Tag Archives: japanese beauty

Beauty Guides, Haircare

5 Must Buy Japanese Hair Care Products

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5 Favourite Japanese Hair Care Products

5 Favourite Japanese Hair Care Products

air is big business in Japan.

In fact, hair salons are so common here, that finding a good and stylish one is just as easy as finding a convenience store – there’s pretty much one located on every corner.

While balayage sun-kissed tips and unicorn rainbow hair is the hottest trend in the West, it isn’t at all popular in Japan. Seriously, you’ll be surprised at how many hair salons in Tokyo are still asking “balayage-what?”

In Japan, it’s all about your hairstyle, better known as  “ヘアアレンジ or “hair arranging.”

With such importance placed on your hairstyle, it’s only natural that hair styling products are also a huge market here. But how do you know which ones to pick?  Lucky for you, I’ve searched high and low for the most must have daily items that are also all under $15.

Here are my top 5 Japanese hair care products for you!

1. Hair Cologne

t’s day 2 of not washing your hair and you notice something…your hair really stinks!

Tying it all up in a high bun will look cute and hold everything together, but unfortunately, no hairstyle can absorb the stench of sweaty oily hair. Hair is made of protein and because it is porous it will absorb any smells from cigarettes to the Korean BBQ you went to last night.

That’s where hair cologne comes to the rescue. It’s just like perfume but for your hair, keeping it smelling fresh until your next wash.

Hair colognes are so popular in Japan that they have become a daily hair necessity, with most brands making bottles small enough to fit perfectly in your bag while you’re on the go.

I’m currently using the Kanebo Sala Hair Cologne which has a soap fragrance and is very affordable as well.

Kanebo Sala Hair Cologne

Kanebo Sala Hair Cologne | ¥518

2. Hair Treatment oil

e all know the hair wonders of Argan oil thanks to brands like MoroccanOil, but have you heard of the benefits of Tsubaki or Anzu oil?

Tsubaki (Camellia oil) and Anzu (Apricot Kernel oil) are incredibly popular in Japan for their beauty benefits. The use of Tsubaki for beauty can be traced back to the 8th century and was (and still is) the beauty product of choice by Geishas.  Tsubaki oil is known for its anti-aging and non-greasy moisturising qualities, and the minerals and oleic acid present in Anzu oil promotes anti-drying and healthy hair growth.

I found Aroma Kifi Damage Care Treatment Oil by chance and it’s jam-packed with both these highly beneficial oils.

Aroma Kifi Damage Care Treatment Oil

Aroma Kifi Damage Care Treatment Oil | ¥1,500

3. Hair Mask

quality moisturising hair mask is a must for any hair type, but especially for course hair girls like me. In Japan, it is common for hair products to come in two versions: the orginial and the premium version. The “premium” version is more concentrated than the original and is developed with higher quality ingredients to give your hair a little more TLC.

The Shiseido brand is known for its hair products and the FINO Premium Touch Hair Essence Mask has a royal jelly formula that is specially designed for dry and damaged hair caused by weather changes, UV-rays and colour/perm treatments. This mask definitely impacted the daily condition of my hair.  It feels much softer, moisturised and has helped to smooth out my coarser kinks.

However, I found another hair mask which has much better results and is seriously underrated.

The Your Flora Clay Hair Mask is a salon quality product that moisturises using pomegranate, avocado, and yoghurt extracts.  Although the product is pint-sized and good for only 5 uses, it is great as a luxury head spa treatment. It also has two kinds of clay: Moroccan clay and sea silt, great for absorbing dirt and product build-up to improve the condition of your scalp. If you suffer from an oily itchy scalp, this clay mask will make you believe in miracles again.

 

Get the SHISEIDO FINO Premium Touch Hair Essence Mask here:

SHISEIDO FINO Premium Touch Hair Essence Mask

SHISEIDO FINO Premium Touch Hair Essence Mask | ¥880

Your Flora Clay Hair Mask

Your Flora Clay Hair Mask | ¥880

4. HAIR STYLING WAX

here is something about the quality of Japan’s hair waxes that can’t be beaten.

For those that aren’t familiar, styling wax is very different from gel as it does not harden to a brick or produce that super wet shiny finish. Waxes are more natural as they don’t produce any shine or tackiness. They can come in medium to strong hold and they can also be styled to give your hair added volume or define the tips of your hair as sharp as an anime character.

If you love putting your hair in a high ponytail or bun, but your short curly baby hairs keep ruining your slick look, Matomage Hair Styling Stick is my recommendation.

Rated 1st place on the ‘@cosme’s Beauty Product Word of Mouth Ranking’ for 3 months in a row, this wax stick tames all your annoying flyaway hairs without feeling stiff and hard – and you won’t even get your hands dirty during application!

While Japan creates many nice hair wax products, this one contains Camellia oil, Argan oil and Baobab oil for boosting moisture and hair shine. As a plus, the stick design also gives you nice control which is perfect for when you are trying to groom the back of your head.

 

Get the Matomage Hair Styling Stick here:

Matomage Hair Styling Stick

Matomage Hair Styling Stick | ¥598

5. Hair Dry Spray

his is a new product which was released by the popular brand Saborino and, wow! The Saborino Quick Hair Dry Spray is one of those products that you would have never known you needed until you tried it.

Styling and drying your hair in the morning or evening straight after a shower, can be a grueling routine particularly if it’s thick and has a mind of its own.

If you rely on your hair dryer daily and spend way too much time standing in front of it,  this spray helps to cut down styling and blow drying time while maintaining your hair with fruit and nut oils. As an added touch, the fruit herb scent version is very pleasant and the spray has a cooling sensation like peppermint. This would also be great for traveling when you need to dry your hair with a crappy hotel dryer or situations when you can only towel dry your hair.

Saborino - Quick Hair Dry Spray

Saborino Quick Hair Dry Spray | ¥1,300

What’s your secret weapon for beautiful hair? 

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Updated May 2019

Beauty Reviews, Makeup, Skincare

5 Favourite Japanese Cosmetics and Skincare Products

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5 Japanese Cosmetics and Skincare Products

(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:

Lion Pair Acne - Japanese skincare products

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 Sekkisei White Powder Wash

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!

Kose Precious Garden Hand Cream - Japanese skincare

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.

SANA PORELESKIN Peeling Gel

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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.

Majolica Majorca Skin Remaker Pore Cover - Japanese makeup

Majolica Majorca Skin Remaker Pore Cover - Results

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

Beauty Reviews, Makeup

Review: Rimmel Magical Stay Lip Coat

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As life has been reduced to my “poor student, no stable income status” existence again, it is a bummer to keep fighting the urge to spend my savings on something cool or chic based on the perfectly logical reasoning that “I must have it because it is so unnecessary” impulsion.

No job, no income and in shopping heaven. I am on dangerous levels of unemployment poverty right now to enjoy much of what Tokyo has to offer unfortunately. It truly pains me! Well, at least for now anyway.

While smart budgeting in the interest of stretching my cash, I discovered this Rimmel Magical Stay Lip Coat which perfectly emulates my current state of penny saving heartache but also, does this thing really work?!

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With a promise that your cherry stain will still be there when eating or drinking could one application be the answer to cure all our first world lipstick woes?

Let’s test drive and see!

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The Rimmel Magical Stay Lip Coat formula came out quite runny at first, a sign that I didn’t shake the bottle enough so application can be a bit messy if you are not careful and only a small amount is needed which is roughly the size of a grain of rice. All you need to do is rub the formula over your lips evenly and when dry, you are ready to go! I’m using the 3CE lipstick in the shade #cometome since it’s bright and will be easily visible on surfaces.

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I was a bit alarmed to see that my lipstick ended up on my fingers when I rubbed the formula on. If first impressions count, I would have thought that the Rimmel Magical Stay Lip Coat failed even before we started! Moving on however, the first claim on the package is the drink test.

Here we go:

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And holy crap was I impressed!! As you can see, the lipstick really didn’t transfer much onto the cup and the ring of orange was from the inside of my mouth were I didn’t put the formula. The lipstick was still looking fresh after I drank the rest of the water in the cup so I would say that the Rimmel Magical Stay Lip Coat holds up to its claim after all!

Next up is the food test:

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 Huzzah! A perfect excuse to eat cake since the package also had dessert on it. Itadakimasu~

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And again, the Rimmel Magical Stay Lip Coat has shown its amazing holding power! There was a faint orange tint around the eaten side but it was minimal compared to eating food without it ordinarily. What can I say, I love it!

If you are coming to Japan and are looking for cool cosmetic products to try, definitely give this a go!

 

Overall: ✩✩✩✩

PROS

Great value for money

Actually does what it says

Can last for 60 applications in a tiny tube

Lasts for 4 hours+

CONS

Application is a bit messy if you do not shake the bottle properly

Be careful when dispensing the product

Price: Around 1200 yen

Until Next Time!

Xx

Siree

Beauty Reviews

Review: Meiji Amino Collagen Powder

4 Comments

The Verdict
  • Healing Effects
  • Anti-Aging Effects
  • Ease of Use
  • Value for Money
4.4

OVERALL SUMMARY

Fairy Godmother Blessed!

When your normal efforts to cure facial blemishes and scarring fail to show quick results, who do you call to do the job faster?

After suffering from a bad fall which left my face bruised and wounded I wanted a cure… fast! Let the power of collagen be your social lifesaver with Meiji Amino Collagen Powder! It’s the miracle collagen powder that works like real magic to improve your skin’s health and appearance for a blemish-free face. Sounds too good to be true? Read our review below and you’ll find out why this is no empty dream in a can.

where does collagen come from?

Collagen is a protein naturally produced in animals and collagen beauty supplements extract pure collagen peptides from fish, pig or cow.

The collagen used in Meiji Amino Collagen is derived from fish calcium using fish scales and skin to create their unique powder formula able to be absorbed 50% more efficiently into the body than pig based collagen.

I personally prefer fish-based collagen products as it is an innovative way to use a source which would otherwise end up being considered food waste and for their low odor aspect.  Meiji Amino also has developed a patented technique which masks the smell of their collagen peptide formula enabling you a more pleasant experience when consuming.

Photo Credit: www.meiji.co.jp/health/amicolla/en/ (Website)

collagen powder HEALTH BENEFITS

I’m sure everyone has heard of collagen before, but what do collagen powder products do and what benefits do they have?

Basically, collagen powder is a beauty supplement that gives you a daily dosage of collagen to help achieve a youthful appearance.

Not only that, collagen powder has many health benefits from anti-aging, to promoting healthy hair, to alleviating joint pain.  Some people even claim it helps them with their rosacea!

For me, the two noticeable things I saw for my skin was the collagen’s healing and anti-aging effects:

Before taking collagen, four days after my fall.

While drinking the powder daily I noticed my skin was smoother and had a younger ‘baby-faced’ complexion.

One week after using Meiji Amino Collagen.

meiji amino collagen results Before and after photos of the chin area.

meiji amino collagen results Before and after photos of the eye area.

meiji amino collagen results After 3 weeks. There’s a bit of scar showing but after putting on some foundation it’s all covered and even toned!

Healing and ANTI – AGING Effects

The results were amazing! I have never used collagen products before but look at my face! Within a week of taking the collagen powder, the injuries I sustained from my fall drastically healed the majority of my face wounds faster than any cream or herbal pills I was using previously. I was able to remove the scabbing and though my chin was still bulgy (can’t be avoided), the bruising was very well gone!

Also, because collagen is a key component in skin tissue development it also has anti-aging properties to give you a youthful appearance. I not only noticed that my face was becoming more even-toned but my fine lines disappeared within a few days!

EASE OF USE

The great thing about buying the Meiji Amino Collagen Powder is that the packaging also comes with a measuring spoon which helps take the guesswork out of using it. Just a spoonful into your favourite hot or cold beverage once a day is all that is needed to intake its skin benefits. It’s that easy!

Another question I bet you’re asking is – what does it taste like?

There isn’t a strong taste though I still like to mix it into my morning coffee or tea to enjoy drinking it. There is, however, a scent similar to vanilla wheat or milk flavoured products like Ovaltine or Horlicks. I personally think it also has a sort of “fish” or “seafood” undertone – maybe from the fish collagen peptides. On the other hand, Talyssa didn’t smell this at all. Overall, it’s not overly powerful to wrinkle your nose at.

Value for Money

The price point for collagen powder products isn’t too expensive for a beauty supplement at around 2,980 yen in Japan.

Considering the 200 gram can type Meiji Amino Collagen Powder is a month’s supply worth of collagen powder it gives you an affordable option for skin care because:

  • when stored properly the dry powder gives you a longer shelf life.
  • powder forms give you the freedom to consume it whenever you want.

However, The Meiji Amino Collagen Powder is around AU$50 online which is a bit pricey but is definitely worth it if you want to cure wounds or blemishes fast. 

WHERE TO BUY

This is not a sponsored post.

Updated: 22 August 2019