Today is the 1 year anniversary of the Tohoku earthquake and tsunami. It’s difficult for a lot of people to swallow that year has already passed since that terrible tragedy and Japan, one of the world’s superpower nations, is still reeling from the devastation. I needed to take a moment and remember the depth, excellence, and focus with which the Japanese do ALMOST EVERYTHING in their daily lives even when it comes to the simplest, smallest things. I saw this packet of beauty paper by the checkout counter at Beauty Bar and first scoffed at the price (Php595.00 for 30 sheets) because I thought it was ridiculously priced for what I thought was a beauty trifle. Tatcha is a U.S. brand that distributes this finely made Japanese product.
I was so scandalized by the price in spite of its eye-candy packet that I even threw a quick, cheap remark at it via the saleslady (because I’m quick to judge that way, sadly, workin’ on it), but I hadn’t read what was inside before I did. After taking a closer look the saleslady respectfully said “Pero ma’am, pure abaca siya with gold flakes…” and suddenly my pride dissipated with a faint touch of embarrassment, what was she talking about? Was I actually caught in that moment where the saleslady had actually pointed out something truly good about something I dissed? Yup.
I read the back and the inner flap then held the packet just for a moment as if I needed to apologize to it. I felt like a fool and in that moment thought that only the Japanese could utterly lift the overall value of something as simple as beauty or blotting paper. In effect, I discovered it was blot paper almost practically of royal value. I thought if the Japanese could give this much importance to the making of beauty paper one can only wander how “swamped” their minds must be about everything else. Of course they’d probably say, there’s a proper flow to doing everything, and what’s important is whatever you’re doing at the moment, small or large, deserves your utmost craft and complete focus for it to turn out wonderful.
“Authentic Aburatorigami was originally created by gold leaf artistans and discovered by geisha. In the 1800′s for its skin benefits, these all-natural leaflets are powder free, fragrance free and handmade. They are suitable for all skin types.”
In light of recent events and the beautiful copy written that packet of beauty paper had begun to look like it was worth more than it was. After a good amount of analysis and a few moments to lick my little wounds of embarrassment, I asked the saleslady kindly to add it to my purchases. I decided I would feature this eye-opener of an item on a day of relevance for the Japanese. Tatcha beauty paper is smooth and sheer and appears a lovely, natural parchment color with an irregular dash of a few gold flakes on each sheet. I like how subtle the gold flakes are, there’s just a hint of wealth in there, but keeping a few in your wallet instead of cash will get you nowhere today.
“Consider the geisha. With her flawless porcelain skin, she has endured as an icon of Japanese beauty for more than 300 years. The secret of her allure? Special handmade papers used by gold craftsmen to protect the precious metal they hammered into whisper-thin leafing to enrobe the majestic pavilions of Imperial Japan. Their gold-leaf artistry transformed the paper into aburatorigami, an incredibly soft, strong, and absorbent leaflet ideal for removing excess oils from delicate skin. Just how our geisha discovered that this precious by-product of the artisan’s alchemy could help create a perfect canvas for her makeup and keep her skin petal fresh throughout the night remains a mystery, but the benefits of her ancient beauty secret remain unsurpassed to this day…”
In truth, I find the writing on the inner flap beautiful but melodramatic still, because they said a bit too much about blot paper essentially, though relevant and well-said, it’s quite long. Even though it is specially made, it’s still blot paper in the end, so I felt the copy on the inner flap a bit “reaching” to say the least, but convincing nonetheless. Overall, it’s a beautiful product that adds to my overall existing respect and awe for the Japanese, and my mother, who heads an advertising agency wants to buy several as gifts for friends. These make a lovely gift for a lady who likes to go on a lot of classy socials, these will fit perfectly into a purse and when pulled out are a charming talking point. I plan to save these for future VIP clients on shoots. These are available I guess at all Beauty Bar outlets and it comes in 4 packet colors, blue, pink, green, and purple. You can expect a barrage of event posts from me in the next few days, or even a few hours later today. Thanks to shoots and other things I’ve got Blog BackLOG so bad I need a lumberjack.
