Hello my beautiful babes, today I’m going to talk about the Tracy Anderson Method. I figured that I should try out what the guru herself recommends to see if it really works. By the way, her DVDs are hot in Japan right now — apparently many models and celebrities are into them and so their fans follow suit.

And it’s summer and I’ve got to wear my bikini on a few beach holidays I’ve got lined up!

I totally enjoyed her Post Pregnancy Workout so I quickly bought her Dance Cardio DVD because she said that if you do both daily five-six times a week, you would see your arms shrink and abs tighten. She doesn’t promise that it would deliver quick results but she claims it would work.

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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.

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There’s a lovely natural beauty products store, Cosme Kitchen, just outside Daikanyama station. They carry a big range of products that use natural and/or organic ingredients which you know appeals very much to moi.

As the weather is turning colder and drier, I felt like getting something to pamper my skin and my gaze fell on Burt’s Bees Milk & Honey Body Lotion. The scent and texture were divine so I paid for it and made my way home.

If you ask me, I don’t think this concoction smells like milk or honey, but coconut with a bit of lemon and baby powder. The lotion is very liquidy and light but moisturizes well. Even my PJs smell gorgeous the following night after I slather this magical lotion all over.

I’m quite a scrouge when it comes to buying makeup but I definitely spend good money on body products. After a hard day’s work, there is nothing sweeter than engulfing myself in a cocoon of lush fragrance.

By the way, it’s also a recommendation by experts as a way to cut down on binge-eating. If you think that hoovering ice-cream, chocolate, or chips is a way to indulge yourself, why not splurge on yourself in a non-food way?

We’ve been talking a lot about food lately, haven’t we? So today I’m going to chat about something unique in the Japanese beauty world — facial paper masks, or they are called “lotion masks”、ローシヨンマスク.

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I’ve heard some rave reviews about the Pantene Clinicare range that is only available in Japan and Taiwan.

After two months of using the shampoo and conditioner, I’m pleased with it. I think it takes that long to figure out if a shampoo works for you or not. The first few weeks could be great but the residue build up could turn it into an ordinary product.

Pantene Clinicare certainly delivers but I must warn you that it still cannot compare to the luxurious effects of Kerastase, L’Oreal Professional, and Redken.

The Hair Time Renewal One Wash Treatment is this range’s great selling point. I recently got three tubes in a shampoo and conditioner set on sale, so I had to grab it and see for myself.

I was surprised that the texture wasn’t thicker but this treatment conditioner made my hair feel fluffy and soft, more so than their regular conditioner.

Overall, I would recommend this as a solution to those who are tired of poor quality budget hair care but don’t want to spend a bomb on premium brands. It costs twice as much as a cheap shampoo but is still a third of the price of an expensive one.

Update: The next day my hair felt really silky and although I washed and conditioned it again with my regular hair care products, my hair still retained the same softness. Amazing! I will definitely buy this again.

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.

The excellent thing about the world of Aussie beauty products is you’ll find lots of natural ingredients that smell divine.

I wasn’t going to go crazy and haul back a bunch to Tokyo — limited luggage space. So I allowed myself one treat: The Body Collection Australia Mango & Shea Butter Body Exfoliating Polish.

It’s a creamy, fluid scrub with real bits of apricot shells that is not as gentle as plastic beads but not overly harsh.

The overall experience is a comforting shower regime that leaves skin a little smoother.

I think if you want something that has a more dramatic effect, you would need to reach for something like The Body Shop’s African Spa Salt Scrub.

I probably may not buy this tube again but it’s not because I don’t like it but I won’t be able to find it in Tokyo.

And there are way too many brands Down Under to try! Seriously, the huge chemists (or pharmacies) stock an incredible range of domestic brands that all look and sound like they could be good beauty companions for a beach holiday.

PS: I couldn’t spot any of the products in my Allure write-up. I think Australia probably gets new products quite a while after they are launched in the US. Boo. Oh and Sydney has rainy weather now so no beaching in bikinis till the sun comes out.

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!