makeup

YSL Holiday 2008 Collection

by PJ on Monday, September 22, 2008

in -YSL, 2008 Holiday, makeup

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

YSL will release its holiday 2008 collection in Japan on October 31. The star item is “Lip Palette Bow Collection” (seen above, the name can vary in the US and Europe). It includes a lip color of a raspberry shade and a pink lip gloss with iridescent shimmer that can be used as a top coat to help the lip color stay longer. The packaging features both matte and glossy textures of gold, and the lip color and gloss are infused with a fruity mango scent.

The rest of YSL’s holiday 2008 lineup includes:

– Makeup Palette Bow Collection (with shades for eyes and lips, in a case of a clutch-bag design and presented in a black velvet pouch)

– 4-Color Eyeshadow Bow Collection

– Radiant Touch Bow Collection (works as a highlighter, concealer, and a base)

– Golden Touch Bow Collection (adds pink-gold radiance to the complexion)

– Mini Touche Blush (two shades, available in Japan only)

– Rouge Pur (Pure Lipstick, 1 new shade)

– Golden Gloss (1 new shade)

– La Laque (2 new shades)

– Young Sexy Lovely Collector Edition Radiant Eau de Toilette (50ml)

The bow lip palette looks cute but it doesn’t wow me, at least for the moment. What do you think about it in comparison with the heart pendant from holiday 2007?

YSL Fall 2008 Makeup Collection

YSL Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils

YSL Golden Gloss in Golden Pink

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Shu Uemura Holiday 2008 Collection

by PJ on Friday, September 19, 2008

in -Shu Uemura, 2008 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(image from www.joseishi.net/voce/)

Shu Uemura will release its holiday 2008 collection in Japan on November 1st. The collection features colorful works by Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa.

The collection includes:

– Palette Christmas Collection 2008 (or “Holiday Collection Eye Color Palette” in the US, 3 variations)

(Midnight Winter Sakura)
(image from www.shuuemura-usa.com)

(Adorned Marguerite)

(image from www.shuuemura-usa.com)

(Secret Luscious Rose)
(image from www.shuuemura-usa.com)

– Gloss Unlimited Mini Trio Delicious Rose

(image from www.shuuemura-usa.com)

– Makeup Box

(image from www.joseishi.net/voce/)

– Portable Brush Set

(image from www.shuuemura-usa.com)

– Rouge Unlimited (3 new shades)

(image from www.joseishi.net/voce/)

– Nail Enamel Supplement Mineral (2 new shades)

(image from www.joseishi.net/voce/)

– Christmas Set:

Fluid Foundation or Cream Foundation (full size)
UV Under Base Mousse or Under Base Cream (full size)
Depsea Water Rose (13ml)
Pedal Sponge
Original Sponge Case
Original Vanity Pouch

(image from www.joseishi.net/voce/)

These are the items that will be launched in Japan (all limited editions). To see/purchase the products currently available in the US, please check out the Shu Uemura US site.

You can read the interview with Mika Ninakawa on The Japan Times.

Viktor & Rolf for Shu Uemura

Time-Travel Through Japanese Cosmetics

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Dior Holiday 2008 Collection Update (2)

by PJ on Friday, September 19, 2008

in -Dior, 2008 Holiday, makeup

(image from www.cosme.net)

Continuing with all the holiday releases, Dior will release Holiday Collection Makeup Palette in Japan on December 1st. (See some of the November releases here.)

The palette includes six eyeshadows, a blusher (DiorBlush #939 (Rosebud)), a pressed powder, a Dior Addict gloss (#257) and a mini DiorShow Blackout mascara (#099).

It is likely that this palette will be available outside Japan. (The holiday 2007 version of the palette was available in the UK for around £45.)

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SUQQU Fall 2008 Event in London

by PJ on Thursday, September 18, 2008

in -SUQQU, 2008 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

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

SUQQU’s fall 2008 makeup collection has been released in the UK (in London’s Selfridges). From September 25th until 28th, there will be a fall 2008 makeup event at the counter. For a £30 booking fee (redeemable against any SUQQU purchase on the day), you will experience SUQQU’s unique gankin (facial) massage followed by a makeover using items from SUQQU’s fall 2008 collection.

(I got the information from the September 4th edition of Weekly Journey, which is a weekly paper mainly for Japanese people living in London. (Check here for its website.) Many thanks to my reader, Yasumi, for reminding me that Weekly Journey regularly features news of Japanese cosmetics in London!)

Japanese Brand Profile – SUQQU

Japanese Cosmetics in the UK

Beauty City Guide – London

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Est Holiday 2008 Release

by PJ on Thursday, September 18, 2008

in -Est, -Kao, -Sofina, 2008 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(image from www.joseishi.net/voce)

Est will release the Diamond Splash Eyes palette on November 1st in Japan for the holiday 2008 period.

The palette will include three eyeshadow shades of pink and brown. Again, as with most Japanese holiday releases, it is an ultra-wearable color combination for virtually any party outfit you choose to put on in the festive season. The palette design itself certainly has a festive vibe as well.

Capturing Your Emotional Beauty
(Profile on Est)

Est Fall 2008 Makeup Collection

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Sofina Primavista Creamy Compact Foundation

by PJ on Thursday, September 18, 2008

in -Kao, -Primavista, -Sofina, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - base makeup

(image from www.joseishi.net/voce/)

Back in the Raycious days, I don’t recall a creamy compact foundation being released. (The (remotely) closest product was probably the Stick Foundation, which has a cream-to-powder consistency.)

On October 14th, Primavista, Raycious’ successor, will release Creamy Compact Foundation (SPF 33, PA++), which follows the launch collection released on September 1st. It claims to be able to create a smoother and softer appearance for the skin.

My skin is usually too oily for any liquid or cream foundation, so I am not personally excited by this. (Bare in mind that many technically “oil-free” products use waxy substances instead to help the product glide, and they can feel equally greasy for people with oily skin.) But I will still be interested to read about feedback for any Primavista release.

Paul & Joe Fall 2008 Base Makeup Collection

SUQQU Fall 2008 Base Makeup Collection

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Holiday 2008 – More on Coffret D’Or and Lunasol

by PJ on Wednesday, September 17, 2008

in -Coffret d'Or, -Kanebo, -Lunasol, 2008 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

Please see more photos of Coffret D’Or’s The Party Makeup Collection on this blog post.

The compact is looking prettier already (than what we see in the photo earlier.) The cool palette (Sweet Dress) reminds me very slightly of the Lavshuca holiday 2007 palette I have. Both the eyeshadows and lip colors are looking somewhat similar.

Also, have a look at photos of Lunasol’s upcoming holiday 2008 makeup coffret. It includes an eyeshadow palette, a blusher, an eyeliner, a nail color, and a clutch bag (which is just beneath the items in the first photo). Not surprisingly, the colors are very neutral-toned.

The blog photos in both posts are taken by blogger Sharon at a Kanebo press event in Taiwan. She notices how similar Lunasol’s holiday 2008 eyeshadow palette is to the 2007 one (the photo of which is just above the eyeshadow swatch photos). She mentions that one minor difference is that the shimmer is more gold-based in the 2007 palette and mainly silver-based in the 2008 one.

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Creating Your New(ish) Foundation Refill

by PJ on Wednesday, September 17, 2008

in -Shiseido, -ZA, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - base makeup, makeup - base makeup - foundation

I am sure many of you have been doing what I do with powder foundations, but since I was again making a new refill a couple of days ago, I thought I’d document it and share it with you.

Some of us who regularly use a powder foundation might find that, as we get towards the end of a refill, the application takes longer and longer as the sponge has to dig into the corners. It can be a bit of a pain, and we just want to open up a new refill.

Some years ago, with several nearly finished refills like those you see above (from different brands actually), I decided to try putting all the powder together and I was a little surprised to see how much powder was actually left on each tray. So I started to save somewhat finished refills to make a new one later. (I stopped pushing my sponge to the very end…)

The steps are what you see in the photos below:

1. Find a small (and perfectly clean) spoon or spatula. (I prefer a plastic one to a metal one.)

2. Start scraping! (Imagine that you are clearing the corners of a delicious Japanese bento box.)

3. Realize how much powder is still left.

4. Put all the leftover powder into one tray. (Here, I have powder from four nearly finished refills of ZA Two-Way Foundation.)

5. With your spoon/spatula, gently pat the powder down.

6. Lay a piece of tissue (which I have folded here) on top of the powder, and apply even and firm pressure with your fingers. Pay specific attention to the corners.

7. Reveal your (semi-)new refill! (The one here is about 75-80% full and will last quite a while for me.)

Tips:

1. Obviously the powder is not pressed to an industrial standard, so we have to be slightly more light-handed with the sponge than usual.

2. Sometimes our complexions can be between two shades with our favorite foundations, and sometimes we are happy with a shade but not the finish. These steps are good for customizing your own powder foundation, as you can mix and match from the same brand or different brands.

3. Make sure you store the nearly-finished refills in a clean/dry place just like your new ones. (I always save the refill boxes for this purpose.)

I hope you find this useful. If you have any related tip that you would like to share with us, do please post it in the comment section!

More beauty-related tips:

Can’t Live Without – Starbucks Napkins

Seasonal Sales on Cosmetics in the UK

Would you like some samples?

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Kanebo Coffret D’Or Christmas 2008 Release

by PJ on Wednesday, September 17, 2008

in -Coffret d'Or, -Kanebo, 2008 Holiday, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)

Kanebo seems to be among the first Japanese beauty companies to unveil their holiday 2008 releases. We’ve heard about some of the items from Kate, Lavshuca, and Lunasol, and now it is the palettes from Coffret D’Or.

Coffret D’Or will release its first holiday collection on November 16th in Japan. (The line was launched in December last year with the spring 2008 collection.) The Party Makeup Collection includes two versions of the eye and lip palette, one cooler (Sweet Dress) and one warmer (Noble Dress).

(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)

Both palettes include three eyeshadows (a base color, a shimmery color and a dark color) and three lip colors (a glow-type lip color (sheer and glossy), a color-type lip color (more pigmented) and a shimmery gloss).

Holiday palettes from Japanese brands are mostly about wearability (good as presents for others) and collectibility (good as presents…for yourself…), and they rarely make any bold statement in terms of color combinations. But if you like shimmer and sparkles, holiday palettes from Japanese brands often have a lot of them.

I like the fact that the design of the compact is in keeping with the Coffret D’Or look that we have quickly come to be familiar with (but with a nice little curvy twist). The shades themselves are not calling out to me yet, but I certainly prefer the cooler palette and I think we’ll see more appealing photos of them on magazines and the Coffret D’Or website later.

One thing worth mentioning is that, in photos, some palettes from Japanese brands can create an illusion of size. (I have had experiences of thinking the palettes look a lot smaller in person…or maybe it is just that I usually like larger and more substantial-looking palettes.) I think one thing we can look at in the photo above is the size/length of the applicators (which should be the standard small ones in Japanese palettes) in relation to the size of the palette. I am guessing that these will be around the same size as the very compact Lavshuca Summer Gradually Compacts (which are about 3.7x12cm and are very slim).

Makeup Review: Bobbi Brown Holiday 2008 Basics Eye Palette

by PJ on Monday, September 15, 2008

in -Bobbi Brown, 2008 Holiday, makeup, makeup - eyeshadow

(Bobbi Brown Holiday 2008 Basics Eye Palette)
(all images from Bobbi Brown)

Bobbi Brown usually brings out a wide range of items for the holiday season. The shades are often slightly more glamorous but still wearable. Today I am reviewing one of Bobbi Brown’s holiday 2008 releases, Basics Eye Palette.

The palette features a base shade, two shadowing shades and a lining shade:

– Eye Shadow in Navajo (exclusive): sheer matte off-white cream
– Eye Shadow in Cement: moderately pigmented matte medium taupe
– Shimmer Wash Eye Shadow in Heather Mauve: well-pigmented medium taupe with a soft metallic finish
– Eye Shadow in Mahogany: densely-pigmented matte dark brown

(The shades are slightly darker and (pleasantly) warmer than how they appear in the photo above.)

Cement and Heather Mauve can be used interchangeably, depending on the overall finish you want for the day. The matte Cement really adds depth for the eyes, while the shimmery Heather Mauve can either be used alone or lightly on top of Cement where you want a bit of shimmer.

Navajo goes on very subtle and sheer. It can be a good base or a very subtle brow highlighter. Espresso glides well as an eyeliner. The effect can be as natural or intense as you want but the shade is very natural in itself.

All the shades, as expected of Bobbi Brown, have a nice texture. (Mauve Heather is particularly smooth and silky.)

Overall, the Basics Eye Palette should suit light and medium skin tones and can create both subtle and slightly more dramatic looks. If you want more intense shades, the new Velvet Plum Eye Palette (seen below), also from Bobbi Brown’s Christmas 2008 Collection, should be a good choice.

(Velvet Plum Eye Palette)

(from left to right)
– Eye Shadow in Bone
– Eye Shadow in Naked
– Metallic Eye Shadow in Velvet Plum
– Eye Shadow in Espresso

Bobbi Brown will also release a double-decker Lip & Eye Palette for the holiday season. It features four Creamy Lip Colors and four Metallic Eye Shadows: