Recent Japanese cosmetics haul

I have recently been on a 2-week holiday in Japan and my favourite shopping trips would be the cosmetics floor of department stores and drugstores. It is highly recommended that you do research before visiting because you will be overwhelmed by the range of products available. Unless you have ample time and understand the Japanese language, pre-shopping research is a must-have in my opinion.

I picked up all of the products on my wish list and more. I would love to purchase more luxury brands, but I had a monetary budget as well as luggage restrictions.

If you want to watch the haul in video, it’s on my Instagram account @kittiemui Otherwise, I’ve got photos in this post!

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kitty (@kittiemui)

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Kitty (@kittiemui)

Let’s begin with makeup.

There are two brands that I focused on and they are Jill Stuart and Amuse. Jill Stuart is a Japanese brand, while Amuse is a Korean brand. I cannot deny the fact that these purchases were heavily influenced by an IG account! I picked up JS products at department stores as well as the airport. Both offer nice value packages, but department stores would have the latest launches and even testers for pre-order products. I picked up everything duty-free (purchases over 5,000 yen qualify for duty-free).

Bloom Lip Candy Blissful Bouquet. This stunning lip balm is limited edition. I’m not exactly sure what the timeframes are, but it looks like they release a different shade each month of the year. The floral pattern of the lipstick case is also slightly different. They are gorgeous, but I’m still pondering if I will ever use the lip balm.

Illuminating Serum Primer set (01 crystal diamond and 02 aurora lavender). These are illuminating primers. They also colour-correct depending on which shade you pick. Crystal Diamond is a no-colour illuminating primer and the Aurora lavender has a pale lilac colour to counteract yellow undertones.

Bloom Drop Lip & Cheek Chiffon. This lip and cheek chiffon has a mousse texture and is really pigmented. It provides lasting colour with a soft matte texture. You’ve also got to love that beautiful packaging!!

Bloom Mix Blush Compact. I knew I wouldn’t forgive myself if I didn’t get a blush from Jill Stuart (I actually want to buy everything from them). I picked this one last minute at the airport and this is a 5-colour blush compact. The blushes do not come with a brush, so I got the matching retractable brush as well. It is an illuminating blush with a gentle sheen.

Hand cream and lip balm set. I was attracted to the cute little lip balm jar and when I learned that this is in a value set with hand cream, I decided to choose my preferred shade. Luckily, the shade I wanted matched the scent I wanted for the hand cream – Peachy Tuberose. The lip balm is tinted and scented.

Hand creams. These hand creams were gifts with purchase on my last-minute purchase at the airport. I was surprised because there were no signs about gift with purchase, she just popped them into my shopping bag! Fragrances were White Floral and Milk Tea Blend – yum!

Amuse Lip Tints. I bought a couple of lip tints from Amuse which is also a brand I was exposed to by Gina. These are k-beauty lip tints and they are so so cute! Separate post on these to come!

BBIA L’Eau lip tint and gloss. Another K-beauty lip tint product. The brand was doing a promo at @cosme while I was there, offering this cute little mini lip tint with a full-sized gloss. You get to pick your preferred shade for the lip tint so I picked 01 Gardenia L’Eau. The gloss is clear with a bit of shimmer so it’s stunning.

Kate Lip Monster Lipsticks. I was told by my sister to check out these lipsticks and even though I have not had any interest in Kate products before, I knew they were a long-standing brand in Japan. Being around for so long and so many people swearing by their products, there must be something good about it. Furthermore, their prices are very fair and I decided to swatch the lipsticks. I ended up buying two and they are very moisturising and has a glossy finish. Separate review post to come!

Laka Fruity Glam Tint. Yet another k-beauty lip tint, I know. They are actually very popular in Japan and I’m not surprised. I actually saw this online before heading to Japan so I knew it was something I wanted to get. I picked up only one shade because most of the shades available were quite deep and quite red. This is a pigmented lip tint with a glossy finish.

Nivea Rich Care & Colour Lip Balm. I picked this up while I was picking out a lip balm for my little niece. Smokey Rose sounds exactly like something I would use on a daily basis. It also has SPF20 which is a bonus. Nice and affordable.

Fujiko Suisai Cheek. I first saw this cute little liquid blush on Instagram where they were comparing the lavender shade with the NARS Afterglow Wanderlust. I picked 01 My Sweet Pink which is a soft pink. I’ve swatched it and the creamy formula is so smooth and easy to blend. Love it.

Rohto Yojyunsui Eye Moisturizer. After stepping out of the plane when I landed in Japan, my eyes has been so dry and irritated. I went to purchase an eye drop to share with my husband and decided to buy two more. This one here is for night time use to replenish the eye moisture level. Minimal minty freshness which is great for nighttime relaxation. One drop to each eye and I shut my eyes to sleep.

Sante Beauteye Eye Drops. This separate one is for day time use – suitable for contact lens wearer. This also helps with eye redness, to constrict blood vessels and improve moisture level. This one does have a minty freshness, but only mild.

pdc Pmel Essence Mascara Base. I have been using the pbc Pmel mascara base for a long timme and I have used multiple tubes of this. I am so happy to pick up a back up of this. They also have a mascara which I skipped. I should have picked up another tube, but it does take me a good 6 months to finish a tube and I am able to buy this online anyway.

Heroine Make Speedy Mascara Remover. I saw this mascara removed has been quite popular in Japan, and I love a waterproof mascara so I always need a good eye makeup remover at the end of the day. Hopefully I use it correctly and works like a dream.

Melano CC Intensive Anti-Spot Premium Essence. I have been using the original version for a while (a little tube lasts for a long time) and I really like it. It takes time to see improvements, but good things takes time. I love the texture and how lightweight it is. I decided to get the premium version to see how it compares.

Unlabel Lab Vitamin C Essence Premium. Vitamin C products are very popular in Japan because they love a fair complexsion (it’s a cultural thing). I had no external influence on  picking this up, I just saw it, thought it was interesting, and decided to buy it. Fingers crossed it’s good stuff.

Anessa Night Sun Care Serum. This is a new Anessa product and it is not to be mistaken as a sunscreen. It does not have SPF protection, but it is an after-sun serum. It helps with reversing the damage made by UV rays and contais ingredients to brighten the skin. It can be use for your face and body.

Nivea Royal Blue Body Cream. I also picked this one on a random decision because I love to use a thick cream for my knees, elbows, ankles and any dry patches on my hands at night before I go to bed. Use this concentrated cream overnight to dramatically improve skin’s moisture. It is fragrance-free and colour-free.

Biore UV Aqua Rich Highlight Lotion SPF50 PA++++. I love Biore sunscreens and this one is new from Biore and I have not tried it before. I tried a tester and it has a visible brightening effect on the skin and I thought I’d give it a go. I haven’t bought many sunscreen this time I’m in Japan because I already have plenty at home.

Canmake cosmetics. Canmake is a long-standing drugstore makeup brand and it is popular to teenagers as well as mature ladies because their products are good quality and very affordable. Their packaging is very cute and girly. Everything is floral and princess-like so it is really attractive to the girl in me. I bought the blush in a new, limited edition shade and it comes with a little brush. I also bought the compact powder in shade 01. This is an overall brightening powder with that tone-up effect. It does not contain shimmer or sheen, but it uses pastel shades to give an overall brighter complexion.

Eve Quick headache medicine DX. I tried this painkiller for the first time last year and it works amazingly for my headaches and period pain. This is not something new, it has been best-selling for a long time, but since I’m in Japan, I bought a 60-pack because it was cheap in Japan. There are different coloured boxes corresponding to different levels of ibuprofen. The gold box is the strongest with 200mg ibuprofen. Then the strength reduces from the blue version, pink version and white version being the lowest.

Lion Pair Acne Cream W. This one here is also a must-buy product when you are in Japan if you want to treat blemishes. It has anti-inflammatory (IPPN (ibuprofen piconol) and anti-bacterial agents IPMP (isopropylmethylphenol).

Cle de Peau Correcting Cream Veil SPF25 PA++. CDP has been a brand that I have wanted to try for a long time. However it is quite expensive and especially so because we do not have CDP shops or counters in New Zealand. Therefore we have to pay a premium for their products. I was also unable to try out shades, and textures which I’m not prepared for trial and error. In Japan, this is significantly more affordable so I bought this correcitng veil which is a primer with correcting properties and SPF25. I wanted to try their Radiant Cream Foundation too, but it was also quite pricey, so maybe next time.

Lululun Hydra Ex-Mask Exosome. I have used Lululun sheet masks before but the Hydra-Ex-Masks are new and it is in a box packaging instead of a bag. Will see how this goes!

Quality 1st Derma Laser Masks. Ever since my sister introduced me to the Quality 1st Derma Laser sheet masks, I fell in love. They are affordable (even buying these in NZ) and these were only 700 yen (around NZD $7) for a pack of 7 which is only $1 each. Each bag is packed with serum which allows me to pack at least 5 cotton pads with the left over serum to make 2 extra uses. I am trying Super Retinol 100 and Super VC 100 White this time.

Tsubaki Premium Ex Repair Mask refill. I absolutely LOVE the Tsubaki hair mask. I love the texture and I love the fragrance. About a year ago, I wanted to try the Fino hair mask, but the store I bought from was out of stock so I decided to try the Tsubaki instead which was a similar product. I was so glad I tried it! It made my hair so soft and silky, not to mention smelling amazing. I use this everytime I was my hair which is every 3rd day or 2nd day if my hair is feeling dirty and greasy. I now alternate between this one and Fino. Sadly, they don’t have a large refill bag and it was quite hard to find refill pack of this in Japan.

Fino Premium Touch Hair Mask refill. I had to get this refill because it is equivalent to 3 bottles. Fino has a thicker consistency and works great on my hair as well, but the fragrance does not compare with Tsubaki. I will continue using both of these so I’m glad I grabbed a bag. I did not grab more because it is actually quite heavy.