Maybelline Pure Mineral BB Fresh Cushion

Maybelline is the next Western brand to hop on the cushion foundation bandwagon with its upcoming Pure Mineral BB Fresh Cushion SPF29 PA+++. Composed of 60% skin lotion, it is supposed to provide light coverage and make the skin feel like it has been freshly prepped with skincare. This will be available in only 1 shade (01 Natural Beige) at its launch on 31 October in Japan, with a second shade (02 Medium Beige) to be introduced in December. It will retail for 2400yen, with refills available at 1500yen.

Maybelline Colossal Chaotic Lash Mascara

Maybelline's latest mascara offering is pretty radical as it's probably the first mascara ad to show such extremely spidery lashes, calling it a 'sexy mess'.


While I did not find the ad visual to be appealing at all, this was super cheap ringing in at under US$6 so I bought a tube just for the fun of trying it out. This is made in the USA.

The mascara pulls out of the tube cleanly without any clumps on the brush, which is slightly angled upwards at the tip. The formula is more slick compared to Cover Girl's Super Sizer mascara and much more jet black in comparison. I purchased this in Blackest Black in the waterproof version, as Maybelline mascaras tend to smudge on me.

The instructions advise sweeping the Teaser Brush from root to tip for instant volume, and then turning the brush vertically and sweeping it from side to side to disorganize the lashes. I used it simply the normal way from root to tip.

Colossal Chaotic Lash turned out to be good at adding volume and definition to my lashes. It does not have the lifting and curling power of Benefit Roller Lash mascara so using an eyelash curler beforehand is still essential. With that done, the mascara does hold the curl of my lashes pretty well throughout the day. I was expecting this to be prone to clumping but it was not that bad actually. If over-applied, the lashes do end up sticking together but this is usually easily fixed.



Overall, this is pretty good for daily use as it's easy to work with, and lasts well throughout the day without flaking or smearing. For a product that needs to be replaced every other month, it doesn't burn a hole in one's pocket. The waterproof formula was also relatively easy to remove and I did not experience any loss of lashes with this.


List of ingredients below.

Maybelline Fit Me Anti-Shine Foundation Stick

During my London trip, I picked up the new Maybelline Fit Me Anti-Shine Foundation Stick along with the Fit Me Concealer. The foundation has received very mixed reviews on MakeupAlley but since it was only £8.99 plus Boots had a 3-for-2 promotion, I decided to give it a try.

The foundation is described as providing lightweight flawless coverage with an anti-shine core. The ultra-light formula is enriched with powders to instantly absorb excess oil. It goes on creamy and transforms to a matte powder finish. Made in Germany, it contains 9ml of product. In the UK, 115 Ivory is the lightest shade available whereas in the US, 110 Porcelain is the lightest shade. Most drugstores in London were sold out of 115 but I finally chanced across it at Boots in Westfield Stratford.

It does glide onto the skin easily thanks to the silicone-heavy formula which gives it lots of slip. I found it easy to apply and blend but while it applied evenly over my Sofina Jenne Day Protector sunscreen, it was a disaster when applied over Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer and resulted in dry patches that were not there before.

For a foundation marketed as being anti-shine, its oil-control capabilities proved to be dismal. My T-zone started to oil up after an hour and I needed to blot a few times throughout the day to take away the shine. The coverage provided is light, so this would work better for ladies with problem-free skin and non-oily skintypes. It did help to reduce the appearance of my pores though.

I definitely will not re-purchase this as I prefer formulas that provide better lasting power and oil control so as to minimise the need for touch-ups during long work days. I am liking the concealer better so far (it's also recommended by Wayne Goss) but I need to test it out further.

Products used for this look: & Other Stories Dowlas Cloud, Sarsenet Petrol and Moreen Blue eyeshadows over Too Faced Shadow Insurance, Addiction Eyeliner Pencil 101, Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Emerald Gold, Helena Rubenstein Lash Queen Feline Blacks mascara, Integrate Mineral Puff Cheek RD301, Paul & Joe Lipstick CS 81 Once Upon A Time and K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 02.

Bourjois South Beach Souvenirs and Summer On The Riviera

Bourjois had a couple of new collections for summer on display at Monoprix.

Summer On The Riviera is a colorful collection of lipglosses and nailpolishes with Manicure Toppings, little beads that you can use to top off your manicure. Bourjois seems very late to the party with this trend, doesn't it? There's also a dotting tool with a cute polka dot print.


Summer on the Riviera features a slew of tanning/bronzing products, like a Fabulous Bronzing Mousse for an instant tan, Maxi Delight powder bronzer, and what looks like an intriguing first - a BB Bronzing Cream with not just eight benefits but also an "addictive fragrance".


Maybelline has also released a new Dream Pure BB Cream with 2% salicylic acid, which should be good for acne-prone skin types.

Maybelline Super Mineral Liquid Long Keep Foundation

Maybelline will release a new Super Mineral Liquid Long Keep Foundation SPF25 PA+++ (1995yen) in late March in Japan. Available in three shades, it lasts up to 24 hours and is gentle on the skin with a light texture that allows skin to breathe while concealing pores and dullness.

Also coming in mid-April is a new Lasting Drama Gel Pen Liner (1365yen) which promises waterproof intense color and the creamy consistency of a gel liner in a pen. This comes in only black.

Pics by Maybelline Japan. See more pics and swatches from the press event on Yuki's Powder Room, Jogo Saori and Glam.

Maybelline Japan New Releases

Maybelline Japan will be launching a new Baby Skin Pore Eraser (1260yen) in February. The translucent light pink gel primer promises baby-like flawless skin. The formula is oil-free, fragrance-free and non-comedogenic. It comes in just one shade, 01 Natural.

The Baby Lips Color SPF13 (525yen) comes in five shades: 01 Sweet Beige, 02 Pink Addict, 03 Rose Pink, 04 Pop Red and 05 Baby Coral. The mint-scented tinted lip cream contains shea butter and jojoba oil to hydrate the lips.

Released last December, the Lasting Drama Gel Liner (1260yen) comes in black and brown. It includes a dual-ended brush/tip applicator for creating precisely defined lines and a smudged effect. See the TV ad here.

Maybelline 2013 Calendar

For its 2013 calendar, Maybelline went back to its roots with a New York theme. The calendar features familiar Maybelline faces like Erin Wasson, Kemp Muhl and Shu Pei.

You can download the screensaver from the Maybelline Japan website. See the photo gallery on Fashion Press.

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush Review

Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush is a gel formula blush with a light bouncy texture that melds seamlessly into the skin. I purchased #50 Plum Wine and #70 Hot Tamale recently from Drugstore.com during a "buy one, get one 50% off" offer. These usually retail at US$8 each. In Asian countries like Japan and Singapore, it's called Jelly Glow and comes in a white compact with different shade names.

Made in Korea, Dream Bouncy Blush comes in ten shades in the US, versus a paltry four in Singapore and six in Japan for Jelly Glow. The dome-shaped blush has a slightly firm, springy feel to it. It has a velvety smooth texture without feeling too greasy or emollient.

There was a defect with my Plum Wine though, as the blush arrived detached from the metal pan and stuck to the plastic lid. While this was easily fixed, there was still a visible gap from the sides of the metal pan. Nevertheless, there's no adverse impact on the performance. These are super easy to apply, just dab on lightly with a fingertip and blend.



The soft satin finish is flattering, adding a healthy colour to the cheeks without emphasising pores. Like most cream blushes, they do not work well over powder foundations, and should be used with either liquid or cream foundations. When I tried it over a powder foundation, it resulted in some patchiness. As you can see from the arm swatches, these can be layered for a pigmented finish, but I prefer a lighter application on the cheeks.


In the pic below, I'm wearing Hot Tamale, a lovely coral pink that does not lean too orange or red. It doesn't last the whole day on my skin and the packaging is far from chic, but for a budget buy, it's a pretty decent cream blush with a diverse range of shades to experiment with.

Maybelline Hello Kitty Volume Express Hyper Curl Waterproof

Maybelline has released another limited edition Hello Kitty Volume Express Hyper Curl Waterproof mascara (1260yen) in Japan. It holds the curl of lashes for up to 18 hours and enhances volume by three times. Not sure if this will be released elsewhere in Asia but it's cute!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

Over the weekend, I picked up the new Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream. This promises eight benefits, namely hydration that lasts all day, covers imperfections, creates a natural glow, provides a fresh sensation, sun protection of SPF30, non-oily finish, skin looks visibly smoother and adjusts to one's skin tone. Of the four shades available in France, I picked the lightest shade, Claire, which should be "Light" in the UK/US. I purchased it for €12+ at a supermarket only to find it selling at just €8+ at Carrefour later on the same day.

The texture is light and slightly runny. It is incredibly easy to blend to a seamless finish just by using one's fingertips. However, the coverage is also on the sheer side so this is basically just a lightweight tinted moisturiser. It just barely evens out my skintone and does not cover up serious blemishes or pigmentation.

The light beige shade matches my skintone well and it has none of the greyish tones that one often finds in Korean BB creams. The finish is not flat matte but also not overly dewy. If your skin is looking dull and sallow, this helps to make it look healthier.

My skin is slightly schizophrenic in that it is surface dehydrated but still fundamentally an unabashed oil gusher. If I use moisturiser under my foundation, it often makes my skin get oily even faster, but if I skip moisturiser or primer, the foundation does not go on as smoothly. Dream Fresh BB Cream aids in that respect by allowing me to use just one product instead of moisturiser plus foundation. I can skip moisturiser when using this, and simply finish it off with concealer and powder. It does not make my skin look completely flawless, but it does make it look better and healthier without looking like heavy makeup. The oil control is not fantastic, and I still need to blot around every two hours.

While Dream Fresh BB Cream has worked quite well for me over the past few days, the presence of ethylhexyl palmitate as the second ingredient does give one for concern as this is a palm oil derivative that is comedogenic and can cause breakouts. Ladies who are acne-prone may want to look for a better alternative. It has not made me break out any more than usual, but my skin is also not trouble-free (it never is).


For this look, I used the Dream Fresh BB Cream under Paul & Joe Pressed Powder #3.


The other products used are: Clinique High Lengths Mascara and Blushwear Cream Stick 07 Black Honey, Anna Sui Lipgloss C 400, Too Faced Shadow Insurance, K-Palette Lasting 2Way Eyebrow 01, MAC Blackline Pearlglide Intense Eyeliner, RMK Super Basic Liquid Concealer EX01 and Jill Stuart Jewel Crystal Eyes 03 Princess Sapphire.

My Jill Stuart palettes have been neglected for several months now. I like the sweet shade combination of Princess Sapphire but the shimmery fallout can be annoying as it gets everywhere!