Monster High - Ghoul Spirit Spectra Review

So it has begun! I've finally started collecting Monster High dolls ;A;

I've always wanted to collect them because I love their crazy colored hair. The first few dolls that drew me were Venus McFlytrap and Catrine DeMew! I thought Venus was really cool because she was green (green is one of my favorite colors) and has a side shaved hair-do! Something I almost never saw in dolls until only recently. And Catrine's color scheme is purple - another of my favorite colors!

But I didn't buy any because I felt I didn't have the money to start a new collection (don't we all?) I was trying to focus only on Sylvanian Families, Zelfs, K-ON anime figures, Gambit and Lalaloopsy Minis back then.. but I guess that doesn't matter anymore; I've already failed a million times over till date lol *slaps self*

Anyway, my first Monster High doll is special because it was given to me as a belated birthday present. So I guess I have to blame my friend for making me start a new collection :<

My friend chose Spectra for me because I had purple hair back then. Also, he thought she looked alot like me.

Spectra Vondergeist - Daughter of a Ghost. Poltergeist definitely rang in my head!

I think the doll's face doesn't really look like how Spectra looks in the cartoon..

On to the doll herself:

Her earrings are black unlike those on her box-art. I don't mind it though. But they are abit large in scale. These are removable.

Cute shirt with the Monster High logo and some chains.

Her bracelets are actually the shape of a skull! I'm fascinated with her clear hands. I think they're really cool. However, Spectra only comes with one pom-pom. I was expecting two since she was holding two up in her box art :(

Her hands are removable! I'd be extra careful when removing and putting them back on though, they seem quite fragile.

Her skirt. Chains seem to be Spectra's theme though. I wonder why..

I love her hot pink heels and shackle cuffs. She can't stand on her own though. Also, she doesn't come with a doll stand. I used Ghoul Sports Spectra's stand for this – Yes, I've already gotten more Spectra dolls :x

She also has clear feet! I really love this detail of her which makes her look more spirit-like.

She's boo-tiful!

Gotta love Monster High puns lol! She wasn't really one of the dolls I wanted to collect in the beginning but I love her so much now! I'd want to try doing her make-up on myself one day :)

Popin' Cookin' Review (Part 2)

This is the second part of my Popin' Cookin' review :) If you missed it, here is the link to part one.

 The 4th set I'm going to review is the Pizza Set!

The grape soda actually fizzes! But only for awhile though. Same goes for the cola in the Hamburger Meal Set but it was flat by the time I could take a picture :(

Presentation: ★★★

A pizza box was provided in the form of a cut-out in which you had to fold and tape down. I didn't use the box for my presentation because for some reason, it kept curling and yowarping. Maybe it would've been better if the box was made out of paper or card?

Difficulty: ★

This was easier to make than the Hamburger Meal Set but just as fun. I did panic a little with the cheese though: it seemed gooey and impossible to cut after mixing, but apparently it just takes some time for it to solidify.

Fun: ★★★★

The potato squares are made the same way the fries were in the Hamburger Set but it was alot of fun making the pizzas. The steps are almost similar to making a real pizza (making the base, spreading the sauce, adding the toppings). The cheese topping actually melted after being put in the microwave!

Taste: ★★★★★

This set is my favorite in terms of taste! The pizza didn't exactly taste like real pizza but it did taste really yummy! The pizza sauce does taste like pizza sauce and the cheese did taste like actual melted cheese. The pepperoni bits tasted like barbecue flavored chips and the peas were basically salted rice krispees. The base of the pizza tastes like the real thing too! The grape soda tasted like grape candy or grape syrup flavoring. Nothing about this set tasted weird. I would consider buying this set again just to eat it :P

Next is the Sushi Set! I was really excited about this one because of the fish roe sushi.

No microwaving needed for this set. Everything is made by adding water. The tamago and salmon solidifies and becomes konaku jelly-like after leaving it for awhile.

Making the fish roe was like magic! Again like the ramen noodles, how does liquid dropped in liquid turn it into a solid?!

And look at the rice! It looks so real! I'm just so amazed with the texture.

Omg they look so real and appetizing!

Presentation: ★★★★

This set also came with a cut out which I accidentally tore -_-" So be careful with the packaging if you want to use them for your presentation. The cut out had mini plates on them for you to put your sushi on, which I thought was pretty cute. This set also included some 'soya sauce' but I didn't have a mini saucer to put it in.

Difficulty: ★

Easy to make but getting the fish roe to stay on top of the sushi might be abit tricky because the rice is not sticky at all. The fish roes actually glide off the rice because it's smooth.

Fun: ★★★★★

In my opinion, this set was the most fun to make! It feels like I'm literally playing with my food making the sushi :P

Taste: ★★★

All the ingredients tasted like grape candy, but not the same kind. Wouldn't it be interesting if this set did taste like rice and fish? But then again, I'm not sure if that's such a good idea..

Although the ingredients themselves didn't taste bad, the texture made everything feel and taste weird in my mouth. The only sushi that tasted nice was the fish roe one because the seaweed is made of that Hi-Chew type of candy. The fish roe actually pops when you bite down! The rice was a no for me. It didn't taste bad but it was pretty weird because of the texture. The texture was nothing like real rice. Funnily, the so-called "soya sauce" actually does make everything taste better!

And lastly the Donut Set! I was really drawn by the sample donuts on the box and thinking that these would actually taste like real donuts.

One thing I dislike about these Popin' Cookin' sets is how ridiculously small the containers to mix the powders in are. I spilled quite abit of powder each time I had to stir / mix something. Not a very good idea if a kid who wishes to make these because if you spill too much powder, you might not have enough mix to make certain parts of your food.

Mini donuts! Looks pretty real too don't they?

Presentation: ★★★

Like the Pizza Set, this set came with a cut out to be folded into a box. Again, I wish the box was made of paper or card because the foil packaging curled again with these :(

Difficulty: ★

Really easy! I would recommend this set if you're afraid you'll end up with #popincookinfail

Fun: ★★★★

Despite the steps being really simple and repetitive (add water, mix and press into the mold for the donuts and just water plus powder for the different icing flavors), the donuts were still alot of fun to make because you can create any kind of donut you want! I'm not a very creative person so my donuts look typical, but here are some other designs you can make:

Taste: ★★★

So did these taste like actual donuts? Sadly, no. The lighter colored donut base smelt like vanilla but tasted nothing like vanilla. I can't really put my finger on what it tastes like. It definitely didn't taste like grape soda or Ramune candy though. The darker one smelt like chocolate but I couldn't really taste the chocolate in it. The bases themselves taste weird without any icing, but it's not an unpleasant taste. They felt pretty funny to chew though - much like the sushi rice.

The chocolate icing is my favourite, followed by the strawberry. The vanilla icing didn't taste at all like vanilla (I don't know how to describe it, but it did taste a little weird). And who doesn't love sprinkles and rice krispees :D

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In my opinion, you can skip the smaller sets like the Ramen and Takoyaki ones. After buying so many, I realised that most of the process includes the same few steps so it isn't as thrilling or exciting once you've done the slighty more complicated sets like the Hamburger Meal. 

If you're on a budget and would like to try making these just for the experience, I highly recommend that you try either the Hamburger Meal or the Pizza Set along with the Sushi Set because I found these three sets to be the most fun and interesting. I am not sure where is the best place to buy these Popin Cookin sets online but you can always try Amazon.com :)

So which of the sets I've reviewed would you like to try out?

Popin' Cookin' Review (Part 1)

Hey guys! I apologize for the lack of updates. Today I'm going to be reviewing some Popin' Cookin' sets! These aren't really toys but edible candy. If you haven't already heard of konapun - this is the edible version of it!

Check out the insanely cute packaging! Initially I had only planned to try just one, but ended up buying so many because the packaging looked so exciting (￣Д￣;;)

These cost about 6 - 12 SGD (approx. 4 - 8 USD). If you want to buy them in Singapore, Bugis Street level 3 sells them the cheapest. They also have the most variety of Popin' Cookin' and DIY candy.

I started with the Hamburger Meal Set! Will my DIY burgers turn out the same?

There are instructions on the back of the box. I don't understand Japanese so I searched on YouTube for videos on how to make them. Don't follow the colors of the headers! They don't match the content of the packets even though they're the same color. I ended up mistaking my cola packet for ketchup :\

Everything is just powder mixed with water but it amazes me how each packet gives a different texture!

Tadah! Miniature fries! By the way these actually really smelt and tasted like potato!

Ran into some problem making my burger buns. They were pretty sticky and hard to even out on the surface. The mixture kept sticking to the spoon so I didn't end up with smooth round burger buns :(

I really liked how the ketchup tasted. They taste the same as tomato flavored Twisties :)

My crumpled burger buns lol! But overall super cute!

Presentation: ★★★★

I was expecting the set to come with the little mini tray and burger wrappers as shown on the box but instead they provided this cut-out you can use to present your finished product on. Though I must admit the cut-out looks pretty neat. I'm glad they included the drink cup, the french fries packet as well as the flags for the top of the burger. However, there wasn't any toothpicks so I had to use my own.

Difficulty: ★★

Fairly easy to make except the part with the burger buns. I saw some people on Instagram having the same problem as me but there are also people who's burgers turned out nice and round so I'm not really sure what I did wrong there :(

Fun: ★★★★

I had alot of fun making this set! There was so much to do! The process also included cutting, using molds and having to microwave. I especially love how they have a variety of different textures for this (from the buns to the fries to the ketchup as well as the mini cola).

Taste: ★★★★

Before I started making these, I actually read the comments on Youtube that these tasted horrible! I was prepared for the worst; but to my surprise, I loved how they tasted! They don't taste like real burgers but rather like potato chip seasoning? The buns tasted like bread crackers, the cheese tasted like cheese crackers and the patty tasted like barbecue flavored chips. I wolfed down the whole burger and it tasted really good mixed together. People were also saying that the cola tasted disgusting but it tasted like regular cola candy to me.

Next is the Ramen and Gyoza Set! Unlike the Hamburger Meal Set which came in a box, this came in a smaller packet. I kind of like how it resembles that of instant noodles.

The gyoza "skin" is actually made of candy! It feels and tastes exactly like a Ramune flavored Hi-Chew. I thought it would be easy to make the skins but apparently the white candy turns to mush very quickly, causing it to tear apart when handling.

Sprinkles for the gyoza fillings! I love how they added some green ones to look like vegetable bits. The sprinkles tasted like Ramune too but they are a little more sour?

Final product!

I love the mini tamago! I'm very amazed at how the noodles actually look and feel like real noodles! Before it become like this, it wasn't a solid texture. I had to pipe it into the soup and it just magically became noodle like!

Presentation: ★★

Rather boring. This set only came with a plastic ramen bowl which I had to cut out myself. I like how they added some details to the rim of the bowl but that was it. I think they could have added some red like the bowls shown on the packaging and have the bowls and plates be pre-made without having to cut.

Difficulty: ★★

Making the noodles was easy but handling the white candy was rather frustrating. I had to re-make my gyoza many times because the white candy kept tearing apart. I eventually gave up in the end (hence you can see that the gyoza at the back looks deformed lol)

Fun: ★★

This set is smaller and has less stuff to do compared to the hamburger one. However, no microwaving is needed for this set so you can do it anywhere!

Taste: ★★★

I was a little disappointed that this set tasted purely like candy. I read in the comments that the older version actually tasted savory – like the soup tasted just like soup! It would have been more interesting if it did. However, this set doesn't taste bad. Everything tasted like Ramune candy but with slightly different levels of tanginess.

Next is the Takoyaki Set!

Making the shrimp / octopus! This was actually very fuss free. Just mix the powder with water and press them into the mold – no mess!

Place them in the microwave, flip them over and..

Add the sauces and it's done! Looks pretty legit. Yum!

Presentation: ★★

The black plastic tray they provided looks simple but does fit the theme. I suppose they do look like the tako grill. I thought they were going to include the brown paper tray like the one shown on the packaging.

Difficulty: ★

By far the most easiest and fuss free to make up until the point whereby I had to squeeze on the mayonnaise. It was very hard to get the mayo to flow from the piping bag like how it would using a squeeze bottle.

Fun: ★★

Like the Ramen and Gyoza set, this set has less things to do compared to the hamburger one. Though I did enjoy the process of flipping my tako balls over like they do in real life.

Taste: ★★★

The sauce and mayonnaise tasted like the real thing but the Takoyaki balls and shrimp itself didn't. The shrimp tasted like chicken flavored potato chips and the tako balls tasted similar to the buns from the hamburger set. I liked how each ingredient tasted individually but it tasted really weird put altogether.

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I'll be reviewing the Pizza, Sushi and Donut sets in my next post! Have you tried any of these Popin' Cookin' sets?

Mini Lalaloopsy: Haley Galaxy

About a month ago, I fell in love with these mini Lalaloopy dolls that I had come across in a departmental store. Lalaloopsy has been around for a quite some time already but I never really paid much attention to them until I saw the mini versions!

I immediately fell in love with Haley because green is my favourite color. And also, I love (cute) aliens!

The minis come with more accessories as compared to their large versions. Although I don't think there's much you can do with them. Haley is unable to hold onto any of the accessories as you can see:

They are non-functional and only good for display. But what surprised me was the quality of her accessories. They all have different textures and are beautifully detailed.

Now let's take a quick look at the doll itself.

Lalaloopsies are meant to plastic versions of ragdolls so it's no surprise that Haley can't stand on her own. Her legs can be moved independently it doesn't help her pose differently in any way. You can also rotate her head and move her arms up and down as well.

She has cute little bloomers underneath her skirt!

Back view

Front

Her head is made of a silicon-like material whereas the rest of her body is made of hard plastic. I'm really amazed at how she doesn't feel cheap.

There is also a larger version of Haley:

Both versions seem to really appeal to me now but I think I'd stick with only collecting the mini ones (I hope!). The mini Lalaloopsies are alot cheaper and don't take up as much space. Also, I think it'd be fun to create dioramas to display them :)