(pictured: part of my collection)
Meaning “moon and sun”, Lunasol is a very chic and gown-up line from Kanebo Group. In the last few years, the packaging has changed twice but has always maintained a low-key demure image. It used to have a skincare collection but it was discontinued.
I am glad that Lunasol has been quite popular in a couple of other Asian countries. The brand does exude quality inside and out, and the whole collection seems to have a quiet confidence about it in the sea of attention-grabbing merchandise in department stores.
The first two Lunasol items I bought were the lipstick and the powder case, and I bought them on my first trip to Tokyo when Lunasol was only available in Japan. I was then able to fit my own Kanebo foundation cake into the case. (I think all the foundation cakes from most Kanebo-owned lines should fit into one another’s cases.)
I don’t usually go for simple designs (I like glamourous and intricate designs, like Jill Stuart and Anna Sui), but there is something very elegant and sophisticated about Lunasol that really appeals to me. Even though I still prefer the silver and copper-beige square design when the line debuted, the current rich and glossy chocolate-brown look has a great sense of low-key glamour.
Their blusher is the only peach-tone blusher I have (in 03 Light Orange). (It seems to have been discontinued in Japan. See the rest of the colors here.) Most of the time, cool or neutral pink blushers work better for me. (Warm-tone blushers usually make me look too flushed.) But this one actually looks slightly more neutral once it has sat on my face for a while.
The blusher itself, the case, and the brush have to be purchased separately, but the quality of the brush is very good. It is exceptionally soft and has a good density of hair.
The lip gloss I have is in 04 Bright Pink. It is not really a shockingly bright pink. It is a very natural pink with delicate shimmer. (See the rest of the lip products here).
Their 2006 Fall Collection (especially the eyeshadow palettes) and 2006 Holiday sets have been extremely popular.
In the last couple of years, Lunasol has been consistently launching great seasonal collections. Look out for what’s new in the coming year!
(pictured: part of my collection)
Lavshuca is the latest addition to my favorite brands. It was launched in February this year and has foundation and color makeup products. (The flash version of the website is worth a look. It does a great job of attracting potential customers.)
Price-wise, it is also the cheapest. It is a shelf-top (budget) brand rather than a counter-top (premium) brand, so it is in the same league as Maybelline and Bourjois. (A single-color eyeshadow costs 840 Japanese yens, which is about 7.2 USD.) It is launched by Kanebo Cosmetics, so quality-wise, it is on the same level as RMK and Lunasol.
As with all my other favorites, one major part of Lavshuca’s appeal is in its packaging. (Kanebo launched Lavshuca in a bid to lure the image-conscious teenage market in Japan.) It has that dreamy quality, with a lot of curves and filigree patterns.
I have got the loose powder in the 2006 Fall Collection. It has a little light-reflective particles to add luminosity (not greasiness) to the complexion. The single-color eyeshadow I have has a really great texture.
For me, Lavshuca (and Shiseido’s Majolica Majorca) are the only two shelf-top brands that feature both top quality products and great packaging. No western budget brand comes even close. It would have no problem “looking expensive” if it had its own counter in a department store. Maybe this is part of the reason it has been extremely popular with teenagers and young 20-somethings in Japan. Other nearby countries in East Asia have already caught on the trend and many people there want a piece of Lavshuca as well.
As long as it keeps the dreaminess, the fun, and the coolness of the brand, I think Lavshuca will continue to be very popular.
Japanese cosmetics company websites almost always feature their latest products weeks before they hit the shopd, which is to create a buzz and to have the fans drooling for weeks (and racing toward the shops on the launch day). (European brands please learn!!)
Kanebo T’Estimo is usually one of the first brands in Japan to launch the seasonal collection, and you can already see the whole collection on the official website, with all the other bits up on December 1st. The new collection will appear in shops as early as December 16th.
It seems T’Estimo will be going to back to tone-on-tone with their eyeshadow palettes. The blues and the greens should be soft and wearable (typical of Japanese cosmetics), and the browns should be great from day to night.
Tomorrow: YSL (the last of my three European favorites).
(pictured: part of my collection)
