Sunday 30 March 2014

Anna Sui Summer 2014

Here are the official visuals for the Anna Sui summer collection "Door to Tomorrow" set to launch on 1 May in Japan. There will be a new Glittering Lip Gloss in 12 shades.



There will be eight new eyeshadow singles plus four case designs.

Another pic below tweeted by Tomoichi. The gloss with the white cap is part of the Protective Lip Gloss line which has 9 shades.

Friday 21 March 2014

YSL Couture Couleur Palettes

This summer, YSL will release seven Couture Couleur Palettes on 6 June in Japan, and another three in July. Retailing at 7800yen each, these are inspired by Yves St Laurent's Mondrian dresses. Pic below from Voce.


Pic below tweeted by Eclat.


Pic below tweeted by Nao.


Pic below tweeted by the Frau editor.

Three Nail Polish Line

Three will debut its first ever nail polish line themed "Little Fluffy Clouds" on 14 May in Japan. Comprising 12 shades, a base coat and three top coats, the polishes are infused with five botanical oils for moisturising benefits. Three vivid shades #10, #11 and #12 (pic here) will be sold exclusively at the Aoyama flagship store starting 14 May and nation-wide from 2 July. Priced at 1800yen each (excluding sales tax).




Nail Polish 04 Floating On A Cloud

Nail Polish Top Coat (from left: Cloud Clear, Silver Lining, Golden Cloud)


Nail Polish Base Coat Cloudless Morning


Botanical Nail Polish Remover (1000yen for 10 packs)

See more pics on Voce, here and Arata.

Three is also expanding internationally. Aside from its presence in Bangkok, Three opened two counters in Taipei on 8 March at Mitsukoshi and Sogo (Zhongxiao). According to UrCosme, Les Merveilleuses by Laduree will also open its first counter in Taipei on 1 April in Sogo (Zhongxiao). The prices are significantly marked up compared to Japan with the iconic Face Color Rose Laduree going at NT$4550 (about S$190) versus 10500yen (about S$131) in Japan.

Suqqu Summer 2014

Here are the full details of the Suqqu Summer 2014 collection due out on 2 May in Japan.

1. Blend Color Eyeshadow EX20 Natsubotan 夏牡丹 (limited edition)

2. Blend Color Eyeshadow EX-14 Ruridama 瑠璃珠 (limited edition, re-promote from Summer 2013)

3. Creamy Glow Lipstick Moist EX-14 澄桃色 (limited edition)

Sunday 16 March 2014

Pixi H2O Skintint, Bronzebeam Endless Silky Eye Pen and Shea Butter Lip Balm

During BeautyBay's recent 15% off sale, I purchased the new Pixi H2O Skintint (£21, 35ml), Endless Silky Eye Pen in BronzeBeam (£11) and Shea Butter Lip Balm (£8) in Ripe Raspberry from the Spring 2014 collection.

The H2O Skintint is a water-based tinted face gel that is supposed to be hydrating, long-lasting and water-resistant with a semi-matte finish that lasts all day. Aside from being paraben-free and fragrance-free, it contains antioxidant-rich green tea, moisturising rose water, soothing english chamomile and relaxing lavender. I was surprised to see that it is made in Korea.

The lightest shade No. 1 Cream was a good match for my MAC NC20 skintone. The pump dispenser is easy to control and the plastic tube packaging makes this convenient for travel as there is no fear of breakage. The texture is a very light cream that feels cool upon application. I had rather mixed results with this as depending on the skincare that I used prior to applying it, there were variances in the finish. When I used Paula's Choice Anti-Redness Exfoliating Solution, the H20 Skintint applied patchily with a tendency to pool in my pores and dry patches also appeared on my cheeks. It applied much more smoothly when I prepped my skin with Shiseido Ibuki Refining Moisturiser instead.

Being a tinted moisturiser, I did not expect this to offer much coverage. Indeed, the level of coverage is pretty light and does not cover blemishes well although it does even out some of the redness in my skin. It also takes quite a bit of blending to achieve a smooth, streak-less finish. Although titanium dioxide is listed as the third ingredient, there is no SPF level stated on the packaging which is disappointing as it means you can't rely on this alone for sun protection. Overall, I was a bit disappointed with the H20 Skintint as I was hoping that it could be a fuss-free all-in-one product for those days when I do not have time for applying foundation.

List of ingredients is below.

The Shea Butter Lip Balm has a nice creamy texture. It does not feel as balmy as Fresh Sugar Tinted Lip Treatments but it does keep my lips hydrated without any peeling thereafter. Ripe Raspberry is a sweet pink that shows up nicely with just a couple of swipes.

Being a longtime fan of Pixi's Endless Silky Eye Pens, I always pick up any new shade that they release. Bronze Beam (center in the pic below) is a medium brown with a bit of a glimmer. It's not as muddily flat as Black Cocoa (left) and lighter and cooler than Copper Glow (right) which is more chocolate. I find Bronze Beam a bit too light for the upper lashline but it's nice for adding some depth along the lower lashline.

Swatched from left to right: Black Cocoa, Bronze Beam and Copper Glow.


In the pics below, I used Bronze Beam on both the upper and lower lashlines.


Below is the look that I did using all three products, along with the Metallic Magic Eye Alchemy palette from their Holiday 2013 collection.



BeautyBay is currently offering 20% off all Pixi products until 17 March to celebrate St Patrick's Day, with free international shipping, but they do not have the H20 Skintint in stock while they only have a few of the eyeliner pencil shades available (excluding Bronze Beam). I received my order in just under two weeks. The Skintint is also available on ASOS.

Addiction Summer 2014 Es Paradis

Here are more pics from Eclat of the Addiction Es Paradis summer collection due out on 2 May in Japan.


Nail Polishes (1800yen, 5 shades)

Cheek Sticks (2800yen) in More (non-pearl sunset orange), Behind The Veil (pink beige with gold pearl) and Ibiza Sunset (golden brown)

Ready To Wear Eye Palette in Es Paradis (6200yen)


Limited edition Crystal Body Oil (4200yen, 50ml) with champagne gold pearl and Spanish almond oil, scented with juniper berry and geranium rose.


Tint Lip Protector SPF20 (2500yen, 8 shades) with juniper berry essential oil and geranium rose scent. Pic tweeted by Abe Sawako.


The shades are:
* Door Open (coral red)
* Salt Garden (clear white)
* Babyish (powder pink like baby lips)
* Cream (tan cream beige)
* Stolen Kisses (sweet pearl pink)
* Paranoia (sexy burgundy red)
* Flower Power (sunny fresh orange)
* Après Swim (fresh pink)