According to Abe Sawako, Three will release their revamped base makeup range on 12 March in Japan. As part of the first renewal in four years, the new range comprises more than 80% organic ingredients. It includes:
1. Ultimate Protective Pristine Primer: Two types in Glow and Translucent
2. Flawless Ethereal Fluid Foundation in 7 shades
3. Ultimate Diaphanous Loose Powder: Two types in Glow and Translucent
4. Foundation Brush
More pics on Gorogolog and Tomoichi.
At Sephora France, I received a card sample of Lancome's upcoming new Miracle Air de Teint Perfecting Fluid Matte Glow Creator SPF15 which will debut on 20 January.
It purports to offer visible perfection as light as air. The glass bottle packaging with a dropper and formula are similar to Armani Maestro Fusion Makeup, with L'Oreal Magic Nude being the drugstore equivalent. (Both Armani and Lancome are made by L'Oreal, which has a habit of recycling product ideas across its brands.)
Miracle Air de Teint has a thin, runny consistency that spreads with a lot of silicone-y slip on the skin. The coverage is sheer to medium with a soft satin finish.
Comparing the list of ingredients of Air de Teint (above, apologies for inadvertently ripping part of it while detaching the card sample) with Magic Nude (below), the two are highly similar, being loaded with a variety of silicones. Denatured alcohol is also high on both lists, which could cause sensitivity for some people. Unlike Magic Nude though, Air de Teint contains a couple of skin-beneficial moisturising ingredients like rosa canina fruit oil and ruscus aculeatus root extract. This is probably to help justify the much higher price tag. Armani Maestro also has a similar ingredient list, with the addition of bitter orange flower oil and nelumbium speciosum flower extract.
Below are comparison swatches with Magic Nude #100 Porcelain. Miracle Air de Teint 03 Beige Diaphane is a tad too dark for me.
The pic above taken indoors with natural daylight while the pic below was taken under artificial lighting.
Air de Teint did not impress me much as it did not fully cancel out the redness in my skin. It also fell short in terms of camouflaging skin unevenness and large pores, especially those on my cheeks. It did not emphasise dry patches on my skin like Magic Nude did, as I made sure my skin was properly hydrated with Ren Vita-Mineral Day Cream beforehand. My T-zone started to show shine after an hour despite the dry winter weather. Overall, I think this would work better for normal skintypes that do not need much coverage.
The winter sale just started officially in France on 8 January, so we took a quick drive across the border to a mall nearby. At Sephora, there was quite a good selection of sale items from By Terry, MUFE, YSL and Guerlain.
I picked up By Terry Eclat de Rose Sheer Tinted Moisturizer No. 1 Light at just half price, plus Sheer Expert #1 Fair Beige and Gloss Terrybly Shine #5 Wine List, a lovely shimmery deep plum, both at 30% off. Sheer Expert has been on my to-buy list for several months while the Eclat de Rose Sheer Tinted Moisturizer is new to me. I just tried on Eclat de Rose and it's instant love as it looks so incredibly natural and imperceptible on my skin while giving it a more polished and even texture without the made-up look and more opaque coverage of Densiliss.
There were two YSL Pure Chromatics quads on sale, #12 (black/grey/silver) and #6. Naturally, I picked the more colorful #6. While searching for a dirty greyed mauve lipstick, I somehow ended up getting tempted by Chanel Rouge Allure Extrait de Gloss #72 Controversy from the holiday collection, another deep berry shade to add to my collection. Then I came home and read on Wondegondigo that it applies patchily...sigh. Still, it's sooo pretty.
At L'Occitane, I broke my no-buy on shower gels and picked up several of their offerings for 40% off. Well, go big or go home, right? My husband's response was predictably "Oh. My. Gawd." There's someone who does not appreciate the textural difference between a wobbly shower jelly and a shimmery shower gel. Anyway, I think we are stocked up well till 2015 at least!
While hunting for my baby's Pelsano bath emulsion at a Swiss pharmacy, I spotted the Dior Bird of Paradise collection (Summer 2013) on clearance at half price. I stopped hauling Dior quints last year as I felt that the finishes did not really justify the high price tag. But at 50% off, I couldn't resist getting the Blue Lagoon and Peacock quints for CHF45 each. Dior rarely does teal combinations so I was happy to add these to my collection.
Candy Doll, the makeup range produced by popular model Masuwaka Tsubasa, will launch its revamped base makeup line on 28 February online and 3 March in stores in Japan. Targeted at ladies in their teens and 20s who desire a natural bare-skin look, the line-up includes:
1. Face Powder in Crystal and Marshmallow (1683yen)
2. Makeup Base N Aurora White (1838yen)
3. Liquid Foundation N in Light Beige and Natural Beige (2048yen)
4. BB Cream in Light Beige (1554yen)
5. Powder Foundation N in Light Beige (2048yen)
6. Shading Powder N (1449yen)
7. Twin Concealer in Light Beige and Orange Beige (1449yen)
Thanks to my MakeupAlley Secret Santa, I received the new Rimmel Stay Matte Liquid Mousse Foundation 010 Light Porcelain. This is described as a feather light, oil-free formula that delivers all day shine control and a natural looking matte finish while minimising the appearance of pores. It is available in 5 shades in the UK, versus 8 in the US. You can find it on ASOS.com for £5.99 with free international shipping.
Earlier mousse foundations from brands like Maybelline and Bourjois did not work that well for me but nevertheless, I was curious to try this out. Made in England, Stay Matte Liquid Mousse is high in silicones and quite well-pigmented so only a pea-sized amount is required for one application. Using too much makes this look heavy and artificial. It transforms to a matte powder finish on the skin. I like to top this with a light dusting of Guerlain Crazy Meteorites Pressed Radiance Powder for a more polished and subtly radiant finish.
010 Light Porcelain was a tad pale when freshly applied on my skin but after some time, it adjusts to a more natural tone on me. It has a more pinkish neutral undertone compared to Rimmel's Wake Me Up #100 Ivory, which swatches significantly darker and more yellow-toned. Rimmel's Match Perfection 010 Light Porcelain is a tad darker and more sheer, satiny finish compared to Stay Matte.
Stay Matte worked well for me in terms of oil control and covering up my pores and skin redness. In the winter weather over here, my skin is less oily than usual so even after four to five hours, only my T-zone showed a sheen. It lasts well throughout the day and even without blotting, my skin does not become a greasy mess whereas blotting was required more frequently with Match Perfection and Wake Me Up. I liked the coverage that it provided and how well it lasted on my skin. It's one of those foundations that looks better some time after application, after mixing with the natural oils from your skin.
Like other mousse foundations, it does not play well with dry skin, so moisturising beforehand is necessary. I've been using Ren Vita-Mineral Day Cream, which goes well with Stay Matte Liquid Mousse. Overall, I think this is a good affordable option for normal oily skintypes that require medium, long-lasting coverage.
Prestige beauty brands are usually significantly more expensive over here in Switzerland compared to Singapore so I usually wait until the post-Christmas sales to indulge when there are discounts of up to 50% even on brands such as Chanel and Dior. There are plenty of choice pickings available such as at Marionnaud which was clearing its Lancome Dreamtone coffrets at 40% off.
At Manor department store, I picked up a Helena Rubenstein Lash Queen Mascara Sexy Blacks set that was marked down to CHF25, from CHF44. Helena Rubenstein's mascaras regularly top the reader polls in Japanese beauty magazines. Their Lash Queen Feline Blacks didn't really knock my socks off but I decided to give Sexy Blacks a whirl anyhow. I've never tried anything from Rodial as their products are gimmicky to me, but this rose-flavored Glam Balm Lip SPF15 was pretty affordable at CHF11, down from CHF19. Rodial touts it as being made with "stem cell technology", which I honestly doubt does very much at all.
This Lancome Genefique Yeux Light-Pearl set was marked down to CHF55 from CHF91.
UNE, an eco-conscious brand made by Bourjois, had this smoky eyeshadow trio and mascara set marked down to just CHF15. The eyeshadow and mascara normally retail for over CHF25 each. The set also includes a black tank top.
At Marionnaud, I scooped up Shiseido Benefiance Enriched Balancing Softener and Creamy Cleansing Emulsion at 40% off for my mother. I also picked up a Dior Skin Energizer Radiance Awakening Energizing Moisturizer, YSL Hydra Feel Lotion and Kenzoki Fresh Ginger Fluid, also at 40% off.
The Shiseido Eye Color Bar palette was not on sale but it came in a nifty coffret with deluxe samples of their Perfect Mascara and Lacquer Rouge RD607. The SA also included samples of their new Ibuki skincare range.
All in all, it was a pretty satisfying haul! For spring'14, I'm looking forward to getting the Paul & Joe and Sleek collections. I should probably do a low-buy resolution for the new year, but these never last long for me as much of the thrill about makeup is playing with the latest products.
