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!
Here is just a little sneak peek of my shopping list!
1. Jill Stuart
(photo from www.jillstuart-beauty.com)
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…!
(photo from www.elegance-cosmetics.com)
I absolutely love this brand but I haven’t really talked about it on my blog. Elégance 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
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
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)
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 }
Woww!! I never even realized how extensive the Japanese market for cosmetic lines is!
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!
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.
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!
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~~
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!
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!
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!
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!!!
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! :)
May I follow you to japan? hee hee hee……
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! :)
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!
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! :)
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
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. :)
I’m going to Japan next week and these review is very helpful, thanks~~!
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!! :)
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
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! :)
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!
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! :)