New and Pretty Makeup From Canmake

fresh news from japan! canmake is going to add several new colours to their existing product lines. click to find out more.

unlike big beauty brands, canmake isn't decking out a whole fall series, but they are releasing some fall inspired shades such as burgundy eyeshadow palettes and lipsticks. there are three new products to look out for.

TWINKLE LITTLE TEARS | 600 YEN

create watery eyes with this silver glitter mascara. can be easily washed off with warm water.

only comes in one shade.

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 2015

JELLY STICK GLOSS (05) | 650 YEN

a lip gloss that is in solid state. a combination sheer colour and fine pearlescent glow, the new bordeaux shade will be perfect for fall.

RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 2015

POWDER EYEBROW (18) | 600 yen

two toned eyebrow powder for the softer looking eyebrows. the new shade 18 is a pink brown that creates a soft impression.

RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 2015

JUICY PURE EYES (07) | 600 yen

made to create natural yet defined eyes, 07 is a wine-ish pink palette.

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 2015

SECRET COLOUR EYES | 650 yen

the red is to be used on the under lid, while the shades on the right will carve out your nose secretly. 01 is designed for warm/yellowish skin tones while 02 is for cooler/bluish skin tones.

EDITOR'S THOUGHT: this combination of colour puts an image in my mind immediately, and i shall call it the rabbit eyes. a subtle touch of pink under the eyes makes you look like you just cried and in need of a warm hug plus a pat on your head. aww that image is just too cute! not that it's absolutely necessary to own a palette just for this look, but it's thoughtful of them to put together something for those who're uninspired or would like to try something new. as for me, i'd buy a single pink eyeshadow since i already have contouring shades.

RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 2015

YOUR LIPS ONLY (03) | 650 yen

a lip gloss that develops its colour according to your lip's moisture level, 03 is a mysterious clear purple shade.

RELEASE DATE: AUGUST 2015

MATTE AND CRYSTAL CHEEKS (01, 02, 03) | 650 yen

choose your finish from the matte and crystal (with fine pearly finish) duo. 01 is a coral pink while 02 is a bluish pink.

editor's thought: there is no mentioning of 03's colour, but from the photo it looks like a reddish pink. probably a neutral pink, since 01 is warm and 02 is cool?

RELEASE DATE: OCTOBER 2015

EDITOR'S ENDING NOTE: canmake has been a crowd favourite for many years, their affordable price and cute packaging have won the hearts of many. but beneath all the cutesy packaging, there's nothing new about all these products. matte and crystal cheeks is a mere variation of their older cheek and cheek. the glitter mascara is definitely not a must. i'll reserve my comments about the eyeshadows for now but let's just say they don't attract me enough to want to buy them immediately. however, i do really like the idea of the secret colour eye, which is spot on for the current natural look trend.

all images taken from biteki.com

Pretty Metal and More

a handful of new items from YSL. the first is their fall collection, aptly named PRETTY METAL. i guess they're embracing the rocker vibe this fall, with the introduction of wine/plum/burgundy colours, you know fall is coming. there're a couple of new releases in japan this coming september, i'm not sure if they're part of any collection or if they're just new colours to the existing line. most items are limited edition.

COUTURE PALETTE BEAUTY METAL | 7800 YEN

another limited edition release, feature a combination of gold, browns, and burgundy.

ROUGE VOLUPTE SHINE (34, 35, 36) | 4000 YEN

sheer colours and a smooth texture, the rouge volupte shine is debuting in darker limited edition colours. 34 is a pink beige, 35 a burgundy, and 36 a red.

34 ROSE IN SOUND, 35 FUSCHIA IN GRUNGE, 36 ROUGE IN ROCK

COUTURE BROW SCULPT MASCARA (01, 02) | 3600 YEN

the compact brush is designed to catch every strand of brow.

01 DARK BROWN, 02 ASH BROWN

COUTURE KAJAL | 4100 YEN

a jet black eyeliner that allows you to create clean and sharp lines, or you can smudge the boundaries to achieve a smokey eye effect.

GLOSS VOLUPTE (51, 52 ,53) | 3800 YEN

a lip gloss that plumps your lips and give it a shiny and wet look. the lmited edition colours are glittery and sparkly.

51 ROSE LUREX, 52 VIOLET SEQUINS, 53 ROSE STRASS

COUTURE SEQUIN NAIL JEWEL | 3500 YEN

the easy to apply nail stickers features gold glitter, black, and a classic gold YSL logo. a nail file is included to aid application.

VOLUPTE SHEER CANDY (21, 22) | 4000 YEN

limited edition shades 21 and 22 popular vibrant shades, with the added benefit of a nourishing and hydrating formula.

21 GOLDEN PEACH, 22 GOLDEN LYCHEE

RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 2014

LE LAQUE COUTURE MATTE (201, 213, 219, 270) | 3200 YEN

limited edition matte nail colour inspired by the iconic ROUGE PUR COUTURE colours.

RELEASE DATE: SEPTEMBER 2015

ROUGE PUR COUTURE VERNIS A LEVRES (301, 313, 319, 370) | 4000 YEN

a liquid rouge with vibrant colours plus a decadent pearlescent glow. all colours are limited releases.

ROUGE PUR COUTURE KISS & LOVE COLLECTORS (01, 13, 19, 70) | 4000 YEN

coming in a limited edition lipstick packaging, these icon colours are highly pigmented and dense.

01 DRAMATIC RED, 13 POP ORANGE, 19 SEDUCTIVE FUSCHIA

EDITOR'S THOUGHT: other than the pretty metal collection, i believe several of the items might be japan exclusive because i don't see them on their official websites yet (both japan's and america's). tried looking for more information on these limited edition colours but i found none. i usually feature drugstore brands, but i have an unexplainable attraction to YSL so i thought i'd share their beautiful collection. i also noticed the japanese YSL branch name some of their products slightly differently from the states, so do not be alarmed, they are the same products! the matte nail polishes are calling out to me even though i don't usually wear nail polish.


all images taken from biteki.com

NEW Jill Stuart 2015 Fall Collection: My Dress

jill stuart's new collection is called MY DRESS and has chosen the lipstick to take the centre stage of the 2015 fall collection, coming up with 10 new shades.

JILL STUART ROUGE MY DRESS | 3000 YEN

strong pigmented colours in just one swipe. applying with a lip brush will give you a lighter touch of colour. shade 02 and 10 are limited colours.

JILL STUART RIBBON COUTURE EYES (09, 10) | 5000 YEN

the two limited edition palettes for fall, 09 is a bordeaux palette while 10 is a beige palette.

JILL STUART MIX BLUSH COMPACT N (09, 10) | 4500 YEN

also a limited edition colour, 09 has a wine rose tone w hile 10 is a mixture of beige corals.

JILL STUART STAY TRUE GEL LINER (05) | 2300 YEN

the matte burgundy brown eyeliner is also a limited edition colour. the gel liner is pigmented and long lasting.

JILL STUART NAIL LACQUER R (43, 44, 45) | 1500 YEN

43 is a pearly ivory shade, the only limited edition colour out of the three. 44 is the classic fall bordeaux shade (creamy), and 45 is a bright magenta (creamy).

EDITOR'S THOUGHTS: the entire collection is limited edition, except for the two nail lacquer shades. what a bummer! it's nice to see more brands venture into the burgundy craze every fall, even though it's a little uncreative, but that's how the industry work i guess. if they also released a burgundy lipstick, that'd have made this collection perfect.

all images taken from biteki.com

First Impression And Swatch of the Sigma Lip Base (Indulgent)

this is the first time i used a lip liner and i really liked it.

my mom isn't into makeup like me, but she do use lip liners, so i've always associated lip liners with the older generation since young. moreover, lip liners aren't marketed as heavily as lipsticks are, i just never thought of buying myself one.

sigma has sent me some of their beauty products (you can read more on a separate entry) and here's my first impression review on their lip base in the shade indulgent.



COLOUR: nude pink that can look a little peachy under warmer lighting.

FINISH: matte, but has a slight sheen to it that resembles natural lips.

a nude pink that is a my-lips-but-better shade for me.

SCENT: unscented.

TEXTURE: almost velvet like because it glides onto my lips (without lip balm) really smoothly and evenly.

PIGMENTATION: able to completely cover up my original lip colour easily, it also lifted my mom's slightly darker lips a little. you can see from the swatch above that the lip liner covered a brown spot on my lips.

STAYING POWER: it can be wiped off easily with a piece of tissue, but it doesn't transfer to cups as easily as lipsticks. i got 2-3 hours of wear before i wiped it off (because i had to eat). reapplication is very easy since it can be cleaned off so easily. 

at the end of the lip liner is a colour that matches the colour of the product.

OVERALL: a very light weight product that hugged my lips like second skin, giving me a really natural look. i really didn't feel a thing on my lips. even though my lip lines are pretty visible when wearing just the lip base alone, my lips isn't actually dry or uncomfortable. the product didn't sink into lip lines like certain lipstick does. as i'm an avid fan of smacking my lips subconsciously, i notice this product doesn't have that sticky feeling like the revlon ultimate suede lipstick.

VERDICT: i'm loving this lip liner! 

since i've never used lip liners before, i have nothing to compare this to, but the performance of the lip base surprised me very pleasantly :) it's perfect for days when i wish to look a little more under stated yet made up. this might just send me into a lip liner hunt in the future for more amazing stuff.

you can check out the other lip base shades they offer.

Welcome to my stash, I've heard a lot of great things about you.

some months ago in april, i was restocking my oils on iherb as usual when i suddenly noticed there is an additional 20% discount off my order. I'M IN LUCK! so i quickly placed an order for the real techniques brushes which i've been eyeing for a while.

real techniques was recently made available in singapore, but the price is almost twice the price of that online.. with the 20% discount, i only paid USD$14.39 for the your eyes enhanced starter kit, a whopping 56% off the retail price in watsons. (it's retailing for SGD$40, while i paid SGD18.7 after conversion!) *fist pump*

i picked up the setting brush because i wanted a small brush that can fit under my eyes perfectly. the elf complexion brush is fine but a tad too big for times when i want to set the concealer under my eyes. as for the your eyes enhanced starter set, it seems the most comprehensive and value for money since a stand alone shading brush cost USD$5.99 each.

real techniques setting brush

the name of the brushes are printed on the metallic handle of the brush. the black part is a slightly rubbery material. the brush is pretty light weight in general.

top, side, and front view of the real techniques setting brush.

the brush has an oval shape when seen from the top. you can picture that in your mind with the help of the photo right? this shape utilizes more surface area of the brush, unlike a kabuki brush where only the top part is utilized.

the brush is fluffy  but not very soft, partly due to the shorter bristle length.

the gripping power of the brush is surprising, you'd think that the smooth bristles can't pick up too much products, but i've been proven to be wrong because the amount of powders that gets picked up is pretty decent.

size comparison of the real techniques setting brush with elf studio complexion brush and powder brush.

the length of the brushes are about the same, the only difference in the size and visible bristle length. also, the ferrule of the real techniques setting brush is also much longer as compared to the elf brushes. no more loose ferrule (which happened to my elf powder brush) situations!

real techniques your eyes enhanced starter set.

a set of 5 brushes, it comes in a black foldable case for you to bring it on the go. each brush is held tightly by a black elastic, which proves to be quite an ass when i tried to put the brushes back into it.

brush cover can be transformed into a brush stand.

if you fold along the crease in the previous photo, you'll get a stand that can be held in place by a string and stopper (in the background of the photo, being blocked by the 4th brush).

real techniques deluxe crease brush, base shadow brush, accent brush, fine liner brush, and brow brush.

this set can pretty much satisfies all your eye looks, since it takes care of eyeshadow, eye lining, and your eyebrows too!

i have tried using all but the fine liner brush as it looks too thick to be considered "fine" to me.

comparison of the deluxe crease brush and base shadow brush.

as you can see, both of them differ in size and shape. the deluxe crease brush is a round brush with a dome top, while the base shadow brush is oval in shape and has a more tapered end.

since the brush density of the deluxe crease brush is higher, it's a little stiffer than the base shadow brush, making it wonderful as blending out harsh edges or to buff small sections of the skin. i tried using it under my eyes and it fits perfectly, allowing me to buff powder on my under eye area.

the base shadow brush is a lot softer and works super well in sweeping colour over my lids. i also use it for blending out harsh edges. it's kind of multi functional and i really really like this brush.

side and front view of the base shadow brush

the tapered design of the base shadow brush allows me to pick up shadow easily with the sides of the brush, which may contribute to the beautiful diffusion of colours when i apply it to my eye lids, as opposed to a concentrated spot of colours. i've been looking for an eyeshadow brush that does this forever, ever since i lost my first eyeshadow brush a decade ago. none of the current eyeshadow brushes i own is able to deliver a gentle and even wash of colour across my lids because they're all too stiff.

i've used the accent brush in applying brown eye shadow on my lower lids, as well was to highlight the inner corner of my eyes. the small size allows it to fit onto those parts precisely. it also picks up powder very efficiently. another of my favourite brush from this set.

as for the brow brush, it's dense, thick, but a little too soft for my liking. the lines it creates is too feathered. while it may be perfect for filling in the brows, i still prefer using my stiffer angled brow brush (which i converted from an old eyeliner brush) to sketch on a more definitely brow tail. i've found another use for this brush though: contouring my nose. the soft lines it creates allows me to add shadow to my nose before blending it out with another brush. if the brush is too stiff, the lines will be too dark and compact, making it harder to blend out later on. i don't want to have harsh lines on my nose!

and those are just a first impression so far because i only got to use it once or twice! do expect a full review in time to come. hopefully i would have used the fine liner brush by then to note down my thoughts about it.

if you're new to iherb, you're in luck because you can get $10 off your first purchase (must be over $40). that's 25% off your first purchase! anything below $40 and you'll get $5 off! just use the code SUG844 to shave $10 off your order! or you can click on this link to shop these products right now!