How to get a ‘notice me’ complexion

What do supermodel Devon Aoki, actresses Tamlyn Tomita (Karate Kid) and Chiaki Kuriyama (Gogo Yubari from Kill Bill) have in common? Aside from being A-list Japanese celebrities, they have the most daring, "notice-me" complexions and gorgeous porcelain skin. Now, that is the natural beauty of oriental women.

So, how do you get such to-die-for skin? The answer is simple: Use whitening products. Skin whitening the Japanese way does not mean drinking bleaching pills or undergoing diamond peels. It is more of having a religious skincare regimen to get a permanent glow, blemish-free skin and luminous complexion.

This is why Kosé, the Japanese company that also handles Awake, created a line solely for skin whitening. Sekkisei makes use of natural ingredients like oriental herbal extracts. Products from this series include the famous Seikisho Black Soap (anti-acne), Seikisho Cleansing Oil (makeup remover), Seikisho Mask White (whitening mask to unclog pores), Essence Excellence (melanin prevention) and Cream Excellent (moisturizer), all aimed to clean, moisturize and whiten the skin. Seikisho means "cleanse items," while Sekkisei is for moisturizing with the creams and lotions.

The sad fact is, it is not enough to just moisturize the skin to get a porcelain-like complexion. You need something else to remove old skin and regain clearness. Kosé recently added a new product to the whitening series, the Seikisho Clear Lotion, a mild-alkaline toning lotion. This product was developed to remove old skin cells for renewed, clear skin.

"If you don’t moisturize enough, you don’t have glowing, translucent look," says Kosé brand manager Reiko Ishizawa. "This is why you need a lotion to accelerate or speed up the skin’s turnover." You can get this in the toning part of skincare. She also explains that the Seikisho Clear Lotion takes advantage of the alkaline property to soften the skin and totally remove the old skin cells that contain dirt and melanin.

Seikisho Clear Lotion contains oriental herbal extracts to purify and increase the transparency of the skin. It has a thick texture but penetrates easily. Also, the lotion has a low pH that minimizes skin irritation while removing old melanin to enhance the brightening result. If you want to substitute a facial scrub with a gentle toner, this is perfect! So, expect baby-soft and glowing skin.

Reiko adds, "Seikisho Clear Lotion is very gentle and doesn’t over-exfoliate the skin." To use, after cleansing, saturate cotton pad with lotion and wipe the nose and chin first since those areas are part of oily T-zone. Then, apply the lotion again in a patting motion for better absorption. Just 20 seconds of wiping will thoroughly remove dullness on the skin. Then, continue using other Sekkisei products to enhance the whitening result.

The Seikisho Clear Lotion will work best with its partner, the Seikisho Clear Cotton. This two-way surface cotton pad is specially designed for exfoliating. It is made with cupra (gauze-like material that doesn’t cause static electricity) that absorbs liquid well. Reiko believes that this is the best cotton because of the quality. Imagine rectangle gauze with two sides. The herringbone side or the rougher part is for complicated parts like the T-zone area, where old skin cells and sebum build up. The plain side is for delicate areas like eyes and cheeks. So, when you apply the Clear Lotion, put the cotton pad with the herringbone side under the middle finger and gently wipe around the face. You could also use the plain side with the Sekkisei Lotion and Emulsion.

Sekkisei also carries products for the body. Their latest one is the Junkisui Body Wash, which is a refreshing body cleanser. It comes in a pump bottle for ease of use. So, if you’re tired and your muscles ache, this body wash has a soothing and medicated effect that will totally calm your nerves and relax your body for a total Zen experience.

Since I started using the Sekkisei series religiously for months now, my skin condition improved a lot. My freckles became lighter and my skin tone became more even. But I noticed that I had flaky and rough areas like around the mouth and nose. When I tried the Clear Lotion, after a few days, my face became smoother, clearer and super-soft, believe it or not!

"In Japan, even high-school boys are very fond of Sekkisei because it is an anti-acne treatment," concludes Ishizawa.

What I love about Sekkisei is it is really meant for Asian skin. It does not try to alter the body’s mechanism but the products are made with natural ingredients that the body can accept easily. Now, we can all have illuminated porcelain complexions like our favorite Japanese stars.

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Sekkisei is available at Rustan’s Essenses.