When I saw some of the initial images of Kanebo Kate‘s Vintage Mode Eyes range, the blue shade in BU-1 caught my attention. As I didn’t really have eyeshadow shades similar to it, I decided to try this palette.
Kanebo Kate Vintage Mode Eyes in BU-1 (カネボウ ケイト ヴィンテージモードアイズ BU-1/ 佳麗寶 凱婷 懷舊摩登眼影盒 BU-1, ¥1200) was released in Japan in fall 2018 (when the Vintage Mode Eyes range was launched with five variations). (Two additional variations were released for the holiday 2019 season.) The four shades in this palette are:
- cream white, lightly pigmented, softly shimmery
- light cool-toned beige gold, moderately pigmented, with high-toned pearly shimmer
- medium-to-dark teal blue, moderately pigmented, with pearly shimmer
- dark brown with a subtle olive tone, intensely pigmented, satiny with a hint of shimmer
All the four shades in this palette have multi-hued light-reflective particles. They are all very easy to apply and blend, and they all have a very good staying power. (The staying power of the two darker shades is particularly impressive.)
The video below shows one recommended application method (which is also printed on the back of the outer box of the product). (Kate’s official Japanese website shows two more.)
(video from Kate’s official Japanese website
via Kanebo’s official YouTube channel)
The cream white is relatively shimmery as a base shade, but I do like the softly shimmery finish. (It is not too shimmery or too sparkly for me.) The pearly shimmer of the light beige gold also appeals to me. It doesn’t look frosty or metallic, and it adds dimension to the eyes. Even though I like the tone of the shade (which is not too cool-toned for me), I do wish the shade were slightly darker (so that it could create more depth).
The teal blue is easy to layer to create an intense and color-saturated look. I have also tried a relatively light-handed application, and it creates a translucent deep-sea aquatic look without losing the color definition. I find the translucency of the look quite beautiful. (The blended edge of the color over the light beige gold can look very slightly greenish, but on the whole the blue tone of the shade stays well over time.)
The dark brown works very effectively as an eyelining shade. It is creamy and well-pigmented, and therefore it is very easy to apply and layer. I also like the subtle olive tone of the shade, which adds an interesting nuance to the whole look.
The general concept of the Vintage Mode Eyes range (which reflects one of the current trends in Japanese makeup) is to use muted and nuanced off-colors to create low-key looks. In Japan, these kinds of colors are often referred to as “くすんだ色”. It literally means “dull colors”, and it essentially means subdued and low-key colors with more nuanced, murkier and often darker tones (in contrast to the typical and somewhat more straightforward “PK”, “OR”, “RD”, “GN/GR”, “BU/BL” and “PU” shades in Japanese makeup).
(In Japan, some of the recent releases of blushers and lip colors are also reflecting this trend. See Canmake’s eyeshadow and blusher releases for fall 2019 and spring 2020 for more examples.)
While I do enjoy bright clear-cut colors, I personally like this trend. It creates more diversity and more interesting tonal differences in various colors, and I think the Vintage Mode Eyes range is a successful interpretation of the trend.
Overall I do like BU-1. All the shades are very easy to work with and they last very well on me. The shades and their varied finishes create a coherent and dimensional look, and I particularly like the teal blue, which is more versatile than how I expected it to be.
Related posts:
Kate Spring 2020 Makeup Collection
{ 0 comments… add one now }