(image from www.annasui-cosmetics.com)
Anna Sui Cosmetics has updated its website to feature the spring 2009 collection. There are also new desktop wallpaper and screen saver for downloading.
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(image from www.annasui-cosmetics.com)
Maquillage‘s Forming Shiny Eyes was part of the line’s fall 2008 collection, which radiates an international flavor. (The collection was created in collaboration with fashion designer Christopher Kane and the ad campaign featured model Agyness Deyn.) Among the five variations, I liked the combination of purple and gold in #52 (which happened to combine two major makeup trends in fall 2008) and I received this as a birthday gift last year from a dear friend.
The product comes in a two-tier pot with a storage slot for the sponge applicator at the bottom.
The top tier has the cream base and the bottom tier has the gold and purple.
The cream base is very easy to apply with a finger. It leaves a nice veil of off-white shimmer that softly glistens (rather than glitters), and it actually looks quite pretty on its own. It can be applied from the lashline and taken all the way under the brow bone.
The gold imparts a beautiful shimmer, which doesn’t look too frosty or sparkly. (There are also some fine multi-colored particles to help the shimmer look more vibrant and dimensional.) The flattering yellow-toned gold doesn’t look too white-ish or bronzy.
The purple is a well-pigmented muted medium-to-dark shade that has less shimmer than the gold. Used as a lining shade (which is more or less what the application instructions on the packaging suggest), it frames the eyes very well.
Once, I thought I’d bring it further from my lashline, but it didn’t work well mainly because it didn’t seem to be blendable enough. Unlike the gold, which is very soft and easy to blend, the purple seems to be purposefully made to have less movement and to set more quickly. My suggestion is to only wear it close to the lashline or as a lining shade. (It does hold very well overtime.) Since the shade is less intense than most eyeliner colors, it adds a nice definition to the eyes without making the look too dramatic.
The image below shows the look that this item can create. Again, the purple is worn quite close to the lashline to define the eye contour.
(image from image from www.shiseido.co.jp/mq)
Overall, I like this trio very much. (I almost slightly prefer it to Maquillage’s Clean Contrast Eyes 2 in SV844.) It should be a very nice daytime item if you want something easy to wear and something effective in adding dimension to the eyes. The gold is light and fresh enough for daytime but vibrant enough to brighten the eyes, and the gold and purple make a well-coordinated pair.
For another item that has a similar color combination (though the colors are worn differently) plus a gorgeous medium lilac, please take a look at my review of Lunasol’s Sheer Contrast Eyes in Lavender Coral.
Related posts:
Maquillage Lasting Climax Rouge in RS310
Coffret D’Or 3D Lighting Eyes in Gold Variation
Maquillage Spring 2009 Point and Base Makeup Collection
A Splash of Color: More Lilting Lilac
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I collected my February 2009 issue of Biteki last week, among the huge winter sale crowd in central London.
I almost always like Biteki’s covers. The makeup looks are elegant and never over-the-top. But I was particularly drawn to this cover upon seeing it. I like the relaxed long wavy hair and the lilac off-the-shoulder top. The makeup looks fresh, feminine, and very wearable.
I flipped through the magazine to see the behind-the-scene photos and the products used, and I was pleasantly surprised that this look was created by Dick Page, the artistic director for Shiseido The Makeup, with items from the line*. (Usually the covers showcase works of Japanese makeup artists that regularly work with the magazine, and the products used are from a selection of brands.)
Items used:
– Hydro-Powder Eye Shadow H1
– Accentuating Cream Eyeliner 2
– Accentuating Color Stick S1, S3 and S5
– Perfect Rouge OR418 and PK419
The lovely touch is the orange-toned Perfect Rouge OR418 layered on top of PK419 on the inner rims of the lips. (Please click on the image above for a larger version.) The finish looks natural and seamless and brings a subtle vibrancy to the complexion.
By the way, this information-filled Biteki February 2009 issue is worth getting. February issues usually feature poll results of readers’ favorite products. Also, for the first time, Biteki’s main spring makeup feature is in the February issue (instead of March). This time, the booklet features photos of 973 new shades from 52 brands.
* The new Perfect Rouge and Smoothing Lip Pencil are now simply under the brand name Shiseido and not Shiseido The Makeup.
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My Ultimate Makeup Archive
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From The Beauty Blog Network:
Beauty Anonymous is in love with the Lady Dior palette from Dior spring 2009 makeup collection.
Lilan from The Daily Cookie gives you a preview of MAC Cosmetics’ new Brunette, Blonde, Redhead Collection, on counters January 8th.
Beauty and Fashion Tech looks at the 12 most popular posts from 2008.
Girl Gloss lists her 17 favorite lip products from 2008!
The Makeup Divas gives you a sneak peak at Smashbox’s Muse Spring Collection 2009.
ThisThatBeauty is ringing in the New Year with an awesome giveaway of products from Make Up For Ever, Frederick Fekkai, Eztee Lauder, Shiny Mama, Cosmedicine, and MUCH MUCH MORE.
Glossypink is hooked on this inexpensive, high-quality mineral blush!
The girls over at Beauty in Real Life are having a huge giveaway to begin the New Year. Click here for your chance to win a 6-month supply of Sensa!!
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(image from www.lissage.jp)
It has been quite a while since my last Japanese Cosmetics Focus post. Today, I bring you Lissage.
(Face Up Creamy Pact)
(items from Lissage’s
Collagen Maintenance skincare range)
Lissage was launched in 1992 and is owned by Lissage Ltd., which also owns ECM (which I talked about earlier) and Bath Tours. (Lissage Ltd. is currently owned by Kanebo Corp..) The brand currently carries skincare, makeup, fragrance, bodycare, and haircare products. (The haircare line seems remarkably extensive for a high-end Japanese beauty brand.)
Lissage used to focus on skincare, but the launch of the revamped base and point makeup ranges in 2007 (partly to celebrate the brand’s 15th anniversary) has re-positioned the brand in the Japanese beauty scene.
Items like the foundation bases, Face Up Creamy Pact (compact cream foundation), Brush Up Foundation (powder foundation) and the multi-colored Blush Veil have been getting considerable magazine coverage in Japan.
(Face Up Creamy Pact)
(items from Lissage’sCollagen Maintenance skincare range)
Lissage reminds me slightly of Twany Glamacy, another Kanebo line. The brand image and product packaging are never showy (and some would say very plain), but the simplicity and the low-keyness do have a subtle appeal for me.
Lissage is currently available in Japan (only) and the official website is for information only. In Tokyo, Lissage can be found in department stores such as Keio Shinjuku, Seibu Shibuya and Seibu Yurakucho.
You can see the post on Lissage’s fall 2007 makeup collection here.
Profiles on other Japanese brands:
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(images from www.sofina.co.jp/aube)
When Raycious was no longer releasing new products, I thought it was possible that Sofina would go down the route that Shiseido, Kanebo, and Kosé did and come up with a mega-brand that carries both base and point makeup. (At the time, Maquillage has already proven to be successful, and consumers continued to embrace Coffret D’Or in 2008.)
Then came news of Primavista in July, Raycious’ successor, and I wasn’t sure if Sofina would actually do anything with Aube. Later, we heard about the launch of Aube Couture in December, and everything seems to be in place for the moment.
Nothing seems very different…the name, the spokespersons, or the look of the products. So where is the identity of Aube Couture?
Product design is a huge strength in Japanese consumer goods. When we think of electronic products such as mobile phones and digital cameras and simple stationary items, it is all about those nice touches that make the products user-friendly and intuitive to use.
Every day, there are people new to makeup who find the application a little daunting. Aube Couture’s products are designed with them in mind. They are designed to make makeup application easy, efficient, and effortless.
Some Japanese makeup lines include an eye chart for eye palettes (like the one for Coffret D’Or’s 3D Lighting Eyes), but Aube Couture goes one step further. The color layout of the new Designing Eyes palettes shows where each shade goes on the lid (apart from the lining shade on the right), so we are looking at the colors and the eye chart at the same time.
I also like the design of Designing Cheek. The powder is pressed into a (roughly) half-cylinder shape. When the brush goes over the powder, the center of the brush picks up more powder than the two ends. This should make it easier to achieve a natural, flawless and dimensional finish, and it can especially help those who find blending a little tricky.
Over the last few years, Kao, among other Japanese beauty companies, has done well in coming up with new concepts and connecting with consumers on different levels, from the blue-based particles in Raycious to Est’s philosophy of emotional beauty. Now Sofina shows that a makeup range with a “couture” concept doesn’t need to carry hundreds of shades. Instead, the products give consumers the confidence and comfort in knowing that they can create a beautiful makeup look on their own.
I wonder what Japanese makeup brands will have to offer in 2009? In the meantime, I wish all of you a very happy New Year!
Related posts:
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Primavista Spring/Summer Base Makeup Collection
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(Nude Skincare Cleansing Facial Oil)(images from sephora.com)
Nude Skincare is a UK-based beauty brand that has generated buzz in the UK and the US. In the UK, their products are sold in high-end department stores like Harvey Nichols and beauty boutiques such as Space NK. Today I am reviewing three of their products.
– Cleansing Facial Oil
This product works in the same way as a standard cleansing oil. I tend to prefer cleansing oils to other types of cleansers because they are efficient to use. (They take off all the makeup at once and there is less rubbing and massaging involved compared with using a cleansing cream or gel.)
For me, a good cleansing oil has to emulsify well and leaves as little filmy residue as possible. Unfortunately, this cleansing oil does not fare well in this aspect. It is not easy to manoeuvre on the skin due to its thick texture and it doesn’t emulsify well enough. The skin is left rather greasy, and even using a face wash immediately afterwards still leaves the skin filmy. Overall, this is not among the better cleansing oils that I have used.
– Advanced Smoothing Complex
This is a serum-type product that is applied between a toner and a moisturizer. It has a watery-gel texture that has a good slip. Upon application, it can seem difficult to absorb, but, after some gentle pressing and patting, it sinks in quite thoroughly. It is a decent (and alcohol-free) serum to be paired with your usual moisturizer to help your skin cope with the colder months.
It is well-packaged in an air-tight opaque bottle, which is probably the best way to package a skincare product in terms of preserving the benefits of some ingredients.
– Replenishing Night Oil
It is a similar type of oil-based product to those such as DHC’s Olive Virgin Oil and the Rodial Glamotox Night that I reviewed earlier. It contains apricot kernel oil, jojoba seed oil, raspberry seed oil and cranberry seed oil. (The latter two have antioxidant properties.)
Because of its occlusive quality, it is more suitable for those with dry or very dry skin. Like Rodial Glamotox Night, it can be used as a good cuticle moisturizer or a moisture booster for any part of the body prone to severe dryness. (It is packaged in the same air-tight opaque bottle as the Advanced Smoothing Complex.)
(According to the Nude Skincare website, their products are free from parabens, mineral oils, silicones, and propylene glycol. Though this is useful information to know if you can develop adverse reaction to one or more of these ingredients, I personally do not have outright concerns over them. (Even though mineral oil in moisturizers can be too occlusive for some skin types, it is not a harmful ingredient.) Please refer to the articles/entries on parabens, mineral oil, silicone and propylene glycol on Paula Begoun‘s website.)
(Full product ingredient lists can also be found on Nude Skincare’s website.)
Related skincare posts on:
RMK Cleansing Oil
Olay Complete Care Night Enriched Cream
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