2008 Holiday

Shiseido Majolica Majorca Majolook (Illuminator) BR788 Holiday 2008 Makeup 1

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Today my Stash Debut 2012 series continues with Majolica Majorca Majolook (Illuminator) in BR788.

Even though I did have a few items from Majolica Majorca, I never tried eyeshadows from the line. After looking through the line’s eyeshadow palettes, I decided to go for Majolook (Illuminator) in BR788. The palette was released in the holiday 2008 season, but it was not a limited-edition item and it is still available.

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(continued from Part 1 and Part 2)

Happy Holiday everyone! Today I will conclude my holiday 2008 makeup countdown.

3. Paul & Joe

(image from www.paul-joe-beaute.com)

I do like an abundant holiday collection, and Paul & Joe shows us how to bring out one. The collection includes a good range of makeup items as well as fragrance and body products. I saw these items in person last month, and both the Eye Gloss and Pearl Powder have a beautiful finish.

2. Guerlain

(image from www.guerlain.co.jp)

I think Guerlain’s 2008 holiday collection, with the beautiful silvery lilac cases and some gorgeous shades, is even more stunning than last year’s gold-themed collection. I like all the shades in the eye palette, but, in order to stay under my annual makeup budget, I decided not to buy it. But I might see it again in the summer/winter sale next year. (I found it surprising that I still saw items from Guerlain’s Pucci collection (from summer 2007) at the summer sale this year…)

(In Japan, the lipstick and the eye palette above are sold as a set, with a limited-edition clutch bag.)

1. Dior

Dior’s seasonal star item is always among the makeup products I look forward to the most, and this year Dior has done it again. Even though last year’s DiorLight pendant is equally nice and sparkly, I find it hard to display with its wobbly round shape and the non-detachable strap. (So it is stored in my makeup drawer at the moment). Not this compact, which is displayed next to some of my other Dior stash.

The rest of the collection, including some eye-catching palettes, is just as beautiful. The two 5-color eye palettes have also been selling well in the UK. I am quite sure that, in 2009, Dior’s new releases will still be worth waiting for.

Related posts:

Spring 2009 collections from:

Paul & Joe

Guerlain

Dior

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(continued from Part 1)

6. Anna Sui

(image from www.annasui-cosmetics.com)

The return of Ring Rouge in the Rouge Collection (seen above) is what made this collection special. For me, like the princessy loose powder, Ring Rouge defines the brand. While most Japanese brands release neural shades for the holiday season, the rest of Anna Sui’s collection features very bouncy colors, which is what we’ve come to expect from the brand.

5. Coffret D’Or

(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)

Coffret D’Or has done very well in 2008, and its first holiday collection continues to impress many makeup fans. I like the fact that the packaging incorporates the usual Coffret D’Or look but with a small twist. The neutral-toned and purple-toned palettes reflect the key trends for this holiday season. (I did nearly decide to get the purple-toned one…)

4. Lunasol

(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)

Lunasol’s recent holiday makeup sets have been criticized for the lack of imagination and color. (They usually include a neutral-toned eye palette and a few other items to go with them, and the palettes seem to look similar year after year.) This year’s version is again similar, but it does take on elements of red and burgundy, which are part of the makeup trend for fall this year. They make this set a little more special and memorable. Also, I almost always prefer a clutch bag or purse in a makeup set to a box (as in last year’s version).

The holiday 2008 countdown finishes in Part 3.

Related Posts:

Spring 2009 collections from the three brands above:

Anna Sui

Coffret D’Or

Lunasol

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Today and in the next few days, I will be counting down my 10 favorite holiday 2008 makeup collections. We’ll start from #10 to #7 today.

10. RMK

(image from RMK)


The 2008 edition of RMK’s Christmas Palette is probably one of the best holiday palettes from RMK in recent years, particularly in terms of the packaging. I like the two-tier design as well as the metallic gold pouch. (On the other hand, I didn’t like the animal-print palette from last year, even though it had some very nice colors.) The colors are wearable and the sparkles in the three pastel eyeshadows add a festive vibe to the party makeup look.

Please have a look at my review of the palette here.

9. Magie Deco

(image from www.iswii.net)

This is Magie Deco’s second holiday coffret. While I prefer the first one, this year’s version still looks gorgeous and glamorous. It is a good continuation of the deep-red theme from the line’s fall 2008 Bordeaux Magic collection.

8. Jill Stuart

(image from www.urcosme.com)

I have to say I am slightly underwhelmed by Jill Stuart’s holiday set for this year. It does have a beautiful vintage look, but, again, I prefer last year’s Christmas Rose Collection, with rosette details and a more different design for the eyeshadow palette. But the Solid Perfume Ring did tempt me a little bit when I first saw it.

7. Shu Uemura


(image from www.shuuemura-usa.com)

I really like the cases of these eye palettes and some of the colors in them. The colorful photos are by Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa, and they also feature in Gloss Unlimited Mini Trio, Portable Brush Set and Makeup Box. Shu Uemura’s products usually have a simple and minimal look, and these images inject a lot of vibrancy to these holiday items. (You can see the rest of the collection here.)

The countdown continues in Part 2 and Part 3!

Related Posts:

My Fall 2008 Makeup Top 10:

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3

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Prescriptives has been releasing Colorscope Refillable Palettes for Eyes and Cheeks for the past few holiday seasons. Today I am reviewing the 2008 version in Cool.

The palette is packaged in a zip-up faux-leather pouch with a silvery finish. It includes six eyeshadows, two blushers and a double-ended eyeshadow brush.




The three darker shades are:
– matte dark grey
– iridescent plum red
– metallic medium taupe

All these shades are smooth and very well-pigmented.

The three lighter shades are:
– light blue (softly iridescent) with a lilac undertone
– light golden beige (very metallic)
– off-white cream (pearly)

The light golden beige is richly pigmented, while the other two are more softly pigmented.

(The blue/lilac and the plum red are existing shades in the Colorscope Eye Color range (Lilac Frost and Plum Smoke).The rest four are exclusive to this palette.)

My two favorite shades are Lilac Frost and the medium taupe. Lilac Frost looks slightly more blue than lilac and is a good subtle shade for brightening the eyes. The color comes mainly from the soft iridescence, so it doesn’t leave the eye area unnaturally pale or flat. The metallic taupe is a nice shadowing shade and is more of a brown taupe (which I prefer) than a grey taupe. The metallic finish lasts well and doesn’t turn ashy or muddy overtime.


The palette for 2007 contains a blusher and a highlighter. This year’s version has two blushers: a matte soft warm pink (the same blusher as the one in the 2007 palette) and a dusty pink with minimal shimmer and a subtly glowy finish. (The two shades are Petal and Apple Blossom, respectively, in the Colorscope Cheek Color range).

Both shades are well-pigmented. Do use them sparingly if you want a subtle look. I personally prefer Petal, which creates a natural flush for the cheeks. (It can also be built to a more vibrant finish.)

Even though this is the cooler version of the two palettes (see the Warm version here), it has a well-balanced selection of warm and cool shades to suit most complexions. It should work for both the party season and the rest of the year.

Other holiday 2008 posts:

Dior Night Diamond

RMK Christmas Palette 2008

Bobbi Brown Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick

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Bond No. 9 Holiday 2008 Collection

by PJ on Monday, December 8, 2008

in -Bond No. 9, 2008 Holiday, fragrance

(image and info from Bond No. 9)

Bond No. 9 seems to always (literally) dazzle us with holiday collections. For this year, several of Bond No. 9’s popular scents are again decked with Swarvoski crystals.

Thousands of Swarovski stones dress up the limited-edition All-Stars lineup, featuring 50ml Chelsea Flowers (in green), Eau de New York (in aurora) and Chinatown (in ruby). Bleecker Street (100ml) is decorated with stones of green and amethyst shades, along with a large piece in the center.

Among the rest of the collection, The Voyager Candles set caught my attention. It includes five travel-sized candles of five Bond No. 9 scents (Chelsea Flowers, Eau de New York, Chinatown, Nuits de Noho and The Scent of Peace (one of my favorite Bond No. 9 scents)).


Check out Bond No. 9’s website for more of the holiday 2008 collection.

Bond No. 9 Reviews:

Coney Island

Andy Warhol Lexington Avenue

Andy Warhol Union Square

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Shimmer Brick is probably one of
Bobbi Brown‘s most popular items. For holiday 2008, Bobbi Brown has released a limited-edition Copper Diamond Shimmer Brick Compact.

The five subtly different shades are packaged in a very glamorous gold case with a decent-sized mirror, although the case always seems slightly lighter than how I’d like it to be (especially when I compare it with Dior’s Night Diamond, which is smaller and thinner but a lot heavier).

The compact includes various shades of beige and light bronze. The combination of these shades is a warm beige with hints of gold that should suit most skin tones (unless you have a cool-toned fair skin tone, in which case a platinum-toned highlighter would be more complementary). When applied with a powder brush, the finish is shimmery with visible multi-colored shimmery particles. When used as eyeshadows, they can be built up to a metallic finish (with a low pigmentation level.)

I personally find this compact to be the most useful as a highlighter for cheek bones. (For me, it is almost too shimmery for the T-zone.) I use it over my powder foundation and under my (predominantly matte) loose powder. This way, the finish is more glowy than shimmery and suits me a lot better.

Apart from a face highlighter, it can be easily used as a body shimmer to add a bit of pizazz to your party looks.

For swatches and FOTDs, please check out this post by The Muse at Musings of a Muse.

Related Posts:

Bobbi Brown Basics Eye Palette

Bobbi Brown Metallic Eye Shadows

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For the last few holiday seasons, RMK has brought out luxury makeup palettes that include items for eyes, cheeks, and lips. Today I am reviewing the 2008 version of the RMK Christmas Palette.

The holiday palette for this year is presented in a rectangular gold pouch with a chic metallic finish. The palette itself is black.


The palette includes four eyeshadows, a travel-sized mascara, a travel-sized lip gloss, face colors, and pressed powder. The pressed powder, powder puff and blusher brush are in the pull-out drawer on the bottom layer.

Eyeshadows

The three light shades (gold, pink, and green) are very sheer and mainly add (quite sparkly) shimmer to the eyes. The brown is less shimmery and a lot more pigmented. It can be a subtle eyelining shade or part of your smoky-eye look.

Face Colors

At first, I thought the coral-orange blusher would be too warm for my liking, but it goes on as a nice warm coral-pink that looks surprisingly natural. Both the blusher and the highlighter have shimmer. (The shimmer in the highlighter is more pronounced.)

Pressed Powder

It goes on luminously matte and has good pore coverage. However, compared with products like Kiss Mat Chiffon Powder and Lavshuca Face Powder in Lucent, it lacks shine control and will not suit those with oily skin.


Separate Curl Mascara in 01 Black (travel-sized)

This waterproof mascara is part of RMK’s regular mascara lineup. The brush is slightly curled. For me, it creates more volume and definition rather than length. On my lashes, it doesn’t clump or smudge.


Gloss Lips in EX-11 (limited-edition shade, travel-sized)

This is a semi-sheer gloss with a hint of beige and should suit most complexions. It has very pretty multi-colored shimmer. As far as I remember, RMK’s lip glosses come with a brush applicator. This one has a sponge applicator.

Overall, this set creates a warm and glowy makeup look for the holiday season. How you use the pigmented brown eyeshadow will determine how dramatic the overall look is. If you have been thinking about trying items from RMK, this set (including the brand’s popular items like the mascara and Gloss Lips) is worth considering.

If you would like to see swatches and FOTDs of this palette, please head over here and here. Enjoy!

Related Posts:

Review: RMK Fall 2008 Collection

Can’t Live Without – RMK Cleansing Oil

Beauty City Guide – London

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(image and info from www.annasui-cosmetics.com)

The Anna Sui Cosmetics website has been updated to feature the second part of the holiday 2008 collection. All items are limited editions and will be released in Japan on December 4th. (See part one of the collection here.)

The collection will include two sets of Rouge Collection. The once very popular (and later discontinued) Ring Rouge will make an appearance in each of the two sets. It is paired with a special edition of Mini Rouge, with an added charm. They are presented in the Original Jewelry Box.

Also in the second part of the holiday collection is Beauty Mirror (Rose) W, which will please some of those who collect Anna Sui’s beauty accessories.

Related Posts:

To Buy or Not to Buy – Anna Sui Makeup Color Collection D

My Anna Sui Foundation Cases
(including a photo of Hand Mirror G from holiday 2007)

Loving Japanese Brands – Anna Sui

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Dior Luxury Holiday Collection 2008

by PJ on Tuesday, November 18, 2008

in -Dior, 2008 Holiday, makeup

(image and info from woman.excite.co.jp)

For the holiday season in Japan, Dior usually releases a luxury set which allows customization of part of the contents. Last year, customers were able to choose the lipstick and nail varnish they liked for the TOTALLY DIOR Cannage set. This year, the Shimmering Party Makeup collection includes:

– any lipstick (from Dior Addict High Shine, Dior Addict High Color, or Rouge Dior range)
– eyeshadow single (limited-edition shade only available in this set)
– Diorshow Powder in 001
– silver mirror
– silver pouch

The set is priced between 8400 (87 USD) and 8610 JPY, depending on the choice of lipstick. It is a lot cheaper than the Cannage collection in 2007, which was around 300 USD and featured a much more luxurious-looking bag. Maybe this is partly due to the current economic climate…

Related Posts:

Dior Holiday 2008 Collection

Dior Night Diamond for Holiday 2008

Golden Dior Luminizing Makeup Jewel

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