Musings of a Muse

The Muse can’t begin to tell you how much she misses and mourns T’estimo. It was one of her very favorite Japanese brands of all times. I can’t look at most of my collection without sobbing in grief that it was discontinued. Why, god, why!

What in the world were they thinking when they axed T’estimo from the Kanebo line up? Insanity.

The Muse yanked out a few of her T’estimo palettes for a little stash spotlight!

Jump ahead for a peep!

The Muse wanted to pull out her entire T’estimo collection but she started sobbing as soon as she seen the T’estimo logo….so you’ll have to settle for a few pictures of her beloved palettes.

Oh the agony…why Kanebo? Why!?

Are you a T’estimo lover?

Missing it?

Mourning it?

Hold me.

T’estimo has a similar style of blush out as Jill Stuart (actually quite a few Japanese brands do similar loose blushes).

T’estimo Pure Layer Loose Powder Blush

The difference of course in the two would be price and quality.

Sadly, as much as I love T’estimo the blush is lacking something for me! The packaging is an adorable domed container with a soft brush that will look quite lovely on your vanity displayed with your other cosmetic items however the blush inside leaves a bit to be desired!

I have these in two flavors WT-04 and P-K20. I’ll get to the WT-04 in a minute but first let me explain PK-20. PK-20 appears to me the darker of the two pink shades that are offered from T’estimo. Sadly, the blush is very sheer and even after building up color with a few strokes it still fails to wow me. The texture is quite the same as the Jill Stuart blushes I own which is an almost sheer, chalky feel but unlike the Jill Stuart this is not so pigmented.

PK-20

It’s so strange that a company that makes such amazing, pigmented eyeshadows makes such a weak blush! I think it’s safe to say that if you are fairer of a skin you might very well be able to pull PK-20 off but for me I’m sadly left desiring something more when it comes to this blush!

The good news is the WT-04 is gorgeous and it’s just about near perfect for the upcoming Holiday season! WT-04 is a sheer shimmering shade of white that I use for a touch of sparkle and to contour around my cheeks and face! It’s delightfully simple in it’s shimmer and it’s not at all over done! I’m not sure why the fit it in with the blush but for me it’s a multitasking tool! I use it on my face as well as my eyes and across my cleavage for some barely there shine! Truly I heart WT-04 and if you’re considering purchasing any of these I’d most definately pick this little guy up!

WT-04

T’estimo Pure Layer Blush is available in four shades total which are the two I’ve already mentioned and two others that are OR-21 which is an orange/peach shade and PK-21 which is the newest and a softer shade of pink than PK-20.

The blushes are available for purchase from JPMon and Adam Beauty for about $23usd per a blush. Now might be a good time to grab yourself some of these since T’estimo is slowly being fazed out and being replaced with a new brand!

The Muse approves of at least one color in this line but the rest she says skip ‘em and buy something else!

The Muse went a little crazy and ordered a few new Japanese goodies!

Here’s her latest haul from the west end of the world:

T’estimo Gift Set

I’ve no idea how old this gift set is but it could be Christmas last year! After hearing the tale of T’estimo demise I went into mourning and soon after decided to make it my business to collect what remaining T’estimo I don’t already own and stash it away in my collection before it was gone for good!

This nifty little kit contained two mini lipsticks and two cream eyeshadows in pink and gold colors! Overall it was quite a cute gift set and I’m thrilled to own it!

Shiseido as we know it here, in the US, is not a cheap brand of cosmetic. It’s a high end of make-up that is purchased in posh shops. Shiseido is on a different sphere in Japan and how the Japanese know the brand. Shiseido is well known for not only expensive designer cosmetics in Japan but also cheaper drugstore brands such as Majorca Majolica, Maquillage, Etc… Shiseido has some amazingly inexpensive and fabulous branch offs in Japan that are not available in the states or Europe. Some of these brands are my truest love. The following are a new line, for me, that I came across. It’s a very inexpensive brand of cosmetic that Shiseido has out and quite nice for such a low end brand of make-up!

Update: With a little help from your friends you can find just what you need! The website for this cheesy little brand can be found here: http://www.kesho-wakusei.com/lineup/makeup/index.htm Thanks so much to Flecks for the information!

Trio Palette

These palettes slide open to reveal two shadows and a glittering lipgloss. Not the best palette in the world but quite cute for a casual, minimal make-up look!

Loose Powder Blushes

I got two of these loose powder blushes. The pink is ultra sheer but does give a bit of a wash of color! The white is gorgeous and pretty pigmented, I probably won’t use it much on my cheeks but it will make a great base for shadows! Plenty of shimmer in the white too! The Muse likes shimmer!

Dual Contouring Blushes/Highlighters

Interesting blushes. One in glittering white and one in gold. Ok in the pigment department but does hold a nice glitter content, good for contouring or highlighting your face. One side holds a shimmering side and the other a matte side. Overall I’m pretty happy with these and I’m eager to try them out for size!

Pinkolors Palette

I’ve never seen this brand before and it’s brand new to my eyes. I’ve searched but I haven’t found a word about Pinkolors on the internet aside from some auctions selling it! This was a last minute purchase due to the cute packaging design! The colors in the palette are pretty nice but sheer. Good for a casual make-up day or using them as a base for a more vibrant shade!

All in all some interesting little tidbits in this haul!

Enjoy the pics and first impressions!

If you’re as much a fan as Japanese cosmetics as I am you’ll know that Kanebo is cutting T’estimo from it’s main line up and replacing it with a new line entitled Coffret D’Or.

I’m mourning T’estimo in a major way! If you’d like a sneak peak at Coffret D’Or do head on over to my good friend Iris’s blog to see some great pics of the new line!

The new line does look interesting enough but I’m still not completely convinced!

Fellow Japanese cosmetics addicts what’s your take?

When life brings you lemons, I say squeeze a blog out of ‘em and make lemonade!

It’s a LONGGGGGGGG night my friends and sleep has taken another holiday on me! Indeed, it has! I’m serious! It’s gone off to some island and is taking in the sun! It might even be scoring with hot chicks (I’m making that part up)!

Hell, the last time sleep took off on me I started blogging to Jonny’s mum! Whom, hasn’t replied to me yet! Hint Hint! Nudge Nudge! It’s ok. I’ll be over shortly and you can make me a nice cuppa and tell me all his embarressing moments! My ears are open!

When sleep is on holiday it’s a darn good time to blog about my favorite topic…..go on now…..you know what it is dontcha?

That’s right! Make-up!!!!!!! Before I carry on with my blog of great importance I will say that I am sorry I’ve been remiss in the couture department! Summer fashions aren’t as appealing to me as Winter ones so you’ll see me blogging way more about couture in the Fall and Winter months than you will in the Summer!

That said…let’s move on to the good stuff!

My lovely, sweet, gorgeous, amazing, beautiful, and loving friend Mai is coming from Japan to stay with me shortly. Hi Mai! I know you read this lovie!

I got a package from Mai this pass week! Mai is my asian cosmetic crack dealer. She is, it’s true. Don’t worry her english sucks so right now she’s scratching her head and possibly her arse and wondering what a crack dealer is (don’t worry she can take a joke and loves when I tease her)! Love you Mai!

Anyway…

Within this gorgeous, amazing, bright, shiny, huge package, there be treasure maties! Oh my was it ever the package of all packages! I had asked Mai to pick me up some bits, bobs, and a little of this and that! By the time I was done I had raked up a bill with Mai that could put my first born child through college for the next four years of his life. Somehow, I convinced myself that it was ok to spend that much money on cosmetics because…because….I dunno how I convinced myself it was ok! Let’s not dwell on that right now!

Mai is now happily sitting on a Paypal payment from me that’ll fund her morgage for a year!

Yes yes I know I know! You want to see the amazing items I got don’t you? Greedy little buggers aren’t you?

Behold:

Aube Sofina Limited Edition Fruitina Lipgloss

These are awesome! I’m well chuffed and disappointed I didn’t order 10 more! Super duper glossy and shimmering! I just didn’t like the fact that they weren’t flavored. That was somewhat crummy! They taste sorta yuk! But I guess I can deal with it! Those are real Swarvoski crystals embedded in the top! Pretty neat right?

Lavshuca Jewel Lipstick

Really pleased with these as well! I was shocked that it turned out these are NOT full size lipsticks! They are mini ones! Very cute and very portable! I was under the impression they were larger! Aside from that they are great! I picked the color selections from my mate PJ’s blog and I’m glad I went with them because they are both great colors! Can’t go wrong with PJ! I want more of these as well! They go on quite sheer and are just a blush of color for your lips! Nice product!

T’estimo Eyeshadow Singles

I’m a T’estimo whore! But my entire time purchasing T’estimo cosmetics I’ve never once purchased an eyeshadow single! These are my first! Not much to say really! They are just as wonderful as anything you find in the palettes! Possibly even nicer to have a single color outside the palette theme! Really enjoy how sparkling and shimmery they go on!

Lavshuca Blush

These were introduced as part of the summer lineup! Rubbish. I purchased the mosiac blushes prior to these and was disappointed! I should have known better! Not even a sheer wash of color from these! Barely pigmented! Absolute garbage! Up on E-bay tomorrow! Was kinda hoping for a better product! Oh well! Win some, lose some!

Shiseido Maquillage Glossy Gloss

There are certain brands of cosmetics that are like bread! You go to the store, you buy bread, you eat the bread and it’s good! It’s rare that you buy bread that you hate (hell take it from a round girl, carbs are GOOD)! Shiseido is like bread! Anything you buy from Shiseido is an absolute winner! You can’t really go wrong. It’s a solid cosmetic brand that makes outstanding products. These glosses are just what they say “glossy gloss”! Intense shine and gloss! Really just perfect!

Lavshuca Loose Face Powder

This is an interesting little find! I use a unique little product, that I won’t reveal since I have to have some secrets, to lighten my face. I purchased this as a possible replacement! And I’m quite delighted to say it can’t be used in the same manner as I use the other shhhh secret product! I’m delighted because this is actually a shimmering powder that makes my cheeks and face look all sparkle like and lovely! Really like this one!

Jill Stuart Blush

Some Jill Stuart Blushes I didn’t have! I have almost all the colors now! These were just as great as all my others

Jill Stuart Brilliance Eyes Summer 2007 Eyeshadow Palette

This is the 5th palette they introduced for the Brilliance Eyes collection! I own them all and I love them! This one however was…mmm slightly disappointing! I was not loving the black color! Why they felt the need to put in black is beyond me! But hey the rest are cool

Jill Stuart Loose Powder

Gorgeous shimmering powder! I already have this in the Shine and Natural colors and this is by far my favorite! Sparkle! Weeeeeee!

The Pretty Boxes Jill Stuart Arrived In!

Lavashuca Lipstick

Not much to say about these! I have a zillion already and these are just some extra colors I wanted! Sheer, glossy and wonderful as always!

T’estimo Lipstick

Again, not much to say! I have a ton already but wanted a few more Great colors! Shimmering, glossy, and sheer! These are what MAC slimshines hope to be like when they grow up!

So that pretty much concludes our tour of my latest purchases! Hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed posting it! Drop me an e-mail if you have questions about where to purchase these items or what countries they are available in! My ear is yours! I’m always pleased to help!

I’m supposed to be working but I couldn’t resist hopping on to blog about the new T’estimo Grande Shine Eyes Eyeshadow palettes.

These palettes are for the Fall 2007 lineup and as just as gorgeous as the T’estimo Frame Impact Eyeshadow Palettes that were released for Spring/Summer collection!

I’m happy to report that T’estimo updated its webpage to reflect the new palettes as well! So you might want to hop over there after reading my little review here to check them out!

The Spring lineup remains near and dear to my heart but the Fall lineup is just as gorgeous as it’s predecessor.

The palettes are in the similiar style of the Spring release which are a mirrored compact containing one liner, one base, and two shimmering shades of eyeshadow. The palettes are exact in appearance and some people may even say some of the colors are somewhat similiar but they are quite distinctively different in my opinion!

I always find these palettes very versatile because I end up using the shimmering base for alot of my different looks and the shadows I am constantly using as a base for my deeper shades of MAC colors (either over or under my looks)! And of course on their own they work wonderful for a complete eye look!

Spring’s release were shimmering shades of greens, blues, purples, and browns. Fall’s release brings us more browns, gorgeous pale pinks, shimmering whites, and grays. Personally you can get away with these palettes for any of your looks right now! I’ve already dove right into using the pink!

T’estimo never really fails to put out something that appeals to every girly girl and this time is none the different. I originally seen these on E-bay and wasn’t so impressed with the colors. I know someone is bound to think the same thing I did when I saw them which was that the Grande Shine 04 Brown Variation appeared almost identical to the Frame Impact 04 Beige colors. I ended up purchasing one palette at first and later I ended up with the other three because I just couldn’t resist. It’s that overwhelming feeling of “have to collect them all” that the makeup crazed get!

I am actually glad in the long run I ended up with all four because they are all very unique and different pieces compared to the Frame Impact Eyes. Now to be fair I also felt like the 02 Blue from the Frame Impact palettes was also quite similiar to the blue in the Grande Impact set which gave me another excuse to only stick with purchasing one palette. But again, willpower go to hell, I ended up purchasing the gray palette and I’m pleased I did because it’s quite different.

Here you can see beige and brown being introduced to each other!

As you can see the brown from the Frame Impact palette (on the left hand side) is quite similiar to the Grande Shine palette. However once you put it on they are noticably different colors! The Frame Impact eyes comes with a gold shimmer color while the Grande Shine palette comes with a gorgeous cooper shade.

Blue and Gray Meet!

The blue in the Frame Impact palette is far more bolder and brighter than the soft, pale blue that the Grande Shine eyes gives to us! I’m quite happy I got this palette because the colors are just wonderful for the winter! It’s bound to give me a really shimmering icy eye look for the colder months!

T’estimo’s Grande Shine Eyes Palettes

01 – Pink Variation

02 – Gray Variation

03 – Brown Variation


04 – Rose Variation

Grande Shine Meets Frame Impact

Showing Off!


Overall I’m very pleased with the new palettes! These are definitely something you want to add to your collection, you won’t be disappointed!

Weeeeeeeeeeee! Today is a good mail day! I came home to a little orange note in my mailbox today which can only means one thing! EMS Package from Japan! Squeal! Scream! Wriggle!

Excited am I!

I took my little orange note to the post and in exchange I got a wonderful little box of goodies!
Weeeeeeeeeeee! Today is a good mail day! I came home to a little orange note in my mailbox today which can only means one thing! EMS Package from Japan! Squeal! Scream! Wriggle!

Excited am I!

I took my little orange note to the post and in exchange I got a wonderful little box of goodies!

The new T’estimo Palettes are now in my greedy little hands and I can barely wait to try them out! They are gorgeous! I must say T’estimo out did themselves on these! They are such gorgeous shades and so shimmery! You know I love shimmery bits now don’t you?

Without further delay, I give to you, the new T’estimo Spring 2007 Palettes:

The new T’estimo Palettes are now in my greedy little hands and I can barely wait to try them out! They are gorgeous! I must say T’estimo out did themselves on these! They are such gorgeous shades and so shimmery! You know I love shimmery bits now don’t you?

Without further delay, I give to you, the new T’estimo Spring 2007 Palettes:

Today I thought I’d post a previous entry from my myspace blog! This is worth a repost as you’ll hear me talking about many different Japanese brands and this is somewhat of an introduction to Asian cosmetics, particularly Japanese ones!

I hope you enjoy this repeat of an old blog!

I have come to the conclusion that it is my job to enable the female population to the joys of undiscovered make-up brands!

Yes, indeed, you read that correctly!

If you know me, you know that my obssession with make-up runs to the extreme! I am an avid collector of MAC, Urban Decay, and other bits and bobs that run towards the insane!

Now my obssession has progressed over the years and I found that I could not be happy with american brands alone! I had to branch off into uncharted waters! Discover new and exciting items that have yet to be discovered by the american female population! I needed to bring these items back and introduce them to my fellow sick, twisted, and addicted female friends!

In my many travels I had discovered plenty of interesting bits and bobs but none impressed me as much as the ones I discovered while living in Japan! I was introduced to an entire array of wonderful items that were unavailable in the states! Oh joy! Nirvana!

The japanese mainstream cosmetic is an ambrosia! It’s rich and varied! It can only be enjoyed by savoring it! Awe is the only noun that comes to mind when I think of the variety that awaits the eager female in Japan!

If you’re familiar with make-up and you’re as much a snob as I am you already realize that anything you’d purchase in a common drugstore would be an awful experience to say the least. Many american mainstream brands such as Covergirl, Maybelline, Etc….suck. Oh my I guess that’s one way of putting it isn’t it? Sucks? They do. I’m sorry but it’s been quite a many a year since this girl has purchased any drugstore make-up brands! My tastes run to what I can buy at Nordstrom, Sephora, or Neiman Marcus! NOT CVS, Walgreens, or Walmart!

Now my point in discussing mainstream make-up would be because when I lived in Tokyo the defination of drug store make-up takes on a new meaning! Many of Japanese mainstream make-up brands look like something you’d have purchased in a posh, upscale shop!

Get your google ready girls and let me show you an entire new way of looking at make-up!

Kanebo is one of the major cosmetics companies that distrbutes in Asia (Kanebo doesn’t only distrubte make-up but that’s another story for another day!). Under Kanebo’s main name they offer several make-up brands. Some of my favorites are T’estimo and Lavshuca.

T’estimo does a line of wonderful eye palettes that are unique to my collection of insanity!

Lavshuca is very new to the Kanebo line and also, like T’estimo, does a lovely range of shadows and other bits and bobs!

Now one of my biggest obssessions falls from the graceful hands of Shiseido! Shiseido created it’s little sister a few years ago and entitled her Majolica Majorca or to her fans MJ. She’s pretty and sweet and utterly lovely! She’s also quite inexpensive for such a gorgeous line of products!

Now you may be curious about the status of these wonderful products so I will go right ahead and tell you, much to every girls delight, all these items are almost always limited edition! Ahhh how my heart sings to say it! Limited Edition! Limited Edition! Limited Edition! Don’t we, as the female race, love those two little words? Doesn’t it make us want to whip our credit cards out and go on a buying spree!? After all these are limited edition, we may, very well, NEVER see these items again in this lifetime! My god the horror of it all! Ok, so I’m being overdramatic and completely materialistic…sue me!

The point of my rather large tale is to tell you think outside the box and begin to discover an entire new world of cosmetics! Bring up E-bay, Head over to Make-up Alley, or start googling! Imagine all the lovely new bits you could discover!

And if you ever have any questions your resident addict is here to help anyway I can!