lashes and strokes: Review : Shupette Has-It-All Eye & Lip Palette, Shupette Eye-Need-Shu Liner, Shupette Silk Cushion Cheek

Happy New Year, everybody! :D

How's has 2015 been treating you so far? Bad? Good?

For me, it has been a super packed one. Not that I'm complaining but 2014 had been a sharp learning curve for me, I was initially planning to come up with a post to sum up 2014 but I had a hard time putting together what I want or can share with all of you. I still can't seem to open up on a personal level here. Ever since I started university, I learnt a lot about branding - especially self-branding, the importance of privacy, and filtering whatever you put online.

On a lighter note, allow me to get back my typing flow again. My writing/blogging skills are super rusty that I crumble inside everytime I start a post. The majority of the time, the post would end up in the drafts collecting 'dust'.

Anyhooooo (anyhow).. Today, I'll be sharing my thoughts on Shu Uemura's 2014 holiday collection. I was blessed with the opportunity to play around with Shu Uemura's 2014 Holiday Collection. I have been using the palette for the past month and it was my go-to palette for almost every look. You think, you name it.

Shu Uemura Shupette has-it-all eye & lip palette - RM350

It fits in my palms purr-fectly.

The first thing that caught my eye when I opened the box was
this soft, furry white pouch with dazzling blue stones as eyes.

The back of the palette

This was too cute to ignore. I love you too, Shu Uemura!:)

There's this cute white paw prints on the protective film and again, too cute to ignore!

Close-up

Shupette has-it-all eye & lip palette comes in a white, sturdy plastic casing with a reflective, built-in mirror-like as its front cover. There's an animated picture of Shupette on the right side and the mirror-like front cover does get smudgy with fingerprints but no worries, it is easy to clean. Just give it a wipe down and it looks like new!

In this palette, there are a total of 8 eyeshadows and 6 lip colours. All of the eyeshadows has fine shimmer and the texture is buttery smooth. To be honest, I was expecting dry, dull, shimmer-packed eyeshadows. But boy, I was so wrong. The eyeshadows swatched beautifully and it seems to melt on your eyes making it look bright and youthful. I will let the swatches do the talking.

As for the lip colours, I was also expecting sticky and weak colours as I have experienced it in most palettes and again, I was proven wrong. They were a dream to apply and looked beautiful on the lips without needing to use a lip balm. On to the swatches!

Shu Uemura, you have outdone yourself this time ❤

Swatches of the left side of the palette.

As you can see, on the left side of the palette which consists of warmer, earthy colours that were meant to be use for daytime or for an everyday look. From the swatches, there are no tugging or powder residues for the eyeshadows - buttery smooth all the way. The lip colours, my favourite would be the red shade in the middle. See the white circle? That's the swatch of the pastel nude shade and I think it is meant to be semi-transparent. It is for those who doesn't want any lip colour but still want to achieve a glossy and plump finish for their lips.

Swatches on the left side of the palette

On the left side of the palette, the colours leans more towards cooler tones and dramatic shades for both eyeshadows and lip colours. This side of the palette is meant for night time or for occasion such as parties, etc. My favourite shades has to be the taupe-ish purple base eyeshadow and the pearly black eyeshadow. I was blown away by the pigmentation of the black eyeshadow. You can use it as an eyeliner if you prefer to travel light and it gives a softer look if compared to pen/pencil black eyeliner regardless of any formulas. The lip colours are.. AH-MAZING.

If you love the attention, the pink lip colour is the colour for you. But if you are like me, who loves the dark, smoldery look - the berry red lip colour is our 'thang'. As for the last shade, it's meant for to be used especially if you have a super heavy eye makeup going on. It is best to stick to a nude or near to natural lip colour to even the look/face out. I know cakes are delicious and is the main attraction of a party but you wouldn't want to look like a birthday cake now, do you?

Shu Uemura Shupette eye-need-shu liner - RM75

When it comes to pencil eyeliners, it is really hard to please me. I look for longevity, smudge-proof, sweat-proof, and water-proof in most of my eyeliners. Sounds like a big, pair of shoes to fill in, Shu Uemura's eyeliners seem to almost fit in. The shade of this eyeliner is called Midnight Black, and the shade does live up to its name. It's a gorgeous black eyeliner with an electrifying blue sheen to it when the light hits it. The only thing that gets me is that I find it a little dry to work with. Maybe there's a technique to it that I have not figured it out yet. I will share it with you when I have found a way to make it work for me.

I haven't gotten the chance to create some crazy, statement eye makeup.. So here are some everyday "eye-makeup" I have created from the palette :

I just love the warm, earthy tones that glows on my eyes! ❤

Shu Uemura Shupette Silk Cushion Cheek in Pink - RM100

Left : Unblended swatch of Shupette Silk Cushion Cheek
Right : Blended swatch of Shupette Silk Cushion Cheek

As a self-proclaimed makeup ~~hoarder~~ lover, I have come across powder, liquid, cream, and stick formulas for blushers but never have I seen a "cushion-like" formula. Ladies, meet Shu Uemura Shupette Silk Cushion Cheek in Pink. It's formula is described as "marshmallow-like" formula by Shu Uemura and I have to agree to that. Observe the first picture on its top right, I took an upclose picture to show you how soft the formula by leaving an imprint on the surface even when I gently pressed it. It's not powdery yet creamy. I can't seem to place my finger on it.

How and what did I use to apply this blush? That's a tough question. I tried using my fingers but that didn't work too well. I resorted to getting a cream blush brush from Zoeva (128 Cream Cheek Face Brush) and that.. let's just say I didn't achieve the look I wanted. My skin has been suffering from a major breakout of late and the surface is filled with imperfections. I found that this Silk Cushion Cheek emphasizes the imperfections on my face, hence I wouldn't recommend it if you have an uneven skin surface like me. But however, if you have a flawless skin, this blush would look lovely on you as it doesn't leave a flat, matte or powdery finish. Glow, girl, glow!

Conclusion

I don't get easily excited about a holiday collection or any makeup collection because I just can't seem to keep up with it. The only exceptions are, the MAC Cosmetics Archie Collection, Urban Decay Pulp Fiction Collection and now, Shu Uemura's Shupette Shu Uemura x Karl Lagerfeld Collection. If you are a cat lover and a makeup lover, this holiday collection is a must have. I kid you not. I regretted not taking back the Shupette life-size cardboards :(

If you were to ask me which of these items I would recommend, it would be the Shupette Has-It-All Eye & Lip palette. I know it is pricey at RM350 but I'll leave it to you to do the calculation. If you only want certain colours of the eyeshadows or lip colours, you can get their Shupette Eye-Need-Shu Trio or Shupette Rouge Bonbon Fantasy Trio. Both of them are priced at RM120 each and it's available in 2 colours.

As for the Shupette Eye-Need-Shu Liner, it's priced at RM75 each and it's available in 2 colours : Midnight Black and Gala Brown. Do you need this? Yes, if you have ran out of eyeliners or you simply just love cats. You can't ignore those cute, printed paws on the eyeliner. Last but not least, the Shupette Silk Cushion Cheek priced at RM100 each and it's available in 2 shades : Orange and Pink. Do you need it? Yes, if you don't have a blusher or if you have flawless skin or if you want to achieve that Korean/Japanese glowy skin.

Here are the price list for Shu Uemura's Shupette 2014 Hoilday Collection :