(part of CHICCA’s fall 2008 collection)
(image and information from www.nikkei.co.jp)
One of Kanebo’s top-end brands, CHICCA, will release its fall 2008 collection in Japan on August 6th. The collection includes:
– Enthralling Soft Pencil Eyeliner (new, 5 shades)
– Enthralling Powder Eye Shadow duo (5 new variations)
– Enticing Lip Stain (5 new shades)
– Enticing Lip Gloss (5 new shades)
This collection focuses on the eyes, and each of the five shades from the four products will altogether create one of CHICCA’s five looks for fall 2008 (this is similar to how Lunasol’s new items were promoted in 2007):
– Night Glow (blue-based)
– Evening Party (green-based)
– Tête-à-tête (brown-based)
– Love Avenue (purple-based)
– Mysterious Love (lead-based (dark grey))
Since I came across the news of CHICCA’s launch earlier this year, I have been waiting to see a powder blusher and a loose powder (two of the makeup items that I have recently been interested in the most). The powder blusher is not featured in the fall lineup, but perhaps the fall/winter base makeup collection (if CHICCA is releasing one) will include a loose powder….
(The photo above shows the Love Avenue items (not the blue-based Night Glow look). Sometimes, photos on Nikkei Net do not do the products justice and the colors are not accurate. I look forward to seeing the items on the CHICCA website later on.)
Updated on August 26th, 2008:
The CHICCA website has been updated to include information on the fall 2008 collection. Please click on the link above to have a look.
Related Posts:
CHICCA Summer 2008 Collection
Brand Launch: Kanebo CHICCA
Lavshuca Fall 2008 Collection
Kate Fall 2008 Collection
(YSL Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils in 1 High Density Black)
Two weeks ago, I wrote about Clinique’s Naturally Glossy Mascara, which is one of my favorite mascaras due to its natural subtlety. Today the mascara I am talking about is almost the polar opposite.
YSL‘s Mascara Volume Effet Faux Cils does add length, but it is mostly about volume. The heavy-duty densely creamy mascara coats lashes effectively, making them look thicker with minimal efforts. Very little layering is required to achieve a good deal of volume.
The shade in 1 High Density Black is a fairly black shade without greyishness. The intense shade adds to the dramatic effect.
(Perhaps one of the most beautifully packaged mascaras…)
What I have found is that I do have to be quite light-handed with the application. Otherwise it will clump a little. I think the best way to apply this mascara is to use soft upward strokes. The zig-zag technique, which is usually useful in building up volume, will create clumps with this mascara. Also, the mascara seems to dry fairly quickly, so a speedy application is more ideal.
Overall, I think this mascara is designed to perform efficiently with very simple, swift and soft strokes. Some initial practice does pay off in the end.
Like Clinique’s Naturally Glossy Mascara, this mascara has also been around for years, and I am not surprised. If you are after (instant) volume for your lashes, then this mascara might be worth considering.
Related Posts:
YSL Golden Gloss
(gold for packaging, gold for lips)
YSL Gold Celebration Palette
(from Holiday 2006)
Keep It Gold – YSL
(my personal take on YSL)
(Escada Moon Sparkle)
(image from Escada)
Escada‘s Moon Sparkle (eau de toilette) is a light and fresh scent for the summer. It reminds me of the abundance of colorful and flavorful summer fruit, which spices up a warm and languid evening.
Top notes: strawberry, blackcurrant, citrus accord, red apple
Middle notes: freesia, jasmine, rose, sweet pea
Base notes: musk, raspberry, sandalwood, amber
The scent opens with a combination of sweetness and a citrusy vibe. The zingy sensation is tamed by the sweetness of strawberry. Initially I found the combination too sweet but it has been growing on me. I think, overall, fruity sweetness does appeal to me a little more than floral sweetness.
The middle notes show up very mildly on me, as the core floral notes seem to blend well with each other and with the top fruity notes.
My favorite part of the fragrance is how it dries down. Musk, sandalwood, and amber are obviously common choices for base notes, but the inclusion of raspberry makes a good deal of difference. The fresh fruity flavor of this fragrance continues to the end, and the air smells as if there were fresh berries in a glass fruit bowl.
Moon Sparkle might not appeal to those who seek depth in a fragrance and who want to travel through the flow of the notes. But I think it is a successful summer fragrance as it is light-hearted and invokes a sense of refreshment. It is a very pleasant and easy-to-wear scent for your beach excursions and for capturing the feel of summer.
More Summer fragrances:
Sheer Stella 2008
Bond No. 9 Coney Island
(Face savers…)
“Why is PJ showing a photo of paper napkins?” you may ask…
These napkins are a hugely indispensable part of my daily beauty-maintenance routine, because they are the best oil-blotting paper I have ever used and only Starbucks has the kind that I like.
It all happened more than 10 years ago when I forgot to carry oil-blotting paper and I had to make do with one of these napkins to matte out the shine. But, to my surprise, it was so absorbent and worked so efficiently that my remaining stock of blotting paper was then left untouched for years.
Made with 100% recycled paper in a bleach-free process, these napkins work very well as blotting paper and normal tissue paper simply can’t compare. One sheet is more than enough for a whole day running around outdoors during summer.
If you have oily skin and need several sheets of blotting paper at a single “blotting session”, do try one of these next time. But do be gentle, since these napkins are obviously not designed for the face and the texture is coarser than the usual blotting paper. (But, interestingly, I have noticed that the Starbucks napkins are getting thinner and softer over the years…)
Other things I can’t live without:
ZA Two-Way Foundation
RMK Cleansing Oil N
Garnier Hand Cream
Dove Body Silk
(part of the Lavshuca fall 2008 collection)
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
Lavshuca will release its fall 2008 collection in Japan on August 1st. The collection includes:
– Rouge Star Classics (11 shades)
– Dual Prism Eyes (8 variations) (More lilac, please…)
– Powder Compact Eyebrow (2 shades)
– Liquid Pen Eyeliner (2 shades)
– Eyeliner Pencil N (2 shades)
– Eyebrow Pencil N (3 shades)
– Creamy Liquid Foundation (5 shades)
– Color Conc Rouge (2 new shades)
– Grade Color Select (2 new shades)
Even though there were a couple of good items, I wasn’t very impressed with Lavshuca’s fall 2007 or spring 2008 collection overall. But they came up with a great summer collection this year and the beautiful packaging evolves towards fall. The look of both the lipsticks and eyeshadow duos is stunning.
For me, it is probably set to be Lavshuca’s best seasonal collection since spring 2007. I think I will surely pick up some of these items!
Related Posts:
Lavshuca Eye Color Select in PU-2
(from fall 2007)
Lavshuca Color Conc Rouge in PK-1
(from fall 2007)
Lavshuca Winter Make Collection
(from holiday 2007)
Loving Japanese Brands – Lavshuca
(my personal take on my favorite Japanese drugstore brand)
(part of the Kate fall 2008 collection)
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
It is only mid-May, but news of the fall 2008 makeup collections has been rolling in.
Kanebo Kate will release its fall 2008 collection in Japan on August 1st. The collection includes:
– Deep Trap Eyes (5 variations)
– Powder Gel Liner N (4 shades)
– Curb Wax Mascara (1 shade)
– Rouge Extra (14 shades)
– Line Spicy N eye palette (1 new variation)
– Gradical Eyes S palette (1 new variation)
– Glam Trick Eyes palette (1 new variation)
Below is information on how the shades in the new palette series, Deep Trap Eyes, are used:
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
(part of CHICCA’s summer 2008 collection)
CHICCA has updated its website to include full information on the summer 2008 collection: Love Island – Golden Sun.
Please see my previous post for quick details of the collection. For a brief brand profile, please have a look at this post.
Some of you have e-mailed me and told me that you would be travelling to Japan in the coming summer. (By the way, I envy you…) If you are planning to travel to Japan in the near future and are interested in testing out or purchasing some top-end beauty items, CHICCA is one of the brands you might be interested in.
The brand in under the Kanebo group, so the pedigree is there. I have not seen the items in person, but I’d think the quality should be similar to that of SUQQU (also under the Kanebo group), most of whose makeup items are outstanding.
CHICCA is currently only sold in two department stores in Japan: Isetan Shinjuku in Tokyo and Hankyu Umeda in Osaka.
More upcoming collections:
Coffret D’Or Early Fall Collection
Sofina Aube Early Fall Collection
(Lavshuca Summer Gradually Compact in Shiny Sandy Beach)
After teasing you with a photo of Lavshuca‘s Summer Gradually Compact two weeks ago, I have been trying on the colors. Today I am sharing my thoughts with you.
First let’s look more closely at the shades:
From left to right:
A pale yellow gold with pale gold sparkles (sheer; sparkling)
B medium bronze gold (well-pigmented; very shimmery)
C off-white with very pale champagne gold undertone (sheer; shimmery)
D light-to-medium taupe-brown (moderately pigmented; shimmery)
E medium brown (moderately pigmented; subtly shimmery)
F light beige (very sheer; satiny matte)
(All shades, except F, have very fine multi-colored micro-shimmer.)
(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca)
You can see the instructions on Lavshuca’s website above, and the same instructions are printed on the back of the outer packaging.
In this palette (as well as the other one, Windy Aqua Beach), C, D, and E are the main shades. C is used as a base, D is the main shading color, and E is the eye-lining shade. The matte F is used to accentuate and add depth to the crease and the inner corner of the brow bone. (A tops up the sparkles, and B adds warmth where you want it.)
Here are some of my thoughts:
– The three main shades work very well for me. I don’t like neutral colors to be too warm, and D and E have a coloration very suitable for me. (I have a light-to-medium skin tone.)
– What I love the most about this palette is the soft watery-shimmer effect, which is great for summer. If the shades were too pigmented, the finish would be overly metallic, which I rarely like. (Only B (bronze gold) is very pigmented, while the others are either moderately pigmented or sheer.)
– The eye-lining shade E is only about a shade darker than the main shading color D. For me, E works well as a subtle daytime eyeliner and it blends seamlessly with D. But some people will probably want to use a separate eyeliner for extra depth.
– Both the colors and the shimmer stay on very well, and there is virtually no powder/shimmer fallout.
– I do have two slight complaints. The bronze gold (B) is a little bit too warm for my liking. Also, the shade-enhancing color (F) is very sheer and doesn’t show up on me very much.
Overall I am very happy with the palette. It is a great summer item for a soft and casual look. The soft shimmer does remind me of a glistening sandy beach under the afternoon sun. It might not be the most versatile palette due to the lack of a very dark shade, but for me it is wonderfully wearable.
