(Paul & Joe, Suqqu, Visee, and YSL…so which side is winning?)
Several days ago, someone in the asian_beauty community over at LiveJournal asked me whether I preferred Japanese over western cosmetics. I gave an answer but was inspired to write a longer post here.
In terms of makeup, I do actually prefer Japanese products. I have ten favorite makeup brands and seven of them are Japanese. There are three main reasons:
1. I tend to go for sheer pigmentation for eyeshadows, blushers and lipsticks.
2. I love cute/elegant/princessy (depending on the brand) packaging. I know this is purely subjective. Brands like Pout and Benefit have more than merely functional packaging and they are known for cute and quirky images respectively, but I am never a fan. Not even Stila (sorry Stila fans)…I don’t like cartoon drawings on my makeup. On the other hand, brands like Ayura and Jill Stuart can do no wrong for me.
I don’t usually put my makeup items away in toiletry bags or drawers. I arrange them beautifully and display them happily on my dressing table and on the shelves. They are part of the room and part of the decor. I choose my makeup with the same aesthetic eye as I choose a table lamp or a coffee table.
The bottom line is, with many brands that have looks that appeal to me, when I need something (be it a lipstick or a foundation), I am usually able to find something that looks great, both on my face and in front of my eyes, and I will use it with more enthusiasm and joy.
And it just happens that most of these brands are Japanese.
3. A simple reason: most Japanese makeup items are scent-free.
Skincare-wise, I don’t have a preference. When I first started using skincare products, I chose them by reading the blurbs. If they sounded like something I wanted my skin to look like and if the price was within my budget, I would consider trying them. But over the years, I have learned to pay attention to the chemical aspects of skincare products. Now the first thing I look at when choosing skincare products is the ingredient list. I know what is good for my skin and what I should avoid.
In this case, the packaging is important in terms of preserving the antioxidants in, say, a moisturizer. A container with a pump dispenser is far better than a jar with a lid. (So of course we are not talking about aesthetics here.)
The thing with quite a few Japanese toners and moisturizers is that they tend to have alcohol to create that fresh feel after each use. But my sensitive skin can’t really tolerate that. (I don’t think alcohol should be in any skincare product anyway. It is potentially drying and irritating.) I do love some of the Shu Uemura products because they are alcohol-free and are so gentle. But currently most of my skincare products are from western brands. For example, my moisturizers are from Estee Lauder and Lancome, and recently I bought one from Nivea. If you happen to wonder what I use on a daily basis, read my post here.
I think many of us, especially the younger generation, are getting quite knowledgeable about what does and doesn’t work, but there are still some people who buy whatever the sales assistants say is good. I do try to encourage friends around me to learn more about ingredients in skincare products. After all, they go on our faces every single day…we might as well learn about them. I think a good place to start would be Paula Begoun’s website, as I am sure many of you know. Do some research and it will benefit you immensely!
Overall, Japanese makeup has the edge. Skincare-wise, I simply use what works for me. At the moment, there are more western products in my skincare routine, while several years ago, I used more Japanese products. So I wouldn’t say I have a clear preference. It depends on what suits my skin and what is more available at a given time and place.
So, what’s your take on this?
{ 39 comments… read them below or add one }
I also prefer Japanese make up but apt for western for skincare.
Looks like we have similar tastes. Do let me know, if you’d like to, what brands you like and what brands are popular where you are.
Looking back to my ‘stash’ it looks like an equal proportion. I have stuff from NARS, MAC, stila, YSL from the Westies and from the Japanese team I have Inoui ID, shu uemura and Paul & Joe.
As for skincare, it’s the Westies all the way!! DDF to be exact. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like Paula Begoun, she is too restrictive in her comments. Have you read Dr. Leslie Baumann’s book?
Thank you for your comment.
I have heard of Dr. Leslie Baumann and I’d be interested in reading her book. I like her idea of having oil/dry and sensitive/resistant as two separate parameters. A person, like me, can have oily *and* sensitive skin.
But I still have issues with the oily/dry parameter. In some oriental skincare concepts, sebum secretion and surface water retention form two axes. According to this, it is possible for a person to have oily-dry skin. It is a form of dry skin while sebum secretion is compensating the lack of surface water retention to protect the skin (like a natural face cream). The (real) dry skin, as we know of, happens when both surface water retention and sebum secretion are low.
(But I’ll point out that I don’t know if there is any scientific research on this. It is basically a skincare concept that many people in Japan have.)
I think I might write a post to elaborate on this and to share my personal experience in taking care of my oily-dry-sensitive skin!
Thank you for the inspiration!
I love Japanese make-up as I find the colours and textures suit our Asian skin better. Probably because we’re in the same region so they understand our skin better. I love Japan’s Dejavu Fiberwig mascara which works wonders for lengthening my short and sparse eyelashes. My friends were amazed at the results and the sexy curl it gave :) I also like Kanebo KATE Deep Eyes eyeshadow for its light, sheer and pigmented yet great for day time use.
Korean make-up like SkinFood and Elianto are great too. We, Malaysians who have a tight budget especially students have fallen in love with Elianto for its budget buys. Their eyeshadows which only cost RM5 per pot is said to be great since their range of colours vast.SkinFood’s masks are doing very well in our Malaysian market as they are worth splurging on.Their price range for the masks range from RM39-RM50 for a big tub! My mum personally loves their generous tub of honey eye cream that lasted for about 6 months!
I use both Japanese and Western skincare. I like Shisedo’s drugstore skincare, Pure and Mild. I use their moisturing skin gel which leaves a very cool tingling feeling since I pop it into the fridge :P While, L’oreal is doing well in their skin care range here too.
Hope that gives u guys an idea on what I THINK is popular here :) TA!
Hello Butterflytoblushes!
Thank you so much for your contribution to the topic! Your comment deserves a full response and I will get back to it tomorrow!
Thank you again!! :)
Hello Butterflytoblushes,
First of all, that’s a beautiful name!
Thank you very much for telling me about the cosmetics scene in Malaysia. (Are you excited about Lunasol’s launch?) I didn’t know very much about it so it is very informative.
Your comment is also inspiring in the sense that I would now want to look more closely at how Japanese brands have been received in various countries.
First of all, Dejavu Fiberwig seems very popular recently. It was voted as readers’ favorite mascara in Biteki magazine back in February. I have not tried it myself. But after reading what you thought, I can certainly see why!
About Kate, I have just written a post about it. Maybe you will be interested in reading it. :)
My knowledge in Korean cosmetics is very limited. By the time Korean cosmetics brands started to take off in many other Asian countries, I had already been living in the UK. So I only know some of the brands and I have not yet to try any product. There is no Korean cosmetics brand in the UK, as far as I know. (I know that Laneige is available in North America.)
I have heard about SkinFood and I am aware that it is a popular brand outside Korea. I have not actually heard of Elianto before. I was browsing their products on the website and they do have a vast range of products. The packaging is basic but it is nice and fresh. There are a couple of things that caught my attention, like the eyeshadow palettes. It is nice to have a palette with so many colors!
Skincare-wise, I tend to stick with what is locally available. Currently I am using things from Lancome, Olay, and RMK.
I think I will definitely start looking more into various Korean cosmetics brands to get a better picture.
Thank you so much again for your informative comment!! I really appreciate it.
First of all, thanks for your site. It’s interesting and informative. And, nice presentation in and of itself!
I’m starting to believe asian skin is just really different from western. I’m asian, and having grown up in the States, I’ve always just used whatever was available conveniently. But recently have been turned on to how much better my skin responds to asian products, namely japanese. As an examp, american/ french moisturizers are simply too rich for me, even the lightest formulations- think there is a reason why the japanese moisturizers are “milks.”
Hello!
Thank you very much for reading my blog and leaving a comment.
Hope you will stop by again soon!
I have come across articles about how, in terms of daily skincare, African skin is different from Caucasian skin. (And I have a close friend with experiences to echo what I read.) But I have not yet seen articles about Asian skin. There must been some. Maybe I am not looking hard enough.
Yes, in the most general sense, many Asian (Japanese) skincare products are lighter. Apart from the possibility that Asian skin is different (in whatever way, which I can’t really describe systematically), I think there might be another reason.
Many skincare routines in Japanese brands are quite elaborate. After cleansing, in some cases, we might be looking at toner-serum-milk-cream. (Some of the brands say we need a light, liquidy, milky moisturizer to “give” skin moisture and a slightly richer cream to “seal in” the moisture.) Because there are this many products to be used, each of them has to be quite light.
I personally think these kinds of routines are a little rigid. (We can choose to use either the “milk” or the “cream”.) Also, alcohol is very often used to make products feel lighter and give a seemingly refreshing sensation, so people can layer all these products and their faces won’t feel heavy. But I am opposed to any amount of alcohol in skincare products, as I mentioned in my post.
But, on the other hand and to be fair, Japanese brands like Ayura and IPSA have a very simple regime. It is a two-step cleansing-moisturizing routine. Coincidentally and interestingly, some of their moisturizers are alcohol-free.
One thing I would say, though, is that whenever I am in Asia, I will indeed want to reach for a very light (alcohol-free) moisturizer, simply because the weather can be so hot and humid. And Japanese brands are indeed better at providing me with more choices.
So, to me, it seems to be more about the climate that the Japanese skincare products are catering for…
But you are definitely among many Asian customers that prefer Japanese skincare products based on the reason you mentioned, and discussion of this kind will certainly continue!
Hey PJ :)
Ur most welcomed! and thanks for the full reply :D
Yeah it’ll be great to get ur hands on Elianto stuff. Their new range includes their baked range.
It’s a cheaper alternative to MAC’s baked range. Really nice! Coz we can use it wet or dry.I have its blusher and eyeshadow.The blusher is great if u love shimmers. The eyeshadow is nice but use it wet preferably so it would be long lasting :)
If I can send you a pic, I will k :) Btw, Elianto’s brushes are well known here.Coz it’s cheap and it works great.Not to mention, real soft!! Then again, it might not be as great as MAC’s or Bobbi Brown’s coz that’s a whole different level. Since their target audiences are so different.
Elianto: Lower end (esp students)
MAC & BB: High end
Btw, Elianto’s website is not updated! urghh…I know, crappy marketing there. LOL.
All in all, Elianto is known for their eyeshadows, nail polishes, brushes and blushes.
:)
PS: I’ve seen Lunasol’s range in mags like Cleo here but I can’t afford it. Super expensive! *bites nails* lolz…So guess not much excitement there since I can’t afford it :P
Hello Butterflytoblushes again,
Thank you very much for telling me more about Elianto. It seems that it has many interesting products. The brushes sound intriguing. I am always looking for makeup brushes which are relatively inexpensive.
So, good eyeshadows, blushers, brushes…sounds like a brand I would definitely like to have a good look at!
(There is a brand called Ruby & Millie, which is sold in Boots stores in the UK. I am not sure if it is available in Malaysia. They have really good brushes and they are cheaper than those from MAC and Bobbi Brown.)
Lunasol is indeed quite high-end. I would like to have a couple more of their products, but they are pricey. I will have to be very selective…
Thank you again for your very informative input yet again!
As for me I perfer Japanese -products in SKin care .. well one simply answer those actually works unlike western brands make huge marketing camping and promises over promises and never work beside Carita Paris, NV perricone. I have few brands to recommand from Japan and Korea as follow;
1) Dicila Co. (owned by SHiseido)
2) Cosme Decorte ) Owned by Kose)
3) IGNIS ( Japanese)
4) Est Sofina (Owned by Kao)
5) The History of Whoo ( owned by LG, Korean brand)
6) Hera Kanthano cream ( owned by Amore pacific, Korea)
7) Carita PAris ( Owned by SHISEIDO, Western)
http://www.shop4newskin.com
Hello Benoticeable,
Thank you very much for visiting my blog and sharing your view.
Many of these brands indeed have high profiles in Japan and Asia in general and are loved by many.
I am slightly less familiar with some brands from Korea and I will look more into them.
Thank you for leaving your comment again! :)
where can i get japanese brands makeup, can you buy it throught the internet? is that a specific site?
Hello Mable,
Thank you for leaving a comment on my blog!
I buy most of my Japanese cosmetics items when I travel to Asia, but there are several sites that carry Japanese cosmetics items:
Adam Beauty
Gooddealer
Joseibi
Sasa
Bobodave
YesStyle
Ichibankao
(They should appear towards the top if you put the names in Google Search.)
So far the only site I have shopped from is Adam Beauty. It is based in Hong Kong. It uses Paypal and ships internationally. Their prices are quite fair and I have been happy with the service.
Hope it helps. If you have any other questions, please don’t hesitate to send me an e-mail. (You can find the address towards the top of my blog.)
Thank you again for your comment! :)
Thanks! that was very helpful! =]
Hello Mable,
You are very welcome!
Enjoy browsing! :)
Wow! Thank you for making a section all about Japanese cosmetics. I’ve always loved their cosmetics because of their packaging. Hopefully soon I can get my hands on some (mainly eye makeup, blush, and lipstick). I can’t go for the foundation because of my skin tone so I will stick with Western for that. I also apt for western skincare too.
My favorite brands so far are Anna Sui and Jill Stuart. I’m also looking at the Ayura line.
Hello there,
Thank you very much for reading my blog and leaving your comment!
We do share some favorite Japanese brands. I also love Jill Stuart and Anna Sui. On the other hand, AYURA is perhaps my favorite Japanese cosmetics brand if I have to pick one as the ultimate favorite.
As for skincare, like I mentioned, I am quite happy with what I can get here in the UK. (I still am.)
Do let me know what you think if you get some Japanese makeup products. It would be great to hear about your view.
Thank you again for stopping by my blog! :)
correction to what the malaysian poster said: i believe that elianto is a malaysian brand rather than korean, under the johor-based bonita group.
pj, i only recently stumbled on your blog and i love it. you’re awesome!
my basic makeup items are western brands, but i love the pretty packaging of japanese brands and am getting more into their sheer eyeshadows and blushers. however, i’m a brown asian (of various ethnic origins) and for base makeup, there is just more colour choice amongst western brands than asian. especially for asian drugstore products, the base makeup and blushers often come in few shades – but i understand that they’re mostly made in japan for japanese skin, and the more expensive brands like shu uemura have a wider range.
conversely, i find that asian skincare suits me better. asian drugstore skincare is of very high quality – i like shiseido’s whitia range and kose’s whitist. fasio also has a decent range of skincare.
Hello Maryam,
Thank you for your very kind words about my blog! Thank you as well for the note on Elianto.
Indeed, most Japanese brands (drugstore and department store) don’t really carry foundation shades for darker skin-tones. It is a bit of a shame, since people with darker skin-tones will simply not be able to try their foundations. But I have to say, for their target markets in East Asia, they probably don’t really have to produce darker shades…
It is interesting that you mentioned Whitia and Whitist. Their skincare products are generally quite popular. (I think I used a Whitia cleanser many years ago, but unfortunately I don’t remember too much about it now…)
Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts on this topic. Hope to hear from you again soon!
oh, goosh,i can’t not believe there is actually a western person out there that would like japanese makeup. Being an asian myself though living in Canada for many years, I am shocked. Seriously. I mean all of your favorite brands are my favorite ones too, I have spend thousands of dollars on Jill stuart, Paul and Joe and of course, Majolica majorca. and many more. Well have you been thinking the new disney collection from Paul and Joe, I just placed my order, and gosh aren’t they expensive. I have benefit and stila products too, but they come in no closer than JS and PJ.
Hi there,
Jill Stuart and Paul & Joe are indeed two of my favorite brands. I am glad that you like these two brands too!
I have seen the Paul & Joe Disney collection on-line, but I have not been thinking about buying from the collection. Even though I do love cute and princessy packaging, I usually prefer my cosmetics items without cartoon drawings. I think this is the reason why I have not been enjoying the look of brands like Benefit or Stila…(obviously this is strictly one’s personal taste…).
Thank you very much for posting your thoughts! Hope you will continue to enjoy reading my blog! :)
Hi PJ,
I was google around and found ur article.I’m asian original and I actually found that I also prefer Japanese skincare.
Basically, I personly found out that Japanese products are more about the texture whileas American products are more about the advanced technics, and European products—-namely swiss ones are more about the ingredients.
For ur information, Albion is one of the best Japanese ones, it belongs to Kose( I guess)and it normally sells in saloon. Its toner is the best I have ever used. O HUI is one of the best Korean one, owned by LG.
Believe it or not, I also think when it comes to wrinkle control, nothing better than American products.
Last but not the least, thank you to list the Japanese skincare location in UK. That’s really helpful, I am looking everywhere to reach for suqqu massage cream and I finally found it from u. Thx.
A Mum
Hello there,
Thank you very much for stopping by my blog and sharing your thoughts!
Indeed, Albion is owned by Kose and is one of the top cosmetics brands in Japan. There is a blusher by Albion that I am planning to review later this month, and this will actually be the first time for me to talk about Albion properly on my blog. Hope you would like to stay tuned for that…:)
As I mentioned in the post, while I generally prefer Japanese makeup products to western ones, I don’t particularly prefer Japanese skincare products. Like you said, they all have their strengths and the skincare products I am currently using happen to be evenly from all the three areas you mentioned: Japan, the US, and Europe.
Thank you for reading my post on the Japanese brands in the UK. Hope you have found it useful. Do let me know if you have any question. Let me know as well if you have a chance to try products from SUQQU.
Thank you again for stopping by my blog and posting your comment. Hope to hear from you again! :)
There’s another Korean makeup/skincare range opened recently in Malaysia; The Face Shop. Their prices ranges are similar to Elianto and SkinFood. But I would describe it as The Asian Body Shop, as they use organic materials in their product.
What caught my attention about The Face Shop is their skin care. They use organic materials in their product-stuff like ginseng, herbs, bean, rice, Ice flower. The organic material and exotic appeal really made their products stand out.
I bought a Green Tea cleanser which is in powder form, and you would have to mix it with some kind of liquid (emulsion, I think) or just water to lather it up.
Hello there,
Thank you for telling me about The Face Shop. It is one of the Korean brands that I am more aware of, but you have told me a couple of things I didn’t know.
I will definitely have a good look at their website very soon!
Thank you for stopping by my blog and contributing to the discussion! :)
I would to add more on my earlier post (13th February) about The Face Shop. One of the best selling purchases is the Brightening Rice Water skincare. It makes you skin brighter and smoother.
Another product that is rapidly clearing off the shelves is the Raspberry Root Anti Wrinkle Cream. The result is immediate.
I love the idea of the cleansing powder. I think it’s great for traveling. You don’t have to worry about bringing fluids in flights.
Another product that caught my attention is the Lava Ash mask. I never tried it before, but the use of the organic mineral in their product alone is enough for you to take note of the product.
Hi there,
Thank you for letting me know more about The Face Shop. I was browsing their website a while ago and there are a lot of interesting things. I’ll also remember the products you mentioned.
Thank you for stopping by again! :)
I am posting a bit late in the game. :)
I am Korean-American and love asian cosmetics! I like the light/sheer eye shadows. I find most ‘American’ eye shadows a bit too pigmented and the colors darken through the day.
But also like many here, I do prefer western skincare. It’s easily accessible and I’ve finally found a system that works. :)
I wish the western brands would take note from their asian counterparts and provide us American ladies with CUTE and pretty colors and packaging!
Ok, done with my rant now. :)
Sunny
Hi Sunny,
Thank you for reading this post. :)
It seems that we have similar views on quite a few things. I also tend to prefer moderately (rather than heavily) pigmented eyeshadows. They do offer a good color payoff, and I like the lucidity and transparency that is seldom seen in western products.
Also, I tend to prefer western skincare products for the reasons that you mentioned. They are obviously more easily available and there are many well-formulated products to choose from.
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts! :)
I also prefer Japanese product over western because three years ago while I was in Japan, I bought a makeup set there because I lost my purse so I had to get new make up and everything. Surprisingly, after three months of using their makeup I notice a dramatic change in my skin. My skin felt softer, whiter, better even of skin tone and just an overall improvement!!! I just wish I knew which makeup I used…I don't know I was so stupid to had thrown it away :(
Hi,
I am glad that you enjoyed the Japanese makeup items that you bought and that they made a difference to your skin. I really hope that, at some point, you will be able to find more information on the products you liked (or recognize them on-line). Do keep me posted. :)
Thank you very much for your comment! :)
i used to think i suited japanese products more because they seemed more refined and sensitive towards asian skin, but soon after i opted for french products. they are milder for my skin and seem to suit my sensitive skin better.
my skin is very sensitive and is a combination of dry and oily, so i m using products prescribed by my dermatologist. they are all from france and seem to work well. hyaluonic acid is also one of the things i use to top of my skincare regime. the one i get is from usa and is 100% pure.
Hi Charlene,
I do think some Japanese skincare products can be quite harsh for the skin, mainly because of the amount of alcohol in some of the products. At the moment, my skincare items are a mixture of products from Japanese, American, British and French brands. The products have been working quite well together.
Thank you very much for stopping by and sharing your thoughts! :)
Japanese makeup that I like:
eyeliner
mascara (and lash related stuff)
foundation
smouldering eyeshadow
Western:
lipsticks and gloss
bold eyeshadow
I'd say both make great eyeshadow and blush, but in my collection there's more western eyeshadow.
Skincare really depends on the person :)
If I HAD to pick one, it'd be Japanese :D
Hi Jan,
Thank you very much for sharing your thoughts!
At the moment, I have more eyeshadows from Japanese lines. (My recent favorites are mostly from Lunasol and Coffret D'Or.) Most of my favorite blushers are from Japanese lines as well.
As for skincare, I currently still have more products from western brands. (But RMK's Cleansing Oil has been my favorite makeup remover for years.)
Thank you for stopping by! :)
Hey PJ,
I like the best of each world, really!
Some independent brands, whether they’re Western or Asian strive to source their organic ingredients locally and make sure to exclude alcohol, nasties, and other irritating stuff from the formula.
I’ve been thinking about the brands “Stop the water while using me!” (Germany); “Innisfree” (Korea); “Andalou Natural” (USA); “Cure Natural Agua” (Japan).
My best chemical exfoliant and lotion are from these Japanese brands, respectively Cure Natural Ague and Hada Labo super hyaluronic acid lotion.
Those products are so gentle on the skin, no irritants such as alcohol or fragrance. They make your skin soft and bouncy, mochi hada style hihihi
I also like Korean cleansers, sophisticated primers and creams – they all contain SPF, unlike say, most of French brands. And their cotton pads are so soft, who wants to revert to the European scratchy ones?
On a more mainstream experience, I’ve been using Clinique Smart Serum for months and it significantly decreased my hyper-pigmentation. My skin is luminous with even coloring.
An example of a Western product (expensive though) that actually works, Yeah!!!
But there’s the ugly side from the Western industry.
In Europe, many Super Haute Couture brands basically throw silica in a fancy bottle (silica gives the optical illusion of radiant skin), alcohol 2nd of the list, tons of silicon, slippery, surfactant, bulking agents and perhaps a minute percentage of the miracle ingredient … but after the fragrance of course!
And you’d pay a lot of money for that crap!
I admit I’m more keen to use Asian skin care since the Asian brands I know have better formulation. And also cult collector packaging xxx
And what about makeup?
I prefer using extra-finely milled, highly pigmented eye shadows and blushers. In terms of colour payoff, Urban Decay Electric palette doesnt disappoint, their vivid shades are crazy!
Same story for Nars, their blushers just look insane lol
MUFE (Make Up For Ever) also make excellent brushes to apply these beasties
MAC is going great concealer, while Dolce & Gabbana lipsticks are awesome.
On the other hand, Korean and Japanese smudge-proof pencils and mascaras must be the best of the world! They’re much cheaper than their Western counterparts, I guess the humid weather also makes these thingies an anti-panda eye staple.
Colour families for Asian makeup are usually pretty, ice-cream, delicate shades. For bolder colours, I’d turn to Western makeup.
As I said before, I cant really pronounce a black and white judgement on what the best is between Western vs Asian.
The most important in my opinion is to take the time to check the ingredients list before buying, this is the common denominator for both! Viva Paula Begoun encyclopedia!!!
I guess it’s all about picking up what feels right for you.
Cheers
Hi Pastelita,
Thank you so much for taking the time to share your thoughts! :)
It is quite interesting that, after eight years, my general preferences are still pretty much the same. I still go for makeup items from Japanese brands most of the time. As for skincare products, I don’t have a clear preference and I tend to choose among products available to me locally (for easier replenishments). Currently my skincare items are still mostly from western brands.
I certainly agree with you on the importance of checking the ingredients. As for silicone and its various forms, they are water-binding agents that do have benefits for the skin. I think the key, as you suggest, is the proportion. It is indeed disappointing to see products that contain antioxidants and anti-irritants in minute amounts and rely too much on silicones to create a smooth appearance for the skin.
(On the other hand, skincare products loaded with alcohol or scenting agents (including fragrant plant oils) are generally unforgivable.)
Thank you very much again for posting your comment! :)