(Vecua’s spring 2008 makeup collection)
(image from www.vecua.com)
.
Many of you familiar with Japanese cosmetics know that Sony Group plays a part in the Asian beauty stage. Very briefly, Sony co-owns
* StylingLife Holdings, which owns six companies. Currently, among them, B&C Laboratories is the one that carries Makemania (where we get the
Curvy Lip Silicone from) and
Vecua, which is what I am talking about today. (StylingLife Holdings also owns CP Cosmetics
**, which I will talk about in another post.)
.
Vecua is the most developed brand under B&C Laboratories. It features several skincare lines catering to different needs, a base and color makeup line, a bodycare line, and a selection of dietary supplements. (It is one of the two high-end brands under B&C, beside the skincare line Restgenol.)
.
(Vecua Smooth, a new skincare line for oily skin,
launched on May 1)
(image from www.vecua.com)
.
Vecua’s brand image is refined and clean-cut, and the product packaging, almost always featuring gentle curves, is simple but not plain. Its pricepoint is somewhat similar to Lunasol’s, which means it is above Coffret D’Or’s and Sofina Aube’s but below
SUQQU‘s and
CHICCA‘s.
.
Vecua’s main focus is on skincare, but the recent spring 2008 makeup collection (seen above) did catch my eye. The new white cases look a lot more refreshing than the previous slightly dated black cases. The new colors look soft and wearable.
One of the makeup products that have often been featured in Japanese beauty magazines is the Honey Luster N lip glosses (in 10 shades), and I have been interested in them for a while. From what I have read, they appear to be very lip-conditioning lip glosses.
(Vecua Honey Luster)
(image from www.vecua.com)
.
Apart from department stores in Japan, I’ve recently found that Vecua has two salons in the US, one in San Jose, California and the other in Honolulu, Hawaii. (Check out their
website, which is available in English.) There are some customer reviews
here if you are interested.
.
Now, when is it coming to the UK?
.
(The main Vecua website is only available in Japanese and on-line ordering is for Japanese residents only.)
* Sony used to own StylingLife Holdings outright, but it sold the majority of its stock in June 2006 and now co-owns StylingLife Holdings.
** In January 2006, CP Laboratories was renamed B&C Laboratories as CP Cosmetics was set up as an independently-run company. I think this is the reason why most people in Asia still habitually say products like Makemania’s Curvy Lip Silicone are “Sony CP” products, even though Makemania is now officially under B&C Laboratories.
.
Updated on June 18th, 2014:
There are some updates on relevant corporate information in my post on Vecua Honey Wonder Honey Honey Dew Hand Creams.
.
Related Posts:
Japanese Brand Focus: Elégance
New Line! Kanebo Glamacy
Japanese cosmetics in the UK
(with notes on buying them from abroad)
(image from www.cp-cosmetics.com/satishe/)
(Fantasy Garden, Satishe’s spring 2011 makeup collection)
(images from www.cp-cosmetics.com/satishe/)
