Sometimes I do a ton of research before I buy a product and there are moments where impulse grabs me. This is one of them.

When I bought a large bottle of Kose’s Junkisui Emulsion, my skin was very tight from the dry, wintry air. I normally use Dove’s Essential Nutrients Day Cream SPF15 and when my face felt like it was being pulled backwards into my hairline, I slathered on two layers but it was still uncomfortably dry.

I have oily/combination skin so it bewildered me that I needed something heavier. So I thought, “I just need a hydrating serum!”

I stumbled around at my local Tomod’s and found this:

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I’ve to tell ya, I never paid attention to hand cream before this cold, dry winter in Tokyo. The super dry air actually makes me feel a little ill, and what’s also mortifying, the skin on my hands feel tight and my cuticles are peeling — ouch.

If I did buy hand cream in the past, it was because it was an excuse to have one more sweet-smelling product for myself.

I indulged in a bottle of L’Occitane Lavender Hand Lotion a couple of years ago (I still have loads left so you can tell how often I use it). It smells absolutely gorgeous and I smear it on before bed just to feel relaxed and ready to drift off into slumberland.

It’s a light hand cream that doesn’t feel sticky but it doesn’t hold up well in Tokyo’s current dry conditions. I had to re-apply it after a short while and my skin still peeled.

For a small travel-sized hand cream, I got Neutrogena’s fragrance-free Norwegian formula just before my Nepal trip in late 2007. I thought it could double up as a spare moisturizer if I ran out, but I hardly used it. OMG, the air in Tokyo is drier than Kathmandu’s. Ugh.

Anyway, it’s “functional”, as in it does the job but has a sticky feel to it which fades only after a long while but I can tell that there’s something on my skin. Also, a big blob takes a long while for it to be absorbed and I had to keep rubbing what felt like a paste on my hands.

After dropping off Beauty Box packages at the post office, I swung by the kusuriya with a mission to save my hands from further discomfort — BB Hanskin. I got the Moisture Natural Rich Hand Cream (814JPY) and not Water Drop because I need all the hydration I can get!

I read quite a few rave reviews about this Korean brand’s Super Magic BB Cream and I guess it makes sense to have some of that special touch on my parched hands. The label reads, “The cream contains glycerin and sodium hyaluronate…” so I thought, “That sounds pretty moisturizing to me!”

Verdict: There is still a very thin film of lotion I can feel, but it’s not unpleasant and it doesn’t get in the way of typing on my Mac. The scent is wonderfully light and reminds me of Crabtree & Evelyn’s Goat’s Milk range. The fragrance fades fairly quickly so it never overwhelms my nose while I’m going about my day. It’s more affordable than Avene’s famed Cold Cream Hand Cream at 1,250JPY and feels more luxurious to the touch than cheaper, less absorbent moisturizers.

Japanese service is awesome. The cashier at the Kokumin pharmacy near my apartment made an error by overcharging my credit card for my purchase. After correcting the transaction and many apologies later, they also gave me two samples as a token gift.

The boyfriend’s mum actually loves Shiseido Elixir beauty products and asks me to help her stock up whenever I visit Sydney or if she is in Tokyo. Their skin care products smell lovely and the kangaroo’s mum swears they are perfect for dry skin.

This shade suited me very well and it gave moderate to heavy coverage. I was going out to dinner that night and was in the mood to dress up a little bit more, so this foundation helped me achieve a more finished look, as opposed to the sheer Clinique Super Balanced liquid foundation I usually use.

I do understand that this Shiseido range is targeted at mature women but I’m not so concerned about brand image as long as it caters to my needs. My skin is probably classified as oily/combination but this foundation didn’t feel too cakey and had good staying power.

It’s priced over 3,500JPY for a compact, which is reasonable. Would I buy this again? Yes, if I’m not traveling through any duty-free shops in airports.

And how was the Pond’s cleansing oil? Not good, as it doesn’t take off all traces of makeup. After I swiped my face with a cotton pad soaked with toner, the cotton pad removed quite a bit of foundation left on my skin.

When I spotted Sekkisuiat Seven Eleven, I wondered if it was worth trying because some sub-brands here are a bit touch and go. I have no idea if Sekkisei or Sekkisui truly whitens skin, but I found the basic set to feel and smell great.

The White Washing Cream is pretty foamy, which is something I love in a facial wash, and it smells divinely comforting — the sort of feeling you should have before you climb under the sheets.

The Pure Whitening Lotion is refreshing on the skin so it has that wake-up effect and perfect for sleepy mornings.

The only complaint I have is there is ethanol in these two products, which explains the squeaky clean feeling you get. I think alcohol is sort of unavoidable in budget products in Japan so I would only recommend this for summer. My skin felt a bit tight as it’s winter now, but there was nothing a rich night cream couldn’t fix. The most important thing was I didn’t break out despite the ethanol.

Lastly, the Cleansing Oil totally rocks. It’s not very oily (feels more like a thick toner) and exudes a powdery fragrance, and the best part is, it takes off all my makeup, including waterproof mascara, with only four or five shakes from the bottle. After swiping my skin with the Pure Whitening Lotion, I didn’t see much residue at all.

A 100ml bottle costs only 940JPY (and comes with a pump), so it’s very affordable for such a good product. My skin is sensitive but it seems to behave with fragrance so I would give this one top marks for sensory and utility factors. Would I buy this again? YES. And I’m taking this set with me to Sydney, ‘cos it’s SUMMER TIME!

I think the word tsubaki, or the camellia flower, is more well known to people outside of Japan because of Shiseido’s lovely Tsubaki range (I would definitely choose Tsubaki White over Red as it’s less rich). It’s definitely affordable and looks really chic.

But from what I understand, there’s an “original” Tasubaki oil…

It’s something mothers and grandmothers use to protect their locks from the dry Japanese air. Or that’s what I think from the packaging (that’s my only complaint). Apparently it’s the number one Tsubaki product in Japan, according to top beauty review site cosme.

I actually tried it once when I stayed overnight at a Japanese ex-colleague’s home for a snowboarding trip. His wife fussed over me after my shower and offered some of her Oshima Tsubaki oil, which is 100 per cent pure oil.

I thought it made my hair glossy and soft to the touch — though I did come away thinking though it smelled very good, you would have to be careful not to put on too much. At the time, I had no idea where to purchase it.

One of the things I love about knowing how to read Japanese is I can sort of figure out which products are for what and I kind of understand what beauty product ads say.

I’m a big fan of Asience’s Beauty Mist, which is a conditioning spray that made my slightly wavy hair straight. With so many beauty products to try, I’m giving this the Beauty Mist a break.

Instead of the oil, I chose to try the Tsubaki tsuya tsuya water and I was surprised to find that it makes my hair so soft after blow-drying it. It also gave my hair a bit of bounce. Highly recommended and very affordable at 1050JPY for 150ml.

Update: After using this for a few weeks, I suddenly experienced acne and rash break outs on my neck. I juggled around my hair products and came to the conclusion that this spray has been the cause of my skin irritation. I’ve got sensitive skin but can take a little fragrance in my products, so I think my threshold is a little lower than your average gal.

I made my way to Matsumoto Kiyoshi for one of my research trips (I was looking at the Kose Sekkisei range) and remembered that one of my customers suggested that I look into Ma Cherie products.

A budget hair care line by Shiseido, Ma Cherie is available at prices below 1,000JPY for most of their products.

I chose Ma Cherie’s Gloss Charge Essence, shampoo and conditioner for dry hair. I made a mistake (as usual) between moisturizing (shittori) and shiny (sara sara). I’m not sure what is the exact difference but I gather that sara sara is probably for normal hair. Like for facial wash, those labeled with “fresh” (sappari) are geared to those with normal skin, while shittori is for dry skin.

Well, I think Ma Cherie’s shampoo and conditioner smell pretty with a fresh, citrus scent, but it was too rich for my oily scalp. My hair gets a bit oily towards the end of the day but I think that’s fine if I’m at home and would wash my hair the next morning.

I always remembered what my beauty colleague always asked me when I tested products for her, “Is it nice to use?” — which meant, did it feel good on you?

Texture and fragrance are very important components in a beauty product. I think if you had some magical formula, but it stank and felt slimy, you won’t be able to get it off the ground with women. I had a chuckle when I read Viva Woman’s post about using eggs as an anti-aging mask.

So in all my reviews, I would definitely consider these factors on rating products. Ma Cherie is utilitarian with a pleasant fragrance but don’t expect the works.

I was quite disappointed with the Gloss Charge Essence because I think it contains alcohol as it has a cooling sensation when you pump some into your palm. I gave it go three nights in a row but stopped because it made my hair look dry and tangled. Why would they put alcohol in a hair product? I have no idea. Maybe it’s not alcohol, but some other chemical, but whatever it is, it sure doesn’t do anything good for my hair.

I’ve never used whitening cult fave Sekkisei by Kose but my interest has been piqued by a few inquiries made at Beauty Box. This range can be found in kusuriyas (pharmacies) so they are a cheaper alternative to the goddess of all whitening products — SKII.

Lately, Kose came up with an even cheaper range, called Sekkisui.

At 7 Eleven, you can buy a Sekkisui paper mask for only 315JPY (USD3.30), as compared to 735JPY for a Sekkisei paper mask (but you would have to buy a box of six because that’s how it’s packaged).

I’m not into whitening products at all, but the hype is getting under my skin and I feel like getting a starter kit.

I found a blog entry by a Tokyo gyaru who writes in English and she mentions the difference between Sekkisui and Junkisui. Sekkisui is for whitening and brightening (bihaku) properties, while Junkisui has coenzyme Q10 as an anti-aging ingredient.

But, on the fun scale, Junkisui doesn’t grab my attention as much because of its beige packaging and lacks a mini set.

I wonder if I will start obsessing about “snow-white skin” (that’s the meaning of Sekkisei by the way)? I’ve to admit I’ve always been hesitant about using Japanese products on my face because I can’t understand all the ingredients, but do I comprehend all the chemicals in products with English labels? Nope… haha…. Mostly, I just look for “alcohol” because I refuse to put that on my skin.

Actually I used SKII for a year and my skin did improve in terms of texture. I don’t think I became fairer but was pleased that it was smoother. There was a time in my life that I would sun myself (with only coconut oil) for three hours at Yio Chu Kang swimming pool on Saturdays. Goodness, the damage I did to myself!

I can’t afford SKII now, so Sekkisui will be my next skin experiment. Stay tuned.

I actually think this is a fabulous serum/moisturizer. When I was working at a certain magazine back in the day, I was given a bottle of this because the beauty department was clearing out its storeroom. I was told it was a serum and since I’ve got oily skin, I was grateful for the light moisturizer.

The fragrance was lovely and I felt pampered when I spread it all over my skin. I sometimes have a bit of flakiness around my chin area if I don’t take heed to put more moisturizer but with this I had no such problem.

My skin did look smoother and softer after the bottle finished (most likely due to their original HTC Collagen being part of its blend), so I wanted to get one to replace it. At the Fancl store in Singapore, I took a look at the price and went, “Yikes!” Since I was a struggling journalist, I went back to my trusty Olay Total Effects Serum (which is a good option for those with oily skin in humid weather. The moisturizer can be too rich.) that is 10 times cheaper.

The other plus point about this Fancl serum is it’s great for sensitive skin with their no preservatives and no artificial colouring ethos. It’s cheaper than expensive creams like La Mer, and works better than more affordable brands like Clinique and Clarins.

Now that I’m in Japan, I have been tempted to get it because it is way cheaper here, but alas, I need to count my pennies for the next little while so when the good times are rolling, I’ll be back.

Is everything super expensive in the Land of the Rising Sun? Sort of. Shopping here is different, too, because Japan has so many unique products that you would fork out more for something of great quality.

But there are good deals to be had beauty-wise in Tokyo and if you are determined to have a retail binge, here are four excellent places to check out:

Don Quijote

If you’re Singaporean, this “everything” store would remind you of Mustafa (a shopping mall that is 24 hours and stocks everything from electrical appliances to perfume to dietary supplements). Their products are stacked from floor to ceiling without any logical layout.

I’ve heard a lot about how revolutionary this idea is — the shopping style here has that “grab it while you can” sentiment because everything is in a mess and you might not find it again. Looking at the chaos under harsh fluorescent lighting does make everything look cheap and the countless for-sale signs are very tempting.

I think you could get some very good deals here for toiletries and cosmetics, and even if some items aren’t marked down, they will probably be at market price. The best thing is you can shop for beauty stuff at midnight!

Matsumoto Kiyoshi

This is the most ubiquitous pharmacy chain in Tokyo — the bright yellow signs are unmistakable and two to three storey mega store layout make for comfortable browsing. The shelves of supplements, makeup, and toiletries make this a beauty haven.

Kokumin

This pharmacy is not as cheap as the two mentioned above but you could score some on-sale products and some stores even put a bargain bin outside.

Tomod’s

I think this chain is quite expensive but I frequent this one a lot because it’s the nearest one to my apartment. But they do have a sales shelf where you can get excellent three-in-one hair product sets. Their loyalty card makes me a repeat customer because it’s a stamp system, as opposed to a points one, where you get 500JPY off your purchase once it is full, and they still give you stamps for the purchase that was discounted. I suppose it all levels out at the end of the day.

When it comes to cosmetics, I tend to be drawn to those with pretty packaging, like Paul & Joe, Anna Sui, Stila, and Jill Stuart. But the sad thing is that these gorgeous gems are too expensive to indulge in on a regular basis, so I was thrilled to discover Majolica Majorca (MM).

Other affordable brands like Maybelline and Revlon don’t excite me because their colour palettes don’t really offer a wide range of shades and the textures do feel a bit rough as you glide on their products.

But MM is pretty smooth for a pharmacy brand — obviously it is not in the same league as Chanel in terms of silkiness — and I sampled almost everything except their eye pencils and foundation products. The lip gloss was pretty okay, not too sticky, while mascaras are better than L’Oreal in terms of lengthening but it still clumps, so you would have to clean the little comb applicator they provide everytime you use it. I never had to do this with Lancome or Clinique.

1,400JPY

What really caught my attention were their eye shadow compacts. The hues were subtle and wearable, which you might assume otherwise due to the goth packaging. The texture was very smooth and the colour fairly long-lasting. I could go for a lighter look, or choose to have a smokier blue-grey effect — what’s not to like?

500JPY

These lil’ babies are awesome for gals like me who love MANY different shades of eyeshadows. They have a wide range of colours to choose from and they’re so affordable.

I did consider selling MM in Beauty Box but the margins are just too low. When MM was launched in Oct, I got a friend to nose around the counter at Takashimaya’s Watson’s — she took down the prices and they are so cheap in Singapore. I won’t have a competitive edge at all and the Japanese yen climbed yet again this week. Bleah.

Anyway, I’m glad I have a cheap option for cute makeup during these hard economic times. A girl’s still gotta look good no matter what.