Beauty Must-Haves to Get in 2022 from Osakakuma

Valentine's Day might be over but it does not mean you can't still treat yourself or anyone else, for that matter.

For February 2022, beauty drops range from fresh new eye serum by SK-II, as well as useful skincare saviours by Shiseido and Bb Labo! If you need new makeup, Les Merveilleuses LADURÉE has the prettiest blusher for your cheeks.

So get your credit cards ready and start shopping the list for yourself, your best friend, or your special half - either way, you are making the month of love super special for everyone.

Anyone who has used SK-II PITERA™-powered products would attest to the brand’s ability to revive even the most fatigued and dull skin back to life.

Now, the Japanese skin expert wants to take its expertise a step further with the new Genoptics Under Eye Circle Serum. This breakthrough cocktail of power ingredients aims to brighten dark circles and protect the under-eyes skin from irritating environmental aggressors while the massage applicator stimulates microcirculation, making it perfect for dull, tired-looking under-eyes.

This eye serum contains PITERA to reprogram skin to behave as a younger skin would, tightening slacked eyelids, while puffiness and shadows caused by swelling under the eyes are reduced. Formulated with lactic acid to provide gentle exfoliation and prevent the formation of milia around the delicate eye area.

You would usually go to your dermatologist or plastic surgeon for laser therapy to treat hyperpigmentations.

While lasers can help to lighten dark patches on the skin, it only works on larger areas, and not on the scattered, less pigmented spots across the face. These scattered spots are what cause the skin to lack clarity and look uneven.

Shiseido's latest intensive brightening serum (2021 formula) fills the gap. It treats the tiny, undefined spots on the skin in two ways.

First, by formulating with Shiseido's patented retinol as the acting ingredient to help the skin to respond the same way as after laser therapy - by optimising turnover so that skin cells containing melanin are "pushed" to the surface and eventually sloughed off as dead skin to reveal a radiant complexion - but without the damage and scabbing of laser treatment.

The second method uses tranexamic acid and Shiseido's patented potassium 4-methoxysalicylic acid (4MSK) to suppress the signals given out by UV-exposed skin cells to produce melanin, preventing more spots from forming.

This scientifically advanced formula helps to reduce the look of dark spots, uneven skin tone, and discoloration, promising to reveal a smooth, bright complexion with a translucent, luminous finish.

This multi-tasking cheek and eye elixir is infused with potent age-defying ingredients to awaken the eyes and prevent signs of fatigue. Glycerol and hydrolyzed yeast help to repair the delicate skin around the eyes and cheeks while ginkgo biloba leaf extract tones the skin. A combination of caffeine and its cooling rollerball applicator soothes while encouraging circulation for eyes that feel refreshed and look revitalised. For extra de-puffing benefits, always chill before use.

There is nothing I love more than a multitasking skincare product, and sleeping masks seem like the ultimate example. Sleeping is already important for skin repair and renewal - couple it with a hydrating sleeping mask and you are on the fast path to complexion nirvana.

And there are few sleeping masks that have received as much hype as the Bb Labo Sleeping Moist Gel Mask. The blue, bouncy gel cream is lauded for its ability to brighten and illuminate even the dullest complexions, all while you snooze.

Bb Labo is known for championing placenta extracts within its formulations, while hyaluronic acid, ceramides, and cholesterols hydrate the skin and strengthen the damaged skin barrier. There is also apple fruit extract to gently exfoliate the skin and Rosa Damascena oil for the ultimate masking self-care element. Because it is quite gentle, it is a middle-ground mask for all skin types, too.

When presented with a beautifully packaged beauty product, the mind whirs and splits into two fractions. One side concludes that it is probably all gimmick with no substance, the other side concludes that it is far too pretty to be used and should thus be kept that way, turning the product into a white elephant of sorts.

LADURÉE's Face Colour Rose from the Les Merveilleuses' collection places somewhere in-between the two sides. And yes, if you have not heard, LADURÉE - a.k.a the macaron maker - is in the beauty business now.

At nearly $190 for both the ivory pot and the blush, which takes the form of delicate rose petals that look so much like the real deal. LADURÉE's star blush is rightfully opulent and by far the most expensive blush I have ever come across; the petals that make the blush alone cost $130.90.

Infused with Damask rose, Centifolia rose extracts, and a touch of rose honey, just those few light strokes of the blush will leave your face smelling like roses. It is also formulated with cacao butter to allow the blush to melt into the cheeks effortlessly.

Now if you are someone who likes your blush intense, this is not for you. If you are someone who likes blushes that double as highlighters with all that holo shimmer within, this is not quite for you either. But if you are down for a blush that gives a seriously seamless, natural-looking flush with hardly any effort on your part, doubles as beautiful room decor and a fragrance, and will probably last you for quite some time? I say go down for the count.

Oshima Tsubaki Oil is one of those really Japanese products that has been around for decades. Almost everybody, no matter their age or gender has tried it at some point or at the very least has heard of it. There are few Japanese companies that make Tsubaki (a.k.a camellia flower) oil, but Oshima is the most well-known and famous - after all, Oshima (a very small island in Japan) is renowned for their Japanese camellia flower.

Oshima Tsubaki is a pure and natural oil extracted by cold-pressing the seeds of the Camellia Japonica flower. This oil is known to have excellent moisturising and anti-ageing properties, and it can be applied directly to the hair, face, and body.

Camellia Japonica flower is packed with oleic acids that are extremely compatible with our own skin. This natural Tsubaki oil stimulates skin cell regeneration, repairing dry, ageing, and sunburnt skin. In addition, it is non-comedogenic, making it perfect for all skin types.

Oshima Tsubaki also now comes in a handy mist type that can be used quickly even on a busy morning. It gives dry hair moisture and luster and finishes it with smooth hair. Formulated with camellia ceramides to penetrate into the hair shaft to repair damaged hair, camellia oil coats the surface of each hair to make it smooth.

Introducing ROHTO Pharmaceutical's anti-glycation skincare drink, whose efficacy is backed by the frontier research of regenerative medicine. Episteme Stem Science Drink focuses on the four elements of rejuvenation: glycation, oxidation, light-aging and aging.

it is amazing how one tiny bottle has the potential to make a big difference to your skin and health. Packed with micro marine collagen peptides, royal jelly extract, bird's nest extract and other vitamins, this little boost offers massive skin and health benefits one sip at a time.

Ready to adopt the inside-out approach to loving your skin? Start by taking this fuss-free beauty solution to repair damaged skin for optimal absorption of collagen & other skin-loving nutrients!

The type of facial massagers you would typically see are made of crystals such as jade, rose quartz, tourmaline, or amethyst, but have you heard of it being made of platinum-clad?

Founded in 2009, ReFa offers an assortment of beauty rollers that are carefully designed not just to feel good on the skin but also perfectly fit every contour and uneven surface of the skin, providing the optimum amount of pressure with each use.

With a unique, 360-degree, multi-angle design, ReFa S Carat is meant to replicate the gentle pinching and kneading sensation of a facial massage. These actions, along with a very mild microcurrent that is generated by drawing light into a solar panel fixed in the handle, stimulate your skin and facial muscles, boosting circulation, enhancing firmness, and improving your skin tone.

Slightly smaller than the original ReFa Carat, ReFa S is not only more portable but also fashioned to fit the subtle undulations of your facial contours: around the eyes, nose and lips. The surface of this roller is coated in brilliant platinum, which makes it compatible with even the most delicate skin. And because it is solar-powered, it never requires plugging in or battery replacement.

Meiji NMN 1000 Supreme is an anti-ageing supplement and vitamin B3 derivative that keeps your cell young by boosting NAD+ levels, your cell's fuel. This supports a longer healthier life, increases energy levels, sharpens your mind and improves your skin health. Each capsule contains 333mg of pure NMN, an equivalent of the amount of NMN in 33.3kg of broccoli.

NMN or Nicotinamide Mononucleotide is a nucleotide that is derived from nicotinamide and ribose. NMN is made from B vitamins and is a molecule that naturally occurs in all life forms. NMN is a direct precursor to Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide (NAD), and helps to increase NAD+ levels and therefore rejuvenates cells and repairs damage.

NAD+ is a crucial coenzyme required for all of our cellular functions. It plays an especially active role in many of our metabolic processes, such as glycolysis (glycolysis is the first step in the breakdown of glucose to extract energy for cellular metabolism), the Krebs Cycle, and the electron transport chain amongst other processes, which occur in our mitochondria and allow us to obtain cellular energy. In essence, it is how our body turns food into an energy currency that our body can exploit.

As we get older, we gradually amass DNA damage from exposure to environmental factors such as pollution and radiation, as well as self-inflicted damage from consuming processed foods, smoking tobacco and excessive alcohol consumption. It has been proven by science that DNA damage is the main cause of ageing. That said, all our cells contain the potential to repair this inevitable damage, and in our younger years do so very effectively, but this requires a big amount of effort on the part of our NAD+.

One important repair protein, PARP (Poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase), relies heavily on NAD+ as a fuel source to repair our damaged DNA. As we age, our natural levels of NAD decrease. The accumulation of natural DNA damage as a result of the normal ageing process leads to an ever-increasing need for PARP, which in turn calls for even more NAD from our ever-dwindling supply.

It is a fact that our NAD+ levels drop as we age, and returning our NAD+ level back to that of our younger years, may slow or even reverse the ageing process, or at least prevent us from developing "gateway diseases" such as diabetes that lower our defences and allow other, more serious, age-related diseases such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's to take hold.

Fast and calorie restriction has been shown to increase our NAD+ levels. Increased NAD+ from calorie restriction has been shown to slow the ageing process in mice. Although NAD+ is present in some foods, the levels are too low to have any real effect. On the other hand, taking supplements, such as NMN, has been shown to increase NAD+ levels.

However, taking NAD+ directly as the supplement is not a practical option because the NAD+ molecule cannot readily cross cell membranes to enter cells, and therefore would be unavailable to positively affect metabolism. Instead, precursor molecules to NAD+ such as NMN (we recommend Meiji NMN 1000 Supreme!) must be used to increase bioavailable levels of NAD+, as it is far easily absorbed and therefore more effective at raising our depleted NAD levels.