BIHODOKI is a GRAPH musumeyaku feature about beauty, fashion and lifestyle. Manaki Reika’s was published in the February 2018 issue.
NOTE: I don’t endorse any beauty or health treatments recommended by Takarasiennes. Translation is for information purposes only.
BIHODOKI/Beauty behind the curtain – Manaki Reika (Moon Troupe)
How much effort is hidden behind the beauty of the musumeyaku…!? This corner pursues those secrets.
Inside
Relax:
I like putting on music while reading magazines. The music depends on how I feel at the time; Western music, classical music, Disney songs…
Skin Care:
The most important thing for me is cleansing and face-washing. Once I’ve taken my makeup off I’ll wash my face with a foaming cleanser and then rinse with lukewarm water. After that, I’ll get the water off with a tissue and apply a beauty serum called ‘Takami Skin Peel’. Then, I’ll put on a skin toner, a milk-based lotion, and cold cream, in that order. One important thing is that after putting the skin toner on with a cotton ball, I’ll rub it in with my fingers to make sure it all gets soaked into my skin!
Bath:
My metabolism is poor, so I always make sure to really soak in the bath. Sometimes I’ll massage in the bath, or put in baking soda packs… Some bath powders I really like are Ayura and Kikiyu, but sometimes I will just put in salt and rice wine. It will make the water really soft and your skin really smooth, so I recommend trying it!
Hair Care:
The Loretta line of products works really well with my hair, so I use their hair oil and night care hair cream, and a lot of other things. When I have blond hair, I’ll regularly go to a salon for treatments. When I get out of the bath at home, I focus on getting my hair dry as quickly as possible. Also, I think keeping my scalp supple is also good for my hair’s health, so when I’m in the bath I make sure not to skip doing a scalp massage!
Body Care:
Musumeyaku use foundation over their whole body, so it’s very drying. Therefore, in summertime I apply an inexpensive toner generously all over right after getting out of the bath. In wintertime, before I’m totally dry I’ll apply baby oil and skin cream – moisturizing is vital!
Meals:
I’m very proactive in making sure I get plenty of fruits and enzymes. Since its not good to chill one’s insides in the morning, I’ll drink a cup of plain warm water; Gussan (Harumi Yuu) and Toki (Kanoha), who are a class below me, recommended that. In the past, I used to diet, but after all it’s better for my body to eat proper meals, so now I make sure to eat a balanced diet. But even so, I really love sweets, so sometimes Gussan will chide me and say ‘you know you shouldn’t eat only sweets, right?’ (laughs)
Outside
Makeup:
I have a very young-looking face, and sometimes it’s very helpful, but sometimes I struggle with it… But, as I’ve been in Takarazuka longer, the amount of mature characters I’ve been given has increased, so due to that I’ve challenged myself with many new makeup techniques. If I use too heavy a base it’s bad for my skin, so when I am not working I’ll use just a primer and concealer. If I put foundation on, I’ll use a cushion type or a liquid foundation and just put it on the areas I think need it. I only use enough powder to set everything. For eye makeup, I don’t use eyeshadow just on my top lid, but also below my eye, and I use eyeliner on my eyelash line. My under-eye lashes are fairly thick, so when I put mascara on, I take care that it doesn’t end up looking too black all around my eyes. On my lips, I really love this lip product called ISKIN Lip Addict; it makes my lips look nice and plump so I like it a lot.
Hair Style:
My face is a bit ‘simple’ (laughs), so if I make my hairstyle too complex, my face will end up overshadowed. Therefore, I usually like to do rather simple hairstyles. Today, I wanted to do something a bit playful to match my outfit, so I made a high ponytail and braided it, and then used my hair to hide the elastic.
Clothes and Accessories:
A lot of the time when choosing clothes what I focus on most is balancing out the length of my neck. Of course, when I am working, I wear musumeyaku-style clothes, but when I am off work I’ll wear anything that makes me thing ‘that’s so cute!’. I owned this black shirt I wore today for ages, but never had a chance to wear it, so I thought ‘perhaps it would look cute with this red turtleneck?’ and tried it out today. If I wear simple clothes, I can wear accessories that are a bit larger, so I enjoy matching them together.
Nail:
I change it depending on the role, but on the whole, I like simple shades like beige or pale pink. I worry about my nails drying out, so I apply a lot of nail oil.
Perfume:
I like Jo Malone perfume. My favorites are ‘Nectarine Blossom and Honey’ and ‘Mimosa and Cardamom’. Often I’ll put it on at night before I go to sleep, so I wake up with the gentle scent. Sometimes I’ll use a body cream in the same scent, or sometimes I’ll use different scents of perfume and body cream. I enjoy mixing together the different scents.