Aespa 3rd Mini Album My World - Album Review (Zine WELCOME TO MY WORLD Version)

The blog has been nothing but Fashion Dreamer posts for a while now so it's time for a good old music review. I picked the first folder I had saved in my reviews folder on my computer and it was for an aespa release. Previously I have reviewed the Zine Spicy Version of this mini album and this time I will be reviewing another zine version which is the WELCOME TO MY WORLD one.

My World is the 3rd Mini Album from Korean girl group aespa and it was released on May 8th 2023. The album came in 19 versions and only two of the zine styles were available here in Australia which are the two I own. I brought both from JB Hi-Fi however I seen people in a local Facebook group looking to sell/trade zine versions that were available from overseas retailers. Must've imported them and those versions look awesome. The WELCOME TO MY WORLD Zine version comes with the following contents:

• CD - 6 track mini album
• 40 page Photobook
• Trading card set of 4 cards
• Photocard (Random 1 out of 4 types)
• Poster (Random 1 out of 2 types)
• English lyrics booklet
• SM promotional flyer

Aespa 3rd Mini Album My World - Album Review (Zine Spicy Version)

First music review for 2024 is aespa's mini album My World! Super happy that my local music store stocks aespa as they are the only current generation girl group that I collect. Plus it makes it super easy to find the albums and I always pre-order to make sure I can get a copy. It seems to fly off the shelves quick at my local store however if I visit the same stores elsewhere, you can usually find a copy.

My World is the 3rd Mini Album from Korean girl group aespa and it was released on May 8th 2023. The album came in 19 versions which is mind boggling. Who on earth would attempt to even collect all of those. I love aespa but that's a bit too much and I wish they would cut down on the number of types available. As mentioned before, I purchased my CD from JB Hi-Fi and I got the Spicy versions of the Zine type. I didn't know which version I would get as it random on what the supplier sends so I was excited when the zine one came (even though I did buy the other version later on). The Spicy Zine version comes with the following contents:

• CD - 6 track mini album
• 40 page Photobook
• Trading card set of 4 cards
• Photocard (Random 1 out of 4 types)
• Poster (Random 1 out of 2 types)
• English lyrics booklet
• SM promotional flyer

I've been loving this style of photo book that SM has been doing lately. They are smaller to store on the shelf and the magazine concept is a fun one. This concept matched the vibe of this song perfectly and you get so many great photos in the photo book. There was just too many amazing pages to choose from for photos! I did get one of their next mini albums in the same style of photo book and they look great next to each other.

My K-Pop Collection 2023

The end of 2023 is upon us and that means it is time to round up my K-Pop collection for another year. Pretty much only purchased Korean releases this year and no Japanese ones. Luckily I was able to obtain all the albums locally in my city. The main music store here which is JB Hi-Fi has a decent K-Pop collection and it was easy to find ones I was interested in. Let's get straight into it!

First off we have aespa who are the main group that i follow nowadays. I don't stan the group but I always make sure to get their new releases. Aespa is the only girl group that my local store stocks regularly and you can always find a few different versions. All of the albums shown except Girls are purchases in 2023. I pre-ordered My World and was fortunate enough to get the Zine version which was the one I wanted! Plus I got Ningning's photocard! I eventually found the World version at another JB Hi-Fi. The Drama albums are a recent purchase from last week and I wasn't too sure about getting them. Originally they were listed as online only and wouldn't be available in store. Then the listing changed and I was able to order them. It was impossible though to tell what the versions were so I did some research online. I got the big two photobook version and the what I believe is the retail exclusive version of the Giant one. It isn't the Target exclusive as it doesn't have the same inclusions and you get the English message photocard. It is pretty easy to buy other versions of aespa albums in store and it is always those poster versions which I'm not interested in. Just not at the price they are set at and I doubt it would drop.

Isn't this the most aesthetically pleasing photo of this post? So gorgeous and I love the hardbook structure of Red Velvet releases. Previously I only had four of these albums and got two new ones in 2023. Russian Roulette and Summer Magic are the new additions and I adore how they are the same size as the other smaller ones. Rookie is just chilling there being gigantic and The Red I've had forever. The store I brought it from isn't even around anymore.

This year I wasn't planning on collecting more releases from Oh My Girl but I lucked out with finding their latest mini album stocked in my local store. Seems such an old girl group to find so easily available. Love the design on these two albums and all the inclusions were gorgeous. I'm a big fan of bookmarks being included in albums recently as that is definitely something that I will use often. Also picked up their first mini album which I ordered specifically in as the price was quite reasonable.

November Favourites

Oh my god how on earth did we get to December already!?!? The weather has been awful here lately and it feels more like winter. Lots of storms and cold temperatures even though it is basically summer. I've never seen the weather this bad however at least my power didn't go off like it did in the last few storms. Anyway the forecast looks like it will warm up next week so that is something to look forward to. Apologies for missing last months monthly favourites as I ran out of time to post one and it just got too late. No point living in the past so here are my favourites for the month of November!

Gaming

I've actually been playing a few different games on my Switch this month. First off being Fashion Dreamer which came out at the start of November. Thinking of posting a review of the game once I have time as I have a few opinions on the gameplay. It is a fun game and I've been taking lots of cute photos or more like dumb photos because I'm still working out the camera.

Since it was Black Friday recently, there was a nice sale on the eshop and I picked up a bunch of games. Next year I'm planning on posting about my favourite Nintendo Switch games as there are just so many great puzzle games on the online store that I enjoy! I have been playing some MODEL debut2 #nicola in between Fashion Dreamer and took some cute photoshoots.

Been waiting for a delivery to come with two exciting gaming items and I am planning to post them on here once they arrive. The package is taking a little while to get here which is ok since the light is terrible at the moment to take photos anyway. Will post about them hopefull in the next few days!

Music

I randomly came across this Cignature EP album at my local music store and was surprised to see it available. The group just doesn't seem popular enough to be showing up in Australia. I did get Cignature's 2nd Ep from the same store so maybe it is just a supplier thing. The selection available has slowed down and I even had to specifically order aespa's new release. Usually the shop will stock all the versions however it only appeared as online only at first. Then that changed to customer order so I've ordered three versions. No clue which one I want to buy as the variety of contents wasn't very good with this release in my opinion. Way too many poster versions and the store website doesn't have good information on each version's contents.

Cignature's 'Us in the Summer' EP - There is a photo card included however it is not pictured as I already placed it in my photocard album.

September Favourites

Whilst September hasn't been the best month for me, it is nicer to be experiencing some warmer weather. It is slowly starting to warm up however the days are going from like 18 degrees to 31. Would prefer a slight increase there but hey at least it's not 40 degrees yet. I still working on fixing my computer so I should be back to regular blogging in October. I have the new part for my PC and it just needs to be installed and all switched over.

Beauty

Picked up a bag of DB Cosmetics recently at a local show and I forgot how much I liked this brand! I don't buy it as they only sell it in certain chemists which are ones I never go into. Thought it would be a good deal to get the bag which had a variety of items in it including lip products, beauty tools, nail polish and scrunchies. I'm super obsessed with scrunchies lately and I am always adding to my collection. There was a full sized eyeshadow palette in the bag as well and it is actually really good! The colours are pigmented and it has a nice colour story. The shimmers are to die for and hold together well when applied. Sometimes shimmers for me can experience fall out during the day (yes I do use primer!) but these stayed put. Definitely going to be using this palette more in the future as it had a great colour selection and is different from the other palettes in my collection.

Music

Good month K-Pop collecting wise! My local music store expanded there K-Pop section so I was able to pick up something new! I was super surprised to see they had gotten in Oh My Girl's new mini album Golden Hourglass and it was cool seeing an older group in with all the mainstream groups. I brought the WAVE version first and a few weeks later, I found the Light version at another store. Such a beautiful album and you get some cute inclusions with it. I really like how groups are starting to include bookmarks as I love collecting bookmarks. The store also had a few other girl groups that they normally don't stock like Itzy, New Jeans and NMIXX however I don't collect any of those. I did look up the albums to see if I liked the tracks but none took my interest.

Also found the Welcome To MY WORLD version of Aespa's 3rd Mini Album instore so now I have the set of both. I don't even want to think about all the other versions it comes in as it makes me sad :( I'm just happy that Aespa CD's are so easy to get here! Luckily I got Giselle's photocard and now I have a photocard of each member! I would've loved Ning Ning again but it is cool to own each member.

TWICE 5th Mini Album What Is Love? - Album Review (B Version)

Ok who doesn't love the amount of inclusions you get in TWICE releases!? Just look at this all this cute stuff their What Is Love? mini album comes with! That is what I will be reviewing today as I thought it was time to post some mini albums from TWICE. This is a group that I have a few pieces from and they always look rather lovely on the shelf. The shop I ordered this from was sent a random version and I ended up with the B version. I quite like the cover of the A version but hey I'm happy with whatever just because it's TWICE!

What Is Love? is the fifth mini album from Korean girl group TWICE who we all know by now cause they are megastars. The mini album was released on April 10th 2018 and came in two versions: A and B. I purchased my copy through JB Hi-Fi as a special order and received it in a timely manner. It is always so fun opening a TWICE album to see what extras you get. What Is Love? comes with the following contents:

• CD - 6 track mini album (Random 1 out of 9 member plates)
• Photobook
• Photocards (Random 5 out of 90)
• Scratch card (Random 1 out of 9)
• Clear postcard (Random 1 out of 9)
• Random sticker (Random 1 out of 9)
• Lyrics booklet

BLACKPINK 2nd Mini Album KILL THIS LOVE - Album Review (Pink Ver.)

Back for another BLACKPINK review with the pink version of their 2nd Mini. I reviewed the black version earlier and it feels so fulfilling when you have a complete set of an album. I don't achieve it often with Korean releases as there is usually a few editions and can be a pricey endeavour. Plus the groups I usually collect didn't do multiple versions. BLACKPINK is one of the few groups where I have complete sets which is only their mini albums but I'm calling that a success.

KILL THIS LOVE is the 2nd Mini Album from Korean girl group BLACKPINK and it was released on April 23rd 2019. The mini album was released in two versions: Black and Pink. Both versions were easy to find through JB Hi-Fi and I purchased them a few years ago. The thing I love about this mini album is that it sits nicely on the shelf and the box is great for holding all the extras inside. Usually I'm not a big fan of box style albums however this one works great. The contents of this mini album are as follows:

• CD - 5 track mini album
• Outer Box
• 52 page Photobook
• Photozine
• Accordion Lyrics booklet
• Photocards (Random 4 out of 16)
• Polaroid Photocard (Random 1 out of 8)
• Stickers (Set of 6)
• Poster (Random 1 out of 4)

BLACKPINK 2nd Mini Album KILL THIS LOVE - Album Review (Black Ver.)

BLACKPINK is a group that I casually collect much like TWICE. Their releases are easy to purchase at local music stores so I tend to pick them up if the price is good. A few years ago I ended up collecting both versions of their 2nd Mini Album KILL THIS LOVE and that is what we will be looking at today. And lots of lovely photos are included as you get some great inclusions with this release.

KILL THIS LOVE is the 2nd Mini Album from Korean girl group BLACKPINK and it was released on April 23rd 2019. The mini album was released in two versions: Black and Pink. I brought both versions from JB HiFi where I found one colour at my local store and after ringing around, I found the other colour at a nearby store. This mini album has a large number of contents which are as follows:

• CD - 5 track mini album
• Outer Box
• 52 page Photobook
• Photozine
• Accordion Lyrics booklet
• Photocards (Random 4 out of 16)
• Polaroid Photocard (Random 1 out of 8)
• Stickers (Set of 6)
• Poster (Random 1 out of 4)

May Favourites

This month was meant to be the last month of Autumn however the weather has been more like winter. It rains pretty much everyday now and is quite heavy at night. I don't recall it ever raining this much years prior. The rain is nice though but my raincoat is getting worn out and I haven't found a replacement yet. The brand is no longer around and it is the perfect coat so I shall continue wearing it till I find a suitable replacement. Had some time off this month which has been lovely and great to have a short break from work. Been filling my spare time with random activities, one of which I shall mention later!

Beauty

For the last few months, I've been on the fence about getting a particular eyeshadow palette from Sportsgirl. The other day I finally gave in and brought it along with a bunch of other items. I used to wear mostly Sportsgirl branded makeup when I was a teenager so it seemed like a good idea to try it again. I saw this Sweet Sorbet palette on their website and fell in love. However I could never find it at my local Sportsgirl and all the other stores in my state were sold out. This site had 20% off your first order and that seemed like the best time to finally buy it. It is just my style with colourful pastel tones and some gorgeous shimmers. Kind of reminds me of the Winx palette from Colourpop and whilst not a direct dupe, it has some similar colour stories. Haven't tried it out just yet as I haven't had a chance to wear eyeshadow but it swatches amazingly. Also brought two lip glosses as I'm lip gloss obsessed and the one named Y2K is perfect. I just checked the site and looks like it is sold out as I couldn't find it listed anymore.

Music

Had bit of random K-pop purchase this month with this single album from Jisoo. I saw it at JB Hi-Fi before briefly forgetting about it. Then brought it a few days later when I remembered about it. Absolutely stunning and she is one of my biases so it was lovely to get the photobook of her. I only found the red version and I'd have to look around if other stores have the black version.

My CD Collection

Since I always post my J-Pop and K-Pop CD collections on the blog, I thought wouldn't it be fun to post all the other CD's I own. This collection is one that I have been building since I was little and has grown and shrunk in size over the years. Sometimes I clear out titles because I don't enjoy them anymore or no longer have room and need to make room for new additions. Like I had every So Fresh from its inception in 2000 up until about 2004 when I stopped buying them. Also had other Australian compilation CD's such as Pepsi Chart Hits and 100% Hits. The latter ones are no longer around but So Fresh is still going strong in 2023. All the CD's will be organised into artists where possible like my other collection posts and I will try to note whereabouts I purchased the album if I can remember all the older ones. Let's get into it!

First off is my Sophie Ellis-Bextor collection and I would say that she is my favourite solo artist. Trying to collect her entire discography and it is going quite well. I had Shoot From The Hip on order at JB Hi-Fi but turns out it was deleted so my order had to be cancelled. Need to order one from Discogs along with Song Diaries and her Kitchen Disco - Live at The London Palladium which was released last year. This isn't available at my local CD store sadly but it seems easy to get online. She did announce a new album scheduled for June and cannot wait to get that one. Not really focusing on collecting Sophie's singles and I only buy them if I come across them which is only ever Murder On The Dancefloor. That single is all over the op-shops on the western side of my city, must've been popular out there. Out of these I got Wanderlust, Familia, Make A Scene and Songs From The Kitchen Disco from JB Hi-Fi. Read My Lips and Murder On The Dancefloor single were op-shop finds and Trip The Light Fantastic I found at a random CD stall for $2 that was set-up by my old work years ago.

Next is the Kaiser Chiefs albums who I've been collecting since they first came out. I remember being so excited for Employment as I had seen their music videos on Channel V and was obsessed with their music. Currently my favourite album is Duck however I was super into Yours Truly Angry Mob for years. Now you might notice that I have two copies of Souvenir and that is because one copy I got from the UK as a gift and some of the tracks skip. I kind of just put up with it as I had the songs on other CDs however I found the Australian version of the album on clearance for 99 cents so I brought it. And now I have two! So one copy of Souvenir, Stay Together, Off With Their Heads and Education Education Education & War came from some UK video game site that also sold CDs and they were a Christmas gift. Employment and Yours Truly came from JB Hi-Fi many years ago when they were released and Souvenir and Duck were more recently purchased there. The Future Is Medieval I had to get through Ebay as I couldn't find it at JB's and I think I brought it from a seller in New South Wales. Hopefully the group will release a new album soon as Duck was super good and I'd like to see a follow up.

Now for some good old compilation albums and some of these are super old. I brought the Wayne's World soundtracks back in the 2000's when we travelled interstate. We didn't have JB Hi-Fi in my state yet so it was super exciting to find CDs for $9.99 and a bigger range than the usual shops we had at home. The Blues Brothers and A Night At The Roxbury are more JB Hi-Fi purchases and the Roxbury is the best album ever but I might be saying that as that movie is one of my all-time favourites. It is just so hilarious and the 90's music is amazing. The Ultimate 90s compilation was one that we were throwing out at work so I took it as it was a favourite of mine on our old CD player. The Legally Blonde 2 soundtrack was one I brought from Amazon US back in the day and I've always thought about decluttering it. I never listen to it however it looks so pretty!

April Favourites

The month of May snuck up on me and I completely didn't realise that April was over. May also started at the perfect time with it falling on a Monday which is the start of a new week for me. Haven't had a chance to get on my computer to blog until today so apologies for the late monthly favourites. A few weeks ago I went and saw the new Mario Bros movie which was fun! I'm a fan of Illumination movies in general so I quite enjoyed it. Toad was the best part of the movie and it would've been a billion times better if Wario or Waluigi made an appearance. I assume they are saving them for the sequels which I also hope Toadette appears as she is one of my faves. Went to San Churros afterwards as I was excited about getting my favourite toasty from them only to discover they had changed their menu :( I got a different toasty instead but it was nowhere near as good as the egg and bacon one.

Also came across this Pusheen Pop Vinyl which is rather bizarre. It is noted as a scented pop and it is indeed scented however it is a weird scent. Like a dull strawberry or scented sticker. I have a scented Polly Pocket from 1995 that has held onto its scent and smells way better than this. Anyway it is super cute and weird. I adore Pusheen merchandise so I had to get this one for my collection.

Gaming

Haven't been playing much besides jigsaw and pixel art games this month. That is pretty much all I use my switch for nowadays however I do have some games on pre-order. The next instalment in the Little Friends series is coming out in August and it is themed on a tropical island. It is called Puppy Island and looks adorable!!! Also pre-order the We Love Katamari remaster for the switch as I loved the first one and was surprised to see the second one get an actual physical release. I'm not too fond of buying physical games as I don't like storing them but it's cheaper to buy the physical one compared to digital. I don't think Little Friends is even listed on the eShop yet as I couldn't find it the other day when I looked.

Music

So I finally caved and got the TWICE album I had on order. Luckily my account had held the cheap price that the album was when I ordered it so it cost less than I was expecting. I ended up only getting the BE version as that had the best photobook in my opinion. Lots of lovely photocards as expected for TWICE and I was blessed with the members I got. I've become quite a fan of Dahyun lately so I was excited to receive her photocard.

Aespa 2nd Mini Album Girls - Album Review (Retail Exclusive Edition)

Today's music review is actually a newer album and one that is still in print! Most reviews I post are for older albums from older groups however today I have an album to share from aespa! This mini was released in a few different versions and the one I have is the Retail Exclusive Edition. It is basically the Target Exclusive one but it was called the Retail Exclusive and was sold through JB Hi-Fi.

Girls is the 2nd Mini Album from Korean girl group aespa and it was released on July 8th 2022. The mini was released in eight versions: Kwangya, Real World, Girls, Target Exclusive, Rocket Puncher (Karina ver.), Armamenter (Winter ver.), Xenoglossy (Giselle ver.) and E.d Hacker (Ningning ver.). The mini album was available for pre-order and at JB Hi-Fi stores however only a few versions were available there. You could only get the digipack ones that come in these cardboard sleeves and it was disappointing as I wanted to get the Real World version as it was my favourite concept. I ended up ordering the Retail Exclusive one which had a cool cover of the girls and it was reasonably priced around $30. The Retail Exclusive edition I got came with the following contents:

• CD - 6 track mini
• Digipack casing
• English lyric booklet
• Lyric booklet
• Poster (Random 1 out of 4 members)
• Poster (Random 1 out of 2)
• Kwangya Version Photocard (Random 1 out of 4)
• Digipack Photocard (Random 1 out of 4)

Girls' Generation 3rd Album Repackage Mr. Taxi - Album Review

Speeding through these music reviews in recent weeks! No clue where this motivation came from and I will be shocked if I manage to post 10 before the middle of the year. Today we shall be looking at an album from the one and only Girls' Generation which is the Mr. Taxi repackage of their 3rd Album. This isn't a highly detailed album so the review is a little short but lovely.

Mr. Taxi is the 3rd Album from Korean girl group Girls' Generation and it was released on December 9th 2011. It is a repackage of the groups 3rd Album The Boys which was previously released on October 19th 2011 in multiple countries. I actually own the International version of this album that I got through Amazon US and I got this Mr. Taxi album from JB Hi-Fi. My copy was brand new and came with the following contents:

• CD - 13 track album
• 12 postcards
• Photocard (random from 9 types)
• SM Town flyer

March Favourites

OMG I cannot believe I forget to post the monthly favourites for February :( It was such a busy time and the first week went by rather fast. Well I'm here for March at least and have a few things to report for this month!

Gaming

Been obssessed with pixel art games on the Nintendo Switch and have played way too many hours. I brought a stack of them during the Boxing Day sales and it is so relaxing to sit down after work and colour in. Even brought a stylus for my switch and now I cannot go back to not using one. It was a life changer and is also great for jigsaw games which is my other obsession! My top games are Love Colours, Calm Colours and Pixel Paint. For jigsaw ones, I love Hatsune Miku Jigsaw Puzzle and Jigsaw Masterpieces.

Seems like old news however I haven't mentioned it on the blog yet that there is a new fashion game coming to the switch. It is called Fashion Dreamer and honestly I'm not really going to say much on it until we know more details. All I know is that I'm definitely going to miss the management simulator aspect if it is missing. I'm not sure about the whole influencer thing or maybe I'm just too old haha. I will be patiently waiting for more information regarding game play especially if it is mostly to be played online.

Beauty

2023 was going to be a low-buy make-up year for me but I have zero self control so that went out the window quickly once Colourpop had a sale. Picked up a number of lovely items including some last-call products. The package is taking a long time to reach Australia though and is just going around in transit circles at the same facility. I did manage to buy a few items this weekend whilst shopping but they were just repurchases. I needed a new NYX glitter primer as mine had expired and the Chi Chi lip balm set was to match the other set I brought a few months ago. This one comes with Cherry, Blueberry and Grape which two smell amazing whilst the Cherry doesn't have a strong scent. Picked up more Wet N Wild brushes as I was pleased with the last one I got.

My K-Pop Collection 2022

Originally I was planning on posting this collection post earlier this month but I got lucky and found two more CD's to add to my collection. I actually brought more K-Pop albums than I thought I would in 2022 and it was kind of fun! I used to enjoy getting albums so much before I got hardcore into collecting Japanese releases. Korean albums are always a joy to unbox as you get a good range of goodies and the albums are always gorgeous. Ended up picking up eight new additions to the collection during 2022 and I'll talk about those first.

Starting off with the lovely 1st Album from one of my favourite groups Orange Caramel. This Lipstick album was always hard to find and I never purchased it when it first got released as I wasn't buying albums back then. So for many years I could never find it for a decent price as I would always see it for like $100+! Eventually I found this copy on Yahoo Auctions and now it is part of my collection yay!

Let's talk about Red Velvet who has suddenly turned into my current obsession. I've found out I can get hold of Red Velvet albums quite easily through a local music store so I somehow ended up buying three in the last two months! Sorry the pictures are separate which is due to me taking the first photo with the Ice Cream Cake and a little later I brought Rookie and Red Summer. Also have Summer Magic on order but that one is taking longer to arrive. When I ordered the Ice Cream Cake one, I was so worried I would get sent the Automatic Version and I really wanted the Ice Cream Cake version. Luckily randomness was on my side! For Rookie, I got Irene as the cover which is nice but I would've preferred Yeri as she is my bias and I have heaps of her photocards.

A few individual CD's now starting with Cignature's 1st EP Album Listen and Speak. This is a group that I quite enjoy listening to and I picked up this album in particular as it had all their previous digital single releases on it. Good to see that the group is still together and is even releasing a new single soon! I can order their 2nd EP from my local store so maybe that is on the cards this year.