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image: Stock.xchng
(image from www.lissage.jp)
It has been quite a while since my last Japanese Cosmetics Focus post. Today, I bring you Lissage.
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’s
Collagen 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:
Est
Sony Vecua
Elégance
(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:
Remembering Raycious
Primavista Powder Foundation Moist Touch
Primavista Spring/Summer Base Makeup Collection
(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:
La Mer The Cleansing Fluid
RMK Cleansing Oil
Olay Complete Care Night Enriched Cream
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image: Stock.xchg
(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)
(continued from Part 1 and Part 2)
Happy Holiday everyone! Today I will conclude my holiday 2008 makeup countdown.
3. Paul & Joe
(image from www.paul-joe-beaute.com)
I do like an abundant holiday collection, and Paul & Joe shows us how to bring out one. The collection includes a good range of makeup items as well as fragrance and body products. I saw these items in person last month, and both the Eye Gloss and Pearl Powder have a beautiful finish.
2. Guerlain
(image from www.guerlain.co.jp)
I think Guerlain’s 2008 holiday collection, with the beautiful silvery lilac cases and some gorgeous shades, is even more stunning than last year’s gold-themed collection. I like all the shades in the eye palette, but, in order to stay under my annual makeup budget, I decided not to buy it. But I might see it again in the summer/winter sale next year. (I found it surprising that I still saw items from Guerlain’s Pucci collection (from summer 2007) at the summer sale this year…)
(In Japan, the lipstick and the eye palette above are sold as a set, with a limited-edition clutch bag.)
1. Dior
Dior’s seasonal star item is always among the makeup products I look forward to the most, and this year Dior has done it again. Even though last year’s DiorLight pendant is equally nice and sparkly, I find it hard to display with its wobbly round shape and the non-detachable strap. (So it is stored in my makeup drawer at the moment). Not this compact, which is displayed next to some of my other Dior stash.
The rest of the collection, including some eye-catching palettes, is just as beautiful. The two 5-color eye palettes have also been selling well in the UK. I am quite sure that, in 2009, Dior’s new releases will still be worth waiting for.
Related posts:
Spring 2009 collections from:
Paul & Joe
Guerlain
Dior
(images and info from www.cosme.net)
Elégance will release its spring 2009 collection in Japan on February 18th. The items feature beautiful red, orange and berry tones. The Radiance Quartet blusher looks particularly lovely.
The lineup includes:
– Confiture Gloss: 6 new shades
– Sweet Dew Rouge: 3 new shades
– Radiance Quartet: 3 variations
– Eyeshadow: 4 new variations
– Nail Color: 3 new shades
Related Posts:
Elégance Fall 2008 Collection
Japanese Cosmetics Focus: Elégance
