UPDATE: Japan 2017 Haul

I am back home from Japan! (*≧▽≦)ﾉｼ)) It is the first ever solo trip for me and surprisingly I am quite well adjusted to being alone with my thoughts. The only time where I hated being alone was at Aoikigahara, where I was hiking in deafening silence for 2 hours. (O∆O)

First up, some shocks:

• I didn’t manage to get any Chifure products ‧º·(˚ ˃̣̣̥⌓˂̣̣̥ )‧º·˚ I had far less time than I thought for shopping, and Chifure isn’t popular enough to be found in every drugstore
• Outside of the cities, drugstores aren’t so commonplace after all. At least, it is not easy to get to it with walking and public transport
• Best part of the trip was getting in touch with my nose again, and trying out the the slightly more niche perfumes at Isetan Shinjuku as well as Ginza
• Fell in love with the Comme des Garçons Incense series (Kyoto, in particular, is a masterpiece to my nose)
• I stuck closely to my shopping list; I am proud of myself!!  Have a look below:

Old Faves

My original shopping list!

I bought all of them except the Chifures.

Japanese Toners

• Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion – Found it in a limited edition bottle so I couldn’t resist getting one.
• Hada Labo Premium Lotion – The supposed more hydrating and plumping version of the original SHA Lotion, I got it on the very last day when it is clear that I don’t have time to look around for my favourite version of hyaluronic acid – Chifure Essence (Review).
• Kanebo Dew Lotion – The Dew Lotion was recommended by a Japanese colleague who has beautiful skin.
• Kikumasamune Moist Lotion

Cleansers & Sunscreens

No surprises in this department at all, I have tried and loved all of them:

• Refill for Kose Softymo Light Cleansing Oil
• Refill for Perfect Watery Oil
• Biore UV Nobi Nobi SPF50/PA+++
• Biore Perfect Milk SPF50/PA+++

Serge Lutens

I was very intent on getting Sa Majesté la Rose or Chergui when I walked into the Shinjuku store, but I ended up falling in love with La fille de Berlin (“The Girl from Berlin”) upon the very first sniff. Amber, rose, musk and woods reminded me of Amouage Lyric, which is one of my ultimate favorite perfume, ever (I wrote about how much I loved it three years ago here). While Lyric is a lady, LFdB is half a wild beast and half a Shakespearean tragedy.

(On the other hand, the first hour of Féminité du Bois is a massive turnoff. It is in the same scrubber league as the first 30 minutes of A La Nuit. Both are mostly universally loved but I cannot stand them O.o)

Japan 2017: Shopping List

I’m due to head to the land of sushi and amazing drugstores in a few hours! This is my fourth time in the country but I am still so excited 😀

I am intending to stay really focused on what I am buying this time, so no more of the massive haul like the last time in 2015. We’ll see if I stick to the plan in a few weeks.

Without further ado, this is what I am intending to haul this time:

Old Faves

1. Melano CC Medicated Intensive Spot Correcting Serum (Review)
2. Refills for Chifure Essence (Review), Essence W, Essence VC (Reviews)
3. Shiseido Fino Hair Mask (Review)
4. Makeup products:
   • Yuagari Suppin Powder
   • Canmake Cream Cheek in Various Shades
   • Heroine Make Super Liner
   • Kate Lasting Eyebrows W BR-3 and Kanebo Media Brow DB, because I can’t leave the house without my brows done

New Tries

1. Japanese lotions / toners: One of my favorite things to buy in Japan are their lotions, a slightly thicker toner that truly helps with my dehydration lines or lotions that perform specific function. Going for:
   • Labo Labo Super Keana Lotion
   • Chifure Skin Lotion – I’ve enjoyed almost everything that Chifure had to offer so far, so I’m happy to dig a little deeper and try other things that the brand has to offer
   • Chifure Deep Moisture Lotion
   • Hada Labo Gokujyun Oil-in-Lotion – The new variety of the Hada Labo lotions which contains squalene oil

Sunscreens and cleansing oils – These are truly products that I use every single day, even if at home. I live in a tropical climate where the sun is brutal for most of the year. If I’m gonna have my window shades open for the day, I will need sunscreens. Cleansing oils go hand in hand with sunscreens as they are the best way to remove the overall gunk from my face. Going for:

• Kose Softymo Light Cleansing Oil, a light, scentless version that does the job well.
• Perfect Watery Oil also another one that I have bought re-fills for, it is scented but for a change I do like the scent.

A Serge Lutens perfume – Ever since Serge Lutens has been completed by Shiseido, I guess it is much easier to access these perfumes in Asia. I have visited the Shiseido Serge Lutens store previously and found a good selection of their perfumes, but it was short of Féminité du Bois, so I bought nothing.

• Going for: Chergui, Majestic Rose or Fleurs d’Oranger, but Féminité du Bois is so elusive that I’ve yet to scent it, and I want to try it so bad before settling on one