Loving Japanese Brands (1 of 7) : AYURA

by PJ on Wednesday, November 8, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, _Loving Japanese Brands, -Ayura, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, skincare

(pictured: part of my own collection)
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If I had to stick to only one brand of cosmetics for the rest of my life, I would choose AYURA. It is a brand that exudes an understated ambiance of oriental sensitivity and elegance.

AYURA is named after the word “ayus” in Sanskrit, which means “life”, according to an AYURA dairy book I was given as a gift with purchase.

When I first saw this brand on a Japanese magazine, I was instantly attracted to its understated and elegant packaging. I like the fact that each product looks a bit different but is instantly recognizable as an AYURA product and that the products don’t have the individual names of the products printed on the containers (they are on a sticker on the bottom of the containers).

So when I went to Japan for the first time several years ago, I went a bit crazy. Also, the staff at the counter were so helpful, even when I couldn’t really speak Japanese.

Most of the body products I have have a wonderful scent, especially the Spirit of AYURA range. “It must be what heaven smells like,” I once said to a friend.

Here are some of my favorites:

Meditation Bath (bath soak): It turns milky once it is in contact with water. It is almost like taking a milk bath. The scent is very relaxing.

Arising Shower eau de cologne: Very zesty and invigorating. Light but lasting. I usually use it during daytime.

Spirit of AYURA eau de parfum: One of my three favorite fragrances. Even though it is supposed to be eau de parfum, I don’t feel that it is as strong and long-lasting as eau de parfum should be. It is a good balance between sensual floral and crispy citrus notes, with oriental twists.

Spirit of AYURA Aroma Hand (hand cream): A best-seller for AYURA, it is under the Spirit of AYURA range so it has the same scent. Lightly moisturizing and not greasy. It has very fine and sparse light-reflecting particles to make hands look smoother.

Lip Moist Wrapping: One of the best lip balms I have ever used, even though I don’t usually like lip balm in a spot (less hygienic). Moisturizing, long-lasting, and doesn’t give me the glossy and greasy look which I don’t like in a lip balm.

Lip Retouch Compact: It has a lip base, lip liner, lip gloss, and highlight liner to define lip shape. The compact (inside and out) looks divine!

I like the face care range as well. The oil cleanser and toners are fairly good. Their hair care range is also good, but I personally won’t spend that much on shampoo and conditioner.

One of the things they do which keep me going back to them is that they often bring out limited edition sets. They usually contain travel-size versions of their popular products, teamed with a limited edition product, which is only available as part of the set. Many people buy the sets for the limited editions and they get to try the products they don’t normally buy. Seems like a good business idea.

I think AYURA is available only in Japan and Taiwan. It is the brand I want to see in the UK the most!!

{ 14 comments… read them below or add one }

Anonymous Friday, December 14, 2007

I am so happy to see someone else who is as crazy about Japanese cosmetics as I am!!

Reply

PJ Sunday, December 16, 2007

Hello there,

I am definitely passionate about Japanese cosmetics. There will constantly be more posts on Japanese cosmetics, so do stay tuned!

Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving your comment! :)

Reply

Anonymous Friday, April 11, 2008

because of ur posts, im getting a CP for ayura from taiwan. HEHEH cant wait to get it….im buying the makeup, but already cost quite abit. hopefully the sales assistant can throw in a couple of skincare samples!

have u managed to try their makeup yet?

Reply

PJ Friday, April 11, 2008

Hi there,

I hope you will enjoy the goodies you get from Ayura, and do let me know what you think of them!

I have used some of Ayura’s makeup products. You have probably come across my review of one of their blushers. Apart from that, I have tried their lip glosses, eyeshadow, eyebrow powder, and foundation.

The only one of them that is still available is the eyebrow powder, called Sepia Gradation, which you can see on the Ayura websites (both Japanese and English). The others have been discontinued, which is mainly why I haven’t been reviewing them.

I quite like the eyebrow powder (I got the one in BR-1), but now I use something darker and less brown.

I hope you will get many skincare samples too! :)

Thank you for leaving your comment! :)

Reply

Jo Friday, July 3, 2009

Have you tried ayura's skincare products??? I am kinda interested. The packagings are so pretty!><

Reply

PJ Saturday, July 4, 2009

Hi Jo,

I tried a cleansing oil and a couple of toners from Ayura a few years ago. (They were all travel-sized products from several Ayura travel sets I got.) I was generally quite happy with them.

Unfortunately they were all discontinued and I have not tried products from the current skincare line. (Ayura's skincare line went through a major revamp in the last couple of years.)

But I will certainly share my thoughts on my blog if I have a chance to try more Ayura products.

Thank you for stopping by again! :)

Reply

Anonymous Sunday, October 18, 2009

hi! wow im in love with japanese cosmetics! do u have any recomendations of where i can buy them and they ship internationally? hope u can help me, (:

Reply

PJ Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Hi,

You can try:

http://www.adambeauty.com
http://ichibankao.com

Adam Beauty is based in Hong Kong and Ichibankao is based in Japan. Both ship internationally. There are some other websites that carry Japanese cosmetics, but I have only shopped from these two sites and I have been happy with their services.

Hope it helps, and thank you very much for your question! :)

Reply

Kaya Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Hey PJ,

Thanks so much for this series. Thanks to this blog, I’ve started taking better care of my skin (I’m American-born and my sister only ever really taught me the wash-toner-moisturizer method.)

Ayura was one of the first counters I headed to, and they diagnosed my poor skin as oily-dry, just as I thought they would after reading your update about IPSA’s skin categorization. Two weeks after getting a handful of samples, I bought a healthy mix of Ayura and THREE products, and I can’t believe how much better my skin looks. There wasn’t even a period of “it might get worse before it gets better” that’s preached to us at counters in the States. It’s noticeable to relatives here and over Skype. So basically, thanks so much for giving me a guide to navigate Isetan and Takashimaya! :)

Reply

PJ Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Hi Kaya,

I am sorry for my late reply! :)

You are very welcome! I am very glad that I could be of help for you. Taking care of oily-dry skin is quite tricky (based on my own personal experience), and it is great that you have found products that work for you!

(I am usually a little skeptical of the “getting worse before getting better” theory…)

I haven’t tried products from THREE and I am really looking forward to having a look at its products (skincare and makeup) in person.

Thank you very much for reading my blog and posting your comment. Hopefully you will continue to stop by my blog! :)

Reply

Erika Tuesday, March 8, 2011

Hi–Love your review of Ayura products. I’m with you–if I could use one line of cosmetics forever, it would be this. Unfortunately they don’t ship internationally, so you have to go to Japan to find products. I’m running out of my Spirit of Ayura fragrance products (I stocked up a couple years ago on my last visit to Tokyo). My little stash is slowly being depleted and it makes me sad. I guess that means another trip over very soon!

Erika

Reply

PJ Thursday, March 10, 2011

Hi Erika,

A big hello to a fellow Ayura fan! I adore Spirit of Ayura too. It is still one of my favorite fragrances.

You can purchase Ayura products from Ichibankao.com. For more information, have a look at my FAQ page:

http://www.atouchofblusher.com/faq

Hope it helps, and thank you very much for stopping by! :)

Reply

Pastelita Wednesday, January 14, 2015

Hiya PJ!

Just discovered your blog, it’s pleasing to read!
You’ve been working very hard indeed in writing all those articles in such a steady pace and organising them in an user-friendly way.
Great job PJ!!!

Quick question: how does Spirit of Ayura smell like exactly? ^^^. ;)))
We’re all having different olfactive pictures of HEaven hehehe and i cant figure out what is yours ;)

Cheeriaaa

Reply

PJ Friday, January 16, 2015

Hi Pastelita,

Thank you very much for your kind words! :)

I would categorize Spirit of Ayura as a herbaceous green. It features notes of chamomile, rosemary, clary sage, tomato leaf, green tea, green apple, cassis, dianthus superbus (a species of dianthus), daphne, rose, lily of the valley, jasmine, cypress, sandalwood and gray musk, but the most important note in this fragrance is Chinese ink, which gives the fragrance its identity.

(Even though no citrus note is listed under Spirit of Ayura on Ayura’s official website, the scent does have a fresh and zesty opening.)

It smells clean and fresh, with hints of the floral notes. The Chinese ink has a gentle and earthy quality. It lingers throughout the wear and gives the overall composition a quiet, unassuming and grounded aura.

It is an uplifting scent that manages to be calming at the same time, and I find this combination very fascinating. Overall it is a beautifully crafted scent that exudes sophistication.

I hope it helps, and thank you very much for posting your comment! :)

Reply

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Please note that information on purchasing Japanese cosmetics on-line can be found on my FAQ page.

Thank you very much!

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