Mascara

Japanese mascaras have the longest wearing formulas ever. Some American beauty companies have already realized their greatness and repackaged them to sell at Sephora (see: FairyDrops and the now defunct Imju.) But you can save yourself $10 by finding the exact same mascara in its Japanese-language packaging in your local, well-stocked Japanese grocery store.

Heroine Lash and Curl hasn’t been repackaged yet so get on it quick! Asian lashes tend to be a little finer and stick straight, so this mascara gives tons of lift and volume in the blackest of blacks with just two coats (but work quickly as it dries very fast). Once you put this on, this mascara is not. Budging. At. All. It’s great for anyone that has eyelids that tend to be on the greasier side and if you ever sleep away from home sometimes. The rest of your makeup might rub off, but this mascara will not. It’s so strong that the brand started selling its own brand of eye makeup remover alongside the mascara in dual packaging, but don’t worry, Clinique or your standard makeup remover works. Plain water will not, you will really need to scrub to get it off. Don’t have a Japanese grocery store in your neighborhood? Get it here.