An Ode To A Japanese Drugstore Brand That I Love..

The First time I tried this brand was few years ago when I was browsing thru GT's lyng's list of items in the beauty bazaar, she had her Canmake Cheek and Highlight Duo in Peach Cream for sale.

Being a sucker for shimmery blushes, I felt the urge to purchase it, it was priced at around Php350.00 ($8.00). That was the first time ive heard about the brand. 

Enough of the brief background, now lets go back to my review and swatches for the Canmake stuff I currently have. ^_^

Canmake Items are housed in clear/transparent acrylic compacts, some may find them flimsy, some may find them cheap, but I dont care, the contents are just oh so kawaii and I couldnt get enough of them.. ^_^

To date, I only have 3 Canmake blushes at hand, but the collection will surely grow soon, as ive researched about their blushes and found a bunch more that caught my eye.. :))

What I love about blush duos/gradients, is the fact that the intensity of the color and sheen is customizable. So its like owning a number of blushes in one pan. Clever isnt it? 

First on the spotlight is Canmake Cheek & Highlight Duo in 06 Strawberry Cream 

06 is a duo of Shimmer Carnation Pink Blush and Pearl Pale Pink Highlighter

Next is the Canmake Cheek and Highlight Duo in 02 Peach Cream 

02 is a combination of Coral Pink (pretty much like NARS Orgasm) and Pale Peach Pearl Highlighter

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Over the two Cheek and Highlight duos I own, Strawberry Cream is more pigmented than the other. What I love about the blushes is that theyre hard to overdo, it gives a very subtle color with a healthy sheen. The texture of the powder is awesome, silky and not chalky. Way better than Jill Stuart Mix Blushes in my honest opinion.

Only beef is that, they do crumble easily, you have to be easy with your brush.

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This one I got as a gift, as I mentioned in one of my previous posts.. :) 

Its the Canmake Cheek Gradation Blush in 

06 Candy Stripe

Cheek Gradation in 06 is a combination of 4 shades

(that reminds me of Jill Stuart Mix Blush in Fresh Apricot, and oh, strange coincidence they both bear 06 shade numbers!)

first is a layer of shimmery tangerine shade, a layer of shimmer carnation pink,

a strip of shimmer pale pink and a strip of pearl highlighter. 

Couldnt see the highlighter in the photo above so I decided to take another picture focusing on the pearl highlighter this time. 

Just like the Cheek and Highlight Duos, the powder is Silky, the blushes blend to a nice healthy peachy pink vibrant flush with a subtle hint of shimmer (opposing the impression that this looks super shimmery judging how it looks in the pan). 

These blushes do have chunkier bits of shimmer other than the finely milled pearlescent shimmer blended into the colors. Probably a turn off for those who dont like shimmers, but definitely a plus for me since I love how it brightens the overall look. The shimmers are barely noticeable after blending anyway. 

Unfortunately, I couldnt read Japanese characters so Ive no idea if its the ingredients thats written on the back of the compact, and the ingredients are also not published on their website.

Just another swipe and blend blush. Shade outcomes are fully customizable, feel free to explore which ratio of cheek to highlighter works best for you. :))

Not expecting much from a drugstore brand, anticipate to have the need to do touch ups every 2-3 hours or so. (considering how humid our weather is)

My skin absolutely loves Canmake Blushes! Im wanting more! 

Yes. And I also have to have the other shades! 

*photos courtesy of Of Toys and Tokyo *

wasnt able to grab photos of the Cheek Gradation blushes but i also want a couple of shades from that line. 

Heres a little peek on my Canmake shopping list (after my no-buy phase has been lifted) 

now Im starting to feel that the rebound of my no-buy phase will kick me real hard in the a**. haha! 

Powder Blushes, so I would say 12-18months would be good, as long as with proper hygienic care to the beauty tools you use with this. 

800 yen for the Cheek Gradation Blush (Php 750.00 from a local reseller) and 

680 yen for the Cheek and Highlight Duo (Php 650.00 from a local reseller)

Sasa in HongKong carries the brand. Leading Drugstores in Japan, I suppose and WeHaveIt43 for the local reseller here in the Philippines. 

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These are few of the things that make me want to live in Japan. :D apart from the kokeshi dolls that's my primary reason why I wish I was Japanese. haha! *babaw* haha! 

Live, Love and Stay Fab!! 

Random Beauty Questions Part 2

Its the second time that Im answering beauty questions from fellow beauty bloggers. Its nice to know how everyone started getting into makeups. 

Not tagging anyone for this post, everyone who wish to answer these questions, feel free to Copy the questions and answer them, please dont forget to leave a reply so I can check out your blog and get to know a little more about you. :) 

1. How old were you when you started wearing makeup?

-- I have toddler pics where I was already wearing makeup, even as a kid, i love playing with my mom's makeup stash, and I regret how I treated them as toys, I remember I ruined my mom's Limited Edition CHANEL brush set ( i used them for painting, literally) that she got from her trip to Europe years back, I never imagined they were expensive haha! But technically, i started doing my own makeup at the age of 16 (blush,liner,mascara&gloss)

2. How did you get into makeup?

-- Mom loves makeup, thats probably the reason why I got interested with makeups as well. :) 

3. What are some of your favorite brands?

-- I have lots of favorite brands, but if I were to choose the top 5 brands that I love, I would say Guerlain, NARS, Korres, Physicians Formula and YSL. (in that order)  

4. If you could only wear 4 products on your face what would they be?

-- Foundation, NARS Multiple (coz its multipurpose), Mascara (I can somehow get away using this as an eyeliner if i forget to bring my liner with me), lip gloss. 

5. What does makeup mean to you?

-- Everyday Makeup should not be used to transform anything, its only meant to enhance what you already have. :) (of course, artsy makeup is an exception to this rule that I have)

6. What is your favorite thing about makeup?

-- It makes the face more vibrant. Makes the facial features stand out even more. 

7. What do you think about drugstore makeup vs. high end makeup?

-- In my honest opinion, theres no competition at all. Expensive doesnt always guarantee good results, and so as drugstore makeup doesnt mean its always of mediocre quality. Some drugstore brands are even better than some high end make up. Im pretty sure a lot of people would agree on this. 

8. What is one tip of advice you can give to a beginner?

-- Choose the right shade of everything. It basically starts there. If it doesnt match your skintone, it wouldnt look good on you. Always remember that.

9. What is one make up trend you've never understood?

-- none, actually. all the makeup trends even the quirky ones look good on some people, pretty much similar to choosing the right blush shade or right lipstick shades that suits a person. not all colors would look good on everyone.  

10. What do you think about the beauty community on YouTube?

-- Really Helpful. For a thorough understanding of the art of applying makeups, its best to enroll in Makeup Classes, but these videos are really helpful to create different looks and serves as a great guide when youre at home and you wanna practice. 

Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blushes

Whats up Ladies? :) 

Im so lazy to go out of my room today because its so hot outside, 

(36°C scorching, yes?) 

Will make a short review plus swatches for the Physicians formula Happy Booster Blushes I got in the mail yesterday.  

The blushes are housed in the typical Physicians formula compact with clear acrylic cover, the blush pan flips  to reveal a mirror and the brush compartment at the bottom. Im not sure why the bottom part has perforations (tiny holes) though, coz as far as I know, those are seen on 2-way makeup containers so that you would let air pass thru the compartment if ever you're using a moist/wet sponge for application.

There's a slight deviation from the common Physicians Formula compact though, the Happy Booster blush cases come in Hotpink Chrome finish. Pretty!  

For those who havent tried Physicians Formula Cosmetics yet, their makeups bear this Radiant, Glowy finish, some may look overly shimmery on the pan, but I guarantee that once applied, it gives just the right amount of sheen that would make your skin look flawless and radiant. 

Ive always been a fan of Physicians Formula cosmetics, and I would say these Happy Booster blushes have far better quality and texture than all the blushes ive tried from the brand (dont get me wrong, i love PF stuff but then this has great quality among the rest). Their powders and blushes feel silky when applied, blends easily and the staying power is superb. Unlike the other blushes from PF, these Happy Booster blushes do not crumble when you swipe or swirl your brush on top of it (reminds me of Guerlain Pressed Meteorites) so you dont have to fear much about loading your brush with too much product for each swirl. 

Here's how the blushes look with all the colors blended 

(these are heavy swatches already) 

Rose bears a cool, blue-based undertone (i love this!) 

while
Natural has a combination of peachy-coral and berry tones. 

ROSE :

Rose has 7 different hues of pink in the pan. I love this because the colors tend to be distributed evenly and theres not even a single color that's more dominant among the rest even if you swirl your brush around the pan. Im probably bias, coz obviously, im a big fan of cool pink blushes, but as you read further you would find out why Id pick this over Natural. 

NATURAL : 

Sorry had to take 2 separate photos for the swatch coz some of the shades are shimmery that I need to get light to focus on them for the colors to be captured. 

As you can see on the swatches, one color stands out from the rest -- shade # 4. 

This is what I dont like about this blush, #4 is so pigmented (and more loosely pressed than the others) that when you swirl your brush once or twice on the pan and apply the blush on your cheek, it would look like youve been hit by Manny Pacquiao real hard on the face. haha! The only way to make this blush work on my nc25 skintone is do a couple of dabs on the portion with #4 and swirl the brush back and forth on the left part of the pan to get a really nice flush that wont look like a bruise anymore. 

Im a big fan of swirl-and-apply blushes, i dont like blushes that give me a hard time to balance the colors to get a natural flush since its prone to makeup errors. 

The best part : Hypoallergenic. Non-comedogenic. Paraben-free. Dermatologist approved.

TALC. ZEA MAYS (CORN) STARCH. DIMETHICONE. OCTYLDODECYL STEAROYL STEARATE. ZINC STEARATE. PENTAERYTHRITYL TETRAISOSTEARATE. ASTROCARYUM MURUMURU SEED BUTTER. HELIANTHUS ANNUUS (SUNFLOWER) SEED OIL. LECITHIN. PHYTOSTERYL CANOLATE. PLUKENETIA VOLUBILIS SEED OIL. RHODIOLA ROSEA ROOT EXTRACT. ROSMARINUS OFFICINALIS (ROSEMARY) LEAF EXTRACT. THEOBROMA GRANDIFLORUM SEED BUTTER. SCHINUS TEREBINTHIFOLIUS SEED EXTRACT. PALM ALCOHOL. PHENOXYETHANOL. POTASSIUM SORBATE. FRAGRANCE. MAY CONTAIN: CARMINE. IRON OXIDES. MANGANESE VIOLET. MICA. RED 6. RED 7 LAKE. RED 28 LAKE. RED 30 LAKE. TITANIUM DIOXIDE. ULTRAMARINES. YELLOW 5 LAKE.

Physicians Formula webpage says : 

Using a soft powder brush, sweep over entire palette to evenly blend colors. Tap excess powder from brush before applying. Brush over cheeks to define and contour or apply right below cheekbones for a more defined dramatic look.

My say : This trick works for the Rose variant, not for Natural though. :) I use Marrionaud's Blush Brush to apply this. Threw the brushes that these blushes came with because its ugly and couldnt pickup color coz its flimsy. For quick touch-ups, i replaced the brushes with my Helena Rubinstein half-moon brush that also fits the brush compartment perfectly.

Lasting power is superb. Great for a drugstore brand. 

How I tested it? I applied the blush at around 9pm last night, slept and woke up and my blush looks fine (i sleep on prone position all the time. haha!), of course there was a little wearing of the color, but then it still looks okay. Woke up early today (around 7am) took a shower, did my makeup (though i stayed home) and its already 4pm and my blush looks good (compared to their other blushes that need to be retouched after 4 hours or so). 

Yep! My skin always loved Physicians Formula Cosmetics. 

I think a pan would last me long. Im pretty sure that by the time I use this all up, thered be a new blush from PF that I would like to try out. 

Its a powder blush, so I would say 12-24months will be good. Use a sanitized or a clean brush each time you use it though to prevent contamination. 

These sells for $12.00 in the States, but I got them for Php 750.00 each (around $17). Not bad. 

If you happen to know someone in the States, you can ask them to buy these for you, most drugstores carry the brand. :) If you're from the Philippines, ebay is the best place to look for imported stuff, expect to pay a little more though to cover the taxes and international shipping fees the seller paid to bring the stuff here. 

Want these blushes? Theres still one of each shade on ebay. :) 

Live, Love, Stay Fab!! :)

Mr.Mailman Gave Me These Today...

Another Haul Post. :) 

I ordered these Physicians Formula Happy Booster Blushes last week, and they were delivered to me just this morning. 

The Happy Booster Blushes sure did boost my mood today, just by seeing how cute they are surely made my day. :) 

group picture! :)

Rose - Natural

*sorry if the actual colors of the blushes were washed off, i took this side-by-side picture outdoors, in our greenhouse and the sun was so glaring that I wasnt able to capture the real colors of the blushes*

Here are the blushes in indoor lighting. The colors are much closer to how they look like in actual. :) 

Physicians Formula Happy Booster 

Glow and Mood Boosting Blush in Rose 

Physicians Formula Happy Booster 

Glow and Mood Boosting Blush in Natural

The brush is ugly, I dont think it would be able to pick up and blend colors well on the cheeks so Im definitely not using them. 

 

This T. LeClerc powder, I got from a swap in GirlTalk

Banane is a rare find I think. Its always OOS in Rustans Alabang Town Center.

And ive been looking for this powder for so long already.     

Will post a detailed review for these items later or in the coming days.. :) 

Live, Love and Stay Fab!