Here's another new display by Bourjois showcasing their mascaras and new Easy Faux Cils, mini false lashes that can be used up to 40 times.
Recently, Watsons has jazzed up its selection of beauty brands with the introduction of its new My Vanity Box section. Currently available at its stores in Ngee Ann City, Bugis Junction, Jurong Point, IMM and Holland Village, My Vanity Box presents an array of niche brands offering the latest trends in makeup and nails.
China Glaze probably needs no introduction, given its popularity. Made in the US, the brand is known for its porcelain shine and rich formulas made with China clay as a harderner. Its nailpolishes are free of DBP, toluene and formaldehyde. Shown below is Skyscraper from the Metro collection, a dark violet chock full of silver glitter.
My favourite shade is Ruby Pumps, which is the perfect Christmas red with a lively ruby sparkle.
The regular nailpolishes retail at S$18 while the crackle nailpolishes are S$19 each.
While it's great that Watsons has made the brand much more accessible in Singapore, I think they could have priced it more competitively vis-à-vis the other sources available to savvy shoppers here.
Paperself eyelashes (S$29.90) are fascinatingly delicate lashes inspired by the art of Chinese paper-cutting and made in the UK from FSC-certified paper. ("FSC" stands for the Forest Stewardship Council, which assesses whether the wood is harvested in an environmentally-responsible manner.) Paperself has both partial and full lash designs, featuring motifs such as seahorses, butterflies and peonies.
To make an even more dramatic statement with the lashes, there is Star Lash, a range of hand-crafted eyelashes made in Korea with synthetic fibres. Each Star Lash set is re-usable for more than 10 times and retail from $8.90 to $26.90.
For healing chapped and chronically dry lips, there is Dr. Lipp Original Nipple Balm for Lips (S$18, 15ml), which was originally used by nursing mothers for sore nipples.
Made in the UK and comprising 100% medical grade lanolin, the thick glossy balm supposedly moisturises skin by up to 40% in one hour and is free from alcohol, parabens, coloring agents and perfume. Aside from the lips, it can also be used on other parts of the body, such as the cuticles, feet and elbows. Although it is supposed to be odorless, I find that it has a strong plasticky scent when first applied, but thankfully this wears off quickly.
And for the truly adventurous, Violent Lips offers vitamin-enhanced vegan temporary lip tattoos in a wide variety of patterns and finishes. Retailing from $19.90 to $20.90 for a pack of three, these last between four to eight hours and are removable with baby oil or makeup wipes.
Are there any brands that you would like to see at Watsons? My wish would be for Visee and Wet'n'Wild to make it to our shores next!
Here's a sneak preview of some products from the RMK Dusty Bright Colors fall collection, which will be launching in Singapore in a couple of weeks!
First up is the Sheer Powder Cheeks EX-01 Beige Pink (S$65; 2g). The collection includes another two new shades, EX-02 Orange and EX-03 Rosy Brown. All three blushes are limited edition. This applies as a natural pink with a soft satin finish, giving the cheeks a healthy tint of color. RMK blushes are as pricey as Chanel Joues Contraste but RMK's blush compacts come with a much softer brush.
Gloss Lips N P-10 Red (S$36; 6.8g) looks like an intense crimson in the tube but on the lips, it applies semi-sheer with just a bit of shine. The collection includes another three new lipgloss shades.
RMK has also introduced its own line of false lashes for the first time. There are six designs in total, of both partial and full lashes. The pic below shows Eye Lash N #3, which is thicker from the middle of the lashes to the outer corner. This is made in Vietnam and does not come with any eyelash glue.
Nail Color EX-06 Green (S$25; 12ml) is a mossy green with gold shimmer. There are three other nail polishes in the collection but only EX-06 Green is limited edition.
Dusty Bright Eyes 02 Grayish Green (3g) is an unusual combo of a dusky green cream eyeshadow paired with a silver powder eyeshadow. This is used on the model for the ad visual. I'm not sure of the price but my guess is that it will be S$62, like the Mix Colors for Eyes as both products retail at 3990yen in Japan.
Under the screw top cover, the cream eyeshadow is covered with another plastic lid, which falls into place with a firm snap, to keep the cream eyeshadow from drying out.
While lifting up the lid for the first time, unfortunately I nicked the surface of the eyeshadow.
The silver eyeshadow is extremely lustrous and fine. It is more of a nuance/highlighting shade to add some shine to the lid. It's too shiny to be used all over the upper lid for the office, but it can be used along the lower lashline to make the eyes look more awake. It applied smoothly as a layer of silver sparkles without feeling gritty or flying all over the place. Even in a low light situation at night, the sparkles still catch the light well. It also lasts quite well without any fallout.
The brush applicator is quite well-designed with each end thoughtfully labelled.
I followed the instructions in the leaflet and used the brush to first apply the green cream eyeshadow and then blend it with my fingertip. The cream sets quite fast to a powder finish. There's not a lot of time for blending but the plus side is that once it sets, it doesn't budge, crease or smear at all.
Next, I used the other end of the brush applicator to apply the silver shade over the green shade, in the crease, the inner corners and along the lower lashlines. I applied a light green shade from RMK's Spring Modern Eyes #2 Moss Green over the browbone area and used Ingenious Waterproof Pencil Eyeliner to line the upper waterline. I finished by applying Extra Deep W Mascara 01 Black.
With Eyelash N 03 on, the effect on the eyes is dramatic.
Compared to Heroine Make's Lash #4 Glamorous Volume (top in the pic below), the lash bone of the RMK Eyelash N 03 is quite a bit shorter and doesn't stretch fully from the inner corner of my eye to the outer corner. I don't wear false lashes regularly so the feeling of the lashes on my eyelids did take some getting used to. This for me is something to be reserved for special occasions.
If you would like to try out the Dusty Bright Colors collection, you can sign up for the workshops with a Japanese makeup artist that RMK is holding at Isetan Scotts from 9-11 September. Details are in this earlier post.
Fans of Tsubasa Masuwaka may be happy to know that the limited edition Dolly Wink lash set from the Kobe Collection will be available in selected Watsons stores starting this week. Priced at S$24.90, the set includes the popular Upper Eyelash #02 Sweet Girly paired with Lower Lash #06 Baby Cute, plus a purple eyelash case. The case usually retails for $9.90 on its own.
The set will be available at the Kawaii Corner in the following Watsons stores.
