JAPANESE makeup and skincare – please share your experiences

I’d like to add one to the list which has done wonders for my skin. It’s a sake-lees mask. I was introduced to this product while staying in Kyoto Japan for a year. I’m into organic products and was looking for an organic Japanese brand. (very hard to find). I did come across a store that specializes in using natural Japanese ingredients in their Japanese brand. I was dealing with pigmentation issues including sunspots and melasma. The staff suggested I try the sake mask. The product came as dry sake-lees powder and I needed to mix it with water into a paste and apply as a mask.

I was intrigue and very excited when I took this product home to try. My first use, I noticed an immediate difference with my pore shrinking. After using this product for about 2 weeks, I noticed a very small lightening effect. But it was only after using this for 3 – 4 months, that’s when I notice all of a sudden, the pigments and dark patches faded significantly. This is a long time to wait to get results but I stayed the course as I was desperate and was willing to try anything thrown at me. It certainly helped also when I stayed in Japan, I did not get much sun exposure and I constantly wore an SPF sunscreen.

There are different variations of sake lees, but I prefer to use the organic sake-kasu powder where I can mix it myself and add other ingredients to tailor make my own product.

I am allergic to Niacinamide which a lot of Japanese skincare products have in the ingredients. Such a shame as they are high quality with good prices.

I’ve recently finished a 400ml bottle of Muji’s popular light toning water (high moisture). It’s very simple, no frills, but works wonderfully to r-e-h-y-d-r-a-t-e skin and is very safe on the days when my skin feels a bit irritated. It has the right pH for skin (slightly acidic), doesn’t feel too sticky and is suitable for sensitive skin. I also slap it on when I use my Foreo bear when my face has sucked up my serum before I’ve finished with the bear routine.

Finally able to get onto this thread. I have been trying for ages. I now have quite a big collection of lululun masks thanks to this forum and I am loving them.
I need to stop as I feel like I am just collecting them now lol

Added a new Lululun Hydra V mask to my collection. Has anyone tried it yet?


Thanks m8, Yoh and darasparkle – happy to share and glad to hear you guys enjoy my ramblings!

I won’t get started on the LuLuLun Premium Japan Travel Face Masks just yet. I couldn’t wait to crack this one open when it arrived. I bought this one from W Cosmetics for $10 (x7 sheet masks!). (I am still sad they unlisted from BH. You guys needed to give me more time – I had so much to give on the products you sell!)

Anyway, this is the limited edition LuLuLun Tokyo Face Mask, the Tokyo regional face mask. The star ingredient is Amanoya kouji/koji extract. Koji is a filamentous fungus used in Japan to saccharify rice, sweet potato, and barley in the making of alcoholic beverages such as sake and shochu, and also to ferment soybeans for making soy sauce and miso. Amazake is Japan’s OG energy drink and this koji is sourced from a well-known Amazake speciality restaurant/cafe in Tokyo called Amanoya that has a 400-year old history.

The formulation is also infused with sake lees extract, rice fermented filtrate (skin-conditioning), and sticky nameko (a type of Japanese mushroom and has around x6 water retaining potential of hyaluronic acid). The sake lees is fermented with yeast derived from double-flowered cherry blossoms.

I wish the mask did not come with that crease but I will have to live with it. I am mildly OCD as an adult (flaming as a child) so it bothers me! I otherwise love the design. It is classically beautiful. I think it deliberately pays homage to the design of the Amazake drink but I am not sure.

I LOOOOOOOVE this sheet mask. There is a little bit of fragrance and it smells like sweet rice (mimics vanilla a little). Definitely repurchasing… x5 add to cart ASAP!

Agree with GeeJ and Yoh. I may not be a sheet masker but I still enjoy and appreciate your feedback.

Oh, Ethelinde, thank you for posting all sheet mask experiences and posts! We read, but not always comment. They are for sure acknowledged! Love your posts as they show my fave sheet mask line and always am interested in trying new ones. Plus as you said, these stick to the face so well, fit great to my big long head and I can do heaps of things while having it on! You’re a legend x

LuLuLun Premium Japan Travel Face Masks is a series of sheet masks that uses the best natural ingredients from Japan, including shell ginger from Okinawa to brighten, aloe from Okinawa to soothe, honey from Hokkaido to boost resilience, and haskap berry from Hokkaido to rejuvenate skin.

Clockwise from top left: Okinawa Aloe, Shell Ginger, Hokkaido Honey, Okinawa Shell Ginger, and Hokkaido Haskap Berry.