Sure, as a beauty lover, you know what to buy when you’re in Asia, and you’ll buy all the sunscreens, mascaras and sheet masks in sight (and get one of those jade rollers or cute head bands as well). But wanna delve in deeper? I’ve got three products for you, that’ll make your life better – seriously. They’re that good. Must-have Asian beauty-adjacent products galore!
Cotton pads
If you want to feel hellishly extra, go and buy Shiseido cotton pads. Or SK-II ones. And then, you’ll be spoilt for life, and those $1 packs from the drugstore just won’t do any more. Why? I find that usually, Western cotton pads or rounds are made to get products off your face, while Asian ones are made to get products on your face without wasting said products.
Those high-end Japanese or Korean (cosrx does them too!) cotton pads are thinner – thus, they won’t absorb that much. Because of that, more of whichever precious liquid you drenched them with lands actually on your skin – and not inside a bunch of pressed cotton. Also, they’re super soft – and thus, don’t irritate your skin. Mind, I still like the run-of-the-mill Western ones for taking my makeup off. But for products like a nice acid toner? Asian cotton rounds RULE. Also great for impromptu masking – just drench a cotton pad with whatever serum or toner you want and apply to the desired spots on your face. So it depends a bit on what you want to do – applying or removing products? I want to do both, and this is why I switch merrily between Western and Asian brands. And yes, more pricey than the ones at Walgreens, but oh so worth it! (ShopJBP)
Kao Megrhythm Steam Warm Eye Mask
Again, extra AF, but these are like any gadget – first you scoff, and then, after repeated use, you wonder how you could survive without them. Kao steam eye masks are thin, soft cotton masks that you twist before popping them onto your eyes – and then, they release a nice amount of heat and scent for about 15 minutes. Long enough to drop to sleep, or to relax your eyes when you’ve stared at a computer screen for the whole day. They come in all kinds of scents (chamomile, yuzu, rose) – I still like lavender best and use it when I’ve got trouble sleeping. (They also offer an unscented version.) That a warm eye masks is the upper level of relaxation for me – who knew? Absolutely indispensible. A box of ten is about $12. (YesStyle)
Lion Kyusoku Jikan Relaxing Leg Care
Self-adhesive, cooling gel patches? Huh? Yup. These look like sticking plaster, but with the help of some essential oils (lavender, sage, rosemary, lemon and orange) and a lot of vaporising water, the patches impart a serious cooling sensation on wherever part of your body you’re sticking it on. I love them for my calves and put them on the arches of my feet after a day of sightseeing and walking around. I always have some in my bags for city trips, but I can imagine that these are absolutely heavenly after trekking or running.
Simply stick them on (I use them during the night), and in the morning, your tired limbs will feel refreshed and up for another day of walking around. Magic, I tell you. Also, quite gentle on the skin (I was a bit afraid of the essential oils). Beware, though, that they can stick to clothes and cloth. They come in packs of varying sizes, a box of 18 will cost you about $15. (YesStyle)
And what’s best, you don’t even have to travel to Asia to buy any of my three top-three Asian buys, because nowadays, Amazon (and even Target), carries all of the above!
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