I’m about to head South for the winter, so I’m doing the seasonal beauty product restock to fill my suitcase. And it occurred to me that these 5 things are indispensable, accept-no-substitutes superheroes.
I’ve written about some of them before, but here they are packaged together on one handy list:
Fino conditioner/conditioning mask
We’re starting with a double act, because I can’t choose between these two.
Fino Premium Touch Hair Mask £10
I use a lot of Kerastase products and I’m also a huge advocate of K18. But for a tenner, you cannot do better than this. I genuinely struggle to tell the difference between this and a Kerastase mask that retails at 5 times the price. I also love the smell beyond reason.
Fino Premium Touch Hair Conditioner £10 (for 550ml)
Again, the performance vs value of this is incredible. This is more of an everyday option, but is a total win. Lighter smell than the mask, leaves hair soft and untangled. What more are you looking for, really?
Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil £9
Still the most effective cleansing oil on the market, IMO. This significantly outperforms the DHC offering, is less sticky and smells better. A bottle should last about 3 months of daily use.
If you double cleanse, I urge you to give this a go.
Kao Biore UV Aqua Rich Water Essence SPF50 £7
You want to buy the Japanese formulation of this. There are local formulations available in the US and Europe, but they don’t sit as well under makeup. The Japanese version has Japanese lettering and looks like this:
You also want the watery essence1, not the watery gel2.
Forget everything you think you know about facial SPF, this stuff just feels like moisturiser. It’s formulated with hyaluronic acid, goes on smoothly and you can wear makeup over it without pilling or a white cast. And it is SO CHEAP.
Isehan - Kiss Me Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Eyeliner £7
I have used every liquid liner in humanity, and this is the best one for a clean wing. The black is true black and the applicator has a fine point that won’t let you down. This stuff works better than any luxe brand3.
Fino Premium Touch Penetration Essence Hair Oil £10
So, yeah, I’m sticking yet another Fino product in here. But, trust me, you need this brand in your life/on your hair.
As with everything in this post, this gives better results than other brands at several times the price. Specifically, it’s non-greasy, tames frizz and smells incredible. It also seems bottomless. This is my go-to to refresh my ends between washes. And did I mention the smell?
How/where to buy Japanese cosmetics
I’ve linked to Stylevana throughout. They’re reliable and are always doing some kind of sale - so you can expect to pay 10-20% than the listed prices.
They have US and UK sites4.
So do YesStyle.
If you find yourself in a Japanese Beauty Product Emergency and can’t wait for shipping5 there are an increasing number of Japanese beauty stores about the place6. You’ll pay a couple of quid7 more for any item, but you may have the appetite for this in a genuine JBPE.
I go into detail about shopping from Asia here:
But my views on buying skincare from Amazon are neatly summed up here in a recent vnote to a friend89
Until the next time! x
I know, it sounds gross. But it’s fantastic, I promise.
The gel isn’t bad, it’s just not AS GOOD
Victoria Beckham still does the best eyeliner pencil
If you buy under £135 of dtuff, no taxes are due in UK. I can’t keep up with current US tariff chat, so purchase at your own risk (or, you know, Google it).
Both Stylevana and YesStyle are importers and shipping can take up to 3 weeks,
All of these products are Japanese. They can’t be bought at Korean shops, which exist in far greater profusion.
Great British Pounds
I’m all about the tough love IRL
Do exercise caution when buying skincare from Amazon. There are TWO sections on this here