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.
Visee Nudy Rich Eyes Palette BE-07 It took me ages to pick up a new product to carry at Beaut in Japan. I was looking for something affordable, yet great quality. When I saw this latest launch from Visee, one of my favourite Japanese drugstore brands, I didn't even hesitate to pick up because it looked absolutely beautiful. I usually don't like Japanese drugstore eyeshadow palettes, just because they tend to be really sheer, that you can't even tell the difference between the shades. But this one really impressed me.
As you can find the detailed info on their website, they have 4 different eyeshadow palette ranges. On 16th Feb, they added this new shade BE-07 on Nudy Rich Eyes Palette range.
There are 5 shades in this range. If you have a shade you would like to purchase, e-mail me through this blog or Beaut in Japan, so that I can pick one up for you. BE-07 creates a very sophisticated, grown-up eyes in my opinion. I love this kind of taupy brown eyes. I personally don't wear reddish brown eyeshadows much because they tend to make my eyes look a little puffy. If you have hooded eyes, you may want to avoid those too.
It's got a small double ended brush and sponge applicator that you never use. But this particular one doesn't seem too crappy, which I might keep so that I can use it to touch up throughout the day without carrying a brush around.
Now, let's talk about the shades. 1. A very pretty sheer pink, it has the most buttery texture out of the 5 shades. Metallic finish. 2. If you like a gorgeous glittery look, you will love it. Beautiful glitter particles with a taupe undertone. 3. A chic, modern brown that you can use as an eyeliner or blend out on your crease to create smoky eyes. It has a little bit of small glitter particles as well. 4. Another buttery textured eyeshadow that glides on smoothly and blend well. This taupe is my favourite shade of this palette, such a gorgeous shade you can wear in many different ways! Metallic finish. 5. It's more peachy and glittery than the shade 1, but still has this metallic sheen to it. I use it as a highlighter under the brows, inner corner of the eyes or the centre of the eyelids to give a little bit of definition.
You might think the shade 1, 2 and 5 look similar. I thought so too, but they have different undertones and texture, which makes it interesting to play with. I apply 1 all over the eyelid, 5 under the eyebrow, 4 on the crease, 3 on the outer corner, and add 2 or 5 on the centre of the eyelid depending on my mood.
These photos are taken when I tested this palette for the first time, and I must say I was super impressed. Usually I test a product, play around and see how it goes, and then try again another day. But with this palette, it just created a beautiful look instantly that I didn't need to wait for a day or two to take photos. They are super blendable, especially the taupe shade (4) is absolutely amazing.
I don't like it when eyeshadow doesn't apply well with a brush and I have to use my finger to apply, but these are pigmented applied both with a finger and a brush.
As usual, I filmed avideo for you to see the swatches on action. The palette is available on Beaut in Japan, and feel free to let me know if you would like another shade!
Watch the video on YouTube >>CLICK HERE Purchase the product on Beaut in Japan >>CLICK 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!
