Palty Hair Dye

So... One of my big concerns with moving to Japan was how I was going to dye my hair!? (I know... Such a big problem). I have been dying my hair pretty much none stop since I was 10 so I didn't really feel like stopping now! Plus my hair is pretty long and I haaaaate regrowth! 

I was using Lush henna for a little while a kinder alternative (which is also available in Japan, although crazy expensive!) but the colour wasn't vibrant enough and I was all mismatched thanks to the mix of henna and old chemical dye!

I was fed up.

So I went to my local drug store and picked up a couple of boxes of Japanese home dye!

I read lots and lots of reviews on Japanese hair dyes before going into this. I also wasn't expecting much. I'd heard that it fades quickly and doesn't work well in western hair, not getting the right colour/ drying it out/etc. But I thought I'd give it a go!

Here is my review.

 

So I went for Palty and a foam dye because it's meant to be easy (which it was!) The shade was  きいちごジャム (raspberry jam) and looked super cute on the box.

In the box you get...

 

 

                                 A mixing cup.                                      Developer.

                                                     and a tube of colour.

                                        Also gloves, instructions and conditioner! 

Note that the instructions are all in Japanese. I found some English ones on the internet, but the pictures kind of give you the general idea! (I also bought two boxes because I have pretty long hair!)

(Basically throw it all in the cup, mix and when it's all mixed together in a foam slap it in your hair for a bit! haha)

The smell was okay and the process was pretty simple but the results were rubbish!!!! It barely changed my hair at all! and didn't make it anything like the colour on the box *la sigh*

Below are the results. In different light.

There was a slight colour change at the roots but it was barely noticeable.

So overall! It sucked haha. 

I will say that the conditioner was lovely!

(After all this I just gave in and went to a hair salon! It was suuuuper pricey but totally worth it. I'll blog about that later...)

Cat Cafe in Osaka!

I've neglected this blog for far too long!!!

So I was feeling kitty withdrawal symptoms the other day and my friend was coming up to Osaka, the inevitable result was a trip to a Cat Cafe. Apparently the first cat cafe that opened in Japan!

I took a ton a photographs and spent the hour cuddling as many cats as I could get my hands on! Here are the results!

 This guy was waking up for no one! But he did roll over a couple of times and flash his little kitty belly!

 

 

 

 This guy did not move from his prominent spot up on the wall. He did stick his tongue out a couple of times though!

 This guy was quite... unusual looking. Very thin, with long legs, like a sphinx cat but with really pretty colouring!

 I am in love with this cat!!! He is SO BIG! The biggest cat I have ever seen. You can't really tell from these photos but some of the others in this post give  better idea. He was so soft, like a big ol' teddy bear!

 BIG!!

 TUMMY!!!

 TOUCH THE TUMMYNESS! There are two of this cat... Does that make sense? haha. I think they were related. Both incredibly cute and both didn't move much haha. Lazy!

So here he is next to the unusual cat! SO BIG! They sat like that for quite a while. Was really cute. They drew most of the attention from the customers! 

 Everything the light touches...

 Okay! My bed! Bugger off!

 A few of the cats had their tails cut in an interesting tassel shape... I found it hilarious! (poor kitties!)

 And of course some interesting Engrish.

 Big cuddly giant! I LOOOOVE YOOOOU!

 

They had a board with photos of the cats and their names. They also had photo albums dotted round with profiles for all the cats. (Not that I could really read them! lol) They also had notebooks that you could leave messages in! I thought it was cute and left my own message complete with drawings. Standard.

 

So the cafe is called 'Neko No Jikan' (Cafe with lots of cats...?) and is situated in Namba! You can easily find it on google and use google maps to get the best route. I think it is actually closest to Yotsubashi station, but I met my friend at Namba and we walked from there which took around 10 minutes. We used google maps and didn't get lost! Yay! It is pretty easy to find.

When you go in, you take off your shoes and sign in at the counter. There are three options! A, one hour with the cats for ¥1000, B, hour with the cats plus a drink for ¥1250 or C, hour with the cats plus a drink and cake for ¥1500. We opted for just the hour with the cats because we had just come from Burger King! Haha. Plus I wanted to optimise my time with the kitties! Therefore I can't comment on the food or beverages.

The staff are friendly. The girl at the counter spoke a little English but you don't really need to say much anyway. Just point at which option! Then it's cat time!

Definitely going to go bck in the future! I need regular kitty therapy!