Xmas 2008: Laneige The Snow Eye Palette #1 and Shimmer Brighter

Today I'll review the last bunch of Xmas stuff.
Poo, I'm done with Xmas, I am so ready for Spring makeup! (and already indulged in some!)


Anyways, the Laneige stuff was the last I got as I waited for Etude House to list their new Smile collection on Gmarket before I ordered the Laneige. (To my shock I discovered that now there is no Etude House shop on Gmarket anymore! I hope they'll relist soon!)

I ordered the face highlighter called "The Snow Shimmer Brighter" and the "The Snow Eye Palette" in #1 as #2 (pink/wine) looked totally unflattering for me.

First off, the compacts are adorable! They're made of a matte black plastic adorned with black velvet snowflakes. Very pretty!
The compacts are a bit bulkier as the blush brush/eyeshadow applicators are below the actual powders in a small compartment.

-The Snow Eye Palette #1:


Honestly this is such a disappointment! The colors are just really ugly and don't work well together. The texture is horribly crumbly and rough in the 2 lighter shades and the darkest shade is very sheer and requires quite some layering.
This contains a dark navy (I hate these kind of blues, they look like s*it on me), a yellow gold and white.


Judging from the pics I thought the darkest shade is a dark gray =(
The snowflake arrangement of the shadows is so cute but inconvenient in my opinion.


I paid about US$21 for this on Gmarket (27300 Won). It's not worth it in my opinion.
Last year's Laneige Xmas palette was a hit though! 9 beautiful metallic/shimmery colors to play with!
Here are pics (click here and here)

-The Snow Shimmer Brighter:


This item is way better and prettier than the Eye Palette. The Shimmer Brighter features pastel colored snowflakes on a white background. All colors blend to a beautiful soft glowy sheer white highlighter.


The texture is soft and silky and there is no crumbling.


The shimmer pieces are very small so you will not get a disco-ball effect.
I paid 30300 Won (about US$23)

Laneige Fall 2008

Laneige introduced a few very pretty items for Fall 2008 and being a fan of them I decided to pick up the 2 that looked like they would be the prettiest and most flattering with my colorings.


Laneige is sticking faithfully with their "Snow Crystal" theme for some time now and the newest items follow in the same style.


There are 4 items in the collection: 2 eyeshadow trios, a highlighter and blush duo and a face powder.
I picked up one of the eyeshadow trios and the blusher & highlighter combo.

-Snow Magic Box - Eye Shadow:


The cute smooth (=fingerprint city) silver compact has 2 layers, one containing the eyeshadow trio and one with 3 different high quality brushes. There is a brush, a sponge and a dual-ended small pointy sponge and small brush applicator. There is also a small dangling snow crystal attached. So pretty!
This could be such a nice trio if the guys at Laneige wouldn't have totally failed with the lightest color. It has zero pigment and just consist of some scattered glitters which (in my opinion) looks super ugly. Really, I hate that shade. According to Laneige this is just a top coat shade for the 2 other shadows but they could just left this out as it's totally useless for me.
The other 2 shades however are very smooth and nicely pigmented with a fine shimmer finish.


The trio I chose (#01 Magic Silver/Magic Blue/Magic Brown) contains a silver glitter shade, a minty light blue and a very pigmented soft neutral bronze brown.
I purchased this for about US$27.

-Snow Magic Box - Blusher & Brighter:


This has 3 layers but otherwise the packaging is the same.
The first layer contains a highlighter consisting of 3 pastel colors, a blush in the colors orange, pale pink and pink and a compartment with a dual-ended blush-highlighter brush.
The texture of the blush and highlighter is very fine and silky with super fine shimmer. The problem with this is the significant lack of pigment in the blush. As I mentioned before I prefer sheer-medium pigmented blushes but this really is soooo light! After about 10 swipes I get a pretty soft cheek color with a light silky sheen but there is no way to really build up good color. Nonetheless the result is beautiful but I think if you're any darker than NC20 you'll get desperate with the blush.
The highlighter however is gorgeous and quite pigmented and leaves a pretty glow.
All in all a decent product but for the relatively high price-tag it should be better!


I paid about US$35 for mine.

I am a bit disappointed with Laneige's fall collection but the products aren't bad. They just didn't live up to my expectations.

As always there is a leaflet included showing how to wear the products (also in English)

Laneige Professional Sliding Shadow #2

Ever since Laneige revamped their entire line it grew to be one of my favorite brands. I wasn't very fond of their old eyeshadow trios and blushes and other stuff due to their odd color combinations and ugly cheap looking compacts but now Laneige is sporting a more modern image and give it a slightly feminine touch with their snowflake ("The Secret of Snow Crystal") theme.


One of the newest products is the Professional Sliding Shadow series which consists of 5 eyeshadow duos in very interesting compacts.
The mirror is on top of the compact and you just slide the shadows out.


Laneige uses this type of packaging for some time already in their sliding pact (powder foundation) series.

Honestly only 1 color combination appealed to me which is a dark gray/white combo. The texture is very fine and quite pigmented with soft light shimmer, no obvious glitter or frost I can see.


I paid US$33 incl. shipping and I am not sure on the retail price but I am sure it's significantly less.

The Face Shop Baked Triple Eyeshadow 02 vs. Laneige Snow Radiant Eyes 03

As I mentioned several times I feel very attracted by baked powder products like eyeshadows, blushes and powders.

Today I will present you 2 very pretty neutral trios that look quite similar so I will point out the strengths and weaknesses of both items.

The Face Shop Baked Triple Eyeshadow 02


Laneige Snow Radiant Eyes 03:


1. Packaging:
Both trios come in pretty sturdy compacts. The Laneige trio is housed in a very pretty laser disc-like case whereas The Face Shop picked a domed white leaf-shaped case for their baked trio.
I have to say the Laneige case is a bit prettier but doesn't come with a mirror or applicator while The Face Shop gives us a mirror and sponge-tip applicator.


2. Texture:
Laneige's Snow Radiant trio is very silky and very pigmented, all colors have a very fine shimmer finish.
The Face Shop Baked Triple Shadow has a rougher texture and the darkest shade is a bit matter than the other 2. On the other hand both of the lighter shades offer the same fine shimmery finish like Laneige.

3. Colors:
The color combination in both trios is very similar. Each trio has a dark brown, neutral gold and cream. The Laneige is slightly cooler than the TFS trio.
I can pull off both trios very well despite being cool-toned and I am sure both items will look good on warm-toned girls, too!


4. Price:
I purchased both products online and paid less for the Laneige trio. TFS items are quite cheap and I am pretty sure the Baked Triple Shadow retails for less than US$15 or so.

5. Conclusion:
Both are good neutral shadow picks. Overall the Laneige trio is a bit better as the darkest color is more shimmery and the texture is softer. Therefore The Face Shop offers a mirror and applicator.

Mail haul: Etude House, Etude, DHC, Laneige

Along with the Sheet Masks posted below I got some cute makeup, too!

Here's a pic... Reviews will come later!

Asian brands gel/cream eyeliners in pots comparison

I think eyeliners in pots are a great invention. Applied with a good brush they are usually easy to handle and offer great results if the formula of the product is right.
The boom started about 1 1/2 years ago with Kate's release of their Powder Gel liner and now many Asian brands offer their own interpretation of pot liners. I am aware that gel and cream liners are different but for me they're the same when a creamy product dries down to a smudge-proof finish. (all of the products below dry down and don't budge once the color set)

Kanebo Kate Powder Gel liner:
Kate was one of the first brands to come out with small gel liners. I know that Sonia Rykiel had a similar product out first but the quality is just horrible in my opinion.
Kate's liners have a smooth soft formula so a light dab with the brush is needed or too much product will end up on the brush.
Comes with a great brush I love to use with other liners, too.
Is very affordable at around US$15 or less if you get it in a Japanese drugstore at about 25% off.
They constantly add colors to the line-up and discontinue others.
Soon the whole line will be replaced with Powder Gel Liner N which is supposedly improved.
Here is a pic of some of my liners:



Esprique Precious Matte Lasting Cream Liner:
This is one of my favorite range of gel liners. It applies like a breeze with the included flat liner brush. I don't know why they call this "matte" as one of the colors I have is a super shiny metallic color. BK002 is one of the most unique and great colors to own (a purple-gray with a metallic finish) and their newest color BL901 is a great not overly bright aqua shade.
I think the retail price is somewhere around 2500 Yen. There are 5 regular colors and 2 LE colors available for the moment.
Shown on the pic is BK002.



Shiseido The Makeup Accentuating Cream Eyeliner:
One of the worst pot liners in my opinion. VERY pasty and thick and impossible to spread evenly. Comes with a slanted liner brush that just doesn't work for me.
2 color available (black and brown)
It costs around US$25 in the US and more here in Austria.



Shiseido Maquillage Dramatical Gel liner:
New with the Spring 2008 collection. These are pretty good liners with a pleasant not overly soft texture. 2 of the colors are really pretty metallics and the blue shade is outstanding as it's not a flat boring navy but a pretty royal blue. 5 colors total.
Comes with the same style liner brush as the Shiseido The Makeup liners.
Cost is in the 2500-3000 Yen range if I am not wrongly informed.



SUQQU Eyeliner Creamy:
This is the most expensive pot liner in my collection. I am pretty sure it retails for around 4000 Yen (I paid US$50 from ichibankao) so it's quite expensive.
The Suqqu liner is really great though. Perfect formula: not too thick, not too soft. Applies very evenly and smoothly.
There are only 2 colors (green and black) and I picked the green which is a very dark forest green.
Comes with a great brush, too.



B&C Labs Makemania Markabull Eyeliner GB:
Pretty inexpensive liner from B&C labs (former Sony CP). It's a good creamy liner and comes with a thicker but good brush, too. Good value for money though it's not as good as Kate or Esprique.
I've only seen a black color available.



Laneige Multi-Shaping Eyeliner - Gel & Powder Liner:
This is by far the worst gel liner I own. The gel liner is so thick you'd need a knife to scrape any color off. (well not THAAAT bad) No, honestly it takes a lot of effort to make this work. I had to spread a tiny drop of eyecream to soften the formula enough to be able to pick it up and spread it somewhat evenly. The result still leaves a lot to be desired. It comes with 2 powder coats in the top compartment which is a really nifty idea but the product just is crap. 3 colors available. I paid around US$30/each online.



Etude House Orgel Light Gel Eyeliner:
This is an ok liner, but not outstandingly good. The texture is a bit sticky so it's a bit of a pain to spread the liner smoothly. Also the colors turn a a bit dull even though they look so gorgeous in the pan. The colors you see are a pinkish gray (#04) and a bright pinkish purple (#03) which turns even pinker when applied.
These are quite cheap, somewhere around US$8 retail. There are several colors available, I think around 5-6.



Skin Food Choco Eyeline Jam:
This is a surprisingly nice liner with a smooth shimmery finish and a good soft texture. It sets really quickly so quick application and smudging (if desired) is needed or the line will start to look a bit uneven/flaky. I got a pretty green color and the black one is on the way.
Several colors available (around 5-6) and retail price is quite cheap (around US$6-7)


Of course the list is not complete, there are more brands that offer liners in jars.

Skin Food All Over Muffin Cake Finish vs. Laneige Snow Radiant Blusher

As mentioned before I am a sucker for baked-type powder products, especially the pretty marbled ones. I just couldn't resist when I spotted Skin Food's All Over Muffin Cake Finish on their website. I just had to have it (also for the cute and yummy name!)

My first baked beige/golden highlighter was Laneige's Snow Radiant Blusher which is also a gorgeous product so I am going to compare them.



Skin Food Muffin Cake: There are 3 colors available to my knowledge: A pink blush and 2 different beige tones. I decided to go for #3 as it looked like the lighter beige more suitable for my skin tone (and I shall get pink any time soon!) This is a gorgeous marbled powder that leaves a really dewy shine (you can easily overdo and look greasy!). I don't think it's really good to use it all over as the name suggests.


Laneige Snow Radiant Blusher: The Laneige Snow Radiant Blusher comes in 3 colors, too. A bronzy pink, pastel white and golden beige. The Laneige highlighter in gold (#03) has more pink tones than the Muffin Cake. The finish is also shimmery but not as dewy as the Muffin Cake. Both look similar when applied but look quite different in the pan.

Packaging: Skin Food's product comes in a cardboard compact with a brush hidden in the bottom. Laneige's Snow Radiant Blusher comes in a pretty laser-disc like compact but without brush.

Price: I paid US$30 for the Laneige product and US$35 for the Skin Food Muffin. I know that the Skin Food Muffin Cake retails for less than half in Korea but I don't know how much Laneige costs.

I honestly can't name a favorite, I just love them both! Probably the Laneige item is better value for money as it comes in a sturdier and more elegant compact and gives a slightly more subtle highlighting finish.