all about Japanese cosmetics

Loving Japanese Brands (3 of 7) : Paul & Joe

by PJ on Sunday, November 12, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, _Loving Japanese Brands, -Paul & Joe, all about Japanese cosmetics, fashion, makeup

Even though Sophie Albou, who founded Paul & Joe, is a French designer, Paul & Joe cosmetics is developed, made and launched in Japan. It is one of the more widely available brands of my Japanese favorites. (Check here for the Japanese website, which has slightly more content.)

The soft and understated pale pink color glides through most of the makeup products and each season features specially designed Paul & Joe prints on the limited edition eyeshaows and lipsticks. The elegant and slightly retro image is perfect for the boudoir look, and I think their hummingbird collection for this Christmas is the best limited edition collection to date in terms of both packaging and color selection. (It is strangely not featured on the website but is available in the UK at least, as far as I know.)

Paul & Joe first appeared in the UK in Harvey Nichols London, where I saw the full range for the first time (after looking at all those products on Japanese magazines for quite some time). I just had to get something and I left with a lip gloss. Paul & Joe moved out of Harvey Nichols a couple of years later and now has counters in Fenwick and Harrods. (Check here for more retail points.)

I usually go to the counter in Fenwick. The sales assistants always seem to recognize me and are very friendly and helpful. Quite generous with samples, too.

My favorites are lip gloss in 04 (glittery orange pink), nail treatment oil, hand cream, Blanc eau de toilette (mild, sedate, and elegant), and Blanc body lotion.

The primers and foundations are the more talked about items, although I have not yet tried them.

Their products are regularly featured in magazines in the UK. It seems that they have been expanding their market all over the world. Hopefully it will stay around (especially in the UK!) for a long time and continue to be all feminine and gorgeous.

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Loving Japanese Brands (2 of 7) : Anna Sui

by PJ on Saturday, November 11, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, _Loving Japanese Brands, -Anna Sui, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(pictured: part of my collection)


Even though Anna Sui is a Taiwanese-American designer whose career took off in America, her cosmetics range is developed and made in Japan (by Albion) and is essentially a Japanese brand. I adore Anna Sui because it is fun, playful, gorgeous, and mysterious.

I remember reading some comments about Anna Sui cosmetics on the Internet when it was launched in America many years ago. Someone said that the Gothic-style packaging was bizarre (well, not in this season!) and she wondered where the market was going to be.

She was so wrong. One thing she probably didn’t know was how hugely popular Anna Sui had already been in Asia. The style of packaging was actually just right for the Japanese market: it was cute, girlie, fancy, and dreamy. (It is not the only style that sells in Japan, but it does attract everyone that wants everything to look ultra-cute.) In the image-conscious Japanese society, packaging matters and packaging sells, especially when Japan has a hugely competitive beauty market where good (and right) packaging stands out on magazine pages and grabs attention. When the first Anna Sui counter opened in Taiwan, it sold about 30,000 USD worth of products on the first day of business alone. Now, it is still going very strong in Asia.

It does target heavily on the younger consumers, who are the most relentless spenders. This might be part of Anna Sui’s success.

Of course, good packaging is not enough if the content doesn’t deliver. Anna sui has many strong products, such as loose powder, eyeliners, and lipsticks. My personal favorites are the powder blusher and cream-stick blusher (which was discontinued). My powder blusher color is 400. Its tester looked shockingly red when I was trying to decide which color to buy, but it actually goes on matte, sheer, and surprisingly natural. It can be built into a more intense finish as well. The brush in the compact is nice and soft, compared with so many others.

This autumn, the packaging of the foundation range has gone back to classic black, as it first was. I do miss the gold packaging because all the lovely filigree patterns get to stand out much more.

Anna Sui falls a bit short on skincare. It is not particularly known for its skincare range, and it just happens that I haven’t come across anything that works for me.

The last time I saw Anna Sui cosmetics in the UK was several years ago. The self-help shelf in Selfridges London looked forsaken and it didn’t have the full range. Then the shelf was gone and some of the products strangely appeared at the Hard Candy counter in the nearby Debenhams for a few months before they completely disappeared (I think) in the UK. (The fragrances are still widely available though.) It was a shame…if only I could also see all those gorgeous and sensual loose powder cases in every department store here……

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Fragrance Favorites: Stella, Bulgari, and Ayura

by PJ on Friday, November 10, 2006

in -Ayura, -Bulgari, -Stella McCartney, all about Japanese cosmetics, fragrance


(group shot of my top three)

These are my favorite fragrances:
Eau Parfumee au the vert by Bulgari
Stella by Stella McCartney
Spirit of AYURA by AYURA

The first one I came across was Eau Parfumee au the vert by Bulgari in 1997 after having been interested in fragrances for a couple of years. (Looking back, I think it was fragrances that got me interested in the world of beauty products.) I could really feel the refreshing green tea note, even though a friend of mine said it smelled very floral for her. I guess it is because of the lily and the rose notes.

It is such a great summer fragrance. Light and lilting. The Extreme version is obviously more intense but is still refreshing.

I discovered Stella in the Stella McCartney boutique in London. The first Stella fragrance I bought was actually Sheer Stella 2005. I don’t normally go for an obvious rose note but Sheer Stella 2005 is such a pleasant surprise. Compared with some other rose-based fragrances, Stella has a real depth, which is probably due to the amber note.

Then I really started to explore the whole Stella collection. I got the original Stella and managed to get Sheer Stella (2004). I then got Stella pure parfum (thank you, Boots points) and Stella Rose Absolute (merci, Nectar points). My latest addition was Sheer Stella 2006.

I don’t have a particular favorite among these, but I love the less vibrant and more sophisticated Stella Rose Absolute. Also, I sometimes dab a little Stella pure parfum under my ears before I go to bed. The scent is very calming.

As for Spirit of AYURA by AYURA, I have talked a little bit about it in a previous post. For me, it is the best of the three. It is a little close to Eau Parfumee au the vert but it seems to have even more substance. I also love the subtle oriental twists. It is the most multi-faceted out of the three, but all the different sides mix so incredibly well together. It is easy to wear but far from boring. I am not surprised that it is one of the best selling fragrances in Japan.

There are other fragrances I like, such as Blush by Marc Jacobs and Miss Dior Cherie. Perhaps I will talk about them later.

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Loving Japanese Brands (1 of 7) : AYURA

by PJ on Wednesday, November 8, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, _Loving Japanese Brands, -Ayura, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, skincare

(pictured: part of my own collection)
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If I had to stick to only one brand of cosmetics for the rest of my life, I would choose AYURA. It is a brand that exudes an understated ambiance of oriental sensitivity and elegance.

AYURA is named after the word “ayus” in Sanskrit, which means “life”, according to an AYURA dairy book I was given as a gift with purchase.

When I first saw this brand on a Japanese magazine, I was instantly attracted to its understated and elegant packaging. I like the fact that each product looks a bit different but is instantly recognizable as an AYURA product and that the products don’t have the individual names of the products printed on the containers (they are on a sticker on the bottom of the containers).

So when I went to Japan for the first time several years ago, I went a bit crazy. Also, the staff at the counter were so helpful, even when I couldn’t really speak Japanese.

Most of the body products I have have a wonderful scent, especially the Spirit of AYURA range. “It must be what heaven smells like,” I once said to a friend.

Here are some of my favorites:

Meditation Bath (bath soak): It turns milky once it is in contact with water. It is almost like taking a milk bath. The scent is very relaxing.

Arising Shower eau de cologne: Very zesty and invigorating. Light but lasting. I usually use it during daytime.

Spirit of AYURA eau de parfum: One of my three favorite fragrances. Even though it is supposed to be eau de parfum, I don’t feel that it is as strong and long-lasting as eau de parfum should be. It is a good balance between sensual floral and crispy citrus notes, with oriental twists.

Spirit of AYURA Aroma Hand (hand cream): A best-seller for AYURA, it is under the Spirit of AYURA range so it has the same scent. Lightly moisturizing and not greasy. It has very fine and sparse light-reflecting particles to make hands look smoother.

Lip Moist Wrapping: One of the best lip balms I have ever used, even though I don’t usually like lip balm in a spot (less hygienic). Moisturizing, long-lasting, and doesn’t give me the glossy and greasy look which I don’t like in a lip balm.

Lip Retouch Compact: It has a lip base, lip liner, lip gloss, and highlight liner to define lip shape. The compact (inside and out) looks divine!

I like the face care range as well. The oil cleanser and toners are fairly good. Their hair care range is also good, but I personally won’t spend that much on shampoo and conditioner.

One of the things they do which keep me going back to them is that they often bring out limited edition sets. They usually contain travel-size versions of their popular products, teamed with a limited edition product, which is only available as part of the set. Many people buy the sets for the limited editions and they get to try the products they don’t normally buy. Seems like a good business idea.

I think AYURA is available only in Japan and Taiwan. It is the brand I want to see in the UK the most!!

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SUQQU in Selfridges Oxford Street

by PJ on Wednesday, November 8, 2006

in -SUQQU, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, skincare

I found out about this while logging onto the SUQQU website.

SUQQU is a Japanese skincare and makeup line. (I think it is pronounced ‘suku’.) The only retail point outside Japan used to be in Bangkok. Now, following Japanese brands like Paul & Joe (which is one of my favourites…I will talk about it later) and RMK, SUQQU has also come to the UK.

SUQQU is targeted toward a more mature clientele and has a very grown-up image. No flashy or overly-girly packaging. Most products are packaged in plain white with the engraved brand name. I really like the simple and elegant look.

I have not yet been to the counter (which I’ll do next month). I read somewhere that the counter is tucked away at the back of the beauty hall. So it should be where Caudalie is.

I am very interested in their colour makeup, especially lipsticks (24 pounds) and blushers (22 pounds). As you can see, price-wise, it is very “grown-up” as well! (A Chanel Aqualumiere lipstick costs 14.50.)

RMK and Paul & Joe seem to have been doing fairly well in the UK. I hope SUQQU gets the marketing right and does well too. I certainly need more Japanese products here!

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