makeup

Keep It Gold: YSL

by PJ on Thursday, November 16, 2006

in -YSL, makeup

(pictured: part of my collection)


Opulent and luxurious but never tacky or gaudy, nobody else does gold quite like Yves Saint Laurent cosmetics.

My first YSL product is the Tient de Perle powder foundation. The powder feels soft and moist, and it goes on very smoothly. The great thing about it is that it doesn’t give that chalky I-just-piled-on-my-foundation look and that it looks completely set right after the application. But the flip side is that, for my oily skin, it doesn’t control shine very well.

The Mascara Volume Effect Faux Cils is another great one. It creates long and thick lashes, as long as I go easy with it (otherwise it creates clumps). It is also fantastically good for my eyebrow. I sometimes use it instead of eyebrow powder to define my eyebrow. It is extremely effective and it looks ultra-natural.

There was a period of time when I didn’t really use any YSL product. But their Golden Gloss, a new line of lip glosses launched this summer, changed all that. It is one of my favorite lip glosses. It has everything I like in a lip gloss: it is relatively sheer with sparse glitters. (I don’t normally like color-intense lip glosses or those with loads of pearly glitters.) I have the one in #3, which is a natural pink.

I bought their limited-edition Gold Celebration Palette for this Christmas. This is their fourth Christmas palette and it is the only one I have. (I wish I had all four, but they are a bit pricey.) I am convinced that this one is the best one. I like the design of the palette and all the colors are quite wearable.

They have two different bracelets for Christmas 2005 and 2006. The 2005 one looks very striking to me but it is way too big and chunky as a bracelet (even though I like chunky). It may work better as a bag charm. This year, the new design is much better. But it is still not quite there yet. The design of the gold panel is too complicated for my liking. If they had kept it simple, it would probably sit on my dressing table right now. Nevertheless, the rest of their Christmas collection this year is still pretty dazzling and gorgeous.

One thing that I am slightly worried about YSL is that it might not appeal to the young market. The packaging might look overly grown-up for some younger consumers. But personally I like it and I prefer the gold to the brown that they use for some of their other products, which is slightly nondescript. So, as far as I am concerned, keep it gold!

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Kanebo T’Estimo Spring 2007 Collection

by PJ on Wednesday, November 15, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, -Kanebo, -T'Estimo, 2007 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

Japanese cosmetics company websites almost always feature their latest products weeks before they hit the shopd, which is to create a buzz and to have the fans drooling for weeks (and racing toward the shops on the launch day). (European brands please learn!!)

Kanebo T’Estimo is usually one of the first brands in Japan to launch the seasonal collection, and you can already see the whole collection on the official website, with all the other bits up on December 1st. The new collection will appear in shops as early as December 16th.

It seems T’Estimo will be going to back to tone-on-tone with their eyeshadow palettes. The blues and the greens should be soft and wearable (typical of Japanese cosmetics), and the browns should be great from day to night.

Tomorrow: YSL (the last of my three European favorites).

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Loving Japanese brands (4 of 7) : Jill Stuart

by PJ on Tuesday, November 14, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, _Loving Japanese Brands, -Jill Stuart, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(pictured: part of my collection)


Like Anna Sui and Paul & Joe, Jill Stuart is a non-Japanese fashion label that launched the beauty line in Japan, and, just like the former two, the cosmetics line was a sensation in Japan.

It was launched on August 31 last year with a full range of products (for eyes, cheeks, lips, nails,…) Later on, there was a full foundation line. The star product is the loose powder blusher. The shape of the container is not something that fits comfortably in any makeup bag, but this does not stop people from wanting to own it and put it on their dressing tables. It looks fancy and feminine.The loose-powder form of the blusher is obviously quite a novelty, too.

October 6 saw the launch of the Jill Stuart skincare line, with products mostly catered to the Japanese market.

I was simply wondering how many people in the US knew about Jill Stuart cosmetics, so I posted a question on the discussion board at MakeupAlley about this. Only two people replied and they had never heard of it. That was what I thought would be the case.

Out of the whole beauty line, only the fragrances are available in the US so far.

Part of my Jill Stuart collection includes the 2005 Christmas Collection, with a face highlighter and a mini lip gloss. The container of the highlighter (pictured left) is basically the same as that of the loose powder blusher. For me, I don’t think a pot of blusher can look any cuter than this.

So far, the whole Jill Stuart cosmetics collection is still only exclusive to Japan. I have heard some cosmetics fans in Asia saying that it is going to be introduced to some other parts of Asia. It is quite possible, since there are people from Hong Kong and Taiwan buying Jill Stuart products in Japan. They bring them back and sell them in their boutiques or on-line, and the demand is high. I think Jill Stuart will definitely have a market in these two places at least.

I don’t expect to see Jill Stuart anytime soon in the UK. But as long as it is going strong in Japan, I’ll make my way there whenever I can…

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The Perfect Black: Chanel

by PJ on Monday, November 13, 2006

in -Chanel, makeup, makeup - blusher, makeup - eyeshadow, skincare

(pictured: part of my collection)


I like Chanel‘s low-key but glamorous image. It has a pure sense of existence. I sometimes wonder what it would be like if Chanel changed its black packaging. But it is hard to imagine that. Unlike Dior, which changes packaging every couple of years, Chanel always keeps the black (and white). In a way, I hope this will never change.

My first Chanel purchase is Double Perfection Compact. Even though the color turned out to be too pale for my complexion, I couldn’t help but notice how fine the powder was.

I have never used many Chanel skincare products at the same time, but I realized that, over the years, I’ve had quite a few favorites (for my sensitive skin):

Systeme Purete – Le Gel (Purifying Cleansing Gel)

Gommage Microperle eclat (Maximum Radiance Exfoliating Gel)

Soin Tendre Levres (Hydrating Lip Treatment) (It has proper UVA and UVB sunscreen ingredients for daytime.)

Solution Destressante (Calming Emulsion) (This is extremely good when I have occasional small red patches on my face at the turn of seasons.)

Makeup-wise, I am a fan of the Irreelle line:

Irreelle Blush in 80 Tea Rose (the perfect natural pink)

Irreelle Blush in 90 Snow (good highlighter)

Irreelle Soleil in 21 Toundra (a good bronzer for my medium skin tone; with a slight shimmer)

Irreelle Duo in 10 Desert-Rose (Soft Eyeshadow Duo; very silky and blends well)

I also like Les 4 Ombres in 77 Influences and Ombre D’Eau in 50 Bay, both very wearable eyeshadows.

The Chanel Studio in Harvey Nichols London is perhaps one of the best Chanel counters in the world. It features the usual range available in the UK, plus items sold in the US and the Asian markets. I bought the Irreelle Blush (90 Snow, pictured bottom left) there. It is usually only sold in Asia..

As for recent launches, I quite like Poudre Douce (20 peche tendre and 50 mimosa in particular). I have similar products so I need to keep telling myself to stay away from them…

But I will always love Chanel…

Updated on June 10th 2009:

The Chanel Studio in the UK is moving to Selfridges in London. Please check this post for more information.

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Loving Japanese Brands (3 of 7) : Paul & Joe

by PJ on Sunday, November 12, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, _Loving Japanese Brands, -Paul & Joe, all about Japanese cosmetics, fashion, makeup

Even though Sophie Albou, who founded Paul & Joe, is a French designer, Paul & Joe cosmetics is developed, made and launched in Japan. It is one of the more widely available brands of my Japanese favorites. (Check here for the Japanese website, which has slightly more content.)

The soft and understated pale pink color glides through most of the makeup products and each season features specially designed Paul & Joe prints on the limited edition eyeshaows and lipsticks. The elegant and slightly retro image is perfect for the boudoir look, and I think their hummingbird collection for this Christmas is the best limited edition collection to date in terms of both packaging and color selection. (It is strangely not featured on the website but is available in the UK at least, as far as I know.)

Paul & Joe first appeared in the UK in Harvey Nichols London, where I saw the full range for the first time (after looking at all those products on Japanese magazines for quite some time). I just had to get something and I left with a lip gloss. Paul & Joe moved out of Harvey Nichols a couple of years later and now has counters in Fenwick and Harrods. (Check here for more retail points.)

I usually go to the counter in Fenwick. The sales assistants always seem to recognize me and are very friendly and helpful. Quite generous with samples, too.

My favorites are lip gloss in 04 (glittery orange pink), nail treatment oil, hand cream, Blanc eau de toilette (mild, sedate, and elegant), and Blanc body lotion.

The primers and foundations are the more talked about items, although I have not yet tried them.

Their products are regularly featured in magazines in the UK. It seems that they have been expanding their market all over the world. Hopefully it will stay around (especially in the UK!) for a long time and continue to be all feminine and gorgeous.

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Loving Japanese Brands (2 of 7) : Anna Sui

by PJ on Saturday, November 11, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, _Loving Japanese Brands, -Anna Sui, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(pictured: part of my collection)


Even though Anna Sui is a Taiwanese-American designer whose career took off in America, her cosmetics range is developed and made in Japan (by Albion) and is essentially a Japanese brand. I adore Anna Sui because it is fun, playful, gorgeous, and mysterious.

I remember reading some comments about Anna Sui cosmetics on the Internet when it was launched in America many years ago. Someone said that the Gothic-style packaging was bizarre (well, not in this season!) and she wondered where the market was going to be.

She was so wrong. One thing she probably didn’t know was how hugely popular Anna Sui had already been in Asia. The style of packaging was actually just right for the Japanese market: it was cute, girlie, fancy, and dreamy. (It is not the only style that sells in Japan, but it does attract everyone that wants everything to look ultra-cute.) In the image-conscious Japanese society, packaging matters and packaging sells, especially when Japan has a hugely competitive beauty market where good (and right) packaging stands out on magazine pages and grabs attention. When the first Anna Sui counter opened in Taiwan, it sold about 30,000 USD worth of products on the first day of business alone. Now, it is still going very strong in Asia.

It does target heavily on the younger consumers, who are the most relentless spenders. This might be part of Anna Sui’s success.

Of course, good packaging is not enough if the content doesn’t deliver. Anna sui has many strong products, such as loose powder, eyeliners, and lipsticks. My personal favorites are the powder blusher and cream-stick blusher (which was discontinued). My powder blusher color is 400. Its tester looked shockingly red when I was trying to decide which color to buy, but it actually goes on matte, sheer, and surprisingly natural. It can be built into a more intense finish as well. The brush in the compact is nice and soft, compared with so many others.

This autumn, the packaging of the foundation range has gone back to classic black, as it first was. I do miss the gold packaging because all the lovely filigree patterns get to stand out much more.

Anna Sui falls a bit short on skincare. It is not particularly known for its skincare range, and it just happens that I haven’t come across anything that works for me.

The last time I saw Anna Sui cosmetics in the UK was several years ago. The self-help shelf in Selfridges London looked forsaken and it didn’t have the full range. Then the shelf was gone and some of the products strangely appeared at the Hard Candy counter in the nearby Debenhams for a few months before they completely disappeared (I think) in the UK. (The fragrances are still widely available though.) It was a shame…if only I could also see all those gorgeous and sensual loose powder cases in every department store here……

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Tu adores Dior?

by PJ on Thursday, November 9, 2006

in -Dior, makeup

(pictured: part of my collection)


Dior was completely out of my radar until four years ago when I saw the limited-edition ID tag lip palette (out in 2002, pictured middle left). It was all shiny and sparkly. I didn’t buy it then, thinking it was a bit too expensive. Then I regretted it but it was too late (and I didn’t like buying cosmetics products on eBay…I still don’t). When the 2003 Christmas ID tag palette came out, I just had to get it. It was my first Dior purchase. (I saw the 2002 Christmas one again a couple of years later at an airport duty-free shop. I bought it instantly.)

Since then, I have always been looking forward to their seasonal limited-edition items. Over the years, I have had a collection of them: the ring, the dice, the bracelet, the wallet, and the bag charm. I almost never use them. They sit on my dressing table like little charms.

Some people don’t like these limited editions, thinking they are too chunky and too tacky. (I like them chunky though.) They tend to think no one would actually wear the bracelet or the ring because they don’t really look like what people would normally put on themselves. They might have a point (for certain items). I have never seen any of these “cosmetics-accessories” on anyone. But I have worn the bracelet (limited-edition this spring) several times. It is quite wearable, and it is stylish but relatively understated.

I guess it is the idea that they can “work” as fashion accessories that is the appeal. Also, it is
the idea that people can buy Dior accessories sold at cosmetics counters as makeup products with makeup-product price tags.

I like the fact that Dior has been trying to bring together fashion and beauty products, and I think they are doing it very successfully. It is all part of the Dior experience, so it is great to see many aspects (especially visual ones) coming together to create a more unified and distinctive “Dior look”. (Their 2006 autumn Detective Chic does look like something accompanying their gorgeous Dior doctor’s bag.) It is also a good way to bring fans of Dior beauty product closer to the core of the Dior “culture”.

I’d like to see this trend in Chanel and YSL. (YSL has been doing a similar thing, but some of the products are actually a bit too tacky for my liking.) They should really play to their strengths as leading fashion brands, and it is something that even the top Japanese makeup brands won’t be able to emulate.

Makeup-wise, their eyeshadow palettes are both wearable and edgy. If you want a turquoise eyeshadow (it’s not for everyone, I know), theirs is one of the best. Soft, matte, and sheer (but buildable), not shiny or glittery. (It is already such a bold color as an eyeshadow that the finish doesn’t need to be glittery.) As for skincare, the moisturizers in the Hydraction range are good for my sensitive skin. (If my Lancome Hydra Zen (my ultimate moisturizer) discontinues, I will go straight to Dior Hydraction.)

Overall, I really like Dior. (My local Dior sales assistant is absolutely fantastic, which helps.) I will always (try to) have a budget to increase my collection bit by bit.

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Loving Japanese Brands (1 of 7) : AYURA

by PJ on Wednesday, November 8, 2006

in _Japanese Brand Profile, _Loving Japanese Brands, -Ayura, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, skincare

(pictured: part of my own collection)
.

If I had to stick to only one brand of cosmetics for the rest of my life, I would choose AYURA. It is a brand that exudes an understated ambiance of oriental sensitivity and elegance.

AYURA is named after the word “ayus” in Sanskrit, which means “life”, according to an AYURA dairy book I was given as a gift with purchase.

When I first saw this brand on a Japanese magazine, I was instantly attracted to its understated and elegant packaging. I like the fact that each product looks a bit different but is instantly recognizable as an AYURA product and that the products don’t have the individual names of the products printed on the containers (they are on a sticker on the bottom of the containers).

So when I went to Japan for the first time several years ago, I went a bit crazy. Also, the staff at the counter were so helpful, even when I couldn’t really speak Japanese.

Most of the body products I have have a wonderful scent, especially the Spirit of AYURA range. “It must be what heaven smells like,” I once said to a friend.

Here are some of my favorites:

Meditation Bath (bath soak): It turns milky once it is in contact with water. It is almost like taking a milk bath. The scent is very relaxing.

Arising Shower eau de cologne: Very zesty and invigorating. Light but lasting. I usually use it during daytime.

Spirit of AYURA eau de parfum: One of my three favorite fragrances. Even though it is supposed to be eau de parfum, I don’t feel that it is as strong and long-lasting as eau de parfum should be. It is a good balance between sensual floral and crispy citrus notes, with oriental twists.

Spirit of AYURA Aroma Hand (hand cream): A best-seller for AYURA, it is under the Spirit of AYURA range so it has the same scent. Lightly moisturizing and not greasy. It has very fine and sparse light-reflecting particles to make hands look smoother.

Lip Moist Wrapping: One of the best lip balms I have ever used, even though I don’t usually like lip balm in a spot (less hygienic). Moisturizing, long-lasting, and doesn’t give me the glossy and greasy look which I don’t like in a lip balm.

Lip Retouch Compact: It has a lip base, lip liner, lip gloss, and highlight liner to define lip shape. The compact (inside and out) looks divine!

I like the face care range as well. The oil cleanser and toners are fairly good. Their hair care range is also good, but I personally won’t spend that much on shampoo and conditioner.

One of the things they do which keep me going back to them is that they often bring out limited edition sets. They usually contain travel-size versions of their popular products, teamed with a limited edition product, which is only available as part of the set. Many people buy the sets for the limited editions and they get to try the products they don’t normally buy. Seems like a good business idea.

I think AYURA is available only in Japan and Taiwan. It is the brand I want to see in the UK the most!!

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SUQQU in Selfridges Oxford Street

by PJ on Wednesday, November 8, 2006

in -SUQQU, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, skincare

I found out about this while logging onto the SUQQU website.

SUQQU is a Japanese skincare and makeup line. (I think it is pronounced ‘suku’.) The only retail point outside Japan used to be in Bangkok. Now, following Japanese brands like Paul & Joe (which is one of my favourites…I will talk about it later) and RMK, SUQQU has also come to the UK.

SUQQU is targeted toward a more mature clientele and has a very grown-up image. No flashy or overly-girly packaging. Most products are packaged in plain white with the engraved brand name. I really like the simple and elegant look.

I have not yet been to the counter (which I’ll do next month). I read somewhere that the counter is tucked away at the back of the beauty hall. So it should be where Caudalie is.

I am very interested in their colour makeup, especially lipsticks (24 pounds) and blushers (22 pounds). As you can see, price-wise, it is very “grown-up” as well! (A Chanel Aqualumiere lipstick costs 14.50.)

RMK and Paul & Joe seem to have been doing fairly well in the UK. I hope SUQQU gets the marketing right and does well too. I certainly need more Japanese products here!

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