Burberry Kisses Sheer in Cameo Rose

Burberry Kisses Sheer in Cameo Rose  £25.00
Burberry's new lipstick Kisses Sheer was launched in Japan on 2nd March. Launching 28 shades of lipsticks at once is brilliant, but more amazing fact is that nearly half of them are nude or light-pink shades. I have a tiny nose -which my friends and family always pick on me and say 'do you even have a nose?'- and a normal sized mouth, which makes me love nude shades much more than bright pink or red on my lips. But sometimes it's hard to find a nude shade that doesn't make me look like a dead person, and brands tend to have only a couple of nude shades. It's actually easier to find nude lipsticks from domestic beauty brands because Japanese women do not wear a bright colour on their lips much.

So when I was asked to pick and choose one shade that I wanted to test from Kisses Sheer, I couldn't make my mind up! I found most of the nude shades beautiful. I was going to go for Nude or Nude Beige, but for some reason I ended up choosing Cameo Rose. It's more like natural pink than nude, but as the formula is very sheer and light, it kind of looks nudy on the lips.

The formula is super creamy that it glides on the lips instantly -it almost feels like a lip balm than a lipstick. The bullet looked pretty vibrant and I thought it would be too bright on me, but it's so sheer that I can control how pigmented I want it to be on the lips. On a daily basis, I dab the lipstick on my lips and use my finger to blend. When I want a stronger colour on my lips, I build up the intensity by applying it twice straight from the bullet.

I applied the lipstick twice so that the colour shows vividly in the photo, but still you can kind of see my natural lips through the lipstick. It's so pigmented yet sheer, which is lovely especially in Spring and Summer in my opinion.

Another discovery was that this could be the first lipstick with a blue undertone that looks pretty on me. I usually avoid bluey pink when it comes to a lip product, simply because it would make me look old-fashioned for some reason and I hate the look on me. I usually go for beige and coral to avoid the retro vibe. This shade definitely has a blue undertone, as the name -cameo ROSE- suggests, but strangely it looks nice on me. It's probably because the formula is sheer, it would make me look so '90s if it was matte.

Overall I am very satisfied with this lipstick. It doesn't feel heavy or drying on the lips, the sheer yet pigmented formula is very suitable for the coming season, and I love the magnetic packaging too.  I tried out Nude Beige too but it was slightly too nudy that I needed to pair it with a lip liner to stop people asking me whether I was sick. I cannot wait to try out some other shades too, it's such a lovely lipstick that's worth the price tag!

Point Magic PRO Pore Cover Primer

Point Magic PRO Pore Cover Primer  1,300yen

I never wear foundation without applying a good primer underneath. Primers create a smooth base that foundation would sit beautifully for hours without being patchy or cakey. My favourite primer is definitely Benefit Porefessional which I got at Heathrow Airport back in August. I had been dying to try it out as it was raved about among beauty lovers all over the world, but I did not have a chance as none of the websites besides the official website would ship their products to Japan -and the official website offers a pretty high rate of the delivery fee.

I purchased my first Porefessional tube at the airport, and haven't stopped using it since then. Whenever I wear makeup, I NEED to apply Porefessional to blur my pores and create a smooth, oil-free base for foundation. It keeps my makeup stay on my skin longer, and I now use my oil blotting paper much less throughout the day.

The only downside is that it's not available in Japan. I've been using the tiniest amount so that I won't use it up until I go back to the UK next time. So when I was given this primer called Pore Cover Primer from a Japanese drugstore brand Point Magic PRO, I was hoping it would be a dupe for Porefessional. The price is 1/3 compared to Porefessional, and it's widely available in Japan!

This primer helps foundation not to get into the pores throughout the day which enlarges the appearance of them. It contains Pore Flat Powder which fills the pores to create a smooth base, and Long Lasting Powder would make your makeup last for maximum 15 hours.

Though it does not leave any colour to the skin, it's got a tint of pink. The texture is similar to Porefessional but the biggest difference is that Pore Cover Primer is much more moisturising than Porefessional. It leaves the skin feel silky smooth, but at the same time you feel the moisturising residue which is ideal for dry skin, but not so much for oily and combination skin. In fact, it's too moisturising for my combination skin that I had to use extra oil blotting paper during the day.

So, is this primer a dupe for Porefessional? In my opinion, it's far from the quality of the cult primer from Benefit. But for 1300yen, it does an OK job to fill the pores and create a smooth base. If you find Porefessional too drying, you might like Pore Cover Primer. I am not sure about the long-lasting claim on dry skin, it may elongates the lasting power of foundation by preventing dryness, but obviously I cannot speak for them.

All I can say is that if you are looking for a dupe for Porefessional, this is not the one as it works differently. While Porefessional makes your skin smooth and prevents oiliness throughout the day, this one keeps your skin hydrated. Again, if you find Porefessional too drying, it may be worth trying this primer out!

Le ment Sparkling Oil Cleansing & Shampoo

Le ment Sparkling Oil Cleansing & Shampoo  2,400yen
It's been more than 2 weeks since I updated this blog last -I apologise for the lack of consistency with my blog, but this time I have an excuse. I caught a nasty flu at the beginning of March, which stopped me from eating and sleeping for more than a week. Fortunately I am recovered from it completely now, but it reminded me how I should be careful not to catch flu during winter -it's massive in Japan, that more than 11 million people apparently caught flu this season. Yikes! Anyway, enough of my excuses. I will try my best to update this blog more consistently, or if you read Japanese check out my Japanese blog that I update almost every single day. I also post one photo at least per day on my Instagram, too!

Moving on to the product review. Today I am reviewing this shampoo that comes out as a foam. Sounds gimmicky? Probably. Does it actually work? Absolutely.

Le ment Sparkling Oil Cleansing Shampoo contains Argan oil, Baobab oil, Lipidure, Keratin and Fullerene, which makes it very moisturising yet not heavy in the hair. It also contain highly concentrated carbonation that deep cleanses the pores and draws out impurities that normal shampoo cannot cleanse, while leaving a moisturising feel to the scalp. It also removes the alkaline residue after colouring, highlighting or perming your hair and bring it back to the healthy state -which is mild acidity.

Shake the tin well before use,  and push the nozzle to dispense this fine, bouncy foam of shampoo. It's not the weak foam that disappears within 5 seconds. It's a foam that you might be able to play tennis with -which of course you cannot but you know what I mean!

As you massage it into your hair and scalp, it lathers even more. It's actually really fun to keep massaging it into your hair and feel how much foam it creates. A little bit goes a long way, and a small amount of foam actually lathers up quite a lot that it coats all my hair easily.

Another thing I love about this shampoo is the scent. It has this floral scent that reminds me of young Japanese girls for some reason. It's not like a fragrance that high-end haircare products have. It's more like the one drugstore haircare products targeting younger girls tend to have. I might not be a university student anymore -or honestly speaking I have never been one in my life- and I am in my 30's but I love wearing this kind of subtle floral scent that makes me feel feminine and girly in a way.

The best thing about this product is how it makes my hair feel lighter and bouncier, yet not dry at all. My hair feels moisturising from the root to the end, but it does not weight down the hair. No matter which conditioner or hair mask I pair it with, it always makes my hair feel amazing.

I have nothing negative to say about this product, except how small it is. It says on the tin the weight is 200g,  but I believe that is not the actual weight of the contents -it feels much less than 200g. I have been using it for about a month now, and I am almost done with my first tin. I have never used up any shampoo within a month, unless it's just a tiny sample bottle that I get in a beauty subscription box. I would love to repurchase this product but I cannot simply justify myself spending 2,400yen every month on shampoo.

With that being said, this is a very effective shampoo that does what it claims. My scalp feels fresher, my hair feels smoother, and my roots have more volume than before. I highly recommend you to try it out if you are interested in it, but I personally am not sure if I should keep repurchasing it in the long term. Definitely an interesting product!