The Tokyo Report

I love Japan! I had such a wonderful time visiting and I cannot wait to go again! AND I brought back some pretty sweet Asian beauty goodness! Here I'm going to share with you my favorite packaging and product finds, as well as insider traveling tips!

First up is a futuristic mascara by a Korean company called too cool for school. I stumbled upon this little spot on Cat Street in Harajuku. The mascara is called Escalator Mascara... which is a great name... because it gets taller! There is a knob on the handle and when turned 'escalates' the mascara head (see arrow). In it's short form it gives volume to lashes and in it's longer form it lengthens.

The Dinoplatz collection by too cool for school has won awards for design. Here's a look at a couple of their products and designs. 

While I loved everything in the collection, the mascara was the coolest!

The packaging looks like a skyscraper! The mascara fit into the aqua-green box, and that fit inside of the skyscraper box. ADORABLE. 

While I saw some pretty cool makeup pigments and tools....

(Above, various make-your-eyes-bigger/deeper/crease-ier contraptions and adhesives, and below, MUJI makeup In Shibuya!!! That Muji there also has a cafe! Obsessed!) ... Asian skincare is where it's at. They love their masks, cleansing oils, moisturizers, tonics, etc. For example, after my 14 hour flight, Air Japan handed out under eye rejuvenating and soothing pads. What a wonderful, wonderful treat! It felt soooo good on my puffy, tired eyes!

But it was THREE cosmetics, a Japanese brand, that truly came after my heart. If these images below don't make you swoon, surely their website will (Facebook too). 

Incredible visuals. I decided to purchase their most popular product, balancing cleansing oil. I bought a seasonal package that came with some other goodies, including 3 masks and balancing foam.

Oh man... did THREE hit the nail on the head with this packaging. The paper is a light grey that looks like it's recycled, and there's a beautiful drawing on the outside. THREE is imprinted... pressed into the paper. Creating a feeling of simplicity, elegance and natural beauty. 

Have you ever used a cleansing oil before? I've tried Bobbi Brown, La Mer and Muji, and they're all great.  I also picked up the alleged reigning champ of cleansing oils by shu uemura. The best technique is to apply the oil to dry fingers and massage into the skin. After 10 seconds run a little bit of water onto finger tips and massage the skin again. The oil will emulsify and turn a milky color. Rinse the face with water. Your face will feel so clean but not too dry. It's incredible how much makeup will come off. Interesting tid-bit... while I thought cleansing oils originated in Asia... apparently, cleansing oils were used in LA first? Hmmmm...

If you are ever in Tokyo I highly recommend taking the cultural cycling tour (route B) with Tokyo Great Cycling Tour! Here are some pics and more on Instagram!

Restaurant, Imperial Palace, ginkgo grove at the University of Tokyo and the Skytree.