Biteki September 2017

This nifty foundation brush will come free with the upcoming September issue of Biteki. Densely packed with 220,000 hairs, it is designed to be used with liquid, cream and even powder foundations for a poreless, seamless finish. It even comes with its own case. Due out on 22 July.

Cosme Decorte Foundation Brush

Cosme Decorte is launching this Foundation Brush (3800yen) on 16 March in Japan. Designed to work with both powder and liquid foundations, it does not require any special professional application techniques to produce a natural skin-like finish. It comes with a hard case.

Nivea and 13rushes Promotional Set

13rushes is a Singapore brand of hand-crafted synthetic brushes that has been garnering positive reviews. Their new Deep Cleansing Facial Brush (S$21) is currently being given away free in a promotional set comprising the Nivea Extra White Make Up Clear 3 in 1 Mud Cleanser and Micellar Water (S$18.80) exclusively at Guardian Pharmacy stores in Singapore. (Watsons is offering a similar set with a face powder brush.) The cute heart-shaped brush is sturdily made with densely packed bristles that feel superbly soft and gentle on the skin. It took me a week of stalking Guardian stores before I finally located it at the Ngee Ann City store this morning.

13rushes is also offering the Mud Cleanser as a gift with every order on their website.

Aside from the Nivea set, I also picked up a couple of My Beauty Diary mask sets that were on sale and a Gatsby hair wax that came with a free 4Gb thumb drive.

RMK Casual Solid Foundation and Brush

RMK will debut their new Casual Solid Foundation on 6 March in Japan. The foundation is composed of two parts, Foundation A SPF38 PA+++ (the base color available in 7 shades) and Foundation B, which is a pearl color available in 2 shades (01 Silver and 02 Gold). 01 Silver is recommended for application in the highlight zone for a dimensional effect while 02 Gold can be mixed with the base color and applied all over for a healthy glow. Foundation A is formulated with a 'crystal light oil' to keep skin hydrated and provides natural-looking coverage. Each is sold as a refill (3g) for 2000yen while the case (with brush included) is 1500yen.

There will also be a Casual Solid Foundation Brush (2800yen) with a slanted cut for better fit over the facial contours. The duo fibres also pick up just the right amount of foundation and help produce a polished, glowy finish.

See more pics on Beaty and here.

Esprique Limited Edition Foundation Brush

Esprique will be releasing these two limited edition designs of their Foundation Brush in Taiwan. It's not listed on the Japanese website so this might not be available in Japan. Pic from UrCosme.

Visee Brush Set

Here's a nifty brush set from Visee that will be released on 16 October in Japan. Retailing at 2940yen, the limited edition set includes one face and cheek brush, two eyeshadow brushes and a liner/brow brush. These are made of 100% natural hair.

Esprique New Base Makeup and Limited Edition Brushes

Esprique will release the following products on 21 August in Japan.

1. Brightening Make Up Base SPF18 PA+

2. Foundation Brush in two limited edition designs Engage Ribbon and Cat Maison


3. Foundation Case 13AW (limited edition)

4. Beautiful Skin Pact UV Limited Kit 2: Includes Beautiful Skin Pact UV powder foundation, Brightening Make Up Base 4ml, Astablanc Lift Sensation 2g, Rouge Stay Magic (Essence Liquid) 0.3g and Makeup Sponge P.

The Body Shop Smoky Moonstone Palette, Dazzling Rocks and Slanted Kabuki Brush

Recently, the Body Shop UK website had a 40% discount promotion so I took advantage of it to pick up the Smoky Moonstone palette, Dazzling Rocks in Golden Copper and Slanted Kabuki Brush from the holiday makeup collection.

I loved the two Smoky Eyes Palettes released last year so I had high expectations for this year's new offering. Unlike last year's version which included a cream shade and three powder shades, Smoky Moonstone contains four powder eyeshadows, plus a slanted eyeliner brush and an eyeshadow brush. Made in Thailand, it contains a generous amount of product with each of the eyeshadows weighing in at 1.8g/0.06oz.

The pair of brushes work nicely for applying the shades, blending and lining. Like the Body Shop's other brushes, these cruelty-free brushes are synthetic and feel soft against the skin with no scratchiness.

However, the eyeshadows didn't impress me as much as last year's palettes. When swatched on bare skin without any primer, these required 2-3 layers to show up well. The taupe grey and pale gold shades were less pigmented than the other two shades.



For the first look, I applied the taupe grey shade from the lash line to the crease, the shimmery brown shade in the crease, the muted medium gold shade at the inner corners and along the lower lashline, and the light gold over the browbone area.

For the second look, I applied the shimmery brown shade at the inner half of the upper lid, the taupe grey shade along the upper lashline and outer corners, the medium gold shade in the crease and the light gold over the browbone area and along the lower lashline.

Used over a good primer, the eyeshadows lasted well throughout the day without smudging or creasing. However, the shades just lack a certain intensity and richness that would have made this a truly stellar palette for creating smoky eyes. They need to be paired with a dark eyeliner for a more dramatic effect. It's still a nice enough combination for the daytime, just that it didn't knock my socks off. In that respect, I'm glad I didn't pay full price for it. It retails normally for £14 in the UK and S$39.90 in Singapore.

The Dazzling Rocks 01 Golden Copper (60g, £16) are a mix of shimmery brown and pale gold balls.

I swatched the brown and gold balls individually on the left side of the pic below, and used the brush to dust a light coat on the right side.

When applied with the brush, the pearl shimmer is ultra refined and sparse. This would work well if you prefer a very subtle sparkle. The Sparkler in the glass bottle provides a much more glittery effect.

The Slanted Kabuki Brush (£16) is limited edition and well worth snapping up, if you were to pick only one item from this collection. It's ultra soft against the skin (but not floppy), densely packed with a well cut shape that makes it perfect for use with finishing or highlighting powders for the face and body.

Dior Nude Glow Foundations and Brushes

Dior will introduce its new base makeup and brush collection on 24 August in Japan. It includes:

1. Nude Glow Compact foundation SPF10 PA++: Formulated with Dior's exclusive "active water" of 100% natural origin and floral water, this helps to hydrate skin while providing a natural finish through the use of 'nude glow pigment'. (7035yen, 8 shades)

2. Nude Glow Fluid foundation (5775yen, 8 shades)


3. Diorskin Nude Shimmer: Highlighting powder with micro gold powder reflects. (6300yen)


4. Backstage Fluid Foundation Brush L: synthetic (7140yen)

5. Backstage Fluid Foundation Brush F: synthetic (7140yen)

6. Backstage Powder Foundation Brush F: Goat and pony mix (8400yen)

7. Backstage Powder Foundation Brush L: Goat (8400yen)

Addiction Brushes

The Addiction website has been updated with the new line of 15 makeup brushes. These are made in Kumano city in Hiroshima, home to prestigious brush makers like Hakuhodo and Chikuhodo (which makes brushes for Suqqu and RMK).

Addiction Brush Lineup

Here are the prices and material information from Voce on the Addiction brushes that will be released on 13 July in Japan.

Powder Brush (7560yen, goat)

Perfect Round Brush (7140yen, goat)

Blush Brush (6300yen, goat and grey squirrel)

Highlight Brush (5775yen, weasel)

Foundation Brush (5250yen, PBT synthetic fibres)

Eyeshadow Brush P (3990yen, weasel pointed-tip brush)

Eyeshadow Brush B (3780yen, weasel and brown squirrel blending brush)

Eyeshadow Brush C (3150yen, pony)

Eyeshadow Brush S (3360yen, raccoon dog/tanuki smudging brush)

Eyeshadow Brush D&L (3150yen, weasel eyeliner brush)

Concealer Brush (3150yen, PBT synthetic fibres)

Concealer Brush P (2625yen, PBT synthetic fibres)

Eyebrow Brush (3675yen, badger)

Eyebrow Brush Screw (1470yen, nylon)

Lip Brush (3150yen, weasel)