My new moisturizer: coconut oil from Kaldi's Coffee

I popped into Kaldi's for some coffee and picked up a jar of coconut oil. Apparently, it's the best thing out there for your skin and it has no additives so it's super safe. And, Kylie uses it, so why not.

I picked up a big jar for about 800 yen.

I applied after my shower. It was a bit oily, but absorbed into my skin well. The coconut smell was overwhelming at first, but became pleasant after a few minutes.

My skin really is super soft now.

Eye cream: RoC Retinol Correxion Eye Cream

I wanted a rather inexpensive eye cream with some over the counter retinol and picked this up on a whim ($23). Just a little goes a long way. I've seen some minor results, it's not a miracle, but it's not useless either. It goes on well under make-up.

Dry Oil: NUXE, Neutrogena

Really. This stuff is the best. My favorite after bath oil (Tiare is a close second, then Neutrogena). But why a glass bottle, filled with oil? Why? It's $29 for 1.6 oz, but it turns a regular shower into a fancy spa experience.

The Neutrogena body oil is a far second. It also absorbs into the skin quickly and has a nice smell, but nothing like the Nuxe. You can get a huge bottle at Nordstrom Rack pretty cheap ($20ish).

HOKUROKU SOUSUI lotion

I was strolling around Tokyo station the other day and stumbled (actually, was drawn in by the amazing smell) upon Hokuroku sousui. The smell of their lotions and soaps is absolutely out of this world. It's like bringing a super high end spa right to your room (or handbag, should you buy the hand cream).

I purchased a small hand cream for 1650 yen in hinoki scent. It is my absolute favorite. Although I also liked the yuzu. (All labeling is in Japanese.)

I will be back to this store! And I will be buying many, many things!

Sun screen: Biore Aqua Rich

Since I'm starting the Datsumo Labo hair removal process, I have to be extra careful not to get any suntan or sunburn this summer. I picked up another can of the Parasol UV spray (570 yen) I used last year, and that has been working well. However, I love a spray UV at the beach (no sand!), but I prefer a lotion at home (I can apply after the shower). Cosme ranked the Biore UV Aqua Rich sunscreen as the best, so I bought a tube for 758 yen.

It has worked well and has the consistency of a lotion. The formula is really light and not sticky, perfect for everyday use under clothes.

I also tried the "watery gel" version, which has the consistency of a sun block lotion. Same results, different feel.

Facial moisturizer: Embryolisse Lait Creme Concentre

I love my SKII stem power, but for the price I expect more results. Therefore, this month I switched over to Embryolisse, available on Amazon Japan for about 2000 yen.

It is definitely heavier on the face than the SKII, but it seems to be moisturizing just as well. I have acne prone skin and this made me break out a little, but it could be from something else or simply just because of the change. It is a nice base for make-up, so unless it causes me to continue to break out, I will stick with it!

UPDATE: This is clogging my pores, especially around my T-zone. The money I save on lotion would go to facials!! I'm changing over to my trusty Cetaphil with UV protection and relegating the Embryolisse to my decolletage!

Summer lotions: Nivea Premium Milk

I needed a new lotion to add to my summer arsenal, since my favorite Tiare oil is too oily for a quick shower and change. I picked up the Nivea premium milk based on its number one ranking on Cosme. It's a nice lotion, a good consistency for summer, and very hydrating, but THE SMELL is overwhelming. Such a fake flowery stench. It cost me about 600 yen.

I'll switch to the regular unscented version once I'm done with this bottle.

The beautiful scent of my Tiare oil has spoiled me!

Hot Tab Sparkling Bath tablets

I received a set of 5 Hot Tab Sparkling tablets in my cosme lucky New Year bag and tried them out tonight. They are supposed to cleanse your skin without any soap and leave your skin moist and soft.

You use 5 tablets in one bath. A pack of 10 goes for 1000 yen.

The in-bath experience wasn't much, and my skin feels a little sticky and a bit dry post-bath. I'll stick with my youmeisen.

Combating dry winter skin: Nivea creme and the Raydrop Ultrasonic Aroma Humidifier

I picked up a tin of Nivea creme at the drug store for under 500 yen. It is consistently listed as one of the best moisturizers and seems to only make an appearance in Japanese drugstores in the winter months.

The creme itself does wonders for dry skin. There is no itching or scaling. I do wish that it was not in "tub" form (I have smaller 200 yen tubes for my purse and over the kitchen sink). I also personally like the application feeling from oils better than creme (this can't even really be called a lotion - it is between lotion and wax consistency), but the results (and price point) have me hooked for the winter!

I've never been one to use the humidifier, even though they are very popular here in Japan, especially in winter. I'm always battling humidity and mold - why introduce moisture? My friend says it helps prevent colds. It is true that colds are more prevalent in drier weather, so I'll buy it.  4300 yen on amazon.

2014 Year end awards: Buy these now!

These are the things I can whole-heartedly recommend:

Heroine make mascara

Heroine make mascara remover

Evangelist BB cream

Muji lipstick

SK-II stempower

Bifesta facial cleansing wipes

Tiare body oil

Beauty Pride's APPS+E(TPNa) shampoo and conditioner

Drybar dry shampoo

Nivea body lotion

I needed a new body lotion that could stand the test of winter, so I picked up this Nivea body lotion. I like it. It's as nice and easy to apply as the Moist Diane, but without any scent. I would buy this again!

Bringing stuff back from the States: Yes to Grapefruit brightening wipes and Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer

I had a quick-turn-around trip planned back to the USA and made a down and dirty list of items I wanted to buy that I couldn't find in Japan. First up was a selection of "Yes to" facial cleansing wipes. I really liked my Bifesta wipes but wanted to try out the "Yes to" collection since they receive raving reviews on US Beauty websites. I have been using the  Yes To Grapefruit brightening wipes (around $7US), and have to say, I prefer the Bifesta. My skin feels dried out after using the "Yes to Grapefruit" wipe. And, I hate the smell. It's like a fruity, medicinal, candy citrus.

I also picked up the highly rated laura mercier tinted moisturizer with SPF 20 in "natural" for $43USD as an experiment against the Evangelist Lady Bright Up BB cream. I like the laura mercier, but it is much more "American" than the Evangelist: it is definitely more of a moisturizer, less coverage, and more precise color for Caucasian skin. I'm glad I have this in my arsenal, and think it will be great for dry winter skin, but it was not the "holy grail" product I was hoping for.

Traveling with Japanese luxuries: prepping to conclude an 18 hour flight looking fabulous

I always leave my flight looking oily and gross. So, I put together a little carry-on love to attempt to remedy that situation.

First up are the Bifesta facial cleansing sheets (550 yen). These oil and fragrance free sheets are supposed to give you a deep clean. I use these facial cleansing whenever I start feeling oily during a flight, and also in the bathroom of the airport when I arrive at my destination. Result: absolutely fabulous. Love these. They take off all my makeup and leave me feeling squeaky clean, and they give me a clean canvas for a fresh make-up application at my destination airport bathroom without having to get water all over the place and risk messing up my bangs.

I've been using the SK-II stempower as my morning and evening moisturizer, and am loving the mochi-like feeling it gives my skin. Japanese flight attendants use this instead of a facial mask on planes and swear that it helps them remain looking so positively fantastic throughout a long-haul flight. I can attest that it lives up to this claim!

Before settling in for a sleep, I slip on my Dr. Scholl compression leggings. My hope is to stave off bloating and uncomfortableness! I use these around my house, and love how they massage my legs. I've also found that they really do reduce leg and ankle bloating.

Then, before I pop on my noise-reduction headphones hooked up to my ambient noise app, I put on my Kao Megurythm heated eye mask, in lavender. These always put me right to sleep here at home, and really help when I'm wedged in an economy airplane seat! Note: I've been trying out the different aromas (rose, yuzu, and unscented), and so far I much prefer the lavender.

Other items in my beauty carry-on: travel toothpaste and brush, hand sanitizer, pepto bismol (um, airplane food?!?), a sleeping pill, deodorant, perfume, and make-up.

And, make my hair look great upon final exit of the airplane, I use this fantastic dry shampoo from drybar.

I have to say, I looked really marvelous for coming off an 18 hour flight. Paparazzi ready!

Moist Diane Tiare Body Milk

I picked this up at the drugstore for 950 yen for two reasons: 1) it's Tiare scented and I am almost out of my beloved Tahitian tiare oil, and 2) it had a big #1 on cosme sticker slapped on the front.

When I came home and looked it up on cosme, I couldn't find it ranked at all! Suspicious!

This is a good day lotion, it absorbs quick enough (although not instantly) to quickly get dressed after use. The consistency is nice enough, actually rather easy to apply, but the smell is so disappointing! It doesn't really smell like Tiare at all. It just smells like - lotion...

Monoi Tiare body oil

This was one of those purchases made after reading an "if you can't get to the tropics, at least you can..." articles. Moni Tiare oil is one of the major tourist purchases in Tahiti. I've always wanted to go to Tahiti. So I can buy the oil, right?

A 400 ml bottle goes for about $10 on amazon and can be found on Amazon Japan as well.

This is my favorite post-bath oil. It's thick. It reminds me of Tropicana tanning oil from my childhood. It has a similar smell, although less coconut and more Tiare. It reminds me of a wonderful vacation I had in Anquilla with my entire extended family. It is a vacation in a bottle.

The smell is strong, but not so strong as to be offensive. It permeates my bathrobe and my bed linens and transports me to a vacation-y place. Love!

MUJI Massage Oil: Citrus Green

I need a good moisturizer for Japanese winters and have found that I like oils better than lotions. I ran out of my standard Neutrogena sesame body oil, and, rather than ordering it here, decided to try some Japanese options. I picked up this MUJI massage oil in Citrus Green because it was marked down to 500 yen.

This oil is currently ranked as number 15 on cosme.net in the body massage section.

The oil itself is fine, nothing truly special, but I found I was not too fond of the smell. I'm glad I only got a small bottle and didn't pay much for it. I'll use it until it runs out, but will be looking for something different for winter.

UPDATE: I've been trying to use up this small bottle to clear out my medicine cabinet. I really dislike this oil. It leaves an oily film on my body for at least 24 hours, it never absorbs into my skin. It makes me feel dirty and oily.

The Japanese Standard: Camellia oil

I'm a big fan of oils so I thought I would try out the Japanese standard: Oshima Tsubaki oil. This oil is currently ranked as number 6 on cosme.net in their styling category, however it has won a slew of cosme prizes in the past: 2004 best prize, 2004 best hair care, 2005 hall of fame, and 10th anniversary special best prize. A bottle costs about 1000 yen.

Most people use this on their hair, either straight on as a styling agent, or one drop mixed with shampoo. However, since I did the Japanese straight perm, I don't really need anything weighing my hair down. Therefore, I've been using it on my skin and really like it.

There is no smell, and while it is a rich oil, it quickly absorbs into your skin leaving little to no oily residue. This makes it a great oil to use during the day as it doesn't stain clothes or leave you feeling sticky.

Since I use so much body oil during Japanese winters (space heaters and cold weather really dry out my skin!), I'm excited to see if this can stand the test!

Suhada shizuku pack gel

This is an extremely popular night cream that sells for about 1500 yen at most drug stores. When you put it on after cleansing your skin, tiny water droplets appear. The effect is nice, but I've found that it prohibits me using it during the day because it makes my skin too moist to hold onto any sort of makeup. I use it as a night cream for anti-aging since it contains Hydrolyzed Hyaluronic Acid. At one point it was highly rated by users of cosme.net.