Makeup, Skincare, Fragrance and a Bit of Fashion
Among L’Occitane‘s Immortelle skincare lineup is the Brightening range, and today I am featuring the Brightening Essence and the Brightening Moisture Cream.
The Immortelle Brightening Essence has a very lightweight and watery consistency and it is absorbed quickly. Some of its main ingredients are glycerin, pentylene glycol, ascorbyl glucoside, bellis perennis (daisy) flower extract and anthemis nobilis flower water.
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(images/info from www.joseishi.net/voce)
Jill Stuart will release new base makeup items in Japan on September 3rd and new skincare items on October 1st.
The new base makeup items are:
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Kanebo’s Sensai line is one of the lines from the brand that have a more international presence. Today I am featuring two facial masks from the line’s Cellular Performance skincare range, Cellular Performance Hydrachange Mask and Cellular Performance Mask.
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(image from www.esteelauder.co.jp)
I was on Estée Lauder’s Japanese site earlier today and I came across some how-to videos. Two of them are with American model Hilary Rhoda, who has been one of the faces of Estée Lauder since 2007, and two of them are with Chinese model Liu Wen, Estée Lauder’s first Asian brand ambassador. (The Estée Lauder US and UK sites are not featuring the two videos with Liu Wen.)
One of the things in the videos that I find interesting is how the makeup artist rolls the powder brush across the face to apply loose powder. I usually use a powder puff to apply loose powder, but I might give this method a try.
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(image/info from www.nikkei.com)
In 2006, Kanebo launched the Impress range, and, a year later, the Impress IC sub-range was launched. According to Kanebo, Impress is marketed as a “high-price” range while Impress IC is what the brand calls a “volume-price” (mid-price) range.
On November 19, a new sub-range, Impress Granmula, will be introduced in Japan. Marketed as a “highest-price” range, the launch collection includes three items:
– Lotion (21,000 JPY, approx. 154 GBP, 239 USD)
– Emulsion (31,500 JPY, approx. 230 GBP, 359 USD)
– Cream (126,000 JPY, approx. 922 GBP, 1436 USD)
The Cream is certainly exceptionally pricey, but it still can’t stand comparison with Pola’s B.A The Cream Edo Kiriko, released as a limited edition last October.
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(Bakel Jaluronic Instant Replenishment)
With skincare products, the first thing I look at is the ingredient list. With Jaluronic Instant Replenishment and Q10-B5 Cellular Revitalizer from the high-end Italian skincare line Bakel, I am surprised to see their exceptionally short ingredient lists. Bakel claims that its products contain 100% active ingredients, and there seems to be some truth in the statement.
Here are the full ingredient lists of the two products:
– Jaluronic: water, sodium hyaluronate
– Q10-B5: aloe barbadensis leaf juice, glycerin, panthenol, ubiquinone
As you can see, neither of these two products contains alcohol, mineral oil, silicones, PH balancers, colorants, parabens (or any other preservative), or fragrance. The simplicity of the products makes them potentially very suitable for those with sensitive skin.
(The air-tight and opaque bottles help preserve the products to a certain extent. It is suggested that the products be used up in 6 months.)
The moisturizing ingredient in Jaluronic Instant Replenishment is sodium hyaluronate (hyaluronic acid), which is a natural moisturizing factor (NMF) and a good water-binding agent. (Some beauty companies try to make hyaluronic acid sound like a miracle anti-aging ingredient, but many other water-binding agents are just as beneficial.)
I was expecting Jaluronic to be quite watery, but it turned out to have a slippery and slightly viscous watery-gel texture. It spreads very easily on the skin with a very small amount. It takes some time to absorb but it does sink into the skin in the end.
I find that I need to put on a moisturizer before (not after) the serum is completely absorbed. (Otherwise my skin can actually feel quite tight.) This is likely to be due to the fact that this product puts hydration into the skin but doesn’t contain ingredients to hold it. (The rough equivalent would be to apply a toner and leave it to dry (without applying a moisturizer soon enough), which can dry out the skin.)
(Bakel Q10-B5 Cellular Revitalizer)
Q10-B5 Cellular Revitalizer is slightly more viscous than Jaluronic (possibly due to the aloe leaf juice) but the texture is generally similar. (My general thoughts on Jaluronic above apply here.) Aloe barbadensis leaf juice (with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties) and glycerin act as water-binding agents in this product.
Panthenol (pantothenic acid) is vitamin B5 and ubiquinone is coenzyme Q10, hence the name of the product. According to Paula Begoun, a small amount of research suggests that pantothenic acid has hydration and wound-healing properties and some research shows that coenzyme Q10 has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.
Some serums can be used as lightweight moisturizers for oilier skin types (if they contain sufficient emollients to help seal in the hydration), but I wouldn’t suggest these two products to be used as moisturizers due to their lack of occlusion.
Overall I like Bakel’s minimalist approach to formulating these two products. Both of them should suit most skin types, including dry and sensitive skin. They are intended to be used as serums, but I think they can also be used as toners. Between the two, I prefer the texture of Jaluronic, but Q10-B5 obviously has more skin-benefiting ingredients.
(In the UK, Bakel is available in Space NK and Harvey Nichols (in London, Manchester, and Leeds).)
(The products featured in this article are provided by Bakel.)
Related posts (on other facial serums):
Lancôme Génifique Youth Activating Concentrate
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Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum
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SUQQU is more renowned for its makeup range than for its skincare lineup, as the brand has a variety of sublime color and base makeup items. But today I am featuring one of SUQQU’s key skincare products, Musculate Massage Cream.
Those who are familiar with SUQQU might know about the brand’s signature Gankin Massage, which is claimed to help ease the tension of facial muscles, stimulate blood flow, and re-define facial contours. The massage can be administered by staff members at the SUQQU counter or at home, with the help of Musculate Massage Cream.
The massage is performed after cleansing and before toning and moisturizing. Ideally, it is performed daily both in the morning and in the evening. There are specific steps in the Gankin Massage routine, which are available on the “How to Massage” page on SUQQU’s Japanese website. (These steps are not presented on SUQQU’s global website.)
After the massage, the massage cream is wiped off with a sponge cloth, which comes with the massage cream. (The sponge cloth can be purchased separately, and so can a fiber cloth (as an alternative for the same purpose).) SUQQU also recommends using Face Refresher to remove any residue of the massage cream. As far as I can remember, it contains quite a lot of alcohol and might cause skin irritation for some people.
The massage cream has a very emollient texture. It is designed not to sink into the skin entirely so that the emolliency stays on the skin to facilitate the massage. It contains rich emollients such as mineral oil, beeswax, petrolatum, and squalane. It also contains moisturizing ingredients such as dipropylene glycol, stearic acid, cetearyl alcohol, methylserine, xylobiose, and sodium hyaluronate. (I have noticed that methylserine and xylobiose don’t seem to be commonly used in skincare products from western brands.)
Because of all the occlusive emollients in this product, it is a lot more suitable for those with dry or very dry skin and I would not recommend this product for those with oily skin. If you have combination skin, do avoid using this product on the oilier parts of your skin. (Otherwise you are simply pushing mineral oil and petrolatum into the skin which is already very sebaceous and this might create more problems than benefits.)
The Musculate Massage Cream pictured above is the limited-edition jasmine-scented Matsukasoukou version (available in the UK from January), while the original version (without the leaf details on the jar) has the brand’s signature eastern orchid scent. From June 4th, a limited-edition 300ml version (of the original (eastern orchid) version (200ml)) will be available in Japan.
(The product featured in this article is provided by SUQQU.)
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(image from Clinique)
The product has a relatively lightweight gel-cream consistency. Some of the moisturizing ingredients that this product contains are glycerin, dipropylene glycol, astrocaryum murumuru (palm) seed butter, sorbitol, trehalose, squalane, and sodium hyaluronate.
It features antioxidants such as polygonum cuspidatum (Japanese knotweed) root extract, scutellaria baicalensis (skullcap) root extract, algae extract, betula alba (birch) bark extract, linoleic acid, and tocopheryl acetate (vitamin E). Skullcap root extract and linoleic acid also have anti-inflammatory properties.
The product does not contain fragrance or parabens.
Even though the product contains a variety of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory ingredients, it is hampered by the amount of alcohol it has (third on the ingredient list). It makes the product unsuitable for most skin types.
(Another ingredient that might cause irritation is coleus barbatus (part of the mint family) extract.)Without the alcohol, the product would have the potential to be a good night-time moisturizer for those with combination or oily skin.
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(image from Avène)
Designed for sensitive skin that happens to be very dry, the cream has a thick creamy consistency. (It is among the thickest facial moisturizers that I have come across.) It spreads relatively easily and it is effective in keeping the skin nourished and hydrated.
Some of the moisturizing ingredients in this product are shea butter, cetearyl isononanote, glycerin, safflower seed oil, isododecane, arachidyl alcohol, and glyceryl stearate. (Shea butter is second on the ingredient list (after Avène Thermal Spring Water), which is probably part of the reason for the cream’s dense consistency.)
The product is free from alcohol and parabens, but it contains fragrance, which might irritate certain types of sensitive skin. (Aside from the fragrance, there doesn’t seem to be any obvious skin irritant.)
This is potentially a very good moisturizer for those with dry or very dry skin. On the other hand, it would be far too rich and emollient for those with combination or oily skin.
(The product featured in this article is provided by Avène.)
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(image from Liz Earle)
Superbalm is marketed as an emergency moisturizer that can be used anywhere, particularly on the lips, nails and cuticles, and elbows. The product has a solid balm consistency. However, occasionally, I have come across testers in department stores with a thick oily-cream consistency. This could possibly be due to the warm shelf lighting.
Some of the product’s main moisturizing ingredients are hazelnut oil, shea butter, rosehip seed oil, beeswax, avocado oil, neroli oil, lavender oil, and camomile oil. Rosehip oil has antioxidant properties, but neroli oil and lavender oil can be skin irritants for some people.
The product doesn’t appeal to me as a lip balm. Even though I don’t dislike the scent of the product, it is too strong for me on the lips. Also, I don’t find it as soothing as some of the other lip products I have used. But it works relatively well for me as a nail and cuticle moisturizer, as it is moisturizing without being greasy.
The product does not contain parabens.
If you are interested in trying the product, I would suggest making sure you like its herbal-medicinal scent (which does linger particularly if you use it as a lip balm) and making sure you are not sensitive to any of the fragrant essential oils in this product.
(The product featured in this article is provided by Liz Earle.)
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(still my favorite lip balm)
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(great for nails and cuticles)
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Anna Sui Spring 2026 Makeup Collection (image from www.cosme.net)
