DIY lotion mask demo by Chizu Saeki
Saturday, 15 August 2009I remember reading about Japan’s leading beauty expert, Chizu Saeki launching her book The Japanese Skincare Revolution, which includes a collection of unconventional skincare tips such as wearing a shower cap over your face and thinking about sexy men. I had made a mental note to check out her book when I have time but till now, I haven’t got down to that.
But I was happy to have found a video demonstrating a technique from her book via Cat-chan’s blog. In fact, if you click on the link, you’ll also read about Cat-chan’s personal experience in using this lotion mask.
Actually, I did find Chizu Saeki’s tip on the shower cap extremely odd but I like the idea of using this lotion mask and will find sometime today to try it. And while I’m at it, I’m going to use her other tip and think of my sexy Takuya Kimura. Hehe.
If you like to find out more about Chizu Saeki, check out these two articles I found online:
Reuters Blog: Perfect skincare – honey, shower caps and sexy men
The Japan’s Times Online: Beauty’s more than skin deep.
You can also get her book online--pid975043253%2Fcompareprices.html){kind=small}
She’s one lovely 66-year-old! And gosh, her hands are so beautiful!
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Posted in Japanese, Tutorials | 58 Comments »
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August 15th, 2009 at 11:52 am
I heard abt this lady on the radio too… i tot it was pretty weird tat thinking abt young men or attractive people could give u gd skin!!
sesame Reply:
August 15th, 2009 at 9:34 pm
Haha…it is weird but what she said about it triggering hormones that will help our skin does make sense somewhat.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:44 pm
where canyou get this book?
kinokuniya?
i’ve tried this trick. its hydration without being rich. its more comfortable with an alcohol tee lotion though. and its hard to find good quality cotton squares she used in the vid.
sesame Reply:
August 15th, 2009 at 9:43 pm
I’m not too sure if the book is available in kino. I’m going to take a look next week.
Ya, I couldn’t find the cotton pads today.
August 15th, 2009 at 1:45 pm
alcohol-free*
August 15th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
Sesame! Thank you for the link of Chizu Saeki. I heard about her and have a quick read of her book at Kinokuniya bookstore (BKK) last Sunday. I never know she got a blog.
I love the way lotion with cotton pads, rather than DIY soaking paper mask. It is useful for certain types of lotion, such as whitening, hydrating and soothing. I’m going to try the shower cap one though I heard that quite some time ago.Thanks again for the info!
sesame Reply:
August 15th, 2009 at 9:42 pm
You’re welcome. The link is another blogger’s though. I haven’t tried the lotion mask though cos I realized I don’t have the right cotton pads.
August 15th, 2009 at 6:57 pm
Hey I ordered this book last week, can’t wait to read it:)
sesame Reply:
August 15th, 2009 at 9:44 pm
Oh that’s great! I wonder if we have it here at the bookstores already.
August 15th, 2009 at 7:19 pm
Yes! I bought her book in Taiwan. Its a chinese translated one.
I’m using the Muji unbleached cotton (big size) one for this. However, I think there is no need for so many pieces of cotton. I just use 1 piece and split into 2. Pour toner generously over. The cotton will not absorb it until there is nothing left. The cotton will be moist even if I place it on my cheeks for >5mins. So I go over my whole face and sort of press the hydrated cotton all over my face with my palm after placeing the cotton on for 2 or 3mins.
I really like the muji cotton for being able to hold the toner well but not absorbed until nothing left. Thanks sesame for introducing the cotton!
sesame Reply:
August 15th, 2009 at 9:45 pm
Is hers the book you mentioned about the facial mist?
Unfortunately, I ran out of the Muji cotton pads. I don’t use that many pads these days so I didn’t replenish. They will definitely work better than my current pads.
August 16th, 2009 at 12:39 am
Hi Sesame! Wow, it’s my blog, I’m so honored!
Thanks!
I placed a special order for the book with my local bookstore and the book just got here. I’m going to pick it up tomorrow so I’m really excited
I’m excited to hear about your lotion mask experience
sesame Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
Hey, you’re welcome! I should thank you because I discovered this video via your blog!
I didn’t try it eventually cos I realized I don’t have the right cotton pads.
August 16th, 2009 at 2:23 am
wow she is so pretty for her age. And her hand is like young girl!
sesame Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 4:16 pm
She is! Her hands look so much better than mine! I feel so sad…
August 16th, 2009 at 3:35 am
I’ve heard good things about her. I didn’t know she had videos in English. Thanks for this!
I’ve heard about this mask technique. I think I’ll try it tonight.
sesame Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 4:08 pm
I hope you had success with your attempt. What lotion or toner are you using?
August 16th, 2009 at 10:37 am
OMG her hands!!!
August 16th, 2009 at 11:21 am
So have u tried the lotion mask yet?? What lotion did u use? I still don’t get the idea how lotion is different from toner though.. what is the organic/natural skincare equivalent? Would be great if you could share your tips?>.^
sesame Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
No, I haven’t tried. I plan to use my toner but I wonder if it’ll work as well.
sesame Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Oh, forgot to say this…you can also check out Cat-chan’s experience on using the lotion mask. The link is in my entry.
August 16th, 2009 at 5:11 pm
Yup Sesame…the facial mist. Thats right. I lent to my friend that book and she has yet to return.
August 16th, 2009 at 7:44 pm
Oh yeah….in her book (actually there are a few titles I saw in Taiwan), she mention any toner will do. If I rem correctly.
My first bottle P&J toner is being used a top, never b4 speed. I used to finish 1 bottle of toner a year. But this is 60% gone after 3 months I started trying this method once in a while.
She mentioned in the book that I have that she finish her toner a bottle a month.
sesame Reply:
August 16th, 2009 at 8:14 pm
What difference did it make for your skin using this? I tried just now, briefly on my dry areas and am not sure what’s the difference. I don’t get the glow the model got.
I need to hunt out a cheaper toner to do this. Wonder if my hydrosols will work.
August 17th, 2009 at 1:04 am
Hey! I got this book from Barnes and Nobles. It’s a really useful book. I highly recommend it. She talks her methods make your products, no matter how cheap, more effective. Also she soaks it in water first so the cotton soaks up more of the water and needs less toner. Also, the toner can spread out more easily because it doesn’t need to soak in the cotton first. I got some already made cotton masks from Watsons from Beijing and used DHC Acerola lotion the first time I tried it. I think it made more even more effective. My skin just looks brighter and moist, and even my family and friends noticed the difference. Also in the book she mentioned to get a lotion with lttle or no alcohol.
PS If anything a toner, balances the skin’s pH and oil levels so it preps it for moisturizer and a lotion type moisturizes more than balancing the skin out. My DHC Acerola lotion has the same runny consistency as any watery toner though.
sesame Reply:
August 17th, 2009 at 10:23 am
Wow, the results on you sounds really good. I definitely need to find a cheaper lotion. The one I have is too expensive to deplete so quickly.
August 17th, 2009 at 10:05 am
Thanks for posting up the video. I had just bought the book at kino. And cost about $32 or $36. (I forgot).
I had tried out the lotion mask.. and the result is WOW …by skin become brigther and smoother instantly. (But instead of soaking the cotton with water first…I soaked the cottons totally with lotion…very expensive matter as half bottle of my lotion is gone withing that few minutes….hahaha)
sesame Reply:
August 17th, 2009 at 10:25 am
Entire pad in the lotion? That’s a good idea but definitely expensive method! I will check up the book at Kino…thanks for telling me it’s available.
August 17th, 2009 at 11:36 pm
I also don’t use water. Just toner. The cotton I use really makes a difference in allowing the toner not to be so soaked up but able to tranfer to my skin.
After using, my skin is softer and more plump. My makeup adheres to my skin better. However, I think I’m not doing it often enough for the effects to last. haha…
I tried it with my rose hydrosol too. However, I think it does not work very well. You see…hydrosol does not have glycerin. So the moisture does not bind to the skin as well as the toner. In fact,I find that after I use this method with hydrosol, the surface of my skin becomes a bit dryer. Like what is said by some (can’t rem if its in the book), evaporation takes away more moisture.
I’m thinking of buying regular rosewater with glycerin for this.
sesame Reply:
August 18th, 2009 at 9:25 am
Hmm…that’s interesting. I also thought the hydrosols might not be suitable. I think I’ll try with my Lavera toner instead. But not sure if my cotton pads are effective cos you definitely have a point about using the right ones.
August 18th, 2009 at 3:38 am
I tried it out this morning finally. I didn’t expect much, but it actually did make my skin softer and smoother. I was a little frustrated though because the cotton squares I used were too small haha. I think I’ll go out and buy larger ones.
I use the beautymaker Aquamarine Softening Toner and it works well for me. It has rosewater, which makes my moisturizer absorb a lot better. My friend uses regular rosewater on its own as a toner and it works well for her.
sesame Reply:
August 18th, 2009 at 9:28 am
Oh rose water worked well for your friend? That’s good to know. I have that too but I think I’ll try with my Lavera Rose Toner first. Like you, I also need to get new cotton pads. Mine are too small.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:30 am
Hi Sesame, I actually just finished reading this book and loved it. The 3 minute lotion mask really does work. The key however is finding the right cotton. She recommends two kinds in her book: her own Japan only brand and an American brand which is a bit on the pricey side. So I’ve been improvising with my own cotton pads.
sesame Reply:
August 18th, 2009 at 9:31 am
That’s it! I must go and get this book today!
The Muji ones seem to work well for PF (pf1123) so I’ll go and get that if I can find the time too. The ones I have now are not too absorbent so are not right I guess.
August 18th, 2009 at 10:21 am
I wish I had access to Muji ones here in the States!
sesame Reply:
August 18th, 2009 at 9:23 pm
Can you find this brand of cotton pads under Miss Webril? It’s recommended in her book and said to be available in the US.
August 18th, 2009 at 8:04 pm
The muji ones are what I can find here that allows splitting into thinner sheets.
I saw on the Queen show in Taipei that there are actually medically used cotton which are similar large sheets too. Able to be split into thinner sheets. And they are a lot cheaper too!
I regret that I didn’t look it up at their pharmacies when I was there.
But nevermind, I’ll take a look at what they have in HK soon!
I’m thinking about buying this brand Natio toner which contains rosewater. Not sure if its good. Saw mixed reviews online. Or maybe just Guardian’s housebrand rosewater with glycerin would work as well? I have no idea…I guess we’ll only know if we try.
sesame Reply:
August 18th, 2009 at 9:28 pm
Hey, I got the book today from Kino. It’s very useful!
I think the toner should be something of good quality as in it can deliver some goodies to our skin because her method is to help the skin absorb the goodness of the toner better. Actually the one that came to my mind is Pitera from SKII. But I don’t like their products though.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:08 pm
Hmmm…let me go and research for good toners.
Thanks Sesame!
sesame Reply:
August 19th, 2009 at 4:03 pm
I was reading her book again and I wonder…how is the DIY approach of her lotion mask so different from those commercial mask with a mask sheet? I believe the end result is the same, except that with the DIY approach, you can do as often as you like. Seems that she’s also saying that the lotion is different from toners. I need to hunt for a natural or organic version. Think the Lavera one does not cut it.
August 18th, 2009 at 11:35 pm
I haven’t seen Miss Webril in stores but I can get it on Amazon.com. The only problem is that it is a bit on the pricey side.
I am doing well improvising…a ha!
sesame Reply:
August 19th, 2009 at 9:12 am
Then that’s great. I improvise with what I have too. I have come across the big ones but for now, I can’t remember where.
August 19th, 2009 at 10:01 pm
My book of hers is in translated chinese. It might not be the same book.
Maybe the lotion is those type of thicker toners.
August 19th, 2009 at 11:17 pm
Hi Sesame. My Sensitive Laneige toner arrived from Korea last week. I might give this a try. Getting my hands on the book might be useful, too! Hope you’re keeping well
sesame Reply:
August 20th, 2009 at 12:22 am
Hey Yosita: Hope you’ve found something suitable.
The book is quite good but it’s short on telling you what products work well. After reading her book, I think I haven’t been exfoliating my face enough for these 3 months!
August 20th, 2009 at 6:41 pm
Yup, this lady do not recommend which product is good. But she mentioned generally that skincare products we choose should be above 3,000yen.
In addition, we should not buy skincare/cosmetics from convienient stores as those places are for buying rice dumplings.
She recommends serums (or essence, I can’t remember) as she believes that there is a lot potential for this product.
She also advocates checking our skin condition before we cleanse our face or use a toner every morning. She says that if the skin condition is good, there might not be a need to use a cleanser.
Another interesting point she made in the book I have is that she said we should have a day off for face. No skincare, no makeup.
sesame Reply:
August 20th, 2009 at 7:38 pm
From your description, your book is the same as the English version.
I think toner can be used if it has some additional benefits like brightening, firming, moisturizing… I have a La Mer Radiant Infusion that would probably work but I’ve not been using it for a long time now.
Anyway, today I went to get a pack of sheet masks. Want to try if using a sheet mask is equivalent with the cotton pads as it comes across as more convenient – one sheet vs many.
Yeah, I agree with her about taking a skin diet. I wrote about it sometime in 2007 here http://www.vivawoman.net/2007/03/31/take-a-skin-diet/ too.
August 21st, 2009 at 1:42 pm
Hey Sesame
I got this book a while ago
been trying her lotion mask as well as the massage techniques. they’re really good and work very well. I use the hechima lotion from daiso, since its cheap, pleasant smelling and mild as it contains very litle ingredients. It is supposed to help
Western toners do not work with this because their skincare formulation is different from the Japanese (who are years ahead in their skincare technology, btw) For somethign cheap try the gourd (hechima lotion)or even the muji lotions.
I find that while using cotton (especially MUJI ones) is great as they have a softer texture, the capsule sheet masks from SASA or Daiso is pretty good too, while it doesnt fit as well, it is less messy and less hassle to do. Oh Muji sells capsule masks too, might wanna try that and see which textures you like best. Daiso sells the T + U capsule kind, which is fantastic, except for the price. I find capsule masks more hygienic than dry paper sheet masks because less area is exposed. The lotion in prepacked paper masks are different from DIY as they are much thicker in consistency and should not be used too often . Lotion masks can be used up to twice a day.
sesame Reply:
August 22nd, 2009 at 9:37 am
Hi Seri: I tried the sheet masks and they work quite well too. Now just need to find a good facial lotion that is more natural. I think the Japanese makeup are good but I generally prefer skin care products from Europe so I’ll check those out instead. Glad that you have luck with the hechima lotion. Hope to find something suitable soon.
October 30th, 2009 at 12:14 pm
[...] of the four product samples I received, one of them works pretty well as the key ingredient in the DIY lotion mask introduced by Chizu Saeki [...]
October 31st, 2009 at 5:58 pm
Found a suitable lotion for Saeki Chizu lotion mask. Its called SANA Namerakahonpo Haritsuya Skin Lotion. It comes with original or either with coenzyme Q10 (important ingredient to prevent aging). It cost SGD23.90 in Watson. The only thing I dont like is it has alcohol in it. Its the closest that is suggested to use in Chizu lotion mask though.
sesame Reply:
November 1st, 2009 at 10:59 am
I used Sana’s cleansing oil quite sometime back – don’t really like their ingredients. And worst, I did not realized about the ingredients until later cos there were no English list on the one I bought.
November 5th, 2009 at 9:08 am
[...] I wonder if it’s a good thing. However, after reading The Japanese Skincare Revolution by Chizu Saeki and talking to Susan of True Beauty, it seems that some mixing may not be a bad idea. Here, [...]
November 9th, 2009 at 11:33 am
[...] mask This is a much loved mask and is really easy to use. If you have watched the video I posted here, you should have a good idea on how to make the most out of this lotion mask. The objective of [...]
January 12th, 2010 at 2:57 am
Hi i was just wondering when she said lotion does it mean like .. well you see i got a sample of this lotion from haba called G-LOTION and its not so much like a toner not sure cause i apply it on my skin using my fingertips dabbing it in… it’s apparently supose to improve my skin’s hydration.. maybe you can go check out the one at HABA ..
sesame Reply:
January 12th, 2010 at 4:05 pm
I think the Japanese brands have quite a number of such lotions. Anyway, I’m happy with my toner so not going to use this method for now.
January 17th, 2010 at 10:13 pm
Just tried it just now..it looks just a bit softer i wonder if it will be fine since I am trying a new toner.. instead of lotion ill try with the toner i have first.. i saw this burt’s bees rosewater toner at taka.. hmmm it says 100% natural at the back and the ingredients look fairly ok.. hopefully i can continue on with this method until i can afford more expensive lotion brands haha
sesame Reply:
January 18th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Those toners should provide some results but may not be as great as if you were to use a lotion (common with Japanese products).