Being somewhat blush crazed, it was only natural that when I was at Sasa one day picking up my Canmake Cream blush (have I mentioned again just how much I love it?!) I also stopped by to check out the new Cheek & Cheek Powder Blush duos (I first featured them here). I didn’t pick them up right then however. I did like how they looked but I was saving it for a rainy day purchase.
So when these landed on my desk you can imagine the war whoops of joy 😛 Pictured are the Canmake Cheek & Cheek powder blush duos in 02 Rose Tiara (left) and 04 Love Blossom (Right). They are adorably packed in small compact cases and have this really cute pretty kawaii sort of feel about them. Its like Jill Stuart packaging but scaled down. And at smaller prices too. They are adorable.
Apart from looking good, they apply very well too. The colours are pigmented yet have a silky, sheer and blendable quality that I swear is perfected only by the Japanese brands, especially at the lower end of the price spectrum.
Canmake Cheek & Cheek blush duos – Left: 02 Pink Tiara Right: 04 Love Blossom
Don’t they look like pieces of chocolate? Well, if chocolate was pink 😛
The brushes included are serviceable but are too small to be really useful. Why I say so is because the colours are quite strong on their own, so if you don’t have a nice brush to blend it out, you can end up with 2 splotches of colour on your cheeks. Not very kawaii-neh?
According to Canmake, you can choose to apply the blush in any one of 3 ways – blend them together to create a new third shade, use either side on its own, or use the lighter shade as highlight and the darker shade to contour. I prefer to blend the shades together and then use the brighter shade on the apples of the cheeks for a spot of colour.
Canmake Cheek & Cheek Blush Duo swatches – Left: 02 Pink Tiara (light pink and darker pink) Right: 04 Love Blossom (medium pink and coral pink)
I did warn you that these can be bright. These swatches were done with my fingers and by swiping the powder just once. They are strong and do look scary… but they aren’t really! When you use a brush, just dab the brush on the surface of the blush, tap off excess and brush on the cheeks. It does apply a little sheerer than it looks and it blends out very easily and very prettily.
To give you an idea of how it looks on the cheeks, here are 2 looks I did previously.
Canmake Cheek & Cheek 02 Pink Tiara
This was my look done for the Estee Lauder Pure Color Fig lipstick. I used the Canmake Cheek & Cheek 02 on the cheeks and you can see that its pink, but not overwhelmingly so, despite how it looks in the swatches above. With 02, I like to apply the brighter side first and then apply the lighter side over it and nearer the eyes by way of a highlight.
Canmake Cheek & Cheek 04 Love Blossom
04 Love Blossom is more pink with a touch of coral and both colours can be easily used separately. I like to blend the two shades because the resulting shade is a lovely pink-coral and very pretty on the cheeks. I can’t remember what else I used in this look sorry 😛 As both pictures are taken at different times under different lighting, don’t try to compare them but they are the best representation of the blushes as I see them.
I think 02 Pink Tiara looks nice, but is more suited for someone with a slightly cooler skintone. 04 Love Blossom however, despite how bright it looks in the pan, is something that most people might be able to carry off. As I have mentioned, its easy to sheer this out, but it is just as easy to wear this strong so those who are darker can easily pull off 04 too 🙂
In a nutshell
Lovely smooth and pigmented powder blush duos that allow you to create a variety of blush colours. The packaging is compact and pretty and the brush included is serviceable provided you take care to blend it out on the skin. The powder blush is pigmented yet can be easily sheered out and blended for pretty flush. 02 Pink Tiara is rather light and cool toned while 04 Love Blossom may be more universally flattering to most skintones and skin colors.
Pros: Affordable, Good pigmentation, Easy to blend on the skin, Compact and adorable packaging, Good range of blush shades
Cons: Local price markup is high even if its still considered relatively affordable
There are 4 shades available with #01 Candy Flower and #03 Gerbera Kiss having a pink/orange combination for a warmer sort of skintone. Those shades aren’t as flattering on my skintone as I might like but if you have a warmer skintone, you may prefer those shades instead of the 2 I have here 🙂
I do hope Canmake comes up with more colours. I might like a rosy-pink shade combination which I think will be very pretty. Some of the more astute among you may notice how similar they are to a certain high end blush. I will be sharing some thoughts on that very soon! 😀
A small gripe. These Canmake Cheek & Cheek blushes retail at 680 Yen which at current exchange is about RM27 so the local retail price of RM43.90 would be considered a high mark up. I would consider it affordable still, as we aren’t in Japan, but not as affordable as if it was in Japan. However, I checked in Singapore, and its S$18.90 there which translates today to RM46 so all things equal, I’d say it still falls into the affordable category. Unless you happen to be in Japan where I’d say its CHEAP! 😛 But monetary griping aside, I do think these blushes are good value for money, whatever currency you pay 🙂
Have you tried these yet? I’m thinking of picking up either 01 or 03 next just to be able to say I can wear orange as a blush 😀
Paris B
Canmake Cheek & Cheek powder blush duos come in 4 shades and retail at RM43.90 each at Canmake counters at Sasa stores.
Sukie says
September 5, 2011 at 8:35 amAah not another stash of pretty Canmake blushes! I have yet to defile those cream blushes of mine because they look so pretty in the pan =p On a random note, I’m hitting Westfield tomorrow =D and my first stop’s gonna be Inglot and hopefully I’ll walk out with one of their Freedom System palettes! =D
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 10:26 amYes dear, another set of pretty Canmake blushes that are absolutely lovely! 😀 You have to dig into your cream blush – it’ll spoil otherwise 😛 And I will not bet on you not walking out with a Freedom palette at all! Enjoy your shopping trip!
Sue Lynn says
September 5, 2011 at 8:52 amPick the orange up!
I was initially wary of orange-hued blushes,
but I’ve since discovered they CAN be rather flattering 😀
*Love those red lips <3*
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 10:28 amI will definitely pick up the orange. I just remembered I used to have an orange Shu Uemura blush, and Nars Taj Mahal but I gave them away because they were too much on their own. Since these are tempered with pink I think they’ll be pretty! 😀 And thanks for the red lip compliment 😀
xin says
September 5, 2011 at 9:03 ami know! they look like strawberry choco! i think they colors are really lovely, although not exactly cheap but still relatively affordable. and i am sure there was no heart pain in deflowering them 😛
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 10:29 amhaha! Strawberry choco! 😀 No heartpain at all and can even pick up 2 or 3 heh…
Hanny says
September 5, 2011 at 9:10 amEeek!!! The second look is so pretty!! I now have another lemming, heh heh heh.
As much as I despise Japanese-like cuteness, these blushes are pretty indeed. Heh heh
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 10:29 amThis is Japanese prettiness 😉 I love the attention to detail the Japanese have in their cosmetics. I don’t know if they go on sale in Sasa but if they do, be sure to take a look then!
rinnah says
September 5, 2011 at 9:41 amI am eagerly waiting for your comparison post. 😛
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 10:31 amComing soon. Gotta find one item and take pics 😛
Nikki says
September 5, 2011 at 9:46 amWow your face totally transformed (both good)!!!! I love the effect and I love the swatches! The blush looks “hohum” on pan but quite nice when applied on hand or cheeks 🙂
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 10:32 amHaha thanks Nikki 🙂 The blushes don’t look like much in pan, but they are cute to look at and apply very well – definitely worth looking at 🙂
Lily says
September 5, 2011 at 10:51 amVery nice! I went to Sasa the other day and checked out Canmake, but couldn’t bring myself to get any. I already have in my stash similar colours in both powder AND cream!
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 12:18 pmHaha similar colours never stopped me 😉 but yes I will have to agree that they aren’t terribly special unless you don’t already have the colours 🙂
Amex says
September 5, 2011 at 11:41 amOoh pretty. TBH though I can’t see much difference between 02 and 04 when worn. That’s a nice nudey pink colour you are wearing in the second pic.
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 12:20 pmLol! I have to agree with you, darn the lighting 😉 in reality there is a difference 😉 I think the 2nd pic lip shade is a Dior Addict gloss but I honestly can’t remember now
plue says
September 5, 2011 at 11:46 amoooh Love Blossom is lovely, and you look so fresh in it!
i have the slightly orange one, I can’t remember the name though, but I feel overall Canmake has upped their game, the quality has improved compared to their earlier releases.
ParisB says
September 5, 2011 at 12:21 pmI have to agree about Canmake being better quality now. I actually want to check out their stuff now as opposed to before when I used to think them kiddy 🙂 I’m going to pick me up one of the orangey ones. Its going to be fun!
milktea says
September 5, 2011 at 1:07 pmWow! You look great in both looks! That’s what makeup is for! 😀
ParisB says
September 6, 2011 at 9:27 amThank you Milktea 😉
Jamilla says
September 5, 2011 at 1:18 pmLooks delish! Must try this!!
ParisB says
September 6, 2011 at 9:27 amOh do Jamilla! I think you’d like it.
gio says
September 5, 2011 at 2:00 pmLove Blossom is so pretty!
ParisB says
September 6, 2011 at 9:28 amYes it is 🙂 I think its the most wearable of the 4 for anyone
Denise says
September 5, 2011 at 7:14 pmThey look so cute! The blushes look kinda boring in the pan, but gorgeous when applied. Pretty affordable too. Can’t wait for your comparison 🙂
ParisB says
September 6, 2011 at 9:30 amI have to agree with you on the boring in pan bit 🙂 But I think you’ll like the comparison 😉
lavender says
September 5, 2011 at 9:48 pmThe colors are so pretty. I love pink blush. Never had orange blush as I don’t dare to try them.
ParisB says
September 6, 2011 at 9:33 amOrange is surprisingly pretty as a blush, if you mix it with pink and if you use a light hand. I used to have a bright orange blush that applied on my skin a pretty peach. But it took too much work so I gave it away 🙂
Ling says
September 6, 2011 at 12:02 amThese blushes are gorgeous! I have started liking blushes…it’s not good 😛
ParisB says
September 6, 2011 at 9:36 amNo Ling, its ALL GOOD! <- which coming from me is really a no -brainer hehe
watercoloursky says
September 6, 2011 at 10:51 amcanmake seem to produce the best blushes! i haven’t tried these but their cream blushes are still my favourite. maybe will sneak some into my next online order of asian products 🙂
ParisB says
September 6, 2011 at 2:29 pmHey you! 😀 Yes, Canmake blushes are really good for the price 😀 I love the cream blushes too! They are one of the easiest I’ve ever used.