Product Reviews

All Roads Lead Back to Shu

“So, what are your favorite products?”

I love that question. Everyone has their own list of favorites, but there’s one brand I hear mentioned over and over again. Among people who’ve tried the brand before, almost everyone mentions Shu Uemura. People rave with rabid fanaticism about Shu’s famous eyelash curler (considered an industry standard) or their eyeshadows. Once, a gal even pulled a Shu curler from her purse and offered to curl my lashes in front of the Old Navy on Market Street. I politely declined.

But that wasn’t my most shocking Shu moment. At brunch with my good friend, Cindy, who never wears makeup, I almost choked on my pancakes when she produced a Shu Uemura eyeliner brush from her purse and proceeded to explain in detail why she loved it so much. The cult of Shu is all around us.

A high-end Japanese luxury line developed by Hollywood makeup artist Shu Uemura, Shu creates clean, no-nonsense skin care products, brushes and makeup. The clear packaging is refreshingly simple, conveying just how serious their products are about getting down to business.

There’s so much hype surrounding the line that when I recently got the chance to play with the new Shu Uemura Holiday Muse collection, I was worried my expectations would be too high to meet.

Unfortunately for my wallet, Shu did not disappoint. Their superior product textures and colors melted my heart faster that butter on hot toast.

Inspired by warm gold shades and candlelight, the Muse look is sophisticated and elegant, yet natural. It’s totally my makeup style, and one of my favorite collections of 2007.

Here’s the collection from left to right:

Chocolate Brown Nail Enamel – rich, warm brown with metallic effects ($16.00)
Gold Beige Nail Enamel – subtle golden sparkles ($16.00)
Dignified Grace Pressed Eyeshadow Palette – three shadows and one blush ($65.00)
Chocolate Brown Rouge Unlimited Lipstick – rich and elegant brown ($23.00)
Pink Beige Rouge Unlimited Lipstick – soft pink-beige ($23.00)
Gold Beige Rouge Unlimited Lipstick – warm nude-beige ($23.00)
Enchanting Charisma Pressed Eyeshadow Palette – three shadows and one blush ($65.00)

First Impressions of the Shu Uemura Color Line

What grabbed my attention and held it tight were the textures and colors of the eyeshadows and blushes.

You know how chalky eyeshadows and blushes sit on top of your skin and look really obvious? Imagine the opposite of that to the Nth degree. Shu Uemura’s shadows and blushes are so finely milled that they look seamless on my lids and cheeks.

Despite the richness of these colors, they apply evenly in a single layer. It was most obvious with shadows in the Dignified Grace palette. All three color shadows contain extremely fine glitter, and when I swept the colors over my eyelids as a wash the glitter almost magically distributed evenly over the entire lid. Neat, and a little freaky at the same time.

I was fascinated by how the blush and shadow formulas have such a high concentration of color. Highly pigmented products can scare me because when there’s a lot of color there’s less room for error, but despite their pigmentation Shu shadows and blushes still manage to look natural; the color is there, but you don’t look like a crazy lady who can’t lay off the rouge.

Although I liked the three lipsticks, I wasn’t as wowed by them as I was by Shu’s shadows and blushes. They do have a soft, slick texture on my lips and feel hydrating, which I dig, and I appreciate how the earth-toned colors from the Muse collection are easy to wear.

Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks

If you’re a fan of MAC Lustre lipsticks then you’ll love Shu Uemura’s Rouge Unlimited lipsticks, which have a similar lightweight texture.

There are 65 Rouge Unlimited lipsticks in the Shu Uemura color collection, and each has:
– an exclusive hybrid of pigments
– high color payoff
– rich texture, ultra-smooth application
– a ceramide shield for 8-hour moisture comfort

Can’t decide among the three Muse lippies? If you’re on a budget, then pick up Chocolate Brown, my absolute favorite of the three.

Pressed Eye Shadow Palettes

With three pressed eyeshadows and blush apiece, the two Muse shadow palettes are a great introduction to the Shu Uemura color line.

What’s behind the magic of Shu’s pressed eyeshadows?

– micro-fine powders with two different shapes that adhere firmly to skin for an even, long-lasting finish
– silicone-coated powder, resulting in truest color pay-off and a non-fading finish
– light capturing powders to absorb and reflect light for a multi-dimensional finish

Shu also carries different finishes — Matte (M), Pearl (P), Iridescent (IR) and Metallic (ME) — for each color of shadow. Imagine finding your holy grail eye shadow color and then being able to get it in a variety of different finishes, too! I think this is very cool.

Girl, you need to seriously consider throwing down the cash for the Dignified Grace Palette. I LOVE all of its eyeshadow colors and the peachy-gold blush gives my cheeks that J. Lo glow.

Face of the Day

Here’s the Muse-inspired look I wore today while Christmas shopping.

That’s the Dignified Grace palette on my eyes and cheeks and a mix of Chocolate Brown and Pink Beige Rouge Unlimited lipstick. Oh, and those lashes are courtesy of Ceramide mascara!

Shu Uemura Online Friends and Family Sale is ON!

Right now there’s a fatty sale on the Shu Uemura Web site. Enter promotion code code HOLIDAY07 at checkout to get 20% off all purchases. That’s a nice chunk of change. Be sure to register when you log onto the site, too, because if you register and spend over $75, shipping is free. Hurry, though, because the sale ends Monday, December 17th.

Are you done with your holiday shopping yet? Maybe you should reward yourself with a few goodies from Shu! 😉

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen

I’ve been crushing pretty hard on MAC Plush Lash for the past few months, but it looks like there’s a new love in town, Elizabeth Arden Ceramide Lash Extending Treatment Mascara ($20).

Ooh, shiny!
I have this in black, and the best thing about it is the finish. It’s a deep, inky black that gives my lashes gloss and shine.

Hey fatty!
I like a big lash look, but on me it takes some work ’cause my natural lashes are just plain jane average, both in terms of length and thickness.

A single coat of Ceramide mascara thickens my lashes without leaving them looking fake or unnatural, and two coats produces long, fat, defined, party-like-a-rockstar lashes.

Curly girlie!
Another issue I have with my lashes is that they’re stick straight (BOO), so I need a mascara that holds the curl I get from my lash curler. Ceramide mascara holds the curl all day (and night) long, giving me a wide-eyed look ’til the wee hours.

Rawk on!
But wait, there’s more! To top all this gloriousness off, Ceramide doesn’t flake, keeps my lashes soft and doesn’t leave smudge marks, either.

And it’s good for you, too!
Ceramide mascara has a bunch of superstar stuff in it to condition and revitalize your lashes like:
– Ceramide Triple Complex (Ceramides 1, 3 and 6) plus Vitamins A, C and E to help reinforce and restore lashes’ natural protective barrier
– Keravis, a conditioning ingredient known to help strengthen and fortify lashes

If I had a wish…
I’d made this more easily accessible. None of the department stores at my nearby mall carry Elizabeth Arden, so I have to order it online, and while the brush is easy to use, I wish it were a little fatter like the MAC Plush Lash brush.

Celebrate good times, COME ON!

Friday is that much closer, ya’ll. Are you ready?

Tomorrow I’m busting out the Christmas decorations, doing some blogging and hopefully finishing my Christmas shopping. Why is it so hard to shop for boys? ARGH!

Anyway, I hope your day was swell and that you’re feeling good. 🙂

Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,

Karen