The first thing I bought was a pack of Kose Cosmeport Clear Turn under-eye sheet masks because (a) how cute and convenient are those packs? (b) Kim Dao said they’re good and (c) We were heading to Osaka from Tokyo that day, I had some time to kill at Tokyo station and decided to buy a pack and try it on the Skinkansen. Verdict: These were amazing. They’re very thin, nearly transparent, and made my eyes feel very relaxed! The red pack can be used around your mouth too, and the orange one is just for under-eye use. The only downside was how quickly they dry out, but I might be the only person who wants to keep sheet masks on for longer than 20 minutes. In 2017, this product remained one of Japan’s #1 products for 10 years in a row! These masks hydrate, moisturize, plump, help with fine lines and wrinkles, have hyaluronic acid, coenzyme Q10, and collagen. Collagen related products are abundant in Japan, and I loved that! The price for one of these packs was around 800 yen.

Another product I got very early on in the trip, was a pack of Suisai powdered face wash. This product is as great as the concept. My face always feels so clean and fresh after using one of these, especially on a hot and humid day of being out and about. It’s absolutely perfect for traveling, or for keeping in your bag, because (a) it’s so lightweight and (b) you don’t have to take out a big bottle in a public washroom and put it back in your bag every time you want to wash your face while on the go. Just empty one of those tiny containers into your palm,and toss them into the plastic recycling bin. Later, I got a box of the Cure powdered face wash too, but I haven’t tried it yet. I carry some in my bag only use these when I absolutely need to, because they’re expensive. This pack of Suisai cost around 1800 yen. To read more details on this, I’d recommend clicking here

Labo Labo Vitamin C pore cleansing lotion sheet masks. Pro Tip: In Japan they call “toner” a “lotion”. So, whenever you see a “lotion” in Japan, it means you have to use it instead of a toner in your skincare routine. Instead of what we call “lotion”, they have moisturizers or hydrating gels. Therefore, according to my calculations, this product should not be used as the final step in one’s skin care routine, but instead just before applying moisturizer or hydrating gel. It feels almost like water, but can cause tingling if you have sensitive skin, and easily absorbed by our skin. Its acidic properties remove dead skin and open up pores to allow better absorption of the skincare products that follow. In hindsight, I think this was my least favorite purchase, as it’s only one part of a 5 step skincare line by Labo Labo, and buying this toner/lotion in a bottle is probably more cost effective. This pack cost either 1600 yen or 1800 yen.

I’m not one for 7-step skincare routines, but I did begin to understand the importance of at least a 3-step one, and I accepted that it’s time I start using a toner. I’ve tried toners by Clinique and Lancome in the past and they both made my skin itch, excessively dry out, and break out even worse than before. I thought toners just aren’t for me, but I guess what I needed was an alcohol-free, lightweight toner. So, I got this 3-step Curel Sebum Control set, with foaming facewash, lotion (toner) and moisturizing gel. I can confidently confirm I got more educated on skincare during my 2 weeks in Japan than I did in my 31 years on Earth. Basically, even oily skin can be dry, and the dryness is what leads to excess oil production, which then turns into sebum which turns into acne. Therefore, it’s important to cleanse but also to hydrate/moisturize your skin so as to control sebum. Curel is apparently the number 1 dermatologist recommended brand for Japanese skincare, so I got myself these 3 bottles for around 5000 yen from Don Quijote and began seeing results in only 2 weeks. My skin now feels smoother, and cleaner. To be fair, I’m not using these products in isolation (I sheet masks 5 times a week), but I still feel they have a huge part to play in me looking less like Frankenstein’s monster. The facewash foam makes my skin feel cool and refreshed, the toner feels as light as water, and the moisturizing gel is also very lightweight. I’m already worried about how I’ll replace this once it runs out.

I got this one because of the extensive bordering on excessive advertisements that we kept seeing for Saborino sheet masks. The name itself is derived from the term “what you shouldn’t do”, because this sheet mask is for the super-lazy, and is a 7-in-1 solution from cleansing to priming in 60 seconds for those very rushed mornings. You can literally wake up, not wash your face, slap this on for 60 seconds and be ready to apply your make-up. I don’t wear make-up to work and can’t imagine not washing my face, so I save these only for when I have to head somewhere after work and want to apply make-up on in a very small timeframe or want to feel refreshed. The mask exudes a minty, cooling sensation that’s perfect for Dubai summers!

The Lululun sheet masks are some of the bestselling ones in Japan and will probably be some of the first to show up in search results too. They’re extremely popular, but it’s the pink color that’s probably the most purchased one. I was lucky enough to find an English-speaking pharmacist in a tiny, unassuming drugstore in Shibuya, and I asked him what the difference is between all the colors. He told me that the Precious line is for more mature skin, for women in their late 20s and above, so that’s the one I got, in the white variant because the red one was more for fine lines and wrinkles, and the white one (more fitting for me) was more for brightening. I use this mask a few teams a week (I got a pack with 30 in them), and am very happy with the results. It makes my face feel cool, relaxed, and visibly brighter. This one’s a winner and I highly recommend it. It was a steal at (I think) 1300 yen for the pack. Pro Tip: I keep this pack in a big ziplock, because I’m afraid of the masks drying out through the easy-open packaging, especially because the masks don’t feel very rich in essence to begin with, and I always wear a silicon mask over them to prevent them from drying out too quickly under the direct AC air.

If I had to pick ONE product that appeared to be the most popular and hot-selling skincare product in Japan, it has to be this. We saw people buying these by the dozen, and felt obligated to try one too. The next day, we went and got 3 more. The Senka Perfect Whip face wash is so incredibly creamy, lathered up in a really silky, lightweight, fine foam, and cleanses, brightens and moisturizes my face all at once, so it feels clean but not dry. It’s also a great match for double cleansing when removing make-up. The best part about this heavyweight cleanser is that this was on special offer while we were there, retaining at only 398 yen per bottle! What. A. Bargain. This face wash proves that something doesn’t have to be expensive to be good, and it lasts for several months because all you need is a pea-sized amount and a few drops of water per wash!

I read somewhere that people with oily and sensitive skin should not use oil-based cleaners, so when I saw this Santa Marche Green Tea Deep Cleansing Gel at Marui, I was instantly sold. It cost around 1700 yen, and is easy on my skin. I work indoors and rinse my face twice during the workday, so the only time I really need to use a cleanser before washing my face is when I wear make-up, and that’s when I can really tell how well this works (very well).

This is a product I got because this was one of the only products that had lots of reviews in English. The Cure Natural Aqua Gel is unique because its an exfoliating gel that goes straight onto dry skin, and after massaging it into your face, your palms are left with what I can best describe as “cooties”, but apparently it’s dead skin. Because I have sensitive, acne-prone skin, I only use this about twice a month, and haven’t faced any issues (and not a lot of cooties either).

Ugh, this is going to look like an ad, but I had to use an image from Google as I couldn’t find a single picture of these collagen drinks I had every single day while in Japan. These are so expensive in Dubai, but in Japan they only cost around 650 yen for this three-pack. By the end of 2 weeks in Japan, my skin was glowing, clear, and pretty flawless. After being back in Dubai for 2 weeks, it was all undone, but it was great while it lasted. I highly recommend drinking these everyday while in Japan, because the little bottles are made of glass and way too heavy to bring back in bulk.

I didn’t see these sheet masks anywhere except for on the 4th floor of Shibuya Marui. The package is entirely in Japanese so I don’t even know what the brand name is, but these were quite possibly the best sheet masks I got on the entire trip. Carrot is high in beta-keratin , and galangal has soothing properties, and I save these masks for days when my skin is feeling especially irritable, because they really calm my skin down and make it feel healthier and happier! If I’m no mistaken, each of these packs cost 700 yen and they were worth every penny and each mask is extremely rich in essence!

I’m starting to realize that often the best products are also (naturally) the bestselling ones, and therefore available in abundance. There were a couple of products that I saw only in department stores and not at all drug stores (like the Labo Labo Vit C sheet mask, and these Botanical Esthe sheet masks), and after tying them, I felt that in comparison to the other products, they really weren’t all that. I fell for how lovely the packaging was for these Botanical Esthe sheet masks, and also the fact that they seemed to have essences of a million fruits in them. Only after coming back to Dubai did I learn that it’s basically the same thing as Saborino sheet masks, a 7-in-1 solution to be kept on only for 60 seconds. Because I like to slap on a sheet mask and relax for at least half an hour, I’m not a big fan of these rapid ones (if you leave them on for too long, they stress your skin). This pack cost 1400 yen, more than Saborino, and gives the same cooling sensation.

This was a last minute purchase from the airport because FOMO is very, very real in Japan. I’ve only tried one of these, but the one thing that really stood out about these masks was their size. Each mask is quite wide, so if you have big face…this one’s for you. 

the Super Keana range is quite popular and more than the sheet masks, I saw lotions and other bottled and tubed solutions of this brand. I haven’t tried this one yet either but I have a feeling it will be good, and I gather it’s for pore cleansing.

I got these Queen’s Premium Masks because they have some great reviews on Youtube, I saw locals buying these. When I got home and managed to do some successful Google Translate, I learnt that one of these boxes I forget which one) has placenta in the essence. My mom assures me that it’s sterilized, rich in hormones and really good for the skin, but I still feel way too grossed out to give it a try so this one is still on hold too.

This one is by Kose Clearturn too, and I got this because of the big number 1 on the top left corner (which means number 1 product or best selling product of the year). True to it’s claim, it really is good. Each mask is very rich in essence, and my skin feels visibly brighter after each application.

Another purchase made because of the big numero uno, and also because this one has charcoal. Yet to try (but can you even blame me, considering how many I bought?), so watch this space for updates.

By far my most favorite Japanese skincare purchase of the trip: the Biore water-based SPF 50 sunscreen! It is SO incredibly lightweight, it’s hard to remember you’re even wearing anything! It also doubles as a primer. I absolutely love it and need to go back to Japan just to buy more of this!

Two Golden stickers with the number 1 on them: this is a must-buy and much loved product. Again (I’m sorry), I haven’t tried it yet, but based on other Japanese skincare product experiences, I’d say it’s safe to assume it will be a good one simply because of the number 1 stickers.

Ok, so in the Sana Nameraka line, I understand that only the facewash has the number 1 sign on it’s top left corner, but there were so many (dozens) of products by this brand that I was supremely fascinated, dis a lot of Google translating and got myself the facewash, sheet masks and moisturizing milk. I haven’t opened the facewash yet as I’m still working through the Senka Perfect Whip and the Curel Sebum Control ones, but I can tell you for certain that the moisturizing milk is very lightweight, not sticky at all, and the sheet masks are some of my favorite from my entire haul. What I love love love about this line is that it not only contains hyaluronic acid, but also fermented soy milk, which is apparently great for sensitive skin and for cell regeneration. No matter how irritated and tired my skin is feeling, this mask always makes it feel better. Sadly, these don’t have a lot of essence in them, so I always wear these with a silicon mask on top too, to prevent them from drying out too quickly as I like to leave them on for a good 40 minutes!

And finally, the 3 make-up items I bought, because they were so highly recommended by so many vloggers. I got the Mylash mascara, which frankly isn’t really out of this world. I do love the Moteliner black eyeliner though, it applies on very easily, is lightweight, waterproof and stays on all day. And last but not the least, the lip balm that really does send all the other lip balms home: DHC Lip Cream. I got mine in a rosemary scent, which I love, and it really moisturizes my super chapped lips and actually stays on.