makeup

(Cosme Decorte AQ Shadow Supreme)
(image from www.cosmedecorte.com/aq)

Cosme Decorte AQ has updated its website to feature the fall 2008 collection in the revamped packaging. (Please check my previous post for quick details of the lineup.)

Overall the palettes look good. Each of them combines a more vibrant color (blue, green, violet,…) and dark/light neutrals. I am happy that there is one palette with purple, but the shade, beautiful as it is, looks just a little bit too warm and dark for me. I should not be surprised, since we are entering fall. (AQ items are pricey, so I have to be picky.)

Please be aware that the price of the palette itself does not include the two sponge/brush applicators, which are sold separately for 525 JPY (about 4.8 USD) each. (This is not uncommon with Japanese cosmetics. For example, with Lunasol’s blushers, the refill, the case, and the brush are sold separately as well.)

The collection will be available in Japan on August 21st.

Related Posts:

Beauté de Kosé Fall 2008 Collection

Esprique Precious Fall 2008 Collection

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If you are looking for reviews of other palettes in the new Trance Deep Eyes range than the ones I’ve talked about (Rose and Grey Variation), here are reviews of two other palettes for you:

Khaki Green Variation on Beauty Anonymous

Blue Variation on Autumn Masquerade

Enjoy!

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(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)

EST (owned by Kao) will release its fall 2008 base makeup collection in Japan on August 23. The lineup will include:

Powder Makeup Visually Moist (6 shades, SPF 20, PA++)
Perfect Base Fresh Touch (SPF 15, PA ++)
Perfect Base Moist Touch (SPF 10, PA+)

The Fresh Touch primer is a liquid-type sebum-controlling primer, while the Moist Touch primer is cream-based and provides extra moisture for the skin.

All items are fragrance-free.

Also, the EST website has been updated to feature the fall 2008 point makeup collection.

Related Posts:

Capturing Your Emotional Beauty

(EST Brand Profile)

EST Fall 2008 Point Makeup Collection

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(Paul & Joe Eye Color in 05)

More lilac for today…

Almost all Paul & Joe‘s eyeshadows are available in singles, and the occasional palettes are usually seasonal limited editions. As I am more of a palette person, this is the only Paul & Joe eyeshadow I have, and, yes, it is a lilac.

This is a sheer light lilac. The color only builds up minimally when layered. The powder is very soft and has almost a fluffy feel. I can also use my fingers to apply this eyeshadow and get a nice and natural look.

It has a low-key mildly shimmery finish. What is unique about this shade is the very subtle warm pink and gold shimmer. It adds some vibrancy to the overall finish and prevents the shade from looking one-dimensional when worn alone.

I can use this alone for a barely-there look, as the sheer lilac and the soft veil of shimmer can brighten my eyes. I can also use it to complement my lilac-based eye palettes as a base or where needed.

For me, this is a good time-saver when I want a quick and easy minimal lilac look. It is also nice for travelling when I don’t want to spend too much time putting on makeup but want to look refreshed. (Again, I can use my fingers to apply it, so there is more precious packing space.) I will obviously have to pair it with other colors if I want more depth, but, overall, this is a simple and foolproof basic in my lilac repertoire.

Related Posts:

Loving Japanese Brands – Paul & Joe

Paul & Joe Foundation Primer N

Paul & Joe Loose Powder

Paul & Joe Pressed Powder

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(all images from www.soniarykiel-cosmetics.com)

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.

Related posts:

Beauty Brand Focus – Sonia Rykiel

Other brand-focus posts – Kanebo Freeplus & Elégance

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(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.

Other new collections from Kosé:

Esprique Precious

Elsia

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(image form www.nikkei.co.jp)

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:

Pact Concentrate (powder foundation, 6 shades, SPF 23, PA++)
Liquid Concentrate (liquid foundation, 6 shades, SPF 19, PA++)
Pre-Make Concentrate (moisturizing primer, SPF 16, PA++)
Finish Concentrate (loose powder, 1 shade)
Designing Concentrate (highlighter/contourer, 1 variation)

(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.

Other upcoming base makeup items:

Kanebo Coffret D’Or

Shiseido Maquillage

Sofina Primavista

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(Coffret D’Or Makeup Powder)

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.)

Related Posts:

Foundation Face-Off: Coffret D’Or vs. Lunasol

L’Oréal True Match Super-Blendable Powder

ck Calvin Klein Mineral Based Loose Powder

Can’t Live Without – ZA Two-Way Foundation

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(From left: Sheer Matte Blush in Touch of Plum and Sheer Rouge,
Triple Split Shadow in Bistro and Venice,
Matte Eyeshadow in Charcoal)

The recently launched Thevi Cosmetics aims to provide makeup colors that suit people of all skin tones, particularly those with darker complexions. However, for those of you that have a fair skin tone, you can benefit from some of these items that I am reviewing below if you usually go for well-pigmented makeup items.

Triple Split Shadow (in Bistro and Venice)

Both trios include a highlighter, a shadowing shade and a lining shade. Upon looking at the colors, I thought Venice, with what appeared to be a muted medium beige pink, would suit me better than Bistro. But I was wrong.

The two shadowing shades in the trios are moderately pigmented and have a soft and flattering shimmery finish, but they go on warmer than they look. The beige pink in Venice goes on too warm for me, but the greyish-looking beige in Bistro doesn’t show up greyish on me and the soft beige-brown finish looks very natural.

The highlighting and lining shades in Bistro are very well pigmented, and the gold highlighter has quite a metallic finish. The deep brown and pale beige pink in Venice, on the other hand, seem uncharacteristically sheer.

Matte Shadow (in Charcoal)

I find this to be a great multi-purposed item. It is a good matte eyeshadow if you want the classic smoky-eye look. It can go on sheer as a light grey or heavier as a very dark grey. The silky powder is also suitable for lining the eyes and, again, the color intensity is adjustable. I also use it as a brow powder since I have black hair and brows (and need a brow powder that is grey-based rather than brown-based). A light-handed application can create defined but natural-looking brows. (In comparison, this shade is greyer than Medium Ash in Anatasia’s line reviewed earlier.)

Sheer Matte Blush (in Touch of Plum and Sheer Rouge)

“Rich” and “vibrant” are accurate descriptions of these blushers on Thevi’s website, as these are not “sheer” (as the name suggests). The matte Touch of Plum is a rich warm pink (which looks darker than it does on the photo above), while Sheer Rouge is even darker and warmer and has a hint of shimmer.

Both are very pigmented and have a pleasant texture. I think the finish is what Thevi sets out to achieve, as I’d imagine they can really show up on and complement darker complexions. (I have a light-to-medium skin tone, and I have to be very light-handed with them.) Overall they are worth a look if rich pigments in blushers are what you are looking for.

(Note on packaging: All Thevi’s eyeshadows and blushers are housed in very sleek and compact cases. But some of the lids are quite tight and I think they can be hard to open for people with long nails.)

Related posts:

Makeup Review: NARS

Coffret D’Or Trance Deep Eyes in Rose Variation

Lavshuca Summer Gradually Compact

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

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.)

Related Posts:

Japanese Brand Profile – SUQQU

A Class Act: SUQQU Creamy Lipstick

Foundation Face-Off – Jill Stuart vs. SUQQU

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