This is a series of interviews exploring what makes women who excel in various fields shine. Our sixth guest is Mifuyu Ando, CEO of Spree Inc.

--Do you ever have time to completely separate yourself from work?

I never separate myself from work. I feel like the boundary between my personal and professional life is as close to zero as possible. There's a term called work-life balance, but I call my current lifestyle a "work-life blend." When I was working for a company, I used to wonder what freelancers meant when they said, "Yes, I don't have any days off, but my work is like play." But now that I'm in that position, I understand it very well. For example, I recently took a personal trip to Jakarta, Indonesia, and used it as material for my serial article. Everything I saw and heard there has me thinking, "What kind of work can I do with this when I get back to Japan?" It's not uncommon for people to work together, get along well, and end up eating meals together and becoming good friends.

--So, do you not actually have any days off?

There isn't even a single day a month where I do absolutely nothing. However, this August and September I've been to several countries, including Taiwan, Sri Lanka, Qatar, Romania, Greece, and Russia, for personal reasons, for book research, and for work on the Peace Boat, a round-the-world voyage. I've been traveling more internationally and domestically than I did when I was a company employee. Sometimes I work locally, and other times I enjoy delicious food, shopping, and playing in the ocean. As I answered the previous question, there's almost no distinction between "play" and "work," so even though I don't have days off where I can completely unplug, I don't feel stressed enough to want one, so I think this is fine.

--Today's interview involves makeup, but what's your typical style like?

I generally like a casual style. My favorite outfit is a T-shirt, skinny jeans, and a jacket. I wear flats or sneakers. For example, I might pair a Muveil T-shirt with Acne jeans and TOMS shoes. When it comes to fast fashion, I'm a big fan of Topshop, and sometimes dress up in Milly or Diane von Furstenberg dresses. I juggle a variety of jobs simultaneously, including university lectures, work with large corporations, and creative and book editors, as well as various parties and travel assignments. I tend to wear a basic casual style, but I also wear a fairly wide range of clothing styles. For makeup, I usually stick to natural makeup. From my skincare routine to my blush and lip gloss, I mostly get it from THREE. Since I have a naturally defined face, I try not to look too flashy. I also often wear false eyelashes when appearing in the media or when I'm on a mission to make a statement. I'm a complete makeup novice and do things my own way, so today I'm going to learn a lot from the work of a professional makeup artist (lol).

Ando's makeup for this episode was done by Isetan Mirror Girl Chie Okamoto.

Ando usually wears a lot of brown-based makeup. "I recommend mixing brown, which can be worn with both casual and formal fashion, with pink to add a feminine touch. Ando has beautiful skin, so I want to create makeup that will further enhance that," she said, introducing a natural look with soft brown for the eyes, natural pink for the cheeks, and a dewy lip, creating a striking effect on the lips.

Ando, who says she usually focuses on eye makeup, used a Lancôme palette, which allows for gradient makeup in one compact, and a Lunasol palette. She created a delicate eye look by layering brown, beige, and pink in a gradient. She chose a convenient eyeliner that's easy to apply and lasts a long time. She added khaki to her lower eyelids to naturally accentuate her eyes. The blush is a natural pink that seems to come from within the skin, matching her brown eyes and bringing out Ando's natural charm. Meanwhile, she chose a dewy pink lip color with a glossy texture. It subtly adds a touch of femininity, completing her natural beauty look. Key products used include THREE Flawless Ethereal Fluid Foundation 204, Lancôme Hypnô Palette ST3, LUNASOL Three Dimensional Eyes 02, Isetan Mirror Beaute Eyeliner Pencil 05, Laura Mercier Second Skin Cheek Color Lash Nectarine, and RMK Irresistible Lips C 25. [Ando Mifuyu Profile] CEO of Spree Inc. / Nomadic Lifestyle Practitioner Born in 1980 and raised in Tokyo. After graduating from Keio University, she worked at Shueisha Inc. before assuming her current position. She utilizes social media to engage in a wide variety of work, regardless of title or specialty, and practices a unique nomadic work and lifestyle. She is a full-time lecturer at Tama University's School of Management and Information, a judge for Kodansha's "Miss iD (Idol) 2015," and the Minister of State for Work Style in the magazine "DRESS." She also works in a wide range of fields, including product planning, column writing, and event appearances. Since 2014, she has also traveled overseas, reporting from Sri Lanka and speaking on the Peace Boat. She has appeared on numerous media programs, including TBS's "Jonetsu Tairiku" and NHK Educational TV's "Nippon no Dilemma." Her books include "Let's Go on an Adventure" and "The Diary of Things I Want to Do in My Twenties," both of which have sold over 70,000 copies (Discover 21).

[About Isetan Mirror]
Isetan Mirror is a luxury cosmetics shop based on the concept of "buying only what you want, when you want, however you want." The people who work there are called Isetan Mirror Girls. This shop allows customers to select brand cosmetics that were previously only available at department stores, regardless of brand. Customers can try out the items on their own or consult with an Isetan Mirror Girl. There are currently nine stores in Japan.