BEAUTY BOX

Spring Magazine March 2011 Highlights

Besides In Red, I enjoy flipping through Spring magazine, too. I get the feeling it’s for women in their 20s who are into a more “natural” way of life. The fashion spreads feature sweet but wearable togs and there is a general muted approach that seems to me, would appeal to regular Japanese women who might even find high fashion and edgy looks out of their league.

I suppose, to me, Spring reflects a more “real” Japanese girl about town, rather than the cool, aspirational sophistication that Elle and Vogue Japan reflect. I wouldn’t read Spring if I’m looking for slick, cutting edge pages, so it’s really sort of a window for me to understand what Japanese women like or want.

Here’s what caught my attention…

#1 Uber pink blushes are in.

Marjolica Marjoca’s blushes are being quite talked about in the beauty blogging world. You have to click over to their website because it’s so pretty and kawaiii…

I’m not sure if you can see it but I thought the blushes on these models look super pink…

#2 How to lose weight in 10 days

Shaving pounds off from your body is nothing new in women’s rags but I found it fascinating what are deemed popular ways to diet. Here were two women who were featured (I didn’t snap the other two because they were doing various types of calisthenic exercises).

Here you have a range of meal replacement protein shakes by Orbis…

She lost 1.5kg and 1.8cm from her waist! Her favourite flavour is Fresh Strawberry. Hmmm, I actually think meal replacement plans are quick fixes and they just kind of put you back to square one if you go off them.

Then you have the girl who had a balanced diet that kept her warm in winter (I think Japanese believe in eating warming foods when it gets cold and I don’t mean food that is temperature “hot”, but hearty fare like red meat and pumpkin are a couple of examples) and she jogged regularly — she lost 1.5kg and 2cm from her waist.

She didn’t eat pasta when she went out and just chose “Japanese set meals” (和定食) which I think means eating at a Japanese eatery that usually serves rice, a main course (usually a protein), veggie side dish and miso soup as a set and would be in line with what is considered a “balanced” meal. I wouldn’t say this is particularly Japanese because I think in general, Asians believe that eating rice is less fattening than bread or pasta but I think there’s a consenus that Japanese food is better for dieting than Western nosh.

#3 How young single women in Tokyo live

The theme for this spread is ナチュかわ (pronounced as nachyu kawa) which is a catchphrase that combines “nature” and “kawaii”. I actually don’t view this as a special trend because it kind of sums up what I see in the train and on the streets — Japanese women like to look natural and cute and this would of course translate into their homes.

Check out how tiny this studio apartment is but look how much effort is put into transforming a shoebox into a cozy nook.

You can actually see the floor plan of their apartments and I think it’s incredible that they can turn a small space into a place with character. When I think of my 16 sq metre (172 sq feet) apartment when I first moved to Tokyo, I feel so embarrassed! Well, I didn’t think I would stay there for long so I left it as it was — drab and ugly.

What trends are catching your eye this season?

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05. March 2011 by yuming
Categories: Japanese Fashion | 3 comments