Spotlight | Canmake Four Shiny Eyes Palette in Strawberry Chocolate.

Last May, Canmake Philippines' chief makeup artist Bea Almeda held a Facebook giveaway in celebration of her birthday. At stake were the Four Shiny Eyes Palette, Eye Nuance Eyeshadow, and Candy Wrap Lip Gloss. I was lucky to be one of the winners, and for my prize I received this Four Shiny Eyes Palette in 01 Strawberry Chocolate.

Canmake Four Shiny Eyes Palette.

For those who are hearing the name 'Canmake' for the first time, it's a Japanese brand of drugstore makeup. Canmake finally made its way to Philippine soil, and the brand was officially launched in the country last summer.

Now back to my new toy - the Four Shiny Eyes Palette. Here's what the product does, as per the Canmake website:
Your eyes will look bigger than ever! Achieve deep-set eyes by layering on these colors with different textures! Use this four-shade palette of eyeshadows to try a wide range of tricks for making your eyes look bigger.

Strawberry Chocolate.

The Strawberry Chocolate variant is a trio of cute, pink shades plus the brown liner on the last pan. What's great about the Four Shiny Eyes Palette is that you have a lot of shades to choose from. There are seven palettes in this collection, all of them priced at 680 yen (somewhere around Php 300 or a little over US$6).

Wakarimasu ka? (Do you understand?)

It comes in a clear, plastic packaging. The case itself looks like a jewel, with studs and sparkles adorning the cover. I find the packaging really cute, though I've heard that the plastic container isn't very sturdy.

How to!

Pretty much everything is written in Japanese. But the instruction guide is illustrated and easy to understand.

Now for the swatches.

Texture is soft and creamy, though a bit chalky. Not as highly pigmented as my other drugstore brand eyeshadows (i.e. Almay), but the shimmery and sheer colors are pretty buildable. It'll take a bit of effort to build the colors, though. 

Swatches of Strawberry. And Chocolate. :)

Also, I've heard some complaints about this product's poor staying power, so just to be on the safe side, I use this eyeshadow with a primer on. I was able to wear this for a good eight hours without creasing or fading. Either they have improved the formulation, or my primer is pretty damn good. Haha!

What I love:

- Pretty packaging.

- Affordable price.

- Several shades available.

- Now available in the Philippines. 

- Staying power is good, when used with a primer.

- No fall-outs, surprisingly. :)

- No allergic reactions; safe for sensitive skin.

What you might not like:

- Save for the brown liner on the last pan, pigmentation is so-so.

Customary FOTD! :)
FACE: Majolica Majorca Skin Pore Lingerie,
Tony Moly Luminous Goddess BB Cream,
Benefit Erase Paste in Medium, Skin79 Skinny Mirror Pact.
EYES: Canmake Four Shiny Eyes Palette in Strawberry Chocolate,
BYS Waterproof Eyeliner in Black,
Fairydrops Volume Burst Mascara, Ever Bilena Eyebrow Liner.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cat Chu Wink.
LIPS: Double Hit Lip in Rose Riot.

Get to know more about Canmake here.

Luscious Lashes with Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara.

I've been wanting to try a new mascara for the longest time. If you have noticed, I'm almost always using the Missha Viewer 270 HD Curl Mascara in my Face of the Day (FOTD) posts. Because to be quite honest, I only have two wands of mascara in my stash - the Missha, and the Avon Super Curlacious which has dried up the last time I checked.

And just like a fairy godmother granting a wish, Ms. Windy of Stuff in Style sent me a message sometime last week, asking if I would like to do a review of the Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara. I agreed without a moment of hesitation, and the following day, this arrived at my doorstep.

As posted on my Instagram. Follow me on IG! :)

'Such pretty packaging,' was the first thing I uttered upon unwrapping the package. And then it dawned on me how rusty I've become with my Nihongo.

I hope my best friend is reading this. :)

I used to be able to read Katakana with much ease - but that was years ago, when my best friend and I were totally hooked to Utada Hikaru, Koda Kumi, Final Fantasy, manga, and anime. So it's good that there's English text at the back flap.

Click to enlarge! :)

And there's an easy-to-understand, easy-to-follow, step-by-step illustration, too.

Catch. Curl. Fabulous! 

Now here's how the product looks like. It comes in a pretty purple tube that screams 'kawaii'. The Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara has two variants - Waterproof and Film Type. This one is the Waterproof variant, which is great since I absolutely can not wear mascara if it's not waterproof. The latter, on the other hand is a water-resistant variant.

Purple is love! 

Now twist the cap open and ta-da! It's the famous '3-teardrop wand' that's patented in both US and Japan.

The wand that made waves all over the world.

This unique wand has the capability of catching even the tiniest lashes from the roots. The lashes are then 'bitten' between the balls, creating sharp, triangular bunches. It pushes the lashes up and curls them without clumping, giving you beautiful, doll-like lashes.

Magic wand! :)

Just to give you a background, the one-of-a-kind Fairy Drops wand is actually the brainchild of Aya Yasuda - a Japanese sportscaster based in Los Angeles. Established in 2007, Fairy Drops has become the rave of makeup artists, beauty bloggers, and beauty junkies worldwide!

And now, I totally understand why. Check out my lashes from before and after application.

Before.

I know my lashes are naturally long, but after Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara, they're even longer, and thicker, too!

After.

To use, simply 1) curl your lashes with an eyelash curler, 2) apply the mascara by starting with the roots of your lashes, 3) slowly move the wand in an upward, curling motion. 

Before.

After.

What I love:

Pretty packaging.

Unique, teardrop wand that easily picks up all of your lashes.

Thick formulation that's neither runny nor clumpy.

Dries quickly. 

Lightweight.

Water-proof, tear-proof, sweat-proof

No smudging, no flaking.

Lengthens and thickens the lashes without making them brittle.

What you might not like:

It's a bit difficult to remove. Soap and water wouldn't cut it. You'll need a cleanser or makeup remover for this. In my case, I use Human Heart Nature's Sunflower Cleansing Oil.

It's a little on the pricey side, but you do get your money's worth.

Now I'll you in on a secret. Stuff in Style sells this mascara for only Php 830! That's Php120 cheaper than the usual (Philippine) mall price. And best of all, this product ships for free! What a steal!

The Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara may very well be my HG mascara. I have a feeling it could be yours, too. :)

P.S. For my friends in the US, this mascara, together with other Fairy Drops products can be bought at Sephora and Sephora.com.