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My Current Beauty Faves | July 2016

Beauty FavesMy Current Beauty Faves | July 2016

Confession time! I don’t like watching beauty videos (unless it’s 100 Coats). I know I’m going against the grain here, but they just don’t appeal to me. That said, I’ve always appreciated a monthly favourites video. Basically I want my information short and sweet. I wanna know which products you loved this month, and which you hated. Since I don’t have the time to review every single beauty product I’m currently loving, I decided that a monthly Beauty Faves post was the best way to go about it.

My Beauty Faves | July

  • Sephora Express Drying Oil – Place a drop on newly painted nails and they dry within 1 minute. The perfect solution for clumsy ol’me.
  • Sleek Matte Me Lip Cream | Birthday Suit – The perfect matte lip cream. My perfect shade. The Sleek Matte Me lip creams do not budge through drinking and eating – no lie! I love it so much I’ve stocked up.
  • YSL Vinyl Couture Mascara | I’m The Clash #1* – I only ask for 2 things in a mascara. That it holds my lashes up – they point downwards usually – and that it doesn’t smudge. YSL have certainly come to my rescue with this one.
  • YSL Touche Eclat Concealer & Highlighter | Luminous Radiance #1*- Yes I know I’m late to hop on the bandwagon, but now I’m on it, I ain’t gettin off! This is the perfect tool to add a bit of luminosity to my face.
  • Barry M Gelly Nail Paint | Almond – This is a dupe of my favourite Nails Inc polish – everyone compliments this colour – and I honestly can’t tell the difference when it comes to shade or wear.  At £11 cheaper than it’s twin, I know which one I’ll be sticking with from now on.
  • Canmake Day & Night Treatment Lip Scrub – I picked this up in Japan and haven’t put it down since. It exfoliates my lips gently (it’s a sugar scrub), and prepares them for lipstick. Alternatively, I use it at night after removing my make-up – to prepare my lips for the following day.
  • Trilogy Daily Defence Moisturiser SPF15* – For a pale lady such as myself, a moisturiser containing SPF is a must! This day cream is thick, but absorbs quickly, and is the perfect base for my make-up.
  • CHANEL Coco Mademoiselle Eau de Toilette – I’ve always loved this scent, and so does everyone else! I get numerous compliments when I spritz this on, and everyone says it’s lovely.
  • Collection Precision Contouring Crayon – This one is sneak peek! It isn’t out yet, but it will be soon. Trust me, if you contour, you NEED this crayon in your life. It applies smoothly, and blends like an angel.

There you have it! My July Beauty Faves. Keep an eye out for more beauty reviews and recommendations here.

Beauty Faves Beauty Faves Beauty Faves

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Review: Canmake Stay-On Balm Rouge Lip Colour #3

Canmake Stay On Balm Rouge Lip Colour in #3 Tiny Sweetpea
Canmake is a brand you may have seen me mention before on the blog. Hailing from Japan, they offer quality cosmetics at high street prices, which has made them one of Japan’s leading make-up brands. I have been using their products for almost 5 years, but I still get excited when I see a new launch. Their Stay-On Balm Rouge intrigued me as it claims to be a moisturising lip balm with a rouge tint and UV protection. Now I don’t know about you, but that ticks all the boxes in what I’m looking for in a lip product. It comes in 8 shades, ranging from pinks, to corals and reds. I have shade #3 Tiny Sweetpea.
Pros:
+ Moisturisng
+ Noticeable tint
+ Applies easily
+ Cute packaging
+ Gloss-like finish

Cons:
– Doesn’t stay on when eating/drinking

Notes:
First off I have to say how impressed I am with the packaging. Canmake’s products are usually packaged nicely, but this one feels as if they’ve put in extra effort. The twist function makes the product seem more expensive, and it gives easy access to the balm. As for the balm itself, I was expecting something slightly sheer as that’s how it looked when swatched. However I found the colour to be quite pigmented and noticeable when I applied it to my lips. It felt very moisturising and not sticky at all. I’ve had dry lips recently, and this didn’t irritate them like some of my other tinted balms. My only complaint would be that it doesn’t stay on long when drinking or eating, but then not many lip products do. Priced at 580円 (around £3.35) I would definitely repurchase it, and I’d even buy more shades to add to my collection. As for being able to purchase it in Europe/US, the price has been hiked up, as is the usual with Japanese beauty products. If you managed to grab this in Asia then go for it! Still, if you’d like to buy it online it averages at around £8 (with shipping), which I would still pay for a replacement, once I’ve used this one. 
You can purchase Canmake’s Stay-On Balm Rouge Lip Colour at Alpha Beauty Store.
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Review: Canmake Lip Care Essence

Canmake Lip Care Essence

This is a product I’ve kept hidden from you all for a while. But I can’t be selfish any longer, so I’ve decided to review it for you. Canmake are a Japanese drugstore-equivalent beauty brand. They can be found in most stores across Japan that stock beauty products. They are also available in some stores across other parts of Asia, and online. The collections are usually very well priced for the quality of the goods. I’ve been using Canmake products for around 6 years now and I love them.

Pros:
+ Very moisturising
+ Helped when I had chapped lips
+ Great base for lipstick
+ Cute packaging
+ Can be used as a gloss

Cons:
– Sticky

Notes:
As an avid user of lip balms I wasn’t expecting much from a gloss lip care product. Yet Canmake have won me over again with this one. This gloss is an amazing all rounder product that works great for general lip-care but is also good as a base for lipsticks, or to get a natural gloss look on lips. It can be sticky, like all glosses, so probably best to avoid wearing it on a windy day – trust me, I know from experience. However it has kept my lips chap free, and even helped when I had chapped lips recently. It’s a great size so it would fit into any handbag easily, but there’s plenty of product. It leaves my lips hydrated, soft and smooth, and doesn’t stay sticky for too long. It’s worth mentioning that this has a very very light pink tone to it, and there is also a cherry toned one. This was bought in Japan for a very reasonable 680円 (around £4.10). You can buy this particular product online but unfortunately like most imported products, prices have been hiked up.

You can buy Canmake’s Lip Care Essence on eBay and at YesStyle.

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My Basic Make-up Must-haves!

I often write reviews on new make-up products I have bought, so I thought I would write about my favourite make-up products – the ones that I rush to buy as soon as I begin to run out. These are just basic items that I use to create a simple, natural look, or use as a base for less ‘natural’ looks. Note: I didn’t include eyeshadows or items that I am constantly experimenting with, or buying in new colours and brands etc.

What are my must-have make-up items?

+ Chanel Lipsticks – Rouge Coco #31 is my favourite.
+ Lipcote – to get the most wear out of my lipsticks.
+ Maxfactor Masterpiece Max Mascara – gives good volume.
+ Sephora Liquid Eyeliner – love the application of this.
+ Sephora White Eye Pencil – great for highlighting my eyes.
+ Dollywink Eyeliner Pen – great for filling in, or using on lower lash line.
+ Canmake Blush #PW20 – amazingly pigmented, gives great colour.
+ Lush’s Jackie Oats Colour Supplement – perfect for my skin tone.
+ Collection 2000 Pressed Powder – the only powder I’ve found that matches my skin tone perfectly.

I’ve been using the Chanel, Lipcote, Dollywink, Canmake and Maxfactor items for a long time.
The others are all relatively new (within a year), but have quickly become firm favourites of mine.
These are items that I would gladly buy again and again…and I do!
They may not work for everyone, but they work perfectly for me.
Do you have any favourite make-up products?
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My Favourite Asian Beauty Products

After being asked over the weekend about my favourite Japanese beauty products,

I thought it might make a change to post about some of my favourite Asian beauty products.
I know I have done it in the past, but I hope this will help my new readers and those who don’t know much about them.
I’ve decided to make it simple and pick my favourite make-up brands, for certain products.
I have chosen items that I use everyday. I don’t use items such as bronzer etc. so they won’t be included. 
It’s also worth mentioning that even though I have used a lot of Asian beauty products I haven’t tried out every single brand, and I do prefer Western brands for certain products so where there are gaps, this is why.
Also, I have not only chosen Asian brands, but brands that are also popular in the Asian beauty market.
A lot of the ‘Western’ beauty brands that are popular often carry lines that are only available in Asia.

I have linked each product to where you can purchase it online.

Face

Concealer: Candydoll / Sana
BB Cream: Skin79 Hot Pink / Skin79 Diamond Collection
Contouring: Diamond Beauty / Canmake
Loose Powder: Diamond Beauty

Blush: Canmake
Highlight: Canmake

Eyes

Primer: Canmake
Eyeshadow: Dollywink / Canmake
Eyeliner: KATE / Dollywink
Eyelashes: Diamond Lash / Eyemazing
Mascara: Dollywink

Lips
Lip Care: Paul & Joe
Lip Gloss: Candydoll / B & C
Lip Balm: Happy Bath Day

Nude Lipsticks: Candydoll / Canmake
Other Lipsticks: Anna Sui
I hope this has helped a few people who want to venture into the Asian beauty market.
I don’t know everything about Asian beauty products but my time living in Japan, and importing products from Asian companies has helped me a lot. My favourite place to shop online is Sasa, the prices are reasonable (not marked up as high as other stores), they offer a very large selection and are reliable. Alpha Beauty Store on eBay also offer a wide variety of Asian Beauty products, including most of those listed above.

Source; 1
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A very pink present…

Canmake; powder cheek, cheek&cheek, melty nude lip, lip care essence
& Bath Roman salts

One of my closest friends, the always gorgeous Alanna, visited Japan recently and whilst she was there she was kind enough to pick me up a few things…and also send me a couple of surprise items. Such a sweety!!

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What’s in my make-up bag?

[click images to enlarge] 

Well that’s my make-up bag – It’s from the Japanese brand ‘Swimmer‘, and was a present from my boyfriend who knows I love their items. They’re not a Gal brand but they stock plenty of cute things that appeal to a lot of Japanese girls, regardless of their fashion choices. 
So what’s inside??

Skin
  1. Natural Collection face powder (need more!)
  2. Collection 2000 Concealer
Lip
  1. Carmex
  2. Happy Bath Day lipgloss
  3. MAC ‘Quite Cute’ lip pencil
  4. MAC ‘Lady Gaga’ nude lipstick
  5. Anna Sui ‘Dolly Girl’ lipstick
  6. Jill Stuart lipstick
  7. Chanel lipstick
  8. Chanel lipcare stick
  9. Maxfactor ‘vibrant curve effect’ lipgloss
Eyes
  1. Barry M bronze ‘dazzle dust’
  2. CANMAKE eyeshadow base
  3. Chanel eyeshadow palette
  4. CANMAKE ‘Gradation Wink’ eyeshadow
  5. Dolly Wink grey & pink eyeshadow palette
  6. Dolly Wink eyelash case
  7. Maxfactor gold & silver eyeliner
  8. Benefit highlighter pencil
  9. Maxfactor kohl pencil
  10. Maxfactor ‘xperience volumising’ mascara
  11. KATE liquid liner pencil
  12. Dolly Wink pencil & liquid liner
Cheek
  1. CANMAKE cream cheek
  2. CANMAKE powder cheek

For those of you who remember my original post, you’ll notice that my ‘everyday’ collection (I alternate items, I don’t wear them all at once haha) has expanded.
I have more palettes, lipsticks/glosses etc. that I keep in another case (& my handbag) but these are my usual go-to items!!
I still don’t use foundation because I want to take care of my skin, but lately I have been thinking of going back to it (after 3 years – shock, horror!).

You’ll also notice that I was such a big fan of some of the items that I have continued to buy and use them. That means I really do love them, as I am constantly buying new products and chucking out old ones!