On to a happier note: Japanese lip gloss Rocks!

Click on this post's title above to go to the T'estimo homepage. Click on the picture to enlarge.

Japan is tremendously particular about subtleties. Once slightly annoyed by that trait I now get it after discovering T?estimo Enamel Rouge Gloss by a Japanese make-up company called Kanebo. I am a confirmed lip gloss addict. I currently rotate through over 20 different colors and most are kept at work. I have extras of my faves which I keep at home for the weekends. Up until recently my favorite gloss has been Clinique?s Glossware. It?s a little on the sticky tacky side but all is forgiven because of the huge array of colors that are available. It all started when I read that J Lo uses the Honey Bee color. I ran out and bought it right away and although it didn?t look the same on me because I?m so pale, I could tell that line was a keeper.

About a month ago I found a lip gloss that is 10X shinier and the sticky factor is non-existent. It?s not the least bit tacky but isn?t slippery at the same time so it wears for a long time. The shimmer in this gloss is subtle enough so when you look at your lips close-up in a mirror your lips look like tinted glass without that confetti effect. The shimmer is SO perfect that it really makes your lips look fuller when worn generously with out looking sloppy and this is where Japan?s perfection with subtlety comes into view. This stuff is truly amazing. The brush is smooth and perfectly shaped and tapered. It?s a little more expensive than the Clinique sold at the PX for $11.00. T?estimo Enamel Rouge is \1,800 yen or close to $20.00 but it is money well spent if you are a lip gloss fan. The nail polish is extra vibrant too and the new spring collection has that pink color at the bottom of the picture (PK-135). I actually bought it for my 4 year old who has been bugging me for pink polish. This does have serious gold and opalescent glitter and is all her. The lip gloss and nail polish seen above looks a little darker and a little less vibrant than it really is. For instance the lip gloss on the right, PK-10 is actually a sheer light pink, closer to the color of the pink on the left, PK-08. PK-10 is, in person, the most perfect bubble gum-pink ever. Unfortunately is goes on a lot sheerer than I wish it would but I still say it was a good buy. I actually own everything you see above.

When you go to the site above you will notice that it's mostly in Japanese. Hopefully if you are a fan of my blog you have already installed the Japanese language settings on your computer. If you don?t know how you can drop me an E-mail and I will help you out. It?s a Flash site so make sure you have flash installed beforehand. The page takes a little while to load but luckily it is mostly English-friendly. If you are a poor soul with a dial-up Internet connection, you might as well take a bathroom break and make some popcorn because it will take a while. Skip the intro and go to "Line Up" to the bottom right of the main picture. Next select "Rouge". Here is where the Japanese comes in or you can just look for the lip gloss tube. For those who are interested and whose computers are set up for Japanese, lip gloss is simply ??? , or gurosu in katakana on that page. Or just click on the tube and you will see the full array of colors available. This brand isn't on Sephora or Beauty.com but I did see a listing or two on E-bay. Happy Hunting!

BTW, did you notice the picture on the homepage? Isn't it beautiful? That is typical Japanese advertising at its best, all pastel and airy. In Japan, if advertising doesn?t look like that it contains cartoon characters. It's like one or the other pretty much. Oh then there are those beer and other manly commercials that use overly-exasperated Japanese men in dark business suits but I try to ignore all those ;) If you let the T?estimo intro run all the way through, there is a similar picture that's even prettier. Or maybe the two pics show up randomly, I can't tell, but I think the green one is prettier than the pink one. In fact I might just post part of it :)