JVlog #7: Japanese Jewellery Haul

Good Day Everyone,

In this Japan vlog I take you jewellery shopping. This is not shopping for traditional Japanese jewellery but more of what's available in the shopping malls. Japanese women tend to have a very feminine dress style and this is reflected in the jewellery styles available. The jewellery tends to be very delicate and dainty looking. Most jewellery pieces are silver or gold in colour and there are a lot of pearls (real or otherwise).

In the department stores such as Takashimaya (think John Lewis in England) there are independent jewellery makers selling their own unique pieces and these tend to be more colourful and often larger pieces, kind of like statement necklaces. We also have stores such as H&M and Zara which are great for statement necklaces as well as slightly more delicate pieces, although not quite as delicate and fragile looking as those in the local Japanese jewellery stores.

Something that I did find particularly interesting was that in all of the local Japanese jewellery stores there was a huge selection of earrings available for those that don't have their ears pierced. I was truly surprised by the sheer volume and diversity of the styles/designs available.

Its been a long time since I bought any new jewellery and so I picked up a few pieces. You can see more about the Japanese jewellery stores in the vlog above.

Store: Shazbot Karako / Cost: 1,620 Yen

My favourite piece is this necklace that I picked up from a store called Shazbot Karako which are two separate stores (Shazbot and Karako) that share the same shop space so I'm not quite sure which store the necklace belongs to, but it's located in the Bay Quarter mall in Yokohama. I love that the stars are different colours and the copper colour is especially pretty. The stones in the centre of each star catch the light beautifully and sparkle.

The stars are not fixed onto the chain as they're threaded onto the chain from the back, and move independently of one another. I can actually remove the stars from the chain which gives me the flexibility to wear all three or just two or one of the stars as the pendant. The chain is a fixed length and so I did try the necklace on in the store just to ensure I was happy with it.

I picked up two pairs of long dangle earrings as I have quite a lot of stud earrings. The first pair are these silver twists which look really pretty against my dark hair when I wear it down.

Store: Puretre / Costs: 1,080 Yen

The second pair are three gold coloured diamond shapes that hang within each other. Both of the earrings I bought are nickel free and were clearly labelled as such in English on the packaging. Most of the jewellery pieces I bought were labelled as 'made in Japan'. I tried to ask the sales assistants in the stores whether the jewellery I was buying was hand or machine made but my lack of Japanese and their lack of English didn't make for a fruitful conversation.

Store: Guilty / Cost: 1,404 Yen

I also picked up the four rings below. I'll be honest, I haven't worn many rings over the last few years due to me feeling particularly self conscious about my arthritic fingers with their slightly deformed joints and my unsightly psoriatic nails. I haven't liked to draw attention to my hands but this is something that I'm trying to overcome as I do actually like rings. So I'm trying not to let my own insecurities about my fingers and nails get the better of me because this is just part and parcel of the disease that I suffer from :o).

Store: Puretre / Cost: 2,268 Yen - Store: 3 Coins / Cost: 324 Yen - Store: Before the Boom / Cost: 1,190 Yen - Store: Before the Boom / Cost: 1,400 Yen

The first ring that I picked up was a gold floral cutout ring with a flower in it's centre. This fits on both my index finger and my thumbs and I love the swirly pattern either side of the centre flower. The second ring I got was from the 3 Coins shop which was an absolute bargain. It is a dirty gold colour band with leaves. I love it's simplicity and colour. The next ring is one that I've had my eye on for a couple of weeks and the store was actually having a 30% off sale on the day I went shopping and so naturally I took that as a sign ;o). It's a pale coppery colour and I love the design around the stones. It looks quite Aztec-y to me. It is a pinky ring that's a bit too big for my little finger and so I bought it to wear as a midi-ring on my middle finger. Finally the last ring I got is a bit more dressy with the gold and the diamond-esque stones (I've no idea what the proper name for such stones is). This is also a pinky ring and does actually fit my little finger perfectly but could also be worn as a midi-ring.

I hope you enjoyed my little Japanese jewellery haul and the vlog showing you what the shops look like. If you want to read more about my experience of psoriatic arthritis then click here and about psoriatic nails here. I hope you all have a lovely weekend :o).

Love Sheen xxx

Singapore Sales Shopping

Good Day Everyone, 

Shopping in Singapore is expensive! There’s no doubt about that! Almost everything is more expensive compared to back home in England. Singapore has many of the familiar high street stores that I would shop at back home including, Mango, H&M, Zara, Topshop, River Island, Accessorize etc. It even has some shops that we don’t get in England that I love love love spending time (& money) in, such as, Sephora (the temple of makeup lovers!).

 However, as most of the items tend to be 25-50% more expensive than in England (and I begrudge paying a higher price when I know I can get the same item for significantly less money), I usually suppress the urge to shop until I go home for a visit. There is, however, an annual exception that I do tend to make and that is at The Great Singapore Sale. This is an annual sales event that happens each year typically at the end of May until the end of July when various retailers (clothes, electronics, household etc) will offer significant discounts and have their main sale of the year.

 This year was a relatively successful year for me – the bargain hunter within me was extremely satisfied (haa haa!). Firstly, having lost a lot of the steroid weight I had gained (due to my arthritis medication) I was now keen to update my wardrobe and actually managed to enjoy the experience of shopping. Secondly, as I’m not working I had a bit (well a lot) more time to peruse the shops and finally shopping is a ‘colourful’ experience and I love colour!

So here I thought I'd share with you some of my recent purchases. Enjoy!

 

There was a time not so long a go that when you bought a top that was particularly see through it would often come with a matching coloured vest / slip or, even better, it would actually be lined to protect one's modesty. Unfortunately, this no longer seems to be the case. All three of the above tops did not come lined and are incredibly see through. Now I know I could wear a matching coloured spaghetti strapped vest but they can be quite clingy (not my thing, as I'm still carrying some steroid weight around my tummy). Fear not, I have managed to get the gold trimmed top and the peach blouse lined thus far by using a local tailor. Whilst paying for the tailor's services and buying the lining fabric hikes up the price of the clothing, I see it as money well spent as I will get a lot of wear out of these tops. They can be worn in the Singapore heat as well as layered with a blazer (and vest if needs be) when I come home for a visit, where the temperature is much colder. I am going to have a go at lining the beaded cream top myself (how hard can it be?!).

 

Now I've never been a fan of jeggings but whilst in Mango I saw these dark coloured jeggings and thought to myself that these look just like jeans (if you don't look at the waist band that is), but without the awful zip and button fastening, which I find can dig in to the stomach when you sit down as well as cause a bit of a 'muffin top'. When trying these on, I was quite surprised by just how comfortable they were. They even have pockets at the back like jeans. In fact, the only way people could tell that these are not jeans is if I wear a really short top, which as you can see from the photos, I don't tend to do. So I overcame the prejudice that I've held over the last few years (and much to my hubby's horror) bought my first pair of jeggings!

Given my 4ft11" height I often find that jeans / trousers are almost always too long for me unless I buy from the 'petite' range, where there is one available... Oh how I do miss Principles! Do you remember Principles clothes shop from England? They always had the perfect leg length for me in their petite range. Unfortunately, Principles became another casualty of the recent global recession :o( Anyway, I digress, I got both the jeggings and off white jeans shortened, again by my trusty tailor, for just $6 / £3 per item - what a bargain!!!

Below are my only two jewellery purchases and I can already envisage these necklaces going with some of the tops above. I love long necklaces as they look great with a feminine top, blazer and smart jeans.

Some of the above items are still available so if anything takes your fancy I'd move quickly.
H&M  
Forever 21 
Mango 
Esprit 

Below is summary of where I purchased the items from and the price rounded up to the nearest (Singapore) dollar and the approximate equivalent in British £.

• Blue blazer from H&M cost $40 / £20
• Off white jeans from H&M cost $20 / £10 
• Cream beaded top from Mango cost $49 / £25
• Peach blouse from Mango cost $39 / £20
• White with gold trim top from Mango cost $39 / £20
• White top from Esprit cost $30 / £15
• Red stripey T-shirt from Mango cost $15 / £7.50
• Black stripey T-shirt from Mango cost $15 / £7.50
• Jeggings from Mango cost $39 / £20
• Gold top from Mango cost $25 / £12.50
• Gold beaded necklace from Forever 21 cost $5 / £2.50
• Pear and glass beaded necklace from Forever 21 cost $2 / £1

What do you think of my purchases? Did you find any good bargains in the sales? If so, feel free to share.

Love sheen xxx