THURSDAY
ADINNER with friends turned out to be explosive—in a gentle but nonetheless excitingly beautiful way, that is.
Husband and wife Pierre and Sheila Ching— the industrious couple behind food ventures Hainanese Delights, Chef’s Choice and the new generation Magnolia House; as well as a trio of beauty hubs in Skin Perfect, Perfect Contour, and Vanity Circle Salon— invited my sister Diosa MauricioLlave and I to dine with them as they entertained a Japanese partner somewhere in Ortigas.
Sheila, who knows just how we love all things related to slimming and skincare, thought we might have fun trying out a new product she developed with a Japanese company called Toyo Hakko. The company, represented at the dinner by executive Yasunobu Tsukamoto, apparently has many years in the research, development and supply of raw materials for Japan’s endless array of beautycare products. Sheila on the other hand, who lived and worked in the Land of the Rising Sun as a topnotch facial therapist during her single years, managed to establish a network in the beauty industry, thus her successful ventures in skin and body clinics today.
Anyway , Sheila whipped out extremely kawaii [the word used in Japan for items that are cute] pink boxes with sachets in them that take facemasks to a whole new level. Called “Popping Bubble Mask,” the unique product when applied to the face transforms from gel to foam, while gently popping and bubbling, to oxidize the skin.
“Think of it as having a facial without the massage because the popping and bubbling does that for you by stimulating blood circulation,” explained Sheila.
As for the ingredients, Mr. Tsukamoto stepped in and explain that his company supplies three sets of ingredients of fermented rice bran and soya, rose flower extract, and something called “perflurocarbon,” among other components to enable the cream to make skin brighter and softer.”
“Fermented rice bran and soya are especially effective in addressing problems by improv - ing collagen production. Rose extract is very good for whitening. And perflurocarbon, that helps lift skin from inside,” the Japanese executive kindly informed us. Used twice a week, the Filipino- Japanese tandem further related that Popping Bubble Mask is both an anti- aging and brightening product all in one. Best of all, according to Sheila, the gently explosive cream need not only be applied on the face.
“Wherever you have dark spots, for example your elbows, knees, and groin, this will also work to smoothen and whiten them,” she promised.
And with Toyo Hakko’s 33year experience in fermenting and producing natural ingredi- Cream that’s ‘ kawaii’ “younger, (From left) Restaurateur Pierre Ching and his wife Sheila of the Skin Perfect group with Yasunobu Tsukamoto ents that are all the rage in the global beauty industry today, and Sheila’s 17-year-old venture in running successful skin clinics and product manufacturing in the Philippines (not to mention her continuous training in skin and body treatments, mostly in Japan), my sister and I hardly needed much convincing.
Long story short, we each took our kawaii packs of Popping Bubble Mask at the end of the evening after a riveting chat with Sheila and Mr. Tsukamoto ( sorry we hardly noticed you Pierre), and made a bet on who would get to younger, brighter “Let’s pop and bubble!” we
chorused. The key ingredients of the unique facemask
By the way, the Chings are still in the process of dealing with pharmacies and retail outlets to carry Popping Bubble Mask, but those who want to learn more about the product can visit any of Sheila’s Skin Perfect clinics in most Robinsons mall in and around Metro Manila.