Maquillage Snow Beauty 2017

Maquillage continues its annual ritual of releasing a new Snow Beauty face powder on 21 September in Japan this year. The fourth generation Snow Beauty Whitening Face Powder 2017 is formulated with a new 'smooth base powder' and 'snow connecting powder' for a soft, translucent and non-powdery finish. It can be used during the day as a finishing powder and also at night as a skincare product. The case is inspired by the winter sunset scene in Prague.

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.

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)

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.

Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder

Here are the official visuals of the limited edition Paul & Joe Protecting Pressed Powder SPF25 PA++ (5000yen), which will be available in 2 shades starting 1 March in Japan. Formulated with a 'hybrid UV cut powder' and sebum-absorbing powder, it helps to conceal pores and skin unevenness with a 'poreless powder' that provides a soft focus effect. The compact comes with a matching drawstring pouch (19x15cm).


BeautyHabit.com is offering this cat print pouch with a $55 Paul & Joe purchase (use code: PJBAG) and an additional limited edition Violet Treatment Balm with a $70 purchase (use code: PJBALM) until 29 Jan.


Unfortunately, Paul & Joe's retail footprint in the UK has continued to shrink with the recent closure of its counter at Harrods (which was rather tiny to begin with). I still miss the Fenwicks counter dearly, as it was the source of many collectibles and issues of the Paul & Joe Times (the seasonal newsletter). It's a pity that this brand with its original and refreshingly quirky aesthetic gets overlooked in the crowded beauty marketplace while other more mainstream upstarts race to the bottom by blatantly knocking off other brands' bestsellers (e.g. Makeup Revolution's I ♡ Makeup Blushing Hearts).

Maquillage Snow Beauty

Maquillage will release a limited edition Snow Beauty whitening face powder (25g, 6500yen) that is available by pre-order, similar to Kanebo's annual Milano Collection. Formulated with m-tranexamix acid and a half-translucent white powder for brightening the complexion, the floral-scented powder comes with two powder puffs, a slim one for day use as a brightening, finishing powder and a fluffier, soft one for night use as a skincare powder. It contains super hyaluronic acid for moisturising benefits.

Etude House Princess Etionette Crystal Powder and Hearts Blusher

Just received the Etude House Princess Etionette Crystal Powder and Hearts Blusher in the mail!

I purchased this duo on Ebay for US$57 inclusive of shipping from Korea to Switzerland. Etude House has done an impressive job with the princessy packaging of this collection, which is slightly reminiscent of Laduree and Jill Stuart, but with more of a cutesy factor.

The Crystal Powder (10g) is described as a "moist loose powder with luxurious pearls that illuminate the skin with a subtle glow".



It comes with a lace-covered puff.

The powder feels very finely milled and acts like a typical translucent powder to provide a polished finish.

The Hearts Blusher is available in two shades, PK001 Pink Petal Kiss and OR201 Coral.

This comes with a fluffy cotton puff.

Each pot contains 10 blush hearts in three shades. Pink Petal Kiss is composed of a light icy beige, pale candy pink and medium pink. The pot packaging is actually deceptive as the blush compartment is rather shallow, taking up less than half of the pot. There is 12g of product which is quite paltry compared to Lavshuca Fairy Candy Cheeks (15g), the Body Shop Lily Cole Puff On Radiance (46g) and Guerlain Meteorites (30g). Nevertheless, I'm sure these will still last a good long while.

The blush hearts are a tad powdery and crumbly to touch, prone to breaking off with pressure. The cotton puff picks up the product in patches, so I'd probably use a brush instead for a more even application.

On the left half of the pic below are swatches of the three individual shades while on the right half is a swatch of the three shades blended and applied using the puff.

As you can see from the blended swatch, the finish is glowy with a very refined shimmer and no obvious glitter chunks. It is a very pale pink tint that will probably not show up well on tanned skin tones. I think this would work best layered on top of another blush.

The medium pink blush heart does have good payoff though. If Laduree's exorbitant prices give you heartburn, the Princess Etoinette collection is worth considering as a more affordable option that will look lovely on any dressing table.

List of ingredients for the Hearts Blusher.


And for the Crystal Powder.

Lancome New Teint Miracle Pressed Powder & CC Base

Lancome will release the following new base makeup products in Japan:


1. Teint Miracle Pressed Powder (5775yen): For adding an inner glow. Available in three shades. Due out on 24 August.

2. Teint Miracle CC Base SPF15 PA++ (4410yen): Lavender-tinted makeup base for counteracting skin dullness. See a swatch on Abe Sawako. Due out on 21 September.

Lancome is not the first French brand to jump on the CC bandwagon as Chanel introduced its CC Cream Correction Complete SPF30 PA+++ earlier this year in Asia. Allure.com just reported that Olay will introduce a Total Effects CC Tone Correcting Moisturizer in October in the US.

Anna Sui Spring/Summer 2012 New Base Makeup

Anna Sui will release the following new base makeup products on 1 March in Japan:

1. Foundation Primer SPF 30 PA++ (3150yem, 30ml)

2. Powder Foundation SPF20 PA++ (3150yen for refill and 1010yen for the case, 5 shades, 12g)

3. Liquid Foundation SPF20 PA++ (4200yen, 5 shades, 30ml)

4. Loose Compact Powder SPF16 PA++ (3675yen for refull, 1050yen for case, 4 shades, 3g)

Ettusais Quick Fix Powder

Remember Ettusais' limited edition Quick Fix Powder released earlier in May? It will be available again exclusively at Metro Paragon on 30 December and then at all other Ettusais counters in Singapore starting 31 December.

Metro Paragon will also be offering two special sets. You can place a reservation by emailing temp@shiseido.com.sg with your name, IC number. (for ettusais members), contact number & chosen set by Thursday 29 December. This is probably the last ever chance to obtain the Quick Fix Powder (S$28) so don't miss out if you liked it! My earlier review of Quick Fix Powder is here.



Starting 6 January, Ettusais is also giving away a luggage tag and passport holder (2 colors available) with any $80 purchase.