New Brand Alert: Kanebo is about making your life a masterpiece

A couple of months ago, Liz posted this exclusive preview of the new Kanebo makeup line. My interest was immediately piqued, and her swatches plus FOTD made me look forward to the brand’s much-awaited launch. Fast forward to last month when Kanebo Philippines finally launched the entire Kanebo line and I was beyond thrilled to be covering it for Project Vanity!

Kanebo Cosmetics was founded in 1936, giving it a solid 80-year head start in the beauty industry and becoming one of the top cosmetics companies in Japan. The brand places puts research and development first to produce only the best quality products. You can just imagine all that years of expertise poured into their skincare and makeup.

Compared to Lunasol, Impress, and Kate Tokyo brands, the Kanebo brand is focused on “Chrono Beauty” – a concept that “expresses a woman’s inner allure by providing it with the optimal care at the optimal times”. What this means is that Kanebo’s products are made to address our skin’s constantly changing needs.

For skincare, Kanebo started with “a single day” – the Global Botanical Collection. These are products that provide the foundation for a basic skincare routine with a special focus on moisturization, so that skin will be healthy and glowing.

As with any good skin care routine, it starts with cleansers to wash off the day’s dust and grime. Both the Kanebo Softening Cream Cleansing (P1,800 /120ml) and the Kanebo Refreshing Creamy Wash (P1,500 /120ml) effectively strip off dirt while keeping the skin moist and soft. For heavy makeup users, the Kanebo Mellow Rich Oil Cleansing (P1,800 /180ml) is a good oil-based cleanser for double cleansing. 

As the name suggests, Kanebo The First Serum (P3,600 /60ml) begins the regimen after cleansing and should be applied before any moisturizers. The Kanebo Moisture Flow Lotion (P3,000 /180ml) and the Kanebo Moisture Flow Rich Lotion (P3,000 /180ml) address oily and dry skin types respectively, as with the Kanebo Bouncing Emulsion (P3,600 /100ml) and the Kanebo Bouncing Rich Emulsion (P3,600 /100ml).

Applying a moisturizer is a must for keeping your skin in perfect condition 24/7 so Kanebo developed two creams specifically tailored for morning and night use. Extensive studies by Kanebo led to the development of the Baby-Soft Oil Formulation used in these creams. The formula is inspired by the vernix, which is the white, creamy film we see covering babies’ skin when they are born. The idea is to recreate that texture by covering skin with moisture, thus protecting it from dryness, irritation, and aging.  

The Kanebo Fresh Day Cream SPF 15 (P3,600 /40ml) has a Morning Garden fragrance to energize at the start of the day, while the Kanebo Night Lipid Wear (P4,800 /40ml) has a Night Velvet Bouquet fragrance to help you relax before your beauty sleep. The Aroma Teatopia fragrance, which was specially developed by Kanebo from tea flowers, makes the creams a real treat to the senses. This attention to detail to even the choice of scents makes applying skincare an especially pleasant experience to look forward to everyday!

From this core set, Kanebo will introduce more “tuning products” that will cater to specialized needs beginning 2017 but we’re already impressed by what they have to offer. Everything smelled amazing, and we loved how the day and night creams had distinctive scents that suit the desired mood. The packaging design by renowned designer Gwenael Nicolas of Curiocity, Inc. was also stunning to look at. The simple yet elegant lines were inspired by the flow of water, and we can definitely imagine how these would make luxurious additions to any vanity.

Of course, we got to check out and swatch their makeup offerings! Kanebo makeup focuses on “inner allure” and timeless beauty. Each product provides a comfortable Texture, a glowing Finish, and the 5R Color technology. 5R Color hinges on the color red and makes sure that every shade of Kanebo makeup creates a healthy and beautiful appearance once applied.

To showcase the products, Kanebo did a makeup demo on Miss Universe Philippines 2016 Maxine Medina. She is an elegant morena beauty, and her look fits so well with Kanebo! She has that natural allure that is similar to Kanebo’s image model, Arizona Muse.

The Kanebo Full Radiance Foundation SPF 25 (P3,300 /30ml) comes in eight shades and has a lovely texture that blends beautifully into the skin with the help of the Kanebo Frame Adjust Sponge (P540). I couldn’t resist getting a close-up look at Maxine after the demo, and though her skin was noticeably improved, she didn’t look like she had makeup on!

If you’re a fan of dewy, glowing skin, you can use the Kanebo Glow Primer SPF 10 (P2,400 /30ml) before the foundation. This creates a healthy-looking base, which you can set with the Kanebo Control Finish Powder (P2,400 /18g). This is a translucent powder that softens your look even further while keeping your makeup in place!

There are three variants of Kanebo Selection Colors Eyeshadow (P3,300) and each palette contains a suite of five shades. The palette is composed of a Lighting Color, a Shadowing Color, a Styling Color, a Framing Color, and a Refining Color. It makes applying eye makeup a little easier, but you can certainly mix it up and create different eye looks.

Finish your eye look with the Kanebo Dual Eyeliner Pencil (P900, refill) and the Kanebo Dual Eyeliner Liquid (P900, refill). Both are placed into a tool called the Kanebo Dual Eyeliner Holder (sold separately from the refills at P600). I can definitely see the multiple looks you can create with the softer pencil against the bolder liquid. You can also choose from two shades, Neutral Black and Neutral Brown.

For the eyebrows, fill them in with the Kanebo Pencil Eyebrow (P1,200 – the Kanebo Pencil Eyebrow Holder is sold separately at P1,200). This pencil gives a natural-looking definition to the brows, which Liz has been raving about! This is also available in two colors: Neutral Gray and Neutral Brown.

Brighten up your cheeks with the Kanebo Variant Brosse (P1,500), which you can get in either Coral Petal or Pink Petal. Each of these palettes has two colors inside: the Key Color which provides the healthy flush, and the Glowing Color which provides the glow. Think of it as an awesome blush and highlighter in one!

To round up the collection, we have the Kanebo Moisture Rouge (P2,100). Available in six shades, these lipsticks have one of the best formulas I have ever tried! They are extremely moisturizing and they just make your lips look soft and healthy. I have perpetually dry lips but whenever I wear this, my lips feel plump and soft.

The shades are all natural-looking as well, so whichever shade you reach for is sure to complement your skin. It also stays put for a while and seemingly hugs your lips before fading into a lovely stain. I cannot rave enough about these lippies and am already planning on collecting all six shades!

Are you a fan of Japanese beauty? Which of these Kanebo products are you most excited about?

Kanebo is available at Rustans Makati, Shangri-La Mall, and Ayala Cebu.