My posts on the EST, Magie Deco, and Cosme Decorte AQ summer 2008 collections have been updated to include additional images and information.
Have a look!
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makeup
(Paul & Joe Pressed Powder in 03)
Like the Paul & Joe Loose Powder and Light Cream Foundation, I bought this at half price during the winter sale in London.
As I have mentioned previously, Paul & Joe’s foundations are known for being sheer and ultra-natural. This item is no exception.
03 is a translucent pale beige that goes on relatively sheer. The powder is sooth and fine, and it has a fair amount of shimmer. Even though the shimmer is very fine, I feel that it works a lot better for me as a highlighter than as an overall finishing powder. Since my face develops shine quite easily, a shimmery pressed powder can make shine look even more obvious. But for people with drier skin or for those who want extra luminosity, this shimmery (and by no means glittery) pressed powder could work well as a finishing powder.
Apart from using it as a subtle highlighter, I also like to dust a bit of it in the eye area to add a touch of luminosity.
Compared with the Loose Powder, the Pressed Powder is slightly more opaque and has a little more shimmer.
What is a little different about the kind of shimmer used in Paul & Joe’s base makeup items is that it is a pale gold shimmer of various subtle (but visible) tones (very pale pink, peach, green, blue,…). I have come across Paul & Joe counter leaflets that describe this shimmer as “nine-color gold powder”. Recently the Paul & Joe English website has named it “Secret D’Or“, which consists of “select varieties of champagne gold frost, each with different, subtle overtones and light reflective properties”.
I tried to capture the multi-color shimmer on camera:
(Please click on the image to see a much larger version.)
This kind of multi-color shimmer is quite subtle but is still visible up-close. Overall it does create a relatively natural luminosity that is in tune with the ultra-natural essence of Paul & Joe’s base makeup range. (Obviously many other brands feature something similar, but Paul & Joe uses this multi-color shimmer uniformly in their base makeup items, from primers to loose powder, in various amounts.)
However, for me, a downside of this pressed powder is that it is not particularly good at diffusing the appearance of pores. As a finishing powder for the whole face, I’d prefer something more matte and with a better pore coverage.
(At the moment, the Pressed Powder has almost been completely phased out (hence the discount) and is replaced by Pressed Powder N. I have tested the new version at the counter, and it seems that it is not drastically different. The powder is still relatively sheer, and the multi-color shimmer is still there.)
Related Posts:
Loving Japanese Brands – Paul & Joe
(my personal take on Paul & Joe)
Paul & Joe Foundation Primer N
(one of my favorite primers)
Sofina Raycious Pressed Powder
(more matter and with better pore coverage)
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My posts on Majolica Majorca‘s and Coffret D’Or‘s summer 2008 collections have been updated to include additional images.
Have a look, and enjoy!
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Today I am sharing two latest additions to my foundation case collection.
First up is the case of Anna Sui‘s Loose Compact Powder UV, which is part of Anna Sui’s spring/summer 2008 base makeup release. This case is for the new loose powder refills and is designed to make Anna Sui’s loose powder slightly more travel-friendly. (Remember that Anna Sui’s original large loose powder case doesn’t have a screw lid and is very tricky to travel with.)
Even though white is my least favorite color for Anna Sui’s packaging, I like the thickness of the case compared with other Anna Sui’s foundation compacts.
The case comes with a purple powder puff which is very soft to the touch.
Please notice that the sift is included in the refill and not in the case. So this is not the kind of portable loose powder case in which you can put your own loose powder. But, size-wise, all the round Anna Sui foundation refills can fit into this case.
Next is the Jill Stuart‘s Powder Foundation Compact S, which is released with the new Smooth Skin Powder Foundation. Compared with the original Powder Foundation Case (released in spring 2006), the new case has a different design for the lid and features a charm with floral details.
Let’s see the two designs side by side. The spring 2006 case is on the left and the spring 2008 one is on the right:
All the Jill Stuart powder foundation and pressed powder refills are the same size, and the cases are sold separately. So what case to pick when you purchase a Jill Stuart foundation refill is entirely up to you.
Furthermore, since both Anna Sui and Jill Stuart (and Paul & Joe as well) commission Kosé (which owns Albion, commissioned by Anna Sui and Paul & Joe) to produce the makeup (and skincare) line, all their round foundation refills can fit into all cases.
My case collection does take up a bit of space. But, for me, it is a slightly less pricey way to chart the development of a brand’s image and there is no need to worry about products expiring. I shall continue to pick up the cases I like from my favorite brands.
More cases:
Sofina Raycious Foundation Case Galore
My Anna Sui Foundation Case Collection
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(the Golden Dior pendantfor summer 2008)
Please enjoy the images from Dior’s summer 2008 collection!
Please enjoy the images from Dior’s summer 2008 collection!
(Dior summer 2008Asia-only release)
(images from woman.excite.co.jp.)
Apart from the bronzing items, the rest of the collection ranges from warm pink to peach and beige. Overall, I think most of the colors are too warm for my complexion. But if you are a bronzed goddess, this collection is definitely worth a closer look when it hits the counters.
I am liking the look of the Golden Dior pendant at the moment. Since I didn’t use my Boots points on any of Dior’s spring 2008 collection, I might use them to get it. It contains a cream color that can be used on the eyes, cheeks, and lips.
It is available in Pink and Gold, and I will probably get the one in Pink…(If the same thing happens again with Dior’s limited-edition items, only the one in Gold would be available in the US.)
Some of my Dior items:
DiorLight Jeweled Makeup Necklace
(from Holiday 2007)
Diorissime Palette
(from Fall 2007)
5-Color Eyeshadow Palette in Seascape
(purple, blue, and mint green…)
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(Shiseido Maquillage Clean Contrast Eyes 2 in SV844)
I haven’t really been very interested in Maquillage since it was launched in fall 2005. But sometimes, it only takes one item to start my interest in a makeup line, and you are looking at it now.
Back to Maquillage. Since I have been very interested in lilac for the past year or so, I am often excited to see lilac being featured as the main eyeshadow color for a seasonal collection. For spring 2008, this look (modeled by Ebihara Yuri, one of the four brand ambassadors for Maquillage) really grabbed my attention.
Maquillage replaced PN (the color makeup line) and Proudia (the base makeup line) and was what Shiseido called a “Super Brand”. The expectation at the time was extremely high, since PN, in particular, was very successful at bringing young people to Shiseido and rescuing the brand’s then aging image. Over the last couple of years, Maquillage, with a more mature image, has proven to be delivering the sales figures.
For those of you that might not be familiar with the multi-layered branding concept in Japanese cosmetics, Maquillage is not a fully fledged brand and is simply the name of Shiseido’s main color/base makeup line. It does not have its own counters and is sold at Shiseido counters in Japan and some other Asian countries (where you will find many other lines like Elixir Superior (skincare/base makeup), UVWhite (whitening), Anessa (suncare), Revital (anti-aging), and Beauty Voltage (youth skincare)).
Back to Maquillage. Since I have been very interested in lilac for the past year or so, I am often excited to see lilac being featured as the main eyeshadow color for a seasonal collection. For spring 2008, this look (modeled by Ebihara Yuri, one of the four brand ambassadors for Maquillage) really grabbed my attention.
(image from www.shiseido.co.jp)
via xuzer at Dailymoiton)
After checking some more images of this palette on-line and on magazines, I decided to try it.
Initially, being (a bit overly) excited to try a lilac that was much cooler than most of the other lilacs I had, I used it as the main shade on my eyelids and I used the silvery grey around my lash line. It didn’t work well. Worn alone, the lilac is almost too pale for my eye area and the whole look is not optimally flattering.
When I tried the palette for the second time, I wore the silvery grey as the main color with most of the lilac showing through from underneath and around the silvery grey. This time, it worked a lot better.
A couple of days ago, I happened to find the following application steps on the Shiseido website. They show more or less how I used the palette for the second time. (They are similar to those on the back of the outer packaging of the palette, but the images below give a clearer idea.)
(image from www.shiseido.co.jp)
My own shade descriptions:
1. sheer white with mainly pale multi-color shimmer and relatively little pigment
2. pale blue-ish lilac with very fine and subtle shimmer and an overall satiny finish
3. silvery grey with a semi-metallic shimmery finish and a very slight warm copper undertone
4. dark matte charcoal with very sparse shimmer
1. sheer white with mainly pale multi-color shimmer and relatively little pigment
2. pale blue-ish lilac with very fine and subtle shimmer and an overall satiny finish
3. silvery grey with a semi-metallic shimmery finish and a very slight warm copper undertone
4. dark matte charcoal with very sparse shimmer
With some eye palettes from Japanese brands, the second darkest shade is usually meant to be worn under the crease. But I think one of the best ways to use this palette is to follow the steps above and use the second darkest shade (silvery grey) both under and around the crease and over most of the lilac applied beforehand. (If you don’t have a crease, use the silvery grey as the main shadowing shade over the lilac, which is applied on a slightly broader area on the lids.)
The key is to layer the two shades.
Since the silvery grey has a touch of sheerness, the lilac is able to show through and the two colors together create a lovely and subtle depth for the eyes.Since many eye palettes in Japanese brands are named after the main shade, I was later able to understand why this is a (well-justified) SV (Silver) palette and not a VI (violet), which I did wonder initially. (Note: Kanebo brands would use PU (purple) instead of VI.)
The practical strengths are there as well. The powder is smooth and goes on easily, and the colors are long-lasting.
Essentially, this is a silvery-grey palette with lilac as the accent color. The concept is different from that of my other lilac palettes with gradations of lilacs. For me as a lilac lover, this alone makes the palette worth purchasing. (But I do have to control my fondness for lilac and try not to over-layer it!)
The “silver-greyish lilac” look it creates is subtle and natural, as you see in the ads. It is very good for daily wear. If you want a more dramatic look, layering the silvery grey and putting more emphasis on the dark charcoal will easily give you a smoky effect.
(By the way, in the ad,
Ebihara Yuri is also using the new Gel Liner in SV854.)I did spend quite a few weeks deciding whether to buy this palette or not. But I am very glad I did!
My other two lilac palettes for spring 2008:
Coffret D’Or 3D Lighting Eyes in 04
Lunasol Sheer Contrast Eyes in Lavender Coral
Other related posts:
Must-Try Look for Spring 2008
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(Shiseido ZA Two-Way Foundation)This favorite foundation of mine got a very brief mention in my post on my foundation routine almost precisely a year ago (the one in the cherry-pink case). After I did a couple of Foundation Face-Offs (SUQQU vs. Chanel and Lunasol vs. Coffret D’Or), I thought I should highlight my favorite foundation for the past few years.
(ZA Two-Way Foundation)
(I wear #22.)
(image from www.za-ny.com)
Launched in 1997, ZA is a drugstore brand from Shiseido that is targeted at those in the mid-20’s. What is interesting about ZA is that it is a Shiseido line that is not sold in Japan. According to ZA’s website, it is available in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, China, Indonesia, and Hawaii.
(ZA Two-Way Foundation)(I wear #22.)
(image from www.za-ny.com)
Even though Sofina’s Raycious is also one of my favorite foundation lines, its annual powder foundation releases over the past few years seem to be getting paler and a lot more luminous. (I prefer a satiny matte finish.) Despite their very good sebum-control efficacy, the overly luminous finish doesn’t really suit me. This is where ZA comes in (while I use Raycious foundations mainly for highlighting and precision concealing).
For me, a good foundation should even out my skin-tone (particularly the mild redness), offer a medium coverage, create a matte finish, control shine, and minimize the look of pores. ZA’s Two-Way Foundation does all of these relatively well.
Basics
SPF 20, PA ++, 8 shades (see above)
Finish
The finish is predominantly matte with a very subtle and natural luminosity.
Texture
The texture is more on the dry side (which is good for sebum control). Among major Japanese cosmetics lines that release different powder foundations for spring/summer and fall/winter, this foundation’s texture is more like that of a spring/summer release.
Coverage
The coverage is around medium, and it covers mild redness and minor imperfections quite well. (I wear #22, a light-to-medium shade with a subtle yellow undertone. It evens out my mild redness effectively and gives a very natural look.)
Pore Coverage
It offers relatively good and pleasantly long-lasting pore coverage.
Shine Control
The shine-control ability is fairly good. The slightly drier texture makes the powder absorb sebum well, and the absence of shimmery particles means that the shine does not look more pronounced than it already does. (But it is worth mentioning that Coffret D’Or’s new Beauty Lasting Pack UV has an even better shine control ability.)
Lasting Power
It has a very good lasting power, which manifests in two ways. Firstly, what happens with some powder foundations I have tried is that, after I blot out the shine for several times during the day, the foundation starts to look patchy and cakey. But I have rarely experienced this with ZA. Also, the shade of the foundation darkens very minimally and only after a very long day. Sometimes I have to have my makeup on for more than 12 hours and this foundation still looks pretty good right before I take my makeup off.
Overall, this foundation really suits me. Even though there are a few other powder foundations I’ve tried that perform better in one or two categories above, this is by far one of the most well-rounded foundations that I have used so far in terms of my personal foundation-wearing preferences.
Unfortunately, for those of you that might be interested in ZA but don’t live in the regions mentioned above, I have not yet come across a website that carries ZA and delivers internationally. But I will keep you updated if I have more information.
Updated on April 2nd, 2008:
– Two readers have told me that ZA is no longer available in Hawaii.
– A reader has noticed that some ZA items are sold on-line. Please refer to the comment section for the link.
Thank you all for the alerts!
Related Posts:
Paul & Joe Foundation Primer N
Raycious Pressed Powder
Lavshcua Loose Powder
(For me, all of these work well with ZA Two-Way Foundation.)
Other items in my “Can’t Live Without” series:
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(Majolica Majorca 2008 summer collection)(image from www.biteki.com)
Majolica Majorca will release the summer 2008 collection in Japan on April 26th. The collection includes:
(image from www.s-woman.net/maquia/)
Powder Heat Metallic: 1 shade (limited edition)
Lash Heat Metallic: 1 shade (limited edition)
My last Majolica Majorca purchase was about two years ago. Since then, I haven’t been impressed by their seasonal releases. The summer 2008 collection is still not cutting it for me…
Interestingly, I haven’t bought anything from Majolica Majorca since Lavshuca was launched in spring 2006. At least for the past two years, I think Lavshuca does cute a lot better than Majolica Majorca…
Updated on March 29, 2008:
Here is another photo of the Majolica Majorca summer 2008 collection, which includes the three limited-edition nail colors.
(image from www.s-woman.net/maquia/)
Related Posts:
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(part of Cosme Decorte AQ’s summer 2008 collection)(image from www.biteki.com)
AQ (which stands for “Absolute Quality”) is the top-end skincare/makeup line from Kose’s high-end brand Cosme Decorte. It will release the summer 2008 collection in Japan on April 16th. The collection features:
Apart from the eyeshadow palette and the lipsticks mentioned above, the collection also includes three new Nail Colors.
Other upcoming summer 2008 collections:
– Eye Shadow (palette): 1 new variation (#032)
– Lipstick: 3 new shades
One of Cosme Decorte AQ’s spring 2008 palettes (#030) includes a lilac and a rosy pink. Their summer 2008 eye palette also features a lilac, this time paired with a blue. The two shades look very good together.
Cosme Decorte AQ’s lipsticks are some of the priciest in Japan. They cost 6300 yen each (around 63 USD), the same price as Clé de Peau’s Rouge a Lèvre in Japan.
Updated on March 31st, 2008:
The Cosme Decorte AQ website has been updated to include information on the summer 2008 collection.
The makeup theme for the collection is Turquoise Lagoon, and the core of the collection is the Pure Grace Eyeshadow palette in #032, which includes turquoise and lilac (seen above). The Cosme Decorte AQ website also shows how to use this palette to create the look in the ad. (Both images are from www.cosmedecorte.com/aq.)
Apart from the eyeshadow palette and the lipsticks mentioned above, the collection also includes three new Nail Colors.
You can check the Cosme Decorte AQ website for more information on the collection.
Other upcoming summer 2008 collections:
Lunasol Summer 2008 Collection
Kate Summer 2008 Collection
EST Summer 2008 Collection
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(part of Magie Deco’s summer 2008 collection)(image from www.biteki.com)
Magie Deco will launch the summer 2008 collection in Japan on April 16th. The collection includes:
Shadow Brilliance eye palettes: 2 new variations
Luxual Long Mascara Waterproof: 2 shades
The Shadow Brilliance palettes seem to be selling well in Japan and the palette in 014 Believe in Magic is seen on the readers’ favorite eyeshadow palette list in Biteki (February 2008 issue). Shadow Brilliance’s color combinations are slightly more original than eye palettes from Maquillage, Aube, and Coffret D’Or, and I am sure there will be more lovely items to come from Magie Deco.
Updated on March 31st, 2008:
The Magie Deco website has been updated to include information on the summer 2008 collection. (All images are from www.cosmedecorte.com/magiedeco/.)
The full Magie Deco summer 2008 collection includes:
– Shadow Brilliance eye palettes: 2 new variations
– Fairy Eyes cream eyeshadows: 4 new shades
– Fairy Rouge glosses: 3 new shades
– Lipsticks: 3 new shades
– Gem on Liner Waterproof (new): 2 shades
– Luxual Volume Mascara Waterproof (new): 2 shades
– Luxual Long Mascara Waterproof (new): 2 shades
– Nail Colors: 5 new shades
– Eye Makeup Remover (new)
You can see all the new product images on the Magie Deco website.
(I’d like to thank Betsy at Autumn Masquerade for the alert!)
Related Posts:
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