Sonia Rykiel Beauté has updated its website to include information on the fall 2008 makeup collection, titled Actrice. (Please check my previous post for quick details of the items.)
You’ll see all the variations of the new Quatre Eyeshadow palettes as well as other upcoming items. The link on the page for the palettes will give you some ideas about how to use the shades in this palette range.
The collection will be out in Japan on August 22nd.
(Beauté de Kosé Metallic Luster Eyes) (image from www.kose.co.jp/bko)
Some websites of the Kosé lines have been updated in the last couple of days to feature the fall 2008 collections. (Please check the sites for Cosme Decorte AQ and Magie Deco for details.) I will mention Beauté de Kosé very briefly today and share my thoughts on AQ and Magie Deco later this week.
If you are interested in Beauté de Kosé’s fall 2008 collection, just out on August 1st, please note that all items are limited editions.
The collection includes two Metallic Luster Eyes palettes (seen above), two new shades of Eye Fantasist, two new shades of Rouge Fantasist Aqua Vinyl, and three new shades of Nail Dramatist. Please check the Beauté de Kosé website for swatches.
Dew Superior is a high-end line sold at Kanebo counters in many Asian countries. (A brief profile of the line follows below.) On October 16, Dew Superior will launch its base makeup range in Japan. The lineup includes:
(Earlier this year, the line also launched two primers, Protect Essence Concentrate I and II, both of which have SPF 26 and PA++.)
Dew Superior was launched in 2007 to replace the original Dew line, which debuted in 2004. Dew used to carry a range of base makeup as well as skincare items, but Dew Superior was launched with skincare items only. The line’s main claim is to bring moisture and elasticity to the skin, and the target consumers are those in their late twenties and above. In line with the main selling point of the skincare items, the new base makeup line claims to have moisturizing properties which help give the skin a glowy look.
(www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/dewsuperior/)
I have only used trail samples of a toner and a moisturizer from the original Dew line. Perhaps not too surprisingly, they both contained too much alcohol to do anything positive to my skin. I doubt Dew Superior is very much different in this aspect. (As I mentioned before, even though there are some Japanese skincare products that work well for me, the allure of Japanese cosmetics for me lies mainly in base and point makeup, not in skincare.)
There are a couple of loose/pressed powder items on my shopping list at the moment, so I will probably skip Finish Concentrate. But if you are looking for foundations that have a dewy/glowy finish, then some of these products might worth looking into.
Coffret D’Or released its debut base makeup collection earlier this year, and this loose powder is part of the lineup. It may not be the best loose powder I have ever used, but it is a lot better than almost all others that I have talked about on my blog.
The refill and the case are sold separately. (The case comes with a nice fluffy puff.) There is no sifter in the refill so you will need a case (any case) for an easier application. I have a couple of loose powder cases, but I decided to get both the case and the refill.
The sifter is designed in such a way that the powder can easily go in and out of the case (if you want to remove some into a smaller container for travelling). A very nice touch.
Currently the powder is available in one shade. It is a semi-translucent off-white powder with the slightest hint of pink. It has very fine shimmer but it doesn’t really show up very much when applied. The overall finish is semi-matte and gently luminous.
What I like the most about this loose powder is that it is nearly impossible to over-apply it. The powder is very fine and seems to melt into the skin, and there is no chalkiness even after some layering.
Even though, for my oily skin, Lavshuca’s Face Powder (in Lucent, currently my favorite loose powder) has a better pore-diffusing and oil-absorbing efficacy, Coffret D’Or’s loose powder does well enough in both areas to be a suitable product for me. But I would probably use it more in colder months. Overall, I think this powder should appeal to various skin types. People with combination or oily skin will appreciate how it subtly mattifies the skin, while those with drier skin will probably like how it effortlessly merges with the skin without looking powdery. I think this is one of the products that show off the great quality in Japanese brands’ base makeup items.
(You can see another review of this loose powder at Autumn Masquerade.)
SUQQU has updated its website to feature the fall 2008 collection, which will be released in Japan on August 8th.
Does the image above remind you of Lunasol‘s Red Purification collection? SUQQU’s red-themed lineup draws inspiration from the rich warm red that has figured predominantly in the Japanese culture for centuries. The collection includes:
– Eyelid Base (1 shade) – Dual Eyeshadow (5 variations) – Blend Cheeks (1 new shade) – Blend Lipstick (3 new shades) – Gloss & Lip Color (3 new variations, limited editions)
– Eyeliner Creamy (3 new shades) – Mascara (3 versions: Volume N, Long N, and Volume Long N, all in black)
(SUQQU Dual Eyeshadow) (image from www.suqqu.com/japan.html)
So far, none of the items has been calling out to me. But, as usual, I am very impressed by SUQQU’s visuals, which present a sophisticated mix of traditional and modern elements. They always leave a lasting impact and this is part of what sets SUQQU apart from many other Japanese brands.
(Outside Japan, SUQQU is available in Bangkok and London. Please see the list of retail points on SUQQU’s international site.)
Lunasol has updated its website to include information on the fall 2008 Red Purification collection.
According to the writer of this blog post, the overall finish is a lot closer to that of the Scent Form Eyes series from fall 2006 and is very different from the shimmery look of Geminate Eyes (fall 2007) and Sheer Contrast Eyes (spring 2008). The overall eye makeup look echoes what Lunasol used to be like a couple of years ago, which is sophisticated and low-key. It makes sense to me, since the key emphasis for Lunasol this season is on the red lips.
The collection will be available in Japan on August 22.
My post on Anna Sui’s fall 2008 makeup collection has been updated to include two images of the Makeup Color Collection D. Do have a look, particularly if you are considering getting this luxurious item.
Two weeks ago, I talked about Rose Variation from Coffret D’Or‘s Trance Deep Eyes series for fall 2008. Today I am reviewing Grey Variation.
Grey Variation features a cool lilac as the shadowing shade along with a medium grey for lining the eyes. The four colors are (clock-wise from top-left):
A off-white (sheer, mildly shimmery) B cool medium lilac (moderately pigmented, shimmery) C medium-to-dark grey (well pigmented, luminous matte under the sparse shimmer) D off-white silver (moderately pigmented, very sparkly)
(As with Rose Variation, all shades have fine multi-colored shimmer and a good staying power.)
(Please click on the image for a larger version.)
Compared with Rose Variation, Grey Variation is my preferred one since the cool medium lilac brings out the dimension of the eyes a lot more. This dimension-enhancement is twofold:
– The lilac is darker than the warm dusty pink (the shadowing shade) in Rose Variation. The dusty pink can be a little too subtle, particularly for the evening.
– The lilac’s tone changes when looked at from different angles (while the depth of the color remains the same). When seen straight-on (as seen in the photo), the lilac has a cool tone. However, when seen from the side (when the palette is held almost horizontally in front of my eye-line), the shade takes on a slightly warmer tone (particularly under sunlight). But I didn’t manage to really capture the difference on camera. (There is also such a tone variation with the dusty pink in Rose Variation, but it is extremely minimal.)
What is great is that this tone variation also shows up when worn and it gives a good eye-sculpting effect (even when the color is worn lightly). (But please note that this variation is different from (and much subtler than) the iridescence that we see in, for example, Lancôme’s L.U.C.I. collection in spring 2008.)
(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/coffretdor)
(Coffret D’Or TV commercial, via YouTube)
It is also worth mentioning that this palette does appear similar to Maquillage Clean Contrast Eyes 2 in SV844. However, the lilac in the Maquillage palette is quite pale and is a lightening color, whereas the lilac here is darker and performs as a shadowing shade.
As I mentioned, at the moment I prefer Grey Variation to Rose. But, compared with Purple Variation from the 3D Lighting Eyes series, I think I still like Purple better and I’d say I like Grey as much as I like Gold.
Overall I am quite happy with the two I have from the Trance Deep Eyes series. In an earlier post, I mentioned that I was also considering Beige Variation. It is still on my shopping list, but not anywhere towards the top. There is no limited edition in either of the two palette series, so for now I’ll look forward to spring 2009.
Updated on September 4th, 2008:
Please check out this blog post for swatch and FOTD photos of this palette.
Shiseido Maquillage has updated its website to include information on the fall 2008 collection.
The collection is titled Mode Mix, and the website has launched Mode Mix TV, which features a dynamic presentation of the fall collection. Check out the backstage footages of the TV commercial shoot, profiles on Christopher Kane (who collaborated with Shiseido on the collection) and Agyness Deyn, and key makeup looks modelled by all five brand ambassadors.
Kanebo‘s top-end line Impress (a brief brand profile follows below) will release its fall 2008 base makeup collection on September 5th. The collection includes:
– Liquid Foundation (SPF 18, PA++) – Pressed Powder (case and puff sold separately) – Color Powder N
Impress currently features a skincare and a base makeup line, and the prices reflect the top-end status. The Impress Emulsion (in the skincare line) costs 12600 JPY (about 118 USD) and the Powder Foundation refill costs 9450 JPY (about 89 USD). The Liquid Foundation above also costs 12600 JPY.
The recent introduction of Impress IC, a sub-line of Impress, seems to have attracted more press interest in Japan than the launch of Impress a couple of years ago. Impress IC currently has two skincare ranges, Revitalizing and White, and the White range also features a makeup base and a powder foundation.
IC stands for Intensive Care. In usual marketing practices, the name would suggest an even higher price-point, but it is not the case here. Impress IC products are up to half the prices of the Impress equivalents
and they are similarly priced to products from Lunasol. (The Impress IC White Powder Foundation refill costs 4725 JPY (about 44 USD), which is only slightly more expensive than a refill of Lunasol’s Skin Fusing Powder Foudation (4200 JPY, about 39 USD)). They are still quite pricey but are a lot more affordable than those from the main Impress line.
(Perhaps more surprisingly, the Impress Powder Foundation case (3150 JPY, about 30 USD) is three times more expensive than the Impress IC White Powder Foundation case.)
As far as I know, Impress is available in Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong. (Please let me know if it is also available where you are.)
If you are interested in Impress Powder Foundation and Impress IC White Powder Foundation, please check out the review on Autumn Masquerade.
(all images from www.soniarykiel-cosmetics.com)
