Coffret D'Or Summer 2011

Coffret D'Or is slated to release its "Lady Basic" collection on 16 June in Japan:

1. Bright Up Rouge (Long Keep): Longlasting lipsticks in 12 shades

2. Essence Stay Rouge: Liquid rouge in 8 new shades

3. 3D Gloss Eyes: 5 eyeshadow quads. One of the shades in each quad is formulated with a translucent "gloss pearl" and a "mirror pearl" for a gloss-like shine. The pigment particles are evenly coated with an oil in a "semi-moist" manufacturing technique so that the eyeshadows adhere closely to the skin without any powdery kick up.

4. Magical Grade Eyes: 5 eyeshadow duos each comprising a highlight shade and a shadow shade.

The ad campaign will continue to feature Hirako Risa.

Uniqlo x Cath Kidston Charity Project

A friend sent me this snapshot of a local newspaper ad of the Uniqlo Cath Kidston Charity Project. Uniqlo is opening its new store at Vivocity this Friday 29 April and it will be giving away a tumbler with every $100 nett spent in a single receipt. You can also receive an original Cath Kidston fan with every 2 items purchased from the Cath Kidston Charity Project collection. These offers are exclusive to the Vivocity store, according to the ad. I don't know if the collection will be available at Uniqlo's other stores in Singapore, so please check with Uniqlo directly if you wish to know.

The collection's purpose is to raise funds for the Japanese Organization for International Cooperation in Family Planning (JOICFP), a charitable non-governmental organisation. Cath Kidston and Uniqlo will make donations from the net proceeds of sale to fund an initiative supporting a safe motherhood program in Zambia. You can view the entire collection on the Uniqlo Japan website.

This is a rare opportunity to get genuine Cath Kidston clothes in Singapore so don't miss out on it if you're a fan!

Ciaté Paint Pot Dangerous Affair

Ciaté Paint Pot in Dangerous Affair is fast becoming one of my favourite red nail polishes. I received this as a freebie with an issue of Marie Claire (UK) some months ago. UK magazines often give the best full-sized beauty freebies, unlike Japanese magazines which usually only offer sample sachets or accessories like pouches, pocket mirrors and bags. However, the beauty freebies are usually restricted to copies sold within the UK.

As the name suggests, it's a vampy, sexy red. It applies very smoothly and two coats give a nice opaque finish. With Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat, I started seeing minor tip wear on the third day. Ciaté Paint Pots usually retail at £9 each.


The UK-based Ciaté website ships internationally.

Benefit B.right! Radiant Skincare

Earlier this week, Benefit held a special preview for beauty bloggers of their new B-right! Radiant Skincare line which will be launching in Singapore in mid-May.

Like Benefit's makeup line, the skincare line is designed to offer instant beauty solutions through high quality, effective products that also reflect the brand's fun, feel good philosophy. The products are formulated with a tri-radiance complex to boost skin radiance and increase hydration levels. They also have a light soothing scent composed of melon, cucumber, jasmine and lotus notes. I also liked the cool blue packaging of the products, which is inspired by the California coast and remind one of a bright airy apothecary. The tiny water droplet-like "beads" on the bottles give them a unique tactile quality.

Benefit's skincare range is divided into four groups: Cleanse, Moisturize, Eyes and Specialist. Within the Cleanse group, there is the oil-free Remove It Makeup Remover (S$39), Foamingly Clean Facial Wash (S$39) and Refined Finish Facial Polish (S$40).

I've been using the Foamingly Clean Facial Wash for the past couple of days. It lathers up very easily and works well with my Clarisonic Mia. (I apply the facial wash to my face and also squeeze a bit onto the Mia before using the Mia.) It leaves my skin feeling clean but not harshly stripped. It also doesn't sting my eyes. To see how my skin performed after using the facial wash, I skipped applying any toner or moisturiser. My T-zone started to shine only after about 2 hours, which was pretty good!

Below is the ingredients list for the facial wash.

The Refined Finish Facial Polish contains natural clay and mineral-rich seaweed to help cleanse and purify the skin, increasing its natural radiance and minimising the appearance of pores. It also contains glycolic acid to fight skin imperfections.

The tiny scrubby bits do a good job of making my skin feel smoother. The Facial Polish is meant to be used one to two times a week.


After cleansing the skin, one can use the Moisture Prep Toning Lotion (S$52) followed by either the Triple Performing Facial Emulsion (S$50) or the Total Moisture Facial Cream (S$70). The Moisture Prep Toning Lotion contains Vitamin E, natural oat, hyaluronic acid, aloe leaf and yeast extract to purify and smoothen the skin, leaving it soft and supple.

The Triple Performing Facial Emulsion SPF15 PA++ is an oil-free, lightweight cream that contains a mix of plant extracts, hyaluronic acid and Vitamin E to hydrate, protect and comfort the skin. I haven't tried it out yet.


For skin that requires more heavy duty hydration, there is the Total Moisture Facial Cream which contains natural plant-based squalene and mango butter emollients. Just by testing this on my hand alone, the cream looks too heavy for my oily skintype so I'll be passing this to my mother to try instead.


For hydrating and brightening the delicate eye area, there is the It's Potent! Eye Cream (S$60). It contains burnet, (an ancient Chinese remedy to help sooth the skin), a peptide complex to restore elasticity, botanical extracts like apple and loquat to boost collagen and protect the skin, and sodium hyaluronate, which is a powerful hydrating agent. The cream feels quite lightweight and did not leave a greasy feeling around my eyes.


The sole "Specialist" product is the Ultra Radiance Facial Re-hydrating Mist (S$43), which is a re-moisturising mist. It contains magnesium PCA and white and blue lotus extracts to help combat skin stress, and sodium hyaluronate. The light mist felt nicely refreshing and absorbed well without messing up my makeup.

Do also check out the Benefit Facebook page for information on upcoming launches, events and promotions!

Paul & Joe Sale at Takashimaya

There is a Paul & Joe sale at the Takashimaya "A Shoes & Bags Affair" currently on at level B2 of Ngee Ann City. One of the Face Color & Lip Gloss Sets and both the Eye & Lip Color Sets from the Symphony holiday collection are selling at just S$48 each, down from the original price of S$89. I didn't check the prices for any of the other products. The sale is on until Sunday 8 May.

Tokidoki Cardigans and Nike x Liberty

Did a bit of shopping this long Easter weekend!

Tangs Orchard now stocks a small range of Tokidoki T-shirts and cardigans on the third floor. I fell instantly in love with this loose-fitting Cops & Robbers sweatshirt.


The grey and pink cardigan is a tad louder than what I would usually wear but I liked the mix of characters like the pegasus, swallows and lipstick buddies.


After reading this HerWorld.com article on the new Nike collaboration with Liberty of London, I made a beeline for the Nike store at Wisma Atria this morning. The store only had the Air Feather in the Tatum print. The Tatum print was also used for the tote bag in one of the Liberty 2011 Spring & Summer mooks but in a different colour scheme.

It's been a very long time since I wore such high cut sneakers but I can imagine these keeping my feet snug and warm in temperate climates. If you are a Liberty aficionado, do also check out this excellent post by Style Bubble on her visit to the Liberty office.



Finally, at Accessorize, I picked up a pair of laces for just S$7.90. Not sure what I'll use them with yet though!

Yesterday, Mag, Kas and I also went to check out the Sanrio Dr Martens (at the new store in Wheelock Place) which features Hello Kitty, My Melody, Little Twin Stars, Keroppi and Chococat. Attesting to the popularity of Hello Kitty, there was a queue even before the store opened yesterday and most of the popular sizes sold out in a flash.

Majolica Majorca Pressed Pore Cover

A few weeks ago, Watsons was having a rare 25% discount on Majolica Majorca so I took advantage of it to pick up the Pressed Pore Cover in the limited edition mint case from the Sugary Trap spring collection.

The Pressed Pore Cover usually retails at around S$33 for 10g (inclusive of the case). The mint case is much prettier than the regular black case in the permanent range and has already sold out at the Watsons stores that I frequent. I'm not sure if the refillable case fits foundation pans by other Shiseido brands like Maquillage but it probably does.

The Press Pore Cover is formulated with three types of powders that are supposed to help conceal pores and imperfections while absorbing excess sebum for a "smooth and fluffy soft finish".

The powder feels quite silky and finely-milled. When applied, it is mostly translucent but it does give the skin a slightly whitish cast, so I'm not sure if this is suitable for more tanned skintones. In terms of oil control and concealing the pores, it wasn't that impressive and I still much prefer the Ettusais Quick Fix Powder which looks more natural and provides better coverage. I'll still keep using the Pressed Pore Cover for touch ups in the middle of the day but I wouldn't repurchase it.

Lotus Palace has also reviewed the Pressed Pore Cover and she didn't like it as much as its predecessor, Powder Fantasia. I don't have the ingredients list in English. The first two ingredient listed are talc and mica. It also contains zinc oxide, titanium dioxide, tocopherol, silica and citric acide\.

The included sponge works in a pinch but the design is too rudimentary as it doesn't have a ribbon strip to help hold it. Instead, I prefer to use the Hourglass Retractable Foundation Brush (S$61 in Sephora Singapore; US$42 in the US) to apply the powder.

The sliding inner cap helps to ensure that the bristles are not caught by the external cap. The sleek lightweight brush is very convenient for touch ups on the go.

The cruelty-free synthetic takelon bristles feel luxuriously soft against the skin and have just the right density for applying face powder. After three days of usage, I did get one bristle shedding but nothing excessive. There was no shedding when I washed it.

Accessorize Baked Duo Eyeshadow #6 Pick Up Line

Back in February, I purchased a few of the Accessorize eyeshadow singles and Baked Duos but only just got around to trying them out this week. Retailing at just £4, the Baked Duos are very easy on the wallet with a good range of shades to choose from.

The Baked Duos can be applied either dry or wet for a more intense finish.

#6 Pick Up Line applies very smoothly with a lovely metallic finish. When running my brush across the surface of the eyeshadow, there was virtually no messy powdery kick up. There was also no fallout on my under eye area during the application process. With Urban Decay Primer Potion as the base, the eyeshadows lasted well through more than 7 hours of wear without any creasing, fading or fallout. The swatches below are done on bare skin without any primer.

After applying Primer Potion, I used a dry brush to apply the lighter shade from the inner corner to the middle of the lid and the light teal shade from the middle of the lid to the outer corner and along the lower lashline. Using Lancome Ombre Absolue Impact 3D G10 Étoile Du Soir, I applied the white shade as a wash over the browbone area and blended in the medium olive grey just above the crease for added dimension.

Along the upper lashline, I used Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Perversion (from the 15th Anniversary set) with Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner on top. While Perversion is very pigmented on its own, liquid liner is still unbeatable for creating that slim upward flick at the outer corners. (Unfortunately, Dolly Wink Liquid Eyeliner is no longer available in Watsons stores in Singapore but a good alternative is Heroine Make Smooth Liquid Liner.) For the lower lashline, I used L'Oreal HIP Color Chrome Eyeliner in Silver Lightning and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Mildew.

The other products used for this look include: Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer topped with Majolica Majorca Pressed Pore Cover, RMK Super Basic Liquid Concealer EX01, Benefit Eye Bright, K-Palette Real Lasting Eyebrow 02, Esprique Precious True Black Mascara WP (Volume Separate), Clinique Bottom Lash Mascara and Tom Ford Smoke Red Lip Color.

The Josie Maran Tinted Moisturizer (US$38) has SPF30, plus organic Argan oil, pomegranate oil, grape seed oil and papaya extract to soften, nourish and rejuvenate the skin. The oils tend to separate and so one has to be careful when squeezing the tube. If there's quite a bit of oil, I usually let the oil run off onto tissue paper before squeezing a pea size onto the back of my hand and mixing it up to re-absorb the oil before applying. It wears like a light coverage foundation. I think it's too moisturising for my skin in Singapore's humid climate so I'll probably pass this off to my mother as well.


The Accessorize Baked Duo pot bears a striking resemblance to the Topshop baked Duo Eye Shadow from the Sandstorm collection. The two have virtually the same size and dimensions, like the width of the lid, the catch, the hinge etc.


The Accessorize Baked Duo is £4 for 4.5g while the Topshop Duo Eye Shadow is £8 for 2.5g. The former is good for 12 months after opening while the latter is good for 30 months. In terms of texture, the Topshop Duo feels slightly silkier and more velvety to touch.


In the UK, Accessorize makeup can be found in Superdrug stores. (See the store display here.) The line is also available on the Accessorize UK website.