This is a series of posts I wrote in my email newsletter back in my mid-30s, titled "My Story of Graduating from Being a Cosmetics Gypsy," which I'm now republishing for my official blog.
What were the motivations behind the creation of Mirobina, and why did they end up with skincare products made from natural ingredients?
We will leave behind written materials to convey the background information that cannot be fully expressed on the product page alone.
All 15 episodes are being released sequentially.
I really want to be beautiful
To our regular subscribers,
For first-timers,
Hello.
This is Nonko, the shop manager of Bi-Natural (formerly Aromatic Life Magic Soap) (*This was the original name of this shop) (*^_^*)
Now then!
This is the story of how I came to open my Aromatic Life Magic Soap shop.
I'm fortunate to be able to introduce products I'm truly satisfied with now, but this is the continuation of the brutal story that led up to that point...
Last time, I was a beauty consultant for a high-end French skincare brand that still exists today, and I was selling an intensive serum that cost 50,000 yen for just a week's supply, even though I hadn't personally verified its effectiveness.
They "completely believed" the explanation from the company and sold it to the customer.
I talked about how I had inadvertently played a part in creating people who constantly search for the same cosmetics.
Something feels different... an overwhelming feeling
"Expensive but ineffective."
I gradually grew tired of such high-end cosmetics, and since I'm not good with rules to begin with, I couldn't stand being forced to wear a restrictive uniform (which is natural for a beauty consultant), and being restricted in various ways.
One day, I was suddenly overcome with the thought, "Ugh, I can't do this anymore!" and the next day, I decided to tell the company that I wanted to quit.
Oh, but don't worry, after I told them I wanted to quit, I properly handed over my responsibilities and left peacefully and amicably.
I worked there for three years, but ultimately I realized that working in a company, especially as a beauty consultant where you have to maintain your appearance, wasn't for me. Also, there were several things about the job that I found "weird."
One issue is shoes. My feet were really, really hurting, and I thought that if I wore shoes that fit well, everything would be fine, so I bought expensive pumps, but as long as they were pumps, the pain in my feet didn't go away.
However, in the world of beauty consultants, it's all about making customers admire you, so looking your best is essential. I didn't like makeup because it changed my appearance, so I would only use foundation and not do any point makeup, or I would only wear a very light layer, but my chief would often scold me for it. I think she must have been relieved when she heard I was quitting (laughs).
Even so, I couldn't bring myself to think that my face, which ended up looking like a raccoon's, was pretty... I just couldn't do heavy makeup!
The usual free sample for 3,800 yen!?
Also, from time to time, we would sell skincare sets at a bargain price under the name "Coffret," or hold gift events, but the skincare products included in the Coffret were actually the same samples that we usually give away for free!
I was hesitant to recommend it.
At gift events, they would give these away to customers who spent tens of thousands of yen, but to me, they were incredibly shoddy items. I worried that it might be disrespectful to a high-end French manufacturer to offer something so childish. I think each one probably cost only a few hundred yen.
When it comes to gift sets and presents, shouldn't the recipient think, "I want this! It's wonderful!"? I worry that when they get home and think about it calmly, they might think, "What is this? What a mistake!" Even recommending them is incredibly difficult. I felt that this wasn't going to boost sales, so I even voiced my concerns to my boss.
The moment my enthusiasm melted away and vanished.
However, apparently no beauty consultants actually say things like that...I was immediately called in by another supervisor, who gently cautioned me about the way I expressed my opinion. It seems my feelings were too strong, and I had come across as aggressively critical.
So, I understood their point and regretted it... but even though I appreciated how they said it, they didn't address my opinion at all, and it was as if all my previous enthusiasm for "I want to increase the store's sales! I want customers to be happy and come back to our booth again and again!" suddenly melted away, and I realized that "my wish can no longer be fulfilled here." It was like some kind of magic had been broken.
Then, on the way home, I thought, "Ugh (~o~) I can't do this anymore! My feet hurt too (*´Д｀)"
And that's how it all came to be.
My feelings at that time were,
"Ahh, that feels good♪... Ugh (x.x)゜゜゜"
Yes, I was pregnant.
It's the same thing over and over again...
Since becoming pregnant, I've once again been gathering information from magazines for the sake of my child!
I was only 27 years old at the time.
"Calcium is important!"
Speaking of which, he continued to drink milk even while suffering from diarrhea.
"Don't gain weight."
If you ask me, I didn't eat much and only gained 5 kg until the very end.
In the end, I think I gave birth with my head and body completely rigid.
Sadly, after a difficult labor lasting over 40 hours, she gave birth to a baby who was almost premature. He must have suffered greatly during childbirth, as he was so weak he couldn't even cry. And to top it all off, he was delayed by a day due to jaundice...
(Now she's become such an energetic child that it's almost a problem!)
Looking back now, I realize how much of a model student I was, and how much of an overthinker I was! Sorry, son!
I realize I had forgotten how to feel.
I had diarrhea, so why didn't I realize that milk didn't agree with me?
Why didn't I feel a natural appetite?
Looking back, I think my strong desire to "avoid failure" and "do everything perfectly" led me to be overwhelmed by information.
In other words, I think we had become so convinced that information was always right and true that we had forgotten how to "feel things naturally," and as a result, we had stopped thinking for ourselves and feeling things for ourselves.
Later, when my son was one year old, I became fascinated with aromatherapy and ended up attending school for three years, where...
I noticed all sorts of mistakes and was swept up in a storm of emotions...!
Yes, we're in the midst of our first eye-opening period.
To be continued!
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🌿 "The Story of Graduating from Being a Cosmetics Gypsy" (15 episodes)
List of all 15 episodes:My Story of Graduating from Being a Cosmetics Gypsy | List of All 15 Episodes
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