Lisa Eldridge Japanese Makeup Video

Lancome's Makeup Creative Director Lisa Eldridge just posted this excellent video tutorial in which she talks about Japanese makeup trends and shows off her haul from Japan, including Albion Gel Mask Foundation, Visee Nudy Rich Eyes BE7 and Lip & Cheek Cream, Dolly Wink mascara and lashes, K-Palette 1 Day Tattoo eyeliner, Cle de Peau concealer and Aube Long Keep Rouge. Her blog post with links to purchase the products is here. If you're interested in the Albion foundation, Adambeauty.com has it in stock but with only the two lightest shades available at the moment for about US$66.

Aube Couture

Picked up some more info on the revamping of Aube in December. The new brand will be called Aube Couture with point makeup (i.e. eyeshadows, lipsticks etc.) to be launched in December and the base makeup line (foundations etc.) will be launched next March. The packaging is supposed to be more gorgeous and elaborate compared to Aube, with some rhinestones, similar to Esprique Precious and Coffret D'Or.

It looks like the mega-brand trend that Shiseido started with Maquillage, and followed by Kanebo with Coffret D'Or and Kose with Esprique Precious, is here to stay.

Aube to be discontinued?

Yet another brand bites the dust... I just read on 2Channel that come December, Aube will be revamped and replaced as a new brand, to be called "Eternal Aube" with the spokesmodel rumoured to be Japanese model Shiho. It's always sad to see familiar brands like Aube, T'estimo, Raycious go but I guess, as the Chinese saying goes, if the old don't go, the new won't arrive.

Aube has been one of my favourite Japanese drugstore brands for the past couple of years, starting with their Jewellery Shower Eyes line. Like any major brand, they have hits and misses in their line-up and I haven't purchased anything from Aube for awhile now. But I always liked its youthful feminine and cheerful image and products that had a greater sense of fun than the more mature brand positioning of, say, Maquillage and Coffret D'Or.

Aube Website Update

Aube has updated its website with the new summer collection, including break-downs of the products used for creating the three looks, Sweet Shine, Pure Shine and Smart Shine.

Aube Gel & Shine Eyes

Biteki.com has posted some pics from the Aube Summer'08 collection press preview party. The focus was on the new Gel & Shine Eyes.


This pic demonstrates the gel eyeshadow's excellent water-resistant capability compared to another cream eyeshadow which faded after coming into contact with water.

Aube x Voce Collaboration

Aube has teamed up with Voce magazine to produce two limited edition items, Glossy Fruitina Shiny Pink (2100yen, 11g) and Airy Splash Powder Shiny Pink (4200yen, 16g) to commemorate Voce's 10th anniversary. The Airy Splash Powder feels cool upon application, similar to Prescriptives' Magic powder, and it has shiny pink pearl for adding a healthy glow.

Both wlll be released on 14 June in Japan.

Aube Summer '08

The Aube's Summer '08 collection website has been updated with the full collection.


1. Coil Comb Mascara (2940yen): Waterproof mascara in 2 shades. The brush head has three different features, a coil brush for coating the lashes from root to the tips, a comb brush for separating the lashes and a tiny brush at the tip for those hard-to-reach tiny lashes at the corners of the eyes and the lower eyelid.


2. Dual Color Eyeliner (2100yen): limited edition in 6 shades. Each features a darker shade with black pearl shimmer for lining the upper eyelid and a lighter, "shiny color" shade for lining the lower eyelid.


3. Gel & Shine Eyes (2625yen): limited edition gel eyeshadow and loose powder eyeshadow in 6 shades, which run the usual range of light metallic pastels that Japanese brands are so fond of doing.



4. Rouge Pure Stay (3150yen): 10 new shades OR721 Clear Orange, PK722 Clear Cherry, PK723 Stardust Pink, PK724 Crystal Pink, BE725 Sheer Beige, RS726 Rose Mauve, RS727 Jewel Rose, RS728 Red Rose, RD729 Melty Red and RD730 Beige Red.

Aube Summer '08

The second part of Aube's Summer '08 collection will be launched on 14 June in Japan and features the following:

1. Coil Comb Mascara (2940yen): waterproof mascara in 2 shades

2. Dual Color Eyeliner (2100yen): limited edition in 6 shades

3. Gel & Shine Eyes (2625yen): limited edition gel eyeshadow and loose powder eyeshadow in 6 shades

4. Rouge Pure Stay (3150yen): 10 new shades

There are currently only 2 reviews for Gel & Shine Eyes on Cosme.net, both of which are positive. According to the reviews, the loose powder eyeshadow has a nice shimmer while the gel eyeshadow really has a gel-like texture that is more pigmented than expected and easy to apply. Overall, the Gel & Shine Eyes also proved to be crease/fade-resistant. Sounds like a potential winner!

Aube Website Update

The Aube website has been updated with the new summer collection.

Here's the list of products used on the model for the "Sweet Happy" look:
1. Puffy Bounce Cheek #84 Pink
2. Puffy Bounce Cheek #86 Highlight
3. Impression Eyes EX01 Brown
4. Gloss Fruitina EX03
5. Double Designing Mascara BK911

For the "Smart Happy" look:
1. Puffy Bounce Cheek #83 Orange
2. Puffy Bounce Cheek #86 Highlight
3. Impression Eyes #54 Purple
4. Gloss Fruitina EX06
5. Double Designing Mascara BK911

Aube Summer '08

The Aube Summer Collection website is up! Do check it out :-) The collection will be released on 12 April in Japan.

Aube Summer '08

More details on Aube's Summer 08 collection which is set for release on 12 April.

1. Gloss Frutina lipgloss (2100yen): 4 new limited edition shades in EX3 Blood Orange (with blood orange and rosemary scent), EX04 Berry Berry Pink (berry and mint scented), EX5 Plum Pink (plum and lemongrass scented) and EX6 Apple Beige (apple caramel and chamomile scented)

2. Impression Eyes EX01 Cinnamon Brown (limited edition, 3675yen)

3. Puffy Bounce Cheek: #84 Pink, #85 Orange, #86 Highlight (2940yen).

Aube Summer '08

Aube's Summer 08 collection is set for release on 12 April. Aube's summer collection are usually much smaller than its spring or fall collections. The Summer '08 collection will feature 4 new limited edition shades of Gloss Frutina lipgloss (2100yen), one limited edition Impression Eyes palette (3675yen) and 3 new shades of Puffy Bounce Cheek loose powder blushes (2940yen).

Review: Awake Star Illusion Eyes EX1 & Aube Impression Eyes #52

I tried out Awake Star Illusion Eyes EX1 Moon Dust Blue and Aube Impression Eyes #52 (Green) over the past two days. Overall, I would give both 4 stars out of 5 but I wouldn't rate them as must-haves or the most brilliant purchase that I've made this year.

Awake Star Illusion Eyes EX1 Moon Dust Blue (right in the pics below) has a periwinkle shade that looks lovely in the pan but the blue tone hardly shows up when applied. In the end, the finished look was more of a silvery metallic grey rather than a play of blue and grey tones that I had expected. If you are looking for a true blue-themed quad, I would recommend Reflectance Eyes E3 Always Blue (left in the pics) instead which features a gorgeous selection of sky blue and lavender shades. Having said that, EX1 Moon Dust Blue is still lovely on its own, if less colourful than one would expect. The quality and texture of the eyeshadows is still top-notch, very silky with good colour payoff that can be layered for the desired intensity. The pearl shimmer is very fine without any chunky glitter.


Here's a pic of my whole Awake eyeshadow palette collection and a close-up of Reflectance Eyes E4 Mint Frost (limited edition) and E5 Mauve Mirage.


Aube Impression Eyes #52 (Green) is a good basic olive green palette. The cream base feels less emollient than the cream base in the Jewellery Shower Eyes quads but it is just as easy to apply. However, it is less sparkley than the base in the Jewellery Shower Eyes quads. The powder eyeshadows have the same soft texture as the Jewellery Shower Eyes. The color payoff is sheer at first but can be layered for greater intensity. The lightest green shade is very pretty and the spring green tone shows up beautifully when applied.

If you're looking for intense shimmer like wet crushed diamonds, I would recommend checking out Visee's Jewel Crush Eyes or Jill Stuart's Brilliance Eyes quads rather than the Impression Eyes which are more understated and subtle. I didn't find the colours in Impression Eyes #52 (Green) that unique or outstanding as they remind me of Testimo's Fresh Clear Eyes #3 Green and Aube's own Jewellery Shower Eyes EX01. The liner shade contains a "Black Pearl" powder that is supposed to help create a more dramatic, pigmented finish but when applied, I really couldn't tell any difference from the liner shades in the Jewellery Shower Eyes quads. Overall, I don't *love* it like I love the Awake Star Illusion Eyes EX3 Rosa Nova but I don't hate it either.

Aube Phone Accessory

Just wanted to share these pics of the Aube phone accessory that I received earlier today! What's super cute about it is that the reverse side of the Impression Eyes palette charm is imprinted with the interior of the green palette :-) Only the Japanese would be so incredibly detailed for something so small!

Awake, Aube & Kiss Haul

I thought this was going to be another boring weekend until my latest haul from Tokyo landed on my doorstep, courtesy of a dear friend :-) The EMS express post service from Japan never fails to amaze me with its speed and efficiency.



Here's what I got:

1. Awake Star Ilusion Eyes Stardom X1 and X3 (5040yen each): I've been a great fan of Awake's Reflectance Eyes Stardom series for some time now so when I saw the new limited edition Star Illusion Eyes series, I just had to get these. The external packaging is slightly different from Reflectance Eyes as the Star Illusion Eyes compacts are completely red with the cover being an intensely shimmery ruby that is just too gorgeous for words. The layout of the eyeshadow pans inside is identical to Reflectance Eyes except that the base colour shade is now on the bottom left while the nuance colour shade is on the top left. On the top right is the glitter colour for "adding a mysterious sheen" and below that is the usual dark liner shade.

According to the instructions printed inside the box, you're supposed to apply the base shade with the brush applicator over the whole eye area, followed by the liner shade along the upper lash line with the thin end of the sponge applicator. Then use the broad end of the sponge applicator to apply the nuance shade in the crease area. Finish off by applying the glitter colour on top towards the outer corners of the upper eyelid for added sparkle.

I haven't tried these out yet but the shades are very pretty in the pan, with lots of sparkle and pearl shimmers. There is also a good mix of pale, colourful and pigmented dark shades in each palette, which makes it more versatile as you can create both soft feminine looks and intense smokey eyes with each palette.



2. Aube Impression Eyes #52: This looks like another winner as the green shades in this palette have a lovely complexity to them. My friend also got me the adorable Aube phone accessory that features three mini charms, an Aube lipstick, an Impression Eyes palette and a Puffy Bounce Cheek! This is currently available on ichibankao.com for US$33.50 but I would recommend waiting for Adambeauty.com to get these in stock since Adambeauty is likely to offer it for about US$5 cheaper.


3. Kiss Twinkle Jewel Eyes: I decided to get this for the novelty factor, plus it was only 1470yen. It's also quite rare to see a Japanese eyeshadow trio that is comprised entirely of cream eyeshadows. It contains Snow Jewel (white), Nuance Pink, and Shiney Beige. Each can be used as an eyeshadow base or as a highlighter shade patted on top of your usual powder eyeshadow for added lustre and glossiness.

Aube Website Update

The Aube website has been updated with the Spring'08 collection which is already out in stores in Japan. The new Impression Eyes palettes have received good reviews on Cosme.net, with an average rating of 5.5 stars (out of 7) in 48 reviews. Most reviews praised the good colour payoff, flattering and easy-to-use colour combinations. The green palette, which is used by model Rinka in the ads, is the most popular.

This Chinese makeup blog has excellent close-up pics of the collection. But the Aube collection pics pale in comparison to the pics of the Esprique Precious spring collection on the same blog! Do check them out :-)

Aube Jewellery Shower Eyes

Aube's Jewellery Shower Eyes is one of my favourite Japanese eyeshadow palettes series of all time. Palettes that come with a cream eyeshadow base are nothing unusual in the world of Japanese makeup (Majolica Majorca and Kiss are two other brands that also have palettes with similar concepts) but what is outstanding about the Jewellery Shower Eyes series is the gorgeous sparkly shimmer in the cream base that is very pretty enough to even wear on its own. These come in an elegant slim leaf-shaped compact that nestles perfectly in my palm (don't you just hate clunky or weirdly-shaped palettes that are a pain to balance in one hand while you are applying makeup with your other hand?). I love these palettes for their excellent staying power, silky texture and gorgeous shimmery colour combinations that are virtually idiot-proof in terms of how to apply.

The palettes also come with two double-ended sponge/brush applicators that are super easy to use and makes these palettes perfect for bringing on trips as you do not have to pack a separate set of brushes. The sponge applicators help to layer the powder for greater intensity. For applying the cream base, I usually just use my little finger.

#31 Purple was my first acquisition from this line as I'm always a sucker for lovely purple and dark plum shades. It remains my favourite out of all my Jewellery Shower Eyes palettes and the one that I reach for the most often. This is the palette that I reach for when I'm not in the mood for experimenting with new colours. It's a fail-safe combination that always looks good even if it's not the trendy colour of the season.


I picked up #34 Pink (left pic) after being disappointed with the sheer colour payoff of #36 Pink (right). Both are a mix of sweet candy pinks but #36 features lighter shades that don't show up as well on me as those in #34. The cream base in #36 is also not as shimmery as those in other Jewellery Shower Eyes palettes.


And finally, my latest buy, EX02 which I tried out today. Overall, I would rate this 4 out of 5. I've never been a fan of brown eyeshadows so the colour combination in this palette was not the kind that would rock my world. But the eyeshadows do have excellent colour payoff with the usual superbly smooth texture and fine shimmer. The shimmery cream base in this is especially lovely. The gun metal grey shade is also great for creating a dramatic smokey eye or as an eyeliner shade for greater definition. The pale beige shade works well as an all over shade while the light chocolate shade is just pigmented enough to show up against the beige. I do have one peeve and that's the dull matte cover of this palette, which looks dull when compared to the other palettes which all have shimmery covers.


My lovely friend, The Muse, has also written a wonderfully detailed review of her Jewellery Shower Eyes collection over here on Specktra. Do check it out!

Japanese Holiday Collections Haul

My haul from the Japanese holiday collections finally arrived today courtesy of a dear friend in Tokyo!


Majolica Majorca Majolook Line Impact SV801 and PK122
Majolica Majorca's 2007 collections have largely been a disappointment to me. The Majolook Line Impact palettes released in spring had very strange color combinations while the blue-themed collection in summer was not very wearable for your typical conservative office environment. But Majolica Majorca's annual holiday collections are usually solid so I was looking forward to this year's collection to surprise me. The two eyeshadow palettes contain a lovely range of shimmery silvers and icy pinks. The silver shade in SV801 is very similar to the silver shades in GD852 and VI261 while PK122 is also similar to the pink/plum Majolook (Illuminator) #1 palette that MM released last Christmas except that the latter had a dark plum shade. Nevertheless, PK122 and SV801 are gorgeous in their own right and would make great additions to any makeup collection. However, all the shades are on the light side so you won't be able to create a very dramatic look with these but the dark cream eyeliners in each palettes are great for adding definition.



Majolica Majorca Snow Carat Powder
The holiday collections are usually dominated by a preponderance of shimmery highlighters. MM's Snow Carat Powder is an excellent affordable option if you're looking for a soft, super finely-milled powder to add some sparkle to your usual eyeshadow or blush. The sparkle in this is also very fine without any chunky glitter. It comes in a tiny tub with a cotton puff that is a bit tricky to use as it's so small but you can always use your own brushes for a more even application.


Lavshuca holiday palettes #1 Berry Creme Framboise and #2 Bon Bon Chocolat Classic
Lavshuca has copied the cardboard palette with elastic band design of Majolica Majorca's Siam/Persian holiday palettes from a couple of years ago. I absolutely adored the shiny metallic cover of these palettes which look much more glamorous and elegant than the MM palettes. Inside, each palette has a small eyeshadow trio and a lipgloss duo along with two brushes. The amount of product is really not much but then again, when was the last time that you used up a palette?! I certainly have yet to manage to finish a makeup palette! These are great fun to play with and I can't wait to see what Lavshuca will come up with next! Lavshuca's target audience is older than MM which is geared more towards the teenage segment so Lavshuca's products tend to be a lot more wearable than MM which has funkier or more mod colours.

My lovely friend, The Muse, has also reviewed the Lavshuca palettes here!


Awake Christmas Coffret set
The Prismatic Colors set is priced at 6825yen, which is very reasonable considering that you get a full sized face powder, mascara, lipgloss and mini nail polish. Awake's mascaras usually retail for 3150yen. I loved the mascara that came in their holiday set in 2006. The All Direction Stardom Mascara #1 Ultra Black in this year's set has an unusual brush with a flat tip. You're supposed to apply the mascara first using the middle part of the brush and then touch up the lashes at the inner and outer corners as well as the lashes along your lower lashline with the flat tip. I haven't tried it out yet so I'm not sure how well it works. The face powder is split in half with one half having a very fine shimmer for a more glowy finish while the other half is the standard velvety matte light beige shade that can be used as a finishing powder all over the face to set your makeup. The eyeshadow palettes are super tiny and adorable. The shades inside are unique and pretty, with the potential for creating a great variety of looks.

Another dear friend, Fleckenschnitte, has posted a wonderfully detailed review and photos of the set here. Do check it out!


Canmake Loose Cheeks #6 Pink Mauve and #7 Cinnamon Sugar
These are a great option if you're looking for a loose powder blush that gives a soft pop of colour with some shimmer. #6 Pink Mauve is the more wearable of the two. #7 Cinnamon Sugar is probably more suitable for tanned skintones. The convenient and sturdy packaging design also makes these great for popping into your bag for touch ups on the go. And the best part? These cost only 819yen each!


Aube Rouge Tiara Veil RD615 and PK613
I fell in love with these when I saw them featured on the Aube website. I'm happy to report that the lipglosses look as pretty and deliciously yummy in real life as they do on the website! I'm very pleased with the two shades I picked :-)


Aube Jewellery Shower Eyes EX02
I haven't played around with this yet so I'm not sure how it'll look on me.


If you have purchased any of the above holiday items, I'd love to hear your thoughts too!