It's hard not to buy lipstick...

Such pretty, pretty things!

I bought a moderate coverage lipstick from Integrate Gracy for my mother though - I hope she likes the color.  It's nice having testers available!  But conversely, it's a bit dangerous.

I played with a tester of Shiseido Prior Beautiful Lift Lipstick in Beige 1 (2862 JPY) - it seemed a very easy-to-use, my-lips-but-better color.  But what I really enjoyed was the new Shiseido Maquillage Dramatic Rouge in the limited edition RD351, a very sheer red.  Lipsticks are so much fun; it's really hard not to buy more.

However, I am really enjoying the lasting power and versatility of my Shiseido Lacquer Rouge RD413, so I will content myself with that for now.

Integrate Snipe Gel Liner Mini Review

Shiseido INTEGRATE Snipe Gel Liner
I'm a fan of the Kira Wink Liner also from INTEGRATE, but this Snipe Liner is not as smooth and easy to blend - maybe because it's waterproof.  The color is pretty but I find it hard to use - I hate the little bits of liner that don't stick to my skin and are really hard to clean up.

Dick Page explores cities around the world

There's this fantastic series of videos published by Shiseido in April where Dick Page shows his favorite spots around a few cities:

The cities:
* Dick Page takes Paris
* Dick Page Discovers Hong Kong
* Dick Page in New York City
* Dick Page in Tokyo

The full list of Shiseido Dick Page videos.

Lip colors that flatter

I didn't realize it until swatching my lipsticks on white paper, but it turns out that all the colors that I find unflattering are mauve shades.

• Nivea Fruity shine in Pomegranate - a sheer mauve.
• Revlon Balm Stain in Honey 001 - a medium pinkish mauve.
• L'Oreal Colour Riche Balm in Plush Plum (219) - a cool mauve.
• Lancome Color Fever 306 - a decidedly purple mauve shade.
• Maybelline Moisture Extreme Toasted Almond (210) - even this seemingly brick red-like shade definitely has tendencies towards mauve and away from berry.
• Maquillage Glossy Perfect Rouge RD224 - a bright pink mauve.

Warm roses like Dior Addict Lip Polish in 002 and YSL Golden Gloss in Praline - these I can handle. Warm pinks like Maybelline Water Shiny Gloss in S01, I can handle. I like berry shades too, although right now I lack one.

But mauve makes my skin look sallow, and I'm finally getting rid of them.

I can also confirm that I don't have a proper peach/orange lipstick in my lipstick wardrobe. I plan to seek out Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge in OR-1 to fill this spot.  I also lack a proper berry/wine shade.  Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge RD-2 might be good for this, but it might be too much on the mauve side for me.  A bright watermelon wouldn't go amiss either - I have a red Nivea care gloss that fills this spot at the moment, but I haven't got a lipstick yet.  I'm eying Lavshuca Dramatic Memory Rouge RD-1 for this.
Can you tell that I have Dramatic Memory Rouge on the brain?

Maquillage fall collection - Moisture Rouge

I tried on the tester for Maquillage's Fall collection with Alexander Wang today. I love trying out brand new testers. I wiped it off afterwards in a futile attempt to not completely contaminate it for other customers. Isn't it funny that the fall collection goes on sale July 21st? I'm definitely not in the mood for fall right in the middle of summer!

The limited edition red RD536 Moisture Rouge is very pretty. It's a sheer red (being Sheer Type), but pigmented enough that it's quite distinctly a red lipstick (faintly on the berry side), but not too strong to prevent it from being easy to wear. However, the color does sink into dry spots on my lips. So far it's been an hour and a half and the color is staying on pretty decently. I'm rather tempted to buy it, as it is quite a wearable red. I must admit that it is a bit cooler than I would like, as I'm looking for a more neutral red. Still, it's quite wearable and I think it suits me.

I'm also tempted to buy the dual mascara/liquid eyeliner in green released by Maquillage this summer. They're not limited edition though, so I'll wait 'till I use up (somehow!) my Kanebo Lunasol Geminate liquid eyeliner, as the fun colors are really only appropriate for after work.

my ultimate skin care set

Cosmetic Candy is holding a series of giveaways, which prompted me to think about my ideal skin care set:
1. shu uemura cleansing oil (although honestly, fancl cleansing oil/dhc deep cleansing oil are perfectly fine for me)
2. Shiseido &Face Art Method Clearing Water
3. Jurlique day care face lotion
4. La Roche Posay Anthelios 40
5. Shiseido Haku Masks

Current favorites:
1. FANCL cleansing oil
2. Shiseido Senka 専科 water
3. Beauty Credit Double Moist Pomegranate Collagen Cream
4. Neutrogena Dry Touch Sunscreen 50+
5. Kanebo Kracie Hadabisei Face Sheet Masks (the blue box)

My favorite things...

My favorite things at the moment:
* Rohto Lycé eye wash
* Kanebo Tiffa UV lip balm - has the perfect light and emollient but not too greasy texture.
I can't wait till I use up all my other lip balms - they just don't feel as nice. I have enough for each purse/bag/backpack I own :P
* Canmake cream blush - cheap and effective. If I ever use up all my other blushes, I'll consolidate my stash with just this product. I like Majolica Majorca's blush too, but cream blush is just so easy and portable! Maybe I'll keep one pigmented blush like Bobbi Brown around.

Of my new lip products, my favorites are the Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Supreme Shine sparkly white lippy in SS WH - pretty sparkle. For work, Shiseido The Makeup in LC2 is really easy to use and the perfect my-lips-but-better shade.

Everything else is rather so-so and I don't plan to repurchase.
Extra Version Olive Oil does remove my makeup very well, but I end up using lots of cotton pads and it stings if it gets into my eyes, so I think the time vs. cost performance is not worth it for me.
I've been using Shiseido Eudermine toner to get any remnants of makeup off, but I'd rather not use too much alcohol on my face.
So I'll probably try Mandom Cleansing Express Cleansing Lotion (Bright Up) next.

blah, Iyaz - Replay

Tired and eyes have been a little irritated, so went light on the makeup today. Filled in eyebrows with pencil (Shiseido Inoui ID automatic pencil liner in a taupe), tightlined with liquid eyeliner (Kanebo Kate Supersharp Eyeliner in brown), and added a stain of a warm berry lipstick (Maybelline Lipstick in Toasted Almond). Kind of a fun change.

Iyaz has an addictive song Replay out now.

favorites update

current favorites
* Seikisho soap - love the delicate herbal scent! can be a little drying though
* Adjuvant Re:>>>Treatment
* Laura Biagiotti Roma edt - lovely fragrance
* Jean Patou Sublime edt
* Kanebo Kate Super Sharp Liner BR-1
* Paul & Joe lipstick - love the shine and subtle sparkle of this lipstick, but it's too expensive to re-purchase (unless I really can't duplicate this with any other lipstick)
* Majolica Majorca Eye Shadow Customize - the metallic shades are really great and so inexpensive!
* Kanebo Lunasol Sheer Contrast eye shadow - limited edition summer palette - too sparkly to re-purchase anything in this series unless I use it up, but I like it a lot

perennial favorites (stuff I re-purchase when possible)
* Barbara Bui Le Parfum (will they hurry up and re-issue this?)
* DHC deep cleansing oil
* Queen Helena clay mask
* Shu Uemura lash curler
* Flamingo foldable brow shaver
* Opera MyLash mascara
* DejaVu Fiberwig mascara
* Inoui ID eyebrow automatic pencil (discontinued)
* Inoui ID eyeshadows (discontinued)
* Inoui ID blush duo (discontinued)
* Shiseido Perfecting Lipstick (too expensive though)
* Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited (lipstick) (too expensive though)
* Bloom lip gloss (in the frosted tube)

materialism: lunasol, primavista, cle de peau, guerlain, etc.

Lately it seems like shopping is on my brain.

Beware, below lies only ramblings on cosmetics.


After giving up for a while, I'm again seeking a good powder foundation. Over the winter I tried samples of Lunasol Skin Modelling Foundation and Primavista's winter foundation, but nothing stood out.

Color-wise Lunasol was quite nice, but in the end the coverage was only average and oil-control was only average. As a fall-back, it would be quite acceptable, but if I'm going to spend $40 or more on a foundation, I'd like something a little better.

Primavista's winter foundation was pretty poor on coverage and average on oil-control, so I forgot it immediately. The sample was a print on paper, so perhaps the sample formulation had issues to begin with.

However, I've heard good things about Coffret D'Or and Primavista's spring/summer foundations in terms of both coverage and oil-control so I'm looking forward to trying them.

I recently received a sample of Cle de Peau's powder foundation teint naturel poudre SPF 20 PA++ in ochre 20 (タンナチュレールプードルS オークル２０), which has impressive coverage, although I've come to realize that ochre 20 is a tad dark for me. The finish is rather matte so far. I'll see how the shine control fares over the course of this week. The coverage is quite nice - it covers up redness and some large cystic pimples without looking powdery or unnatural. It doesn't sink into pores much at all. There's some itchiness, but this might be the Elizabeth Arden face lotion I am using.

I did like Guerlain's pearly white powder foundation, which brightens the face and covers redness nicely, but the Cle de Peau may have better coverage, as one would expect, considering their target audience. It makes me wonder how the regular Shiseido powder foundation is; if it is almost as good as Cle de Peau, it may be a nice compromise in terms of price and functionality.

If I'm lucky, Coffret D'Or or Primavista will be almost as effective, as they are the least expensive options I am considering.

A Touch of Blusher also has reviews of Coffret D'Or and Primavista's winter offerings.

As a side note, I found Fresh Minerals' mineral foundation rather itchy, but I like the loose powder quite a bit. Nice, functional packaging too.

materialism: to buy or not to buy

I'm contemplating a purchase of Lunasol's Sheer Contrast Eyes eyeshadow quad in EX01 Blue Green Coral. The shimmering sea blue is a gorgeous color that can be layered on for intensity. The pale green and dark silvery brown (as Rouge Deluxe put it) are lovely colors too. However, the shimmering white shade is a standard highlighter of which I have far too many already. Still, the blue and brown are quite gorgeous so I'm debating a purchase (5250yen).

Shadow Customize, Majolica Majorca's individual eyeshadow line, has a lovely shimmery blue-green shade BL724(熱帯魚 tropical fish) that is similar but not as blue as Lunasol's color. Considering how much eyeshadow I own and how much I would be able to use the Lunasol quad, EX01 is really not a justifiable purchase. The quad is also limited edition, so it couldn't be a permanent part of my stash.

This minimalism thing is quite difficult. Or rather, finding the perfect items that would allow me to be minimalistic is quite a time-consuming task.

image from http://www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol