If I Could Go To Japan RIGHT NOW…

by PJ on Tuesday, September 4, 2007

in -Albion, -Elégance, -Eprise, -Ettusais, -Jill Stuart, -Kanebo, -Kiss, -Love Clover, -Lunasol, -Sonia Rykiel, -Watosa, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

I am planning to visit Japan again. It won’t be happening very soon, but my shopping list has been growing longer and longer already!

Apart from some of my favorite Japanese brands (such as Ayura, Sofina, Lavshuca), there are some specific items of my favorite brands and other very interesting lines I want to look at.

Here is just a little sneak peek of my shopping list!


1. Jill Stuart

(photo from www.jillstuart-beauty.com)

My ultimate cosmetics shopping trip in Japan will undoubtedly start with Jill Stuart (despite the risk of spending all my savings on the first day). I want to sample everything! I have several Jill Stuart items but I have always wanted more. I will definitely test the Blush Powder (loose powder blusher, second from left) and pick a shade I like.


2. Lunasol

(photo from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)


I absolutely love all the Lunasol items I have, but I have not yet had any of their beautiful eyeshadow palettes. They are quite expensive but…when in Japan…!

3. Elégance

(photo from www.elegance-cosmetics.com)


I absolutely love this brand but I haven’t really talked about it on my blog. El
égance is a French fashion label that has a cosmetics line in a couple of Asian countries. It is very high-end but the quality is great. I love the simple but opulent gold packaging as well. I am interested in their pressed powder blusher and the new cream blusher.

4. Eprise

( photo from www.albion.co.jp)

Eprise is the makeup line from Albion, a major cosmetics brand in Japan. Albion has some extremely popular skincare and foundation products. The makeup line Eprise is relatively low-key but has an elegant look that really appeals to me.

5. ettusais

(photo from www.ettusais.co.jp)


I have used many ettusais foundation and skincare products and have thought highly of them. The ettusais makeup line has recently been re-packaged. Well, it doesn’t particularly look very exciting, but I would like to have a look at the new blusher (yes, I can’t have enough blushers…), which features a sponge puff attached to the bottom of the container.


6. Sonia Rykiel

(photo from www.isetan.co.jp)

Sonia Rykiel is another French fashion label that has a cosmetics line in Asia. Known for some great foundation formulations and a couple of skincare products, Sonia Rykiel Cosmetics has an exquisite quality. Currently, the makeup packaging is inspired by Sonia Rykiel’s famous stripy patterns:

(photo from www.isetan.co.jp)


7. Watosa

(photo from www.isetan.co.jp)

Watosa is a quirky brand with a colorful look. Like Stila, paper is used for some of the product packaging. I bought a Watosa lipstick in Hong Kong many years ago and this is a brand I want to try more products from.

8. Kiss

(photo from www.kiss-cosmetics.com)


Kiss is a drugstore line that has been immensely popular in Japan. The packaging is very girlie, although I don’t think the overall look is as dreamy and princessy as Lavshuca. But like Lavshuca, their products are very affordable and I won’t leave Japan without a couple of their goodies.

9. Love Clover

(photo from www.loveclover.jp)

Love Clover, like Makemania (which carries Curvy Lip Silicone) is part of SONY. It has also been a popular drugstore brand and has a rather similar feel to Kiss. The PonPonCheek N (above) looks so adorable!

10: Anuenue


(photo from www.ar-anuenue.com)

Anuenue is another drugstore line from SONY. It recently launched some skincare products, including Hand Balm and Lip Balm seen above.

The list goes on and on, as there are many other brands and products I am interested in. But I’d better stop here before I get carried away (and book my flight to Tokyo tomorrow)!

Notes:

1. In the UK, we have Shiseido International, Kanebo International, Paul & Joe, RMK, and SUQQU. (We used to have Anna Sui and Chic Choc, but they left a few years ago.)

2. Some of the brands above are available outside Japan. But Japan is the only country where all of them are available…

Related posts:

Read about my favorite Japanese brands:
Ayura
Anna Sui
Jill Stuart
Lavshuca
Lunasol
Paul & Joe
Sofina

{ 22 comments… read them below or add one }

Christine, temptalia.com Wednesday, September 5, 2007

Woww!! I never even realized how extensive the Japanese market for cosmetic lines is!

Reply

PJ Thursday, September 6, 2007

Hello Christine,

Thanks for commenting!

The cosmetics market in Japan is huge, to say the least. The array of brands is fantastic (with all the major brands in America and Europe and all the wonderful Japanese brands). What I mentioned in this post is really just a tiny selection of lines.

I’d personally say that Japan is the best place in the world to shop for cosmetics…the ultimate dreamland for beauty fans!

Reply

Skin Care Beauty Zone Friday, September 7, 2007

Excellent post n the collection is superabbbb,tats so sweet of u for giving information abt “Japanese brands”.
u have done nice job keep up the work.

Reply

PJ Friday, September 7, 2007

Hello there,

Thank you for commenting and thank you as well for your kind words!

I will have at least one post about Japanese cosmetics every week, so do come back often if you are interested in reading more about it!

Reply

sin5409 Friday, September 7, 2007

hello pj,

me from Hong kong and been reading your blog for a while, very good blog for cosmetic maniac!!!

Last month I’ve been to Japan, and shopped crazily….if you have msn, maybe we can share more information!

Cheers~~

Reply

PJ Friday, September 7, 2007

Hello Sin5409,

Thank you very much for reading my blog and leaving a comment!

Great to know that you have recently been to Japan. You must have had a good time!

I don’t usually use MSN, but if you are interested, you are extremely welcome to drop a message to me. (Just click my e-mail address icon on my home page at the right side bar.)

It would be very interesting to hear about your trip!

Reply

Tammy Tuesday, September 11, 2007

Aah this post makes me miss Japan so… Just when I was getting a good handle on the brands there, I had to start from scratch when I came back to America. I am scraping the bottom of my Ettusais Hyper Curl mascara tube, and there is nothing like it here. Sigh… PJ, I hope you do get your Tokyo trip soon!

Reply

PJ Thursday, September 13, 2007

Hello Tammy!!

Thank you for your comment again!

Hope it won’t take much time for you to find something just as good as the ettusais mascara. I think the US and Japan are the two best places in the world to shop for cosmetics (with the UK lagging *way* behind)…but Japan still wins it for me…

I don’t think I will be able to go to Japan this year. Maybe next year…we’ll see. (I want to save up *sufficient* funds for this…:)…) Not only will I be able to go back to one of my favorite cities (Tokyo) and shop to my heart’s content, I will also give you all the reports on my expeditions!

I will definitely let you know about my trip!

Reply

NY Spender Friday, October 26, 2007

Ok, now I am curious. Is there any way to buy that Ettusais Hyper Curl Mascara from the US? I’ve never scraped the bottom of any of my mascara tubes… it must be good!!!

Reply

PJ Friday, October 26, 2007

Hello NY Spender,

Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.

One of the sites you can buy Ettusais items from is Adam Beauty (http://www.adambeauty.com/). (There are other sites that carry Japanese cosmetics but I have only bought from this site and would recommend it.)

It is based in Hong Kong. It takes Paypal and ships internationally.

There is an Ettusais icon on the homepage. Click on that and you can see “Point Makeup” on the left. That will take you to the Hyper Curl Mascara.

The price under each item includes the shopping cost. All you need to pay is a 2 USD registered mail charge.

Happy browsing! Feel free to send me an e-mail if you have any other question. (The e-mail icon is near the top of the blog.)

Thank you again for stopping by my blog! :)

Reply

Anonymous Tuesday, October 30, 2007

May I follow you to japan? hee hee hee……

Reply

PJ Wednesday, October 31, 2007

Hello there,

Thank you for visiting my blog and leaving a comment.

Maybe we should organize a trip so all the people that are interested in Japanese cosmetics can go together! :)

Reply

eliza Friday, May 2, 2008

wow! i’m going to japan soon and being a cosmetics and toiletries lover, i was looking for things to buy there when i found your blog. you make me want to buy up everything there! ahhhhh i think i’ll go mad about the range there!

Reply

PJ Saturday, May 3, 2008

Hi Eliza,

Thank you for visiting my blog!

It is great that you are going to Japan soon! There are so many interesting brands and products to browse through, and I think you will have a great time.

(When you arrive in Japan, do find a bookstore (or a convenience store) and pick up a beauty magazine to see some of the latest and most popular items. Then, the rest is all up to you! :))

Do let me know about your interesting finds when you are back!

Thank you again for stopping by my blog and leaving your comment. Hope to hear from you again soon! :)

Reply

Anonymous Monday, July 28, 2008

hi pj! i used to live in the uk during uni years and miss it heaps. am in seoul now which is a haven for cosmetics nevertheless i miss nars, UD, boots stuff etc. ^^
what i wanted to ask you… i’m going to tokyo in 2 days and was wondering if you know a place where i can get rmk, nars, urban decay, too faced and paul and joe in one place? i’m staying for 3 days and have been there before but i always concentrated on clothes shopping but i have recently developed a fever for cosmetics outshining my sartorial lemmings. by the by you and the muse are my favourite beauty bloggers! your scientific eye for all thing pink, girly, japanese and generally desirable is incomparable!! i love your blog!
hiromix x

Reply

PJ Tuesday, July 29, 2008

Hi Hiromix,

Thank you so much for your kind words about my blog! I am very glad that you enjoy it. (By the way, I am a huge fan of The Muse as well. :))

I was checking the websites of the brands you mentioned, and Seibu Ikebukuro carries RMK, NARS, and Paul & Joe. It does not have Too Faced, but you can find it in the Opaque boutique across the street from Matsuya Department Store in Ginza. (It's the Opaque boutique I talked about in my Beauty Guide article.) You can check their website below:

http://www.opaque.ne.jp

As for Urban Decay, unfortunately their website does not seem to list their retail points in Japan…:(

I hope it helps a little. It is so exciting that you are going to Tokyo this week. I hope you will have a wonderful time and that you will leave Tokyo with a lot of goodies. Do let me know about your trip! :)

Thank you very much for your comment, and hope to hear from you again. :)

Reply

• J i r a • Wednesday, March 25, 2009

I’m going to Japan next week and these review is very helpful, thanks~~!

Reply

PJ Friday, March 27, 2009

Hi Jira,

I am glad this post is helpful!

If you haven’t come across it, I have written a post on beauty shopping in Tokyo. It is listed in the Best of Blusher section on the side bar.

I hope you will have a fabulous time in Japan!! :)

Reply

Ngal Monday, July 27, 2009

Hi PJ,

I am so glad I came across your blog. I went to tokyo earlier this year and I totally fall in love with all the japanese cosmetics brand. THere are lots and lots that I would like to buy that time but couldn't. I am so regretted now and should have maxed out my credit card by then, now it is too late. I found this amazing eye liner pan called Brow Lash XL flim gel liner and there is nth like it over here. I wish you can make your trip to Tokyo real soon and give us the low down on the latest infos on the cosmetics.

Khin

Reply

PJ Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Hi Khin,

Thank you very much for reading my blog. I am glad you enjoy it!

I would certainly like to be able to go to Japan again soon. Having my friends help me buy Japanese beauty items or buying them on-line is one thing, seeing and testing all the new items is certainly another. If I do have a chance to go to Japan again, I will definitely keep you posted on all my thoughts and discoveries.

Thank you for posting your comment! :)

Reply

april Friday, December 11, 2009

hi PJ!

this is a little bit late but just wanted to say that i just bought the Elegance cream blusher in PK102 and it's such a pretty color! The texture and lasting power are also superior. I def prefer this to Bobbi's cream blush. Elegance also just revamped their eyeshadow and lipstick line. The eyeshadows drove me insane when i swatched them, but i didn't end up buying any cos i just couldnt decide. The color combis are really avant garde : http://www.elegance-cosmetics.com/

just couldn't find anyone to share my Elegance raves with!

Reply

PJ Sunday, December 20, 2009

Hi April,

Elégance's blushers are some of the brand's items that I really want to try. Thank you very much for letting me know what you think about the Cream Face Color.

The recent Elégance revamp really intrigues me. I think the new look is very unique and it is very different from what Elégance used to look like and what mainstream Japanese makeup generally looks like. Many of the eyeshadow palettes have interesting color combinations, and I can see why you couldn't decide what to buy.

At the moment I am interested in trying the Aurora Storm blushers, but I would love to get one of the Phantom Eyes palettes as well. We'll see. If I do decide to try some of the new Elégance items, I will certainly write about them on my blog.

Thank you very much for stopping by! :)

Reply

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