Koh Gen Do High Definition Makeup Trial Set

I've been intending to review this Koh Gen Do High Definition Makeup Trial Set ($20) for several months.  An e-mail in my inbox this morning announcing Koh Gen Do's end of year make up sale spurred me to write though I haven't used all the products in the trial set.

The tin box contained two .14 oz tubes of Maifanshi Moisture Foundation in colors 013 and 003 (additional colors available upon request); Maifanshi Makeup Color Base in Pearl White; .04 oz. container of Maifanshi Face Powder with a full-size puff; Makeup Color Base in Yellow and Green.

The kit also contained a small packet of cleansing water and three cotton pads.  Koh Gen Do developed the yellow and green color bases and the Maifanshi Makeup Color Base in Pearl White without parabens after creating this trial kit, and included paraben-free samples of those.  

A Japanese actress created Koh Gen Do as a skincare line about 25 years ago. The line has evolved since then - the Maifanshi Moisture Foundation was developed especially for high definition cameras.  It is one of my favorites, right up there with the Dolce and Gabbana Cream Foundation, and Burberry  Luminous Foundation.  Koh Gen Do describes this foundation as a "mineral makeup cream foundation that turns into liquid foundation when applied, with 60% water encapsulated into the formula to give you the superior coverage of a cream foundation and a smooth, sheer finish like a liquid foundation. The foundation was tested and created to wear beautifully for 10 hours or more with a perfect ratio of 60% water, 30% highly refined oils and 10% powder."  It does not contain sunscreens but is paraben-free.

I found that this foundation really does give a flawless finish.  Applied first with fingers then smoothed out with a foundation brush, this foundation disappeared into my skin, evening out my complexion and lessening the appearance of my pores.  Applied more  heavily, it worked well in place of a concealer under my eyes.  There were no signs of fading after 10 hours and it caused no irritation or breakouts.  A sheer application is all I need on my most of my face so the .14 oz tube will go a long way, at least 4 applications.

Color 003, included in the kit, is perfect for my NC 45 skin tone.   Maifanshi Moisture Foundation comes a broad range of colors that will suit lighter and darker skin tones.  You can see them here.

The Maifanshi Face Powder was a nice surprise.  I was bit skeptical since it is snow white in the jar, but when applied with either the puff or a powder brush it disappears completely, leaving absolutely no ashiness, or a cakey finish.  This powder takes the Moisture Foundation to an ethereal finish. 

The color bases are supposed to cover discolorations.  I only tried the yellow one and it was too sheer for me.   Besides, the foundation worked so well that they were unnecessary. 


I still haven't opened the Cleansing Spa Water sample or used used the cotton pads included in the kit, since I had already purchased the cleansing water and cleansing water cloths during a Sephora sale.


         Image from Koh Gen Do.

 The cleansing water is excellent, it works as cleansing waters are supposed to, removing virtually all traces of the water-resistant makeup and eye makeup, leaving my face feeling clean with no rinsing required.  White Birch Sap is one of the key ingredients, which Koh Gen Do claims is "harvested only three weeks in early spring, [and] contributes an abundance of minerals and xylitol as it lifts off makeup, oils and residue."  It is oil-free, alcohol-free, and are safe for contact lens wearers.  It is are infused with six essential herbs that are supposed to protect and nurture skin:

• Rosemary Leaf Extract
• Sage Leaf Extract
• Lavender Extract
• Artemisia Princeps Leaf Extract
• Perilla Ocymoides Leaf Extract
• Ginger Root Extract

The Cleansing Spa water is $39 for 10.15 oz. - expensive to use as a daily cleanser to remove a full face of makeup including foundation, blush, and eye makeup. As I explained in this review of Vichy Cleansing Water, I use it primarily in place of toner.

         Image from Koh Gen Do.

 The wipes, which are soaked with the cleansing water, are among the best I've used.  They are a little stiffer than most, but are thoroughly saturated with product and remove my makeup as well as the oil and milk cleansers I usually use.  They are sold in 3 packages of 10 wipes, which means the very last of your 30 wipes won't be dried out when when you reach the end.  The cleansing water and wipes do contain parabens.  At $39, they are also pricey. 

Koh Gen Do's makeup sale lasts through January 5, 2012, 12am EST.  I'm not sure if the cleansing water and cloths are included in the sale.  The trial kit is not. 

I bought my trial kit from the Koh Gen Do site and cleansing products from Sephora.  As far as I know Sephora only carries the line at their New York Meatpacking District store, the Forum Shops in Las Vegas and online.  The line is also available at Barneys.  To be clear, the sale is only on the Koh Gen Do online.  What have your experiences been with this line?  Do you plan to buy anything during the sale?  I'm pretty sure that at 30% off, I won't be able to resist the foundation and powder!

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How It Works

Our stylish, eco-friendly invitations + greetings are printed with nontoxic inks on thick, bright white cardstock. All orders come with black cocodot seals and your choice of white paper or translucent vellum envelopes.

How Printing Works

1. Design the front of your invitation, announcement or greeting.
   Be sure to include any pertinent event details on the card.
2. Proof and approve your print.
3. Provide shipping information and place your order.

---

How Printing Ships

We offer fast shipping exclusively through FedEx. Customers within the continental US can select from FedEx Ground, 2Day Air or Overnight shipping options. If you're in Alaska or Hawaii, we offer 2Day Air or Overnight shipping options. We also ship internationally.
Please check out our FAQ for more information on shipping.

---

View Pricing

Black cocodot seals and a choice of
white or translucent vellum envelopes are
included with your order.
A small cocodot logo will be printed on the back of your cards, with the exception of our wedding collections. The backs of all wedding-collection cards and invitations are blank.

Pricing for Professional Printing

All of our cards and invitations can be ordered in increments of five, with a minimum order of 10.

If You Order	Price per Card
10-20 cards	$2.59 each
25-45 cards	$1.99 each
50-95 cards	$1.79 each
100-195 cards	$1.59 each
200-295 cards	$1.49 each
300+ cards	$1.39 each

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(excludes tax and shipping)

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Capitol Kaleidoscope, Le Metier de Beaute

I bought my Capitol Kaleidoscope after seeing on Best Things in Beauty.  There's a dearth of pink shadows in my collection and I can never resist purple!  The Capitol Kaleidoscope is exclusive to the Mazza Gallerie Neiman Marcus in Washington, DC.  

From top to bottom the colors are: 

Pink Tendre: matte pink

Peche Or:  rose with a hint of peach 

Taupe Satine:  taupe

Prune Veloure: semi-matte purple

I thought I would have little use for the matte pink, but it is much more subtle on the brow than in the swatches above.  Peche Or, which I thought was a dupe of LMdB blush Echo, is actually more pink than peach; it contains just enough peach to prevent that rabbit eye look.

Taupe Santine, which I thought was a dupe for the one of the taupes in Le Circe is actually much warmer, a nice complement for Pink Tendre and Peche Or, adding a subtle golden sheen.  The Le Circe taupes are gray.

Prune Veloure is warmer/redder than the purple in Le Cirque.  It is not completely matte, but doesn't have as much shimmer as that in Le Cirque or Taupe Satine. 

Unfortunately I had to work when Erin Lockhart was in town to do makeovers, and I had little time for Michael Reinheart, Mazza NM's LMdB rep and the creator of Capitol Kaleidoscope, to apply the colors when I picked up the kaleidoscope this weekend, so I had to apply the shadows a Couche de Colours myself. The effect is a subtle, finished look that is perfect for the office.

Le Metier had a nice gift with this purchase, a generous sample of their eye makeup remover, which is coming soon, and a trio of eye shadows.

I believe the Capitol Kaleidoscope is sold out, but you can call Michael Reinhardt at 202-966-9700, ext. 2258, to see if there are plans to produce additional kits.

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Laura Mercier Nail Lacquer "Twilight"

Twilight is part of Laura Mercier's Limited Edition Moonlight Collection.  It is a reddish purple, with purple sparkles and an occasional red flash.  It's a beautiful polish.  That said, it is very much like Chanel Paradoxal as you can see from the comparison swatches.  Paradoxal is much more sophisticated; when applied, a smoky gray veil subdues even the further its subtle purple shimmer. 

Paradoxal only requires one coat to fully cover the nail bed, while Twilight is thin and requires two coats for even coverage.  Actually, three coats are better. 
Most critically, Twilight doesn't wear well.  I wore it for a week with my usual Lippmann Rehydrating Base Coat and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.  I re-applied with CND Stickey Base Coat and Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat.  This is how the tips look after two days.

Chanel doesn't look this worn after a week.  Paradoxal is still available on Chanel.com and at Nordstrom.  Twilight is limited edition and available at Nordstrom and LauraMercier.com.  Let me now if you've had better luck with it.

Vichy Pureté Thermale 3-in-1 Calming Cleansing Micellar Solution

I learned about cleansing waters on The Beauty Look Book, where Sabrina reviewed Lancome's Eau Fraiche Doucer.  These waters claim to remove makeup and tone the skin without the need for a follow up cleanser.   You just dampen a cotton ball or pad with the product and wipe off your makeup.  Thinking it was a just a simple toner, I had been using YSL's Instant Pur cleansing and toning water for quite a while and loving it.  I got a generously sized bottle in a GWP, and after finishing it I bought a full-sized bottle.  I was disappointed when YSL changed the formula - it cleansed equally well, but had too much fragrance for my liking.  I was happy to try Lancome after Sabrina's review.  Since then I have also tried Dior Instant Cleansing Water and Koh Gen Do Cleansing Spa Water.  They range from $35-39 for a 6.7oz bottle, Koh Gen Do is $39 for 10.15 oz. - all expensive to use as a daily cleanser to remove a full face of makeup including foundation, blush, and eye makeup.  So I has happy to find Vichy Pureté Thermale 3-in-1 Calming Cleansing Micellar Solution at my local CVS drugstore for $16.

Vichy claims that

"face, eyes and lips are perfectly cleansed in one simple step. Even the most sensitive skin feels soothed. Ultra-effective: cleanses and removes makeup without rubbing." 

It removes makeup, including mascara, as it claims and has not caused break outs or redness.  It cleans as well as its more expensive competitors.  It does leave an ever so slight filmy feeling, but nothing like that left by cleansing cloths.  It comes in bottle of thinner plastic than the other cleansers and has pour spout rather than a pump, but that's a small sacrifice given the cost difference.  I know there are other cleansing waters in this price range but they are not locally available to me.  I love mail/Internet orders, but postage can be costly, and sometimes it's nice just to be able to pick up something at the drugstore. 

Ingredients include: WATER • HEXYLENE GLYCOL • POLOXAMER 184 • GLYCERIN • ROSA GALLICA EXTRACT/ROSA GALLICA FLOWER EXTRACT • DISODIUM COCOAMPHODIACETATE • DISODIUM EDTA • PANTHENOL • OLYAMINOPROPYL BIGUANIDE • FRAGRANCE

Given my love for oil and milk cleansers, most of the time I still use Vichy Pureté in place of toner to remove the last vestiges of makeup including eye makeup rather than as my primary cleanser.    I do use it some mornings to clean my face and neck before applying makeup or on a day when I don't wear much makeup.

Space NK at Bloomingdales,Tysons Corner, Virginia

I'm so glad that Space NK has opened at Bloomingdales at Tysons Corner!  It brings a few niche brands that I haven't seen in the Washington, DC Metro area, including Lipstick Queen; by Terry; Eve Lom; Malik and Goetz; Vincent Longo; and my favorite, Rococo Nail Apparel.

Sales Associate Rebecca with a customer

Though there are obviously many, many more brands than those I've listed above, DC's new Space NK doesn't carry all the lines included in their stand alone brick and mortar or online.  Notably absent were Jemma Kidd higher end products, Ellis Faas, and Kjaer Weis.   I hope they'll be added later.

Space NK founder, Nicky Kinnaird, will be in town November 12th, for beauty consultations.  Call 703-556-4569 to reserve your spot.  They're going fast!

Dolce and Gabbana Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation

Perfect Finish Creamy Foundation is one of Dolce and Gabbana's newest products.  It provides medium to maximum coverage with an SPF of 15.  Of the 15 shades offered, Amber 148 and Soft Tan 160 match my NC45 skin tone when blended in.  But Amber 148, subtly pink in tone, turned gray within an hour of application, so I went with Soft Tan 160, which is...orange.  Yes.  I tested the foundation for three days applied over Olay Regenerist Moisturizer SPF 50, using a variety of application methods.  On the first day I used the foundation brush included in a gift with purchase Saks featured that day, which resulted in maximum coverage. Naturally, it seems heavier than a liquid foundation when first applied, but is weightless after it dries down. It looks matte at first, but settled into a semi-matte look and is not at all cakey. It did not turn gray or oxidize.  But it was...orange.  Fortunately I just worked in my cube that day! 

I used Le Metier de Beaute Peau Vierge Anti-Aging Complex on the second day, and applied the foundation with a kabuki brush.  Peau Vierge's illuminating quality canceled the foundation's orangy tinge, and the kabuki brush made for a sheerer application.  Love.  I used  a Sephora 44 stippling brush the third day which gave even sheerer coverage.  Love even more.

The creamy consistency of this foundation won't be suitable for me during the hot, humid summers here, but it will be perfect during the cold winter months. 

The foundation comes in an elegant, but heavy glass jar, and comes with a spatula. I will decant into a smaller plastic screw-top jar for daily use, so that I don't have to dip daily into the larger container and risk contamination.  It will also be handier for travel.
I've include an image of the color chart Saks mailed; the one on the site no way near represents the true colors.  Though the mailed chart is more accurate, given the vagaries of skin tone and color matching, I strongly advise you to visit a counter and get testers before purchasing.

Click to enlarge

I'm impressed with the quality of this product and would like to try the powder foundation, which has gotten rave reviews, but I'll wait until I can visit the Saks counter in New York in January.
I bought my foundation from Alissa Masuda at the Post Street Saks in San Francisco, 415-438-5224; It's also available on the Saks site.  

Nails in British Vogue, November 2011

Page scanned from British Vogue, November 2011

Aren't these fun?  I especially like the two by David Barton, Sophy Robson's V-Gap nails for Antonio Berardi, and the snakeskin effect by Jenny Longworth. 

Cabled Cardigan, Vogue Knitting Fall 2011

It's crazy to start a new knitting project with everything else I have on my plate but I couldn't resist this beautiful cardigan!

I'm making it in gray Amherst Valley Yarns.   I would love to have made it in the color shown, but I'd like to see the yarn first.  Maybe later.  Now that I've figured out the chart, it's coming along pretty quickly.  So if it looks OK when finished, I may make the green one too.  Can't have too many cardigans.  There are problems with the chart, but I found errata on Ravelry.

One of my knitting buddies, Deb, is making it too.

Burberry Sheer Luminous Fluid Foundation, Trench No.8 and Trench No.9

After my experience with Chanel Perfection Lumiere (PL), in which I learned that my complexion can fall between shades, I decided to test a couple of samples of Burberry Sheer Luminous Fluid Foundation, (1 oz., $52) before buying.  Because the weather is much cooler than when I tested PL, and because this formula is supposed to hydrate, I prepped my skin with a light-weight moisturizer with SPF, but no primer, before applying Trench No.9, then Trench No.8, the two darkest colors.  I wore each for two days. 

I applied the foundation with a kabuki brush, switching to a foundation brush for under eye application.  It has a moderately strong, but pleasant scent that dissipates quickly.  Though it is sheer, the foundation is buildable, and nicely covered slightly dark areas, including under my eyes, in lieu of a concealer.  It dried down quickly into a natural skin-like finish neither dewy, nor matte.  It lasted the eight hours that I wore it, without any signs of fading.

Trench No. 9, the darkest shade, seemed to be the best color match when applied to my jaw, so I tested it first.   For reference, I match MAC NC45, Chanel PL Beige Amber 44 and Beige 60, and Le Métier Flawless Finish Foundation #10.  It darkened a half-shade after drying down (if that's possible) than my neck, but was the same shade as my hands.  I only needed light blotting in the T zone by noon, which, for me, is par for the course.  Thumbs up!

Trench No.8 was a tad too light on application, but darkened to my natural shade and blended nicely from the jaw line into my neck.   Perfect! 

Burberry Sheer Luminous Fluid Foundation contains UV filters.  Because I tested samples, I don't have a box to reference for other ingredients, nor are they published on Burberry or Nordstrom sites where it is sold.  Cafe Makeup published a list here.  

Burberry is available at Nordstrom online and at a few of their stores.  I got my samples from Kristy Hoffman at the San Francisco Nordstrom on Market Street, 415-243-8500, kristy.hoffman@nordstrom.com. 

Burberry Sheer Eyeshadows - Porcelain No.03 and Midnight Brown No.21

It was hard to capture the apricot hue of Porcelain No.03 in an arm swatch.  It's a perfect eye shadow base for my NC45 skin tone:  apricot looks more natural than yellow or pink.  A tiny hint of shimmer keeps it from looking flat on my eyelid, and makes it a great highlighter too, adding just the right amount of lightness without being too light or shiny.  Midnight Brown No.21 has more shimmer than other Burberry shadows, a silvery shimmer which gives it a cool tone, if a brown can be cool.  You taupe lovers will say that sounds like taupe, but no, this shadow is brown! Both shadows are finely milled, allowing them to glide on and blend without the least resistance even over the NARS eye shadow base I use.  There was no fall out. 

Burberry Porcelain No. 03 is applied on the entire lid and under the brow;
Giorgio Armani Smooth Silk Eye Pencil in Black lines the outer half of the upper and lower eye;
Burberry Midnight Brown No. 21 applied in the crease and over the black eyeliner;
YSL Noir Radical Mascara;
Elizabeth Arden Dual Perfection Brow Shaper and Eye Liner in Sable 03 on brows.

I love these shadows and will wear them often.

I was happy to see that Burberry has expanded its foundation color range a bit and got a sample to test.

Burberry is available at Nordstrom online and at a few of their stores.  I bought my products from Kristy Hoffman at the San Francisco Nordstrom on Market Street, 415-243-8500, kristy.hoffman@nordstrom.com.  She's always enormously helpful when I'm there and is happy to answer questions and ship.  She gave me this little baby Rosewood lipstick this time. Here it is next to a full-sized tube. Isn't it cute? I love little samples like these.

Favorite Things

Jouer Luminizing Moisture Tint, SPF 20 in Deep Bronze.  The last impossibly humid weeks of September gave me a new appreciation for what workhorse this tinted moisturizer is!  It’s oil-free, fragrance-free, buildable, and water resistant.  It never budged, lasting at least 15 hours with no fading.

Rock and Republic Kabuki Brush.  Not only do I love the airbrushed look of foundation applied with a kabuki brush, I love the speed with which I can apply it, a real boon most mornings.  This brush came with a R&R bronzer and unfortunately is no longer available, but there are many good kabuki brushes out there. 

Chanel Kaska Beige is the shadow quad I automatically reach for when I have a rushed morning. The quad pictured here is my second. The shades in this warm colored quad are perfect neutrals for me.  Most days I apply them over powdered lids, and they last all day with little fading.

The reformulated version of Chanel’s eyebrow pencil applies much more smoothly than the old one.  And it’s waterproof, so didn’t dribble down my temples before I got to the office!  I use "Brun Naturel."

Lip products go on last and by that time I need to run at the door!  I throw on Chanel Chocolate lip pencil, and this month Le Metier de Beaute Colour Core Lipstick “Sydney” and “Peche Crème” spent the entire month in my handbag, ready for application on the bus.  They produce three beautiful looks, depending upon my wardrobe.  Sometimes I used Sydney alone for an up-to-date burnt orange look; Peche Crème layers beautifully over Sydney, lightening the color a bit, or sometimes I used Peche Crème alone.  If applied first, Sydney lasts through lunch with some color left after eating.    

Finally, I wore Chanel “Graphite” on my nails all month.  It’s a perfect neutral for me!

What are your favorite things?