All posts tagged: beauty

Sulwhasoo 20th anniversary edition First Care Activating Serum EX and Mask

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When Sulwhasoo’s First Care Activating Serum was launched, it caused a stir because it was touted as a pre-serum, the very first step in the already elaborate multi-step Korean beauty routine (of essence, serum, emulsion, cream, suncare, primer, makeup). The slightly viscous gel-like serum is lightweight and easily absorbed by the skin, thus priming it for the subsequent skincare products that will be layered on top. The First Care Activating Serum EX, an improved version of the original concotion and a bestseller in the premium Sulwhasoo’s line-up, is formulated with traditional Korean medicinal herbs that promise to regenerate the skin. Made to hydrate and delay skin-ageing, the serum contains rehmannia, peony, solomon’s seal, lotus, and white lily.  To celebrate Sulwhasoo’s 20th anniversary, the serum now comes in a limited edition 120ml bottle. To complete the skin pampering, Sulwhasoo also launches its new First Care Activating sheet mask. The paper sheet mask is thin yet absorbent, and adheres relatively well to the skin. It is easy to use as it has a soft and thin mesh …

Flower by Kenzo Eau de Lumiere

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The red poppy has no scent, yet it is immortalised as an iconic sensual powdery and musky floral perfume launched in 2000: Flower by Kenzo. Over the years, Kenzo has created a series of various iterations of Flower, each one distinct yet familiar with the undertones of the original. This May, Kenzo launches a new version: Eau de Lumiere, inspired by another scent-less blank slate, a ray of light. Like rainbows, the morning sun, a shining prism. Eau de Lumiere is bright, fresh, soft, floral, angelic. Notes of this pink juice: Bulgarian rose, jasmine sambac, bergamot, white musk.

Estee Lauder Pure Color Love Lipsticks

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The new range of Pure Color Love lippies from Estee Lauder are clearly targeted at Millennials.  Available in 25 shades with four finishes: matte, creme, metallic chrome, and pearlescent shimmer. While most of the collection is made up of regular pretty pinks and reds, there are a couple of bold metallic shades – black (Moon Rock), deep burgundy (Nova Noir), and a dark plum (Pocket Venus).  The Beauty Gazette‘s picks from the collection:  Strapless, a creamy, sexy pink nude  Radial Chic, a soft coral pink with a creme texture Bar Red, a true matte red Pocket Venus, a fun metallic dark plum with shimmer Proven Innocent, soft pink with a matte texture Pigmented and opaque in two slicks, the texture is lightweight. The creme versions are relatively moisturising with a soft shine, while the mattes are super pigmented (full colour in one coat) and are not too drying on the lips either.  Layer the textures to give lips extra dimension and colour: like a creme or shimmer over matte, or shimmer on creme for extra …

TBG Interview: Rowena Bird, Lush co-founder

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In today’s crowded global beauty market, there isn’t another brand quite like Lush. The British label is literally one of the most effervescent around: it is energetic, colourful, vivacious, dynamic, and its bestsellers include fizzy bathbombs that release a riot of colours and essential oil blends into the bathwater. Lush is also firm in its beliefs, everything from animal rights to environmental causes; and is loud and proud about it. Founded in 1995, Lush is actually an incarnation of the six founders’ previous mail order business, Cosmetics To Go (CTG) [more on this in Q&A below]. Today, Lush is available in 50 countries across more than 800 stores. Rowena Bird, one of the brand’s founders, tells The Beauty Gazette why, in the face of increased competition, Lush still stands out. Today, the beauty retail market is overcrowded. But what do you think has led to the success of the brand, so it can hold its own?  Lush is incredibly unique in what we offer – with creativity and innovation running through everything we do. When …

Gucci Flora Gorgeous Gardenia

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Creative genius Alessandro Michele had a hand in this latest concoction from Gucci.  Like his fashion creations for the label, this juice is colourful, shiny, and poppy.  It still has the signature Gucci sexy muskiness, but lighter, brighter, fruitier, more sparkling, fresher.  Like a glass of rose at the hippest party in town. The notes: opens with fruity red berries, white floral gardenia at its heart; winds down with patchouli and brown sugar. Sillage is moderate, and relatively long-lasting. 

Lush Mother’s Day and solids collection

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With Lush, bath time is never a quickie affair. The brand is about the bath bombs that turn the tub into an essential oil-infused body soak; the colourful bubble bars that leave your skin covered in crazy colours like neon pink and orange while you scrub; and so on. Lush products come in unexpected textures: solid hair conditioners and shampoos, toothpaste, mouthwash; wobbly jelly soaps; powdery bath bombs that fizzle like a coke in the water. Some of the ingredients are also good enough to eat. And the scents always hit you like… So bath times becomes a true ritual, where you take time to unwind and take stock of the day. The latest collection is no less fun. The Beauty Gazette‘s picks: Pink Custard Shower Jelly – with lavender oil, tonka absolute, vanilla absolute, neroli oil, organic coconut oil, brown sugar (keep it in the freezer for a super cooling wash on hot days)  Drop of Hope Hand & Body Soap – So interesting. This bar is made from rapeseed oil, sourced from the Minamisoma …

Cle de Peau Beaute Spring/ Summer 2017

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The new Cle de Peau Beaute spring collection is a soft, elegant, and romantic palette. The colours are easy-to-wear, not too in-your-face bold, and flattering for fairer skin tones. See how pretty it looks on Amanda Seyfried, the brand’s stunning face. The Beauty Gazette’s picks from this Spring/ Summer collection: Eye Color Duo in 105 – the pretty pearlescent beige and a subtly metallic/shimmery blue – worn by the poster girl in the campaign Eye Color Duo 102 – a peachy-pink pair that livens up the face; made for everyday looks or to match with bold brows, and lips Enriched Lip Luminizer Lipstick in 238 (a soft and pretty peachy pink) and 239 (a brighter reddish pink). Super creamy and moisturising, softens lips too. Wear it slightly sheer in one coat, or bolder with two coats. The high-shine finish also plumps up the appearance of skin. Relatively long-lasting, stains lips 😍😘👍🏻 

Kiehl’s Calendula & Aloe Soothing Hydration Masque

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The first thing you’ll notice when applying this cool gel mask; it feels like you’re spreading a delicious citrusy marmalade on your face.  Blended with aloe vera and calendula petals, this rather viscous gel mask is formulated to cool and hydrate skin on hot days.  Apply a relatively thick layer on skin, leave on for five minutes. Then massage into skin before rinsing excess off. This quickie 5-min mask left my skin soft, smooth, and supple. It is the perfect complement to the bestselling Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner that is alcohol-free and soothing, as well as the Calendula Deep Cleansing Foaming Face Wash (a little bit goes a long way, gentle and does not strip skin of oils).

IT Cosmetics Superhero and Je Ne Sais Quois palettes

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The best products are always the ones created out of necessity. IT Cosmetics co-founder and CEO Jamie Kern Lima is a TV news anchor who spent years masking her rosacea and hyperpigmentation under copious amounts of makeup.  When she couldn’t find the right skincare and makeup for her skin type and needs, she created her own with plastic surgeons. These two products are the only ones from IT Cosmetics that we’ve tried so far, and we can now understand the hype. The Superhero palette comprises of colours that aren’t flashy. Just simple, flattering shades that make eyes look younger and brighter. The palette is called the “Superhero Eye Transforming Anti-Aging Super Palette” afterall.  It comprises of matte and slightly metallic shades in neutral and smokey tones. But what makes this product stand out from the  tonnes of other “basic” neutral shadow palettes are the Eye Foundations. These larger-size pot of shadows are made to colour-correct, and smoothen the appearance of lids. Apply these all over the eye area. The powders are also pigmented and smooth. …

TBG Interview: Suzanne Santos, Aesop co-founder and general manager

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FEW places in a mall or shopping street make you feel like you’re in an oasis of calm, like an Aesop store. The warm and soothing essential oils that fill the air, interiors carefully designed by world-class architects (like the stylish Aesop Midtown store in Tokyo by Torafu Architects, pictured above), the unpretentious brown pharmacy bottles with monochromatic labels, to the refreshing licorice tea served, take shoppers away from the harried rhythms of the city. Each store is different but still unified in theme – an authenticity. And Suzanne Santos has a hand to play in every little detail of the the Aesop brand. The general manager and brand advocate has been with the label for more than two decades. Right from its inception, through to its recent full acquisition by Brazilian cosmetics manufacturer Natura Cosmeticos. Today, Aesop marks its 30th Anniversary in the business. It operates 177 stores, and another 84 department counters, across 20 countries. Suzanne shares with The Beauty Gazette on how Aesop stays true in a busy marketplace. It has been 30 years since …