Here are more pics of the two limited edition Les Merveilleuses by Laduree Mixed Face Color Rose Laduree (7000yen each) to be launched on 1 December in Japan. Each contains a mix of 3 shades, including gold. The pot can also be purchased by itself without the rose blush petals for 3500yen. Pics by Voce.
K-Palette is expanding its popular One Day Tattoo brand with these new Lasting Cheek Tints (1200yen) in orange, peach and rose. They are waterproof cream blushes with a non-oily texture, reacting with the skin's moisture level to produce a natural-looking, translucent flush that lasts all day. It also contains skin beneficial ingredients such as hyaluronic acid, squalene and water-soluble collagen. This is already on sale. Pics below by Maquia.
Ulta will be offering all Philosophy's foundations at the special price of US$29 on Saturday 9 January. My local Ulta had the sign up yesterday by mistake so they sold the new Take A Deep Breath Cushion Foundation to me at the sale price (usual price is US$40).
This is made in Italy and contains 15g of product with broad spectrum sun protection of just SPF20 (Octinoxate 4% and Titanium Dioxide 4.83%), significantly lower than the typical SPF50 found in Korean-made cushion foundations.
Philosophy describes it as being based on 'clean air technology' with a blend of antioxidants to neutralize skin-agers while forming a unique moisture barrier on the skin to lock in hydration. This is supposedly has a 'breathable finish'. The instructions advise reapplying at least every two hours but I suppose this is necessary only if you are depending on only this foundation for sun protection.
Although it is called a cushion foundation, it is not the usual Korean design of a porous sponge soaked in liquid foundation. Instead, there is a mesh net covering what looks like a chunky block of creamy foundation that has slid to one side of the space under the net. The included applicator is just a standard foundation sponge, instead of the slimmer Korean cushion sponge variety. The case design is similar to the usual Korean cushion cases though, with the black plastic insert popping out easily although individual refills are not sold by Philosophy for now.
I picked the lightest of 8 shades available, #3 which on hind sight is a tad too pink-toned for me.
I also purchased the Take A Deep Breath Cushion Color For Cheeks in Shade 5.5 (US$30), a very wearable sheer peach pink with subtle shimmer. This also has a mesh net covering the blush. I usually just take a dab of the product from under the lid instead of touching the mesh.
The packaging is virtually identical to Stila's Aqua Glow Watercolor Blush (top in pic below), which is made in Korea whereas the Philosophy blush is made in Italy. The Philosophy version contains slightly more product - 7ml versus 6.1ml for Stila which retails at US$26.
The Philosophy blush is more sheer and easily wearable as it melds effortlessly into the skin for a healthy tint of glowy colour without any obvious shimmer.
My first impression of the Philosophy cushion foundation is that it has a nice, lightweight cream texture that is easy to apply and blend, with light to medium coverage and a soft matte finish. It does a decent job of evening out my skin tone but does not completely conceal all the pigmented spots on my cheeks. It is probably more suited to dry and normal skintypes as on my oily skin, its oil control properties were pretty dismal. My T-zone and cheeks started showing significant oil breakthrough by the 4-hour mark, even though I did not use a moisturiser beforehand (only toner and a Shiseido primer). The redness at the sides of my nose also re-surfaced.
Overall, I can't say that this has truly wowed me and I'm glad that I did not pay full price for it. I'm more taken with the Cushion Color For Cheeks, which I can see myself reaching for more frequently.
Ingredients list for the Philosophy cushion foundation is below.
Below is a video showing the makeup collection in action.
Laduree is releasing another two limited edition Face Color Rose Laduree (Mini) in 106 Jeanne (innocent sakura pink) and 106 Camille (elegant mauve pink) on 4 March in Japan. Retailing at 3400yen for 1g each.
The Stila Summer 2015 collection introduced a new Aqua Glow Perfecting Primer (US$28), Aqua Glow Watercolor Blush (US$26) plus five new vibrant shades of their Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick (US$22). I loved the look of this collection with its unabashedly bold hues and the elegant matte gold packaging that's a welcome departure from the brand's usual boring black and silver. Stila's quality has been highly erratic and uneven, since it left the Estee Lauder stable and changed owners a couple of times, so it's useful to check up on their product reviews so that one can avoid the absolute stinkers like their Eyes Are The Window palettes.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the Aqua Glow Perfecting Primer and Watercolor Blush are made in South Korea - yet another indicator of Korea's current influence in the Western beauty marketplace. The Perfecting Primer is a water-based stick primer that helps to hydrate, cool and smoothen the skin while reducing the appearance of pores and redness. The cooling sensation is refreshing and the light balmy formula melds into the skin without feeling heavy or clogging, although the pore and redness reduction effect wasn't that significant. It was a good base for my Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion Foundation, but the combination did not offer good oil control (which is not unexpected as the foundation is a more hydrating formula). This would be great for travel, as the packaging is sturdy with an inner plastic cap to help keep the primer from drying out. The gel stick can be a lint magnet though. It has a light aquatic scent that disappears quickly after application.
Below is the list of ingredients, which does include alcohol and silicones. There is also a host of plant and fruit extracts, including lemon, pumpkin, carrot, corn silk and aloe lead.
The Aqua Glow Watercolor Blush in Water Poppy is a cheerful translucent coral red without any shimmer. The waterproof gel formula is also designed to be cooling on the skin with buildable, color-true pigments. The mesh net dispenser is supposed to help deliver the appropriate dose of product for one application, but I usually just take a small dab from the product clinging to the underside of the cap so as to avoid touching the mesh net. The pot comes with a sticker advising one to shake well before opening.
Water Poppy looks very vibrant in the pot but it is actually quite easy to work with as it sheers out nicely to give a healthy, natural looking pop of color. It also layers smoothly without rubbing off the foundation underneath or any flaking. If you are intimately familiar with Korean brands, the Perfecting Primer and Watercolor Blush won't look particularly groundbreaking but they still feel relatively unique and fresh in the Western marketplace.
Below is the ingredient list. This contains carmine, so it's not vegan-friendly.
The Stay All Day Liquid Lipstick in Amalfi was the dud of the trio for me. The shocking pink shade is similar to MAC's famous Candy Yum Yum. It dries down matte without making my lips feel uncomfortable or overly dry. However, the shade was too loud for me, even when patted on with a fingertip to sheer it down. The dealbreaker was that it clung way too tenaciously to my lips and required frantic, vigorous rubbing to remove after a meal caused some of it to wear off. If you don't plan on eating, it might suit you for all-day wear.
Swatched below from left to right are the Water Poppy blush (blended out and unblended), and the Amalfi lipstick.
Other product used for this look include Innisfree Ampoule Intense Cushion Foundation #21, YSL Full Metal Shadow #3 Taupe Drop, Addiction Eyeliner Pencil 01 Blackjack, Kate Lasting Eyebrow W BR3 and Butter London Iconoclast Mega Volume Lacquer Mascara.
On 2 October, Canmake will release Mat Fleur Cheeks (800yen) in 01 Mat Apricot (coral), 02 Mat Girly Rose (rose pink) and 03 Mat Marmalade (coral orange). There will also be a new shade of Cream Cheek #7 Clear Ruby Cherry, Stay On Balm Rouge #9 Masquerade Bird (deep red) and Perfect Stylist Eyes #9 Sunny Brown.
Also new is this Jelly Stick Gloss (650yen) in 01 White Peach, 02 Pure Strawberry, 03 Honey Apricot and 04 Sweet Terry (LE).
