The Japanese Skincare Revolution

Back in, oh, February, I was browsing through my knitting blog feeds on Bloglines (because I still check in on those every once in a while) when a super eggplant's post jumped out at me. (And, on checking in again, now she's talking about BB creams -- stop, no, pull me away from the eBay shops!)

Anyway, Mariko had just purchased a copy of The Japanese Skincare Revolution, and me, always looking for new skincare solutions and ideas, ordered a copy for myself.

I've flipped through it and, honestly, I'm kind of slacking on revolutionizing my skin (oops?). I've already purchased the NARS Hydrating Freshening Lotion for the Lotion Mask, which is when you apply cotton and lotion to your skin. This is Saeki Chizu's cure-all for everything -- clogged pores, oily t-zone, dry skin, and hangover-skin (!). She also suggests upping the ante by cutting holes in a shower cap and placing that over your face, while sitting in the bathtub, for a quick (and cheap!) steam treatment.

I've also done some of the lymph node massaging, which is where you try and "unclog" your lymph nodes behind your ears, then massage your neck, collarbone, and ultimately, armpits. Whether it really works or not, I'm not sure, but it's a good thing to do while you're in the bath or shower or even at the office (if no one is looking). She also has massages for eliminating the double-chin (!) and sagging neck or cheeks.

I will say that I was disappointed in that both Amazon and the bookcover are all about "the secret to get rid of blackheads!" as one of the selling points, because, yeah, actually, I would like to know the secret. And the secret is... don't pick at them and use a scrub twice a week. (That's not really a secret.) So I was disappointed that, you know, there wasn't a better secret or system to get rid of blackheads.

All in all, the advice is pretty solid (be happy, eat good food, get good rest, and don't overload your face with products, including taking one day a week to just let your face go without products), and the book itself is a good resource, including suggestions on how to adjust your skincare routines depending on the time of the year, since summer skin is different than winter skin is different than spring skin, how to revive hangover skin, how to look ten years younger the next day, and the proper ways to remove eye and lip make-up.

Any skincare tricks, techniques, or books you'd recommend? I've always got an open ear for successful secrets...

images from amazon.com