Japan Trip Beauty Buys: The Drugstore Edit

Finally I'm putting up a vacation shopping post and, *deep breath*, I must admit I'm having a mid-life makeup crisis of sorts because I keep watching makeup decluttering videos on YouTube and then this sort of thing happens... 

 

Coming out of the restrictions of my self-imposed beauty diet I started off slowly... then REALLY got going as you'll see - to tell you the truth I shocked myself! As a result I've decided to do four instalments otherwise this would be a ridiculously long, overwhelming post so here's the first instalment devoted entirely to Japanese drugstore shopping...

 

KATE (Kanebo)

 

KATE (marketed as urban, sharp and cool on their website) had been recommended for their eye products so that was my initial focus. All those shimmery beauties made it impossible for this little magpie to decide on just one palette so I chose two, plus a few other things - over the course of a few shopping sessions just so you know that it wasn't one ginormous binge! Just a few teensy little ones, eh?

 

Onto the specifics:

• KATE Rouge HG Lipstick (PK-21 & RD-15) - These are like sleeker packaged Revlon lip butters with a medium to high shine, decent pigmentation and that buttery feel on the lips.
• KATE Volume Gel Mascara (BK-1) - I couldn't find Kiss Me mascara which was recommended by an Instagram follower so I thought I'd try this volumising mascara instead. 
• KATE Brown Shade Eyes quad (BR-3 Sepia) - These quads were newly released and are a range of - why of course - brown shade quads in various finishes such as pearl, matte and sepia.  I've already worn this and the rose gold shades are flattering for everyday wear with just enough shimmer to add dimension to the lids.
• KATE Goldish Eyes quad (PU-1) - Shimmery purple and gold for layering over the other neutral shades? Yes, I'm looking forward to playing with this!

 

Visée (Kosé)

 

Visée was another recommendation from a Japanese IG follower as a great drugstore brand to check out:

• Visée Lip & Cheek Cream (OR-3 & PK-2) - These were released only a month before I visited Japan so they were another new find to get a little excited about! I'm now well and truly into cream cheek products so honestly I had a difficult time paring my selection down to these two bright spring-appropriate choices.  They're brighter than what I'd normally choose but I think I was under the influence of all the pretty rouged cheeks I was surrounded by in Japan - Japanese girls know how to rock blush in the prettiest way! I had blush envy over there - SERIOUSLY.
• Visée Creamy Lipstick (RD 400) - Another lipstick that slips on like butter.  Since I've returned I've read some reviews saying these are actually drying on the lips but I haven't had that problem.  I found mine super creamy, very pigmented and long lasting on the lips.  The initial creamy sheen does eventually dry down to a semi-matte look but it didn't dry out my lips at all.

 

Coffret D'Or (Kanebo)

 

 

 I found these Coffret D'Or products in a mega drugstore beneath my hotel in Osaka and I'm hopeless at resisting ultra-girly packaging and cute floral blush designs! I can't say much more about the brand as their website is only in Japanese:

• Coffret D'Or Smile Up Cheeks Cheek and Face Color (01) - I haven't tried this yet but the beautiful rose embossed palette (which comes with its own little brush) is a combined blush/highlighter with a pearly sheen so it will be for those days I want just a little glow without obviously wearing blush.  Let's be honest - I bought this just because it's pretty!
• Coffret D'Or Fall 2014 Makeup Collection (EX-4) - I was going to buy the Smile Up Cheeks blush only, when I spotted some boxed Coffret D'Or sets at the cash register (oh the temptation when I'm on holiday in another country!!!) for a reasonable price that I can't remember now but anyway... The boxed set comprised an eye shadow quad (Smile Eyes 06 Grey Brown) which I've unfortunately gouged a chunk out of while prising it open, another blush (Color Blush - RS), and a sheer gloss (Liquid Rouge EX-100).    

 

Canmake

 

I've tried Canmake products before so I didn't go overboard this time: 

• Canmake Glow Fleur Cheeks (02) -  Canmake sell such pretty blushes! This might just be a knock-off of Anna Sui, but what the heck, I bought this pretty peachy pink to add to what is now a considerably large blush collection.
• Canmake Colorful nails (10) - This is the only drugstore nail polish I bought in Japan.

 

Maquillage (Shiseido)

 

Shiseido's diffusion line Maquillage is one I've known about for a long time:

• Maquillage Concealer Liquid (Natural) - There's no particular story about this concealer pen.  I actually had to buy it because the concealer I'd packed for my vacation ran out! I've been using it daily to brighten my under eye circles and it does the job without any creasing so I'll definitely use this one up!
•  Maquillage Essence Glamorous Rouge Neo (RD 342) - I've seen a bit of buzz around regarding these lip products so I bought one to try for myself.  RD 342 is not red - actually it's very difficult to find bright lip products in Japan - but more of an everyday peach/nude.

 

Other bits and pieces...

 

And now the random one-off buys:

• Majolica Majorca Majolook quad (BR799) - These get rave reviews so I've been very restrained just buying one but I opted for the quad I'd get the most use out of. After reading the reviews I really need to get playing with this one!
• Chu Lip balm - I bought this because it's cute; it reminds me of EOS balms; and it has Tokyo in the name! Enough said.
• Za Perfect Concealer (02) - This is actually a repurchase because this concealer covers like nothing else I've tried.  A little goes a very, very long way... 

 

For me Japan drugstore shopping was probably the most exciting of all the beauty shopping I did overseas because there are so many brands I don't see at home or I don't know much about! Also I love how it seems almost every high end Japanese cosmetics brand has a drugstore diffusion brand - if only more high end cosmetic houses would sit up and take notice that you don't need to hide your drugstore connections...

If you're interested in any individual reviews or swatches on any of these products please let me know.

 

 



July's farewelled products (and beauty diet update)

Okay, I'm getting straight into it this time.  Ready, set, go!

 

Skin care

 

69) La Clinica White Brilliant Intensive Correction Serum Stage 1 (10ml/0.35 fl.oz. sample size)* - I'm currently using the entire White Brilliant range so when I ran out of the full sized bottle last month I found this sample tube to keep up the routine.  Read my thoughts from last month's empties here.

 

70) Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Gentle Facial Cleansing Wipes (25 wipes)* - I received these in an Autumn/Winter care pack from Palmer's Australia and being the wipes fiend that I am, I got into them pretty much straight away.  They're alcohol free, enriched with cocoa butter and chamomile so they don't leave the skin feeling tight after cleansing but gently moisturised and are softly scented with white lily.

 

Hand and body care

 

71) Crabtree & Evelyn Pomegranate Argan & Grapeseed Hand Therapy (100g/3.5 oz.) - C & E hand creams are strongly scented yet they don't irritate my sensitive skin and they're super rich and moisturising so I enjoy using them.  The pomegranate scent actually smells like candy so my son loved it every time I put it on! I have several of the smaller tubes of C & E hand creams to get through so expect to see quite a few more over the coming months.

 

72) OPI Expert Touch Lacquer Remover (120ml/4 fl.oz) - And this appears for the sixth time in my empties posts this year.

 

73) Natio Natural Antibacterial Hand Wash (300ml/10.1 fl.oz) - This clear gel hand wash was freshly scented and gently effective without drying out my hands.  I bought it at a Natio warehouse sale last year and unfortunately haven't seen any since otherwise I would definitely repurchase it.

 

Cosmetics

 

 Now for this month's beauty diet update. I've had a very restrained month as I haven't bought anything to reward myself for the latest 4 empties although I am teetering very close to the edge of treating myself to an Hourglass lipstick! Sophie, Anissa, Norlin  are still in on it too.

 

74) Maybelline Dream Matte Powder (Medium) - Maybe I expected too much of this widely loved drugstore powder?  It wasn't the dreamy matte finish I'd imagined and it seemed like I was constantly re-powdering my shiny t-zone.

 

75) Rimmel Sexy Curves Mascara (black) - I'm pretty sure this has been discontinued.  I didn't particularly love or hate this one. 

 

76) Za Perfect Fit Concealer (01) - One of the best concealers I've tried. The coverage is amazing and a little bit goes a very long way! This rich and creamy concealer is brightening and very opaque without creasing.  I will definitely be hunting this baby down when I go back to Japan next month.

 

77) Essence Glossy Lip Balm (Strawberry) - This gloss was strongly scented like strawberry candy and made my lips look super shiny with a slight pearly tint.  Honestly I only wore it around the house when my lips felt dry so I wouldn't repurchase it.

 

Fragrance

 

78) Victoria's Secret Amber Romance EDT (30ml) - A very cozy and warming creamy amber.  Had I known that I'd enjoy this scent so much I would have bought the range of body products too.  I will definitely repurchase from this range!  The fragrance notes are:  black cherry, crème anglaise, vanilla and sandalwood.

 

79) Tom Ford Champaca Absolute EDP (4ml sample) - Me and my Tom Ford samples, eh?  It's because the perfumes are so expensive that I indulge vicariously via the samples! This one's another heady unisex fragrance although it leans more toward the feminine end of the spectrum for me with its floral undertones - it reminds me a little of the one full sized bottle of Tom Ford I do own:  Black Orchid. Top notes are cognac, bergamot and dyer’s greenweed; middle notes are champaca, orchid, violet and jasmine; base notes are vanilla, amber, sandalwood and marron glace.

 

80) Plum Japonais EDP (.05 fl.oz/1.5ml) - I wish I owned a bottle of this slightly fruity, spicy stuff! It's certainly more uplifting than a lot of TF samples I've tried and the spicy plum scent evokes memories of childhood when my mother used to boil down autumn ripe plums into a rich spicy syrup. The notes are:  japanese plum, saffron, cinnamon, immortelle, plum blossom, camellia, agarwood (oud), amber, benzoin, fir and vanilla.

 

That's it for another month...

 

 

(Products marked * were provided for my consideration.  All comments and opinions are my own.)