Anna Sui Eye Brightener

I think it was about ten years ago when I found myself walking aimlessly around Narita Airport. For some reason, my flight was delayed.
Suddenly, with tons of time on my hands and nothing to do, I reluctantly faced towards the duty free shops. Why reluctantly? Because I was broke as hell.

"Window shopping only, " I told myself.

Ha! Famous last words.

But to my credit, after a couple of hours of diligent searching and comparing, I picked the best deal available that day.
And that deal was a brand that was totally unknown to me.

Anna Sui.

Who, or what, that was, I had absolutely no idea. But the perfume smelled nice and fresh and energetic. And, best of all, there was a massive gift with purchase to go with it.

And though I don't recall what scent that was exactly, I do remember I quite liked it.

Fast forward to January 2015.
I'm at Narita again.
I'm not broke as hell, but on a strict budget. The bulk of my money is meant for my upcoming Taiwanese shopping spree.
All I know is that at Narita I want to buy something nice-smelling. I'm tired of Dior. Other scents are too overpowering for my nose.

Suddenly I remember Anna Sui.

I got this Flight of Fancy based solely on the packaging. Just because.
And while I was getting it, I finally had a chance to test every single Anna Sui makeup and skincare item on the shelf.
To be honest, apart from cute designs, it was all very underwhelming.
The only thing that stood out to me was Anna Sui Eye Brightener.

It's available in just one color marked as 01, or 001, depending on whether you're looking at the box, or the website description.

And speaking of website descriptions, here's a screenshot from Anna Sui's page:

Anna Sui Eye Brightener is intended for the eye area (duh!), but they say it can be used anywhere on the face.

I swiped it on my hand at the store and liked its light color. I liked how to blended seamlessly and disappeared into the skin. I liked how it did what it said it would - namely, brighten the eye area.

What I didn't like was the overpowering scent, so typical of Anna Sui makeup and skincare.
The scent still bothers me, but it's possible to get used to.

It's not a concealer. It will never work as such. But that's just fine with me.
As I get older, I'm realizing that under-eye concealers are a tough balancing act when you're over 40.

On one hand, I want something to camouflage my uneven under-eye skin. On the other, overdo it, and you risk looking like a clown with cake batter smeared under your eyes. Sadly, from what I'm seeing on different beauty blogs, the dried up cake batter deal seems to be the in look these days for Western women.

Thanks, but no thanks.

I know firsthand that it's a challenge to find something that doesn't settle in the fine lines or emphasize wrinkles. It's a struggle.
And because I'm lazy and I'd rather watch cat videos on YouTube, I don't like to struggle with my eye makeup. Usually what that means is that I forgo the undereye concealer altogether.

That's why highlighters, or brighteners, or illuminators, are such a life saver for me.

Anna Sui Eye Brightener is a pretty standard deal.
We get 5.6ml of product in a pretty plastic bottle.

The applicator is a standard issue doe foot.

Anna Sui Eye Brightener is easy and efficient. It makes me look awake. It doesn't irritate my dry and sensitive skin. And despite the strong scent, it doesn't make me cry.
And because it's not a heavy concealer, it's nearly impossible to overapply. It's literally foolproof.
If a makeup idiot like me can manage it, then everybody else should too.

Anna Sui Eye Brightener ingredients:

As you can see, the product is made in Japan.

It's light, it's simple, and it wasn't ridiculously expensive either. I don't remember how much I paid for it, but it was definitely very reasonable.

It joined my very small group of "stuff that most likely goes around the eyes" cosmetics.

From the top:

• Anna Sui Eye Brightener
• DiorSnow UV Shield BB Eye Cream in 010
• Yves Saint Laurent Touche Eclat Radiant Touch in 1

And this is how they all look swiped on my arm in the same order as above:

And incidentally, this is also the order of how much I like them.

Final thoughts:

Anna Sui Eye Brightener is a decent product at a good price, if you can find it duty free.

It's very strongly scented, so if you're sensitive to perfumed cosmetics, Anna Sui is definitely one brand to avoid.

Will I repurchase?

Hmmm... only if I can't find anything better.

Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder

Have you ever wondered why those K-pop chicks always look so radiant, and so bright and sparkly? Why their skin is seemingly glowing?

I have.

They would have you believe it's magical skincare, serums and essences and bottles and jars of really expensive creams and potions.

The answer is a lot simpler. And fortunately, also a lot easier to reach for a mere mortal, like you and me.

It's highlighters.

I have tried the famous Meteorites. They did nothing for me.
I have tried the famous Hourglass (it was a b*tch to find it in Japan). It made me look sick.
I have tried the Manizer sisters. They made me look like a truck stop hooker.

I was finally happy with the Koh Gen Do illuminati duo. Oh pardon me, Illuminator duo.
But that didn't stop me from sniffing around and looking for something new.

And because I like balls (hmmm, that sounded all sorts of wrong), sparkles and pastel colors, when I saw these sparkly pastel balls, I was sold.


Czy bylyscie kiedykolwiek ciekawe jak to mozliwe, ze dziewoje z koreanskich girlbandow maja zawsze taka promienna cere? Ze wygladaja tak swietliscie i nieskazitelnie?

Mnie to zawsze ciekawilo.
Bo dziewoje te zazwyczja reklamuja cuda wianki, magiczne kremy, esencje, serum (jaka jesli liczba mnoga od "serum"? sery? sera?), ktore sa albo drogie, lub drozsze. Skoro one wygladaja tak promiennie i swietliscie, to ty tez mozesz, jesli tylko wydasz pareset dolarow (nie chce mi sie bawic w przeliczenia).

Na szczescie dla zwyklych smiertelnikow, odpowiedz jest duzo prostsza. Oraz duzo latwiej (i tansza) do osiagniecia.

Highlightery. Rozswietlacze.

Taaa...

Probowalam slynnych Meteorytow. Nie zrobily dla mnie nic.
Probowalam slynnego Hourglass (znalezienie tego w Japonii bylo nie lada wyczynem, na szczescie mam bardzo swiatowe kolezanki w pracy). Wygladalam jak powaznie chora.
Probowalam Mary Lou i jej siostry. Niestety look a'la budzetowa pani do obslugi osobistej (tej wykonywanej na kleczkach) nie bardzo mi pasuje.

W koncu bylam zadowolona z moich Illuminati, sorry, Illuminatorow od Koh Gen Do. Ale one wcale nie przystopowaly moich zapedow hajlajterskich.

Ciagle weszylam i szukalam czegos nowego.

Wiec kiedy zobaczylam te swiecace kulki, w pieknych pastelowych kolorkach, po prostu musialam je miec.

This is Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder. Nice to meet you!

To be honest, I have a very complicated relationship with highlighters. Or rather, my skin has. 

I want to be radiant like them Korean chicks. 

My skin says "get that skanky bimbo shine off of me."

I want to glow. 

My skin says "ugh, you might be a Pole, but you're not a pole dancer."

I want to be bright and sparkly. 

My skin says "tis your face, not a freakin' disco ball!"

So I'm not really sure what I was hoping for when I bought this Retigen Brightening Color Powder.
I couldn't find any reviews online, at least not in any language I could easily understand.

I guess it was the balls that spoke to me. My initial idea was to use them as something to mix with my stubborn Meteorites.

They balls came in a very shiny, very silver box.


Oto Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder, bardzo mi milo cie poznac.

Tak miedzy nami, to ja mam bardzo skomplikowane uczucia do rozswietlaczy. A raczej, moja cera ma.

Ja chce byc tak samo rozswietlona jak te koreanskie dziewoje z girlbandow.
Moja cera mowi, ze nie chce wygladac jak blachara z Nowej Huty.
Chce byc pelna blasku.
Moja cera mowi, ze tego typu blask to sie do tancow na rurze nadaje.
Chce byc promienna.
Moja cera mowi, ze twarz to nie kula disco.

Wiec nie mam pojecia co myslalam, kiedy kupilam ten Retigen Brightening Color Powder.
Nie moglam znalezc zadnych recenzji w internecie, przynajmniej nie w jezyku do ktorego nie potrzebowalabym translatora.

To chyba ta magia swiecacych kulek. Tak mi przyszlo do glowy, ze mogalbym wymieszac je z moimi topornymi Meteorytami.

Kulki przyszly w swiecacym, srebrnym pudelku:

It looks very simple and very basic.

Inside there was this:


Wyglada prosto i przecietnie.
W srodku bylo to:

I was ready to scream bloody murder trying to open the container. Why?
The snap and pop maneuver.
Well, not exactly pop off, but to lift the lid, you have to twist it.
It would have helped if I'd paid attention to the sticker on the lid, but consumed with lust and desire, I couldn't be arsed with such small, pesky details.

When I finally managed to open it, I saw this:


Bylam gotowa drzec sie wnieboglosy otwierajac ten pojemniczek. Dlaczego?
Bo trzeba bylo przekrecic, zeby odskoczylo.
Byloby mi duzo latwiej, gdybym zauwazyla strzalke i instrukcje na wieczku, ale zaslepiona pozadaniem, nie zwracalam uwagi na takie drobne szczegoly.

Kiedy uporalam sie z przykrywka, zobaczylam to:

The brush is pretty much useless but it's small and cute. And yes, it does have the Iope logo on the other side, but I just didn't think to turn it over while taking photos.

Pedzelek jest do kitu (nawet taki laik jak ja to widzi), ale jest maly i pasuje do srodka.
Tak, ma logo Iope na drugiej stronie, ale nie przyszlo mi do glowy, aby go odwrocic logiem do gory do robienia zdjec. No coz, dobrze, ze glupota nie boli.

The product is protected by an inner lid (same as with cushion foundations), but here, instead of an inner sticker, we get a blob of soft, round sponge to keep the balls in top shape.

And under the sponge?

Sparkly wonderland!


Produkt znajduje sie pod wewnetrzna przykrywka (taki sam patent jak w podkladach poduszkowych), ale tutaj, zamiast naklejki, mamy ochronna gabeczke. Jej jedyne zadanie to pilnowanie kulek pod spodem.

A pod gabeczka?

Promienna kraina czarow.

We get 20 grams of these pretty babies.

And according to the geniuses at Amore Pacific (the parent company of Iope), these lovelies not only make you look lovely, but are also good for you.
Why?
Just like all the products in this particular series, they are formulated with pro-retinol. Hence the name of the line - Retigen.

That's all I can tell you, because even though there was a leaflet in the box:

Cale 20 gramow tych babelkow.

I wedlug geniuszy w Amore Pacific (koncern do ktorego nalezy linia Iope), te babelki nie tylko maja spowodowac, ze bedziesz wygladac jak gwiazda k-popu, ale na dodatek sa dobre dla cery.
Dlaczego?
Bo tak jak wszystkie inne produkty w serii Retigen, maja w skladzie pro-retinol. Stad tez nazwa serii- Retigen.

To tyle, co moge na ten temat powiedziec.
Mimo, ze jest w pudelku ulotka:

It was somewhat lacking in concrete information.

Jest ona uboga w bardziej dokladne informacje.

So, this is what they say.
What do I say?

My first tries were disastrous. The balls are very soft and it's very easy to overapply. So unless you're aiming for the my-face-is-a-disco-ball look, be careful. Remember, easy does it.

Here you can see my hand in all its K-pop glowing glory:


Na ulotce to co mowia oni.
A co mowie ja?

Moje pierwsze eksperymenty byly tragiczne. Kulki te sa bardzo miekkie i niesamowicie latwo jest nimi przedobrzyc. Trzeba delikatnie i lekka reka.

Tutaj moja dlon jako gwiazda k-popu:

By itself it's almost too much for me. Though I admit, I was a bit heavy handed here so you could see the effect. This was taken in natural light and wasn't edited in any way.

But mixing some of the Iope balls with my Rose Meteorites produced the results I was after.

Do I like Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder by itself? To be honest, not that much.
Would I buy it knowing what I know now? Probably not.


Sam z sobie, ten rozswietlacz jest dla mnie zbyt intensywny. Choc przyznaje sie, na potrzeby zdjecia, nalozylam go dosc chojnie. Zdjecie w swietlne naturalnym i nieedytowane.

Ale mieszjac kulki Iope z Meteorytami, uzyskalam calkiem przyjemne rezultaty.

Czy lubie Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder solo? Tak szczerze, nie za bardzo.
Czy kupilabym ten produkt teraz, wiedzac jaki jest i co robi? Raczej nie.

Is it a good product? Yes, it is.
Will I find use for it? Most definitely.

But I wish I had bought this instead.


Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder has been discontinued by the brand, but you can still get it online.
I bought mine from TGI Wholesale, and though it seems to be out of stock over there right now, by all means check in and visit, they had the best price around.

Alice from W2Beauty also sells these balls.


Czy jest to dobry kosmetyk? Absolutnie!
Czy znajde dla niego jakies dodatkowe zastosowanie? Absolutnie.
Ale jednak zaluje, ze zamiast Iope nie kupilam tego.


Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder juz nie jest produkowany, ale mozna nadal kupic go przez internet.
Ja kupilam w TGI Wholesale, i choc w tej chwili jest wyprzedany, to i tak warto ten sklep odwiedzic, bo maja bardzo przyjemne ceny na inne produkty.

I Alice od W2Beauty rowniez sprzedaje te kulki.

If you are interested in purchasing Iope Retigen Brightening Color Powder, or any other Korean beauty product, you can order it online from Alice of W2Beauty. By clicking on the link, or the banner in the sidebar and using this registration code: 182991708, you can receive $5.00 off your first order (above $30.00). Free worldwide shipping directly from Korea, and lots of samples and other freebies with every order. Enjoy!!!

Jesli chcecie kupic ten produkt, lub inne koreanskie kosmetyki z wiarygdnego zrodla, mozna to zrobic zamawiajac od Alice z W2Beauty.
Klikajac na ten link, lub w banner w pasku obok i wpisujac ten kod przy rejestracji: 182991708, otrzymacie $5.00 znizki przy pierwszym zamowieniu (powyzej $30.00).
Wysylka darmowa, prosto z Korei, na caly swiat, a w kazdym zamowieniu duzo probek.
Milych zakupow!

PS. This entry takes part in the K-Beauty Blog Hop weekend.

Koh Gen Do Aqua Foundation Illuminator

I appreciate it when a cosmetic brand embraces social media and understands its potential. And I am always pleasantly surprised when said brand makes an effort to communicate and interact with its fans and customers. It's a win-win situation for everybody. The brand gets loads of free PR, the fans and customers are happy and keep coming back for more, and if the product is good, new fans and new customers appear along the way. All in a very cost-effective and cheerful, positive manner.

Doceniam to, kiedy firma kosmetyczna jest obecna na mediach (portalach?) spolecznosciowych i rozumie ich potencjal i korzysci, jakie z tego plyna. I zawsze jestem mile zaskoczona, kiedy taka firma prowadzi interakcje z fanami i klientami. W takiej sytuacji kazdy wygrywa. Firma ma darmowy PR, a fani i klienci czuja sie wazni i doceniani i wracaja, aby wydac wiecej pieniedzy. A jesli sprzedawany produkt jest dobry, to i nowi fani i klienci pojawiaja sie przy okazji, ludzie, ktorzy moze sami z siebie nigdy by sie o tej firmie nie dowiedzieli.


One such company is Koh Gen Do, a Japanese skincare and makeup brand, with main locations in both Tokyo and Seattle. Koh Gen Do is extremely social media friendly and understands the importance of its customer base's loyal following.

Jedna z takich firm jest Koh Gen Do, japonska marka kosmetykow pielegnacyjnych i kolorowych. Ma dwie glowne lokalizacje - w Tokio i w Seattle (ta w Tokio byla pierwsza). Koh Gen Do jest bardzo aktywna na instagramie i rozumie jak wazna jest komunikacja (dwukierunkowa, bo sa firmy na insta, ktore swoich sledzacych totalnie olewaja) z ludzmi, ktorzy wydaja kase na ich produkty.


(Hear this, Aveda? Social media, dudes!!! Time to get your head out of your bum, and get on with the program! At least in Japan, because, frankly, your PR mentality is stuck in the mid-20th century.)

(Slyszysz to, Aveda? Social media, ludzie! Czas wyciagnac glowy z tylkow i ruszyc z programem. Przynajmniej w Japonii, to jak na razie to wasz PR styl jest rodem z lat 50-tych ubieglego wieku.)

I'm reluctant to call Koh Gen Do a boutique brand, because I don't think it is. You can get their products at makeup stores (such as Rosemary's) and some department stores. Makeup artists (foreign and Japanese) are certainly familiar with it. But the general public, especially overseas? Not so much.

Nie chce nazywac Koh Gen Do firma butikowa, albo niszowa, bo nie uwazam, ze takowa jest. Ich produkty mozna kupic w normalnych perfumeriach i niektorych domach handlowych (departamentach). Makijazysci (japonscy i zagraniczni, choc moze nie polscy) znaja Koh Gen Do bardzo dobrze. Ale generalna publika konsumencka, szczegolnie ta nie japonska juz niestety nie.


My first contact with Koh Gen Do was several years ago when my mother in law gifted me a fancy cream. The cream was in an equally fancy blue jar. It was supposed to make me all fancy and beautiful and all that (my MIL claimed my complexion was awful).
She was a huge fan of the fancy cream. She forced me to try it (out of her own jar), and when I said I liked it, she presented me with my very own fancy jar. That was my first Koh Gen Do product.
Not for long, however. I guess I didn't thank her deeply enough, didn't bow low enough, didn't jump for joy that such a fancy woman as my MIL took interest in my face enough to gift me an expensive skincare product... Because a few days later, before I even had a chance to use my brand new cream, the box suddenly disappeared from my shelf in the bathroom (yes, we lived with the in-laws back then).  And the next thing I knew, it was promptly re-gifted to my sister in law. I guess she, being Japanese, knew the intricate thanking ritual, because the fancy cream stayed hers.

Moje pierwsze doswiadczenie z Koh Gen Do mialo miejsce kilka (nascie, hyhyhy) lat temu, kiedy to szanowna tesciowa sprawila mi w prezencie bardzo ekskluzywny krem. Zapakowany byl w rownie ekskluzywny sloiczek, niebieski. Mial przemienic mnie w piekna i ekskluzywna kobiete. Moja tesciowa twierdzila, ze moja cera byla zaniedbana i zapuszczona.
Sama byla wierna fanka ekskluzywnego kremu. Poprzednio, namowila mnie do sprobowania (z jej wlasnego sloiczka) i kiedy nieopatrznie stwierdzilam, ze fajny jest, sprezentowala mi w prezencie. To byl moj najpierwszy Koh Gen Do produkt.

Niestety nie na dlugo. Byc moze nie podziekowalam jej odpowiednio wylewnie i dlugo, byc moze nie padlam do stop, ani nawet nie klanialam sie do samej podlogi, byc moze nie skakalam z radosci odpowienio dlugo i wysoko... Kilka dni pozniej, zanim jeszcze mialam okazje pomyziac sie moim ekskluzywnym, nowiutenkim kremem, pudeleczko (nawet nie mialam jeszcze okazji aby wyjac sloiczek z pudelka) nagle zniknelo z mojej polki w lazience (tak, mieszkalismy wtedy z tesciami). I 5 minut pozniej dowiedzialam sie, ze zostalo odprezentowane mojej szwagierce. Ona bedac Japonka, wiedziala jak odpowiednio podziekowac, bo krem zostal u niej na dobre. Nie zniknal jej w tajemniczych okolicznosciach z lazienki.

My second contact with Koh Gen Do was at Rosemary's (a cosmetics store). I glanced at the logo, and suddenly, the memories came flooding back. Yeah, Koh Gen Do, I remembered that name.

I bought a bottle of Aqua Foundation (after playing around with it at the store a few times), and instantly fell in love. This was a very unassuming foundation that did everything it promised. I think it deserves a separate post, so I'm not going to talk about it here right now.

Together with my Aqua Foundation, I got a bag of mini-size goodies - Spa Water (Koh Gen Do's version of micellar water), Pearl White Makeup Color Base, and a few other things that I don't remember now. The pearl white base was so nice that I went out and bought a full size tube, this time in green.

Moje drugie spotkanie z Koh Gen Do odbylo sie w Rosemary's (perfumerii). Spojrzalam na logo i zalaly mnie wspominki o starych, dobrych czasach.

Kupilam wtedy butelke Aqua Foundation (po myzianiu sie nia w sklepie dlugo i namietnie) i byla to milosc od pierwszego wejrzenia. Ot taki maly, skromny podklad, ale robi co trzeba i wywiazuje sie ze wszystkich obietnic producenta. Podklad ten zasluguje na osobny wpis, wiec nie bede teraz za wiele na jego temat pisac.

Razem z moja Aqua Foundation, dostalam rowniez woreczek probek i mini rozmiarow. Byla w nim, miedzy innymi Spa Water (koh gen dowski odpowiednik miceli, perlowa baza pod makijaz, i kilka innych rzeczy, ktorych juz teraz nie panietam. Baza byla na tyle dobra, ze poszlam i kupilam sobie pelnowymiarowa tubke, tym razem zielona.

And because where I live, the selection of products is very limited (and as everybody knows, I absolutely hate buying previously unseen stuff on the internet), I've been dreaming of visiting the main Koh Gen Do salon in Azabu Juban in Tokyo for quite a while.
Finally, last Monday, that dream came true.

A poniewaz tu gdzie mieszkam wybor byl bardzo ograniczony (a ja nienawidzie kupowania nieznanych mi kosmetykow internetowo, bez mozliwosci uprzedniego myziania), marzyl mi sie wypad do salonu Koh Gen Do w Tokio.
I w koncu, w ostatni poniedzialek marzenie to sie spelnilo.

When we arrived at the salon, we were already very tired, grumpy, hot, sweaty and overall disgusting after many hours of walking around Tokyo on a ridiculously hot and humid day. (Pleased to say that Nov UV Shield EX on my face and DHC Suncut Q10 Aqua Gel on my arms did the job - not a hint of redness, zero sunburn, amazing.)

Kiedy dowleklysmy sie z kolezanka do salonu, bylysmy zmeczone, spocone, na granicy udaru slonecznego i w podlym nastroju. Lazilysmy po Tokio w nieludzkim upale dobrych kilka godzin. (Informuje, ze Nov UV Shield EX na twarzy i DHC Suncut Q10 Aqua Gel na innych odslonietych czesciach ciala stanely na wysokosci zadania - zero opalenizny, zero spalenia przez slonce, zero czegokolwiek - niesamowite).


The extremely helpful, kind and patient lady at Koh Gen Do took good care of the two country bumpkins totally out of place in such a chi-chi district as Azabu Juban. Even though we didn't look like women who could afford half the things at the store (not mentioning the spa services upstairs), we were still treated like potential customers. I've been snubbed a couple of times at upscale makeup counters, so thank you, Koh Gen Do, for being so professional and open minded. Well, maybe...

Bardzo uprzejma pani w mundurku Koh Gen Do zaopiekowala sie nami w mily i profesjonalny sposob. Wygladalysmy jak dwie zdziadziale baby z prowincji zupelnie nie na miejscu w takim posh salonie w takiej posh dzielnicy jak Azabu Juban, ale pani z Koh Gen Do to nie przeszkadzalo. Pomimo faktu, ze z pewnoscia myslala, ze nie stac nas na wiekszosc rzeczy w asortymencie (ze o bardzo posh spa na pieterku juz nawet nie wspomne), to nadal traktowala nas jak potencjalne klientki. Juz mi sie zdarzylo byc ignorowana przez sprzedawczynie selektywnej marki, bo wygladalam jak prosto z traktoru, wiec milo nam bylo, ze Koh Gen Do podszedl do nas tak profesjonalnie i bez uprzedzen. Do czasu...

The staff lady deserves to be nominated for sainthood for her patience with us. After going over every single product in the skin care line (I was oh so tempted to get the fancy cream in the fancy blue jar, but I need to finish my various fancy creams already at home first, though no worries, I'll be back!) I suddenly remembered what it was that I wanted to try.
The Illuminator!!!
I've seen the photos! I've witnessed what it could do.
I wanted to try it myself.
I was ready.
Me, the person, who wouldn't know how to use a highlighter, if her life depended on it. No, I'm not exaggerating, I really don't know how to highlight and contour. So I don't do it. One of the reasons I always wear "barely there" makeup.

And there I was, sitting in front of the mirror at a very exclusive skin care salon, and a Koh Gen Do lady was going to treat my face to a dose of Aqua Foundation Illuminator. In two shades, no less.


Pani w sklepie powinna byc natychmiast nominowana na kanonizacje za anielska cierpliwosc jaka nam okazala. Po przejrzeniu i pomacaniu kazdego produktu w linii pielegnacyjnej (oj kusil mnie ten ekskluzywny krem, ale najpierw musze zuzyc te, ktore juz mam w domu), nagle przypomnialam sobie, co mialam w planach sprobowac.
Illuminator!
Ogladalam zdjecia i filmiki, na wlasne oczy widzialam co potrafi zdzialac.
Chcialam sprobowac na wlasnej skorze.
Bylam gotowa i zdecydowana.
Ja. Ta, ktora nie ma pojecia do czego sluzy rozswietlacz i nie wiedzialaby co z jednym zrobic, nawet jakby sam jej wlazl do reki. Nie przesadzam. Nie potrafie ani rozswietlac, ani konturowac. Dlatego po prostu tego nie robie. To glowny powod dlaczego moj makjiaz jest zawsze minimalny.

A tu nagle siedze sobie w fotelu przez wielgasnym lustrem w bardzo ekskluzywnym salonie, a bardzo ekskluzywna pani od Koh Gen Do ma zamiar potraktowac moja twarz rozswietlaczem. I to nie byle jakim, a Aqua Foundation Illuminatorem. W dwoch odcieniach do tego. No, cuda przyrody, po prostu.

I fell in love instantly. Just like with the Aqua Foundation itself. My friend was amazed at the subtle transformation ("you look so classy now", she announced when we left the salon, hahaha!)

I couldn't decide which shade I liked better, so I bought both of them. Along with a duo of makeup sponges.


Zakochalam sie natychmiast. Zupelnie tak samo, jak to bylo z sama Aqua Foundation. Psiapsiola byla oczarowana moja transformacja (powiedziala mi "wygladasz teraz tak z klasa" jak wyszlysmy z salonu, hehehe!)

Nie moglam zdecydowac, ktory odcien bardziej mi sie podobal, wiec kupilam oba. I do tego duo gabeczek, zebym mialam czym sie myziac tym rozswietlaczem.

I was seriously considering getting a tube of Moisture Foundation as well, but after testing every light shade there was, we were faced with a very familiar problem. It was close, very close, but sadly, not a perfect match. The Koh Gen Do lady explained that initially, only 3 shades were available, and people (mostly makeup artists) would mix them by themselves together to get the desired color.

Na powaznie zastanawialam sie rowniez nad tubka Moisture Foundation, ale po przetestowaniu kazdego jasnego odcienia, stanelysmy przed tym samym problemem co zawsze. Bylo blisko, bliziutko, ale nie do konca pasowalo. Pani od Koh Gen Do wyjasnila, ze 25 lat temu, kiedy ten podklad wszedl po raz pierwszy na rynek, byl dostepny tylko w trzech odcieniach i makijazysci sami je sobie mieszali je, aby dobrac odpowiedni kolor.

Unfortunately, I am not a makeup artist. Mixing anything (including salad dressings) is a challenge for me. And Moisture Foundation doesn't come cheap. As the one and only KP said on instagram, no choice but wait until Koh Gen Do releases more colors.
I don't think that will happen anytime soon (or ever), so I am going to try for a tube of the best match in winter, when my skin needs loads of moisture.

Ja makijazystka nie jestem i do mieszania mam dwie lewe rece, nawet sos do salatki to dla mnie nie lada wyzwanie. A Moisture Foundation do najtanszych nie nalezy. I jak KP we wlasnej osobie skomentowala na instagramie, nie pozostaje nam nic innego, jak czekac az Koh Gen Do wypusci wiecej odcieni.
Niestety bardzo watpie, ze to sie kiedykolwiek stanie, wiec bede celowac w najbardziej dopasowany odcien w zimie, kiedy moja cera potrzebuje wiecej nawilzenia.


My other disappointment? No samples in the bag. Maybe we didn't look like women, who could buy expensive make up and skin care products on a regular basis? Maybe we looked like the samples would be wasted on us? Fair enough, but sad nonetheless.

I've been spoiled by other high end brands who are generous with samples when buying stuff. I do believe that samples do a great job of promoting a product and promoting a brand. From my own experience I can say that there were times when samples convinced me to shell out ridiculous amounts of money on something I would have never considered otherwise (like Lancome Absolue, for example).

I zeby nie bylo tak cudownie i cacy, mam tez drugie male rozczarowanie. Zero probek w torbie. Zero. Moze nie wygladalysmy jak babki, ktore regularnie wydaja kase na kosmetyki z wyzszej polki? Moze pani sprzedawczyni zdecydowala, ze probki dla nas i tak nie zamienilyby sie w kolejne zakupy? Rozumiem, ale jesli to prawda, to szkoda, ze Koh Gen Do jednak okazalo sie takim snobem.

Przyzwyczajona jestem do probek kiedy kupuje kosmetyki z wyzszej polki. I uwazam, ze probki to swietna sprawa, bo daja szanse sprawdzenia nowego produktu i przy okazji promuja dana marke. Wiem z wlasnego doswiadczenia, ze po zuzyciu probki, jesli kosmetyk mi sie podobal, bylam w stanie wydac nieludzkie pieniadze na pelnowymiarowe opakowanie (Lancome Absolue na przyklad), ktorego sama z siebie nigdy bym pewnie nie tknela. I wiem, ze nie ja jedna tak robie. No ale coz...


And now, let me show you the Illuminati. 
I mean, the Illuminators.

A teraz czas pokazac Wam moja pare rozswietlaczy.

The bottles are plastic (thank goodness!!!) and easy to handle.

The Aqua Foundation Illuminator is available in two shades IL00 (white) and IL01 (sheer beige).


Buteleczki sa plastikowe (yay!) i latwe do trzymania.

Aqua Foundation Illuminator jest dostepny w dwoch odcieniach: IL00 (bialy) i IL01("sheer" bezowy).

The enclosed bi-lingual (Japanese and English) leaflet gives us basic information about the product.

Mamy w pudelku ulotke w dwoch jezykach - po japonsku i po angielsku z podstawowymi informacjami o firmie, o produkcie i o tym jak go uzywac. Sa nawet obrazki jak i gdzie go nakladac.

Koh Gen Do says they are a natural brand. They say their products have no artificial colors, no fragrance, no petroleum based mineral oil, no parabens and no alcohol. Very impressive.

Koh Gen Do mowi, ze ich kosmetyki sa naturalne, bez sztucznych barwnikow, bez substancji zapachowych, bez olejow mineralnych, bez parabenow i bez alkoholu.


Here's the ingredient list for the Illuminators.

Tutaj sklad Illuminatorow.

The bottle is fitted with a convenient pump dispenser. However, you have to remember to shake the bottle quite vigorously before dispensing the product.

Butelka ma pompke, dziala bez zarzutu. Trzeba jednak niezle potrzasnac butelka przed uzyciem, zeby zawartosc wygladala prezentacyjnie po wypompowaniu.

It might look a bit scary at first, but if such a klutz like me can manage, then anyone can.

Wyglada troche przerazajaco, ale jesli taka ofiara jak ja daje rade, to kazdy da rade.

When blended, the white stuff turned into a delicate highlight. And the beige gave a warm, gentle touch. Almost like a very subtle bronzer.

The colors are very soft and I think it's impossible to overapply.


Po roztarciu bialy zamienil sie w niemal jedwabna poswiate. A bezowy dawal cieplutki, delikatny blask. Prawie jak bardzo delikatny bronzer.

Kolory sa tak miekkie i delikatne, ze zrobienie sobie nimi kuku jest chyba niemozliwe. Co najwyzej cala twarz bedzie pelna zdrowego blasku.

Though the Illuminators are intended to be used with Aqua Foundations, today we tested them with other products (including BB creams, cushion foundations, and other liquid foundations), and they worked fine with all. I'd say they looked better with Hera cushion than with Aqua Foundation.

Firma twierdzi, ze robione sa z mysla o uzyciu w tandemie z Aqua Foundation, ale dzis testowalysmy je w innych kombinacjach (z kremami BB, poduszkami, innymi podkladami w plynie i na gola twarz). Wspolpracowaly w kazdym zestawieniu bez zarzutu.
Powiedzialabym, ze najbardziej wow efekt byl wlasnie z poduszka Hery.


The price? Here:

Cena? Tutaj:

And that's it.
We enjoyed our visit to Koh Gen Do very much and next time we are hoping to investigate other makeup (I'm thinking pressed powder and lip glosses) and skincare products (I'm thinking the milk). And maybe I'll finally get my fancy cream in a fancy blue jar!

Koh Gen Do products are available on their website (no worries, it's in English), at high end department stores in the US (at Barneys, for example) and some Sephora locations.

If you don't live in the US or Japan, and want to order Koh Gen Do goodies, you can find a huge selection on this website - B-glowing.com. And yes, they do ship worldwide. And no, I am not affiliated with them :-)

Have you used Koh Gen Do cosmetics? 
What is your opinion?


I to by bylo na tyle.
Milo bylo odwiedzic salon Koh Gen Do, i jesli zrobimy powtorke z rozrywki, to chcialabym poznac blizej ich blyszczyki do ust i puder w kompakcie, kusi mnie tez mleko z linii pielegnacyjnej. No i ten nieszczesny ekskluzywny krem.

Kosmetyki Koh Gen Do mozna kupic bezposrednio na ich stronie internetowej (jest po angielsku), jak i w bardziej wyzszopolkowych departamentach w USA (takich jak Barneys, na przyklad) i niektorych Sephorach (w Stanach).

Sa rowniez dostepne w tym sklepie internetowym - B-glowing.com, z wysylka na caly swiat. I nie, nie wspolpracuje z nimi, po prostu mowie, ze maja i wysylaja :-)

Mialyscie stycznosc z kosmetykami Koh Gen Do?
Co o nich myslicie?



Update August 10th, 2014:

I was feeling lazy yesterday and decided to experiment a bit. I mixed the white Illuminator with some BB cream (Astablanc from Kose in this case, because of its heavier texture) and applied it on my face as I would a regular BB cream. 

And hot damn! I didn't have any major expectations, but what a pleasant surprise. This style of application gave me the skin I've only seen in magazines. Soft, glowing, delicately bright (or brightly delicate, both descriptions are accurate, hahaha!). I remembered my sad adventures with Etude House's Nymph Aura Volumer, and yesterday I got everything that Volumer either wouldn't, or couldn't deliver. Without the greasy, lardy feeling. 

Yet another proof that you get what you pay for...

Updejt 10 sierpnia:

Wzielo mnie na eksperymenty wczoraj i zmieszalam troche bialego Illuminatora z kremem BB. W tym przypadku wybor padl and Astablanc (marki Kose), bo ma troche ciezsza konsystencje i nie bardzo nadaje sie na lato. I sam w sobie jest dla mnie ciut za ciemny.

I posmarowalam na twarz (paluchami) jak zwykly krem BB.

Chcialam sprobowac czy taka metoda aplikacji sie do czegos przyda, i efekty totalnie mnie zaskoczyly. Przez reszte dnia mialam cere, ktora do tej pory dane mi tylko bylo ogladac w pismach dla kobiet czy na azjatyckich idolkach w telewizji. Az sama chcialam sie na siebie gapic w lustrze. Skora byla delikatnie rozswietlona, ale takim aksamitnym blaskiem, bez krzty drobinek, bez mokrego efektu "dewy", bez jakiegolwiek blyszczenia sie. Wygladala zdrowo, koloryt byl wyrownany, pory zamaskowane i calosc naprawde przypadla mi go gustu. Bez smalcowatosci, ktora pamietam z porazki z Nymph Aura Volumer.

To bylo to, na co liczylam od tego nieszczesnego Nymph Aura Volumer od Etude House, ale sie przeliczylam.

Kolejny dowod na to, ze masz to, za co placisz.