I have tried a couple of eyeshadow palettes from Integrate (Rainbow Grade Eyes in BE303 and Pure Big Eyes in VI221), and today I will be focusing on the line’s Milky Flower Cheeks in 1 Flower Pink.
(Milky Flower Cheeks in 1 Flower Pink & 2 Flower Red)
(image from www.shiseido.co.jp)
Shiseido Integrate Milky Flower Cheeks in 1 Flower Pink (資生堂 インテグレート ミルキーフラワーチークス 1 フラワーピンク/ 資生堂 絕色魅癮 璀璨花彩六色腮紅 1 桃粉色, ¥1500) was released as part of the line’s holiday 2013 makeup collection. The collection featured two variations (1 Flower Pink & 2 Flower Red). They are not limited editions and are still available. (3 Blood Cherry was released for holiday 2014 as a limited edition and is probably not available anymore.)
1 Flower Pink features (from left to right) cool-toned cherry pink, cool-toned light-to-medium pink, off-white pink, off-white peach, light-to-medium apricot peach and peachy orange. The two shades at the ends are moderately-to-well pigmented with a velvety matte finish, the two light-to-medium shades next to them are lightly-to-moderately pigmented and subtly shimmery, and the lightest shades in the middle are lightly pigmented and moderately shimmery. The shimmery particles are multi-hued but they look predominantly silver-toned under natural light.
Even though the two shades at the ends are quite pigmented, they are easy to apply and blend and it is fairly easy to control the color intensity. All the shades have a soft texture and a decently good staying power.
As shown below, Shiseido suggests two ways to apply Milky Flower Cheeks. The first one is to blend and apply the colors all at once. The second one is to use finger tips to blend shades A, B and C and apply them as the main blusher shades and then use the brush applicator to blend C, D, E and F and apply them around where A, B and C are applied.
(image from www.shiseido.co.jp)
I haven’t tried the first look because I don’t usually like mixing a lot of colors at once. I have tried using A and B only as well as E and F only. The A+B look creates a pop of pink on the cheeks, while the E+F look is considerably subtler and doesn’t look overly peachy or orange-y. (I generally avoid using C and D as they can look slightly too shimmery on the cheeks for my liking.)
I was skeptical about the second look since I wasn’t sure how well the shades would gradate. Then, when I tried it, I was pleasantly surprised. The look works not only because E and F, as mentioned above, look subtler on the cheeks than A and B but also because the warm beige tones of the peachy shades soften the edges of the pinks. The overall gradation is natural and seamless. (For this look, I also tend to avoid C and D, and I use a blusher brush instead of my finger tips to apply A and B.)
The general idea of Milky Flower Cheeks is that the shades on the left are the main blusher shades while the shades on the right are supporting shades. (You can see that, in all the three variations of the product released so far, the shades on the right are more skin-tonal than those on the left.) Overall, 1 Flower Pink works well for me. The look is fresh and natural.
If you are trying to decide between 1 Flower Pink and 2 Flower Red, consider basing your decision on the shades on the left. If you have any of the three variations but haven’t tried the second look suggested by Shiseido, do give it a go!
Related posts:
Integrate Fall 2015 Makeup Collection
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