Monday, April 2, 2012

Jidouhanbaiki temptations and other small pleasures


Despite the fancy-smancy location of my office, on my walk to work there are a series of 100 yen vending machines. Usually I can resist the temptation of a cheap shot of caffeine and sugar... until they started stocking Fauchon drinks. I have fond memories of eating wonderful Fauchon bread as a child in Paris, and am probably seeking to recreate those memories in tea-form.

So now each morning starts with a battle between myself and the vending machine, which seems to blink its lights more alluringly whenever I start to approach:
"Just one little matcha latte won't hurt...or how about some nectar tea on this lovely warm morning?" it seems to wheedle in a vaguely obaachan-esque voice... or perhaps I just anthropomorphize too much?

A slightly more expensive (and certainly healthier) little pleasure arrived by mail from Glossy Box, which sends boxes filled with samples of expensive cosmetics and beauty products for the very reasonable price of 1500 yen. I signed up to receive a special edition, with all-natural and organic cosmetics, and have been thrilled so far!


The face products from Trilogy are amazing, and have somehow tamed my skin. The GloMinerals powder foundation, something I usually steer away from, is also a hit. However, the jury is still out on the Chess hair care set (what does 'organicoside' mean anyway?).

The other samples I will try out during my upcoming trip to Taiwan (me, excited?! no, not at all...). The main reason I would recommend this small pleasure (besides being able to try products that usually retail around 10000 yen a piece), is that a lot of the cosmetics are imports from the US and Europe, which means they tend to be very good for Caucasian skin.

Any little pleasures you want to share?

9 comments:

  1. That box looks amazing, a great little treat for myself when I get busy and stressed! I usually go for the muffins at a local bakery for a little treat, but as I'm trying to cut down on sugar (ignoring those marshmallows I just ate....), a box of smellies would be much better.

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    1. There are worse things than marshmallows (^_^) I am really happy with the samples, I will order more in the future(^O^)/

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  2. I find most canned drinks to be not great (especially the coffee..) but I liked that matcha latte.

    I didn't know that there was a Japanese version of glossybox...oh, now I am tempted. /cries to self

    Do you find that Japanese lotions are different on Caucasian skin? While I do get all sorts of weird skin ailments here, especially when it's humid (-_-) I've found that I can buy most items from local brands. Except liquid foundation, of course, but BB cream seems to be OK?!

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    1. Hi Maha :)
      I mean, most cosmetics here work fine, but when seeking results to a particular issue, personally it seems that US/EU brands work better... unless I decide to shell out my entire paycheck for a bottle of SKII ;P
      Also, LOVE BB cream!

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  3. woah! organic glossybox! i want that too! shame i can't read their website to customize my box!

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    1. Hi there!
      I didn't personalize it, it was a 'special box' they offered along with the April box. Still, it is pretty awesome, although I think some of the samples you wrote about were even better :)

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  4. OoOoO that cosmetics box looks fantastic..! I love playing around with new items, though my skin is super sensitive and always breaks out D:
    Also, there aren't any fancy machines like that near my house. All the 100yen machine are really low-budget looking with no-name drinks. But good for a midnight snack lol

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    1. The Trilogy stuff really is amazing, my breakouts have stopped completely!
      I remember that in Kansai the 100 machines were the odd, no-name ones.. I wonder why that is?

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  5. Looks like such a nice box. I ended up with the other box available for that month.
    http://bunnyandspice.blogspot.jp/2012/04/glossybox-japan.html

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