BCL Malaysia - Japanese Makeup Right At Your Fingertips!

*Invited

Yes I'm on a makeup craze at the moment, so when Manoah told me there was a chance to learn Japanese makeup techniques straight from the horse's mouth, I jumped at the chance!

BCL Malaysia, which stands for Beauty Creative Lab, is the main brand which brings us awesome Japanese products like Tsururi (pore-targeting skincare), BrowLash Ex (eye makeup great for beginners), and Makemania Data (makeup that is just awesome in general!).

Julie and I arrived together and were ecstatic to see all the make-up on our table!

We immediately started taking our "before" shots with the cute little Tokyo Girlz balloon (actually we just wanted to take selfies hahaha)

"It's like you're my mirror~"
Aka Justin Timberlake.
*Bursts out laughing from own lame joke*

Some of the skincare on display - this makeup remover seems cool!

Joanna was there too!!*kisses!*

While makeup instructor Mr Tanabe was putting on the model's base makeup, we had some fun taking photos and looking at some of the products on display

They're all really bubbly, exactly how you see them on Japanese TV shows! Such fun people!

Mr Tanabe and his model, plus his whole team actually flew in from Japan specially for this workshop, so we were very lucky! Especially as we learned that Mr. Tanabe is actually quite well-known in Japan, being the make-up artist for quite a few celebrities and magazine shoots, and was with Shiseido Japan for 7 years!

As the team is from Japan, we needed a pretty Japanese lady who could translate to English:
Ms. Yuko, who has been in KL for 4 years now! =D

Now we all know makeup isnt my strongest point (n neither is being kawaii lol), so maybe attending a few more of these workshops will be beneficial haha.. We were told about the 4 main Japanese make-up looks, which are:

- Shibuya girl (Cool & Confident)
- Akihabara girl (Dolly & Natural)
- Harajuku girl (Pop & Sweet)
- Yokohama girl (Fairy & Elegant)

Our session was to recreate the Harajuku look (although Julie and I had a discussion, and I think I'm more Shibuya hahaha).

2 choices of face powder - apply after base!

First, we start off with face powder (we came with BB Cream on as the base). There are two options for BCL's Clear Last Face Powder, featuring Peach John. The pink one is called Mat Ocher, and is more matte with a natural colour tone. Shiro-Hada Ocher, with black packaging is fairer and has a shimmery finish. Both come with a soft fluffy puff!

To apply, just dab a little product on the puff, then press it lightly all over your face. Rub gently in a circular motion to set it - this will give it a glossier finish, kind of like airbrushing!

Next up, Mr Tanabe tells us that eyebrows are very important to frame your eyes, and even if you have thick eyebrows, you should still use an eyebrow pencil to fill in the gaps! (I'm guilty of this, cz my eyebrows are quite dark to begin with!)

The guide Tanabe-san drew to guide us on drawing eyebrows

Using the Browlash EX Water Strong Eyebrow, start from the outer edge of the eyebrow and draw light strokes with the pencil end, slowly working your way to the inner end of your eyebrow. After you have drawn the whole brow, use the liquid end to fill in the gaps.

Mr Tanabe actually went round the room helping us perfect our make-up, and I got help with my eyebrow!

The Browlash EX Water Strong Eyebrow comes in two colours, Natural Brown and Greyish Brown. I as usual used Greyish Brown as it was closer to black, like my brows!

2 colours: Pink - Light Brown; Blue - Bronze

Once you have the perfect brows framing your peepers, it's time to make those eyes sparkle!

The Makemania Data Gradation Tip Shadow is eye shadow for girls on-the-go! Like you're everyday eye liner, this eye shadow comes as a pancil, with the brush as the tip, and the actual shadow cleverly located in the cap! To use, all you have to do is put the cap back on and voila! More shadow to pretty up those eyes!

The gel liners!
Photo credit to Choulyin

Shadow alone wont brighten your eyes enough so eye liner is a must (always has been for me, I dont use shadow so much haha). Using this unique Makemania Data Pencil Gel Eyeliner in Jet Black on the upper lid, make sure you dont wing up on the edge of your eye like most of us do; for the Harajuku look you need to follow your eyelid shape and draw the line downwards for a cute round-eye, slightly droopy effect. Mr Tanabe said I have the perfect shaped eyes for this look, but I'm still not quite sure I'm used to it yet lol.

Not a really good picture, but just wanna show you guys how the eyeliner should be.

For the bottom lid however, you need a softer finish, so use Deep Brown liner and draw about three-quarters, leaving a slight gap between the inner corner of your eye.

Liquid liners: Marker type and hyper thin for accuracy!

Makemania Data also has pencil liner and liquid liner is you prefer these types of eyeliner! All of their eyeliners last for up to 24hours!

To finish up any eye makeup, mascara is the one step you shouldnt ever miss out! Long, curly eyelashes give your eyes that extra flirty something, and for those who arent blessed with naturally thick lashes (I'd love a little extra volume myself), not to worry cz I personally promise Makemania's mascaras are magic!

Thicker Lashes!

Starting with the Browlash Ex Volume Lash Fiber, cover your lashes thoroughly, paying close attention to the roots, as this will create the illusion of thicker, luscious lashes.

The second step is my favourite. Do you hate using eye lash curlers (as I do)? I've had friends who have had "accidents" with curlers where they've chopped off half their lashes, and they're just too bulky to carry around anyway. Browlash Ex Lash Curler Express eliminates all the hassle! When applying, hold the brush mid-swipe in the middle of your lashes (with the lashes pushed up) for about 3 seconds before finishing up.

Ta-da!! I was amazed at how well it worked! Made me an immediate convert to the fanbase.

For extra help with de-clumping, use the last mascara (only use a little bit) to separate your lashes - Browlash Ex Lash Sculpture.

Tanabe-san only did half of the model's face so we could see the difference - what do you think?

And you're done! Harajuku kawaii-ness for that day out with the girls!

Our "after" look!

With Michelle (remember her from Marquee launch..?)

Jo & my "after" look!

The lovely BCL team also brought us chocolates all the way from Japan - they were so creamy and yummy! Omg I love chocolate, and this box is just so adorable!

Arent they cute? Milk Chocolate in my tum-tum!

So tell me, could I pass off as a Harajuku girl? Ok, minus the outfit haha.. Maybe I should try out a new style..? ;p

 

With the expert and his lovely model!

We also got some of the products to try out in a goodie bag at the end of the workshop - I cant wait to do a review, so watch this space! =D

*BCL Malaysia products are available at all SaSa outlets nationwide!
**You can follow them for the latest updates on facebook, twitter and Instagram (#BCLMalaysia)!

Til next time,
Calista xx