A Touch of Blusher — Makeup, Skincare, Fragrance and a Bit of Fashion

As I mentioned before, Lavshuca has been placing its brand emphasis on lip products in the last few seasons. The new Full Balloon Rouge for fall 2009 aims to make lips appear fuller and reduce vertical lip lines. The new Light Mix Eyes palettes look very easy to wear, and I think there might be other color variations to be released next year. (There are two new Dual Prism Eyes variations and one new Grade Color Eyes variation this season.)

5. Helena Rubinstein

(www.helenarubinstein.com)

I am still not pleased with the fact that Helena Rubinstein is no longer available in the UK. (Have a look at my Bring It Back! post on Helena Rubinstein.) Every now and then, there are products in its seasonal collections that I really want to try. In fall 2009, Helena Rubinstein is among the very few brands whose new lip glosses reflect the current purple trend, as two of the four new Wanted Gloss shades are purple-toned.

4. Three

(image from www.threecosmetics.com)

Like Addiction, Three is a new Japanese beauty brand that was launched in fall 2009. (I will present a brand profile on Three later on.) While Addiction is edgy and fashion-forward, Three is polished and demure. The vast launch lineup features all the basic point (color) makeup items, and both the simple and low-key packaging and the sophisticated colors remind me of the early days of Lunasol.

The countdown concludes early next week.

Lavshuca Holiday 2009 Collection

Lavshuca Finish Powder in Lucent & High Cover

Bring It Back! Shiseido’s Inoui ID

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News in Brief: Coffret D’Or & Lunasol Spring 2010 Collections

by PJ on Thursday, November 5, 2009

in -Coffret d'Or, -Kanebo, -Lunasol, 2010 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/coffretdor)

– Please check out this blog post for swatches of Coffret D’Or’s Jewelcious Eyes palettes for spring 2010. 02 Pink Topaz, 04 Amber Beige, and 05 Purple Amethyst have caught my attention.

– Rouge Deluxe has posted a link to this blog post, which has photos of Lunasol’s spring 2010 eyeshadow palettes. The yellow/pink/lilac palette is my favorite at the moment, and it looks quite similar to Sheer Contrast Eyes in Lavender Coral from spring 2008.

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Stash Update: Dior Holiday 2009

by PJ on Tuesday, November 3, 2009

in -Dior, 2009 Holiday, makeup, stash focus

(image from www.dior.com)

I stopped by my local Boots to see Dior’s Holiday 2009 collection yesterday, and I was very pleased that the Cristal Boréal Crystal Gloss Jewel did look lovely in person. I didn’t have enough Boots points to use on Lady Dior back in spring, but I did this time with Cristal Boréal. (I got the one in 251 Pink Crystal.)

I haven’t opened it yet (I am trying to savor the anticipation), but I will be bringing you my thoughts on it and some of the other items in the collection within the next couple of weeks.

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Fall 2009 Makeup Top 10 (Part 1)

by PJ on Tuesday, November 3, 2009

in -Addiction, -Dior, -Kosé, -Paul & Joe, -YSL, 2009 Fall, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, seasonal makeup top 10

A couple of weeks ago, I presented the Fall 2009 Makeup Trend Round-Up. Today, I start the countdown of my favorite fall 2009 makeup collections. I hope you will enjoy these posts.

10. Addiction

(image from www.addiction-beauty.com)

I think Kosé’s Addiction is one of the most exciting launches in Japanese cosmetics this year. As many of the mainstream Japanese makeup lines aim to be as wearable as possible, Addiction is a lot edgier, with items like various black eyeshadows that help create intense smoky eyes.

(image from www.addiction-beauty.com)

The launch lineup is very coherent and looks quite warm-toned to me, and I look forward to seeing their spring 2010 collection.

9. YSL

(image from www.ysl.com)

(image from www.joseishi.net/voce)

Among the items in YSL’s fall 2009 makeup collection, I like the Ombres 5 Lumières in 18 (above, Japanese release) and the limited-edition Cream Blush. The Cream Blush has more of a mousse texture, which is a pleasant surprise. It appeals to me more than blushers with a cream texture, as I think mousse blushers are easier to apply and blend. They also tend to look velvety/semi-matte (which I like) rather than shiny.

8. Dior

(image from www.iswii.net)

Dior’s seasonal makeup collections are usually great trend indicators, and the fall 2009 collection is no exception. The collection features purples, plums, pinks, and greys for the eyes and warm-toned shades for the lips. The 5-Color Eyeshadow in 173 Night Butterfly (above) has virtually all the seasonal trends in one compact.

The Dior Jazzclub palettes look very chic but they don’t wow me as much as many of Dior’s past seasonal limited-edition items. Otherwise, Dior would place higher on my list.

7. Paul & Joe

(image from www.iswii.com)

I think Paul & Joe’s seasonal makeup collections are always worth looking forward to, particularly the items with the original prints by the designer behind the brand, Sophie Albou. While I am not as crazy about the prints from this collection as I was about some of the previous ones, I like the new design of the eyeshadow cases, which have an oval shape instead of the usual round shape. Paul & Joe doesn’t do loud colors, and the eyeshadows for this season are soft, elegant, and wearable as usual.

(image from www.iswii.com)

The countdown continues in Part 2.

Summer 2009 Makeup Top 10: Part 1, Part 2, and Part 3

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Sass, Style & Substance for November 1, 2009

by PJ on Sunday, November 1, 2009

in Weekend Sass Style and Substance

Raging Rouge
Raging Rouge kicks off three days featuring the best lipstick and lip gloss shades of fall 2009!

Eat Smart Age Smart
Does drinking alcohol make you exercise more?

Beauty Match
Free Trial Offer: Reprint Plant Steam Cell Skincare Wrinkle Cream.

Beauty and Fashion Tech
Beauty and Fashion Tech loves the shu uemura holiday compact mirror!

A Touch of Blusher
A Touch of Blusher compares three of Dove’s body lotions.

Splendicity Accessories
There’s no reason why you can’t be warm and fashionable this fall – especially if you check out what the indie designers have been up to.

image: Stock.xchg

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Weekend Beauty Reads for November 1, 2009

by PJ on Sunday, November 1, 2009

in Weekend Beauty Read

Raging Rouge kicks off three days featuring the best lipstick and lip gloss shades of Fall 2009.

Love to win beauty products? Then head on over to The Makeup Divas and enter to win a Walmart Beauty Basket.

Enter for chance to win LashMantra Eyelash Growth Serum, Malibu Secret Anti-Aging Body cream, Peridot Earrings and Organic Eye-care recipes E-book at Beauty and Personal Grooming .

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Bodycare Review: Dove

by PJ on Thursday, October 29, 2009

in -Dove, bodycare

(images from www.dove.co.uk)

Two years ago, I wrote about Dove’s Body Silk (in my Can’t Live Without series), which is one of my favorite body moisturizers. (I am still using it.) Today I am reviewing three of Dove’s other body moisturizers.

The Supreme Silk Beauty Body Lotion (pictured above) is from the same range as the Body Silk, and it feels lighter than the Body Silk. It has a light lotion consistency and it spreads very easily. It is nicely absorbed and hydrates the skin well.

It contains mica, which gives a bit of shimmer to the skin. I don’t usually like body moisturizers that have a “makeup” element, but the shimmer from this product is quite faint and subtle.

The Intensive Lotion for Extra Dry Skin has a light-cream consistency. It is more or less as easily spreadable as the Supreme Silk Beauty Body Lotion. But, after it is absorbed, it feels a lot more emollient on the skin. (It doesn’t feel too heavy or sticky.)

When the Pro.Age Body Cream Oil is dispensed onto the hands, it has a creamy lotion consistency that is not too different from that of many other body moisturizers. But when I spread it onto the skin, I can really feel how richly emollient it is. It may look somewhat runny, but it spreads almost like a thick body butter. It is by far the most emollient of the three.

Paraffinum Liquidum (mineral oil) is third on the ingredient list, which might be one of the reasons why this feels so emollient on the skin.

Among the three, the Supreme Silk Beauty Body Lotion appeals to me the most (although I would prefer a version without mica). It feels the lightest on the skin but it is still very hydrating. (On a related note, it is the only one among these three that doesn’t contain mineral oil.) I think it should suit most people with normal or normal-to-dry skin on the body.

The Intensive Lotion for Extra Dry Skin, I think, is indeed for people with very dry skin. Most people might find it more suitable when the weather is particularly cold and dry. As for the Pro.Age Body Cream Oil, which works more like a body butter, I think it is more ideal for the very dry patches of the body, as it can be too oily to be used all over the body (unless your skin is exceptionally dry).

Next month, I will review Dove’s Body Butter for Extra Dry Skin and Pro.Age Rich Body Butter and I will compare them with the three products reviewed above.

(The products featured in this review are provided by Dove.)

Kanebo Sensai Premier The Body Cream

Jergens Extra Softening Body Moisturzer

Nivea My Silhouette Gel-Cream

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Coffret D’Or Holiday 2009 & Spring 2010 Website Update

by PJ on Tuesday, October 27, 2009

in -Coffret d'Or, -Kanebo, 2010 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup

(images/info from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/coffretdor)

Coffret D’Or‘s official website has been updated with information on the line’s holiday 2009 and spring 2010 collections.

What I am really looking forward to is the new Jewelcious Eyes series. The color combinations are what we would expect from Coffret D’Or, but the quality of Coffret D’Or’s eye palettes has been generally very good and it is very likely that I will try one palette from this series.

The five variations are:

– Citrian Green
– Pink Topaz
– Crystalish Blue
– Amber Beige
– Purple Amethyst

I also adore the 2010 design of the eye palette compacts. I like the fact that the concept and the motif have remained the same since the launch of the line but there is a new design each year. (You can see the 2008 design here and the 2009 design here.)