Hope all of you are enjoying a wonderful day!
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-Lavshuca
(continued from Part 1 and Part 2)
My Holiday 2007 Top Ten List concludes today!
3. Lavshuca
I realized a while ago that Lavshuca achieved grand slam for me in 2007, as I purchased items from all the four seasonal collections this year. Its affordability means I am able to pick up great items from each season without spending too much money.
The Lavshuca Christmas makeup palette is a sweet finish of the year. It is a cute little palette with three eyeshadows, a lip color, and a lip gloss. It is also the first eye/lip palette since Lavshuca’s launch in spring 2006.
(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca/)
See my other Lavshuca items throughout 2007:
Spring–
Eye Color Select in PK-1 & BU-1 (my favorite Lavshuca items for 2007)
Jewelry Lip in PK-1 & RS-1
Gloss Stick in PK-3
Cheek Color in PK-1
Eye Color Select in PU-2
Color Conc Rouge in PK-1
Eye Color Select in PK-1 & BU-1 (my favorite Lavshuca items for 2007)
Jewelry Lip in PK-1 & RS-1
Gloss Stick in PK-3
Summer
–Cheek Color in PK-1
Fall
–Eye Color Select in PU-2
Color Conc Rouge in PK-1
2.
Paul & Joe
(image from www.paul-joe-beaute.com)
Paul & Joe is another brand that is always visually very pleasing. Last year, Paul & Joe’s holiday collection reached number 3 with an absolutely stunning hummingbird-themed lineup. This year’s collection is weaker for me, but, among an overall weaker collection of holiday products across brands this year, it grabbed the runner-up spot.
The Lip Gloss N in 001 Black-Tie is perhaps my favorite holiday item for 2007, with an mouth-watering berry-red shade plus beautiful multi-color shimmer.
1.
Dior
(image from www.dior.com)
Overall, Dior’s holiday collection has won it for me. First of all, the limited-edition item, DiorLight Jewelled Makeup Necklace, is another very pretty piece of collectible makeup item created by Dior. Secondly, I love the fact that Dior usually comes up with a full collection of makeup items for the holiday season.
Readers in the US might not feel that Dior’s holiday lineup this year is a full-on collection, and I think it is because only half of the collection is available in the US.
For holiday 2007, Dior has come up with two makeup looks, each featuring a set of Jewelled Makeup Necklace, 5-color eyeshadow palette, Rouge Dior Crème de Gloss, Rouge Dior lipstick, and nail color. One is a beige-brown look (with the #360 Amber Treasure eyeshadow palette) and one is a pink-plum look (with the #340 Secret Charm palette). I might be wrong, but I think only the beige-brown look is available in the US, while both looks are sold in Asia and Europe. (I am aware that only the beige Jewelled Makeup Necklace is available in the US.)
Below, you can see that the Dior Japan site has two sets of everything (apart from Style Liner and DiorShow Powder in Dreamlight), whereas the Dior US site only has the beige-brown look.
(image from Dior Japan)
(image from Dior US)
I had a chance to test out shades from both looks last week. Both are very good, but, as usual, I am partial to the pink/purple/plum hues.
With a relatively complete collection featuring various items and different color tones and fronted by an adorable limited-edition item, Dior, for me, has the best holiday collection of 2007!
Related Posts:
Dior Pretty Charms
(holiday 2006 limited-edition item)
Loving Japanese Brands: Lavshuca
(the latest addition to my favorite Japanese brands)
Loving Japanese brands: Paul & Joe
(my personal take on Paul & Joe)
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Among all my favorite colors, pastel purple (lilac/lavender) has always been near the top of the list. Thanks to the delicate mixture of red and blue, purple, to me, is an elegant color with the right amount of warmness and coolness.
It has been a great accent color in my wardrobe for years (be it pastel lilac or rich violet), but it is only fairly recently that I discovered that soft lilacs look good on my face as well!
Keep pretty:
-Jill Stuart Brilliance Eyes in 04 Gem Amethyst
-T’Estimo Frame Impact Eyes in 03
-Lavshuca Eyecolor Select in PU-2
-Chanel Contraste Lumière palette in Aquarelles
-Maybelline Dream Mousse Eye Color in Divine Lilac
-Clinique Glosswear for Lips in 333 La La Lilac
-AYURA Pure Nails (limited-edition lilac shade)
Keep clean:
-Radox Clean & Pamper Handwash with lavender & magnolia
Keep warm:
-Hat by Fred Bare
(My teddy bear pulls this off much better than I do…)
-Sweater by Sisley
Keep organized:
-Beauty Diary by Biteki & Albion
(from Biteki January 2007 issue)
I have noticed that Chanel, Lunasol, and Guerlain are featuring lilac in their spring 2008 collections, and I am predicting that lilac is a key spring 2008 makeup trend!
I have more lilacs on my spring 2008 shopping list, and I am sensing an arrival of Lilting Lilac Part II!
More splashes of colors!
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(Lavshuca Face Powder in Lucent)First of all, I admit that this item caught my attention ever since I saw the packaging. Very few loose powder containers (possibly part from Jill Stuart’s) look dreamier than this. With Lavshuca being an affordable shelf-top brand, I had to get this.
(Lavshuca Face Powder)(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca/)
I bought this soon after it was released in fall 2006. The packaging looks as good as it appears on-line and in magazines. I was very pleased with that.
When I tested the powder on the back of my hand for the first time, I was slightly concerned. Even though the shade was the pale translucent beige that I usually went for, there seemed to be some shimmer. As I normally only used a completely matte loose powder, I was not sure if this was going to be something I would use regularly.
But when I put it on my face for the first time, all worries disappeared. The shimmer was relatively sparse and extremely fine. The finish is still basically matte, but it is not chalky. It is silky and almost satiny.
What I also love (perhaps the most) about this loose powder is its ability to disguise pores. It is able to make my skin look smoother and more even. As I usually wear a loose powder mainly to make pores less visible and to get a polished complexion, I am very happy with what it can do.
I also like the puff that comes with it. Apart from looking so adorable. it feels quite soft and puffy on the skin. The hair is not too long so it grabs the powder and places it on the skin evenly. I usually press (instead of sweep) the powder onto the skin, and the puff works very well for me.
I have another loose powder by Sofina Raycious. It is essentially matte and does a fairly good job in controlling shine. I shall review it in more detail a bit later!
Related Posts:
Which loose powder will win my heart?
(I have already decide to get one of them…)
Loving Japanese Brands: Lavshuca
(a brief profile on Kanebo’s successful budget line)
Lavshuca Spring 2008 Collection
(featuring some more lovely packaging)
Lavshuca Eye Color Select in PU-2
(another of my Lavshuca Favorite)
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(Lavshuca Christmas 2007 Makeup Palette)
I have written about my first impression of this palette when I heard about it and upon receiving it. Now that I have tested the colors, I can share with you more of my thoughts. (But I haven’t tried the lip color yet because I don’t want to mess up the heart shape…)
(No, I still haven’t put them in the case…)
The palette includes three eyeshadows, a lip color, and a lip gloss. The eyeshadow shade I like the best is the shimmery white one on the left. It is fairly well-pigmented with nice multi-color shimmer and it joins my white-eyeshadow lineup as a major member.
The pink in the middle appears to be very pale when it goes on and it doesn’t look very different from the white shade. The only two differences between the two are that the texture of the pink one seems chalkier and that it has less shimmer.
The dark shade at the right is a dark charcoal grey that works well as an eyeliner and for a smoky-eye effect. It has some sparkles but they don’t look obvious when it goes on.
The lip gloss looks very pretty in the container, again with multi-color shimmer. But the shimmer looks much more subtle when applied. I was trying to layer it to see if I could create a glossy finish, but it doesn’t seem possible. The finish is similar to that of a shiny lip balm, as it imparts a very natural sheen, which looks more balmy than watery.
As I mentioned before, holiday palettes (especially those from Japanese brands) are mostly about packaging and wearability. In terms of these two, this palette has done well. (Plus it is relatively affordable.) I am sure there are people who think the shades are not very interesting. But, for me, I will always consider picking up nice wearable shades which are beautifully packaged. Overall this is a nice little gem to have.
Related Posts:
Chanel Contraste Lumière Palette
(great palette for eyes and lips)
Loving Japanese Brands: Lavshuca
(my personal take on the successful Kanebo line)
Lavshuca Cheek Color
(Need a blusher to go with the palette?)
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(Lavshuca Spring 2008 Collection)(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
Like Kate, Lavshuca will release its spring 2008 collection on February 1, 2008.
The collection is well-rounded and features eye shadows, lip colors, foundations, and a makeup base. The lineup includes:
Rouge Essence lipsticks (10 shades)
Noble On Color Eyes palettes (5 variations)
Jewel Lips lipsticks (2 new shades)
Grade Color Select eyeshadow palette (1 new variation)
Powder Foundation N (5 shades)
Skin Filter Base (1 shade)
Related posts:
Spring 2008 Makeup Preview
(featuring Chanel, Dior, Givenchy…)
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(Lavshuca Holiday 2007 Palette)
I just got my Lavshuca holiday 2007 palette a couple of days ago. The first thing I did was to take some photos so I could show you this cute palette.
I have not actually used it yet. (Unlike the DiorLight necklace that I also just got, I WILL be using this.) I will post a review after I have used the eyeshadows and the lip colors.
I was surprised to find that all the bits were outside the case when I received this. This is Lavshuca’s first eye-and-lip palette so they seem to be having a bit of fun with it. Also, since the case is not transparent, it makes sense to present everything like this so the customers in the drugstores can instantly see all the colors and the front of the case. Overall I like the whole presentation.
The case is made of cardboard but it is relatively sturdy.
(the case and the colors presented separately)
(Complete the puzzle!)
Obviously all the bits go into the case. But, I think perhaps some people will be quite happy just to leave them where they are so everything can be displayed as it is in the cute box. Umm…it is not a bad idea actually……
Related posts:
Straight onto my Shopping List: Lavshuca Holiday 2007 Palette
(my first impression of the palettes along with the new lip glosses)
Chanel Contraste Lumière Palette
(another great eye-and-lip palette)
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(You can tell that I love my Japanese cosmetics…)
Most of you who read my blog certainly know that I have a passion for Japanese cosmetics. While I do try to keep a balance between western and Japanese cosmetics on my blog, I do think, for me, Japanese cosmetics items do better on my scoreboard in most areas.
If you would like to look through my posts related to Japanese cosmetics, I have made it a bit easier for you by adding the category “All About Japanese Cosmetics“ on the sidebar (under “Read by Topics”). As of now, there are 96 posts under this category, and the number will certainly grow week by week.
Please enjoy!
Here are just a few highlights:
Loving Japanese Brands
(where I highlight 7 wonderful Japanese brands)
Japanese vs. Western…Who’s Winning?
(Which side are you on?)
If I Could Go to Japan RIGHT NOW
(I share my dream shopping list.)
A couple of the items featured in the photo above:
Kanebo T’Estimo Frame Impact Eyes 03
Lavshuca Eye Color Select PK-1
More to come!!
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(Lavshuca Holiday 2007 palettes)(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca/)
As I mentioned yesterday, for this holiday season, not a lot of items have made the cut for my shopping list (only the DiorLight pendant and the MAC Antiquitease Royal Assets palettes). But when I saw these holiday 2007 palettes from Lavshuca (out on November 1 in Japan), the decision was made very quickly: I am getting one of these.
There are two versions, one with beige shades and one with pink and lilac tones. I am definitely leaning toward the pink and the lilac shades.
There is also a transparent lid on the lip color compartment so the eyeshadow powder won’t fly all over the lip shades and make them look dusty. A very thoughtful touch.
Also out on November 1 is a new range of lip colors, Liquid Rouge. Like Jewelry Lips, they will be very petite and compact.
(Lavshuca Liquid Rouge)(image from www.kanebo-cosmetics.jp/lavshuca/)
At the moment, on the website, PK-1, PK-3, and RS-1 look pretty good. We’ll see how they are compared with Color Conc Rouge that I tried earlier. (They look slightly cuter already, I have to say…)
Related posts:
Dior Diorissime Palette
(a great palette for both eyes and lips)
Lavshuca Eye Color Select in PK-1 and BU-1
(two of my favorite items from Lavshuca)
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October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and I thought it would be fitting to do another A Splash of Color post on another of my favorite colors, pink.
I’d also like to invite you to have a look at the website of Breast Cancer Care, UK’s leading organization which provides information, practical assistance, and emotional support for anyone affected by breast cancer. You can read more about exactly what Breast Cancer Care does.
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Featured Items:
Makeup
Lavshuca Cheek Color in PK-1
Lavshuca Eye Color Select in PK-1
AYURA Aura Veil α in PK-11 Sweek Pink
AYURA lip gloss PK60
Paul and Joe lip gloss 04
Sofina Raycious Glamour Skin Powder (limited-edition pink case)
Clinique Glosswear for Lips in Cosmic Pink
Dior Diorissime Palette in 002 Seduction Drama
Dior Princess Ring in 001
Chanel Irréelle Blush in Tea Rose
Fragrance
Lancôme Miracle
Skincare
Rose & Co. Apothecary Rose Petal Salve
Bodycare
Boss Femme shower gel
Enjoy Other Splashes of Colors!
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