In addition to the two makeup coffrets, Suqqu will be releasinng a Christmas Special Kit on 15 November in Japan. It includes:
* choice of any Suqqu foundation
* Masculate Massage & Mask Cream 48g
* Moisture Massage Scrub 30g
* Moisture Barrier Lip Cream 7g
* Chiffon Feel Loose Powder 4g (re-promote of the light pink powder originally released in the Fall/Winter 2012 collection).
The price range is 10,500yen to 12,600yen depending on which foundation is selected.
RMK will be releasing three value-packed kits for the upcoming holiday season. Below are the details and release dates for Japan.
Holiday Makeup Kit (1 November, 7350yen): Includes a palette, Lip Crayon EX01, Mascara Top Coat EX01, Nail Color EX08 and a pouch measuring 11x19x5cm.
Holiday Base Make Kit (22 November, 8400yen): Includes W Treatment Oil 20ml, Skin Tuner EX Moist 30ml, Creamy Polished Base N 02 10g, Gel Creamy Foundation 30g (choice of 7 shades), Translucent Face Powder P00 3g and a gold pouch measuring 10x18.5x8cm.
Holiday Body Kit (6 December, 4725yen): Includes a Body Soap 270ml, Body Butter 120g and Lip Balm 11g, all in a relaxing vanilla scent. The body butter contains rich shea butter, royal jelly extract and beta carotene while the lip balm is formulated with moisture-boosting hyaluronic acid and collagen.
My FeelUnique order of the new Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Iridescent Iris and the Eye Alchemy Assortment in Metallic Magic landed yesterday! The special purple packaging is for the holiday collection.
This is just a quick swatch post of Iridescent Iris. Made in Germany, the waterproof pencil is free of mineral oil, parabens and preservatives. Actually, the preservative-free claim is a tad worrying as eyeliner pencils can go bad! Anyway, it's supposed to have a shelf life of 24 months.
Turns out that aside from the usual top-notch velvety texture that one has come to expect of Pixi eyeliners, it's a great dupe of Three Flash Performance eyeliner pencil in Eye Belong , which retails for more than double the price! (See swatches of my Three pencils here). Three's eyeliners are also made in Germany.
The pic below shows Pixi Emerald Gold and on its right, Iridescent Iris. It's a blackened purple with pink and silver shimmer. I wore it yesterday for a few hours and it stayed completely smudge-free after setting. It also glided on with ease without tugging at the eyelid. It does not look overtly purple when applied, and is great for creating a smoky eye with a bit of shimmer. I think this is easily my second favourite Pixi shade after Emerald Gold and definitely back-up worthy.
The pic below shows Three Eye Belong and on its right, Pixi Emerald Gold. If you've been wanting Eye Belong but can't stomach the price tag, I highly recommend getting Iridescent Iris instead.
In the pics below (from left to right): Three Eye Belong, Pixi Emerald Gold and Iridescent Iris, Urban Decay Ransom and Binge, By Terry Royal Navy. You can see how patchy and uneven the Urban Decay eyeliners swatch in comparison to the smooth richness of Three, Pixi and By Terry.
Below are a couple of quick pics of the Eye Alchemy palette, will review this after I've played with it.
For Suqqu fans, do check out swatches and pics of the two holiday palettes on this Chinese blog. To be honest, I think the ultra high definition photography makes the shades look more mesmerizingly complex than they are likely to be in real life.
Maquillage has collaborated with three Japanese women's magazines, to create a trio of eyeshadow and lip palettes that will be released in December. Each palette contains three eyeshadows and one lip shade. Check out the pics of the creative process on the respective websites of Baila, Nonno and More. The Baila palette will feature a nude eyeshadow combination with a nude beige lip shade while the More palette will feature pink and brown shades for the eyes and a pink lip shade.
L'Oreal's latest liquid foundation, Magic Nude Liquid Powder, is often described as being a dupe for Giorgio Armani's Maestro so naturally I was curious to try it. The American version was released earlier in June this year with 12 shades available while the European version (made in France) has just launched in the UK where it comes in only six shades, with different shade numbers.
I purchased the lightest shade 100 Porcelain from FeelUnique.com where it is £9.99 for 20ml (with free international shipping). Boots.com has it on introductory offer for just £6.99 at the moment. The name in Europe is also slight different - Nude Magique Eau de Teint. Both the US and European versions have SPF18 but the US version contains slightly more product (27ml). In Switzerland, the lightest shade available is 140.
List of ingredients below.
Described as L'Oreal's lightest foundation formula ever, Magic Nude has a watery texture that feels ultra lightweight on the skin. Given the dominance of silicones on the ingredient list, it is not surprising that the foundation transforms to a slightly slippery feel on the skin without feeling overly powdery. It is recommended to apply this with one's fingertips, and not a brush or sponge. It takes some effort to blend in to ensure that it does not pool in the pores.
100 Porcelain turned out to be a good match for my MAC NC20 skintone.
Despite being so watery, I was surprised to find that it does offer some light coverage and helps to even out my skintone. A separate concealer is still needed for darker spots and under eye circles though. I think this would be more suitable for the hot summer months, when one does not feel like wearing heavy makeup but still wants some coverage. Pic below taken under indoor lighting
Pic below taken near window in natural daylight
One flaw of Magic Nude was that it brought out dry patches on my cheeks and nose which were not visible before I applied it. It is definitely much more suitable for normal to oily skintypes and not ladies with dry skin. This was similar to the experience I had with a sample of Armani Maestro. You can see the dry patches in the close-up shot below. Strangely though, the foundation looked better after a few hours and the dry patches became much less obvious. I had to blot my T-zone after 3 hours, while my cheeks remained relatively shine-free, which was pretty good by my standards. There was also no caking or oxidisation after several hours of wear. Overall, I did like the light texture although it does not provide the most flawless finish. The affordable price tag certainly helps too if Maestro is out of your budget.
For this look, I used Sleek Lagoon i-Divine palette which was released as part of the Aqua collection back in March. Although it was limited edition, it can still be found easily on Ebay.
Lagoon contains mainly shimmery shades with a couple of mattes thrown in. Nothing super unique if you already have a huge stash of i-Divine palettes, but it's still a fun palette to play around with for creating colorful looks.
BeautyHabit.com is offering the following gifts with purchase and they have the new holiday sets, Glossy Lip Colors and bodycare line in stock.
* Use the code PJSKIN with $65+ order for a skincare intro set with 3 deluxe minis.
* Use the code PJBAG with $100+ order for a cat-print bag with a full-size Eye-Lip Gloss Duo & Nail Enamel
* Use the code PJTOTE with $100+ order for a cat-print tote with Eye-Lip Gloss Duo & Nail Enamel
The codes expire on 18 October. Pity there're no actual photos of the gifts. See real life pics of the holiday kits and swatches on Iswii.net.
YSL Youth Liberator Serum Foundation is their latest anti-aging foundation, pepped up with their Forever Youth Liberator Serum for skin-firming benefits while offering medium-to-full coverage, 24-hour hydration and SPF 20 coverage. The patented Color Tune-Up Complex supposedly helps to correct dullness, giving you a newer, brighter complexion. In both Switzerland and France, this is available in only 6 shades from B30 to B70 whereas in the US, it comes in 10 shades including lighter shades B10, B20 and BR20. You can see swatches on Beauty Professor. (YSL foundations come in three categories: B for neutral Beige, BD for warm Beige Dore and BR for cool Beige Rose).
The sample of B30 that I received from my local counter looked distinctly yellow-toned on my skin when first applied but fortunately, it blended out quite nicely to a seamless natural finish. Due to the name, I was expecting this to be emollient like YSL's Le Teint Touche Eclat Foundation but the Serum Foundation actually transforms quickly into a powder finish on my skin. It has a light cream texture that takes some blending to smooth out over areas with enlarged pores and can be layered easily without caking. It offers at best medium coverage, as some of my darker spots were still visible.
It did not emphasise dry patches but I suspect this will be more suitable for normal to oily skintypes rather than dry skintypes which would appreciate the dewier finish of Le Teint Touche Eclat more. I liked the subtle glow that it gives my skin without feeling greasy and how it evens out the redness. In terms of oil control, it performed better than Le Teint Touche Eclat with my T-zone showing some shine after three hours. There was no visible oxidisation even after eight hours of wear. Overall, I was impressed by the Youth Liberator Serum Foundation. The only drawback is the hefty price tag (€59.50/US$69) which is quite a bit above Le Teint Touche Eclat (€44/US$55).
The pics above were taken under room lighting whereas the pics below were taken near a window in natural daylight. I did not set the foundation with any powder.
The online reviews of this foundation are mixed, which is not surprising as foundations tend to be very subjective depending on your skintype and the climate that you live in. If you are interested in this, do try to obtain a sample first.
