Today i want to introduce a new cosmetic/skin care brand that i come to love very much recently.

But before that i want to share some stories!

So during my family trip in Japan, Tokyo Luxey insisted i meet up with this brand called maNara because they think i will like the products. So i did, and we set a meet up at Loft, Yurakucho near Ginza, because maNara is sold at the Loft.

I thought i was just meeting the marketing people or the brand representative, but…

The founder and president of maNara, Iwasaki Yumiko san herself took some time off her super busy schedule just to meet this foreign blogger in Japan!! T___T

Despite being someone who is of such esteemed position, she greeted me with warmth and lots of smile, and treated me like her friend. That’s her explaining how popular the product is hahaha. And i can really sense how proud and confident she is about her products!

maNara’s award winning product! It’s so popular that more than 4 million tubes are sold! More about that later!

We were having a casual lunch (rumored the best sukiyaki beef restaurant in Ginza!!) while they introduce the company and products to me.

One thing i noticed about the other maNara’s employees is that everybody seemed to really respect and admire Yumiko san, the way they talk to her and speak so fondly of her.

Later then, i found out that Yumiko’s dream is to create company that provides happiness for all women, including their own employees. The company consists of mostly women, some married and some are mothers. The company’s policy is to make sure their employees maintain a balanced work and family life: to have a good career but at the same time not sacrificing the importance of their family (which is too rare in Japan!!). Yumiko san makes everybody go home at 5pm sharp, and the company also provides supports for mothers who need to take care of their children. There’s even a Mama Lunch gathering every month!!

If i ever move to Japan, i want to work for maNara lolol.

Anyway, i am really glad that i had this meeting. Sometimes it takes more than trying a product to like it. Knowing how Yumiko san runs her company, i am already in love with their products.

Even more so after i read this:

“The touching story of how maNara was born”.

Lolol maNara has their own Manga!!!!  I really must give it to the Japanese for their creativity.

Anyway, the story is the life of Yumiko san herself, how she quit her 15 years long advertising job (hence the creativity!!) in pursue of creating her very own “ideal skin care” from scratch. Despite being rejected over and over again, she persisted in making a product that is safe and effective for all woman, and one that she would love and use herself, of course.

Honestly i was almost teary when i flipped to the last page hahaha.

Anyway, it’s time to introduce the “magic products”!!!

 

maNara

Actually, i am a user of maNara myself before i even met Yumiko san. A Japanese friend gave a tube of maNara hot cleansing gel to me and i really loved it, but i was using it very very carefully cuz i was worried if i finish it then had no idea where to buy it!! (They used to only sell it online and it was nowhere to be found in stores).

I am glad i crossed path with it again.

Three of the golden treasures of maNara: Hot Cleansing Gel, Wash Gel and Liquid BB Bar.

 

One more thing i love about maNara: they are so attentive to details.

You know the sticker/tape used to seal a box? Usually you will need to pry it off hard at the risk of spoiling your nails (and the box), or find a cutter to cut it through right?? But maNara’s one come with a grey end that is non-adheasive so you can just peel it off effortlessly. And of course i appreciate too the instruction printed on the inside for paper saving!

 

maNara Wash Gel

The latest beauty trends is to “not over cleanse your face”, otherwise it will lose moisture, right? Some girls choose to not use foam cleanser or even not wash their face in the morning now, but then you will notice that you will never be able to remove the “dullness”!

maNara Wash gel is so gentle that the texture is exactly like that of a moisturizer! You apply it on your face as you would a face cream, massage and just rinse off, or even just wipe it off with a cotton pad. There’s no worries because it is made of 97.5% moisturizing beauty ingredient!

It is a really strange feeling. I feel like i am moisturizing my face when i apply it, but when i rinse it off, my face feels so clean and refreshed!! What sorcery is this??!? And yes i do see the instant brightness of the complexion!

 

maNara Liquid BB Bar

Although this is a sponsored post, i must say this is the best BB thingie i’ve ever come across. I have never really bought this whole BB craze because they are always too thick and appear too white -_-.

maNara’s BB bar is cleverly formed into a stick, and you just glide it over your face, then smoothen it even with a maNara sponge.

You know how sometimes liquid foundation can be too creamy, and powder foundation will cake after a few hours? This is a perfect balance between liquid and powder omg, i don’t know how they can make something so easy to use!! The texture looks quite heavy but when you spread it with a sponge, it just melts into your skin and blend so naturally!!!

The BB cream was invented by a mom who is also an employee of maNara, who just got back to work from giving birth and realized that there is no time to be spent on makeup in the mornings and wanted to find a better solution for everyone.  And she did a video tutorial where she applied her foundation using this in just 30 seconds. I could too! Haha.

After light make up!

 

 

maNara Hot Cleansing Gel

Now the legendary product! It has won the Monde Selection Gold Award for 10 consecutive years!

New packaging on the left! And on the right is the one i have been using long time ago!

I use it at the end of the day just before i sleep.

Hot Cleansing Gel, like its name suggests, is a gel type cleanser + make up remover that looks orangy and smells like citrus (i love the scent!).

You spread it on your hand and apply it on the face and massage in circular motion for 30 seconds – 1 minute, until you start to feel a warm sensation and your make up starts to melt away. Then you stroke your face with damp hands till the gel emulsifies. Then rinse off. There’s no need to double cleanse!

 

I love all the three products!! Other than practicality, i actually really love how genuine the people are behind this brand. I guess you really do win in business if you have sincerity.

Also, maNara’s biggest benefits are how natural all the ingredients are. maNara’s policy is the 7 No’s:

1. No Synthetic perfumes
2. No colorings
3. No mineral oils
4. No petroleum surfactant agents
6. No ethanol
7. No paraben
8. No ultraviolet absorbers

therefore you trust that it would be 100% gentle for your skin.

 

 

Anyway… the sad news is that, it is not available in Malaysia yet. I knoooow T__T. But they really want to bring it to Malaysia soon!!

BUUUUUT if you ever come to Japan (nah nah nah one more reason to buy your tickets!!!) or have friends who are in Japan now, please go and grab maNara products in the following stores!

Do check out maNara’s new English Facebook page for for info!

 

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