Jill Stuart Jewel Crystal Eyes Princess Sapphire Review

I've been meaning to swatch more of my Japanese makeup for you all. I know what it's like to want to drop a ridic amount on some makeup but you still want a tinsy bit more info before you commit. So I'll really do my best to share what I do have. Sorry, I've been so lazy/busy lately.

Anyways, let's take a look at Jewel Crystal Eyes in 03 Princess Sapphire from Jill Stuart!

As with all the JS cosmetics, it comes in a beautifully ornate silver casing perfectly fit for a princess.

This palette contains 4 shadows: a light bubblegum pink, a silvery lavender, a magenta pink, and a dark mauvey purple.

And, as expected, tonnes of sparkles.

I can't blog about Princess Sapphire without mentioning... well Princess Sapphire from Ribon no Kishi by Osamu Tezuka of Astroboy fame.

I don't really see the connection tho... Probably just a coincidence.

Jill Stuart Spring 2013 Makeup Preview

The concept for Jill Stuart's Spring 2013 makeup release is Innocent Sexy. 

This is one doozy of a release! Be warned, it will be hard to read this post without getting a major case of the lemmings!

Layer Blush Compact (5 shades) 4,725 yen

• 01 baby berry
• 02 pop sorbet
• 03 relax smile
• 04 juicy tint
• 05 eternal femininity

Wow, eternal femininity is quite the name for a blush!

Mix Blush Compact N (5 shades) 4,725 yen

• 01 baby blush
• 02 fresh apricot
• 03 milky strawberry
• 04 candy orange
• 05 sunny holiday

Okay... some of these look familiar to me.... like oh, say shades 01-04! They appear to be reissues of Mix Blush Compact in this new series called Mix Blush Compact N. Hmm... I dunno if we can really count this as a 'new release', but since there are a whopping 10 blushers in this lineup, I can let it slide.

Velvet Crystal Eyes (5 shades) 5,250 yen

• 01 nudy venus
• 02 first wink
• 03 calm glance
• 04 loved one
• 05 mischievous girl

Oooooo. A new eye palette collection. Oh dear. This may be the death of my budget! Lots of lovely dark brown. Yay! Also intrigued by the 'velvet' aspect. Could these be matt? N'ah... or .... n'ah. Oh, I need to find out. 01 nudy venus I'm looking at you. Such easy to wear colours.

Update: Swatches of 01 nudy venus over on Kirei no Otomo. 

Jewel Crystal Eyes N (5 shades) 5,250 yen

• 01 sweet amethyst
• 02 pink cameo
• 03 princess sapphire
• 04 romantic onyx
• 05 peridot harmony

Another reissue series, so most of these shades aren't new, again forgiven due to the sheer volume in this collection. 05 peridot harmony is at least a new shade and looks very intriguing. The second shade looks like a gold but does it have a hint of green as the name implies. I'd like to see some swatches of this one.

Nail Lacquer R (20 shades) 1,575 yen

20 shades? That's incredible. Yeah, it's another reissue series it seems. There may be some new colours but I'm not as familiar with the nail varnishes as they're hard purchase outside of Asia.

Lip Jewel (3 shades) 2,940 yen

• 20 tropical beryl
• 21 romantic grossular
• 22 poetic almandine

Wow, really digging in the bottom of the beryl... ahem barrel for these names. Actually, I've heard of beryl, but grossular and almandine I have to admit I had to look up! Both in the garnet family... and garnet's my birth stone. Hm.. maybe I should have known!

Eye Brow Powder (3 shades) 3,360 yen - available 15th February

• 01 light brown
• 02 natural brown
• 03 olive brown

And last but not least a new collection of eye brow shades. Interesting.


Yes, that's right, we have 10 blushes, 10 eyeshadow palettes, 20 nail polishes, 3 lip glosses, and 3 brow shades. Phew, even I'm exhausted! That's a lot of makeup.

They will be available from the 11th January, except for the Eye Brow Powders which release from the 15th February.

I can't wait for the release tho. I'm most looking forward to the Velvet Crystal Eyes. How about you?

Jill Stuart Jewel Crystal Eyes Jazzy Jasper Review

Jazzy Jasper (10) is one of the two new palettes in the Jewel Crystal Eyes series this Autumn 2012 from Jill Stuart. It's also a brown-based palette! Yes, I've been waiting for this!

Such a lovely palette.  I would describe the colours as follows (from left to right): 

• silvery sparkle (white-base)
• sparkly light pinky peach
• bright peach with shimmer
• chocolate brown with shimmer

I've been waiting for a palette like this from Jill Stuart. See the swatches below.

This is such a lovely combination of colours, and it's really nice to see a brown-based palette in the Jill Stuart collection. The last I can recall from their permanent collection was Amber Glaze (now discontinued), but it was more of a collection of golds and bronzes. This is really lovely for an everyday look. I threw a look together below.

Apologies for the quality of the look - I actually forget not only to take a picture until the end of the day (yes, this is after about 10 hours of wear), but also forgot to apply any mascara. Ah, please tell me I'm not alone in having days like those? :) 

I really am impressed with these, but unless you're dying for these shades from Jill Stuart, you can probably pass on this. I actually found the the two pink/peach shades not the most flattering on my skin. But I am a JS addict, especially for the eye palettes, so couldn't pass this up. I'll definitely be wearing it again. 

Jill Stuart Jewel Crystal Eyes in 10 Jazzy Jasper retails for 5,000 yen and is available now from Ichibankao.

Chanel Illusion D'Ombre Émerveillé Review

Chanel's autumn release of cream powder eye shadows the Illusion D'Ombre has had every blogger I've read fairly excited. Well, it isn't every day that Chanel bring out a new range!

I actually checked all these out at the Chanel counter already and decided that I couldn't live without Epatant, an olive silver. Émerveillé (82) was actually not my first choice. It's a beautiful dusty pink peach. This is a go-to colour for my eyes, but I wasn't initially drawn to this, simply because I already have so much peach and pink. It really had to have something to make me want it. After umming and awwing, for awhile, I finally made my mind up and gave in.

The texture is amazing, very soft and easy to blend. Really unique in the eye shadow world. Or is it? Actually, I couldn't help but compare this with Jill Stuart's eye jellies. The Jill Stuart eye jellies are wetter, more sparkly, and scented. I wanted to see how Émerveillé matched up with Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N in 03 Platinum Satin (ジルスチュアート　ジェリーアイカラーN　03 platinum satin).

Value? Although the Chanel looks bigger, there is only 4g of product, while you get 6g in the Jill Stuart. Of course, if the eye jelly weighs more because it's wetter, maybe this explains it? Actually when I look at the actual pots, it does look like you get more product with Jill Start. The Chanel comes with an applicator brush, which I haven't had a need for, but the packaging is understated Chanel. I could actually have done with a lighter packaging as the extra glass around the product just make it more cumbersome to carry around. Jill Stuart have a real princess feel to their packaging and this one is spot on. Small and fancy.

Okay, so they aren't the same. The Chanel is more subtle shimmer and the Jill Stuart is all glittery sparkle. I've had émerveillé for a couple months now and have to say, at first I wasn't too excited about this colour, thinking it would barely show on my eyelids. But I've worn it to work a lot, for a natural eye but better look with some dark eyeliner and I really like it. It just gives enough colour, but it's definitely not for a night-out, unless you use it as a base really. 

Have you tried any of the Chanel Illusion D'Ombre cream eye powders or Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Colors?

Mad Men inspired makeup look

I'm actually totally behind on Mad Men, but I was enjoying it on and off for a while. I have to admit I have no idea what's going on now, but the fashion in the show has drawn a lot of attention. (Banana Republic even did a Mad Men line!)

I think most of us have a character whose wardrobe we covet. I'm a Betty girl all the way! How about you?

Getting on to my Mad Men inspired makeup look. Okay, it was partially Mad Men inspired but really it was supposed to be a 1950s look for my work Christmas party. The theme obviously, was 1950s.

So yes, this is a look I wore out of the house! Apologies for the pics, I tried my best, but I was also trying to get dressed and out the door to the party.

It almost looks like I blurred this on purpose, doesn't it? Oh well, it reminds me of those old style photos. 

My inspiration for this look was simple face, simple eye, with all the focus on red full lips. 

There's a trick to the lips, I applied foundation over my lips as a primer, then drew red lips. That's right, I drew the lips that mother nature didn't give me. This was how they did it back in the day.

Apparently in the 1950s good girls didn't wear eyeliner or eye shadow, but I needed to define my eyes a bit!

Products used:

• foundation: Lunasol Water Cream Foundation in OC01
• blush: Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact in 07 Lovely Tulip 
• lips: MAC lipstick in Chili
• eye shadow: Visée Blackish Forming Eyes in B-1 Brown-variation
• eye liner: MAC Fluidline Cream Eyeliner in Blacktrack
• mascara: MAC Studio Fix Boldlash 

Okay, I did manage to take one non-blurry pic, but I think it's not the most flattering, but I'll share it with you guys cos I'm such a nice person :P

This post wouldn't be complete without a song from the !950s, so here is Why Do Fools Fall in Love? by Frankie Lymon & the Teenagers.

Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N 18 Bird Flutter Review and Swatch

I've already raved about how this was my top pick from Jill Stuart's Spring release here, but it's finally arrived and I'm ready to review it! Okay, it arrived ages ago, I've just been busy. But hopefully the wait is worth it!

 

Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color Ns (the N is for 'new' I imagine, as the previous range was Jelly Eye Color) are one of my favourite products from Jill Stuart Beauty. They are super soft, and sparkly, and they don't fall out! They also have a lovely sweet smell to them, but you don't notice it once it's applied, so if you don't like the scent, it's no biggie. I just think it's a nice touch.

indoor light with flash

Oh yes, and of course, the packaging is lush. I love it. So delicate and lovely, yet sturdy and not cheap-feeling. What a great explanation, it's like I'm a wizard with words or something ¬_¬

natural ligh (OMG! this hardly ever happens!)

Jill Stuart describe Bird Flutter as 'coral orange, like a harmony of small birds happily singing together'. Aww, isn't that sweet? Hrm, yeah I'm not exactly sure I follow, but 'coral orange' sounds right to me. I think it's actually a peachy-colour, which is no suprise to JS fans (most of their releases are pink, pink, and more pink).

It is very pigmented! I have worn it a couple times so far, and it's amazingly bright! I've swatched it below for you.

It's gorgeous though and I'm glad I didn't miss out on this one! Whaddya think?

(left/bottom) layered application, (right/top) sheer application

Speaking of princesses...

Jill Stuart always makes me feel like a princess, and since I've been buying Sailor Moon pigments lately, I'm feeling sentimental, so thought I'd share a song from Sailor Moon - Tuxedo Mirage (タキシード・ミラージュ). It's subtitled, but in Japanese. Sorry, tried to find a good clip with English and Japanese. If you're curious for a translation of the lyrics, here ya go.

New Year, New Makeup! Spring 2012 Collections Top Picks

Happy 2012! Here's to a new year of looking forward! 2011 wasn't the best year for me, so here's hoping 2012 will be much much better!

So let's look ahead at the Spring 2012 makeup releases from some major brands! Thanks to Maquia we can view a look book of all the new products online here. Thanks very much to Rouge Deluxe who tweeted this link!

So what are my picks for Spring 2012?

Coffret D'or Smile Up Cheeks Blush

Okay, this was actually a Winter 2011 release, so it's available now, but I'm getting it. Only have to decide which colour because I really don't need to buy multiples! >_<

Check it out on Coffret D'or's website. You can get this now from Ichibankao.
There's also a commercial on youtube here too.

Jill Stuart Jelly Eye Color N

On 13th January Jill Stuart is releasing two limited edition eye jellys in 17 Murmuring River and 18 Bird Flutter. Bird Flutter has caught my eye. It's the coral shade and it looks amazing! It's limited edition, so hopefully I'll manage to get my hands on it. For some close ups of this and the rest of the Jill Stuart Spring release, check out Fruity Lashes. These retail for 2310 yen and you can find out more about them on Jill Stuart's website here.

Now available on Ichibankao! 

Update: Click here to see my review of bird flutter.

Anna Sui Rose Cheek Color Blush 

These blushes are gorgeous! I love the rose pattern and the colours are lush. I'm really tempted by the highlighter too. It looks so lovely. There's a great preview of these over at Fruity Lashes, check it out! These release January 5th and retail in Japan for 3675 yen.

Anna Sui now has these up on their website here too and you can order from Ichibankao too!

Update: Click here for my review of the highlighter Mystic Rose

Lunasol Petal Pure Eyes Eyeshadow Quad Palettes

Lunasol has released some amazing eyeshadow palettes and I have been looking forward to this Spring 2012 release since I first saw some pics on FrauW's website back in November. Here's the link direct to a preview pic of the eye shadows. These are so lovely and full of subtle sparkle. Love love love.

You can also see them on Lunasol's website here.

Update: These are now available on Ichibankao! 

You can also see some swatches on the following blogs here:

[發表會] Lunasol 2012春妝♥花顏淨化-綻放玫瑰柔美,

 LUNASOL 2012春妝 花顏淨化 / 桃香淨化, 

and [試色] LUNASOL 2012春妝 花顏淨化 粉嫩登場

Update: 

Lunasol Glowing Powder Cheeks EX01 Pure Coral Review 

Lunasol Petal Pure Eyes Review: Sweet Peach  

Paul & Joe Beaute Face & Eye Color CS and Matte Pressed Powder

I don't even know where to start with this! So adorable. Yes, I am a total sucker for the cat motif,  but Paul & Joe cosmetics have a good rep and I've been meaning to give them a try for ages. These limited editions may just force me to get some - finally!

Here's a couple more shots from Paul & Joe Beaute's website that I can't resist sharing!

I've got two picks from this collection, and both are limited editions! Eeep.

First is the Face & Eye Color CS which is a face and eye shadow trio of colours. I've never actually bought a face and eye palette before, so I'm kind of a bit weary, but seriously how cute are those cats! I really wish there was a Paul & Joe counter I could check them out in person as I really need to see if it's really love or just kitty love!

According to Maquia these release in Japan on 3rd February, but Asos.com already has them for sale online here.

My second pick is Matte Pressed Powder. I don't have too many powders, so this is actually something I'm in need of. How cute is that cat? And the little paw print on the puff! Gah, I love love love it! I think I love this so much I'd buy it without seeing it. Well, that depends on how much it's going to cost me. I haven't seen this for sale anywhere yet, but *fingers crossed* it will appear on Asos too!

Fruity Lashes also has a good look at these products worth checking out!

Update: Asos now has the Matte Pressed Powder here too! 


So those are my top picks for Spring 2012. What do you think? What collections or products are calling to you?

Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compact 07 lovely tulip Review and Swatch

I don't own many blushes, but I had been dying to get my hands on the gorgeous Jill Stuart Mix Blush Compacts (ジルスチュアート　ミックスブラッシュ　コンパクト) and I decided on 07 in lovely tulip.

As usual, not a cheap product from Jill Stuart, this retails for 4,500 yen for 8g of product, but comes in a super princessy packaging with a detachable blush brush. 

07 lovely tulip, like all the Mix Blush Compacts contains a quad of blushes including a white highlighter type shade, light pink, a bright peach and a bright pink. The white colour has a glimmer of shimmer to it that hopefully shows in the swatch, but is barely noticeable. I find this gives me a glowly look, and the sparkle isn't noticeable at all (which is unusual for a Jill Stuart product!) 

Swatches were hard to capture as this blush is so sheer. Personally I find that a good thing, as I'm fairly pale, I don't need a lot of colour and it's much easier for me if I have a light blusher. Anyway, I swatched each of the quads below, and tried to take a mixed shot, but couldn't get the camera to really see it. Sorry I really need to figure out this camera business.

All in all, I'm very pleased with this blush compact. Not only is it beautiful to look at, but it looks delicate on! it's a real treat and I'm glad I finally tried this!

What do you think?

Jill Stuart Illuminance Eyes 08 Dazzling Moon Review and Swatch

When Jill Stuart released 08 Dazzling Moon in the Illuminance Eyes range, I wasn't totally ready to take the dive. Eyeshadow palettes from Jill Stuart are usually in shades of pinks, so anything not pink piques my interest. I did however have a blue/aqua palette from the first eye shadow palette series that I bought because it was blue, but then actually didn't love the colours enough to wear ¬_¬ So when Dazzling Moon came out I wasn't sure if it was a blue palette or a purple palette. I finally made the plunge and I'd say it's a purple-blue palette.

It's definitely more purple than blue. I'd describe the colours from left to right as: 

• cool light purple silver
• cool lilac
• purple blue (yes, it's blue, but is so cool it's almost purple) 
• navy 

I'm really glad I went for this palette. The colours are just lovely and tonnes of sparkle, which I love. Another wonderful product from Jill Stuart. 

How is everyone's Christmas shopping coming along? Feels like December is just flying by! 

Jill Stuart Illuminance Eyes 02 Fantastic Light Review and Swatch

I thought I'd go through my collection and swatch. I didn't have time to actually apply to the eye, but as you can see from the image below, I've already used my Jill Stuart Illuminance Eyes in 02 Fantastic Light quite a few times.

Like all Jill Stuart eye shadow palettes, the packaging is a beautiful silver case with the standard sponge applicator. The shadows are super glittery and fairly moist. They go on easily. They also have that delicate floral scent that all Jill Stuart beauty products have.

To be honest, this isn't one of my favourite palettes. I really love the quality of the shadow, it's just the colours that I don't totally love. Having said that, they are still really wearable colours. Sadly I think the peach is just not strong enough on my eyelid, and the pink is beautiful, but if you own any other JS palettes you have plenty of sparkly pinks.

Jill Stuart Jelly Lip Gloss Review and Swatch: 04 Baby Petal and 05 Frosted Cherry

For those not in the know, Jill Stuart has an amazing cosmetic line that started in Japan and is now released in some other Asian countries as well. I also remember reading that it may be coming to the US (Neiman Marcus in NY?) but afraid I can't confirm that. In any case, Jill Stuart Beauty products are the ultimate princess makeup. All the colours are pink and girly, with lots of sparkle and all the packaging looks like a pink princess designed them herself. 

Today I want to review a couple of glosses from the Jelly Lip Gloss collection: 04 baby petal and 05 frosted cherry. 

The JS Jelly Lip Glosses retail in Japan for ¥2,200 (¥2,310 w/tax), so they’re around a similar price point to Dior or Chanel lip glosses.

The Jelly Lip Glosses come in a tube similar to Lancome's Juicy Tubes, but with silver and sparkles as well as pink gemstone on the cap. 05 Frosted cherry is pictured below, with 04 baby petal below.

Princess-y is the only word to describe it. Although I wouldn’t say I’m a super girly girl, I actually really love this packaging. Although I have to admit the compacts and eye shadow palettes really show how gorgeous the designs are for this brand. Unfortunately, the lip gloss can get a bit gunky, like any other lip gloss tube, but I don't think this harms it!

Of course, part of what I love about the packaging is that it’s quality and the product inside is quality as well. That’s a win-win combo in my book. 

Swatches above of 05 frosted cherry on the left and 04 baby petal on the right. Baby petal really has a beautiful colour, but as you can see when I apply it to the lips, it sorta disappears and gives a very natural look. Frost cherry on the other hand looks quite bright, but also blends in really well.

The glosses are relatively sticky, but that gives them an amazing shine. I also find that they last 2-3 hours for me, but I do like to reapply especially after eating and drinking. I've yet to find a gloss that can survive that!

They also have that signature Jill Stuart flowery scent, but don’t have any flavour. 

Here they are on the lips! 

For some reason 05 frosted cherry came out more noticeably more sparkly, but I'm not sure this is really the case. Baby petal definitely gives a natural look and is one of my everyday-wear glosses. Frosted cherry isn't that dark, but does add a bit of colour. 

What your favourite lip gloss?