Here's a sneak preview from Biteki.com of the Spring '09 collections from Magie Decorte and Cosme Decorte due out on 16 December in Japan.
Susie N.Y. will launch a small limited edition holiday collection on 25 November in Japan. The collection includes a Jewel On Multi Powder (1995yen) and three nailpolishes (840yen).
The Jewel On Multi Powder is the usual shimmery face highlighter and blush with shades of White Gold, Lucent Green, Pure Pink and Gold Pink.
The nailpolishes include two new LE shades, Nail Color Lustre X in X04 Nobility and X05 Sugar Candy, plus a Gloss Coat Shaking X, which is basically a clear top coat product that can be transformed into a glittery clear top coat simply by shaking up the bottle to move the glitter bits around.
Maquillage will release its Spring '09 collection on 21 January in Japan. As Maquillage enters its fourth year, the product lineup will be revamped with new packaging that features an "M" on the eyeshadow and face palette cases as well as reformulations of the single eyeshadows, foundations and lipsticks. The new theme of the brand is the "modern, ideal face", with an emphasis on light and shading to create a more appealing look.
1. Moisture Rouge (Color On) lipstick: 12 shades
2. Moisture Rouge (Sheer) lipstick: 9 shades
3. Lip Essence EZ (lip base)
4. Eyes Creator (3D): 5 palettes in BR363, RD364, GY865, GR366 and VI367
5. Face Creator (3D): 4 palettes in #11 Nuance Red, #22 Nuance Beige, #33 Nuance Coral and #44 Nuance Pink
6. Eye Color N: 15 shades in 3 textures (Clear, Shade, Flash)
7. Eye Color N (Cream): 10 shades in 2 textures (Highlight Base, Cream Liner)
Each Eyes Creator palette contains a highlight base (1), a clear color (2), a shade color (3), a flash color (4) and a cream liner (5).
Each Face Creator palette includes a flash color (1), a highlight color (2), a cheek color (3), a shade color (4) and a nuance color (5).
The new base makeup collection for Spring/Summer '09 will debut on 21 February. It includes:
1. Lasting Powder UV Foundation: 8 shades, SPF25, PA++
2. Lasting Liquid UV: 8 shades, SPF25, PA++
3. Styling Keep Base UV SPF24 PA++
4. Concealer Stick EX: 3 shades SPF25 PA++
5. Compact Case N
Ebihara Yuri and Shinohara Ryoko will continue as spokesmodels for Maquillage while Ueno Juri, Tsuchiya Anna and Taiwanese model/actress/singer Pace Wu Peici will join as the new faces of Maquillage.
Several makeup brands have launched their Christmas collections in Singapore this week including Beaute de Kose, Shu Uemura, Paul & Joe, Givenchy, Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent and RMK.
With the yen's quick rise in the past few weeks, some brands actually became cheaper to buy in Singapore than Japan. For example, Beaute de Kose's Christmas coffret costs 5250yen in Japan but only S$69 (about 4410yen) in Singapore. I picked up one set as a CP for my pal, Fleckenschnitte. I'm still contemplating whether to get one for myself as I liked the two Eye Fantasist shades which are very pretty with a lovely fine shimmer and smooth texture. The Eye Fantasist usually retails for S$38 each so the set is very worthwhile as it also comes with a peachy lipgloss, coral blush and a gold mascara.
The RMK kit also works out to be cheaper in Singapore at S$135 compared to 9975yen (S$156) in Japan but I could not get much color payoff when I tried swatching the eyeshadows on my hand so I passed on that.
The Paul & Joe Christmas collection was the one that I was most excited about but sadly it turned out to be a disappointment. On the face & lipstick kits, the face colors did not have a very smooth texture and the color payoff was medium at best. The lipstick shades were also super sheer with hardly any color payoff. The SA described them as more like lip balms rather than lipsticks. The kitty print white pouch was cute but overall the set was not really worth paying S$80 for.
I ended up getting the two fragrance kits (S$80 each), plus the new Pearl Powder #4 (S$30, 3g) which is a gorgeous metallic brown and the Eye Gloss N #3 Moonlight (S$36), a pretty silvery pale lavender. The kitty print yellow makeup case was S$60, and the trio of red Lipstick L in the metal tube packaging were a whopping S$45 each.
The Lipstick L shades were not unique or outstanding enough to warrant the high price tag so I passed on them. I was very impressed by the new Pearl Powders which are incredibly soft and finely milled, with a sparkly shimmer. These are an excellent alternative to MAC Pigments, which tend to have a chunkier textue. Of course MAC offers a much greater color range while P&J currently has only five shades available. I hope P&J introduces more shades in the future as they've got a superb winner on their hands with this. The new Eye Glosses are also excellent, with a texture that dries down nicely to a shimmery finish. The shades available are not very funky or radical but they are very easy to wear and would flatter most skintones.
The prices are cheaper in comparison to Japan where the fragrance kits and face color & lipstick kits are 6825yen each (about S$106) and the cosmetic pouch is 4725yen (S$73). Eyegloss N is 2625yen (S$41) and the Pearl Powder is 2310yen (S$36).
With purchase of S$200, the Isetan counter is also giving away the trolley suitcase with the poppy print, choice of one lipstick (old formula) and a Collection Sparkle Face Color from previous seasonal collections. The counters are supposed to receive a new GWP of a hobo bag with the new kitty print sometime next week.
The Shu Uemura Christmas collection by Mika Nakagawa was a winner for me. I was very tempted to get all three palettes but at S$115 each, I decided to get only the Secret Luscious Rose palette.
My second pick would have been the Midnight Winter Sakura palette but as both the Rose and Sakura palettes featured blue, purple and green shades, I thought they were too similar to justify getting both. Adorned Marguerite looks charmingly vibrant but I know I would not use the yellow and lime green shades in it. I also picked up the Drawing Pencil Mini Trio (S$45) which comes with a sticker of a blue rose. The SA also told me that they were waiting for some accessories that would be the GWP for purchases from the Mika collection (not sure of the minimum purchase amount) and that she would set one aside for me when they come in. The mini lipgloss trios were not outstanding enough to warrant the S$70 price tag so I passed on those too.
I also bought the Cleansing Oil in the new Advanced Formula (S$132) with the limited edition bottle featuring calligraphy by the late Mr Shu Uemura and received the Mika pouch as a gift. As the Mika pouch retails for US$29 in the US and is available in Japan only as a prize in a lucky draw contest, I thought that was a pretty cool gift!
Sorry for the lack of updates the past couple of days as I was on a work trip to Bali and had no internet access. Didn't get to see much of Bali except the hotel and the streets that we drove through to and from the hotel but the view of the ocean next to the Denpasar airport runway was pretty spectacular!
It's been awhile since I visited Changi Airport's Terminal 2 and I was surprised to find that it had a Victoria's Secret beauty counter. The range is quite expensive though with some of the body lotions costing around S$40 but they had some lipglosses for around S$12. Other brands that are now available at T2 are Jurlique, Laneige (skincare only), L'Occitane and Shu Uemura (including brushes and some travel-exclusive sets).
ck Calvin Klein beauty is also available exclusively at Changi Airport T2. I had been looking forward to checking it out as I was a devoted fan of its previous makeup line which was a big staple of my makeup bag when I first started working in 2000. Sadly, that line which had some of the most gorgeous lipstick shades that I've ever found, not to mention an excellent liquid foundation, bit the dust after the couple of years. The newest incarnation is a collaboration with Markwins, which did not produce the previous line (and it shows).
Overall, the new ck line was a big disappointment. First off, the white and clear plastic packaging looked cheap and felt heavy. The previous line's sleek metal and glass packaging was much more elegant in comparison. Secondly, the product packaging did not last well. I was trying to open the cap of the liquid concealer (which comes in a YSL Touche Eclat-like pen applicator) and the metal body fell right off leaving the internal tube still stuck to the cap! I gave up and dumped it back on the shelf.
Third, the foundations, which were a strong point of CK's previous line, were unimpressive with textures that did not appear to spread well or look natural. Plus there was a very limited number of shade options, usually only 5 or 6 per foundation. The lipgloss shade selection also looked like what one would get from a cheaper brand like Maybelline or L'Oreal. The squeeze tube applicators of some of the lipglosses also just screamed cheap. The line was quite affordably priced with nothing above S$50 but I just couldn't bring myself to shell out any money for it, despite my deep nostalgia for the previous CK line.
Changi Airport is often the first to get new perfume launches. I saw several perfumes that have not yet launched in the department stores here such as Sarah Jessica Parker's Covet Bloom (was really looking forward to this as the bottle is really cute and the description sounding intriguing with the inclusion of pikake flower, but sadly it was a strange floral concoction that I just could not love), Kylie Minogue's Sexy Darling, Kate Moss Velvet Hour, Juicy Couture's eponymous fragrance and Dirty English, Mariah Carey's Luscious Pink. The Juicy Couture fragrance was cute but it reminded me very much of Ralph Lauren's Romance.
I ended up getting Velvet Hour, which was surprisingly pleasant to me even though I'm usually not a fan of sandalwood. I've been looking forward to trying this as I love Kate Moss' first fragrance, the rose-themed Kate. I could hardly detect the sandalwood in Velvet Hour, which was a huge plus for me. The other notes in it are blue pepper, freesia, cashmere incense, patchouli, nutmeg, amber, ebony and wood. There was a 10% discount going on and a metal cuff bracelet GWP. After the discount, it cost about S$70 for the 100ml size.
I didn't see the metal cuff bracelet before I bought the fragrance and I must say I was disappointed when I opened up the box and saw that huge unappealing black stone. I doubt I'd wear this at all.
Have a wonderful weekend, everyone!
This Christmas, Laneige continues its "Snow" theme with a Snow Shimmer Brighter, two Snow Eye Palettes and two Snow Shimmer Lipglosses. The snowflake motif seems to have become a staple in Laneige's seasonal makeup collections. Normally I adore anything with a snowflake motif but unfortunately the colors in this collection look a bit too washed out or just not interesting enough to grab my attention. But perhaps the palettes look better in real life.
Some pics of the Aube Couture press preview event from Biteki.com. The accompanying article reveals that this is the fifth 'renewal' of the Aube brand since its inception.
An extra large model of the Designing Double Mascara (3150yen) brush. Notice how the tips of the bristles are in hooked? That is supposed to help create a better separation effect and make the mascara easier to apply.
