(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
(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/coffretdor)
(image and info from www.cosme.net)
Cosme.Net (@Cosme) has posted the feature on The Best Cosmetics Awards 2008. The results are based on reader reviews of products released between November 1, 2007 and October 31, 2008.
Two things that caught my attention are the Best Eyeshadow and Best Newcomer awards. My two favorite eye palette series in 2008, Coffret D’Or’s 3D Lighting Eyes and Lunasol’s Sheer Contrast Eyes (both from spring 2008) are number 1 and 2 on the list. (Sofina Aube’s Impression Eyes took the number 3 spot.) 3D Lighting Eyes also won the Best Newcomer award.
I am happy that it seems many other people agree that the two ranges offer fantastic products. The two 3D Lighting Eyes palettes I have, Purple and Gold Variations, are among my favorite eye palettes, while Sheer Contrast Eyes’ Lavender Coral is also among my favorites and is probably my favorite lilac palette at the moment.
These items are undoubtedly some of the makeup highlights for me in 2008, and I am certainly looking forward to what these two brands have to offer in 2009!
Looking Ahead:
Coffret D’Or Spring 2009 Collection
Lunasol Spring 2009 Collection
Aube Couture Launches in December
(images and info from
www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/coffretdor/)
Coffret D’Or‘s website has been updated to feature the holiday 2008 palettes (out now) as well as preliminary information on the spring 2009 collection (out on December 16th).
Again, I am keeping a close eye on the new eyeshadow palettes. The five variations of Shine Accent Eyes are 01 Orange, 02 Pink, 03 Green, 04 Blue, and 05 Beige
The palettes feature very soft colors. Even the eye-lining shade in each palette seems quite light. Below, from the Coffret D’Or website, you can see where shades are applied:
I think I will probably get 01 Pink Variation (which includes a lilac shade) and compare it with 3D Lighting Eyes in Purple Variation. (I also like the fact that the jewel details are different for the new eye palette series.)
Related Posts:
Coffret D’Or Spring 2009 Collection
(including information on the full lineup)
Coffret D’Or Holiday 2008 Collection
Coffret D’Or Trance Deep Eyes in Rose Variation
Coffret D’Or Makeup Powder
(image and info from www.nikkei.co.jp)
Kanebo‘s Coffret D’Or will be one year old in December. Its spring 2009 collection will be released in Japan on December 16th.
The lineup includes:
– Shine Accent Eyes palette (5 variations)
– Beauty Effect Mascara (2 shades)
– Full Keep Gel Liner (3 shades)
– Shine Drape Rouge Color (8 shades)
– Shine Drape Rouge Glow (8 shades)
– Lip Make Liner (6 shades, holder sold separately)
– Shiny Carat Gloss (3 new shades)
– Essence Lip Base
– Color Blush (1 new shade)
The colors in the eye palettes are looking a little washed out in the photo. I am suspecting the actual shades will be slightly richer.
I am overall very pleased with Coffret D’Or’s eye palettes. As with the two seasonal releases of eye palettes last year, I think I will pick up at lease one from the new collection, and I will certainly keep you posted on my thoughts.
Updated on November 14th, 2008:
More information on the collection.
More on Coffret D’Or’s eye palettes:
3D Lighting Eyes in Purple Variation and Gold Variation
Trance Deep Eyes in Rose Variation and Grey Variation
(continued from Part 1 & Part 2)
3. Maquillage
(images from www.shiseido.co.jp/mq/)
2008 is the year when Maquillage started to grow on me. The fall collection includes shades of purple, plum, gold, and gentle neutrals, which happen to be the shades I have been wearing the most lately. Later on I will be trying out Forming Shiny Eyes in 52 (seen above), with an alluring combination of purple and gold (with a pale pink cream base). The collection also features twelve new shades of Lasting Climax Rouge, which debuted in spring and has been selling well in Asia.
2. Lavshuca
(images from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca/)
When you don’t want to spend too much on makeup but still want quality and all the prettiness, you can almost always count on Lavshuca. A couple of items have been on my shopping list for a while (Dual Prism Eyes in PU-1 and Rouge Star Classics in (probably) PK-1). There are no limited-edition items in this collection so I will think about getting them after deciding which holiday 2008 items to have.
1. Coffret D’Or
For me, at this point, I think I can say that 2008 is the year of Coffret D’Or in terms of Japanese makeup. Launched just before the beginning of 2008 with a lot of expectation, Coffret D’Or has done well this year, both as T’Estimo’s successor, which continues to help shape the overall image of Kanebo, and for me as a makeup fan.
(images from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/coffretdor/)
Coffret D’Or’s solid fall 2008 collection does what the line is supposed to do, which is to create beautifully wearable shades with dependable quality for a wide range of consumers, from those wearing makeup on a regular basis to those new to makeup. With a price point lower than those of brands like Lunasol, it does have its own advantage.
Coffret D’Or is still expanding, and I think in 2009 we will see more new products. (The point makeup range hasn’t included basic items such as pencil eyeliners, and there will probably be more base makeup products. I am expecting to see an under-eye concealer pen that Revue used to have.) I certainly hope it will be worth the wait.
Related Posts:
Loving Japanese Brands – Lavshuca
Coffret D’Or Trance Deep Eyes in Rose Variation
Coffret D’Or Trance Deep Eyes in Grey Variation
Please see more photos of Coffret D’Or’s The Party Makeup Collection on this blog post.
The compact is looking prettier already (than what we see in the photo earlier.) The cool palette (Sweet Dress) reminds me very slightly of the Lavshuca holiday 2007 palette I have. Both the eyeshadows and lip colors are looking somewhat similar.
Also, have a look at photos of Lunasol’s upcoming holiday 2008 makeup coffret. It includes an eyeshadow palette, a blusher, an eyeliner, a nail color, and a clutch bag (which is just beneath the items in the first photo). Not surprisingly, the colors are very neutral-toned.
The blog photos in both posts are taken by blogger Sharon at a Kanebo press event in Taiwan. She notices how similar Lunasol’s holiday 2008 eyeshadow palette is to the 2007 one (the photo of which is just above the eyeshadow swatch photos). She mentions that one minor difference is that the shimmer is more gold-based in the 2007 palette and mainly silver-based in the 2008 one.
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
Kanebo seems to be among the first Japanese beauty companies to unveil their holiday 2008 releases. We’ve heard about some of the items from Kate, Lavshuca, and Lunasol, and now it is the palettes from Coffret D’Or.
Coffret D’Or will release its first holiday collection on November 16th in Japan. (The line was launched in December last year with the spring 2008 collection.) The Party Makeup Collection includes two versions of the eye and lip palette, one cooler (Sweet Dress) and one warmer (Noble Dress).
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
Both palettes include three eyeshadows (a base color, a shimmery color and a dark color) and three lip colors (a glow-type lip color (sheer and glossy), a color-type lip color (more pigmented) and a shimmery gloss).
Holiday palettes from Japanese brands are mostly about wearability (good as presents for others) and collectibility (good as presents…for yourself…), and they rarely make any bold statement in terms of color combinations. But if you like shimmer and sparkles, holiday palettes from Japanese brands often have a lot of them.
I like the fact that the design of the compact is in keeping with the Coffret D’Or look that we have quickly come to be familiar with (but with a nice little curvy twist). The shades themselves are not calling out to me yet, but I certainly prefer the cooler palette and I think we’ll see more appealing photos of them on magazines and the Coffret D’Or website later.
One thing worth mentioning is that, in photos, some palettes from Japanese brands can create an illusion of size. (I have had experiences of thinking the palettes look a lot smaller in person…or maybe it is just that I usually like larger and more substantial-looking palettes.) I think one thing we can look at in the photo above is the size/length of the applicators (which should be the standard small ones in Japanese palettes) in relation to the size of the palette. I am guessing that these will be around the same size as the very compact Lavshuca Summer Gradually Compacts (which are about 3.7x12cm and are very slim).
Other posts on Coffret D’Or:
Coffret D’Or Makeup Powder
Trance Deep Eyes in Rose Variation
Full Styling Rouge (Color)
(image from www.s-woman.net/non-no)
(image from www.annasui-cosmetics.com)
(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lunasol/)
