LANDS OF Eden

JUNO x Ayumi Hamasaki modeling for the new japanese fashion brand.

Click for big version here

Click for bigger version here

Click for bigger version here

Click for bigger version here

4th shot is my favorite, but I'm really liking the first one also. The 1st shot was released as a spoiler for the fashion brand, and there were many questions as to whom the young woman was. Of course there were many speculations, but with a few hints, some dedicated fans found out it was Ayu. In that shot you can see the woman is wearing a red ribbon bracelet on her right arm, this is something Ayu has been doing for quite sometime now. She wears a red bracelet as a sign that she's always connected with her fan club "Team Ayu" and her fans. I don't like her lips in the 2nd shot, but this seems to be a very popular "trend" in Japan right now, I've seen several models with the same "duck lips" expression that is enhanced with make-up.

LANDS of Eden website: http://www.l-o-e.jp/

This seems to be a unisex brand. You can view part of their collection on the website. I could easily see myself shopping there, it seems to be a brand aimed at women their 20s. Not too many bright colors as I've liked recently, but you'll rarely see bright colors for Fall/Winter Collections. LANDS of Eden advertisements.



There was a grand opening event recently, JUNO and Ayu were both there for the press!


They look like they have good chemistry!


What do you think of this new brand? Think "LANDS OF Eden" is a bit too cheesy or you like it? What about the modeling shots of Ayu and JUNO together?

Tsubasa Masuwaka is Milky Bunny

For most of you ladies following gyaru (or gal style) in Japan, if I say Tsubasa Masuwaka, you know exactly who I'm speaking of. But for you other ladies (and gents?) who just went "Tsuba-wha?", here she is:


More commonly know as TSUBASA, or simply Tsu-chan by her fans, Tsubasa Masuwaka is a very well know magazine (Egg, Popteen, PopSister) model in Japan. She's quite the icon out there and has made a huge impact on gyaru style among japanese girls, and in the most recent years, western girls looking up to become "western gyarus" themselves. She has a clothing line by the name of LIZ LISA, which is a very "sweet" and "floral" oriented brand. Not only that, she has her very own cosmetic collection also, titled Candy Doll with blushes, eye shadows, nail polishes and even eye lashes.

Oh and also she's married and has a kid. All this and she's only 26 years old! Mad crazy I say!!

And just when I thought she'd done it all, she goes into a singing career. Thus Milky Bunny (her stage name) being born.

Tsubasa advertising her new single "Bunny Days" as Milky Bunny in the recent Popteen August 2011.

I've been following Tsubasa on her blog just because I like the "behind-the-scene" look of all of her projects. Her blog is the #1 resource to see and learn about what she's doing and working on at the moment.

You can find it Here

Tsubasa with a copy of "Bunny Days" in hands.

Covers of the new single.

"Bunny Days" is set to release on July 20th. You can find it online on most japanese music selling websites, such as YesAsia, HMV Japan and CD Japan.

In the mean time, you can heard what the new song sounds like and view the music video, right here on Gossip Candy!

In my honest opinion I really don't think she's that great of a singer. Her voice sounds really annoying. So I'm going to skip on the music and keep looking forward to more Candy Doll products instead.

What do YOU think of Tsubasa?
Her style? Her cosmetics?
How about her new single?
Like it? Love it? Hate it?

Gee Gee Gee Baby

I have no idea why, but this song makes me so happy!



They're so CUTE!!

(Girls Generation, korean girl group of 9 members. This is one of the song from their just recently released japanese album. Totally in love!)

What do YOU think?
Love it or Hate it?

Ayu Bomb for April 2011

Earlier this year (or possibly even late last year) a bunch of international fans decided to bombard Ayu and her producer, Max Matsuura, on Twitter to ask when the next Ayu-mi-x would be produced. Ayu has several remix albums under her sleeve. She even has Ayu-ro-mix and other of the likes. The last ones, Ayu-mi-x 6 -Gold- & -Silver- where released in 2008 so it was due for a new one (apparently). After much back and forth, Ayu and Max said "Yes, let's do it!".

Ayu-mi-x 7 was then born.

Originally planned to be released on March 30th, with the earthquake and tsunami disaster everything was post poned to April 20th.

Ayu-mi-x 7 comes in 4 different albums, and a 5th one "Limited Edition" that comes with all 4 albums, in a special packaging with bigger sized pictures of all the previous remix albums covers.

Ayu-mi-x 7 ~Limited Complete Box Set~

(You can see more details of the limited edition Here)

All this big, pretty, limited edition packaging for a big whooping US$135.75
You know, because we all have 135$ just laying around in our account...

Ayu-mi-x 6 ~version HOUSE~

Ayu-mi-x 7 ~version Acoustic Orchestra~

Ayu-mi-x 7 ~presents Ayu trance 4~

Ayu-mi-x 7 ~presents Ayu-ro mix 4~

While I have no doubt these are great, I won't be spending 135$ on a limited edition of remix albums... Though this could be a great idea for a birthday gift... :)

What do you think of these? Do you like the trend of Japanese artists releasing several products all at the same time? Would you buy limited editions of your favorite artist/band?

Help Japan... with socks!

Many people I know, who share their love of Japan with me, have sent money to disaster relief companies across the world to help Japan. While I think this is very generous of them, I have been having a small battle within myself on weither to send money or not.


I could spare 10$ but I worry. I'm not saying it's a bad thing, donating money can rarely ever be a bad thing, it's good actually. But more I read, the more it seems as though relief organizations are “over funded”, it's like they have more money than they know what to do with. Surely, with everyone donating around the world, even just in America itself, they would have plenty.



Tofugu explains this well. While he has donated himself, he too, feels that there should be and are better ways to help Japan than giving money to the organization. For us, overseas, on the other side of the planet, it's hard to help. Honestly, I just want to book a ticket, fly to Japan and volunteer into helping those who have to go through all the hardship. But this is not a possibility for me right now.



So instead, I will be sending socks to Japan!





Jason Kelly has started a project to get socks and letters of hope to those in the affected areas of the earthquake and tsunami. He is close enough that he can go off to deliver the goods himself, but far enough that he can still receive mail and still be safe in this time of crisis.


I think this is a brilliant idea and I will be participating in this project. I will be dropping by the store today on my way back from work, buy a few packages of socks. I'm hopping to find brightly colored ones, because bright colors cheer me up.


If you're interested, check out Jason Kelly's website, it explains everything clearly and gives you all the details if you wish to participate in this project. His website is here: HelpJapan

I think I will also be writing a letter or two, to be given at random to the survivors.

I don't know for you, but it would give me hope and cheer me up, if I received a letter and socks from someone I didn't know, from across the world. Just shows how much people care in times like these.


What do you think of this project? Good idea? Bad idea? Have you donated money? Do you think you will participate in Socks for Japan?

I Left My Heart In Tokyo

I haven't been shopping much lately because I'm going out of town for 3 days in a week, and I want to shop lots when I'm over there.

But here are a few recent gets...

Love Ring

My "love ring". I'd been searching a ring to wear on my right index finger, but couldn't really find anything that appealed to me all that much. I found this one 2 weeks ago in an Avon catalog that a friend of mine had brought home from work. I just HAD to get it, it's perfect, I love it.

Cuban shell bracelet

My sister traveled to Cayo Coco in Cuba for a week, two weeks ago and she brought this back for me. I told her I just wanted an ankle bracelet, I didn't really care what it looked like. I love anklets for the summer and since it's approaching soon I'm on the hunt for new ones (my previous ones have all changed colors or broke). This bracelet is made out of real shells and has a specially designed cord that makes it so you can wear it around your wrist or your ankle since it's re-sizable.

Tear drop swarovski pendant

This isn't recent, I received this pendant as a gift from my Valentine on V-day. I forgot to take a picture of it and put it in my February update. So here it is~ I love swarovski and he knows, so of course I was reaaally happy when he gave me the little blue box. I already have one swarovski necklace, it's a small, pink heart with a butterfly. I think I'm starting a collection...

Garage T-shirt

T-shirt I got on sale for 10$ at Garage clothing store. I stopped shopping there a while back because I found it was too young for me now, but sometimes they have good sales on t-shirt and one can never have too many. This one stood out of all the other ones cause of it's color. I found it looked good with my skin tone.

I left my heart in Tokyo T-shirt

This one I couldn't leave the store without it. Especially since it was ONLY 5$ !!! Can you believe it? I don't think I've ever purchased a piece of clothing so cheap. Plus the statement on the t-shirt itself is true, and could not be more true. I traveled to Japan back in 2009. I was in Tokyo for 2 weeks. I loved it there, I want to go back, I will go back. Part of me said there when I left. Fun fact. My belly button is pierced, has been since I was 16. While I was in Japan, I was wearing a belly ring that my mother had bought me a few months prior to our trip. It was just a simple silver one, with a rhinestone and a clear crystal heart hanging at the bottom. Did you take a guess yet? Yep. I woke up one morning and the little crystal heart was gone. Poof! Disappeared! We looked all over the room and couldn't find it. I LITERALLY left my heart in Tokyo. :)


Which of these is your favorite?
Do you have a special item from another country?
What's your most precious gift from a loved one?

Pray For Japan

I hope everyone out there is safe and sound.
My thoughts are with those who have lost loves ones.

images from PrayforJAPAN

Gal-icious gals

I've been "blogging" for many years now, though I think I would qualify the first few years more as a diary then as a blog. I was on livejournal.com for the longuest time, since I was about 15 or 16 years old. I have had three (yes, three) different accounts on LJ and have enjoyed my time on there for quite some time. But in 2010, I found blogger.com, and a whole new world of blogging.

There's something different about blogspot and it just attracted me instantly. I had (and still do have) lots of friends on LJ, but it's not just not the same. Blogger isn't necessarely easier to navigate or update, but I find it more fun! It's a lot easier to follow and keep up with other blogs, and it's even easier to find new ones with specific interests. It's like a community! Everyone knows each other, chat all the time, arranges to meet up if living in the same cities, etc. I love it!

I hope to meet some of you great people in the near future!

For now, I want to share with everyone a few blogs I follow and really enjoy reading. You can find the ones I read the most in my side bar on the right. But here are a few more special ones!

Pop Champagne Julie is a girl from my city! She posts several times a week (almost every day, if not every day!) about celeb gossips and special events that are going on in Ottawa. She cracks me up! Hopefully we will be meeting up sometime this year. Which reminds me I should probably send her an e-mail this weekend...

Swtie Pie Pnai Tricia is a lovely girl from California. She swears by gyaru (aka. gal) fashion! Her fashion sense is amazing! When I see her pictures of outfits, it's like I'm looking at a japanese magazine. I love reading her blog, she's always super active in real life and talks about all of the activities she does. She recently returned for a trip to Tokyo! It brings back some memories and motivates me to save for my next adventure even more.

Bloomzy Another sweet gal that lives for japanese fashion. She's currently living and studying in Tokyo. She blogs about her life, W♥C, and often discuss specific subjects related to Japan and living in Japan. I especially love seeing all the purikuras she takes with her friends. I wish we had purikuras in Ottawa!!

Rainy Days Never Stays Thanh Thao from Germany! She recently moved to Tokyo and has just started part-time work over there. It looks like she'll be staying for a while! She's always very positive and I find her posts to always be very interesting. She talks about the people she meets and hangs out with on a weekly basis. And just like Bloomzy she posts a lot of the purikuras she takes. As well as her shopping finds and the yummy looking food she eats.

Spooning with a school boy Caroline is another girl that lives in Japan. Her blog is all about her time spent living, studying and working in the beautiful country. Every single one of her posts is impecable and seems as if she has put much thought and time into. When I found this blog, I thought I'd found a secret treasure cave. There's SO much information on Japan I'm never bored reading what she has to say. Plus she has just started a serie called Caroline's Seikatsu Advice, in which she will be writing about her own experience and possibly others on living in Japan, but also deciding weither moving and living in Japan a good choice for you!

This is all I have to offer for now. But I'm always on the hunt for more blogging personalities to keep me entertain and informed! I'll surely be back with more eventually~

What about you? Do you have favorite blogs?
Any specific subjects you prefer to read on in blogs?
Do you have any blogs of fashion and Japan related to suggest?

Tokyo memories

Sorry I haven't had much to blog about lately! I've cut down on my spending, so I haven't been doing as much as I used to.

I was going through some photo albums today and came across the many pictures I took while I was in Tokyo. I thought I would share them with you!

I was in Tokyo for 2 weeks, from October 12 to 24th 2009. I'm planning to go back in 2 years. Hopefully!

















I got tons more, so let me know if you'd like to see some more n___n

That's it for now!