review: shu uemura dream blossom collection lashes

March 11, 2013
reviews
Leave a comment

shu uemura has always been known for our intricate and artistic false lashes. whether it may be natural lashes, lashes for a slight accent or the dramatic collectable lashes, shu uemura has always been the go-to to decorate our eyes. i’m always so excited when a new season arrives because i’m curious to see what our international artistic director kakuyasu uchiide, has designed.

for this spring 2013, it’s all about colour. splashes of pastels and vibrant primary colours have been seen all over the runways. on point with the trends, shu uemura’s spring dream blossom collection has two beautifully designed colourful, feathery collectable lashes: rainbow feather S and rainbow feather L.

Photo30

rainbow feather L

Photo29

the rainbow feather L lashes are so fun for those artistic makeup lovers out there. of course they are not day-to-day lashes, but they are definitely lashes that makeup artists love to have fun with! the long colourful feathers are perfect for an artistic photoshoot. the eyeshadows from the same collection are perfect for creating a backdrop for these lashes (click here to read about the eyeshadows). the shadows should be applied all the way about the brows and onto the temples; makeup artists can really play around with blending and colour placement to accentuate the lashes.

these playful lashes were also featured in the march issue of loulou magazine in the beauty trends section.

Photo32

rainbow feather S

the rainbow feather s lashes are a little more subtle compared to the rainbow feather L, although still pretty dramatic! but these lashes can be worn on a bold fashionista as the bottom layers of the lashes are black, so when eyes are open, an accent of soft colourful feathers can be seen above the long black lashes. (click here to see how they look on). they are basically like the slant black shu uemura lashes, but decorated with fluffy colourful feathers.

Photo31

if you’re a shu uemura fan, i’m sure you’ll want to get your hands on a pair of these before they are no longer in stores!

shu uemura can now be found in sephora in eaton’s centre in toronto and can now be purchased online on the new shu uemura canada website.

have fun experimenting with some colour!

review: shu uemura 2013 blossom dream spring collection – eyeshadow palettes

March 10, 2013
reviews
3 Comments

shu uemura has come out with yet another beautiful collection for this spring season! the blossom dream collection has all of the beauty essentials to create looks that follow spring 2013’s makeup trends. the collectable eyeshadow palette cases are refillable. the mask on the palette  is a tribute to mr. shu uemura’s introduction of the first oil-based cleanser in japan in 1967 called unmask. the inspiration came to him while working with hollywood celebrities back in the 60s. mr. shu uemura was curious as to how these celebrities kept their skin in such good condition even after all of the heavy and cakey makeup that was being used at the time. he discovered that they were using oils to cleanse their skin; he then created his own oil-based cleanser with botanicals and gentle oils. the rest is history.

Photo18

the collection features three vibrant pastel eyeshadow palettes; all of the colours are perfect for creating trendy and fresh spring looks. beginning with the eyes, all along the runways, we’ve been seeing pastel ombré eyes, color layering on eyes, intense pigment liner with matching eyeshadow and soft smoky eyes. all of which can be easily created with the new shu uemura dream blossom palettes. all of the eyeshadows in the three palettes are matte texture.

Photo20 Photo25

Photo10

the green palette has the perfect shades for fun colourfully lined eyes. the lime green shadow has great pigment that can be easily packed on using shu uemura’s brush 10F to create fresh green liner on the bottom lashline. (i’ll soon be creating some looks on myself to demo!). as for the lid, simply sweep on the pastel green shade or apply the pastel yellow shade for a fun pastel ombré look.

Photo24 Photo9

the pink palette is perfect for creating beautiful monochromatic looks. use the deeper pink to line the lower lid and in the eye crease and use the pastel pink all over lids. the two brown shades are great for adding depth in the crease area and to avoid having eyes look irritated – an easy mistake when using pink shades around the eyes. (again, i’ll create a look on myself to demo). click here to see a look that i created for shu uemura’s website.

Photo23 Photo8

the blue palette is my absolute favourite! the pigments show up so well and effortlessly. i’ve been seeing cool blue eyes everywhere lately! on the runways, on the red carpet and in magazines. for a super easy spring look, try sweeping the pastel blue all over lids and follow with black mascara. or for a more fun look, use the deeper blue as liner for the bottom lash line – brush 10F is the best tool for this; it picks up the pigment and deposits it without any fall out so it creates a perfect line. click here to see a look that i created for shu uemura’s website.

overall, i love the matte and smooth texture of these eyeshadows. the colours are so soft so they can easily be used to create fresh spring looks. the deeper colours in the palettes are very pigmented which is great because they can also double as colourful liners – super trendy this spring season!

the palette cases are also reusable, so after you are finished with the eyeshadows, you can refill the palettes with the regular sized shu uemura eyeshadows. the design on these palettes truly reflect shu uemura’s legacy and are such great collector’s items.

to shop online in the US visit www.shuuemura-usa.com.

to shop online in canada, visit the brand new canadian site www.shuuemura.ca.

how-to: monochromatic pink using shu uemura blossom dream collection

March 10, 2013
Beauty, how to
Leave a comment

the spring 2013 shu uemura blossom dream collection features three beautiful matte, pastel eyeshadow palettes. i used the pink palette to create this soft, monochromatic pink look, paired with the rainbow feather s false lashes.


 Shu-Spring-182-2A

to create this look:

FACE:
  • apply uv brightening mousse using pentagon sponge to brighten and even out skin tone
  • brush 18 to apply FA illuminating moisture foundation in fair beige
  • cover crayon concealor under eyes, around nose and corners of mouth. blend with synthetic brush 10
  • set with face powder matte in colorless using brush 18R
  • load up natural brush 10 with light pink shade and press all over lids all the way up to brow and on lower lid
  • brush 11 and light pink shade to soften edges and extend slightly onto tempes
  • brush 10 and apply dark pink shade to crease; soften with brush 11
  • brush 5R to apply dark pink shade along outer lower lid
  • pearly white drawing pencil to lower water line and slightly to inner corners of eyes
  • curl lashes
  • apply natural mascara in brown
  • apply rainbow feather S lashes
CHEEKS:
  • brush 20 to apply P soft pink 324 to apples of cheeks blending upwards towards temples
  • brush 15 to apply P light yellow 020 to cheekbones and to bridge of nose
LIPS:
  • lipbrush to apply rouge unlimited matte in bright pink
  • dab bright pink shadow over top

remember, the trick to wearing pink eyeshadow is to line the eyes softly with brown shadows or to add some brown shadow to the crease. this helps to avoid having eyes look irritated. have fun experimenting!

how-to: dream in pastels using shu uemura blossom dream collection

March 10, 2013
Beauty, how to
Leave a comment

for the shu uemura 2013 spring collection, i created a colourful pastel look photographed my mark darren. this is a soft, airy and dreamy look featuring the intricate rainbow feather s lashes.

Shu-Spring-82-2A

to create the look:

Face:

  • prep skin with uv brightening mousse for bright and flawless canvas (perfect for pastel colours)
  • foundation FA illuminating moisture in fair beige and brush 18
  • concealor crayon; blend with synthetic brush 10
  • set with face powder matte in colourless and brush 18R

Eyes: blue palette (click here to see a review on the palette)

  • load up natural brush 10 with light blue shade and press on to inner half of lid and extend up to brows. Place colour in inner corner and lower lid also.
  • repeat with the lilac shade placing shadow on the outer half of lid
  • extending up to brow bone.
  • repeat with yellow shade placing shadow on lower lid extending just
  • above cheekbone.
  • use brush11 to soften all of the edges dipping into the shadows to
  • add some colour
  • brush 10 to apply darker blue shade to inner crease of eyes
  • brush 6ob and brown shade to fill in brows
  • line water line with pearl white liner and dab some in inner corner of eye
  • curl lashes
  • apply natural mascara in brown
  • apply rainbow feathered S lashes

Cheeks:

  • brush 20 apply m soft orange to apples of cheeks
  • brush 15 apply p light yellow to cheekbones.

Lips:

  • bright pink unlimited supreme matte
  • 10G gloss

have fun experimenting!

Alchemy editorial photoshoot for Veux Magazine

February 15, 2013
Beauty, Creative
Leave a comment

i met photographer wales wong, photographer and one of the editors of Veux Magazine, in the wonderful world of the internet! the magazine caught my attention and after having contacted wales, we were on our way to plan a shoot for issue 10 entitled ‘alchemy’.

i was so excited to create four different metallic looks; i had been dying to try using metallic foil! it was so fun to be able to literally paint the face like a canvas using silvers, golds and bronze and being able to decorate the canvas with sheets of metallic foil. i always love experimenting with new textures!

the team was amazing, we managed to fit in 4 makeup and hair looks and had them shot all within five hours! it was great working with wales for the first time and always fun working with carlos from spellbound hair design. each of the looks were accessorized by hand-made jewellery from students at OCAD.

here are some behind-the-scenes photos of us hard at work!:

bts

 

bts6

 

bts3

 

bts4

 

bts5

 

And here are the tears from veux magazine issue 10!:

Issue 10 ALCHEMY OCAD1

 

Issue 10 ALCHEMY OCAD

 

Issue 10 ALCHEMY OCAD2

 

Issue 10 ALCHEMY OCAD3

 

 

behind-the-scenes: mon shu girl transformation!

November 14, 2012
Behind the Scenes
8 Comments

the Karl Lagerfeld for shu uemura holiday 2012 collection had been long awaited! mon shu girls have been seen everywhere from japan, to australia, to france and to my home country canada. together with my team mark darren and james mui, we transformed lovely model elizabeth into our very own mon shu girl! we had so much fun with all of the fun makeup and the wig!

i used the smoky velvet palette and the mon shu red lipstick paired with the burgundy luxe lipstick from the collection to create this look and my wonderful husband was there to capture the process step-by-step:

Face
  • tsuya skin serum and tsuya uv underbase using pentagon sponge
  • illuminating moisture foundation in 564 and brush 18
  • pro gel cealer to conceal imperfections using natural brush 10
  • face powder matte using brush 18R
  • spritz depsea water for a glowing finish

create thick lines to shape eyes using black painting liner and natural brush 5F; set and soften the painting liner with the black shimmery shade

use shimmery black shade and natural brush 10 to create depth for crease; 

blend to desired shape using natural brush 10

blend to desired shape using natural brush 10

apply emerald shade to the centre of lids using natural brush 10

create gradation from the black shade using brush 11 and emerald shade; soften edges using the grey shade and brush 11

lower lid…
  • apply black shade to lower lid using natural brush 10F
  • soften and create gradation using the emerald shade and brush 10F
  • highlight inner corners of the eyes using the white gold glitter shade and brush 4R

curl lashes
apply xtreme stretch mascara
apply karl for shu premium lashes

apply red blush from the palette using brush 15; dab and blend outward

line the outside of lips using cover crayon and blend with synthetic brush 10 (to prevent the red lipstick from bleeding out)

apply mon shu red lipstick using portable lip brush; apply luxe burgundy lipstick using portable lip brush to the outer corners of lips and centre crease of lips to create the illusion of fuller, more dimensional lips

and here comes the wig!

we had so much fun with this shoot!

here are some on set photos taken by mark:

and here’s the final image:

do they look a like ? lol =)

thanks for reading!!

how-to: emerald smoky eyes w/ karl for shu smoky velvet palette

November 6, 2012
how to
Leave a comment

one of 2012’s holiday trends is metallic jewel-toned smoky eyes paired with nude lips. the karl lagerfeld for shu uemura collection has the perfect makeup items to create this look. i used the smoky velvet palette and two of the lipsticks (parisienne pink and celebrity beige) to create a very wearable holiday look. a fun holiday look is incomplete without lashes of course! i used the karl for shu mini lashes to add that perfect accent to my eyes.

parisienne pink – second from the right (a cool baby pink); celebrity beige to the far right (a slightly coral beige – my personal favourite for my skin tone; i’m 564 medium light sand)

karl for shu mini lahes! so cute with little crystals on the band

here’s how to create the look:

and here’s the finished look!:

this is with the parisienne pink lipstick. the blush is from the palette as well and applied using brush 15: pat in circular motion for a natural flush of colour

here’s the celebrity beige shade. i think it really compliments asian skin tones. the slight coral brightens up the shade for healthy looking lips (as opposed to other beige or nude lipsticks which can make us look pale and sickly!)

have fun experimenting with the amazing karl lagerfeld for shu uemura palettes! so many possible combinations. the eyeshadow textures are so smooth and easy to blend; it’s so easy to create very wearable or very dramatic looks.

behind-the-scenes: my karl for shu photoshoot – prestigious bordeaux palette

October 21, 2012
Behind the Scenes, how to
2 Comments

for the exciting karl lagerfeld for shu uemura launch, i had the pleasure of creating two looks using the two beautiful eyeshadow palettes from the collection. for the first of the two looks, i used the prestigious bordeaux palette to create a soft and romantic look for the holiday season. the eyeshadow texture is so velvety; it was so easy to put together a rich look.

photographer mark darren mui, retoucher james mui, hairstylist danny mak and beautiful model geneviève helped to make it all happen. my husband came along to help me take step-by-step photos during the creation of the look.

step-by-step:

(to view shu uemura products click here. to browse shu uemura brushes, click here.)

karl for shu painting liner in blackish satin purple using brush 10F

shu uemura double-ended eye crayon to define crease

blend to desired shape using natural brush 10

prestigious bordeaux palette deep purple shade in crease using brush 10, then soften with

brush 11

create gradation with deep brown shade and brush 11

extend outward to desired shape using brush 11

fill centre of lid using light purple shade and natural brush 10

deepen crease using deep purple shade and brush 5R

deep purple shade to lower lid using brush 10 then create gradation using deep brown shade and brush10F

curl lashes

tight line and line eyes using painting liner in blackish satin purple and brush 2R

line lower lash line with painting liner and brush 2R

highlight inner corners using golden glitter shade and brush 4R

apply shu uemura xtreme stretch mascara (it’s a fibre mascara so you can build volume and length)

lightly fill brows using shu uemura hard formula (seal brown)

apply red blush from palette using brush 15; use patting circular motion for a natural flush

line outside of lips with shu uemura cover crayon concealer and blend with synthetic brush 10 (to prevent lipstick from bleeding)

apply luxe burgundy lipstick using lip brush

dab golden glitter shadow to centre of lips for a holiday accent

apply karl for shu mini lashes

paint nails in karl for shu royal beige

decorate with nail stickers! (they came with the nail polishes)

hair styled by danny

and voilà! here’s the finished image:

how-to: autumn eyes and crimson lips using karl for shu collection

October 13, 2012
how to
1 Comment

as promised, here is the first of the looks  that i’ll be creating on myself for the karl lagerfeld for shu uemura collection. one of this fall and holiday season’s trend is all about rocking red lips paired with soft neutral eyes. for this easy-to-do and very wearable look, i used the prestigious bordeaux palette and 2 shades of red lipstick from the collection: mon shu red and luxe burgundy.

for the look, i used the 2 brown shades, the golden glittery shade, the deep purple to deepen crease and the red blush (i know it looks very red, but it looks so good on!)

so here are the steps! (i was sitting at my vanity table with a window to my right so the lighting kept changing! please excuse the colour and quality of photos – all done with my iphone!)

  • for my skin, i used tsuya skin serum and uv underbase
  • foundation is face architect smooth fit fluid foundation in 564 (medium light sand)
  • concealer is point cealer in medium light sand

  • i just realized that i left out one photo. before softening edges, i used brush 5R and the deep purple shade to deepen my crease.

  • curl lashes
  • then use xtreme stretch mascara for top and bottom lashes
  • apply shu uemura soft cross lashes (or your favourite shu lashes)

  • apply red blush using brush 15 – dab (as the blush is very pigmented) and create a soft gradation

experiment with a red that suits you best. i first tried mon shu red (to the far left), then i dabbed luxe burgundy (second from the left) to the centre of my lips. i found this gave my lips more dimension and i personally like the crimson tone better for my skin:

this is the mon shu red on its own with no lip liner and no concealer/foundation on my lips

this is in natural light in front of my window (wow, i need a tan! lol)

this is after i dabbed the luxe burgundy to the centre of my lips. i found it gave a more velvety textured look.

 

thanks for reading!  i’ll be doing another look using the smoky palette soon! remember to check back!

review: karl lagerfeld for shu uemura holiday collection

September 28, 2012
reviews
3 Comments

this is by far the cutest collection that i have ever seen! so adorable, that i can barely bare to use it! this is such a special collection that you definitely don’t want to miss out on. if you’re a lover of makeup and fashion, all these pieces are such must-haves! did you know that karl lagerfeld creates his designs using shu uemura eyeshadows? back in the day, mr. shu uemura even created an eyeshadow colour for karl lagerfeld because he needed it for one of his designs! he says he uses shu eyeshadows because he can’t find as many beautiful colours out there! and now, together for the first time with shu uemura, karl lagerfeld brings us fun and adorably designed eyeshadow palettes, lipsticks, nail polishes, painting liner and accessories! this collection comes out next month, so be sure to mark your calendars!

first off, we have two incredible palettes with cute little mon shu girl on the case wearing the colours inside!

one of the palettes is called prestigious bordeaux palette:

the mirror has mon shu girl’s silhouette!

this palette features highly pigmented bronze, browns with hints of glitter and purple shades with a warm red blush. perfect for creating warm romantic looks for the holiday season.

 

the other palette is called smoky velvet palette:

this palette is great for creating edgier and more smoky looks, but can also create some lighter fresh looks using the lighter shades. it contains a sparkling black shade, a moss green shade, metallic grey and fresh green along with a golden glitter. there’s also the same warm red blush as well.

this is such a fun and subtle way to spice up your typical look. this blackish satin purple painting liner gives the perfect amount of “punch” to your every day liner.

i’m so excited to use this!

we can’t forget our iconic eyelash curler! this is such a perfect collector’s item with little mon shu girl charm and red silicone pad.

no shu uemura collection is complete without some beautifully crafted falsies! this collection has two pairs. there are the karl for shu mini lashes. they are the easiest to apply and give a little accent to your look with a hint of red and diamond encrusted band for the perfect twinkle.

next we have the karl for shu premium lashes. they look metallic  and heavy don’t they? but they are actually made of a paper-like material so they are super light. these are a makeup artist’s dream pair of lashes – so fun!

now for the lips! there are four very wearable colours and such creamy texture.

the celebrity beige shade (to the far right) turned out more orange in the photo for some reason. i will do a swatch. my personal fave is the parisienne pink! but my new goal is to be more bold with my lip colour – mon shu red will be my holiday hue!

nail time! these are all the most wearable and fun colours ever! the best part is that each box comes with nail decorating stickers – so fun!

we have karl black with metallic flecks (i have a feeling this one will sell out quickly!), shu shu red which applies so smoothly, no streaks whatsoever, and royal beige  – such a perfect nude tone for clean looking nails.

i had so much fun playing around with the colours and stickers!

how adorable is this?!

now to clean off all the makeup, we of course need a cleansing oil! this collection has a 450 ml premium A/O (anti-oxidant) cleansing oil (our green bottle) just in time for the cold and dry winter weather.

excited to see swatches and looks? come back for my upcoming posts! i have to leave you coming back for more right? =)