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.

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.

I can’t live without cream eye shadow. Perhaps it’s because I have very solid powder type eye shadows so they tend to look a bit rough, much like using a crayon on your eyelids.

I started using Paul & Joe Eye Gloss in yellow-gold and silver when I worked at a women’s magazine in Singapore four years ago. I sat next to the beauty writer and she always passed me stuff she didn’t want when she cleaned out her drawers.

Silly me used it on its own and found it too light, so I rubbed it over my eye shadow and I’ve been lovin’ that sheer shimmer effect ever since. Unfortunately, my Paul & Joe eye gloss is on its last legs and I think it’s prudent to get rid of such old makeup.

Before my flight from Singapore to Tokyo, I got this lil’ baby:

Clinique Quick Eyes Cream Shadow in 11 Glimmering Gold. Apparently, it’s great for those who wear contacts as it is not gloopy or contains dusty sparkles that irritate eyes.

When I tested it, it felt so powdery smooth even though it’s liquid. It’s sheer enough to use over other eye colours, but I think you could have a dramatic gold look if you apply more layers — brownie point for flexibility. My Paul & Joe one is really much more liquid and it is after all an eye gloss.

Since we’re talking about eye makeup, here’s a small plug on something on sale at Beauty Box — a limited edition Shu Uemura Eye Shadow in a pretty lilac shade with a gorgeous flower design on the powder palette itself.