Along with Sailor Moon, I’m also a huge fan of the Japanese shōjo manga series, Cardcaptor Sakura. I was first introduced to the series via the English dub anime that once aired on the WB Kids animation block back in the late 90’s and got into the manga very soon after. For those of you who may either be to young to know about this series or may have just never heard about it, the story follows an elementary school student who accidentally sets the magical Clow Cards loose into the world and she must use magic to retrieve the cards to prevent catastrophe.

The show was quite popular back then, releasing 3 seasons, 2 movies, 3 specials and 12 volumes of manga from 1998 to 2000, though for some reason Sakura isn’t as well known a magical girl icon like Serena/Usagi from Sailor Moon today, at least not in the US. Even so the series remains on my top ten favorite anime list which is why I pounced once I heard about the limited edition Cardcaptor Sakura make up collection by Perfect Diary.

Disclaimer: This is not a sponsored post. 

Note: The Clow Book and manga volume are not included in this set.

Perfect Diary is a Chinese cosmetics brand that started back in 2017 and has been making its mark in the beauty market ever since. With unique themes such as eye shadow palettes inspired by animal eyes as well as their Sanrio collaboration which included Gudetama & Pompompurin loose powders, its no surprise that they have now turned to another pop culture related collection with this Cardcaptor Sakura Charm Set. The overall aesthetic matches the designs from the new series arc that started back in 2016 (a full 16 years after the end of the original series! – we anime fans are a devoted bunch) complete with eye and face palette, lip tints, and compact powder.

One of the complaints I have seen in regards to this collection is the “non-exciting” color story as it lends itself for a more natural look.  I actually don’t view this as much of a negative because this is an all-in-one set that is very beginner-friendly which is great for someone like me who is only starting to get into the realm of make up and cosmetics. Though I should point out that I was worried that the collection wouldn’t work well with my skin tone given the fact that this is an Asian beauty brand, yet my worries were unfounded as it turns out that the eyeshadows did show against my skin and I didn’t have to apply them heavily for the colors to show.

The same goes for the blush however, the highlight was the only part that didn’t seem to really “take,” though I attribute this to me just not applying it properly. (What can I say? I’m still learning.) Besides the palette, my favorite item from this set is definitely the lip cream which is  about the same shade of my lips but with hint of coral. There are three different lip creams to chose from in this collection and I got the CCS 009 shade once I read that it is meant to have a blotted lip finish. It is lightly moisturizing and has a pretty strong hold (it managed to survive my face mask without smudging too much!) so I will be reaching for this shade a lot.

For full details on the specific eye shadow shades and other products  I used for this make up look, check out the post on my IG feed.

Admittedly, this set, when used together, gives me a much softer look than I usually go for but I loved playing with the glitter. Maybe even a little too much considering I used both the Sakura Blossom (rose gold/pink) and Shooting Star (purple) glitter shades on my inner eye (tear duct) and lid. But hey, I think it’s pretty appropriate for New Year’s Eve so I may just replicate this again for the occasion.

I also added the clip on attachments from my crescent moon Bambooyah earrings so that I could wear the charm earrings that were included with the gift set. They are super cute and pretty lightweight, though given their length, I may just have to wear them whenever I style my hair in an updo so that the celestial motifs can actually be appreciated better.

That said, should you wish to purchase just the make up, you can shop for each of these pieces individually without the gift box and earrings, but the cost would actually be higher so be aware. (Perfect Diary is very affordable considering the their amazing packaging, and there are always discounts as well as small gifts applied to your order provided you hit a specific price point, so in the end you get a lot for your buck here. For example, I got two collector single eyeshadows, a huge Perfect Diary brand make up bag and free shipping with my order.)

Overall, I’m very satisfied with this collection and I’m hoping that there is a follow up planned with more color options, maybe even character based as I would love to see at least a palette based off of Sakura’s best friend and personal fashion designer, Tomoyo.

Whether you’re a fan of Cardcaptor Sakura or not, this is a set you may want to add to your make up collection if only to have some fun layering pops of glitter over a natural look. It does take a while to arrive after the order is processed online, but its well worth the wait in the end.

Are you a fan of  pop culture/fandom related make up sets? Would you like to see more make up related content on the blog next year?