Daniel Martin may be known as the makeup artist for Meghan Markle, Nicola Coughlan, and Ali Wong. He is also the Global Artistry Director for Tatcha, a Japanese brand known for its 23K gold-flecked blotting paper. As summer drew to a close, Martin flew to Shanghai, where Tatcha was launched two years ago, and spent a week exploring the city. Here, he talks about jet lag hacks, moisturizers that survive 20-hour flights, and “Mario Dedivanovic of China.”
Dear ITG
In August I ended up spending a week in Shanghai, where I checked into Tatcha’s first shop and spa. It’s located in China’s largest luxury department store, Intime, and it reminds me a lot of Bergdorf’s store. Not only was I excited to see the store and spa in person, but I had never been to China before.
The flight to Shanghai was a whopping 20 hours, but luckily, time shifter That helped prevent jet lag. Enter your itinerary into the app and it will tell you what time to wake up, when to see light to activate your circadian rhythm, when to drink coffee, when to eat, and when to take melatonin. It will tell you everything about when to go to bed. I used it when I traveled to Australia, and there was no jet lag. Of course it was created by an astronaut, right?
I have very sensitive skin, so I can’t use typical “in-flight” beauty products like sheet masks, which tend to make my skin itchy. I always apply moisturizer and leave it on before I fly. Tatcha’s Indigo Calming Cream Ideal for sensitive and irritated skin. I use it not only when I fly, but whenever my skin is under stress.
When we landed, Shanghai was the hottest place I’ve ever felt. It was also extremely humid. I was constantly repainting during the day. Tatcha’s Silk SPF 50this is one of the few sunscreens that even my sensitive skin can use. I used our store at night. indigo cleansing balm This is to ensure that all traces have been erased. Makeup also comes off very easily.
The beauty brands here are really interesting. Because a lot of their storytelling is based on a balance between science and local ingredients (many of which, as I’ve noticed, are water-based), just like Tacha uses seaweed. It’s from. I also discovered Maogeping, a great makeup artist brand that primarily produces color cosmetics. The founder, Mao Zeping, is like China’s Mario Dedivanovic. Michelle from our marketing team noticed something really cool about him. A hybrid of moisturizer and primer. It glides on like a serum, but dries around town with a sticky primer that holds your makeup in place. His products also have a lot of embossing, which is very common here. I received this beautiful blush Beautiful scenery spreads out. It reminded me of Florasis, a C-beauty brand currently in America. Their makeup also often incorporates beautiful visuals.
Besides the beauty, the food was a mess. We went to the wonderful restaurant “Shu Yan Ge” located in the historical part of West Lake Park, about an hour and a half by bullet train from Shanghai. You have to book months in advance as they only serve 2 tables on a night. It was one of the most wonderful and memorable meals I’ve ever had. Everything was incredibly fresh and the environment was very intimate. It felt like being in someone’s home.
China has a huge coffee culture, which I didn’t expect coming from Seattle, but I loved it. I remember thinking, “Maybe I should try an oat milk latte?” And, surprisingly, there were 5 types of nut milk. In fact, Shanghai is home to the second largest Starbucks Reserve in the world, but of course there are all sorts of local coffee brands. I passed by a store called Stay Woke and thought it was interesting. Oh, Shanghai loves KFC. They are literally everywhere – the colonel is his own. The chain also serves rice and you can get different types of sauces. What’s also great is that KFC has a coffee shop called Kcoffee.
Shanghai was really fascinating. I felt like I had stepped into blade runner. Although there is a modernity to much of the architecture, there are some incredibly traditional places hidden away from the street. I can’t wait to go again.
love,
daniel martin
—As told by Dice Vedra
Photo by Daniel Martin
