Facial Filler Ups...and Downs

plus, the world's oldest beauty adviser (it's not me)!

Welcome readers, old and new!

Please tap the ❤️ above to pick up the dropped stitches in all sweaters amateur knitters are working on today. (Or if you’re just happy to be here.)

In the headlines this week, the Guinness World Records recognized the world’s oldest beauty adviser, Tomoko Horino, 100, in Fukushima, Japan (of course Japan). She’s been a commissioned saleswoman for more than 60 years at the cosmetics firm Pola. The second best thing about this Japan Times story is that Horino is one of more than 80 Pola sales staff age 90 and up. "I just enjoy seeing customers become beautiful and happy, and that has kept me going this far. I want to continue working as long as possible," said Horino.

Sticking with news from Japan, there’s a creative option for Tomoko Horino if she needs a nap during a break. Nescafé Suimin Café in the Harajuku neighborhood lets you book a 30-minute or hour-long nap in a reclining chair or couch. (This summer, there were vertical pods you could doze in called Giraffnap, but they were only a pop-up.) Your nap comes with a cup of coffee—for when you awaken, I assume—all for about $5.50 USD.

I’m headed back to Tokyo in a few weeks and hope to report on other delightful Japanese concepts.

About delightful concepts: They can be confusing—delightful for a while, less delightful later. Which brings me to a reader question about facial filler, then and now.

The beauty Q&A in this post is available only to paid subscribers. For full access to all posts—and if you value reader-supported work—please become a paid subscriber at the currently discounted rate of $40/year. If you can’t afford a subscription, email me at valeriemonroe.substack.com and I’ll comp you one, no questions asked. 🙏