As many of you know, Kanebo (currently part of the Kao Group) is one of the largest beauty companies in Japan. It features department store brands/lines (Coffret d’Or, Blanchir, Lunasol, Impress, Chicca, etc.) as well as drugstore lines (Lavshuca, Kate, Media, etc.). In addition, it ultimately owns brands like SUQQU, RMK, and Lissage.
Over the years, I have tried eyeshadows from many Japanese brands/lines, and it seems to me that there is something common among many of the eyeshadows from Kanebo-owned brands/lines: the shimmer.
I am certainly not saying that all of Kanebo’s eyeshadows have the same shimmery finish or that non-Kanebo eyeshadows (Japanese or not) look nothing like Kanebo ones, but there is a shared trait regarding the shimmery finish and that is the way the shimmer creates dimension.
Magie Deco’s spring 2011 Sugar Magic makeup collection features light lilacs and neutrals with a touch of green. The color combinations of Magie Deco’s eyeshadow palettes are usually slightly more unusual and unpredictable (see Magie Deco’s fall 2009 makeup collection), but the wearability of this collection and the soft looks that it can create are certainly appealing to me.
Coffret D’Or‘s Eyes Appeal Shadow is from the line’s spring 2011 makeup collection. The collection is part of the line’s first image revamp, as the image goes from elegant and sophisticated to friendly and amiable.
Eyes Appeal Shadow is available in five variations. All the variations are combinations of a selection of light and airy colors and a very dark lining shade. The lilacs in 02 Fairy Pink and 05 Silver Purple seem to be too light for me, and I went for the ultra-wearable 01 Sweet Brown.
After a few seasons of warm neutrals, grey emerges as one of the hottest shades for spring 2011. The looks that incorporate grey are chic and sophisticated, with a feel of low-key glamour. Meanwhile, surprisingly, purples are still at center stage, and, for this season, they are teaming up with warm neutrals for a natural but defined look.
.
Silvers & Greys
Dior leads the rest of the field with an ultra-chic Gris Montaigne makeup collection. All the new eye makeup items are grey-toned, and the color theme extends to lip and nail items. You will also find greys in collections from other trend setters such as Guerlain and NARS.
Each year, Japanese beauty magazine Biteki publishes results of its annual survey of its readers’ favorite beauty products in various categories. I am usually particularly interested in all the makeup categories, and, this year, I noticed that three of the eye palettes that I bought in 2010 are among the top 10 eye palettes. (This is surprising to me, as the eye palettes I tend to go for are not usually the most popular ones.)
Here are some brief thoughts on the three palettes (the numbers indicate their rankings in the top 10, and see links for my reviews):
I know that top finishers in the eyeshadow categories (singles/palettes) are usually neutral-toned and I expected a Lunasol palette (possibly from the Aurorize Eyes series) to top the chart (again), but I didn’t expect that it would be this one. (I thought it would be between (the more airy) 01 Nuance Variation and (the more intense) 05 Contrast Variation.) It seems that the combination of ultra-wearable light warm-toned neutrals and the beautifully dimensional shimmer Lunasol is known for has captured the hearts of many makeup fans in Japan.
Kanebo Coffret D’Or will release its spring/summer 2011 base makeup collection in Japan on March 1st. Following the point makeup renewal for spring 2011, Coffret D’Or will release new base makeup items with the new packaging.
After revealing the line’s revamped makeup line for spring 2011, Kanebo Coffret D’Or also revamped its official website as additional information on the spring 2011 makeup collection went up. You can also see the five new brand ambassadors for the line. Check out this page to see the items that each of them is wearing.
.
.
To be honest, as a group, I much prefer the five original brand ambassadors, who, for me, had a better mix of looks and styles while all looking elegant and sophisticated. (I don’t think the new brand ambassadors are styled as well as they could be for these images.)
Have a look at the TV commercial for Coffret D’Or’s launch collection for spring 2008 (one of my favorite TV commercials for the line), featuring the five original brand ambassadors:
.
.
See the new TV commercial here. (Coffret D’Or is now a very different line…)
Since Sofina Raycious was discontinued, I have not been adding many foundation cases to my collection. But when I saw this case on-line, I thought I might decide to have it at some point.
When I received the case, I thought that the colors of the jewel embellishments were not as vibrant as how they looked in magazines. But when I photographed it, I noticed that the colors did come alive on photographs. I guess this difference is by chance, not by design.
When light hits the case from certain angles, there is some soft blue iridescence, which is quite a nice design detail.
I do like makeup items with jewel details, and this case is a good addition to my stash of foundation cases!
