Inga Esipova about Japanese cosmetics
Asian cosmetics for a long time the minds of caring All these cavay jars, “real” BB creams, lotions and masks full of hyaluronic acid - if everyone could figure out what to buy and how, non-Asian manufacturers would have had hard times. Inga Esipova, who has lived in Japan for more than a year, told us why you shouldn't be afraid of toy packages with hieroglyphs, what the Japanese value in caring and what means they have to adopt.
Inga Esipova founder of the Japanese cosmetics store Melon Panda
Japanese cosmetics in the world raises more questions than answers. On the one hand, she has a trust: everyone knows that the Japanese are obsessed with the quality of everything, be it electronics or toilet paper. On the other hand, the Western woman is often completely incomprehensible Japanese skin care system, and the bottles without a single English word, packed in a "toy" plastic, terrify. On the third hand, in narrow circles, stories are known about the completely magical properties of creams, serums and lotions that stop time.
The first three years of living in Japan, I brought cosmetics from Russia and bought online familiar European brands. When it turned out that Givenchy moisturizer for $ 60 loses to Japanese moisturizing water for 10, I had to look at the windows of Japanese cosmetics stores. It was not easy and not very pleasant at first, because Japanese cosmetics are very oddly decorated. Now I understand that plastic is easier for them to recycle than paper, and a glass bottle from under the lotion is a headache, because it is possible to throw glass garbage only twice a month in a special way, which means that it will loom and rattle for a week or two near the trash can. But with the habit of plastic, handwritten advertising stickers and the lack of western respectability lead to a dead end. What is worth buying from Japanese?
With the Japanese in general, it is always like this: everything seems to be the same, but slightly better than the others
Each of those who have wiped their face with a tonic at least once after evening washing to wash off the remnants of the carcass must try Japanese skin cleansing. Its essence is to first dissolve the makeup with one agent and then wash it off with another. Now the Japanese are looking for all new forms and textures that are far from the usual hydrophilic oil and soap, and are looking for ways to avoid a double system, as everyone is in a hurry and lazy. But the concept of double cleansing is 100% correct in terms of chemistry: first, dissolve the pigment, then wash it off and a layer of dirty fat that clogs the pores. It doesn't even need any propaganda, it's just an example of a chemical reaction that makes the skin clean. Just a minute longer to stand at the sink in the evening - and the result is much better than when you rub your face with soap, and then you pick up the visible remnants of makeup with a cotton pad.
Another phenomenon of Japanese cosmetics - moisturizing lotion. According to statistics, 90% of Japanese women who generally use cosmetics for cosmetics, use lotion. This is the most minimal necessary care. Wet the face with a towel, splash the lotion on the palm, pat it on the face until it is absorbed, then add more (many Japanese cosmetologists recommend applying the lotion until the skin ceases to absorb it) - that's all. In the Japanese view, liquid products moisturize the skin better, thicker ones nourish and protect from the external environment better. In Japan, no one would even think of providing basic moisturizing at the expense of the cream, the cream is the final nourishing, lifting, protective agent, often at night. But lotion - it is omnipotent: it will moisturize, nourish, and tighten, thanks to nanomolecules, which, according to manufacturers' advertising, now penetrate very, very deeply. A consistent effect of textures, in which water first prevails, and then oil - the secret of why the Japanese system, consisting of two, three, or even five steps, is perceived by the skin very easily.
Well, if you accidentally go to Japan, be sure to take a closer look at the Shiseido The Ginza lineup. It is abroad Shiseido - a bit illogical and not fully understood brand, and in its homeland is the legislator, the king and god. And The Ginza is the most expensive line (by the way, there are about a hundred brands in Shiseido in Japan, so the phrase "I love Shiseido" or "Shiseido doesn't suit me" is better not to utter it), which is sold only in the Shiseido flagship store Ginze in Tokyo, as well as in duty-free. Rectangular white bottles, breathtaking prices and mysterious composition, which seems to be nothing unusual, but still something is clearly not right. With the Japanese in general, it is always like this: everything seems to be the same, but slightly better than the others.
What else should I bring or order from Japan:
