The Essential Starter Guide, Report on Where to Shop, & Order Hard-to-FindJapanese Nail Art Products to Your Door!

NEIru’s ULTiMATE JAPANESE NAiL ART

Online Shopping GuideBy Jasmine Oshima (Founder of Neiru)

PREFACEHello there!

My name is Jasmine Oshima, founder and Japanese nail art instructor at Neiru (www.Neiru.me).

Being a nail artist from Japan, I’ve always had access to amazing nail art

products, jewelry, and accessories. But it wasn’t until after moving to a new country

(Canada), it hit me as to how difficult it was to get my hands on products from Japan. Either I had to personally go to Japan or have a friend or family member order and ship to me!

Shopping on the internet for Japanese products was not easy either and that’s what I hope this book will change.

BUT WHY AND HOW?So why am I not witholding this information to give me a competitive advantage?

Well - I don’t believe that me being the only few who has these “products” will make me a better or skilled nail artist or that some how magically places me heads and shoulders above other nail artists.

I believe that it is your heart, love for this craft, education, and experience which spill on to nails that will determine your skill and career path as a nail artist - not the products.

BUT - I do belive that products can be a motivating factor and even help inspire you to continue and strengthen your love for the culture and craft!

I also believe that sharing and popularizing Japanese nail art products across the world will mean easier accessibillty, lowering of price with enough demand (simple economics), and help raise the standard of quality in other products around the world!

IT’S LITERALLY A WIN-WIN FOR EVERYONE.

And that’s why as professional nail artists and techs, this is an important time that we need each other more than ever. That we need to stick and work together and form a community, to support our passion, and pave the way for our future careers - together!

In this book you’ll find the brands myself and our Neiru Sensei’s inside of Neiru believe in. We believe in it so much that we are now working with a couple of the manufacturers directly (no they did not approach us - it was the other way around). We simply just love their product and now we are acting as distributors to ensure we can get it out to others outside of Japan!

I hope this book will serve as an amazing resource for you to help inspire your love for Japanese nail art!

Enjoy!

how You CAn help write history and CONTRiBUTE TO THIS REPORTThis guide will continue to be updated and maintained periodically, but more importantly will always remain a free resource.

But we need your help and here’s how you can contribute to the movement and our global nail art community:

1) ONLINE SHOP REPORTINGKnow of other online retailers or shops that carry Japan made nail art products? Let us know and we’ll add it to our list. The requirement is that these shops need to be able to ship anywhere OUTSIDE of Japan. So wether you’re a shop owner, a distributor, or a customer - feel free to let us know. As soon as we verify your report, we’ll add it this to this guide.

2) ONLINE SHOP FEEDBACKShopped at one of the shops listed in the following pages? Let us know your experience or any issues you had from product quality to the time it took to arrive at your doorstep!

To be a part of this report, simply email hello@neiru.me with the subject line: “My Contribution!”

If your contribution has been verified, we’ll add your name to our contributor’s list at the end of this report and have you written in the history of this movement!

WWW.NEIRU.ME

WHY it’s so difficult tofind japaneseproducts?

It’s true - and I didn’t realize this until I left Japan and moved out to Vancouver, Canada. Purchasing Japan made nail art (or other Japanese products) can be very difficult to find. They’re usually highly sought for, limited in number when exported out of Japan, or simply no one is carrying them.

While globalization continues to bring the reach of any product closer and closer, Japan continues to serve a very niche foreign market of individuals who wish to get their hands on these hard to find products - from some of the most delectable snacks to the most cutting edge beauty products. And this is no different in the world of nail art.

Japan produces some of the most developed and refined nail art products being one of the first in the culture and industry of nail art - dating back to the Edo period (1600’s).

So what is it? Could it be the reason that Japan had a long history of closing it’s doors to foreign trade leaving them behind in the customs of foreign exchanging? Or could it be language and cultural barriers? Perhaps it may have to do with the bureaucratic and paper work of exporting that Japan does not want to bother with with already such a large market population to sustain their own products.

Whatever the reason, I want to show you how you can get your hands on some of the most highly sought for nail art products coming out of Japan.

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What To buy? Too much! As you may already know, shopping for Japan made nail art goodies can be a bit of a pit hole. But if you aren’t sure, here’s some nail products that make shopping for Japan made products worthwhile:

GELSForget nail polish. At least most of Japan has already abandoned creating nail art with polish - as it is a very difficult process and which many effects just can’t be achieved. Beautiful and original effects can be created through the use of gel (and even acrylics). Japanese nail gel paints are ranked as some of the most pigminted and diverse in colors.

But in this guide, we’re going to share with you one brand, Akzentz, that is used a lot in Japan by nail artists including some of our Neiru Instructors including, myself, tati, and Saori of BLC. Best part of all, it’s availble worldwide and uses a lot more safer than products made in Japan. (More about availability later!)

BRUSHESIt’s hard to find beautifully crafted nail art brushes outside of Japan. (If you want to learn more about the types of brushes, you can have an indepth read from my latest book “tati” available on Apple’s iBook Store.My favorite brand of brushes has to be from Tati (More about availability later!)

NAIL JEWELRYNail jewelry is crafted to perfection in Japan. Japan outranks China in the quality of their manufacturig and machining. From perfect metal nail studs as small as 1mm to jewelry with beautiful gems - authentic Japanese nail art jewelry does not tarnish or change in color even after application and wear!

ACCESSORIESFrom nail tip holders, to clear acrylic palettes to some of the cutest professional nail accessories. It just never seems like you’ll ever have enough of nail toys .

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Visiting JapanFirst recommendation to shopping for Japan nail art products: Go to Japan.

Being in Japan you’re not restricted to online orders, shipping fees, taxes, etc.There are two main chain retailers when it comes to shopping for nail art goodies in Japan: Nail TAT and Nail Partner

Nail Shop TAT - Over 20 shops across Japan!Including Sapporo, Sendai, Usui Koriyama, Nagoya, Niigata, Tokyo, Kobe, Okayama, Hiroshima, Takamatsu, Tokushima, Fukuoka, Okinawa, and more!

For complete location listings, including foreign countries that have a TAT retail store Go here: www.nailtat.com/shop/index.html

Nail tech license is NOT required.If you do hold a license you do receive a discount on all purchases when shopping at TAT.

Nail Partner - Over 20 shops across Japan!Including Ebisu, Shibuya, Osaka, Shinjuku, Yokohama, Sapporo, Nagoya

For complete location listing of Nail Partner in JapanGo here: www.nail-partner.com/store

Nail tech license IS required.If you do not hold a nail techn license, you will be unable to shop at this store.

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Neiru member, Simona from Italy, shopping at Nail TAT in Tokyo, Japan!

ORDERING ONLINECan’t make it to Japan? Neither can most of us. So, not to worry! We’ve done the work for you and found the online shops that are reputable, licensed, and carry products that are perfect to help you get started.

In the following pages is probably why you downloaded this book.

I’m going to save you some time from scouring the internet for hours. We’ve provided you with the links, type of products, contact, and any general comments or notes when it comes to online retailers carrying nail art goodies from Japan.

The shops listed after this page have been sorted by the following:Gel - AkzentzBrushes - tati BrushesNail Jewelry and AccessoriesOrdering + Shipping From Japan (using forwarding service)

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Akzentz may not be made in Japan, but is used by many in Japan. Infact, Akzentz is made in Canada, with the highest standards.

North American and European ingredients, and no private labeling. All of the gels are 100% gel, solvent-free and there is such a wide range of products that we have everything you could possibly need to customize your service to your clients needs.

Not only popular in North America, Japan, but is also dominating in countries like Russia where the level of art is also very high! We love Akzentz so much that we’ve recently launched a Neiru x Akzentz starter kit working with them for over a year to produce this mini set kit and are finally official! Hand curated by myself, I’ve picked out several colors from their Gel Play (thickest consistency) and Options Line - which are both amazing lines of Akzentz perfect for Nail Art.

To get the Akzentz x Neiru Starter kit head over to: https://akzentz.neiru.me

GELS (WHY WE LOVE AKZENTZ + WHERE TO BUY)

WHERE TO BUY AKZENTZ?Akzentz x Neiru Exclusive Gel Nail Art Starter Kit:https://akzentz.neiru.me

Akzentz International Distributors (Find your nearest distributor):http://www.akzentz.com/distributors

Saori Tanabe (Japan)

Artists Who Use Akzentz Gel Include:

Kashlyaeva Tatiana (Russia) Mariko Shida (Japan)

tati Brushes are literally the best of the best when it comes to gel nail brushes.

Even after a century, the advanced technique of brush crafting is passed on through the generations and the majority of high quality brushes in Japan are created in the Kumano Region of Japan alone. Tati has brought her brand to the Kumano region to seek only the best brush artisans to craft and cut every brush by hand.

And across Asia, Tati Brushes are nothing but a sell-out at every large nail event. It’s the go to brush by some of the most amazing artists across Japan. And we’re so lucky not only to have tati as one of our Neiru Senseis (instructors) but Neiru is now also the official international distributor for tati Brushes!

With creating art using gel (with high viscosity), it is must that gel needs to be applied ever so gently and spread thinly.And using typical nail art brushes that can withstand pressure, tends to simply wipe the gel off with every stroke. Tati brushes were created

GEL BRUSHES (WHY YOU NEED TATI BRUSHES)

WHERE TO BUY tati Brushes?tati Brushes by Neiru:https://shop.neiru.me

(Free worldwide shipping)

tati (Neiru Sensei) Aoki (Neiru Sensei) Junjun Nail (Neiru Sensei)

and are intended instead to caress the surface of the gel. This way, the bristles spread the gel without actually touching the nail and is kept separate by the gel in between.

Pick up your set of 9 tati Brushes from round brushes to liners to angular brushes, from our Neiru Shop (https://shop.neiru.me) - and yes there is free international shipping!

Artists Who Use tati Brushes Include:

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Nail Partner Globalwww.nailpartner-global.com

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Website Contact

Nail Labo Store www.naillablostore.com USA sales@naillabo.us

Daily Charme www.dailycharme.com Interantional Website Contact

The Nail Hub Store www.thenailhub.com/store USA/Canada sales@thenailhub.com

JAPANESE NAIL ART JEWELRY + ACCESSORIES (INTERNATIONAL OR LIMITED SHIPPING)

Here are some other shops and places to shop for your Japanese products that we trust!

WWW.NEIRU.ME

JAPANESE NAIL GOODIESOrdered by our members. Thank you for sharing your products with us:Jo Kan (UK)Nassary (Netherlands)

ORDERING FROM JAPAN DIRECTLY:INTERNATIONAL FORWARDING SERVICES

There may be several reasons why you want to order from Japan:

- The product is very new and has not made its way outside of the Japan market- The product is created specifically for Japan- Limited edition products that will never reach overseas

These products are just not making there way out of the country and you have a dying urge to own some of the most limited and prettiest tools, accessories, and products or you’re looking to create very unique looks and effects which certain products can only achieve. Ok... not to worry, there’s hope.

There are neat little shipping services that allow you to order to their location in Japan, and then ship out internationally. A service known as “mail forwarding servies”.

Ofcourse they come at a price and each have their own process. But sometimes it works out quite reasonably. Many online retailers in Japan offer free shipping meaning you’d only have to pay for shipping to your own doorstep through an international forwarding service!

Here are a few things to keep in mind when ordering from Japan:

1) Make sure you read country’s importing and shipping restrictions especially on cheimical products.2) If you can’t understand the site, use Google translate by simply going to translate.google.com and typing in the URL into the box. In the other box will appear your URL, click it and it will translate to your desired language!3) Having a friend who can read Japanese can be helpful especially with processing your order or even dealing with customer service communication

So here we are going to compare a few known forwarding services that allow you to shop Japan online and will ship out to you internationally.

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Tenso www.tenso.com/en Free Starting 50 JPY EMS 2-4 DaysClaims to be the cheapest forward service coming out of Japan

Backage Forward www.frontier-e.com/en/ FreeStarting 380 JPY

EMS, DHL, UPS, SHIP

Goyokikiya www.goyokikiya.com FreeStarting 300 JPY

EMS 3-5 DaysNot a lot of information in English

INTERNATIONAL FORWARDING SERVICES (FROM JAPAN TO YOUR DOORSTEP)

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Nail Supply www.nailsupply.jp Japanese No

Beauty NailerVetroLeafgelCalgelPregel(...more)

KrisnoMicreaBeauty Nailer

Bonnailstore.shopping.yahoo.co.jp/bon-bon/

Japanese Yes

AgehaBella FormaMore CoutureTati(...more)

Nail TAT www.nailtat.com Japanese No

LeafgelVetroPregelCalgelParagelKokoist(...more)

TatiBonnail AgehaKrisnoB-r-sHolbein Chelsea (...more)

Nail Partner Japanese NoAce Gel(...more)

Registering with a valid nail license is required.

NES www.nailnes.com Japanese Yes

Nail Labo www.naillabo.jp/shop Japanese No

Nail De DancePresto(...more)

Nail LaboNail De Dance

Nail license required

ORDERING DIRECTLY FROM JAPAN SERVICES (USING A FORWARDING SERVICE)

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JAPANESE NAIL GOODIESOrdered by our members. Thank you for sharing your products with us:Jo Kan (UK)Fiona (Singapore)Yee (Singapore)

Before you start pulling out your credit cardsHere’s a few things to keep in mind.

Please note, once again, Neiru nor myself are affiliated with or represent any of the above retailers. But we have ordered or do trust the stores listed.

Ensure you do proper research and your due diligence on the retailer’s track record.

Check with your country’s importing regulations before you make any orders.

Taxes may be applied after shipping by your country’s.

Neiru cannot be held responsible for any of the purchasing you do.

Feedback? Errors? Contribute?

YES - this report will be updated periodically and we can only do that with your help. Direct all feedback, errors, and any contributions to this report, by simply emailing hello@neiru.me with the subject line: “My Contribution!”

(For more details on how you can contribute and have your name recorded in this book go to Page 3.)

LEARN THE LATEST NAIL ART TECHNIQUES from japan.JOIN TODAY: WWW.NEIRU.ME