Are Viral Japanese Beauty Products Actually Worth the Hype?

I'm back with another episode of Tina Tries It and today we're going to Japan. I've tested a lot of beauty products over the years but Japanese beauty is kind of in its own world. They have products that literally cost five dollars and they've been bestsellers for years this isn't sponsored by any of the brands featured it's my honest opinion let's get into it first up is this rice mask i really thought this was hyped up for a good reason this is the Keana Rice Pack also known as the Keana Nadeshiko Rice Pack not their sheet mask because they do have viral sheet masks as well this is the thick wash off version that basically looks like someone blended cooked rice and slapped it on their face it's targeted towards dry rough skin and pores that look a little bit more obvious when your skin is dehydrated. Now, the idea isn't that rice is somehow going to physically shrink your pores. It's more about moisturizing and softening the skin so that it can make the texture look smoother. Temporarily, you know what I mean? Now I've used rice-focused skincare products before and I was actually really excited to try this one out. I had a benchmark in my mind though. There is this Korean rice mask that I really like from House of Doris, a K-beauty brand. I really enjoyed that. And so I thought this was going to give me a similar experience because it had so much hype. And then I put this on. And I was like, oh. It generally felt like I was smearing Desmond's baby porridge all over my skin. The texture is thick. Like literally, if you just think of porridge, it's like that rice, pasty thickness goo. That's exactly what it is. And I don't know if it's meant to have a smell like this or if it's just the one that I got. I think officially it is supposed to be fragrance free, but there's this smell that. It smells a little bit like glue. It really reminds me of the glue stick that I used in primary school. A little bit chemically. Is that a word? Yes it is. In this review it is. Let's just say I'm not a fan of the smell. As you can imagine once I smeared this across my face and then had to live with this smell for the next like three to five minutes it was not that pleasant. Now when I rinsed it off to be fair my skin did feel softer. It felt more moisturized. It felt smoother. I'm not saying this product doesn't work, but the overall skincare mask experience for me Eh, I didn't want to reach for this again because you know when it comes to skincare you feel like you know You're you're giving yourself that moment. You're treating yourself to some extra self-care I just don't get that with this the after effects isn't dramatic enough for me to Overlook the smell and just the thought of smearing my child's food on my face. Maybe it's just me. Maybe I just have to Deal with some past traumas. I'm gonna say it didn't deliver for me. It just, it didn't do it for me. Didn't tickle my fancy. Though if you are in Japan and you really want to try it out, don't let my review deter you because some people really love this. If you're more of like a simple skincare girly, you know rice, you eat rice, you love rice. I mean, I love rice. Maybe you'll love this. I just don't. Okay, this next category is huge in Japan. This is the Kiss Me Heavy Rotation Coloring Eyebrow Mascara. Guys, it's basically the OG colored brow mascara. product in Japan. I must have been in high school or something but J Beauty was ahead of everyone else or like they were doing their own thing and in the western world no one was really doing like a colored eyebrow mascara. Maybe they were just doing normal brow gels but Japan has such an extensive range of different colors so if you're one that wants to match your eyebrows to your hair color check out J Beauty. They have all sorts of different browns, ash blonde, even like red reddy undertones and the And the formulas usually work really well on dark hairs because a lot of Japanese people have darker eyebrow colors. Now the goal of something like this is more about changing the color of your hair rather than giving you that laminated fixed brow shape. So do not expect this to have a lot of like that waxy hold that we see in Western eyebrow mascaras. When I coat this on my dark brow hairs, it shows up surprisingly well. I also find that it doesn't give me that crunchy texture. It's soft, it's heat resistant, sweat resistant and still quite easy to remove like I don't need like a waterproof makeup remover, warm water will do. Is everyone going to love this? Mmm, I feel like if you have a unique hair color that it's hard to find a matching brow color Definitely check these guys out. They'll have like even like pinkier undertones. Like I said, this is more about Changing the brows to either match or like change up your brow color completely if you struggle finding a product definitely check this out I think it's solid for me. Keep in mind that it doesn't have like a strong hold and you're okay with that Then yeah, solid. A little tip is to wipe off some of the excess product on the brush before going in. This brush is not too bad though. It's not like it will smear onto your skin necessarily, but I always like to take off some of that product so it doesn't build up. too much. Now Japan said that coloring your eyebrow hairs wasn't enough. Let's put concealer on them. This is the Canmake Concealer Brow Mascara and yes it's basically foundation for your eyebrow hairs. The brush is a lot thinner than the other product. It's very fine. So the idea of this is that you're going to coat your dark hairs with this pale beige formula which kind of blanks out your natural brow And then you'll have like a blank canvas to do Do whatever you want on top. You may ask, why is this even a thing? It does solve a problem. For those who like that bleached looking brow without reaching for bleach, this is going to give you as close as a bleached brow without using peroxide and without the damage. Now do I like to sport a bleached brow? Not really, but I was actually really curious to see if this actually would work on my brow hairs and how it looked. One coat covers my dark brow hairs way better than I... expected and I think like from a distance they genuinely look bleached surprisingly it has that softness that the other brow mascaras are known for so you don't get that crunchy stiff feeling. I think how I could make this work is actually just use it to lighten up my hairs and then fill in my brows and just maybe change or alter the shape a little bit make them a little bit more natural and soft. Now keep in mind you don't want to be layering this on too much because that's It starts to get crusty. You want to kind of nail it first. coat. You want to go back and forth to cover the hair so it's even. Let's just say this is not going to be everyone's cup of tea, but if you are that specific person looking for bleached brows or maybe you're thinking of bleaching your brows, try this before you mix that peroxide. For the rest of you, you don't need a product like this, so just skip it. It's just going to go down to the bottom at trash for you. For me, look, if I needed to bleach my brows, this is solid. I would reach for this instead of bleach. Is it a daily product that I'm going to use? No, I don't think I think I'm going to run out of it anytime soon. Could you also just. Just use your own concealer to get this effect with the spoolie maybe if you really set the concealer afterwards I don't know. I guess it's kind of a weird product, but it also kind of solves a problem. So it's like weirdly smart Now this is probably the most famous drugstore product in Japan. It's the Canmake Creamy Touch Liners. They cost around $5 in Japan and if you look this thing up online there's like tens and thousands of reviews. It's basically a cult product. The diameter of this pencil is like 1.5 millimeters so it's like tiny. Great for smaller eye shapes, great for Asian eyes, hooded eyes, so you can really get into that lash line without accidentally going on top of your lid and then making it look like you have like a giant smoky eye. The best The best thing about this for me is how creamy it is. It feels so nice to apply, it glides on, it doesn't tug at the skin. It's also a very ultra long wearing pencil once it sets. Usually when you find really creamy liners, they're like cold pencils, so they tend to smudge and they don't like sit and stay very well. But this doesn't do that. It does have a trade-off though. Because this is so soft, you need to just like dispense and wind up like the tiniest amount. Otherwise, it's going to snap on you. Plus, you don't want to wind up too much because this thing does not retract. Basically, I guess the manufacturers wanted to keep the formula fresh. So whatever comes out and hits the air, you want to just like dispense enough for you to use. And honestly, it's so soft and you only need a tiny amount. I think like a millimeter, maybe two. Two millimeters is how much I would say to wind up. Once I apply it, I do find that there is a bit of play time so I can go in with a brush and kind of smudge and move the liner around a little bit and then it sets. To be water resistant, sweat resistant, oil resistant, tear resistant, great for hooded eyes, oily eyelids. If you're someone who finds that your liner always kind of transfers to the bottom and you get that panda or raccoon eyes, this doesn't do that. I'm pretty sure they also have a bunch of different colors. More than just your regular black. Black and browns. You can get burgundies, grays, soft pinky tones. You'll find colors that you can use on like your lower lash line as well that doesn't look too harsh. I personally love this for tight lining my eyes. So I'm gonna have to rate it like, it's gonna go to the top. Take my money. Try it. Okay, we've gone from like $5 eyeliner to this. Why do I have such a small bottle? Because this stuff is so expensive. Like I can't believe I used to use this back in the day. It's been like, I'm gonna say like more than seven years since I finished my full bottle of this. Depending on the size that you get, it can cost like over $100, even like into $200 for what it appears to be. It's like fancy water. No, not really, it's a bit more than that. So yeah, this was a part of my skincare routine. For years, like I remember being like in my early 20s and really saving up for this product. To be fair, I think around then there wasn't a lot of different essences and toners on the market. And this was heavily advertised. Now I got the little travel size for a trip and it just like gave me flashbacks. It reminded me like why this became such like a popular cult product in the first place. If you've seen those ads with the sake farmers where their skin didn't age, Because they're dealing with fermented rice all day. The hero ingredient to this is called Pitera. In this essence, I think like 90% of this is made up of this fermented Pitera ingredient. Basically, what you need to know is that it's rich in things like amino acids, minerals. That's the case with fermented ingredients. So the real question is, does fermented water actually do anything? And for me, yes. Because I used it for years. But let me just be clear. It's not one of those products that you just... It's just one of those products that you appreciate as you use it more often. The only problem is... It's the price. It's the price. It's like for what it is and what you can get on the market now, the price is very luxe. Now, some people still love this. They still swear by it. But I don't think everyone needs a bottle of this in their kit, especially because of the price. If you're going to splurge on a product in your skincare, maybe an essence isn't that crucial. Maybe you're better off spending on a really good moisturizer or a serum that's going to treat your skin. If you do have the money though and you're looking for a new essence, then this is going to be a good option. There are a lot of alternatives though. There's a lot of K-beauty fermented essences on the market at the moment. Literally just searching. yes style and you'll find some options they're going to cost like a fraction of the price and you can literally like drench that over your skin unlike this I for me I would use this very sparingly this itself I think they say to use like two thin layers and you put it on your hand and I remember when it would drip down my hand I'd be like oh my god pat that in pat that in this is basically like gold right liquid gold. I should also point out that there is a distinct smell with this. I wouldn't say it reeks or it's like unbearable. There is a slight scent but it's not super strong but yeah people do complain about it or people do notice it when they first use something like this. For me it's going to be a solid because I know how good it is but I understand that it is not going to be everyone's budget. Do not like not pay your rent so that you can get this bottle of essence that is not worth it but if you're Looking to splurge. Check it out. Maybe you can get the smaller one first. Though, to be frank, if you use all of this, I don't think you're going to notice a huge difference in your skin. You need to commit a little bit more time and product. Let's just say it's a great product, but not great for everyone's wallet. Now, let's go back to the opposite end of the price spectrum. The next product, this is a lot more affordable. This is the Cosme Softimo Speedy Cleansing Oil. I've been using this for about two to three months to remove my makeup. The name is pretty accurate. It's a speedy Remover. Basically, this is the first step in your cleansing routine. So this is the oil cleanser, which helps to basically dissolve makeup, sunscreen, mascaras, if it's not waterproof and if it's not like the Clio or Etude House or Heroine Mascaras. If you do not like to rub and tug at your skin when you're removing your makeup, this thing basically breaks it all down. very quickly very easily then once you add water it helps to emulsify and then you rinse it away and it doesn't leave like a super oily residue or anything the main ingredient in this is actually mineral oil and i know the internet is like oh mineral oil and then like everyone just kind of panics at the word but keep in mind this is like a rinse off product right you're not leaving it on your skin and after using it daily i'm just gonna say it's so effective i literally just pop this on like you want to have like dry hands and dry skin pop this oil on massage it really quickly and then i just jump in the shower wash it off and do my second cleanse in the shower i've seen reviews though that it takes makeup off so well that some people don't even need a second cleanse. I still would go in with a second cleanse. The nice thing that I can appreciate about this cleanser is that there's no strong smell and it doesn't make my skin feel greasy afterwards. If I compare the ease of using this and then opening up like a cleansing balm scooping it out and using the spatula this is just like a pump massage and then like wash and done. It's like quick and easy. My only pet peeve about this is that it doesn't remove waterproof eye makeup. Even when I use it twice, it's not strong enough, especially for those like really strong Asian mascaras. This does not do the job. So I would have to use like an oil based makeup remover or actually one of those mascara. Removers, but if I've got light makeup on this will do it like that. This is enough I'm gonna say this is a solid product because it's uncomplicated. It's not that messy compared to like a balm very easy to use I just wished it removed waterproof eye makeup. But other than that, I'm quite happy with it. I'm still gonna finish it Solid. Next we have these very cute little compacts. These are the CanMake Marshmallow Finish Powders I have them in shade one and two what's so special about this is the multi colors The two formulas I have is one is more of like a radiant formula and then one's a matte formula when you open it You'll see five different colors and no, it's not an eyeshadow palette You're supposed to swirl these together and then apply it as a finishing powder The different shades help to basically color correct. The pink helps to add a little bit of like liveliness and then the green helps to neutralize redness, purple and blue help to counteract with sallowness or like yellowness in the skin. Then there's a more like neutral skin tone shade to kind of just balance the shades together. When I apply this, I do feel like it gives me a soft blurred look. It's a finishing powder, so it's not going to so much control like oil, but I do feel like I am less oily and it gives me this overall brightness to my skin tone. I will say the first time I used this, it looked a little bit too much Because I applied it like how I would with like a a full setting powder. You need to be super light-handed with this because it can end up looking heavy real quick. For me when I apply too much I just notice how different like my face and my neck looked. That wasn't my goal. You see how it's like a little bit wider? This is just a light layer. I think if you have a lighter skin tone and if you are one that you don't like looking too warm and you prefer that more like neutral, brighter complexion and you have a lighter skin tone, you can check out a product like this. It does help to brighten and even out the skin. I think a lot of people in Asia would like the effect of this. If you are more tanned, you like that bronzy look and you have a deeper skin tone, you're going to hate this. It's going to look like maybe too chalky or maybe look a little bit too gray. For some undertones, so I think it's very specific to lighter skin tones. If you have a deeper skin tone It's gonna look ashy. I've used both they're okay And let's just say I could live without it like I don't think it's that much of like a must in everyone's kit I'm gonna say it's a mid. It's okay. It's a mid. Next we have a concealer from Shu Uemura It's a very interesting one that I've actually been really enjoying. This is the calligraphy concealer the brush is So interesting, it's like one of those Japanese calligraphy pens and you're supposed to shake up the product and it gets dispensed onto the brush and you can literally just like swipe it on your skin. The formula to this is very thin, it's like a serum like concealer and the whole calligraphy brush is supposed to allow you to get into like smaller areas and make it good for detailing. The formula is around 80% skincare based so it feels a lot more flexible, a lot more Thinner than your traditional like doe foot concealers. And I find that now that I'm getting older, I tend to appreciate. Formulas like this more now i've actually been reaching for this when I want like a fresh no makeup or very natural makeup look I would actually use this on like the main areas of my face in place of foundation because it's just so like easy to use It's so natural very spreadable very thin and very flexible. I don't feel like I need extra coverage with foundation This basically is my base. It's enough to hide redness some like discoloration But if I've got. If you've got spots, the coverage to this is not enough. It's not super heavy coverage. It is buildable, but I would say if you just want to even out your skin tone, this is a good product. If you're someone who likes matte, full glam, full coverage, then this concealer is not going to cut it at all for you. But if you can appreciate very light, very comfortable day-to-day makeup, this is going to be more up your alley. For me, I'm going to say it's a solid. I actually really like it. And I know I don't need to wear a lot of makeup. I literally just pack this. It's just so travel friendly, lightweight. And convenient. Next we have the Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence which has an SPF of 50 plus. This has a very watery weightless texture unlike traditional thicker sunscreens that feel like you're slapping on a paste and gives you a white cast. This is very breathable it feels like an essence like the name says. It doesn't leave the skin feeling sticky or greasy so it sits It sits very nicely under makeup and it sets fairly quickly. It's formulated with hydrating ingredients like hyaluronic acid, royal jelly extract, glycerin. These are all going to help keep the skin moisturized throughout the day. And it also says it's water resistant, like up to 80 minutes of water resistance. So it's going to be good for when you're sweaty, when it's hot and humid. It feels like a serum, like a very light essence. And then once it dries, it's fine. Like it's got a little bit of like almost like an oil control as well. It doesn't give you that shiny glow. Glossy look if you're not into that also find that there's no like peeling when you layer on with different like makeup products over The top in fact, I would say that it makes a good makeup primer because it creates this like smooth base It almost actually feels like I've got like a mattifying primer on now the cons you do not want to get this too close to Your eyes because it will sting you have to note that a lot of sunscreens may not be eye safe So don't go applying it on your eyelids This would have been a great sunscreen if it wasn't for the alcohol content. I can notice it when I first apply it because there is a distinct smell, but it does evaporate quite quickly. I do like that it's not super greasy or sticky. It almost feels like I've got a makeup base primer on. So if you're... A little bit more sensitive just know that there is like high alcohol. Maybe you need to just make sure you prep your skin a little bit more before you apply this on top. I'm going to rate this in between a mid and a solid. This is going to be great for someone who doesn't like super oily greasy sunscreens and you don't want that overly dewy look either. This might be a good option. It feels very comfortable on the skin but like I said there's that slight alcohol smell. I have I have a feeling oily skin girlies are going to appreciate something like this and that is That is it to my Japanese Beauty Edition of Tina Tries It, I have other parts as well so click the video on screen if you want to see more J Beauty products. Let me know if you guys have tried any of these products, do you agree with my ratings, do you have different opinions, please share. And if there's any other products you want me to try next in different categories, can be from different countries, let me know below. As always, subscribe if you're new here so you don't miss out on future uploads and I will see you guys in the next one. Bye!