(both images from voce-platinum.jp)
Biteki, Voce, and Maquia are considered to be the top-three mainstream magazines that focus on skincare and makeup. Also, among many others, FRAU runs a great Best of Beauty issue in November, and Makeup Magazine is a solid quarterly publication.)
Beauty magazines in Japan also have specific target age groups. The three main ones mentioned above are mainly for those in their thirties and late twenties, while the ones like Bea’s Up are for slightly younger readers.
In October, Kodansha (which publishes fashion magazines like With and Vivi) launched Voce Platinum, a sister magazine to Voce. The tagline is “beauty magazine for mature women”, which clearly indicates the target age group.
The tagline may not appeal to all readers, but, based on the pages on the Voce Platinum website, it seems that the magazine is essentially a slightly more upmarket version of the mainstream ones. (But I am sure there are features that specifically interest more mature readers.) Overall, I think this magazine will appeal to whoever is interested in quality beauty brands presented in a sophisticated and elegant editing style.
But I think the birth of this magazine does reflect a trend. Apart from the age makeup of the Japanese society, we have seen recent launches of both top-end and drugstore brands, such as like (Kanebo’s) CHICCA and (Shiseido’s) Integrate Gracy, which are targeted at the more mature customers. Voce Platinum fills in the gap in the market and will probably give these brands the coverage they deserve for a lot of readers.
I certainly hope the magazine does well, because variety benefits all of us in the long run.
Related Posts:
Biteki – My Ultimate Cosmetics Archive
Voce 10th Anniversary Monthly Feature
{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Ooo awesome entry – I love Japanese mags, but Voce looks like something I could pick up and enjoy. thanks for sharing!
Hi Kimberly,
You are very welcome, and thank you for reading this post.
My favorite Japanese beauty magazine is Biteki. But I do get Voce sometimes, and it has some good features. I have a feeling that the Japanese bookstores in the UK might not have Voce Platinum, but I will be happy to be wrong about this.
Thank you very much for your comment! :)
Hello! I hope you can give me a bit of advice regarding Japanese beauty magazines:
The two Biteki issues I purchased recently seem to focus a great deal on base makeup and product comparisons/reviews.
I love looking at Japanese beauty magazines, but can't read the language very well and rely mostly on the how-to pictures. Also, Japanese makeup is not easily available where I am, so makeup shoots/application tutorials (esp for colour makeup) are more helpful to me than articles about specific products.
Which magazine do you think would best suit my needs? I'm in my mid-twenties, so a mix of proper and party would be ideal.
Thanks very much!
ashan
Hi Ashan,
I see. I am not sure which two issues you recently purchased. Usually, every year, either the April or May issue has the main spring/summer base makeup feature. (This year, it is the April issue.) The June and July issues do have a few more makeup looks and how-to features.
But you are right that Biteki is quite product-based and doesn't always have many how-to pictures in every issue. (There are always some, but some issues don't have many.) I think Voce is similar in this respect. But each year, Biteki does have a couple of issues that have tutorials on eye makeup and eyebrow shaping.
The two Bea's Up issues I have do have a few more how-to photos. Bea's Up's target audience is younger than Biteki's, Voce's and Maquia's, as it mainly appeals to those in their early and mid twenties, and I think it may appeal to you. It is a generally well-edited magazine so it is definitely worth a look.
Do have a look at their website if you would like to have a sense of what the magazine is like:
http://www.beasup.com
Hope it helps, and thank you for posting your comment again! :)