To my surprise, the Shu Uemura counter in Isetan Orchard had the Mirage collection on display today! Shu, along with Chanel, are the first brands to launch their spring collections. I love the promo visual for this collection but I didn't have high hopes for the products as they looked too pale and matte for my tastes. True enough, the collection turned out to be disappointing.
The two eyeshadow palettes (3990yen; S$65), Utopia and Fantasia, felt silky and smooth to touch but applied sheer. I had to layer them a few times to get them to show up. The finish is matte except for the middle shade which has tiny sparkles that are not very noticeable. These palettes would suit those who would like to create a very soft, pastel feminine look but a primer would probably be needed to get these to show up well.
Although there are three Defining Cheek Colors (3675yen; S$58) available in Japan, only two of these, Misty Glow and Pink Phenomenon, are available in Singapore. (The US got Orange Phase and Misty Glow.) The Misty Glow has a peachy beige cream shade paired with a light pinkish lilac powder shade. The pinkish lilac shade felt incredibly silky when I swatched it but on my skin, it shows up more as a highlighter shade without any color tint to it. I can't see this working on medium to darker skintones as a blush, but rather more as a highlighter shade for a glowy effect. In the pics, the swatches of Misty Glow are to the left of the base of my thumb, under the lip duo swatches.
Pink Phenonmene contains a dusky grey-toned lilac cream and a matte bubblegum pink powder blush. The grey-toned lilac is a very weird shade to use on its own on the cheeks as it makes the cheeks look duller instead of more alive. But it's meant to be used as the base for the pink shade. The pink shade is a typical blue-based light pink that is not very unique or interesting. Overall, I think you're better off skipping these and buying a Nars blush or MAC Mineralize Blush for cheaper instead. These are just too expensive and too much work for a barely average result.
The Lip Duo Tint & Glow (3360yen; S$45) is also nothing special. The top layer applies as a clear reddish pink while the bottom layer is an emollient clear balm that gives it a glossy finish but you can get the same effect with just about any cheapo drugstore lip balm.
I may have remembered the Singapore prices wrongly but if so, they are only a couple of dollars off. Honestly, I doubt this collection will sell well in Singapore given the high prices, sheer textures and lack of interesting shades.
The two eyeshadow palettes (3990yen; S$65), Utopia and Fantasia, felt silky and smooth to touch but applied sheer. I had to layer them a few times to get them to show up. The finish is matte except for the middle shade which has tiny sparkles that are not very noticeable. These palettes would suit those who would like to create a very soft, pastel feminine look but a primer would probably be needed to get these to show up well.
Although there are three Defining Cheek Colors (3675yen; S$58) available in Japan, only two of these, Misty Glow and Pink Phenomenon, are available in Singapore. (The US got Orange Phase and Misty Glow.) The Misty Glow has a peachy beige cream shade paired with a light pinkish lilac powder shade. The pinkish lilac shade felt incredibly silky when I swatched it but on my skin, it shows up more as a highlighter shade without any color tint to it. I can't see this working on medium to darker skintones as a blush, but rather more as a highlighter shade for a glowy effect. In the pics, the swatches of Misty Glow are to the left of the base of my thumb, under the lip duo swatches.
Pink Phenonmene contains a dusky grey-toned lilac cream and a matte bubblegum pink powder blush. The grey-toned lilac is a very weird shade to use on its own on the cheeks as it makes the cheeks look duller instead of more alive. But it's meant to be used as the base for the pink shade. The pink shade is a typical blue-based light pink that is not very unique or interesting. Overall, I think you're better off skipping these and buying a Nars blush or MAC Mineralize Blush for cheaper instead. These are just too expensive and too much work for a barely average result.
The Lip Duo Tint & Glow (3360yen; S$45) is also nothing special. The top layer applies as a clear reddish pink while the bottom layer is an emollient clear balm that gives it a glossy finish but you can get the same effect with just about any cheapo drugstore lip balm.
I may have remembered the Singapore prices wrongly but if so, they are only a couple of dollars off. Honestly, I doubt this collection will sell well in Singapore given the high prices, sheer textures and lack of interesting shades.
7 comments:
Thank you for this review & the swatches. You saved me a trip to the counter and some money too!
Haru, the shadows are indeed sheer. Even with a UDPP, it is still as sheer. :(
Quite a letdown if comparing it with the Xmas palettes :)
Thanks for the review! No I know I wont be purchasing these and I wont have to travel 40 miles to my nearest Shu counter. These are sadly a disappointment. Maybe its just a "Mirage" and better shades are coming out soon! lol
I had a friend in high school who wasn't allowed to wear or buy makeup until age 16. She went and ground up colored chalk to make her own contraband cosmetics to wear at school. That's exactly what these colors remind me of - so amazingly uninspired and bland. Knowing Shu's quality, I'm very unimpressed.
BTW, Iris, thanks for answering my questions the other day. :-)
Actually, the shades from the new collection are created to be sheer on purpose. Since the theme is "Mirage", which is supposed to reflect very illusional, dreamy and fairy like looks. I'm sure it can create nice innocent and natural looks.
S.
Dear S,
I do see your point that the shades are created to be sheer on purpose but for the average user, I think that it will take quite a bit of effort to use the eyeshadows and blushes in this collection to get them to show up. I judged the products based on how easy they are to use and how well they would perform for the average user. Given the high price point, one would naturally expect better performance. If a consumer buys the palettes and blushes hoping to re-create the look in the promo visual, I think they are likely to find that it will be quite difficult.
Well, you're right. I guess sometimes the nice make-up in the promo visuals can lead to false hopes in the consumers that they can achieve the same look easily.
Anyway, thanks a lot for sharing the swatches and first-hand information on this collection. It's a pity that the price tag's pretty high though.
S.
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