A Touch of Blusher — Makeup, Skincare, Fragrance and a Bit of Fashion

My Top 10: Spring 2007 Makeup Round-Up (#6, #5)

by PJ on Wednesday, March 7, 2007

in -Ayura, -Dior, 2007 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, seasonal makeup top 10

(pictured: my Dior Addict Ultra-Nude

in #380 Undressed Mauve along with

Dior Detective Chic palette from Autumn 2006)

#6: Ayura (“Hawaiian Garden” Collection)

The Look: Sunny and breezy, with colors that brighten your eyes and your day. The combination of tropical colors in the eye palettes are unusual and fun — turquoise with lilac, orange with purple, and blue with minty green. Great when you want to be a bit more experimental.

Key Items: The three limited-edition Aqua Fix Lipglosses. Fresh and vibrant with three tiers of colors, they remind me of summer cocktails by the beach.

#5: Dior (“Dior Flight” Collection)

The Look: Chic, glamourous, and globe-trotting beauty. The Dior Flight palettes carry all the essentials (eyeshadow, blusher, and lip color), and the two 5-color eye palettes feature two very different looks (soft warm pastels and dramatic blue). The two single-color eyeshadows, white and pink, are spot-on with this season’s soft, femine, and almost-nude look. (Read a more detailed review of the collection here.)

Key Items: Dior Addict Ultra-Nude lipsticks. Definitely some of my favorite items for this season. All the five colors are sheer and wearable while giving a gloss-effect. The #380 (Undressed Mauve) that I have goes well with a variety of eyeshadows like cool pink, lilac, and pastel blue. The must-try for this season, in my opinion!

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My Top 10: Spring 2007 Makeup Round-Up (#8, #7)

by PJ on Sunday, March 4, 2007

in -Anna Sui, -Kao, -Sofina, 2007 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, seasonal makeup top 10

#8: Anna Sui (“Blooms of Fascinations” Collection)

The Look: It is all about lips for Anna Sui this season, with a collection full of cute lipglosses and lipsticks in a variety of color palettes (pink, orange, red, and beige). The packaging is adorably girlie as always.

Key Items: Sui Lip Gloss. 19 sweet fruity colors of varying pigmentations. Mix and match them up!

#7: Aube by Sofina (“Splash Beauty” Collection)

The Look: Ultra-shiny and ultra-glossy, this collection brings a watery transparency and a burst of radiance. All five eye palettes feature a glittery eye gloss that can work as a base or a top coat, giving a wet-look effect. The lipsticks impart a gloss-like finish, and the shimmery powder is great for face as well as body.

Key Items: Jewelry Shower Eyes palettes. The name says it all. Apart from the eye gloss, there are gradations of pink, purple, blue, and brown in each palette. The shades are relatively muted, but reasonably so due to the high shine of the eye gloss.

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PJ’s Top 5: Worst-Dressed at Oscars 2007

by PJ on Thursday, March 1, 2007

in fashion, fashion - award fashion

Here we go:

1. Meryl Streep

She is a great actress, but…I don’t even know where to begin with this. Could she possibly think this looked good?? All the elements were wrong *AND* they clash with one another. The thing is, I can hardly recall any of her red carpet look that was anywhere near remotely good.

2. Queen Latifah (Carmen Marc Valvo)

I was disappointed. She usually looked great, so I expected her to do so much better. The cut of the dress doesn’t compliment her figure at all, and the horizontal stripes are doing all the wrong things.

3. Cameron Diaz (Valentino)

Another disappointment, especially after my positive comment on her Golden Globe look. High-fashion as this dress is, it is far from a red-carpet dress. She looked messy and lacked sophistication.

4. Kirsten Dunst (Chanel Couture)

This dress makes her look shorter and older. The cut of the upper half of the dress doesn’t suit her shape and makes her look like she has no shoulders. The bottom half is fussy and dragging her down.

5. Jennifer Hudson (Oscar de la Renta)

From no shoulder to too much of it. I like the dress itself. Fabulous color. It’s the metalic shoulder jacket that seems very redundant. It is bad enough to destroy the whole look. Too rock-star and not red-carpet enough for me.

This concludes my award season fashion coverage. The next post will be back to my top 10 makeup collections for this season.

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PJ’s Top 5: Best-Dressed at Oscars 2007

by PJ on Tuesday, February 27, 2007

in -Giorgio Armani, -Valentino, fashion, fashion - award fashion

Let’s waste no time:

Winner: Cate Blanchett (Armani Prive)

A no-brainer for me. This is the perfect Oscar dress. Simple, elegant, glamorous, and most importantly, timeless. I am a big fan of asymmetric designs, and the level of metalic shine is just right for the whole look. Love her simple hair and fresh makeup as well.

2. Nicole Kidman (Balenciaga)

For me, this is her best Oscar look in years. (I am not a fan of her Chanel dress when she was nominated for Moulin Rouge, or her black number when she won the Oscar. Her white Balenciaga dress last year was pretty but a bit boring.) Red is a surprising but a great choice, and the cut of this dress really shows off her statuesque figure. I don’t care about what some other people say, but I love the tumbling bow at the back. I think dressing for something like the Oscars is all about making a stunning impact. She did exactly that.

3. Kate Winslet (Valentino)

Again, love the asymmetric one-shoulder touch. The whole look is so demure and elegant. My very minor complain would be that the shade of green is slightly too pale. The whole look is not as good as the Ben de Lisi dress five years ago (which is definitely among my top five all-time favorite Oscar looks), but it is good enough to be among my top three this year.

4. Helen Mirren (Christian Lacroix)

Perfect at the Golden Globe, the BAFTA, and again at the Oscars. I like the movement of the skirt when she walked. She dresses beautifully to her age with style and a bit of flair. Also, her hair looked different but equally beautiful on all three occasions.

5. Reese Witherspoon (Nina Ricci)

The first time I saw this dress, I actually didn’t like it at all. I imagine she would go for something brighter. But this one is a grower. The more I look at it, the more I love it. The hair and the makeup both went superbly well with the dress. I like the slanted tiers and the subtle change of color at the bottom. Very sultry and glam.

The dresses of Penelope Cruz, Gwyneth Paltrow, and Anne Hathaway seem to get the split vote , and Gwyneth and Anne are even on the worst-dressed list on Yahoo! Movies. But I think they all looked pretty good. (I like the big frills and the big bow.)

On the other hand, while Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jennifer Lopez and Emily Blunt are consistently on the best-dressed lists, I am not particularly into their outfits at all. (Love J-Lo’s hair and makeup though!)

So what do you think?

(Most of the links are to Catwalk Queen. They happen to have the best of the red carpet photos.)

Stay tuned for my worst-dressed list later!

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My Top 10: Spring 2007 Makeup Round-Up (#10, #9)

by PJ on Sunday, February 25, 2007

in -SUQQU, 2007 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, seasonal makeup top 10

In the coming posts, I reveal my top 10 of this season’s makeup collections. (Do let me know what tops your list!)

Here we go, in reverse order:

#10: The Body Shop (Vital Brights Collection)

The Look: It is a feast of colors. Cool-tone eyes, rosy cheeks, syrupy lips, and a bit of tan. It is a small collection, but it is one of the most colorful additions from The Body Shop for a few seasons.

Key Items: Eye Color Fusion in blue and green. (Wear them in moderation!)

#9: SUQQU (Daichimegami “Goddess of Earth”)

The Look: Strong,distinctive, and coherent, it is about shades of blue (sea/sky) and beige (earth/desert). Do check out the link above…it is an absolutely beautiful presentation of the collection from the official website. (Japanese brands are so good at this.)

Key Items: Powder Eye Shadow in shades of blue. A strong midnight blue or a bright powdery sky blue…the choice is yours.

Before revealing the rest of my top 10, my next two posts are going to be about Oscar fashion 2007. Stay tuned!

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SUQQU Makeup and Skincare

by PJ on Friday, February 23, 2007

in -SUQQU, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - base makeup, makeup - base makeup - foundation, makeup - lip color, skincare, skincare - cleansing/toning, skincare - moisturizing/others

(pictured: my SUQQU lipstick,
samples, and catalogue)

As requested by a reader, I decided to write a post about some individual SUQQU products after I had a more thorough look and got several samples earlier this month.

What really impresses me is the texture of their makeup. The lipsticks are so creamy, and the eyeshadows and blushers are so luxuriously silky that they almost seem creamy as well.

I am particularly keen on Powdery Cheeks in #11 (Ashibi), which is such a universally flattering color for most medium and light skin-tones.

One of their best-sellers is the Stick Concealer. The white one is used first as a base. Blending only comes after one of the two beige ones is layered on top of it. The white concealer is light-reflective and enhances the coverage of the beige concealer.

Here are some thoughts about what I have actually used:

1.Creamy Lip Stick in #22 (Benikoji)

I bought this in my first visit. It is a nice beige pink (even though it looks quite red in the photo). Pigmented and creamy, it is a great color for this season’s polished (and non-glossy) nude look.

2. Cream Foundation

I got a sample of this. Out of all their foundation formulations, this one provides the most coverage. It is not too difficult to blend (with my fingers) and it covers my pores fairly well. The staying power isn’t too bad. It has a dewy finish, which I don’t really like since I have quite oily skin. But I can use a matte loose powder to set the foundation, so that doesn’t bother me too much. (The color I got (#03) is slightly too pale and ashy for my medium skin-tone.)

3. Liquid Foundation Natural

I also got a sample of this. It provides more coverage than Liquid Foundation Skinny (light coverage) and Liquid Foundation Lucent (sheer coverage). It is one of the most easily blendable foundations I have ever tried. But the drawback is the staying power, which is not as good as the Creamy Foundation. The coverage is light to medium, and I would prefer more. Overall, I much prefer the Creamy Foundation.

I got this one in #04. Even though #04 should be the immediate darker shade than #03 for all their foundations, it is actually slightly too dark for me (while #03 is slightly too pale). Maybe the secret lies in #03B, which is between the two shades?

4. HA Complex Cream

Sample again. (The actual product costs about 240 USD for 30g…) I actually don’t like it that much simply because I am quite certain it has alcohol. Even though I couldn’t smell it, my skin turned a bit red about 10 minutes after application, which is typical with any moisturizer with any amount of alcohol. (I will probably have my neck enjoy this very expensive moisturizer…)

I have also got samples of HA Complex Lotion, HA Complex Emulsion, and Make Up Base. But I can really smell alcohol in all these (which is unfortunately so common with a lot of Japanese skincare products). I don’t think my face can handle any of these…

All skincare products have their signature orchid fragrance. It does smell gorgeous, even though it is much better for skincare products to be fragrance-free. In Japan last Christmas, SUQQU had a limited-edition perfume based on this orchid note. I am really hoping it will be re-released as part of the permanent collection!

One skincare product I am actually quite keen on is the Lip Essence Cream. It is very emollient and creamy. Too bad it is so pricey (about 60 USD)!

I personally think SUQQU is stronger in makeup than in skincare. But it is only because my skin can’t really tolerate alcohol and any massaging (the Musculate Massage Cream, which is used daily, is the heart of their skincare regime) and because I do think their color makeup range is simply sublime.

I look forward to seeing their spring 2007 collection. It looks great on the website and I love a makeup collection with a strong theme. I’ll definitely review it after I see it in store.

————-
Edited, on February 25, 2007, as requested by reader:

Price list of reviewed products in UK
(from SUQQU catalogue)

Creamy Lip Stick: £24
Powdery Cheeks: £22
Stick Concealer: £20
Cream Foundation: £60
Liquid Foundation Natural: £40
Liquid Foundation Skinny: £40
Liquid Foundation Lucent: £30
Make Up Base: £24
HA Complex Lotion: £45
HA Complex Emulsion: £70
HA Complex Cream: £120
Lip Essence Cream: £30
Musculate Massage Cream: £60

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Valentino Haute Couture for Spring/Summer 2007

by PJ on Wednesday, February 21, 2007

in -Valentino, 2007 Spring, 2007 Summer, fashion, fashion - haute couture

Flowy, and feminine were the first words that came to mind…

Valentino has been one of my favorite designers since I started to be interested in fashion in the 80’s. He has been such an icon and I love his designs still.

This collection is almost the opposite to Dior’s that I equally love. While Galliano’s creations are bold and flamboyant, Valentino’s are softer and calmer. But surprisingly, to me, they almost have the same visual impact. The two collections are both extremely coherent with their respective themes (and therefore so memorable) and that explains my fondness for both.

When the color palette is mainly white and palest shades of beige and pink, the shape, texture and pattern are immediately under the spotlight. The harmonious combination of fur, silk, and chiffon adds depth and dimension. It is almost as if the simplicity of the color scheme is to showcase this seamless harmony.

The shapes of the dresses are simple and clean, and the details are so exquisite. (I really enjoyed looking at the detail photos and marveling at all the ruffles, folds, and embroidery.) The whole effect is a sheer sense of elegance, further enhanced by the piled-up hair and retro-style makeup.

To me, this collection is a master class in understated and sophisticated glamour.

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BAFTA 2007 Fashion Favorites

by PJ on Sunday, February 18, 2007

in fashion, fashion - award fashion

It was the BAFTA last Sunday in London, the most galmorous day on the British cinema calendar. But fashion-wise, it was just a bit beige…

Apart from Kylie Minogue (who was wearing a great color for her but was showing too much leg for this sort of occasion) and Eva Green (the lady in red), most of the other actresses were forming a perfect spectrum from beige to brown to black.

Despite this, there are still several stunners:

1. Helen Mirren

Dame Helen Mirren wins it for me this time. She is always so poised and elegant, and she has a true sense of style. This outfit is even better than the one for the Golden Globe, and I hope she saves the best for the coming Oscars!

2. Kate Winslet

She wears a lot of Ben de Lisi, whose designs are usually very simple but never boring, to say the least. There is always a quiet and sophisticated sense of drama in his creations. The belt detail and the whole shape of the dress really make Kate stand out. I also love her chic ponytail and fresh makeup.

3. Toni Collette

Very old-school Hollywood for her this time. The sexy shape of the dress flatters her, and the glitz of the dress provides a good contrast to her dark hair. Like the furry accessory (I hope it is fake). Very well put-together and glamorous.

Last but not least, I just love Jake Gyllenhaal.

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Lavshuca Gloss Stick lipgloss

by PJ on Thursday, February 15, 2007

in -Kanebo, -Lavshuca, 2007 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - lip color, makeup - lip gloss, stash focus

Lavshuca again today. They make some of the cutest stuff around. Their eye palette is just adorable, and this lipgloss pen is another example. In seven colors, the Gloss Stick looks just like any other lip gloss that comes in a pen, and the color I have (PK-3) is a nice basic everyday pink with a bit of shimmer.

But what makes it interesting and fun is the applicator:

The heart-shape dispenser is what seals the deal for me. What a nice little touch! It has a very similar advantage to that of the spatula applicator of Curvy Lip Silicone. It doesn’t smudge off the lipstick and is easy to clean. Cute and clever.

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Lavshuca Eye Color Select palettes

by PJ on Wednesday, February 14, 2007

in -Kanebo, -Lavshuca, 2007 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, makeup - eyeshadow, stash focus

Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone.

I didn’t consciously plan this, but I was going to talk about these gorgeous little eye palettes from Lavshuca featuring cute heart shapes. (Lavshuca is one of my favorite Japanese brands. Read more about it in my other post. I also reviewed its spring 2007 collection here.)

The Eye Color Select palette is out this spring and comes in five versions. I got the ones in pink and blue.

Pink is not the easiest color for me to wear but I wanted to try. Surprisingly, they came out nicely and I didn’t look like I had irritated eyelids. The deep pink (lower right on the palette) is very pigmented and is fun to experiment with.