My Little Box, French Summer Edition (August 2019)
Translated from my original Japanese post (2019). 日本語の原文を読む →
Salut! It's Yoko, a blogger.
By a happy coincidence, I received a My Little Box cosmetics set as a gift!
If you're sensitive to trends or love beauty and fashion, you probably know it,
but My Little Box is a service that delivers cosmetics on a regular monthly basis.
And the contents were things I'd had my eye on for a while. I'm so happy.
What I received this time is the August 2019 box, and I'd like to show you what was inside.
What Is My Little Box?
My Little Box is a beauty subscription service enjoyed by about 150,000 people in Paris, Berlin, and Tokyo,
priced at ¥3,350 per month (shipping included).
The box arrives around the middle of each month.
My Little Box's overarching theme is "Paris," and each month it changes to match the season.
What's in My Little Box
Roughly speaking, My Little Box delivers items like the following.
- Chic fashion items to help you achieve a Parisienne style
- Cosmetics carefully selected by My Little Box
- Stylish accessories and goods that are trending in Paris
There are also events and workshops held exclusively for My Little Box members.
My Little Box, August 2019
Now, let's open My Little Box...
The sticker says "My Little Box x Sisley."
Yes, this time it was a collaboration with Sisley, the French luxury cosmetics brand so famous it needs no introduction.
The product details are in the pamphlet.
On the left is the cover of the My Little Box pamphlet. It looks like this time's theme is "Seaside."
On the right is an illustration of a cute woman relaxing by the sea. The back is completely blank. You could use it as stationery or put it in a frame.
My Little Box x Sisley
Here's the whole set of cosmetics this time.
They're small, but at a glance there looks like enough to last a month.
Ecological Compound (10 ml x 2)
No. 1 in CREA's Best of Repeat Cosmetics 2018 for emulsions and creams,
and a winner of FIGARO Japon's 2018 Beauty Testers' Life-Best Cosmetics award,
among others. It's an amazing beauty emulsion that has won a total of 43 best cosmetics awards from 2008 to 2018.
It contains gotu kola extract, horsetail extract, Korean ginseng extract, and more, moisturizing the skin and balancing water and oil.
Gotu kola extract is the very ingredient found in Korea's popular Cicapair cream, too.
It's not sticky and spreads really well. It feels like a loose emulsion.
Since it's Sisley's signature product, I once bought it myself, but at the time I was a student and it was too expensive to buy again...!
I'm glad to get to try it again this time.
Full-size: ¥25,380 / 125 ml → My Little Box: about ¥4,060 (20 ml)
The full-size supposedly lasts about half a year, so even the My Little Box size should easily last a month.
Floral Toning Lotion (30 ml)
This is another popular Sisley product, containing skin-conditioning ingredients like rose water, cornflower water, and witch hazel water.
When I looked up the ingredients, they seem to have anti-inflammatory effects.
Rose water: soothing and skin-conditioning
Cornflower water: anti-inflammatory, and used since ancient times as an eyewash and wound remedy.
Witch hazel water: used in France for after-sun care and to prevent rough skin.
It has a very light feel.
I think it would be good after getting sunburned, so it's perfect cosmetics for summer.
Full-size: ¥6,264 (100 ml) → My Little Box: about ¥1,880 (30 ml)
Phyto Lip Twist (No. 1 Nude) (1 g)
It's a lip crayon that works as a lip liner, lipstick, and gloss all in one, and its moisturizing ingredients keep dry-prone lips supple.
It comes in 23 shades in all, and this is a nude pink.
Bright colors are hard to wear, so I'm grateful for this one!
It goes on sheer, but if you swipe it on a few times it gives good color.
It has a bit of fine shimmer, so it feels very summery. I think it would suit tanned skin too.
Full-size: ¥5,184 (2.5 g) → My Little Box: about ¥2,070 (1 g)
Summer Clear Pouch
This is an original My Little Box vinyl pouch.
It's printed with many illustrations of girls in swimsuits and the words baisers salés (salty kisses). So chic!
Inside there's an inner pocket, big enough to hold a phone, sunscreen, and hair ties with room to spare.
It's touchscreen-compatible, so you can use your phone even with wet hands.
Fouta (Summer Towel)
When I first saw this, I wondered what it was, and it was the biggest mystery, lol
It's called a fouta, a multi-purpose cloth that originated in Tunisia.
Apparently you spread it on the sand when lying on the beach, use it as a wrap or towel, or as a tablecloth or sofa cover.
In France, people sometimes give them as a gift when invited to a home party, in place of wine.
In Japan we separate towels by use, but in France there seems to be this idea of using one thing for lots of purposes. How interesting!
It feels like cherishing your things, and I like that.
The fabric is thin, so as a blanket or tablecloth it probably wouldn't get damaged.
The colors are pink and blue, and the very French look is what I liked. I want to put it to use before summer ends.
Is My Little Box Priced Without Regard for Profit?!
This was my first time experiencing My Little Box, and learning about cosmetics and the culture of the fouta let me daydream about France, which was fun.
But having nearly ¥8,000 worth of Sisley skincare in a ¥3,350 box seems a little too good a deal...? (sweat)
I worry whether they can keep the service going, lol
And although it's a subscription, you can cancel anytime...
You could also use it as a one-time way of trying new cosmetics.
If you love cosmetics and fashion, or want to know about French trends, why not give it a try?
By the way, if you're on a continuing subscription, past boxes can apparently be delivered if they're in stock, but My Little Box x Sisley is apparently available only to those who sign up by the end of this month, so be careful if you want one!
See you next time. Au revoir!
