Kanebo can!

Kanebo is one of those cosmetic brands that I’ve known since childhood. It was on my grandmother’s dresser with its lacquer whitened with accidental drops of nail-polish remover, in my aunts’ purses, in every pasalubong-toting friend that did Asia. It was in my childhood as were Raggedy Ann, Princess Leia with her double-bagel hairdo, and that perfume Tatiana which could scent an entire house without even trying.

These days when you say Kanebo, people will relate it with hip Tokyo; to thirtysomething women like me, it goes back much farther, when the adults of our childhood were using it and we were stealing it from dressers we could barely reach. Well, there’s truth in both because that’s how long this Japanese brand has been around – perhaps not in chichi retail stores, but at least on the faces of Filipino women.

For its autumn and winter collection, Kanebo launched new products and colors from its T’estimo brand, which boasts makeup with a professional finish look.

Well, that’s makeup without looking made up. Of course, this mantra among makeup artists sounds like an oxymoron – really, why not skip the entire process altogether? Ah, but that’s where the beauty of makeup lies. You know the difference between an un-madeup face and makeup without looking made up face.

Take Kanebo’s new and improved Beauty Shaping, which comes with Sheer-3D Pearl and gives it a wet-looking gloss and shine.

This season’s two keywords are "translucent" and "natural." The line features Styling Rouge with eight new colors and Jelly Pure Eyes with five colors. Both give a full look with multi-dimensional effects for a natural look.

Think Carrie Bradshaw running after a cab on the Eastside in her heels, looking impossibly fresh.

Sheer-3D Pearl has the uncanny ability to shift from pink to blue-green depending on the angle and position of light. Meaning, the color adds a sense of gradation, from the warm color of pink to the receding effect of blue-green.

Kanebo cites the popular color theory that when objects are equidistant from a viewer, some colors appear closer (advancing colors such as red, orange, yellow and other warm colors) while others appear farther (blue-green, blue, purple and other cool colors). What Sheer-3D Pearl did is to incorporate this theory to create natural-looking full lips and eyes.

As for the sheerness, it’s a "natural looking glow as if originating from below the skin, while the depth and fullness of the eyes are brought out."

To protect lips from the sun’s harmful UV rays, there’s T’estimo Rouge Clear Filter UV with SPF 21. It’s an easy to apply base that contains apricot and carrot extracts with a subtle pink tint. The Jelly Pure Eyes is for those who want to create rounder, youthful-looking eyes. It also has a moisturizing effect with its squaron oil and cranberry extract to care for the area around the eyes.

For ladies who want whiter skin, Kanebo will soon release Blanchir’s Power of Red series with kakyoku extracts. The Power of Red has been famous with women since it was launched in 1998 and has since made advances in dermatological research. The Whitening Clear Conditioner can be used throughout the body as a lotion and is fragrance-free. With extracts from kakyoku, found in the highlands of China, and from the elder tree bark and leaves, which contain tannin, it prevents the formation of spots on the face caused by sun exposure, it reduces dullness and leads to brighter skin, prevents dryness from UV rays, clears up marks from pimples.

Kanebo Blanchir also comes in Whitening Milky Conditioner and Whitening Night Conditioner.

What’s great to pair with these whitening products is the FairCrea series, a whitening foundation that combines translucency and a makeup effect. Rather than mentioning all the products’ ingredients (which even I don’t really understand), let me tell you about the effects of this product line: It contains ingredients that protects the skin against damage caused by UV rays to keep it fair and beautiful; it conceals spots and blemishes while providing a glow finish.

See, just mention the words "translucent" and "natural" and women today (as they did in yesteryear) will be lining up for it – especially if it’s makeup without looking made up.

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Available at Rustan’s Department Store. Kanebo will be flying in makeup artist Junya Yoneda from Japan to several Rustan’s stores to do free makeover to shoppers. Her schedule in Rustan’s Makati is Sept. 23 to 25; Rustan’s Tower on Sept. 21, 22 and 26; and Rustan’s Cebu on Sept. 16 to 19.