ZOÉ of Switzerland Apple products

Skincare is one of my favorite topics of discussion, and I will occasionally try a new product or two to improve my skincare routine. My friend Amy, who is half Swiss and half Japanese, recommended these ZOÉ of Switzerland apple products, which are gaining popularity in Japan. 

ZOÉ of Switzerland is part of the Migros Group, established by Gottlieb Duttweiler in 1925. Being one of the biggest distribution companies in Switzerland, it produces products including foodstuffs and cosmetics. And this is where ZOÉ comes in. ZOÉ of Switzerland is a high quality skincare brand that targets women who experience signs of aging on there skin. The Apple series are a must to achieve supple, younger looking skin.

The day cream, serum, eye cream and the extra rich cream all include the key ingredient, Phytocelltec Malus Domestica, also know as apple stem cell component. It helps moisturize and brighten your skin, as well as smoothing out the surface of your skin. The extra rich cream includes argan oil for added moisture, and the day cream has UVA / UVB properties, which protects your face from freckles and other kinds of sun spots. I've used all 4 for about a week, and my skin has improved immensely! My face hasn't felt this smooth in a while. Even though the website is in Japanese, check out more of ZOÉ of Switzerland products.

スキンケアに関しては、すごく気になるトピックで、たまに新しい商品を使ってみたくなります。先日、友達のエイミーがZOÉ of Switzerlandのアップルプロダクツを進めてくれたので、早速使ってみました。

１９２５年に、ゴットリープ・ドゥットヴァイラーという人がMigrosという流通会社を設立し、主に食品と化粧品を生産していた中、ZOÉ of Switzerlandが誕生しました。日本初上陸を果たしたZOÉは高品質のスキンケアブランドで、大人の女性たちが感じるさまざまなエイジングサインにアプローチしています。若々しい、ハリのある肌を手に入れるためにはマストハブなスキンケアラインです。

今回は、ZOÉ of Switzerlandのアップルシリーズを使ってみたところ、肌の調子がぐーんと良くなった気がします。肌触りも良くなったし、透明感が増した感じがします。大人の女性には是非お勧めしたいです！


デイクリーム（朝用）
成分のフィットセルテックマルスドメスティカ（リンゴ果実培養細胞エキス）によって透明感のある肌に整えます。特性としてはUVA / UVB対応で、日焼けによるシミ・そばかすを防ぎます。球形パウダーが肌のキメを細かくし滑らかにします。肌荒れを防ぎ、肌をすべすべにします。肌に速やかに浸透しメイクアップの下地を整えます。
〈効果〉　シワを目立たなくカバーし、肌のしなやかさが増します。肌のキメを整えなめらかにします。

エキストラリッチクリーム（夜用）
リンゴ果実培養細胞エキスフィットセルテックマルスドメスティカによって透明感のある肌に整えます。保温効果を持つミロタムヌスフラベリフォリアの抽出エキス整肌成分。そして、シアパウダー、ワサビノキ種子油モリンガオイルのエモリエント成分配合により、肌の保温と年齢肌へのアプローチのスペシャルケアで潤い肌へ導きます。
〈効果〉　肌の透明感としなやかさが増します。乾燥から肌を守り、肌のキメを整え滑らかにします。

セラム
スイスの変種のリンゴウトワイラースパトラウアーから取られた植物エキスがすこやかな肌を保ちます。特性としては、優れた効果成分を配合したスイス化粧品です。アルガンオイルが肌のカサツキを防ぎ肌の滑らかさをまします。肌をしっかりと細やかにひきしめ、滑らかにします。はだを乾燥から守ります。
〈効果〉　本品は肌の美しさを保ち、エイジングケア効果を持つセラムです。肌にツヤ、ハリ、潤いを与えます。肌を柔らかくしなやかに保ちます。

アイクリーム
成分のフィットセルテック　マルスドメスティカ（リンゴ果実培養細胞エキス）によってはだに潤いを与え、透明感のある肌へと導きます。特性としては、ヒアルロン酸が目と唇の回りの肌の乾燥を防ぎます。カサツキを防ぎ、肌を滑らかにします。目と唇の繊細な肌にしっかりと働きかけます。
〈効果〉　目もとと唇もとのキメを整え、ハリを与えます。肌荒れ、乾燥を防ぎ、健やかな皮膚へと導きます。肌がしなやかに柔らかく保たれます。

Caudalie skin exfoliator & face masks

I think I first read about Caudalie on Into the Gloss, and tried their Grape Water when I was in college. Last year, I picked up the Instant Detox Mask, and since it was so true to its name, I decided to add a few more to my collection, including a face exfoliator. 

From left to right: The Deep Cleansing Exfoliator really smoothes my skin, and I use this 2-3 times a week for baby-soft skin. I use the Mousturizing Mask if I need to plump my skin and restore moisture. It also semi-reduces the redness I naturally have in my skin. The Glycolic Peel Mask is also a great mask for reducing redness and brightening your skin tone. I use this before I have a photo shoot or before going to an event or party. And last but not least, the Instant Detox Mask. It only takes 5-10 minutes of your skincare routine to really clean out your pores with this pink clay mask. Great for traveling and I absolutely love it!

Do you have a favorite Caudalie product? Let me know in the comment section!

Caudalieというスキンケアブランドを初めて知ったのは、多分Into the Glossを読んだ時だと思います。大学生の時にグレープウオーターを使ってみて、去年はインスタントデトックスマスクもピックアップしてみました。すごい効果があったので、他のマスクも使ってみたいと思い、いくつか購入してみました。

左から右の順へ：ディープクレンジングエクスフォリエーターで肌をとてもつるつるに！週に２〜３回は使います。モイスチャーマスクを使う時は、肌の水分補給のためです。肌の赤みも少し押さえてくれます。グライコリックピールマスクは肌の赤みを和らぐのにすごく効果的なマスクで、肌を明るくしてくれます。大事な撮影やイベントの前に必ず使います。そして最後に、インスタントデトックスマスク。スキンケアルティーンの５〜１０分しか時間を取らない優れもので、毛穴をめちゃくちゃきれいにしてくれます。旅行に行くときにもぴったりだし、本当に好きです！

Caudalieのお気に入りはありますか？コメント欄にて教えて下さい！

Kiehl's Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate

 This is the serum of your dreams. I don't know how else to say it, but it will change your life. I've been using Kiehl's skincare products faithfully for at least a year now, and this Nightly Refining Micro-Peel Concentrate is by far my favorite product. I've been using it for about 2 weeks, and my complexion has improved considerably. I haven't gotten a single pimple or the annoying small bumps around my chin that I usually get since I've started using it. I have a sprinkle of acne scars and hyperpigmentation, so my bare skin is a reddish-pink. After a few days, I already noticed a brighter complexion that I haven't seen on myself in years. I applied a few drops every night after my toner (Iris Extract Activating Treatment Essence), and sealed it with the Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Cream. The cool thing about this concentrate is the active ingredient is quinoa husk. You can purchase it online here at Kiehl's. 

これは夢のセラムです。他にどう言えばいいか分からない、でも、大げさに言うと人生を変えます。キールズのスキンケア商品を１年以上使っていますが、このマイクロピールコンセントレートは一番気に入っています。2週間ぐらい使ってから、肌のコンディションがすごく良くなりました！ニキビもできなくなったし、あごに普段できてしまう小さいぶつぶつが全然できなくなりました。ニキビ跡があるせいか、スッピンだと肌が結構赤くなりがちです。数日経ったら、肌がだいぶ明るくなり、赤みも減っていました！キールズのエッセンスローションのあと、コンセントレートを２〜３滴肌になじませて、最後にキールズクリームSPを使っています。このコンセントレートには、キヌアの殻を使用しているんですよ！日本では来月発売なので、皆さんも是非お試しください♪

Enzyme masks and face oils from Sephora

I wanted to amp up my skincare routine (yet again), and these are my most recent purchases from Sephora.

Peter Thomas Roth Pumpkin Enzyme Mask

Tatcha Polished Deep Rice Enzyme Powder

Josie Maran 100% Argan Oil Light 

The argan oil has been a favorite of mine recently, so I stocked up again - great for combating the dry, cold weather. And I've been reading good things about enzyme masks, so I thought I'd give these a whirl. Something to look forward to for the coming year! 

Deep-cleansing with Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore cleansing series

As a model, one of my daily priorities is taking care of my skin. When I was still living in southern California, I didn't have any major problems with my face (I did have the occasional breakout though). But after moving to Japan, my skin did a 180 on me, and at first I had no idea how to fix the problem. It took me a while to figure out what was good or bad for my skin, and I still experiment with different skincare products. Recently, I've realized cleansing is one of the most important steps in skincare - if you don't completely cleanse all the makeup, dirt and toxins of the day, the rest of your skincare routine is meaningless. Living and working in a crowded city really requires me to make sure everything is off at the end of the day. So, here are two of my current favorites that get the job done.

Kiehl's Rare Earth Deep Pore Daily Cleanser & Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque

Both of these are made with Amazonian white clay, with exfoliating and detoxifying properties.
I actually started using the masque first, because I was looking for something that would remove all the dirt and debris from my face after a long day. It's very easy to use - just apply a thin layer on damp skin, and leave it on for about 10 minutes or until it is almost completely dry. My skin feels so smooth and clean after I wash it off, and my blemishes look significantly smaller after use (not kidding!).

I recently read an article on Into the Gloss about the benefits of clay, which explains that "because clay is formed in the river and is left out in the sunlight, wind, and rain for thousands of years, it absorbs all of those properties of nature. It takes on the energy, so when you look at it as a substance, you can say that it's the sum of the pull of nature's energy." Clay truly absorbs all the dirt and toxins from deep within, and using both the masque and the cleanser has seriously improved the texture of my skin. Since I don't want to use the masque everyday, I use the cleanser the other days as a cleanser/ exfoliator.

I'm experimenting with other Kiehl's products so I might post about those later. Hope this helped!

Lanolin-Agg-Tval Egg White Soap

Ever since I moved to Japan, I've become increasingly more curious and knowledgable about the skincare do's and don'ts. My skin condition actually became worse when I moved from California to Tokyo (maybe the change in environment, the water, the stress... who knows) and I've been trying different products to see if anything would help. My skin has finally started to settle down, so now I'm in the process of trying to get 

rid of my acne scars. I have really pale skin, so the little red marks on my face can really stand out. 

Anyways, I came across this egg white soap when shopping around for skincare products. I've heard that egg whites are very effective for getting rid of acne scars and preventing acne, but the only problem is, it's quite messy (yes, I've tried it before). So I thought I'd give this soap a try. At first, I was using it normally, just to wash my face. But what I recently found out was, it's much more effective to foam it up and leave it on for 5-10 minutes as a mask. After trying that for one week, boy, what a difference that has made! My skin looks brighter, cleaner and smoother. And it's not expensive at all.

Here's an article I found on Into the Gloss, and according to the article, you can purchase this soap here. Have you ever tried this soap? Any kind of feedback is welcome!


 最近、スウェーデン製の洗顔を毎日欠かさず使っています。アインズトルペで偶然この洗顔が目に入り、お試しサイズを使ってみることにしました。この洗顔は、卵の白身でできていて、美白効果もあり、ニキビ対策にも抜群です。しっかり泡立たして、５−１０分ほどマスクみたいに置いといたら、肌が明るくなった気がします。ニキビも出来にくくなったと思います。このような洗顔を使ったことがありますか？

oil-free makeup & skincare

I'm trying to prepare myself for another hot, humid summer in Japan with a makeup & skincare routine that will keep me fresh all day long. 

For my skincare, I absolutely love Origins High-Potency Night-A-Mins. I use it at night to lock in my toner, and my skin feels so soft when I wake up in the morning, and not oily at all! 

I have a very oily T-zone, and when I was looking for skincare products at ULTA one day, a sales associate recommended me the Mario Badescu Silver Powder. I only use it once or twice a week where I get the most oily (around my nose), and it refreshes my skin and leaves it matte. 

For makeup, I swear by Laura Mercier's oil-free products. I've been using the Oil-free foundation primer for a while, and the foundations I've used really stay put all day. I just picked up the Oil-free tinted moisturizer recently, but I already love it. The sales associate recommended I use the Laura Mercier mineral powder to finish off my sheer, not-too-done look. 

What makeup or skincare products do you use for a natural, oil-free look? 

Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Samantha Mariko

Artistry cosmetics

Yesterday, I had my makeup done for my graduation by Ami Kuroda, a multi-media makeup artist from Los Angeles. She did my makeover using Artistry cosmetics, a quality skin-care and cosmetics line exclusively from Amway. 

Ami used toner, moisturizer, foundation, concealer, etc... but it felt like I had nothing on. The makeup was so light, but it made a huge difference visually. The selection of eye shadow and lipstick colors were great, and their application was really easy. I was also surprised at how affordable Artistry cosmetics are (if I remember correctly, a lip gloss was about $10 and concealer about $15). Ami told me that Artistry cosmetics can be compared to department store brands, so you can pay less for quality makeup. 

On me:

Foundation - Bone

Eyebrow - Brown

Eyeliner - Ebony

Eye shadow - Fusion, Drift, Rich, Magic

Lip Liner - Pink nude

Lip Color - Neutrale

You can check out Ami's Facebook page here and her Tumblr here.

Photos from my graduation coming soon :)

Love,

Samantha Mariko