My copy of L'Officiel (March) finally landed in my mailbox today with the Ed Pinuad eyeshadow quad. I had ordered it online two weeks ago at L'Officiel's website for S$6.90 but it has been available at Kinokuniya since Thursday for S$5.90. The advantage of ordering it online was that you could specify the quad that you preferred whereas it can be hard to tell which quad is included in each individual issue at the bookstore because of the way the quads are packaged. The palette is supposed to be worth S$59 and is made in France, so it's a pretty good deal given the cheap price of the magazine. Hence, it's not surprising that many ladies are buying multiple copies to score the different quads. The gold metal compact is a fingerprint magnet, but overall the compact feels quite well made. It also comes with a black velvet slip case. I received #2 Smokey Emerald which contains a beige, taupey brown, smokey emerald and dark grey. There is also a flip out plastic lid to protect the individual eyeshadows, which I thought was nifty. I haven't tried out the quad yet but will definitely do so soon!
I was invited to an Anna Sui party for beauty bloggers but was unable to attend due to another commitment, but the generous PR folks at Anna Sui was kind enough to send me the gift bag nevertheless. It contained several of Anna Sui's latest products, which I wasted no time in trying out :-) Lip Rouge G #302 is part of the newly revamped line of lipsticks. When I first saw the pics of the new lipstick case design online, I wasn't too impressed but these turned out to be quite cute in person, especially with the heart-shaped top. The "G" shades are supposed to be extremely glossy and moisturising. And indeed I found #302 to be quite glossy and emollient. It glides on very smoothly and applies sheer, giving my lips just the barest hint of pink. Protective Powder Foundation L is the new powder foundation that has just been launched at Anna Sui counters in Singapore for spring/summer 2010. I received this in shade B02, which looked like it might be a tad yellow for my skintone, but when applied, I was surprised by how natural it looked without any yellow tones. The level of coverage was a tad sheer and it did not completely cover up the redness in my cheeks but overall, my skin looked more even-toned and polished. I had to blot my T-zone every hour or two but this is normal for me. The foundation does have a light rose scent which is not noticeable after application. The Oil Blotting Case feels nicely sturdy and well made. There are other brands that make cheaper knock-offs but nothing beats the real original in terms of quality. I like how the design pattern extends to even the underside of the lid. The oil blotting sheets are a delicate lavender shade, almost too pretty to use! Mini Rouge in #700 has Anna Sui's signature rose design motif and distinct rose scent. This nifty little compact also includes a mirror under the lid for applications on the go. Nail Color N in #205 (purple with holographic glitter) and #902 (chartreuse). Nail stickers Love the cute butterfly charm on the makeup pouch zipper! Thanks to Sandra from Anna Sui and Mag for helping me to pick up the gift bag! Do also check out Sarah's and Mag's posts about the party on their blogs, Icyabstract Makeup and Makeupstash.com respectively!
Shiseido has released a revamped version of its Ma Cherie haircare line with an ad campaign featuring Japanese model/actress Yoshikawa Hinano. Formulated with champagne honey gelee, it is supposed to leave hair extra soft with a romantic floral scent. Check out the TV CM and press conference clip below in which the 30-year old Yoshikawa, in full on act-cute princess mode, tells the interviewer excitedly about how she wanted to go nude in the CM and be filmed with just Ma Cherie.
The MAC Too Fabulous collection has launched at the various counters in Singapore today. I was surprised to see this collection on display today at Tangs Orchard as the word from the SAs earlier was that it would be released only next week. But earlier is always better! The main attraction of the collection for me are, naturally, the swirled Mineralize Blushes. These are quite pricey at S$44 each, but they have a lovely smooth metallic finish and excellent colour payoff. The diverse range of shades means that it should be easy to find at least one to your liking, if not more! The SA told me, "This one must be fast!", i.e. that you should not wait to get these blushes as they are likely to sell out quickly. I ended up coming home with three of the six available. Bi-Tone Sun & Moon Buddy Up
The Anna Sui counter currently has a GWP that includes a lovely makeup pouch along with the usual assortment of skincare and base makeup samples with any purchase of S$150. You can also receive the guitar keychain if you purchase the Rock Me Summer of Love fragrance.
Spotted this new Beige Backstage Collection display at the Dior counter in Tangs Orchard yesterday afternoon. The eyeshadow palette featured in the display is the famous and highly sought-after #539 Iridescent Leather. I don't know if this means that the counters got in new stocks because as of last weekend, the Metro Paragon and Isetan Scotts counters were already sold out of it. I snagged the last second piece at the BHG Bugis Junction counter for a friend last Saturday. I didn't check out the rest of the Beige collection so I don't know if they are new/limited edition/permanent or re-promotes.
A friend in Japan was kind enough to help me pick up the Japanese version of the Starbucks cherry blossom/sakura tumbler. When I received it today, I literally gasped because as pretty as it looked in the pics online, I wasn't expecting it to be covered in a layer of sparkling shimmer! The shimmer appears to be on the inner surface of the plastic, and not printed on the paper insert. It catches the light beautifully from every angle and is simply just too gorgeous for words. I'm definitely going to treasure this for many years to come!
I was in the mood for smokey blues and greys today so I used the Body Shop Shimmer Cubes #17 paired with K-Palette Real Lasting Volume Mascara. Shimmer Cubes #17 is a limited edition shade from a few seasons ago and is no longer available. The blues in this set are not as bright as those in Shimmer Cubes #19. I used Silver Crest to highlight the browbone area, Horizon Blue from the upper lashline to the crease and along the lower lashline, Deep Down Blue in the outer corners and Ocean Rock Grey to line the upper lash line. The finished look reminds me of an old Stila round eyeshadow trio called Winter Blues. Here's my small collection of Shimmer Cubes (#6, #17 and #19 from the Spring 2010 collection). #6 is currently still available in the stores in Singapore.
Here's a very simple look that I did today with Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette. I used Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin) as a wash over the browbone area, Muchness (X) from the upper lashline to the crease, Oraculum (Baked) in the outer half of the crease and along the lower lashline, and Mad Hatter (Twice Baked) along the upper lashline. I used K-Palette Real Lasting Volume Mascara in Jet Black on my lashes. Out of the mascaras from K-Palette, ZA and Majolica Majorca that I have tried recently, ZA gives the cleanest, absolutely clump-free finish but with little volume while K-Palette builds both length and volume with the least effort. Majolica Majorca is also good at building build length and volume but takes a bit more effort compared to K-Palette.
Check out this Japanese blog for a sneak peek at the Anna Sui Protective Lip Treatment SPF20 (2100yen) and Glitter Eye Color (3 shades, 2310yen). Due out on 8 April in Japan!
I tried to create a more smokey purple look with Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette today by using Jabberwocky (Oil Slick) as the liner shade along the upper lashline and the outer one-third of the lower lashline. I also used Underland from the upper lashline to the crease, Curiouser (Grifter) blended in the crease and along the lower lashline and Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin) over the browbone area. I also used ZA Wide Eyes Mascara for this look.
The fourth design in Fancl's popular Princess Design Series of Mild Cleansing Oil features a Snow White illustration by German artist IRMA. This will have a limited production quantity of 290,000 units. This is not yet available in Singapore but has already been released in both Japan and Taiwan.
Cath Kidston will release its "Hello from London" Spring/Summer 2010 mook on 19 March in Japan. It comes with a lovely multi-purpose case, mirror and tissue case. I'm definitely picking this up! Check out the official website here.
Love Clover jumps on the BB ("blemish balm") cream bandwagon with its new BB Cream Foundation SPF30 PA+++ (2100yen, 30g). It is available in two shades, #5231 Light Ochre and #5232 Natural Ochre. It promises to perform six functions: beautifying cream, sunscreen, makeup base, foundation, concealer and face powder. It contains collagen, hyaluronic acid, rosemary and lavender extracts, aloe vera compound powder and Vitamin C for skincare benefits, plus "soft focus powder" and "clear keep powder" for a soft marshmallow-like finish.
Here's the second look that I did with the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland palette using mostly the purple shades. I used Drink Me, Eat Me (Sin) to highlight the browbone area, Curiouser (Grifter) from the upper lashline to the crease, Queen (Last Call) along the upper lashline and outer corners and Underland (Flash) to line the lower lashline. Then I finished off with Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel Glamour Volume On mascara (without any lash primer). I experienced much less clumping by not using the MM Lash Bone Black Fibre in primer but the lengthening effect was also reduced slightly. All the eyeshadow shades are well-pigmented and blended smoothly. The only fallout I got was the small glitter bits in Curiouser.
