Makeup, Skincare, Fragrance and a Bit of Fashion
(images and info from www.joseishi.net/voce)
– Cream & Liner Shadow (6 shades, limited editions)
– Designing Gloss (6 shades)
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User-Friendly Makeup: Aube Couture
Holiday Flashback: Aube Astral Rouge
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(images from www.sofina.co.jp/aube)
Then came news of Primavista in July, Raycious’ successor, and I wasn’t sure if Sofina would actually do anything with Aube. Later, we heard about the launch of Aube Couture in December, and everything seems to be in place for the moment.
Nothing seems very different…the name, the spokespersons, or the look of the products. So where is the identity of Aube Couture?
Product design is a huge strength in Japanese consumer goods. When we think of electronic products such as mobile phones and digital cameras and simple stationary items, it is all about those nice touches that make the products user-friendly and intuitive to use.
Every day, there are people new to makeup who find the application a little daunting. Aube Couture’s products are designed with them in mind. They are designed to make makeup application easy, efficient, and effortless.
Some Japanese makeup lines include an eye chart for eye palettes (like the one for Coffret D’Or’s 3D Lighting Eyes), but Aube Couture goes one step further. The color layout of the new Designing Eyes palettes shows where each shade goes on the lid (apart from the lining shade on the right), so we are looking at the colors and the eye chart at the same time.
I also like the design of Designing Cheek. The powder is pressed into a (roughly) half-cylinder shape. When the brush goes over the powder, the center of the brush picks up more powder than the two ends. This should make it easier to achieve a natural, flawless and dimensional finish, and it can especially help those who find blending a little tricky.
Over the last few years, Kao, among other Japanese beauty companies, has done well in coming up with new concepts and connecting with consumers on different levels, from the blue-based particles in Raycious to Est’s philosophy of emotional beauty. Now Sofina shows that a makeup range with a “couture” concept doesn’t need to carry hundreds of shades. Instead, the products give consumers the confidence and comfort in knowing that they can create a beautiful makeup look on their own.
I wonder what Japanese makeup brands will have to offer in 2009? In the meantime, I wish all of you a very happy New Year!
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Primavista Powder Foundation Moist Touch
Primavista Spring/Summer Base Makeup Collection
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(images and info from www.nikkei.co.jp)
Sofina Primavistawill release its spring/summer 2009 base makeup collection in Japan on February 21st. The lineup includes:– Powder Foundation Long Keep (SPF 25, PA++)
– Liquid Foundation (SPF 25, PA ++)
– Clear Cover Base (SPF 20, PA ++)
– Concealer Spots Cover (SPF 27, PA++)
– Face Powder Keep & Reset (SPF 15, PA++)
Primavista’s first powder foundation from fall/winter 2008, Powder Foundation Moist Touch, doesn’t really suit me due to its glowy finish. I am expecting the Fresh Keep version to have a somewhat similar (or very slightly less glowy) finish and better sebum control.
The new Face Powder reminds me of the very first version of Raycious’ pressed powder, which has a very good matte flesh-toned powder and a highlighter. I will be putting the new Primavista version on my spring 2009 shopping list and I am hoping that it works just as well.
Updated on February 17th, 2015:
Read my review of Face Powder (Keep & Reset).
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Holiday Flashback – Sofina Aube Astral Rouge
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(image from www.sofina.co.jp)
This is a somewhat similar overhaul to the ones that Shiseido and Kanebo had with PN and T’Estimo. But, with Primavista just launched, Aube Couture will probably not be a megabrand like Maquillage or Coffret D’Or. (Both feature base as well as point makeup items.)
For me, this is a very similar packaging update that Aube has done every two or three years. But the new name does suggest that customers will be able to choose shades that really suit and flatter their facial features.
The new packaging looks slightly more grown-up than the look of the current Aube. Again, this is the same case with Maquillage (from PN) and Coffret D’Or (from T’Estimo).
Currently, the Aube Couture page on the Sofina website only has information on the new lipstick range, Designing Rouge. But you can see an image of the five Designing Eyes palettes on the Biteki website. (I am liking the thicker cases.) According to Voce, Aube Couture’s launch lineup will also feature blushers, mascaras, eyeliners, eyebrow pencils, and a bi-phase makeup remover.
I am looking forward to seeing more images of the products, and I might think about picking up a few later on.
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(Sofina Primavista Powder Foundation Moist Touch:
I received trial samples of Powder Foundation Moist Touch and the two primers (Smooth Coat Base and Bright Up Base) some time ago, and today I am sharing my thoughts on the foundation. (I will probably talk about the primers later.)
In short, if you like Raycious powder foundations (especially the later versions), you probably won’t have problems liking this one.
Regardless of how the powder is formulated and the new technologies involved in the production, Primavista’s first powder foundation performs similarly to ones from Raycious, in good ways and bad.
Generally, you will see the same strengths that made Raycious so popular. The staying power is very good and the color of the foundation does not turn dull overtime and pretty much lasts the whole day. However, the glowy finish might not suit people with oily skin or those who want powder foundations to work hard to make pores less visible. (This is the reason why I had to stop buying Raycious foundations as the later versions were too glowy for me.)
I use #22 in ZA Two-Way Foundation and find Ochre 05 a relatively good match.
Overall, I think this powder foundation will suit people with no problem with excessive sebum. But one interesting thing is that, back in the Raycious days, there were no powder foundations released for fall/winter. (It was always a liquid foundation.) So maybe we’ll see something slightly more matte and more sebum-absorbent in spring 2009. This fall/winter release is called Powder Foundation Moist Touch…maybe the spring/summer 2009 release will be (predictably) called Fresh Touch? We’ll see!
You can read another review of this foundation at Autumn Masquerade.
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(image from www.joseishi.net/voce)
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(image from www.joseishi.net/voce/)
On October 14th, Primavista, Raycious’ successor, will release Creamy Compact Foundation (SPF 33, PA++), which follows the launch collection released on September 1st. It claims to be able to create a smoother and softer appearance for the skin.
My skin is usually too oily for any liquid or cream foundation, so I am not personally excited by this. (Bare in mind that many technically “oil-free” products use waxy substances instead to help the product glide, and they can feel equally greasy for people with oily skin.) But I will still be interested to read about feedback for any Primavista release.
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(Sofina Raycious Frosty Loose Powder (left)As Sofina‘s webpage for Raycious has been updated with the official announcement that the sales of Raycious will be terminated on August 25th, I would like to take a look back at one of my favorite base makeup lines.
(This post is not meant to be a product review, since the items you see here (except Frosty Loose Powder, which I only have the case of) were released quite some time ago and are not sold anymore. Also, for hygiene reasons, I have not been using these items (apart from Ray Crush Powder).)
(image from www.sofina.co.jp/raycious)
Raycious, debuted in 2000, is the base makeup line of Sofina. (Raycious is not a brand in itself. It is one of Sofina’s two base makeup lines, alongside Finefit.) Looking back, I think Raycious was one of the reasons why I started to be drawn into Japanese cosmetics (particularly foundations) because the line clearly offered something that western brands hadn’t come up with. (For more information on this (and on Sofina in general), please have a look at this previous post.)
One of Raycious’ best-selling products was the powder foundation, whose formula was updated every year (in spring). People seemed to either love it or hate it, and I wasn’t surprised. Raycious’ powder foundation didn’t try to please everyone, and I believe this was one of the reasons for its success. (I suppose when we try to please everyone, we please no one.)
(Glamorous Skin Powder, Raycious’ last powder foundation release,
Raycious’ powder foundation is generally a lot more suitable for people with oily skin or people living in a warm climate. While people with dry skin can find it dry and chalky, those with oily skin (like me) tend to find it effective in sebum control. What I also love about it is that the foundation shade doesn’t darken or turn dull overtime. It is one of the very few foundations that wear better and better for me throughout the day. (By the way, Raycious’ powder foundations are meant to be applied dry and are not two-way foundations.)
The first few editions of the powder foundation are the ones I particularly love, as the finish of the later ones seems so luminous that it can look a little too glowy/shiny for me. However, their pressed powder and loose powder have constantly been part of my base makeup routine up until today (with all the extra refills I got). The Ray Crush Powder (seen above, on the right) was my sole favorite loose powder until I tried Lavshuca’s Face Powder (I now like both equally). The pressed powder does everything that a pressed powder should do in terms of gently mattifying the skin and diffusing the appearance of pores.
As I have alluded to, not all Raycious items are equally fantastic. For instance, people seem to complain that its liquid foundation (updated annually in fall) often lacks coverage.
One item I do also like is Stick Makeup, which is the kind of stick foundation that many major brands (both western and Japanese) were releasing one after another many years ago. The lovely cream-to-powder formula blends very easily and has a lovely matte and subtly luminous finish.
(great-looking skin in a stick)
(They don’t really suit me…)
Unfortunately, they have quite a lot of alcohol. (This is fairly typical of Japanese primers.) I happened to get the one in blue (above the green one in the photo) in a gift with purchase (after I tried the green one), and I never opened it. It is still in the box in the unwrapped cellophane. It will probably always stay unopened in its “brand new in box” condition. A nice time-capsule candidate for the history of Japanese cosmetics, I suppose…
If you have also seen my Raycious foundation cases and pressed powder items, you have now seen pretty much all my Raycious collection…
Even though I think this is probably my last post on Raycious, I don’t think this is my last time mentioning the line. Various products from Raycious are among my favorite base makeup finds, and I am sure I will compare others with them in the future. In the meantime, let’s hope that Primavista will live up to the expectation of all the Raycious fans as well as surprise a few others!
Related Posts (my recent base makeup favorites):
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(image from www.nikkei.co.jp)
– Powder Makeup Visually Moist (6 shades, SPF 20, PA++)
– Perfect Base Fresh Touch (SPF 15, PA ++)
– Perfect Base Moist Touch (SPF 10, PA+)
The Fresh Touch primer is a liquid-type sebum-controlling primer, while the Moist Touch primer is cream-based and provides extra moisture for the skin.
All items are fragrance-free.
Also, the EST website has been updated to feature the fall 2008 point makeup collection.
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(Sofina Primavista Face Powder)
I was wondering whether there would ever be a new base makeup line from Sofina, and now we have the answer. On September 1st in Japan, Primavista will officially join Aube (point makeup line) as well as all the skincare lines at Sofina counters.
The Primavista debut lineup includes:
– Powder Foundation (7 shades, SPF15 PA++)
– Cream Foundation (7 shades, SPF15 PA++)
– Smooth Coat Base (SPF10 PA+)
– Bright Up Base (SPF10 PA+)
– Face Powder (seen above)
(all images from i-voce2.com)
For me, this is one of the most exciting base makeup releases in recent seasons. At the moment, the new items seem to be typical fall/winter releases, featuring products like cream foundation and loose powder. I am expecting the usual moisturizing properties and soft-focus finishes from some of these fall/winter items.
While I am very interested in the loose powder, I will be waiting to see if there is going to be a spring/summer powder foundation next year, which should supposedly be more sebum-absorbing and more suitable for my oily skin.)
You can see photos of the Primavista launch event here.
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(my loose powder favorite at the moment)
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ck Calvin Klein Mineral Based Loose Powder
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Kanebo Milano Collection 2025 for Holiday 2024 (image from www.fashion-press.net)
