At a Japanese drugstore
Today was another double point day at my local drugstore, which I decided to use for a little (ha!) shopping spree. I also dragged a friend along so I would get the points for her stuff, too.
I got some more eye shadow palettes (the last ones, I swear, Mum! Okay, only one more, the Integrate heart-shaped ones aren't out yet.) finally the loose Lavshuca powder PJ has been raving about and also my very first lipstick! Yes, I never owned a real lipstick before, just gloss. There was an Avon lipstick I reviewed a tiny sample of a while ago and sometimes used it, but it's long gone by now. Maybe I should purchase a full size?
Anyway, expect more reviews soon! I am trying to slow down my review pace a bit, because
a) I am leaving Japan on September 1st, which means I can't buy Japanese cosmetics anymore unless I order them online, which is more expensive and also makes pre-purchase swatching and applying impossible and
b) as I am leaving soon, I figured I shouldn't hang out in front of the computer so much, but rather go out and see some places and friends.
So, about Japanese drugstore experiences.
I am used to a spectrum of simply ignorant to plain out rude shop assistants in Germany, so I am really surprised and also really thankful for the service in Japan. Until now, whenever I asked if I could get some help before choosing an eyeshadow, especially on the more expensive side, I was always asked to sit down somewhere and a nice lady applied the shadow or several shadows, depending on how easily I could decide what I want, for me. As I moved, I am now frequenting a different store of the same chain, and the make-up ladies there don't seem to have application down as much as the really nice lady in the store in Harajuku. That was a really amazing experience! I had bought a Primavista cream foundation there in December together with a friend who recommended it for me, and when I came back in June (!), the lady had remembered my name, my university and that the friend I had been there with was studying in Kyoto. Kind of scary, but wow in terms of costumer service! I guess part of it was because not many foreigners come there - I don't know why so many of them here stick to international brands (that's what it seems to me) when Japanese drugstores have all the gems to offer.
Anyway, pretty much all make-up ladies compliment my long lashes (Caucasians have longer lashes than Asians, at least the average says that - I still envy Asians for their eye shape, though), my white skin and my Japanese. (My Japanese is still far from perfect, although I got pretty good over the year I spent here, but Japanese people always seem to be astonished by white foreigners actually talking Japanese.
Today, when I was eyeing the Coffret d'Or Color Mixing Eyes palette in Blue Green I had wanted for ages, my friend just went: "Hey, I like that, gotta try it on!" So we headed up to the make-up counter, where we sat down and a nice lady applied the shadows to my friends eye. It looked... not so good. The shade are blue, green and turquoise, really pretty, but my friend is blond and has light eyes, so really bold colours don't suit her. As the ladies in that store tend to make the line too thick, I applied the shadows on her other eye to see how it would look, but it wasn't much better. Too bad for my friend, but the purple one suited her well, so she ended up buying that one. As we were already sitting there and the palette, expensive little gem it is, sat there, I decided I would have to try it on now, too. Not trusting the shop assistant, who seemed a bit new into the business, to apply it properly, I put it on myself and, wow! It actually looked good! Aren't I lucky that shades I like usually also look good on me? I guess it's because I have darker hair than my friend, and also darker eyes, which both build a nice contrast to my white skin, so I look good in bold, vibrant shades. It's too much for classes, I'd say, although I could just apply one shade, but for going out or shopping, perfect. <3 I just had to buy it. ^^;
I still have the new Majolica Majorca eye palette (the one with the green shade the model wears on the promo pics) and two Lavshuca palettes to review for you, plus the lipstick I bought and the liquid rouge, both Lavshuca as well. Lavshuca, I will miss you when I'm back in Germany!
I also asked about night creams I could use, because I felt like the aircon was making my skin dry, but the nice lady checked my skin with a little machine (funky, isn't it?) and said both my hydration and my oil level were totally fine. She still gave me some samples of a Kanebo line, but I think for now I might just continue skipping night cream unless my face feels really tight after cleansing, as the breathing at night seems to be good for my skin. The few breakouts I was getting lately are probably hormones or sweat blocking my pores, and should go away soon, that is, the sweat-caused ones, at least.
If you ever get the chance to shop in Japan directly, go to a drugstore! Department stores are fine if you have the money, but they sell more international brands than Japanese, which is a bit sad because I think if you are in Japan, you should see all the cute and very high quality goods they sell in drugstores. (Plus the sales clerks seem less persistent - in department stores, I usually feel pressured.)
Enough for today!
Do you like to hang out/shop in drugstores? How are drugstores in your country?
And do you use night cream? Or do you let your skin breathe?
I got some more eye shadow palettes (the last ones, I swear, Mum! Okay, only one more, the Integrate heart-shaped ones aren't out yet.) finally the loose Lavshuca powder PJ has been raving about and also my very first lipstick! Yes, I never owned a real lipstick before, just gloss. There was an Avon lipstick I reviewed a tiny sample of a while ago and sometimes used it, but it's long gone by now. Maybe I should purchase a full size?
Anyway, expect more reviews soon! I am trying to slow down my review pace a bit, because
a) I am leaving Japan on September 1st, which means I can't buy Japanese cosmetics anymore unless I order them online, which is more expensive and also makes pre-purchase swatching and applying impossible and
b) as I am leaving soon, I figured I shouldn't hang out in front of the computer so much, but rather go out and see some places and friends.
So, about Japanese drugstore experiences.
I am used to a spectrum of simply ignorant to plain out rude shop assistants in Germany, so I am really surprised and also really thankful for the service in Japan. Until now, whenever I asked if I could get some help before choosing an eyeshadow, especially on the more expensive side, I was always asked to sit down somewhere and a nice lady applied the shadow or several shadows, depending on how easily I could decide what I want, for me. As I moved, I am now frequenting a different store of the same chain, and the make-up ladies there don't seem to have application down as much as the really nice lady in the store in Harajuku. That was a really amazing experience! I had bought a Primavista cream foundation there in December together with a friend who recommended it for me, and when I came back in June (!), the lady had remembered my name, my university and that the friend I had been there with was studying in Kyoto. Kind of scary, but wow in terms of costumer service! I guess part of it was because not many foreigners come there - I don't know why so many of them here stick to international brands (that's what it seems to me) when Japanese drugstores have all the gems to offer.
Anyway, pretty much all make-up ladies compliment my long lashes (Caucasians have longer lashes than Asians, at least the average says that - I still envy Asians for their eye shape, though), my white skin and my Japanese. (My Japanese is still far from perfect, although I got pretty good over the year I spent here, but Japanese people always seem to be astonished by white foreigners actually talking Japanese.
Today, when I was eyeing the Coffret d'Or Color Mixing Eyes palette in Blue Green I had wanted for ages, my friend just went: "Hey, I like that, gotta try it on!" So we headed up to the make-up counter, where we sat down and a nice lady applied the shadows to my friends eye. It looked... not so good. The shade are blue, green and turquoise, really pretty, but my friend is blond and has light eyes, so really bold colours don't suit her. As the ladies in that store tend to make the line too thick, I applied the shadows on her other eye to see how it would look, but it wasn't much better. Too bad for my friend, but the purple one suited her well, so she ended up buying that one. As we were already sitting there and the palette, expensive little gem it is, sat there, I decided I would have to try it on now, too. Not trusting the shop assistant, who seemed a bit new into the business, to apply it properly, I put it on myself and, wow! It actually looked good! Aren't I lucky that shades I like usually also look good on me? I guess it's because I have darker hair than my friend, and also darker eyes, which both build a nice contrast to my white skin, so I look good in bold, vibrant shades. It's too much for classes, I'd say, although I could just apply one shade, but for going out or shopping, perfect. <3 I just had to buy it. ^^;
I still have the new Majolica Majorca eye palette (the one with the green shade the model wears on the promo pics) and two Lavshuca palettes to review for you, plus the lipstick I bought and the liquid rouge, both Lavshuca as well. Lavshuca, I will miss you when I'm back in Germany!
I also asked about night creams I could use, because I felt like the aircon was making my skin dry, but the nice lady checked my skin with a little machine (funky, isn't it?) and said both my hydration and my oil level were totally fine. She still gave me some samples of a Kanebo line, but I think for now I might just continue skipping night cream unless my face feels really tight after cleansing, as the breathing at night seems to be good for my skin. The few breakouts I was getting lately are probably hormones or sweat blocking my pores, and should go away soon, that is, the sweat-caused ones, at least.
If you ever get the chance to shop in Japan directly, go to a drugstore! Department stores are fine if you have the money, but they sell more international brands than Japanese, which is a bit sad because I think if you are in Japan, you should see all the cute and very high quality goods they sell in drugstores. (Plus the sales clerks seem less persistent - in department stores, I usually feel pressured.)
Enough for today!
Do you like to hang out/shop in drugstores? How are drugstores in your country?
And do you use night cream? Or do you let your skin breathe?
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