The Night Veil arrives at SoraNews24, but how much sexiness did it bring with it?

Though Japan has long had a custom of wearing masks to avoid catching colds and having to suffer from hay fever symptoms, the coronavirus pandemic has led to a huge proliferation of new styles. For our Japanese-language reporter Ayaka Idate, the one that most caught her attention is the one she’s come to call “the sexy mask.”

Officially, it’s called the Face Veil Night Style, but since it was first announced, to Ayaka it’s been “the sexy mask.” That’s because it was designed specifically for women who work in Japan’s hostess bar industry, with the aim of allowing them to comfortably but safely eat, drink, and chat with customers without removing their mask.

Hoping to add some of that mature allure to her persona, Ayaka ordered a lace-type Face Veil Night Style for 2,750 yen (US$26) through its official site here, which seemed like a fair price for sexiness to her.

The core concept isn’t that far off from casual Japanese restaurant chain Saizeriya’s eat-with-it-on Talkable-kun mask. But whereas Talkable-kun is made of plain paper, and is basically like sticking a napkin on your face, the Face Veil is constructed with three sections of cloth that can gracefully drape down from your cheekbones and the edge of your nose, providing a peek at your face’s contours while leaving a touch of tantalizing mystery as to the even greater beauty behind the mask.

The mask can be attached in one of two ways, either with ear loops or a cord that wraps around the back of your head. In either case you’ll have to tie them yourself, though this allows you to adjust the fit so that it’s both secure and comfortable for you (plus is there anything sexier than manual dexterity?).

Ayaka decided to go with the ear loops, since that’s how most other masks are worn and would thus let her most accurately gauge how much extra sexiness the Face Veil was providing her with. Once she had the loops tied, she slipped them on and…

…became…sexier…? She wasn’t sure. The woman in the Night Veil brochure certainly looked sexy, but as Ayaka looked at herself in the mirror, she couldn’t tell if she was now so attractive that people would want to pay her to sit with them while they drank, or if they’d think “Oh, that poor young lady has accidentally tied a fundoshi loincloth over her face.”

▼ Regular-mask Ayaka (left) vs. sexy-mask Ayaka (right)

Taking another look at the brochure, Ayaka noticed that the model had her hair in a half-up style, and she realized this makes a difference. Since the Face Veil’s fabric hangs down past your chin, if you have similarly lengthy hair reaching down to your shoulders together they’re going to frame your face in a way that might be less than aesthetically ideal. Sweeping her hair more towards the back made things a little better.

▼ It was also at this point that Ayaka noticed the sexy mask has some fancy beads sewn onto it.

Setting aside sexiness, Ayaka found the mask to be incredibly comfortable and easy to breathe in. “I wish I’d had one of these during the summer,” she said, thinking back to her non-sexy mask-face being trapped in a pocket of hot air from June through August.

To test whether or not it’s easy to drink while wearing the Face Veil, Ayaka grabbed her Miffy the bunny cup and filled it with some juice.

▼ Not that we never drink on the job at SoraNews24, but it was still the start of the workday.

And yes, it is easy to drink…as far as the physical mechanics go. The Face Veil’s construction and material allow you to smoothly reach your hand inside and bring your cup to your lips.

However, it’s not easy to see your cup as you’re doing this, as your eyes, of course, remain outside the veil.

Eventually you’d get used to it, but it’s a little tricky at first. But really, maybe that makes sense, considering for whom the Night Veil is originally designed. The most successful hostesses make their customers feel like the center of the universe while they’re spending time together, and keeping your eyes on your dining/drinking companion is a critical part of letting them know they’ve got your attention, because nothing else could possibly be as interesting to you as they are. Through the course of her job, a top-talent hostess would naturally develop the ability to take a sip of her drink without needing to look at the glass.

You could also argue that eating and drinking with such elegant ease that you don’t need to stare at your utensils fosters an aura of sophistication. So maybe the true sexiness the sexy mask imparts goes beyond just how the mask itself looks, though if Ayaka wants to wear her tactical battle mask around the office instead, that’s cool too.

Photos ©SoraNews24
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