The debut of Ladurée Les Merveilleuses in Tokyo on 29 January attracted a great crowd with queues of up to 200 persons at one time. The second counter is scheduled to open in Takashimaya department store in the JR station in Nagoya on 25 February. Do check out the reports of the launch on:
According to Fragrantica and Now Smell This, Anna Sui's next fragrance, Fairy Dance Secret Wish, will debut in February. Like virtually all of Anna Sui's perfumes, it is a fruity floral. It has top notes of mandarin, mango, pink pepper; middle notes of rose, peony and bamboo; and base notes of sandalwood, vetiver and vanilla. For swatches of the new Double Lip Gloss from the spring 2012 makeup collection, do check out Rock On Anna Sui.
Clinique's Almost Spring collection re-introduces their popular Almost Lipstick plus a new Blushwear Cream Stick. Although the bestselling Almost Lipstick in Black Honey has iconic status in the US, the Almost Lipstick range was not widely available in Asian markets previously. For this spring, Clinique has designed new sheer shades of Almost Lipstick with hues ranging from natural nudes to pretty pinks to deep violets and reds. These are designed to be fool-proof and offering just a fresh tint of glossy color. In Singapore, Almost Lipstick will retail at S$33 starting in February (versus US$15 in the US; £16 in the UK; €20 in France). In Switzerland, they are CHF31.90 (about S$44). While these are meant to be sheer, I found Tender Honey, Lovely Honey and Shy Honey apply primarily as a clear glossy sheen with barely any color at all to justify the price tag. You can see more swatches on Best Things in Beauty and Makeup Stash. #41 Flirty Honey will not be available in Singapore. In the US and Europe, the Almost Spring collection also includes four Blushwear Cream Sticks but as these were not mentioned in the press release for Singapore, I suspect they will not be available in Singapore. Also, the shades available in the US and UK are slightly different from other European countries. The US and UK received Glow Blush, Peachy Blush, Rosy Blush and Shy Blush, while some European countries like Switzerland received #7 Black Honey in place of Glow Blush. You can see more pics and swatches of the Cream Stick in Black Honey on Buntewollsocke Bloggt. The Blushwear Cream Sticks retail at US$21 in the US, £20 in the UK and CHF46.90 in Switzerland. The price differences are just ridiculous as the US price is about S$27 while the Swiss price works out to about S$64! While the Cream Sticks have a nice creamy texture with good color payoff, the Swiss retail price is just too much of a blatant rip-off. In celebration of Valentine's Day, Clinique will release a Kiss and Be Happy Set (S$58) in Singapore on 1 February. It includes Happy 30ml, Happy Body Cream 30ml, Chubby Stick Moisturizing Lip Color Balm in Chunky Cherry 1.2g and a cheery drawstring pouch.
The Maquillage website has been updated with the new spring 2012 collection, including the TV commercials and detailed tutorials featuring Takei Emi and Kodo Kumiko. The spring 2012 issue of Shiseido Beauty Book also features several looks created with the new Styling Eyes palettes and True Rouge lipsticks.
The Suqqu website has been updated with the Spring 2012 collection, including a short video on the shooting of the ad visual. The model in the ad is wearing Blend Color Eyeshadoe 09 Usumoegi, Nuancing Cheeks EX02 Kouhakusui, Bright Veil Face Color and Creamy Glow Lipstick Moist 02 Kurumiro. The collection will be launched on 3 February in Japan. You can see swatches of the collection on Drivel about Frivol.
A Lunasol Starter Kit 2012 will be released on 9 March in Japan. Retailing at 6825yen, it includes the bestselling Skin Modelling Eyes 01 Beige Beige, Cream Cheeks EX08 Soft Orange Coral, Full Glamor Gloss N EX20 Soft Orange Coral and a pouch specially designed by Toff & Loadstone and Gallarda Galante. The Soft Orange Coral Cream Cheeks and Full Glamor Gloss are new and limited edition shades. Pic and info from Voce.
Canmake will release the following new products for this spring.
Cheek & Cheek #6 Antique Rose: limited edition blush duo of soft pink and coral pink Gokumori Mascara #01 Mega Jet Black (630yen): Volumising and separating waterproof mascara that can be removed with warm water. This will be released on 2 March in Japan. Perfect Stylist Eyes (819yen): #1 Sweet Pink, #2 Baby Beige and #3 Happy Coral. Includes a mirror, sponge tip and brush applicator. Due out on 12 April in Japan.
Get ready for this dreamy collection from Shu Uemura launching on 2 March in Japan! Shu Uemura has truly outdone themselves with the gorgeous packaging designed by modern kimono artist Mame Chiyo featuring four blooms that are associated with springtime in Japan: wisteria, sakura (cherry blossom), peony and plum blossom. The popular UV Under Base Mousse SPF30 PA+++ (3990yen, 65g) will be available in four shades (from left to right in pic below): Pink Purple, Pink, Beige and BB Beige. At the same time, there will be limited edition versions of the High Performance Cleansing Oil Advanced Classic (7875yen), Fresh Gentle Cleansing Oil (7875yen), Cleansing Oil Premium A/O Advanced (9450yen) and Brightening Gentle Cleansing Oil (9450yen), and the Powder Foundation Case (1050yen). See more pics on Biteki.com!
Tokidoki's travel-inspired spring collection is up on Sephora.com. I'm completely in love with the Airways Palette (US$42) and the Passport Medium Hanging Travel Bag but their US$42 price tags are on the high side. Also loving this cute illustration by Tokidoki creator Simone Legno for the year of the dragon. Happy lunar new year to all who are celebrating it! :-)
Lavshuca's website has been updated with the spring 2012 collection featuring the Fairy Candy Cheeks and Little Star Glow Rouge (Sweet Pure Line). The Fairy Candy Cheeks is available in 01 Pink and 02 Orange. Surprisingly, the Puffy duo, who have been the spokesmodels since the brand's debut, are nowhere to be seen. The Kate website has also been updated with the new spring collection which includes a new Mineral Cover BB Gel Cream SPF30 PA++ (1575yen; 3 shades).
The first ever Penhaligon's official "mook" (magazine book) will be released on 26 January in Japan. It comes with a pair of zip pouches. This should be available at Kinokuniya in Singapore as well. You can view other new mooks on the publisher, Takarajima's website. I'm also looking forward to the Liberty Print 2012 spring & summer mook that is slated to be released in late February.
Of all the new makeup collections for this spring, Dior's Garden Party was the one that wowed me instantly when pictures of it first surfaced online. The rose motif embossed on the eyeshadows looked wonderfully intricate and romantic, reminiscent of the lace-covered Dentelle collection that Dior released for Spring 2010. The Cinq Couleurs #441 Garden Pastels looked especially intriguing. Dior has released countless purple and pink quints but it has rarely done teal. The shade combination in Garden Pastels stands out as being unique amongst Dior's recent releases. However, after playing with it a couple of times, it is disappointing on a number of fronts. The teal shade in the bottom right corner lacked the rich, jewel-like intensity that I had been hoping for. Even with the help of a primer, it applies somewhat sheer. The bright olive in the upper left corner takes on a yellowy tinge on my skintone. The shimmery pink shade in the middle is also very sheer and applies with just the barest hint of pink. I do like the icy pearl white shade for illuminating the inner corners and lower lashline while the light gold shade works well as a highlighter without being overly frosty. Still, the white and gold shades were not the reasons why I was attracted to Garden Pastels. After using NARS Pro-Prime Smudge Proof Eyeshadow Base to prime the lids, I applied the teal shade along the upper lashline, the bright olive shade in the crease, the golden shade as a wash over the browbone area and the white shade along the lower lashline and inner corners. Addiction Eyeliner Pencil #101 Sleepless Nights was used on the upper lashline and outer one-third of the lower lashline while Dolly Wink Volume Mascara was used on the lashes. Garden Pastels does work well for creating a fresh springtime look but given the high price tag, do test it out in person to see how it works against your skin tone. It retails for S$95 in Singapore, US$59 in the US, £41 in the UK, €52.20 in France and 8085yen in Japan.
Aside from the Muji 6-drawer chests, I am also using a Muji 4-tier stocker for storing part of my beauty stash. This was purchased in Singapore for S$59 (versus 2900yen on Muji Japan.) The drawers slide out very smoothly without catching or jamming on the slides like drawers by cheaper brands often do. Made of polypropylene, it is very easy to clean. There are no internal dividers. The ridge on the sides help to prevent the drawers from falling out inadvertently. To remove the drawer from the frame, you just have to gently press the two sides towards each other. One drawer is used for perfumes. My Jo Malone colognes. Lovely samples from Penhaligon's. Another drawer holds my RMK Christmas Base Kit, a La Mer skincare trial kit and assorted face sheet masks. Foundations and loose powders, plus Urban Decay's 15th Anniversary palette. Right at the bottom, I have my stash of Daiso sponge detergent, Ettusais shower colognes, Bioderma Sebium H20 Micellar Solution and other assorted skincare items. The stocker comes with wheels that can be easily snapped on or removed. As the Muji store at Ion only had the display set left at that time, the staff was kind enough to provide me with a brand new set of wheels. Another useful storage solution is the Muji PP Case Drawer #7721515 (S$13) which measures 25x33x15cm. (On the Muji EU website, it costs £10.95.) There are no dividers, so it's more suitable for bulkier bath/skincare products rather than tiny makeup items. The top of the drawer is structured in such a way that these are easily stackable, so you can simply add on another drawer if you need to. The drawer easily fits Lush's biggest black pots and bath bombs as well as the Body Shop's 250ml long shower gel bottles (laid on their side). You can view Muji's range of drawers in their furniture catalog 2011. At Ikea, I found this Flaren cabinet which has a more feminine charm to it than Muji's utilitarian aesthetic. I can't remember the price here in Switzerland but it costs £99 on the Ikea UK website. I haven't organised it properly yet, so everything is still in a bit of a mess. On the top are an Anna Sui brush holder, loose powder and a gold tin for cotton pads, Lunasol eyelash curler, Guerlain Perles de Nuit Meteorites, Soap & Glory Kick Ass Concealer plus my fragrance and foundation of the moment (Jo Malone Pear & Freesia cologne and Rouge Bunny Rouge Milk Aquarelle). The top also flips up to reveal the pull-out drawer, where I keep mostly lip products and cheek stains. Hope this has been useful for anyone looking for ideas on how to organise their stash!
