Don Quixote haul and Japanese beauty produtcts!

Hello unicorns! 

Shortly after arriving, I realized how much stuff I needed in order to live in a new place! I didn't even bring a towel! 

So after a first shopping run, I came home with the most kawaii 'mundane things' I could have hoped for! C:

• Pastel hangers
• Pink towels
• Lavender Rilakkuma house slippers
• Mickey Mouse and Pooh film packs for my Instax camera. 
• Diane floral-scented lotion
• Minnie Mouse Peach-scented deodorant spray
• Sample packs of Diane bodywashes (I couldn't decide which scent to get!)
• Sample packs of Glossy Pixie shampoo/conditioner 
• Heroine Make Liquid eyeliner pen
• Charcoal and citrus 'peeling' face cleanser
• Ione blowdry/styling tool

I am so ridiculously pleased with Japanese beauty products, I can't even... :D

If you'd like to see some of these products individually reviewed or know how to get them (through me or otherwise), please comment below! I'll be doing heaps of reviews in the coming weeks, as some of these are quite accessible outside Japan.

Shopping Service now open!

Hello fashionable people!

(Sorry, this is still a work in progress until I can finish writing up full shop lists for different areas and confirming my travel costs, but feel free to contact me and order in the meantime. I won't charge you until you know exactly what to expect!)

I'm officially opening myself up as a Tokyo-area shopping service, and would love to help you make your fashion dreams come true!

I can take orders until July 25th. 

If you have any questions or would like to discuss a potential order, please email me at courtneyjlee@gmail.com.
I'm more than happy to clarify things or help you find what you're looking for. C:

Process
1. Email me and confirm the order. When we've decided on the order, I request a 50% deposit on your item before I go pick it up. You can either wait for your Paypal deposit to clear (takes about 3 days), or for $10 extra I'll go and pick it up as soon as you pay. 
2. Once I have the item in hand, I'll send you some proof photos (and if it was secondhand let you know the final price), and send you a second invoice for the remainder of the cost. When the entire payment has cleared, I'll ship out your package via your desired shipping method (see below).
3. I'll send you a tracking number and confirmation email, and you can expect your item in 5-21 days (depending on your shipping method!). And if you'd leave me feedback on my EGL page, that would be extra fantastic, but is not required. :)
Large orders ($300 or more) contain free gifts, and extra-large orders may get discounts or extra gifts from the shops themselves, so feel free to ask!

Fees

I charge a 10% flat rate commission, with a minimum $5 charge.

Also, travel costs will be added for any shops outside of my train pass route.

"Free" shops
Harajuku shops: add $4
Shibuya shops: add $4
Shinjuku shops: add $3

Also, my bank appears to be charging a 6% bank exchange fee. So that will be added to your total costs including shipping. 

Calendar

Scroll to the bottom of the page to see my shop visiting itinerary!

You can access my calendar anytime, or import it into your own, using this link
.
Okay, so how this works:
if I receive a confirmed SS order or plan to go shopping on my own, I'll add the shops I'm visiting to my calendar.  If I'm already going to a shop/area and you place an order, I'll divvy up travel fees between customers and drop the commission minimum.

Say for example you want a $40 ring from AP Harajuku. You see that someone else is sending me to buy a $300 dress that day. So if you let me know and I do both in one day, then instead of paying $5 commission and $ travel, you'll only pay the 10% $4 commission, and you'll only pay half the travel. Of course I also encourage group orders, so please tell your friends and split costs! :)

WTBs/Closet Child

If you've got a wishlist, let's clear it out! If you can commit to buying an item that's on your wishlist, I'll take a 50% deposit on the expected price (to make sure I have enough cash on-hand), and I'll buy it for you on-sight! No matter how many times I have to go back, you'll only pay one travel fee and one commission charge when I find it.
When setting up the deposit/order, I'll ask you for a deadline. You're welcome to make it unlimited (until I leave), or you can set it as short as you like (i.e. have me look for 2 weeks). If I don't find your item within the designated period, I'[ll return your full deposit, minus the one travel fee. At any time, if you find your item elsewhere or want to give up the search, you can let me know and I'll return your deposit as long as I haven't already bought the item.

Assuming I do find your item (!), I'll email you and let you know immediately. I'll ship it out to you as soon as payment clears for the entirety of the item and shipping.

Closet Child moves notoriously fast, so I want to help you find exactly what you're after and not miss out!

Shipping

I will try to ship Airmail, which takes about 1-2 weeks and is untracked It ranges from $4 - $10 for small, light items or $10 - $22 for heavier items. Large packages with many medium/large items (5+) can range upwards of $30 and are better sent via EMS.

I can add tracking to Airmail packages for $8.

For EMS shipping, even little things are around $20. So please ask first and I'll try to find out.

Also, if you really need something in a hurry, please let me know and I'll do whatever I can, but expect a significant cost jump for shipping. 

__________________________________________________________

All of this info will also be made permanent in the form of a Page above, so feel free to refer back. Also, I'll be updating info and keeping you all updated on sales and specials as I run across them. Stay tuned!

Love,
Bunnie

A month's worth of lessons from Tokyo

Hello bunnies!

As I'm settling into my new existence here in Tokyo, I've been learning a lot about myself and what I really want out of life. Sometimes everything has to be turned upside down and shaken out before you really see your life how it is.

Here are some things that Japan has taught me so far.

1. Time is extremely valuable, and the less you have of it, the more you learn about how you'd like to spend it.

2. Long commutes are amazing for editing photos, getting to know someone, reading books/magazines, and taking a deep breath. Just try to go with the flow, and you'll always be happy when you get there. (And try not to elbow any businessmen in the face while you're at it.)

3. No matter how many people are around you, you can still be lonely.

4. Writing everyday will make you feel like a better person.

5. There will never be enough compliments to fill the void.

6. Everyone deserves to be fashionable.

7. You can see yourself as an not like those around you, or you can see yourself as the envy of those around you. It's really a choice.

8. There will always be more clothes, and more sales.

9. No matter where you go, your friends won't love you any less.

10. Document everything. You won't ever regret it.

11. False eyelashes can be kind of life-changing.

12. I want to make everyone happy. It seems to be working out.

13. I have unexplainable good luck, that I don't think I'll ever be able to deserve.

14. Girls can be catty and childish no matter where they hail from.

15. I'm not trashy, I'm American. Know the difference.

16. I'd still be memorable even if I wasn't albino.

17. You'll never be successful by someone else's definition. There's too many definitions. If you can figure out what you really want, you're so much more likely to get it. I think I'm pretty successful.

And lastly: It doesn't matter where I live, I could probably be happy anywhere.


This is kind of a ramble, and maybe it won't make sense to anyone else. But I feel like everyone I've met here so far, and even just some people I've seen on the streets, has had something to teach me. And I'm trying to appreciate it all.

Thoughtfully yours,
- Bunnie

Swimmer haul from LaForet Harajuku!

Hello bunnies!

Just a short post today, after school I'm exhausted! 

I recently got to make my first pilgrimage to Harajuku, exploring some of the shops and seeing all of LaForet! The bottom floor was a dream come true; Angelic Pretty, Swimmer, Nile Perch, Listen Flavor, and Atelier Perot all packed into one place! I just about fainted. *u*

I came home with a heart full of glitter and a bag full of sweet things from Swimmer. 

What I love about Swimmer is the variety of characters and cuteness, and it's all offered at very reasonable prices. They offer stationary, homewares, and general cute stuff. 

And even their bags are darling!

I came home with two pairs of socks (at $1.50 each!), a little drawstring pouch, and some sweet printed masks to keep from spreading my cold around on the train. 

My own outfit was quite simple. It was dreadfully windy, but still warm.

I love wearing the lavender dress I made. 

And the way most people saw it that day. It was hard to take my sweater off for more than two seconds! 

Also, keep in mind, if you're interested in buying anything you see here, or anything from the shops/areas I've mentioned, I am open as a shopping service for the greater Tokyo area, so please contact me! I'm also happy to give you a broader idea of what I have access to, and point you toward webs-stores or item links so you can know what's out there.

I hope your day was sparkly!
Love,
Bunnie

Shopping, Shibuya, and Sushi!

Hello bunnies!

Sorry it's taking me so long to get back into blogging. Uni here is really kicking my butt, but I'm having fun! 

We made our first trip to Shibuya a few days after arrival. 

First was a trip to the local greengrocer, and it's pretty amazing how much of a visible difference there is in quality between fresh fruits here and at home. Here, things are sold ripe, and you have to use them within a few days, but everything is sweet and amazing. 

The cherry blossoms kissed us goodbye on our walk to the station, floating to the ground around us as we walked, but they were all gone just a few days later. 

We went to the most famous part of Shibuya, emerging from the station at the Scramble. 

One of the first things visible from the station was the all-men's mall looming over us. 

In this part of town, you either spend a lot of time craning your neck up at signs and bumping into people, or missing out on all the best places, because you'll almost be guaranteed that the most interesting shops are above you.

Everywhere you look in Shibuya, the information overload is pretty astounding. I feel like I could come back every day for weeks and still not see everything.

We stopped into a convenience store for some quick snacks, because let's be honest, we're all living off these things,

and I ended up sampling an egg-filled onigiri, a salmon onigiri, and a cantaloupe filled bun with melon frosting. Which is about as questionable as it sounds.

Ryder and Jade were often busy being stupid-adorable, and I was busy being the same as I always am...

By which of course I mean HELLA FABULOUS.

Before the evening was out, I was even stopped by a fashion stylist to be in a street snap! However it was for some small tv-related thing, so there's no link I can point you to that I know of. :(

The evening resolved with us going out for the best eel I've ever had, and some other sushi experiments,

Some of which went down better than others...



So what did I come home with after all that boutique shopping?

Stationary of course!

But really, since our first trip was mostly reconnaissance (and everything at 109 is crazy expensive!), I sated my shopping cravings with some reading material, scrap-booking supplies to start documenting my adventures, and a lipgloss from Liz Lisa that absolutely blows me away! So much so that it is deserving of a separate review, so stay tuned.

Liz Lisa was particularly fabulous, giving you a reusable tote bag with every purchase that I just adore.

As for the books, I picked up Amoscream's new style book (she being one of the top pastelgoth models out there), which is full of fun photoshoots, style guides, and tutorials, the Angelic Pretty mook (I couldn't resist when I saw it for literally half the price it was going for at home!), an 'Oshare Note' from Liz Lisa, and a Kyary Pamyu Pamyu poster that a friend received for free with a cd she bought, and was kind enough to gift to me! ;u;

Now let's be honest, I mostly bought the AP book because I wanted the free gift: a black Sugary Carnival tote bag! But hey, $15 is an incredibly good price even for a tote bag from AP, let alone the magazine! Hahaha. It's a really lovely bag, too. Sturdy canvas, lined, with a flap pocket and a snap closure, and the straps are made of a comfortable pleather that doesn't fold easily, and are long enough to sling onto your shoulder.

The actual mook is also quite fun, with some really creative photoshoots using AP products, and a history of all their most famous items, as well as several print samples and coordinating tips.

Amoscream's book does several magazine-style articles in Amo's gorgeous pastelgoth/bubblegoth style,

from 'must-haves' to '7 items 7 days', and is a lot of fun to read and flip through. It's my new pastelgoth bible.

I'm sorry for the lack of shop photos, but they're very strict about not taking photos of their items here! I don't entirely understand it, but there are 'no photo' signs posted in almost every shop. If you'd like me to write up a more general article on Shibuya shops and 109, please leave me a comment!

Ta-ta for now, I have more studying to do!

Love,
Bunnie

Japan Adventure Magic Continuation Go! Day 2!

Hello sugarbunnies, C:

Day two of Magical Japan Adventure was significantly more eventful than the first! With significantly less grump, and significantly more delicious snacks!

Bright and early, we found ourselves scurrying through Saitama in torrential rains. We were all too happy to make our way to our new student orientations at the Sophia campus.

The first thing that struck me about Sophia University was the colors.
It was almost surreal the way so many things, on campus and off, seemed to separate into natural palettes,

from the concrete grays of inner-city buildings,

to the orderly layouts and decor of the buildings on campus,

to the naturally separating colors of the surrounding areas,

The rain gave everything a pale, misty hue,

including the cherry blossoms.

I suppose I fit the theme myself. 

Today's Outfit

I wore my usual partner in crime, my DreamV jacket, 

scarf and rose bands from Daiso,

my new Liz Lisa style bag from Taobao, 

and the beret I made ages ago.

Of course, not having a decent mirror at home, you'll have to forgive the bathroom selfies. 

And I wasn't able to get any decent pictures of the outfit without the jacket (not that I had a chance to take it off! Brr!)

Jayson, Mireille, and Naomi. Piisu!

Later on in the evening, we attended a reception for the newly incoming international students at Sophia University, where there was a strange array of Japanized 'international' food (shrimp and cheddar pizza, anyone? How about shrimp and mayo sandwiches?)

And I'll eat my hat if Mireille's hair isn't the cutest thing you've seen all day. But do keep in mind,  I made that hat.

Another short-ish post, and I've got so much catching up to do, but I'm too busy having more adventures! I'll get you all caught up when things start to get boring, hahaha! C:

Sayounara!
- Bunnie

Greetings from Tokyo! First day in Japan!

Ohayou gozaimasu, bunnies!

I'm happily writing this from my laptop in my new dormitory in Saitama, Japan! C:

I have lots to share already, and have been dying to get this post out. :D

My first few days were somewhat boring, so we'll try to skip past all that and get to the good parts!

Day 1: April 1st

The only thing that got fooled on this day was my internal clock. Waking up at 7am in Seattle, getting on a plane at noon, being on said plane for ten hours, then arriving in Tokyo at 2:30pm the next day, then having a 3 hour commute to my new dormitory, and an even longer period before i could sleep while I filled out paperwork and waited for our manager to 'get around' to giving us a tour of the dorms. Total travel time: 22 hours. Grump level: 90%. 3:<

First impressions: 

Riding the train from the countryside to the city was really beautiful. Seeing the endless sakura-blossoms transform into high-rise city was really fun. I wish I could have taken pictures, but it was just too much trouble to try and get my nikon out of my overstuffed carryon on a crowded train. 

I was so excited to see my dormitory! It's tiny, and the bed is actually a futon on top of raised storage (kind of interesting), but it actually works for me really well. There's a ton of storage built in to everything, and I'm loving the way I can organize my accessories and decorate the shelving next to my desk. The only thing I really miss is a full-length mirror!

Yes, you're seeing this right. The bed is tiny/super-short (I barely fit into it at 5'3"!), and the little stair at the entrance is where we leave our house-slippers. That is a big thing here. No shoes anywhere inside the building! It takes some getting used to, for sure. 

Ugly curtains, but I've got a cute little mini-fridge all to myself, and a hanging rod to store drying clothes, towels, and petticoats! 

And now for some exhausted outfit shots:

Top: Liz Lisa

Skirt:Gift

Tights: Taobao

Necklace: Betsey Johnson

Pearl Bracelets: Forever 21

Not pictures: Boots from Taobao

-whump-

~_~