Review: Kanebo Freshel Moist Lift W Cream

Kanebo jumped on the BB cream bandwagon too with their line Freshel. This is the first time I've gotten to try Freshel, but hopefully won't be the last. When I was in Taiwan, I'd been looking for it, but hadn't found it (most of my family members don't wear makeup and don't know 95% of the brands...I must say that my aunt has been picking some brand names up off me though! lol)

Anyways, a friend in Taiwan sent me this as a thank you for a favor I did her recently, and I was delighted to try it. For those of you who aren't familiar with the term BB cream, it's something that originated in Germany, became very popular in Korea / spread to the rest of Asia. It's pretty much a tinted moisturizer, with sunscreen usually and supposed to be good for your skin (in my opinion all just hype. There's no proven research that it's good for you but it certainly is good for marketing).

This particular BB cream is marketed as being more moisturizing and dewy. It comes packaged in a gold and bronze metallic tube and a brown twist off cap, which I find looks classy.

Moist Lift W cream has UV SpF23 PA++, which I find enough for the winter in Chicago at the moment. However as summer arrives, I definetly would recommend using a sunscreen with this product.


The opening is okay, but I dislike the space around it where the product can collect (the photo illustrates it for you...). It's decently packaged for the price.

The product only comes in one shade which works for my NC20 skin. It's supposed to be sheer coverage but I think its almost medium coverage since I only have to use a little to cover up uneven bits of pigmentation and redness around my nose. It's a creamy product that is easy to blend in (I usually use a kabuki brush).

My skin has been a bit dry recently (even with my using a new Holy Grail moisturizer, to be reviewed later) and this makes my skin feel soft & smooth. It hasn't broken me out, though my skin isn't exactly sensitive. I use this alternating with my Kanebo Lunasol Water Cream foundation, of which this color is slightly more peachy and brightening.


As I said before, this was sent to me as a gift from a friend in Taiwan (who does not work for any makeup companies...) and she had crossed off the price in Taiwanese dollars. However, this is available from adambeauty.com for 99Hong Kong dollars (~12.75 USD) and the retail price on the box is listed as 1600 Japanese Yen (about 18 USD) for 50 g.

With all said, I'd definetly recommend this product if you have the skintone that it's marketed to. I find it a great product and one that I'd definetly repurchase.

NEW: Swatches: Shu Uemura Nobara Cream Cover Stick

[next to their color control base for size comparision]

You read that right! Yes, beloved readers, you are getting a sneak peek at the newest shu uemura foundation! It sits in it's throne of simple white plastic, waiting for you to take the cap off and swivel upwards, dab onto your face and blend! It's the GOD of stick foundations, this amazingly pigmented and creamy holy grail waiting to happen! [That means, yes, so pigmented that I can easily see this as being used for stage makeup, with it's lovely creamy satin finish!]

I think the rest of the world [and US online] will be seeing this in roughly six months, as I had seen the Face Architect cream foundation here in Taiwan last summer and it was launched around January if I remember correctly. [For some reason I also want to say October, what the heck?]. And if I am right, that means that we can also be expecting a UV underbase fluid! :D. This retails for 1200NTD, which equals roughly 36.5 USD. Please bear in mind that Taiwan usually gets shu uemura cheaper than Japan or the US.

Also bear in mind that shu uemura only brings a few of it's foundation shades here into Taiwan. This is by no means the full line.



What say you readers?

Review: Shu Uemura Face Achitect Numbering

Alright--this really isn't a review of Face Architect. The sample that I had is long used up, and the details foggy in my head. I can tell you a few things about it, but that is another review. This review, is on Shu's numbering of the shades. The idea of numbering goes for all shu uemura foundations, but some of the shade numbers are face architect only shades.

Here is my chart (Contains only 10/17 colors though)


Alright. Take the first number; it indicates COLOR...for example 3. Judging by the arrow below the chart, that is the 2nd most PINKEST shade range. So 3 would be 2nd out of 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 series. 1 (not shown on chart, lowest number) would be the MOST pinkest. Likewise, 9 (highest) is the YELLOWEST. 5 would be neutral leaning pink, 7 would be neutral leaning yellow.

The second number indicates DEPTH. Now, the HIGHEST number is the lightest, and the smallest number is the darkest. So, 8 would be lightest, 0 would be darkest.
Putting the first two steps together, 764 would be:
7 = Skintone is neutral but leans yellow.
6: Skintone is semi fair.

Now the last step. The last number will be 4 or 5. I have emailed Shu asking why the numbers vary, but have not recieved an answer. Therefore, by the explanation (and my father's translations) on the chart, it is the 'level of saturated color'. 5 would be more pigmented, and 4 less. I would assume then 5 is more heavy duty, but as Shu customer service has not replied, I cannot verify this.

Other colors not in my chart: (Very is most, semi is 2nd most, leans is least)
164: Sunny Peach Beige = Very pink and semi-fair skintone,
165: Medium Peach Beige = Very pink and semi-fair skintone
345: Deep Peach Beige = Pink and semi-deep skintone
355: Peach Beige = Pink and a little bit lighter than 345
365: Pale Sunny Beige Pink, and semi-fair
504: Warm espresso = Leans pink, very dark
534: Sunny Beige = Leans pink, Semi-dark,
734: Warm Medium Beige = Leans yellow, semi-dark (more tan I think)
934: Almond Olive Beige = Very Yellow, Semi-dark (tan), with Olive undertones


I hope this helps when selecting a Shu uemura foundation, and I will update this review once Shu CS has answered my question about the last number.

Review: Besame Souffle Foundation

(picture from zappos.com)
Yay, my first foundation review! Hopefully I can kick off the series strongly.
This is one of the items that intrigued me during the mass Besame sale frenzy, where everything was (and still is!) practically a third of it's original price. No, Besame is not going out of busines, but they are revamping the product ingredients and packaging. While it is now gone from the besamecosmetics.com site, I am still reviewing this because you can probably find one in Makeupalley swap or ebay; even zappos.com

Firstly, the price: At the time of the sale, it was 4$! But, the original price was 18$. But you use so little every time it's totally worth whatever you paid!

Packaging: Besame's stuff comes in cute red boxes with cream print. It's very vintage and classy if I do say so myself. The foundation comes in a glass pot with a red lid, and a red and cream label at the bottom.



Scent: The foundation has a slight rose scent that does not dissipate--I find I can still smell it some time after I've put it on. It doesn't bother me--even me, the self-confessed hater of floral scents--but it may to those who are scent-sensitive.

Texture: Souffle foundation is actually very firm, not light and airy like you would think. But it's very pigmented, so just a dab can cover a wide area.

Wear: Besame's foundation wears all day and into the night for me. It blends in well too and looks super natural.

Coverage: This is heavy-duty coverage! I don't use such heavy foundation normally, so I just dab at it and use my fingers to blend it out to make it sheerer. It's great for those who just can't find a foundation that covers very well--I don't think I've seen a foundation that has this amount of coverage!

Color Selection: I believe there were 5 shades of this when it was available. They are:
Bisque: Around MAC NC15. This is extremely pink compared to Yellow Cameo.
Yellow Cameo (I have this one, just a tad too yellow for my NC20 in MAC ski, pictured)




Medium Beige: I assume this is for people around MAC NC30
Golden Beige: Around MAC NC35
Honey: Around MAC NC40
As you can see, Besame doesn't really cater to very dark or pale yellow skintones, so it is hard to find a match. I think this is pretty bad for a brand that wants to become more well-known, but perhaps they are also adding more colors in the revamp.

All in all, a great foundation if:
1. You can find a shade match.
2. You want a heavy duty or medium coverage foundation.
3. OR You love vintage or rose smelling products.

But definetly worth a try!