Yes, I am still on my quest for kawaii cosmetics (and bath products too) and lucked into this fabulous brand called CAKE Beauty. While they may not fall into the most kawaii looking products – if a scent can be called kawaii – then these products certainly qualify!

Oh my heavens – CAKE is delicious, so yummy it is like a pink swirled cupcake of delight. I thought they had some interesting products but I was totally not prepared for the super yummy smell. I am now addicted to CAKE.

CAKE Beauty is a Canadian brand that was created by Heather Reier. Here is more about her from the CAKE beauty site:

“From her childhood days, Heather Reier was always interested in beauty products. In 2003 her passion for indulgence and products had not wavered. After using various products on the market, while she loved many of them, she couldn’t help but feel as though something was missing. She realized that the beauty world needed a line of cremes, suds and scrubs with decadent, nourishing ingredients accompanied by sophisticated packaging and a sassy, fun concept. And from there the philosophy of was born.

Working initially in the kitchen, Heather spent nights and weekends not resting until she had finally created the ultimate cremes, suds and scrubs. No detail was overlooked. She studied the properties of each ingredient, insisting on using only those that would benefit both physical and emotional needs while yielding the most superior textures. Ingredients such as, mango and shea butters, coconut and jojoba oils, turbinado sugar, marshmallow, pure essential oils and whole milk were used.”

Here is what I got:

At first I was perplexed by how this appeared – it looked like an oil with some kind of sediment in the bottle and a spoon too. Closer inspection revealed it was not sediment but SUGAR and the oil was meant to be stirred with the sugar and then a bit of the mix would be applied to the hands. I did as instructed and buffed my hands with the delectable smelling sugar scrub, rinsed under warm water and then could not believe the level of softness of my hands. My skin felt like silk satin and smelled like a luscious vanilla milkshake. No, even BETTER than that. It is almost indescribable – maybe it’s a vanilla cupcake with butter-cream frosting (keeping it in the cake theme). Whatever you want to call it the scent is divine and the product works like a dream. This is one of the best scrubs I have ever used. You can use it on elbows and knees too and I don’t see why your feet would have to be left out of the bliss. This is one of those hidden beauty gems, one of those finds that you marvel that the entire world hasn’t caught onto this but no matter my hands are as soft as a kitten’s tushie. Lucky me!

I have long used milk as part of my beauty regimen, from the days in my youth taking milk baths, to using milk based products (from Fresh) in the shower too. Milk is very soothing to sensitive skin and has numerous benefits that include calming irritated skin and helping moiturize dry skin. This hand cream is amazing. It smells like sugary vanilla with a hint of raspberry coulis. I put it on my hands right before bed to drift into the sweetest slumber. My kitteh Lucy likes to lick it off my hands! It has mango butter, milk powder, shea butter and marshmallow extract (from the plant, not the stuff in a fluffernutter!) making it silky and fast absorbing and locks in moisture wonderfully. I bought one tube but I will get another because I need one in my purse. It is that good.

From hands to feet – this powerful cream packs a triple threat of minty goodness that will bring your feet and legs back to life. It has menthol, peppermint and spearmint plus mango butter, coconut oil and avocado oil as its active ingredients. It is especially important to me because I need good circulation in my feet and this really helps to keep my toes tapping. Mint is wonderfully for reviving tired tootsies. Oh and the cream is pink so bonus – it is pretty too!

This is a wonder – I mean – totally fabulous genius product that will blow your mind. We all have those in-between shampoo times when our hair gets a little lackluster. You know how they say now not to wash your hair every day because it strips your hair of healthy natural oils? But admit it sometimes that second or third day hair is kind of – well – not so fresh. That is why you need this satin sugar hair powder. It comes in a light shade or a dark shade and you shake some into your hands, rub it between your palms then apply it to your roots. It absorbs excess oils and gives your hair renewed vitality and body. Plus it smells like lemon butter-cream with sugar spinkles. You can use it on your body too – it feels silky and is completely natural made from cornstarch. Don’t be surprised if you need to get everything in the satin sugar line because you want to smell this good all over!

This is another wonder product. This is almost 90 percent pure shea butter with that incredible lemon butter-cream with sugar sprinkles scent. This is for your split ends, your dry areas (elbows, knees, heels), or just melt it between your palms for a super indulgent hand treatment. The smell will transport you to a sugary-sweet fairyland. And your skin will thank you. I use it every day on rough patches and it has healing properties that really make a difference. It is worth every cent and a little goes a long way.

Just using this on your body and hair would be a mistake. You can spray it on your sheets and pillowcases too and go to sleep in the wonderful aromatherapy of this delicious scent. It does work wonders for your hair, especially if it needs a little refreshing (like when you walk through a crowd of people smoking in front of a restaurant – ewwww!) and you will give your hair a toss after you spritz and feel sweet and clean once again.

I got the lip butter in berry flavor and it is delish as all the products are. It isn’t sticky and is very soothing. I put it on at night and give my lips a little spa treatment. It is a bit glossy so it is a treatment product that is wearable too.

I cama little late to the SUGAR brand of cosmetics. And now sadly I believe that it has bitten the dust like so many  kawaii cosmetics lines (Pinkie Swear, Rocket City, Bloom (still available in Australia), Girlactik, Tony & Tina, Hard Candy (bought out by Walmart and soon to debut) and Sephora Piiink to name a few). You can still find it available at several websites and I suggest if you like the brand you buy it up because it will disappear like my old fave Dessert Beauty.

Here’s what I got:

Sugar Zip Kits – really cool little metal tins that zip with a quad eyeshadow set, lipgloss (sugar flavored) and applicator. You can take the stuff out of the plastic insert and have more room for other mini makeup too. It may seem like a teeny-bopper item but the shadows are great and the lipgloss is primo. It’s not sticky, tastes great and actually stays on fairly well. The shadows are pearly and highly pigmented and go on super silky.

Another kit in a tin, these are perfect shadows for everyday wear. These are mostly matte and a couple of shimmers and some glitters too. If you think, oh well I can’t wear glittery shades in the daytime – think again! I wear them all the time, it adds a magical dimension to your makeup like fairy dust!

Lip habit is a really nice lipstick on one end and a sugary gloss on the other. And duh – how kawaii is this? It’s so cute I want to take a bit out of the clear pink case.

The kaleidoscope kit comes with shadows, lip glosses, and applicators all in a portable book style case. Too cute. Nice quality, fun but workable shades.

Eye candy shadow duos are fresh and funky and shimmery sweet.

Here are some places where you can get your SUGAR rush:

Makeup.com

Cherry Culture

Dermstore.com

I am on a quest for kawaii cosmetics. Ever since I was introduced to Hard Candy Cosmetics about a million years ago (well the late eighties I guess it was) I have adored the more “fun” side of make-up and beauty. I have also liked many not terribly cute lines like smashbox, Chanel, Clinique, Laura Mercier and Bobbi Brown but my favorites have always been cute: Hard Candy, Urban Decay, Too Faced, Stila and now new favorites like Eyeko and POPBeauty.

There were other brands I used to buy like Pinkie Swear, Girlactik, Rocket City, Dessert and Sugar but most of those brands have disappeared from Sephora and ULTA and some have disappeared completely as in – sorry not making them anymore.

Dessert Beauty which was Jessica Simpson’s entre into cosmetics was a huge hit at first and I loved the products – I think I bought everything they made! They barely produced two collections and then trouble with lawsuits (one was settled and one was found in their favor) ended up putting the kibosh on the line prematurely. I was sad to see them go since their products were excellent, reasonably priced and tasted yummy. Oh and had super kawaii packaging too. Who wouldn’t love a little tube of “Belly Button Love Potion”?

Sugar, a cute brand that produced a wonderful sugary tasting lip-gloss and a number of other products now has really no make-up to speak of but a few pairs of cute shoes at their website. I don’t really understand what happened with them but they had a great line at one time. I was able to get some of the last of their line so look for an upcoming review.

Sadly my favorite from long ago, Hard Candy didn’t last and they folded their tent up by selling every last thing they had online at 75 percent off. I bought tons. Now they have been sold to Walmart and will be re-branded and appearing in stores next month. I am anxious to see how they represent because they were my first fave and I feel a kind of loyalty to them after twenty years.

I am eager to investigate some of the new lines appearing in Target since they are always on the cutting edge and I have a feeling that I will find kawaii there too.

As for POPBeauty, I was surprised to find their products to be not only terribly cute (and British to boot) but super high quality.

Here’s a run down of what I have tried and loved:

This is for fresh breath and a nice lip glow. It’s not cloying and it doesn’t sting, so you can use this to plump up your pucker before you pucker. I really like this and the bonus was it came in a kit from ULTA (only in the stores) that had the Little Black Dress make-up kit, Sparkle Sauce eyeliner creator and a mini eye shadow primer called Eye Magnet. The kit was only $15! Run now to the ULTA store!

I love the Lip Lust lipstick. It comes in a super kawaii little case and it is very emollient, doesn’t taste awful and gives a sheer glow to your lips. Don’t be scared if you think the color is a bit bold it goes on sheer and gives so much love to your lips.

This is not your regular lip plumper -first of all it doesn’t sting like others and you get a little bonus that you can attach to your cell phone (OMG – cell phone charm, how kawaii!). I used this first then put the Lip Lust lipstick over it and had great color and plumpage too. It is tasty so you won’t be going ick when you lick your lips.

It is hard to see in this photo but you’ve got an entire wardrobe of perfect make-up in this tiny little compact. The top row of eyeshadow pans contain glittery liners, the middle row are lid colors and the bottom row are highlights. There is a face powder, bronzer/blush and gorgeous lip gloss. All you need is your teeny-tiny lip plumper and a twee little mascara and you have everything you would need plus it could fit in an evening bag. I was impressed with the quality of the products – the eye shadow’s are deeply pigmented and non-talc-y. The eyeliners went on perfectly and I was able to create an alluring day-time look from a kit that at first glance seems destined for night. This bad boy does it all – day to night. Why are you still reading this? Go to ULTA now and get yours in the set I told you about for $15!

I decided to go with the Rockstar version of the Goddess Clutch (it comes in two other versions in a silver case and a gold case with different colors each $32) and wow am I a happy girl! The shadows are awesome, there is a matte brown you can use as an eyebrow shade, two liners (the dark metallic grey and plum), three lid shades and two highlight shades. The blush is gorgeous, very silky, the highlighter is glowy and you get a huge pan of frosty lipgloss too. All you need are teeny brushes, a mascara and you have lift-off. The case is very secure and your make-up won’t get crunched which is always good.

You can find POPBeauty online and at ULTA (in store and online).

I cannot recommend the eyeshadows enough. You will have a ball with all the unusual colors they offer as well as adore how well they go on and stay. They don’t cake or crease even with glittery sparkles in them. I did use their new Eye Magnet primer and it was excellent but Urban Decay’s Primer Potion would be good or Too Faced’s Eyeshadow Insurance would also work well.

Big fun today – I got my Eyeko Beauty products straight from jolly old London! Yay for me! Hey if you order use this code E4352 for a free gift!

Here is some background on Eyeko:

Eyeko means LOVE in Japanese and is the brainchild of beauty innovators Max and Nina Leykind (they helped begin Hard Candy long ago) who began the collection in 2000 with Eyeko Cream. Created for girls to perk up their skin counteracting the draining effects of staring at their computer screens, late nights and city life – Eyeko Cream remains the No.1 best seller to date. A triple duty moisturizer, eye cream and highlighter with an antioxidant boost plus Vitamin C makes for a radiant complexion. Try Eyeko 3 in 1 Cream and NEW Eyeko Tinted Cream and treat yourself to perfect skin.

The hottest stars cite Eyeko Beauty as their most wanted for creating glowing skin, big eyes and lush lips. Innovative, feel-good, top quality formulations result in easy-to-use, multi-tasking products that flatter everyone. Eyeko Beauty tests on celebrities not animals! All that and it’s affordable too.

I promised I would review and comment on everything I bought so here we go:

This is like whipped cream for your face. It gives you a rosy, pink, healthy glow as well as moisturizes and give a vitamin C boost for a clearer complexion. It is $9 US and there is a ton of product. It is kawaii, pink, frosty and whipped and smells really good. It’s like the strawberry whip of face creams. But seriously nine bucks? This stuff is great. If you buy only one thing from Eyeko (and you will buy more because it is ridiculously reasonably priced) make it this cream.

This is the same formulation as the cream above but with a golden bronze glow. It is very sheer so don’t be freaked out when you open the jar and see how dark it is. It goes on lovingly light and burnished you up proper. This is great for summer to get the glow. It will also wake-up your complexion in those dull-skin winter months. It is only $8 US. Buy them both – there is enough to last a long time.

At $6 US per tin (and there is a lot in each tin) you can afford to buy all three! Cherry is red with sparkly glitter (it is sheer), Cupcake is all glitter clear with a chocolate cupcake flavor and the Rose is rose flavored and tinted gorgeous pink. These glosses moisturize, go on well and are not sticky. They will glamorize your pout.

These little chubby lip balms are adorable, tasty and good for your lips. You can use them as a cheeky blush too. I love them all and at $8 US each, you can try them all. Once again there is a ton of lip balm here. It will last and last. I have it on my lips right now and it is heavenly (the strawberry one).

For $41 US, you can try almost everything. Here is what you will get: Eyeko Mascara for long and luscious lashes, skin perfectors Eyeko Touch Up & Go Concealer and Eyeko Touch Up & Glow Highlighter and nail polish must-haves Punk and Vamp. Topped off with Eyeko Glitter Liquid Eyeliner, Eyeko Minty Fat Balm for lips and Eyeko Rosy Pink Lip Gloss.  It comes all wrapped up in the limited edition Eyeko Silver Shopper complete with 5 cute Eyeko badges.

This is an incredible deal (really a steal) and you can purchase only a few other items and have the full compliment of Eyeko products. Lucky you!

I’m including these reviews here even though the collections has been out for a while. I purchased several of the items and just so you know many of them are still available from MAC. Just check out their website and search for Hello Kitty.

Here is what I purchased and my reviews of the goodies:

Hello Kitty Eyeshadow in Hello Dolly(first kit in the photo): the compacts are gorgeous and super adorable. They are solid, a kind of black lacquer plastic and have a decent amount of shadow in them. You will need your own brushes as there are no applicators. They colors look incredibly bold but trust me they go on quite sheer. You could build the color up if you wanted to especially if you used a wet brush to get more of a slick deposit of color but you can actually use these shadows with a light hand for everyday wear. I use the black to line my eyes with a wet eyeliner brush.

Hello Kitty Eyeshadow in Lucky Tom (the second kit in the photo): This kit is more dramatic, definitely more for clubbing and going out at night. You can just go wild with these colors. I especially like the orange and purple with the black as a liner. You can mute everything using the beige color if you like. As with all MAC shadows they are highly pigmented and go on like a dream. Both of these kits are still available at MAC (online) for $38 each and are handily well worth the price since you get four shadows in each kit.

Hello Kitty Lipglass: I have two colors  of the seven that were offered, Nice Kitty (very pink) and She Loves Candy (a mauve-pink). The lipglass cases are sweet (topped with the black and white and pink Hello Kitty graphics), they taste terrific (sweet candy) but they tend to go on a little light and have zero staying power. Plan on re-applying often. I didn’t purchase the limited edition Dazzleglass Dazzlepuss or Kitty Couture gloss, because I thought $28 was a little pricey for lipgloss with a Hello Kitty charm attached. They still have it available however at the MAC online store.

Hello Kitty Lipstick: I purchased the color Strayin’ which is definitely much better than the lipglass for staying power. It is soft and frosty and sweet pink. The case is nicely weighted and graphic and there is plenty of product inside. You could use a lipbrush with this and it would last forever. It is still available online for $14 each.

Hello Kitty Sheer Mystery Powder: I’ll be honest I bought this for the case. The silver compact is encrusted with crystals in the image of the kitteh herself and is too too too cute to pass up. It is the priciest item at $90 but a true collector’s piece. They still have it online too. I will say that I don’t usually use much powder but I found this to provide sheer coverage and it feels weightless on my skin. I had no idea I would end up liking it as much as I did. Plus, oh, the bonus of taking out the compact to check my lipstick or reduce shine – worth every cent!

There are many items from the collection available on ebay for much higher prices than the MAC online store – so don’t be fooled. Check there first to see if they still have the items before you go to ebay. Many of the special items (the cases, bracelet, brush set) are completely sold out and only available on ebay at this point. The powder in the crystal compact is running $40 to $50 more on ebay than you would pay from MAC online. Shop wise!