Ever wonder what other strange things makeup addicts do (aside from collecting prodigiously obscene amounts of makeup that no woman will ever be able to use up in one lifetime)? Well, one thing that this makeup addict frequently finds herself doing is stalking Kinokuniya for the latest shipments of Japanese magazines. It being a Japanese bookstore, they actually have a notice board where they put up information on the dates of the next few air and sea shipments and the titles of the magazines that will be coming in each shipment. Aside from picking up my usual beauty magazines like Voce, Biteki, Bea's Up and Maquia, I'm often on the lookout for Japanese women's magazines with cute collectible freebies by brands such as Stila, Paul & Joe, Rebecca Taylor or Jill Stuart.
My target this evening was the magazine InRed, which comes with a pink Jill Stuart coin purse. For me, basically any magazine collectible branded with Jill Stuart sets off clanging "MUST GET!!" alarm bells. Especially since Jill Stuart wallets usually cost upwards of 5000yen. Of course, you can't expect a trinket from a magazine that costs only 630yen to be made of luxurious leather but if they are decently made, they're still a delight to have.
Anyway, that was how I found myself pacing the Japanese magazine section at Kinokuniya this evening for an hour. I got there at 7pm but the sales staff told me that the magazine would only be 'released' at 8pm. (Another very Japanese facet of Kino!) So I hiked over to HMV to check out the British magazines (see, HMV, unlike other bookstores in Singapore, brings in the British fashion mags such as Elle with their freebies, such as tote bags, flip flops, even makeup items, still attached!). UK Elle had a Warehouse tank top (choice of grey, black, dark beige) and Red had a huge tote bag but neither were pretty enough to splurge on. So I went back to Kino and waited patiently until 8pm before approaching the staff again and this time, I finally got my hands on InRed! And of course, after having waited so long to get it, I end up buying TWO copies, rationalising that I might as well get an extra that will make a nice gift since that is one hour of my life that I'm never getting back anyway! Kind of like why makeup addicts buy backups of things like MAC Parrot eyeshadow even though they know they will never be able to use up a single pot of it.
So, here it is in all its shiny pink glory! It turned out to be larger than I expected, bigger than my palm but actually it's not that roomy because it is totally flat on one side and the zip is only on the right edge instead of all around the circumference. The material is quite thin and feels like vinyl, so I'm not sure how much wear and tear it can take. But I love the cute apple design and details such as the small oval piece that's attached to the zip. Was it worth stalking Kino for an hour? You bet!! :-)
My next target? The Paul & Joe silky drawstring pouch that comes with a foundation sample and primer sample in the October issue of Biteki and the Paul & Joe Sister tote bag in the October issue of Spring :-)
My target this evening was the magazine InRed, which comes with a pink Jill Stuart coin purse. For me, basically any magazine collectible branded with Jill Stuart sets off clanging "MUST GET!!" alarm bells. Especially since Jill Stuart wallets usually cost upwards of 5000yen. Of course, you can't expect a trinket from a magazine that costs only 630yen to be made of luxurious leather but if they are decently made, they're still a delight to have.
Anyway, that was how I found myself pacing the Japanese magazine section at Kinokuniya this evening for an hour. I got there at 7pm but the sales staff told me that the magazine would only be 'released' at 8pm. (Another very Japanese facet of Kino!) So I hiked over to HMV to check out the British magazines (see, HMV, unlike other bookstores in Singapore, brings in the British fashion mags such as Elle with their freebies, such as tote bags, flip flops, even makeup items, still attached!). UK Elle had a Warehouse tank top (choice of grey, black, dark beige) and Red had a huge tote bag but neither were pretty enough to splurge on. So I went back to Kino and waited patiently until 8pm before approaching the staff again and this time, I finally got my hands on InRed! And of course, after having waited so long to get it, I end up buying TWO copies, rationalising that I might as well get an extra that will make a nice gift since that is one hour of my life that I'm never getting back anyway! Kind of like why makeup addicts buy backups of things like MAC Parrot eyeshadow even though they know they will never be able to use up a single pot of it.
So, here it is in all its shiny pink glory! It turned out to be larger than I expected, bigger than my palm but actually it's not that roomy because it is totally flat on one side and the zip is only on the right edge instead of all around the circumference. The material is quite thin and feels like vinyl, so I'm not sure how much wear and tear it can take. But I love the cute apple design and details such as the small oval piece that's attached to the zip. Was it worth stalking Kino for an hour? You bet!! :-)
My next target? The Paul & Joe silky drawstring pouch that comes with a foundation sample and primer sample in the October issue of Biteki and the Paul & Joe Sister tote bag in the October issue of Spring :-)
10 comments:
KAWAII!!! Have all the copies been snapped up? ;)
Hey Mag,
I'm not sure how many copies of InRed Kino brought in with this shipment. My guess is not a lot as usually there's only a couple of copies on the shelves. The Kino staff gave me two copies from behind the counter so I didn't see how many they had in total. You can always call them and ask if there are any more, if you're interested.
Thank you, dear! I will be going down anyway to check out Allure. I've read that the latest issue is chock full of beauty info. I hope it doesn't disappoint. English mags can't hold a candle to those comprehensive reads from Japan though!
Hey Mag!
It's a pity that the Japanese beauty mags are not translated into more languages 'cos I'm sure they'll be a big hit with their meticulous tutorials. The new Allure with Victoria Beckman is quite a good read although some of the articles are repetitive as usual. Like women abusing ADD medication to lose weight. That's been around for so long, it's hardly news but the way Allure presents it, you'd think it was the revelation of the year! I liked the Beckham article, it was quite good!
OMG, I am going to stalk my Kino very soon! I was just there on Sunday and definitely did not see In Red. I have been collecting those P&J pouches for the past 2 years so this year will be no exception!
when will spring and biteki be out ?
Hey, I love your blog! It has become my daily read :)please continue to bring us the make-up info! will probably bump into you one of these days in Kino
Hey Michelle,
I love the P&J freebies that come with Japanese mags! P&J does these promotional tie-ins quite often too, so it's fun to collect them.
Both Biteki and Spring are published on the 23rd of every month.
Hey strawberries n creme,
thanks for the kind comments and for stopping by!
What a cute purse. I can't even lay my hands on a Bea's Up copy, let alone InRed, with the Kinos around here. Neither the ones in NYC or LA have it.
I don't get why US magazines don't offer a premium of this sort. We literally have one magazine devoted to beauty - Allure - and that's it. It makes me scratch my head sometimes. Even the breakfast cereals around here stopped giving out free toys. I used to collect the ones from Fruity Pebbles. (Yes, I'm nuts.)
Hey Taryn,
that's a pity! Have you tried asking them if they can bring in copies for you? The Kinokuniya in Singapore does special orders, IIRC. I was able to order a photo book through them a few years ago. Another alternative is to order from Amazon Japan, I think, but the shipping fees are probably killer.
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