Kanebo Media Shiny Essence Lip A in RS-02 and PK-2

If you see this post on another site than lotuspalace.blogspot.com it has been stolen and used without my permission. I only allow reposts with proper credits for my work (please contact me first!)!

Media is readily available in Hong Kong and it was a pleasure to be able to browse the brand myself instore.
I definitely wanted more of their Shiny Essence Lip A lipsticks so I picked up the 2 colors that attracted me most, PK-02 and RS-02.


As I mentioned in my previous review these lipsticks are really creamy, shiny and shimmery and feel very comfortable and moist to wear with decent staying power, too.


Pigment-wise these are on the sheer side but still show up well enough on my lips.


The Shiny Essence Lip is not scented and cost me HK$63/each which is quite inexpensive for such a nice lipstick.

RS-02 is a gorgeous rosy pink


PK-02 is a sheer peachy pink, even easy to apply without a mirror


All in all I am really happy with these lippies and would buy more if there are new colors (there weren´t so many to choose from in HK). Media seems to be overall a good quality and affordable brand and is definitely worth checking out.

Rating 5/5

Kanebo Media Shiny Essence Lip A in RD-02 and BR-02 (testers)

Today I am reviewing the cheapest lipsticks I ever got from a Japanese brand...well, their retail price is about 1000 Yen/each but I scored both together for less than US$3 on eBay =D Only drawback is that they come in tester tubes (and I believe you aren´t allowed to list them nowadays) but to try a new range of lipsticks that´s still pretty nice, right?

Generally I am quite fond of Kanebo´s inexpensive Media line as most products offer good quality at an affordable price.
I had an eye on the Shiny Essence Lip A range for a while but didn´t order one as none of the online shops listed it (though I can always ask one of the ladies running those stores to list those lipsticks hehe). 

I was really happy when I found a duo of the Shiny Essence Lip A on eBay even though the color codes weren´t listed and the pic showing the colors was so dark I couldn´t really see anything. 

Actually it´s  good that the pic was not clear as I would not have purchased those colors as to me they looked warm and unsuitable for me at first when I received them and I was a tad bit disappointed and wanted to set the lipsticks aside instead of trying them out.
The colors somehow fit into my fall mood though so I decided to give them a go anyway and I discovered that they are perfectly nice neutral shades =D

The Shiny Essence Lip A lipsticks come in smooth silver tubes (which I discovered when I removed the plastic tester slips after taking the pics) so they look simple and elegant and similar to the design of Kate. 
The texture is really creamy and moist and feels very comfortable to wear which surprised me a bit given this is such an inexpensive product. The lipsticks contain marine collagen, jojoba oil and are free of fragrance and show up really well as the amount of pigments is quite good.
Lasting power is good, about 3-4 hours (with a bit of fading) for me if I don´t eat or drink.  

RD-02: A pretty neutral slightly brownish red. I actually fell in love with this color as it´s not my usual kind of color but still looks gorgeous especially for fall paired with a silvery gray smokey eye makeup!

BR-02: This looked like an orangey caramel brown in the tube so I was going to skip trying this as it´s totally not the kind of shade I like. When worn however the orange tones are less visible so it turns into a pretty creamy nude shade with mixes well with my natural lip color ( I have rather pink lips).

Overall a really nice product and worth trying. I am definitely going to pick up more colors later on (probably in my usual nudes and pinks and roses lol).


Rating: 5/5

Kanebo Media Pressed Powder AA (Pink) SPF17 PA+

I wanted to post this about a week ago but family invitations successfully kept me away from blogging! =X


I have been using this Pressed Powder AA from Media for quite some time (5 months or so?) but somehow forgot to review it as it often happens considering the amount of product I have/buy. =X


As usual this comes in a simple dark blue compact. Considering that for very expensive brands like Lunasol you have to buy the case to put the powder refill in the Media case is actually pretty nice and it´s anyway value for money as the powder with case retails for 1000 Yen in Japan. You can buy refills for this product later on which will be a few 100 Yen cheaper than the set with the case!


As I always feel that Kanebo Media and Shiseido Integrate Gracy are direct competitors and very much alike in many aspects I want to remind you of this review I wrote some time ago. Very similar product!


Anyway, the Pressed Powder AA comes in 3 colors (Pink, Lucent and Natural) of which I chose Pink.
Indeed this is a super pale pinkish white which definitely gives a whitening/brightening effect which could look ashy on more tan skin-tones so those skin-tones might prefer to check out the Lucent or Natural versions.
The powder nicely evens out my skin so it´s perfect to set foundation with this.
If I overapply it might look a bit cakey so a light hand is needed when putting this on.


The powder lasts well on me and gives a very lightly satiny matte but not shimmery or glittery finish.

This is not scented and doesn´t cause any irritations (and I used it regularly over the past months). It also doesn´t dry out my skin.


Overall a good product so I can recommend this!

Kanebo Media Lip Liner A in BE-1, BE-2 and RS-1

I started to really like Media for its affordable but usually good items! I didn´t buy lip liners in loooooong time, I usually use my HG color from IPSA which goes with pretty much all lip colors and the (older version) ones from Maquillage for deeper or rosier colors.


I got 3 of the Lip Liner A from Facial-Shop about couple of weeks ago and they arrived in time before I left. Facial-Shop seems to be down or currently unavailable and I don´t know what´s wrong. Anyway, I am sure you can get the liners from Mihokoshop if you contact her and request this product.


These liners are small and slim thus will fit into any pocket. They are cheap as they retail for only 650 Yen each and there are many colors to choose from.
I got 3 colors that work with about any of my lipsticks except maybe the very deep berry reds.


The liners apply smoothly and evenly and last as long as the lipcolor lasts on me so they´re pretty perfect lip liners. All 3 are rather pigmented but the colors are rather natural and really work beautifully with my lipsticks and glosses.
Since the liners are creamy they can be blended well so the line will not look harsh.

BE-1 is a perfect MLBB (my lips but better) color, BE-2 is a light beige and RS-1 is a cool rose mauve.


Overall I am pretty happy with these lip liners and probably won´t purchase more liners over the next year or so as these 3 colors are just great. I rarely buy lip liners as I said above so I think these are the first ones I bought the past 2 years or so!

Kanebo Media Moisture Foundation AA SPF 20 PA++ in PO-B1

Seems currently I am lucky with my foundation picks as I found yet another fab but cheap foundation in a matching color for me =D

To me Kanebo Media seems to be the direct competitor of Shiseido Integrate Gracy (or the other way round as Media has been much longer in the market than Integrate Gracy).
Kanebo and Shiseido seem to always have competitive brands in all sorts of cosmetics customer groups like Lavshuca vs. Majolica Majorca, Kate vs. Integrate, Coffret D´or vs. Maquillage etc.


Media and Integrate Gracy are both very affordable price-wise and aimed to a more mature and conservative customer, focusing mainly on obtaining immaculate skin and lips and subtly defined eyes in sheer matte or satin tones. Overall easy no-fuss elegant makeup.
Even the general product design looks similar (dark blue plastic, clear glass, the eyeshadow duos etc.)!


Anyway, since I got the Cream Foundation Moist from Integrate Gracy I just couldn´t resist getting the equivalent product from Media, called Moisture Foundation AA (the revamped newest version from about a year or so ago).

I generally find it easier to get a good color match among Shiseido´s foundations but I thought that the color PO-B1 from Kanebo Media might be worth a try.


The 25g glass jar retails for 1100 Yen in Japan which is quite affordable (about US$13).
The foundation has a lighter less creamy texture than the one from Integrate Gracy so it´s good to use even in summer for me. The Moisture Foundation AA offers good coverage, about medium I´d say. It feels a little sticky after application which doesn´t bother me as I always use a face powder but if you prefer to wear your foundation solo then you might dislike this.


The finish is slightly dewy, not over the top as there is no shimmer in the foundation. As most (or all?) Kanebo makeup products this is not scented and doesn´t cause any irritations or allergic reactions on my skin.

What I really notice about this product, especially for this price, is that it gives such a nice even finish without any blotches, streaks or settling in fine lines and pores. If this 1100 Yen foundation wouldn´t perform nicely it wouldn´t astonish me but for me it´s a perfectly good product and worth purchasing!

The color PO-B1 looked overly orange for me when I first opened my jar but after trying it out it´s pretty much a perfect match for me. I didn´t see any orange cast or unnatural look after application, just flawless even skin.


I´d say this is a good foundation for me to wear all year round as it´s not very rich so good for summer but not very lightweight either so it would be great maybe except on those super cold winter days when it reaches below -10°C.

Overall I am thrilled with this product and must admit you notice that Kanebo is the company behind Media as the quality is definitely there!

Inexpensive Beauty Find: Kanebo Media Cheek Color A

Media is one of the most inexepensive makeup lines made by Kanebo. I tried several items (like eyeshadows, lipgloss etc.) and liked everything I got so far.

The Cheek Color A blushes come in a nice variety of colors (10 to choose from!) though all range on the lighter end of the spectrum so they will probably be most suitable for anyone with fair-medium skin-tones.


Generally the products from Media come in very basic clear/dark blue plastic packaging which makes them look a little cheap (the face powder however comes in a pretty dark blue compact). So packaging-wise you get what you pay for =P


The blushes have a fine a little hard texture. Pigment-wise they are on the sheer side but they can be layered so they´ll show up better.
The finish is different among the blushes but all the ones I have come without glitters, most are on the glowy-shimmery side. The Cheek Color A actually reminds me a lot of the blushes from the discontinued brand T´estimo!
I got 4 colors and I like them all as they´re all very neutral and wearable.

PK-1: Clear baby pink, more sheer and slightly glowy finish.


PK-3: Very sheer peach color (not pink at all in my opinion)


RD-1: This is a bit more pigmented than the other colors I picked. This is a pretty coral color.


RS-1: Color RS-1 is the most shimmery color of the lot and has a good dose of pigment. To me this is more of a beige than a rose so it´s a beige-rose or so =) Please check the swatch to see the color and judge yourself.


The swatches are showing PK-1, PK-3, RD-1 and RS-1 from left to right:


All in all I recommend the blushes as they´re nice value for money (retail price is 735 Yen/each). They´re not the best blushes out there but they´re pretty nice and affordable.

Inexpensive Beauty Find: Kanebo Media Select Color Shadow A

Media is a very cheap drugstore brands by Japanese cosmetics company Kanebo.
It's definitely a brand that normally doesn't appeal to me at all due to the ugly cheap packaging (yes, packaging matters for me!)
I had only tried a few duo eyeshadows until now and wasn't impressed so ignored the brand completely for the past 2 years.


While I was browsing adambeauty.com I found a new item added to the Media Line-up (I was bored so browsed the "What's new" section) and for US$10.50 shipped their new Select Color Shadow A looked interesting enough to try out, especially the color BR-3 which seemed to be a good neutral taupe trio.


The eyeshadow trios come in silver/clear plastic compacts. Very basic and not that pretty but not the worst either (their older cases looked much uglier IMO).
When I first swatched the eyeshadows on the back of my hand I was really disappointed with the chalky sheer texture of the shadows. I thought about tossing them but decided to give them a chance.
I have experienced that shadows that give little color on the back of my hand show up vibrantly on my eyes as I am wearing a primer and use brushes to apply the powders so that makes a difference.

While I have to say that PK-1 is the worst of the lot the other 2 colors WN-1 and BR-3 are worth to be in my Inexpensive Beauty Finds category.
Don't expect super rich pigment but these trios make good basic eye looks for everyday wear.
The finish is soft satin, lightly pearly. The medium color has most shimmer whereas the dark and light shades give more of a soft pearl shine.
The texture is chalky but with the right brushes and an eyeshadow base they don't look chalky when applied.
WN-1: Dark plum (shows up medium pigmented), a sheer fig color and white.


PK-1: My least fave and the least pigmented color. Warm rust brown, peachy pink and pale pink.


BR-3: My favorite of the lot. A dark chocolate, light taupe and light off-white shade.


I really loved how this looked when I wore it yesterday!
Here's an EOTD... I used the darkest color in the crease and on outer corners (with a precise crease-defining brush), the taupe on my lids and the lightest color as a highlighter.


Overall if you pay a few bucks more you can get a Kate eyeshadow palette which will always be more value for money but Media in BR-3 is a great basic taupe trio and ideal for traveling so you don't need to worry losing or shattering.

RRP is 945 Yen and I paid US$10.50 on adambeauty which is just 1 buck or so more but it includes shipping!