Shiseido Ibuki From Sample Room

I received four sachets of samples from Shiseido's new Ibuki line (2 sachets of the Softening Concentrate and 2 of the Refining Moisturizer) from Sample Room yesterday. I'm testing these today!

When Liz blogged about the Ibuki line, I knew I had to try out the softener and the refining moisturizer. I would have really wanted to try the protective moisturizer but out of practicality, I veer from SPF-ed moisturizers so that I can use them at night if they prove to be too oily for my skin at daytime.

These samples are probably going to last me 4-6 days' use (softener: 2x/day, moisturizer: 1x/day). I hope I don't break out as they smell and feel so luxuriously good!

Samples from the Ibuki line are still available at Sample Room.

Can Multixel Do Fraxel Restore or Repair?

A good reader emailed me to ask about the machine my derma, Dr. Sixta Foronda, uses for my fractional CO2 laser treatment, and it goes:

I know that you mentioned that it was a MULTIXEL. How different it is from FRAXEL RESTORE and FRAXEL REPAIR, did your doctor tell you? I believe that the one being offered in BELO is FRAXEL RESTORE, and they don't have the FRAXEL REPAIR. Now my question is, did you actually have a FRAXEL REPAIR through MULTIXEL? Is MULTIXEL the equivalent of FRAXEL REPAIR?

If you are unaware, Repair and Restore are two different modes of the treatment along with Refine (not mentioned above). Refine is non-invasive and is the mildest mode; Repair is more ablative than Restore. In the fraxel mode spectrum, it's Refine, Restore and Repair.

                                    The R2D2 of beauty - the MULTIXEL machine that my doctor uses

Reader L asked a good question to which I responded to:

Multixel and Fraxel are brand names for machines that utilize Fractional CO2 Laser in treating skin concerns. It's really FCO2 that we talk about here; Restore & Repair (popularized by Fraxel brand i believe) denote variations in the setting of the realease of FCO2. Multixel can do both restore and repair. I've had restore and repair done for my skin in one session; my doctor pretty much targets most, if not all, of my skin concerns without having to switch machines.

Multixel is indeed multifunctional and I'm happy to receive two modes of fractionalized CO2 laser therapy for my skin in one go, without having to pay extra. Speaking of extra payments, did you know that in the U.K., the different modes of Fraxel charge differently? Refine ranges from £500-£800; Restore at £600 to £1000; and Repair costs a whopping £1800 and £3000 (source)!. If there's a good thing about living in a developing country, beauty-wise, it's having access to beauty treatments like these at a way lower price!

Shu Uemura 2013 Holiday Collection Features Takashi Murakami's Art

I should be very reluctant about admitting this but I will not lie about almost drooling on my keyboard when I saw the upcoming Holiday Collection from Shu Uemura! Shu collaborates with Takashi Murakami in coming up with a 19-piece collection (14-piece outside Japan, I believe) that's sure to sweep every girl off her feet!

The designs are inspired by Murakami's upcoming anime series called 6HP (Six Heart Princess) and in the pieces are mainly his pink and black princesses. I love how the basic gold colour in each product allows the artist's eye-catching girly designs to stand out. 

You will not just love the design, the palettes are gorgeous too:

                 Heart-Full Pink Parallel Palette aka Pink Princess Palette (Photo credits: TOP, BOTTOM)

                     Enchanted Black Parallel Palette aka Black Princess Palette (Photo Credits: TOP, BOTTOM)

Aside from palettes, these are in the collection, too:

                           The Shu Uemura S-Curler's included. This must have been the easiest for Murakami, lol

Check out actual photos from the Tokyo Launch via Livedoor!

         Murakami for Shu Uemura 2013 Holiday: Lip-and-cheek Fun-tasy, 5 shades

    Domo Arigato Gozaimasu! (Takashi Murakami)

The collection will be available in November and will be sold earlier (October 10) at Selfridges.

Unlearning the Horrors of Bad Bronzers with the Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzing Powder

Before discovering the Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzing Powder, bronzers are my least favorite makeup because I have had horrific experiences with it turning either too orange, unflatteringly ruddy, or dirty brick brown on me as my skin gravely oxidizes makeup. Add to that, since bronzers are more popularly used for contouring and I don't see myself developing a substantial amount of skill in it anytime soon, I cared less about them.

Luckily, I learned about the Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzing Powder and I finally realized that bronzers are not monsters but friends. Shiseido describes this product as an oil-free bronzing powder that provides an all-day, air-brushed finish to create a natural, radiant & sun-kissed look.

   Comes in 3 shades: Light 01, Medium 02, and Dark 03. P1998 for 0.42 oz compact, $35 at Sephora

   "With flash" photo of the bronzer on the pan is color-accurate. See last photo below for a zoomed-in pic

The Shiseido Bronzing Powder in Medium/02 is a flattering true brown for my skin. On the pan, it has microglitters but isn't shimmery at all when brushed against the skin. You must know that I shy away from anything glittery as shimmers almost always provide my acne scars an unsolicited emphasis, but this powder's an exception.

It's nice to find a bronzer that's not heavily pigmented at first swipe. I can lazily wear Medium/02 as a blush without minding if I'm using a heavy hand. This is a  feature which bronzer noobs such as myself can immensely benefit from. I sweep the brush thrice to get some pigment, tap it out once to take out the excess, and then brush under the apples of my cheeks. After, I take a big powder brush to blend the bronzer upwards to further diffuse it up to the apples of my cheeks. Note that the Shiseido bronzer fairly wears long as I see minimal fading on my oily cheeks only after 4-5 hours.

    Shiseido Bronzing Powder used simply as a blush to add warmth & colour to cheeks (no other cheek prods used)

Products used in the FOTD above are: Nature Republic The First Clarifying Toner, ZA True White Liquid Foundation (OC30), Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited (RD 160), Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzer (Medium). It's a quick way to look somewhat made up. The bronzer made a huuuuuuuge difference I tell ya!

It wouldn't be fair not to make a special mention that the compact comes with a soft and densely packed kabuki-style brush. I have not used any other brush other than this as it works extremely well. I only wish it was sold separately so I can get back-ups (not that this brush can't handle the whole 0.42oz of bronzing brilliance; it is actually quite sturdy and has not lost its earlier softness even after several washes).

I have already used this product severaaaal times and I can't believe hetchmarks are still visible near the edges

If only this bronzing powder was tagged several hundreds of pesos lower, I would recommend it to makeup newbies in a heartbeat to avoid the bronzing horrors I went through. I know that NARS Bronzing powders are cheaper-- locally, so they may want to check that out first. Weirdly enough, NARS bronzers are a dollar more expensive than Shiseido's at Sephora but contain lesser product in the pan ($36 for 0.28oz vs $35 for 0.42oz), meaning Shiseido is definitely a bang for the buck if you're purchasing in the U.S.!

In a twist of fate, the product I used to hate is now something I find myself using a lot. Thanks to the Shiseido Oil-Free Bronzing Powder in 02, I struck gold discovering an air-brushed finish bronzer that shows up nicely on my skin without failing to give me a healthy, natural, sun-kissed look. It's an added bonus that it photographs really well and has never broken me out!