SaSa can be found all over Hong Kong. It's more ubiquitous than McDonald's, even. I find a lot of tourists tend to go there to purchase skincare products from Switzerland or Europe with really dodgy names and claims.
Honestly, kids, as long as you moisturize with a decent (not necessarily expensive) moisturizer and put sunscreen on everyday, it almost doesn't matter whether or not your cream is made from the eggs of virgin sturgeons who swim only in Evian.
I would recommend SaSa if you're looking for commercial perfumes, but mostly, I would recommend this place for cheap Japanese drugstore cosmetics.
I wear mascara almost every day, so I don't really want to spend a lot of money on it when I throw it out every three months.
This is my usual brand: Heroine. I like the lengthening formula better than the volumizing one. I think the mascara itself is the same, but the lengthening one has a better applicator. It's only HKD60 and really worth the price.
However, today, I thought I would try out Fasio. I've seen the ads with Matsumoto Jun (Good Lawd, is that boy SO SEXY!), and I'm such a sucker for advertisements. I got the Hyperstay Magne Plus Curl Long. It's HKD98, so a bit more than my usual, but hopefully, it's worth it. Don't fail me, Matsumoto Jun! I'm due to change out my mascara by the end of December, so I will let you all know how Fasio works out for me.
Ah, crap, I just now realize that I forgot to photograph Kate, as well. I don't really wear makeup aside from mascara and lip gloss or lipstick, but I've heard from friends that they quite like Majolica Majorca. The truth is, the colours are a bit young for me. I don't really do pastel colours because they make me look like I woke up with bluebirds singing in my windows and mice coming in to help me put my socks on. It just doesn't work for me, you know? However, I do like that there are little charts on this (and on the Kate display, as well) showing you how to put on and blend the eyeshadows and blushes. Really excellent idea and makes purchasing so much easier.
Now this is what I'm talking about. Don't scoff at the name because Giovanni simply makes the best hair conditioner ever. Their 50:50 Balanced Hydrating Calming Conditioner is the best conditioner I've ever used. I have waist-length hair, and I wash and condition every night and never get split ends. My hair is disgustingly healthy and soft, so smooth that ponytail ties often slip off, and I really have to thank Giovanni for it.
If I may, I would like to say how important I think washing your hair every day is. You may not think your unwashed hair smells, but good GOD, it fucking does! People are just too polite to tell you! And really, do you want to sleep in your own hairy filth?! Hair attracts a lot of bacteria, germs and viruses. If you're on the bus or subway train and someone sneezes, those airborne viruses can end up living in your hair until you wash them out. Ugh, I'm shuddering right now.
Anyway, to the right of Giovanni in this picture is the Natural Source, another decent haircare line. I use their hair conditioning mask once a month. I also like this multi-use body and hair oil that they have. You put a little bit on your hair to keep it shiny and soft. I use it before I go swimming or on days when I have to style my hair with a curling iron. I don't blow dry my hair (so damaging!), but I did, I would also use this oil before doing so.
This is such a useless picture, sorry. This is my Fasio, and I also bought a white eyeliner pencil from Kate. It was HKD44 -- what a scary number!
So this is me with the Heroine mascara on. Sorry for the scary picture! I tried to widen my eyes to compensate for the flash. It looks sort of <i>Ringu</i>, I know. For such a cheap mascara, Heroine is still looking good, considering at the time of the photograph, I'd had it on for twelve hours. I have to say, though my lashes really got thicker since I started using L'Oreal's Renewal Serum for eyelashes. It really works.
Sorry, I had to get rid of the flash in order to photograph the white eyeliner properly. It's very nice. The colour is very opaque and not too sparkly. I wish SaSa had the Kate gel eyeliner, but I couldn't find it. Kate is owned by Kanebo, one of the biggest Japanese conglomerates, by the way.
