Maybelline continues to cater to the gradient lip trend in Asia with its new Lip Flush Bitten Strobe (1400yen) which launched on 14 July in Japan. (Last summer saw the launch of Lip Flush Bitten Lip.) There are five shades, namely OR1 Tequila Sunrise, RD02 Cassis Shine, RD01 Red Keel, PK01 Sparkling Pink and PK02 Flamingo Lady. Each is made up of a highlight color, a blend color and a pigment color.
Maybelline will release its second cushion foundation for the Japanese and Asian markets on 14 January in Japan. The Pure Mineral BB Cushion Fresh Matte SPF25 PA+ will retail at 2400yen for 14g, with just a paltry two shades available (01 Natural Beige and 02 Medium Beige). Maybelline had earlier released the Pure Mineral BB Fresh Cushion SPF25 PA+++ in Oct 2015. Pic by Voce. See swatches here, here and here.
According to Nylon (Singapore), this will also be available in Singapore starting in January 2017 at the price of S$28.90 with two shades available, 02 Light and 03 Natural. It is made with more than 60% hydrating essence. In comparison, the Dream Cushion Foundation just released in the USA (also in Europe, Canada and Australia) comes in 8 shades but rather annoyingly, has no stated SPF. The Dream Cushion Foundation is made in Korea and retails for US$16.
My local Walgreens just got in a whole slew of Spring 2017 collections from various brands.
Cara Delevigne's first ad campaign for Rimmel. I'll miss seeing her as the face of YSL Beauty.
The three new Magnif'Eyes Shadow Palettes look nice but these are made in China so meh.
The Only 1 Matte lipsticks (in the red cases).
Maybelline Baby Lip Color Balm Crayon
And the inevitable K-beauty copycat, Dream Cushion Foundation. 4
24K Nudes Palette
L'Oreal has a new Infallible Total Cover Foundation, Kabuki Blender, Blend Artist makeup sponges, Infallible Paints for the lips and eyes, Infallible Shadow Duos.
Wet'n'Wild Mega Last Liquid Catsuit Matte Lipstick
Maybelline taps into the Korean gradation lip trend with its upcoming Lip Flush Bitten Lip (1400yen, 5 shades) debuting on 6 August in Japan. This will also be available in Singapore. Pic by Maquia. View lip swatches on Vogue Taiwan.
Pic below from Voce.
Maybelline is the next Western brand to hop on the cushion foundation bandwagon with its upcoming Pure Mineral BB Fresh Cushion SPF29 PA+++. Composed of 60% skin lotion, it is supposed to provide light coverage and make the skin feel like it has been freshly prepped with skincare. This will be available in only 1 shade (01 Natural Beige) at its launch on 31 October in Japan, with a second shade (02 Medium Beige) to be introduced in December. It will retail for 2400yen, with refills available at 1500yen.
Maybelline's latest mascara offering is pretty radical as it's probably the first mascara ad to show such extremely spidery lashes, calling it a 'sexy mess'.
While I did not find the ad visual to be appealing at all, this was super cheap ringing in at under US$6 so I bought a tube just for the fun of trying it out. This is made in the USA.
The mascara pulls out of the tube cleanly without any clumps on the brush, which is slightly angled upwards at the tip. The formula is more slick compared to Cover Girl's Super Sizer mascara and much more jet black in comparison. I purchased this in Blackest Black in the waterproof version, as Maybelline mascaras tend to smudge on me.
The instructions advise sweeping the Teaser Brush from root to tip for instant volume, and then turning the brush vertically and sweeping it from side to side to disorganize the lashes. I used it simply the normal way from root to tip.
Colossal Chaotic Lash turned out to be good at adding volume and definition to my lashes. It does not have the lifting and curling power of Benefit Roller Lash mascara so using an eyelash curler beforehand is still essential. With that done, the mascara does hold the curl of my lashes pretty well throughout the day. I was expecting this to be prone to clumping but it was not that bad actually. If over-applied, the lashes do end up sticking together but this is usually easily fixed.
Overall, this is pretty good for daily use as it's easy to work with, and lasts well throughout the day without flaking or smearing. For a product that needs to be replaced every other month, it doesn't burn a hole in one's pocket. The waterproof formula was also relatively easy to remove and I did not experience any loss of lashes with this.
List of ingredients below.
During my London trip, I picked up the new Maybelline Fit Me Anti-Shine Foundation Stick along with the Fit Me Concealer. The foundation has received very mixed reviews on MakeupAlley but since it was only £8.99 plus Boots had a 3-for-2 promotion, I decided to give it a try.
The foundation is described as providing lightweight flawless coverage with an anti-shine core. The ultra-light formula is enriched with powders to instantly absorb excess oil. It goes on creamy and transforms to a matte powder finish. Made in Germany, it contains 9ml of product. In the UK, 115 Ivory is the lightest shade available whereas in the US, 110 Porcelain is the lightest shade. Most drugstores in London were sold out of 115 but I finally chanced across it at Boots in Westfield Stratford.
It does glide onto the skin easily thanks to the silicone-heavy formula which gives it lots of slip. I found it easy to apply and blend but while it applied evenly over my Sofina Jenne Day Protector sunscreen, it was a disaster when applied over Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and resulted in dry patches that were not there before.
For a foundation marketed as being anti-shine, its oil-control capabilities proved to be dismal. My T-zone started to oil up after an hour and I needed to blot a few times throughout the day to take away the shine. The coverage provided is light, so this would work better for ladies with problem-free skin and non-oily skintypes. It did help to reduce the appearance of my pores though.
I definitely will not re-purchase this as I prefer formulas that provide better lasting power and oil control so as to minimise the need for touch-ups during long work days. I am liking the concealer better so far (it's also recommended by Wayne Goss) but I need to test it out further.
Products used for this look: & Other Stories Dowlas Cloud, Sarsenet Petrol and Moreen Blue eyeshadows over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Addiction Eyeliner Pencil 101, Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Emerald Gold, Helena Rubenstein Lash Queen Feline Blacks mascara, Integrate Mineral Puff Cheek RD301, Paul & Joe Lipstick CS 81 Once Upon A Time and K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02.
Bourjois had a couple of new collections for summer on display at Monoprix. Summer On The Riviera is a colorful collection of lipglosses and nailpolishes with Manicure Toppings, little beads that you can use to top off your manicure. Bourjois seems very late to the party with this trend, doesn't it? There's also a dotting tool with a cute polka dot print. Summer on the Riviera features a slew of tanning/bronzing products, like a Fabulous Bronzing Mousse for an instant tan, Maxi Delight powder bronzer, and what looks like an intriguing first - a BB Bronzing Cream with not just eight benefits but also an "addictive fragrance". Maybelline has also released a new Dream Pure BB Cream with 2% salicylic acid, which should be good for acne-prone skin types.
Maybelline will release a new Super Mineral Liquid Long Keep Foundation SPF25 PA+++ (1995yen) in late March in Japan. Available in three shades, it lasts up to 24 hours and is gentle on the skin with a light texture that allows skin to breathe while concealing pores and dullness.
Also coming in mid-April is a new Lasting Drama Gel Pen Liner (1365yen) which promises waterproof intense color and the creamy consistency of a gel liner in a pen. This comes in only black.
Pics by Maybelline Japan. See more pics and swatches from the press event on Yuki's Powder Room, Jogo Saori and Glam.
Maybelline Japan will be launching a new Baby Skin Pore Eraser (1260yen) in February. The translucent light pink gel primer promises baby-like flawless skin. The formula is oil-free, fragrance-free and non-comedogenic. It comes in just one shade, 01 Natural.
The Baby Lips Color SPF13 (525yen) comes in five shades: 01 Sweet Beige, 02 Pink Addict, 03 Rose Pink, 04 Pop Red and 05 Baby Coral. The mint-scented tinted lip cream contains shea butter and jojoba oil to hydrate the lips.
Released last December, the Lasting Drama Gel Liner (1260yen) comes in black and brown. It includes a dual-ended brush/tip applicator for creating precisely defined lines and a smudged effect. See the TV ad here.
For its 2013 calendar, Maybelline went back to its roots with a New York theme. The calendar features familiar Maybelline faces like Erin Wasson, Kemp Muhl and Shu Pei.
Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush is a gel formula blush with a light bouncy texture that melds seamlessly into the skin. I purchased #50 Plum Wine and #70 Hot Tamale recently from Drugstore.com during a "buy one, get one 50% off" offer. These usually retail at US$8 each. In Asian countries like Japan and Singapore, it's called Jelly Glow and comes in a white compact with different shade names. Made in Korea, Dream Bouncy Blush comes in ten shades in the US, versus a paltry four in Singapore and six in Japan for Jelly Glow. The dome-shaped blush has a slightly firm, springy feel to it. It has a velvety smooth texture without feeling too greasy or emollient. There was a defect with my Plum Wine though, as the blush arrived detached from the metal pan and stuck to the plastic lid. While this was easily fixed, there was still a visible gap from the sides of the metal pan. Nevertheless, there's no adverse impact on the performance. These are super easy to apply, just dab on lightly with a fingertip and blend. The soft satin finish is flattering, adding a healthy colour to the cheeks without emphasising pores. Like most cream blushes, they do not work well over powder foundations, and should be used with either liquid or cream foundations. When I tried it over a powder foundation, it resulted in some patchiness. As you can see from the arm swatches, these can be layered for a pigmented finish, but I prefer a lighter application on the cheeks. In the pic below, I'm wearing Hot Tamale, a lovely coral pink that does not lean too orange or red. It doesn't last the whole day on my skin and the packaging is far from chic, but for a budget buy, it's a pretty decent cream blush with a diverse range of shades to experiment with.
