Fall 2010: Fasio Chandelier Shine Eyes in SV-5

I don´t pay so much attention to Fasio these days as many times this brand has let me down with its inconsistent and often mediocre quality. Given that this brand is produced by Kosé and the prices are on a par price-wise with Kate, Integrate and even Kosé´s other affordable drugstore brand Visée (well, it´s generally maybe a few 100 Yen more expensive) I think one should expect a good consistent quality etc.

Anyway, enough blabla, the new Chandelier Shine Eyes palettes are actually pretty nice and affordable so it´s very worth picking one of these up!

The case is quite pretty for a drugstore brand with the embossed jewels on the cover.

Each palette contains 3 shimmery powder shades and a glittery color which (to pat on top of the other shades) probably is some sort of "chandelier shine powder" or so. Can´t read Japanese but I am guessing that hehe =P
Pigment-wise the Chandelier Shine Eyes show up really well. These shades don´t blend that easily though and they have the tendency to crumble a little so I recommend doing the eyes before the face makeup.

Still they are good shadows and last the whole day on me with just minimal fading and no creasing.

SV-5 is a really gorgeous quad as the deepest shade is quite unique, a deep gray bordering purple or blue, hard to say actually. The other shades are medium silver, white and a silver glitter shade with engraved jewels.

I used this quad along with the Lunasol Gel Eyeliner in 06 Dark Gray which shows up just a little but fits oh so well with this quad!


I got this Chandelier Shine Eyes from Adambeauty for US$17 incl. shipping, Japanese retail is 1470 Yen (=US$18).


Rating: 3.5/5

Fall 2010: Lunasol Gel Eyeliner in 06 Dark Gray

It´s been some time since I purchased anything from Lunasol...somehow the new quints didn´t tempt me majorly as the colors don´t look really like any of them would suit me but who knows how they´d look in reality... I am sure the fall lipsticks are nice but I didn´t get any.

The one thing that looked interesting was the new Gel Eyeliner in 06 Dark Gray as I don´t have a lot of gray liners in my collection.
As this is from Lunasol of course it comes in the usual golden bronze box which is quite bulky so I feel I got more for my money lol. The Gel Eyeliner comes with a good soft brush with a rounded head which is perfect to apply the gel in either a thick or fine line. 

As most gel liners this comes in a bulky heavy glass jar, this time with a square base and a round cover in the Lunasol signature color.

The Gel Eyeliner is a soft smooth cream which is a dream to spread and with great pigment and a very refined slight shimmer -  not really noticable but it keeps the liner from looking flat.  

The color 06 Dark Gray is a beautiful very deep gray without any blue tones found among many grays and it´s a wonderful way to define my eyes as it looks softer than black but can go with colors you can´t really use brown liner.
As with the majority of gel liners this holds up without smudging or fading and it is waterproof so you will need an eyemakeup remover for waterproof makeup to get rid of this =)

Overall a great gel eyeliner with good daily-staple-potential.

I purchased mine from Adambeauty who just started to stock the Lunasol fall collection. I paid US$35 incl. shipping, retail price is 3150 Yen (=US$38) so as usual AB´s price is absolutely great. I am not affiliated with this site btw and not getting paid by them or getting free products but have been a loyal customer for the past 5+ years I guess and have always loved their wonderful service, speedy shipping and great prices.
Their site is admittedly a bit chaotic (though it got better the past year or so) and sometimes it takes a bit to get the new collections in but I got used to all that hehe =D


Other available colors from this collection are: 01 Deep Black, 02 Dark Blue, 03 Dark Brown, 04 Olive Green, 05 Brown Red (not available on AB).

Rating: 5/5

On another note:

There is a chance I might be going to Hong Kong within this month (otherwise some time in spring) !!!!!!!!!!!! YAY!! I am turning 30 in December so a trip/stay to/in HK are my gift from my mother. Since I have 3 kids I can only go when my mum can take the cuties for a week so this time is actually now =D

Any HK-readers or ladies who went/stayed there, please give me any hints as where to stay (nice hotel, not too expensive), to shop (interested mainly in beauty stuff away from Sasa, Bonjour etc., stationery, zakka stuff, toys for the kiddies), what to see etc. I am really happy about any tips I get as I am definitely going there, just not set if it will be this October or next year in May).

Giveaway closed....

The winner is:

Violet

Please email me ASAP as your email addy is not written!
Thanks for the comments! There were some requests I found justified (like introducing a rating system about which I thought for long time and posting tutorials though I am sure I am not really a skilled makeup artist or so lol) but some I didn´t understand so I wonder if some people don´t read my complete reviews?

I wanted to point out the following points:
Request: I should write where I got an item and how much I bought it for.
Answer: Well, I nearly always state where I got my items from and the retail price as long as I can find it out so it annoys me a bit when people comment on a post where I clearly stated my shopping source asking where did I buy it from. If I review something I won on eBay in an auction and don´t state the seller this means that the same seller will not have more so you need to do your own search.


Request: Put more pics in my reviews.
Answer: I think my reviews are pic-heavy enough usually. I don´t take pics of every single cream etc. as I think there is no need to swatch a white cream that looks like 100000s of others.


Request: State ingredients.
Answer: I usually post a pic of the ingredients list as long as it´s available even if it´s printed in Japanese/Korean as I suppose some people who can read those languages might not have direct access to the products as they might not be in their home place. Unfortunately I often cannot help you with ingredients if they are only printed in Japanese or Korean as I can´t read either. If I forget to take a pic of the ingreds then please take my apologies, I probably just took a pic of the wrong side of the box lol!


Request: Post FOTD pics.
Answer: Sorry, I am not going to post full-face pics. I kept it so and will continue that way. I only post EOTDs and LOTDs when I have them ready.


Request: Split giveaway into more parts to make more readers happy.
Answer: The idea is good and I thought about it and I did before however it´s a financial matter because shipping is really expensive here from Austria so shipping 2 or 3 packages might end up costing me US$25 or more so honestly right now that´s a bit too much for my taste so right now I am only making 1 person happy, sorry! lol

Request: Review items a and b from brand x, y and z because I want to read about them.
Answer: I am sorry but I only review items I am interested in and don´t take review requests. If I had endless money I´d review everything lol but I have to be selective an purchase what I want.

Fall 2010: Majolica Majorca Jeweling Eyes in GR791

This fall´s collection from Majolica Majorca is small but contains a few pretty products. I only picked up the Jeweling Eyes in GR791 as this was the main item catching my eye but certainly thought about a few more items, maybe I might pick up one or another later...donno yet =)
 

The Jeweling Eyes is a decent range of eyeshadow palettes but by far not as good as the Majolook Trick On Eyes which still remains the best eyeshadow palette range from MJ!
The palette in GR791 is a medium pigmented quad with a quite fine and silky texture. However I find these shadows are a little hard to blend but they show up well and evenly with a few layers and some blending. 

The colors last well and crease only very little after several hours of wear. 
The quad in GR791 contains a deep brownish olive, a bright aqua teal, gold and white with some more sparkles than the other 3 colors.

My EOTD didn´t turn out that nice to be honest but next time I´ll wear it in my usual way (darker shade on the outer sides and the crease and the bright teal on the inner 2/3 of my lids).

Overall a good pick if you don´t have a bright teal and like thie color combo as it´s a bit unusual. If you prefer highly blendable well-pigmented colors I suggest the new Dual Blend Eyes ones from Kate I reviewed short time ago which are the best eyeshadows I found as of recent.

Rating:3/5

Kosé Cosmeport CoenRich Q10 White Body Milky Cream & Deep Moisture Body Milky Cream

I have quite a crush on the whole CoenRich Q10 White line from Kosé Cosmeport...something about this range is so very appealing to me but I can´t say what exactly lol =)

I got these 2 body lotions a while ago and enjoy them a lot as they are really smooth and silky. I got both versions, the regular Body Milky Cream (light orange tube) and the Deep Moisture Body Milky Cream (deeper orange tube). I honestly can´t tell a big difference, just that the Deep Moisture Body Milky Cream is a little thicker and richer but really just a little.
Both lotions make my skin feel really smooth but not sticky or greasy at all.

Anyway, both are nice moisturizing body lotions without any fragrance in convenient squeeze-tubes containing 160g/each. I got them from eBay for less than US$10 each so they aren´t exactly a steal unfortunately. 

These body lotions contain Coenzyme Q10 and Coix Seed extract for "youthful radiantly beautiful skin".

Overall recommended!


Rating for both: 4/5

Kanebo Media Shiny Essence Lip A in RD-02 and BR-02 (testers)

Today I am reviewing the cheapest lipsticks I ever got from a Japanese brand...well, their retail price is about 1000 Yen/each but I scored both together for less than US$3 on eBay =D Only drawback is that they come in tester tubes (and I believe you aren´t allowed to list them nowadays) but to try a new range of lipsticks that´s still pretty nice, right?

Generally I am quite fond of Kanebo´s inexpensive Media line as most products offer good quality at an affordable price.
I had an eye on the Shiny Essence Lip A range for a while but didn´t order one as none of the online shops listed it (though I can always ask one of the ladies running those stores to list those lipsticks hehe). 

I was really happy when I found a duo of the Shiny Essence Lip A on eBay even though the color codes weren´t listed and the pic showing the colors was so dark I couldn´t really see anything. 

Actually it´s  good that the pic was not clear as I would not have purchased those colors as to me they looked warm and unsuitable for me at first when I received them and I was a tad bit disappointed and wanted to set the lipsticks aside instead of trying them out.
The colors somehow fit into my fall mood though so I decided to give them a go anyway and I discovered that they are perfectly nice neutral shades =D

The Shiny Essence Lip A lipsticks come in smooth silver tubes (which I discovered when I removed the plastic tester slips after taking the pics) so they look simple and elegant and similar to the design of Kate. 
The texture is really creamy and moist and feels very comfortable to wear which surprised me a bit given this is such an inexpensive product. The lipsticks contain marine collagen, jojoba oil and are free of fragrance and show up really well as the amount of pigments is quite good.
Lasting power is good, about 3-4 hours (with a bit of fading) for me if I don´t eat or drink.  

RD-02: A pretty neutral slightly brownish red. I actually fell in love with this color as it´s not my usual kind of color but still looks gorgeous especially for fall paired with a silvery gray smokey eye makeup!

BR-02: This looked like an orangey caramel brown in the tube so I was going to skip trying this as it´s totally not the kind of shade I like. When worn however the orange tones are less visible so it turns into a pretty creamy nude shade with mixes well with my natural lip color ( I have rather pink lips).

Overall a really nice product and worth trying. I am definitely going to pick up more colors later on (probably in my usual nudes and pinks and roses lol).


Rating: 5/5

Anosa Skin Care Spa Series Job´s Tears & Licorice and Calendula Body Lotion

Anosa has the tendency to release their products in duos which usually makes them good value for money since this is a really cheap brand overall.

Sasa recently listed new items from Anosa incl. the Skin Care Spa Series Job´s Tears & Licorice and Calendula Body Lotions. Of course I couldn´t resist picking up this duo for around US$8 from there.
 
Like the majority of Anosa products the packaging is quite non-descript and simple however I somehow like the bottle design. Seems their bigger sister brand Shills is getting all the cute designing...
The lotions come without pumps and the bottle is a bit hard so pushing the lotion out isn´t that easy...which results in shaking the lotion out (and pouring it over my floor =X).

Anyway the lotions suck for me. They have the moisturizing power of water to me, they are very runny and super lightweight so maybe someone with really oily body skin and/or living in a very hot and humid climate might enjoy the lotions however for my dryish skin they aren´t at all interesting.
Both lotions have a light scent which is barely detectable...something citrus-herbal maybe?

Also the ingredients are exactly the same except for the last few ingredients. Hmmm...for some reason I can´t seem to find Job´s Tears and Calendula extracts...maybe the "essential oil" listed at the end of the ingredients??

Actually also the price for this duo isn´t that good.... $8 might sound right for 2 body lotions, however each of them contains a mere 120ml. I´d rather buy one 250ml PDC Famy Moisturizing Body Lotion from Sasa at around the same price than the Anosa set.


Rating: 2/5

Creer Beauté La Rose de Versailles Antoinette Lovely & Cute Eyes (gel eyeliner)

While I am not a real Lady Oscar/La Rose de Versailles (an older anime series) fan I couldn´t resist picking up the gel eyeliner in the brown shade (Antoinette Lovely & Cute Eyes) from the Creer Beauté La Rose de Versailles range...actually I picked up the brown one because I like Marie Antoinette way more than Oscar lol...yes, I am so shallow! Anyway, I have a ton of black gel eyeliners and only a few brown ones so this was another good reason, too =P

Actually the pic of Marie Antoinette looks quite cute and the gel liner is nicely presented in its packaging.

The liner itself comes in a small glass jar with the "La Rose de Versailles" logo and a golden rose on top of the cover.

It comes with a brush which works really perfectly, it´s a flat rounded synthetic-fiber eyeliner brush. Very good quality in my opinion!

The gel liner Antoinette Lovely & Cute Eyes is very creamy and easy to spread while being super pigmented so it´s really a breeze to apply this evenly. 
This liner promises to be waterproof, sweat-proof, resistant to tears...it will not smudge, won´t fade and last for 24 hours. Actually this is an amazingly lasting liner, once set it stays where it is (like the majority of gel liners anyway) so it´s a really nice product, especially since it applies so smoothly and comes with a great brush, too.

The color is a rich chocolate brown which is dark enough to give good definition but still is more natural than black. It does have a very slight reddish tinge though so wearing this on my inner rims (like on my EOTD) is not that flattering as it looks just too red. 

On my EOTD I am wearing the Kate Dual Blend Eyes in BK-2 and this liner (and mascara).

This is a very affordable item, priced at 1260 Yen (about US$14). I got mine from Adambeauty for US$11 which is actually about US$3 less than the retail price but already includes airmail shipping! I think it can´t get much cheaper than that online =)
There is also a black liner with a Lady Oscar theme, it´s called Oscar Cool & Impact Eyes. 

Rating: 4/5

Fall 2010: Esprique Precious Heart Graphical Rouge PK832

I never can resist new lipsticks or eyeshadows from Esprique Precious as it´a wonderful brand worth purchasing usually.

As far as I noticed the fall collection is only small consisting of a new mascara, new lipsticks and new glosses. 
I purchased 2 of the lipsticks and the mascara but so far only have received the Heart Graphical Rouge in PK832 which I ordered from Gooddealer along with the RMK nail polish and the 2 Maquillage fall items I reviewed a few days ago.

The Heart Graphical Rouge comes in a really pretty tube, I really like how the silver tube is designed.

Texture-wise this isn´t the best lipstick from Esprique Precious, actually the Heart Graphical Rouge is not as creamy and emollient as I like and the shimmer bits are a little gritty. I still  think it wears comfortably and I like how it looks on my lips as it is shimmery and glossy and just pretty. 

As usual among most Japanese brands this is neither scented nor flavored.
The cutest part about this lipstick is the heart carved into the tip =) But unfortunately with a few uses it vanishes.

PK832 is a sheer neutral pink.

Not sure about the retail price, probably around 3200 Yen. I paid around US$30 plus shipping plus handling so it came to about US$35. Not the cheapest lipstick and I wouldn´t get another piece at this price so I am happy I scored the other one and the mascara for around half their retail price on eBay (will be reviewed when I receive them!)=P 

Rating: 3.5/5

Fall 2010: RMK Nail Color EX in P-21 Deep Purple Rose

There are 4 new Nail Color EX shades from RMK for fall 2010, nice rich colors perfect for this season. I haven´t tried RMK nail polish before but when I saw this post on Rouge Deluxe I had to get that same color P-21 Deep Purple Rose because it looked like an awesome autumn color.

I got this product from Gooddealer as his price was the best however if you include the shipping and handling fees it turns out to be a slightly pricey nail polish. I have to say it´s absolutely worth it as the texture/color etc. are just perfect. 

I am not much of a nail polish person even though I have 100s of colors but there are some points that are really important for me (and probably the majority of other ladies, too.)
Ease of application (brush, leaves no strokes), opacity (with such rich colors I am looking for a good opacity!), drying time (the faster the better) and wear (that the nail color stays glossy and doesn´t chip for at least 4 days which is something i only encounter with the P&J nail colors). Furthermore I generally don´t like chunky glitter in my nail polish or a color which dries to a flat finish or gets dull/scratched quickly.

The RMK Nail Color EX fulfills all the criteria above, it´s very pigmented, applies smoothly, dries quickly and leaves a wonderfully glossy shine for at least 4 days. There was no chipping until removed the color on the 4th day as I wanted to try out another color I just got. 

Overall this is an absolutely fantastic product and sometimes it´s just worth paying a bit more for great quality. I know the nail pro ladies will flame me but this wears way better on me than OPI or Chanel =P 
I used a base coat from P&J and the Rapidry top coat from OPI (which I like better than Seche Vite btw).
The color is a deep berry plum shade, just what I like right now.

Retail 1525 Yen for 12ml.

Sorry for my ugly NOTD, had to trim my nails as they were breaking (a problem I often have).

Rating: 5/5