FLOWFUSHI The Eyelash Serum

FLOWFUSHI The Eyelash Serum 1,200yen

Have you heard of FLOWFUSHI? Maybe not. Then, have you heard of Mote Mascara? You probably have! FLOWFUSHI, a company well-known by their hit product ranges such as Mote Mascara and Mote Liner, came out with a new product on 1st October; an eyelash serum. It contains 'End Mineral' which claims to encourage the eyelashes to grow stronger. You can use it as an eyelash serum and eye cream all in one, which sounds pretty convenient.

As you can see, the packaging is a little unusual for an eyelash serum because it does't have an applicator. It does look like an eye cream (imagine Midnight Botanical Eye from Kiehl's) and also look hygienic. The metallic design looks pretty nice as well in my opinion.

You are supposed to apply a tiny bit on the eyelid, lash line and under the eyes if you wish to use it as an eye cream. The tube will last you 3-4 months according to the official website. You can also use the lid to massage your eye area to stimulate your blood flow to reduce puffiness and dark circles, which I haven't tried yet.

The texture is very silicone-y which is far from moisturising feel of an eye cream. I don't think this is moisturising at all, and I won't use it as an eye cream. However, I sometimes apply it on top of my daily eye cream to make the surface silky smooth so that the concealer stays put.

At night, I close my eyes and apply it on my eyes which takes about 3 seconds. But it makes my eyes itchy when I apply it that way, though it doesn't irritate my skin when applied on under the eyes. I heard the ingredients aren't as harsh as normal eyelash serums out there, but something seems to irritate my eyes. It doesn't make them look red or swollen, it just makes them itchy and uncomfortable. I have stopped using it as a serum, but only as a daytime eye cream. You don't want to apply anything that you might have allergy to around your eyes, so choose your eyelash serum wisely!

It doesn't contain silicone, oil, paraben, alcohol, artificial colouring or fragrance, mineral oil and gluten. Though it doesn't contain silicone, it contains polymer instead which works in a similar way. In addition to that, it contains many different types of peptide as well as hyaluronic acid.

I usually use much stronger eyelash serums such as Rapidlash and Revitalash, and they don't irritate my skin or eyes at all. I have never thought myself having sensitive skin, meaning this eyelash serum in particular did not agree with my skin. The idea and the packaging are very attractive, it's unfortunately I cannot keep using it!

Shiseido d program Moist Care

Shiseido d program Moist Care

I'm aware there are tons of people who dislike the word 'moist' and for those 'most care' must sound horrific. But just hear me out, this Moist Care range from Shiseido d program is absolutely amazing. If you have dry / sensitive skin, this is what you need in your life.

d program Moist Care Lotion  3,780yen
This lotion is super gentle, moisturising yet not heavy or tacky at all. The 125ml bottle is a little smaller compared to any other lotions that I own, but it's very handy that it comes with a pump. Take one pump of the lotion on your palms, gently press them onto the face until it's absorbed. Repeat the same thing again, to supple your skin.

I am lazy and inpatient, so I prefer to use a cotton pad to apply the lotion. I have mentioned here before that cotton pads aren't recommended here in Japan unless they are very thick and fluffy (check out ALBION, they have such amazing cotton pads) as Japanese people have thin and sensitive skin that shouldn't be rubbed. I have hyper pigmentation under my eyes which was caused by myself rubbing my eyes too much when I was younger, and possibly because I used the makeup wipes to remove my eye makeup when I was a teenager. Because I have experienced the downside of rubbing my skin, I am very careful whenever I use a cotton pad. I apply lotion quite a lot that it completely wet the cotton pad -which seems to be a waste of product but cotton actually pushes back the moisture whereas your palms absorb it.

So I take 3-4 pumps of the lotion on a cotton pad, gently swipe my skin with it, and place the pad on my cheeks or where I feel dry for a couple of minutes. It makes my skin very moisturised that I feel like I even can skip my moisturiser -which I never do though. As it doesn't contain fragrance, it's suitable to the skin which is sensitive to essential oils / artificial fragrance.

As I use about 8 pumps a day, I used up a half of it within 10 days or so. I know I shouldn't be bathing in it but it's keeping my skin moisturised so I am happy about it. I wish it wasn't as expensive as it is...

d program Moist Care Emulsion  4,104yen
They just reformulated this emulsion and the new one is available online ahead of the official launch on 21 / November. It moisturises skin while protecting it from the dryness. The 'gel balls' inside of the formula -which you can't feel- burst when applied on the skin to supply hydration and moisturisation.

Emulsion is another unique step seen in Japan. I personally don't use emulsion but I believe a lot of Japanese women are using it. Some people use emulsion instead of moisturiser but you are supposed to finish up your skincare routine with a good moisturiser. I do not use this emulsion in the morning because it contains oil which isn't perfect for combination skin, but it makes my skin soft when I use it at night.

It looks pretty thick but when applied on the face, it goes on smoothly and sinks in quickly. It leaves a slightly moisturising 'veil' on the surface of the skin, which goes away once it's completely absorbed. I always apply night cream on top which makes my face like a grease ball anyway, so I don't care how shiny my face looks when the only task left to me is to go to bed.

They also have different ranges which you can choose depending on your skin type. The blue one is Balance Care Program for dehydrated skin, the orange one is Acne Care Program for acne prone skin, and the purple one is Ageing Care Program for mature skin. I think Balance Care Program is suitable to my skin, and suspected that Moist Care would be too heavy but it actually works OK for my skin!

They have mini sets of trial sized products too which makes it easier for you to try out. I love it when a skincare brand comes out with mini sets especially when the full size products are pretty pricey. Check out d program if you have sensitive skin!

The Japanese Beauty Magazines I got this month

As you may know already, we have a few monthly beauty magazines in Japan. Voce, Maquia, Biteki, BiST, bea's up and some magazines fully dedicated to nail designs etc...you have some to choose from. I tend to buy Maquia and Biteki the most because they are targeting women in the same age group as myself which means the articles and products they are showing are very familiar and useful for me. Voce is also a very nice magazine that I still like, but it's targeting younger readers meaning sometimes their articles aren't informative enough for me. This month I got Maquia and Biteki as usual, so I thought to show you inside!

This month's issue of Biteki is much thicker than usual. It came with a little booklet showing Christmas Coffret from 109 brands in total. I was looking forward to this but to be honest, the layout of the booklet is really boring and it was truly disappointing. Other than that, the articles teaching how to make the most of your 30's are so-so, and some makeup tips are pretty useful.

Maquia did a much better job when it comes to showing Christmas Coffret in a nice layout, but to be honest Voce did the best job in my opinion. So if you want to enjoy discovering all the Coffret for this year, buy Voce!

I loved the fact they've got quite a few pages dedicated to makeup in this month's issue, you can keep up with Japanese trends by reading it. And also I found the one showing many red lipsticks in different undertones pretty helpful.

Next month, most of the beauty magazines will be revealing the beauty awards 2015, which I cannot wait for! I find Japanese beauty magazines the best, I enjoy them much more than I enjoy allure!