Japanese Beauty & Makeup Haul

I have been reading for many months about how amazing Japanese beauty & makeup products are. So when we went to Japan for 2 weeks, I did so much research that my entire browser history was full of tips and recommendations. I stocked up on lots of sheet masks and went for the most popular products, such as the Cure Aqua Gel, which is the best of the best.

Japanese beauty & makeup

One of the top makeup products that is recommended is the Kiss me Heroine Make Long and Curl waterproof mascara. It is one of the most waterproof mascaras I have seen. It does not budge at all and lasts for more than 1 day. It does not curl your lashes – what you have to do is curl the with an eyelash curler and then add the mascara on top. The aim of this mascara is to keep them curled.

Next up, it’s the MAIKOHAN Loose powder. I initially wanted one from the same brand as the mascara but I loved the package of this one and the smell is peachy and lovely. It came in 2 shades and also two colours – I picked shade 2 in the smaller size.

The Integrate Gracy BB cream is simply amazing. I did not know which shade to pick, but as there were two, I picked the darkest one (shade 2), as I am sure I have a darker skin than the Japanese women. Integrate Gracy is part of the Shiseido brand – I have to say I was rather excited to have such high quality product for a very affordable price (I am sure it was under 10E). This cream simply blends in to my skin like magic and I use it almost everyday – especially as it has SPF33

I have seen many recommendations for hair mists but as I was not sure what they exactly do, I went for a super cheap one – 100Yen from DAISO. I use it both on wet and dry hair, for a delicate rosey scent and a bit of hydration.

Next up is the CANMAKE nail polish. Years ago, when I was browsing Japanese magazines I noticed the insane possibilities of nail art. As with makeup products, Japan has a very wide variety of nail polishes and nail art tools. I was rather overwhelmed so I went with a classic red one – as I broke my previous red nail polish. I have to say that it’s really bright and shiny and lasts for a few days.

What I forgot to picture here and I am super happy about is a KATE black eyeliner. It is simply flawless because it is really sharp allowing you to make a very thin line to a thicker one, ending with a perfect cat eye. Every time I flick it at the end, it ends up gorgeous and I don’t know if it’s the eyeliner or my skills. It lasts all day and it’s very black. Another eyeliner I would try would be the Tattoo one, which basically lasts for 24h. I believe that combining this one with the waterproof mascara would give you flawless makeup but a headache when removing.

Can one have too many masks? Gradually, over the course of our trip, I got more and more sheet masks. I first started with a small 7 days pack (the yellow LuLuLun) and started to try it. It made my skin smooth and made the process smooth and clean. I like it because of that – usually, when I put a creamy masks I have to spend at least a few minutes to remove it afterwards. With the sheet masks, it’s so simple – you leave it for 15 minutes, then you remove it, massage your face a bit, and that’s it.

I just finished last week the yellow pack and started a Hello Kitty one. I use them around 1-2/week because I already have a LUSH mask that I have to use. I believe that these would last me for a few months then.

Other must have products are the hot eye masks. Use them when your eyes are tired for 20 minutes and you can feel a noticeable difference. I used one so far, before sleep – I could feel my eyes and face really refreshed. What I would do, is buy dozens of those packages and keep them at work. Staying with the eyes in your computer 8+ hours can really make your face tired.

Another great product recommended bu literally everyone from the internet is Baby Foot. It’s a one time use chemical foot mask that is meant to make your feet as soft as a baby. You have to wash your feet and then keep those one for at least 30 minutes. Then, you have to take a soaking bath (min 15 minutes) every day and you will see a layer of skin peeling of slowly. Important is to never add cream, no matter ho dry your feet feel, otherwise everything would have been pointless. Here’s some before and after pictures – and yes, it does work and my feet did look like that during the process.

Now face care – these 3 are products that are also highly recommended. I have not yest tried the charcoal soap but I heard it’s great for skin with acne. The Perfect Whip is great – another very affordable Shiseido product (around 5E) that would not be found around here in Europe. The issue is that it can make your skin really dry if you use it daily. I would recommend to use it at the end of the day, after you have removed your makeup with a oil-based makeup remover.

The Cure Aqua Gel is the most best selling exfoliator in Japan with one bottle sold every 12 seconds. It is rather expensive (around 28E) but you should use it once or twice per week, not more. It is a water based exfoliator, it has no beads compared to other face scrubs – and when you used it, you will feel as if it has them but it is actually your dead skin. Have a look at tutorials to see what I mean! It’s amazing.

Have you tried any of those Japanese beauty & makeup products? What are your favourites? What else would you recommend?