make-up session with canmake japan beauty advisor toshimi itabashi

Last Thursday I attended an intimate make-up session with one of CanMake Japan's make-up artists, Toshimi Itabashi. Being a huge fan of CanMake and Japanese cosmetics in general, I was so excited to be part of the event. The session served as preparation for CanMake's June 2013 Philippine launch and as an introduction to the brand's newest line of products.

CanMake Japan Beauty Advisor Toshimi Itabashi working her magic. She was really good at it! The make-up looks that she came up with were very cute and sweet, which I think is very much the essence of CanMake as a brand.


Stupid story.. Each of the bloggers were given a press kit beforehand, but because I got a bit too excited over everything I left mine at the venue. (I'm a goldfish, sorry.) As I'm typing this out, I still don't have a copy of the official press kit with me.. so I'm only basing everything from what I know and have read from websites and Japanese magazines, ehe.


Perfect Brown Eyes in 01 Deep Brown
(Okay, if you were wondering why I got all excited and forgot all about the press kit, it's this. As we, the bloggers, were watching Itabashi-san work, we were given samples of each of the products to try. I wasn't able to get a photo, but everything was just laid out in front of us. I pretty much went crazy with swatching and trying everything out.)


Glow Twin Color in 02 Gold Pink


Marshmallow Finish Powder
I've been wanting to get a hold of this item for so long! This was ranked #2 on Cosme.net last year, under the Base Make - Powder Category. If I didn't have a conscience, I would've probably stolen this pact without even breaking a sweat. The only reason I never got around to buying it because online shops that had it jacked up the price way too much. I tried it on me and it was just as perfect as I thought it would be. Too bad I have to wait until June to get my hands on it..


Perfect Serum BB Cream Light
This product is also very promising! I've seen it countless times in magazines. Looking forward to getting this as well.


Eye Nuance in all the different colors! My favorite was the Honey Orange one.


Powder Cheeks palette! Angel and I wanted to steal this palette along with the Eye Nuance one, haha. So pretty.


Cheek Gradation in 06 Candy Stripe + Cream Cheek in CL01 Clear Red Heart


CanMake Merchandise Section Chief Kaori Anzai taking my photo with an Instax Cheki (though you can't see it).


With Itabashi-san ♥ If you're wondering why I look a bit different than usual in the photo, it's because Itabashi-san changed my eyemake. We were talking about Japanese styles and she suddenly asked me if she could re-do my eyemake. I was a bit hesitant, but I consented anyway. After she was done, she told me that I looked more like a Nihonjin this way. Haha!


Before (with the lovely Angel, who was my seatmate that day) and after. From super thick cat's eye → natural eyemake. I admit it's kind of weird seeing myself without my cat's eye but I'm weak and gave in when the Japanese CanMake team told me I was 'kawaii' more than ten times. (At that point, I kind of wanted to cry.) What do you guys think? (≧◡≦)

I don't know if you can tell, but I had a great time at the event. More than getting to try out all of CanMake's products, I had an amazing time interacting with the CanMake Japan team. Angel and I were sitting beside each other, so I think we kind of stood out a bit since we both follow Japanese styles, albeit different ones. They talked to us about a lot about make-up trends in Japan, and I was really happy when Anzai-san joked about how Angel was from Shibuya and I from Harajuku. I wasn't kidding when I said I wanted to cry, I really did want to! I know this is a bit embarrassing, but at 24 it's still a dream of mine to be a dokusha model. I was so happy because when I told them about it, they said I could do it. /cry

It got a bit personal, sorry. But really, that made me very happy! I can't wait to see them again at the grand launch in June. Before I left the event, I was given a loot bag to take home for attending the make-up session. So, so happy! ヽ(´▽`)/

Even just the paper bag is super cute.


The contents---! * A * Strangely enough though, the first thing my eyes focused on was the Matcha KitKat. Haha!


I was pretty excited about getting the these two items in particular. Candy Wrap Lip in 04 Lady Strawberry and Smooth Skin Primer. Candy Wrap Lip was ranked #1 last year on Cosme.net under Lip Gloss, and I already tried it as well, so I'm happy I was able to get one. The primer has been praised a lot in reviews and magazine features as well, so I'm excited to try it out!


I also got Cheek Gradation in 05 Peach Stripe. And, a Cheki photo of me as an additional souvenir, ehe.

As I already mentioned, the official launch of CanMake in the Philippines is still a month away, so nothing's really set in stone yet. Once I do receive word of all the details though, I'll let everyone know right away. In the meantime, please do like CanMake Philippines on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter for more information, news and updates! (ღ˘⌣˘ღ)

what in the world is aomoji-kei, anyway?

This is, I think, the one question I've been asked a lot ever since I changed the way I branded myself and my blog (from Little Forest Girl → Oh My Little Girl). Some of you may remember that I said I won't be labelling my style as mori girl, as I felt that that would be quite restraining, and decided to just call it 'aomoji kei'. But what is aomoji kei, really? I've been asked this question more times than I can count. So today, I decided to finally clarify a few points about aomoji kei. Please do remember that this is only my understanding of things. I am in no way an expert on the style and I don't claim to be one. I'm just sharing with everyone what I know and everything that I've learned, heard and read through different aomoji kei sites, variety shows featuring the style, and magazines. Anyway! According to its Japanese Wikipedia page:

Aomoji-kei fashion is a girly, casual fashion that isn't meant to curry favor with men. Compared to those who support akamoji-kei, those who wear aomoji-kei fashion tend to like fashion from Harajuku more than the gyaru fashion originating from Shibuya, and have a strong tendency to like casual, creative fashion. Its level of support mainly comes from late teens to early twenties who adopt the fashion based on the things they think are nice without caring about the viewpoints of the opposite sex.

(Photo of Zipper models with food somewhat related.)

Simply put, aomoji-kei is all about wearing whatever you want to wear. It's about dressing up for yourself, and not for others. There are no set rules, and trends tend to play only a small part in dressing up. It's more about what the wearer thinks looks good or feels like wearing. The reason why there's isn't definitive look for it (and also the reason why it's hard for me to put into words) is because people who are into aomoji-kei tend to switch between different styles that they like.

Whenever I get asked about aomoji-kei, I'm almost always at a loss for words. The best way that I can explain, I think, is by showing people examples. The best example of aomoji-kei, for me, can be seen in the magazine Zipper. The Zipper roster is composed of many dokusha models (reader models) that have their own styles and tastes, which I think is a good thing! Unlike magazines where models are just asked to wear certain things, in Zipper it's become a point for everyone to wear things according to their own styles. In this way, you can see that it really shows the essence of aomoji-kei. Other magazines that show casual aomoji-kei style are CUTiE, SEDA, Used Mix, Choki Choki Girls, etc. Aomoji-kei also includes many of the already-known fashions in Harajuku: lolita, mori girl, fairy kei, dolly kei, cult party kei, etc. These styles are perfectly showcased in the Harajuku-kei magazine, KERA. KERA is pretty much the same as Zipper, only the styles in the former are more 'hardcore', in my opinion. I think that way because it takes a lot of attitude to pull them off on a day to day basis.

Okay! Since I think I've already said too much about my idea of what aomoji-kei is, this time I'll show everyone using pictures. Yay! Please take note that this post is VERY image-heavy. I had a bit too much fun gathering examples, haha!