i like comparing similar things, especially when it involves money. as you've probably known, i like buying drugstore products, because i always believe that you can experience good things even though it's cheap or affordable. i also believe that high-end products have their extra points, aside from being super pricey, but i do think that you don't have to pay a hell lots of money to get good result. that being said, if you have the money to get the high end one, so be it. but if you don't, there are other affordable options out there. i've compared the freeman and pixi, so this time i'm trying to compare origins and freeman. it only has "charcoal" in their name that's so similar, so let's see the comparison.

this is the ingredients from origins mask : Water, Myrtus Communis (Myrtle) Leaf Water, Kaolin, Bentonite, Butylene Glycol, Montmorillonite, Polysorbate 20, Peg-100 Stearate, Charcoal Powder, Xanthan Gum, Lecithin, Peg-150 Distearate, Propylene Glycol Stearate, Sorbitan Laurate, Glycerin, Propylene Glycol Laurate, Simethicone, Caprylyl Glycol, Ethylhexylglycerin, Hexylene Glycol, Trisodium Edta, Dehydroacetic Acid, Phenoxyethanol

this is the ingredients from freeman mask: Water/Aqua/Eau, Bentonite, Kaolin, Glycerin, Magnesium Aluminum Silicate, Carbon,* Maris Limus (Silt), Sucrose, Zingiber Officinale (Ginger) Root Extract, Diazolidinyl Urea, Carica Papaya (Papaya) Fruit Extract, Sodium Polyacrylate, Xanthan Gum, Disodium EDTA, Methylchloroisothiazolinone, Rubus Idaeus (Raspberry) Fruit, Methylisothiazolinone, Propylene Glycol, Musa Sapientum (Banana) Fruit Extract, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Extract, Psidium Guajava Fruit Extract, Cymbopogon Schoenanthus Extract, Maranta Arundinacea Root Extract, Extract, Santalum Album (Sandalwood) Extract, Macrocystis Pyrifera Extract, Nasturtium Officinale Extract, Aleurites Moluccana Extract, Fragrance (Parfum), Iron Oxide (CI 77499). *Activated Charcoal

left: freshly applied right: after it's dried out origins on the right side of my face, freeman on my left side

close up on the pores

as you can see, there's not much similarities in ingredients from both products. but both use bentonite and kaolin as its clay base. but origins use added myrtle leaf water instead of just using water. they also use charcoal powder while freeman use activated charcoal. freeman also has a lot of fruit and other extracts while origins surprisingly doesn't use any.

origins before and after

in terms of packaging, both comes in plastic squeeze tube. origins comes in 75 ml while freeman comes in whooping 175ml. so definitely freeman is cheaper. but both is easy to squeeze out from the tube, no mess. both is creamy and easy to spread around, but i notice that freeman is a bit thicker, so sometimes it's not easy to put thin layer all over the face. and the weird thing is when it's dried out, the origins turns darker while freeman gets lighter. and the origins stays smooth while the freeman seems to fill my pores, sucking out all the sebum.

freeman before and after

origins doesn't have any added fragrance so obviously it only has natural scent from the ingredients. freeman, on the other hand, is known for its unique and refreshing fragrance. unfortunately, for the charcoal one, it doesn't have crazy fragrant scent. which is understandable since they use to match the scent with the name or main ingredients of the mask.

the after comparison both sides look clearer and brighter

now, the result. i don't see any difference from both mask. they both work well in sebum control. both is not super drying like my previous innisfree mask. but if you ask me, i think the origins is less drying than freeman, but not too much. and if you've read my other post, you might know that i use this when i have breakout. i will put it on top of my acne and wait it to dry. sometimes it will reduce the inflammation, but if it's already halfway, it will speed up the popping process and even after you pop it, it will help speeding the healing process. at first try, i thought freeman works better as i've tried the origins couple times as spot mask, but it didn't work. but then i intend to use it up as i have another mini so i use it for spot masking and it works. i don't know what's the reason it didn't work the first time, but if i want to be picky, freeman is more consistent when being used as spot masking.

from price point, definitely freeman is way cheaper, but origins full size comes in decent size unlike pixi one. so it's definitely up to your budget. if you're looking for budget friendly option, i would suggest freeman. but if you want to splurge, i suggest origins over pixi. as for me, i like both. i don't mind buying origins mini and full size freeman. it might come in handy when travelling to have some minis. so for this comparison, i think the result is a tie. have you tried them both? which one do you like better? let me know in the comment.

last time i was in singapore i found out that mall near our hotel has muji stores and it has lots of skincare products to offer. the first time i didn't buy many, so i brought back the booklet and found out which one to try next. the next time i was there, i bought couple more things, including the whitening essence (funnily, the text on the bottle just say moisturizing essence). i read once that it contains vitamin c, but i was wrong to assume that this one has potent vitamin c. this one only a moisturizing essence with added vitamin c in its ingredients, so don't be like me. anyway... let's see what this product has to offer.

this is the description from their japan website: this skin care series uses natural water from kamaishi, iwate prefecture. contains vitamin C derivative as an active ingredients to prevent sunburn spots and freckles. no fragrance, no coloring, no mineral oil, weak acidity, paraben free, alcohol free, allergy tested.
recommended for: people ho have skin trouble at turn of the season, sensitive to alcohol and other stimuli, skin damage caused by sunburn.
contains moisture-rich grapefruit seed extract and skin-protective smoothie extract to protect your skin from dryness.

the packaging

the back of the box (there's another sticker label on it)

the packaging: it comes in transparent plastic box with description all over it, unfortunately it's in japanese. but the ingredients list is english. the bottle itself is plain white plastic bottle with pump head covered in another transparent plastic cap to secure the pump. as i've said before, even though this is a whitening essence, the text on bottle only indicates it as "moisturizing essence". another bit of description at the back of the bottle but everything is in japanese. since i bought it in singapore, there's another little sticker label attached to the outer box that has tiny description in english as well as ingredients list. this one comes in 50 ml which is bigger than usual essence/serum size which usually comes in 30 ml. the pump works well. one squirt usually enough for my whole face, but you can always add more if you need.

the ingredients list on the box

the bottle

the scent: this one is definitely scentless, but since all ingredients have its own scent, this one smells like soapy essence. not pleasant scent for me, especially since i use this after using huxley serum which has amazing scent.

the pump head

the product: the essence is opaque white gel essence which has similar consistency with kikumasamune essence, but this one might be a bit thicker, but not much. it's easy to spread around. it gives glowy finish, a bit tacky as well. all i can say that when you spread it around you can easily feel that it's emollient enough, not some watery serum, but more oily serum. it does layer well under other serum and sleeping pack, it doesn't pill either.

the essence on my hand

after blending it in

the result: i've used this for over a month, once sometimes twice a day, and i don't see any significance changes. i only can say that it's moisturizing my skin, but it's not special. as for brightening, i don't see any changes in my dark spots, but even with vitamin c serum, the dark spots doesn't budge either. but it helps evening my skin tone, making my complexion look bit brighter. but i used this in combination with benton snail serum and naruko sleeping pack that also has some brightening ingredients in it.

anyway, this is an affordable moisturizing essence with added vitamin c in its ingredients. while i don't believe the vitamin c is potent enough, but if you want some antioxidant properties, it should help. but it feels too oily for me. if i have to choose, i like kikumasamune sake essence better than this one. it feels fresher than this one. but muji is easier to find, so if you really want affordable and easy to get product, you should try muji one. as for me, definitely won't repurchase.

lately, everyone seems to rave about probiotic in skincare here. move over centella... now probiotic is the ingredients that people looking after. i don't know why but since there's an online shop that sells probiotic skincare and not forgetting they endorsed some influencer, and suddenly people look for probiotic. niacinamide and centella are still popular, but probiotic has gained lots of fans too. at first i'm curious because i can't find anything about the manufacturer. i couldn't find their website nor any other information beside the ones that's provided by the online shop. i can find Ildong website, which is the manufacturer of the probiotic that's being used, but nothing about firstlab (the brand that used probiotic in their skincare products). but i have tried products with probiotic before (cutura milk, which you can read here) so it's not that new to me. fortunately, the online shops sell variety of items, from their face wash, pore tightening essence, two types of essence (which i think can be used as FTE as well), serum, cream and even sunscreen, so i decided to take the risk and order the face wash, essence and the serum. they do have the full size bottle which comes in 30 ml but since it was out of stock, i decided to buy two travel size serum, each is 10 ml so i think it's enough to get the impression.

this is the description from ebay: this probiotic serum contains lactobacillus ferment lysate (30,0000 ppm) produced by fermentation of lactobacillus rhamnosus IDCC 3201. this lactobacillus ferment lysate is a raw material that only Ildong Pharmaceutical can use exclusively. this probiotic serum helps to care rough and sensitive skin barrier.

the box

description in korean

the packaging: it comes in white box with a bit of description on it and inside there's a little brown plastic bottle with dropper. again, another bit description printed on the bottle, but nothing else. since it's a travel size, it only comes in 10 ml while the full size is 30 ml. the dropper couldn't reach the bottom, so when you almost reach the bottom, you might need to pull the stopper out or just shake it hard. funny thing is when you see the box, you can see "ildong" written so obviously at front, but ildong only manufactured the probiotic used in this product. but the brand that distributes the product is first lab.

description in english

another description in korean

the scent: this one is scentless. any scent that you might smell might be because of the ingredients.

the bottle

the serum  inside the dropper

the product: it's a super sticky and stringy cloudy white serum. it's stringy like snail products even more stringy than my benton snail serum. so stringy that it's hard to drop it without messing it all around my face. since it's stringy, dropping it on my hand then spread it around is not an option as well as it might drop all over the place. it's easy to spread around and it takes awhile to be absorb. afterward, you can feel stickiness but it doesn't pill up when i put other cream or sleeping pack on top. it's quite thick, but still has a bit of gel texture, so it's about the same texture as benton snail serum but bit thicker. so i use it after i use my benton snail serum.
okay, since it's hard to find the ingredients list, i just have to trust the one that i found at cosdna website. obviously it has bifida ferment filtrate on top of the list as it's their star ingredient. but what surprised me is that it has several ingredients that's has yellow mark safety. it also contains dimethicone, alcohol, lactic acid. it's definitely moisturizing since there are lots of moisturizing agents like butylene glycol, glycerin, ceramide, urea, and sodium hyaluronate. it might also help in brightening or evening skin tone as it has several ingredients like niacinamide, adenosine and glutathione. anyway, better check the ingredients list as it has too long ingredients list (i've been used to shorter ingredients list, so it's troublesome to check everything in the list).

the serum on my hand

after blending it in

the result: honestly, i don't see any changes between this one and my previous huxley serum. it's moisturizing just like huxley, and i don't see any brightening effect yet. the 10 ml bottle can last me almost 2 weeks so it's good to bring for travelling.

i have to say the this product is overhyped. it does work well in moisturizing my skin, but it doesn't do magic. i can see similar result from other serum that has similar ingredients. for me, i don't think i'll repurchase the full size after finishing all the travel sizes. i do think that it's a good moisturizing serum for all skin types. it doesn't feel too heavy on combination to oily skin, but i think it might not be enough for dry skin. my only problem with this is its stringiness. it can get messy when using this stuff, so if you're more like me, no fuss no mess type, then try another product. there are lots of other serum out there. don't feel like you're missing out because it's a hype for now. as for the price, it's still considered affordable for a serum. so whether or not to try it, it's up to you. but for me, there are several ingredients that might be culprit for acne, so you might want to try travel size if you have the same concern.

i was in singapore when i found out that there's a muji store near our hotel. i was so excited but i didn't know what to buy except for their toner. so i bought something here and there. luckily, they also sell travel sizes, so i only bought the toner, milk and soap in full size and the rest are in travel sizes. i've tried the face foam in full size, and now i'll try the travel size face soap.

this is the description from their japan website: gently wash while keeping moisture. blended with orange juice as a natural moisture ingredient. no fragrance, no coloring, no mineral oil, alcohol free.
ingredients: water, myristic acid, BG, stearic acid, hydroxylated K, glycerin, palmitic acid, glycol distearate, lauric acid, lauriminodiacetic acid 2Na, PEG-3 palm fatty acid amide MEA sulfate Na, orange juice, olive fruit oil, stearic acid sorbitan, lauramide DEA, Na hydroxide, etidronic acid, EDTA-4Na, methylparaben, propylparaben.

the packaging: since i bought in store, there's no sealing whatever on the outer part of the tube. it's a white plastic squeeze tube with screw cap. i do hope that they use flip top for travel size face wash because i keep dropping the cap when i shower so it's really troublesome having to unscrew and put it back on every time i use it. there's description at the back in japanese, but since i bought it in singapore, there's a little sticker label at the back with a bit english description and ingredients list.

the tube

the scent: it's scentless since i think it's from their sensitive lines, so it only has scent from its ingredients.

back of the tube

the product: it's a pearly white creamy face wash that easy to lather. you only need a small amount for your entire face. it looks and feels similar to shiseido perfect whip. again, i think it will bubble up easier if you use net foam, but with just bare hands you can lather it up easily. i think it's easier to lather this one up rather than the perfect whip. it comes in 30 g and i've been using it for about 3 weeks until it's about done.

the ingredients list on the added sticker label

the result: after that, i can feel my face is squeaky clean. literally. but somehow i don't feel that it's too drying on my face. i don't have any problem while using it, but if you're concern with the pH level, you should check yourself as i don't have any pH strip test.

face wash on my hand

trust me, it's bubbling, but since it took some time to take the picture, the bubbles vanish a bit

for me, it's a good face wash for travelling. i only need a little for my whole face so it lasts for a while. i never travel more than 10 days, so this will be enough for travelling. i will definitely buy this for travelling. my only con with this one is when i use with foreo, it's not bubbling much so sometimes i feel the foreo bristles scratch my face, not literally, but i can feel the bristles dragging on my skin. so i'm torn because i love to bring my foreo with me everywhere, but it will be troublesome to bring two kinds of face wash while travelling. oh, and the price in singapore is much higher than japan's so if you could get this in japan, you should.

i was in singapore and i decided i need to buy more masks since i'm running low on my mask sheet. plus i've been contemplating whether or not i buy the papa recipe new variants. and guess what? i decided to get it both. i've tried the green one and i like it, so i'm curious about this one. so let's dig in.

this is the description from their US website: a red ginseng and botanical oil blend sheet mask is nourishing and full of antioxidants used in preventing fine lines and wrinkles. the oil blend of evening primrose, camellia, and rose will replenish loss of moisture in skin.
a sheet mask made of paper mulberry pulp and soaked in an oil serum. honey extract, red ginseng extract, and other moisturizing nutrients in the serum promote softer, firmer skin.
eco friendly sheet that is soft and delivers moisture more efficiently. delivers moisture and oil both at the same time to have balanced skin.
ingredient: red ginseng, honey extract, camellia oil, evening, rosehip oil, propolis extract.

the packaging: it comes in red sachet with the pot of honey picture at front. looking at the website, the one posted there comes in regular rectangular sachet while mine has the top cut out to fit the honey pot. i don't know if they changed the packaging, all i know is that i bought this from guardian singapore, so maybe it's new packaging. there's description at the back in korean and english. they also have ingredients list in english too. the sachet also feels papery, very different from other variants that i have tried.

the packaging

the scent: the scent is pretty strong. it does smell like ginseng, but it's nowhere near sulwhasoo's which is strong but not offensive. luckily, once you put it on your face, it's not as strong as before. believe me, if the scent is lingering while i'm using it, definitely i won't repurchase.

the product: at first i'm quite surprised that the sachet feels different. but guess what.. the mask is different as well. when i used it, i haven't read the product description, so i just thought that it would be the same. but i was surprised that it feels papery.  the mask is still thin but bit stiff, no backing either. there's something embedded in the mask. at first i thought it was dirty! but then i thought perhaps they put ginseng root embedded in the mask, but lately i thought it's probably because it's made of eco friendly sheet so it had some sort of weird thing embedded to the mask. it's not irritating my skin, but it's kind of surprising seeing a non plain mask. luckily, it adheres well to my face. there's some essence left on the pouch, but i won't keep that.

left: before middle: mask on right: after

the result: it is moisturizing just like usual papa recipe mask, but this one doesn't do anything else.

i have to say that among all papa recipe masks that i've tried before, this one is my least favorite. i don't know whether the scent or the mask material that threw me off, but i'm sure when i finish all of them, i won't repurchase this variants. but if you're into eco friendly material masks (which is quite rare for now) and love papa recipe masks, maybe you can try this one. just make sure you know that this one won't be as soft and thin and juicy as other papa recipe masks.

i am running out of sunscreen so when i visit singapore, i decided to grab some sunscreen. back when i was in japan i bought the skin aqua super moisture essence but i couldn't find the gel. so when i saw the gel in singapore, i instantly bought it to try and compare which one i like better. i almost finish with this one too, so i better write something about it before i finish it completely!

this is the description from mentholatum singapore website: new advanced solarex-3 technology providing 3-in-1 uv defence system to help protect against sun damage, skin aging and dryness caused by uv rays. water light texture that leaves a weightless feel and matte finish. with aloe extract & portulaca extract to soothe and protect skin from free radicals. gentle & mild formula with no colorant and mineral oil. low irritation.
solarex-3 technology which provides superior photo-stable protection, high moisture retention and protects against premature aging caused by uv rays. combines multiple uv filters that do not break down or degrade easily under the sun to provide long lasting protection. with rona care ectoin from germany & golden seaweed extract from france to help fight free radicals and protect against sun damage and skin aging caused by uv rays. with hyaluronic acid to effectively hydrate and lock-in moisture on skin to provide all-day hydration.

the packaging

the packaging: it comes with cardboard backing and plastic cover just like other japanese sunscreen. there's description at the back in english since i bought the sunscreen in singapore. the bottle itself is a white plastic bottle with short description at the back and pointy gold screw cap. it has spout to dispense the product. mine comes in 80 g which is usual for a sunscreen gel.

the bottle

back of the bottle

the scent: when it's freshly opened, it smells straight like alcohol. no wonder since alcohol is second on the ingredients list. then it smells a bit citrusy but super subtle almost noticeable once you put it on your face. no more alcohol scent anymore.

the spout

the product: it's pearly white gel that becomes watery when being spread out. it will give slightly white cast but after it's completely absorbed, it looks nothing. it blends nicely. it takes a minute to dry down, but it's slightly faster than the essence one.

the sunscreen on my hand

the result: it's definitely moisturizing just like the essence, but somehow this one is not too much. it's been hot these last few weeks while i'm testing this, and i see that the essence is oilier than the gel. but it still gives glowy finish, not entirely matte, so probably if the weather is scorching hot, it won't hold well.

after blending it in

i have to say compared to the essence, i like the gel better. it's slightly fast-absorbing, moisturizing but not super oily like the essence. now, i don't know what's the difference with the one from japan. because if i check the rohto japan website, the name is different, even the sizing is different. the one from japan comes in 140 g and they still have the jumbo size. i will try to get the gel, but i don't think i'll try the essence again, although lady fiddy swears by it. anyway, this sunscreen is one of the affordable option so if you have normal to dry skin and wouldn't mind the glowy finish, then you should try it. as for me, i'm going to japan, so i will hunt for new sunscreens, so no repurchasing just yet.

i have visited japan several times and each time i got overwhelmed by the products offer there, and even though the internet has given me several information, but still, it's not enough. so i decided to put up a guide of my own about products that i've seen as bestselling and i've tried, along with my recommendation. usually i head to drugstore to get my beauty products because i believe you don't have to spend a ton of money to get good result. i believe there's hidden gem among drugstore products. i've put up skincare edition separated in part 1 (here) and part 2(here). so today i will talk about makeup.

as i've mentioned before, all of these products are drugstore. but if you're curious about high end japan brands, i will mention several brands that's worth checking up.
- shu uemura: their foundation is one of the best selling products as well as their eyebrow product, but i think the eyebrow pencil comes in regular pencil that needs sharpening, so if that's not your preference, there's plenty of other eyebrow pencil over there. they also have best selling lipstick. oh and not forgetting their famous eyelash curler. but for the curler, you can get them in several drugstore.
- addiction: if you're interested, you can read about some of their products in @kaepratiwi's blog (which you can head on here). but some of their best selling products are their liquid blush. it's quite unique as it's packaged to look like nail polish (along with the brush to apply it), so you have to be careful. they also have best selling lipstick as well.
- three: they have makeup and skincare products as well, but i can't say anything about it. they make their products plant based and it's paraben free, no animal testing and no artificial coloring and fragrance. i'd suggest you head on to kaepratiwi's blog as she has tried several of their products, but i can't remember her suggesting anything from this brand.
- lunasol kanebo: another long standing high end brand. i've seen their foundation and eyeshadow palette being advertised in a magazine, but there's something about japanese eyeshadow powder formula that i don't like, so perhaps you should try it first before buying it. most of them are shimmery and not pigmented compared to western brand, so put that in mind when you try them.
- shiseido: another famous brand from japan that has skincare, makeup even hair care range in their lines. some of the best selling products are their base products, the blush whipped and several lipstick. and the shu's competitor which is the eyelash curler. just like shu's, the curler can be found in several drugstore.
- laduree: yes.. it's just like the macaron store's name. you can see from the packaging that it's very cute and collectible. most of the color scheme is super dreamy, cotton candy like. personally, i don't like the color scheme, but if you like cute and dreamy packaging, then you should check it out.

i think that's all that i can remember for now, so now let's head on to the drugstore brands. for this post, i think i'll try to talk about each brand instead of talking in certain order.

cezanne (website)
this is one of the cheapest drugstore brands in japan. you can easily find this brand everywhere. but there are several best selling products from this brand. they also have some skincare products that i've already discussed in other post. they have all products from face products, eyes, lips and even nail, but only some that stand out.
-makeup base (the one in pink tube): it works as pore blurring base and make your makeup last longer as it will keep sebum at bay. it's tinted pink beige color that will brighten your skin and has added SPF 28PA++. it's also fragrance free. personally, i don't use makeup base daily, so i never use this. but if you're interested how this products compared to other base from mid-range brand, you can watch it in tina tanaka haris's youtube channel.

makeup base

- powder foundation: they do have liquid foundation, but the one that i saw as bestselling is their powder foundation. let me tell you that they sell the powder foundation and the case separately. so put that in mind. they have 3 types of powder foundation, the EX premium, EX plus and uv foundation II. once again, i never tried them mainly because the shade range is super terrible, even the lightest shade is still darker to me, so if you have medium skintone, you might have better luck there.

powder foundation

- powder: they have loose and compact powder, but people in japan seems to prefer compact powder more. so i decided to grab the uv silk face powder as it seems to be the competitor of famous canmake marshmallow powder. it has added SPF 48 PA +++ and there are only 2 shades. i pick the light one and even that is still dark to me, so i use it sparingly before giving it to my sister that has darker skin than me. you can read my review here.
- blush on: their natural cheek N blush range is something worth trying. it's a powder blush that comes in clear plastic compact with cheap brush. it has pearl finish and matte finish. i have tried the pearl finish, both in shade 01 and 05. read my review here. they do have other blushes, as well as highlight and contouring, but since this is japanese brand, i don't think the contouring and highlighting will be the same as western brand, so i decided to skip all of those. it's also not popular there, so i don't think it's worth trying.

natural cheek N blush

- eye products: i think their eyebrow pencils are decent as well as their eyeliners, but there are other eyebrow and eyeliners from other brands that's better. as for their eye shadow, or perhaps all japanese eyeshadow, most of them are shimmery or glittery and not pigmented enough. so if you've been used to western eyeshadows, then you should skip eyeshadows unless you like the swatches or try it yourself before buying it.

canmake (website)
just like cezanne, canmake is really cheap and easily found almost at all drugstores. they have some good items as well.
- makeup base: they have good sunscreen (mermaid skin gel uv) and two marshmallow finish base. the O is for oil block and the M version is for moisture/dry skin. the finish base has added SPF 28.

mermaid skin gel uv

the oil block base

the moisture base

- their best selling item is this marshmallow finish powder. it's a compact powder that has high coverage, pore blurring effect and also hold your sebum. it comes in 4 shades (mine is the matte ochre) and you can buy the refill. although it has added oil in its ingredients, i think if you have dry skin, this will feel too dry for your skin. read my review here.
- blush on: they do have powder blush, but they're famous for their cream cheek. and the cream cheek fame make them to release cream cheek tint but somehow the cream cheek is still the winner. i've tried cream cheek in 05 and it's hard to get the whole shade range as it's super best selling. anyway, they do offer lots of shade range and the packaging is nice plus it's super cheap, so highly recommending this one. read my thoughts here.

cream cheek

- lip products: another famous items are their lip products. they have lip tint syrup (more like gloss without its stickiness), stay on balm rouge (more like tinted lip balm), and your lip only gloss (color changing gloss). i personally haven't tried them all because i have plenty lip products in my collection, but i will get the stay balm rouge in my next trip. if you're curious about them, you can see the canmake products being featured in matilda's youtube videos.

stay on balm rouge

lip tint syrup

your only lip gloss

ettusais (website)
looking at the design, ettusais is more youthful, like it's targeted teenage girls or young adult. but i've seen some recommended products from them. they also have some skincare products, the one that i notice is their vit c serum, but i never tried it.
- make up base: they have this cute base that looks like nail polish, even it has brush to apply the product. it comes in pore cover base, oil block base and even the oil block base cool. if you're wondering why the bottle looks so small, it's because it is small. it only comes in 7,5 g. it also has award winning uv block base which comes in SPF 50+ PA++++. again, personally i never try any of them but probably i will get the sunscreen soon.

oi block base

oil block base cool

pore block base

sunscreen

- mascara : another award winning product from ettusais. it has win cosme award in 2017. this mascara only comes in black and it's supposed to add volume and length. it also contains fiber.

the mascara

coffret d'or (website)
this brand is under kanebo cosmetic. it has similar elegant design as kanebo products, which make these products looks a bit luxurious than its fellow drugstore products. hence, the higher price point. it's still considered drugstore since you can find it in several drugstore, but the price is more like mid-range. personally, i never try any of their products just because i decided to try several canmake and cezanne products first.
- lip products: their skin synchro rouge lipstick won 3rd place in 2019 cosme award and their contour lip duo won first place in 2019 cosme award. the lipstick comes in 10 shades that's categorized as blue based or yellow based color. it's a moisturizing lipstick that will make your lips plumper. while the contour lip duo has two sided, one is the pencil liner and the other is gloss. it comes in 6 colors.

skin synchro rouge lipstick

-blush on: their smile up cheek N also won no.1 award, it's a powder blush that comes in two color that will make your cheeks appear naturally flushed. there are 4 shades to choose from.

smile up cheek N

sofina (website)
this is another mid-range price brand, but this one doesn't seem to have full range of makeup. mostly it has face makeup, from base, foundation, concealer and powder. they also have other range which is sofina dea (which is targeted older market) and aube (this one has blush and eyeshadow palette). they also have several lines of skincare and i think they did okay with their skincare line, but i never try it.
- base makeup: their long keep base uv has won cosme award in 2013. it's intended to keep sebum at bay and makeup hold longer. it has added SPF 20 PA++. they also have other base that's meant for dry skin, but it seems not as popular as the long keep base.

the base makeup

- powder foundation: although they have liquid foundation and creamy foundation, it seems that japanese like powder foundation more. their powder foundation comes in 7 shades and it's meant to be pore blurring and hold makeup in a long time.

powder foundation

- concealer: although it's not their best selling, but it's the first brand that i found make concealer for under eye and the other one separately for spot covering. however, the under eye concealer only has one shade and the spot cover concealer only comes in two shades. again, asian brands are not the best when it comes to shade option.

kate (website)
this is another band that's famous for its face makeup. especially their foundation.
- liquid foundation: they have two liquid foundation and i think the powdery skinmaker is more famous than the secret skinmaker zero. the powdery skinmaker is supposed a liquid foundation that gives powdery finish. though both foundations have 6 shades, but both still not enough. it only runs to medium skin tone. still nothing for deeper skin tone.
- powder foundation: they also make a powder foundation with the same "base zero" concept. it also has 6 shades.
another product that i've seen people buying from kate is their eyeliner. they have both liquid and pencil eyeliner, but i'm not quite sure which type is the best one.

maquillage (website)
maquillage is another brand from shiseido company. when i was there, their foundation and lip products are among best selling from maquillage. but this one is also another mid range, so i never try them. but their packaging is really pretty, looks like high end brand.
- powder foundation: again, apparently japanese do love powder foundation. the dramatic powdery uv wins 3 cosme award 3 years in a row, so it must be something. but again, they sell the powder foundation separately from the case, so it's so much expensive to get the whole package. it has 7 shades but there's nothing for deeper skin tone. this one also has added SPF.
- base makeup: dramatic skin sensor base EX - this is a newly-launched product and it's already got cosme award for half year of 2019. it's anti-shine base and has added SPF. they say it will hold your makeup for 12 hours. luckily they sell travel size of this base so you can try it first.

dramatic skin sensor base EX

- bb cream: perfect multi base bb promises 10 hours of good makeup, with pore blurring effect. no more uneven skin tone. unfortunately, it only comes in 2 shades, so good luck with that. though they say that it's a changing skin tone, i doubt it.

perfect multi base bb

- lipstick: dramatic rouge EX launched in late 2018 and it's already win an award from cosme. in june 2019 they add more shade. it's supposed to give full pigmentation in just two swipes, 6 hours finish. it has added argan oil and 4 other oils. for now it has total 10 shades.

dramatic rouge EX

dolly wink (website)
this is the brand that has the model tsubasa as its face. their main selling items are eyes products, false lashes and eyeliners and mascara. all of their products are quite affordable.
- false lashes: they have many type of false lashes, with clear base and black base. many types too. from natural looking to those doll-looking lashes.

false lashes

- eyeliner: they have pencil and liquid liners. their liquid liners have brush tip. all their liners come in black and brown. i've tried their brown liquid eyeliner (read about it here) and it lasts really long. so if you're looking for affordable and long lasting eyeliner, you should try and buy some japanese liners.

liquid liner

- mascara: they have 3 types, for length, volume and for both and i never try any of them just because there are so many mascaras in japan.

mascara

k-palette
this is another brand that's famous for its eyeliners and eyebrows, but lately they add blush and lip products into their products line.
- eyeliners : i've tried their so called "1 day tattoo" eyeliners, it has brush tip and it's supposed to be waterproof and smudgeproof, but honestly i think dolly wink and dejavu eyeliners are more budge-proof. but it's so popular out there, so perhaps you should try it yourself. they also have pencil eyeliner.
- eyebrow: they have 3 ways eyebrow (pencil, powder and spoolie), 2 ways eyebrow (liquid and powder, no spoolie), and just eyebrow pen (liquid only). they also have eyebrow mascara. i've tried their 3 in 1 and 2 in 1, and i like the 3 in 1 one better as it has spoolie. i wish the 2 in 1 could be liquid and spoolie, then it would be better. read my thoughts about all k-palette products that i've tried here.
- cheek tint: when i were there last time, they have these cheek tint that's supposed to give long lasting color to cheek. it has 3 shades. i personally haven't tried it yet.
- lip tint: there are two types of the tint, the liquid one (the one with doe foot applicator) and stick type, just like lipstick.

isehan heroine kiss me (website)
i bet when you read the brand name you immediately think about their mascara and eyeliner. and i bet you didn't know that they have some face product as well. i have to tell you that if you bought the mascara, make sure you also bought the mascara remover because it will save your eyelashes. trust me.
- mascara: basically there are two types of their mascara, the long and curl type and the volume and curl type. i've tried the long and curl (read it here) and i have mixed feeling about it. i think they reformulate or upgrade it and call it "advanced film mascara". the older version has added fiber in it, so if you don't like added fiber-type mascara, you can skip it. make sure to check the bottom right picture to see the brush type.

the long and curl mascara

- eyeliner: they also have gel eyeliner and liquid eyeliner and many swear by it, but i haven't tried it yet. the eyeliner is also supposed to be smudgeproof and waterproof.
- remover: i've tried their remover and i always stock up when i can get one. it helps me removing any makeup easily. and it comes in a tube so it's super travel friendly. read my thoughts here.

the mascara remover

dejavu (website)
dejavu comes up as a new brand that focus solely on mascaras when it's first launch. and they do have lots of different type of mascaras. later they add eyeliners and eyebrow products to their product line.
- mascara: i bought three of them, and i've tried the lash knockout (read it here) and i loveeee it. it's not super volumizing but it's good at separating lashes while also lengthening. and it's easier to remove compared to kiss me heroine one. the fiberwig is a lengthening mascara that's supposed to give false lash effect. the other one that i didn't get is the keep style one. this is supposed to lift and curl your lashes. you can see the type of the mascara written in english. and they make them different colors too. the only one that has the same pink color is the fiberwig and tiny sniper. but tiny sniper is more like liquid eyeliner bottle.

lash knockout mascara

fiberwig and tiny sniper

- eyeliner: they have both pencil and liquid eyeliner. the lasting fine pencil eyeliner has 3 shades and has 1 mm tip. while the creamy eyeliner has 4 shades and has 0,65 mm tip. the liquid eyeliner has two shades and brush tip while the other liquid liner has felt tip and only come in one shade. the only way to differentiate which one is black or brown is by the label on the packaging. nothing on the eyeliner itself so if you bought two shades from the same line, it might confuse you. i've tried the black liquid eyeliner with the brush tip (read it here) and i love it better than the kiss me heroine one.

the liquid eyeliner with brush tip

excel (website)
another brand that i almost forget to mention is excel. silly me because i bought their eyebrow product and now i'm almost forgetting it. excel has various range of products, from face makeup, eyes, cheeks, lips and even nail products. but i only heard about their eyebrow products and eyeshadow. i know... i've said that japanese eyeshadow lacks pigmentation but this one got cosme awards, so probably if you want to try japanese eyeshadows, you might want to start from here.
- face makeup: i never heard about their face products, but their newly launched skin tint serum foundation has already won award from cosme. it's a serum-infused foundation that can also be used as base makeup or foundation. unfortunately, all 4 shades are nowhere near more than medium skin tone. their silent cover concealer is a three pans concealer palette that won 3rd place in cosme 2018 award. again, they only have one shade, so it might not cater all skin tone.

skin tint serum

silent cover concealer

- eye makeup: they have two eyeshadows palette that both win cosme award. the real close shadow is newer launch. while the skinny rich is quite a while. both are 4 pans palette. but the color scheme is quite different. skinny rich cater muted color, colors that you can wear daily... browns, beige, pink. but real close shadow is more colorful. bit reds, mauve, and greens. oh and not forgetting their eyebrow pencil. it's a 3 in 1 thing, pencil, powder and spoolie. read about it here.

real close shadow

skinny rich shadow

eyebrow pencil

- lip product: they have lipstick and lip gloss but the one that won an award is their lip care oil. for me it looks like ysl lip oil.

lip oil

mote flowfushi/ uzu by flowfushi (website)
this brand doesn't have lots of products line. in fact, it's first called mote by flowfushi and offers liquid eyeliner. it's very popular. but suddenly the end of last year, they change the name to uzu by flowfushi. and they only release eyeliners so far. the previous packaging is easily recognized by foil-like pouch with big M at front. it's has different color for different eyeliner color. and it has shades like burgundy which is unusual for japanese eyeliner. it has brush tip. although it's slightly more expensive than usual eyeliner, but it's highly recommended. i haven't tried it myself, but @kaepratiwi that i've mentioned, used it and liked it, so it must be good.

and i think that's it from me. i bet there are still other makeup products out there. it's japan.. they have so much to offer. if you're visiting japan, make sure you bring empty suitcase and lots of money. make sure you check every store because not every store has the same inventory. i will visit japan the end of september, so i will try to update if i found anything interesting. and if you have suggestion, please let me know so i can check it out.