(L to R; U to D): Lion Pair Acne | Sana Poreleskin | Kose Sekkisei White Powder Wash | Kose Precious Garden Hand Cream | Majolica Majorca Skin Remaker Pore Cover (OC10)

With the expansion of Korean cosmetics making their presence known to the streets of the West, it’s interesting still how hard it is to find a good variety of Japanese cosmetics outside the home country.

Regardless of how many independent online stores now making it a bit more easier to source your favourite Japanese products for purchase, chances are most of these products remain exclusively only available in Japan and information about their buzz is limited to a handful of die-hard fans who were able to conquer the language barrier to dig into the trend hype.

There are so many local choices that are of good quality and at a price that doesn’t break the bank that needs to be praised! Here are my 5 favourite Japanese cosmetics and skin care products at the moment:

Thinking I was safe to not pack any pimple medication or treatments with me before I left – pfft! I didn’t realise how much foundation makeup I wore on a daily basis in Tokyo until I started to break out as I use to when I was younger.

Unfortunately, my usual facial creams or serums weren’t working to keep the devils at bay but I was lucky to come across this acne cream called Lion Pair Medicated Acne Care Cream W. No prescription needed and can be found in the usual facial skin care aisle of a pharmacy or even cheaper, a Don Quijote that sells medicine. I highly recommend picking a tube up if you are looking for acne medication in Japan and didn’t bring any on hand. At around $14 for the bigger 24g size tube, it’s very inexpensive for a specially medicated treatment.

Kose’s Sekkisei Range is a good mid to high range skincare line but if you can’t spend $55 or so for the full-size White Powder Wash, here in Japan at the 7 Eleven Convenient stores they also sell the smaller portions of their Sekkisei White Washing Cream, Emulsion and Masks range at no more than $14!

Good enough to eat, the smell of this hand cream is pleasantly sweet just like a peach mixed with something floral. Not like an overpowering rose scent (which I hate), this cream is also only $3 for a 70g tube! Totally worth it.

Have you heard of the best-selling Cure Natural Aqua Gel before? It’s a gel exfoliator which doesn’t use microbeads or harsh substances to exfoliate the skin. Instead, it’s like a mystery goo that somehow has the magic to gently remove dead skin right before your eyes as you massage it. See that white stuff? That’s dead skin – gross but satisfying. It’s so popular that one is said to be sold every 12 seconds in Japan! That’s crazy! I wanted to purchase one myself and found that a 250ml bottle will set you back around $23. Not bad, but I wanted to see if I could find something a little bit cheaper. This Sana Poreleskin (sic?) is exactly the same thing except at $12 for 145ml. It also has a cute face on the package haha.

It’s a mouthful to say but Shiseido’s sister Majolica Majorca is like buying a mid-high end product without the price tag. At roughly $20 the pore cover foundation powder provides a lightish-medium coverage and is also SPF18. I’ve been using this almost every day and has lasted for about 6 months before buying a new refill. The case is sold separately and is so darn cute! It’s a good alternative if you don’t want to use liquid foundation or BB cream for the day and just want something quick that will even out the skin.

Until next time!

Xx

Siree