Operation Use It Up!

Finally finished another batch of products!

1. Liese Clear Cube Wax 05: I didn't like this one much as the texture was a tad heavy even after diluting with water.

2. Kenzoki Clearwater Gel: Very refreshing toner that hydrates my skin effectively.

3. Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter: Love the sweet fruity scent and light non-greasy texture which absorbs very easily. I'll definitely re-purchase a full size after I get through my current stash of body lotions.

4. Testimo Eye Bright Up Base: This has been my daily staple for about five years now but as Testimo has been discontinued, I'll be switching to Urban Decay Primer Potion which has better lasting power but is a tad dry.

5. Ipsa Metabolizer Moist 2: This is the newly revamped Metabolizer that was just launched this fall. It does a pretty good job of hydrating my skin without any stickiness. It's a toner and moisturiser in one.

6. Kenzoki Blissful Beneficial Water: I love almost all of Kenzoki's body treatment sprays for their ultra relaxing scents. The scent lingers for quite awhile without being overpowering. This has since been revamped with a glass bottle packaging as Blissful Ginger Fizz.

7. Dior Miss Cherie L'eau: This is a green alternative to Miss Cherie which may be too sweet for some ladies. It has notes of bitter orange, gardenia and white musk. It is quite refreshing but a bit too green for my taste.

8. Jurlique Jasmine Shower Gel: I am addicted to the lovely jasmine scent of this shower gel! It is a bit watery but lathers up amazingly well without any need for a bath lily and leaves my bathroom smelling simply divine. It's horribly expensive at S$42 for a 200ml bottle so I would repurchase this only when there is a promotion going on. The ingredients list is below.

Update on Testimo/Revue

I checked with my favourite Kanebo SA today about the discontinuation of Testimo and Revue and she confirmed that Testimo will be discontinued in December and replaced by a new brand BUT Revue will continue! In addition, Testimo's products will not be phased out immediately. I guess it will be like Pied Nus which was continued to be sold after Maquillage was introduced but the product selection has dwindled over time. After Maquillage came out with their Double Shiny Eyes recently, all the PN Sparkling Eyes have been discontinued.

Testimo and Revue to be discontinued

Just read on 2Channel that the current fall collections for both Revue and Testimo will be their last. Come December, these two brands will be discontinued and replaced by a new brand, Coffret d'Or (not sure of spelling but it means 'gold box' in French). This is similar to when Pied Nus and Proudia were discontinued and replaced by Maquillage. And the bad news is that Coffret d'Or will be a "no print price" brand just like Maquillage and Esprique Precious. Which means no more drugstore discounts!! I really hate this 'no print price' trend in Japanese drugstore brands. Hope that the new brand will at least have more elegant packaging than Maquillage's weirdly shaped compacts and maintain the excellent quality of Revue and Testimo if not their affordable pricing. It's just so sad, to think that there won't be new Testimo and Revue collections to look forward to.

Testimo website update

The Testimo website has been updated with the fall collection, including a new makeup instructional video that is very easy to follow. Do check it out!

http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/testimo/

Fall Collection photos

Check out these fall collection pics from the August issues of CanCam! I almost jumped with delight in the convenience store when I saw the Jill Stuart collection photo, especially the new pressed blush. The Awake palettes look a bit disappointing though, hopefully they will be nicer in person. Here are the brief details on each brand.

RMK (release date: 24 August)

Nail Color N #98, #99, 2310yen

Beige Mix Gloss, 2940yen (#1 and #3 are shown)

Beige Mix Eyes, 3150yen (#3 and #6 are shown)

Beige Mix Cheeks, 3150yen (#3 is shown)

Paul & Joe (release date: 17 August)

Face Color #8 and #9, 2940yen

Face Color Powder CS N #52, #53, #54, 2730yen

Lipstick CS N #52, #53, 3045yen

Testimo (release date 16 August)

There will be 12 new single eyeshadows. Shown in the photo are GD25, BG24, BE18, RS17, BR71 and DG01.

Crystallish Gloss PK13, G005, RD06; 2310yen.

Awake (release date: 4 August)

Reflectance Eyes Stardom E6 and E7, 5040yen

Lip Lacquer Stardom #14 and #15, 2940yen

Nail Lacquer Stardom #50, 1050yen

Stila (release date: 6 July)

Baked Eyeshadow Floral Kitten and Mandarin Mist, 3885yen

Baked Cheek Color 3657yen

Lipglaze Mandarin Mist 4095yen

YSL (release date: 3 August)

Ombre Duo Lumiere, 5565yen

Palette Esprit Couture, 7665yen

Anna Sui (release date: 23 August)

Pressed Powder M 02 and M 03 (limited edition), 4200yen

Mini Rouge #302 (candy pink) and #700, 2100yen

Eye Color Accent #802 and #206, 2625yen

Liquid Eye Color #800 (gold), 2310yen

Sui Rouge V 360, 2940yen

Testimo fall collection

Testimo's fall collection "Mysterious Modern" will officially launch in Japan on 16 August (but likely to arrive in the drugstores 1-2 weeks ahead, going by previous launches). The collection includes:

1. W Designing Eyebrow (double-ended eyebrow shade with a pencil liner on one end and a powder on the other). Available in 3 shades. The pencil liner refills and powder refills will retail for 945yen each and the holder is 1260yen.

2. Colour Eyes N (single eyeshadow), 12 new shades. 1050yen each.

3. Crystallish Gloss, 3 new shades. 2100yen each.

Testimo's big collections are spring (Jan) and summer (June) every year when they release new eyeshadow palettes while their fall, winter and late spring (March) are usually much smaller releases. Unfortunately, the spokesmodel for the fall collection is still the very unpopular Asami Mizukawa... ick.

Awake, Jill Stuart and Testimo haul

Went down to the stores bright and early today to get the new Jill Stuart Brilliance Eyes #5 Mauve Pearl palette and as luck would have it, the Awake Reflectance Eyes E4 Mint Frost (limited edition) and Testimo summer collection had also just arrived in stores so I ended up getting all these palettes! The Testimo Grande Shine Eyes palettes were 2572yen after 30% discount at the drugstore. I'll be doing a round of CPs tomorrow (Saturday) so if anyone wants them, just PM me at MUA or Cozycot. Sorry for the short notice but after tomorrow, I'll be busy travelling with my family for the next few weeks :-) I'll be mailing out all the CP packages on next Monday.

According to the great SA I met at Awake, the fall collection is due out on 1 August (yay, just in time before I leave Tokyo!) and it will include two new Reflectance Eyes palettes in lavender tones and grey/blues. Can't wait to see them!

Testimo website update!

The T'estimo official website has been updated with the new summer collection which has the dual themes of "Pure" and "Modern". There are 2 very useful makeup videos on the website that show in great detail how to apply the new eyeshadow palettes. They make the steps look very easy. I highly recommend checking these out to pick up useful application techniques for Asian eyes, even if you're not interested in T'estimo products.

http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/testimo/

For the Gorgeous Modern look, the products used are:

1. Grand Shine Eyes #3 Brown

2. Shining Eyeliner EX02

3. Attractappeal Mascara BK-30 (first coat)

4. Strongproof Mascara 38 BK32 (used as top coat)

5. Grand Shine Rouge BE175

For the Pure Brightness look, the products used are:

1. Grand Shine Eyes #2 Grey
2. Shining Eyeliner EX01
3. Attractappeal Mascara BK-31 (first coat)
4. Grand Shine Rouge PK225

5. Lasting Gloss Coat

I also saw the testers for the two new shades of Pure Layered Blush, PK21 and OR21. PK21 is the typical light baby pink, most similar to Jill Stuart blush #1. It is paler and less rosy than PK20. PK-21 is used on the model in the Pure Brightness look while OR21 is used on the model for the Gorgeous Modern look. OR21 is a light apricot orange, quite similar to Jill Stuart blush #5. The new Grand Shine Eyes palettes are made with a new "Grand Shine" pearl formula that includes a highly reflective glass powder that has been coated with iron oxide for extra shine.

Testimo Gran Shine Eyes palettes

I had earlier posted about the upcoming Testimo summer collection that will be launched in mid-June. Today, I came across the Grande Shine Eyes testers at the drugstore and got a chance to play with them :-) Testimo is known for its shimmery eyeshadow palettes and these certainly do not disappoint. If you have already tried the Frame Impact eyes palettes that were released in Dec 2006, you'd probably be happy to know that the quality, texture and colour payoff of Gran Shine Eyes is very similar. All four shades in each palette have a different texture.

Starting from the left side, there is a shimmery white shade that is meant to be used as the base and as a highlighter. The highlighter shade is not as pigmented or as velvety to touch as the 3rd shade from the left (just like the white base shades in the Frame Impact palettes). The surface feels a bit harder and not as silky. The 2nd shade from the left is the most shimmery shade in the palette with better colour payoff. The 3rd shade from the left is the most pigmented and has the loveliest texture out of all the shades. It feels extraordinarily silky and soft with a more subtle shimmer. The final shade is a dark cream eyeliner shade. What I love about these palettes is that they are so convenient to use as you have everything you need in one portable palette, including two double-ended applicators. The eyeliner shades have a smooth creamy consistency that is easy to apply and lasts well.

#1 Pink: This is described as soft sweet pink and rose brown. It is the first column from the left in the photos posted below. The pink shade is a soft baby pink while the rose brown is very pretty! If you like rich taupe shades like Shu Uemura's ME945, you will love the rose brown in this palette. The eyeliner shade is a burgundy-tinged black.

#2 Blue: This is described as lavender silver and metallic silver grey. The silvery purple shade is quite pretty, not so pale that it looks white when applied. The silvery grey is a nice gun metal grey that is more flattering on Asian skin tones than a flat black if you're looking to create a smokey eye look. The cream eyeliner shade is a grey-toned black.

#3 Brown: This is described as sunset gold and bronze brown. The sunset gold shade is a very brilliant golden bronze shade that looks like it'll will be great used just about anywhere, in the crease, as a highlighter or lining along the lower eyelid. The brown shade is a pretty warm chocolate brown with more subtle shimmer. The eyeliner shade is a blackened emerald green.

#4 Rose: This is described as jewel rose and elegant blue-based violet purple. The jewel rose shade is more vibrant and a slightly deeper shade of pink than the pink shade in #1. It is also super sparkley like the golden bronze shade in #3. The purple shade is a dark shimmery grape/eggplant that will also be great for a smokey eye. The eyeliner shade is a purple-toned black.

The first two photos below were taken indoors where the shimmer is much more obvious. The third photo was taken near a window under daylight so the eyeshadows appear more muted. The final photo is the tester which includes the new lipstick shades that will be launched but I didn't try these out.

Edited to add these two pics of swatches of the Frame Impact Eyes series (released in Dec 2006) and Layered Impact Eyes series (released in Aug 2006) for ease of comparison :-)

T'estimo summer collection

Finally, a Kanebo brand that is releasing an interesting summer collection! Testimo's star product is its eyeshadow palettes. This time, they're doing a new series Gran Shine Eyes (3675yen) instead of adding to the Frame Impact Eyes series but the Gran Shine Eyes packaging looks almost identical to Frame Impact. Each palette comes with a cream eyeliner shade and 3 shimmery powder eyeshadows.

1. Gran Shine Eyes palettes

#1 Pink: soft sweet pink and rose brown
#2 Blue: lavender silver and metallic silver grey
#3 Brown: sunset gold and bronze brown
#4 Rose: jewel rose and elegant blue-based violet purple


2. 4 new Color Eyes N in PU59, Pk43, BU61 and GN32, 1050yen
3. Strong Bloomer Mascara 38 in black and brown: sweat, tear and sebum-resistant mascara that can be easily removed with warm water at 38 degrees Celsius (hence the name!). 2940yen
4. Lasting Gloss Coat (for lips), 2415yen
5. Gran Shine Rouge in 12 shades, 3150yen
6. One Touch Clear Liner in black and brown, 1995yen for holder and 945yen for cartridge refill
7. Pure Layer Blush in OR21(beige orange with gold pearl), 3150yen