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:
Minty lip gloss
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!
Sheer lipstick
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.
Lip Cushion lip plumper with bonus
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.
Little Black Dress Kit
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!
Goddess Clutch in Rockstar
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.
