Beauty Secrets from Japan

For the past few years, I have decided to devote some space on La Petite Rose to researching and sharing beauty secrets from different countries around the world. So far, I have written about Irish and French beauty know-how. Today, I thought we'd look into the trends and more timeless beauty practices of Japan!

Green Tea In Many Applications: Unsurprisingly, one of the most well-known and prized beauty ingredients native to and used in the Japanese culture. To read more about the many beauty benefits of green tea, you can read my more in-depth article here. It's energizing and antioxidant as well as astringent properties are prized for the myriad of effects on internal health as well as to keep a clear, radiant complexion. In addition to drinking it, a freshly brewed pot of green tea makes for a wonderful make-at- home toner to help shrink the appearance of pores. You can add honey into the mix to add both a hydration and antibacterial boost to it too. Pouring green tea into an ice cube tray and leaving to freeze overnight makes for a refreshing start to your morning routine by sweeping over the areas of the face if you look gray for feel puffy in the morning especially around the eye area. Cold metal spoons also work well as compresses for similar effects if green tea is not your thing, and this practice is also steeped in traditional Japanese culture.

Evening Out the Skintone Through Hydration: Japanese beauty culture is often most recognized by one clearly defining feature-- a smooth complexion. Similar to the "glass skin" effect popular in Korean aesthetics, Japanese beauty enthusiasts strive to keep their skin smooth and shining. Matte looks have become less aspired to in general as time has gone on, but the sought-after-glow often is not as pronounced as the aforementioned Korean Beauty standard. The way that Japanese people approach glowing skin tends to be through carefully diligent skincare practices rather than through makeup items like gleaming highlighters. Hydrating essences (often called "lotions" by native brands) are huge on the Asian market and primarily got their start in Japan. The lesson to take away here is that hydrated skin makes for glowing skin that is healthy and unified in tone.

Exfoliating Gently: Another component to achieving the healthy, glowing aesthetic in Japanese beauty is exfoliation. This may sound like nothing new, but Japanese beauty practices are known for touting exfoliation but doing so in the most gentle way. You often won't find many gritty or grainy scrubs used, and their acid products tend to be very mild and focused on building a smooth surface to the skin over time rather than a more instantly dramatic result. As far as physical exfoliation is concerned, soft powders of native adzuki beans are used in face polishes as well as rice, which can give both physical and mildly enzymatic exfoliation.

Expertise in Sun Protection: As with hydrating essences, Japan is on the cutting edge of SPF technology. In keeping with the pursuit of maintaining a even complexion, many Japanese people make a practice of avoiding the sun, which has evolved into the cultivation of high-performance sunscreens. These products have really boomed in the US and other countries in the last few years as they are often lighter-weight and less detectable on the skin across skintones than many American-made or other international equivalents. Brands such as the makeup line Canmake are said to have great ones, and Japanese sunscreens are an area that I am personally planning to explore more of in the future.

Colorful Makeup: After all the care to rejuvenate the skin and keep it protected has been taken, the time comes to play with some makeup. "Playful" is a perfect word to describe the current Japanese makeup style. Not too much focus is placed on foundation, but sheer washes of brightly-colored blushes placed right on the apples of the cheeks are common, accompanying matching lipstains or balms or glosses. Eye makeup, while worn, is typically minimal and often focuses more on liner (winged liner in particular) and a shapely if not strong eyebrow rather than much of anything to do with shadow. I think this is a great basis on which to develop looks for Spring and will be looking forward to incorporating more of these ideas into my routine as we continue to march on into the warm months ahead!

A mix of tradition with technology, care and play, the Japanese beauty culture is a wealth of both knowledge and new and novel things to try. It has been a pleasure to learn more about, and I cannot wait to try some things out from this beautiful place!