Rouge Deluxe

Stila Love At First Blush

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sat, 26 May 2012 18:40:00 +0000

Earlier this year, Stila released Love At First Blush, another hearts-covered blush similar to last year's coral Make Me Blush. When it showed up on ASOS recently for £10, I quickly placed an order. Although it was packaged in a bubble wrap sleeve, the cover arrived cracked. It has since sold out on ASOS but it is still available on Beautybay.com but at the slightly higher price of £12.

Compared to Make Me Blush, the texture of Love At First Blush feels slightly less silky. It also contains more shimmer particles. Both blushes are made in China but Make Me Blush contains 50% more product at 9.9g versus 6.2g for Love At First Blush.

Love At First Blush has decent payoff, and builds up nicely with a few strokes of the brush. The finish is slightly glowy but without crossing into frosty territory. The edges of the case are painfully sharp though.

Swatched without any primer underneath.

There was some fading after eight hours of wear, during which I had to blot my skin a few times. Overall, I still prefer Make Me Blush and Custom Color Blush in Self-Adjusting Coral, but Love At First Blush is still a nice one to have if you are a Stila collector.

For this look, I used the green, white and purple shades from the Sleek PPQ Me Myself & I palette over MAC Dangerous Cuvee.

The other products used are: Cargo Liquid Foundation F-20, Za Concealer Perfection, Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Sequins, K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 01, Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes, Paul & Joe Pressed Powder 03 and RMK Mix Color for Lips 03 Natural Orange.

Essence Snow White Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sat, 26 May 2012 15:17:00 +0000

Came across the Essence Snow White collection in a local department store today. The collection consists of eight nail polishes, three glitter topper polishes, nail stickers and a nail file. Unfortunately, the SA was hovering so I couldn't snap any more photos of the display. You can view the collection on the Essence website.

The display was cute but nothing really caught my eye except for 07 Bashful, a murky algae green with fine gold shimmer, and Special Effect Topper 03 Prince Charming (large blue hexagonal glitter and small holographic glitter). The other two Special Effect Toppers contained large gold and purple hexagonal glitter.

Compared to RMK Nail Color EX-06 Green, Bashful is a shade darker while the former has a stronger gold sheen.

Friday Photo Meme - Non Makeup Edition aka Random Things Edition

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Fri, 25 May 2012 21:11:00 +0000

It's Friday again so time for another meme with the wonderful Yumeko! This week's theme is completely non-makeup related.

1. Plushie/Toy

Elaine helped me to find this Sentimental Circus Master plushie recently at Isetan in Singapore.

The caped cutie is the 'baby' of the family. The largest one was a surprise present from my cousin.

2. Food/Snack/Meal

Currently craving frozen yogurt with lots of sinful toppings and Lola's mini cupcakes!

No. 3 was supposed to be stationery but I didn't have anything interesting to show so here's a look at what's occupying my bookshelves: three big stacks of Allure magazines dating back to 1998.

I usually discard magazines after some time as I move too often to lug them around but Allure has always been my favourite read. However, now that I have a subscription to the iPad edition, I no longer buy the physical copies.

4. Something you wear [clothes,shoes,accessories]

Recent acquisitions include these Melissa x Jason Wu shoes and accessories from Dorothy Perkins.

A French Connection necklace that is exclusive to ASOS.

5. Something Random

Around Easter, I was in the supermarket with my mother, who gleefully pounced on these two tchotchkes which had been marked down. I was pretty aghast initially but well, they grow on you after some time... really. (Plus one should not argue with a cancer survivor over things that make her happy.)

Hope you've enjoyed this edition! If you want to play, do leave a comment on Yumeko's post and here with a link to your blog post, and I'll be sure to check it out :-)

Addiction Fall 2012 Desert Rose

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Fri, 25 May 2012 16:08:00 +0000

At the Addiction press preview held in Tokyo today, the new line of fifteen makeup brushes to be launched on 13 July was unveiled. The brand, which will turn three years old in the fall, is powering ahead with a refreshing confidence and boldness that is truly rare in the Japanese market. Pics from More.

The Morocco-inspired Desert Rose collection will debut on 17 August. It includes six new eyeshadows, four nail polishes, four powder eyeliner duos and two blush trios. See another pic of the eyeshadow display here and here.

Pic below by Abe Sawako.

FOTD with Addiction Crow, Blue Moon and Soap & Glory Show Good Face

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Thu, 24 May 2012 20:18:00 +0000

Addiction Crow is a lovely sooty black that is loved by both Mag and Blogdorf Goodman. The shade is very aptly named, with a blackened bluish sheen.

The pic above was taken under normal indoor lighting while the pic below was taken under a spotlight that showed up the shimmers more vividly. When applied, it is actually not that shimmery.

For this look, I paired it with Addiction Blue Moon in the crease and outer half of the lower lashline, Horizon over the browbone area and Silent Scream along the lower lashline. Applied over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Crow take just a few brush strokes to achieve an intensely pigmented finish that lasts all day without any creasing, although there was a tiny bit of smudging at the outer corner.

I finished by applying MAC Designer Purple Pearlglide Eyeliner along the upper lashline and Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara.

The other products used include: Armani Sheer Blush in Tourmaline Pink, Soap & Glory Show Good Face in A Good Light, Kick Ass Concealer in Light, K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow, Dior Addict Ultra Gloss #732 Orange Boléro and Paul & Joe Pressed Powder 03.

Pink Tourmaline is extremely pale and sheer, with a very refined shimmer that makes it more suitable as a highlighter than a blush. It adds just the barest hint of colour to my cheeks. The delicate ballet pink hue was just too mesmerisingly pretty in the compact to pass up.

Show Good Face is described as a 2-in-1 skin energising foundation & primer. I found this quite average. It's alright for evening out the complexion but it does not cover red spots well. The concealer works somewhat better but I find the texture slightly dry. I use the peach shade on the left for under the eyes and the beige shade for covering up spots like those on my cheek.

Shu Uemura Tsuya Essence and UV Under Base Mousse

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Thu, 24 May 2012 15:28:00 +0000

Shu Uemura will launch a new Tsuya Essence (8400yen, 30ml) on 1 August in Japan, to be followed by a peach-tinted UV Under Base Tsuya Mousse (4200yen; 50g) on 1 September. Pics from Kokusaishogyo. Based on advanced cell research, the Tsuya Essnce helps to refine skin texture and improve radiance.

Below is a pic tweeted by the Frau editor.

Addiction Eyeshadows in Crow, Thriller, Midnight Drive and Silent Scream

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Wed, 23 May 2012 18:48:00 +0000

A friend who recently holidayed in Tokyo very kindly helped me to purchase four Addiction eyeshadows in 021 ME Crow, 035P Thriller, 058P Silent Scream and 061P Midnight Drive.

I love the sleek black plastic cases with a reflective finish. Each eyeshadow contains 1.2g of product and retails for 2100yen in Japan. These can be easily depotted by pushing a pin through the hole in the back of the case.

Midnight Drive, a pearlescent pale grey (like MAC Vex without the duochrome) is from the Sand Castle collection for spring 2012. This feels incredibly smooth to touch but applies quite sheer.

Silent Scream is a shimmery light grassy green from the Aurora Reflection collection for fall 2011. This has a nice glistening finish and good color payoff.

Thriller is a charcoal grey with silver shimmer. This swatches quite sheer without any primer.

Crow is a sooty black with hints of midnight blue.

Here's the look that I did with Crow, Silent Scream and Midnight Drive.

With Too Faced Shadow Insurance as the base, Silent Scream was applied from the upper lashline to the crease and along the lower lashline, Midnight Drive over the browbone area and Crow along the upper lashline. There was no creasing even after eight hours of wear.

My current collection of Addiction eyeshadows and palettes - these are truly addictive!

Les Merveilleuses by Ladurée Pop-up Store in Harajuku

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Wed, 23 May 2012 16:41:00 +0000

Les Merveilleuses by Ladurée will open a pop-up store in LaForet mall in Harajuku, Tokyo from 25 July to 7 August. Aside from the fall collection, the store will offer the Face Color Rose Ladurée (Mini) in an exclusive box packaging. This will be available in three shades at 3200yen each.

Sightings around the web

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Mon, 21 May 2012 16:08:00 +0000

See the Lunasol Summer Kit 2012 on Biteki.com. It includes Summer Eyes 2012 EX01 Glowing Beige Brown, Full Glamour Gloss N　EX21　Shining Beige Gold, Summer Cheeks, 2012 EX01　Glowing Pink Coral, a brush and gold pouch. Adambeauty.com has the Starter Kit 2012 with the Skin Modelling Eyes 01 Beige Beige and Cream Cheeks 08 Soft Orange in stock.

Kuri's Beauty Report has pics of the Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight collection.

Abe Sawako has a sneak peek at the Chanel Les 4 Ombres #37 quad for fall, to be released on 6 July in Japan.

Suqqu will release a Moisture Massage Scrub (6300yen; 125g) on 6 July in Japan. The gel cream is a facial cleanser, massage and exfoliating scrub in one and contains yuzu extract.

Sneak peek from the Frau editor of the upcoming fall collections by Coffret D'Or and Kate. Kate is launching a liquid foundation that transforms into powder within 15 seconds.

ASOS.com has the new spring shades of Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate Moss lipsticks. See swatches in this earlier post.

It's the Beauty Look Book's 3rd anniversary. If you're not reading her yet, you need to!

L'Oreal L'Or Electric Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sun, 20 May 2012 12:04:00 +0000

Came across the L'Oreal L'Or Electric collection yesterday in France. This is a limited edition collection done to coincide with the Cannes film festival. L'Oreal is the official Makeup Artist for Cannes.

The version released in France is a smaller collection than what is available on FeelUnique.com. There were only two Color Infallibles in #37 Metallic Lilac (right) and #40 Cosmic Black (left). These didn't swatch well, coming off patchy and dry but I'm not sure if that is because the testers were not capped.

Two nailpolishes in coral pink and bright lime.

The Color Riche lipsticks in #406 Neonic Orange and #407 Metallic Coral impressed me with their good payoff and smooth texture. Made in France, these have a bit of a sheen without looking frosty. They have a faint scent that remind me of baby powder. The gold case is slightly cheap-looking as all the units have a tiny dent/nick on one side and the shade number is printed on top of the cap while there is another product number printed on the side.

The pics below show #407 Metallic Coral.

Below is #406 Neonic Orange.

Compared with the other orange lipsticks in my stash, Neonic Orange is clearly the most pure orange-toned while Metallic Coral is slightly more pink than Rimmel Lasting Finish by Kate #12 and not as sheer as RMK Irresistible Lips C #27 Orange. The Dior Addict Ultra Gloss #542 Orange Pareo is from the new summer collection. Neonic Orange, Metallic Coral and the Rimmel lipstick left faint stains on my arm after wiping the swatches off with tissue.

Majolica Majorca New Jewelling Eyes

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sun, 20 May 2012 08:27:00 +0000

Majolica Majorca will release two limited edition Jewelling Eyes palettes (1575yen) in #66 Lavender Sugar and #77 Ringoame (Candy Apple) on 21 July in Japan. These continue the Psychedelicious theme with a pink-striped packaging.

It seems like Majolica's seasonal collections are getting smaller all the time. It's a real pity that Shiseido doesn't do more with Majolica.

Makeup Edition Photo Meme

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sat, 19 May 2012 21:33:00 +0000

Yumeko of Bittenbefore just did this makeup photo meme of the items that she used this week, so I thought I'd answer her call to join in the fun.

1. Lip products: This spring, I've been favouring coral shades for the lips like Clarins Crystal Balm 03 Crystal Coral (from the Enchanted Summer collection) and Joli Rouge Brillant #13 Cherry (a gift from Mag). Paul & Joe Lip Gloss G 003 Dream A Little Dream and 002 Fairie Kisses both apply quite sheer so I like to use them over Tarte LipSurgence Natural Lip Luster in Sweet, a soft your-lips-but-better pink.

Crystal Coral has an inner core of lipstick pigment surrounded by a translucent balm. Visually, it looks interesting but it applies unevenly as the lipstick shade ends up on the inner half of the lips, so I usually have to use my fingertip to blend it out. It wears comfortably on the lips for about three hours before it fades. The Joli Rouge Brillant in Cherry is a lovely shimmery coral red without any grittiness.

2. Eyeshadow: Too Faced Summer Eye, Sleek Ultra Mattes V2 Dark and the new Armani Eyes To Kill.

The MeMeMe Rich Colour Eye Defining Cream in #7 Silent Storm was another recent purchase from Superdrug in London. Sadly, it turned out to be a complete dud. It applies very sheer and patchy. It creases pretty much immediately and is a poor base for powder eyeshadows. It was also impossible to build up the colour no matter how I tried to layer it.

3. Blush: This entire week, I've been sporting Paul & Joe Face Color G 001 Nymph, a soft girlish blue-based light pink. It gives the cheeks a light flush of colour and never looks clownish or over-done but the shade really isn't that unique.

4. Foundation: Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation contains three correcting pigments - yellow for anti-dark circles, mauve for anti-dullness and green for anti-redness. The liquid tranforms to a soft, powdery matte finish with medium coverage. It does a good job of covering up the redness in my skin but it has a slight tendency to peel, especially if my skin is not sufficiently moisturised. I also tried out Dr Ci:Labo BB Perfect Cream Natural, a gift from Joyce of Atelier Beauty. This did not work that well for me as by mid day, a lot of the redness in my skin was showing through.

5. Mascara: I've avoided Majolica Majorca mascaras for awhile because of the irritating fibers that tend to fall between my lashes but the midnight blue shimmers in the Lash Expander Frame Plus #12 (from the Glass Trick collection for holiday 2011) appealed to me.

The fibers in Lash Expander Frame Plus are much longer than average and can get a bit messy at times but overall, this worked out quite well for me and was not as tough to remove as expected. The blue shimmers aren't that visible unless one looks very closely in the mirror.

If you want to play, do leave a comment on Yumeko's post and here with a link to your blog post!

Sleek Ultra Mattes i-Divine and Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:25:00 +0000

It's been a long six months since Sleek released a new i-Divine palette but they made up for the long wait by releasing two this time around: the Ultra Mattes V1 Brights and V2 Dark. These normally retail for £6.99 each, but Superdrug is currently having a 3-for-2 offer on all cosmetics, so I got the Lash Out Mascara for free with my purchase.

V1 Brights is a mix of eye-popping vibrant neon shades and more discreet pastels like Floss, Chill and Crete. Pout and Strike are brighter in real life than they appear in the photo. These aren't shades that I would normally wear on a week day but they are fun to play around with for the weekend or nights.

The Acid and Curacao palettes contain some shades that are similar to those found in V1 Brights but both Acid and Curacao include shimmery shades.

V2 Dark is a more sedate palette of neutrals mixed with smoky shades of purple, navy, green and grey. I think this is the more versatile of the two palettes, as you can create an office-friendly neutral look as well as a variety of smoky eyes with this palette.

For this look, after priming with Too Faced Shadow Insurance, I applied Highness along the upper lashline to the crease, Orbit in the outer corner and along the lower lashline, Pillow Talk over the browbone area, and Villain above the outer half of the crease. I also blended Sugar Sand from the Too Faced Summer Eye palette in the crease and along the lower lashline, and MAC Rave Pearlglide Eye Liner along the upper and lower lashline.

True to Sleek's usual quality, these mattes are incredibly pigmented, long-lasting and easy to blend. They also feel silkier to touch than the usual matte eyeshadows which tend to be dry and chalky. After nine hours of wear, there was just a tiny bit of creasing at the inner corners. There was also little fallout during the application process, which is a much appreciated improvement over earlier i-Divine palettes which often had powdery fallout that was difficult to clean up as the eyeshadows are so pigmented.

The other products used for this look include: Paul & Joe Shimmering Pressed Powder G 001 Midsummer Nights and Face Color G 001 Nymph, Lunasol Under Eyes Base 01 Natural Beige, K-Palette Lasting 2-Way Eyebrow 01, Clarins Crystal Balm 03 Crystal Coral, Bourjois 123 Perfect Foundation #51 Light Vanilla and Maybelline Great Lash Lots of Lashes mascara.

I picked up the Lots of Lashes in Blackest Black as it was relatively cheap at CHF11 and has received positive reviews on some blogs.

While the mascara is a true black, I didn't find the heart shaped wand to be that user-friendly, especially when applying on the lower lashes. It does a decent job of lengthening and adding definition but not much in terms of volumising. It doesn't flake or smudge though, which I remembered to be the key flaw of the original Great Lash.

Isetan Private Sale 23 May

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sat, 19 May 2012 09:22:00 +0000

The ever popular Isetan Private Sale will be back on 23 May, with a host of exclusive beauty GWPs and sets galore plus 10% bonus vouchers for beauty purchases. See the full details here. Looks like the Ettusais luggage case is making another comeback!

Essence Colour & Go 72 Time For Romance

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Fri, 18 May 2012 19:05:00 +0000

Recently, I picked up another three Essence Colour & Go nail polishes: #72 Time For Romance, #93 C'est La Vie (bright creamy coral orange) and #79 Viva La Green (creamy Tiffany green).

Of the three, I had the highest hopes for Time For Romance, which is a jelly pink grape with small round and large hexagonal glitters. However, the formula turned out to be less than ideal. It was thick and slightly gloopy, applying less evenly than the other two polishes on the nail wheel. It also takes a long time to dry. After ten minutes, the surface was still sticky and prone to nicks.

The swatch below is three thin coats.

The swatch below is 4 generous coats. It helps to wait awhile in between coats, otherwise the polish tends to cake and become uneven.

Despite the difficulty in application, I do like the sweet dusky pink hue which has a nice metallic sparkle even in low light conditions.

L'Oreal Cannes Collection - New Color Infallibles

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Thu, 17 May 2012 20:18:00 +0000

If you're a fan of L'Oreal Color Infallible eyeshadows, do check out FeelUnique.com for the Cannes collection which includes five new shades that are a mixture of tones, much like the Armani Eyes To Kill. If you sign up to be a L'Oreal Insider, you can also get 30% off the collection with purchase of any three products. FeelUnique offers free international shipping.

Sentimental Circus Charms and Stamp

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Thu, 17 May 2012 14:22:00 +0000

Thanks to Elaine, I recently obtained a set of Sentimental Circus charms from Isetan in Singapore. These are also currently available at Kinokuniya stores and probably NBC as well.

The antique bronze charms each feature a musical instrument. There are actually six designs available (see pics on the San-x website.

Elaine included a surprise gift of this stamp which prints two designs.

This ingenious roller stamp picks up ink from a pad inside the case.

She also generously included a bounty of sheet masks and snacks. My heartfelt thanks to Elaine!

Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight and Givenchy Fall 2012

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Thu, 17 May 2012 07:02:00 +0000

Below are pics tweeted by the editors of Maquia and More of the Bobbi Brown Desert Twilight collection to be released on 1 July in Japan. It features beige and brown tones with turquoise accents inspired by the desert sunset.

The first part of the collection launching on 1 July includes:
1. Desert Twilight Eye Palette (7875yen)
2. Long Weat Gel Eyeliner #30 Twilight Shimmer Ink (2940yen)
3. Bronzer/Blush Duo (5040yen)
4. Lipgloss in 2 shades (3150yen)
5. Shimmer Lipgloss in 2 shades (3150yen)
6. Desert Twilight Mini 4 Brush Set (7875yen)
7. Soothing Cleansing Oil (4410yen, 200ml): Contains kukui nut oil

The second part of the collection launches on 13 July:
1. Long Wear Cream Shadow #45 Blue Moon (3360yen)
2. Nail Polish 01 Turquoise (2520yen)
3. Shimmer Nail Polish 01 Twilight (2520yen)
4. Creamy Color (2625yen; 2 shades)
5. High Shimmer Lipgloss (3150yen; 2 shades).

Pic below is by Abe Sawako. See another pic here and on Kirei no Hone.

Brow mascaras and brow kits, which include a tweezer and brush, to be released on 3 August.

Below is another pic by Abe Sawako.

Givenchy will be releasing a stretch lace mask set that retails for a whopping 39,900yen (close to US$500) for four pieces. Each mask is supposed to be used with half a bottle of beauty essence.

The fall makeup collection will be released on 2 August (pic below by Abe Sawako). See another pic here.

Giorgio Armani Eyes To Kill #20, #22 and #23

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Wed, 16 May 2012 20:28:00 +0000

Of the four limited edition Eyes To Kill released as part of the Armani Écailles collection, I ended up purchasing #20 Obsidian Black, #22 Écailles and #23 Madre Perla at Selfridges in London.

#20 Obsidian Black is a stormy blackened green with emerald and blue shimmers.

#22 Écailles is a pale silver mixed with metallic sea blue.

#23 Madre Perla is a shimmery pearl white with flashes of oyster pink and light green. The iridescent effect resembles that of a dragonfly wing.

Prior to this, I owned just two ETK in #3 Purpura and #4 Pulp Fiction.

Swatched below on bare skin (from left to right): #3, #4, #20, #22 and #23.

As you can see, most of the shades are heavy on the sparkle factor, with #20 Obsidian Black being slightly less shimmery than the rest. All of these feel wonderfully velvety smooth to touch and are easy to blend. I prefer to apply these with my fingertip as using a brush seems to result in a more patchy and sheer application. Using my fingertip turns out to be much faster for achieving an even, more intense application. For lining the lower eyelid, a flat eyeliner brush works best.

For the first look, I used #20 from the upper lashline to the crease, #22 in the middle of the lid and outer half of the lower lashline, and #23 over the browbone area and the inner half of the lower lashline. Stila Sparkle Waterproof Liquid Eye Liner in Sequins was used to line the upper lashline.

These wear quite well without the help of any primer, although after eight hours, there was some minor creasing at the inner corners. After 15 hours, the crease extended across two-thirds of my upper eyelid (basically along the fold) but the eyeshadows applied above the crease remained pretty much the same as when freshly applied. There wasn't any fallout or smudging onto the lower eyelid as the day passed.

For the second look, I used #22 from the upper lashline to the middle of the lid and #23 from the middle of the lid to under the brow, and along the lower lashline. MAC Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner in Undercurrent was used to line the upper lashline.

If you're a lover of all things shiny and sparkly, these new Eyes To Kill shades are not to be missed. Their more affordable "cousins", L'Oreal Color Infaillibles, have a similar texture but not such complex shades, which helps to justify Armani's premium price point. (Armani is also owned by L'Oreal).

Do also check out Pink Sith's review of #20 and #23. Armani recently opened their first counter in Singapore at DFS Galleria in Scotts Road (see Makeup Stash for pics and the price list), where the Eyes To Kill retails for S$41. That makes it about the same price as the US and significantly cheaper compared to the UK (£26/S$52), France (€36.50/S$59) and Switzerland (CHF50/S$67).

Armani Summer 2012 with six new Eyes To Kill

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Wed, 16 May 2012 17:27:00 +0000

According to UrCosme.com, Armani will be releasing an Oriental porcelain doll-inspired collection for summer. There is no release date stated though.

The collection includes: Rouge D'Armani Sheer #200 (porcelain red), #201 (porcelain coral), #202 (porcelain lotus red), #503 (porcelain nude), #504 (porcelain peach pink) and #505 (porcelain pink) and Gloss D'Armani in #513 (nude), #514 (nude rose quartz), #515 (nude pink), #516 (nude peach pink), #517 (nude rose) and #518 (nude rouge).

Fans of the Eyes To Kill line will be delighted as this collection introduces a whopping six new shades in #24 (golden copper), #25 (bronze), #26 (gold), #27 blue violet), #28 (sand gold) and #29 (rose). The collection also includes a black mascara and two eyeliners in black and brown.

Canmake June and July Releases

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Mon, 14 May 2012 18:21:00 +0000

Canmake will release the following new products for summer on 1 June in Japan:

1. Eyelash 2 Pair (630yen) No. 1 Volume Type and No. 2 Separate Volume Type

2. Sparkling Glitter Liner #6 Chandelier Beige (609yen, LE)

3. Gokubuto Mascara #2 Bitter Brown (630yen, LE)

4. Plump Glamour Rouge: Liquid rouge containing 96% moisturising ingredients. Available in #1 Marshmallow Pink, #2 Sweet Pink and #3 Blood Orange (945yen)

The following are slated for release on 2 July:

1. Whip Mousse Lip: Matte lip colors that can also double up as blushes. Available in three shades - #1 Raspberry Red, #2 Honey Orange and #3 Misty Peach. (609yen)

2. Perfect Serum BB Cream Light SPF50 PA+++: Formulated with 21 beauty ingredients, this BB cream provides natural coverage for all seasons. Available in #1 Light and #2 Natural. (840 yen)

3. Candy Wrap Lip #7 Hot Marmalade and #8 Pomegranate Jam (609yen)

4. Cheek & Cheek #7 Orange Bouquet (714yen, LE)

5. Eye Nuance #31 Honey Orange (609yen)

6. Colorful Nails #57 Blue Denim, #58 Light Blue Denim, #59 Grey Denim, #56 Orange Blush, #61 Turquoise Stone, #60 Funk Yellow (378yen)

Canmake has also just released a waterproof Lower Lash Mascara (525yen) with a 1cm-brush to adding volume to even the finest of lower lashes.

Coast to Coast 1-for-1 Sale

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Mon, 14 May 2012 17:06:00 +0000

Coast To Coast is holding a 1-for-1 sale at their store in Vivocity as part of the Great Singapore Sale. The offer excludes serums but you can get 50% off a serum with a $200 purchase.

Nail Swatches: Paul & Joe Fairie Queen, Pixie and Models Own Ibiza Mix

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sun, 13 May 2012 15:49:00 +0000

Recent, Kas sent me a nail wheel as part of a package of beauty goodies, so I used it to swatch my new nail polishes.

Paul & Joe Nail Enamel 030 Pixie surprised me by its good coverage with just two coats. The holographic shimmer shows up very nicely. The finish is very smooth with no grittiness at all.

028 Fairie Queen has a thicker, more gloopy formula. This also feels bumpy due to the larger pieces of the irregular flakes.

Comparing Pixie with Paul & Joe Nail Enamel 014 from the summer 2011 collection.

014 has multi-colored fine glitter bits and is sparklier than Pixie.

At first, Catrice Million Styles Effect Top Coat 08 Have An Ice Day looks like a dupe for Pixie but it turns out to be much sparser in coverage than Pixie, which has a much stronger holographic effect. Have An Ice Day as a twinkling rainbow diamond shimmer effect.

During my recent trip to London, I also picked up Models Own Ibiza Mix from the Hed Kandi collection. This usually retails at £5 but I snagged it at Boots with a 2-for-£8 offer. This is currently available on ASOS.com (but ships to only 19 European countries).

The rainbow glitter formula is quite common now, thanks to the success of Deborah Lippman's Happy Birthday. Within my own stash, I found a dupe in the form of Essence Nail Art Special Effect Topper 02 Circus Confetti. The Essence version is 8ml/0.27 fl oz and made in France while the Models Own version is 14ml/0.47fl oz and made in the UK.

The main difference that I could spot is that Circus Confetti has smaller gold glitter bits than Ibiza Mix.

Below are the ingredient lists for Paul & Joe Nail Enamel 028 Fairie Queen, which is made in Japan.

030 Pixie

Hope these swatches are useful!

Paul & Joe Midsummer Nights Haul and Swatches

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sun, 13 May 2012 12:18:00 +0000

Last weekend, I found the Paul & Joe Midsummer Nights summer collection at Fenwick in London. The collection is now also available on ASOS.com and Beautyhabit.com.

The packaging for this collection is a refreshing cool mint. The boxes have a lovely watercolor-like effect with swirls of creamy white. I do not usually keep the boxes of my products but these are just too pretty to discard.

I was delighted to see this lovely pouch being offered as the gift with a £30 purchase. The same print is featured on the packaging of the limited edition Blotting Paper 2012 that will be released in June. The mirror is the gift with a £50 purchase.

The Shimmering Pressed Powder G 001 Midsummer Nights (£22/US$40) is a luminious highlighting powder that is supposed to provide a moonlit, iridescent effect, like moonlight on a fairy's wings.

The Face Color G 001 Nymph (£15/US$24) is a sweet shimmery candy pink.

Below are swatches of Nymph (extreme left) and the three shades of the Shimmering Pressed Powder. The pressed powder has a soft luminous sheen without any frostiness or chunky glitter.

Of the three lipglosses, I picked up Lipgloss G 002 Fairie Kisses and 003 Dream A Little Dream (£15/US$22). Fairie Kisses is a shimmery tranlucent pale green with a green apple and vanilla scent while Dream A Little Dream is a coral pink with a creamy orange and vanilla scent. These are supposed to be flavoured as well but I found the scent to be much more noticeable than the flavour. Both are very sheer and glossy when applied on the lips and last about 2-3 hours on my lips.

My camera makes Dream A Little Dream appear more orange-toned than it actually is.

The three lipglosses from last summer's L'Horizon Bleu collection are more shimmery in comparison.

In the pic below, I'm wearing Dream A Little Dream which add just a sheer tint of pink to my lips. I skipped 001 Love Potion as it was even more sheer than Dream A Little Dream.

The Nail Enamel (£10.50/US$14) in 028 Fairie Queen is a holographic flakie that seems to have a thicker formula than the regular P&J polishes. When tapping the bottle against my palm, the two metal balls don't make the usual sound as they move through the thick enamel with a glacial pace.

030 Pixie contains silver glitter bits with a holographic effect in a clear base.

The Shimmering Body Lotion G (£24/US$40) is a cooling body lotion with a green floral scent and filled with holographic green glitter.

While I like the soft green scent, the glitter bits are quite obvious on the skin. The lotion feels refreshing and dries down to a smooth, non-greasy finish. It is not that hydrating, with alcohol being the second ingredient on the list.

After leaving Fenwick, I was surprised to discover that the SA had included a generous bag of samples, literally two sachets of almost every skincare and base makeup product that P&J makes.

With each seasonal collection, P&J also issues a newsletter to showcase the collection. It is also a useful reference of the current permanent line-up, which changes quite often.

My current collection of P&J face powders.

Too Faced Summer Eye Summertime Sexy Eyeshadow Collection

noreply@blogger.com (Haru) — Sat, 12 May 2012 12:56:00 +0000

Too Faced Summer Eye Summertime Sexy Eyeshadow Collection (US$36/€34/£26) arrived a couple of weeks at Sephora in France. It is the most colorful palette in this format released to date by Too Faced, featuring a medley of cheerful brights, warm smoky browns and pale shimmery pastels.

The seashell and flower design against the swirly water pattern makes one long for a beach vacation.

As usual, three cards are included with tips on how to create "day", "classic" and "fashion" looks, plus a sample of Too Faced's bestselling Shadow Insurance.

Summer Eye is a palette for shimmer lovers. The eyeshadows have varying textures. Some are velvety smooth with excellent color payoff like Chocolate Sun while others like Peach Fuzz and Sunbeam apply as a translucent wash of micro sparkles. Sunbeam, Chocolate Sun and Coral Crush have visible gold glitter bits, with those in Coral Crush being slightly larger.

The only shade that is repeated from previous palettes is Peach Fuzz, which was also in Sweet Dreams Makeup Collection that was released for Holiday 2011.

For the first look, I applied Chocolate Sun along the upper lashline, Plumeria in the inner half of the crease, Coral Crush in the outer half of the crease and Sunbeam over the browbone area. I smudged a bit of Mermaid and Sugar Sand into the lower lashline.

For the second look, I applied Mermaid along the upper lashline, Coral Crush in the middle of the lid and Peach Fuzz as a wash over the browbone area and inner corners. Chocolate Sun was smudged along the upper and lower lashlines.

Mermaid is a murky teal that is easy to wear if you usually shy away from bright turquoise or aquamarine tones.

Overall, it's a versatile palette that allows you to create a good variety of looks, and also a refreshing departure from Too Faced's recent slew of neutral-themed palettes. Some of the shades do result in a bit of fallout during the application process, but for the most part, they wear well and are easy to apply.