When homegrown cosmetics brand Happy Skin asked who fans wanted to see them collaborate with after their successful Disney partnership, there was a resounding answer: Sanrio.
Rissa Mananquil-Trillo, Happy Skin cofounder, said, “Early this year, we had a team trip to Hong Kong and we made it part of our agenda to visit the office of Sanrio in Hong Kong to lay the groundwork for this.”
She added, “It was an honor to meet Mrs. Yuko Tsuji last March at the Sanrio Licensing presentation—the wife of the late Mr. Kunihiko Tsuji who had the vision to take Sanrio outside Japan.”
The partnership has led to the Happy Skin X Sanrio Characters holiday collection, a 23-piece set that is Happy Skin’s biggest yet, that was launched last week. “We wanted to launch it early so people can start Christmas shopping.”
My Melody, Little Twin Stars and Hello Kitty are featured in the collection. “We really studied their personalities. Even their names… For example, there’s a product called Red Apples because Hello Kitty is five apples tall and three apples heavy. The traits they have, we matched it to the colors in the collection,” said Rissa.
The collection is kawaii overload—you will want to find everything in your Christmas stocking.
The many fans of Happy Skin’s lipsticks would be pleased to know that they have a number to choose from in the three formulas: moisturizing, moisturizing matte or liquid matte lippie. The Happy Skin X Sanrio Characters Shut Up & Kiss Me Moisturizing Lippie in Hello, Hello Kitty is a delicious apple pie shade, Best of Friends is a blushing rose, Flower Power is a brick red, Berry Good is a deep berry. The collection’s Shut Up & Kiss Me Liquid Matte Lippie shades include Kitty Cat (a cool red matte), Twinkle Twinkle (nude honey) and Star Wand (deep blush).
The brand also introduces new face products in the collection including the Get Cheeky With Me All-Day Hydrating Blush, which comes in a compact and with a moon brush. It’s available in two shades: Hello Kitty (peach powder blush) and My Melody (wine red). The formula contains Japanese cherry blossom extract for hydration and neem leaf to prevent breakouts.
Rissa is especially excited about the Happy Skin X Sanrio Characters Make A Clean Sweep Micellar Makeup Wipes. “I was extra active in developing this. Syempre sa fashion show and photo shoots, I need makeup wipes. The ones you find here are so thin that you need like five sheets to take off a full makeup face. But these are soaked in micellar water and the surface is textured so it really sweeps away liquid lipsticks. One sheet is all of you need.” Each pack comes with 25 wipes that soothes and refreshes with aloe vera and chamomile.
There are also new shades of Happy Skin’s Express Gel 10-free and gel-like nail polish: Red Apples (red), Purr-fect (deep violet), Peaches & Cream (peach), Curious Kiki (light blue), Lala Love (baby pink).
Air Touch Sponges—makeup applicators and blenders—and charcoal blotting sheets are also part of the collection.
The products are available individually but many of them can also be bought in gift sets that come in pretty packages—perfect for your Hello Kitty-loving friends. “We’re very thoughtful when we created our sets. When you take out the tray, it’s so pretty inside and you can use it for trinkets or on your office desk. We really wanted it to be reusable especially if you’re a die-hard Sanrio collector,” Rissa said.
The Happy Skin team enjoyed planning the collection launch at SM Aura. “We wanted to recreate the dream bedroom of every Filipino (woman) with Hello Kitty, My Melody and Little Twin Stars (themes). ”
Guests at the launch spent the afternoon soaking up everything Sanrio—from the sweet, sweet desserts with Hello Kitty bows to an actual visit from Hello Kitty, thanks to Gift Gate queen Virgie Ramos, who was the first to bring Sanrio to the Philippines in the ’80s.
“Sanrio has some of the most passionate fans, so we really wanted to do right by these iconic and best-loved characters,” cofounder Jacqe Yuengtian Gutierrez.
The Happy Skin X Sanrio Characters collection is now available at Happy Skin stores and counters.
Happy Skin stores are located at U/G Alabang Town Center, 2/F Glorietta 3, 2/F Greenbelt 5, 2/F Power Plant Mall, 2/L SM Aura Premier, G/F SM Mall of Asia, G/F Robinsons Place Manila, 2/F Mega Fashion Hall, 2/F Robinsons Magnolia, G/F UP Town Center, G/F Trinoma, U/G SM North EDSA, G/F SM City Clark, G/F SM City Pampanga, and U/G SM City Cebu. Visit happyskincosmetics.com.