Nail Art Style

It's Skoshbox time! When it arrived in my mail box it felt like I received an early Christmas gift. A gift of yummy Japanese snacks and candy.

If you're new to my blog and have no clue what Skoshbox is, I explain it in greater detail here. But basically it is a monthly subscription box that sends interesting Japanese candy and treats right to your door. They also send a special gift, which can be either a traditional Japanese item, or stationary.

Either Skoshbox has learned to pack their boxes better, or my mailman hasn't lost his temper yet. Because my snacks were actually intact this month!

First up is the peanut butter stick. It is the one wrapped like a Tootsie Roll. It was pretty good, but was kind of boring. It tasted like any peanut butter snack I could buy in the states at my local grocery store.

The two round crackers. After last month's yummy frosted senbei, I was so happy to discover yet another flavored senbei in this box. It was delicious. The senbei crackers always have a salad dressing-like flavor to them, yet they taste surprisingly good when mixed with sweet toppings.

It doesn't specify what flavors could be in the little bag of mystery. Though they do warn that sea food could be involved. After the whole eel incident, I was quite hesitant, but it wasn't bad. A bit too salty for me though.

The wrapper with the faces and bottles. For some reason I find the wrapper mildly creepy, I don't know why... The crackers also looked like Styrofoam, and tasted like it too. Bleh...

I have no clue what yuzu is. But I received orange and peach, and they were amazing! I am not a fan of candy, but they were so flavorful, and really tasted like fruit. Not artificial at all.

Luckily Skoshbox was kind to me and gave me matcha! I'm at the point where I am obsessed with anything that has matcha in it. It is just so good! This roll was a bit dry, but other than that it was quite good.

It is the one that kind of looks like sweet potato fries, with the creepy potato man on it.

I couldn't for the life of me pronounce the name, or figure out what flavor I had. Whatever it was, I wasn't a fan.

I don't know if cheese cream is basically just cream cheese. But I don't care, because this was very good. It looked like it should be served on a platter at a dinner party or something. Yummy and pretty.

Strawberry Kitkat: This needs no introduction! I have been dying to try a strawberry Kitkat ever since I heard they existed on this planet! And finally I got to. I was worried it wouldn't live up to the hype I built up in my head, but it did. It tasted like a strawberry milkshake. SO good.

I would have loved to have tried the chocolate one, but the milk cookie was really good. It was like a Fig Newton, minus the fig.

And finally my surprise gift!

I'm surprised that as I write this, this balloon still exists. Between my dog, cats, and hyperactive ferret, this thing should have been destroyed the second I opened it. But It's still in one piece, and I love it. I would like to find a way to turn it into something decorative for my bedroom, but I haven't figured that out yet.

Thanks for reading! To check out other Japanese snacks I've received in my previous Skoshboxes click here.

Today I decided to break away from my busy schedule of sitting and drinking Dunkin' Donuts eggnog latte's, to bring you yet another Skoshbox review! If you are not sure what Skoshbox is, check out my first review (here), where I go into further detail. But basically it's a monthly subscription box that sends me snacks and candy from Japan.

Now let's see what I got this month! -Like always, I made my mother and brother try everything too, so I will share their thoughts and feelings also.-

This month's box was pretty good. Nothing was really broken upon delivery, and most of the snacks were pretty tasty. I say most because of one unpleasant surprise snack I was not keen on trying. - Hint, it's the gold wrapped one in the above picture.-

First up is Pretz Salad: Biscuit sticks lightly dusted with seasoning.

Pretty good. It has a very zesty salad dressing flavor, with the texture of a cracker. I liked the savory flavor. They look like thin crunchy french fries. I don't think I could eat them everyday, but they would be a good "once in a while" snack.

Sakuma Drops: The iconic hard candy that's featured in "Grave of the Fireflies".

I have no clue what "Grave of the Fireflies" is, but the candy tasted like cough drops. They are also oddly sticky, they stuck to my teeth -Ew.-. They had a slightly fruity scent, but I could not pinpoint what kind of fruit. No flavor at all. Just bleh. Also my flavor processing was hindered at this point because I had just tried the item in the gold wrapper I mentioned earlier, and I was still a bit shaken up...

I hated the soda pops, so I had no faith in this lollipop being good. Frankly it tasted like a cough drop -Again, do they think I have a cold or something?-, with no fruit flavor what-so-ever. Only my brother liked this one.

Yes, yes Skoshbox I was freaked out! Of course I received the eel flavor...bleh... The second I opened the package all I could smell was the strong scent of dead fish. Disgusting. I was quite nauseated. I tried the smallest bit and it nearly brought up my lunch. -Sorry for being too descriptive, but no words can explain how gross this was to me.- My mother wasn't having it, and would not even try it. I don't blame her... My brother ate it, and said he thought it wasn't bad... NO.

I love Skoshbox's Senbei crackers, and I love frosting, so this was an obvious win. It still had the slight salad dressing flavor of the past senbei crackers, just mixed with frosting. Weird yes, but super yummy. I loved the mix of sweet and tangy. It's like if you mixed Italian dressing with toaster strudel frosting... OK, it sounds gross, but I swear it was delicious. Everyone involved was a fan.

While the package creeped me out - Why is there a disembodied face on it?-, it was pretty good. I loved the scent of strawberry. and the wafer texture was nice. My mother and brother thought it tasted like a less artificial strawberry Poptart. But to me, the strawberry flavor was more similar to a strawberry milkshake.

 I received the grape flavor. I am not a fan of gummy candy, but I gave it a shot... I am still not a fan of gummy candy... It smelled like kid's grape flavored cough syrup, and I couldn't get past the odd mushy texture. My brother loved them, of course. My mother wouldn't try them, and again, I do not blame her. -She has good judgement.- 

The second I read chocolate, I knew I would like this one. And, what do you know?! I loved it. It tasted like those Pinwheel dessert snacks. And the cake was very similar in texture to a Hostess cake. Everyone loved it, but I feel it is just too similar to desserts I can get in the states to be too interested in it. I want to try snacks I Can't get in the states!

I unfortunately cannot share my snarky comments for this item, because I did not receive it! So I will never know if I would have liked it or not. But frankly, seeing that I am not a big fan of "jelly" candy, -Jelly nail polish on the other hand? Yes please!- I would say probably not...

And finally, my stationary gift!

I love the cute little animals on the cover. -I love packages in Japan! Everything is so colorful, with cute little characters on it.- But the instructions on the back were impossible! It was like I was trying to build a laser or something! But if you follow me on Istagram - Link on the right.- Then you saw I have already showed off a crane I made using the paper - Thanks YouTube!-.

All in all, I think while I have had better boxes in the past, this box was really good, and I enjoyed most of the snacks and candy I was given. Just next time, I will skip over anything with the word eel in it...

Thanks for reading! To check out my previous Skoshbox reviews, click here.

If I had to pick a favorite snack from this month's box, I'd pick the Bisco Snack, I love the strawberry milkshake flavor. What snack would you like to try from this month's box? Let me know in the comments below!

Anyway, It's time for yet another Skoshbox review! If you haven't read my previous posts, or are not sure what Skoshbox is, click here.

I was disappointed to discover that most of my snacks were cracked or broken again. I don't know if Skoshbox needs to package their products better, or my mailman is a jerk to boxes. Either way I wasn't happy, but of course that didn't stop me from eating it!

Time to catalog and review all the candy and snacks from Japan! Like always, I had my mother and brother taste test them with me, so I will be sharing my thoughts, as well as theirs.

First up is a very broken Soft Salad Senbei: A baked puffy rice cracker with a light savory taste.

(It's the light golden one with the red marked wrapper.)

I was concerned about this one, because the last "salad" cracker I received from Skoshbox tasted like I poured straight salad dressing into my mouth. A bit too strong. Luckily this was a more toned down version, and was actually really tasty.

Niigata Rice Cracker: (Also broken to bits.) Thin Shoyu rice crackers.

The description says they taste just like Yaki-Onigiri, if I knew what that was I would agree... Maybe. If you know what that means let me know in the comments. Unless it's something scary, like squid or something... It tasted pretty good, but all I really focused on was that I thought the name was Shoyru, and all I could think about was the cute little dragons on Neopets.

Yuck! Couldn't even handle it. I hate peas to begin with, so this wasn't my cup of tea. Neither was it my mothers. My brother, on the other hand, liked them. He said it's not something he would eat regularly, but was good nonetheless. 

Surprisingly not broken. Very similar to the Umaibo snacks I received in my last two boxes, just chocolate.

It was very chocolaty, with a wafer-like texture on the inside. I would say it was like a large, puffed, Kitkat.

This was a favorite among all three of us.

Obsessed! As I've mentioned before, I am seriously addicted to Matcha thanks to Skoshbox. So I just about died when I opened this month's box and discovered that matcha gum existed! It is really good, and keeps it's flavor for a lot longer than American gum. The pieces are also very large, though I'm still rationing it while I find a place online to buy more. 

I knew the second I read "pickled plum" I wasn't going to like it. And sure enough, I couldn't make it through one bite. My mother didn't like it either. Of course, my brother liked it.

Now I already knew I liked shoyu senbei from the last cracker, so that wasn't a concern. What was, was that I knew that nori meant seaweed! So I was nervous. But it was actually pretty good! A bit salty, but that was to be expected. My brother liked it also. My mother spit it out... Not her cup of tea I guess...

I'm not really a fan of the Japanese "jelly" candy. I can't get over the odd texture. Not my favorite. I can't really describe the flavor, I didn't make it that far, I couldn't get past the texture. My brother liked it of course. He likes everything I get from Skoshbox. I think he is meant to live in Japan one day.

I received apple. Since I'm not that big of a candy eater I had my mother try it. She really liked it. She said it was really good, with a nice apple flavoring, and reminded her of a Jawbreaker.

I received apple and grape. I tried apple - Not a grape fan.-. I was worried, because the last time I tried a "soda" candy, it was a soda lollipop, and it was disgusting. But I really liked this one! It had a really nice apple flavor, and reminded me of a lollipop.

And finally the "special" item. My Japanese stationary gift.

It says I should send them to my friends to say hi, while that would be a sweet gesture, I'd much rather keep them for myself! Their so pretty! I plan on framing and hanging them in my bedroom. I love the prints, but was disappointed to discover on Instagram that everyone received the same ones. It would have been much more fun if each box had a random assortment so people could show each other which ones they received, and also have it be a bit more special. But I still love the prints either way, and I will be purchasing a frame for them soon.

That's it! Thanks for reading my latest Skoshbox review! If you would like to try Skoshbox out too, check out their website. A subscription is only $12 a month! 

If you've reviewed your Skoshbox too, leave me a link in the comments, I'd love to see other peoples opinions on the candy and snacks from this month.

Thanks for reading!

(To read my review for August, click here.)

It's that time again! My latest Skoshbox has arrived, and I wanted to share my opinions on the yummy snacks and candy I got from Japan. If you don't know what Skoshbox is, I explain it in more detail here.

Now let's get to the candy!

Like previously, I shared my haul with my mother and brother, so I will be sharing their thoughts and opinions also.

I was pleased to see that none of my candy was damaged, unlike last time. I don't know if they packed it better, or the shipping company decided to care more. Either way, I'm happy.

First is the Umaibo -The package with the weirdly happy bunny-, I actually received this in August, but it was added to this month's box by popular demand. I can see why, it is like a giant Cheeto puff, but with a less artificial cheese flavor. All three of us are fans of this snack.

Everyone liked this one, it has more of a smokey flavor than spicy. Very good. 

I found it weird that a crunchy cracker thing is called a "pie", but it is tasty. It does have a buttery taste, but the texture is more like a graham cracker. Pretty yummy, everyone liked it.

Because of August's box, I have learned that I love Matcha! But, this candy was a miss. It tasted less like Matcha, and more like gummy candy. My mother and I instantly spit our pieces out, but my brother, of course, loved it. I think he would live in Japan in a heart beat now, he is obsessed with Japanese candy and snacks.

Oh my god, this is the cutest snack ever! Very good, they almost tasted like graham crackers with a creamy milk chocolate filling. But frankly, I was more obsessed with the adorable wrapper and koala shaped biscuits than I was with the snack itself. -Also adorable is the fact that the koala on the package is apparently in the Olympics, or at least running with the torch. Good for him!-

-The pretty purple wrapper with the pink block inside- Again, my and my mother's pieces were spit out, but my brother loved it. It just had to weird a consistency, I felt like I was eating Playdoh or something. Very sweet, too sweet for me.

Couldn't do it. I've always hated rootbeer lollipops, and soda lollipops, so this was not for me. It had a very strong cola flavor.

I am not really a candy person, I'm a chocolate fan. So this was tested by my mother and brother. They said it had more of a milk flavor with a hint of strawberry, like strawberry milk. Sounds good, kind of wished I tried it.

Tasted just like a Hershey bar, just more of a bitter, coco flavor, like dark chocolate.

I told you I loved Matcha! This was by far my favorite snack, my mother's too. It was so good, I wish I had about a hundred more. It was very soft and slightly chewy. The cake itself tasted like a Fig Newton, with a yummy Matcha filling. Because of this, I wish Fig Newton's would make a Matcha flavored version! That would be awesome.

Somehow I missed taking a picture of this one, bright I know - You can see it in the picture I took of the whole box, it's the round cracker thing on the left.-. Everyone liked it. It was super crunchy, and tasted like a Quaker rice cracker, just very spicy. 

When I first learned of Skoshbox from Youtuber Jyuusan Kaidan, she had showed that they gave her a Japanese eraser too. She mentioned how amazing Japanese erasers are, and she was so right! This eraser is so good I had to take a swatch to show it.

The top bare spot is from the Japanese eraser, the blotchy, pink tinted bare spot is from an American eraser. Hear that? That's my mind exploding. How did I survive school and college without this eraser! It is so smooth, and leaves absolutely no marks or stains on paper. I'm almost afraid to use it too much, if I use it up It's going to be very hard to get my hands on another one. Best. Eraser. Ever. OK, sorry for ranting, but this eraser is just too awesome not to share.

Thanks for reading!