Packaging of eye patch from Biore (front view)

If steam heated eye masks are not your thing and you prefer something cooler for your eyes, then I think I might just have the right product for you. These individual packaged gel like eye patches from Biore, a large cosmetics company in Japan, offers a great alternative.

Instructions on the back of the eye patch packaging is self explanatory. The picture tells you where to place your eye patches.

I normally put these eye patches under my eyes like shown on the packaging (see picture) after I put on my eye cream at night.  Then I sleep with it on for 6-8 hours and I really see a difference in the morning.  Somehow the coolness of the eye patches make my eyes look smoother and hydrated in the morning.  It maximizes the absorption of my eye cream too.

The top side is felt material and the bottom side is gel material.

It’s a shame that Biore only sells this product in Japan. I went on their website, www.biore.com and could not find this product except on their Japanese website. I wish these Japanese companies would share more of their beauty secrets and products with the rest of the world. I really love the coolness of the gel patch under my eyes and how great I look the next day!

 I don’t know if you are like me but I’ve been having a hard time going to bed before midnight these days. My dark circles are becoming more apparent and my eyes look puffy and often dehydrated in the morning. Therefore, I was so happy to discover these STEAM HEATED EYE MASKS on my recent trip to Tokyo. 

Steam Heated Eye Masks come in a box of 5

 These Steam Heated Eye Masks come in unscented and lavender scent. I bought the lavender scent to try. 

Individual packaging makes it good for traveling.

 According to the packaging, I could use this eye mask any time from sleeping to taking a break or traveling. It is suppose to relax your tired eyes. It should have the effects of having a steam sauna on your eyes. Sounds amazing, right?

Directions on the back of the package.

 This eye mask is very easy to use. See the pictures below for demonstration. 

Lavender Scented Eye Masks

Pooh Bear demonstrating the eye masks.

Side view of the mask. The ear loops are very comfortable and should fit any face shape and size.

The two purple squares warm up once it is exposed to air, but not too hot and at a very comfortable temperature. The steam is released slowly so that I could actually feel it on my eyes and the lavender scent is so soothing and calming. I tried this eye masks right before going to bed and after applying my eye cream.  The scent and the heat made me really sleepy and I fell asleep within a few minutes. 

Conclusion:  The skin around my eyes looked refreshed and hydrated the next day. I’m definitely buying some more when I go back to Japan again.

On my most recent trip to Tokyo, I noticed these delightful BLACK Q-tips everywhere. I love how they have both a smooth end and a spiral end. Black seems to be the  “IN” color for a lot of  items including blotting tissues, toilet paper, facial masks, shampoo, toothbrush, and even their chopping boards.

Black Q-tips

Notice how they are individually packed, so I can carry them everywhere with me to retouch my makeup or on a weekend getaway. The spiral end is perfect for combing through my eyelashes and smoothing out the clumps of mascara. 

Individually packed

 Here’s a close up:

Normal and Spiral Ends

If anyone is interested in trying this, you can buy it online here for only USD 2.99.

Every day living takes a toll on skin… Makeup, oil and dirt from our fingers, even dust and smog settle on the skin, creating a really disgusting stew of yuck. Sure we wash our face at least once, hopefully twice a day, but how do you know you’re really getting skin clean? Another reason why you want clean skin is that it allows for deeper product penetration, which means you’re more likely to get the result you want in the first place.

Here are a few simple tips:

Oil is good. To get skin really clean, use an oil-based cleanser -like Marie Louise Cleansing Clear Gel – before a regular cleanser. Make-up is oil-based, and only an oil-based cleanser can safely remove it.

Double up. Double cleansing is the only way to make sure skin is truly clean. After washing with Cleansing Clear Gel, use a mild cleanser like Marie Louise Washing Foam to remove any residual dirt and debris.

Take a time out. It takes two full minutes of massaging skin in circular motion with your fingertips to fully cleanse your face and neck. Want to know how long two minutes is? Sing the “Happy Birthday” song at four times in a row.

Wash twice a day. It is important to cleanse in the morning also because we sweat when we sleep at night.

Choose wisely. Understand what your true skin conditions are to help you make a better decision about the cleansers you should use. An esthetician is the best person to consult.

I asked her what her secret was…. Good genes?  Foreign products made in silence by monks? Nope: “I scrub my face like crazy with a loofah every morning under the hot shower. Scrubbing dead skin away is the key!”

So I tried it. The results? Well, lets just say I didn’t feel like going out that night.  Not all of us have thick skin! But it got me thinking: there’s got to be a better way to shed the dead skin cells that are clogging my pores. And that’s when my desperate search to properly exfoliate my skin started!

Remember that whole at-home-microdermabrasion-craze? Sure, massaging my skin with pea-size beads made out of walnuts shells and ingredients I could not pronounce exfoliated dead skin. In fact, it exfoliated most of my skin away, leaving it blotchy, red and sensitized. NOT what I was looking for. Neither were all the scrubs, peels, serums and magic washcloths that followed: the chemicals in most of the products only managed to assault my skin, causing it to flare-up!

Little did I know that over-exfoliating, just like hard water, weather and pollution, is actually harmful to your skin. So what’s a girl to do?

Please meet Marie Louise’s Restoration Clear Gel. First of all and most important, this exfoliating gel is actually hydrating and nourishing, thanks to ingredients such as desalted deep sea water, glycerin and algae extracts, known to help the skin retain moisture.  It literally melts as your skin absorbs it, dry grains gently (and that’s the key word one should look for in all products) lifting away impurities and dead skin. Once they have ceased to appear and have been rinsed off with warm water you are left with a bright and pure complexion. Since it’s gentle enough, you can use it more often; this regular regimen will allow your skin to absorb all the benefits your moisturizers, masks and serums have to offer, thus making them more effective! It will also reduce the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles- after all, it’s no secret that the cleaner your skin is, the younger and healthier it looks!

Just remember: you shouldn’t need sandpaper to get results!

Like so many girls, I realized how important our eyelashes are a long time ago.  The difference between having curly and straight lashes makes a dramatic difference for my eyes, since mine are not the biggest in the world.  Let’s just say that I definitely get more compliments when my lashes are all dolled up and curled, with an application of mascara.  In a way, I feel like it is my shield and sword, where it gives me more confidence to go out and face the world…lol…

Therefore, in order to achieve the perfect set of eyelashes, I have bought infinite numbers of eyelash curlers.  From Shu Uemura, heated, plastic to metal eyelash curlers, I spent countless dollars on trying to find the right one.  Right now, I have two favorites that I would like to share with you.  One is for use at home and the other is so little and convenient that I can carry it in my bag everywhere I go. 

1.  Excel Eyelash Curler

Excel Eyelash Curler (39mm)

Excel Eyelash Curler

 This 39mm eyelash curler is wide enough to capture all my eyelashes (even the ones at the corner of my eyes) at the same time.  The design of the angle of the eyelash curler allows my eyelashes to curl at a beautifully natural degree.  I curl my eyelashes twice, and I find that most effective.  The first time is before I apply mascara, and then a second time after my mascara dries.  With this technique, my eyelashes stay all curly and natural for a really long time.  The best part is that it doesn’t break my eyelashes at all.  =)

2. Compact Curler for people on the go  

Compact Curler

side view

My friend was actually the one who discovered this and recommended it to me.  I fell in love with it right away.  Even though it doesn’t capture all of my eyelashes in one squeeze, it is so compact that I can’t leave home without it now.  My eyelashes look so natural after I curl it with this.  The best part is that I can use this at the end of the day without applying new coats of mascara and my eyelashes still appears curly and natural.  This is definitely a good buy since it costs only around $5 dollars in the US.

#47: Patience is a virtue. It takes 6 to 8 weeks to see results when starting a new skin care regimen. Stick with it.

#48: Refresh your skin with a luxurious toner like the Moistraiser a-VC nourishes and penetrates the skin to awaken it’s natural vitality.

#49: Don’t be afraid of oils in your skincare products! Coconut & jojoba for normal to oily skin. Olive & avocado for drier, mature skin.

4 Home Beauty Tips Using Epsom Salt: http://tinyurl.com/ykuwnzc

10 Best Budget Beauty Tips http://bit.ly/Snjgu

Surprise Beauty Tips from Your Bathroom (http://cli.gs/vynaN)

Can facial acupuncture reduce wrinkles?  http://bit.ly/3vN6f6

Great discussion on organic skincare http://tiny.cc/T2Ngp

#42: Apply a thin layer of  crème a-VC over face or target. Use a shower or steamer to stimulate perspiration for 10 minutes before rinsing = great mask.

#43: 44% of women are using 1-5 more skin care products than they did one year ago.

#44: When applying beauty products, finish by firmly pressing skin with the palms of your hands to promote absorption.

#45: Don’t want leathery skin? Lessen the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by reducing exposure to the sun’s dangerous rays.