shu uemura

01 Jan 2013 8 Comments

If I Had Gone Out for New Year’s…This is the Makeup I Would Have Worn

Happy New Year my friends! Hope you had a fun evening. Ours was very quiet — a nice dinner at home and hanging out with our kids. Just for fun, I put on my makeup. My choice to ring in the new year? Karl Lagerfeld’s collection for shu uemura (link)

This collection, shu’s Holiday collection, has beautiful packaging that includes a cute ‘mon shu’ doll icon. My son thinks she looks like me, minus the crazy looking eyes. Love how she’s dressed in Karl’s iconic white shirt and tie.

Let’s start with two of the lipsticks from the collection. The two I chose for the looks are Celebrity Beige and Parisienne Pink. Celebrity Beige (top photo and two photos towards the end of the post) is the perfect nude lip for my skin tone. It has enough peachy undertones to complement and warm up my skin. Pariesienne Pink (pictured below) is a cooler tone nude pink, which is beautiful too but a tad too light for me. Nevertheless paired with a heavier eye makeup I think it still works. Both are creamy and smooth when applied. Lips feel very luscious!

On my lids, I’m wearing the dark purple around my lashline, light purple on the lid and a bronze colour in the crease. All of these come from one of the collection palettes, in this case the Prestigious Bordeaux palette. I lined my eyes with Blackish Satin Purple gel liner, which is such a nice alternative to standard black. I never thought to pair bronze and purple but I liked the combination. I am also wearing the reddish colour (found on the bottom right corner of the palette) on my cheeks as blush. I curled my lashes with the infamous shu uemura eyelash curler which comes with the mon shu tag as part of this collection. I never had this curler before and I’m totally addicted to it. I have been using it daily since November! For mascara, I’m wearing my new favourite Maybelline The Colossal mascara (review to come!).

It’s funny, no matter how much I think I’m loading on my face, it never translates to much when I see the photos. I guess I’m very light handed when it comes to makeup. Ah well, why change? It’s how I like to wear it so I’ll just go with the flow.

This is such a beautiful and fun holiday collection from shu uemura. I think it is still be available online. Check with your local counters (Holt’s in Canada) for in-store availability.

What makeup did you wear for NYE?

P.S. In case you are wondering what I wore for our evening in, I wore my grey pajama shirt (pictured above) and dressed it up with my Bomboleo necklace from Stella and Dot. The rest of my ensemble consisted of black Lululemon pants and black slippers. Fancy eh?

*sample

30 Dec 2012 10 Comments

My Skin Got ‘Wonky’…and How shu uemura Ultimate8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil Saved It

Earlier this month, my skin went a bit wonky. Crazy wonky. It was like I got sunburned — without having gone out in the sun. First, I developed a major rash that ran across my cheeks and under my eyes. I looked like I overdid it on the blush – every day for two weeks. Then that went away and my skin got super dry and flaky.

I am not sure why my skin reacted this way or what set it off but I was determined to fix it. First thing I did was switch out whatever skincare I was using at the time, which was an assortment of products that worked for me previously. I also cleaned all my brushes like there was no tomorrow and stopped using foundations that weren’t my tried and true.

For cleansing my skin and removing makeup, I wanted something that would nourish and moisturize and so I turned to shu uemura’s Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil. This was sitting on my counter for months as I had tried it a few months before in the summer. I had liked how it made my skin feel but got distracted by other products after that initial test. Dumb move on my part.

This product is amazing. It fixed my face. Within a couple of days of using, my skin began to feel smoother and less irritated. I felt like it was healing my skin.

I can admit that the thought of using an oil to clean my face was a bit disconcerting at first. But it does work. I simply take two to three pumps of product into my hands and spread the oil all over my dry face and neck. I also add a bit over my eyes to dissolve the eye makeup. Then I wet my hands and rub over my face. This emulsifies the oil turning it milky white. After this, I just rinse it off. My skin feels super clean, but not dry or parched or irritated. Makeup literally melts away, and you’re not left with any residue whatsoever.

I have heard raves about shu uemura’s cleansing oils before but never paid much attention. This particular one has many claims and I have to say, so far I’m a convert! The Ultimate8 contains a combination of eight botanical origin oils that gives skin the following benefits: revitalization, refinement, translucence, smoothness, radiance, suppleness, moisturization and nourishment. In particular, it has:

Jojoba Oil: for hydration
Ginger Root Oil: helps prevent skin damage, reduces wrinkles, brightens and smooths skin.
Soy Oil: moisturizes and protects the skin
Corn Oil: protects skin from dryness
Olive Squalene: for moisture
Camelia Oil: for nourishment
Safflower Oil: acts as a skin barrier
Shea Butter: moisture

The product also smells amazing. Why? It contains herbal floral notes such as rosemary blossom, freesia and peony, so when you spread it on your face, you get this beautiful whiff of soft fragrance. Divine.

The product is priced at approx. $98 CAN for 450 ml. Expensive, yes. But to me, it’s totally worth the investment. You get a lot of product for the price, and you only need to use small amounts each time you cleanse. This is definitely splurge-worthy, my friends.

Have you ever had your face go wonky? What did you use to fix it?

29 Apr 2012 14 Comments

Look at Me I’m Glowing…

Ladies (and gents?), I’m here to report that I think I’ve made great strides in my quest to improve my blush application. Remember that post when I told you I didn’t know how? Click here in case you missed it.

Slowly but surely, I’ve tried to apply blush more on the cheekbones (no apple cheeks for me I’m afraid) and building up the colour. And you know what? I think I’ve improved. Take this FOTD I took the other day for my Chanel Cambon lipstick post.

Here I applied shu uemura’s Fairy Pink, a lovey peachy pink that has become one of my favorite blushes.(Love the dome shape, don’t you?)

When I first got this blush, I applied it sparingly. Not sure why given how natural looking this colour is. I’ve tried to take it up a notch applying a bit more than my normal amount. I think it’s pretty natural still and complements the look. What I love about this blush is how easily it blends into the skin, and how easy it is to build up. A few simple taps and voila, instant glowy face. Love it.

While I don’t think I’ve perfected my blush application, I’m improving. And that makes me very excited.

17 Apr 2012 8 Comments

An Easy Way to Wear Orange…Gloss!

The colour orange and I are continuing our love-in.From accessories to throw pillows, orange is my new weakness. I love orange lipstick…and now, gloss. Shu uemura’s Celestial Garden Gloss Unlimited in Corona Orange ($23US) has won favour with this lipstick-loving girl.

Have no fear if you’re unsure of orange. This is a soft orange, a brighter peach colour if you will. It adds just enough colour to my already pigmented lips. It has a hint of shimmer giving lips a dewy and luscious look. And it is not sticky at all — a very important feature for me.

It’s easy to wear on its own or on top of another lipstick. On its own, on me it’s a softer, almost romantic look. I’m ready for date night! (I hope my husband reads this! )

Have you been intrigued by orange?

NOTE: I haven’t had the chance to announce the Stella & Dot Giveaway winner. Stay tuned! It will happen in the next few days!

05 Dec 2011 7 Comments

Words cannot describe….so pictures will have to do!

It’s not often when I’m at a loss for words. Ask my husband. I talk non-stop. But sometimes, just sometimes, there are products that catch my fancy and any words I choose to describe somehow feel inadequate. This is the case with shu uemura’s holiday collection called rouge et bleu, which is a collaboration with movie director Wong Kar Wai. The collection is absolutely beautiful, bold and sparkly — and the packaging is well, breath-taking. To truly appreciate the collection, it must be seen in person, swatched and/or worn. Pay a visit to your local counter if you can — fast. Limited edition after all…

A look of the day using the golden peach lipstick and the drowing in flame palette. I’m not used to purples and pinks on the eyes so this was a true venture outside my neutrals zone. I loved it.

Hopefully you get a sense of how beautiful the collection is without my jabbering on as usual. And if you want to read another perspective, check out Arianne’s post too.

Disclaimer: Products sent for consideration.