Hello my lovelies, I am still in Australia as I’m writing this on my brand new iPad. By the time you read this, I’ll be flying from Brisbane to Sydney.
At first, I wanted a net book which is Windows-based but my “internal IT support team” aka my fiancé thought an iPad would be way more awesome as a business travel tool. Not complaining at all here!
Very excited to be so IT-savvy while traveling. So here’s today’s topic….
You wouldn’t believe this but my oldest brush was a MAC blusher brush (on the extreme right) bought in 2002 when I was in Toronto on holiday. The brush was so full that it could even be used as a face powder brush.
In the middle was my go-to eyeshadow brush that was taken from a Paul & Joe eyeshadow compact, while the blusher brush on the extreme left was nicked from a Chanel all-in-one travel compact.
They were functional but made poor bedfellows in my makeup bag. Everytime I used these three brushes, I would say to myself,”I should really get new ones. They are shedding hair!”
So on my Singapore Airlines flight out of Nagoya on my way to Singapore, I promptly bought a set of Shu Uemura brushes made out of sable, goat, pony, and squirrel hair.
This travel set cost SGD101 (USD73) and so far I am totally loving these soft, refined brushes. I especially adore the blusher brush that picks up an ever so tiny amount of product and spreads lightly over the cheek area.
Though I’m quite cost conscious in my expenditure, I think there are just some things that are worth spending more on quality. What do you splurge on that is worth every penny?
And it comes in a simple sleek case…
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In a bid to find more clarity (in work and in my personal life), I always start cleaning out my house. Sometimes I do it in small parts and it depends on what I find too cluttered. In May, I chucked out a whole bunch of things from my kitchen and wardrobe, and this June, I found my powder room over-flowing with un-used and un-loved beauty products so I threw those out too.
Hording is one of those things that disguises itself as being frugal or not being wasteful, but if something is not serving you, why let it hang around?
What does this have to do with my new loose powder? Well, if you’re a long-time reader of this blog, you would know I’m a creature of habit (for certain things) and this applies to my foundation and powder.
I used to be deathly afraid of breaking out because my skin used to be very sensitive like that, but honestly, since I cleaned up my diet in a big way, I find my tolerance for different brands to be better. I stuck with Clinique for ages before I switched to L’Oreal (a friend’s recommendation). But lately, I found L’Oreal to crease easily (or is my skin aging – quite possibly!) and I didn’t like how I looked. And in winter, I even found the liquid foundation to be drying so I had patches of peeling skin on my face. Sounds horrible? Well, only if you looked closely, I guess.
So, I decided to experiment with Japanese brands. Duh, I live in Japan but I haven’t tried any of the multitudes of foundation makeup available.
I took a punt and bought Beaute de Kose’s Esprique Precious Loose Powder.
I’ve been using it for two weeks and I love the texture — it’s finer than the L’Oreal Translucide Loose Powder. I’ve used both the puff and my MAC powder brush and I prefer to apply with a brush. The puff doesn’t spread the powder very evenly and I had to shake the powder onto the puff several times to get the amount I want which is quite time-consuming.
And it looks very pretty. Japan has that effect on me — I’ve grown from living with boring primary colours to more pinks and purples in my things…
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I’m quite a fan of tsubaki oil, a Japanese hair tonic made from the camellia flower, so I had to try the new Essential Oil range that Shiseido put out under its Tsubaki umbrella.
I really wanted to like this but I actually don’t quite take to the scent of the shampoo. It’s a little minty and herbal in a bad way and my tresses feel clumpy after washing them and it makes me feel I need a very rich conditioner.
Luckily, the Tsubaki Essential Oil conditioner is just that. The fragrance is slightly better than the shampoo and my hair really does look shiny and smooth after using this set.
Would I buy this again? Only the conditioner, I’m afraid. I would recommend the white or red Tsubaki sets instead. FYI the red is more moisturizing and the white is lighter.
I’m quite random with haircare and would try anything that catches my fancy. Lately, I have become more careful of parabens and use Nature’s Gate Herbal shampoo and conditioner on alternate days. The conditioner is actually brown which grossed me out initially but it smells heavenly and not weird or herbal at all.
Onto other beauty things…
I love my local ksuriya because they always give me freebies when I shop there. Have a peek at what I got recently:
Coffret D’Or lipstick sample palette. I have always wanted to try this brand and glad to have an array of colours to try at my own pace. Sometimes I feel so stressed at cosmetics counters in Japan because there is always an SA who wants to help out.
Sana hair serum — might give this one a go when I travel to Nagano this weekend.
Above is a Nov skin care sample set that is not very appealing in its packaging. It seems gentle and suited for sensitive skin so I might use this on my trip too. I’m actually quite liberal with my skin and hair care if it’s just an overnight stay. If the products work — great, if not, I would at least know it’s not a good product.
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When I pick up household products like washing powder and toilet paper at my local kusuriya (pharmacy), I would be irresistibly drawn to the cosmetics aisle.
I picked up a Majolica Majorca eyeshadow palette, 1575JPY (USD17), last week. I had been thinking that I don’t really have smokey shades in my makeup bag, so I thought I would get this to create darker looks:
Remember I mentioned loving freebies that come with Japanese fashion and beauty mags? Last month I got the May issues of Spring, CanCam, and Spur because I was enticed by the cute bags that came with the magazines.
This type of promotional gimmick has become so common in Japan that consumers take it for granted that a magazine would come with more. And bags are perfect because they carry the brand name of the designer or shop in question and it’s so easy to fold them into magazines.
Ever since Anya Hindmarch’s “I’m not a plastic bag” phenomenon in 2007, Japan has been flooded with eco bags from every brand imaginable. The most recently coveted tote bag here is Cher, an eco-friendly brand that had a surge in popularity after giving out a free medium-sized eco bag with Sweet magazine.
Yup, you read that right. When it comes to sanitary pads (or other feminine products), I like sticking to what I know. So when I stepped foot onto the shores of Japan, I opted for Laurier because it was the only brand I knew. The rest were a blur of strange names in Japanese and I wasn’t equipped to read the fine print.
It’s been more than three years of suffering this “mental block” until I got a free sample from Megami at my local kusuriya (pharmacy in Japanese). It was just one sanitary pad and not a whole pack so I thought the commitment level was practically zero. Even if I hated it, at least I didn’t have to throw away 15 pads, I said to myself.
And you know what? Me likey.
Upon further research, Megami was launched last year and its pretty Lolita-Gothic theme even goes beyond the packaging. The wings on the pad have wavy curves but they still hold onto the panty well — no slippin’ and slidin’.
It’s a cottony, ultra thin sanitary napkin that I would highly recommend to anyone who likes non-plastic pads.
Curious about feminine products in Japan, I searched online for more information and it threw up a couple of interesting results:
+ Reusable pads are called MyNapu (for “my napkin”, I guess) and created quite a stir with its eco message in mid-2008. They actually look really sweet and carries none of the gross factor we may think it has.
I’ve always been a bit lazy when it came to manicures, but it’s hard not to bite the fancy nail wave that is such a signature on Japanese women. Almost every Japanese woman I meet has amazing nails. When I glance at theirs and then at mine, I feel a little scruffy.
To remedy that, I decided to make an effort with my nails. I think of it as “accessorizing” without baubles.
I tend to frequent Seven Eleven convenient stores quite a bit — to buy magazines, or use their bathroom, or buy stationary, or an onigiri.
And like most multi-purpose chain conbinis, it also has a beauty section. Seven Eleven carries the budget Sekkisei range and DHC products, plus Parado nail polish.
If you haven’t read Part One, here it is. I split this post into two parts because it became so l-o-n-g. For those who are interested in Japanese shampoo, this is a personal take on what a regular gal sees in a regular pharmacy, or kusuriya in Tokyo.
Japanese brands that are not by Shiseido
So, there are brands that thrive outside the omnipotent Shiseido umbrella.
On the left is H&S. This brand got rave reviews over at beauty ranking site, cosme. I gave it a go and liked it, but to be honest, it doesn’t give me gorgeous hair daily. It’s one of those shampoos which perform well but you wouldn’t use it before a special event.
On the right is Essential by Kao. I’ve not tried this simply because a Japanese friend said it was dame, which I think means, “Don’t try it. It’s cheap and nasty.” It’s probably one of the cheapest you will find in the shops here.
In my other blog, I wrote a short lil’ piece on my then shampoo fave, Shiseido Super Mild, and it’s one of those posts that strangely got an amazing number of hits. I was wondering if I should write a follow-up and thought it would be more appropriate to do so here.
Before I kick things off, I have to clarify that I didn’t try every single brand and will include what my friends had to say.
When I first landed in Japan, I was concerned about living without my favourite products. If you wander into an average pharmacy, or kusuriya, you will see a few foreign brands but the rest are all made in Japan. It can look intimidating and you wouldn’t know where to start.
This is just a snapshot of what shampoos are sold in a popular pharmacy, called Matsumotokiyoshi. If you take a look online, there are loads more brands available in Japan, but frankly, I’ve yet to know where they are sold and if they are any good.
Tsubaki-infused products
Tsubaki oil, or camellia oil, is a traditional hair treatment in Japan and I’m certainly a fan of this tonic. I would recommend Shiseido’s white tsubaki shampoo over the red one because it feels lighter for my oily scalp. The treatment conditioner (in tube form) is excellent if you want your hair to be silky for a special occasion.
I’ve not tried the red bottles of tsubaki products in the photo on the far right, but I have been using the yellow bottle, a tsubaki conditioner, for a week now and I like the fluffy, soft effect it gives my long tresses. The name of this one is Sealand Tsubaki Oily Conditioner (you gotta love Japlish). The consistency is rather watery for a conditioner but it smells lovely in its gentle floral goodness.
I’ve tried Oshima tsubaki oil as a serum after washing and conditioning my hair and it made my hair really smooth. I think this is as Japanese you can get with your hair and I would highly recommend it.
Other Shiseido brands
It’s likely that several of the shampoos you spot in the shops belong to one brand, Shiseido. They own so many cosmetics and beauty ranges it’s impossible to keep track. Anyway, the products may be the same brand but they are not always of the same quality.
On the left is Super Mild and I find this to be a good daily shampoo (read reviews here) for those who have a normal/oily scalp. But after a month or so, I felt it left a pretty heavy residue so I stopped using it regularly. Nothing a clarifying shampoo can’t fix but you do get what you pay for. I find the cheaper shampoos tend not to be that great in some way or another.
On the right is Fino and a couple of girl friends have vouched for this. Unfortunately I couldn’t find the bottles and saw only the refill packs (another great thing about shampoo culture here). This is definitely on my “to-try” list.
I try to refrain from painting Japan as an alien, out-of-this-world city because it’s so much more than its extreme people and things. I feel that there are many tiny subcultures that breathe underground, but on the whole, not everyone in Japan is like that as these blogs insinuate. The Japanese are like you and me — just my gut feeling.
But there are moments that I scratch my head and it’s when I spot things like the above contraption: the Bust Roll. You are supposed to roll it upwards over your breasts above and below your cleavage.
Being Asian, I’m used to seeing bust enhancing creams and I’m aware that some women truly have a hangup about this perceived lack. I mean, I always wear bras that are padded and of the push up variety, so it’s not that I don’t sympathize with those less bosomy.
I think it’s possible to be slightly fuller if you are on the pill or taking hormone enhancing herbs (dong quai, wild yam, pueraria mirifica, black cohosh, and red clover to name a few) but I don’t think massage really helps. Also, it looks uncomfortable. There’s another similar product here and it looks just as bizarre…
Anyway, Japan has a product for every problem, it seems!
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