SMASH! 2013 Anime and Manga Convention incl. Competition pics (Part 4)

Hey folks, here's the next installment of our coverage of Smash! If you've just found this post, be sure to check out Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3 too!

Let's continue with Part 4 !!! In the last post we were ankle deep in the cosplay competition. Let's see some more action from the comp! 

Sword Online character Asuna Yuuki

 More of the group called love, as they perform a dance routine :P

T&B- Lunatic

Panty & Stockings

One Piece group cosplay (host gets sidetracked lol)

Porco Rosso - sadly didn't do a flip

More crazyness as boa cosplayer gets help off stage hehe :)

Fairy Tail- Erza Scarlet (Lighting Empress armor)

Well what do you think so far? Have you got a favourite yet? There's still more pics to come so stay tuned.

SMASH! 2013 Anime and Manga Convention incl. Competition pics (Part 3)

Hey there guys - here are more pics from SMASH! 2013 for you to enjoy as well as some news we uncovered during the day  :) In cased you missed our previous posts, be sure to check out Part 1 and Part 2 of our coverage!

More pics after the jump!

AKA Cosmetics @ Market City

So Mum and I both love our cosmetics and after trying out the taste of cho for lunch we had a look around at AKA Cosmetics. They stock a big range of Japanese makeup and skincare products, as well as hair dye. So if you've been wondering "where can you buy Japanese beauty products in Sydney?" then this is one place. 

 

They had a sale on for some of their products and Mum scored some face toner and neck lotion for $10 each and also got me my very first mascara from Japan! Yay! So excited to try it out. Looked like a lot of their non-sale products are a bit expensive compared to buying from sasa or eBay so unless you need it in a hurry I recommend only going there to see what's on sale. I got pulled in by the kawaii packaging of the mascara and couldn't help myself but you guys should be very careful of their prices. I had a brain explosion when I got home and found out the prices online were at least half! 0.o Still.. if I like the mascara I can buy it online next time (unless I see it on sale somewhere in a shop).

 

 

Look at the pretty glossy bag! (and that's my dog Minky in the background. Say hi!)

Check out the girly packaging! Love it! Squeeeee! Looking forward to doing a review of this. Looks like the brush has a unique shape to it. And it's apparently waterproof - we'll see how waterproof it is when I test it out... (cause of the way my eyelids close, mascara usually ends up smudging and giving me panda eyes if it isn't waterproof - anyone else feel my pain?)

Quick photo of the back of the packaging - quite a bit of marketing hype (as to be expected). Don't think everyone will "Look like a Brilliant, Sexy Hollywood Star!!" just by using this mascara. According to the English translation on there it gives you volume and length. OK with the waterproof claim, so far that's 3 things to test out.

So who's tried this out? What's good or bad about it? Who's bought stuff from AKA Cosmetics and what did you think of them? Let me know in the comments what you think.

SMASH! 2013 Anime and Manga Convention (Part 2)

Hi everyone, here's my coverage of SMASH! 3013 - You have been warned, there's lots of pics so I'll break it down into several posts! Jess mentioned in Part 1 how it sucked waiting in the queue. And that's where I'll start with our pics (heaps more images after the jump):

More Fun as we get closer to the end of the queue :)

Anyone Been to Hello Happy @ Strathfield?

The kooky looking signage and the tantalising window display of cakes was enough to grab my attention when I passed this little cake shop. Unfortunately I was looking for breakfast so it just wasn't the right time of the day for a piece of cake (unless it's your birthday - then you can eat cake for breakfast lunch and dinner in my books).

Looks good enough for me to want to come back and try it one day. I wonder what flavour the little piggy cake is...

Sangaria Drinks from DAISO

If you want to try out some fruity drinks from Japan you can find them at DAISO. They have these cute mini cans of juice (pictured at the front) and soft drinks too (like the grape one at the back).

The DAISO at Haymarket currently has a special on - 2 drinks for $2.80. Go try them!

Word of advice - the mini cans taste a bit like those poppers you put in your school lunch box, so it's fine if you feel like drinking reconstituted sweet juice. The soft drinks are nicer.

The Taste of Cho Review

Time to review some nom noms. Tried out the "always has a queue of people there" The Taste of Cho down at Market City to see what all the fuss was about. This place specialises in Taiwanese street food. It's on the first floor of Market City, near the big IGA/asian supermarket.

 

Everything comes packaged in plastic, so everyone can see what you bought. Seems to be a bit of a trendy thing now. We got a "2 choices with Rice" for $7.50 and Grass Jelly for $2.00 - Serving size for the 2 choices with rice was ok - compared to what you can get upstairs in the food court it's on par, if not a little bit cheaper.

Above: I picked the kimchi beef (top right) and the mustard leaf pork belly (bottom right). They added a few pickles on the top to garnish - note: they have loads of different pickles and side dishes you can buy separately and take home. As you can see, the dishes look very shiny - it had a nice coating of sauce with lots of flavour. But I realised after I finished it, that the shine is from lots of oil. While I would eat there again, I would probably try and pick something less greasy looking, just for my health.

This is the grass jelly (after half of it was eaten) - not very exciting. Wouldn't bother with it again to be honest. I'd rather go find some ice kachang.

THE TASTE OF CHO
Store K102
Market City
9-13 Hay St
Haymarket NSW 2000

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Trading hours:
Sunday:     10:00am - 7:00pm
Monday:     10:00am - 7:00pm
Tuesday:     10:00am - 7:00pm
Wednesday:     10:00am - 7:00pm
Thursday:     10:00am - 8:00pm
Friday:     10:00am - 7:00pm
Saturday:     10:00am - 7:00pm

A Look Inside DAISO @ Haymarket

Daiso is one of my favourite kawaii shops in Sydney. Especially the one in Haymarket. I love the range of products they have - especially beauty products. Wanna see what it looks like inside? I've got lots of pics for you!

Littlest Pet Shop and My Little Pony Toys

If I were a kid I think I'd probably be spending my pocket money on Littlest Pet Shop and My Little Pony toys.

Looks like Kmart have a nice range of them. Saw these when I was there the other day ^_^ Kawaiiiiiii! Looks like you can find kawaii toys in Sydney - in Kmart!!

Spot the cheap knockoff? Pretty cute for a lookalike don't you think?

Jumbo Sushi Lunch ^ w ^

Popped into the metro today to do some game shopping :) till Grand Theft Auto V comes out! (kycha-yeaah can't wait!). And the tummies be grumbling  (grr grr* ). It was time for some lunch so Jess and I headed to the food court. I felt like something healthy and decided to have some sushi from Sushi Street.  It was sooo good - I forgot exactly what my bento was called! Hehehe it was something-jumbo-combo. Saw the word Jumbo and I was sold! I was very hungry and it was delicious : D There were 3 types in there -  chicken and cucumber, chicken and avocado and last of all, tempura prawn and wasabi.

Check out the chicken and avocado sushi - it was HUGE! The serving size was pretty good - I'd go there again.

Sushi Street - In the food court opposite McDonalds
Marrickville Metro Shopping Centre
34 Victoria Road,
Marrickville
New South Wales 2204

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TRADING HOURS
Mon - Wed      9:00am - 5:30pm
Thurs      9:00am - 9:00pm
Fri      9:00am - 5:30pm
Sat      9:00am - 5:00pm
Sun     10:00am - 4:00pm

DAISO Citisuper Review

I'm a big fan of DAISO so I thought I would check out their store near Town Hall Station in the Citigroup building. First impressions are that it looks like a giant asian grocery store from the front - with fast food at the front of it. It's kind of strange, cause it doesn't really scream out DAISO from the front at all.

Breadtop @ Town Hall Station

This type of store is familiar to most asians but if you're new to it you should definitely try it out. Breadtop is a bakery chain store (kinda like Baker's Delight) that specialises in asian-style cakes and pastries. Unlike western-style bakeries, you serve yourself and pay before you leave.

How it works:

1. When you enter, collect a tray and a pair of tongs for picking up your bakery treats (Do not use your hands!)
2. Each tray has something different on offer - usually there is a little description label at the front of each tray telling you what it is and the price per pastry/bun/cake 
3. If you want something, slide open the cabinet and take what you want (best etiquette here is to decide which one you want and grab the one you want directly. Please don't pick one up then put it back)
4. Slide the cabinet closed
5. Repeat till you have all you want. There is no minimum or maximum at these places, so you can just get one to try if you like.
6. Take your tray and tongs to the counter and pay.
7. If you're after something more delicate like their slices of cake, or whole cakes, you can ask for it at the counter and they will package it for you. I recommend the cake that looks like a puppy dog (sounds weird, but it's really cute). I had one at my birthday and it was delish!

There are also items that are pre-packaged in take home bags, like little buns and bread loaves. Just pick up what you want and pay for it with your tray. Same goes for things in the self-serve fridge - Breadtop make icecream and cream-filled crepes that are quite yummy.

Check out more about Breadtop at their website. They are everywhere in Sydney now. It's almost as prolific as the frozen yogurt places sprouting up around Sydney.

Cute Lolly Shop Candy Licious @ Westfield Burwood

Spotted this lolly shop down at the Burwood Westfield Shopping Centre. Check out the giant lollypop tree - hard to miss. The lollies look fresh and colourful - very tempting! Their lollies are sold by weight so you can choose what you like and mix it up. They probably do good business being across from the cinema.

Candy Licious is located on the ground floor (Level G) of the Burwood Westfield Shopping Centre.
You'll find it almost directly opposite the entrance to the cinemas.

Burwood Westfield
100 Burwood Rd, Burwood
NSW 2134

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Shopping Centre Trading Hours
Monday - Wednesday  9.00am - 5.30pm
Thursday    9.00am - 9.00pm
Friday    9.00am - 5.30pm
Saturday    9.00am - 5.00pm
Sunday    10.00am - 5.00pm

Haigh's Chocolates @ Queen Victoria Building

If you love chocolate then check this out. Spotted these cute Panda chocolate blocks at Haighs at the QVB. OK it's expensive at $9.60 each, but they sure are cute, and there is 125g of it :P (note: for some reason it is more expensive on their website at $10.25 - not sure why)

You can check out their website here.

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Shop 52 (Ground Floor)
Queen Victoria Building
455 George Street
Sydney NSW 2000

Spring is here! Cherry Blossoms Spotted Blooming in Botany

Spotted these gorgeous cherry blossoms in bloom when I was visiting a friend in Botany. Kind of strange to see amongst the suburbia of Botany. It was a pleasant surprise to see this splash of pink amongst lots of concrete footpaths.

Norton Plaza Sushi Review

 

So a couple of weeks ago it was my Mum's birthday and we had spent the morning in Sydney's largest bead shop (which Mum and I both love to bits) and for lunch we walked down the road to Leichhardt's famous Norton Street, which is known for it's Italian cuisine. And this is what we ended up having for lunch :P

Cheap Pastel Sneakers at Kmart

Pastels are still a big trend in Japan - it's so girly and fun. I was so surprised when I spotted these cute pastel converse-style sneakers in my local Kmart for $9 a pair. Perfect for Spring! Cheap enough that you could get a few colours/patterns.  Bargain buy or what? I've spent more on lunch.

 They also had some cute sand shoes in mint, baby pink and navy polka dot!

I gotta say that Kmart has improved a lot lately in terms of affordable and fashionable items. It used to be that everything was ugly or ill-fitting. Now it's fun to shop there. There's always something different every week and if you're clever about what you buy, you can get a good deal. I'm not saying everything in there is top-notch. Just saying there's good value shopping there (and who isn't watching their dollars and cents nowadays anyways?).

SMASH! 2013 Anime and Manga Convention (Part 1)

 

Last month I went to my first anime and manga convention with my brother. It was also my first time in cosplay! Yeeha! What better way to kick off our blog than a post about SMASH! 2013 held at Darling Harbour Convention Centre on Saturday 10th August 2013.