Afternoon Tea at The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo

For Mother's Day I took my mom to the Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo for afternoon tea. The Ritz-Carlton, Tokyo offers several different afternoon tea sets at their Lobby Lounge & Bar located on the 45th floor. This wasn't my first time for their afternoon tea, I had been here three times before with my friends. It is the perfect place to go with your girlfriends or mothers whether it be for a special ocassion (birthday, holiday, etc.) or if it's just to catch up. 

The items included in the sets change periodically. I'm not sure how often, but every time I have visited, the menu has always been different. You can check the current menu here at the Ritz-Carlton website; however, I noticed that the menu was slightly different from the one listed on their website. Like always, we ordered the Heavenly Tea, which is the cheapest of the three sets offered (Heavenly Tea, The Ritz-Carlton Afternoon Tea, and Artistry Afternoon Tea). This set is 4,300 yen per person not including tax and a service charge. The set also comes with either Ritz-carlton exclusive blended coffee or tea. 

Top tier: framboise-vanilla macaron, lemon tart, chocolate eclair, blueberry cheesecake, and passionfruit mousse

Middle tier: ham & cucumber sandwich, tuna sandwich, smoked salmon potato canapé, froie gras mousse with dried strawberry on bread, cold white asparagus soup, and cheese on toasted bread

Bottom tier: raisin and lemon scones with clotted cream

close up of the top tier

Passionfruit mousse and Framboise-vanila macaron

I really love the atmosphere of The Ritz-Carlton Lobby Lounge & Bar and would definitely recommend it. Since it is on he 45th floor there is a magnificent view of the city. The cost of the heavenly tea is very reasonable. I have been to several other places that serve their own afternoon tea sets and the prices usually vary between 2,000 yen- 4,000 yen. The selling points of the Ritz-carlton is that the tea is unlimited, the food is much better than the average afternoon tea set, and the food is actually quite filling. The service is usually very good every time I have gone, but this time it was not very good. Usually, the waiter refills my tea before I have even finished, but this time the waiter hardly came by. Also, they were hard to flag down when we wanted to order and get the check. In addition, I had made a reservation about a month in advance through their website and had requested a window seat, but we did not get it and they made no acknowledgment of it when we arrived. 

Overall rating: 4/5

Price: $$$

Service:3/5

5 Best Things To Buy During Sephora's VIB Sales

Currently, the Sephora VIB 15% off event is going on (April 3, 2014-April 11, 2014) and I was inspired to do a post about the 5 best things to buy during Sephora sales. Sephora also has another 20% off sale every November. These are the best times to take advantage of the savings and stock up on the things you use regularly or buy some of the more expensive products you have been eyeing out, but have always hesitant to try because of the price point. 

1. Clarisonic Mia2 (Retail Price: ~$150) OR any Clarisonic Skin Care Device

This is the best time to purchase a Clarisonic skin care device. When I did a comparison of discounts offered from different places I could purchase the device I found that the 20% off offered by Sephora was the best deal. **I would warn against purchasing your Clarisonic from Amazon, as I have read several reviews warning about fake versions being sold. In addition to that, Sephora offers many different special offer bundles that allows you to try out different cleansers/skin care items that can be used along with the device. I purchased this particular bundle during last November's sale and paid ~$120.

2. Clarisonic Replacement Brush Heads 

If you own a Clarisonic then there is no doubt that you will need to repurchase the brush heads, so why not buy them ahead of time when they are on sale? It is also a good time to try out the Luxe Facial Brush Heads if you haven't already!

3. BeautyBlender 2pack (Retail Price: $28.95)

I'm sure you've all heard the hype about the BeautyBlender. I've tried many dupes, but they just don't compare to the original. Save extra by buying the twin pack on top of the 15% or 20% discount. My favorite is the black version because I find that it looks the least dirty after use. 

4. Givenchy Teint Couture Long-Wearing Compact Foundation SPF 10 PA++ (Retail Price: $55) OR Any High-end Foundation

I absolutely love this foundation for its flawless finish. While I do think it is worth its price, I love saving even more. If you were hesitant to try this foundation before because of the price point or even any other high-end foundation, now is your best chance and I'm sure you won't regret it! Some other foundations I also recommend are Urban Decay's Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Makeup and GIVENCHY Teint Couture Long-Wearing Fluid Foundation Broad Spectrum SPF 20.

5. Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette (Retail Price: $28) OR Any Other Palette You Have Been Eyeing

Every girl should own this palette and what better excuse to buy it than when there is a sale?

Jill Stuart Airy Tint CC Cream Review & Swatches

   

    

The Jill Stuart Airy Tint CC Cream first made its debut in Japan on March 7, 2014. It comes in two shades: 01 light floral beige and 02 natural floral beige. There is 30mL or 1.1 oz. of product for 3,200 JPY or about $32 (USD). The product claims that it is a "CC cream that replenishes skin with moisturizing benefit and provides natural coverage that conceals pores and imperfections. Helps reduce shine for a pure, even-toned and translucent complexion." In addition, there is SPF30/PA++ so you don't need to apply sunscreen when wearing this product.  

I was curious to try a CC cream after seeing many different cosmetic companies releasing their own versions. To be honest, I don't know much about CC creams and their difference between BB creams, tinted moisturizers, etc. except for the fact that they are supposed to color correct. 

I purchased the 02 natural floral beige. Unlike many BB creams, which sometimes have a grey tint to them, this CC cream has a nice yellow undertone to it. The color range is of course quite small; however, I feel that it will match many Asian skin tones, as well as people with light to medium skin tones. Even if this product may be a little light for some, it can easily be fixed by setting it with a darker powder.

When applying this product, I noticed the pleasant floral smell. The fragrance is very light and not overpowering, so if you don't like scented products it shouldn't be a problem because the scent fades away shortly after application. 

 Before: Bare Face 

                                          After: Product applied with fingers

As you can see, there is a brightening effect to this product. It gives a light-medium coverage that can be built up with a second application. It definitely blurs the appearance of pores and hides imperfections, but doesn't cover them completely. If you really want to hide all imperfections, I suggest using a concealer with this product. This CC cream gives a natural, your skin but better finish. It is great for those with normal to oily skin, like myself, and gives a semi-matte finish throughout the day. I noticed that my skin looked less oily throughout the day when wearing this product. I have been reaching for this product ever since I purchased it even ignoring my high-end foundations (Chanel & Givenchy). I adore the natural, effortless finish it gives me and it has quickly become an HG (holy grail) favorite of mine.

Swatches in natural outdoor lighting

OVERALL:

• Rating: 4 out of 5 
• Perfect for Spring and Summer
• Great for controlling oil and minimizing pores
• Natural Finish

Cons

• Hard to find outside of Japan
• Cannot get full coverage with this product alone
• Small color range

If you've tried this product, let me know what you thought about it below. :)