-YSL

Each year, the November issue of Frau magazine in Japan releases the annual makeup and skincare ranking. Beauty experts and makeup artists give points to all the new launches this year and the top-finishing products make the list.

I am listing the products sold internationally.

SKINCARE

Anti-aging:
SK-II: Signs Dual Treatment Mask
Guerlain: Orchidee Imperiale
Chanel: Sublimage
HR: Prodigy Mask
Estee Lauder: Advanced Night Repair Concentrate
Estee Lauder: Perfectionist Power Correcting Patch

Toner:
Chanel: Hydramax+ Nanolotion
Natura Bisee: Diamond Mist
Dior: Deep Hydration Refreshing Spray

Moisturizer:
SK-II: Skin Rebooster
YSL: Fresh Hydrating Water Gel
YSL: Super Hydrating Detoxifying Essence

Cleanser:
Clarins: Pure Melt Cleansing Gel
RMK: Cleansing Milk
Clarins: Water Comfort One-Step Cleanser
HR: Prodigy Makeup Remover
Restgenol: Active Collagenol Lifting Force Cleansing

New Skincare Lines:
Givenchy: Power Youth

Pore Care:
HR: Pore Genius
Clinique: Turnaround 15-minute Facial
Biotherm: Line Peel Pore Targeter
Chanel: Purete Ideale Serum

MAKEUP

Mascara/Eyebrow:
Max Factor: Lash Artist
HR:Lash Queen Waterproof
Chanel: Inimitable
Givenchy: Eyebrow Prisme
Maybelline: Lash Stylist Waterproof
HR: Surrealist

Eye Color:
Dior: 5-Color Eyeshadow 970
RMK: Ingenious Natural Eyes 02
Chanel: Quadra Eye Shadow 51
YSL: Ombre Solo Double-Effect Eye 4
Sonia Rykiel: Cream Eyeliner 01

Lip Color:
Chanel: Rouge Allure 4, 14, 24, 30
Dior: Rouge Dior 132
Sonia Rykiel: Lipstick AC 03
RMK: Irresistible Lips C 08
Guerlain: KissKiss Laque 740
Estee Lauder: Pure Color Crystal Lipstick 304

BASE MAKEUP

Foundation:
Laura Mercier: Silk Cream Foundation
Laura Mercier: Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 Nude
Paul & Joe: Creamy Compact Foundation
SK-II: Airtouch Foundation

Others:
Givenchy: Prisme Libre #2
De la Mer: The Powder
Giorgio Armani: UV Master Primer SPF 40/ PA+++
Laura Mercier: Secret Brightener #2

PERFUME/ HAIR/ BODY
Chanel: Allure Sensuelle
YSL: Profil Minceur
Clarins: Body Shaping Supplement

(Frau magazine, November 2006)

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For me, I bought these:

*Visee Dual Shine Rouge Palette*


I always like lip palettes. Visee’s Gothic design looks cute and glamorous. The grey lipgloss looks very dark on the photo, but it is actually quite a transparent grey hue with sparse glitters. It is mainly for a very toned-down version of dark gothic lips.

*Paul & Joe Hummingbird Collection*



Cosmetics stuff don’t get prettier than this. I like the fact that the lipstick does not have any shimmer. It is just a nice creamy muted pink. The eyeshadow, however, has tones of iridescence. When used light-handedly, it can be a good blusher.

*Dior Pretty Charm*


Tacky as some might think, I love this one-off design. I have not used the lip colors yet, and I doubt I will soon. I am just enjoying the sight of it for the time being. I like the fact that it is rather heavy so there is a sense of existence, as I always call it.

*YSL Gold Celebration Palette “Star Glow”*



Except for the fact that I need to be careful not to leave fingerprints all over the case, I am really glad that I bought this. The two pale lipglosses look like they have tons of glitters. I would like to try them soon. YSL should definitely keep releasing a palette for each Christmas. But I feel that, after four years, they might want to do something different…

*Marc Jacobs votive candle set*


I finally got it after missing it last year. Since last year, I have developed an interest in fragranced candles. The Stella McCartney candle is my favorite. Smaller than the usual glass candles, each one of the three features a different Marc Jacobs scent.

I realize that there are loads of lip colors from what I bought. Ummm…maybe I will buy more things for eyes in the coming spring, to balance out…

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(Continued from Sunday and Monday)

Finally, here are the top 3!

3rd: Paul & Joe

(pictured: hummingbird collection)

Pressed powder set with brush, body glitter powder, lip glosses…the list of Paul & Joe’s Christmas collection goes on. But the most fantastic items have to be the hummingbird lipsticks, eyeshadows, and pouch. The exquisite print is colorful, vibrant, and elegant. It is like a uplifting piece of artwork. Absolutely gorgeous. (I was always on the fence with the paper-wrapped seasonal collections and have never bought any item. They were always nearly there but not quite. The hummingbird collection is so much more striking than all the previous ones.)

It is interesting that the hummingbird lipsticks and eyeshadows are only sold in New York, Paris, and London — not in Tokyo. (Finally there is something NOT available in Japan…)

I bought the eyeshadow in 200 Cherubin Rose, which can double as a blusher if you don’t mind the pearly iredescence. I loved the collection so much that I went back to get the lipstick in 200 Ange Rose, a very wearble muted pink. The pouch, of the same print, is just so pretty as well. But I am happy with what I have got.

2nd: YSL


I finally bought the Gold Celebration palette (pictured above), after missing out on all the previous three. Called “Star Glow”, it is their fourth one and is probably the prettiest in my opinion. The only drawback is that fingerprints are easily left everywhere on the bright gold packaging.

But YSL wouldn’t make it to the second place without the rest of the colleciton. The colors of the eyeshadows (which have a great creamy texture), blushers, and the lipsticks all compliment one another. I think the bracelet is an improvement from last year’s slightly brassy design (which would probably work better as a bag charm). But the design of the front panel is a bit too complicated for me, and the velvety strap will quickly gather a lot of dust. Nonetheless it is a bold and catchy design that I generally like.

1st: Dior


Overall, Dior has done so well this year. The revamp of the makeup line is immensely successful. The seasonal limited editions link makeup and fashion together effortlessly, and what a way to end Dior’s 2006 with a stunning Christmas collection. Both eyeshadow palettes feature soft pastely colors which are easy to use along with what you already have. The texture of the powder is silky smooth as always. The collection also features lipsticks, lipglosses, nail colors, a highlighter, and a limited eidtion fragrance Midnight Charm. A true all-rounder, and that’s why it tops my list.

I really like the Dior Pretty Charms. They have done the ring and the bracelet. As I was guessing, sooner or later they would bring out a bag charm, and they did. A heart-shape lip-color palette surrounded by beads of four different shapes. It can be a very cute stocking filler.

So there you go, this year’s top ten. (I will keep compiling my top 10 of each coming season.)

Later on, I will talk more about the Christmas items I bought this year.

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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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