2007 Spring

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(Jill Stuart Brilliance Eyes in 04 Gem Amethyst)

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This palette is from Jill Stuart’s spring 2007 makeup collection. When I saw this on the magazine, I just thought I had to get it. First of all, the packaging is ultra-pretty. Secondly, soft lilac and pink are colors that suit me quite well.

It proves to be what I wanted it to be and more. The featherweight powder feels soft on the skin. The colors are not heavily pigmented (which I like), and all of them are infused with shimmer and multi-colored sparkly particles. The effect is stunning. I can go for a barely-there look or I can layer the colors for a little bit more drama, For both looks, the shimmer adds subtle dimension to my eyes.

Overall, for this season, this is one of the best new items for me. Beautifully wearable colors and princessy packaging at their best!

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Related post:

Loving Japanese Brands: Jill Stuart
(my personal take on Jill Stuart)

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When I was very young, our local news sometimes showed clips of fashion shows when it was rolling the end credits. Some featured bizarre and impractical garments and my father always frowned and asked “Who would wear that?”

A bit later, I became aware that there seemed to be two types of fashion shows. One featured pieces we could see in shops, while one showcased luxurious fabrics and elaborate craftsmanship and consolidated the image of a fashion house. The latter one is, of course, haute couture.

Strictly speaking, the term haute couture is protected by law in France and has a legal definition. (See more here, for a legal definition for a couture house and for a list of official couture houses, regulated by Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris.)

I love my technicalities, but I will stop here.

When I saw photos of John Galliano’s work for the latest Christian Dior’s haute couture collection, I was really amazed. The oriental theme continued throughout the collection. There is a vibrant mix of colors, from soft blue, pink, lilac to bold yellow, fuchsia, and turquoise, to deep plum and black, with orange and green in between.

Some of the garments have many kimono elements in them, but it is the other touches that complete the concept: the fans, the bonsai branches, the lanterns, and all the origami details (I saw the exact same origami flowers that I used to make).

The wide tie-up belts and the big volume of the dresses make the models very doll-like. It reminds me of the doll dresses I used to make with some of my own stuff.

I have seen couture collections based on an oriental theme, but this one really stands out for the visual impact. It is undoubtedly flamboyant, but I also think the flamboyance is actually very controlled here, so it is not just about being big and over-the-top. It is at the same time very well-contained so we are also drawn to the wonderful detail and the sheer beauty of shape and balance.

This is by far one of the best couture collections I have seen in quite a long time, and I believe it will remain unbeatable for a while.

Later I’d like to talk about the sheer elegance of Valentino’s couture collection.

Next post: over-hyped cosmetics items.

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(Pictured: my Paul & Joe stash)

Paul & Joe is changing the packaging of its makeup line this season. But it is really hard to notice a difference (without seeing the real items, that is). It seems like it is a different shade of pink, a more reflective finish, and slightly more pronounced floral patterns. But these changes seem so subtle that I wonder if it was worth the hassle.

There are whole new collections for lipsticks and eyeshadows. I am sure the new packaging will expand to other products later. The slightly more interesting items are the two-color facecolors. Some of the colors can be used as blushers, and some highlighters.

Packaging-wise, the limited edition items (almost always three lipsticks and three eyeshadows, featuring original Paul & Joe prints) are not as good as the hummingbird collection from Christmas last year. (Sort of there but not quite…it will take a lot to beat that collection.)

I am going to Fenwick on Bond Street next week. I will still definitely have a look.

Newsflash: I have got the new Jill Stuart eyeshadow palette! It’s so pretty!! I will review it later.

Next post: I will talk about Haute Couture for the first time here. The breathtaking Christian Dior Haute Couture for Spring/Summer 2007 will be my topic.

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(pictured: my Lavshuca stash)

(Read my previous Lavshuca post here.)

First of all, the new Lavshuca site was launched a couple of days ago to include the new collection.

After reading a lot of information about the various new collections, I think Lavshuca wins it for me this season. The slight modification of the packaging (from pale pink to plum) is working for me. Still exquisite and princessy. The vast array of new colors is exciting as well.

I have also decided on what to have:

Jewelry Lips: Amethystia Groom PK-1

I was choosing between this one and Viva Garnetica RS-1, but I was confident that PK-1 wouldn’t be too pink for me.

Gloss Stick: PK-3

I think I can go more pink on the gloss, hence the choice.

Eye Color Select: BU-1 (and maybe PK-1 as well)

I mentioned that I wanted to go for PK-1. But then it was actually off my shopping list for a while. Later I saw some photos of the palettes (not studio shots), and I fell in love with them again and thought BU-1 was also a great choice as well. Now I am not sure whether I will have both. I think I probably will. They are only about 8 pounds each.

Ummm…later I noticed that the BU-1 eye palette and the PK-1 lipstick were exactly what were used on Puffy on the ad shots…was I being subliminally influenced??

I might do *another* post after I get these items!

Next post: Avene Thermal Water.

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Dior Spring 2007 Collection

by PJ on Wednesday, January 24, 2007

in -Dior, 2007 Spring, makeup, makeup - lip color


(pictured: my new Dior Addict Ultra-Nude
and Detective Chic from last fall)


With nearly all the spring collections revealed in my lovely Japanese cosmetics magazines, I have been quite disappointed with most major European brands. Usually I’d like the Dior limited edition product or some new things from Chanel. But for this season, I am not liking the Dior Flight palette or Chanel’s Lumiere d’Artifices (sequin eye palette), and my interest in YSL’s new eye palettes had dwindled even before they were available nationwide.

In the next post, I will review Lavshuca’s new collection, possibly my favourite collection of the season. Today it is about Dior.

First of all, as I said, I am not very excited about the Dior Flight palette. It is inspired by the same-name bag and accessory collection of the house of Dior. But, as you might have already guessed, I am not a huge fan of the Dior Flight bags. I don’t really like the “Remove Before Flight” tag, even though orange is one of my favorite colors for clothing.

I much prefer the Dior Detective collection, and the Dior Detective Chic palette (pictured above) is great.

To be fair, the colors in both of the Dior Flight palettes are good. I do prefer the one with the pink blusher (which is the one with the black eyeshadow). (The other blusher is slightly too peachy for my complexion.) But for something this pricey, I have to like everything about it to want to have it. (It costs the equivalent of 69 USD in the UK, while it costs 55 USD in the US.)

The two 5-color eye palettes are a bit of a hit and miss. While Pink Attitude features soft colors and is very wearable, Myriad is just a bit too blue. Even the Dior SA I was chatting with admitted that the palette would only suit a few people.

The two single-color eyeshadows released in the UK are obviously a teaser for a full newly-packaged collection (which is currently available in the US) Both Pink Candy and Icy White can be tricky colors to wear, especially Pink Candy. (If you don’t wear glittery pink eyeshadows right, you will look like you have irritated eyelids. A sheer, soft and gentle finish is the key!)

But I like the change of the packaging. I think it will be a matter of time before it carries over to the blushers. THEN I will consider buying a Dior blusher.

I think the best aspect of the new collection is the limited edition line of lipsticks “Dior Addict Ultra-Nude“. First of all, love the silvery case with the Dior logo in pale pink. I always like the shape of the Dior Addict lipsticks, but I never like the blue case and the white case of the Dior Addict Pearl Shine collection looks a bit too plasticky. So when I saw the soft slivery cases, I was intrigued.

Also, all the colors are soft and sheer (but not too sheer). There are not full of pearly glitter. Instead, they have an understated gleam. “Exactly what I like,” I thought. I could easily wear Body Pink, Skin Beige, and Undressed Mauve (because of their semi-transparent finish), and I decided to take Undressed Mauve because the soft-purple pink is something I want to try a bit more.

I like the way the color merges into my original lip color. It is indeed a nude look, and in a flattering way. I do have to say that the lipstick is slightly drying, but, with better prepping and maybe a bit of a clear gloss on top, it should be fine.

(I need to mention that the actual color of the lipstick is lighter and more purple. It seems very red due to my yellowish lighting.)

Overall, this collection is not as fascinating as some of Dior’s previous ones. But it is still one of the best among the European brands for this season.

Next Post: Lavshuca’s Spring 2007 Collection

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(Pictured: my Raycious stash)

Raycious updated its website today to feature the latest additions, due out in February.

I love Raycious. It is more or less the only reason why Sofina is one of my favorite brands. (See my post about Sofina here, which is mostly about Raycious.)

This spring, there are three new products. The Glamorous Skin Powder will be the 8th-generation Raycious powder foundation. (The 7th-generation is the one with the three-way mirror. The link just above has a photo of it.) Again, the case looks so lovely and will definitely be added to my collection.

Along with the foundation, there are a primer and a double-tipped highlighting/shading pen.

The Crystal Skin Base is a primer that will impart a sheer luminosity. But it might look greasy on my skin after a couple of hours.

The Face Trick Duo is an interesting product. It has a highlighting cream on one end and a beige/brown contour shading cream on the other. It is for creating defined facial features and contour. Because of its creamy texture (but lighter than the usual creamy concealer), it is used before a powder foundation or after a liquid/cream foundation.

This and the Glamorous Face Powder are what I look forward to trying!

After months of anticipation, Raycious seems to have delivered products that are worth the wait. But I will pass my final judgment when I get my hands on these new products.

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(Pictured: my Ayura stash)

The new Ayura collection includes lipglosses, eye palettes, nail colors, and aromatic face absorbent paper. It is out on January 26th.

I quite like the lipglosses. The ones with three layers seem intriguing, especially the BL one. But the layers will probably merge after several uses.

The whole collection is soft and breezy. There are no garish colors. It might lack the drama that some people look for, but for me these are lovely items that can enhance our natural beauty.

I consistently like Ayura’s seasonal makeup collections. It always has something interesting, like the stunning creamy eyeshadows last autumn.

Ayura doesn’t have the ultra ornate packaging of Anna Sui or the glamorous look of Dior. But it is the epitome of elegance. The packaging is soft and feminine and so are most of the colors in the makeup line. Moderately pigmented and without too much glitter, the understated makeup is for everyday use and for most occasions.

To me, it is a brand I can always count on, and the new makeup collection proves it again.

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(pictured: my Lunasol stash)


I am loving the look of Lunasol’s new collection! It is going toward a very soft look. All the colors look so gentle and wearable. It is about subtle and barely-there makeup.

My top pick is the lip palette, or Skin-Modeling Lips as it is properly called. This limited edition palette has four parts:

creamy-matte color (lip base)
natural color (lip color)
sheer gloss
jewel gloss

I’d like to have the one in EX04. I am a fan of blue-tone (but nearly totally sheer, of course) lipglosses. They make lips look really dewy and create a very natural and watery gleam.

This kit reminds me of another one by Ayura. It features a lip base, a lip liner, a highlight liner (for the two ridges of the upper lip, for extra perkiness), and a lip gloss. It is more of a lip-shaping kit that works in combination with your own lipsticks. I have it in 01 and I really like it.

The eye palettes also feature some soft colors. They are not as striking as what Lunasol had for last autumn (which has proven to be so successful that they top the favorite eye palette lists of Biteki and Frau magazines in Japan as voted by the readers), but they are great basics that look airy, breezy and beautiful. They also remind me of Jill Stuart’s latest eye palettes For example, Lunasol’s 04 looks very similar to Jill Stuart’s 02 Crystal Jade, and they both have the ubiquitous beige-tone palettes. I think, in this case, I’ll stick with Jill Stuart’s 04 Amethyst.

Both the four-color face powder palettes (Tone-Up Powder) look similar to Dior Detective from last autumn. It would be interesting to see how different Lunasol’s take on this will be.

The lip and nail colors will be great for the nude-color look.

As you can see, most of these products do remind me of some others. (Of course it is not unusual. New products are usually existing ones with a twist anyway.) But the texture and the pigmentation will vary (and the packaging, of course!) and I look forward to trying them out.

Apart from those above, you can also see Lunasol’s new foundation items here.

The color makeup items are out on January 19th, and the foundation items are out on February 23rd.

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(pictured: my Anna Sui stash)


Anna Sui is one of my absolute favorites (see this post), and I do like the fact that they have brought the main packaging color scheme back to black.

The first thing about the new collection is the array of new lipglosses. There are 19 of them, in different color palettes (pink, orange, red, and beige) and varying pigmentations. There are also six new lipsticks (in two different finishes, and in pink and beige) and six nail colors.

Also included in the collection is a square black brush holder.

It is a basic collection and it does lack a bit of a wow factor compared with Jill Stuart from yesterday and Lunasol and Ayura which I will touch upon in the next few days. Also it lacks items for eyes or cheeks. Overall it is slightly disappointing.

The collection is out on January 11.

Wednesday: Lunasol’s new collection

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(my Jill Stuart items)
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Happy New Year, everyone!

Jill Stuart has updated its website to feature the upcoming spring 2007 makeup collection. It is a very pink collection with a lilac and aqua-blue edge.

I saw magazine photos of the collection items on MakeupAlley a while ago, and the first things that caught my eye were the eyeshadow palettes. All four palettes look great. I read from Bea’s Up magazine (January 2007) that they are quite pigmented and glittery. Not for everyone, I guess, but I’d certainly like to try them.

I am particularly interested in 04, which is a lilac-toned palette. The case looks extremely cute and I like the longer double-ended applicator, which should be easier to work with than those fiddly ultra-short ones.

The rest of the collection seems great as well. There has been some buzz about the two new shades of Jelly Eye Color. I have never tried Jelly Eye Color, but it seems to be one of Jill Stuart’s best-sellers.

Judging by what I have seen so far, I think this collection is among the best in spring 2007.

The collection will be released in Japan on January 19th.

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