I admit that retractable makeup brushes aren’t as durable as regular sized makeup brushes, but hey, they do their job well, and it will all be definitely worth it with all the convenience that it gives off! A huge plus would definitely be the cap which does not expose the brush to dirt inside the bag. Talk about great hygiene ( just be sure to religiously sanitize the brushes! )

The Body Shop Retractable Blush Brush ( seen on the cover picture ) was one of my first retractable makeup brushes, and I love it for it is made of synthetic material, and it’s the softest I’ve ever felt! Priced at around 800+ ( correct me if I’m wrong, but it was already a long time ago ), it lasted a good 3 years on me.

For the budget-savvy girls , the Charm Retractable Kabuki is very affordable, and should I say cute? It’s made of regular goat hair, and the softness is just a so-so for me, but it is good enough, and cute enough to show off! Haha!

I think everyone agrees that a Retractable Kabuki or brush is a necessary for a Kikay Girl’s Kikay Kit?

Toodles!

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In one of my attempts of taking good photographs, well, this was the best that I could do a few weeks ago ( until I discovered the beauty of good lighting? hahaha! the picture looked like it was about to rain, but really, it was a sunny sunny day! sorry! ) Does it show that even in photography, I am still smitten with beauty products as my subjects? Oh yes, that’s true!

This was my birthday beauty loot from my friends that I received last June ( well, part of! ) . They sure know what this girl’s mind is thinking!

I received the following :

all’ Olio di Oliva Olive Oil Meditteraneo Mousse da Bago ( Bath Foam )
I received this Italian Bath foam from a friend, and the first thing I noticed was the word, “olive oil” since I use it to cook my steak! Hahaha! Upon opening the bottle, it smelled like a more suave version of my favorite Johnson & Johnson Baby Bath. The plus factors are the moisturizing properties of vitamin-E rich olive oil, and micropeeling alpha hydroxy acids. Can’t wait to use this after I finish my current Nu Skin bath.

Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler
This is my second Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler ( and another friend tells me she’s getting me one, too! I mean, wow! ). I can’t say much about this but…Shu Uemura’s eyelash curler is definitely the BEST for me! I have no qualms on why it is a cult favorite since it produces great, naturally shaped and long lasting curled lashes!

La Cross Cuticle Pusher
I was telling R that I was shopping for my own manicure-pedicure stuff because of the fear that welled inside of me when I watched the Tyra Show that someone really died from an unsanitary nail care procedure done in a salon, and it wasn’t an urban legend. Nooo!!! I enumerated all the stuff I have and she laughed as she said, “you don’t have a cuticle pusher?”, so she got me one as a birthday present. This beauty tool has two ends – one end is a cuticle pusher, one end is actually a tool that you can scrape dirt from your nails ( the backside ).

Acca Cappa Brush
When C gave me this present, I immediately thought , was my hair not neat enough that she’d give me a hairbrush to groom myself more? Hahahaha! The brush , just by looking at it, is so beautiful that you wouldn’t want to use it – a perfect off-white plastic beauty. Then over dinner R tells me that Oprah actually recommends this for having anti-bacterial properties, as Acca Cappa is the authority in brushes. That got me intrigued, as I am inspired to research more of this thing of wonder.

Wow! All I can say is that I had a perfect twenty something ( gotcha, I’m not telling! ) birthday, because aside from the beauty loot that I scored, I feel very happy with my beauty blogging, and the way things are going in my life right now – great friends, and family, definitely included!

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The case of the poker-straight lashes is another problem that can be solved in three ways.

1. Have your lashes permed. – There are salons there that offer this service. This would set you back around 250 pesos and up. The advantage is that you don’t need to curl your lashes everyday, it’s like an “automatic curl” for you.

2. Use a heated eyelash curler – Battery operated heated eyelash curlers can be your substitute for normal eyelash curlers, as they provide heat, and temporarily “perm” the lashes. The best so far, that I have heard about, is the Blinc Heated Eyelash Curler(shown on the picture).

3. Since there are not much heated eyelash curlers sold here ( if anyone knows where, please kindly share! ), here’s a trick. Use your hair blower to heat your eyelash curler for about 5 seconds ,and use your eyelash curler like you normally do. Be careful, though , because like curling irons, metals, when heated, can burn the skin!

Well then, everything is solved in the eyelash department ( well , not quite, I’ve thought of one thing again, but let’s save it for another week! I don’t want to dwell on lashes for a whole week! Haha! ) ! If you have any questions you’d like me to answer or have any topic requests, please feel free to email me at kikaykits [@] gmail [.] com.

Happy Weekend!

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One of the most popular questions that I get is, “Which eyelash curler is better, Shiseido‘s or Shu Uemura‘s?”

Well the answer to that is, it depends on the length of your lashes. Let me give three stories that sprouted from my curiosity on which brand would work best.

Case Study # 1 : Spanish D.
Spanish D, well, is of Spanish descent, that explains her beautiful, long lashes. She asked me to pick for her a great eyelash curler as we were shopping one Sunday. I remembered that the mall we were in was Rockwell, so no Shu Uemura there. Good thing I’ve brought with me my overnight kikay kit which definitely included my Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler. I could definitely not live without it. I made her try it on one eye, and her lashes curled beautifully ( sigh, I’m envious, her lashes are lush, and brown! ). Then, we went inside the Shiseido store to ask to roadtest the Shiseido Eyelash Curler. When she curled her right eye-lash, it curled beautifully too, but as we did a round of shopping, the Shu Uemura Eyelash curler did a better job for her eyelash profile, than the Shiseido, in terms of how long the curl stayed on her lashes.

Case Study # 2 : Chinita K
Chinita K went to HongKong for the shopping spree that she has been waiting for all her life. Being undecisive on which eyelash curler to get, she decided to get two! One Shu Uemura, and one Shiseido. Upon coming back, she eventually tried, and tested each one of them, and found a winner in Shiseido. For her lash profile, her lashes are short, that is associated for being a chinita.

Case # 3 : Blogger friend R ( yeah, I’m still hiding her name with an initial even though her blog is linked here already ).
She tells me she is a solid devotee of the Shu Uemura Eyelash Curler, because of the rave reviews that prompted her to get one. She’s still very much happy with its performance, and for her lash profile, her lashes are long.

Conclusion : Based on these three experiences, I still can’t conclude for sure ( since other stories can prove otherwise ), but there is a possibility that that Shu Uemura works for those with longer lashes and Shiseido works better for those with shorter lashes.

As for me, it would have to be the Shu Uemura one. I’ve been using this for years already, and this is my ever-reliable lash prettifier of all time. I love it that it curls my lashes, and it looks natural ( not like the awkward L shaped curl that some curlers do ), and lasts for almost the whole day. But well, for my lash profile – my lashes are medium in length, not too short, and definitely not long!

Well, as much as I want to make a thesis out of this ( hahaha! insane ), these two brands, Shu Uemura, and Shiseido have produced very high quality, and excellent eyelash curlers in terms of ergonomics, and performance. They’re very durable too. One thing, to notice is that Shiseido offers refills for their rubber pads, while Shu Uemura only has one extra pad that is included with the item itself, and does not sell refills. For the price, they’re almost at par. ( They’re actually sold at $18 abroad, but I think Shiseido’s the lower priced one in the Philippines. )

Overall, it’s a personal choice on whether which to get, but be sure to roadtest them first on counters , or borrow from a friend, to see which one is for you!

How about you? Which worked better for you? I’d love to hear and gather more information about this to be able to know if the semi-conclusion would stand true!

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Shu Uemura’s 24th Anniversary Collection is absolutely stunning. Hideiki Anaba, the artist behind these feminine and classic designs sure did not disappoint! I can stare at these beautiful babies forever! See the items included in the collection right after the jump.

BTB24 Lip Palette Palette of 4 luscious lip gloss shades in varying sheer and shimmering finishes inspired by the color of Japanese organic design. Limited Edition.

* Cherry red gloss with a transparent shine finish
* Petal pink with a sheer, pearlized finish
* Orange blossom with a sheer, transparent finish
* Sheer shine shade with a touch of glitter to mix or highlight

BTB24 Eye & Cheek Palette A customized palette for the eye and the cheek inspired by the whimsical design of Japanese organic art. Limited edition.
Palette includes 2 Pressed Eye Shadows in an iridescent strawberry-sorbet and a pearl golden-sand with a complimentary Glow On for the cheek in a creamy nude-rose.

BTB24 Compact Palette Portable compact palette designed to hold shu uemura Pressed Eye Shadows and Glow Ons designed with whimsical floral artwork. Limited edition.
* 4 Pressed Eye Shadows
* 2 Pressed Eye Shadows and 1 Glow On
* 2 Glow Ons

False Eyelashes Partial Floret Separated clusters of cross-twill eyelashes in black with subtle accents of pink and yellow. Limited edition.

BTB24 Makeup Box Chic pearl-white mini makeup box designed with whimsical floral artwork. Ideal for frequent travelers to house makeup and skincare products. Limited edition.

Designer Brush & Makeup Bag Designer Brush & Makeup Bag Makeup and brush holder designed with whimsical floral artwork. Lies flat for portability and resistant to travel and frequent usage. Limited edition.

I hope they would arrive in Manila soon so that I can check them out in person! The quality of the makeup, I don’t doubt, for it’s a given that Shu Uemura is one of the best in the cosmetics industry. The designs – I am totally taken away!

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