Shiseido RichRocks Holiday Collection for Christmas 2009

In creating the RichRocks Holiday Collection for Shiseido Makeup, Shiseido International Makeup Artistic Director Dick Page was inspired by the rich color and pure radiance of ‘unrefined rocks and crystals with their natural, savage beauty and mystical powers.’ more…

Lancome ÔSCILLATION POWERFOUNDATION, US$48.00

Lancome is on a roll! New to the Oscillation lineup is a vibrating mineral foundation with SPF 21. This foundation outputs 7,000 micro-vibrations per minute—which stimulates the skin and breaks down the featherweight mineral powder for seamless blendability. more…

Estee Lauder Ultimate Red Holiday Color 2009 collection

As we near the end of October, it’s exciting to see what’s coming for Christmas! At least one brand sticks to the classic holiday look (as opposed to Dior’s Cristal Boreal and Bobbi Brown’s Chrome collection, both on the cool side). more…

Cristal Boreal Look by Dior

The new chic and festive collection beautifully reflects light for a shimmering and utterly dazzling result! Inspired by Aurora Borealis crystal, created by Swarovski for Dior in the mid-50’s, the Christmas look offers precious colors enhanced with a shimmering sheen. more…

Serum de Rouge by Dior, as seen on the impossibly gorgeous Monica Bellucci.

Dior creates the first Sérum de Rouge, elixir of youth with exquisite radiance. A sublime alliance of skincare and color benefits, the serum texture literally melts into the lips for absolute comfort and unbelievable sensory pleasure at application. more…

Lancome GÉNIFIQUE EYE Youth Activating Eye Concentrate, US$59

In addition to the serum, now Lancome has a matching eye cream for Genifique: more…

Bobbi Brown Chrome Palette, US$75.00

It is exciting that Bobbi Brown kept releasing new palettes and new colors throughout the season! New in her collection is the metallic-colored Chrome Collection, a cool take on the traditional holiday look. more…

Mario Badescu Vitamin C Serum, 1 oz., US$45.00

A brand I have almost forgotten but have liked in the past is Mario Badescu, quite loved by some big-name celebs such as Liv Tyler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Naomi Campbell. Mario Badescu products don’t use too many of the fillers like many mass market brands, which is a major selling point. I have used quite a few Mario Badescu products back when I had frequently red skin (my skin is sensitive, dry and dehydrated) and had good results with them. more…

Estee Lauder Eyeshadow Palette, US$32.50

If you have read my blog entries before, you probably know how much I love palettes. Christmas is usually the best time to get yourself a nice palette as the packaging tends to be super nice for gift giving. It’s great that many major brands already released their holiday palettes for those early bird shoppers who want to beat the rush! more…

Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Plump Perfect Lip Moisture Cream SPF 30, US$27.50 for 15ml.

I had really wanted to like this - although Elizabeth Arden had never been my favorite brand (in fact, I rarely used their products) - because of the promise of ceramide and unpainful way to plump my lips, I wanted this to work. Normally, I would review a product after using it for a month; this one, I used for 3 months before I write this review. more…

Dior Complete Makeup Palette - Deluxe Palette For Eyes, Cheeks & Lips, US$70

I LOVE palettes, and I love how companies release holiday palettes early! As much as I love Bobbi Brown’s practical palettes, I love Dior’s even more. For starters, their palettes always come with a beautifully designed Dior pouch each. more…

EST Cleansing Essence Enriched

If you think spending too much on a cleanser is unnecessary, think again. A good cleanser really works wonders in clearing up all the gunk left on your skin - makeup, trapped sebum, dirt, etc., all can contribute to acne, dullness and overall bad skin.

I have always been a fan of Kao cleansers - the Japanese Biore (not the one available in drug stores in North America) is one of my all-time favorite cleanser brands, and it’s so inexpensive but with good ingredients and a nice, pleasant scent. I am also religiously using DHC’s Cleansing Oil as a makeup remover, and Sulwhasoo’s Herb Soap (to complete the double cleansing), which are great as well. But after trying out EST’s Cleansing Essence, I am convinced that there is even better, more expensive cleansers that are worth every penny. more…

Skin Vivo by Biotherm

Just when I was about to write off Biotherm (it has been discontinuing its products, especially the skin brightening line and cosmetics, for quite some time now) as a brand, it came out with a new, Genifique(Lancome)-like invention called Skin Vivo, with a similar claim about rejuvenating skin through genes and DNA. more…

Immortelle Divine Cream by L'Occitane, 50ml, CAD$110.00

The divine combination of organic Immortelle and Myrtle essential oils offers complete regenerating skin care. This combined action stimulates the production of collagen and improves skin microcirculation, which helps reduce damage caused by time and restore substance and vitality. more…

Kanebo Impress IC Brightening Make Off, 200ml

Time and time again, I would venture outside DHC’s Cleansing Oil and ended up running back to it, because it was the best makeup remover EVER. Don’t get me wrong, I loved Fancl’s Mild Cleansing Oil and Haba’s 33% Squalane infused cleansing oil too (which I find even superior to DHC’s), but the accessibility (or the lack thereof) of Fancl and Haba held me back.  Laneige’s cleansing oil is available just 5 minutes from my house and yet I did not like the thick-gunk texture - very oily and not easy to remove. more…

Kose Sekkisei Cosmetic Lotion and Cream

I have sold Sekkisei perhaps more than any other beauty product when Joseibi.com was an online store, but surprisingly enough, I have never used a full size version of any Sekkisei product! There are simply too many products available and somehow I have never made my way through the Sekkisei line. After trying almost all the other whitening products out there and didn’t see any results, I finally bought the Sekkisei Lotion (the toner) and cream. more…

Shiseido The Makeup Eraser Pencil

What it is: an indispensable touch-up pencil that quickly and easily removes lipstick and eye makeup smudges. more…

Shiseido Luminizing Satin Eye Color in PK305 Peony

Join Shiseido in supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month!

During the month of October 2009, Shiseido will donate $5 to CEW’s Cancer and Careers for every Luminizing Satin Eye Color in PK305 Peony sold. Now you can look great and support a great cause! more…