I LOVE Japanese beauty magazines. They are great source of information on trends, products and makeup technique.  Yes, they are hard to find, and yes, they are more expensive than the US counterparts, but if you consider yourself a beauty addict or pro, you have to read them at least once in a while.  They offer you a glimpse into the Japanese beauty culture, an exotic world of beauty trends, secrets and insights.  These magazines are well worth the time and money you spend looking for them. I’ll tell you why:

• They are HUGE! Japan’s beauty and fashion magazines are on average at least 200 pages thick; special issues can get up to 300 pages. And they are big — A3 or B-size (roughly 11″x17″).

• They are heavy! Most of the pages of these magazines are printed on thick, glossy or high-gloss paper, so the pictures you get from them are amazing.  The thick glossy paper is also great for archiving (which I do).

• Mini mags included! Often there are extra booklets included in the beauty magazines. These booklets offer extra information on upcoming trends and product releases, extra beauty tips and guides, even mini cook books.  For example, at the beginning of each season, each magazine includes a booklet featuring the product lineups of all major cosmetics companies. So you can start planning your shopping list (particularly helpful if you have friends in Japan); or at least drool over the products.

• Makeup and skincare tutorials! LOTS of them. Not only they are step by step so you can follow along, they are often nicely illustrated.

• Product tests! Yes, a lot of times the magazines do product comparisons so you don’t have to.  VoCE runs a particularly comprehensive comparison series where they run 10 different tests on 10 different brands.  Of course, lots of explanation and photos for references.

• Goodies!!!! This is the BEST part of the Japanese beauty magazines. There are often some kind of goodies included in the magazines. Sometimes the goodies are product samples, which is great for trying things out or for traveling; other times they are swags from cosmetics companies. These are not cheesy pens or whatever, but often they are makeup bags, hair accessories (with styling suggestions and instructions included), or beauty accessories. I have also gotten reusable shopping bags, mini lunch totes/handbags, and a furoshiki, Japanese wrapping cloth. What’s even better is these swags a lot of times are collaborations between the cosmetics companies and famous designers. My favorite swags are all the Paul & Joe bags and accessories and the Moyoco Anno x Shu Uemura furoshiki!

My favorite Japanese beauty magazines are Biteki, VoCE and MAQUIA. You can find these as well as other Japanese fashion and beauty magazines at your local Japanese market. And for those who have trouble getting your hands on these great sources of info, I plan to start a series in this blog to feature each month’s highlights. Stay tuned for this month’s.

Ja matta ne! (See you later!)