Wednesday 31 October 2007

Coffret D'Or Website

The Coffret D'Or official website is up and running! Coffret D'Or, which means 'treasure box' in French, will be launched officially on 1 December in Japan, replacing T'estimo. The Coffret D'Or packaging looks like a mish-mash of T'estimo and Lunasol (both are also owned by Kanebo) with the Full Styling Rouge lipsticks cases looking very similar to Lunasol while the Shiney Carat Gloss looks similar to T'estimo's Crystallish Gloss. Currently the website only features the product line-up, without any photos of the 5 spokemodels yet.

Keisho Wakusei

Keisho Wakusei is a low-end Shiseido brand sold in convenience stores in Japan. This holiday season, they will be releasing two sets of nailpolishes and a lipstick palette.

1. Rouge Palette (Gloss x Gloss) 840yen
2. French Nails Selection(3.5mlx3) 980yen



Check out the official website here!

Majolica Majorca Holiday

Pics of the upcoming MM holiday collection due out on 21 November from @Cosme.

1. Majolook (Line Impact), 1575yen: SV801 Blowing Snow 吹雪, PK122 Light Snow 淡雪
2. Lash Freeze (waterproof), 1260yen
3. Snow Carat Powder, 1470yen
4. Artistic Nails (Glow & Quick), 399yen: SV831 Iceberg 氷山, PK132 Snowmelt 雪解け水, BK933 Snowy Night 雪の夜

The Majolica Majorca website also has a new page featuring the Christmas collection. Just click on the small icon of the Lash Freeze on the website. Starting 21 Nov, there will also be a booklet featuring mascara tips to be sold with the mascaras.



Esprique Precious Spring 2008

Esprique Precious will be launching 4 Full Sparkle Eyes palettes and Rouge Stylish (Liquid Type) in 10 shades on 1 December. These pics were posted on 2Channel. The Full Sparkle Eyes look much prettier than Esprique Precious' current line-up of eyeshadow palettes! There is no drugstore discount on Esprique Precious so I only splurge on it if the item is truly outstanding. According to the reviews on 2Channel, the eyeshadow palettes have a nice fine shimmer without loud chunky glitter and light/medium color payoff.



Tuesday 30 October 2007

Tangs Beauty Event

It's the start of the holiday shopping season and one of my favourite department stores in Singapore, Tangs has a dazzling array of beauty events and GWPs lined up for the month of November. Here's some of the GWPs available starting 1 Nov.

Anna Sui: Throw Pillow and Bath Mat with purchases of $150. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers get an additional 5-pc Skincare Moisture Kit.

Bobbi Brown: Free makeover with $80 purchase. First 100 Citibank/Tangs cardmembers to purchase the Pink Quartz Mini Brush Set will receive a travel-sized Lip Color in Slopes.

Dior: 6-piece gift set with purchase of $200. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers get a Miss Dior Cherie miniature 5ml.

Guerlain: 5-piece gift set with purchase of $160. Additionall Color of Love Pendant and mirror with purchase of $200. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers can purchase a special set that includes Aqua Allegoria Grosellina EDT 75ml, Orchidee Imperiale Cream 5ml, Mini Lip Palette and Parure Foundation Card for only $50 (usual $150).

Ipsa: 5-piece gift set with purchase of $150. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers get an additiona Metabolizer White TR 50ml.

Kiehls: Bag with purchase of $120. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers get an additional deluxe sample.

Lancome: 7-piece Blanc Expert Gift Set with purchase of $160. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers get additional Renergie Morpholift Cream 15ml.

Shiseido: 6-piece skincare gift set with purchase of $88. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers get additional 3-day Bio-Performance Intensive Corrective Programme trial set.

Stila: 3-piece gift set (Petal Infusions Balancing Fluid, Multi-effect Mascara, loose silver AOS) with purchase of $130. Additional Pretty Pansy Eyeshadow Trio with purchase of $180. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers get additional Kajal Eyeliner with purchase of $180.

YSL: 6-piece gift set with purchase of $150. Citibank/Tangs cardmembers get additional mini Fard a Levres Rouge Pur #34.

Other promotions going on include a limited edition jewellery box with purchase of $200 from participating fragrance brands (Citibank/Tangs cardmembers need to spend only $150); miniature gift set with purchase of $120 from participating fragrance brands and a satin clutch bag with purchase of $200 at Tangs Beauty Hall. So what else are you waiting for? :-)

Beaute de Kose Snowflake Compact


I was Isetan Scotts this evening and to my surprise, the Beaute de Kose Snowflake Compact was already on sale. The price in Singapore (S$69) is surprisingly much cheaper than in Japan where it retails for 6300yen (about S$79)! I skipped it in the end as the palette of pale icy shades were not really my kind of colors although they looked really pretty. The Maquillage holiday palettes with the 4 lip colors and 2 eyeshadows are also already out at Robinsons in Raffles City.

Monday 29 October 2007

Eprise Sparking Kit

Eprise is the color makeup line by Albion (which also makes Paul & Joe cosmetics). Albion is more well-known for its skincare, such as its top seller Essential Skin Conditioner but the Eprise line is definitely worth checking out if you have a chance. I like their Gradation Color Eyes palettes (3990yen) and their Creamy Eye Colors (2940yen). Albion is also famous for its Exage Chiffon foundations which are often top Japanese magazine consumer polls and department store sales rankings.

For this holiday season, Eprise will be releasing two Sparkling Kits (6825yen), each featuring an eyeshadow palette, a Jewel Color Gloss (lipgloss) and an eau de toilette 12ml.

http://www.albion.co.jp/products/index.html


Sunday 28 October 2007

Gransenbon Gel Stay Liner

Gransenbon will be releasing a Gel Stay Liner #1 Rich Black (1575yen) and Candy Drop Liner EX #4 Crush Candy (1680yen) on 16 Nov. The Gel Stay Liner contains chamomile extract, jojoba oil and olive oil.


Tarte Mini Cheek Stains

I have a love-hate relationship with Tarte's Cheek Stains. On the plus side, they are very easy to use, give a natural flush of colour and come in a great variety of shades. The minis are super adorable and convenient to tote around. The base of the minis is fully-enclosed, unlike the full sized cheek stains so there's less risk of leakage from the bottom. These are water-based with no alcohol so they should suit even oily, sensitive skin types.

On the minus side, the quality and texture varies among the different shades. I could never get Cloud 9 and Dollface to show up on me. The cheek stains also 'sweat' in hot and humid climates so they can get quite messy in the summer and I have to check them regularly to see if they are leaking. For that reason, I store my Tarte cheek stains in their own separate compartment so that any leakage does not get onto other makeup. Nevertheless, come every holiday season, I can never resist picking up Tarte's mini cheek stain trio sets.

Today, I thought I'd share some pics of my mini cheek stain collection. Here's the whole line-up: (from left to right) Sugar Baby, Glitzed, Tipsy, True Love, Tickled, Blushing Bride, Enchanted, Merry and Delighted
(With flash)


(Without flash)


(Top row, L to R): Sugar Baby, Glitzed, Tipsy, True Love, Tickled
(Bottom row, L to R): Enchanted, Merry, Delighted, Blushing Bride


Here's some pics of the interior:
(With flash, L to R)
Top Row: Tipsy, Delighted, True Love
Middle Row: Glitzed, Merry, TIckled
Bottom Row: Sugar Baby, Enchanted, Blushing Bride


(Without flash)


Blushing Bride, Sugar Baby and Tipsy are from the Glow on the Gow set from Christmas 2004. Paradise Found was released for Christmas 2005 and it had Flush, Dollface and Snow Bunny but I didn't get this set since I already had Flush and disliked Dollface. The Christmas 2006 The Good Life set had Tipsy, True Love and Glitzed in a gold pouch. And We Wish You Happiness was released for this year's holiday season, featuring three brand new shades, Enchanted, Merry and Delighted. The sets usually retail for US$30 so they are a great way to try out a few shades without committing to a full-sized cheek stain. I've never managed to finish a mini cheek stain, much less a full-sized one. These simply last a really really long time, unless you re-apply several times a day.

My favourites are the non-shimmery red/pink/berry shades like Flush, True Love, Blushing Bride and Tickled which are the easiest to apply and blend, unlike the shimmery shades which are trickier due to their texture. If you're thinking of trying Tarte's cheek stains for the first time, I would highly recommend the We Wish You Happiness set as all three shades are lovely with good color payoff. Merry looks like a cross between True Love and Flush. Delighted is a muted berry with a tinge of brown. Enchanted is a light mauve pink. As I'm not a glitter gal, I'm happy that Tarte did not include a clear cheek stain with glitter in this set or recycle shades from their existing line-up like they used to do. The shelf-life of the minis is listed as 6 months on the packaging but I seriously doubt it's possible to finish these within 6 months unless you use them daily.

Saturday 27 October 2007

Another early Xmas present

This is another amazing present that I had received back in September from an American friend. It was stuffed full of a mind-boggling array of samples from Laura Mercier, Bobbi Brown, Kiehl's, Philosophy, La Mer, Juicy Couture and even a cute Chanel mini lippie. Thank you, Taryn!! I'm slowly working my way through them and currently, I'm loving the Bliss Lemon & Sage Soapy Sap! What I love about Bliss products is that they come with hilarious instructions such as 'Apply to any part of your body most resembling the bark of an ancient tree' or 'When the delight derived from your other washing options rates low on the lively lather ladder, turn on more than your tap with bliss lemon + sage soapy sap'.

Christmas came early...


One of my dearest friends sent me the most awesome package all the way from the US today! It was stuffed chock-full of the most wonderful makeup and bath goodies, everything from Tarte cheekstains to the delightful Cynthia Rowley for Avon collection to a ton of Philosophy bath goodies! Her incredible generosity and thoughtfulness in putting together this package is just simply stunning. Thank you, dear! It was the best early Christmas (or maybe Halloween?) present ever *HUGS*

Here's some highlights of what my dear sweet friend sent me:
1.Tarte Natural Beauty Cheek Stain and We Wish You Happiness Mini Cheek Stain Se


Cynthia Rowley for Avon
2. True Color Eyeshadow Quad Plum Orchid
3. All Over Face Color in Light/Medium and Medium/Dark
4. Lipgloss in Plum Orchid and Very Violet
5. Ultra Color Rich Lipstick Plum Orchid
6. Brush Case with 3 brushes


7.Mark Glow Baby Glow - set of 9 mini lipglosses
8.Bare Escentuals Buxom Lips in Amber
9.Philosophy Senorita Margarita and Cinnamon Buns Shampoo/Shower Gel
10.Philosophy Senorita Margarita Hot Salt Scrub


She also included a Body Shop Perfume Oil in Exotic, Lush Bare Naked Lady body powder, a Victoria Jackson Survival Kit, a Bath & Body Works manicure kit, Pure Luxe pigment samples and tons of lip balms. I haven't tried out any of the stuff yet as I'm still admiring all of them in their pristine new condition ;-p

Cozycot Revamp


Cozycot is BACK! And it's been totally revamped with many new sections, including the opportunity to create your own blog, maintain wishlists etc! The Cozycot Forums haven't changed, which is great since that is the part that is most familiar to longtime users. I also like the nifty little tabs on the left side of the screen that let you pick the design template that you want. Do check it out!

Friday 26 October 2007

RMK Christmas Collection


RMK's Christmas collection website is up! This year's holiday palette comes in a leopard-print soft case and features the following products:

1. Metallic Powder Eyes #13 (super gorgeous and very popular shade)
2. Beigy Mix Eyes #1 (brown)
3. Beigy Mix Eyes #5 (light purple)
4. Beigy Mix Eyes #5 (smokey plum)
5. No Color Powder (beige powder pan on bottom left)
6. Pressed Powder Puff (black pan second from bottom left)
7. Ingenious Cheeks (limited edition shade)
8. Long Lash Mascara #1 (black)
9. Gloss Lips EX10 (coral)
10. 3 brushes

There are two featured looks done using this palette: Healthy & Gorgeous (using Metallic Powder Eyes #13 and Beigy Mix Eyes #1) and Sexy & Trendy (using the two shades from Beigy Mix Eyes #5).


The palette retails for 9975yen and it will be released on 9 November in Japan. If you don't mind the hefty pricetag, this is a great option for trying out several of RMK's best-selling items.

Aube Website Update


The Aube website has been updated with the Christmas collection! I'm lemming the Rouge Tiara Veil lipgloss (3150yen) in RD615 Merry Cherry :-) The close-up pic of Jewellery Shower Eyes EX02 (3675yen) looks absolutely gorgeous too. Sparkling Color Powder (1575yen) is a limited edition shimmery loose powder available in 2 shades, #1 Champagne Gold and #2 Shiny Pink. These can be used to add sparkle on top of your usual eyeshadow or as a face highlighter. The packaging is not as unique as the Glamorous Jewel Powder but the price is much lower.



The website also has two makeup tutorials. Here's the breakdown of the products used for the two looks:
Pure Innocent: Jewellery Shower Eyes EX02, Rouge Tiara Veil PK612, Lip Liner & Concealer S PK62, Mix Veil Cheek 811 Rose, Sparkling Color Powder #2 Shiny Pink

Modern Innocent: Jewellery Shower Eyes #31 Purple, Rouge Tiara Veil RS614, Lipliner & Concealer S RD63, Mix Veil Cheek 813 Red, Sparkling Color Powder #1 Shiny Gold


@Cosme also has a page showcasing the upcoming Spring 2008 collection. You can see all 5 new Impression Eyes palettes here! The special feature of these palettes is the "jet black pearl shadow" which is the liner shade for creating a more dramatic look. And like Jewellery Shower Eyes, the lightest shade in each quad is a cream eyeshadow that is meant to be used as the base. Just point your mouse/cursor over the pic of the 5 palettes and that will lead to a pop-up window showing the green palette as applied on the model (pic on right) compared with a typical gradational palette (on left). The Spring collection will be launched on 8 December in Japan.