25 Apr PiNK Beauty Party Vol.3
By Natalie Lima Konishi
Translated by Naoko Tanaka
PiNK Beauty Party Vol.3 was held in Omotesando at Fujishin’s Aoyama FASTA studio. The venue was appropriately adorned with beautiful pictures, as Fujishin is a comprehensive cosmetic dealer.
Twenty-five survivors joined us for a full three hours of beauty menus aimed to contribute to the quality of life (QOL) through the “healing powers of beauty.”
After a brief introduction, the attendees split into two groups. Personalized simple make-up was led by Ms. Kamon from Say on the second floor. Say offers “look young” classes in Ginza. It is hard for women to recreate the looks they acquired at the beauty counter in department stores. Ms. Kamon and her team helped attendees by not only teaching, but also encouraging them to finish the other half of their faces on their own- returning home with the techniques learned. Ms. Kamon and her team shared pointers for discoloured skin and when you lose eyelashes and eyebrows. Eyebrows are a unique feature because it is the only part of your face that lifts instead of sags with age. It was nice to see participants looking intently into the mirror and carefully studying their features and working on them, then looking up with a glowing smile. Everyone looked fresh and happy after applying the final strokes of pink and orange blush.
Meanwhile, the professional manicurists on the first floor worked their magic. Not only did they offer very beautiful nail art designs, but the manicurists have trained and studied under the professional supervision of a doctor and gained extensive knowledge concerning the care of nails.
“We want to provide a relaxed private room to survivors with particular nail problems,” explained Future Nail Co., Ltd. representative Ms. Hagiwara. The team of manicurists, who were mainly graduates of the Future Nail school, painted and designed attractive nails in all shades of pink- which would be acceptable in everyday life. The participants happily chatted with each other while having their nails done.
After the first half of the program, everyone reconvened on the second floor for refreshments and a little fun surprise! The wig maker, Svenson from Germany had set up a booth where everyone was welcome to try on beautiful wigs. “To help maintain the QOL for each patient and to cherish the lifestyle of each and every customer before and after treatment is most important,” said Ms. Negishi from Svenson. Their wigs are 60% human hair, and are natural and light. After counseling, semi-custom designs can be made to match the state of their hair and scalp. Svenson has extensive knowledge of caring for, and cutting, wigs, with some stores adjacent to beauty salons. The Svenson booth was crowded with participants trying on new hairstyles, different from what they would usually do.
The special guest entertainer was baritone soloist Yukihiro Yamamoto, and he shared a few songs, including “o sole mio.” Accompanied by his friend Shiori Hagiwara, on the electric keyboard, Mr. Yamamoto explained that he hopes his performance will help uplift everyone’s spirits. The interpretation of the lyrics and the history of the songs were also shared, and everyone enjoyed his powerful singing in a voice full of vitality.
Following the performance was a speech by one of the attendees who has kindly shared her survivor story in this issue. A resident of Japan for eight years, she received notice of breast cancer about three years ago and has overcome tough times with the support of her friends and colleagues. Throughout her speech, she repeatedly expressed how “lucky” she felt. Her positive attitude and beautiful smile must have touched everyone’s hearts, and gave the listeners encouragement.
After the break, everyone seemed more relaxed and went on to enjoy their second session. The vibrant atmosphere was inspirational, and the power of “beauty” tangible.
At the end of the day, everyone went home with a big smile and souvenir bag.
Thanks to all our wonderful sponsors, co-organisers and volunteers who share a common aspiration and came together to help women fighting breast cancer by adding a little bit of “beauty”. We hope to have our 4th Beauty Party in May next year. Let us know if interested to set up a similar event for our English-speaking readership.
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Date: May 18, 2014 2:00-5:00pm
Place: Omotesando Fujishin Studio
Organized with: Fujishin, Future Nail, Say, Svenson
Sponsored by:：Henkel Japan, Jean Pearl, Kunitaro, OPI Japan
Entertainment by: Yukihiko Yamamoto (solo vocal), Shiori Hagiwara (piano)
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