Mitsuki Setoguchi of the idol group Nogizaka46 has been appointed as the first beauty ambassador for the fashion magazine ViVi (Kodansha). Starting with the June issue of the magazine, she has launched a beauty column called "Beauty - Try It Out, Kokoro." This is a new challenge that she has taken on in her second year with the group. "I'm excited to see what kind of projects we can do from now on!" Setoguchi said with enthusiasm, and we asked her about her recent skincare routines and other things she's been particular about.
◇Inspired by my colleagues, I've developed a sun protection and water habit.
Setoguchi joined the group in February of last year as a 6th generation member. In November of the same year, she was selected as one of the double centers for their 40th single, "Biryani," alongside fellow member Moeka Yada, attracting considerable attention. As a ViVi Beauty Ambassador, she will act as a bridge between readers and the magazine, tackling various beauty challenges head-on, including trendy makeup, hair styling, and popular skincare products.
She has always had a strong interest in beauty, and influenced by her older sister, she has been an avid reader of fashion magazines since elementary school, recalling, "I've always thought that beauty is fun." After joining Nogizaka46, seeing the beauty of her seniors up close further heightened her awareness of beauty.
"During high school, the school rules were strict, and I was also doing cheerleading as a club activity, so I didn't put much effort into beauty. But I started to become conscious of beauty again because I wanted to be as beautiful as my seniors."
She says she's recently started focusing on "sun protection." "Many of my fellow trainees are from Hokkaido or Tohoku and have beautiful skin, so if I'm going to stand next to them, I want to have clear, translucent skin too. It's tough to take precautions during live performances, but I've been told more often over the past year that my skin looks clearer. Beauty is fun because the more you do it, the more results you get," she says with a smile. She also revealed a playful side, saying that she's recently started focusing on body care as well as facial care, adding, "My face has gotten whiter, so lately I've been using body whitening cream too (laughs)."
Her lifestyle has also changed. "Since joining Nogizaka46, I've seen my seniors and started drinking a lot more water. About three 500ml bottles a day. I'm refraining from drinking juice," she revealed. "My fellow members are also very conscious about water consumption and drink a lot of it, so I've been inspired to drink more too!" she said with a smile.
◇In the future, I also want to aim to become a "beauty guru."
When asked about the "beauty guru" among the 6th generation members, she replied, "Urumin (Urumi Morihira) always has her hair perfectly styled, even on days when it's okay to go without makeup, so she has a beautiful image." She added excitedly, "I'd like to aim to be a beauty guru myself from now on (laughs)!"
Her idol is Nagi Inoue, who also works as a model. "Kazu is very disciplined when it comes to managing her diet. I heard that she used to only eat blueberries before important photo shoots, and I thought that was amazing. I want to be able to control myself like that too," she said, looking at her with admiration. She also revealed that she refrains from eating her favorite foods before photo shoots, saying, "I love pickled plums, and I often eat them with rice or in plum-flavored sweets, but I refrain from eating them before photo shoots because they contain too much salt."
Looking at her own page in the magazine, she said, "It's like I'm looking at someone who isn't me (laughs). I'm looking forward to discovering a new side of myself in the future!" She added enthusiastically, "There's still so much to learn. I'd be happy if I could enjoy becoming more beautiful together with the readers."
