Beauty collections from Asia initially seeped into the US market but like other products and practices, it quickly charmed and won over the luxury set of the western world (ex: yoga, Sushi, PS 3) Starting with a thin stream of best selling formulations from topnotch mass merchandisers as Shiseido and Biore, the number of highly technical products that used the most ancient remedies is expanding horizontally (lots more newcomers!) and vertically (cheap to expensive) at an irresistably bad-for-my-wallet rate. Not only do these products present themselves as sophisticated, technically enhanced and all-in-all high performers, I can't help but feel like they work on my asian skin better.
Here is a couple of products that have hit the market this year that I am dying to test or "heart" already ( <--phrase credited to my adorable ex-coworker at Self, yay Meena!)
SK II has landed itself on equal footing with the Creme de la Mer's and the La Prairie's when it comes to luxury cremes with not NASA technology, not caviar but rather, yeast fermentation!? to bring you crystal clear youthful skin. Now, with the precision and control of all things that look as beautiful and futuristic as this sleek red bauble case, all it takes is a touch of a button and wuala, with a little high-tech performance of an ionizer that administers positively-charged micro foundation to the negatively charged skin micro particles of the skin, the complexion looks even, pore-less, baby soft without making a mess, caking or streaking. No wonder this little red gizmo was at every show backstage for the S/S shows. With this much technology, did SK II have a booth at CES? Douglas, did you do a little research for me there??
Lucky mag's "secret ingredient" for their February issue is Charcoal. Yes, true that the Egyptions discovered that this black powdery ingredient makes great eye-iners in 4000BC but did you know that it has also long been used for skin care in asia way before it started blackening the faces of beauty lovers in the US? Either way, now you can go back to your roots..actually, all the way back into the burnt ashes, to combat oily skin and purify pores without overdrying the face. Try Boscia Smoothing Facial Polish for a natural, botanical treatment to calm irritated skin and reveal radiant skin. 
Maybe because tossing away the applicator along with all the excess dirt and skin that just got wiped onto it is a refreshing thought, beauty addicts got hooked on the idea of single-use portable makeup tools. Starting with Biore portable makeup cleansing wipes (Neutrogena and Avon followed) and oil-aborbing sheets (every company followed), little packets that are barely worth each single use ($64 for eight!?!? as is the product to the left but...it's so good!) is loved by jet-setters and late-nite party lovers everywhere. The Shiseido Bio-Performance Super Exfoliating Discs loosens dead skin cells with it's textured side and polishes the skin's surface with it's silky side. In sync with the asian obsession of minimizing pores, the "pillows" minimize the appearance of fine lines and pores and the water-activated exfoliating complex contains yeast extract from sake brewers to soften the skin, break down the proteins that bind dead cells to the skin's surface and wipe it all off your face and into the garbage bin. xox
