Glowing Skin with Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder

I’ve read a lot about Koh Gen Do cosmetics on beauty blogs but haven’t the opportunity to see what they have to offer as they aren’t available in Australia. They’re available on international webstores like Barneys but with the high shipping fees or having to use parcel forwarding service to buy from Sephora, etc … gah, it’s too much work just to buy one item to try.

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder

So when I saw Koh Gen Do makeup in Japan, I was eager to have a play with the makeup to see what it’s like. They don’t have a wide variety of colours to play with as they’re more popular for their base makeup anyway. After swatching and reswatching, I only ended up buying one item, which is the Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder. In hindsight, I should have purchased a foundation as well. Silly me only read the rave reviews about their foundation AFTER I was back from the holiday. Grrrr. *facepalm*

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder

Description:
The soft, refined pearls diffuse light to cover pores and balance skin surfaces for a natural, luminescent glow. This micro-fine silk powder can be worn by itself for a nice soft glow or as a finishing powder to set your foundation. Contains natural moisture-retaining hyaluronic acid, making it an ideal powder for those with dry skin.

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder Description

Anyway, back to the natural highlighting powder. I had a bit of a play with it in store and was quite intrigued. The powder is incredibly fine-milled. It’s basically loose powder with shimmer. This comes in only one shade.

I didn’t think I’d like it. I’m not a fan of shimmery loose powder because most of the ones I’ve tested in stores are far too shimmery for my liking (this includes the La Mer loose powder). So when I bought this, I have to say I was still a bit apprehensive in using it for fear of looking like a shining disco ball.

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder

I’m glad to report that it doesn’t make one look like a shining disco ball. In fact, the finish is subtle yet enough to give the face a beautiful glow. It reminds me very much of the finish you get from Guerlain’s Meteorites. It’s less powdery than the Meteorites, of course, since the brush does pick up a lot more product than the Meteorites unless you tap the hell out of your brush.

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder

Speaking of which, the jar comes with a powder puff. It’s a very soft one; none of that cheap, scratchy puffs you get out of $2 stores :P. However, I prefer not to use the puff on my face because it does pick up a lot more powder than you actually need on your face. It’s a waste of product plus if you’re not careful, you’ll end up with a very white and shiny face (unless that’s your thing. Hey again, no judgement :P). I prefer to use a large fluffy brush to apply on my skin.

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder Swatch

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder Swatch

Even though the description says it’s ideal for dry skin, I’m inclined to disagree. I swatched this on the undersides of my arm and the back of my palm. These areas are unfortunately rather dry and have more lines than my face. I find that the powder sinks into the fine lines and accentuates them rather than just provide a silky flawless finish to the skin. For oily/combination skin, yes this would definitely work but for dry skin, I honestly don’t think so.

Is this something you need in your makeup repertoire? If you already have the Guerlain Meteorites (*cough* reminder to self that I have 3 *cough*), then no, you don’t need it. If you don’t, it might be something you might like to consider this or something similar as it does make your skin wake up and say howdy. The 12g jar is going to last me yonks. Does that mean I don’t need to buy another similar product or the Meteorites?

… *sound of crickets* …

Koh Gen Do Maifanshi Natural Highlighting Powder retails at ¥2940 (approximately US$33). It’s available on the Koh Gen Do website (does not ship internationally), Sephora (use parcel forwarding service for this) and Barneys (ships internationally). It retails at US$42 in the USA.

What I like about it: Fine-milled powder gives a subtle, yet beautiful glow to the skin

What I don’t like about it: Not easily available

Have you tried anything by Koh Gen Do before? What would you recommend?

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20 comments… add one
  1. Jess @ Miss J. Shopaholic

    LOL *sound of crickets*
    Jess @ Miss J. Shopaholic recently posted..November & December 2012 Beauty Favourites!My Profile

    1. Tine

      In other words, OF COURSE I’m going to get more balls 😉

  2. Madam M

    I’ve been dying to try some of their skincare but like you pointed out it so hard (translation= I’m too lazy) to get a hold of.
    I havent really looked to much into their makeup component but this seems pretty interesting.
    Madam M recently posted..PROJECT 100 PAN – VOLUME 4My Profile

    1. Tine

      I didn’t know they were popular for their skincare; I only knew of the makeup. Specifically the foundation. They actually sell small deluxe sample packs of their bestsellers for you to try without needing to buy the full-sized products. Pretty cool eh? And guess which idiot skipped all of those and only got this?

      >.<

  3. Kaye

    Hahaha, crickets! You’re just too funny 🙂
    Kaye recently posted..How To Create A Blog Header (Like I Did) – Part TwoMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hee hee I don’t do videos so I thought I might leave the crickets to your imagination? 😛 😛 😛

  4. Angela @ The Unprofessional Beauty Blog

    I think I take advantage of the fact that this is available in the U.S. LOL I’ve been hearing some really good things about this brand but never tried anything.
    Angela @ The Unprofessional Beauty Blog recently posted..Drew Barrymore Flower Beauty Balm BB Cream Review & Swatches: Not Just Another Glorified Tinted MoisturizerMy Profile

    1. Tine

      Hahaha lucky you! Do check them out when you’re in Sephora. Who knows, you might end up discovering something good 😉

  5. Sarah

    Thanks for bringing this brand to my attention, I hadn’t heard of them! 🙂 I’m gonna keep an eye out when I’m travelling 🙂
    Sarah recently posted..What I’m reading: The Japanese Skincare RevolutionMy Profile

    1. Tine

      My pleasure Sarah. If you do see it, could I trouble you to help me get something? 😛

  6. Sarah

    Sure! As long as I know what it is and it fits in my luggage lol! 😉 Feel free to email me at abeautifulstory AT hotmail.com and we can discuss further. 🙂

    1. Tine

      Haha will do! When are you travelling and where to? 😛

      1. Sarah

        Hi Tine I’m going to NYC, then Tokyo and making my way over to Kyoto. Going for a few weeks across September – October. 😀 I can’t wait! (The NYC bit is to visit family so I figured I may as well just do all the travel in one hit as I have a lot of leave up my sleeve. Gotta start saving like mad!)
        Sarah recently posted..Urban Rituelle&#8217;s Turkish Rose &#038; Vanilla hand creme is a delight!My Profile

        1. Tine

          OMG Sarah that is freaking awesome! Best places to visit indeed. Can’t wait to see your pictures and read of your adventures! 😀

          1. Sarah

            Thanks; I am excited! 🙂 I will be sure to blog about it, don’t you worry! 😉
            Sarah recently posted..VANI-T. Beautiful on your face & in your makeup bag!My Profile

  7. Issa

    I have heard about this brand but haven’t tried it… looks interesting…

    1. Tine

      This is quite a good product. Which makes me wonder why didn’t I get more from the brand to try out >.<

  8. SaraJ

    I’ve heard quite a bit of positive feedback about the powder.

    I’m actually really surprised very few companies have decided to import it. Sure it would sell really well and I’d love to try it…

    Sure there are more complicated reasons why it’s not widely available though!
    SaraJ recently posted..Top 10 Essential Make Up TipsMy Profile

    1. Tine

      I know, right? I hope they bring it to Australia. It will definitely sell well 🙂

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