Gleaming Things
Buy name-brand designer jewelry and support the charity of your choice with GoodShop.

Beauty Match
Own recession-proof designer inspired handbags … just like your favourite celebrity.

Beauty and Fashion Tech
Check out Beauty and Fashion Tech’s Holiday Index for great shopping ideas!

Girl Gloss
Girl Gloss loves the Cargo Blu_ray lip gloss quad.

eye4style
ey4style is celebrating the season in style with glittering Swarovski ornaments!

Her Accessories
Have a bow-tiful holiday with these eco-friendly handbags.

image: Stock.xchg

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Weekend Beauty Reads for December 7, 2008

by PJ on Sunday, December 7, 2008

in Weekend Beauty Read


From The Beauty Blog Network:

Beauty Anonymous introduces you to the blossoming pink of Jill Stuart Spring 2009 Makeup Collection.

Beauty411 shares a Holiday Gift Guide featuring 10 Beauty Gifts for Under $20. Don’t miss it!

The Makeup Divas introduces you to a trendy new makeup line called Cliche Cosmetics.

Beauty Junkie in SF thinks that Philosophy’s The Recipe Box is the cutest holiday gift for those bakers on your list. It is cheap, fun, and useful!

Raging Rouge kicks off the holiday season with a list of glamorous beauty gift ideas that cost less than $30!

StyleBell discovers Carrie Underwood’s secret to fabulous hair, MorrocanOil!

Beauty Banter offers a refresher course on how to wear a red lip right! Plus favorite Holiday red lippies!

Felicia at ThisThatBeauty introduces you to a powerful eye care duo that promises brighter, more youthful looking eyes Check it out!

Face Candy gives you a posh gift idea – a Coach Legacy Lip Gloss Charm.

Glossypink gives you a sneak peak of Spring beauty trends!

Makeup Moxie is swooning over Guerlain’s mini Kiss Kiss lipsticks.

Cybelesays.com is giving away hardcover copies of Bobbi Brown’s new book, Makeup Manual: For Everyone From Beginner to Pro. Click here to get over to the contest!

The girls over at beauty in real life picked up some great winter hair tips from David John of the Serge Normant Salon. Check out their fab interview here.

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Chanel Spring 2009 Collection

by PJ on Friday, December 5, 2008

in -Chanel, 2009 Spring, makeup

(images and info from www.iswii.net)

Here is a quick look at Chanel‘s spring 2009 makeup collection, titled Bohemian Fantasy. The limited-edition star item for the season is the lip palette, seen below.

(Hydrabase, 6 new shades)
(Aqualumière, 2 new shades)

The collection also includes one new shade of Le Crayon Yeux and one new shade of Inimitable Mascara Waterproof.

Related Posts:

Chanel Irréelle Blush in Tea Rose

Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow in Stage Lights

Chanel Irréelle Duo in Désert-Rose and River-Light

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Since SUQQU was launched in September 2003, some products have, one after another, become the brand’s most talked-about items. Among them, one that some of you have told me about is the Eyelash Curler. Currently, it is included in SUQQU’s Eyelash Kit, which I am reviewing today.

The SUQQU Eyelash Kit includes:
– Eyelash Curler
– Mascara Volume Long in EX-01 Green
– Screw Brush
– Eye Makeup Remover (travel-sized, 50ml)

The items come in a roll-up folder, which is presented a bucket pouch. The curler doesn’t come with refills but they are available separately at the SUQQU counter.


First, the Eyelash Curler. The problem I have with eyelash curlers of this design is that they simply do not get to the two ends of my lashes, and it seems that SUQQU’s version has the same issue. The curler does give a flattering curve to the lashes and the rubber pad seems very sturdy and durable, but I have to position the curler in so many angles to get to the two ends of the lashes that it takes a lot of time to achieve a finished look. Also, my middle lashes end up being curled for too many times and the curl looks slightly less natural.



According to what I have heard in the past few years, this curler does work well for most people, but unfortunately it doesn’t perform well enough for me. I have to say I still much prefer the precision lash curler that I previously talked about. It is much more efficient to use and I can achieve a natural fan-like curve in a very short amount of time.

SUQQU has three kinds of mascaras: Volume, Long, and Volume Long. (All three are water-resistant.) The one in this kit is a Volume Long version in a limited-edition green shade. On my dark lashes, the green pigment doesn’t show up very much, but I do like the soft look and it doesn’t clash with eyeshadows of other shades. For me, this mascara, which contains fibers, does a better job at building up length than adding volume. (The Separate Curl Mascara in RMK’s Christmas Palette 2008 delivers more volume.)

The Screw Brush and Eye Makeup Remover are very good additions to the kit. The brush is surprisingly soft and separates lashes nicely. (It is also a very good eyebrow brush if you find the bristles of most eyebrow brushes to be too hard and scratchy.) The Eye Makeup Remover has a bi-phase formulation, which I always like. It takes off the Volume Long Mascara very easily, and it doesn’t feel greasy or irritate my eyes.

Overall, this is a good kit to try if you are interested in both the Eyelash Curler and the mascara. (The Kit is priced at £40, which is the prices of the two items combined.) This kit is a limited edition and is currently still available at the SUQQU counter in Selfridges on London’s Oxford Street.

Related Posts:

SUQQU Holiday 2008 Collection

SUQQU Spring 2009 Collection

Review: SUQQU Fall 2008 Collection Part 1 & Part 2

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Shimmer Brick is probably one of
Bobbi Brown‘s most popular items. For holiday 2008, Bobbi Brown has released a limited-edition Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick Compact.

The five subtly different shades are packaged in a very glamorous gold case with a decent-sized mirror, although the case always seems slightly lighter than how I’d like it to be (especially when I compare it with Dior’s Night Diamond, which is smaller and thinner but a lot heavier).

The compact includes various shades of beige and light bronze. The combination of these shades is a warm beige with hints of gold that should suit most skin tones (unless you have a cool-toned fair skin tone, in which case a platinum-toned highlighter would be more complementary). When applied with a powder brush, the finish is shimmery with visible multi-colored shimmery particles. When used as eyeshadows, they can be built up to a metallic finish (with a low pigmentation level.)

I personally find this compact to be the most useful as a highlighter for cheek bones. (For me, it is almost too shimmery for the T-zone.) I use it over my powder foundation and under my (predominantly matte) loose powder. This way, the finish is more glowy than shimmery and suits me a lot better.

Apart from a face highlighter, it can be easily used as a body shimmer to add a bit of pizazz to your party looks.

For swatches and FOTDs, please check out this post by The Muse at Musings of a Muse.

Related Posts:

Bobbi Brown Basics Eye Palette

Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadows

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(images and info from www.cosme.net)


Ettusais will release its spring 2009 collection in Japan on January 22, 2009. The relatively small collection includes three shades of Sweet Marble Cheek Color (seen above) and three shades of Sweet Marble Gloss. Both items are limited editions.

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

The Coffret D’Or website has been updated to feature new TV commercials for the spring 2009 point makeup collection.

Also, my post on Lunasol’s spring 2009 collection has been updated to include more images.

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(images and information from www.iswii.net)

It seems that pinks and lilacs are going to be a big part of makeup collections from Japanese brands in spring 2009. Reflecting the trend, Beauté de Kosé will release two new Eye Fantasist cream eyeshadows, in pink and lilac.

The collection will also include:

– Rouge Fantasist: two new shades

– Mascara Fantasist Long Show: 1 shade

More lilacs from other spring 2009 makeup collections:

Esprique Precious

Lunasol

Maquillage
(Eyes Creator in VI367)

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(images and info from www.iswii.net)

Here is a look at Jill Stuart‘s spring 2009 makeup collection. Titled “Blossoming Pink”, the collection features feminine pink tones and a couple of shades with a hint of purple. The lineup includes:

– Illuminance Eyes: 1 new variation (seen above)

– Seductive Eyes: 1 new variation

– Mix Blush Compact: two new variations



– Jelly Eye Color: two new limited-edition shades



– Jelly Lip Gloss: 12 shades (2 limited-edition shades, product name translated by Haru at Rouge Deluxe)



– Nail Lacquer N: 5 shades (2 limited-edition shades)

I was expecting more eye palettes from Jill Stuart’s spring 2009 lineup, but it seems that the collection is more about the launch of Jelly Lip Gloss, which is a new product. But if you are a fan of Jelly Eye Color, I think you are probably pleased to see the two long-awaited new shades. (The other is of a dark-grey tone.)

Related Posts:

Jill Stuart Available in Hong Kong in December

Jill Stuart Available in the US in 2009

Jill Stuart Holiday 2008 Collection

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(image and info from www.cosme.net)

Max Factor usually releases different products for the Japanese market with different colors and packaging to appeal to Japanese consumers. The new Eye Gradation Colors palettes for spring 2009, which seem to be Japan-only releases, are a good example.

They are very similar to the kind of palettes released by mass-market lines such as Maquillage and Coffret D’Or. First of all, the 4-color palettes include a base color, a light color, a darker shading color, and a lining color. Also, easy-to-wear gradation palettes like these are still very popular in Japan.

I haven’t been paying a lot of attention to makeup from Max Factor lately, but these palettes look very pretty, with some gorgeous purples and pinks. Hopefully we’ll see some close-ups of them in Japanese beauty magazines later on.

Related Posts:

Packaging Matters – Maybelline in Japan

Coffret D’Or Spring 2009 Collection

Maquillage Spring 2009 Collection

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