Paul & Joe + Shu Uemura Xmas haul

Several makeup brands have launched their Christmas collections in Singapore this week including Beaute de Kose, Shu Uemura, Paul & Joe, Givenchy, Guerlain, Yves Saint Laurent and RMK.

With the yen's quick rise in the past few weeks, some brands actually became cheaper to buy in Singapore than Japan. For example, Beaute de Kose's Christmas coffret costs 5250yen in Japan but only S$69 (about 4410yen) in Singapore. I picked up one set as a CP for my pal, Fleckenschnitte. I'm still contemplating whether to get one for myself as I liked the two Eye Fantasist shades which are very pretty with a lovely fine shimmer and smooth texture. The Eye Fantasist usually retails for S$38 each so the set is very worthwhile as it also comes with a peachy lipgloss, coral blush and a gold mascara.

The RMK kit also works out to be cheaper in Singapore at S$135 compared to 9975yen (S$156) in Japan but I could not get much color payoff when I tried swatching the eyeshadows on my hand so I passed on that.



The Paul & Joe Christmas collection was the one that I was most excited about but sadly it turned out to be a disappointment. On the face & lipstick kits, the face colors did not have a very smooth texture and the color payoff was medium at best. The lipstick shades were also super sheer with hardly any color payoff. The SA described them as more like lip balms rather than lipsticks. The kitty print white pouch was cute but overall the set was not really worth paying S$80 for.

I ended up getting the two fragrance kits (S$80 each), plus the new Pearl Powder #4 (S$30, 3g) which is a gorgeous metallic brown and the Eye Gloss N #3 Moonlight (S$36), a pretty silvery pale lavender. The kitty print yellow makeup case was S$60, and the trio of red Lipstick L in the metal tube packaging were a whopping S$45 each.



The Lipstick L shades were not unique or outstanding enough to warrant the high price tag so I passed on them. I was very impressed by the new Pearl Powders which are incredibly soft and finely milled, with a sparkly shimmer. These are an excellent alternative to MAC Pigments, which tend to have a chunkier textue. Of course MAC offers a much greater color range while P&J currently has only five shades available. I hope P&J introduces more shades in the future as they've got a superb winner on their hands with this. The new Eye Glosses are also excellent, with a texture that dries down nicely to a shimmery finish. The shades available are not very funky or radical but they are very easy to wear and would flatter most skintones.



The prices are cheaper in comparison to Japan where the fragrance kits and face color & lipstick kits are 6825yen each (about S$106) and the cosmetic pouch is 4725yen (S$73). Eyegloss N is 2625yen (S$41) and the Pearl Powder is 2310yen (S$36).

With purchase of S$200, the Isetan counter is also giving away the trolley suitcase with the poppy print, choice of one lipstick (old formula) and a Collection Sparkle Face Color from previous seasonal collections. The counters are supposed to receive a new GWP of a hobo bag with the new kitty print sometime next week.

The Shu Uemura Christmas collection by Mika Nakagawa was a winner for me. I was very tempted to get all three palettes but at S$115 each, I decided to get only the Secret Luscious Rose palette.




My second pick would have been the Midnight Winter Sakura palette but as both the Rose and Sakura palettes featured blue, purple and green shades, I thought they were too similar to justify getting both. Adorned Marguerite looks charmingly vibrant but I know I would not use the yellow and lime green shades in it. I also picked up the Drawing Pencil Mini Trio (S$45) which comes with a sticker of a blue rose. The SA also told me that they were waiting for some accessories that would be the GWP for purchases from the Mika collection (not sure of the minimum purchase amount) and that she would set one aside for me when they come in. The mini lipgloss trios were not outstanding enough to warrant the S$70 price tag so I passed on those too.




I also bought the Cleansing Oil in the new Advanced Formula (S$132) with the limited edition bottle featuring calligraphy by the late Mr Shu Uemura and received the Mika pouch as a gift. As the Mika pouch retails for US$29 in the US and is available in Japan only as a prize in a lucky draw contest, I thought that was a pretty cool gift!