(images from www.sofina.co.jp/aube)
Then came news of Primavista in July, Raycious’ successor, and I wasn’t sure if Sofina would actually do anything with Aube. Later, we heard about the launch of Aube Couture in December, and everything seems to be in place for the moment.
Nothing seems very different…the name, the spokespersons, or the look of the products. So where is the identity of Aube Couture?
Product design is a huge strength in Japanese consumer goods. When we think of electronic products such as mobile phones and digital cameras and simple stationary items, it is all about those nice touches that make the products user-friendly and intuitive to use.
Every day, there are people new to makeup who find the application a little daunting. Aube Couture’s products are designed with them in mind. They are designed to make makeup application easy, efficient, and effortless.
Some Japanese makeup lines include an eye chart for eye palettes (like the one for Coffret D’Or’s 3D Lighting Eyes), but Aube Couture goes one step further. The color layout of the new Designing Eyes palettes shows where each shade goes on the lid (apart from the lining shade on the right), so we are looking at the colors and the eye chart at the same time.
I also like the design of Designing Cheek. The powder is pressed into a (roughly) half-cylinder shape. When the brush goes over the powder, the center of the brush picks up more powder than the two ends. This should make it easier to achieve a natural, flawless and dimensional finish, and it can especially help those who find blending a little tricky.
Over the last few years, Kao, among other Japanese beauty companies, has done well in coming up with new concepts and connecting with consumers on different levels, from the blue-based particles in Raycious to Est’s philosophy of emotional beauty. Now Sofina shows that a makeup range with a “couture” concept doesn’t need to carry hundreds of shades. Instead, the products give consumers the confidence and comfort in knowing that they can create a beautiful makeup look on their own.
I wonder what Japanese makeup brands will have to offer in 2009? In the meantime, I wish all of you a very happy New Year!
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{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Happy New Year!!! I look forward to more wonderful posts from your blog this year!
Hi Elvira,
Happy New Year to you too! I hope you will continue to stop by in 2009! :)
Hi there! My New Year’s resolution is to find the best beauty blogs on the web and I just stumbled across yours. I’m looking forward to learning about your site and what you like to blog about in 2009.
While I’m here, here’s a suggestion: have you thought about doing a “best posts of 2008” blog entry to help new reader get acquainted with you? We tried that on our blog and we’re getting some great feedback.
Wishing a terrific 2009!
I really like the way Aube let’s you “experience” the eyeshadow before you even buy it by showing it on the package. I wish a company would take it one step further and have tests with a blank eye “canvas” so you could experiment with different color combos before you buy.
Wow I really like the design too. That blush looks great.
Happy New Year and thank you for a great blog!
Hi Sarah,
Thank you very much for stopping by my blog! I certainly hope you will enjoy it in 2009!
Thank you as well for your comments and suggestion. I celebrated my blog’s second anniversary in November and I did a look-back in my anniversary post (which you can read here). It was meant to reflect on my blogging journey in the past 12 months.
Thank you again for your comments! :)
Hi Pixie,
Thank you for your kind words, and have a great 2009 too! :)
PJ, this post and the products you’ve shown on it are incredible.
Do you mind if I put it like it is in my blog? Of course, I’ll translate it to Portuguese and link to your blog?
I’ll wait your answer!
Hope you and your family have a blessed new year!
Best regards!
Hi Belita,
Thank you very much for stopping by my blog again. Hope you and your family have a great 2009!
Please do go ahead and translate the post for your blog. Yes, do please link back to this post from yours. Also, if you are using the images from this post, please do state that they are from http://www.sofina.co.jp/aube, as I have done on my post.
Thank you very much, and keep up the good work with your blog! :)