by PJ on Sunday, July 8, 2007
in -Anna Sui, -Aube (Couture), -Ayura, -Integrate, -Jill Stuart, -Kanebo, -Kao, -Kate, -Kosé, -Lavshuca, -Lunasol, -Majolica Majorca, -Maquillage, -Paul & Joe, -RMK, -Shiseido, -Shu Uemura, -Sofina, -T'Estimo, -Visée, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, readers' polls
Majolica Majorca, with cute packaging, good quality, and affordable prices, edged Shu Uemura out at the last minute to become A Touch of Blusher readers’ favorite Japanese makeup line!
Shu Uemura, one of the ultimate professional makeup brands, also captured the heart of many of you.
Lunasol, Lavshuca, and Kate (all by Kanebo) shared the third place.
Here is the full result:
What are your favorite Japanese makeup lines? (Tick all that apply!!)
(from June 27 to July 8, 2007)
Majolica Majorca (13 votes)
Shu Uemura (12 votes)Lunasol, Lavshuca, Kate (11 votes each)Paul & Joe (9 votes)Maquillage, T’Estimo, Jill Stuart, Anna Sui (8 votes each)Visee (3 votes)Aube, Ayura, RMK (2 votes each)Integrate (1 vote)
Other favorites mentioned include Inoui ID and Canmake. Great choices!!
Thanks for everyone that has voted and left comments!! There will be more polls to come. (Suggestions are welcome!)
Here is a preview of Esprique Precious fall 2007 collection ad campaign. The spokesperson is still the very popular Gemma Ward.
The collection includes lipsticks, liquid lip colors, lip liners, single-color eyeshadows, and eyeshadow palettes. There will also be new foundation products, including liquid foundations, powder foundations, and two primers.
The collection is officially out in Japan on August 21.
Even though I am not a Gemma Ward fan, I do think Kose picked a spokesperson who successfully appealed to the target consumers and created buzz for the line.
Watch her TV ads here and here.
Related post: Gemma Ward Fronts New Cosmetics Line in Japan
by PJ on Thursday, December 14, 2006
in -Dior, -Kosé, -Paul & Joe, -Visée, -YSL, 2006 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, fashion, makeup, makeup - blusher, makeup - eyeshadow, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus
For me, I bought these:
*Visee Dual Shine Rouge Palette*


I always like lip palettes. Visee’s Gothic design looks cute and glamorous. The grey lipgloss looks very dark on the photo, but it is actually quite a transparent grey hue with sparse glitters. It is mainly for a very toned-down version of dark gothic lips.
*Paul & Joe Hummingbird Collection*

Cosmetics stuff don’t get prettier than this. I like the fact that the lipstick does not have any shimmer. It is just a nice creamy muted pink. The eyeshadow, however, has tones of iridescence. When used light-handedly, it can be a good blusher.
*Dior Pretty Charm*

Tacky as some might think, I love this one-off design. I have not used the lip colors yet, and I doubt I will soon. I am just enjoying the sight of it for the time being. I like the fact that it is rather heavy so there is a sense of existence, as I always call it.
*YSL Gold Celebration Palette “Star Glow”*

Except for the fact that I need to be careful not to leave fingerprints all over the case, I am really glad that I bought this. The two pale lipglosses look like they have tons of glitters. I would like to try them soon. YSL should definitely keep releasing a palette for each Christmas. But I feel that, after four years, they might want to do something different…
*Marc Jacobs votive candle set*

I finally got it after missing it last year. Since last year, I have developed an interest in fragranced candles. The Stella McCartney candle is my favorite. Smaller than the usual glass candles, each one of the three features a different Marc Jacobs scent.
I realize that there are loads of lip colors from what I bought. Ummm…maybe I will buy more things for eyes in the coming spring, to balance out…
(continued from yesterday)
6th: Jill Stuart
The collection includes a set of pressed powder, two eye glosses, and a nail polish. The collection also includes two lipstick charms. Everything is ultra cute and glossy. The pink and golden eye glosses look extremely cute, but the color might a bit too sheer for some people. I nearly decided to buy the lipstick charm, but I settled for another one (you can look for it on the photo above), which I will review tomorrow.
5th: AYURA
Another makeup and evening bag set. The bag looks exquisite. There are one-off creations like the bubble bath, the hair gloss, and the face highlighter. The set also includes a choice of lipstick. Again, AYURA creates interesting one-off products to entice us. (I want the bubble bath and the hair gloss!!)
4th: Visee
I have never bought anything from Visee before, but this chic and edgy Gothic-style lip palette won me over (pictured upper left). The palette features a lip base, a lip liner, four lip colors and two lip glosses. The colors are basic and wearable, with the catchy exterior being the main selling point. The Gothic design, not the usual Visee packaging, is also a one-off. The real thing looks as good as it does on the website and on the magazine.
Tomorrow I will reveal the top 3.

(Gemma Ward for Esprique Precious)
(image from www.interwoman.co.jp)
Even though many Japanese companies love having western superstars as their spokespeople, it is relatively rare for Japanese cosmetics companies to do so. Usually they use famous local movie or television actresses, and a couple other companies prefer relatively unknown western models.
However, Shiseido first broke the tradition by having Angelina Jolie to front the new budget cosmetics line Integrate earlier this year (see the television commercial on YouTube here). Now, Kose has international supermodel Gemma Ward to front their new makeup line Esprique Precious.
The line will debut with a limited edition set on December 1st, and the whole collection will hit the shops on December 16th in Japan.
The packaging is surprisingly similar to Kose’s other skincare and makeup line Beaute de Kose. Esprique Precious will have all the basics: lip sticks/glosses/liners, eye shadows/liners/mascaras, eyebrow pencils, blushers, and the face powder (similar to Guerlain’s Meteorites Powder). I am particularly interested in the blushers and the face powder. We can’t see the prices of the items on the website yet. I am sure they will appear later.
Do have a quick glance at part of the line.
Tomorrow: Lunasol, the concluding post to my Loving Japanese Brands series