The Kanebo website has posted images of Lavshuca’s spring 2009 items. The various Grade Color Eyes palettes are what I am particularly interested in.
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Makeup, Skincare, Fragrance and a Bit of Fashion
The Kanebo website has posted images of Lavshuca’s spring 2009 items. The various Grade Color Eyes palettes are what I am particularly interested in.
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(image and info from www.nikkei.co.jp)
– Lasting Power Pact UV (7 shades, SPF 22, PA++)
– Lasting Power Soft Gel Foundation UV (7 shades, SPF 23, PA++)
– Lasting Power Veil UV (primer)
– Magical Flat (pore-smoothing concealer)
– One-Touch Gloss Powder (loose powder with a brush applicator)
The collection will be out in Japan on March 1st, 2009.
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Coffret D’Or Spring 2009 Point Makeup Collection
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(image from www.annasui-cosmetics.com)
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Maquillage‘s Forming Shiny Eyes was part of the line’s fall 2008 collection, which radiates an international flavor. (The collection was created in collaboration with fashion designer Christopher Kane and the ad campaign featured model Agyness Deyn.) Among the five variations, I liked the combination of purple and gold in #52 (which happened to combine two major makeup trends in fall 2008) and I received this as a birthday gift last year from a dear friend.
The product comes in a two-tier pot with a storage slot for the sponge applicator at the bottom.

The top tier has the cream base and the bottom tier has the gold and purple.
The cream base is very easy to apply with a finger. It leaves a nice veil of off-white shimmer that softly glistens (rather than glitters), and it actually looks quite pretty on its own. It can be applied from the lashline and taken all the way under the brow bone.
The gold imparts a beautiful shimmer, which doesn’t look too frosty or sparkly. (There are also some fine multi-colored particles to help the shimmer look more vibrant and dimensional.) The flattering yellow-toned gold doesn’t look too white-ish or bronzy.
The purple is a well-pigmented muted medium-to-dark shade that has less shimmer than the gold. Used as a lining shade (which is more or less what the application instructions on the packaging suggest), it frames the eyes very well.
Once, I thought I’d bring it further from my lashline, but it didn’t work well mainly because it didn’t seem to be blendable enough. Unlike the gold, which is very soft and easy to blend, the purple seems to be purposefully made to have less movement and to set more quickly. My suggestion is to only wear it close to the lashline or as a lining shade. (It does hold very well overtime.) Since the shade is less intense than most eyeliner colors, it adds a nice definition to the eyes without making the look too dramatic.
The image below shows the look that this item can create. Again, the purple is worn quite close to the lashline to define the eye contour.
Overall, I like this trio very much. (I almost slightly prefer it to Maquillage’s Clean Contrast Eyes 2 in SV844.) It should be a very nice daytime item if you want something easy to wear and something effective in adding dimension to the eyes. The gold is light and fresh enough for daytime but vibrant enough to brighten the eyes, and the gold and purple make a well-coordinated pair.
For another item that has a similar color combination (though the colors are worn differently) plus a gorgeous medium lilac, please take a look at my review of Lunasol’s Sheer Contrast Eyes in Lavender Coral.
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I collected my February 2009 issue of Biteki last week, among the huge winter sale crowd in central London.
I almost always like Biteki’s covers. The makeup looks are elegant and never over-the-top. But I was particularly drawn to this cover upon seeing it. I like the relaxed long wavy hair and the lilac off-the-shoulder top. The makeup looks fresh, feminine, and very wearable.
I flipped through the magazine to see the behind-the-scene photos and the products used, and I was pleasantly surprised that this look was created by Dick Page, the artistic director for Shiseido The Makeup, with items from the line*. (Usually the covers showcase works of Japanese makeup artists that regularly work with the magazine, and the products used are from a selection of brands.)
Items used:
– Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow H1
– Accentuating Cream Eyeliner 2
– Accentuating Color Stick S1, S3 and S5
– Perfect Rouge OR418 and PK419
The lovely touch is the orange-toned Perfect Rouge OR418 layered on top of PK419 on the inner rims of the lips. (Please click on the image above for a larger version.) The finish looks natural and seamless and brings a subtle vibrancy to the complexion.
By the way, this information-filled Biteki February 2009 issue is worth getting. February issues usually feature poll results of readers’ favorite products. Also, for the first time, Biteki’s main spring makeup feature is in the February issue (instead of March). This time, the booklet features photos of 973 new shades from 52 brands.
* The new Perfect Rouge and Smoothing Lip Pencil are now simply under the brand name Shiseido and not Shiseido The Makeup.
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(image from www.lissage.jp)
Lissage was launched in 1992 and is owned by Lissage Ltd., which also owns ECM (which I talked about earlier) and Bath Tours. (Lissage Ltd. is currently owned by Kanebo Corp..) The brand currently carries skincare, makeup, fragrance, bodycare, and haircare products. (The haircare line seems remarkably extensive for a high-end Japanese beauty brand.)
Lissage used to focus on skincare, but the launch of the revamped base and point makeup ranges in 2007 (partly to celebrate the brand’s 15th anniversary) has re-positioned the brand in the Japanese beauty scene.
Items like the foundation bases, Face Up Creamy Pact (compact cream foundation), Brush Up Foundation (powder foundation) and the multi-colored Blush Veil have been getting considerable magazine coverage in Japan.
(items from Lissage’sLissage is currently available in Japan (only) and the official website is for information only. In Tokyo, Lissage can be found in department stores such as Keio Shinjuku, Seibu Shibuya and Seibu Yurakucho.
You can see the post on Lissage’s fall 2007 makeup collection here.
Profiles on other Japanese brands:
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(images from www.sofina.co.jp/aube)
Then came news of Primavista in July, Raycious’ successor, and I wasn’t sure if Sofina would actually do anything with Aube. Later, we heard about the launch of Aube Couture in December, and everything seems to be in place for the moment.
Nothing seems very different…the name, the spokespersons, or the look of the products. So where is the identity of Aube Couture?
Product design is a huge strength in Japanese consumer goods. When we think of electronic products such as mobile phones and digital cameras and simple stationary items, it is all about those nice touches that make the products user-friendly and intuitive to use.
Every day, there are people new to makeup who find the application a little daunting. Aube Couture’s products are designed with them in mind. They are designed to make makeup application easy, efficient, and effortless.
Some Japanese makeup lines include an eye chart for eye palettes (like the one for Coffret D’Or’s 3D Lighting Eyes), but Aube Couture goes one step further. The color layout of the new Designing Eyes palettes shows where each shade goes on the lid (apart from the lining shade on the right), so we are looking at the colors and the eye chart at the same time.


I also like the design of Designing Cheek. The powder is pressed into a (roughly) half-cylinder shape. When the brush goes over the powder, the center of the brush picks up more powder than the two ends. This should make it easier to achieve a natural, flawless and dimensional finish, and it can especially help those who find blending a little tricky.
Over the last few years, Kao, among other Japanese beauty companies, has done well in coming up with new concepts and connecting with consumers on different levels, from the blue-based particles in Raycious to Est’s philosophy of emotional beauty. Now Sofina shows that a makeup range with a “couture” concept doesn’t need to carry hundreds of shades. Instead, the products give consumers the confidence and comfort in knowing that they can create a beautiful makeup look on their own.
I wonder what Japanese makeup brands will have to offer in 2009? In the meantime, I wish all of you a very happy New Year!
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(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)
The beautiful Layer Bloom Eyes palette in Purple Gradation fronts the print ad campaign and is used on one of the two spring 2009 makeup looks. I have been going back and forth about whether to purchase some other spring 2009 makeup items, but I am fairly certain that I will pick up this palette.
Please check out this post for more information on the collection (including all the updates and links to various images).
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(images and info from www.cosme.net)
The lineup includes:
– Confiture Gloss: 6 new shades
– Sweet Dew Rouge: 3 new shades

– Radiance Quartet: 3 variations
– Eyeshadow: 4 new variations
– Nail Color: 3 new shades
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(images and info from www.nikkei.co.jp)
Sofina Primavistawill release its spring/summer 2009 base makeup collection in Japan on February 21st. The lineup includes:– Powder Foundation Long Keep (SPF 25, PA++)
– Liquid Foundation (SPF 25, PA ++)
– Clear Cover Base (SPF 20, PA ++)
– Concealer Spots Cover (SPF 27, PA++)
– Face Powder Keep & Reset (SPF 15, PA++)
Primavista’s first powder foundation from fall/winter 2008, Powder Foundation Moist Touch, doesn’t really suit me due to its glowy finish. I am expecting the Fresh Keep version to have a somewhat similar (or very slightly less glowy) finish and better sebum control.
The new Face Powder reminds me of the very first version of Raycious’ pressed powder, which has a very good matte flesh-toned powder and a highlighter. I will be putting the new Primavista version on my spring 2009 shopping list and I am hoping that it works just as well.
Updated on February 17th, 2015:
Read my review of Face Powder (Keep & Reset).
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