all about Japanese cosmetics

Beauté de Kosé Fall/Winter 2009 Base Makeup Collection

by PJ on Saturday, September 12, 2009

in -Kosé, 2009 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - base makeup

(image/info from www.nikkei.co.jp
& www3.kose.co.jp/bko)

Beauté de Kosé‘s base makeup range, Ultimation, has released its fall/winter items in Japan on September 1st.

The new items include:

– True Satin Perfect Liquid Foundation (6 shades, SPF 12 & PA++)
– Makeup Base N (1 shade)
– Loose Powder N (1 shade)
– Tone Up Liquid (highlighter for eye area, 1 new shade)

The new True Satin Perfect Liquid Foundation features Silk Filter Powder with enhanced moisturizing efficacy.

Foundation Face-Off: Dior vs. Esprique Precious

RMK Powder Foundation EX

Anna Sui Fall 2009 Point & Base Makeup Collection

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Coffret D’Or Holiday 2009 Collection

by PJ on Saturday, September 12, 2009

in -Coffret d'Or, -Kanebo, 2009 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)

Coffret D’Or will release its holiday 2009 collection in Japan on November 16th. The “LuxuLight Collection” palette features two variations. The Sweet Luxu palette features warmer shades such as pinks and warm neutrals for the eyes, while Cool Luxu includes blue-toned shades.

Both palettes have three eyeshadows, three lip colors and one lip gloss.

Makeup Review: RMK Ingenious Powder Cheeks

by PJ on Tuesday, August 11, 2009

in -RMK, 2009 Summer, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - blusher

In May, RMK revamped its eyeshadow and blusher singles. Today, I am reviewing two shades from the new Ingenious Powder Cheeks. (Next week, I will be reviewing three of the new Ingenious Powder Eyes.)

One feature of the new eyeshadows and blushers is that the shade name indicates the finish. With Ingenious Powder Cheeks, MT stands for “matte” while P stands for “pearlescent”. Also, according to RMK’s website, within the blusher’s P shades, there are Shiny types and Holographic types.

MT-02 Light Pink and P-07 Holographic Pink look quite similar in the cases, but they have considerably different finishes when worn.

(RMK Ingenious Powder Cheeks
in MT-02 Light Pink)

(RMK Ingenious Powder Cheeks
in P-07 Holographic Pink)

MT-02 Light Pink is the second lightest shade among the eight MT(matte) shades. It is a light medium-to-cool pink with a softly matte finish. P-07 Holographic Pink is slightly darker and warmer, but the main difference is that it has a pronounced (but not over-the-top) gold-toned iridescence. Both shades are moderately pigmented, and the powder is very fine and goes on smoothly. Both blend very easily and have a decent staying power.

I personally prefer Light Pink to Holographic Pink. I tend to prefer matte and semi-matte blushers that are slightly on the cool side, and Light Pink has the finish and color that appeal to me. The look it creates is soft and sweet without being too girlie.

Color-wise, compared with two of my favorite blushers, it is cooler than Chanel’s Irréelle Blush in Tea Rose and lighter than Lavshuca’s Cheek Color in PK-01. I think this should be a relatively natural, easy-to-wear and mistake-proof shade for most people with fair, light and light-to-medium complexions.

In comparison, Holographic goes on quite glowy on me and suits my oily skin less. But when I swatched it on my arm (which is obviously a lot less oily), I do think the finish is quite flattering and will suit those with dry skin who want a luminous finish on the cheeks.

Overall, the Ingenious Powder Cheeks range is worth looking into if you like the delicate and natural finish that Japanese blushers tend to create. If you think the two shades I have reviewed here are too light or too cool for you, there are quite a few darker and warmer shades available.

The new blusher lineup also includes Ingenious Jelly Cheeks, which features six shades with a soft cream-to-powder texture.

A Touch of Blusher Talks…blushers!

Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in 01 Baby Blush

Albion Eprise Water Face Color in 100

Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in Mauve

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Coffret D’Or Color Mixing Eyes in Lavender Purple Mix

by PJ on Friday, August 7, 2009

in -Coffret d'Or, -Kanebo, 2009 Summer, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - eyeshadow, stash focus

The Color Mixing Eyes series is part of Kanebo Coffret D’Or‘s summer 2009 collection. Today I am sharing my thoughts on 04 Lavender Purple Mix.

The four colors in this palette are:

Bottom left: sheer off-white with soft shimmer
Top left: moderately pigmented light cool lavender with a mildly sparkly finish
Top right: moderately pigmented light-to-medium purple with soft shimmer
Bottom right: pigmented dark plum-purple

All shades have multi-colored shimmer. They go on easily and have a decent staying power.

The interesting thing about Color Mixing Eyes is that the top two shades are designed to be mixed together for the eyelids, and the two shades in this palette do work well together. With two slightly different finishes (the cool lavender on the left is more sparkly), the two shades together are able to create a dimensional look and the overall color is a soft cool purple.

(According to the eye chart on the back of the outer packaging, the cool lavender is also used along the inner 1/3 of the lower lashline.)

Compared with the previous series of Coffret D’Or’s eyeshadow palettes, Color Mixing Eyes is sheerer than Trance Deep Eyes (fall 2008) and 3D Lighting Eyes (spring 2008, marginally the most pigmented among the four series) and is more or less as sheer as Shine Accent Eyes (spring 2009). Among the four, Trance Deep Eyes is still the most shimmery/sparkly.

The look that this palette creates is fresh, cool, and summery, mainly due to the cool-toned lavender. For me, the color from mixing the two purples is a little too cool for my liking. I have tried using the purple on the right on its own on my lids, and I think this look suits my slightly warm-toned complexion better.

Overall, this is a satisfying palette and I should be going back to it quite often. If you would like a light and cool look for the eyes for summer (instead of the warm bronze look), this palette will be a very good choice. Also, if the purples you usually go for are medium-to-cool ones, then this palette would also be quite ideal.

Coffret D’Or Fall 2009 Point Makeup Collection

Coffret D’Or Fall 2009 Base Makeup Collection

Coffret D’Or Makeup Powder

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Anna Sui Fall 2009 Website Update

by PJ on Friday, August 7, 2009

in -Anna Sui, 2009 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(images from www.annasui-cosmetics.com)

Anna Sui has updated its official website to feature the fall 2009 point and base makeup collection. Have a look at the site to see larger photos of the new items than those I posted earlier.

The ad campaign features British model Agyness Deyn.

The update also includes limited-edition wall paper, screen saver and blog parts.

Agyness Deyn for Shiseido Maquillage

Anna Sui Makeup Color Collection D

My Latest Anna Sui Foundation Case

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Newsflash: Pola & Lunasol Fall 2009

by PJ on Friday, July 31, 2009

in -Kanebo, -Lunasol, -Pola, 2009 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, skincare

(image/info from www.nikkei.co.jp)

– On October 3rd, Japanese beauty brand Pola will be releasing a limited-edition item, B.A The Cream Edo Kiriko, to commemorate the brand’s 80th anniversary. (Edo Kiriko is a form of traditional Japanese glass craft.) The 30ml cream will retail for 207,900 JPY (about 2,196 USD). (B.A is Pola’s most top-end line, with a face wash (Wash B.A Extra) retailing for 12,600 JPY (about 133 USD).)

– If you are interested in swatches of the Star Shower Eyes palettes and Star Dust on Eyes from Lunasol’s fall 2009 collection, please take a look at this post on Taiwanese blogger Tingjp’s blog.

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Japanese Cosmetics Focus: Sofina Hada.ka

by PJ on Friday, July 31, 2009

in _Japanese Brand Profile, -Kao, -Sofina, all about Japanese cosmetics, skincare

(image from www.sofina.co.jp/hada-ka)

After I posted about Sofina’s Beauté skincare line, one of my readers, Ming, requested that I write about Hada.ka, one of Sofina’s other skincare lines. Here is a brief overview of the line.

Hada.ka was launched a few years ago and is available at Sofina counters in Japan and Hong Kong. The line is targeted at consumers in their twenties with unstable skin conditions due to various factors such as lack of sleep and stress. The key product of the line is Deep Boost, which is used after the cleanser and before the toner. It is supposed to facilitate the absorption of the toner and whichever is applied afterwards and to help the skin stay optionally hydrated.

(Some other Japanese skincare brands/lines also feature products that are used before a toner. (I call them pre-toners.) Most are for deep hydration and some (infused with ingredients such as AHA or BHA and used with cotton pads) are wipe-off exfoliators.)

Here is the current lineup of Hada.ka (with notes on whether a product is for morning/night/both):

– Makeup remover:
Skin Reset Oil Cleansing (night)

– Face wash
Skin Reset Washing Foam (morning/night)

– Massage serum
Refining Massage (night)

– Skin softener/texturizer (used before toner)
Deep Boost (morning/night)

– Toner
Aqua Charge Lotion (morning/night)

– Moisture serum
Night Moist Solution (night)

– Emulsion
Deep Moisturizer (night)

– Emulsion/sunscreen
UV Protect Moisturizer (morning)

(Aqua Charge Lotion and Deep Moisturizer are available in two versions for different skin types. Also, UV Protect Moisturizer is available in two versions, one with SPF 24 PA+++ and one with SPF 50 PA+++.)

Prices of Hada.ka’s items are similar to those of Sofina’s other skincare lines. For instance, Deep Boost (180ml) retails for 2835 JPY (about 30 USD).

I have not tried items from Hada.ka yet. If you have, do please let me know your thoughts on them. Thank you very much!

From My Treasure Chest – Sofina Aube Rouge Dressious

Sofina Aube Couture Fall 2009 Collection

Sofina Primavista Powder Foundation Moist Touch

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SUQQU Fall 2009 Website Update

by PJ on Monday, July 27, 2009

in -SUQQU, 2009 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(images from www.suqqu.com/japan.html)

The SUQQU Japanese website has been updated to feature the fall 2009 collection. Do have a look if you are interested in the full lineup. (SUQQU’s English website hasn’t been updated with the information on the collection.)

Overall this is a very sophisticated neutral-toned collection with a lot of wearable items. I personally like the fact that many of the neutral shades are softly warm neutrals which would suit my complexion a little more. (Cool neutrals can look a little ashy and greyish on me.)

Among the three new Blend Eyeshadow palettes, I like the look of EX-03 and EX-05. (EX-04 might be very slightly too cool-toned for me.) Both seem to have a couple of shades with a subtle gold undertone. I am also interested in the Polish Face Color (top left in the second photo). I am looking forward to seeing these three items in person.

(A reminder: SUQQU’s fall 2009 collection will be launched in Japan on August 7th and all the items in the collection are limited editions.)

Many thanks to Betsy at Autumn Masquerade for telling me about SUQQU’s website update. You can read about her thoughts on the collection here.

Anna Sui Fall 2009 Point & Base Makeup Collecion

by PJ on Friday, July 24, 2009

in -Anna Sui, 2009 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - base makeup

(images/info from www.joseishi.net/voce)

Anna Sui will release its fall 2009 makeup collection in Japan on August 20th. The items include:

– Eye Color Accent B (above, 3 shades)

– Lipstick B (3 shades)

– Nail Color N (5 shades)

All the items above are limited editions.

On the same day, new base makeup items will be launched. They include:

– Moisture Rich Fluid Foundation (6 shades)

– Moisture Rich Powder Foundation (5 shades)

– Moisture Rich Foundation Primer

A limited-edition Moisture Rich Foundation Kit will be available as well. It consists of the new primer (full-sized), (presumably) either the fluid or the powder foundation (full-sized) and an original pouch. Th kit retails for 7350 JPY, which means customers receive the pouch for free when purchasing the primer (3150 JPY) and either of the foundations (both 4200 JPY).

Anna Sui Summer 2009 Hair & Body Collection

Anna Sui Spring 2009 Collection

Anna Sui’s Sui Lip Gloss in 100

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Lunasol Fall 2009 Website Update

by PJ on Thursday, July 23, 2009

in -Kanebo, -Lunasol, 2009 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - base makeup

(images/info from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol)

Lunasol has updated its website to feature its fall 2009 collection. Have a look at all the items, including the new Star Shower Eyes palettes.

The collection will be available in Japan from August 21st.

Also, on August 28th, the limited-edition 2009 Base Makeup Kit will be released.

The kit (8925 JPY) includes:

– Water Cream Foundation (full-sized)
– Creamy Makeup Base (full-sized)
– Morning Wakening Massage (10g)
– Night Refining Cream (10g)
– Lotion II (21ml)
– Emulsion II (21ml)
– Lunasol Original Pouch

(Customers can choose to purchase a full-sized refill of the Skin Fusing Powder Foundation instead of Water Cream Foundation. In this case, the kit retails for 7875 JPY.)

Lunasol 2008 Base Makeup Kit

Lunasol Skin Fusing Powder Foundation

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