Redefining Timeless Beauty with Kanebo Makeup

Kanebo recently relaunched their makeup & skincare collection, which is the culmination of a painstaking review of every facet of the brand experience.  From the texture and fragrance of the products, to the color of the packaging and even right down to the final click as you shut the lid; Kanebo has completely revamped itself as an even more luxurious and modern companion for our daily lives.  I have several pieces from the new range, and would like to share them with you over the next few days, starting with the color makeup!

For its very first collection, Kanebo presents to us a full range of point makeup that aspires to be timeless.  The colors that are chosen are very skin-like, and work add natural-looking healthy color with radiant finish.  True to most Japanese aesthetics, the colors are subtle and elegant, easy to apply and comfortable to wear.

Kanebo Selection Colors Eyeshadow is the newly redesigned eyeshadow palette consisting of 5 colors in varying finishes.  There are 3 shades to choose from, and the one I have here is Gently Pink (03).

In counter-clockwise direction starting from the top left, the shades are:

• Light warm-toned pink with baby pink and champagne shimmers
• Medium warm-toned mauve pink with a satin finish
• Ivory with a satin finish and some very sparse silver shimmers
• Dark brown with a satin finish some very sparse violet shimmers
• Medium mauve with a satin base and a generous dose of pink and silver shimmers to give it a slightly frosty finish

In general, I found the shades to be very well pigmented and soft in texture.  It is often superfluous to describe Japanese powdered makeup as fine and smooth, but this particular Kanebo palette is indeed top notch.  Compared to other high end Japanese brands, I consider the pigmentation and texture to be on par with SUQQU, although much lesser in terms of shimmers.  Gently Pink also tends to be a rather monotonal palette, but in such lovely shades of mauve and pink/purple, it works well for both day and evening wear.  Slap all the shades together or pick 1-2, you really can’t go wrong with this.

Gently Pink pulls somewhat warm-toned on me, but I think it works equally well on a variety of skin tones.  Because the shades all complement each other perfectly, I found it a really quick palette to apply on the lids.  And it lasts all day without fading or creasing, even when worn without a primer on my heavily hooded and oily lids!

Kanebo Variant Brosse is a dual-shade cheek palette comprising of a colored blush and a luminous highlighter.  Typical of most Japanese makeup, this is sold separately in parts – compact case, brush, and refillable palette.  There are 2 shade variations available, and the one I have here is Coral Petal (01).

Coral Petal is the sort of cheek palette that will have lots of girls falling in love… it is so flattering on all skin tones, and goes with just about any eye or lip makeup.  As may be expected for a powdered product, this Kanebo Variant Brosse is very finely milled and smooth.  However, as I often point out with Japanese blushes, these are not as strongly pigmented as you’d expect from Western branded blushes.  I did have to put a bit more pressure and give the palette a good vigorous sweep in order to pick up sufficient color for my cheeks.  On the flip side, it is difficult to overdo it, and the color applies true to pan!  The highlighter is really pretty in real life, and contains very fine subtle shimmers that just add a touch of luminosity to cheeks without overtly breaking down like a disco ball – perfect for daily wear!

Lastly, I would like to introduce you to Kanebo Moisture Rouge.  There are 6 shades of lipsticks to choose from, each of them richly saturated with color whilst maintaining a lustrous and creamy texture.  The shades I have here are Coral Pink (left) and Pure Red (right).

I really love Coral Pink as it is the perfect daily go-to nude shade for me, and it feels perfectly comfortable on my lips all day long.  Even though it is quite creamy with lots of slip in it, I found the Kanebo Moisture Rouge surprisingly long-lasting.  It fades gently and evenly over time, so it is not too noticeable and I don’t feel the need to re-apply every other hour.

Here is a nude makeup look featuring Kanebo Selection Colors Eyeshadow in Gently Pink on eyes, Variant Brosse in Coral Petal on cheeks, and Moisture Rouge in Coral Pink on lips.

Here is another makeup look featuring most of the same items, except I switched out Coral Pink for Pure Red on the lips.  I also used a slightly heavier hand with the eye makeup, and was pleased to find that it does build up quite nicely for a smokier effect without much effort.  Also, Pure Red had swatched sheer on my arm, but is definitely buildable to full opacity and intensity with multiple swatches.  Because it has so much slip, it tended to skip over my lip lines, so I would suggest going over with a fine lip brush to make sure everything is well covered.  Regardless, for my own everyday wear, I make do without being completely perfect.

I have really enjoyed all the color makeup that are discussed here today, and look forward to future releases!  Check them out for yourself if you can – in Singapore Kanebo counters may be found at Takashimaya Departmental Store and OG departmental stores in People’s Park, Orchard Point and Albert Complex.

_{This post featured products that were generously provided for my consideration.  Regardless, all opinions expressed here are my own honest, unbiased views.}