Beautylish Lucky Bag 2018 Japanese Fukubukuro

I've posted about Lucky Bags before and my fascination with the Japanese Fukubukuro tradition at the new year to indulge in massive grab bags.  Last year, I discovered that there actually are a few ways to get a Lucky Bag in the United States.  One of those options is by a company called Beautylish. Beautylish is a high end makeup store that sells some exclusive brands that you can't easily find other places such as Charlotte Tilbury, Wayne Goss, Jeffree Star, and Natasha Denona.

Each year, Beautylish does two Lucky Bags, a small bag for $75 and a large bag for $150.  The value of the items in the bag should at least be the amount you pay but if you are lucky, it will be worth well over the value, with some up to three times the price of the bag.  It is necessary to sign up on the Beautylish website in advance of the sale, which typically occurs at the end of December to beginning of January.  The sale opens up early to people who are signed up and because the bags sell out, you have to move fast.  This year, I signed up well in advance but not soon enough to get a large bag.  Large bags were sold out before my time slot of 1 PM.  I sat my alarm on my phone for 1 and as soon soon as I could get in to shop, I purchased one.  It would be nice to not have to sit and wait to shop online but I suppose this recreates the mad dash for Lucky Bags as it happens in Japan....

My bag arrived this last week so I thought I would share what I received. 

The first thing to note is that it didn't actually come in a bag.  It was a cardboard box with cute wrapping paper celebrating the tradition of Fukubukuro. It had a tag that explained the tradition.

It came with a Jouer Powder Highlight Trio in the colors Citrine, Rose Quartz, and Topaz.  I have tried Jouer Cosmetics in the past and am a fan.  This set is priced at $39.

Next was a face mask from Sulwhasoo and #17 crease brush from Wayne Goss.  I've never heard of the Sulwhasoo brand before. The mask is priced at $12.  I've heard good things about Wayne Goss brushes but have yet to try them so am happy about this one.  The brush is priced at $28.

Next was an Oribe Apres Beach Wave and Shine Spray.  This was a small bottle, travel sized and priced at $22.

The next several items I am very excited about.  A matte contour liquid lipstick by Charlotte Tilbury Hollywood Lips.  The color is a great nude color for me called Charlotte Darling. The lipstick is priced at $34.

The Perfect Setting Powder in Translucent Light by Cover|FX priced at $35.

And last, a Natasha Denona eyeshadow palette 5  in #09 with colors Industrial, Indian Gold, Glam Green, Aluminum, and Antique Olive.  These are definitely shimmer colors so saved for a special occasion but I have been on the verge of buy a Natasha Denona palette for awhile so now I can give it a try. The pallet is priced at $48.

Overall I am pretty pleased with my purchase.  I didn't receive anything that I wouldn't try or was already interested in.  The value totaled up to be valued at $218 so about 3X the price I paid. Not bad, not bad at all.

A Month of Travel - Minneapolis & San Francisco

I have been on the road for the last month. As I type this I am sitting in my hotel room in Bangalore, India. I will have a full post about India but I thought I woul do a bit of an update covering the last month.

To start, things with my job have been changing.  The travel is associated with part of that. I am in the process of taking over a large area of responsibility at work, still within the same function of Cybersecurity.  While travel has picked up I am still maintaining balance which is most importat to me.  As part of the new responsibilities, I have had to meet with people and join some groups.

3 weeks ago I headed to Minneapolis for a week to meet with my team and work on a large project. I make this trip several times a year so no big deal. While there I did get to do an escape room with my team as a team building exercise.  We were 5 seconds from success when the time went off!  I was putting in the winning code at the very moment. It was a great time.

I headed home for 2 days and then headed back out this time to Silicon Valley. I was there join an executive SAP group with other large customers. I stayed in Palo Alto at a hotel called Dinahs Garden Hotel. I loved the hotel - my room had a sliding glass door that overlooked a koi lagoon.  The food was awesome.  I really loved the location, right near Stanford University and the tech center of the United States.  So may large IT companies besides SAP -- Google, VMWare, Nest were right next door.  I wish Josh would have been there for that because he would have geeked out. I should go back at least annually so looking forward to that.

Josh did join me in San Francisco later in the week and we made a long weekend of it to celebrate our 7 year anniversary.  7 years has flown by!

We stayed at a Hilton near Union Square and right by a BART train stop.  Our room had a great view overlooking downtown San Francisco.

Breakfast was at french bakery called La Boulangerie that was so so good.

We did a whale watch tour which was highest on our list. The last time we did one was in Bar Habor, Maine and we were hoping to see more activity this time.  We did spot a humpback in the bay, right under the Golden Gate bridge that we were able to follow a bit.  Unfortunately, no breaching.  He stayed underwater most of the time. The cruise was enjoyable though.

We at lunch at Fishermans Wharf.  I had crab cakes and clam chowder and reminisced about the first time I traveled there as a kid with my family.  My mom first introduced me to fresh crab there and I have loved it ever since.  I also recalled our trip out to Alcatraz on that same trip.

Fishermans Wharf also had the largest succulents I have ever seen... beautiful!

While in San Francisco we also did a tour around the city that was nice.  Besides going under the bridge we also went over it twice.

We also spent a whole day in Japantown which was the highlight of the trip for me. The girls would have loved it and I would love to bring them back.

I finally got to try authentic Okonomiyaki and Taiyaki.  I loved the Okonomiyaki but the Taiyaki was just ok. I am not so sure it wasnt just how it was prepared.

We hit up several fun shops-- Daiso ( 1 Yen store), a huge bookstore called Kinokuniya that had the largest Anime section I have ever seen and I have a daughter who happens to be obsessed with anime lately.. and anime boys...sigh, boy craziness is starting.  There was also a huge Studio Ghibli section that my youngest would have loved but the majority of the shops had Ghibli items.

There were tons of kawaii stores where the girls lucked out with some cute souveniors, and a special squishy for one... the squishy obsession is high in my house right now.  There was also a Japanese Arcade called Japan Playaland, so fun!

And now a week later I have made the 30 hour trip to Bangalore, India.  It was quite the trek to travel around the world.  My next post will be my India trip and how it all turned out.

Japanese Lucky Bags - Fukubukuro

New Years has got to be the best time to visit Japan.  Especially if you are a shopper, like myself and my two daughters.  There is a tradition in Japan called Fukubukuro otherwise known as lucky bags. At the beginning of each new year,  retailers all over Japan create mystery grab bags of items from their store or line that are valued at 40% more than they are priced.  These bags are available from just about everywhere... clothing stores, fast food places, anime shops, Apple, Starbucks, McDonalds.... you get the point. Prices vary from $10 to several hundred dollars.  Many times the stuff is limited edition and you wouldn't be able to get at other times of the year. The idea is that you could get lucky with what you get in your bag.  Let me tell you, these bags don't disappoint.

I would love to get to shop for lucky bags in Japan. Of course, I'd love to visit Japan regardless for many other reasons...  It reminds me of the excitement my girls have when they open blind boxes.  I find blind boxes to be really expensive and disappointing in the US but they love them anyway.  Collectors they are.  Their favorites are: Minecraft Mysteries, My Little Pony, and Five Nights at Freddys.  I'm sure there are others but many that they want to try aren't sold in the US.  Again... another reason I should be getting my shop going. 

I guess the other thing we have similar would be the subscription boxes that have come out the last couple of years like Lootcrate and Nerdblock.

I have watched several Lucky Bag openings now on YouTube and admit... I'm jealous.  I would gladly trade Black Friday for Fukubukuro any day.

Here are some of my favorites from Sharla in Japan (a channel my girls and I watch regularly).  And if you are looking for a Lucky Bag online,,, Ebay has some but they usually show you the contents :(  RocketNews24 also is revealing contents of Lucky Bags as well.

JBox is doing a few different bags that you can order online but the shipping from Japan isn't cheap.

Hello Kitty Cafe

Hello Kitty Café - Yes, please.

Character Cafe

Character Cafes in Tokyo:

I need these in my life.

Side Business

I've been a bit hesitant to post about this topic, because well, I have a lot of side business ideas, even full business ideas, that never happen. I mean for them to take off but I get distracted.  I'm often like an ADD kid in a toy store.   Since this last December, I have been toying around with the idea of starting a Kawaii store -- both online and at a physical location in Wichita.  To open a physical store is quite a big leap and requires leaving my job, making myself 100% committed towards building the best business that I can.  And to be honest, I don't even know if people in Wichita would really shop at a Kawaii store.  It's one thing for the girls and I to be into all of this, but would other people in Wichita be as interested?  So before I take any drastic steps, I have been taking a series of baby steps towards the goal of a store.

My work thus far has been focused on where I can purchase from wholesale and determining what kinds of products I would want to carry.  As you've probably noticed, my girls and I are a little nuts about Japanese candy... so that's a given.  Japanese snacks are included as well.  Next is Sanrio and San-X products including stationary, bento supplies, plushes, squishies, etc.  There are some other licensed products I am still exploring including some of the Manga and Anime stuff as I think that could draw in more business as well.

The next step that I am moving towards is the online store.  It has smaller risk and I can run it while still working full time.  One of the concepts of the online store is the idea of a Kawaii gift basket. I think a gift basket full of Hello Kitty and Japanese candy is just the kind of present I would love to receive (Valentine's Day - heck yes, Birthday - uh-huh, Christmas - wouldn't complain at all), but would other people?  I am testing the waters with the basket idea as I think this is something I can build online, which would be the next small step forward.  I have just ordered the products for a first basket and am probably going to do an Ebay sale on the first basket to see what kind of interest I get. I've sold quite a bit on Ebay in the past so it would be an easy place to start.  The targeted customer base would be US customers as most of the products I would sell are not easily found in the states and thus more desirable.  

In the next few weeks I should have an update on the basket and a link for those of you that may be interested.  It will be full of Japanese candy and have a Rilakkuma theme.  Rilakkuma is a teddy bear character by San-X shown above and very, very popular in Japan.

So fingers crossed that I'm able to keep the momentum and others will find value in what I'm selling.

Cozy Weekend

By the time March rolls around, I'm over winter in Kansas.  Don't get me wrong, I love snowy days and being stuck inside; I'd just prefer to do it in December, January, and February.  Wichita was hit with blistery cold temperatures, freezing rain, and snow over the weekend.  We did our errand running early and then made it home just as the roads started getting slick.  Since we were stuck inside we were able to spend our time crafting, watching movies, and cooking comfort food. 

I finished another hat on my knitting loom.  This one was made with a multi-color yarn consisting of pink, gray, black, and white.  Tori has already claimed it as her own.

 

I did pick up some new colors to do a nautical gray and white hat (for me), black and yellow to do a WSU hat (for my cousin), and orange and blue to do a Broncos hat (for Josh).  I'll be trying a finished edge to the WSU and Broncos hat since they are for the guys.  I've started on my own hat but am not sure that I'm happy with the yarn I selected.

 

The girls did their Moko Moko toilet candy that we ordered from Japan.  They have been asking for this one for awhile and I've held off because... well it's toilet candy!  Eventually I gave in.  The kit was pretty straight forward.

 

 

Moko Moko Toilet Candy

 

Pop out the toilet parts, that's a toilet tank on the right.

 

Snap together the toilet and decorate with stickets.  2 power flavors, cola and ramune flavors.

 

Add the power to the toilet tank and put 2 scoops of water using the toilet tank lid to measure. 

The contents begin to foam in the toilet bowl.  Use your spoon to suck up the flavored foam.

 

The girls had fun with the assembly and decorating process but the candy wasn't edible. Both flavors were very strong and the girls couldn't eat it.  They said it reminded them of cough syrup, and in fact, cough syrup tastes better.  They've both decided that they'd like to keep their toilets and make them into mini planters.  At the very least, they can add them as fixtures in their doll house.

 

 

I watched Stuck, a documentary about the challenges of international adoption.  I always thought that I would adopt a child at some point in my life and the discussion isn't off the table.  This was a good documentary but incredibly emotional.  I sobbed at several different moments.  The thought of children being kept from happy homes because of government bureaucracy is so sad.  And to be honest, the families that experienced the challenges covered in this film seem stronger than I think I could ever be.  If you've ever considered international adoption, I suggest checking this film out.

 

 

We did a good amount of cooking this weekend.  We had cinnamon apple muffins for breakfast on Saturday, Josh's homemade philly cheesteaks (so so good) Sat evening, and homemade lasagna for Sunday dinner.  It was a comfort food weekend.

 

 

I ordered a few new books and movies from Amazon that should be coming this week so I'll have some reviews shortly.  We're starting next week off with a snow day, hope you're staying warm!

 

 

 

 



Oyatsu Box

I admit it.  I like getting presents in the mail.  Over the last 2 years, I've done a few box subscription services including Birch Box, Ipsy Bag, Goodies Box, and most recently Oyatsu Box.  I highly recommend Ipsy Bag but will save my review of them for another post.

Oyatsu Box is a monthly subscription service full of snacks all the way from Japan.   It is pricier than most at $25 per month (includes shipping).  I was a bit hesitant to pay that much but after my first box, I've found it well worth the money.  What is nice about Oyatsu Box is that they send you a description of each product on a one page print out that is written in English.

 

 

In my first box I received:

 

1) Dagashi Super Pack - This is really neat.  The pack is Doraemon themed and contains 10 kinds of candy.  Dagashi is classic Japanese snacks which I think of as similar to American penny candy.

 

2) Pokémon White Chocolate Puffs

 

3) Big Black Thunder - some sort of chocolate bar

 

4) Big Katsu - this is a little scary, something like a breadcrumb coated jerky stick... the husband will probably enjoy it.

 

5) Black Black Mints - something like a caffeinated altoid

 

6) Pocky Peach - love pocky so these should be good

 

7) Hi-Chew Pineapple - kind of like a bold starburst

 

8) Look Sparkling Lemonade Chocolate - not sure how I feel about chocolate and lemonade

 

9) Russian Roulette Gum - 3 pieces of tricky gum, two sweet and one insanely sour

 

10) One Piece Gum & Poster - Based on the One Piece Anime series. 

 

11) Kit Kat Strawberry - I've tried these before and super yummy

 

Overall, really impressed and the girls and I will surely have fun trying out new snacks. 



Happy Kitchen, Popin' Cookin - Hamburger

This last Christmas my niece, Caitlyn, introduced the girls and I to the fantastic world of Japanese DIY candy. At the top of her Christmas List was something called Popin' Cookin. Since I am the favorite aunt I had to deliver.  I began my search to find out what this Popin' Cookin thing was. I quickly found myself trapped on YouTube watching Popin' Cookin' videos and trying to figure out how I could get a shipment of candy from Japan before Christmas! 

Popin' Cookin is made by the company called Kracie.  The concept is that you not only eat the candy, you make it.  It's a bit like some of the Cra-Z-Cookin toy kits that are popular with young girls in the US.  The difference is that Popin' Cookin doesn't require an Easy Bake Oven or special gadget except a microwave on occasion. The kits come with a plastic tray, mixing spoon, and a series of powder packets that are mixed with water.  Directions are written in Japanese but include pictures which makes it fairly easy to follow if you don't know Japanese.  If in doubt, you can always find a YouTube video to guide you through as well.   Popin' Cookin comes in a variety of kits including Cake, Donuts, Hamburgers, Sushi, Bento Box, etc. 

The girls and I ordered a large lot of the kits from Japan (along with Caitlyn's collection for Christmas!) and have been slowly working our way through them.  This last weekend I tried out the Hamburger kit.

The Hamburger kit is the first savory kit that I've tried and wasn't really expecting it.  Most kits are candy versions of the food, i.e. candy sushi.  In the Hamburger kit you make 2 cheeseburgers, a soda, a packet of french fries and ketchup for dipping.  It does require that you "cook" the bun and hamburger in the microwave.  Although it was a savory kit, it really was pretty edible and a lot of fun to make because of the variety of components.  The french fries looked very much like fast food fries.  The soda bubbled like it was carbonated and the cheeseburgers had authentic looking cheese, buns, and hamburger patties.  It's amazing that it all came from packets of powders.

 

Since the holidays, I've learned so much more about Japanese candy and snacks. There are several other brands that we plan to try out.  I'll be posting follow up reviews on the kits as we work our way through them. If you are interested in watching some Popin' Cookin videos, I highly recommend the emmymadeinjapan channel.