Beautymap x OPI promotion at Kinokuniya

Kinokuniya is giving away a full-size bottle of either OPI Nail Strengthener or Ridge Filler with the new October issue of Beautymap (S$2.50). The OPI products have a retail value of S$22.50 each. When I purchased my copy at the Ngee Ann City store earlier this evening, they only had the Ridge Filler. The promotion is on at all three Kinokunya bookstores and just started today. Each customer can only receive a maximum of two free gifts.

I had a quick flip through the 62-page magazine and it looks like quite a good read with a wide variety of articles and features on the latest beauty products. The makeup for the magazine cover is by Larry Yeo.

For the latest news on promotions at Kinokuniya, do check out http://kinokuniyapromotions.blogspot.com/.

Sightings at Watsons

This weekend, Heroine Make will have a makeup artist Ms Sayuri Igara at the Watsons in Ngee Ann City to do makeup consultations. She will be there from 7pm to 8pm on Friday 1 October, and at 3pm-4pm and 6pm-7pm on Saturday and Sunday.


The new Za Plumper Lipsticks and Plumper Lipglosses have also just been released. The Plumper Lipsticks come in 9 shades and retail for S$13.90 while the Lipglosses are available in six shades and retail at S$9.90. The ad campaign features Japanese actress Jun Hasegawa and Chinese model Emma Pei. There are also two special promotion sets. One features the Cutie Curl Mascara packaged with a pink eyelash curler and Deep Cleansing Oil 15ml, while the other includes a Dramatic Eye Color palette with a pink rose-shaped mirror and the Deep Cleansing Oil 15ml. You can see my earlier review of the Dramatic Eye Color here.

Hot on the success of its Gokubuto mascara, Canmake has launched a lengthening version called Gokunobi. This is a fibre-based waterproof mascara that can be removed with warm water. However, I refuse to buy it here as it costs only 630yen (about S$9.90) in Japan but Watsons is selling it at S$23+.

Bobbi Brown Black Velvet

The Bobbi Brown counter at Takashimaya has the Black Velvet promo visuals up but the collection will only be launched in mid-October. According to the SA, the collection will be launched first at the Tangs Vivocity counter on 11 October. For more details, you can check with the Vivocity counter at tel: 6273 6477.

For swatches of the collection, I recommend Karlasugar and the Beauty Look Book which has swatches of the Metallic Eyeshadows and Sparkle Eyeshadows.

Anna Sui Holiday 2010

Here's a sneak peek of the Anna Sui holiday collection from More magazine! The eyeshadow sticks and bejewelled lip(?) compacts look interesting. Wonder what the heart shaped containers in the centre are? [Edited to add: According to the Anna Sui PR, the heart shaped items are soaps but these, along with the dish that they are sitting on, will not be available for sale in Singapore.]

With November 2010

When Yumeko of A Dream of Tokyo posted about the Samantha Thavasa card case that comes with the November issue of With (S$19.30), I knew that this was one magazine that I needed to track down pronto! Fortunately, I arrived at Kinokuniya this afternoon just in time to snag the sole remaining copy. I'm not sure why it ran out so fast as Kino usually brings in quite a large quantity of With. Anyway, Kino will probably re-stock as there is usually another sea shipment.

There is supposed to be a set of Lux haircare samples with this issue but there were none in the copy I got.

The print is a collaboration between Samatha Thavasa with Liberty and Hello Kitty. It's just too adorable with the Hello Kitty clutching strawberries and purple apples!

The case is made of cotton, polyurethan and PVC.

It is quite well-made with two slots.

Some of the bags from the Samantha Thavasa x Liberty x Hello Kitty collection. Most of the bags cost between US$200 to US$300+. I like the prints but not the stiff and bulky structure of these bags.




The next issue of With will come with a pair of Suzy's Zoo pouches. Due out on 28 October in Japan.

25ans x Christian Louboutin & More x Paul & Joe Sister

The November issue of 25ans comes with a Christian Louboutin shoe bag. The magazine is extremely pricey at S$27.50.

The "Charity Shoes bag" measures 31x30x9cm and can fit the magazine. It is a very thin satin material made of polyester.

This is a special collaboration in anticipation of the opening of a new Christian Louboutin store in Ginza, Tokyo, in end-October, which is also Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Part of the proceeds from the sales of this issue will go to a Japanese cancer foundation.

The bag features illustrations by Louboutin, including a self-caricature. The fuschia pumps are from the fall 2010 collection and retail in Japan for 153,300yen.

The November issue of More (S$19.30) comes with a Paul & Joe Sister tote bag set.

The bags are made of polyester with a PVC coating. The print is cute but the quality is not fantastic. The quality is quite typical of the bags that are usually included with Japanese magazines.

The large tote bag has a decent thickness but the small zip pouch feels thinner and a tad flimsy, especially the thin strap.


There is no inner lining and the edges are a bit unevenly cut.

The next issue of More, which is the 400th issue, will come with a 31 Sons de Mode tote bag measuring 27.5x45x12cm.

Miss x Coach and Oggi x Kate Spade

A bumper crop of Japanese magazines with interesting freebies landed at Kinokuniya this afternoon! Quite a few were by brands that rarely do these magazine collaborations so I hauled much more than usual.

I picked up:

1. With: Samantha Thavasa x Hello Kitty x Liberty card case (S$19.30)

2. Oggi: Kate Spade book cover (S$19.90)

3. Miss: Coach scarf (S$21.90)

4. More: Paul & Joe Sister bag set (S$19.30)

5. 25ans: Christian Louboutin tote bag (S$27.50)

There were plenty of copies of More. I got the last remaining copy of With. There were extremely limited copies of Miss (less than 20?), which was released at 2pm and sold out pretty much immediately. I arrived at about 1.40pm and was at the head of the queue with Mag. Most of the customers in the queue bought 2 copies each of Miss. 25ans and Oggi were also available in fairly limited quantities but these were placed on the shelves before 2pm, unlike Miss which was held behind the counter.

To be honest, I've never even noticed Miss magazine before this issue. The Coach "scarf" is actually called a "furoshiki", which is the name for the cloth that is used to wrap bento boxes in Japan. This was a special collaboration item to commemorate Miss' 22nd anniversary.

The furoshiki is made of polyester and measures 70x70cm. It is quite well-made and not flimsy. It is printed on only one side.

There are actually two designs for the furoshiki but the design included in each copy is not stated, so it's really a matter of luck which design you get. Of the two copies that I got (one was for a friend), both were the blue and purple print.

Some ways of using the furoshiki.

I don't know if Kinokuniya will re-stock Miss, so if you are interested in it, please check with Kinokuniya directly.

My favourite of the lot that I bought today is this cheerful red and pink striped Kate Spade book cover. I actually have a Kate Spade bag with this print.

It fits a standard small Japanese novel.

The exterior feels sleek and smooth, like it's been varnished, while the interior (the non-striped part) is a normal cotton texture. The material is 100% cotton.

The quality feels very good and it has neat stitching and clean edges.




I'll post the pics of the other magazines in a separate post.

Stila Road to Radiance Across The USA

Stila has released a series of Travel Palettes, each containing four powder eyeshadows and a Convertible Color. The Road to Radiance Across the USA palette was the first in the series. Four palettes have been released to date, and the final palette, Fabulous in Fiji is due out in mid-November. You can view the whole series on the Stila website.

The palette is touted as having a retail value of US$65 but costs only US$10. The fine print is that these palettes are made in China, unlike most of Stila's line which is usually made in the good old USA. I find the retail value claim to be unsettling as there's no way anyone would pay US$65 for such a palette in the first place. But for US$10, it is actually quite a decent palette.

Personally, I have a soft spot for the Stila girl illustrations so I wanted to pick up the whole set of the Travel Palettes if only just for the palette cases. The four eyeshadows have a soft shimmery finish. There aren't any annoying obvious glitter bits. The glimmer has a lovely illuminating effect without being too loud.

I applied these over my usual T'estimo Eye Bright Up Base so I didn't have any problems getting the eyeshadows to show up easily. The quality and texture is certainly not the rich and intensely pigmented shades of classic Stila shades like Diamond Lil and Kitten, but I still found them easy to work with.

I applied Snow Bunny over the browbone area and the inner corners, Valley Girl in the crease, Southern Belle along the lower lashline and from the inner corners to the middle of the upper lid, and City Chick from the middle of the lid to the outer corners. Then I finished with Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Liner along the upper lashline and Shiseido Nourishing Mascara Base topped with Clinique High Impact Mascara.

The other products I used today were: Dior X4 Control Compact Foundation 012, Shiseido Refining Makeup Primer, K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 01, Jill Stuart Loose Powder #1 Natural, Anna Sui Spot Concealer 01, Tarina Tarantino Dollskin Cheek in Parasol and Za Plumper Lips #2 Rosy Flush.


A reader asked me what is my favourite foundation. Actually I have quite a few that I like:

Powder: Dior X4 Control Compact Foundation (Lancome Maquicake UV Infinite is an old favourite but I haven't re-purchased it as I wanted to try out other foundations.)

Liquid: Burberry Sheer Foundation, Guerlain Parure Pearly White Brightening Fluid Foundation

Cream: Bourjois Mineral Matte Foundation

Stick: Maquillage Lasting Stick Foundation

BB Cream: Skin79 VIP Gold

Right now, I'm trying to use up my Dior X4 which is why it appears in many of my FOTD posts.

The Za Plumper Lips #2 Rosy Flush is a pretty peachy pink with a lovely shine and glossy finish. The Plumper Lips glide on with an emollient finish and last about 3-4 hours on my lips (with light drinking). If you press your lips together, you can feel the micro sparkle bits but these didn't feel uncomfortable or rough to me.