Road Trip to Mitsuwa Market! (First Impressions Haul Review)

Authors:

Sara

Rosa

***This review is not sponsored. Everything written is our own opinions, and if you are to use any of these products remember YMMV. 

 

Over the weekend we made our way to a Japanese market called Mitsuwa in New Jersey. The marketplace itself is a giant grocer, surrounded with food stalls, a bookshop, a Shiseido cosmetic store, and some small other shops. We love to go here every couple months to treat ourselves to authentic Japanese food and products that are hard to find elsewhere in the U.S. We would go more often, but its about a two and half hour drive, so we make sure to stock up when do go. We thought this time around we would share some of the cool stuff with bought with you guys!

Our first stop is usually at Omusubi Gonbei for some well deserved onigiri after our long drive, but after that, we made a bee-line over to the grocer for a quick look at the cosmetics. Quick look. HA!

This trip is the first time we’ve been to Mitsuwa since our Asian beauty obsession possessed us, and it took everything in our power not to throw every pretty bottle of cleansing oil or moisturizer in our basket. After a deep breath, and stowing our twitchy spending palms away, we took a great amount of time with each product that caught our eye, making sure to do a little research before actually committing.

Cleansing Haul

Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil (Sara)- This is a makeup removing cleansing oil that is meant to help remove impurities from pores. I have yet to try it, but I picked it up mainly because it had the word deep in the name. I am currently using Holika Holika’s Soda Pore B.B. Deep Cleansing Oil and was curious how this one would compare. Also, it looked like it had a thicker consistency than most of the other options, which is a quality in cleansing oils that I prefer.

Cow Brand Mutenka Cleansing Oil (Rosa)-This is an oil cleanser that I was slightly hesitant to buy. There are a few irritants in it that may not work well for every skin type. I’ve used it for about three days and so far it has removed all my pesky eyeliner and mascara (I wear a lot of both) and has made my face look bright and clear after I wash it off.

B & C Cleansing Research Make Up Cleansing Wash with AHA (Sara)- This is a creamy, slightly exfoliating cleanser that is great for helping remove any excess makeup from your face after oil cleansing. I was drawn to this cleanser because of the AHA actives it is supposed to have in it. I have tried it and have to say I really like it so far. It is not overly exfoliating and it doesn’t leave my face feeling tight afterward. Also, it smells just like freshly cut apples, which makes me love it even more.

 B & C Cleansing Research Oil Free Make Up Cleansing Water with AHA (Sara) – This is a cleansing water that is meant to remove make up and soften skin. I was also drawn to this one because of the AHA actives it is supposed to have in it. I tried this one twice and plan to keep using it, as I have had good results so far. I used it once as a makeup remover and was satisfied to see that it easily removed all my eye makeup ,which included waterproof mascara. I also used it one morning to wash my face, because I have been experimenting with using cleansing water in the morning instead of face wash. It didn’t over strip my skin and left no residue. This product also has the same amazing freshly cut apple smell as the cleansing wash, which I love.

Mask Haul

Lululun’s Moisture Sheet Masks (Both)- These sheet masks were the first thing we threw into our cart. They contain great ingredients such as; royal honey, hyaluronic acid, polyglutamic acid and soybean extract. They are thin, simple sheet masks that are easy to use on the go, or if you wanted something basic but moisturizing for everyday use.

My Beauty Diary’s Bird Nest sheet Masks (Rosa)– I have used MBD once before, when I ordered a skincare package from Beauteque. I really enjoy that the packages are overflowing with essence; enough to use all over your body or to even contain in something for another night. I chose the bird’s nest masks because they are suppose to be filled with a lot of antioxidants, amino-acids, and numerous other things that are get for the skin and body.

Choosy Lip Masks (Both)- These lip masks have a gel consistency and are meant to moisten and plump lips. The effects are long lasting, but they are nice if you are having a particularly dry lip day and need a pick me up.

Book and Magazine Haul

Ray Magazine (Sara)- This is the hair edition of a Japanese fashion magazine and has 700 different hair styles pictured in it. I like to get my hair cut often and love having lots of style references, because I usually get a different cut every time I go to the hairdresser. So, every time we go to Mitsuwa, I make it a habit to pick up a new hair magazine. This one is the third in my collection.

Bessatu Margaret Magazine (Rosa)-I picked up this volume because it held a lot of different manga stories that I’m currently getting into. (Wolf Girl and Black Prince, Gal Jopan x Osomatsu-san). The magazine itself is a spin-off of the bi-weekly Shojo magazine, Margaret. The Magazine also offers other titles that I’m interested in like Kimi ni Todoke, Sensei Kunshu, Rainbow Days, and My Love Story!!

Tsubaki Chou Lonely Planet Vol. 1 &2 (Rosa)-I’ve been following this manga quite religiously lately. The art is beautiful, the story is great, and sensei is hot. (I can’t help it.) Though I can’t read it word for word, I like supporting the creator and hope that in purchasing these volumes I’ll be helping the series and bringing good luck to my OTP (Please let her end up with Sensei.)

Food Haul

Obviously, we couldn’t leave Mitsuwa without stocking up on some of our favorite snacks. Red bean pancakes are simple and sweet, and taste really good if you throw them in the microwave or toaster oven for a few seconds, just so they get a bit warm. Throw in some ramen and soba noodles, pocky, matcha green tea lollipops, and lychee  gummies, peach gummies, and some honey butter potato chips and we’ve got plenty of fun things to snack on while we blog! The green, orange, and pink sticks you see are sorbert pops that we tried out last summer, they taste better than any American pops we’ve tried, and are a great way to cool off while watching dramas (we’re currently watching “Cheese in the Trap”).

Mitsuwa Marketplace is a wonderful Japanese market that we highly recommend you guys try out if there is one near you. There are several Mitsuwa Marketplaces in the U.S., so if you don’t live near the one in New Jersey no worries. We’ll leave the link below so you guys can check out their locations and what they have to offer.

Mitsuwa Marketplace Website Link

Comment below to let us know your favorite Japanese products and what you think we should try out the next time we go to Mitsuwa!