Will Miss #420 - women who wear little make-up

Few women use this power as much as the woman in this ad. 

One thing that is the case by and large in Japan is that Japanese women don't wear much make-up. Occasionally, you see someone who is sporting enough maquillage to make a clown envious, but the general aesthetic is closer to looking natural. Most of my female students wear foundation and aside from those who go for spider lashes, they wear so little make-up (particularly eye make-up), that they just look normal. I think that this not only makes women look "real", but also reduces the pressure on all women to conform and wear more of it. It makes it that much easier on women like me who prefer to wear none at all most of the time.

I will miss how "real" and natural the vast majority of Japanese women look because they don't tend to wear much make-up. 

Won't Miss #199 - unsuitable makeup colors

Most of the makeup in Japan, unsurprisingly, is sold for women who have very dark brown eyes, black hair (brows, eyelashes), and a certain skin tone. When you have red hair, blue eyes, and a very pale skin tone, most of the make-up isn't going to flatter your coloring. Most of the mascara and eye liner is, of course, black which is really too dark for me.

I won't miss finding that the vast majority of the make-up does not suit my coloring.

Will Miss #143 - making up on trains

Japanese people will tell you that they don't like to see women putting their makeup on when they ride the trains and that it is bad manners. The thing is that it not only doesn't bother me, but I get a kick out of it for several reasons. First of all, there is a certain amount of risk undertaken when you put objects near your eyes on a moving train. Second, it requires some pretty spiffy dexterity to draw anything on your face while the train lurches and bounces. Finally, as "manners" issues go, this one isn't a problem for anyone as it doesn't smell bad, take up space, leave behind anything offensive, or trouble others in any way.

Essentially, women who put their makeup on on the train are just using the time to do something other than peck at their cell phones or read and write inane text messages, and I'll miss seeing them do their thing in the face of what I view as an overly sensitive unwritten rule about "manners."