast?

Anyways here are the swatches. The Naturactor shades I have are 130, 140, 141 and 151 while the MC Collection shades I have are 171(green),152 and 150.

Meiko

Naturactor Face Cover and MC Collection Swatches

Click image to enlarge. Open image in new tab for even bigger image. ♥

As you can see, my veins appear green as I have yellow undertones. The Naturactor shade 151 seemed to be a better match this time than 152 of MC Collection. I think my shade in the between the two. I'll try mixing them to get my perfect shade. :)

Today I tried a little experiment, I used naturactor 151 on the left side of my face and the MC Collection shade 152 on my right to see their difference.

                                   Naturactor                                                    MC Collection

SMELL           ♥♥♥♥                                                                     ♥♥♥♥
                        Faint chin chun su-like that doesn't bother me          Faint too and slightly more citrus scent

TEXTURE       ♥♥♥♥                                                                    ♥♥♥♥
                       Differs with each shade                                            Differs with each shade

FINISH           ♥♥♥♥♥                                                                 ♥♥♥♥♥
                       Matte natural finish                                                   Matte but slightly satiny and more natural looking

PRICE             ♥♥♥                                                                         ♥♥
                        825 Yen/ 361 Pesos                                               1360Yen/ 594 Pesos
         

AVAILABILITY    ♥♥♥                                                                    ♥♥
                        Japan and Local online Sellers                                Japan and very few Local Sellers

COVERAGE      ♥♥♥♥                                                                     ♥♥♥♥

FEEL                 ♥♥♥♥♥                                                                   ♥♥♥♥♥+♥
                           Very light on my skin as if I don't have make-up at all!





I'll update you guys with more pictures (with better lighting) of swatches, my face (maybe) with before and after application, and more verdict or result changes if there will be and detailed description of each color. :)

I also probably missed a lot of things lol! Newbe Reviewer here! ;p Comment away on any questions you want to ask me and if you have any suggestions please let me know! :)

Til' my next update! ♥