Junon November 99

What is the way to 'refine yourself' that the four, who have grown prettier and prettier in the 4 years since their debut have taught us?

MAX have gradually evolved, chaning their clothing and hairstyles every time they release a new song. They are people to be concerned about, not only in terms of singing and dancing, but make-up and fashion as well. This interview has the secret of how we too, can become pretty like them. Moreover, talking about their best album, which is soon to be released, they told us of the 'secret plan' of their next activities!

It's no mistake that they change their hair in reference to their music videos

The four of you change your hairsyles often, but when do you start wanting to change them?
Mina: When we come out with a new single, everyone starts wanting to change, with a sort of 'change of clothes' feeling. At the moment I'm trying to grow my hair down to my hips, so I just have to grin and bear it, and not cut it. (laugh)
Reina: I don't think we really consult each other. By myself, I think 'For this song, I'm going to have this kind of image', and I change my hair, and then when we all meet the next day, it turns out everyone else has changed too! (laugh)
Nana: I often consult foreign music videos.I look at magazines too, but you can tell better from videos 'When you dance, it's like this',so... When I like something, I copy the tape and request it, saying 'I want to do this.'
Lina: We don't ask for advice about hair, but we often ask for advice about clothes, don't we?
Reina: Like, 'This costs this much, but maybe I should buy it...'We always say that.
Nana: But usually, we all encourage each other to buy it. (laugh) For example 'You can always wear shoes...' Because no matter what kind of clothes they are, we want to see them.

Which one of you likes shopping the most?
Reina: We all love shopping.
Nana: During our tour this summer, if we had time off, we went shopping. (laughing)
Mina: Even though we should have rested...(laugh)
Lina: The back dancers come from all over, so they taught us the little known good places and vintage stores in each place. Someday we all went shopping together, somedays we went separately.

Do you hesitate whether to buy something or not?
Mina: More like worried.
Nana: Li-chan hesitates.
Lina: Well, because, when I'm with the others, I ask their advice. So I can't really decide. But if I'm by myself, I just go ahead and buy it right away.
Reina: I hesitate too, but I always end up buying it. (laugh)
Nana:I guess I do both. Sometimes I buy it right away, and sometimes I worry over it. I guess it depends on the price.
Lina, Mina, Reina: Which is big... (laugh)
Nana:A little while ago, I found a small hand made looking bag. I thought that it would be about 5 thousand yen, but when I looked at the price tag, it was around 40 thousand. So I gave up on it, but about two hours later, I rethought it, realizing that I really did want it, so I went back to the store. I tried carrying it around and stuff, but thinking 'Ummm, 40 thousand is a little.... 'I gave up again. But I really was concerned about it, so I kept going back. But then I noticed that it was too small to put my wallet into, so I gave up eventually. (laugh).
Lina: Ah ha ha...you went to the store 3 times, and you didn't buy it?
Nana: Yeah. I think the people who worked in the store were suprised too. (laugh)

For the sake of their beauty, they'll continue drinking vegetable juice, and milk, using exercise mchines and going to the gym, and public baths.


How do you polish your fashion sense? Do you have some secret?
Reina: Umm...I guess we look through magazines and stuff. And if we cut our hair, or buy new clothes, and the other members notice it right away, we're happy and that encourages us.
Mina: We're not rivals or anything, but it's because all of MAX is interested in fashion. There's a feeling of 'I can't be the dowdy one.' (laugh)
Lina: That's true isn't it. Because it's important for girls to have a conciousness of 'I have to be able to be seen' I think that when you talk with friends saying 'That's nice' and 'that's really cute!' to each other, you become confident.
Nana: And we often recommend things to each other. For example, if, looking in a magazine, I find a hairstyle or outfit that makes me think 'This would look great on Li-chan.', I show it to her and say 'Hey, hey, isn't this good?', and stuff. We do that and give each other advice, and so we find charms that we wouldn't have noticed by ourselves.

What do you aim to do, beauty wise?
Nana: Every morning, I drink vegetable juice. Since I eat our alot, I can't eat alot of vegetables.
Mina: Lately, I've been leaving milk in my refrigerator. That way, everytime I open the refrigerator, I see the milk, and drink it.
Lina: On days off, I go swimming at the gym and go in the sauna. Also, when I go shopping, I go by bike, and I have a pedaling machine at my house, so I do that fro about 30 minutes while I watch TV. I always try to move my body alot.
Reina: I've been really into the public baths lately. So if I can find the time, I go. Huh? Do people notice me? Not at all. Because in the public bath, it's always old ladies. (laugh)And then, my skin was really good then, and it relieved my stiff shoulders. So lately, I've been making it a point to take a bath, even if I'm just at home, as opposed to just a shower, and make myself sweat alot.

Eye liner, cheeks, brow and eye lashes...their preferences about make up are also different for all four.


What about make up? If we think 'I want to copy MAX.' What are some points to consider?
Mina: Eyeliner! We always put it on. With a matte black powder, using a skill to lift the corner of the eye. Nana: I usually don't put on eye shadow, just basic blush and lip gloss. A specially point is on my cheeks, I make a circle of blush in the center of my cheeks. If you do that, even people who have an adult face shape like me can have a cute image.
Lina: As for me, I make my skin light brown, and also, even though my eyebrows are lightened, I'm supsicious. What I do is, first I draw thinly with a brown pencil, then on top of that put a powder. So that my black eyes will stand out, I put on alot of mascara, on both my top and bottom lashes. I put on coat after coat after coat. (laugh)
Reina: I think that mascara is on of my points too. Because people tell me alot, that I have long eyelashes, I want to make the most of them. So I put on mascara on top and bottom with many coats, like Li-chan. And then I always choose a light lip color, because it gets too loud and gaudy with a deep color.
Mina: Only, we're planning to have a bit of a change from MAX's style up until now.
Huh? How?
Lina: It's a secret.(laugh) But we're planning to try a song that has a pretty different feel from our songs up until now.
Reina: So our clothes will change to fit that.
Lina: The clothes may be easier for girls to imitate that before.

Ooh...We'll be looking forward to it! By the way, what is your best album like?
Reina: Other than our singles, it's got three songs the MAX recommends from our albums. So people who only know our singles will be able to see a different side of MAX.
Mina: At any rate, it has alot of different types of songs. So I think that people who like Euro, and people who like R&B, and people who like Latin, and people who like medium tempo songs will all enjoy it.
Lina: It has everything that MAX has been up until now in it. It really does feel like a best album. (laugh).

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