For the benefit of non-makeup junkies, "light-diffusing technology" is the latest buzzword in the beauty industry. The first to capitalize on it was Prescriptives, which made a splash last year with its Magic line of powders and potions that bent and reflected light to give the wearer an almost soft-focus look, the kind Sharon Stone had in her last movie The Muse. Then came Estée Lauder’s Lucidity, which bestowed model Elizabeth Hurley with the same youthful radiance.
The latest (and surely not the last) company to hone the formula is Shiseido, which is good news for Asian women. For years, when a Pinay couldn’t find the right foundation color among Western makeup brands, she usually turned to Shiseido for its yellow-based shades and unique understanding of Asian skin – an expertise acquired over 128 years, in fact. What started in 1872 as Japan’s first Western-style pharmacy is now the fourth largest cosmetics company in the world (sales last year were $985 million), thanks to Shiseido’s Pureness skincare line and now, The Makeup.
When I was in the States last summer, my sister had already been raving about The Makeup, especially about its professional concealer that had the strength to cover the darkest, baggiest eye "luggage." That, plus the fact that French makeup artist Tom Pecheux had also designed the line, made me impatient for its arrival in the Philippines. Pecheux is renowned abroad for his natural techniques on the runway and magazine editorial work. This is a guy who, on a regular day, works with models like Kate Moss and icons like Madonna, Gwyneth Paltrow, Nicole Kidman, and the late Princess Diana. (Perhaps not coincidentally, Pecheux was also a consultant for Prescriptives, one of the first makeup lines to boast light-diffusing technology.)
It’s too bad that after the attacks of 9/11, Pecheux couldn’t be around for the Philippine launch of The Makeup, as he was for the Hong Kong launch. But Shiseido’s new local distributor Luxasia brought in president and CEO (for Asia-Pacific) Saburo Wakayama to grace the event, emphasizing the importance they place on the Philippine market.
Pecheux was there in spirit as well. On six models, Shiseido’s makeup artists recreated his three main looks inspired by The Makeup: the classic face employing brown eye shadow and neutral tones; trendy, using edgy bronze-green eye shadow and hot pink lips; and avant-garde, with graphic black eyes and crimson lips.
"I think that imperfection is what makes each person beautiful," Pecheux has said. "I’m against using makeup to transform, unless the woman enjoys transformation. I prefer makeup that draws out the beauty a woman already possesses."
To draw out that beauty, The Makeup features Advanced Luminous Technology, light-diffusing particles that not only make the skin seem flawless but three-dimensional, thus avoiding the flat, masklike look you get with ordinary heavy foundations. Products using Advanced Luminous Technology include the concealers, blush duos, Luminizing Color Powder, which offers three shades in one compact to mix and match, and the extensive range of foundations, which come in five textures, from liquid to stick to powder.
The color collection is well-edited, with enough neutral browns to appease the conservative, as well as enough rich (yet muted) purples, blues, greens and reds for those with an appetite for color.
Another feature of The Makeup is Color Fidelity. Have you ever put on a blush or lipstick that looked nice and rosy in the container but promptly turned orange or neon pink on your skin? Shiseido promises this won’t happen with their products, and what you see will be what you get. This color fidelity is achieved by adding silicone (micromatic color pigments), so that products like lipsticks go on evenly, avoid smudging, and are rich in moisture, whether matte or gloss.
Even Shiseido’s packaging has changed, from its trademark tortoiseshell to space-age metallic bronze, in organic shapes that feel good in the hand and applicators that aren’t an afterthought. The round brush that comes with the Luminizing Color Powder, for instance, picks up just the right amount of product and hugs the face like natural sable hair.
If, as Pecheux believes, a flawless makeup starts with foundation, shading to enhance a woman’s features, a creative use of color and a natural finish, I can hardly wait to put those light diffusers to work and put my best face forward this Christmas.
The Makeup will be available at Landmark department store on Nov. 15 and at the Shiseido store in Glorietta, Makati, at the end of November.