These are the basics that you should not miss

When it comes to skincare, J-beauty prefers to take the Marie Kondo approach — keeping things as minimal and as simple as possible. It’s shorter, but that doesn’t mean that the Japanese skincare regimen is any less effective. Everyone has varied skin types, conditions and needs which will require different treatment and care.

So it’s all about going back to the basics and gradually customising your routine based on your skin’s specific needs. The Japanese skincare routine is simple and even if you practise their routine with local products, you can get there. Albeit, be mindful of the products that you choose based on the needs of your skin.

Here, I’ll be touching on the 5 most common steps in a basic Japanese skincare morning routine, which include:

#01: Facial wash

#02: Lotion/Softener

#03: Essence/Serum

#04: Moisturiser - Creams & Emulsions

#05: Sunscreen - UVA/UVB Creams

We’ll be looking at products from Momohime Skincare which complements each step as well. Now let’s get on to it beauties.

Step 1: Facial Wash

Assuming that you did your night skincare routine, avoid using a strong cleanser the next morning. Your face may only need a rinse with lukewarm water to refresh the skin and remove any residual cream applied the night before. However if this is a new practice for you and you feel uncomfortable at first, then use a mild, pH balancing gentle cleanser.

Gentle cleansers ensure that your skin isn’t stripped off of its natural oils and prevent the appearance of wrinkles and fine lines. Make sure that you pat dry with a clean towel, and not rub it off aggressively. Your skin needs to feel loved too so be gentle with it.

Peach Please!

Momohime Skincare is made from every part of a peach from its leaves, flesh, skin to its pit, everything has a role in creating the formulation for a simple, gentle and effective skincare range.

Benefits of Peach

Moisturizes dry skin
Regenerate your skin tissue (protein)
Lessens dark circles & blemishes
Removes wrinkles (known for anti-ageing)
Rejuvenates tired skin
Protection against UV rays, preventing radical damages

Beauty Secret #01

Exfoliate! Minimally, twice a week as part of your weekly skincare routine after cleansing with a facial wash. Exfoliation helps to keep your skin smooth by buffing away and removing dead skin cells. Read more about exfoliation here.

Step 2: Lotion/Softener

At this step most western skincare routines would call for a toner to swipe over the skin. Lotion is something quite unique to Asian skincare and is an essential step in all Japanese skincare routines. Unlike the regular body lotion, face lotion has a lightweight formula (watery consistency) which softens the skin and restores moisture after a facial wash to prepare it for follow-up products.

Use your palms to pat the product gently onto your face and neck in a gentle pressing motion. Please don’t neglect the neck. The skin on your neck and chest is three times thinner than the skin on your face. All these three areas are more prone to sun damage. Prep them well.

Peach Please!

Momohime Skincare is formulated with 7 moisturising ingredients.

Benefits of Each Ingredient:

Peach Leaves Extract
Replenishes moisture and fixes up skin texture with anti-inflammation, anti-oxidant, and anti-bacterial effects
Peach Juice
Provides and keeps moisture to your skin with astringent action, anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory, and skin metabolism accelerating effects
Peach Seed Extract
Makes skin supple and radiant with emollient effects and drying prevention effects
Cherry Leaves Extract
Prevents skin inflammation and melanin formation to improve skin roughening and dullness
Perilla Leaves extract
Prevents skin inflammation and has anti-allergy effect. It prevents skin-roughing and promotes clear skin
Hydrolyzed Marine Collagen
A type of protein functioning as a cushion in dermal cells making skin supple and soft by staying in skin keratin
Hyaluronic Acid Na
1gm of Hyaluronic Acid is able to hold 6 liters of water. It has the ability to keep moisturizing skin and makes skin fresh and clear

Beauty Secret #02

Consume probiotics for gut & skin health! Probiotics are beneficial bacteria that promote a healthy gut and the gut is directly connected to the skin. For this reason, probiotics are a huge part of the average Japanese diet. Read more about probiotics consumption here.

Step 3: Essence/Serum

Japanese essence is a concentrate of ingredients that acts as an extra precautionary product targeting specific skin concerns like wrinkles, fine lines and dull, uneven skin. Essence works to promote cell regeneration so if used consistently you should see brighter and clearer skin. Similar to facial lotion, it has a thin, watery consistency.

After conditioning your face and neck (chest too if needed) with a facial lotion, apply the essence by gently patting or pressing it into your skin using the palms of your hand. You can feel how your skin smoothened and plumped up after using this beauty!

Peach Please!

Momohime Skincare’s Peach White Essence is an award-winning product developed with Japan’s latest liquid crystallization technology to boost permeability and moisture-retaining ability of skin. Liquid crystallization mimics the skin's intercellular lipid (the layer that retains the skin's water retention).

The Skin Brightening Components:

Arbutin
For melanogenesis (causing freckle) suppressing activity.
Vitamin C
For promoting collagen-forming, adjusting skin turnover, and improving skin dullness.
Mandarin Orange Rind Extract
Provide firmness with keratinocyte, leading to brightening and transparency of the skin

Beauty Secret #03

Facial massage! Facial massage helps promote healthy skin while relaxing your facial muscles as it has a relaxing and rejuvenating effect, helping you look and feel better. Massage your face for three to five minutes, at least three times a week for the best results. Read more on the types of facial massages and how to do them here.

Step 4: Moisturiser - Creams & Emulsions

In Japanese skincare, this step is seen as applying a barrier on top of the skin, locking in all of the nutrients and hydrating ingredients that were present in the lotion and essence. An important factor that sets Japanese skincare apart is that moisturising starts from cleansing to sun protection. The only difference is in the consistency of the product — it gets thicker as you move on.

Additionally once you start implementing the lotion and essence in your skincare regime, you should find that you don’t need such a heavy moisturising product at this point as your skin will already be hydrated sufficiently. Use an adequate amount to gently pat it onto your skin. Pat it my dear beauty, not rub it. Patting minimises the chances of pulling or dragging the skin.

Peach Please!

Momohime Skincare is an all-natural high quality moisturizing and brightening skincare line. It has received a Halal certification from Japan Islamic Trust (JIT) which means that only ethical methods are used in creating and producing the products.

Ethical Features:

NO Porcine-by, No mammalian Derived Products
No Porcine-by products, No mammalian derived products are used

NO Alcohol
Alcohol is not used as it causes trouble and dry skin

NO Mineral oil
Mineral oil is not used as it bears burden on the skin

NO Oil-derived ingredients
Oil-based surfactant (face wash) and Ethylene oxide (lotion and gel cream) are not used

NO Colorant
Colorant is not used, leaving natural color of ingredients as they are

Beauty Secret #04

Collagen-rich products! Collagen products are all the rage in Japan. Some of which include collagen cookies, collagen masks, powder and supplements. Collagen plays an important role in the health of your skin, bones and connective tissues, keeping joints strong, making skin elastic and helping protect your organs, as well as other functions. Read more about collagen here.

Step 5: Sunscreen - UVA/UVB Creams

Don’t. Forget. Sunscreen. Ever.

Japanese women are meticulous when it comes to UV care, and this dedication pays off with their youthful and even complexion. UV care is a year round, essential step in your morning skincare routine.

Everything from mere sunburns to lasting age spots and uneven pigmentation, an SPF sunscreen provides efficient coverage to protect the skin from UVB rays that cause sunburns and UVA rays that might cause lasting skin damage. To achieve the best results, reapply your sunscreen throughout the day, especially after extended sun exposure and towel drying.

Did you know? In Japan, most women wear makeup daily even when they are going to the park with their children or making a quick trip to the supermarket. It is part of how they take care of themselves – by being presentable both appearance and outfit wise. Unless you are genetically blessed with perfect skin, most people can benefit from even a light coverage of makeup to even out the skin and cover blemishes and redness. So put on those lightweight BB or CC creams!

Peach Please!

Momohime Skincare‘s Peach Natural BB Cream UV is multifunctional where it can serve as your sunscreen and foundation. On top of the 7 moisturising ingredients mentioned in Step 2, it is also infused with blended beauty powders all of which helps protect skin from ultraviolet rays, dryness, and pollutants by creating ultra-thin luminous layers.

Beauty Powders:

Face Lamp Powder
Enhance complexion and even skin tone

Amino Acid Powder
Promote natural-looking radiance

Sebum Absorption Powder
Long-wearing and stay put overtime

Beauty Secret #05

Eye creams! The skin around our eyes is thin and delicate and wrinkles faster than other parts of our face. Use a good eye gel to keep lines at bay and get a lymphatic eye massage done if you are using eye gels regularly as it can help nourish the under eye area. Read more about eye creams here.

My dear beauties, every one of us has a different skin that craves for a different attention. The emphasis here is on basic skincare principles with optional steps that can be customised depending on your skin needs. Skincare is one way of showing love and respect to yourself because you are taking care of something that is a part of you; and you protect that which is important to you.

Make sure you take a look at the Momohime Skincare line to see if it suits your fancy and do more research if you will, to curate a concern-specific Japanese morning routine for yourself ❀◕ ‿ ◕❀

This is my entire collection from the Momohime Skincare Set + Momohime Peach Natural BB Cream.
The entire package was neatly packed in the *yukata* bag. *Kawaii desu ne!*

About Momohime by The Min List

Momohime literally means Peach Princess in Japanese. Momohime was founded by a Japanese Muslim couple, wishing for providing safe and high-quality made in Japan skincare line to women around the world.

The Min List is an online beauty retailer with a retail counter at Takashimaya Department Store. They specialise in vegan, organic, sustainable, cruelty-free and halal beauty.

Based in Singapore, The Min List curates their products from both local artisans and international brands which share their values in providing ethical and wholesome beauty to all. With hundreds of verified reviews on their website, these testimonials testify to the quality and value of the products that they offer.

To discover Momohime Japanese skincare and more, visit their website and follow them on social media below!

Website: theminlist.com

Facebook: theminlist

Instagram: @theminlist

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