Here's the ad visual for RMK's fall collection, Autumn Brown, which will be released on 20 August in Japan. Brown eyeshadows are a big theme for this fall, according to the Japanese magazines, but it's just not a colour that I can get excited about!
Rimmel will release a new Stay Glossy lipgloss (997yen) and Soft Melting Gradation Eyes (1680yen) on 6 August in Japan. The spokesmodel is Japanese pop star Ayumi Hamasaki.
Pics from Voce
Love Clover will release Petal Nectar Gloss (882yen) on 6 August in Japan. Available in eight shades, this is formulated with seven types of flower extracts and treatment ingredients to keep lips moisturised.
There will also be a new Marshmallow Fit Moist Essence Cream Foundation SPF25 PA++ (2415yen), Marshmallow Fit Airy Powder Foundation SPF28 PA++ (3150yen) and Vanish Lipstick (1470yen, 2 shades). Both foundations will be available in 5 shades.
Pics from Biteki and Voce.
Awhile ago, Izzie from MusingsofaMuse gifted me with this Hard Candy Welcome Matte along with a host of other Hard Candy pretties. As the name suggests, it is basically a mattifying face powder that you can dust on top of your foundation. Hard Candy is currently sold only at Walmart in the US, which is a pity as it has an interesting range of products.
I like the simple packaging of the powder compact, which is about the same size as a MAC powder compact.
The powder pan flips up to reveal a mirror under the pan and a cute pink heart-shaped sponge, which I never use as I prefer to use a powder brush for a smoother finish.
The catch for the lid is not very firm enough and pops open with the lightest of touches so if you have this rattling about in your bag, chances are it will flip open.
While the powder does look nice and smooth when applied, it has a few drawbacks. The mattifying power is just a couple of hours at best, after which I find myself back to blotting regularly throughout the day. When I touch my brush to the surface, it tends to throw up a ton of loose powder bits which can get quite messy. The powder applies with a slightly whitish cast so it is probably suited only for very fair to light skintones.
Still, at just US$8 for 7.6g of product, this is a face powder that won't break the bank and can last you a good while. I also like the fact that this is made in the US and yet still so affordable. But if you have super oily skin like me, then you may want to look for something else with better oil control properties.
Here's the ingredients list. The first ingredient is talc.
The Anna Sui website has been updated with the Autumn 2010 makeup collection, plus a new wallpaper and screensaver. The collection should be available in Singapore sometime in August.
It was interesting watching the beauty blogging world explode in collective rage at the MAC Rodarte collection that is due to be released in September. In case you haven't read about what's causing so much anger, I recommend reading these posts on British Beauty Blogger and Make-up by Katy. To soothe the outrage, MAC has announced that it will be changing the product names in the collection (e.g. Factory, Juarez) and making a $100,000 donation to a non-profit organisation that has a proven track record of improving the lives of women in Juarez, a Mexico border town notorious for the large numbers of missing and murdered young women. Rodarte has also issued an apology.
As other bloggers have already written eloquently on this issue, I thought I'd just make a few observations here.
1. The cynic in me thinks that someone in MAC or Rodarte's PR office is probably still laughing because there's no such thing as bad publicity. Never before have so many beauty blogs covered a MAC collection simultaneously. Rodarte was even less well known outside of the fashion world before all this.
2. After this has blown over, as most controversies inevitably do, people will probably continue to chase the next limited edition MAC collection. The profits that MAC makes from one limited edition collection are probably far in excess of $100,000.
3. The ad visual for this collection is completely vile. It may work for the fashion world (remember heroin chic?) but definitely not for the average consumer.
4. The Quinceanera blush looks like it is streaked with rivulets of blood.
5. Anyone notice how the biggest beauty blogs that receive truckloads of MAC products as press samples regularly have not said anything negative about MAC and Rodate in this entire fiasco? Instead, they are busy hobnobbing with MAC artists on Twitter. And everytime you view their blog, you are adding to their ad revenue stream by adding to their number of page impressions.
6. Unlike MAC, Rodarte has not put its money where its mouth is. Why doesn't Rodarte donate all the royalties that it will receive from MAC for this collection?
7. My guess is that this collection will still sell because some consumers are either not aware of the controversy or do not care about it enough to boycott MAC. What would be really sad would be if these products became even more sought after after all this publicity.
8. Aside from boycotting MAC, why not do something that actually makes a difference? You may not be able to do much about the horrific situation in Juarez but you can show more kindness and consideration for the people around you. Do a random act of kindness, volunteer, make a donation, spend more time with your parents, help a stranger in need etc. Do something to give thanks that by the lottery of your birth, you do not have to suffer as the women in Juarez do on a daily basis.
Dropped by Topshop at Ion Orchard earlier this week to check out the blushes, which have been restocked. There are 6 shades available, each retailing for S$13. Considering that these are manufactured in Italy, I would say they are quite a steal! Each contains 4g of product, compared to 6g for MAC's Blushcreme (US$18.50).
I picked up Neon Rose and Crushed Berry. The cream blushes apply without any greasiness and dry quickly to a smooth powder finish. They are super easy to blend with the fingertips for a natural hint of colour. Just dot three small dots on the apples of your cheeks and blend. The colour payoff is good and can be layered for greater intensity but personally, I prefer a more sheer finish as I don't like my blush to be too obvious and overdone.
Although I'm not a fan of the polka dots on the case, I find the lightweight slim case to be very convenient, especially for touch ups on the go as there is a mirror under the lip.
Here's the look that I did today with Crushed Berry blush, Paul & Joe Dual Powder Foundation UV 20 and Lip Crayon Duo #5 topped with Fresh Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment, Guerlain Meteorites Butterfly Pearls, K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 01 and Dior Cinq Couleurs #743 Coquette.
Here's the ingredients list for the Topshop blush.
If you're interested in the upcoming Paul & Joe fall collection, Clair de Lune, do check out this excellent Iswii.net post for real-life pics and swatches of the Face & Eye Color CS and cat-head lipsticks! The collection launches in Singapore on 27 August.
Majolica Majorca has updated its website with Chapter 28, Queen of Decoration. The Flash website is still showing the animation for Chapter 27 after you click 'Enter' but this should be corrected soon.
Stopped by the Bobbi Brown counter in Isetan Scotts today to ask about the Denim & Rose collection. According to the SA, it should be launched in the 2nd-3rd week of August. The palette doesn't appeal to me that much but the Denim Ink Long-Wear Gel Eyeliner looks tempting! Karlasugar has posted swatches of virtually the whole collection.
Ettusais will release a new Duo Pact foundation (2940yen) and Aqua Splash M on 16 September in Japan. The Duo Pact foundation has SPF16 PA++. The top quarter of the foundation is a lighter-coloured oil-absorbing powder to help the foundation last longer. You can see more pics of it on Kyoko Iida's blog.
The Aqua Splash M (1260yen, 40ml) is an oil-free moisturising mist formulated with trehalose. This will probably retail for S$28 in Singapore, as that is the price of the oil-absorbing Aqua Splash (in the blue packaging) that is now available at Ettusais counters in Singapore.
