Hey y’all, I am just brimming with new ideas for this blog and I’m kicking off a new one today: Tokyo Trendspotting Thursdays.

Every Thursday, I’ll post news about what’s hot in Tokyo for women. I know there are many Jap-mad gals out there and there’s just so much stuff going on here in the Big Mikan (an affectionate pet name for Tokyo; means big orange — go figure).

+ ‘Tis the rainy season so rain-resistant rubber boots are all the rage. I always associated them with construction workers and little kiddies, but Japanese women sure make them look ultra-chic and cute.

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I’ve been talking a lot about skin-related beauty, but today I want to touch on a weight issue and it certainly affects our physical appearance.

I’ll put my hand up and admit I put on almost 20 pounds over several years due to comfort eating. I just thought I “loved” pasta, but pasta didn’t love me back — I couldn’t buckle my jeans up without a struggle and my thighs grew a bit too close for comfort. I have a rather petite frame so excess weight truly shows up.

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In my never-ending quest for discovering excellent but affordable skincare solutions, I stumbled across yet another one in sunny Singapore, my home country.

Well, actually my sister introduced me to her new night moisturizer: Fruit of the Earth Vitamin E Skin Care Oil (SGD29; USD20) blended with aloe vera gel from the same brand.

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Today’s video answers an FAQ I get all the time: “How many tablespoons of collagen should I take everyday?”

This really only applies to those who don’t want to buy the tin (that has the special Meiji 5,000mg spoon) and prefer the refills, which come without the spoon.

It’s quite hard for me to gauge for my customers and my read is American tablespoons and teaspoons are different from the ones in Japan.

What I’ve done is to measure the length and width of my Japanese tablespoon (2 x 1.2 inches) and I need two of these to give me my daily dosage of collagen. I hope this can help you in gauging for your own spoons.

We’re all pretty well-educated on how bad the sun is for our skin and it’s normal to see the words “SPF” on our cosmetics and beauty products. But there is one more thing that is even more invisible that causes wrinkles: SUGAR.

While I don’t think it’s possible to rule out sugar from our diet completely, it’s probably a good idea to decrease our intake of it.

Here are three reasons to make you sit up and pay attention:

#1 Sugar in your blood combines with proteins to form harmful molecules called advanced glycation end products (AGEs). So these bad boys attack collagen and elastin — the stuff that makes your skin smooth and supple.

#2 AGEs transform collagen to be more fragile. When this happens, your skin looks and feels less plump.

#3 AGEs make your body’s anti-oxidant enzymes useless which then leaves your skin more vulnerable to sun damage — still a main cause for aging.

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I’ve heard so much buzz about BB Cream in the last year that I really want to try this wonder foundation from Korea that is taking Asia by storm.

Several of my Japanese gal pals mentioned that they love this product and wish they could fly to Seoul to pick some up at ridiculously cheap prices, because as most things go, the ones in Japan are quite pricey.

Being the ressionista that I am, I will wait till my current stash of foundation is used up (which is one and a half bottles — sadness).

But, this hasn’t stopped me from wanting to find out more and when the time comes, my fingers will be ready to spread this magic paste on my face. Today, I’d like to share with you what I have found out about BB Cream.

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This week’s episode talks about mixing Meiji Amino Collagen with herbal tea. It’s great hot or iced — amino collagen does not change its properties in higher temperatures.

A lot of women ask me what amino collagen tastes like and I don’t really have an answer except, “It’s got a very mild taste.”

Some folks think it smells like coffee creamer or a bit medicinal or a bit fishy, and some can’t even pinpoint what it is because it’s just so subtle. but really, it depends on the person and how sensitive you are to an extra something in your drink.

Try amino collagen with mint, lemongrass, ginger, chamomile, or rosehip…The choice is really yours.

We tend to look for quick-fixes in order to feel good — an iced frap, splurging on heels, or checking into a mani session. These are all well and good, but I don’t think they truly help us feel beautiful on the inside. When we have a bad day, it’s easy to fall back on 3 seconds of “yay” but you will still feel like you were before.

I think it’s pointless to talk about beauty without bringing the mind into it. If you are positive and happy, it will show in your radiant face.

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Dark chocolate and beauty do go together. Packed full of anti-oxidants, dark chocolate helps to fight those nasty free radicals that cause wrinkles and dull skin.

There’s always some guilt around eating chocolate but today’s dessert drink is healthy and tastes divine. Commercial chocolate is kind of junky because of the added refined sugar and full cream dairy milk. Not many people know this but dairy milk makes the anti-oxidants in chocolate useless, so this recipe will help you skip over this hurdle.

Recommended recipe:

1 cup raw hazelnuts*
1 glass water
Blend and strain using a nut milk bag or cheesecloth

Strained hazelnut milk
1 tsp dark chocolate powder (unsweetened)
6 dates
1 spoonful Meiji Amino Collagen
Blend till smooth

*Remember to soak the hazelnuts for at least 8 hours before using them. This gets rid of the enzyme inhibitors from the nuts and your body can properly absorb all their delicious goodness.

Enjoy!

Recently, I stumbled across a Reuters article about Japanese beauty expert, Chizu Saeki, and it was about her philosophies on how to keep skin beautiful. She expounds not spending too much on cosmetics and suggests thinking of attractive men to keep skin glowing. Oh my. I certainly had a chuckle at that one.

I mentioned this to a Japanese friend and she told me that Saeki is very famous in Japan and is quite a personality on TV. She is 66 years old and has snow white, smooth skin — a walking advertisement for what she preaches. Recently, she released a book out in English, The Japanese Skincare Revolution, which shares easy, natural skincare techniques.

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