Celestial beauty

I have come to terms with the fact that I am never going to look like a J-pop princess. And when I say J-pop princess, I’m talking porcelain goddess, like Gogo Yubari from the movie Kill Bill Vol. 1. Her picture-perfect face, perfectly groomed brows and feline eyes will likely never be forgotten.

For this reason, Japanese brand Kanebo created Impress, a high-end cosmetic range, and Lunasol, a makeup line that brings refinement every day for the sole purpose of giving us chicks a lasting impression of beauty.

"Impress was born out of Kanebo’s 70 years of experience and expertise," says Shunichi Abe, Kanebo chief for international sales division of Asia. "Our brand goes beyond beauty. We use cutting-edge technology to create flawless, bare skin while delivering noticeable results."

The star product from the skincare range is no doubt the Impress Cream Excellent. I love this all-in-one product. This super rich, emollient cream moisturizes the skin. Plus, it also protects from UV exposure, pollution and dullness. For absolutely radiant results, just make sure to apply with the brand’s special massage application technique so the cream can absorb better into the skin.

For the brand’s makeup line, I was really impressed with the sun and moon philosophy. Lunasol combines the sun’s light and moon’s shadow for a makeup ritual that elevates you to a higher level of refinement.

"There are three pillars of Lunasol’s Purifying Makeup," says Tomomi Imai, Kanebo’s international sales division chief. "We focus on well-groomed skin, light and shadow and facial structure to enhance the beauty of the face."

Now that the weather is getting hotter, the lazier you get in applying makeup. But this isn’t the case with Lunasol. Because the more makeup and color you apply, the more your facial features will be enhanced.

Here are some products that really caught my attention, and made me banish my makeup blues.

Makeup Base

If there is one product I often take for granted — it’s the makeup base. I don’t pay much attention to it because after I put moisturizer, I splat on foundation right away. However, the Lunasol Makeup Base blends smoothly on the skin to improve the skin’s base makeup finish, preparing for a makeup masterpiece.

Water Cream Foundation

When the Water Cream Foundation was applied on my face, it felt as if I wasn’t wearing any foundation at all. It has a very light consistency. The great thing about this product is its 60-percent-water formula, which makes your skin glow from within.

An aside: Lunasol makeup is known for three key products, which are the Eyelid Base, Under Eye Base and Eyeliner. Imai adds, "All these provide a natural dimension to the skin."

Eyelid Base

To enhance the eyes, dab some Eyelid Base on your lids. It provides moisture and clarifies dull areas. When the makeup artist put this on my eyelids, he explained that this would make the eye shadow last longer.

Under Eyes Base

The most inventive product for me is the Under Eyes Base. It is an under-eye concealer that naturally covers dark circles and dullness. Plus, there is another trick to using this genius product. Apply it also to the area above and below the corners of the lips to conceal shadows and lift up the lips. Cool, huh?

Eyeliner

Most people apply eyeliner after eye shadow. But sometimes, the eyeliner becomes too thick and obvious. The brand believes in applying it before the eye shadow because it adds more impact to the eyes. Lunasol’s Pencil Eyeliner won’t smudge for hours.

Imai concludes, "Everything Kanebo created helps the skin glow to its fullest potential." You get impressive-looking skin and makeup that is inspired by the sun and moon — a killer combination, indeed.

* * *

Kanebo’s Impress skincare range and Lunasol makeup are available at Rustan’s Makati and Rustan’s Tower, Shangri-La Mall.

* * *

E-mail love-hate whatever things to becca_rodriguez@yahoo.com or visit www.myspace.com/beccacrodriguez.