If you are interested (particularly if you are a NARS fan of course), there is an interview with François Nars on the UK newspaper The Telegraph.
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makeup
Taiwanese pop artist A-Mei(image from Specktra.Net)
Am I gradually becoming a MAC person? First of all, Alexander McQueen for MAC really caught my eye and I have got the eyeshadow in Haunting. Also, some items from the Holiday 2007 Antiquitease collection have already been on my shopping list for a while.
Then, a couple of days ago, I saw the face of A-Mei (pronounced “Ah-May“, a Taiwanese pop star) on Specktra Beauty Blog. (I saw her name as the name of one of MAC’s future releases earlier on the site, and I was wondering back then.)
For people who grew up or have lived in any part of the Chinese-speaking part of the world, A-Mei needs no introduction. I think it is fair to say that she is the queen of pop in the Chinese-speaking world.
Ethnically, A-Mei is Austronesian (not Han Chinese or Sino-Tibetan, in a more general term) as she shares genetic ties with peoples in the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, and Oceania, which is reflected on her features. Her ancestors have been living in Taiwan for thousands of years before Han Chinese began settlements in Taiwan four centuries ago. In many people’s eyes, she and her heritage say more about the Taiwanese history, even though the Austronesians only account for around 2% of the Taiwanese population.
After winning a major talent contest and releasing her debut album in 1996, she became an instant sensation. (For me, that album is still a sentimental favorite of mine, among all her others.) Her fame grew and grew as she became a household name in many East Asian countries.
As she reached an iconic status in Asia, her achievements unavoidably carry a weight of cultural significance. I will be excited to see A-Mei’s stunning features gracing MAC counters! We still haven’t seen the actual shades of the line-up, but who knows…maybe they will be on my list later on.
According to a thread on Specktra.Net Forum, the A-Mei collection will be sold in selected shops in the US and various countries in Asia. I will definitely follow the news of this upcoming collection and keep you posted.
Update on December 7, 2007:
Check out this clip, freshly out today. A-Mei looks great here!
(from IM TV)
I assume the first part of the clip features the shooting of the promotional images. In the second part of the clip, A-Mei mentions that she is very happy to be collaborating with MAC on the upcoming color collection. She also says that she is not usually used to wearing such a red lip color (she usually wears quite nude shades) but that she is now getting into it more.
Also, she looks forward to all the challenges in 2008, including a production of Turandot in Japan. But at the moment she is gearing up for the three concerts in Taipei later this month.
One thing I have noticed about the MAC A-Mei logo design (00:56 and throughout the clip) is the use of cross-stitching patterns featured in the traditional costumes of her native Puyuma tribe in Taiwan. I think it is a great touch.
Other relevant information:
See the MAC A-Mei Color Collection Face Charts.
Check the international availability of MAC A-Mei Color Collection.
Update on December 8, 2007:
A sneak peek at part of the collection!
(MAC for A-Mei Color Collection)(image from www.urcosme.com)
Again, the packaging features colorful cross-stitching patterns from A-Mei’s native Puyuma tribe. I like the fact that the packaging reflects and celebrates A-Mei’s heritage. I am particularly liking the one on the right (both the packaging and the shades). Perhaps a potential purchase!
Updated on December 11, 2007:
Check out this link to see a striking image of A-Mei wearing the collection, which was released to the Taiwanese press.
Updated on December 14, 2007:
Janice at Specktra Beauty News has posted a follow-up entry on the MAC A-Mei Color Collection, which includes a great photo of the whole collection.
Also, she has pointed me to a thread on Specktra.Net Forum, which includes stock images of the collection. Let’s keep track of this thread and hopefully see more and more images of the collection!
Thank you very much, Janice!
I love the stock images. It was fantastic to see the actual items up close. The packaging is as stunning as it appears on previous images, and it almost gives me goosebumps to see the colorful tribal cross-stitching concept being well carried-out with a good sense of authenticity. Marvelous!(The comment function for this post doesn’t seem to be working at the moment. I do apologize for this. If you would like to leave a comment, please do so under the post where you found this update. Thank you very much!)
Updated on January 11, 2008:
The collection was out earlier this month. Check out this post for photos of the storefront decoration for the launch of the A-Mei collection in a MAC store in Taipei, collection counter display, and color swatches.
Enjoy!
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(Dior’s DiorLight…safely made it to my shopping list)
(image from www.cosme.net)
Three upscale department stores in London, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and Harrods, have launched several holiday 2007 makeup collections. It’s getting earlier and earlier each year. I think it is rather ridiculous for shops to display Christmas gift sets in the beginning of October, but at least I have enough time to look through the items without making any impulsive purchase.
(image from www.cosme.net)
Three upscale department stores in London, Selfridges, Harvey Nichols, and Harrods, have launched several holiday 2007 makeup collections. It’s getting earlier and earlier each year. I think it is rather ridiculous for shops to display Christmas gift sets in the beginning of October, but at least I have enough time to look through the items without making any impulsive purchase.
As promised, here are my initial thoughts after I saw the actual items. (Please follow the links to see all the photos.)
Dior:
First I saw the Trotter Romantique palettes in Harvey Nichols. The larger one (with the mascara and the lip gloss) looks decent with wearable colors. It is smaller than the similar ones I saw. (The sales assistant seemed defensive when I compared it with the pink purse palette that I saw in Heathrow Airport, but I did mean it as a compliment. I would love to see more airport-exclusive Dior items sold in department stores.)
The two smaller square palettes are disappointing. There is no problem with the shades. It is the flimsy packaging. Very un-Dior-like. The lids are a bit wobbly and the shiny black PVC edge trimmings look brassy. The quality of the packaging is simply not as good as that of the Detective Chic or the Diorissime palette.
Then I saw the DiorLight pendant in Selfridges. The surprise is that it is bigger than what I imagined. I thought it would be slightly bigger than the size of a cherry, but it is only slightly smaller than a ping-pong ball. Quite a huge pendant. But it also highlights the fact that it is very light…almost too light, even though it sports many Swarovski crystals. (The Holiday 2006 Dior Pretty Charms is pleasantly weighty.) The two shades are the usual warm pink and light beige.
The sales assistant seemed bemused at the fact that I was carefully checking out the details of the “crystal ball”. Well, it costs 54 pounds (108 USD), and obviously it is the packaging that we are paying for, not the gloss.
I do like it and I will consider getting it, but I will think really hard about whether to spend that amount of money on a gloss pendant.
YSL:
I saw all the holiday 2007 items in Harvey Nichols. The heart-shape pendant, unlike DiorLight, has a good chunky feel. But I still think that, while the design idea is good, the actual finished product is not. I personally think that It needs more fluidity in the whole design.
As for the silver palette, I like the cute color of the blusher. There is actually a heart-shape spongy pad placed on top of the blusher pan. Cute, but not very useful. (But maybe it is precisely for printing a heart-shape blush on your face or body.) The other shades are very nondescript. After seeing in person the first silver holiday palette for YSL in years, I still prefer the gold packaging, like I said before.
Guerlain: (images from Makeup Bag)
The main buzz surrounds the Forever Gold Sublime Radiant Powder, which, along with the rest of the Guerlain Holiday 2007 collection, was launched in Selfridges. I spayed it on the back of my hand and saw a veil of delicate but very sparkly shimmer revealed itself. I was impressed with the gentle and even finish, and it should be great to add a touch of shimmer to the face and the body. The idea of the product works in theory and in reality, and I am sure this unique item will sell very well.
Givenchy: (image from Bjooti.Net, another image here)
The star item is Prisme Solitaire, which I saw in Harrods. Compared with Guerlain’s Forever Gold, this one gives a more intense and concentrated shimmer. (Guerlain’s Forever Gold is soft and airy, but still very sparkly.) It really is like diamond dust. Depending on how you use it, it can be an all-over shimmer or it can inject a dose of beaming sparkles to your eyes. Packaging-wise, I like the case very much, which looks like a real diamond ring case.
I personally don’t like too much shimmer, so Guerlain’s Forever Gold and Givenchy’s Prisme Solitaire will not make any appearance on my shopping list. But, if you like sparkles and shimmer, I highly recommend that you check out these two.
So far, the items on my holiday shopping list are Dior’s DiorLight and palettes from MAC’s Antiquitease. I can’t wait to see Antiquitease in person…
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(Alexander McQueen for MACEye Shadow in Haunting)
The Alexander McQueen for MAC collection is exclusive to Harrods in the UK and was out on October 3. The eyeshadow in Haunting was the item I looked forward to the most. I stopped by Harrods today and decided to buy it after being so indecisive about whether to get it or not. (I shall explain more later.)
I will post a review of this after I try it on. Do come back!
(See images of the items and the swatches of the collection on Specktra.Net Forum.)
Related Post:
MAC Holiday 2007 – Antiquitease
(already on my shopping list…)
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(another of my favorite blushers)
AYURA is one of my all-time favorite brands and it would be the brand of my choice if I could only live on one cosmetics brand. I will certainly bring you more AYURA items one by one later on. (See the Japanese site for all the more current information and images of the products. Both sites, like most other websites for Japanese cosmetics brands, are for information only and don’t offer on-line ordering.)
AYURA Aura Veil α was out in spring 2006 to replace the previous AYURA blushers. It comes in four shades and mine is PK-11 Sweet Pink. It is a gradation blusher with the shade running from a light peach on the right to a soft coral pink on the left.
The blusher is fairly well-pigmented and with minimal shimmer.
I love the very understated and elegantly curvy packaging (which is always the case with AYURA products):
(the tulip-shape packaging)
There is a separate compartment for the brush. It is a good-quality brush and I can sometimes simply use this one to apply the blusher instead of my usual blusher brush. (The case/brush set is sold separately and the quality doesn’t disappoint.)
The blusher goes on the bottom layer:
The colors stay fresh, don’t darken overtime, and last well. They are girlie and playful shades that I enjoy using from time to time to create a warm complexion. Also, in recent issues of some Japanese cosmetics magazines, I have noticed that soft warm blushers like this are often used to accompany minty green eyeshadows to create a very fresh look. Overall, like Anna Sui’s Face Color Accent, it scores good points in many aspects!
Do have a look at my personal take on AYURA if you are interested.
More posts on my blushers later!!
Some of my other blushers:
Budget Princess: Majolica Majorca
(featuring two Majolica Majorca blushers)
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(FACE Atelier lipsticks in Pink Sizzle (front)and Pink Cashmere (back))
Out of the 7 mini lipstick collections of FACE Atelier, Rhapsody in Pink is a collection of five pink-based lipsticks.
Both Pink Cashmere and Pink Sizzle are richly-pigmented. Pink Cashmere is a girlie peachy pink that goes on slightly cooler and has a frosty finish, while Pink Sizzle is a glamorous cherry magenta that has a very smooth and velvety matte finish.
(Left: Pink Cashmere; Right: Pink Sizzle)
(from www.faceatelier.com)
I personally prefer Pink Sizzle, simply because the finish is more versatile. (On my lips, a frosty lipstick will always only look frosty.) Just putting it on will create a velvety matte finish. Blotting the lips with a tissue makes the finish completely matte (while the intense pigment is retained). Layering on a clear gloss makes the magenta even more electrifying.
In October 2007, FACE Atelier is donating 20% of the sales of the Rhapsody in Pink lipstick collection to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.
More lipsticks?
Lavshuca Jewelry Lips
(the cutest little lipsticks ever)
Rich and Creamy: Milani Lipsticks
(great shades at even greater prices)
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(Bella Il Fiore Powder Room)(from bellabeauty.net)
Considering the size of Bella Il Fiore‘s Powder Room (10.5cm x 9.5cm x 6.5cm), the fact that there are 6 lip colors, 4 blushers, and 9 eyeshadows is fairly impressive. Apart from that, all the compartments fit snugly together and never feel fiddly.
It comes in a matching pink/black box (right):
(love the packaging…)
(all out in display)
The 6 lip glosses are my favorites in this set. They have a glassy vinyl finish and last well. All shades have understated shimmer and fair color density (not too sheer). I like the fact that the selection includes both warmer and cooler shades.
(six lip glosses)
The blushers are velvety and well-pigmented. They all have shimmer but it is not too over-powering. Some of these shades are good for bronzing and shading as well.
(the blushers)The easy-to-wear eyeshadows are also smooth and pretty well-pigmented. The only matte shade is the cream-white toward bottom right. All others have fine shimmer. All the shades go on as they are in the pans, except that the olive (upper right) goes on much greyer.
(the eyeshadows)Overall, this set should work for people with both warm and cool skin-tones, although the blushers will work much better for warm skin-tones and I would love to see one cool pink blusher among the four. Other than that, this nicely packaged set is versatile and is suitable for both daytime and evening. I have been enjoying playing with all the shades (as well as opening and closing all the drawers)!
Related Posts (some of my favorite palettes):
Lavshuca Eyecolor Select in PU-2
Jill Stuart Brilliance Eyes in 04 Gem Amethyst
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(Lunasol Holiday 2007 coffret)(from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)
Lunasol will be releasing the Holiday 2007 coffret on November 16. The Lunasol Holiday Party 2007 Coffret includes a 4-color eyeshadow palette, a liquid eyeliner, a lip gloss, a pressed powder, and a gift box (seen below).
(Lunasol Holiday 2007 coffret)
(Lunasol Holiday 2006 collection)
(from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)
(Lunasol Holiday 2007 coffret)(from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)
I feel ambivalent about this collection. I think many Lunasol fans would want to see some more striking shades and more “collectible” items. The eyeshadows are all very neutral, the gloss is a universally flattering cool pink, and the pressed powder should be sheer and with a bit of shimmer. So, for Lunasol fans (including me), maybe some of us won’t be excited by these items.
However, Lunasol holiday sets usually sell out fast. Objectively, as a gift, this set is flawless, as these shades won’t look wrong on most people. Also, it is great for people who have never tried Lunasol and are interested in experiencing some of the items.
The coffret costs 6,825 yen in Japan (about 59 USD).
Looking back at some of the previous holiday releases, we see that the feel of the collections has been quite consistent. The Holiday 2006 set had more of a golden edge:
(Lunasol Holiday 2006 collection)(from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)
The Holiday 2003 coffret was mostly for the lips:
(Lunasol Holiday 2003 collection)
(from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)
But I do remember the Holiday 2004 collection, which featured two eyeshadow palettes, one with turquoise and one with purple shades, in one-off ivory-white packaging. Those were items worth some serious consideration!
But I do remember the Holiday 2004 collection, which featured two eyeshadow palettes, one with turquoise and one with purple shades, in one-off ivory-white packaging. Those were items worth some serious consideration!
Nevertheless, Lunasol is known for quality and has some great items, and I always look forward to its new releases!
Related Posts:
Loving Japanese Brands: Lunasol
(my personal take on Lunasol)
If I Could Go to Japan RIGHT NOW
(featuring Lunasol and nine other great Japanese brands)
Fall 2007 Makeup Round-Up (Part 3)
(Lunasol fall 2007 collection wins my seasonal ranking.)
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If you haven’t, do stop by Beauty Addict or Bjooti.Net right now to see the latest palettes from Chanel.
The one on the right looks great…which one would you prefer?
If you still want more (I know I do), see a similar Chanel palette sold in airport duty-free shops.
Related Posts (more Chanel palettes):
I Won’t Buy This: Les 4 Camélias de Chanel
Chanel Contraste Lumière Palette in Aquarelles
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(the new Calvin Klein ad display in Hong Kong)Here is the first look of the new Calvin Klein Beauty!
A generous reader of mine, Sin, from Hong Kong, sent me these photos of the new Calvin Klein Beauty ad and counter display in Hong Kong. She has very kindly let me post them on my blog.
(the Calvin Klein counter)
(the Calvin Klein counter…that blusher looks rather cute)
These are great photos, showing the printed ad as well as the makeup line-up. (I can feel my eyes getting closer and closer to the screen…)
Sin also mentioned that the Calvin Klein skincare line will be launched in Hong Kong in December.
Since I wrote about my memories of Calvin Klein cosmetics back in May, I have had some informative comments and e-mails. (Thank you all!) As many of you might already know, Calvin Klein Beauty is re-launching globally. You can read this post for further information. (The post mentions that it will be launched in the UK. Fantastic!)
Again, my sincere thanks goes to Sin for these exciting images! (The photos are from her on-line album. The two other ones, if you are interested, show items of Shiseido Inoui ID.)
Recommended Post:
Beauty Anonymous beautifully recounts her Calvin Klein memories and shows us her very elegant Calvin Klein eye shadow.
Calvin Klein Eyeshadow in Ivory
(My only Calvin Klein item so far…things might change soon!)
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