Pixi H2O Skintint, Bronzebeam Endless Silky Eye Pen and Shea Butter Lip Balm

During BeautyBay's recent 15% off sale, I purchased the new Pixi H2O Skintint (£21, 35ml), Endless Silky Eye Pen in BronzeBeam (£11) and Shea Butter Lip Balm (£8) in Ripe Raspberry from the Spring 2014 collection.

The H2O Skintint is a water-based tinted face gel that is supposed to be hydrating, long-lasting and water-resistant with a semi-matte finish that lasts all day. Aside from being paraben-free and fragrance-free, it contains antioxidant-rich green tea, moisturising rose water, soothing english chamomile and relaxing lavender. I was surprised to see that it is made in Korea.

The lightest shade No. 1 Cream was a good match for my MAC NC20 skintone. The pump dispenser is easy to control and the plastic tube packaging makes this convenient for travel as there is no fear of breakage. The texture is a very light cream that feels cool upon application. I had rather mixed results with this as depending on the skincare that I used prior to applying it, there were variances in the finish. When I used Paula's Choice Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution, the H20 Skintint applied patchily with a tendency to pool in my pores and dry patches also appeared on my cheeks. It applied much more smoothly when I prepped my skin with Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturiser instead.

Being a tinted moisturiser, I did not expect this to offer much coverage. Indeed, the level of coverage is pretty light and does not cover blemishes well although it does even out some of the redness in my skin. It also takes quite a bit of blending to achieve a smooth, streak-less finish. Although titanium dioxide is listed as the third ingredient, there is no SPF level stated on the packaging which is disappointing as it means you can't rely on this alone for sun protection. Overall, I was a bit disappointed with the H20 Skintint as I was hoping that it could be a fuss-free all-in-one product for those days when I do not have time for applying foundation.

List of ingredients is below.

The Shea Butter Lip Balm has a nice creamy texture. It does not feel as balmy as Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatments but it does keep my lips hydrated without any peeling thereafter. Ripe Raspberry is a sweet pink that shows up nicely with just a couple of swipes.

Being a longtime fan of Pixi's Endless Silky Eye Pens, I always pick up any new shade that they release. Bronze Beam (center in the pic below) is a medium brown with a bit of a glimmer. It's not as muddily flat as Black Cocoa (left) and lighter and cooler than Copper Glow (right) which is more chocolate. I find Bronze Beam a bit too light for the upper lashline but it's nice for adding some depth along the lower lashline.

Swatched from left to right: Black Cocoa, Bronze Beam and Copper Glow.


In the pics below, I used Bronze Beam on both the upper and lower lashlines.


Below is the look that I did using all three products, along with the Metallic Magic Eye Alchemy palette from their Holiday 2013 collection.



BeautyBay is currently offering 20% off all Pixi products until 17 March to celebrate St Patrick's Day, with free international shipping, but they do not have the H20 Skintint in stock while they only have a few of the eyeliner pencil shades available (excluding Bronze Beam). I received my order in just under two weeks. The Skintint is also available on ASOS.

Maquillage, Integrate and Addiction New Base Makeup for Spring 2013

Here are pics of the Maquillage Perfect Multi Base BB SPF30 PA++ (3150yen, 30g) and True Powdery UV foundation (4200yen, 7 shades) which will be released on 21 February in Japan. The Perfect Multi Base BB acts as primer, sunblock and beauty essence, while concealing pores and skin imperfections. The True Powdery UV foundation has SPF25 PA++ and a light texture that lays down a 0.01mm veil on the skin to conceal pores and skin imperfections. The foundation refill is 3150yen while the case is 1050yen.


Integrate will release the following new products on 21 February:

1. Mineral Pore Cover: Formulated with 100% mineral water, this translucent primer has a non-oily finish and helps to conceal pores. (892yen, 12g)

2. Mineral Foundation (Pressed) SPF16, PA+ : New long-lasting formula that helps to conceal pores. In 4 shades. (1785yen; 1365yen for refill)

3. Mineral Foundation (Loose) (1575yen; 1365yen for refill, 10g)

4. Mineral Foundation (Pressed) Special Set 2012

5. Rainbow Grade Eyes BE331 (1575yen, LE)

6. Sakura Drop Essence SPF18 PA++: Translucent red lip essence with hyaluronic acid and ginger extract. (840yen, 7g)

Here's a pic of the Addiction Tinted Skin Protector SPF50+ PA+++ (4725yen, 30ml) to be released on 15 February in 5 shades.

Lunasol, Addiction and IPSA Spring 2013 New Base Makeup

15 February will bring a bumper crop of new base makeup products from Lunasol, Addiction and Ipsa. Lunasol's Spring/Summer 2013 base makeup collection includes:

1. Skin Modelling Powder Foundation SPF20 PA++ (5775yen): This provides a soft focus lighting effect to give skin an inner glow, conceals pores and skin unevenness while being resistant against sweat and sebum.

2. Smoothing Makeup Base N SPF22 PA++ (3675yen): Cream primer designed to be used with Skin Modelling Powder Foundation. This helps to conceal pores, control oil and improve the lasting power of foundation.

3. Control Essence UVa SPF34 PA+++ (3675yen, 40ml): Sunscreen that can be used as foundation primer with a translucent finish. Helps to conceal pores.

Addiction will launch a new Tinted Skin Protector SPF50 PA+++ (4725yen, 30ml) in five shades: Tint No. 1 Ivory, No. 2 Warm Beige, No. 3 Medium Beige, No. 4 Light Beige and No. 5 Dark Beige. It acts as sunscreen, primer and foundation in one, with natural coverage. My guess is that this will replace the Tinted Moisturizer.

Ipsa will release Pure Protect Liquid Foundation EX SPF25 PA+++ (4200yen, 25ml) in six shades. This helps to conceal skin imperfections while providing a highly translucent, natural finish.

Ipsa's spring makeup collection will be released on 1 January in Japan. It includes Eye Color Pencil WP (2100yen, 4 shades), Lip Coat Gloss (2940yen, 6 shades), and Eye Color Contrast (2310yen, 3 variations).

Addiction Haul Pics and Review

My single largest purchase in Osaka recently was at the Addiction counter. As Addiction is currently sold only in Japan, I decided that I might as well get several products to play with. As some of you may already know, Addiction was introduced by Kose in July 2009 and designed by New York-based Japanese makeup artist Ayako, who is the former NARS International Makeup Director. At first glance, the NARS influences are obvious in the sleek black packaging, the selection of shades and even the font of the brand logo. If Jill Stuart is the flirty young sister who loves everything pink, then Addiction is like the more glam, leather-clad older sister in stilettos.

The eyeshadow shade selection is a refreshing departure from the usual offerings by Japanese beauty brands that have a tendency to be a bland sea of gradational pastels. When the line first debuted, it was notable for offering six black and six white eyeshadows in matte, pearl, metallic and sparkle textures. In contrast, there are very few pink, purple, green and blue shades in the line-up.

Fortunately, Addiction does not sport the same dust-magnet rubber packaging as NARS (which survives poorly in humid tropical weather). Instead, the compacts are a sleek, lightweight plastic. Like several Japanese brands, Addiction offers empty palette cases that you can fill with the eyeshadows and blushes.

Compact Case I (1050yen) can fit 4 eyeshadows while Compact Case II (1575yen, shown here) can fit 6 eyeshadows. A blush occupies the same space as two eyeshadows. I like the generously sized mirror in the case.

Face Colour #11 Gorgeous (2940yen, 3.9g) is slightly dusky pink nude with gold micro-sparkles. The sparkles do tend to be obvious when applied, so if you prefer a more natural finish, then Gorgeous is probably not for you.

For the eyeshadows, I was naturally drawn towards the more shimmery shades with a metallic finish. The textures of these eyeshadows feels incredibly silky smooth and they all have good colour payoff. These retail at 2100yen each. Below is 042P Screen

030ME Flash Back

45P Bad Romance

029ME Arabian Ruby

I also picked up three of the Lip Glosses (2625yen each). From top to bottom: 015 Dear Liar, 021 Cry Baby and 014 Azalea

All three have a good amount of shine and fortunately, no gritty glitter bits. Formulated with centifolia rose extract for moisturising benefits, there is no taste or scent. These last about three hours on me and did not feel sticky.

The slightly tapered doe-foot sponge applicator is quite nifty for getting a precise application, especially at the corners and bow of the upper lip. The applicator comes out of the tube with just the right amount of gloss.

After prepping my lids with Urban Decay Primer Potion, I applied Bad Romance from the inner corners to the middle of the upper lid and the outer half of the lower lashline; Screen at the inner corners and along the lower lashline; Arabian Ruby from the middle of the upper lid to the outer corner and Flash Back from the crease to the browbone area. I blended in Screen just above the outer half of the crease.

For this look, I also used Addiction's Primer SPF20 PA++ under Tinted Moisturiser No. 1, and Cry Baby lip gloss over a Cosme Decorte lipstick BE355. Instead of the usual liquid or powder foundation, Addiction carries only a Tinted Moisturiser (4625yen, SPF12 PA+) in five shades.

The Tinted Moisturiser provides a surprisingly good amount of coverage and helped to even out my skintone, although a separate concealer is still required for the under eye circles and more pigmented areas. It proved to be very easy to apply and blend, without streaking or caking. When applying it, there is a slight cooling sensation. The oil control is average and I still needed to blot every couple of hours. It contains centifolia rosa and rose hip oil to help keep skin hydrated.

Overall, I'm quite happy with my Addiction haul, in particular the Tinted Moisturiser and the eyeshadows. The products are well-formulated with elegant textures and simple, functional packaging. The prices are also reasonable for a department store brand, around the range of Shu Uemura.

Currently, Addiction has only 8 counters in Japan :
1. Isetan in Shinjuku, Tokyo
2. Seibu in Shibuya, Tokyo
3. Mitsukoshi in Ginza, Tokyo
4. Takashimaya at JR Nagoya station
5. Daimaru in Kobe
6. Daimaru in Shinsaibashi, Osaka
7. Umeda Hankyu in Osaka
8. Takashimaya in Osaka