In recent years, I’ve noticed myself slowly shifting my attention away from Western beauty care to its Eastern counterpart. I’ve decided, now more than ever, to explore the Asian makeup arena as I’ve encountered some really good contenders from brands like Heroine and Clio. Lucky for me, I get to travel back and forth from Taiwan which has become my gateway to the Asian beauty industry.
The Taiwanese, much like Japanese and Koreans, are conscious about their appearance which is why you'll be able to find several cosmetic stores all over the place. Most popular are Sasa, Cosmed, and Watsons for their affordable beauty supply. Other luxury brands can also be found occupying the first level of malls around the country. The moment you walk in is an invitation to purchase.
Like a moth drawn to a flame, I couldn't help but splurge on the massive abundance. Carefully selecting a handful from brands I've never tried before and some which have become recent favourites. And without further ado, here's the first part of my great asian beauty haul!
#1 Clio
Clio carries one of the best eyeliners I’ve tried so far. Their Gelpresso line is just amazing quality with a wide colour selection. It’s the only eyeliner I’ve tried that has the best staying power as it doesn’t budge once it sets on the skin. A tita of mine had given me a bunch of Gelpresso eyeliners from South Korea and I just couldn’t get enough. So, when I saw the brand in Cosmed I decided to grab a couple more that I haven’t tried before. Unfortunately, I haven’t seen a matte Gelpresso eyeliner from their darker colour selection. They do, however, carry these amazing pastel liners that are matte and equally beautiful. I got two, Mintade and Keep Calm, which I thought would work well to make my eyes look bigger and brighter when lined on the waterline.
Gelpresso Keep Calm
Gelpresso Mintade
True to the Gelpresso quality, both eyeliners have amazing colour payoff, it doesn't budge once set, and it's also waterproof. I tested it on my hand and it does not rub off unless you use makeup remover. Definitely a good purchase.
Now, because I was so impressed with Clio's Gelpresso eyeliners, I decided to try their waterproof pen liners which come in matte black (Kill Black) and brown (Kill Brown). Being pen liners, the Kill Black and Kill Brown are wet when applied. I must point out that the ink is wetter than I expected so I had to wait a little longer for it to set. Once it sets, the liner stays on all day and again, it will not budge. The colour is also build-able but I suggest waiting for the first layer to dry before applying a second layer to create the best opacity.
Kill Black
Kill Brown
Note: Clio is available at SM Aura!!!
#2 AVANCÉ (Japanese Brand)
Avancé is one of the brands I haven't tried before. I picked it out from a wall filled with eyebrow products. I was originally going to get myself another K-palette brow pen but decided I could get it in Manila anyway. Out of the lot, Avancé's Jolie et Jolie et dual brow pen looked closest to what I was looking for. First in colour and second in function. Just like K-palette's dual brow pen, it has a pencil on one end and a powder on the other. The powder was what helped me make the switch from K-Palette as it doesn't contain glitter particles.
I bought two colours which I felt would be most used for my clients, Light Brown and Natural Brown. I tried Natural Brown on myself and I love how it has more colour payoff than K-Palette's brow pens. Although, I am still an avid fan of K-Palette because the colour is closer to my natural hair.
Natural Brown
#3 MEDIA (Kanebo, Japanese Brand)
Last but not least, we have Media which is a brand under Japanese cosmetics producer, Kanebo. Media is another first for me and I found it while I was looking for a nude lipstick for my tita. I saw their wide colour selection on display so I decided to try each one on my hand and boy was I impressed! It was just the most beautiful selection and I wanted to buy it all but of course, self control. I bought two nudes, one pink (PK-01) and one beige (BE-02), just for everyday wear.
PK-01
One notable attribute about these lipsticks is how comfortable it feels on the lips. The gloss is watery, light, and buttery. At the same time it leaves the most natural looking colour. I'll definitely be looking for this brand again when I get back.
And that concludes part one of my great asian beauty haul! Stay tuned for part deux next week! <3
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