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(Takashimaya Shinjuku:
one of my favorite department stores on earth)
(image from www.takashimaya.co.jp)

Today I start the Beauty City Guide series, which will take you to three cities and look at some of the best places to shop. These articles are mostly based on my own experiences and are not meant to be comprehensive. If you would like to add to them or ask a question, do please leave a comment.

This series simply has to start with Tokyo, probably the best place on this planet to shop for beauty products.

– WHERE TO GO –

If you have One Day

Don’t hesitate and head straight to the Shinjuku area. The Isetan Department Store (Shinjuku branch) is within walking distance from Shinjuku Station. This buzzing emporium is one of the best places to see high-end Japanese beauty brands at a glance.

If you have more time, stop by Takashimaya Department Store (Shinjuku branch), which resides at the south entrance/exit of Shinjuku Station. The neat and structured (and almost regal) layout of the beauty department offers the ultimate browsing experience.

One Weekend

Also try:

Seibu (Ikebukuro branch). I think this and the two above are probably the best three department stores for beauty.

Ginza. For me, Shinjuku is great for pure retail indulgence, while the Ginza area has an upscale and less frantic atmosphere. Beauty-wise, try Mitsukoshi Ginza and Matsuya Ginza. (Matsuya is my favorite department store in this area). Also, stop by the OPAQUE boutique (across the street from Matsuya).

Drugstores. They are relatively easy to find in central Tokyo, particularly around bigger public transportation stations. One of the largest chains is Matsumoto Kiyoshi, whose yellow sign is very easy to spot.

Drugstores carry budget beauty lines whose quality is by no means inferior, and these inexpensive brands offer a great way to try Japanese cosmetics if you have a smaller budget for beauty shopping. (You can also see some department store lines from Shiseido, Kanebo, Kosé, and Sofina in drugstores.) Discounts are offered on many lines, and the amount of reduction and the contents of the value sets can vary even in different branches under the same chain. It can be fun to browse around, but if you don’t have much time and if you see something you like with a good price, consider buying it there and then.

One Week

Also try:

Shu Uemura Omotesanto Boutique. A must for all Shu Uemura fans, it features exclusive items only available in this store.

Shiseido Cosmetic Garden on Omotesanto. This store doesn’t offer retail service. It is a showroom for all the Shiseido products. You can sit down, relax, and test out all the items without feeling any pressure to buy anything.

Hakuho-do. This traditional Japanese business mainly deals with calligraphy supplies but also makes top-quality makeup brushes. Though expensive, they are must-sees for any makeup brush connoisseur. (Check the (English) link above for addresses. If you happen to be near the Los Angeles area, there is a branch in Torrance.)

– Asakusa. Close to Senso-ji Temple, Hyakusuke features traditional Japanese cosmetics used by geisha performers and for other traditional stage productions.

MAMEW. If you are a mascara fanatic, stop by the MAMEW boutique, which is in the Daikanyama area.

– More department stores. Try Lumine, Odakyu, and Keio in Shinjuku (all surrounding Shinjuku Station), Tobu in Ikebukuro, Seibu in Sibuya, and Seibu in Yurakucho.

– More fun in drugstore goodie hunting. See if you can find the best deal! (Some other drugstore chains include Sundrug, Ainz & Tulpe and Plaza Style.)

– WHEN TO GO –

Unlike the UK, the seasonal sales in Japan don’t seem to cover beauty items. So I personally think the best time to go to Tokyo for beauty shopping is simply right after most of the latest spring/fall makeup lines are available. This would be late February and late August (even though many are available in January/July). If you also want to try the latest spring/fall base makeup releases, go one month later.

– NOTES –

– Most department stores close at around 8pm, while many drugstores remain open until later.

– Beauty items purchased in Japan are usually not returnable.

– For information on Japanese beauty brands, please check out my “All About Japanese Cosmetics” category or have a glance over my “Read by Topics” and “Thoughts on My 10 Favorite Brands” lists on the sidebar. Also, please check out these related posts:

Loving Japanese Brands” series

Japanese Brand Profile” series

If I Could Go to Japan Right Now

Next stop: Taipei is probably one of the best places for beauty shopping when it comes to value for money on a regular basis. Find out why next week, along with my shopping recommendations.

Updated on April 20, 2009:

One reader, Kuri, has kindly posted a comment and mentioned that Shiseido Cosmetic Garden had closed. (It is a bit of a shame…)

Thank you for letting me know this, Kuri!

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A new post category, Japanese Brand Profile, has been added to the “Read by Topics” list on my blog sidebar.

Under this category, you will find my recent brand-focus posts, posts on news of brand launches, and others where I briefly profile a brand within a product review.

The posts in my Loving Japanese Brands series, which highlights my seven favorite Japanese beauty brands, are also placed in this category for your ease of navigation.

More posts will be added to this category as I continue to highlight other Japanese beauty brands. Some future posts include profiles on Kanebo Freeplus (up later this week), Ettusais, Kesalan Patharan, Lissage, and ECM. Please stay tuned!

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(Champs de Fleurs
Elégance Spring/Summer 2008 Collection)
(image from www.elegance-cosmetics.com)

From now on, I will be regularly talking about popular Japanese beauty brands that have been rarely mentioned in beauty blogs written in English.

Today I start with Elégance, a brand I personally really like.

As far as I know, Elégance is a French fashion brand. (Their boutique in London is just off New Bond Street and their Paris boutique is on rue Saint Honoré.) But, it seems the Elégance beauty line is only available in Asia.

The Elégance beauty line is developed and produced by Albion (which is currently owned by Kosé).

(Like Anna Sui, Paul & Joe, and Jill Stuart, I classify the Elégance beauty line as a Japanese line.) This high-end line has been doing consistently well in Japan. Over the years, their mascaras and base makeup items have proven to be especially popular. (Relatively, their skincare line doesn’t seem to enjoy as much attention.)



I have two items from Elégance. They were bought a few years ago, and they have been discontinued. One is Verytrue Lip, a natural-looking lip gloss, and the other is Purity Eyes, a cream-to-powder eyeshadow in pale blue.

Elégance consistently uses gold as the main color in the packaging. I think, with gold as the main color scheme, the rest is best kept simple. I think this simplicity has been well maintained throughout the line. As YSL uses straightforward square and rectangular shapes for their gold cases, Elégance opts for circular cases. While YSL looks chic and glamorous, Elégance has an extra touch of softness and femininity.

Two of the items from the current lineup that appeal to me are the powder blusher (in 9 shades) and the loose powder (in 3 shades):

(image from www.elegance-cosmetics.com)
(image from www.elegance-cosmetics.com)

I would love to have more items from Elégance, but they are quite pricey. The loose powder above costs 8400 yen (about 80 USD). But I think I will definitely consider adding one or two items to my collection later.

As Miss Elégance, Elégance’s very cute (and much more affordable) sister line, was discontinued in 2007, I really hope Elégance will do well for many years to come.

(The Elégance beauty line is currently available in Japan and Taiwan.)

Other Japanese beauty lines!

MAMEW

SUQQU

“Loving Japanese Brands” Series

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(Loving Japanese makeup)

As a fan of Japanese cosmetics, apart from all the colorful products available, I am also interested in knowing more about the history behind the various brands and companies. So I was delighted to come across a time-line featuring the launches of many major Japanese cosmetics companies in Biteki‘s January 2008 issue. Let’s have a look:

1872 Shiseido

1887 Kao

1929 Pola

1936 Kanebo

1946 Kosé

1956 Albion

1959 Menard

1967 Shu Uemura

1972 DHC

1981 Fancl

1987 IPSA

1991 Ettusais

1995 AYURA

1996 Equipe (which now owns RMK and SUQQU)

(Biteki, January 2008, p. 102-125)

It is interesting that, like many western cosmetics brands, some of the recent major Japanese cosmetics companies in the last couple of decades have also been acquired by more established ones. For example, IPSA, Ettusais, and AYURA were acquired by Shiseido. Kanebo now owns Equipe, while Kosé owns Albion. Also, in early 2006, Kanebo was sold to Kao.

I will be equally interested in these slightly more corporate and behind-the-scene developments and in all the shiny new releases from these brands…

Related Posts:

All About Japanese Cosmetics

(consolidating my passion)

“Loving Japanese Brands” Series
(my favorite seven)

Japanese Brands in the UK
(featuring where to get them from outside the UK)

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(Mamew brand logo)
(image from www.mamew.jp)

It was estimated several years ago that there were between 3000 and 4000 cosmetics companies in Japan (from Textbook on Beauty, by Kaoru Saito). What we see in major Japanese cosmetics magazines is only a very small selection of them, and it is always interesting to see a new brand on the magazine pages.

Launched in October 2007, Mamew is a fairly new brand but it has been featured in major Japanese cosmetics magazines like Biteki and Voce as well as top fashion magazines like Vogue Nippon.

 

(the very minimally packaged Mamew Lineup)
(image from www.mamew.jp)

What attracted the attention of these magazines are Mamew’s Mascara Kits (two versions: Volume Curl and Long Lash).

(Mamew Mascara Kit)
(image from www.mamew.co.jp)

The mascara liquid and the brush are packaged separately, and each application involves putting the mascara onto the brush (just like putting toothpaste on a toothbrush, I suppose).

(image from www.mamew.co.jp)

You might think this is a lot of trouble, but here are the unique strengths of this product (from the Mamew website):

1. You can have more control of how much pigment goes onto the brush.

2. You can curl the lashes and keep the curl more effectively with the blush made with dense natural hair.

3. You can benefit from a fresh application every time by cleansing the brush after each use.

4. You can enjoy an easier application with the slim brush handle.

Apart from these, I think the unused mascara will probably remain moist longer. Also, this seems to be an updated version of the most traditional mascaras with a brush picking up the black pigment.

Judging by the increasing level of press interest, Mamew’s Mascara Kit has a potential to be a cult beauty item in Japan.

(Mamew is currently sold in Japan only, and the website’s on-line ordering service opens to residents in Japan.)

Related Posts:

“Loving Japanese Brands” Series
(my sensational seven)

Lash Out! – by Laura Mercier
(featuring mascaras from Dior, YSL, and Max Factor)

You Mean That’s NOT Real?

(What do you think?)

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(Kanebo CHICCA counter design)
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)

(the classy detail of the packaging)
(image from www.chicca.jp)


On March 5, Kanebo will launch a new brand, CHICCA (pronounced “kikka”), which will have its own counters in department stores in Japan.

The brand image will be minimalistic and sophisticated.

Targeted at a more mature clientèle, CHICCA will be one of the most high-end brands under the Kanebo Company. In the makeup line, a lipstick will retail at around 50 USD and the pressed powder will retail at around 98 USD in Japan.

(CHICCA’s debut base and color makeup lineup)
(image from www.chicca.jp)

(CHICCA’s debut skincare lineup)
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)

(part of the color makeup lineup)
(image from www.chicca.jp)

Following the debut of Coffret D’Or last December, this will be another important move from Kanebo, which was not doing very well financially and was purchased by Kao in early 2006. It would be interesting to see how CHICCA competes with other top-end brands in the future.

Updated on January 28, 2008:

CHICCA’s official website has been launched.

Photos of the details of the compact design and part of the color makeup lineup have been added above.

The brand is gradually appealing to me more and more. The Enthralling Powder Eye Shadow (particularly the duo in #02, beautifully named Chiffon Lavender Dress) and Flush Blush (a cream blusher) are just two of the items that have caught my eye.

(CHICCA Enthralling Powder Eye Shadow
and Flush Blush)
(images from www.chicca.jp)

Related Posts:

SUQQU: Sensuality with an Attitude
(another major high-end brand in Japan)

All About Japanese Cosmetics
(Can’t have enough of them…)

Loving Japanese Brands

(Read about my 7 favorite Japanese brands.)

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(You can tell that I love my Japanese cosmetics…)


Most of you who read my blog certainly know that I have a passion for Japanese cosmetics. While I do try to keep a balance between western and Japanese cosmetics on my blog, I do think, for me, Japanese cosmetics items do better on my scoreboard in most areas.

If you would like to look through my posts related to Japanese cosmetics, I have made it a bit easier for you by adding the category All About Japanese Cosmetics on the sidebar (under “Read by Topics”). As of now, there are 96 posts under this category, and the number will certainly grow week by week.

Please enjoy!

Here are just a few highlights:

Loving Japanese Brands
(where I highlight 7 wonderful Japanese brands)

Japanese vs. Western…Who’s Winning?
(Which side are you on?)

If I Could Go to Japan RIGHT NOW
(I share my dream shopping list.)

A couple of the items featured in the photo above:

Kanebo T’Estimo Frame Impact Eyes 03

Lavshuca Eye Color Select PK-1

More to come!!

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