CHAPTER 320: CHAPTER 317: WINNING THE HEARTS OF ALL THE WOMEN IN MAO COUNTY

The onlookers who had been gathered at the door for a while gradually dispersed. Not even an afternoon had passed, and Lin Wanwan’s shop, Red Face Smile, specializing in cosmetics for women, had become the talk of the town.

First, there was the shocking explosion, and then the transformation from ugly to beautiful with makeup — oh no, makeup techniques — all of which stirred curiosity.

The maids and servants dispatched by aristocratic families to shop quickly heard these gossip tidbits, naturally sharing them as amusing stories with their colleagues at the mansion, and as it spread, the masters inevitably heard it too.

Yesterday, many aristocratic women who received invitations visited Red Face Smile, enjoying the free facial mask service, but they declined the oil massage that required undressing.

What they really wanted was the foundation that Lin Wanwan had already become famous for in Qiantang, but this foundation wasn’t sold individually at Red Face Smile. One must spend ten gold to recharge and obtain a first-class VIP card to qualify for purchase.

The chosen foundation is a color-perfect cream from a distinguished Japanese brand, a favorite of Lin Wanwan herself. Undoubtedly, the Japanese have considerable prowess in producing these beauty products, most of which are excellent and particularly suitable for Oriental people.

Compared to Western brands, which don’t suit Oriental people as much, since Lin Wanwan plans to sell in Great Tang, she naturally chooses her personal favorites.

Of course, Lin Wanwan doesn’t only promote one product; after all, with so many people in the world and different skin conditions, diverse options must be provided. Currently, she uses this color-perfect cream as her flagship product, gradually introducing new products later.

Cosmetics are much like women’s clothing; new styles must appear each season to stimulate consumer desire.

In modern times, Lin Wanwan purchased directly from Koala.com, with a 30G capacity jar of cream costing 430 RMB, and changing the packaging, naturally, couldn’t make it cheaper in Great Tang.

Taking the purchasing power of both dynasties into account, Lin Wanwan set the price at three guan and five hundred wen, which for most aristocratic girls in Mao County, with a monthly allowance of two or three guan, is already exceeding their monthly allowance — definitely a luxury, yet still within reach.

But the issue is that Lin Wanwan’s Red Face Smile shop doesn’t directly sell the cream! You must first spend a hefty sum to join before you qualify to purchase.

Joining for ten gold is indeed not a trivial amount.

Don’t be fooled by the people in dramas who pull out several taels of silver to pay for a meal because, in Great Tang, silver is scarcely mined, mostly used by the Emperor as rewards and aristocrats for crafting jewelry, and not circulated as currency.

If eating a casual meal required several taels of silver, restaurants would make huge fortunes every minute, and aristocrats’ wealth would have long changed hands. Hosting a social gathering would consume about that expense.

In the fourth year of Zhenguan, one gold ingot was roughly exchangeable for six guan; ten gold equals sixty guan.

Married women with dowries and small treasuries provided by their husbands might manage to pull together this liquid cash, but they would hesitate. Unmarried girls would struggle to produce that amount outright, likely needing to trade their cherished jewelry or embroidery items.

This decision is truly not made lightly.

Therefore, yesterday, they merely bought some skincare products at Red Face Smile, which included Lin Wanwan’s homemade local Great Tang versions using Chinese herbs and pearls, and modern high-tech versions.

From young girls to old women, from hydration to whitening, their various skincare needs were comprehensively met.

Though Lin Wanwan priced everything in the store expensively, she didn’t con them; the local Great Tang versions were made from genuine materials, and the modern high-tech versions were all from well-reviewed major brands.

Because skincare products in Great Tang aren’t unique, the market for local versions is vast, and since these products don’t yield immediate effects like medical beauty, Lin Wanwan didn’t squeeze the market, allowing purchases without membership, though the selection is more limited.

Lin Wanwan divided Red Face Smile’s customers into three categories: non-recharge regular customers, recharge with one gold basic VIP, and recharge with ten gold senior VIP.

Regular customers can buy locally made Great Tang skincare products, as well as modern mid-range products with good reputations selected by Lin Wanwan, such as Herborist, L’Oreal, Freeplus, and HABA.

Basic VIPs can purchase popular items from high-end brands selected by Lin Wanwan like Lancôme, Estée Lauder, SK2, and CPB, enjoying beauty, hair washing, bathing service packages, and massage services.

Senior VIPs can purchase everything in Red Face Smile shop and services, with additional ultra-high-end products like La Mer and Helena, and high-end lines of brands like Lancôme, Estée Lauder, SK2, and CPB.

Moreover, senior VIPs can select modern cosmetic products with immediate effects, including various shades of color-perfect cream, Givenchy’s four-part powdered loose powder, Shu Uemura eyebrow pencils, Mao Geping’s dual-color concealer, and other excellent products summarized by Lin Wanwan.

When these cosmetics are used on the face, they are undoubtedly superior to Great Tang’s wall-coating style makeup, with beauty that is clearly visible; Lin Wanwan doesn’t believe these noble girls can resist not using them!

Lin Wanwan’s experience studying medicine with Old Master Sun, along with the identity of "reclusive expert" disciple, is very useful; Great Tang’s cosmetics have always been intertwined with pharmacies, mostly using medicinal materials as raw ingredients.

Lin Wanwan claimed they were all her own creations, with no noble girl casting any doubt.

She didn’t only play up the ugly duckling turning into a beauty narrative in the workshop, she also provided each maid in Red Face Smile with a set of skincare and cosmetics, making them wear exquisite makeup as living advertisements.

By evening, Lin Wanwan didn’t return to Lin Family Manor but stayed at the main courtyard of Lin Mansion in Xiaoxi Town.

Qingyu was already a bit bored staying in town these days; she thought the city wasn’t as fun as Lin Family Manor, and she had only brought along a sea eagle and a little red horse from the animal troop, missing them dearly.

How fun Lin Family Manor was! It’s the beginning of the month now, and it’s also time for the great low tide—it’s perfect for catching seafood!

But in the city, she was sent by Lin Wanwan to the Wang Family during the day, attending private school with a few young masters and ladies from the Wang Family, Zhang Family, and Shi Family, only seeing Lin Wanwan in the evening, which was extremely dull!

She missed her playmates, the little crab, Dayan, and other companions, and also her little elephant, big white goose, and little black deer!

During dinner, Qingyu tilted her head and asked Lin Wanwan, "Mother, when are we going home?"

Lin Wanwan laughed, "This is your home too, don’t you like it?"

Qingyu thought for a moment and said, "Mother, I still like our old home."

Lin Wanwan laughed, just about to reply when Hong Yan’s voice sounded at the door: "Madam, Xiao Mingfu sent his visiting card, and he is already at the door."

Lin Wanwan smiled slightly and said, "Please invite him in."