Esprique Pore Cover Perfect Base CC
This CC cream just came out on 16th Feb in Japan, can be worn as a primer or on its own. At first I thought it was a normal CC cream that you cannot tell what it does, that I would never be able to wear on its own. CC stands for Colour Control, and I was expecting it to even out the skin tone and that's it. But it's more than that!
It reduces the appearance of enlarged pores, and create a veil on the skin that makes you look like you are wearing foundation or at least tinted moisturiser though you are not. The other day, I applied this CC cream as a primer and forgot to apply foundation on top because it looked so good on the skin that it made me look like I've applied foundation already. I moved on to concealer, then realised what I skipped.
Actually, I only wear this and powder on top on my day of recently. It's got SPF50+ PA++++ which is so handy as I don't need to apply sunscreen separately, so after my morning skincare routine, I apply this + concealer to hide my dark circles + loose powder on top to control the shine. Nobody, even my mum doesn't realise I'm not wearing foundation.
So it looks like a normal CC cream. Nothing special. It's not silicony, but not watery either. It's pretty thick and kind of sits on the skin and set quickly once applied.
It's pretty hard and tricky to apply evenly with my fingers, thus I use my buffing brush from Real Techniques. It instantly reduces the appearance of the pores on my cheeks, as well as discolouration.
The only downside is that it clings to dry patches. I have combination skin but for some reason my nose tends to get dry a little, and this CC cream emphasises it and makes it look worse. Though as long as you moisturise and prep your skin beforehand, you wouldn't have any problem.
Mine came with this mini loose powder which is also AMAZING. It mattifies the skin without making it look cakey, melting on the skin. It also absorbs the oil throughout the day, and keeps the skin matte.
And look how cute this puff is!!! It's so tiny yet really fluffy and puffy, this is when I feel proud about Japanese beauty products. They pay attention to small details, which makes their products high quality in my opinion.
I love using this powder on top of the CC cream, and I must say it lasts so long on the skin. My skin gets a little shiny even in winter usually, but with this powder on, it stays matte all day. And this mini powder is easy to carry around in my handbag! I cannot recommend enough, these are such amazing products!
I wasn't planning to but because I love it so much, I decided to put it on Beaut in Japan as well so that you can purchase it if you are interested in it.
Purchase the product on Beaut in Japan >>HERE
Kiss Lash Wonder Curl Mascara
I'm completely in love with this latest launch from the Japanese drugstore makeup brand called 'Kiss'. This mascara is going to be launched on 25th Feb, but I've been using (and loving) it for more than a month since it was sent to me for a PR purpose. This pink tube is the 'film type' which means you can wash it off with warm water without a remover. There is also a waterproof one in a black tube.
The packaging in my opinion is very Japanese-y especially the embossed design on the lid and metallic pink body. It's a little too 'kawaii' to me as I like something more chic and sophisticated....which I shouldn't be expecting from a drugstore mascara.
The brush is slightly curved which fits perfectly when apply it on the lashes. I first expected to dislike this mascara, as it's got quite a lot of fibres which could make your lashes look wonky. But actually the length of the fibres isn't too long yet not too short, which lengthen the lashes naturally.
What I love this mascara is that it doesn't stick the lashes together. It separates, lengthen, and volumises the lashes. And, it never budges yet super easy to remove. What more can I ask for a 1200yen mascara?
I literally have like 10 (opened) mascaras on my beauty table, but this has been the one I reach for the most in the past month. It keeps the curl though it's not waterproof, which makes a waterproof mascara look less attractive especially because it's pain in the butt to remove.
I'm so happy that Japanese mascara's been improved a lot recently, it used to be pretty bad (I still don't understand why dejavu has been popular!!). This, Heroine Mascara and Leanani Curl Mascara are amazing if you ever want to try Japanese mascara!
L'Oreal La Palette Nude Rose
I have mentioned this palette in my Best in beauty 2014 post already, but I thought this beautiful palette deserves an in-depth review. I know many UK beauty bloggers have been raving about it, and you might be sick of hearing about it. But if you haven't gotten your hands on it, you probably should pop into Boots and have a look at least!
I got to know L'Oreal launched this palette via Twitter. They tweeted the photo of it, and I instantly fell in love with it. Then my lovely fellow blogger Danniella from Famous in Japan kindly (yes, super kindly) included it into our occasional beauty / magazines swap!
Though I'm not a huge fan of pinky eyeshadows, I love this particular palette because this leans towards neutral than pink. It's got 4 matte shades and 6 shimmery / metallic shades.
Some matte shades do not show up on camera but they are very useful to define the crease or blend the shades together. My favourite shade is the 3rd from the right, a perfect taupy browny purple shade. The formula of this particular shade is creamier than the others, the word 'buttery' is perfect to describe it.
The eyeshadow stays on my eyelids all day without creasing (my CANMAKE eyeshadow primer could be helping it though) and the colours are just beautiful. I often use the 4th shade from left on my crease, the 6th shade from left on the lid, and add the 3rd shade from right on the outer corner. When I want to make it darker and smokier, I use the 2nd from right on the crease, the 2nd from left on the lid and the right purple shade on the outer corner. I do not wear much of the orangy shade but other than that, I wear them on daily basis.
The palette is slim, which makes it suitable for traveling, and you don't need any other eyeshadow as long as you have this in your bag! I hope they will bring more to the collection, I absolutely love eyeshadows from L'Oreal. I wonder why L'Oreal Japan doesn't launch good products much, I'm kind of worried they might pull off the brand completely someday....I will definitely buy tons of products from L'Oreal (and KIKO for sure) next time I go to London!
Leanani Waterproof Mascara -Style Keep 1,500yen
Leanani is a brand that is famous for their liquid eyeliner. I have used it before and I absolutely loved it as the brush is so thin which makes it super easy to draw a thin line as well doing the flick. On the other hand, their mascaras, one with a pink lid and another with a white lid, didn't impress me at all. It stuck my lashes together and made me look like I only had 5 eyelashes.
When I got this new mascara from Leanani, which claims to keep the curl, I was not expecting much because of my previous experience with their other mascaras. But I have to admit, this is such a good mascara!
The brush is very dense, and catches every single eyelash that you have. And you know what I love the most about this mascara? It smells so good. It smells like shampoo that your hair salon uses. Its fresh and clean scent makes me feel relaxed even. I thought it was a stupid idea to put fragrance in mascara when some brands started doing this, but I actually like this scent and it surprisingly lingers which is nice too.
The brush lifts the lashes from the roots and it actually does keep the curl all day. What I mean by 'all day' is, not for 8 hours. Not for 10 hours either. I mean, for 20 hours, literally.
Usually I wear makeup for about 15 hours, but one day I had to work longer hours and I got home at 1am or so. I looked into a mirror expecting myself to look miserable, but what caught my eyes was my eyelashes. It looked exactly the same as it did in the morning.
It separates the lashes, and makes me look like I'm wearing false lashes. I even get compliments about my lashes when I'm wearing it!
So far they only have it in black, but I hope they will bring some other shades with this formula someday, such as khaki, brown, navy, taupe...! If you are thinking of getting one of their mascaras, I would definitely recommend this one with a silver lid, don't get the ones with a pink / white lid, as they are pretty rubbish in my opinion! Plus, this one smells good ;)
BASE
As mentioned in my previous post, my skin has changed from dry to combination in the past year or two, and it was my mission to find products that make my makeup stay put all day!
E.L.F. Cosmetics Makeup Mist & Set
I originally wanted to try the setting spray from Urban Decay, but as they don't ship to Japan, I tried out this affordable alternative from E.L.F. And it was surprisingly good! It helps my makeup stay put all day, and the best thing is that my eyebrows would stay as they were in the morning until 11pm. As I am extending quite a bit of the end of my eyebrows with my eyebrow pencil, I tend to end up with shorter brows without the ends at the end of the day especially in summer. But one or two spritz of this spray sets them completely and they never go away.
CANMAKE Lasting Multi Eyebase Waterproof
A very good eyeshadow primer which is only 500yen. This tiny tube lasts for more than 6 months which is also a good thing. I don't see a need to invest in an expensive primer!
Kiehl's Micro Blur Skin Perfector
Such an amazing primer!! It really does blur the pores on my cheeks, and makes my foundation goes on smoothly on top. My first tube was kind of defective and separated inside of the bottle, it ended up squirting weird liquid every time I tried to use it. My second tube has been great and NO liquid comes out at all. They said it tends to separate a little bit, but when you squeeze the tube and only water comes out, that is definitely defective. You should contact the customer service if you come across that kind of issue. Anyway, it smells amazing, it felt like burning my skin at the beginning but that was because it has 'a lot of nutrients are concentrated into this formula' as the shop assistant explained. After my skin has been repaired completely, it doesn't irritate my skin at all.
Diorskin Star Fluid Foundation
The shade #20 Light Beige is too orangy to my skin unfortunately, so I am mixing it with my LUNASOL Cream foundation which is a tad too light for my skin. I like to apply this foundation with Dior Star Fluid Sponge which looks like a black egg, as it goes on semi-matte when applied with this particular sponge, and it coves the pores really well. It's medium coverage and semi-matte, yet it still reflects the light and makes your skin look healthy. It's suitable for oily to combination skin as well, for those who do not want a dewy finish yet want to avoid a completely matte skin.
EYES and CHEEKS
For eyes, I enjoyed coloured eyeliners last year, though I was a 'black liquid eyeliner kind of girl' for more than a decade! For cheeks, I found amazing products that I am completely in love with.
L'Oréal Paris La Palette
I cannot live without this palette. The quality of each eyeshadow is amazing, and the shades are perfect for people who love taupe like I do. I haven't worn any other eyeshadow since I got it from lovely Danniella from Famous in Japan.
MAC Alluring Aquatic Collection Extra Dimension Eyeshadow
Definitely the best packaging of the year! I love this shade 'Soul Serenade' which is a very deep taupe which is perfect for a simple smoky look.
Visee Color Impact Gel Liner
In Japan, coloured eyeliners were on trend towards the mid-end of the year. I LOVE these pencil eyeliners from Visee, as they glide on so smoothly, easy to blend, and never budge after being set completely. I love the burgundy shade and the taupe shade called Winter Orchid, which was limited (you still can purchase it on my website HERE).
No7 Stay Perfect Shade And Define
I LOVE this kind of cream eyeshadow in a stick form. I love this shade Cool Mink, such a beautiful and subtle taupe that is perfect for a daily use. It helps eyeshadow on top to stay put as well, and you can of course wear it on its own. I want other shades such as coffee bean, too!
Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner in Dark Brown
I don't think I've worn a black liquid eyeliner to work for months now. This is such a gorgeous brown liquid eyeliner, which is easy to apply and the colour is perfect. It's not too warm, and pretty pigmented. The brush is thin and does not dry out. I would repurchase it over and over again!
Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush
My shade Blissful is such a pretty peachy pink which is perfect to wear on daily basis. What I like about it the most is because it's not too pigmented. Drugstore blushes tend to be TOO pigmented that you need to be really, really careful to apply otherwise you will end up with super red cheeks like apples. But this is is subtle, elegant and very beautiful on the cheeks. Also the staying power is amazing for a powder blush.
Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek in Cherry Mix
I didn't expect to love this blush this much, but I DO!! The marble patterned blush gives a beautiful and natural flash on the cheeks within seconds.The puff is so fluffy (with a cute ribbon on top), and the effect the marble blush gives is just amazing. You need to have this blush in your life. I'm 100% not saying that just because I sell it on my website (HERE), I sell it because I love it this much. I'm not trying to make profits here, I wanted as many people as possible to enjoy the product, and help them in a country where Majo / Majo isn't available to purchase. You can read an in-depth review HERE.
LIPS
...and a sneaky eye product ;)
Heroine Make Long & Curl Mascara Waterproof
Well, I forgot to include in into the eye makeup category but I love this mascara without a doubt! Japanese mascaras tend to stick your lashes together to make them 'thicker' which makes you look like you only have 5 lashes, but this one doesn't do that at all. It separates and lengthens without clumps.
L'Oreal L'Extraordinaire
I am in love with this shade Nude Ballet.I purchased Rose Melody but it's too pinky to my liking. It's more like a lip gloss, but the pigmentation is beyond an ordinary lip gloss formula. It smells fruity (not the typical L'Oreal scent) which I like. I love how glossy and plumped it makes my lips look.
OPERA Sheer Lip Color
A lip gloss in a lipstick form? How handy! It literally looks like I'm wearing a lip gloss, but much less sticky and greasy. My shade Salmon Pink is such a pretty peachy pink which I wore a lot during summer. It's so tiny that fits into my smallest purse.
Carmex Ultra Moisturising Lip Balm
I literally cannot live without Carmex!!! These are the only lip balms that work during winter. I love the lime one the best, and am keen on trying out the vanilla one someday.
Estee Lauder Pure Color Envy
The shade Innocent is such a wearable shade, and it stays for hours and hours on the lips. If you don't have time to reapply a lipstick, this is the one you should apply in the morning. You just need to apply a lip gloss or lip balm on top throughout the day for an instant update.
It's become the longest post ever!!! Thanks for reading x
KATE CC Lip Cream / Nudist Pink
I know what came to your mind when you read the title. What the hell is CC Lip Cream? It began with BB cream, then CC cream, there are also EE cream which is ridiculous, and now CC LIP CREAM? I thought the same. So what it does is "Color Correcting". It moisturises, evens out your lip colour, gives a beautiful glossy finish, makes your lips look fuller, and protects them from a sun damage.
There are 4 shades in total, and the one I picked up is 03 Nudist Pink. The other shades are sheer red, blue toned pink and orange.
I was pretty surprised how sheer it was when I swatched it for the first time. It's barely there. I expected it to be similar to OPERA Sheer Lip Colour (REVIEW) but this one is sheerer.
When applied on the lips, it does feel like a lip balm. It's not sticky at all, it kind of feels like there is a very thin, none greasy film of oil on the lips. You know the feeling on the lips after you had Pasta aglio for lunch. It's that feeling.
You might not like it if you like a thicker lip balm like Carmex or Vaselline, that hugs your lips and stay there for hours. You will love it if you don't want to feel anything on your lips, but want to give a bit of colour to them.
The colour is more like a bluey pink than beigy pink which I expected it to be. It's not my favourite shade ever, but it's handy to have in my collection especially when I'm wearing "no make up make up".
The whole CC Lip Cream series is limited edition for some reason, and some shades are sold out at the drugstores near my house. I personally prefer thicker texture as it gives more shine to the lips, but again if you are a type of person who doesn't want to feel anything on the lips, you should go grab it before it's sold out!
Oh, and the price. I don't remember how much it was exactly, but definitely below 500 yen. Not too bad, is it?
Maybelline Pure Mineral CC Bright Up 1,512yen
I know. I'm over BB or CC or EE cream, too. But let me tell you, this CC cream from Maybelline isn't too bad at all! I was a little bit skeptical when got it to review before the launch, as I didn't have any information in advance and I just saw the name 'CC cream' and was like...meh. But actually it's perfect for a lazy day off when you can't be bothered to wear a full makeup yet you want to wear something.
Based on their description that says 'Colour correcting capsules burst on your skin when applied' I imagined a while cream that adopts your own skin tone. But actually it's a beige cream as you can see in the photo. What a confusing description. There is only one shade called 'Bright ochre', which is suitable to my skin tone but might be too bright for the most of Japanese people.
When it's blended out, it turns slightly more yellow which matches my skin tone perfectly. The whipped texture feels very light on the skin as if I'm not wearing anything. I use my fingers to blend out, and add concealers to erase my dark circles and pigmentation around my nose.
See, you cannot even see where it's applied! You can definitely see your own skin through the CC cream, but the complexion is evened out and a very natural glow is added on your skin.
It's very comfortable to wear as it's very light weight, and having SPF 37 sun protection is always a plus too. It's pretty moisturising which makes it suitable for dry skin. I have combination skin and it makes my skin a tad shiny throughout the day, meaning it could be too moisturising for oily skin. I still like wearing it on my day off, because I don't particularly want to look like I spent 30 minutes on my makeup on my day off when I don't go anywhere but a local coffee shop to work on my blogs. I want to look as natural and effortless as possible, and this CC cream makes it easy to create that look.
Well done Maybelline!
Integrate is a Japanese drugstore beauty brand belongs to Shiseido. Their products especially the eyeliners and eyeshadow palettes are pretty popular in Japan, but I had never tried anything from the brand. But when I saw online that they came out with the gorgeous lipgloss range called Girl's Kiss Jelly last month, I couldn't resist but to pick one up.
The lip gloss comes in 7 different shades and I have to admit all of them look very pretty and wearable. I picked up this shade called Cherry&Berry, because first of all this is the only limited shade out of seven, secondly it looks so pretty. This kind of deep berry shade is on trend this winter, but I don't have enough courage to wear a lipstick in this shade. So I thought this lip gloss would be perfect for someone like me!
I am not a huge fan of Japanese 'Kawaii' stuff, but I really like this heart shaped lid! It adds a little bit of cuteness and makes me happy whenever I apply the lip gloss.
The angled tube applicator makes it easier to apply, and it doesn't dispense too much at once because the hole is so tiny.
The shade is very unique in my opinion, because it looks quite sheer and reddish like 'cherry' when applied one coat, and when you build it up with 2nd and 3rd coat, it becomes more like a 'berry' shade that has a purple / burgundy undertone to it. One coat gives you a natural shine and pout, or you can build it up to a deeper red.
It has tiny glitter particles that make your lips look gorgeous. Wearing a little sparkle on your lips is definitely suitable for winter. I hate lip gloss that has glitters that stay on my lips until I wipe them off with a tissue even after the lip gloss itself has been worn off. That sandy feeling on the lips is disgusting! With this lip gloss I haven't had such a problem, which is a good point.
You can apply it straight from the tube but I like using my Real Techniques' brush to apply. But because the applicator is small, it's not difficult at all to apply it straight from the tube either.
According to the website, it has a 'sweet and spicy' scent, but the scent is quite subtle that I didn't even notice at first. It indeed smells fruity and sweet, and has kind of a floral scent as well. I don't mind it at all, but it might bother people who hate scented lip products.
I LOVE how it looks on the lips. It instantly erases creases and discolouration on the lips. It makes your lips look like they are coated with raspberry syrup or something.
I like to apply two coats on the lips, and add a little bit in the centre of the lips to give a pout. It's perfect to wear on top of a berry toned lipstick of course, to add shine. The gold glitter particles look super gorgeous but as you can see in the photos, they are quite subtle.
This lip gloss is pretty comfortable to wear, though it's thick it doesn't make my lips feel too sticky. A good thing is that because it's thick, it stays on the lips for quite a long time. I don't have to keep reapplying every 10 minutes, which is always a plus when you have a hectic life.
I really like the effect it gives to my lips and am thinking of purchasing other shades as well. It's pretty small but I have never ever used up a single lip gloss as I have too many lip products (I'm sure I'm not alone here) so I quite like the fact it's small and easy to carry around in my purse.
If you want to see more details in action, please watch my video which is my favourite out of three that I've made!
This product is available on Beaut in Japan. Click HERE to purchase it now :)
Sweets Sweets Velvet Souffle Cheek 900yen
You must remember my post about Sweets Sweets Velvet Souffle Cheek that I wrote about a month ago (HERE), because I was raving about it a lot. And I mentioned that I would try out other shades from the range that are more suitable for winter. I picked up this shade called Apple Souffle, as it looked like berry toned deep red that would be perfect for the colder season. However, I was extremely disappointed when I actually used it on my skin.
Before I start complaining about it, look how beautiful it is. It looks like a deeper red that is sophisticated, and based on my experience with the shade Apricot Souffle which still is one of my favourite blushers, I assumed this one would work the same.
But it didn't.
Can you guess why I was disappointed with this blush? It's because the formula is absolutely rubbish. First of all, the shade looks different from how it looks in the jar (is it a jar? Or a container?). It's much brighter, blue-tone pink rather than deep red that I wish it was.
Another thing is that it goes on so patchy. I apply it with my trusty stippling brush from Real Techniques, that works really well with Apricot Souffle, but it just makes my cheeks look messy for some reason. You have to be really careful and light-handed to apply, otherwise you will end up with patchy, messy cheeks which never is a good look. I just cannot be bothered to pay that much attention just to apply a blusher, I don't have time for that every morning!
That's why I haven't used it since the first time I tried it. I much prefer Majolica Majorca Puff de Cheek, which is 100 times easier to apply and 1000 times more beautiful on the cheeks. I didn't expect the formula to be this different depending on the shade.
If you ever think of purchasing their blusher, I don't recommend Apple Souffle at all! :(
I am so excited to introduce you to the limited shades of my favourite pencil eyeliner from Visee. As I mentioned in my Autumnal Eyeliners post back in October, I have been obsessed with this eyeliner. I was a liquid-eyeliner type of girl for more than 10 years until I discovered how good this eyeliner was. Last month they brought these beautiful limited shads that I grabbed when I found them at the drugstore because their limited eyeliners are always very popular that they get sold out very quickly. In fact, I saw some people tweeting that the eyeliners and the nail polish that came with them were sold out already, only like 3-4 days after the launch. Insane, isn't it? But it's how good they are.
Warm Brown
This is Warm Brown, which has a red undertone compared to their permanent brown shade BR300, and more like a grown-up brown compared to another permanent brown shade BR301 which is a pinky brown.
It's so creamy and easy to draw the line. It's kind of shimmery but not glittery at all which is suitable for any occasions.
When applied on my eyelids, it shows up kind of subtle but definitely defines my eyes if that makes sense. I can build it up more by applying second and third coat, but I like how subtle it looks with one application and smudged a little bit.
Winter Orchid
This is the shade I was looking forward to getting my hands on when I saw this for the first time in a magazine a few months ago. You know I love taupe shade, and I thought this would go perfectly well with my taupe eyeshadows by no7 and Addiction.
Ohhhh my gosh I can't get over how gorgeous it looks!! It's got this metallic finish that looks super gorgeous. It's more pueply than I expected, but this is one of the most beautiful eyeliner shades ever!
It does go well with eyeshadows in taupe, purple and grey. It adds a bit of colour on the eyelid which is a fun way to wear an eyeliner rather than always reaching out for boring black. I've been obsessed with this shade that I'm wearing it all the time. I kind of regret that I didn't buy two, I don't know what to do when I run out with it!
If you wish to see more details of these beautiful eyeliners, please check out my video!
Beaut in Japan
This product is sold on my eBay page, Beaut in Japan.
Direct link to the listing page on eBay: Visee Color Impact Gel Liner
Please feel free to leave your request on the comment section or you can email me anytime!
.JPG)
.JPG)
.JPG)
