…to see the senoritas dance with flowers in their hair!  Okay, not really, that's part of a song my sister and I used to sing as kids.  But it looks like Paul & Joe had their own personal circus at Isetan Shinjuku department store in Tokyo to celebrate the release of their new lipsticks.  I'm not sure why they went with a circus theme or why they had to make these exclusive to Isetan, but what I do know is that a certain curator was determined to get her hands on them by any means necessary.  Basically I paid through the nose to use a personal shopping service in Japan.  But I believe it was worth it, as these new cases are easily some of the cutest and most unusual Paul & Joe has come up with in a while.  I also suspect these are brand new prints that are unique to the cases.  I might have looked too quickly, but I did briefly peruse the fall 2017 Paul & Joe fashion collections and didn't see any of them.

Paul & Joe circus lipstick cases

I love the caps!  (And I was ever so happy to see the return of Cap'n Kitty!)

Paul & Joe circus lipstick cases

While the cases retailed for a mere 1,100 yen (about $10 U.S. each), the shopping service itself charged…well, I'm too embarrassed to tell you how much.  But look at this very dapper penguin.  I mean, he's wearing a freakin' top hat and bow tie!!  As I said, worth it.

Paul & Joe circus lipstick case #3

While Cap'n Kitty will always hold a special place in my heart, I think this was my favorite case of the bunch.  The images are just so delightfully absurd.  We have a cat lady in a hoop skirt, a tiger riding a bicycle, an antelope, a parrot riding a zebra, and for some reason a monkey holding a fan sitting by a windmill.  Bizarre, but the vintage style is utterly charming nevertheless – reminds me a little of Alice in Wonderland.

Paul & Joe circus lipstick case #6

If you thought the cases were awesome, you need to take a gander at the Isetan event itself.  I'd have given my eye teeth to be there, as it looked amazing.  Whoever Paul & Joe's event planner was, they hit it out of the park.   (I hate the event planning I do for work but if I could do these types of events for a beauty company I probably wouldn't mind so much!)

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event display

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event display

I loved the gigantic kitty lipsticks, which naturally made for a perfect photo opportunity.

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event

They even had a life-size statue of the cat lady!  She was cleverly placed in front of the lipstick case print and wearing one of Paul & Joe's fall 2017 dresses.

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event cat statue

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event cat statue

There were even actual circus performers!

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event - performers

The huge gumball machine was a fun touch too.  While it looks like simply a novelty piece of decor, it actually worked.  I don't have the video of a couple girls putting a few coins in and getting their prizes because Paul & Joe only had it on their Instagram stories, but there was proof that it wasn't just for show.  

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event - gumball machine

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event - gumball machine

I'm wondering how much this event cost and how long it took to plan – those giant cat lipsticks, gumball machine, framed prints and other decor couldn't have been cheap or produced overnight because they would have to be custom-made with Paul & Joe's designs.  Even these little balloons must have been pricey.  (I guess because of my day job and also planning elaborate birthday parties for my niece, I just can't stop thinking about the work and money that went into this event!)  They must have had an unlimited budget and an entire fleet of event coordinators.

Paul & Joe Isetan circus event - balloons
(images from Paul & Joe's instagram)

But wait, there's more!  Another spectacular event was held for CanCam, a popular Japanese fashion magazine.  Entitled "CanCat Night Pool", the event name put a fun Paul & Joe kitty spin on the magazine's moniker while pointing to the night swimming activities.  This one also looked like a ton of fun!

CanCam Paul & Joe Night Pool event

Can Cam Paul & Joe Night Pool event

Again, custom pool floats = $$$.

CanCam Paul & Joe Night Pool event

CanCam Paul & Joe Night Pool event

CanCam Paul & Joe Night Pool event(images from cancam.jp)

All in all, I was overjoyed to be able to add these cases to my collection, and I was glad Paul & Joe provided plenty of pictures of their wonderful events for those of us who are thousands of miles away and couldn't attend.  Also, I think my new career goal might be doing event planning for a big makeup company.  ;)  If you weren't able to get your hands on these lipstick cases, don't despair – I wouldn't be surprised if Paul & Joe releases them worldwide eventually. 

What do you think?  Do you have a favorite?