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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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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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:

When blended together, the result is kind of grayish which I like.

Sorry this is my first time taking a photo of my eye, and as you can see, I put makeup on with a very light hand.

It matched my outfit so mission accomplished?

I also got some loose powder because I was running out:

And the newish Tsubaki Essential Oil shampoo and conditioner:

Reviews to come soon!

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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.

On the train, in the shops, on the streets — I see many women carrying this Cher bag. In fact, most Japanese working women have a main handbag (Coach, LV, Gucci etc.), and in the crook of their arm, they would tote a “secondary” bag which holds a lunch box or books or cosmetics or anything else that won’t fit into the other bag.

Sadly, it’s quite obvious that people are not carrying eco bags for environmental reasons. The Japanese are known to be fastidious about their layers of plastic packaging and I haven’t spotted many people using eco bags to carry groceries, which is common in Western countries but a concept only slowly latching on in Asia.

I suppose Tokyo has a commuting culture so women tend to travel with more stuff and hence the need for more space. The eco bag is certainly a better alternative than toting around a “nice” (read: designer brands) paper bag stuffed to the brim with odds and ends that usually ends up looking grubby.

Some women use a small eco bag to hold their wallets, mobile phones, tissue, and a lipstick when they head out to lunch from the office. The most commonly sighted eco bag for this purpose is from Dean & Deluca (I know, it’s so bizarre that a cafe’s eco bag can be so popular). I think their solid colors (black, white, and red) don’t scream for attention and they are big enough to hold everything you need for an hour but small enough to carry easily.

I’m a big bag girl so I don’t really need a second bag but I was bitten by the eco bag bug nonetheless. I thought the Agnes B striped eco bag was perfect for picnics or running errands around my neighborhood.

I don’t think this Kitson bag classifies as an eco bag because it is lined with insulating foil-like material to keep your lunch box warm. But I would consider it eco-friendly because it’s better to use this than a plastic bag to store your food.

On a road trip to Hakone, I put in an avocado, a banana, an apple, three raw bars, a hand towel, and a small knife in this small bag. I had quite a few things to carry so it was great to separate my food from my other stuff because I didn’t want to squash the fruit.

I thought this bag screamed kawaii and it was so cheery I had to nab it. As mentioned above about the lunch time tote bag, this Marc Jacobs eco bag is the same size as the Dean & Deluca ones.

Obviously I don’t have an office to go to because my home is my office, so I used it as a toiletry bag for my one-night getaway in Hakone. My regular one is pretty big and is more suitable for three-week holidays, so this small eco bag saved me a lot of space in my overnight bag.

I’m loving all three of these bags and I can’t wait to see what the June issues will bring!

Do you use eco bags?

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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:

+ There are colourful pads with cute printed designs that are limited editions of existing brands like Whisper.

+ 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.

+ You can buy Megami products here.

I’ll leave you with the cutesy, girly ad for Megami pads…

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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.

I love the French nail polish because of its flat brush tip — great for creating designs on your nails. I’m far from being expert so I settled on a simple leaf design.

What also caught my eye was the mini nail polish remover.

Just stick your finger into the bottle, twist, and voila, your nails are clean.

This is what it looks on the inside — there is a grey flannel-like cloth that peeks out of an opening, which is soaked with remover.

I found that it worked well, except for leaving a few stubborn sparkles behind. I thought it was a bit tedious to keep twisting my fingers one by one, so I cleaned my other hand with regular nail polish remover just to compare.

And you know what I found? Regular nail polish remover (I used Sally Hansen) just couldn’t effectively remove such heavy sparkled polish, so in the end, I preferred the Parado one. The size is also perfect for when you are travelling as it’s so small and compact.

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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.

Ascience: A budget brand with a premium feel

I would rank Asience by Kao up there with Tsubaki as it smells good (floral scent with a slight musky edge) and has an excellent conditioner. I still prefer the brown one to the new light green bottle that is a lighter version. For the new range, the shampoo doesn’t clean that well and the conditioner is average. If you want heavy duty conditioning, I would absolutely recommend the brown Asience range.

Foreign shampoo brands

How do foreign brands hold up in Japan? I went straight for Dove when I first arrived and found it to be a poor sister to those in Singapore and Australia. I don’t know what they put in it but it sure left a lot of residue on my scalp after just a couple of washes.

Clairol Herbal Essences is not bad as a daily product but the scent doesn’t enamor me and the names seem to target the teen market. Would you like something called “Mermaid Moisture” or “Angel Smooth”?

Pantene is not great but the more expensive Clinicare range is by far the best in terms of performance and fragrance. The little tubes of treatment conditioner are phenomenal, considering their price.

Lux is pretty good until the residue build up rears its ugly head. I would recommend their serum treatment and leave-in conditioner, though, which I would use over and over again.

Not pictured here is L’Oreal’s Elseve for color-treated hair, which is an excellent daily shampoo. I love the treatment conditioner, which leaves my thick hair smooth and soft.

Are there anymore Japanese shampoos you love? Tell us about it here!

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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.

Stay tuned for Part Two!

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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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