Shu Uemura High Performance Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula

Six or seven years ago as I was trying to figure out was going on with my skin*, my searches led me to several message boards and to the oil cleansing method. I tried various oils- from jojoba to olive and everything else I had at home (you'd be surprised how many different oils can be found in your various cabinets). It was fine, I guess, but not enough to make me stick with anything specific or with the method itself. Yes, oil really helps to  break down grime and grease and remove makeup; as long as it's a good pure oil it doesn't have any additives and other questionable ingredients, so that's a plus, too. But I'm just not a fan of using food stuff on my face, dealing with the smell or feeling too crunchy.
I probably got the bottle of Shu Uemura High Performance Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula because it was on some serious sale and I've heard many raves and gushes about it, so I had to try. It's a cosmetics bottle, with a pump, so the mess is kept to a minimum and it doesn't have a Birkenstock aura,so that's a plus. And it's Shu, so I'm already a fan.
The good news about the Shu Uemura cleansing oil is that it cleanses really well. The high performance advanced formula keeps its promise to remove even the clingiest waterproof makeup (including mascara), which is a nice perk. It has also proven to be efficient in unclogging the occasional pore (the beauty blogger's biggest occupational hazard). The thing is the Shu oil is so efficient it completely strips my skin of every last bit of natural oil, which is not the best idea when one's skin can get very dry. Especially not in winter. I've found myself with such a tight dry skin I have to slather my face with the heaviest creams I own right after I finish cleansing. That's not my favorite thing to do during my nighttime routine- I prefer to start with something lighter than use serums, and only add the heavy guns right before bed.
Bottom Line: Scarily efficient. I'm saving the bottle till summer.

*My skin issue back then? It turned out I needed a lot more moisture and to avoid Clinique 1-2-3 system.
If you're in the US, Shu Uemura High Performance Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula ($28, 5oz), just like other Shu products, is only available online through the company's American website (shuuemura-usa.com).
Photo: style.com

Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipstick (RD 198, PK 360)

I bought these two Shu Uemura Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks months ago and promptly misplaced both. I was thrilled to rediscover and make them part of my makeup rotation, only to learn this week that Shu Uemura's parent company, L'Oreal, was pulling the entire brand of the USA market. According to WWD, L'Oreal prefer to concentrate the marketing effort on its other major brands (I don't think they ever pushed Shu very hard in this country), and limit the distribution of Shu Uemura to regions where it's already a best seller (i.e. Asia).

It's really sad, as Shu Uemura is a great brand with a lot to offer and many dedicated fans. We can't have too many quality options and the line always had something unique to offer, even for those of us who weren't into extreme false eyelashes. I especially love the packaging- even now that I have a storage system with separate drawers for each major shade of lipstick, being able to actually see the color at a glance is very helpful.

But back to the colors at hand. Rouge Unlimited RD 198 is as true a red as they come. It has a muted satin finish, an incredibly rich pigment and the tenacity of Madonna. It stays put for hours and holds on for dear life. You can still see enough color even after having lunch, though it loses the finish. The lipstick isn't drying and my lips remain healthy looking even after spending a full day with it (two reapplications). I love it very much and usually wear it with an almost bare face (or at least what appears as an almost bare face. You and I know  the secret).

PK 360 has a more conventional look and feel. It's a low key red-based pink with shimmer and medium+ pigment. It's a great everyday color, low maintenance and no drama. It doesn't rock my world like the RD 198, but I reach for it when I'm not in the mood to make big lipstick decisions.

Since Shu Uemura is being phased out, it looks like the stores have stopped restocking sold out colors. I don't remember if I bought these two lipsticks from Barneys or Nordstrom, but it looks like they are no longer available from the major retailers and have moved on to the realms of shady discounters. Your best bet is to check with local counters and see what they still have.

All photos are mine.

Shu Uemura Pressed Eye Shadow (M Brown 830)

M Brown 830 is a matte and muted brown eye shadow color from Shu Uemura. It will never be the star of a makeup look, and to be honest, it's a bit mousy- both in shade and in intensity. But somehow I'm finding myself reaching for it quite often. This eye shadow is a bit of a Zelig. It adapts to just about any color combination I'm using and blends in perfectly, smoothing the look and bringing it together. It might not have a personality of its own and doesn't even look that pretty (I tried taking a decent swatch picture, but it just didn't work), but somehow it performs very well.

The texture of this Shu Uemura eye shadow is soft and light. It's not super silky, but it applies well without crumbling or disintegrating. The pigment isn't too impressive, at least not on my skin, but since I use it to blend and smooth more intense colors, this low-intensity is exactly right. This medium brown color has a bit of grey in it, so it's a neutral that works both with cool and warmer tones. I can't comment on staying power, but low pigment colors are not necessarily famous for lasting. In any case, it never causes creasing when I use it.

Bottom line: A shadow for every season.

Shu Uemura Pressed Eye Shadow ($20) is available from Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and the company's website shuuemura-usa.com. I ordered it online.

All photos are mine.

Tsumori Chisato For Shu Uemura Mini Brush Set

I told you my favorite item from the Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura Holiday 2009 collection was the mini brush set. As you can see, it really is small enough to fit inside almost anything. The bag has enough room inside to store a makeup palette, thus saving space. I need to try and see if Bobbi Brown Mauve Palette fits inside, as it includes everything but brushes. Trish McEvoy's Beauty Emergency Card is another prime candidate for use with this set.

The brushes (face, concealer, eye shadow and lip/eyeliner), while small, feel sturdy and balanced in the hand, and they are thick enough. I have to complaints, though: the pockets aren't snug enough, so the brushes don't stay in place. Also, one cannot use the same brush for both eye lining and lip color. A fifth brush would have made this set much closer to perfection.

Tsumori Chisato for Shu Uemura mini brush set ($69) is available from Neiman Marcus, Bergdorf Goodman and Nordstrom, which is where I got mine.

Photos by me with the help of Lizzy (for those who asked about the spelling of her name, she's named after Elizabeth Bennet from Pride and Prejudice, and that's the spelling Jane Austen used in the book).

Tsumori Chisato For Shu Uemura- The Cat Collection

Shu Uemura might have the cutest holiday collection this year. Fashion designer Tsumori Chisato created several compacts and a makeup brush set with several motives- ribbons, stars and my favorite- a cat. This isn't exactly Hello Kitty and the result managed to avoid the over precious cliche. All the items and palettes are interesting and as grown up as something that has a cat on it can be.


While the makeup colors aren't exactly what I'm looking for, my pick is the mini makeup brush set.

The Tsumori Chisato For Shu Uemura Holiday 2009 collection is available from Nordstrom, Neiman Marcus and Bergdorf Goodman.

Photos of the collection: nordstrom.com, Tsumori Chisato dress from the Spring 2009 RTW: WWD

Shu Uemura Primal Mix Blush- Rhythm

There is a lot to love about the new(ish. It's a fall 2009 release and has been out for a couple of months now) Shu Uemura Primal Mix Blush: The velvety texture, the ability to mix and customize the two shades in the compact, the colors themselves- vibrant and flattering. But the size and shape drive me crazy. It's a small stripe of color which limits the shape, size and movement of the brush. I like using big and fluffy brushes and lightly swirl them over the blush for natural looking application, but it's utterly impossible here. The Shu Uemura compact is only slightly bigger than your average single eye shadow, so I'm using smaller and narrow brushes, like the Sephora angled blush brush you see in the picture, and make sure to carefully blend the color with the other face products I apply to avoid that streaky 80s look.



The Shu Uemura Primal Mix Blush comes in three shades. There's a peachy option and a brownish one that I liked but found to be too dark. My color of choice was Rhythm, a warm medium pink with the golden/light bronze supplement. It adds just the right amount of perkiness to one's face, but I can't help thinking it would have served me better if it came in a round or even square compact.

Bottom line: Very pretty, flawed design.

Shu Uemura Primal Mix Blush ($24) is available from Barneys, Bergdorf and Neiman Marcus.

All photos are mine.

Armed and Dangerous (or: how I fought my demons and curled my lashes)

Everyone is entitled to at least one irrational fear. Mine is: "stuff that gets into my eyes". This is why it took me forever to learn how to apply eye makeup, and it wasn't until my very late teens that purchased my first mascara. I thought that even if it wasn't going to kill me, I was sure to go blind. Thankfully, I managed to get over that one and learned how to wield a mascara wand with the best of them.

One thing I was sure I wouldn't get anywhere near my eyes is an eyelash curler. This thing has always given me the heebie-jeebies. A metallic apparatus is not something I ever wanted to see at zero range. Having naturally long and thick lashes has always let me get by with only a light coating of mascara. The only problem is that said long lashes stick straight and there's only so much that Estee and Co. can do.

The realization that a beauty blogger worth her lotions and potions must not cower at the face of a beauty challenge has been dawning on me for some time now. Books, magazines and bloggers has been singing the praise of Shu Uemura's eyelash curler for years. Finally, I caved.

Sephora stores seem to only carry their own brand, though Shu and several other brands are available on their web site. I ordered online and waited patiently. When it arrived I reported at the mirror and went to town.

Well, not exactly. I did have several freakout moments while trying to place the clamps at the right place, way too close to my eyeballs that I would have liked. The strange pulling sensation that I felt (or imagined) didn't make me very happy, but finally I got it. The exact placing, the right angle and the hand movement.

Cue some kind of Hallelujah music. Or something from Lord of the Ring Score.

It works and it makes a difference. I had no idea that my own lashes can look this way, and I'm thanking the Shu from the bottom of my heart.

I still refuse to consider one of the heated curlers. You must draw the line somewhere.