As promised, I’m announcing our first-ever blog giveaway winner today.

Though I know there are online number generators, I thought doing it the old-fashioned way was more fun:

….and the winner is…

Ren! I’ll be emailing you shortly so sit tight.

Thank you very much for taking part in our blog giveaway. It was fun and will be sure to do another one soon.

In terms of beauty schtuff, I stumbled upon a dessert counter right in front of the subway station near my apartment and it had a sign that said, “Beauty Cakes” in Japanese.

I went up closer and the secret ingredient is kefir! Just when I thought Japan was orbiting in its own universe, I’m surprised to find this health trend that is rocking the Western world in Asia.

Well, why am I so excited about kefir? Kefir is a fermented milk drink with origins in Russia, Central Asia, and Turkey. Traditional milk kefir is made when kefir grains (the stuff that makes fermentation happen) are added to goat’s or cow’s milk and left outside to ferment for a couple of days. It kind of sounds like an exotic yogurt drink and I guess it pretty much is and it’s good for your gut (you know I’m a fan of that, don’t ya?).

But in the health world today, you can pretty much add kefir grains to any liquid you please — nut milk, coconut milk, coconut juice, apple juice…the list is endless if you work your imagination.

Actually some DIY folks in the blogosphere skip the hassle of buying kefir grains and just pop open a probiotic capsule and empty it into milk or juice to ferment for 24-48 hours. The result is a fizzy health elixir that is full of goodness and nutrition.

The Japanese have certainly jumped on this health trend and used kefir milk in Swiss rolls, plus coined them as a beauty dessert. Sugoyi…!

I just found an online store that sells kefir starter kits for only 1,900JPY (USD20.80) with free shipping. Looks like I gotta try it. It was so cute that the website says kefir is a well-kept beauty secret.

Have you heard about kefir? Will you ever try it?

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