Tangerine Summer with RMK

Greek/Ελληνικά

By now I think we've all gotten enough of the Pantone colour for this summer, Tangerine Tango, in all sorts of products and -most prominently- lip colours. I can't say I've taken part in the tangerine madness and it's all due to these two products which I've been using non-stop for the past two summers and will be using for this one, too.

RMK Gloss Lips N CL-02 Clear Orange is the only lipgloss that's ever won my heart. I am a lipstick girl through and through and, yes, I did manage to spent all of the 00s without becoming enamoured to lipgloss; CL-02 is just this special and different. It's not sticky and it's not icky in the way a gloss can be and it has no sparkles. It's a beautiful clear orange; I liked the clearness of it so much I used to get obsessed about not tranfering any lipstick in the tube with my brush. I apply it sheerly and it enhances my natural lip colour and makes them look juicy. I start using it when the days are growing warmer, and it's one of only two lip products I took on my holidays last year when I decided I wouldn't take too much make up with me. It's summer in a bottle for me! The applicator is a plastic brush which started splaying after I'd used about half of it, but it was nothing I couldn't fix with a pair of scissors. The good news is that CL-02 is part of the permanent line. Permanent lines are so often ignored in favour of seasonal lines, but look at the gems one can find! I'm already on my second tube and will be getting more after this. 

RMK Sweet Colour Lip 01 Tangerine was part of a seasonal line from 2007 or 2008 and it is a coloured lip balm, pretty much in the same vain as the Clinique Honeys and all the other sheer lipsticks that have become so fashionable. I love lip products like that cause they give a bit of colour, but you can still see the natural colour and texture of your lips. I'm not going to say much more about it since it's a long discontinued product, but I like it so much that I couldn't leave it out. It was -in my opinion- the best one of that line and I use it all through the winter. I was lucky enough to find one on ebay earlier this year as I had finished my first tube ages ago and after this one is gone, I'm going to miss it!

RMK products are a little difficult to find, but you can check out their website in case there is one near you or you can order via telephone.

Dear Shu Uemura why?

When I saw the latest Color Atelier version of the Shu Uemura eyeshadows and blushers which has been out roughly since November in the UK I couldn't help noticing that they were smaller than the older ones. Yesterday I found one of the cases form the pre-2005 eyeshadows and noticed that those were even larger. Up till 2005[pre-L'Oreal era] we were getting 2.8gr (0.9oz.), from 2005-2011 we were getting 2.1gr(0.7oz) [3/4 of the previous version]and now we are getting 1.4gr(0.49oz); we are getting exactly half the product we used to get till 2005. Moreover, now you have to get a 'single' palette even for one eyeshadow. I really don't like being pushed to buy something when it used to be included in the price.

And of course there is the issue I mentioned in a previous post, about the cosmetics being made in Korea now instead of Japan.

The blushers'quantity hasn't changed as dramatically. I don't have any of the pre-2005 era ones so I don't really know how much blusher was in the pan but between 2005 and 2011 we were getting 5gr and now we are getting 4gr. My issues with the new Color Atelier Glow On Blushers is that they have changed the codes! They all used to have a three digit number which was informative as to what the colour characteristics were. Well, that's gone now! They've replaced it with a different two-digit number which means that either I'll have to visit the store with the list that they have made available (highly unlikely) or just get whatever I like when I see it. Having learned from experience, I am attracted to the same sort of colours and buying the same colour from the same brand just because they changed the code will annoy me to no ends. I guess I won't be buying any more of them until I need to, which won't be any time soon since they last forever! 

My Perfect Eye Liner: Shu Uemura Painting Liner M Black

Happy New Lunar Year everybody!! It's the year of the black dragon, the dragon of water! How exciting does that sound? I thought that the perfect product to feature on such a day is my beloved gel eye liner, Shu Uemura Painting Liner M Black/ M Noir (for the French speaking population). 

There are not enough words of praise for this little miracle. I've had the same jar for 2 years and 2 months, I use it at least 3 times a week and only now has it started to not glide on as easily as when I had first bought it, but even so it's still great! Here's a picture of my jar and yes, I am that OCD with my gel liners.

It's not a glossy black like liquid liners tend to be, but that is to be expected since it's a gel liner. It is easy to blend if you wish to do so, but it won't move around much once it's set. I've had no problems with transfer on the upper lid, which was a major problem for me with other eye liners. It is very smooth to put on as it literally glides on on its own. It has served me right on many long days without smudging, flaking or melting or otherwise making me look like a disaster at the end of a long day.

That said, I have a complaint with Shu Uemura in general these days. Their products all seem to be marked as "Designed in Japan, Made in Korea"(open the picture in a new tab and you should see it clearly, instead of "Made in Japan" like they used to. I have nothing against Korea or Korean cosmetics, but when I buy luxury Japanese cosmetics I expect them to be Japanese. The eye liners were one of the first products they started manufacturing in Korea and nowadays it seems like everything is made there. People at Shu Uemura you are a luxury brand, why treat us this way? You were the ones that got me into Japanese cosmetics and insisted on how their quality is superior to products from all other countries, so why did you become a Korean brand? I do feel cheated somehow and will always wonder what the eye liners were before they moved their manufacturing centres to Korea.

Now that that is out of the way, one small precaution to people living in countries were it gets extremely hot. In temperatures over 38°C it becomes very melty so I don't suggest using it. You can get away with a little bit, but not a proper feline eye. By the end of the day you'll look like you put it on with your fists, kind of like  Taylor Momsen and that's never a good look.

Just to show you how much you can do with this liner, I loaded my brush up (an artist's kolinsky brush size 0) with as much quantity as I could and drew this black dragon without dipping in for more! And bare in mind that my liner is very very old in liner years!

 I did various other lines with a different brush, a no-brand synthetic angled brush. 

Happy New Black Dragon Year Everyone!!