Awake Color Makeup Line

For Awake fans, the surprising lack of a Christmas makeup set for 2008 was an ominous indication that all was not well with the brand's makeup line. Things definitely did not look good when I visited Tokyo in early December and found that the counter in Shibuya's Tokyu department store had closed down while the counter in Ikebukuro's Seibu department store now carried only the skincare line. The counter in Isetan in Shinjuku was barely half of its previous size. Awake, which is owned by Kose, also pulled out of Taiwan awhile ago.

Now, the news from 2Channel is that Awake has decided to discontinue its color makeup line so there will be no spring makeup collection although there will be three new loose powders released. Awake will re-focus the brand on skincare and base makeup. This is a huge disappointment as Awake is one of my favourite high-end Japanese brands, especially for their eyeshadow palettes and distinctive glossy red packaging (reminiscent of Inoui ID, another line that bit the dust in early 2007). Fortunately, I have built up quite a good stash of Awake palettes to keep me going for the next couple of years. While there won't be a shortage of other brands competing for my attention, I will miss collecting Awake palettes and the excitement of seeing a new collection.



Thanks for the memories, old friend.