-Lavshuca

(continued from Part 1)

6th: Paul & Joe

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

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

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

While the limited-edition Finishing Powder and Lipstick S from Paul & Joe’s summer 2010 makeup collection are probably getting the most attention, I am more interested in the new Lip Gloss G. I like the two Paul & Joe lip glosses I have (including Lip Gloss N in Black-Tie), and the new range also has some lovely colors. For a change, the chrysanthemum motifs are embossed (and not printed) on the tubes. Very pretty!

5th: Elégance

(image from www.elegance-cosmetics.com)

(image from www.elegance-cosmetics.com)

From lip glosses from Paul & Joe to those from Elégance. The new Glam Up Gloss features a nice variety of shades, including a blue-tinted one, which I am slightly tempted to get. (The Glam Up Gloss range is not a limited edition so I will have time to think about getting the blue one.) Apart from the lip glosses, I also like how the whole collection is visually presented on the brand’s official website.

4th: Lavshuca

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

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

The first product from Lavshuca’s summer 2010 collection that grabbed my attention is the new Mix Color Cheeks, with one highlighter and two gradational blusher shades in each of the four variations. The new Melting Eyes range has some wearable neutrals, peaches, and pinks. Among the five variations, OR-1 is perhaps the most on-trend one.

The countdown concludes in Part 3.

Related posts:

Lavshuca Cheek Color in PK-1

Japanese Cosmetics Focus: Elégance

Loving Japanese Cosmetics (3 of 7): Paul & Joe

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(image/info from www.nikkei.co.jp)

Kanebo Lavshuca will release its fall 2010 makeup collection in Japan on August 1st. The collection features:

– Dramatic Memory Liquid (liquid lipstick): 8 shades
– Creamy Gel Liner: 6 shades
– Long Lengths Maker (mascara): 1 shade

Related posts on Lavshuca:

Summer 2010 Collection

Spring 2010 Collection

Finish Powder in Lucent & High Cover

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After talking about items for eyes as well as cheeks and lips, today I am posting the final part of my natural makeup recommendations. The items below are likely to work well for those with combination or oily skin who want a decent semi-matte coverage as well as a fair deal of pore coverage. (I have oily skin and I find it a little easier to recommend products that suit those with combination or oily skin.)

– Estée Lauder Idealist Pore-Minimizing Skin Refinisher (bottom left)

This product is obviously not designed to be a primer, but the silicone-rich formula makes it a good primer. It helps disguise the appearance of pores and creates a soft-focus finish. (If you have very oily skin, be very light-handed with it.)

(I very rarely use primers and Idealist is the one I use the most (only a couple of times a year at most). Also, I don’t use oil-control primers so I don’t really have a personal recommendation.)

ZA Two-Way Foundation (top)

I think this is one of the best powder foundations for those with combination or oily skin and it has been my favorite foundation for years. It has a semi-matte finish, a decent coverage, and a good pore coverage. The sebum-control efficacy and the overall lasting power are fairly good too.

Coffret D’Or Beauty Lasting Pack UV (center)

Compared with ZA Two-Way foundation, it has less coverage but controls sebum better. I like it slightly less mainly because it doesn’t have the level of coverage that I want, but this is an outstanding powder foundation if you need a good deal of sebum-control.

Lavshuca Finish Powder in Lucent (left)

This is the new version of the discontinued Face Powder in Lucent. (The two are very similar.) It mattifies the skin well and has a fairly good pore coverage. It has a subtle redness-neutralizing effect.

Kiss Mat Chiffon Powder (bottom right)

It is as good as Lavshuca’s Finish Powder in Lucent. Between the two, Mat Chiffon Powder is sheerer but has a marginally better pore coverage. I quite like its skin-brightening finish.

Coffret D’Or Makeup Powder (right)

Among the three loose powders here, this is the most natural-looking one. It has a very airy and translucent finish that almost never looks powdered, but it doesn’t control shine or disguise the appearance of pores as well as the two above. (Among the three loose powders, this is the most likely to suit those with a none-oily skin type.)

Related posts:

– If you have a drier skin type, then these items might be worth considering:

Jill Stuart Moist Silk Liquid Foundation

SUQQU Powder Foundation Glow

Lunasol Skin Fusing Powder Foundation

Sofina Powder Foundation Moist Touch

RMK Powder Foundation EX

SUQQU Loose Powder in Natural

– Have a look at my Japanese Base Makeup Week series.

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My natural makeup recommendations continue with items for cheeks and lips. (See my recommendations on eye makeup here.)

Items for Cheeks

Sometimes, when you don’t have time to deal with eye makeup, using a blusher can really give the face an instant lift. The key is to use a shade that is as close to your natural flush as possible. I personally prefer moderately pigmented blushers without visible shimmer and those that are either matte or luminous matte.

RMK Ingenious Powder Cheeks in MT-02 Light Pink (top)

It is marginally the lightest and the most cool-toned of the three blushers featured here. The brush included in the compact is very soft and easy to use, making this item very suitable for touch-ups away from home.

Lavshuca Cheek Color in PK-1 (left)

This is the kind of default PK blusher shade which we expect from most Japanese makeup lines. The sparse pink-toned shimmery particles visible in the pan is not visible when worn.

Boots No. 7 Cheek Colour in 25 Petal (right)

It is slightly warmer than the other two and has a very soft peach undertone. It is among my favorite blushers from non-Japanese brands. This shade is particularly good for spring and summer when most of us pick up a little bit of warmth on our complexions.

Items for Lips

SUQQU Blend Lipstick in 16 Mizuka (upper left)

Go for this shade if you like a warm milky nude-pink for the lips. I usually dislike nude shades for the lips (I don’t think they are flattering), but this shade has enough pink in it so that it looks gentle and natural.

Maquillage Lasting Climax Rouge in RS310 (right)

Go for this shade if you want more color for the lips. It is a warm-toned rose and is more pigmented than the SUQQU lipstick featured here. It can be layered for more vibrancy.

Makemania Curvy Lip Silicone in 501 (bottom left)

The ultimate clear lip gloss. It has a very good lip-magnifying effect. (It does not achieve the effect with skin-irritating ingredients that dilate the blood vessels.) I also like the spatula applicator.

Bobbi Brown Brightening Lip Gloss in Popsicle (bottom)

This is one of Bobbi Brown’s new items for spring 2010. It is a gentle warm pink that should be flattering for most people. It is softly pigmented but the color does show up on the lips. It has a long-lasting glossy finish with a touch of shimmer.

The final part features my recommendations on base makeup.

(Items from Bobbi Brown, RMK, and SUQQU featured in this post are provided by their respective companies.)

Related posts (other wearable items):

For Cheeks:

Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in 01 Baby Blush

Albion Eprise Water Face Color in 100

Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush in 04 Mauve

For Lips:

SUQQU Creamy Lipstick in 22 Benikoji

Lavshuca Jewelry Lips in PK-1 & RS-1

YSL Golden Gloss in 03 Golden Pink

Blue-Tinted Lip Glosses

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(image/info from www.nikkei.co.jp)

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Kanebo Lavshuca will release its summer 2010 makeup collection in Japan on May 1st. The collection features:

– Moist Melting Bar (12 shades)
– Melting Eyes (5 variations)
– Mix Color Cheeks (4 variations)

I haven’t bought any blusher for quite some time, and I am interested in trying Mix Color Cheeks (which includes two gradational shades and one highlighting shade). I really like Lavshuca’s Cheek Color in PK-1, which was released in summer 2007, and I certainly hope Mix Color Cheeks will suit me as well.

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Updated on October 21st, 2017:

Read my review of Moist Melting Bar in RS-2.

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Related posts:

Lavshuca Spring 2010 Makeup Collection

Lavshuca Eye Color Select in PU-2

Loving Japanese Cosmetics (6 of 7): Lavshuca

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(image/info from www.nikkei.co.jp)

Kanebo Lavshuca will release its spring 2010 collection in Japan on February 1st. The collection features:

– Light Mix Eyes (1 new variation)
– Lash Wide Maker (1 shade)
– Eyebrow Mascara (2 shades)
– Rouge Star Classics (Prism Pearl) (4 new shades)
– Dramatic Memory Rouge (2 new shades)

Related posts on Lavshuca:

Stash Focus: Lavshuca Finish Powder in Lucent & High Cover

Holiday 2009 Collection

Fall 2009 Collection


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(continued from Part 1)

6. Lavshuca

(Light Mix Eyes palettes)
(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca)

As I mentioned before, Lavshuca has been placing its brand emphasis on lip products in the last few seasons. The new Full Balloon Rouge for fall 2009 aims to make lips appear fuller and reduce vertical lip lines. The new Light Mix Eyes palettes look very easy to wear, and I think there might be other color variations to be released next year. (There are two new Dual Prism Eyes variations and one new Grade Color Eyes variation this season.)

5. Helena Rubinstein

(www.helenarubinstein.com)

I am still not pleased with the fact that Helena Rubinstein is no longer available in the UK. (Have a look at my Bring It Back! post on Helena Rubinstein.) Every now and then, there are products in its seasonal collections that I really want to try. In fall 2009, Helena Rubinstein is among the very few brands whose new lip glosses reflect the current purple trend, as two of the four new Wanted Gloss shades are purple-toned.

4. Three

(image from www.threecosmetics.com)

Like Addiction, Three is a new Japanese beauty brand that was launched in fall 2009. (I will present a brand profile on Three later on.) While Addiction is edgy and fashion-forward, Three is polished and demure. The vast launch lineup features all the basic point (color) makeup items, and both the simple and low-key packaging and the sophisticated colors remind me of the early days of Lunasol.

The countdown concludes early next week.

Related posts:

Lavshuca Holiday 2009 Collection

Lavshuca Finish Powder in Lucent & High Cover

Bring It Back! Shiseido’s Inoui ID

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Lavshuca Holiday 2009 Collection

by PJ on Saturday, September 26, 2009

in -Kanebo, -Lavshuca, 2009 Holiday, haircare

(image/info from www.nikkei.co.jp)

Lavshuca will release its holiday 2009 collection in Japan on November 1st. The lineup includes:

– Custom Selective Eyes (eyeshadow duo, 12 variations)
– Jewel Lips N Shiny (12 shades)
– Jewel Lips N Color (10 shades)

It is great to see new versions of the Jewel Lips range (launched in spring 2007). The Jewel Lips lipsticks I have are certainly among the cutest lipsticks in my makeup collection, and I also like their soft satiny finish. I am looking forward to seeing the new shades.

Related posts:

Lavshuca Finish Powder in Lucent & High Cover

Lavshuca Spring 2009 Collection

A Splash of Color: Sensuous Plum

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First of all, I know that some of you have been waiting for this review for quite a while. I am sorry for the delay, and I hope you will enjoy reading this review.

Lavshuca Finish Powder was released in February this year and it is meant to replace Face Powder. It is available in two shades, Lucent and High Cover. I wasn’t sure which shade to get, since I really liked Face Powder in Lucent and I was also curious about High Cover. In the end I decided to get both.

When I saw the packaging in person, I actually liked it more than I thought I would. Obviously it is not as princessy as the more ornate Face Powder, but I still think it is quite pretty. The center of the lid is gently raised, which I think is a nice touch.

The case is smaller than that of Face Powder. The Face Powder case measures 7.7 cm in diameter (at the widest part) while the Finish Powder case measures 6.4 cm in diameter. Face Powder has 16g of powder while Finish Powder in Lucent has 9.8g of powder and High Cover has 6.8g. (I find the difference quite interesting. The two cases seem to contain roughly the same amount of powder and I think the difference is down to the ingredients, which I will touch upon later.)

The powder puff still has the cute bow, but the puff itself is smaller than the one included in Face Powder to fit the smaller case.

(Lavshuca Finish Powder in Lucent)


Now onto the powder itself. If you like Face Powder in Lucent, you shouldn’t be disappointed with Finish Powder in Lucent, which is quite similar. It is a predominantly matte setting powder with a hint of fine shimmer and with a very light coverage. It has a good pore coverage and does well in oil control. The fine powder feels soft on the skin.

I was surprised to find that High Cover doesn’t have more coverage than Lucent. (It won’t be able to replace a foundation.) Finish-wise, it is more matte than Lucent and it has no visible shimmer. In terms of ingredients, High Cover has kaolin, which is second on the ingredient list. (Lucent doesn’t have kaolin but has mica, which High Cover doesn’t have.) I do find that High Cover does a slightly (only slightly) better job in shine control, and this is probably down to the absorbent quality of kaolin. (I think the differences in the ingredients might explain why Lucent weighs more than High Cover even though the two cases have more or less the same amount of powder.)

(I didn’t include a photo of High Cover in this post mainly because Lucent and High Cover look similar in color. High Cover looks slightly lighter and slightly less yellow-toned than Lucent. Both are relatively sheer so there is virtually no difference in color when they are worn on the skin.)

Even though High Cover does slightly better in shine control, I personally prefer Lucent. First of all, I like Lucent’s soft-focus finish. It disguises the look of pores well and it gives the face a polished look. High Cover is nicely matte (not chalky matte) but it doesn’t do as well in pore coverage. Secondly, I personally don’t like kaolin in foundations. It does help absorb sebum but it can also absorb moisture, which can potentially dry out the skin.

Overall, I think Lucent should suit most skin types and should please those who go for an almost-matte finish with a touch of shimmer. If you would like a shimmer-less loose powder and if you have no issue with kaolin, then High Cover might be a good choice as well.

Related posts:

SUQQU Loose Powder in Natural
(if you want more shimmer)

Crème de la Mer The Powder in Translucent
(another shimmery loose powder)

Kiss Mat Chiffon Powder
(another great loose powder for an almost-matte polished finish)

Coffret D’Or Makeup Powder
(an ultra-natural loose powder)

Japanese Base Makeup Week

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

Both Lavshuca and Kate have updated their official websites to feature information on the fall 2009 collections. The Lavshuca website has good photos of the new items worn on the model.

Related posts:

Lavshuca Fall 2009 Collection

Kate Fall 2009 Collection

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