(continued from the previous post)
—————#3: Guerlain————————-
The Look: Colors in Pucci style
Key Item: Guerlain by Emilio Pucci Meteorites Powder. Put the colors from the cherry-pink and turquoise powder balls onto your face to add some bright radiance. The gorgeous packaging will add some pizazz to your dressing table as well.
—————#2: Chanel————————-
The Look: Sheer beauty.
Key Items: Contraste Lumiere palettes in Aquarelles (cool tones, reviewed here) and Morderees (warm tones). With sheer and lightly shimmery shades, these are some of the best and the most wearable lip/eye palettes from Chanel in recent seasons. The Aquarelles palette is my personal favorite, while Mordorees definitely reflects the demand for the sun-goddess look every summer.
—————#1 (Winner!): Dior————————-
The Look: Polar Contrast — water and desert.
Key Item: 5-Colour Eyeshadow Palette in 130 Blue Croisette. This a beautiful palette that epitomizes this season’s trend with blue eyeshadows. Adorable pastel blue shades, some cooler and some warmer, form a lovely spectrum. Great to create a subtle gradation of tones of this season’s hottest color. If you usually stay away from blue eyeshadows but are tempted to give them a go, then this palette can be a great start.
Related Posts:
Dior Summer 2007 Collection
Chanel Summer 2007 Collection
Guerlain-Pucci Collaboration for Summer 2007
Beautiful Lips — with Blue Lip Glosses?
I’d like to invite all of you to vote on my first-ever poll (more polls to come). Please find it on the side bar.
If I miss any of your favorite lines, drop a comment and let me know!
Poll closes on July 8th. I will post the result here. So come back and see which line takes the crown!
Edited on July 8th, 2007:
See the results here!
(continued from the previous post)
—————#6: Shu Uemura————————-
The Look: Juxtaposition of warm and cool hues.
Key Items: Sunrise Prism and Sunset Prism Eyeshadow Palettes. (Another interpretation of the sunrise/sunset theme is Chanel’s two Contraste Lumiere palettes, billed as “dawn and day” in Japan.) Not as bold as MAC’s C-Shock Collection, they are still richer than most pastel shades around. The combinations of colors are very interesting and enticing (turquoise, emerald and yellow for Sunrise Prism and orange, lilac, and gold for Sunset Prism). I’d be tempted to mix the colors from the two eye-catching palettes.
—————#5: Lavshuca————————-
The Look: A Touch of Blusher (Umm……)
Key Items: Cheek Colors. If you like to go heavy on the blusher, then they might not be right for you. (They do layer fine, but it takes time.) They impart a light wash of color. It is predominantly matte, which I like as well.
(I am not really sure how these are compared with the striped Cheek Select, which, from what I have gathered, is too sheer for most people’s liking. I think the Cheek Colors are probably more pigmented, as they certainly can’t be used as an overall face powder…)
—————#4: Lunasol————————-
The Look: Azure eyes.
Key Item: Skin Modeling Eyes in EX02 Beige Cool. This is a great palette for creating the hot look of this season: blue eyes. Instead of the bright and bold cobalt blue, the palette features a light pastel blue and a deeper and more understated dark blue. A very wearable blue eye palette.
To be continued……(see who wins the medals…)
Related Posts:
Lunasol Summer 2007 Collection
Lavshuca Summer 2007 Collection
(Pictured: my summer 2007 makeup additions)
This week, I will present three posts that round up 2007’s summer collections, in the form of my usual Top Ten list.
We’ll start from number 10 today:
—————#10: Kate ——————–
The Look: Glistening and iridescent eyes.
Key Items: Loose Eyeshadows. All the four shades (pink, blue, gold, and silver) are quite light. The emphasis is on the sparkles. Loose eyeshadows are not commonly seen for budget brands in Japan (Majolica Majorca did have some in spring 2007), and they have been quite popular.
(I haven’t featured Kate very much in my blog. I am planning to talk more about it next month.)
—————#9: Jill Stuart ——————–
The Look: Airy and feminine.
Key Item: Brilliance Eyes in 05 Mauve Pearl. A limited edition palette from the Brilliance Eyes eyeshadow palette collection. (Two more are coming this fall!) There are soft pastel shades of pink and blue with a bold shimmery black to frame the eyes. It is a contrasting palette that works seamlessly.
—————#8: Maquillage ——————–
The Look: Eyes with soft creamy colors.
Key Items: Double Shiny Eyes. Fans of the previous PN collection will recognize this reincarnation, this time with a matching highlighting shade. Love the little drawer that holds the applicater.
—————#7: Aube (Sofina)——————–
The Look: Juicy lips bursting with shine and sparkles.
Key Items: Gloss Frutina. Sheer shades of pink, red, orange, and mint green…it is like a refreshing summer fruit bowl. If the sparkles in the lip glosses are not enough for you, the applicators are also decked with Swarovski crystals. Affordable luxuries!
To be continued…
(Note: Western brands are doing well on the list this season and they will be appearing later on. Well, the clue is in the photo……)
Related Posts:
Aube Summer 2007 Collection
Jill Stuart Summer 2007 Collection
(Pictured: my Chanel Contraste Lumiere in Aquarelles)
I always like a nice palette. I like the weight, the size, and the sleekness of it. I am always looking for palettes with great colors inside and a look to match.
I have always loved Chanel, but, apart from one Les 4 Ombres eyeshadow palette, this is the first one I bought. I am glad that I have waited for something virtually perfect for me. I have been enjoying experimenting with pink and lilac eyeshadows for a few months now, so it is exciting to see both colors in the palette. Also, the lip glosses have various cool-pink tones that really suit me. Out of almost all the seasonal palettes from Chanel in the past couple of years, this is definitely my favorite.
(four lip glosses and two eyeshadows)
The colors of the two eyeshadows really compliment each other and they can be worn in many different ways. The finish is sheer and semi-matte with some very subtle shimmer. The lip glosses give a wonderfully natural sheen to the lips. All these sheer hues are great for a touch of color in the hot summer.
I think summer is actually a great time to wear cool tones. So give them a go!
(There is another version of the palette (in Mordorees), which features various warm tones for a sun-kissed complexion.)
Related posts (palette galore!):
YSL: Gold Celebration Palette “Star Glow” (Scroll down to see the photo.)
Clarins: Palette Impression
Jill Stuart: Brilliance Eyes Palette
Lavshuca: Eye Color Select Palettes
(SUQQU Clear Veil Powder)
(photo from www.suqqu.com/japan.html)
I have mentioned innovation in Japanese cosmetics last week in another post. Today I am talking about another product exemplifying this.
SUQQU’s Clear Veil Powder, launch in fall 2006, has created a sensation. “Magical”, “unbelievable”, “shocking”, and “an unprecedented masterpiece” are some of the expressions that Japanese beauty experts used to describe this finishing pressed powder (Frau magazine, November 2006).
What is unprecedented about this pressed powder is that each powder particle is see-through. Yes, we’ve all used loose powder that is translucent and doe not add color, but this one is almost totally “transparent”.
You can see that there seems to be the word “SUQQU” on the powder. But the word is in fact indented at the bottom of the tin case holding the pressed powder. It is for the sole purpose of showcasing this ingenious innovation.
It is able to mattify and smooth the skin without making it chalky. The powder particles are transparent so the face simply won’t look chalky.
Primers are a huge business in Japanese cosmetics, and there have been many innovative products. I would imagine SUQQU’s Clear Veil Powder is a silicone-based mattifying liquid primer — in pressed powder form and used as a finishing powder. If this is the case, I’d call it a post-primer. (I know it is sort of an oxymoron, but I am sure you get the idea.) Since it is applied after the foundation (unlike a primer of course), it has the potential of giving (and keeping) a really even, smooth, and matte appearance.
I haven’t actually tried it, but the people at the SUQQU counter in Selfridges in London told me a couple of months ago that it might appear in the UK in the coming fall. I am very excited about this! If I do get to try it, I will follow this up with another report.
Updated on April 24th 2009:
Please check out the review of Clear Veil Powder here.
Related posts:
—SUQQU: Sensuality with an Attitude
—Review: SUQQU Makeup and Skincare
—One of a Kind: SUQQU Spring 2007 Eyeshadow in Daichi (Mother Earth)
(pictured: part of my Lavshuca stash)
As we are still getting ready for some hot weather, Lavshuca has already released news on their fall 2007 collection, in store on August 1st 2007.
See a photo of part of the collection here.
The collection features:
a new line of liquid lip colors (10 shades, seen in link above)
6 eyeshadow palettes (2 seen in link above)
1 liquid eyeliner
2 new shades of Jewelry Lips lipsticks
1 new shade of Eye Color Select palette
The attention grabber of the new collection is the revolutionary liquid lip colors, which will have a highly viscous consistency. I imagine it is between a very syrupy lip gloss and a very creamy lipstick (half-liquid and half-solid). The twist-dispenser with the delicate heart-shape opening will really showcase this consistency.
Who knows?
Some people think that the makeup and skincare innovations in Japan are at least one decade ahead of the Western counterpart*. Maybe this is the perfect formula of combining the color intensity of lipsticks and the shine of lip glosses.
Lip colors that are both highly pigmented and ultra-glossy? Can’t wait to try them!
*Next week I will talk about a certain pressed powder that has taken the Japanese market by storm.
(pictured: my Cynthia Rowley stash)
What would be the perfect things to say if your makeup could talk to you?
When you open some of the Cynthia Rowley Cosmetics items, the words are:
“You’re so pretty!”
“I Love your eyes!”
“How come you’re so pretty?”
Cynthia Rowley Cosmetics has been discontinued for a while, and I am missing it. It has the kind of beautiful packaging (without over-doing the cuteness) that I really love. The shade of blue is soft and refreshing, and the jewel detail adds a touch of glamor.
The colors are vibrant without being harsh or gaudy. There are a lot of pastel shades in their eyeshadows, and their lipsticks have a good selection of colors.
The brow powder set I have is great. It has two shades of brow powder, a tweezer, an angled powder brush, and a brow brush.
Photos from the Cynthia Rowley Cosmetics catalogue:
I am aware that Cynthia Rowley is launching a one-off collection in fall 2007 for Avon. But, packaging-wise alone, it is not as good as her original line.
If you have used Cynthia Rowley Cosmetics before, please drop me a line and share your experience. It’ll be nice to hear from you!
Also, our charity drive, Comments for a Cure, is still going on today for the final day (June 6th). Come and leave a comment!
Related post: Bring It Back!! Calvin Klein Cosmetics
by PJ on Sunday, June 3, 2007
in _I Love Colors, -Ayura, -Lancôme, -Lunasol, all about Japanese cosmetics, bodycare, fragrance, makeup, nail color/care, skincare, stash focus
Orange has been the youngest member of my favorite color family, since I discovered that I looked nice in orange (deep orange, especially, not yellowy orange) only a few years ago.
It is such a cheerful color. Also, when it comes to fragrance, citrus notes are some of my favorites as well. Uplifting and energizing!
—————————————-
Makeup
Lunasol: Contrasting Cheeks 03
Fragrance
Shiseido: Energizing Fragrance
Lancome: Aroma Fit
Skincare
Ayura: Nail Essence
RMK: Cleansing Oil
Garnier: Handcocoon Intense Nourishing Concentrate
(And…an orange!)
Related Posts:
A Spash of Color — New-Leaf Green
A Spash of Color — Aqua Blue
(pictured: my Jill Stuart stash)First of all, take a look at the visual ad for this collection. I have heard several people say that it is the best one for Jill Stuart cosmetics to date. It is certainly very soft, pretty, and feminine. (Please note that the link might not work after the Jill Stuart Fall 2007 collection comes out.)
It is not an extensive collection, but it has a bit of everything. The limited-edition eye palette is a new addition to the wonderful Brilliance Eyes collection. (It is one of the most sparkling eyeshadow palettes I have ever used. I’ve reviewed mine here.)
It also includes two Lip Lusters and two Jelly Eye Colors. There are also five nail colors and nail art stickers (both limited editions).
Instead of the bold and colorful tropical looks that many brands usually feature for summer, Jill Stuart goes for the ultra-gentle and breezy look for the steamy hot weather. With the beautiful packaging and luminous shades, they will sell!
Related posts:
Loving Japanese Brands (4 of 7): Jill Stuart
Jill Stuart Spring 2007 Eyeshadow Palette
