Friday 29 January 2016

Shu Uemura Limited Edition Cleansing Oils for Chinese New Year

For this Chinese New Year, Shu Uemura is releasing two limited edition Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil and Blanc:Chroma Cleansing Oil featuring traditional Chinese kite art. This appears to be exclusive to Chinese-speaking markets such as Singapore and Hong Kong as there has been no mention of it in the Japanese press or on the US website. Pic below from Shu Uemura Singapore.


Pic below from Be_Hk.

Skin Modelling Eyes Kit 2016

Here's the 2016 version of the annual Lunasol Skin Modelling Eyes Kit (5000yen) set for release on 4 March in Japan. The Skin Modelling Eyes #1 Beige Beige palette has been a perennial bestseller for Lunasol since its debut in 2007. The kit also includes Shiny Pencil Eyeliner EX02 Shiny Brown and Treatment Gloss EX03 Pure Coral Beige.

Out on 12 February is the Modeling Control Powder and Base Make Kit which includes a choice of any foundation and base, Skin Control Mist N 15ml and UV Protector 10g. The bag is designed by Vogue Japan illustrator Ella Tjader.

Saturday 23 January 2016

Integrate Beauty Filter Foundation

Integrate will launch this Beauty Filter Foundation SPF15 PA++ (9g, 1600yen) in 2 shades on 21 February in Japan. Formulated with mineral oil for a close fitting, non-powdery finish, it is also paraben-free.


Below are swatches of the Volume Balm Lip (2.5g, 1200yen) and Heart Melty Eyes 04 Sheer Orchid and 05 Sheer Apricot (1200yen) being released on the same date.





Paul & Joe New Base Makeup for Spring 2016

Here's another pic of the Paul & Joe UV Cut Pressed Powder and Silky Pressed Powder, plus the improved Foundation Primer with enhanced hydrating capabilities. Slated for release on 6 April in Japan. Pic by Abe Sawako.


TokiLa has posted swatches of the new Paul & Joe blushes and eyeshadow trios (due out in Feb) here. Also out on 1 February is this Japan-exclusive Happy Makeup Kit (6000yen) which includes a choice of any powder blush and lipstick, plus a 10ml sample of the Moisturising Foundation Primer S 01.

Les Merveilleuses by Laduree Spring 2016 New Base Makeup

Les Merveilleuses by Laduree will launch the following products on 4 March in Japan:

1. Powder Foundation N SPF20 PA++: Available in 3 shades (3800yen for refill, 1500yen for case)


2. Touch Up Crayon SPF10 PA++: Available in 2 shades with a floral sweet scent. (2800yen, 1.6g)


3. Brightening Serum: With a citrus herbal scent and extracts of chestnut rose, artichoke and pearl. (10000yen, 60ml)


4. Face Color Rose Laduree (Mini) 105 Jeanne (innocent pink) and 106 Camille (mauve pink) (3200yen, 1g, LE)


5. UV Protection Body Cream N SPF50 PA++++: With a fruity floral musky scent. (3500yen, 115g)


Jill Stuart March 2016 Releases

Below are the new products being released by Jill Stuart on 4 March in Japan:

1. Crystal Lucent Face Powder SPF20 PA++ (5000yen): Housed in a brilliant cut crystal wreath compact, these crystal floral scented powders help to absorb sebum and conceal the pores with a soft focus finish while hydrating the skin through a mix of amino acids. Available in 01 Natural (natural beige without pearl), 02 Lucent (wintry pastels without pearl for enhanced translucency) and 03 Petal Shower (pink pastels with pearl for a feminine nuance, limited edition). Pic by Abe Sawako.




2. Lasting Tint Control Base: 01 Fresh (pink), 02 Natural (beige), 03 Translucent (light green) (3000yen, limited edition bottle design)


3. Airy Tint Watery CC Cream 01 Light Floral Beige and 02 Natural Floral Beige (3200yen, limited edition tube design)


4. Horoscope Nails 03 Generous Aries (1800yen)


5. Relax Aqua Chiffon Protector W SPF50+ PA++++: Gel-type sunblock with a white floral bouquet aroma and hydrating ingredients such as shea butter. (2800yen, 60g)


Thursday 21 January 2016

Suqqu UK-exclusives coming in May

Check out Jorge Balzaretti's Instagram for a sneak peek at the absolutely stunning Suqqu Blend Color Eyeshadow EX29 and Bright Up Lipstick EX02 launching in May! Wondegondigo's detailed reviews of the Spring 2016 collection are also a must-read for Suqqu collectors.

Bobbi Brown, Biotherm and Lancome New Cushion Foundations

Here's a quick round-up of more new cushion foundations by Western brands launching in the upcoming months:

Bobbi Brown Skin Foundation Cushion Compact SPF50. Available in 6 shades and launching in Asia in March with coffee capsule-like refills. Ad campaign will feature Claudia Kim. Pic below from Be_HK, which also posted a short video clip here.

Pic below by Vogue Thailand.


Lancome SPF50+ PA+++ in 6 shades (launching in February). This improved version offers better skin perfecting, hydrating and protection benefits. The cushion also dispenses the foundation more evenly for better application.


Biotherm (launching in March) SPF50 PA+++ with hydrating ingredients such as niacinamide, mannose etc. Provides sun protection for up to 12 hours.

Aquasource Water CC SPF50 PA+++

Paul & Joe Summer 2016 Pressed Powder

Paul & Joe will release this limited edition Pressed Powder with a matching pouch on 6 April in Japan. Pic by At_beautist. Can't say it's that tempting at all, they should have just stuck to kittens and florals!
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The Spring 2016 makeup collection is now available at B-Glowing and BeautyHabit. Both retailers are offering a butterfly print pouch as the gift with US$50 purchase. The collection is also available on ASOS (with free international shipping but be warned that they do not package fragile cosmetic items properly) and Beauty.com.

Thursday 14 January 2016

MAC Matchmaster Shade Intelligence Compact Foundation Review

MAC recently launched its first ever cushion foundation, the Matchmaster Shade Intelligence Compact. The foundation itself is not new as the liquid version of Matchmaster first debuted in 2011. I've never tried the original Matchmaster foundation so this review is just for the compact version.

MAC claims that this:
- provides instant hydration
- controls oil
- instantly blurs lines and wrinkles
- instantly reduces appearance of pores
- long-wearing, eight hours
- oil-free
- provides stay-true colour
- non-caking, non-streaking and non-settling
- sweat- and humidity-resistant
- water-resistant

The 'sheer liquid formula lends true-to-life shade perfection and coverage,while letting your natural skin show through, ... providing a natural finish and sheer to medium buildable coverage". To be honest, I haven't used MAC foundations in many years as they never performed well on me, but just put it in a cushion compact and I'll definitely give it a spin.

This retails at a US$36 for 13g/0.45oz, whereas the liquid version is the same price for 35ml/1.18 fl oz, with refills available at US$28. Made in Japan, this comes in 12 shades. The SA matched me to the lightest shade 1.0, which means that paler skintones than NC20 will probably have difficulty finding a match. MAC recommends applying this with their new 197SH square duo fibre brush. I purchased the brush too but have not tried it with this foundation yet.


Below is a pic of my bare skin. My face is naturally a different color from my neck, mainly due to its tendency towards splotchy redness. Since incorporating Pixi Glow Tonic into my daily skincare routine, I do not get big acne eruptions anymore but my pores still get clogged mainly around the T-zone.

Using the included sponge applicator, I found that this applies sheer at first but it does provide some coverage of pores and skin redness. It feels beautifully lightweight on the skin without any discernible greasiness or powderiness. The oil control was much better compared to the Philosophy Take A Deep Breath Foundation, although there was still a bit of oil breakthrough on my T-zone around the four hour mark. There was also some minor streaking around the sides of my nose and between the brows, so I wouldn't say that this provides completely flawless wear for eight hours. Nevertheless, it did stay largely intact without visible oxidisation or descending into a greasy mess for the ten hours that I wore it (which included taking a nap). This could be partly due to the severely cold and dry weather we've been experiencing this week (around -10° C) so my skin is not as oily as usual.

Overall, I think this performed decently for the price and better than the Philosophy and Physicians Formula versions. Still, I'm pretty sure I would not repurchase it as there are always tons of new foundation releases to try out.

Ingredient list below.

Integrate Spring 2016

Integrate will launch its Sheer Blooming Spring 2016 makeup collection on 21 February in Japan:

1. Heart Melty Eyes: #4 Sheer Orchid and #5 Sheer Apricot (1200yen)

2. Volume Balm Lip: 7 shades (1200yen)


Pic abovefrom Voce. All products are limited edition. This appears to be Shiseido's first attempt at a lip crayon, which should be interesting.

Pic below of the Volume Balm Lip shades from Biteki.


Pics below from Maquia.