Every new year brings a fresh batch of resolutions, and while we indulge in grander aspirations such as “finding Mr. Darcy” and “saving money for my South American escape,” we also shouldn’t forego the smaller promises made to ourselves, such as “finding the right skincare” or “finally learning how to apply makeup,” or in general, “solving those little beauty products that constantly niggle at the back of your brain.”
So this story helps with at least one resolution for the year. It’s time to figure out your beauty woes and finally get the right Rx. We zero in on four common beauty problems and suggest how they can be resolved, once and for all.
Problem: Eye makeup application is one big puzzle. Is there an easier way to do it?
Solution: The eyes can really be the most perplexing feature to make up. Faced with so many colors and shades, it really is tempting to just go peeper-naked and your red lipstick is enough to brighten up your face.
Hope floats, however, in the form of Kanebo’s new Coffret D’or 3D Lighting Eyes palette. Coffret D’or is the Japanese brand’s new line of cosmetics meant to replace T’estimo and Revue. It’s eye makeup — mostly shimmery, because it wouldn’t be Japanese if it weren’t — come in five different palettes, with each palette containing five different shades meant for different uses (there’s a base shade, a contrast shade, a shade meant for lining and contouring, and two highlighting shades). Each palette is packaged in a plastic box that actually has an illustrated guide on how to work the makeup to its best advantage.
The illustrated guide assigns letters to each shade and indicates which part of the eye it’s supposed to go on. It’s like paint by numbers, only with ABCs. Is that helpful or what? (The illustrations also come with written instructions, only in Japanese. So if you’re strictly Anglo-speaking, just focus all attention on the drawings.)
Each palette also comes with four mini eye makeup applicators and is encased in pretty jewel-studded mirror cases.
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Kanebo is available at Rustan’s Makati and Rustan’s Tower, Shangri-la Plaza; Watsons and selected SM department stores.
Problem: Can’t get over the fact that Mr. Shu Uemura is not immortal.
Solution: Neither can we. His demise last December came as an absolute shock, although before his death, Mr. Shu Uemura was actually able to come up with a last makeup collection for his namesake brand. Ironically named Rebirth, this makeup collection, intended for spring-summer 2008, actually celebrates the 40th year of Shu Uemura’s mode makeup.
Everything about this new collection is an allegory to birth and new life, from the fresh, pastel palette — pale greens, baby blues, lavenders — to a motif of spring flowers, inspired by an abstract drawing by the makeup master himself. Rebirth offers a myriad of colors — even the mascara comes in a fresh green while the lip colors stick to sweet, wear-every-day shades such as pale pink, dewy beige and shimmery nude. This new collection, the 126th in 40 years of creating makeup, is signature Shu Uemura: symbolical, beautiful and inspiring.
So, don’t dig yourself into a pit of depression. As with every great legend, Mr. Shu Uemura’s name lives on through his work.
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Shu Uemura is available at Rustan’s Makati and Rustan’s Tower, Shangri-la Plaza.
Problem: My skin is so sensitive that water is the only thing that doesn’t cause me to break out.
Solution: You are not alone. Sensitive skin is common, especially among active people or those who live in areas with steadily varying climates. To deal with, you first have to understand that sensitive skin is a condition, not a skin type. From this factoid, the chemists of Kiehl’s, that wonderful apothecary-inspired beauty store, came up with the Centella Skin-Calming Facial Cleanser, a gentle, soap-free agent formulated to specifically address needs of sensitive skin. This cleanser is part of the brand’s Dermatologist Solutions line, a collection of powerful treatments created in collaboration with leading dermatologists and scientific experts.
Skin that’s sensitive acts up when exposed to environmental aggressors such as excess heat, cold, wind and pollution. Centella Asiatica (tiger herb), the main ingredient in this facial cleanser, has unique recovery properties; in fact, it is used in Ayurveyda to heal wounds and skin lesions such as psoriasis and even leprosy. The cleanser also contains chamomile and aloe vera to further soothe the skin, and a pH-balanced formula effectively removes all residue and impurities while helping to avoid the irritation common to sensitive skin.
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Kiehl’s is located at Greenbelt 5, Ayala Center, Makati.
Problem: My hair is as limp and unexciting as week-old pasta.
Solution: Welcome to my world. I’ve often lamented how my hair only looks as good as I want it 24 hours after shampooing, when my hair is already grimy and my scalp itchy. It seems the natural oils in my scalp and the scrunching my hair endures when I take to bed actually help in giving it some shape and volume. However, not taking daily showers — here in urban Manila, anyway — is a crime worse than shoplifting and blaming it on genetic kleptomania. Plus, the itching descends after a day of not washing, and scratching your scalp is not exactly something that can be subtly done in public.
L’Oreal balances out the conundrum with its Dirty Clean Texturising Paste. This hairstyling paste, made from beeswax, separates limp strands and adds more character to hair, and gives it a look similar to how it is a day after shampooing. The paste holds strongly too, although mineral agents keep hair from hardening.
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L’Oreal Dirty Clean Texturising Paste is available at major department stores and salons nationwide.
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E-mail comments to ana_kalaw@pldtdsl.net.