A reader located this gem!
The entry has swatches of the new MJ Palette plus an FOTD using the pink variation (PK740)! She’s created an outstanding look with the palette!
Check it out! I’m eagerly awaiting the arrival of my MJ Spring palettes! I’ll definately post FOTD’s when I get ‘em!
Click here to read more about the MJ Spring Collection!
Click here to view my Holiday FOTD using one of the Winter MJ Palettes!
Laneige released a Limited Edition Palette a few months ago entitled Darling Big Eyes. I originally saw this on Kathi’s reviews (Click here to visit her) and I knew I had to have it!
After searching for this in a few countries (Singapore, China, Japan, Etc…) I failed to locate it. It’s like Where’s Waldo to locate this damn thing! Seriously, I’ve had problems locating cosmetics in the past but this particular palette was ridiculously elusive. After some serious hard work I ended up giving up on it and chalked it up as being something I’d lem for life but never own (how dramatic am I?).
A week ago I got a random package in the mail and low and behold when I ripped open the envelope out spilled the very difficult to locate Darling Big Eyes Palette!
Oh Joy! I was crying in excitement! Turns out a “virtual” friend of mine on MUA had sent it to me as a little present as I gifted her a bunch of tarts and a warmer a few months ago so she remembered how much I was wanting this palette and came across it and got it for me!
I now have in my possession this ultra cute palette!
Behold:
You can’t honestly say this isn’t the cutest thing you ever seen! The palette is ultra tiny and has a little hanging loop on th end which I guess you could use on your cell phone but I’m not so nuts I’ll be using this as a cell phone charm!
This contains three shimmering shades of shadow in silver blue, pink, and cream. It flips open to reveal the three shadows and mirror plus it has a sweet little draw that pulls out to reveal two sponge applicators!
I haven’t yet used the shadows but I have dabbed my finger in and it appears they are quite pigmented! I think most of the appeal of the palette is it’s size and cute design!
Overall, it’s definately a really cute collector’s item and I’m properly chuffed to finally have it!
I wish I could tell you the price but I failed miserably at ever locating this so I don’t know it’s original price tag! This particular one is a gift and I don’t want to be rude and ask how much the person paid for it!
If you happen to live in Asia definately have a look around and see if you can locate one!
I’ll be doing an FOTD shortly with this and I’m eager to try it out for size! I’m also slightly hesitant to use it as it’s too cute to spoil by dipping my brushes into it! Sigh!
Have this?
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Want it?
Good luck finding it as I had the devil of a time locating one!
I have the standard boring blue slide compact but I so want the baby pink one as it goes so well with my iPod and iPhone!
Ooooo so pretty!
This compact is so geeky chic! I really like the formula of the moisture foundation plus it has SPF which makes me a happy Muse and now even better we got the awesome pink sliding compact!
The Muse needs this!
My very awesome mate and reader, Betsy, has gotten her Japanese Spring haul in! Lucky duck! I’m still eagerly sitting by my mail box awaiting my Spring goodies!
Betsy was kind enough to e-mail me last night and give me a low down on her goodies plus pictures!
You have Betsy to thank for these gorgeous pics!
Have a lookee:
You might remember me blogging about Beaute de Kose’s Cyber Shining Eyes Palettes that were released this Spring (You can click here for details on the release).
Betsy ended up getting the 002 variation of the palette and I’m drooling! The palette is absolutely gorgeous! She says that the palette reminded her of YSL’s White Gold Palette and I must say I agree!
The colors look very metallic and quite sparkly! I love any LE’s that Beaute de Kose does as the always end up something special and this palette is most definately yummie!
Betsy picked up two of the new Jill Stuart Seductive Eye Palettes as well. I’ve dodged the Seductive Eye palettes bullet for a while now convincing myself the colors would be matte and boring but after seeing these images I’d say I’m back on board and the lemming force is strong! I guess they aren’t so matte after all! Looks like lots of chunky glitter, shimmer, and sparkle! Betsy says indeed they are full of beautiful sparkle and the only color that’s a bit matte would be the 2nd shadow which can be used as a base for the other shadows in the palette! As you can see from the pictures below the palettes are astoundingly drool worthy!
Finally we have one of the new Lunasol Palettes and as always it’s gorgeous! I’m impressed with the newest palettes this year as they have many good, solid color combos that mix well together and I want at least two!
Overall, Spring in Japan is turning out very nicely!
Thanks for the pics and impressions Betsy!
Many of you are already in the know about what’s coming up in the Spring but I thought I’d do a bit of a Spring Round Up of the Collections that are popping up with a little commentary about each!
Do share your own thoughts and tell me how you’re feeling about these collections!
NARS was one of the first Spring Collections I seen pop on the scene with it’s Shanghai Lily Collection. It also happens to have set the theme for this year’s Collections with it’s bold look. As beautiful as the collection is it leaves me with a bit of a question mark hanging over my head as it’s not in keeping with my general look of Spring! The colors are very bold and dark reminding me of a Fall Collection rather then the light feeling of Spring. The star of the collection for me would be the newest eyeshadow in Abyssina which is soft pearl shimmer.
Overall, I really do love the look of the collection but it loses some of it’s appeal when the weather begins to warm up and I’m looking for a softer look! If they released this for the Fall I’m positive I’d be all over it like white on rice however this fails to wow me at the moment! I’ll definately pick up Abyssina but the rest I can do without until the colder weather sets in and the feel of Spring has left the air!
Smashbox hits another foul ball with it’s Green Room Collection. It consists of tons of bronzey shades and again it appears they confused seasons here. This look reminds me of a more Summer feel with it’s warmer, golden colors! Last Spring we got a rather nice surprise with the Tokidoki Collection however this too wasn’t worth your time. Aside from the gorgeous Tokidoki themed packaging the actual product and colors were a bit too sheer for my lighting thus this year we ended up with another dud. The Green Room Collection fails on all accounts for me and I can’t pick out a single item out of the collection that intrigues me. This one is can be skipped on all accounts.
For the sake of being an avid collector I did indeed purchase some of the Givenchy Denim Collection this year just because I’m so diseased but I can’t help but feel ripped off. Again, we have really dark colors for the Spring! I’m starting to get confused what Season we are heading into here! The collection has absolutely nothing to redeem itself and it consists of all dark, deep colors that I can’t even associate a Season with! I hate to say these things as I’m such a collector and fan of Givenchy but this collection leaves no lasting impression on me! Saks also happened to pop up with a new Prismissime for the Eyes which consists of colors from the Sweet and Decandent Chocolate Prismissime. It’s quite lovely and has since made it’s starring appearance on Sephora however again another disappointment. I purchased this even thought I already own the Sweet and Decandent Chocolate Prismissime palettes separately but it’s not an absolutely have to have for a few reasons. One would be the fact that again the colors are completely off Season for me and secondly if you have the original palettes you really don’t need to shell out the cash for this new palette unless you’re as sick as I am! After some confusion it’s finally been cleared up that the blue-purplish blush you may have seen as part of the Collection is an Asian Exclusive, Japan to be exact I believe so of course we got ripped off on that. I debated myself for a while whether I should have my friend get me the blush but I’ve since decided I’ve overindulged in this collection and I really don’t need more items I probably won’t even use!
Overall, the Collection is interesting but it loses points for it’s dark colors! If you’re a collector I, of course, recommend it for purchase. If you’re not, it’s safe to skip it!
After much debate I decided to get a majority of the Lavshuca Spring Collection! In keeping with the current theme Lavshuca decided to take the Fall road as well and introduce a ton of palettes that contain some bronzey, brownish looking colors with one lighter shade. Again, I’m scratching my head in confusion! A good friend of mine, Mayu, lives in Japan and isn’t so busy at the moment so I’ve had her do the Spring Collection Shopping Spree for me and I ended up getting the new Noble On Eye Palettes. Just call me curious but I have to see for myself what the drama is with these palettes. They intrigue me to say the very least. The new slim style lipshades have also piqued my interest and I’ve decided I must try these as well but if you ask me they just look like the same standard Lavshuca lipstick in new packaging but we shall see!
Overall, this too seems to be a disappointment but I’m eagerly awaiting the package which should be here soon so I can review these!
Majolica Majorca has my heart this season with their newest Majolook palettes! I cannot wait to get my hands on these! At least the colors are reminding me of Spring here with beautiful pinks, aquas, and golds! Thank you Shiseido for having a heart and gifting us with true Spring palettes! Click here to read more about MJ’s newest Collection!
Much to my utter dismay Jill Stuart’s Seductive Eye Collection totally broke my heart. How do I dislike thee, let me count the ways! Matte shadows? My god the horror! Similar to every other JS Palette released? Check. More dark colors? Sheesh. I can’t believe I’m about to admit this but I skipped on all of the newest releases from JS this year and I plan on sticking to my word about purchasing these as they were just not interesting at all! Click here to read about the Seductive Eye Collection!
I believe I’ve bored you enough with my Musings about Spring Collections! I’ll be reviewing quite a few Spring Collections soon as I purchase them!
Click Here to Read about My Impressions of the Dior Spring Collection 2008
Ettusais has updated it’s website with a new glittery collection of goodies!
5 Glitter Pencils have been released in an array of lovely colors for 1050 yen each and 3 LE Lipglosses are available for 1575 yen!
The Japanese and Chinese site has been updated with the latest collection but the Singapore and Taiwanese site has yet to see the update so I’m unsure if my lovely ‘pore friends will be able to nab these! If anyone knows do tell me as I’m curious!
I plan on getting maybe one of the pencils and two of the glosses but I’m undecided as of yet. The collection definately looks very cute and I’m a sucker for cute glosses!
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Finally!
Majolica Majorca’s Website has been updated with the new Spring 2008 Collection!
This is something many of us have been waiting for very patiently with much anticipation (or is it only me?)!
The site is currently a bit slow as I’m sure it’s getting major traffic so I’ve taken a few screen shots for you!
In order to view the new Collection you have to “catch the butterflies”! So scroll around the page and you’ll locate a few little surprises!
The Spring Collection consists of:
3 New Majolica Majolook Trick On Palettes
These are slightly different from the standard Majolook Palettes as they don’t have a liner or a cream base! I think all the colors are powder! All the palettes will be part of the general catalog aside from one that’s LE which is the GR741 Variation and the most beautiful of the lot in my opinion!
3 Honey Balm Lipglosses
I’m not entirely interested in these to be honest as they are just a retake on the current glosses in the general catalog however you might want to pick them up as they are all LE!
And finally a new Lash Enamel was introduced as well!
This is your standard Lash Enamel! All the releases always seem the same with little differences but I still want it as I like trying each formula they release on the Enamel and the Extender!
I was happy to see the promo images were in English however the instructions for the palettes are in Japanese so we’ll have to wait for our little angel to translate it for us!
Overall, I’m impressed! I’m loving the palettes and want one of each plus the Lash Enamel! I’m skipping on the glosses as I’m not all that impressed with the regular Honey Plumping Glosses!
How about you?
Loving this collection?
Want it?
P.S. Remember to scroll around the site to locate all the little surprises! There are two very nice wallpapers available for download of the new promo images featuring the models!
I’m able to bring you this review thanks to the lovely Taryn who gifted me with this mascara! Thanks Taryn 
(Click here to read more about the lovely parcel Taryn sent my way!).
One thing that I am truly obsessive and passionate about is Japanese mascara. I. Love. Japanese. Mascara.
I find Japanese mascara does exactly what I hope for and more. It extends, deepens, thickens, lengthens, and just makes my lashes perfect in all ways! I haven’t met a brand I don’t love! Where as I’ve spent tons of cash on mascara I can get right here in the US I never found one as good as some of the cheapest brands I can get out of Japan! That being said onto the awesome review of Fariy Drops Mascara!
Fairy Drops is indeed a unique brand of mascara! You MIGHT be wondering what’s so special about Fairy Drops well if you look at the picture below you’ll see the really interesting and unique wand for this mascara!
The wand is the magic in this mascara! Basically it’s made up of three small clumps of brushes. Each brush not only lengthens and thickens your lashes but also separates your lashes so you aren’t dealing with a bit clumpy mess of product! It actually creates an illusion of not wearing mascara at all. I’ve tried many great mascaras that work a treat but none do such a fab job of separating my lashes so well! I normally have to separate my own lashes with a comb after applying but with this I don’t need to! The brush does all the work for me!
Not only does it do a superior job of separating my lashes but it also has a knack for catching every single lash! I normally struggle a bit with my inner lashes but this catches them all with one swipe!
The texture, like all Japanese Mascaras, is very thick but the difference with this one is it appears a bit on the light side as well! If you’re lashes are a bit sensitive I think you’re safe using this as it feels like the formula is very gentle on my eyes and my lashes are not feeling “hard” for lack of a better word. I feel like I’m not wearing mascara at all!
Removal was very easy with minimal rubbing! I swiped each eye twice with a cotton pad and all the mascara came off perfectly. My lashes are thick and strong however I feel comfortable saying this would be a good mascara for those with weaker lashes or thin ones as it didn’t break off any of my lashes during removal. The staying power is great as I put this on around 6:30 in the morning yesterday and I had no fading, flaking, or raccoon eyes so it’s definately standing up to all my tests for long wearing!
Overall, it’s an amazing little product that I’m totally in lust with at the moment!
Fairy Drops Mascara is most definately Muse Approved for purchase!
You can get yours from JPmon!
Thanks again to Taryn
As reported by the Muse’s gorgeous friend Iris (Click here to visit Iris), Visee’s website has been updated with it’s new Spring Collection and the Muse is rolling around in fits of excitement at the offerings!
I’m especially in lust with the new mascara! It looks amazing (the Muse has a fetish for Japanese mascara).
The two new Jewel Crush Eye Palettes look similar to colors that have already been released however I’m still wanting them of course! The new colors are E-6 and E-7 however E-6 appears very similar to E-2 and E-7 looks quite the same as E-4. The only real difference is the colors in the new palette seem deeper. Again, this isn’t preventing me from buying them but I was a bit disappointed the colors were a bit of a rerun!
The loose shimmer pigment looks very nice and will pair up nicely with any of the palettes or on their own!
Other bits that were released were lipglosses and nail varnish however neither are on my wish list!
At the moment I’m currently wanting all the loose powders, the two new palettes, and the mascara!
How about you?
Iris has done a break down of what Kumi Koda (don’t we all wish we looked as glam as her) is wearing in the promo photos! You can click here to read it if you wanting to do your point makeup the same as hers!
Overall, it’s a fantastic Spring Collection for Visee! I’m very excited to get this collection!
Seductive Eye Palette Colors
I was happy to see the model wearing one of the palettes as normally the models appear to be very natural in the eye area but they have really went all out with the current model and did her eyes up rather nicely using one of the palettes.
Along with the four new palettes they released a new Cheeky Blush color as well plus the perfume that I reviewed yesterday (Click here to see Jill Stuart’s Cheeky Blush Line and Click here to read my review on the perfume!).
Overall, it’s a very elegant, beautiful collection as always but I can’t help but be a little disappointed.
How about you?
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I got myself a Shu curler this past Summer and every since after I haven’t gone back to another curler (read about the first time I became smitten with the Shu curler by clicking here!).
I’ve been through many curlers and none have worked as well as my Shu! But the Excel Spring Power Curler did tempt me with it’s allure of Limited Edition Pink Glitteryiness (is that even a word?).
When I seen it on the Sana website with the Excel Christmas Collection I knew I had to have it. It was cute, it was compact, and it had something important called “Spring Power”. My god it sure did sound amazing! I love Excel cosmetics so anything else this great brand puts out must be fantastic right? Wrong.
Where as the Shu is long, slick, and easy to handle the Excel is more compact which actually isn’t a problem at all. It fits very comfortably in my hand and my fingers slip right in, nice and snug in the handle. The size as far as I can see isn’t a problem at all and I was quite excited about how very tiny it was and how great it fit into my hand. This was surely a sign of wonderful things to come, sadly not! Now the beauty of the Shu curler is it fits the contour of my eye perfectly without pinching, tugging, or just general ouch! The Excel, to my horror, pinches like a lobster (I think I lost a few eyelashes somewhere along the way!!!!). Ow! It doesn’t fit well along the contour of my eye and it almost seems as if it isn’t catching all my lashes plus I have to sort of sit and maneuver it around my lashes and eye, I feel like I’m doing a puzzle and the piece isn’t fitting so I have to sit and jiggle it in. When I finally do have it fitted correctly to my eye and squeeze down I get a really harsh pinch! Ugh!
Now the entire idea of a spring back on the handle seemed interesting although I’ve figured out it’s somewhat pointless! When I use my Shu curler I hold down for a few and I’m ready! With the Excel the point of having a “springing” action in the handle seems just to make life more difficult. The urge of the handle to pop right back after making contact with your lashes is instant which leads to a problem of waiting a few for the curl to set in so to speak. If you curl your lashes you must know what I mean! Squeeze once and yes of course your lashes do curl up but the handle snaps back really quickly and holding it down is a bit tricky and tiresome due to the “spring”. I like to hold the curler down for a minute to let the curl set in a little bit. This is especially important if you’re using a curl keeper spray for your curler like I do (if you aren’t familiar with curl keeper it’s an Asian product, it’s not available in the US as far as I know, that you spray on your curler and it holds the curl of your lashes, almost like hairspray for your eyelashes).
My next gripe would be with the curler pad. It’s not a soft foam sadly. It’s more like a plastic piece and it’s hard and it hurts. I think the pinching not only comes from the fact that this isn’t fitting my eye correctly but also from the hardness of the pad!
Overall, if the promise of a spring powered curler and the delights of pink and glitter have blinded you and you felt the urge to purchase this I’d say you’re better off skipping. This is only cost me about 800 yen I believe so it didn’t break the bank too much! Take your money and buy a Shu curler you’ll be happier! If you’re planning on purchasing this I’ve seen it range from $12.50-$16 USD at Asian online shops so that indeed would be major money lost as at that price you can just buy a high end curler!
The weird thing is I believe this is a best seller for Sana but me it’s just money not spent too well!
I love Heroine cosmetics as much as the next girl and I have to say the Mascara Remover isn’t too bad a deal!
The sole purpose of purchasing this was to remove heavy duty Japanese mascara like Excel (read my review on Excel’s awesome mascara by clicking here), Beaute de Kose, and other brands.
I normally use Sephora brand eye makeup remover (if you have something better do let me know as I’m always on the look out for good eye makeup remover) and it does a great job of getting off anything I put on my eyes even MAC liquidlast! However, it has a bit of a problem removing Japanese mascara especially heavier inky ones (if you use Japanese mascara you know the intense texture).
The Sephora remover does a pretty good job of getting it off but after my entire face is cleaned up I’m still noticing my eyelashes are a bit tacky feeling or shedding fibers (if I used a fiber mascara) which means it hasn’t gotten everything!
In comes to play Heroine’s Mascara Remover. I firgure after using the Sephora remover and rinsing up my entire face I could use the Heroine as a way of coating off any left over gunk that the other remover left behind.
It appears that it does an ok job of it. Today I used KATE Primer and KATE Gel Mascara. KATE’s mascara isn’t particularly difficult to remove but since I used the Primer first it thickens the mascara some and gives me a tiny bit of a problem removing it completely.
I swiped some of the Heroine Mascara Remover over my lashes after my entire face was clean (prior to moisturizing). Afterward I wiped each last with a cotton pad. Nothing was on the pad however my lashes lost that “hard” feeling I get when mascara is still on plus my lashes felt soft and conditioned.
I’m not sure how well this will work with heavier mascaras but I’m curious to find out. All in all it’ll only set you back about 882 yen ($8 bucks USD) so it couldn’t hurt to try it!
The general idea of using this as your primary mascara remover would be nuts and I’m not entirely sure that’s what they expect (I sure hope not) but using it in conjunction with your regular remover you should see ok results!
So far I give a tentative ok rating and when I use it again, as I said before, with a heavier mascara maybe it’ll be a glowing review!
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I’m really lemming Kiss’s Chocolatier Collection rather badly! The lipglosses aren’t very me but I must say both look really yummie!
What sells me most about the entire collection is the model! She looks quite like a doll using the palette and I’m wondering if I can achieve the same wide eye, innocent look using the quad in the same way!
It’s really brightened up her eyes in a simple yet elegant way!
I own quite a few Kiss cosmetics and I find that they make quite a nice high quality cosmetic so I’m thinking I might have to get the quad at least and maybe one of the glosses!
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PS Sorry about the ????? in the images! I don’t have language packs installed at work thus the question marks floating all around!
I wanted to do a review on the newest Jill Stuart fragrance for a while now but just kept pushing it towards the back burner. I’m not too good at reviewing perfumes which may be the main reason that I held off so long doing this review! But I finally decided to sit down and review this as it does indeed deserve a review all it’s own!
It’s not really something you have to run out and purchase. It’s by far the most beautiful in Jill Stuart’s perfume line in regards to the gorgeous bottle however the scent isn’t particularly unique or exciting.
I’d really like to take a moment to say that the packaging on this is outstanding. The bottle is a heavy glass with beautiful silver etching all along the bottle with little diamonds embedded into the silver! The topper is lovely as well and equally as heavy as the bottle and shaped like a diamond. The entire bottle really lights up my vanity and matches perfectly with my other beautiful pieces from my Jill Stuart Cosmetic Collection (Click here and here to see more of my JS Collection). They really went all out on the bottle’s design and it’s just gorgeous.
Sadly, the fragrance doesn’t match the design of the bottle! It’s nice enough I suppose but I expected something a bit more dramatic. It’s a very soft floral that contains notes of Peony, Green Apple, Lemon, Musk, Amber, and a few more bits. To be honest I thought it’d be more of a fresh scent in lending with the apple and lemon but it’s more of a light floral affair. To me it smells like some sort of floral shampoo. When I first spray it I get a bit of rose but after it dries down the Peony really is the deepest note that I’m smelling quickly followed by Gardenia.
The fragrance is available in Eau de Toilette only but don’t let that sway you from purchasing as it does linger quite long and has a nice throw unlike some EDT’s which get sucked up by my skin and fail to linger. The smaller bottle I purchased was 4,800 yen while the larger bottle is 7,000 yen. Neither is too expensive for Japan. I’d expected it to cost much more Japan side so I was pleasantly surprised at the cost. With tax my small 30 ML bottle cost 5,040 yen, again, surprisely low for Japan in my opinion!
All in all it’s quite good but not great. This isn’t something I can approve for purchase unless you’re a serious collector of Jill Stuart items. I purchased it because the bottle was so very lovely and I wanted it to compliment my Jill Stuart palettes and such but really you don’t need to run out to buy this as the fragrance really lacks the wow factor. This is a Japanese exclusive as far as I know so you can’t purchase it outside of Japan however at a later date who knows! Plus we have rumors abound of Jill Stuart winging her way to the US possibly soon!??!?
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