Cosmetics Best-Sellers Across Japan: 2006

by PJ on Sunday, March 18, 2007

in -Anna Sui, -Biotherm, -Bobbi Brown, -Chanel, -Clarins, -Clé de Peau, -Clinique, -Dior, -Helena Rubinstein, -Lancôme, -Paul & Joe, -RMK, -Shiseido, -SK-II, -YSL, all about Japanese cosmetics, bodycare, makeup, makeup - base makeup, skincare

I came across an interesting feature on the January issue of Biteki magazine. It lists best-sellers in each major department store throughout Japan and compares what customers like in different parts of the country. Today I am listing some of them as a whole (non-areal-specific) for you to have a look and I am focusing on products from brands available internationally.

*Skincare/Bodycare*

Shiseido Cle de Peau: Lotion Tendre
Clinique: Turnaround Concentrate
Origins: Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Plantidote Mega-Mushroom Face Serum
Dior: Capture Totale Multi-Protection Correction Serum
RMK: Skin Smoother
RMK: Face Protector SPF 31
Biotherm: Celluli Peel
Clarins: Total Body Lift
SKII: Skin Treatment Essence

*Base Makeup*

RMK: Makeup Base
RMK: Creamy Makeup Base Mat
RMK: Liquid Foundation
YSL: Touche Eclat
Clinique: All About Eyes Concealer
Clinique: Perfectly Real Makeup

*Color Makeup*

Bobbi Brown: Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner
Helena Rubinstein: Lash Queen Water-Proof

Lancome: L’Extreme Water-Proof

Lancome: Juicy Tube 17
Chanel: Rouge Allure 04, 13, 30
Dior: Rouge Dior 434
RMK: Ingenious Cheeks 29
RMK: Water Color Eyes 04
Anna Sui: Nail Color 333
Paul & Joe: Nail Color 26

(from Biteki January 2007)

One thing I have noticed is that there is one lipstick that tops virtually all the department store top-selling lists: Dior Addict Ultra Shine 2 in 340 Shiniest Peach. Ultra Shine 2 is only available in Asia at the moment, but the very exclusive Harvey Nichols in London actually has it!

Coming up in my next post, I will be sharing my daily foundation routine.

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Mineral Makeup Review: von Natur (2)

by PJ on Friday, March 16, 2007

in makeup - eyeshadow, mineral makeup


Today I’ll talk about some other von Natur’s mineral makeup products.

Their eyeshadows are what I really like. They have the same advantages as their mineral foundation I talked about last time (good staying power, good for sensitive skin, proper anti-UVA ingredients), while some of the drawbacks of the mineral foundation are not really an issue here. Even in the loose-powder form, the application is hassle-free. Also, the shimmer which does not appeal to me in the foundation turns out to be a plus in the eyeshadows.

Overall the texture of the eyeshadows is light and smooth. My favorite colors are Pyrope (deep purple), Ruby (warm pink), and Chrysocolla (minty green).

The blusher I got (in Dawn) is a nice neutral pink. It can be slightly too iridescent for daytime wear, but the color itself is wearable and flattering for most skin-tones.

The Face & Body Shimmer is a very shimmery bronzing powder. Considering it is a bronzer, there are many colors to choose from, and the one I have (Sun Worshiper) is great for medium skin-tones.

Personally I think their color cosmetics items fare better than the powder foundation, simply because of the easy application and the shimmer not being a problem for me. Also there are good ranges of colors for the eyeshadows, bronzers, and blushers.

After trying these mineral makeup products for the first time, I can definitely see the appeal and buzz about “going mineral”. As heavyweights like Neutrogena, L’Oreal, MAC, and Laura Mercier are launching their mineral makeup products, it does seem that a new era is coming.

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Mineral Makeup Review: von Natur (1)

by PJ on Wednesday, March 14, 2007

in makeup, makeup - base makeup, makeup - base makeup - foundation, mineral makeup


There has been a lot of hype in mineral makeup in the UK at the moment. When I came across a big beauty feature on mineral makeup on Grazia magazine (it is like US and Allure combined) last week, it’s as if the mineral madness has really started to take shape here.

This major media coverage coincides with my first trial of mineral makeup, with products from von Natur. It is an organic cosmetics brand, and they just launched a collection of mineral makeup.

I have heard a lot about mineral makeup before and how it is compared with non-mineral makeup, so I am particularly interested in how their mineral makeup products figure in the whole spectrum of comments. Today I will talk about their mineral Powder Foundation that I received (and I’ll review some of their other mineral makeup products in my next post).

Overall, the Powder Foundation lives up to the kind of hype among mineral makeup lovers:

1. It offers great coverage and it doesn’t feel heavy, which I love. The coverage is medium at the very least and can be built up much fuller. It can even double as a concealer with the right brush.

2. It doesn’t irritate my sensitive skin, since the foundation is simply made of crushed mineral powder that is not absorbed by the skin.

3. The staying power is quite good. It stays on for the whole day with minimal fading. Also, the color stays nice and fresh and doesn’t darken on my oily skin.

4. The main ingredients of the foundation, titanium dioxide and zinc oxide (the typical ingredients in mineral makeup), are both ingredients to protect the skin from UVA. They give the foundation a very beneficial skincare property.

But there are some downsides as well:

1. Even with some practice, the application takes a bit of time. For the 2-way powder foundation that I usually use, it takes about 5 minutes to do the whole face. For the mineral powder foundation, it takes at least 15 minutes. It takes a lot of gradual layering and buffing to get an even coverage for the whole face.

2. The powder has a great deal of shimmer, which doesn’t go very well with my oily skin. (I sometimes layer a matte loose powder to reduce the shine.) I hope they will bring out a matte version, which I am sure I’ll like better. (But, on the other hand, for people who want that glowing luminosity, this can probably be a good choice.)

3. The loose powder is not the most convenient thing to travel with. A pressed form will be much better in this case.

Despite the downsides, it is a good foundation, simply because of the good coverage and staying power. It is a relatively new collection and hopefully they will bring out different formulations. Maybe a matte pressed powder? Then it will be everything I want from a mineral foundation.

In my next post, I’ll talk about some other von Natur mineral makeup products that I tried, which include eyeshadows, blusher, and bronzing powder.

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My Top 10: Spring 2007 Makeup Round-Up (#2, #1)

by PJ on Sunday, March 11, 2007

in -Jill Stuart, -Kanebo, -Lavshuca, 2007 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, seasonal makeup top 10

#2: Jill Stuart (“Brilliant Veil” Collection)

The Look: “Brilliant Veil” is quite an accurate description of the colors on offer here. Medium-pigmented colors add soft hues to the face with a great amount of glow and sheen. The emphasis is on the eyes, with the launch of Jill Stuart’s first collection of eye palettes.

Key Item: Brilliance Eyes palette in 04 Gem Amethyst (reviewed earlier here). A beautiful lilac palette with featherweight powder and intense shimmer and glitter. It gives a veil of color with dazzling and multi-dimensional sparkles. A palette that adds a bit of drama to the eyes.

Winner: Lavshuca

The Look: When I saw the ad campaign featuring the Japanese girl band PUFFY (the two girls you see as soon as you enter the Lavshuca website), I couldn’t believe their transformation. They used to be two funky girls with slightly mad hair jumping around the stage. Now they cannot look more polished and sophisticated while they still keep the coolness and edge. I guess this is the image that Lavshuca’s new collection is trying to convey: cute, fun, feminine, and with a bit of an attitude.

Key Item: Too many to mention, actually, but I will single out Eye Color Select in PK-1 (reviewed earlier here). Pink eyeshadow is hot for this spring, and this pink palette gives a couple of different looks. You can go for a soft pale pink or an intense cherry pink. The lightest shade is good as a base or a highlighter and the brown can be a natural eyeliner.

For me, it was very close between Jill Stuart and Lavshuca this season. They kept switching positions when I was finalizing my rankings. But Lavshuca wins at the end with its more complete range and updated packaging to keep the brand image fresh.

If you are interested in mineral makeup, my next post will be about von Natur’s mineral powder foundation.

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My Top 10: Spring 2007 Makeup Round-Up (#4, #3)

by PJ on Friday, March 9, 2007

in -Kanebo, -Lunasol, -T'Estimo, 2007 Spring, all about Japanese cosmetics, makeup, seasonal makeup top 10

#4: T’Estimo

The Look: The whole collection (both the color and the packaging) is so pretty. The look is femine and elegant. The emphasis is on the eyes. Beautifully and delicately blended gradation from pale to soft to intense, from browbone to lashline, the single-color concept for eye makeup works seamlessly.

Key Items: Frame Impact Eyes palettes. Four eye palettes feature four gradations of colors (blue, green, lilac, and brown). Each palette comes with a cream eyeliner. Don’t be put off by the green and the blue. The colors are soft enough to look natural but pigmented enough to impart a gorgeous hue.

#3: Lunasol (“The Ultimate Skin” Collection)

The Look: The concept is to create flawless skin with the softest colors. Pale pastel colors for eyes and beige-pink for lips. The whole effect is fresh, polished, and very sophisticated.

Key Items: Skin Modelling Lips palettes (second from top on the webpage). It’s the ultimate lip kit. Each of the four palettes features a tinted lip primer, lip color, shimmer-free gloss, and shimmery gloss. The tool for sculpting the perfect pout.

(If you can get hold of the April issue of the Biteki magazine, it comes with a free DVD which is all about creating “The Ultimate Skin” using Lunasol’s latest makeup and foundation collections.)

I’ll reveal my top 2 in my next post (although you can probably guess what they are if you have read some of my previous posts). Still, don’t miss it!

After that, I will talk a bit about one growing trend — mineral makeup.

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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.

Related posts:
PJ’s Top Ten: Spring 2007 Makeup Round-Up (#10, #9)

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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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