24hコスメ 24h Cosme Taste Me Lip Gloss

I came across this Taste Me Lip Gloss in a Rakuten store that also stocked the Only Minerals UV foundation powder set I’d been looking for. 24h Cosme (24hコスメ) is apparently very popular in Japan, and their gloss’ packaging is like the Stila Lip Glaze, which I used to love for its convenience (though the Lip Glaze itself smelled like plastic, felt like glue), so I added it to cart.

Available in 4 shades - 01 Orange Smoothie, 02 Cherry Candy, 03 Mixed Berry Ice & 04 Passion Fruit, these glosses are made using only natural ingredients - so natural in fact, that you could actually eat it. No parabens, mineral oils, artificial colourings nor fragrances were used in their making! The hygienic click pen & brush also makes it a breeze to apply, especially on the go.

Despite its "Taste Me" name, there's no flavour or scent. That's definitely better than some artificial plasticky "fruit" fragrance!

The shade I picked was 02 Cherry Candy; I was hoping for a pretty cotton candy shade as shown in the official product photo, but unfortunately, the gloss comes out so sheer that my camera had trouble picking up the colour on my arm. This means that on my lips, it's as good as transparent - perfect if you're looking for a subtle sheen, useless otherwise.

Swatch below:

Thanks to the various natural oils & waxes, this lip gloss is feather light, hydrating and comfortable to wear.  The downside? As is the case with 99% of moisturising, lightweight lip glosses, is that their staying power is non existent. Sadly, this falls within that category; less than an hour later, it needs to be reapplied. But credit must be given where it's due - it does leave my lips feeling baby soft.

There's only 1.7g of product (less than a full sized Stila Lip Glaze), so for ¥2,484, it certainly isn't cheap. I can see myself using this up (very quickly!) but I most likely won't repurchase, because I feel that there are better value alternatives. I'll miss the handy click pen though... :(

Ingredients:
Ingredients in English: Castor oil, vegetable oil, lanolin, candelilla wax, olive oil, grape seed oil, soya sterol, avocado oil, orange oil, (+ / -) mica, titanium oxide, iron oxide, carmine, tin oxide

Natural Japanese make up brand Naturaglace reviews

Once upon a time, I was obsessed with any and all Japanese brand makeup/skincare products and subsequently hauled them all, until I decided to go down the natural route and realised a lot of the brands I used contained parabens, mineral oils and a whole bunch of synthetic ingredients.

While I may tolerate some synethetic ingredients in small amounts for an outstanding product, parabens for me is a big no no - I've since thrown out a lot of products containing the offending ingredient.

As I generally prefer Japanese base products (why does SUQQU have to contain parabens??) I started searching for natural Japanese makeup brands. Aided by good old Google Translate, I eventually stumbled upon Naturaglace - their products contain 100% natural ingredients and are free from parabens, mineral oils, synethetic fragrances, etc, yay!

Naturaglace's official site is in Japanese, though there are a lot of pictures to help you find what you're looking for. They currently have a decent selection of base + point makeup.

A few photos from the Naturaglace brochure I received with one of my orders:

 

I like to get Naturaglace items from their Rakuten store via FromJapan - FJ periodically runs a 10% off Rakuten items promo, so I always take the opportunity to stock up or try out new items.

Brief introduction over, on to the reviews!


Naturaglace Foundation Puree SPF 20 PA++

Available in 3 shades - YE1, YE2 & YE3. I initially took a wild guess and went for YE1 which is the lightest shade.

It provides SPF 25 with some UVA/UVB protection; foundations with sun protection always get bonus points from me even though I'd usually use a separate sun block.

Despite being "YE" which one would assume to be yellow toned, it's more of a peachy shade which luckily, matches my skin almost perfectly. It gives dewy brightening effect without making me look like a ghost, and evens out my complexion making it look fresh & even.

As the coverage is so light, it's pretty rubbish at covering imperfections. Doesn't really bother me though, since I've always favoured light to medium coverage foundations - I prefer to spot conceal where needed rather than plaster my entire face with heavy foundation.

Swatch:

Its consistency is somewhere between an average runny liquid foundation and a cream foundation. Easily spread and doesn't clog up my pores. One to two pumps is enough to cover the entire face; I like to dab it around before blending.

The only downside is that it feels ever so slightly sticky immediately after application, but fixes itself after a few minutes, or you can use a finishing powder to get rid of this issue.

A foundation that's long lasting, evens out my skin tone, is natural & paraben free, with beautiful consistency, plus makes my skin look even and dewy - I really couldn't ask for more (move over SUQQU!) At ¥3390 for 20ml it's also more reasonably priced than SUQQU foundations.


Naturaglace Make Up Cream SPF30 PA++
This is a very slightly tinted, almost transparent, all-in-one cream that's only available in one shade. Suitable for pretty much all skin tones, it can be worn either on its own, or as a primer under foundation depending on the desired finish.

I generally prefer to wear it alone and while it's not enough to cover up any imperfections, it makes my skin appear just that little bit more radiant, even toned, and my pores a tiny bit smaller, so it looks like I've been blessed with great skin (if only) as opposed to good makeup.



When worn under foundation, it provides additional moisture for the skin as well as a little extra coverage.

Apparently, this Make Up Cream is so popular in Japan that it's won Monde Selection Gold Awards (for high quality products) for three years running!

I've been using Naturaglace's Foundation Puree and Make Up Cream almost exclusively for the past two years as I simply haven't found better alternatives.

Retails at ¥2940 for 25ml


Naturaglace Honey Rouge
I picked this lip gloss in PK2, which is a natural looking nude pink. Honestly, I'm on the fence about this shade because I generally don't go for nude pinks, but it feels moisturising and comfortable enough on the lips that I'm happy to continue using it.

It has super fine shimmer that's not at all obvious from a distance. While the colour is pretty, it's not pink enough for me and doesn't really show up on my lips either.

Like the Hourglass Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss, it comes with a flat spongy applicator that I really like. Unfortunately, it's not as long lasting as Hourglass, which also narrowly trumps it in comfort and longevity.

Retails at ¥2940 - I really don't think I'm impressed enough to try this in a different shade...

Naturaglace Lip Gelee
Available in PK1 and PK2 - on the official site PK1 looks like a shimmery baby pink and PK2 is a pale peach shade, naturally I chose the former.

Although this gloss has extremely fine pink shimmer particles (shown in swatch below), on the lips it looks like a clear lip gloss. It seems that Naturaglace make up products are on the sheer side.

Quite moisturising and not too sticky, it looks rather pretty when layered on top of a more pigmented lip gloss. Otherwise for ¥1890, you'd be better off purchasing a cheaper clear gloss because the difference is so subtle.

The size doesn't seem to be written anywhere, but it's smaller than a 10ml Juicy Tubes, I'd guess maybe around 8ml.


Naturaglace Eyebrow Chocolat
A more recent addition to my stash, this Eyebrow Chocolat is a refillable double ended eyebrow pencil with a brush attachment. It's comes in BR1 Brown and BR2 Light Brown - since I have dark hair, I went for BR1.

Though it doesn't appear to hold much actual product, the twist mechanism means nothing gets wasted unlike sharpening a regular brow pencil. The brush on the other end is handy for taming unruly brows.



While nice to have, this Eyebrow Chocolat isn't an essential item in my opinion. But as I already have it, once I run out I might as well get a refill.

Swatch:

Retails at ¥2940 and the refill on its own is ¥1890.


Naturaglace Eyeliner Creme Chocolat

I'm very picky when it comes to eyeliner; I'm not a fan of harsh, crisp eye lines and find most liners too harsh. This liner is creamy soft, doesn't drag the skin around my eyes and stays put for several hours without needing an eyelid primer. Perfect!

Again I find the twist mechanism brilliant, since I dislike having to sharpen eye pencils which always leaves debris flying everywhere.

The spongy tip on the other end is convenient for smudging the liner to soften it or for a smoky look.



Like the Eyebrow Chocolat, I don't think this would qualify as a must have for most people. However, given how picky I am and how convenient it is, it's highly likely I'll purchase a refill.

The Eyeliner Creme Chocolat and its refill are priced the same as the Eyebrow Chocolat (above).

All in all I'm a huge fan of Naturaglace! As far as prices go, you don't get a lot of product for your $ - it seems that Naturaglace isn't that generous with the amount of product you get That said, the quality is most definitely there. I'd be happy to keep buying the base products as well as continue to expand my current growing collection.

There are a few more Naturaglace products I'll be reviewing, which will follow shortly (promise!)

Plus... I'm expecting my absolute biggest ever FromJapan package (containing 1 item, 4.5kgs) next week - I'll be sure to post as soon as that arrives too!

Hourglass Cosmetics Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Origami review

Described as a bubblegum pink, Hourglass Cosmetics Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss in Origami is a non sticky, hydrating lip gloss with a very faint yummy cupcake frosting scent ❤

I haven't tried other Hourglass products yet; often for me to take interest in a brand, I have to be impressed by their lip glosses first =P

While not classed as natural/organic, Extreme Sheen High Shine Lip Gloss is formulated without parabens, sulphates, and phthalates. A gloss I'll happily use!

Packaging is sleek, modern, and will stand out in any lip gloss collection. The flat doe foot applicator is very practical, because its flexibility allows a more controlled application as well as being foolproof. No wastage either.

The formula is absolutely incredible - super shiny, creamy, feels light and very, very comfortable on my lips. It feels more like a lip balm than a lip gloss! Origami is on the sheerer side; it just looks very pigmented in the tube.

I wouldn't say that the colour lasts all day; more like 4-5 hours, so through a meal and a few drinks, which is long enough for me. Don't think it's even possible for a non superglue lip gloss to last the entire day on its own.

Swatch:

Needless to say this is one of my current favourites! Now I need more Hourglass products...

Ingredients:

Octyldodecanol, Diisostearyl Malate, Ethylcellulose, Isostearyl Alcohol, Hydrogenated Dilinoleyl Alcohol, Hydroxystearic Acid, Disteardimonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Ricinus Communis (Castor) Seed Oil, Silica Silylate, Calcium Aluminum Borosilicate, Calcium Sodium Borosilicate, Glycerin, Water, Lysolecithin, Perilla Ocymoides Seed Oil, Caprylic/ Capric Triglyceride, Diethylhexyl Syringylidenemalonate, Tocopheryl Acetate, Tocopherol, Silica, Phenoxyethanol, Vanillin, Flavor, Mica (CI 77019), Titanium Dioxide (CI 77891), Iron Oxides (CI 77492), Iron Oxides (CI 77491), Iron Oxides (CI 77499), Red 7 Lake (CI 15850:1), Red 6 (CI 15850), Blue 1 Lake (CI 42090:2), Red 28 Lake (CI 45410:2), Red 30 Lake (CI 45410:2).

Hourglass is available in the UK at Space NK.

Review of CandyDoll Lip Gloss Macaroon Pink

Out of the CandyDoll items I received yesterday, naturally the first thing I tried was the Lip Gloss in Macaroon Pink.

From the official product picture (below), I was expecting a pale milky pink gloss, but the actual product is more of a sweet candy pink.

Official image of Macaroon Pink, retails for ¥1260 (≈ $15)

Actual product color

This fragrance free gloss is available in 6 shades and comes in a tube with slanted sponge applicator, which makes application a breeze. But as much as I like sponge applicators, I prefer a squeeze tube as it's more hygienic.

It feels quite sticky but not uncomfortably so, and doesn't dry out my lips if I wear it alone. However, I have to make sure my lips are well exfoliated and smooth before using this, otherwise its opaque texture means it'll highlight every single tiny flake (ugh) and it's also difficult to get an even coverage unless I use the applicator to pat on small amounts of gloss.

Swatch on my arm

On bare lips

Overall I really like the color, but I don't think I'll be trying out other lip glosses from CandyDoll as I tend to prefer sheer glosses.

SUQQU Holiday 2009 Makeup Kits

As mentioned in my previous post, this review (amongst quite a few others) is long overdue so without further ado...

SUQQU's Christmas 2009 collection is Yukihana, which means snowflakes in Japanese. Both the palettes are decorated with snowflakes to fit in with the theme. The snowflakes on the eye palette are silver and ones on the lip palette are pale pink.


Holiday Makeup Kit A
This pretty makeup kit contains Eye Lucent EX-03 Yukigasumi, Blend Eyeshadow quad EX-06 Maiyuki and Original Pouch A (roomy chocolate brown makeup pouch with 4 inner pockets).

I really love the Eye Lucent; it's a very fine opalescent pink powder that comes with its own cute mini puff and can be used on eyes, cheeks and anywhere else you want to add a bit of shimmer. Really beautiful for a bit of extra sparkle when lightly sweeped over eyeshadow, and gives an awakening effect if used on the inner corners of eyes.

Swatching this was a bit tricky but you can see the shimmers here

The Blend Eyeshadow quad contains:
Bottom right - a pearly off white shimmery base to be used all over the lid
Bottom left - pigmented shimmery copper brown; this is the main/lining shade and I use it mostly along my top and bottom lashes
Top left - sheer pale mauve with very fine shimmers, used in the crease
Top right - medium taupe brown, I blend this on my top lid to add definition

On the whole this is a very wearable and versatile palette.

Swatches:

I think SUQQU makes the highest quality eyeshadows that I've tried so far; their ultra smooth textures blend effortlessly and stay all day without creasing. All shadows in EX-06 Maiyuki have a pearly/shimmery finish but I don't mind because I prefer shimmery shadows over matte ones.

This is the first Blend Eyeshadow quad in my collection and as much as I adore it, I don't plan on collecting them all. Then again because this is SUQQU I'll probably be persuaded otherwise ¬_¬


Holiday Makeup Kit B
This kit was sent to me to review by SUQQU; it was actually sent before the holidays but as I was away I missed the delivery and couldn't pick it up till I returned.

Makeup Kit B contains Gloss & Lip Color Palette EX-02 Yukiiro, Nail Color EX-25 and a shimmery lilac makeup pouch with detachable wrist strap.

I'm not usually much of a nail polish fan and only really wear it on my toes, however this sheer iridescent pink Nail Color in EX-25 really took me by surprise as it's different to the various shades of bright pink polish I own. I can wear it on my fingernails without it being too obvious.

Up close swatch which shows the multi coloured pink sparkles

Although I liked the lip products used on me at my makeover, I decided not to purchase Makeup Kit B as I felt two of the lip colours in the palette were too dark for my liking.

All the lip colours are wearable, but my favourites are top left (pretty shimmery lip gloss similar to the nail polish) and bottom right (pinkish red which gives a "my lips but better" effect). I like to layer the gloss over the lip colour as I'm not really one for lipsticks.

Swatches on my arm:

The lip colours & gloss have decent staying power and don't dry out my lips, but I like to use a balm underneath anyway to keep my lips extra hydrated.

The only minor gripe I have with the palettes is that their dark shiny reflective cases are major magnets for fingerprints (same goes for all SUQQU makeup actually) so I'm always having to wipe clean.

Both kits were still available for purchase at Selfridges when I visited SUQQU just over a week ago. Needless to say I took the opportunity to pick out a few more items...

Review of Josie Maran Earth Day Essentials Kit

Most people have probably heard of Josie Maran, or have seen photos of her at some point. She's the girl who used to be a regular feature on adverts for Maybelline (google for her if you don't know who I'm on about) and when she stopped modelling, she created Josie Maran Cosmetics - a range of toxin free, organic and "luxury with a conscience" makeup and skincare. These products are made of the purest earth friendly ingredients and the packagings are recyclable as well.

Unfortunately living in the UK means I don't have easy access to all these awesome stuff, and even if I did the prices would be quite ridiculous. For example a tinted moisturizer that retails for $42 in the States would sell for £34 in this country - how is that for currency conversion?? So when I do want to purchase from stores like Sephora I always use a parcel forwarding service.


This Earth Day Essentials Kit has a value of $98 if you add up the retail prices of each individual item, but for $48 you get full sizes of:
- Argan Oil (the only mini size item, 100% organic oil)
- Cream Blush in Sunrise
- Eye Liner
- Mascara
- Plumping Lip Gloss in Daring


While not exciting, it is a great way to get started and try some basic products. Besides one can never go wrong with some lipgloss, mascara and a bit of blush.

...Until now.

I will start with the things I didn't like so much/at all.

Plumping Lip Gloss
Daring is described as a "sheer shimmery rosy nude" and it is quite accurate (the lighting unfortunately makes it look a bit more orange in the photo) but the problem is the colour just does not suit me at all. Also, the actual brush applicator is so short that the plastic wand scraped against my lips when I applied it, not a nice feeling - I've never had this problem with other brands' lip brushes.


It is not supposed to sting like other lip plumpers, but it burns my lips like mad. At first I thought it was maybe because of what I had eaten or it was reacting with what I had on my lips before or whatever, so tried it again the following day on bare lips. It still stung... not like a minty tingle but more of an allergic reaction of some sort I guess.

It didn't stay on long enough for me to notice any plumping effects while I hunted for a cotton pad to wipe it off asap.

Cream Blush

Sephora's site says this is Sunrise, so does the box and the sticker on the back of the mirrored compact but no matter how I look at it, it just does not resemble its "soft pink" description and is more of a coral pink like Sunset.


Maybe I was unfortunate enough to get a bad batch? Either way, as soft and creamy as this blush is, it's way too dark for me so I won't be using it. That's a shame because had I received the actual Sunrise (swatch on official site) I think it would look rather pretty.

Mascara - Black
Average, average, average. I like its sleek packaging, and the fact that it's free of synthetic ingredients, but nothing else really stands out about it unfortunately. Then again compared to my absolute fave mascara Majolica Majorca Lash Glamour Neo, only Le 2 De Guerlain measured very favourably against it so far. This is not as bad as my Illamasqua mascara faux pas - nothing is - but doesn't make me want to repurchase.


Holds a curl ok, lengthens a bit but no thickening effects really. Looks nice in the morning but a mere few hours (around 2-3) later I start seeing signs of racoon eyes when the mascara begins to smudge and smear at the bottom. For a non waterproof mascara it's tricky to remove, because it tends to burrow into the roots of my lashes and just sits there, as well as sticks to my eyelids in the process. Really stupid formula imo....

Eye Liner - Black

Hands down the softest pencil liner I've used (doesn't drag the skin around my eyes at all), but also the most useless. The shade of black isn't too harsh which is great, except if I accidentally rub it, it goes everywhere. Would be great for a smokey eye look if its lasting power isn't so non existent.


I also need to go over the same line several times, otherwise the colour is a dark charcoal grey.

It retails for $18 but no way I would pay that for a liner that does so little.

Argan Oil

Now for the item that I *do* like (wait 1 product out of 5, that's just dire) - the Argan Oil comes in a tiny sample size bottle which I think is quite cute and portable. I also purchased the full size 1.7oz (48ml) bottle as well.

Don't be put off by the word "oil" as this is lightweight, non greasy and does not clog my pores. I use it on my face before moisturizer if I happen to have a dry cheek day, rub it into my cuticles & nails, and the ends of my hair to give them that extra bit of moisture. I even massage it into my navel scar (unfortunately my piercing became infected on holiday few years ago so I had to take it out) to make it softer so I can have it repierced next year.

I only need to use 1 drop of oil per cheek and its restorative properties make my face seriously soft, especially if I use it at night before bed. It is a 100% natural fabulous multi-purpose product and can literally be used anywhere.

Here's a pic of the back of the box with a list of possible uses

I'm glad I at least found one thing I really like, but as a whole I think Earth Day Essentials is a waste of money. The fact all products are made from organic & natural ingredients with fully recyclable packaging is a welcome change, but most products I tried in the kit simply didn't deliver.

The Argan Oil is now also available in Stick (want!) and Bronzing versions.

I also purchased Josie Maran Finger Paints in Sweet because it looked so pretty; I will be using and reviewing it at a later date.