Maquillage Handsome Beauty

Shiseido Maquillage's new tagline for fall is "Handsome Beauty". Instead of the usual soft, feminine and cutesy looks that many Japanese makeup brands strive for, Maquillage is promoting a more confident, assertive modern kind of beauty that is both elegantly feminine but also conveys a sense of internal strength and intelligence at the same time. The Maquillage website has a new section, "Handsome Finishing School" featuring four video tutorials on base and color makeup application as well as an interesting one on posing! The video offers tips on how to sit down, stand, walk and even how to sit while waiting for someone at a cafe in the "Handsome Beauty" way. Do check it out here! (Click on the second box from the right at the bottom of the screen, on the right side of the CM gallery link box.)

http://www.shiseido.co.jp/mq/index.htm

Excel Fall collection

Excel's fall collection was released on 10 September in Japan. The collection includes 8 Nail Enamel shades (840yen), 3 shades of Metallic Shadow (1050yen), 5 shades of Powder and Pencil Eyebrow NA (1522yen) and 2 shades of Brow Mascara (1365yen). The Metallic Shadow looks exactly the same as the previous Sparkle Shadow with a similar color line-up! All the new products contain papaya and starfruit extracts as well as Vitamin E. Metallic Shadow M02 Beige can be used all over the eyelid as a base shade while M01 Black works well as a liner shade or for creating smokey eyes.

http://excelmake.com/special/index1.html

Maquillage Website Update

Maquillage's new fall base makeup collection is up on the website. Also check out the CM gallery for the new TV commercial featuring new spokesmodel Anne and the Climax Moist Compact cream foundation.
http://www.shiseido.co.jp/mq/index.htm

If you're confused by the many different foundations that Maquillage offers for autumn/winter, this brief comparison guide from the website may help.

1. Climax Moist Compact
Coverage: 3 stars
Type: solid cream compact
Texture: Dewy, velvety
SPF: SPF15, PA+
Recommended for: dry skin types and ladies who want good coverage of pores

2. Climax Moisture Powdery
Coverage: 3.5 stars
Type: Powder
Texture: Velvety, fresh
SPF: SPF15, PA+
Recommended for: Ladies who want good coverage of pores and skin discolorations and a long-lasting foundation

3. Climax Moisture Gel
Coverage: 4 stars
Type: Gel Liquid
Texture: Fresh, velvety/smooth
SPF: SPF12, PA+
Recommended for: Dry skin types and ladies who want good coverage of skin discolorations

4. Flawless Skin Liquid
Coverage: 3 stars
Type: Cream Liquid
Texture: Dewy, velvety
SPF: SPF10, PA+
Recommended for: Dry skin types and ladies who want a more translucent, glowy finish

Tiffa Fall Collection

Tiffa's new collection is due out on 1 September in Japan (but most likely to already be in stores). Tiffa is a low-end drugstore brand owned by Kanebo. Almost all the products are priced 1050yen or lower and there is usually a 20% discount on Tiffa in Japanese drugstores. The new products are:

1. Beauty Rouge Gloss in 4 shades (892yen): long-lasting shimmery lipglosses in Milky Apricot, Sweet Candy, Cherry Cassis and Nudey Beige.
2. Beauty Color Liner in 4 shades (1050yen): pen-type shimmery liquid eyeliner that can be removed easily with warm water.
3. Body Butter (body cream) (682yen for 50g): made with hyaluronic acid, amino acids, rose water and French rose extract for deep moisturising benefits.

The Beauty Color Liner comes in black, gold, silver and pink. Currently, there is only one review on Cosme.net and it's positive. The reviewer is also a fan of Majolica Majorca's Neo Automatic Eyeliners and said that the Tiffa liners in pink and silver filled a gap in the MM color lineup. She also said that the Tiffa Beauty Color Liners are extremely easy to apply and their best feature is that the color payoff is excellent. There is also a review of the Body Butter that gives it only 3 stars out of 7. The reviewer noted that the rose fragrance did not last long and the cream did not sink in totally on application but left a slightly sticky feel.

http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/tiffa/

Integrate & Integrate Gracy Website Updates

The Integrate website has also been updated with the new autumn collection and advertisements featuring Angelina Jolie. I checked out the new eyeshadow quads in the store and the quality was quite disappointing, to be honest. The eyeshadows were quite sheer and the colours were blah. The three new Glamorous Rouge lipglosses were also not that tempting. Two of the shades were quite pale, which means they will hardly show up, while the deep wine shade had glitter which I don't like in lipglosses.

http://www.shiseido.co.jp/ie/product/new.htm
http://www.shiseido.co.jp/ie/other/cm.htm

Shiseido's new drugstore brand for mature ladies, Integrate Gracy, has launched its official website here:

http://www.shiseido.co.jp/ieg/

RMK website update

The RMK website has been updated with the fall collection, Beigy Colors. There is also a special website dedicated to the collection that includes an interview with the model and an 8-minute video of the shooting of the print ad.

http://www.rmkrmk.com/japan/

http://www.rmkrmk.com/japan/special/2007beigycolors/

Maquillage A/W Base Makeup

Maquillage's new A/W 2007 collection features the following:

1. Climax Moisture Compact (cream pact foundation) in 8 shades with SPF15, PA+ (3360yen for refill, 1050yen for the case)

2. Concealer Liquid in 2 shades, SPF10, PA+ (2625yen) with a brush applicator

3. Pressed Powder (2625yen for refill, 1050yen for case)

4. New shade of Pre Makeup Skin Brightener in Natural Yellow SPF10, PA+ (3150yen).

The new Climax Moisture Compact is supposed to give a more glowy and natural finish compared to powder foundations. It is also more moisturising with a non-sticky texture. The reviews on Cosme.net are so far all positive (averaging 5 stars out of 7) with several praising its good coverage of flaws, ease of application and moisturising properties which is suitable for dry skin types. The collection is due out on 21 August in Japan.

Kiss website update

The new Kiss collection is up on the official website! They also have pics of the new Eye Prism Gradation palettes (1680yen) as worn on the model plus detailed diagrams on how to apply the eyeshadows. The collection will be launched on 25 August. The model is wearing Rouge Melty Syrup #8, Eye Prism Gradation #3 Lady, Mascara Glamorous Volume WP 01, Prism Jewelry Eyeliner 01, Dual Fairy Blush #2, Nail Enamel R #46 Ginger Cookie and Nail Decoration #1.

http://www.kiss-cosmetics.com/whats/index15.html

K-Palette Exotic Safari

K-Palette's fall collection theme is Exotic Safari featuring a palette of glamorous golds, tans and mysterious black. The new eyeshadow quads include three gradational shades and a highlight colour that has "flash pearl" for extra sparkle. Release date is 7 September in Japan. K-Palette is made by the same company that owns Gransenbon.

1. Star Tears Mascara #8 Venus Gold and #9 Jupiter Brown (1470yen)
2. Crystal Powder #7 Mystic Glitter (1785yen)
3. Nail On #60 Persia Gold, #61 Copper and #62 Night Queen (945yen)
4. Star Tears Eyeliner #8 Venus Gold and #9 Jupiter Brown (1470yen)
5. Shiny Star Eyes palettes #1 Rose Star, #2 Safari Star and #3 Ash Star (1680yen)
6. Top & Base Coat #2 (945yen)

Susie NY Fall collection

The Susie NY "Velvety Madonna" fall collection has been added to the website. The two new eyeshadow quads #15 Vow and #16 Warmth look quite promising! The quads have an excellent texture that is very similar to Stila as they are pigmented, shimmery and very easy to blend.

http://susie-ny.com/news/news1_0708.html

Paul & Joe website update

The new Paul & Joe fall collection "Dear Pleasure" is up on the official website. In addition to the latest Collection Sparkles, a new range of brushes, brush holder, Light Cream Foundation N, Moisturising Compact Foundation and Face Powder N have also been added to the permanent line-up. The black and orange cat print for this collection doesn't look very appealing though.

http://www.paul-joe-beaute.com/

Shu Uemura & Kesalan Patharan Fall

The Shu Uemura "Komon" fall collection is now up on the official website. I love the elegant promo image but I find it strange that for such a quintessentially Japanese makeup brand, Shu never uses Japanese or Asian models in its ad campaigns, only Caucasians. At least from what I can remember of its ads over the past few years. If I'm wrong, do enlighten me.

http://www.shu-uemura.co.jp/new/20070718_komon.html

Another website that has worth checking out for its new fall collection is Kesalan Patharan. I played with the collection at the KP counter last week and fell in love with the two new eyeshadow palettes. These are gorgeous, especially the purple palette, with excellent colour payoff. The floral imprint rubs off almost immediately though. The Pure Pearl Varie in S2 Frosty Purple and S3 Frosty Pink are super sparkly, finely-milled rich shimmer powders that are just too pretty for words. This is one KP collection that you do not want to miss! And I'm not even a KP fan...

http://www.kesalanpatharan.co.jp/

Tarte Fall Collection

Taking a break from the Japanese brands, here's the fall collection from one of my favourite American brands, Tarte! I was delighted to see that there's finally a new sheer berry cheekstain, Natural Beauty (US$28), in a gorgeous bottle too. There's actually another new one, Blissful (soft warm pink), available over at QVC as part of the Tarte/Borba Fresh Face Forward 5-piece set.

There are also two great new multi-functional sets that are Tarte's forte. The Ready-to-Wear/ Pret-a-Porter Dual Look Palette (US$44) includes six shimmering eyeshadows (pale gold, golden olive, smokey moss, pale pink, lilac, deep violet), two cream blushes (honey peach, rose), four sheer lipsticks (light pink, pinky nude, natural blush, warm burgundy rose), a mini Lights, Camera, Lashes mascara, an all over eye shadow brush, an eyeliner brush, and a mini Rest Assured eyeliner. It looks like great value for a very convenient all-in-one palette. The only thing I'm not too hot about are the cream blushes since these tend to get very messy in a palette.

Next up, the Rejuvelash Lash Exhilarating Set (US$40) has a Picture Perfect Eyelash Curler (the breakthrough ergonomic design makes it easy to use and won't pinch or crimp), Take Two Declumping Lash Exhilarator (treats with ProVitamin B5 and a cocktail of herbal hair restoratives to improve the texture of eyelash hair and increase suppleness, preventing breakage, while a proprietary blend of antioxidants and vitamin C protect against environmental and free radical damage), and Lights, Camera, Lashes! 4-in-1 Mascara (lengthens with rice bran, carnauba, and candelilla wax, while synthetic films hold curl and organic compounds condition). But seeing as you can buy the Curler for US$15 and Lights, Camera, Lashes for US$18 separately on their own, this set is not that awesome in terms of value for money.

And finally, there's the new Inside Out Vitamin Lipstick (US$22) in 3 shades. Bit expensive, really. I still miss the 8-pan eyeshadow palettes covered in different lavender fabrics that Tarte used to put out.

Awake Electric Lights collection

Got a call from the Awake SA that the fall collection was ready for pick-up today so I went down and picked up the Reflectance Eyes E5 Mauve Mirage and E6 Lilac Shadow palettes plus the Lip Lacquer #15 Rose Opal. Here are the pics!

And my current collection of Awake Reflectance Eyes palettes! These are just as shimmery as the Lunasol Geminate Eyes but the Awake Reflectance Eyes have a much softer, velvety texture similar to Inoui ID whereas the Lunasol eyeshadows tend to feel more dry and powdery.

Lunasol Geminate Eyes swatches

I did swatches of the upcoming Geminate Eyes (5250yen) and Geminate Liners (2940yen) at the Lunasol counter this evening. From left to right in the pics: #5 Ruby, #4 Sapphire, #3 Diamond, #1 Cat's Eye and #2 Alexandrite. I used Lunasol's Eyelid Base N as the primer. My favourites are #5 Ruby and #4 Sapphire. The vibrant dark blue shade in #4 Sapphire and the burgundy shade in #4 Ruby are especially gorgeous. #4 Sapphire is a bit similar to the Skin Modelling Eyes EX02 Blue quad that came out for summer but the dark navy shade in EX02 is much darker than the darkest blue shade in #4 Sapphire. #3 is a palette of icy pastel shades. #2 Alexandrite is a mix of red-toned brown, olive and light pink. I'm still on the fence about #1 Cat's Eye as such shades tend to make me look tired. The eyeliner shades are all quite pretty and match their corresponding palettes very well. The colors are all very rich, intensely pigmented and shimmery. When applied over the Lunasol Eyelid Base N, one light swipe was enough to get them to show up beautifully.

Majolica Majorca, Kate, Lavshuca, Maquillage Website Updates

The Majolica Majorca website has been updated with the latest Chapter 16 'Beauty in Black'. MM's website is always the most beautifully presented, playful and innovative of all the Japanese makeup brands. The latest chapter has a gothic feel, right down to the cat wailing in the soundtrack.

http://www.shiseido.co.jp/mj/index.htm

Here's the breakdown of the steps for the promo image:
Eyes
(i) Shadow Customise BK922 (from lashline to crease) and WT920 (under the brow area as a highlighter)
(ii) Jewelling Pencil BK901 (line upper lid), SV802 (along lower lid), PK204 (at inner corners)
(iii) Lash Bond and Lash Expander Neo applied in generous coats

Lips - Rouge Majex PK404

Cheeks - Cheek Customise RD255

The Kate, Lavshuca, Lunasol & Maquillage websites have also been updated. Do check out all the new TV commericals! The new Kate TV commercial featuring the Gradical Eyes S GN palette on Nakashima Mika plus two clips on the making of the commercial. I love the Maquillage model Yubi Ebihara's super glam look.
http://nomorerules.net/
http://nomorerules.net/index.html?submenu=tvcf
http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca/index_fla.html
http://www.shiseido.co.jp/mq
http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/

My Fall Shopping List

I've been poring over the Voce fall catalog and here's the shopping list I've come up with :-)

1. Jill Stuart Brilliance Eyes #6 & #7
2. Jill Stuart Eye Jelly #21 Ruby Romantic
3. Awake Reflectance Eyes E5 Mauve Mirage & E6 Lilac Shadow
4. Lunasol Geminate Eyes #1, #2, #4 & #5
5. Integrate Glamorous Rouge RS533
6. Kate Deep Eyes N PU2
7. Visee Jewel Crush Eyes - want all of them!
8. Majolica Majorca Shadow Customise - 4 new shades
9. Lavshuca Eye Color Select PU2
10. Lavshuca Grade Color Select PU1
11. Lavshuca Color Conc Rouge BR1

Other items that are also worth checking out:
1. Maquillage Eye Color RD783 (smokey rose pink) and BL783 (smokey midnight blue)
2. Lunasol Geminate Liners
3. Anna Sui Liquid Eye Color (the color range looks very interesting!)
4. Kesalan Patharan Eye Color Palette (love the floral design & romantic shades)
5. Eprise Creamy Eye Color (excellent texture and lovely colors)
6. Kate Powder Gel Liner PU2 (gorgeous deep eggplant purple)
7. Visee Jewel Crush Liners

Armani, Esprique Precious, Cosme Decorte, Shiseido Fall Collections

More fall collection pics from Voce & Maquia. Cosme Decorte will also be launching a new sub-brand, Magie Deco. Giorgio Armani's fall collection doesn't look that impressive but the Red Collection of limited edition Armani Silk lipsticks created too many lemmings to name. After all, it's every makeup addict's dream to find the perfect red lipstick! Unfortunately, they are priced at a ridiculous 3990yen each, which I just refuse to pay for a mere lipstick. Shiseido The Makeup's fall collection is also a bland wash of neutrals. In addition to the usual Eyeshadow Quad Shimmers and Lip Glosses, there are also two Accentuating Cream Eyeliners in black and brown and some Lip Crayons. Esprique Precious will be launching some new palettes, eyeshadow singles, lipsticks and lipglosses. I saw the collection in person but nothing really stood out.

The September issues of Voce and Maquia are worth buying for the detachable catalogs of the autumn collections. Voce's catalog is the best of the lot with accurate color swatches. Biteki also has a detachable catalog but it's much smaller than those by Voce and Maquia.

Integrate Fall Collection

Pics of Integrate's fall collection from Voce and Maquia magazines. The collection will include:
1. Live Fix Eyes (1575yen) which has one cream eyeshadow base with three powder eyeshadows in each palette
2. Volume & Curl Mascara EX, 1260yen
3. Separate & Curl Mascara EX, 1260yen
4. Long & Curl Mascara EX, 1260yen
5. Glamorous Rouge in 3 new shades, RS533, PK333 & BE232. 1260yen
6. Live Fix Rouge lipsticks in 12 shades, 1575yen
7. Lip Forming Liner in 4 shades, 840yen.

The only thing that looks interesting to me is the new Glamorous Rouge lipgloss in RS533 which looks like a gorgeous wine shade. The release date is 21 August.


Also debuting on 21 August is a new sub-brand, Integrate Gracy which is aimed at ladies in their 50s and above. The price points are also lower than those of Integrate but the color range looks quite unimaginative, to be honest. The products include:
1. Lip Liner Pencil 420yen
2. Lipstick 945yen
3. Cheek Color 787yen
4. Mascara 997yen
5. Eye Color 787yen
6. Nail Color 367yen
7. Eyebrow Pencil (Soft) 420yen
8. Eyeliner Pencil 420yen

Jill Stuart Fall collection review

I got to play with the testers of the JS fall collection last week and the outstanding items are Brilliance Eyes #6 Glazed Garnet and Eye Jelly #21 Ruby Romantic. Eye Jelly #21 is a gorgeous deep metallic burgundy brown that is perfect for fall. Brilliance Eyes #6 is pretty much what it looks like in the close-up photo that I'd posted earlier from the Daimaru website. The Point Crystal loose eyeshadows are also super pretty. The three new Lip Lustres are very pigmented and shimmery but #17 looks like it has glitter bits.

The Mix Blush Compacts are an utter disappointment. There is so little pigment that I had to literally rub the surface of the blushes several times before I could see any color showing up on the back of my hand. #2 and #4 are the only ones that had any decent pigment. For #1, save for the top right shade, the rest are so pale they show up as an almost whitish shimmer. #5 is ugly, I can understand why it's limited edition...so people would be compelled to buy it just for the LE factor! The finish is semi-matte without obvious sparkles. And the attached brush is stiff. So don't bother getting these unless you've got money to burn or you like really really pale blushes. If you like pigmented shimmery blushes, then you're much better off getting Gransenbon or Excel or even Canmake rather than these overpriced duds. Still, got to give JS points for attractive packaging.