Tuesday 29 January 2013

Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose Collection

Here's a sneak peek at the Bobbi Brown Lilac Rose collection that will be released in Singapore in March and in Japan in May.


The Lilac Rose Shimmer Brick with bright pink, golden pink, and icy pink pearl pigments looks so dreamy and pretty.

More details and pics can be found on Venusbuzz and here. See the collection display on Her World's Instagram.


Sunday 27 January 2013

Canmake Candy Wrap Lip 09 Dark Night Plum

Fans of Canmake's Candy Wrap Lip glosses may be pleased to know that there is a new limited edition shade 09 Dark Night Plum that has just been released in Japan. Reviews on Cosme.net describe it as a translucent dark cherry tint. See swatches of it on Beautist and Cosme.net. According to Chiaki Niimi, another three new French Lolita-themed shades will be released on 2 April in Japan. Before that, Canmake will launch a new Stay On Balm Rouge in three shades on 4 March. See the pic here.

Canmake has also just released a new limited edition shade CL04 Clear Pink Joy of their popular Cream Cheek series. For reviews of the first three shades in Clear series, do check out A Little Dab Into Makeup and So Lonely in Gorgeous. All four shades are available from Alpha Beauty on Ebay (not affiliated).



Lipstick Queen Dancing Queen

I purchased this Lipstick Queen Dancing Queen set at Space.NK during their recent post-Christmas sale.

Originally retailing at £38, it was marked down to half price which made it a pretty good deal considering that their lipsticks usually retail at £20 each. On Beauty.com, Dancing Queen is still available at US$45.

The seductive burnished red metal packaging was what drew me in. It's ultra sleek and feels weightier than your average lipstick.

The brand creator Poppy King has a long illustrious career from starting her own lipstick line at the mere age of 18 (which used to be carried at Tangs Studio in Ngee Ann City in Singapore), to becoming the Vice President of Creative Marketing of Prescriptives. More recently, she has collaborated with No. 7 in the UK, in addition to having her own Lipstick Queen line.


The trio is described as "sheer matte lipstick with a touch of disco", which translates into sheer lipsticks with lots of glittery sparkles.

The pic belows shows (from left to right): The Hustle, Cha Cha and Electric Slide.

These swatches were about four layers each as it takes some layering to get the color to show up well. These slick on very smoothly, and despite the presence of glitter, they do not feel gritty or rough.

The sheer finish makes these shades easy to pull off as they are not dramatic or bright. They last about 3 to 4 hours on me absent drinking/eating, but they do come off at the slightest touch. After blowing my nose, half the lipstick on my top lip was gone.

In the pic below, I am wearing Electric Slide, which looks redder in real life. The lip swatch pic below is a more accurate representation.


Pic below shows The Hustle, a sparkling honey nude with rose shimmer that gives the understated hue an interesting twist.

Pic below shows Cha Cha. Overall, I'm pretty happy with this set as it offers a nice range of highly wearable shades in a comfortable texture. However, I don't think I would have paid full price for it as my personal preference still leans towards creamier shades with greater coverage.

List of ingredients. This is made in Canada.

Saturday 26 January 2013

Anna Sui Nail Collection

According to Maquia, Anna Sui will release this collection of 10 matte polishes, five crackle polishes and nail art stickers in three designs on 4 April in Japan.



Do also check out Anna Sui's second luggage collaboration with Tumi.

Kate, Lavshuca, Suqqu and Three Spring 2013

The Kate website has been updated with the new spring collection.

Below is the TV CM featuring the new Goldish Eyes palettes. Watch the behind-the-scenes clip here.

Tutorial for Goldish Eyes.

Tutorial for the new Slim Gel Liner Pencil and Teary Drop Liner.

Concealing Cover Pact and Bright Up Cover Base.

The Lavshuca spring collection is also up on the official website.

Right now, I'm seriously lemming after almost everything in the Suqqu spring collection after seeing these preview pics on Sweet Makeup Temptations. It doesn't help that everything is limited edition! The collection launches on 1 February in Japan and around end-February in Selfridges in the UK.

I also liked the fresh faced looks showcased in the video clip for Three's "Love Is The Answer" collection. Watch it here.


Guerlaine Coup de Foudre and Attrape-Coeur Swatches

For its spring 2013 collection, Guerlain released two limited edition Écrin 4 Couleurs Long Lasting Eyeshadows (US$59).

#501 Attrape Couer is a rather standard purple/mauve quad while #502 Coup de Foudre is an unusual orange coral and mossy green quad that has been causing quite a stir on MakeupAlley, where it has quickly become known by just its initials.


These swatches were done with bare skin without any primer. All the shades in Coup de Foudre swatched very nicely whereas the shades in Attrape Couer required more layering. The eyeshadows have a luxurious velvety texture.

While I was impressed by the color payoff of Coup de Foudre, it was ultimately a pass for me as the coral was too orange-toned. Mossy greens also tend to make my complexion look dull. Still, it's certainly one of the most unusual eyeshadow palettes released by Guerlain in years.


Attrape Couer is much less interesting in comparison and can be easily duped. This didn't seem to justify the high price tag to me. From this collection, I only purchased the Meteorites Perles du Paradis, which I will receive only in a few weeks as I ordered them from Nordstrom.


As it's still the depth of winter over here with the temperature at zero degrees most days, it was a pleasant surprise when my orchids bloomed suddenly over the past week. Based on last year's experience, these blooms can be expected to last for several weeks.


Essence Fantasia

Spotted the Essence Fantasia collection at my supermarket today. This was supposed to be released in December, but my supermarket usually gets the trend editions later.

Towards the end of the year, things are going to get magical with the new trend edition “fantasia” as essence whisks you away to a fantasy world in December 2012. Who hasn’t longed to be in a place far away from reality where everything is perfect and dreams can come true? “Fantasia” embodies this magical feeling with intense purple and wine-red, coral as well as subtle nude shades and creates a totally trendy elf-like look. The metallic effects offer this style a touch of glamour that is just perfect for Christmas time.

The face highlighter 01 Elf Yourself looked quite bland and washed out so I skipped it. The collection also includes two Lip Lacquers 01 Queen of My Cloud Castle and 02 Take A Ride on Pegasus, plus two metallic liners.

The eyeshadows in 01 Elves Like lilac, 02 Not Ivory but Ebony and 03 Have You Seen My Unicorn have a soft shimmery finish. They didn't feel dry but were not that pigmented when swatched.

Nailpolishes in 01 Elves Like Lilac, 02 Queen of My Cloud Castle, 03 Take A Ride On Pegasus and 04 Have You Seen My Unicorn.

Overall, Fantasia was not a very memorable collection. Like Urban Decay, Essence will be doing a tie-in with the upcoming Oz movie. The Oz collection is due out in February. See the details here.

Thursday 24 January 2013

Dolly Wink Long Mascara Black and Volume Mascara Black

Dolly Wink, produced by Tsubasa Masuwaka, will released revamped versions of their popular mascaras on 4 March in Japan. The Long Mascara Black (1575yen) contains two types of fibres for a lengthening effect. The brush has shorter bristles than the current version to provide a closer fit to the lashes. It is a film-type mascara that can be removed with warm water. The Volume Mascara Black (1575yen) is a waterproof volumising mascara with a new flat brush. Read Tsubasa's blog entry on her recent visit to Singapore here.

Pic and info from WWD Japan.

Wednesday 23 January 2013

Majolica Majorca Website Update

The Majolica Majorca website has been updated with the Secret Blink spring makeup collection. The collection will be released in two parts in Singapore, with the Lash Expander Edge Meister and Lash Jelly Drop out on 24 January while the limited edition Little Humming Book will be released on 28 February. Lash Jelly Drop is an eyelash treatment essence. See swatches of the Little Humming Book on Cosme.net.

The video clip for the collection is extremely bizarre though, featuring a singing caterpillar-chomping flower and butterflies with eyeballs as the body. There is a special 10th Anniversary section on the website showcasing all the previous "chapters" (as the seasonal collections are called).

Jill Stuart Spring 2013 New Base Makeup

Jill Stuart will launch a new Everlasting Silk Powder Foundation SPF24 PA++ and Lasting Tint Control Base SPF35 PA+++ in March.

The foundation will be available in 5 shades and it is designed for longlasting coverage of pores while being resistant to water, sweat and sebum.


The Lasting Tint Control Base comes in three shades. It helps to hydrate and conceal pores, for a more polished appearance. It has a crystal floral scent. Pics from UrCosme.

The pink version helps to create a rosy, healthy complexion, while the beige version corrects fine lines, pigmentation and dark circles. The light green version conceals skin redness and uneven tones.