Japanese Jellies: Canmake Cream Cheek Blushes in CL03 and CL04

Another beauty blogging pals inspired acquisition - I'd been lemming these Canmake Cream Cheek blushes for months (around $10-12 on eBay), so when Jenni from Life and Lens of Beauty offered to pick up some Asian make-up bits and smuggle them in her suitcase for me, I was pretty ecstatic. On that note: 1) Blogging is such a solitary hobby that I often forget people actually read me, and I'm always beyond surprised to learn some people read me in faraway places, like... Hong Kong!, 2) Jenni was incredibly generous and brought a LOT of things for me to try, including candy *evil cackle*, 3) As a result, expect a slew of Asian beauty product reviews - also because Kar Yi showed me around Asian beauty stores in Flushing, Queens, and inevitably, shopping ensued.

Now that we have the most random intro in the history of blogging out of the way, let's focus on the jellies. The main reason I really wanted to try these Canmake cream blushes (besides the adorable dinky packaging; note that the silver motif on the lid and the shape of the clasp are different on the two shades) was the formula/finish: a squishy, shimmer-free jelly. Now, the Canmake Cream Cheek blushes come in two shade ranges: regular (labelled with numbers only) and clear (labelled as CL + number). I have two shades from the Clear range to show you: CL03, Clear Orange and CL04, Clear Pink Joy - I suspect the finish on the blushes from the regular range differs, but I haven't personally tried any.

Apart from the product name and the shade, I have no idea what the labels say about the product - but if you speak Japanese, feel free to pitch in. The blush compacts are small and made of lightweight clear plastic - they do feel slightly flimsy, so I wouldn't bash them around too much for fear of breaking the hinges or something, but I do like that you can easily see the shade within, and the size is very portable.

Now, I understand that if you've never tried any make-up or nail polishes with a jelly finish, it may sound pretty confusing. Jelly shades are vibrant, clear, transparent colors with a glossy or glowy finish - they go on the skin slightly sheer but provide a bright pop of color. What I mean by 'clear' is that there's no white base mixed into these, and formula allows for both a light veil of color, or can be layered for more opacity and shade depth. I hope that the comparison swatches below show the difference more clearly! *pun not intended*

L-R: Canmake CL03 swatched heavily and blended out, Canmake CL04 heavy & blended out

In terms of texture, Canmake Cream Cheek blushes are quite a solid gel/cream in the pan, but melt when rubbed with the fingers and transfer on the skin very easily. Both shades I have are very blendable; my favorite application method is to pick up some product with my fingers, dot it on the skin, and then blend out with a small stippling brush. The finish is dewy, but the blush doesn't feel heavy or sticky on the skin, and lasts all day on me without losing its pretty glow.

Clear Orange CL03 is a somewhat reddish orange on me, or what I'd call a ruddy peach. The tone is quite similar to Face Atelier Facade in Arabesque, although the latter is more muted (due to the white base), and the finish differs significantly as well - the Facades are a smooth matte formula. As you can see, both Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine and NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink are lighter, and achieve the glowy finish by the addition of shimmer particles: gold in Lush Nectarine's case, white pearl for Plaza Pink.

L-R: Canmake Cream Cheek CL03, Face Atelier Facade in Arabesque, Laura Mercier Lush Nectarine, NYC Blushable Creme Stick in Plaza Pink

 Clear Pink Joy CL04 is a medium warm pink. I pulled out my most vibrant pink blushes to compare the shades, but both Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Flushed and NYX Powder Blush in Pinky are definitely cooler, with Pinky leaning almost lavender - and both have some of that white base. Stila Convertible Color in Blushing is significantly more muted and leans mauve, and sits heavier on the skin than the Canmake formula.

L-R: Canmake Cream Cheek in CL04, NYC Powder Blush in Pinky, Revlon PhotoReady Cream Blush in Flushed, Stila Convertible Color in Blushing

Here are the two Canmake Cream Cheek blushes swatched on my cheeks. The lighting in both photos is a bit different, but I hope that you can see that Clear Orange gives a warm, peachy hue to my skin, while Clear Pink Joy has that naturally flushed look to it that compliments my cool skintone rather well, if I dare say so myself. I do think that both shades are very wearable, and should suit a wide range of complexions - the undertones are very well balanced and pull neither too warm or too cool. I'm wearing Estee Lauder Double Wear Light foundation in both photos, and the blue lashline experiment on the left was done with Fyrinnae London Mod eyeshadow and Urban Decay 24/7 pencil liner in Electric.

So yes, I'm slightly obsessed with these Canmake cream blushes, and now I really want the red shade, Clear Red Heart. My blogging pals were right - they're fabulous, and the jelly finish, while quite popular in Japan, is very hard to procure among the Western brands. For more swatches and raves about Canmake Clear blushes, check out Driveller Kate's review here, and Haru at Rouge Deluxe swatches them here. Have you tried these, or any other Canmake products?