Musings of a Muse

Some people collect stamps. Other collect stickers. Some folks like to collect designer bags or shoes. While still others collect figurines or action figures. The Muse happens to collect cosmetics (and old books but that’s not part of this story).

As per a reader’s request I’ve taken a picture of my large stash of Majolica Majorca Eyeshadow Singles. Now the Muse values Majolica Majorca Eyeshadow Singles more than she does life itself…ok I exaggerated a little bit there…she does however hold these in higher value than say her MAC stash of shadows.

I can’t say I went to a ton of trouble to get my singles because I honestly didn’t however my good friend Iris went to a heck of a lot of insanity to grab me singles that were both new and discontinued by searching around Tokyo drugstores about a year and a half ago. Lucky enough Iris scored some great shades that were long since gone from the regular catalog of single shadows. It saddens me that Majolica Majorca Single Eyeshadows get so little love due to the fact that the palettes are the star of many eyes in the cosmetic world. It’s actually really upsetting considering that most addicts would agree the singles are actually much better pigmented and better quality when compared to the palettes that MJ has out at the moment.

The singles come housed in a little slide draw that sports the MJ golden emblem on top as a pull. Pull back and the draw reveals gorgeous, silky, pigmented MJ eyeshadow. The shadows can be removed from these draws and placed in palettes however the Muse loves the packaging style so much she never really had the heart to depot any of her singles. A few years back MJ had compacts out which would house either four shadows, two shadows and one blush, or two blushes. I can’t say for sure but I think these are long past gone and I don’t think MJ actually carries them anymore or I could be wrong and they axed the dual compact which housed one blush or two shadows. Either way the compacts were quite gorgeous with a gold layered plate on top, a mirror inside, and the words “Fulfills All Your Wishes” in lovely script on the gold plate. I really should get around to actually depotting my singles and putting them in these pretty compacts but I just never had the heart to do so and my stash currently resides in a pink box and the compacts are tucked into another box.

The Muse’s MJ stash tucked safely away in a pretty box!

The singles run around $3-$5 USD and are a great deal to say the least so if you happen to be wandering around Tokyo one day and come across these wonderful singles the Muse says pick ‘em up as the are Muse Approved for purchase!

You can snag ‘em up and around the Internet as well just have a read of my Japanese Cosmetic Buying Guide to see where the best deals are!

I’ll be documenting all the shades that I have stashed away shortly so stay tuned for that post!

Majolica Majorca Holiday Collection 2007 Review

Majolica Majorca Holiday Collection 2008 I Am Gorgeous

Majolica Majorca Summer Collection 2007 Review

Majolica Majorca Mascara Review

Last week I brought you a review of the Lavshuca Holiday Makeup Collection in Antique Sepia. As mentioned in my prior review Lavshuca released two separate coffrets for the holidays. Today I’ll be reviewing the second color option available for the collection entitled Antique Monochrome.

If you read my prior review you already know the little details about the collection, the price, the packaging, etc….so I’ll just dive into the review today without repeating much of what has already been said about the Lavchuda 2008 Holiday Collection. I wasn’t particularly thrilled with Antique Sepia but it’s probably my favorite of the two as Antique Monochrome doesn’t have a whole lot going for it aside from the nice shade of gloss.

The shadow included with this set is a duo that includes an icy, creamy white shade with a pink iridescent finish and a contrasting gray black shade. I used the lighter shade as a base and highbrow highlighter prior to applying the grayish black shade on my lid and blending a bit into my crease. The pigmentation on the shades is as nice as Antique Sepia and the completed look is a bit of a smoky eye with a hint of girlish innocence due to the creamy pink base. Honestly, in my humble opinion, the look is a tad bit on the boring side but for a quick makeup look I do like it!

The Lavshuca Liquid Rouge Gloss in this set is a bright pink with silver sparkles. I mentioned in my other review how much I loved the gloss and in this set I feel the same way. The gloss is the best part of the set for me! It has a nice shimmer and sparkle and looks rather fab over a dab of lip stain!

Overall, I wasn’t particularly thrilled with Antique Monochrome or Antique Sepia but I am glad I purchased both for my Lavshuca Collection. I’m unsure if you really need to indulge unless you’re a collector. The Lavshuca Spring Collection does hold a bit of promise for me so I’ll look towards brighter horizons on the Lavshuca front!

How about you?

Loved these?

Which was your favorite set?

Planning on purchasing them?

Tell the Muse!

Lavshuca Antique Sepia Review, Swatches, and FOTD

Lavshuca Rouge Star Classic Review, Swatches, and FOTD

Lavshuca Color Conc Rouge Review

Understanding my sudden attraction to cream and liquid eyeshadow is a mystery to me. The Muse has always passionately hated creams and liquids but as of late she’s indulged in a few here and there and came out feeling all the better for it.

I recently fell in love with Coffret D’Or Fluffy Shine Eyes so of course when I seen KATE Gel Eyeshadow I thought to myself, “whoa these look pretty much the same and they are way cheaper! Must tries ‘em”!

I love pretty much anything KATE does as it has that certain edge that I like in my makeup so it was interesting to see softer shades released with the new KATE Gel Eyeshadows. The shadows are a typical soft mousse style formula with a nice dose of shimmer. I liked the shadows well enough but I didn’t love them and I think that the Jill Stuart and Coffret D’Or version will remain my favorite if I had to choose.

One main problem with the shadows is the fact they dry down so quickly. This actually turned me off so much that I won’t be purchasing them again for that sole reason. Application of cream shadow is such a pain to begin with! When you’re working with a product that dries down so quickly it makes it twice as difficult when you’re trying to blend and build color up only to have it dry in a matter of seconds which causes flaking and a general mess.

Aside from my rant about the dry down I do admit that some of the shades, not all, were rather nice. A total of 8 colors were release and I choose the four softest shades to purchase which were WT-1, PU-1, PK-1, and GD-1. Out of these colors I thought the WT-1 and GD-1 were the best as they had good pigmentation and had a rather nice finish. PU-1 and PK-1 were equally nice but a bit sheer and due to the problem with dry down it was difficult to build up color further without creating an utter mess. WT-1 is a shimmering true white, PU-1 is a soft sparkling lilac, PK-1 is a true pink, and GD-1 (my favorite) is a shimmering gold. Out of the four shades GD-1 is my favorite as I really liked how well it applied plus gold sparkle around the holidays is always so classic for me.

GD-1

Considering I loved GD-1 I overloaded on FOTD pics of it!

WT-1

PK-1

PU-1

The shadows come housed in a the typical KATE frosted glass jar a la the KATE Gel liners. They are about the same size as the liners as well but the jar is square and not round. It’s quite a nice style of packaging for the price.

They are worth trying out for yourself as I like them but I’m just not in love with them. If you’re deciding between these and other Japanese brand shadows I guarantee you can find something quite a good deal better but price wise this is probably the best you’ll get with such a small price tag! The inexpensive price tag, selection of colors, and nice finish to the product all get a raving hooray from me but I won’t be Muse Approving them for purchase since I consider the quick dry down an unforgivable problem.

Overall, the product is good depending on which shades you try out but the dry down period definitely creates a problem for me and is a big turn off. I loved the finished results but it does take a bit of work to get the shadow on properly, blended correctly, etc…..

Tried these?

Love ‘em?

Want to try ‘em?

Tell the Muse!

If anyone is interested I am selling off the white, purple, and pink which have all been used 1x each (still in the boxes) for $12 USD this includes shipping and confirmation within the US anyone who lives abroad I’m extending the offer to $13 USD for first class airmail but sadly no tracking is available on these. Just e-mail me at musings.of.a.muse@gmail.com if you’d like them!

Coffret D’Or Fluffy Shine Eyes Review, Swatches, and FOTD

Loving: KATE Glamtrick Palette Review and FOTD’s

KATE Website Update

KATE Spring Collection 2008: KATE Dual Carat Eye Shadow Review and FOTD’s

Majolica Majorca has updated it’s website with it’s new Holiday story, I Am Gorgeous. CLICK! The only site updated is the main Japanese portal as the official street date for the collection is the 21st and taking into consideration at the moment it’s the 21st already in Japan, it’s pretty logical the site has been updated accordingly! When other Asian countries will get the release is beyond this Muse but I’m sure it’ll shortly be available within Singapore, Taiwan, Etc…and followed up a few months down the line in other locations (aside from the US where we get NONE of the good stuff SIGH! RANT!).

I’m very excited about this collection although that’s not saying much as I’m always excited when Majolica Majorca updates it’s site. The Holiday Collection does look interesting to say the least and I’ll be partaking of everything released with it!

I think the star of the show are the new Majolumina Powder in Puffs. I’m normally not a fan of powders that are in the puff already but I am very curious about these and will be purchasing both as the price of 1,300 yen or so is truly a bargain!

Although I’m not the biggest fan of Majolica Majorca Gorgeous Wing Mascara I will be purchasing the new version released with the I Am Gorgeous Collection. The color is a orangy-bronze-gold brown which looks very nice!

And finally two new Majolook palettes! Yay! I’m looking forward to these! Again, not a big fan of the base cream shade but the trio of powder shades looks simply amazing so, I for one, am very happy about the return of Majolook and glad they didn’t do more Trick On Palettes for this reason! Honestly, BR788 looks very similar to a palette I already have but I’m all for getting this anyway!

All in all it looks like a very promising selection of items. They extended the line a tiny bit compared with Holiday 2007 as this year we are getting two powders, two palettes, and a mascara where as last year it was one powder, two palettes, and a mascara. Of course, the Muse is on board and will review this all for you shortly!

The site is very, very lagged at the moment so I recommend checking back later tonight or tomorrow morning to see the updates! The Muse is looking forward to the Singaporean update so I can read the story in English! Once you “find” all the items you’ll have a chance to download the special screen saver! Do grab it as it’s rather cute!

How about you?

Want it?

Loving the new palettes?

Indulging in any Majolica Majorca Holiday 2008?

Tell the Muse!

Majolica Majorca Gorgeous Wing Mascara Review

Majolica Majorca Summer Collection 2008 Review

Majolica Majorca Fall Collection 2008 Featuring Trick On Palettes

Mmmm the fire in my blood is slowly dying out for Japanese brand Lavshuca. What is going on with these releases lately? They either all have similar colors to previous collections or they just suck in a major way! And hello? How many shades of brown and natural brown can we possibly have? Every single palette has brown, brown, and more brown! What happened to the rather lovely pinks and aquas that Lavshuca used to release?! I know, I know, shocking how candid the Muse is on voicing her opinion when she’s been known to express her undying love and appreciation for all things Lavshuca!

I purchased both coffrets from the Lavshuca Antique Collection for Holiday 2008 and I must say that they are nice but lord knows that the colors are absolutely boring and the same colors released over and over and over again from Lavshuca lately!

The Lavshuca Antique Collection comes in two flavors, Antique Sepia and Antique Monochrome. I’ll be reviewing Antique Sepia today and bringing you Antique Monochrome later this week. Each collection comes housed in a tiny, sturdy cardboard box and includes one Lavshuca Dual Eyeshadow and one Lavshuca Liquid Rouge. I paid retail for each set which was 1,890 yen plus the normal promotional discount (30% or so) that applies to Japanese drugstore cosmetics. I’ve seen the sets on E-bay for around $21 USD plus shipping if you’re wanting to indulge and of course Adams Beauty will probably have them for considerably less so do shop around before settling on one spot to buy from!

I think my two favorite items from the collection are the box and the gloss. Taking into consideration that Lavshuca’s Winter Make palettes were very delicately made last year it came as a shock that the box with this year’s collection is so sturdy and nice. It’s quite a cute little pull out draw that will hold around three or four MAC lipsticks. I was actually expecting something large as the pics make it look HUGE however it is tiny! As you can see below I placed a Clinique eyeshadow palette beside the box to show the size.

The second item that I really enjoyed with the collection was the Lavshuca Liquid Rouge. For some odd reason or another this particular Lavshuca Liquid Rouge seemed to have a bit more sparkle and shimmer than the normal range. The color included with Antique Sepia is a nice beige with golden shimmer and hints of peach! It completes my nude look beautifully when I use the included shadow duo!

The shadow is a bit on the boring side sadly as it includes a rather crummy nude brown shade with hints of gold shimmer and a base color of white gold that contains a bit of sparkle with a slightly iridescent finish. I will say that once I completed my look I did like the effects of combining the beige gloss with the nude eye look however it’s not what I’d want for the Holiday in all honestly. Right now it goes rather well with the Fall weather however I do love a festive eye look come the Holiday that’s vibrant, full of shimmer, and most importantly doesn’t shout natural! The duo is quite tiny and far from regular size. Although the gloss is regular size do brace yourself for a mini shadow!

As you can see below a MAC eyeshadow is even bigger than the little Lavshuca duo!

I did have a hard time deciding how I wanted to use the shadow. Sadly, I don’t read Japanese and the diagrams that I’ve come to rely on, on the back of the package are just never around on Lavshuca packaging. They must do this to irritate me, honestly. Between Jill Stuart and Lavshuca I’m unsure which brand annoys me the most when they fail to include the handy dandy eye diagram most Japanese brands favor on the back of their packaging!

In the end I decided that I’d use the white creamy gold shade as an all over color wash on my entire eye and follow up by blending the brown into my crease and on my lid. The look comes out very natural and yes, I begrudging admit, lovely but I still call it as being hells boring for the Holiday Season! Sorry it is what it is and this doesn’t shout “fun, shimmery Holiday!” to this Muse!

Aside from my major ranting about the shades and the lack of festive feel to the collection I did like the items included and especially enjoyed the very cute packaging! Overall, they are worth picking up if you can nab them at a good price but not so much if you’re paying more than retail!

I’ll give you the good (or bad) word on the second coffret shortly so stay tuned!

How about you?

Love these?

Want ‘em?

Not loving all the nudes from Lavshuca lately?

Tell the Muse!

Lavshuca Creamy Liquid Foundation Review

Lavshuca Holiday Collection 2008 Coffrets

Lavshuca Perfect Base Moist and Lavshuca UV Review

Lavshuca Holiday Collection 2008: Lavshuca Winter Make Palettes Review

The Muse is a bit tired of all the holiday coverage! It’s the end of the week and she isn’t really up for doing more holiday collections and just feels like concentrating on the lovely Fall weather and maybe a Fall collection too!

How about you?

I’ve had the Visee Fall Collection for a while now but haven’t had a chance to take advantage of it but this week I decided to crack open both and give them a whirl. The new Glam Hunt Palettes are quite different from previous releases from Visee but have no fear they are just as good. I was playing at being a good Muse so I only ordered two of the five color combinations released.

I was pleasantly surprised that I enjoyed the Visee Glam Hunt Palettes as I do have a love affair with the Visee Jewel Crush Eyes Palettes and as I mentioned these are vastly different. Although the Glam Hunt Palettes contain some shimmer it’s not a whole lot when compared to previous palette releases from Visee.

The Glam Hunt Palettes have five strips of color that you’ll be using on various parts of your eye. I always find it interesting that the directions for application instruct you to use the lightest shade of shadow on the crease instead of the lid. I normally contrast my shades of shadow by applying a darker shade to the crease and a lighter shade to my lid however most Japanese brands recommend contrasting them in the opposite way!

The shades included in the palettes are two contrasting shades of eyeshadow, one liner shade, one base shade, and a sparkling powder which can be used in the inner corner of the eye to add a bit of sparkle and shine to your look! The palettes I got were G1 and G4. G1 consists of green shades which are comparable to my favorite KATE Glamtrick Eye Palette GN-1 and the G4 palette contains dusky rose shades. Out of the two palettes G1 was my favorite simply because I really adore how a smoked out green eyeshadow look makes my eyes sizzle! The G4 is very nice as well but I thought the liner shade made my eyes look slightly tired.

G4

G1

The shadows are all quite pigmented and blend wonderfully well. I thought the formula and texture was comparable to KATE palettes. As I mentioned above these are considerably different from the palettes you’ve seen Visee release before and I’m hoping they’ll actually continue with the line as it’s quite good.

All in all I thought the Visee Glam Hunt palettes were quite nice with a good selection of Fall friendly colors. I’m not Muse Approving for them purchase simply because they are quite similiar to many Japanese brand palettes you might already own! If you don’t have a considerable stash of Japanese palettes I do recommend trying these out as they are quite lovely!

Visee Fall Collection 2008: Glamorous Hunter

Visee Spring Collection 2008: Featuring a Review of the Visee Jewel Crush Eye Palettes

Visee Aqua Shining Eyes Review

MuseTV: Visee Spotlight

Remember I was telling you about Love Clover’s PopChu Gloss a few weeks ago? CLICK! The Muse couldn’t resist it’s evil lure for long and she ended up purchasing a Lover Clover PopChu Gloss in Strawberry Pink for herself.

Honestly, who can resist lipgloss that looks and supposedly tastes like a lollipop? Come on! What sort of willpower do you think I possess?

The Muse is here to say that she simply ADORES Love Clover PopChu Gloss but doubts that many others will. As great as the gloss is it probably won’t be too popular with those who do NOT love Sony CP lipgloss as the formulas are pretty similiar. If you love thick, sticky, and tacky glosses you’ll fall right into love with Love Clover Popchu however if you’re not a big lover of glosses with such a formula you might wish to avoid it.

Although I normally have no tolerance for sticky, thick glosses I actually really love the formula of this gloss. It’s thick, it’s tacky, and it’s sticky but it stays in place and manages to make my lips look fuller for 4 to 5 hours straight without touching up. You might be excited by the fact that finally Japanese lipgloss has a flavor! Wahooo! You may know already or know from reading my past reviews that many Japanese brands do not flavor glosses however this actually does have a flavor however it’s possibly not as pleasant as think. Lollipops? No. Strawberry? Kinda but not really. Sweet? Mmm sorta….honestly it kinda tastes like strawberry plastic if the Muse knew what strawberry flavored plastic tasted like that is! I don’t find the taste particularly thrilling but I don’t hate it either! It is what it is and I’m not particularly delighted or disappointed in the long run! The gloss is pink however that doesn’t make it pigmented enough to show through on lips. It applies rather sheer and gives just a tiny hint of the pink shade the gloss sports but that’s fine by me as it makes for ease of use over darker lipsticks! The applicator is the standard spatula style which 80% of Japanese glosses sport. I love this style of applicator as it allows for easy glide of the gloss across the lips and builds gloss up easily!

All in all I think it’s a rather nice little gloss and I imagine I will repurchase it when I run low. It’s a tad bit expensive at $13 USD or so which is the retail cost in Japan however I’m unsure if it’s really worth picking up if you find it online marked up. I do like it very much but the price is iffy for it’s size. If you can nab it at retail or cheaper the Muse thinks it’s worth checking out, especially if you’re a big lover of Sony CP lipgloss as the formulas and texture are quite similiar!

The Muse sporting Love Clover PopChu Gloss (Do excuse my lack of sleep and makeup! A tired Muse is not a pretty Muse!)

Latest Japanese Haul 2007

Japanese Fall Haul

MAC Devoted Poppy Lip Palette Review

Etude House 55 Kissful Tint Chou Review

Etude House Plumping Lip Tint Review

NP Set Lipgloss Compact Review & Swatches

Darphin Lipgloss Review

Ho-hum! The Muse roped herself into purchasing a Maquillage Diamond Tear Gloss a few months ago and as she tested it she remembered why she avoids Maquillage like the plague.

Maquillage is a brand of make up exclusive to Japan that’s distributed by Shiseido, actually it’s one of several brands brought to you by our dearest Shiseido! Oh why oh why can’t the US catch up with this stuff?

Anyway!

I purchased Maquillage Diamond Tear Gloss on a whim in hopes that it would be better then Maquillage Neo Climax Lip Gloss but of course I should have known it’s about the same thing with very minor differences.

Now I originally didn’t like the formula of Neo Climax at all so I thought maybe by some slim chance that Diamond Tear Gloss had some sort of improvement on it but honestly I should have known better considering that Diamond Tear Gloss was released prior so if the formula was going to get better it would have gotten better with Neo’s introduction.

Diamond Tear Gloss has since left the shelves of Japanese drugstores I believe and has been quietly replaced with Neo Climax at least I believe it has however if you’re wanting it you can still nab it on E-bay or online shops. Mainly I hate the texture of the gloss because it has a bit of a silicon feel to it which in the long run actually allows the gloss to stay in place for hours but still feels very uncomfortable on which is my main beef with the product. Aside from the strange formula and texture the gloss does have a pretty good finish and nice shine plus is pigmented enough to wear alone as a lip color if you so please.

Dress down day for the Muse! Apologies for the hoodie

The applicator is the standard plastic tip which is very good as it fits well to the contour of the lips and glides the gloss on nicely without making a mess! Normally I prefer plastic spatulas however in this case the applicator is very good and not nearly as bad as the one on the Lavshuca Conc Rouge Gloss.

Many raves support the product including it’s great staying power but ado the Muse can’t get passed the uncomfortable silicon feeling on her lips and the raves just don’t hold up to that rant!

Not a stash for the Muse but sadly a trash! I don’t see myself making much use of this and I imagine it’ll end up in the same pile as my Neo Climax!

The Muse recommends nabbing yourself a nice lippie or gloss from Kiss or KATE and skip the Maquillage! You’ll thank me for it later!

Shiseido Maquillage Neo Climax Lip Gloss Review

Shiseido Maquillage Watery Crush Eyes Review

We all got pretty damn excited last week when I posted about the Sana Make Essence Concealer (CLICK!). It wasn’t the concealer that got us so hyper but the packaging and the cute little bear prancing around the packaging with angry dark circles under his ickle eyes! Awww the cuteness was too much for everyone to bear (pun intended hahaha…”everyone to bear…” get it? The Muse is hysterical isn’t she? And corny as bloody hell!)!

Of course, buying into the bear’s kawaii image was easy enough for the Muse! Who wouldn’t get sucked in by a bear being depressed about his dark circle eye problem. After all, who better, then a cute little bear to relate to our problems of dark circles under our unrested eyes…right?

Wrong.

Sana Make Essence has the cute bear going for it but that’s about it. Sadly, this doesn’t work worth a damn and the Muse is still suffering from dark circles and in need of a something WAY more pigmented to conceal her under eye woes.

Jenn, from Japan, kindly pointed out that bear and circle are actually the same word in Japanese….who knew right? Which explains why Sana went with the bear image however I personally think Sana was trying to suck in schmucks like the Muse who dig cute packaging!

Awww who could resist this little guy?

So what is this stuff anyway?

It’s a yellow based concealer that actually has the potential to be great but somewhere along the way it fails miserably. The concealer comes in a small squeeze tube with a needle nose applicator for application. You can squeeze a bit out on your finger or dab some on with the applicator, it’s entirely up to you how you use it. As we all know, I hope we all know, yellow is normally a good solid color for concealing dark circles. If you have particularly bad dark circles you’ll want to seek out a strong yellow based concealer. In this case, Sana Make Essence, isn’t yellow based but actually yellow in color which isn’t necessarily a bad thing as I’ve used completely yellow concealers before and had successful results at concealing my dark under eye circles.

One of the main problems with the product is that it isn’t pigmented enough to conceal anything. The concealer does lighten the area a tiny little bit but as far as concealing dark circles that’s not happening anytime soon. The formula is nice enough in that it’s not too thick nor is it too runny but just about perfect in it’s consistency however it does seem quite a good deal drying when applied. I did notice that it has a rather interesting texture that’s partially silicon feeling. If it was pigmented enough to conceal it’s texture would be nice for filling small lines however it fails terribly at actually concealing so anything else that could possibly be good about this is killed off in the long run as it doesn’t perform it’s most basic and primary function of..simply..concealing. One of the second problems with the product is the scent. I suppose they were going for fresh scented? Or maybe not? But it has a faint plastic, just out of the tube scent that’s rather off putting.

Sadly, the only thing that’s awesome about Sana Make Essence Concealer is the packaging and the nice price. At 800 yen the concealer is super cheap but honestly it could be free and it would still stink! If you’re really lemming it you can get it around the Internet with a price tag that’s jacked up around $4-$5 on top of retail but I seriously don’t recommend it.

The Muse no likey and says skip this one! Not worth your money and just doesn’t do what it promises!

Although the bear is prancing around happy and dark circle free the Muse sure isn’t!

Happy dark circle-free bear! Yay! (the Muse thinks he used something else to conceal those dark circles!)

If you read Musings daily you might know I’ve been in mourning for the better part of a year over my dearly departed T’estimo.

Oh woe is me!

T’estimo was cut from Kanebo’s line up last year and replaced with a new brand entitled Coffret D’Or. Now Coffret D’Or has alot going for it but the Muse’s love for T’estimo knew no bounds and she shunned Coffret D’Or for the better part of an entire year.

Recently her eye was caught and held by Coffret D’Or’s Fluffy Shine Eyes which was released as part of the Fall line up. Now these looked interesting enough to remove my veil of sadness.

Turns out I was right these are superb! I only tried out one shade but I’ll be indulging in the other four shades shortly as they are very good. Fluffy Shine Eyes are basically little pots of cream mousse eyeshadow which contain a nice healthy amount of shimmer and glittery bits and pieces that the Muse loves!

The finish is on par with Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color and Visee Aqua Shining Eyes. If you like shimmery shadows I highly recommend trying one or two shades out, you won’t be disappointed. The texture is a tiny bit gritty but blending is still easy as the formula is a cross between a soft mousse and a cream which creates ease of application. The shadow feels a bit spongy and if you press down on it you’ll come away with plenty of product to do one eye as a little goes a long way. My only real compliant is having to dip my fingers into the pot to use the product as this is a hands on experience and no makeup brush will help you blend and apply the shadow properly aside from your fingertips.

The color selection I choose is 03 which is very similiar to my favorite Visee Aqua Shining Eyes in GD002. The shade is a beige gold with plenty of golden shimmer. If I looked fast I’d say that the color was identical to looks I’ve creating using GD002.

I’m normally a big hater of cream shadows but since falling in love with Visee Aqua Shining Eyes I have broadened my horizons and tested the waters on cream shadows. I’m quite pleased that I indulged in Coffret D’Or Fluffy Shine Eyes as I liked the product immensely.

Although I simply loved the finish on these and the lasting power I have to remember I have quite a bit of space to work with on my eye which leads me to be unsure whether these are worth picking up if you have a tight Asian double eyelid. I think monolids can benefit from using these because you have a sincerely good area to work with however I worry that the formula is a bit gritty and will get caught between double lids and make for a rather uncomfortable experience with the shadow getting caught between the lids.

I’m heading to the theater tonight and have no time to change so I just wore my good makeup and clothes to work. I thought that the Fluffy Shine Eyes in 03 was a rather perfect shimmery eye for a night out!

To create my look I used the following:

Cheeks
NARS Blush in Super Orgasm

Eyes
Bobbi Brown Gel Liner in Black
MAC Technakohl in Black
Coffret D’Or Fluffy Shine Eyes in 03
Lorac Visual Effects Mascara
Sana Make Essence Concealer (Review coming soon!)

Lips
Too Faced Mirror Mirror Gloss
Dior High Shine Lipstick in Gispy Red

I paid retail for my pot which is probably converted to around $10-$13 USD or less and I have seen these for about the same amount on online shops such as Adam Beauty so if you’re lemming them the price raise isn’t too bad compared to Japanese drugstore retail.

The Muse approves these and highly recommends nabbing one! Her only compliant is lack of shades and the fact that she has to apply with her fingers plus she her worries about double lids.

Visee Aqua Shining Eyes Review

Introduction to Japanese Brands

T’estimo Spring Collection 2007

T’estimo Fall Collection 2007

Japanese Cosmetics Haul featuring T’estimo

T’estimo Pure Layer Loose Powder Blush Review

Lavshuca has updated it’s site with the brand new Holiday/Winter Collection for this year but don’t get too hyper as it’s nothing exciting that you’ll have to have!

Last year I truly enjoyed the Lavshuca Winter Make Palettes released however this year nothing seems to be truly catching my eye but I will be indulging just so I can review the items for you here at Musings.

Why Lavhusca has succumbed to some of thee most boring shades I’ve ever seen in my life lately is truly beyond me. Spring, Fall, and now Winter are a total devastating disappointment for me. Excuse the Muse while she jumps off the nearest bridge in woe!

The Antique Collection consists of two color variations in a gift box for 1,890 yen each. Each gift box contains a lipgloss and a brand new duo eyeshadow in the style of the older single shadows from Lavshuca. It appears that Lavshuca has taken the initiative to start implementing much of it’s new style packaging in this collection so I think it’s safe to say you’ll see many of the older items become obsolete since they are fully embracing the new aubergine look and leaving behind the lacy white look from the past.

It looks like you can create a brown or a black look with the collection. The first duo contains one black shade and one paler shimmering white or pink shade while the second has a lighter brown shade and either a pale shimmering pink or a cream white (just assuming colors from the pictures). Honestly, you can probably recreate the looks with these gift sets from any number of other items you have in your collection if you collect Lavshuca so it’s not something you absolutely have to run out to get unless you’re a serious fan and collector. The only thing that I find oddly appealing is the little draw gift boxes these come in! Go figure! I’m already thinking up items I can put in them as storage.

Honestly, if you look close enough at last year’s Winter Make palettes from Lavshuca Holiday Collection 2007 you can probably create about the same look as this year!

Lavshuca Holiday 2007: Lavshuca Winter Make Palettes

Also released with the Holiday Collection are brand new stick eyeshadows which you can use to line and shade eyes. Again, another ho-hum item for me and nothing I’m getting to excited about! Believe it or not I’d be more excited to see some sort of cream shadow released to replace the Lavshuca Jelly Eyes from a few years ago! Those were kinda fun and I regret not trying them out for myself at the time!

Although the collection fails to tempt me I will get the two gift sets to review here at Musings. I look forward to Spring 2009 and hope that Lavshuca can redeem it’s downward spiral it’s been on lately for the Muse!

Lavshuca Winter Make Palettes Review

Lavshuca Winter Make Palette Tutorial

Lavshuca Rouge Star Classic Lipstick Review

Lavshuca Spring 2008 Featuring a Review of Lavshuca Noble On Palettes

MuseTV Presents: Lavshuca Spotlight