Kate Winter 2012

Kate will release the following new products on 1 November in Japan:

1. Quick Exte Long Mascara: Waterproof mascara that contains 5mm fibres for extra lengthening effect while the long lift brush design helps to ensure nicely curled lashes. (1575yen)

2. Metallic Jelly Eyes: Gel eyeshadows with metallic shimmer in deep black and shiny gold (1050yen)

3. Lasting Gel Eyeliner N: 2 new shades, including matte black, with accompanying brush (1575yen)

4. Eyebrow Color N: Brow mascara in 2 new shades (892yen)

Ettusais Lip Essence (Honey)

Ettusais will release a limited edition version Lip Essence (Honey) and Lip Essence (Honey Stick) on 18 October in Japan. The liquid balm version will retail for 1260yen for 10g, while the stick version will be 1050yen for 3g. Both contain SPF18 PA++ and are infused with royal jelly, honey, hyaluronic acid and beeswax. They have a light honey scent and give the lips a sheer honey tint. See a swatch on Bea's Up.

While in Japan, I picked up a few limited edition designs that were exclusive to It's Demo and Plaza Style. The red version is limited edition for this summer. These made excellent gifts!

Integrate Winter 2012

Integrate will release its winter 2012 collection on 21 November in Japan. It includes:

1. Lash Real Glamour mascara: Volumising film-type mascara that can be removed with warm water. Resistant against water and sweat. (1260yen, 7g)

2. Pure Big Eyes VI700: smoky purple (1575yen)

3. Kira Wink Gel Eyeliner GY100: Smoky antique grey with pink pearl shimmer. Formulated with macadamia nut oil. (997yen, 0.28g)

Ayura Christmas Coffret 2012

Ayura will release a Glossaming Dress Coffret (10,500yen) on 23 November in Japan. It includes a Spirit of Ayura Perfume (20ml) and Solid Perfume (5g), Aroma Mist (49ml), Ayura Cocktail Jewel 30g with accompanying brush and a pouch. The Cocktail Jewel is a Meteorites-like highlighter powder balls in pink, green and white. See more pics on Kuri's Beauty Report and Glam.

On 23 October, Ayura will release a Meditation Body Balm (3675yen, 46g) which bears the same scent as their popular Meditation Bath. There will be a limited edition Meditation Time set (5250yen) that includes the Body Balm, Meditation Eau de Parfum 15ml and Nail Essence 10ml with the same scent.

(Pics from Kokusaishogyo.)

The Meteorites trend continues with Pola B.A. which has just released The Powder Pearl Illumination (15,750yen, 45g) with gold and white balls.

Cosme Decorte AQMW Makeup Coffret

Here are more details and pics of the Cosme Decorte AQMW Makeup Coffret (7875yen), which will be released on 1 November in Japan. Designed with a rose garden theme, the coffret includes a beige, brown and purple eyeshadow quad, a pearly pink lipgloss with red and purple shimmer, a pearly white loose powder and a powder puff. The loose powder contains five shades of pearl shimmers such as red, blue and purple, and it can be used on the body. See more pics on Aki Fukasawa, Beauty Info, Cosme Diary, Senkoya, and here.

SKII Holiday 2012

For the holiday season, SKII will release a limited edition version of their bestselling Facial Treatment Essence (215ml, 20475yen) in a bottle designed by Rochas on 21 November. There will also be a Stem Power Rich Cream Special Coffret (25,200yen) which includes the Stem Power cream (80g) and new Stem Power Rich Cream (50g).

Shu Uemura x Karl Lagerfeld Preview with Uchiide Kakuyasu

Shu Uemura Global Creative Director Uchiide Kakuyasu conducted a series of Learning Atelier sessions at Selfridges earlier today with an exclusive preview of the forthcoming Karl Lagerfeld collection. Uchiide has been with the brand for more than 20 years, working for many years alongside Shu Uemura himself.

Speaking in English, Uchiide explained that the collaboration with Lagerfeld was a long-time dream of his which finally came true a year ago, when he visited Paris to discuss the collection with the latter. Lagerfeld is a longtime customer of their Paris boutique as he uses Shu Uemura eyeshadows for his fashion illustrations. Describing the collection as "the master of fashion meets the master of beauty", Uchiide said that the inspiration for the shades came from Lagerfeld's archives and represented a mix of classical tones with modernity.

Uchiide demonstrated two looks using the Smoky Bordeaux palette. For the first look, he applied the purple Painting Liner with a 5F brush along the upper and lower lashlines, smudging it out with his fingertip. He highlighted that the 5F brush is good for definition while the 5R brush was good for blending and lining.

Next, he used brush #10 to apply the dark purple shade from the outer corner of the upper eyelid towards the inner corner, and then blended the brown shade on top with the #12 brush. He used brush #14 to gently sweep the light purple shade in a windshield wiper motion over the middle of the eyelid and in the crease and along the lower lashline, before finishing by applying the glittery brown shade along the lower lashline.

He explained that the two palettes are designed to be easy for anyone to use without the need for any complicated techniques. Although Shu Uemura is a makeup artist brand, their philosophy is "beautiful makeup starts with beautiful skin" and that makeup should be used to enhance one's individuality and beauty, instead of covering up flaws. Hence, the brand places great emphasis on taking good care of one's skin, with its signature products like their iconic cleansing oils and their new Tsuya Essence, which helps to boost the inner glow and elasticity of skin. With good skin, there is less need for foundation.

Here's a closer look at the Smoky Bordeaux palette, which consists of 5 powder eyeshadows and one powder blush. It is designed in Japan and made in Korea. I asked Uchiide about the reason for the shift from producing their eyeshadows in Japan to Korea. He replied that as a global company, they choose the production location based on the best quality and that this was not to save costs. In formulating their eyeshadows, they look for three elements: color definition, texture and the "fit"/adherence on skin to ensure that there is no fallout.

To be honest, I wasn't wowed by the collection initially after seeing pics of it online. However, this changed completely after swatching the two palettes. The eyeshadows have a incredibly refined silky texture and good payoff, without any powdery kickup or gritty glitter bits flying all over the place. The blush pan is a tad small but the true highlight of these palettes are the eyeshadows.

The dark purple shade with micro pink shimmer in particular is a beauty.

Here are some quick swatches without any primer.

Uchiide did a more subtle, gradational look on the model's left eye by applying the dark brown shade over the upper lid, blending the rosy brown shade on top and the glittery brown shade along the lower lashline.

On the lips, he used a red lipstick.

The collection includes four lipsticks, of which two are more dramatic shades and two are more natural.

He finished by applying the mini lashes.

There is also a set of Premium Eyelashes.

The iconic eyelash curler comes with a Mon Shu Girl charm. It also features a red rubber pad.

Smoky Velvet is the more "masculine" and cool-toned of the two palettes.

The goodie bag prepared for the participants was extraordinarily generous. It included a Depsea Hydrability Intense Moisture Filling Mask, Ultimate Natural Mascara, Stage Performer Signs-off Instant Replenishing Line Smoother, Cleansing Oil Premium A/O Advanced, and a sample of the new Tsuya Essence.

And to top it all off, our very own Mon Shu Girl pin! There was a £30 registration fee for the class, which was fully redeemable so I picked up one of the new Chocolate palettes for fall. We were also able to pre-order the Karl Lagerfeld collection, but the registration fee could not be used to pay for that.

Below are more photos from the event. The collection will be launched around mid-October in Selfridges, which will have it exclusively for two weeks ahead of the other counters in the UK.

Hope you've enjoyed this preview of the collection!

Operation Use It Up

During my trips this month, I was able to use up a boatload of samples and travel-sized products. I usually try to bring just enough for the trip in order to free up space for my purchases!

Cle de Peau Gentle Balancing Lotion: This works nicely to refresh and moisturise skin, without making it feel sticky. Perfect for the humid summer weather.

L'Occitane Angelica Face Toner: This helps to refresh and hydrate skin, but it seems to make my skin get oily quite soon thereafter. This was a freebie with a magazine. I won't re-purchase it as I'll be switching back to Paula's Choice which is better able to address acne-prone skin. The ingredients list is below.

Paul & Joe Moisture Lotion N: This is the more deeply hydrating lotion by the brand. It has the usual orange scent and a light milky texture that takes awhile to absorb. This would be better for the harsh winter months or dry skin types.

RMK UV Face Protector SPF43: This is the revamped version with a higher SPF (the previous version offered SPF35). The light, non-greasy texture and subtle citrus scent is virtually identical to the original version. While it absorbs quite nicely and works well under makeup, it is not sweat proof. My husband used this and had whitish rivulets on his temples.

Elemis Papaya Enzyme Peel: This anti-ageing peel mask did not tingle or sting at all, so it seems to be very gentle. My skin felt softer but not significantly smoother or more radiant.

Philosophy Summer Grace Shampoo, Bath & Shower Gel: This has a soothing but rather forgettable floral scent and does not strip the skin. I won't re-purchase this.

Rituals Yogi Flow Foaming Shower Gel Sensation: I love the Rituals shower gels for their beautifully scented dense foam. Yogi Flow is a sweet mix of Indian rose and sweet almond oil. It is pleasant enough but not as amazing as the mandarin-scented Fujiyama. This does leave my skin feeling slightly dry though. It contains sodium laureth sulfate. The ingredients list is below.

Pecksniff's Mood Therapy Happy Nourishing Conditioner, Happy Revitalising Shampoo and Alive Bath & Shower Gel: This set was provided in a hotel that I stayed in some time ago. None of these were particularly impressive.

Pantene Repair & Protect Conditioner: It's been awhile since I used Pantene haircare. This worked quite well for keeping my hair soft and tangle-free without any build-up.

Clarins Eau Dynamisante Shower Gel: This has an unusual bracing scent but I don't like it enough to want to re-purchase it. The ingredients list is below.

Clarins Satin-Smooth Body Lotion: True to the name, the light texture absorbs easily into the skin without making it feel greasy. There is a very light floral scent.

Some other sample sachets that I used up: L'Oreal EverPure Shampoo, Nuxe Fondant Body Scrub, Fekkai All Day Hair Plump and Beaute de Kose Ultimation Cleansing Cream. The Kose cleansing cream did not rinse off cleanly while the Fekkai plumping cream didn't do much for my hair at all. The Nuxe body scrub provided good exfoliating action. EverPure Shampoo is not hydrating enough for my hair.