I have added two new categories on my side bar so you can locate my past posts more easily:
— My Current Makeup Favorites
— My Skincare Essentials
The items in “My Current Makeup Favorites” include both some of my long-term staples and seasonal favorites. “The Skincare Essentials” feature items I am using on a daily basis now.
I will update these two categories constantly to reflect my current preferences (especially regarding my seasonal favorites), so do check back!
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(a tearful diva)One prime example is Sofina EST.
Sofina‘s EST is not new. It has been a skincare line under Kao’s Sofina for many years, and it is Sofina’s most expensive line. In fall 2007, EST launched a full color makeup line, following the earlier debut of the base makeup range. (While, obviously, the brand name reminds people of the superlative suffix “-est”, Sofina also advocates that it is an acronym for “Essence of Sofina Technology”.)
The over-arching concept of EST’s color makeup is Emotional Beauty. As our faces are always displaying various feelings and emotions, EST attempts to use colors and finishes to enhance our day-to-day expressions of emotions. So, our beaming smiles look even more dazzling, our focused determination is even more infectious, and our sorrow melts the hardest of hearts.
(image from www.kao.co.jp/est)
(image from www.kao.co.jp/est)
(image from www.kao.co.jp/est)
One item that defines the line is Emotional Aura Pact. Essentially, this is a highlighter for the eye area. It includes four subtly different shades of various finishes and opaqueness, and each of them is used on a specific part of the eye area.
(Emotional Aura Pack)Also, so far, I have come across good comments on Emotional Aura Eyes, the eye palette range:
(Emotional Aura Eyes palettes)
After the huge success of Kanebo’s Lunasol in the last couple of years, Kosé’s Magie Deco and Sofina’s EST were two of the major makeup launches in late 2007 that posed as rivals. Similarly priced and packaged with a sophisticated flair, they appeal to similar demographics. With a strong and distinctive concept behind it, Sofina EST’s development and evolution will be immensely interesting to chart and will serve as an indication of the future of Japanese cosmetics.
[Even though Sofina is available in Japan and several other countries in Asia, the EST line is currently only available in Japan as far as I know. The EST website is for information only and does not offer on-line ordering.]
Related Posts:
Loving Japanese Brands – Lunasol
(my current favorite Japanese brand)
Brand Profile: SUQQU
(a reverse strategy that works)
Coffret D’Or 3D Lighting Eyes
(replacing the beloved T’Estimo)
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Enjoy!
From The Beauty Blog Network:
Bionic Beauty reviews the luxury Noevir Skin Care lineup!
Find out A Touch of Blusher‘s current favorite toner.
Beauty and Personal Grooming tells you the benefits of using French clay as a spa product.
SugarShock is coveting Rachel Bilson’s Jumper premiere beauty look and tells you how to recreate Rachel’s stunning makeup.
Makeup Moxie‘s lusting for the new Andy Warhol Union Square Perfume by Bond No. 9.
Beauty Blogging Junkie discusses her favorite purple and purple-packaged products.
Discover a Mystery Beauty Powder at Musings of a Muse from the MAC Fafi Collection that you may have missed out on!
Beauty Anonymous loves ” Lunch at the Delhi ” from OPI India Collection.
Girl Gloss explains why Stila Lip Glaze is an all time favorite.
Manhattan’s favorite socialite, Tinsley Mortimer, dishes exclusively to Beauty Banter on her must have products… and on being Dior’s Beauty Ambassador!
Raging Rouge discovers a way for Aurophobics to embrace the Spring 2008 gold shadow trend.
15 Minute Beauty Fanatic washes her face with oil, and she likes it!
Temptalia has a tutorial using the Fafi Eyes Quad #1!
Spoiled Pretty is convinced that Urban Decay’s main ingredient must be crack. Find out which product she finds most addictive.
Karen from Makeup and Beauty Blog crawls into a scent chamber to sniff Frederic Malle perfumes at Barneys New York and lives to tell the tale!
The Beauty of Life stumbles upon fantastic all-natural brand Chloe & Jane — and has a couple products she’s just dying for you to try!
All Lacquered Up gives you an exclusive preview of Zoya’s summer collections: Gossip and Chit Chat.
Canadian Beauty tells you about Stila Cherry Crush Lip and Cheek Stain.
Angie Vargas, founder of EyeshadowCult.com tells you about her battle & road to recovery from severe cystic acne.
StyleBell uncovers The 411 on Brazilian Keratin Treatments!
Beautynomics covers the Sunsilk’s Life Can’t Wait Press Launch in Manila.
Kyle reviews billybBEAUTY Brushes at Face Candy.
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Today I bring you reviews of products from Neutrogena. Their body products are usually noted for heavy-duty moisture. How would these two fair?
At first, when I tested it on the back of my hand, I thought the consistency might be a little too dense for the whole body and that it might be better suited for particularly dry patches. But it turns out that, for me, it is a good all-over body lotion without making the skin feel greasy or sticky.
It has a rich and densely creamy texture and feels very moisturizing when it goes on. But it spreads easily and absorbs relatively well.
On the whole, this is a competent body lotion with minimal fragrance. Compared with my favorite Dove Body Silk, it feels creamier and more emollient. However, I think the moisture from Dove Body Silk lasts a little longer.
A lot of Neutrogena’s hand creams that I’ve tried have quite a greasy finish. (It seems to be a trade-off regarding some heavy-duty hand creams, and I don’t mind it that much most of the time.) Also, it sometimes seems that most of the emolliency sits on top of the hands and doesn’t sink in any further, and, as soon as it wears off, the hands feel and look dry again.
The Fast Absorbing Hand Cream seems to attempt an improvement. It feels slightly lighter than the other Neutrogena hand creams I’ve tried. While I wouldn’t describe it as “fast absorbing”, it does feel that the emolliency is absorbed a little better. (I always check my cuticle area to see how well the emolliency penetrates.)
However, compared with some of my favorite hand creams (particularly Garnier Hand Cocoon), it is still very similar to other Neutrogena hand creams and is not substantially better. I would probably be more tempted to layer this on top of my usual hand cream before bedtime to help seal the moisture. It would be an extra step that is not really vital.
[By March 31st, with any purchase of Neutrogena product, you can claim a free activity at the Neutrogena website. Promotion is open to UK residents only.]
Related Posts:
My Beauty Weekness: Cute Cuticle Oil
Principessa Bodycare Review
Cake Beauty Plane Friendly Travel Kit Review
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(Loving Japanese makeup)
1872 Shiseido
1887 Kao
1929 Pola
1936 Kanebo
1946 Kosé
1956 Albion
1959 Menard
1967 Shu Uemura
1972 DHC
1981 Fancl
1987 IPSA
1991 Ettusais
1995 AYURA
1996 Equipe (which now owns RMK and SUQQU)
(Biteki, January 2008, p. 102-125)
It is interesting that, like many western cosmetics brands, some of the recent major Japanese cosmetics companies in the last couple of decades have also been acquired by more established ones. For example, IPSA, Ettusais, and AYURA were acquired by Shiseido. Kanebo now owns Equipe, while Kosé owns Albion. Also, in early 2006, Kanebo was sold to Kao.
I will be equally interested in these slightly more corporate and behind-the-scene developments and in all the shiny new releases from these brands…
Related Posts:
All About Japanese Cosmetics
(consolidating my passion)
“Loving Japanese Brands” Series
(my favorite seven)
Japanese Brands in the UK
(featuring where to get them from outside the UK)
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(Dior Eyeshadow Duo in DiorLagoon)
That was a major quest in the summer of that year. I got Dior’s Seascape a couple of months earlier. While loving the purple and the blue, I decided I wanted a nice turquoise. Not a soft pastel turquoise…a real turquoise. So the search began.
I soon found that many turquoise shades had yellow and/or green shimmer. While I see how it balances the blue undertone of the shade and makes the finish more dynamic, I think it is a little distracting, and I really just wanted a nice straightforward rich turquoise. (Bourjois’ Mono Eyeshadow in Turquoise Ensoleillée is one that has the yellow/green shimmer that doesn’t appeal to me.)
After auditioning many turquoise contenders during that time, I found myself going back to Dior.
Apart from the fact that Dior’s eyeshadows are consistently silky and easy to blend, I like the satiny finish in the eyeshadow duo range. DiorLagoon features a cream white with soft pearlescent sheen and a semi-matte turquoise which is slightly more matte than the cream white. It is a true turquoise with no trace of yellow/green shimmer. Both shades are nicely pigmented and last well.
It has become my gold standard for turquoise shades as it still remains one of the nicest I have ever seen.
Related Posts: (featuring two other lovely turquoise shades)
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(part of the SUQQU spring/summer 2008Following the spring color collection, released earlier in Japan and launching in the UK later, SUQQU will release the spring/summer base makeup collection on March 15th.
With many Japanese cosmetics brands, the spring/summer base makeup releases, mostly in March, tend to focus on sebum-controlling and maintaining a fresh complexion. On the other hand, the fall/winter lineups (launched around September) are more about combating dryness and creating a luminous look.
SUQQU’s base makeup collection for fall 2007 features a very delicately smooth and luxuriously velvety Powder Foundation Glow. It goes on beautifully, has a good coverage, and covers pores well, but it lacks the sebum-controlling ability. So it will be interesting to see what the new Powder Foundation Fresh can do.
The SUQQU spring/summer 2008 base makeup lineup includes:
Powder Foundation Fresh: 6 shades, 11g, SPF 27 PA++
Liquid Foundation Aqua: 6 shades, 24ml, SPF 26 PA++
Face Protector N (daytime sunscreen): 30g, SPF 30 PA+++
I am expecting these to be launched in the UK in April, and I look forward to testing all the items, especially Powder Foundation Fresh. If it has all the merits of Powder Foundation Glow plus a decent shine-controlling ability, it could be an all-round winner for me!
Related Posts:
Loving SUQQU
(my personal take on SUQQU)
Anna Sui spring/summer 2008 base makeup collection
(featuring a cute loose powder compact)
Kanebo Coffret D’Or spring/summer 2008 base makeup collection
(More loose powder for me to try?)
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Enjoy!
A Touch of Blusher on how much people spend on cosmetics in Japan.
Teri from Beautiful Makeup Search says that you really need to see the MAC Fafi Collection in person to realize it’s true beauty – and a truly beautiful collection it is.
KRiSTOPHER reminds you to GO RED.
Lipstick, Powder ‘n Paint shares the red carpet winners and losers at this years BAFTA Awards.
Makeup Moxie reviews Napoleon Perdis Barely Blushing lip and cheek stain.
Lianne at TheMakeupGirl is in LOVE with MAC Slimshines….
WE LOVE BEAUTY.com’s own Celebrity Stylemaker – Mr. Paul Starr, was the makeup mastermind behind Lindsay Lohan’s Marilyn Monroe spread in New York Magazine.
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(Albion Eprise Water Face Color in 100)
Before talking about my first ever Albion purchase, I’d like to briefly mention the brand itself.
Albion is one of the largest cosmetics brands in Japan. I have also occasionally come across passing mentions of Albion as a brand favored by the Japanese royalty. Few can really be sure of this, but it is true that Albion has always had a very upmarket image. [The Albion website is for information only and doesn’t offer on-line ordering.]
Albion’s most popular products are mainly skincare and foundation items. The Essential Skin Conditioner and Exage powder foundations are almost permanent fixtures on most best-selling and magazine readers’ favorite product lists.
One unique aspect of all Albion’s various skincare ranges is a creamy skin-softening emulsion that is applied in circular motion with a cotton pad before the toner and the moisturizer. The Albion sales assistants often remind customers that this moisturizer-like emulsion is not a moisturizer and that it is used to help the absorption of all the subsequent skincare products.
I have tried samples from Albion’s skincare routines but I personally didn’t enjoy using the skin-softening emulsions. They felt quite filmy on the skin and I didn’t feel like using any other product afterwards. Plus the circular motion during the application left my skin slightly red, not to mention that most of them had alcohol. (So do many of the toners.) But I am aware that some people swear by Albion’s unique skincare routines and can’t imagine using anything else.
So, with Albion, their makeup ranges are much more suitable for me to get a taste of the brand. I had long been interested in trying out Eprise, one of Albion’s makeup ranges. (Albion’s website is completely in Flash, so do click on the Albion link above to find the Eprise line.) As someone that loves blushers, when I saw Water Face Color from the spring 2008 collection, I almost instantly decided that this would be my first-ever Albion purchase.
(Eprise Water Face Color)The bottle is shaken before application. The blusher liquid has a watery consistency and glides with ease. (But this is not a cheek stain and has a slightly milkier consistency than a typical water-based cheek stain.) It is very easy to blend and layers well for more intensity. The finish is softly luminous and non-greasy, without any visible shimmer. After the blending is done, it almost feels as if the color came from within the skin.
#100 is quite a natural pink for me. It has a bouncy feel but doesn’t make my cheeks look overly flushed.
Another aspect that impresses me is that the color is very long-lasting. I usually use a powder foundation so this liquid blusher would go underneath it. There were twice when I had it on for about 12 hours, and the fading was very minimal and barely noticeable. I was initially slightly worried that,
like a couple of cheek/lip staining items I tested, the color wouldn’t easily come off with a cleanser, but it came off swiftly and effortlessly with my RMK Cleansing Oil.Overall, this is a very good blusher for me. A little goes a long way, so this 10ml liquid blusher will last a long time and create a lot of long-lasting rosy cheeks. I have a feeling that it won’t be long before I am interested in trying another makeup item from Albion.
Related Posts:
Chanel Irréelle Blush in Tea Rose
(one of my absolute favorites)
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Later this month in Tokyo, the Shiseido Beauty Creation Institute will unveil Shiseido Hair & Makeup Creation – 10 Minds, a photographic showcase of editorial creations by 10 Japanese hair & makeup artists.
You can follow the link above for a preview of the works.
Have a look, and enjoy!
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Jill Stuart Story of Fragrances Collection for 2025 & 2026 (image from www.cosme.net)
