Um, WOW! The Shu Uemura Mika Holiday Collection is in the mutha truckin’ hizzouse. I was so stoked when I first saw the three new palettes and limited edition Mika lipsticks on the Shu Uemura website, but now that I’ve seen them in person … I LOVE THEM EVEN MORE!
Each of the eyeshadow palettes comes with pressed shadows and a cream liner shade with the same wonderfully high color pigmentation and fine textures we’ve come to expect from Shu Uemura’s eye products.
I think Shu’s among the top brands when it comes to quality and their attention to detail, and one thing I lurve about these particular palettes is how varied the color combinations are — they’re visually interesting yet highly wearable at the same time.
Shu Uemura joined forces with Japanese photographer Mika Ninagawa to conceptualize Mika Holiday. I love the clean, floral aesthetic of the eye, lip and face products and makeup storage cases. Check out the entire collection on the Shu Uemura website and let me know what you think.
Midnight Winter Sakura (limited edition, $65)
A palette with strong, rich colors for bold, glamorous looks. I think the blues in this are *amazing* and the coloring vivid and highly pigmented, like deep blue tropical seas.
From left to right:
- Eyeshadow: a warm and shimmery gold
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery taupe-gold
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery bronze
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery khaki
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery teal-blue
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery royal blue
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery rose-gold
- Cream liner: a black with hints of shimmery rose and purple
Adorned Marguerite (limited edition, $65)
The vivid shades in this cool-toned palette made me go “OoOOooOOO!” — in particular Adorned Marguerite, which may turn out to be the palette that erases my fear of bold daytime eyeshadow colors forever.
The included sparkly white cream liner isn’t as spreadable as the black liner that comes with the Winter Sakura palette, but I’m excited about layering it beneath a few of the other brighter shades in the palette.
Oh, and what do you think of the psychedelic packaging? It makes me kinda want to stop the world and melt with you.
From left to right:
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery, cool gray-black with flecks of silver
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery, cool lemon yellow
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery, cool pinkish rose
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery turquoise-blue
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery, cool pastel purple
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery moss green
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery bronze
- Cream liner: a cool white with flecks of white and silver glitter
Secret Luscious Rose (limited edition, $65)
OMG! This one has my favorite packaging of the three. According to the Shu Uemura website, the palette contains a collection of dusty rose shades to express “elegance and mystery” (LOL!).
Beyond their mystery and elegance, these shades are pretty and practical, but they’re also a lot like several shades I already have. Still, I like this palette and plan to combine the brighter shades with the two neutral shades on the far left.
From left to right:
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery cool brown (this reminds me of an amped up version of MAC Soba)
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery golden beige
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery red-bronze
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery rose
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery violet
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery royal blue
- Eyeshadow: a shimmery khaki gold
- Cream liner: a shimmery, warm brown with flecks of golden glitter
Loading ...Mika Collection Rouge Unlimited Lipsticks
With their limited edition pink-petal inspired packaging, the three Rouge Unlimited lipsticks in the Mika Collection are certainly pretty on the outside. As for the lipsticks themselves, all three shades revolve around beige: Petal Pink Beige, Petal Orange Beige and Petal Brown Beige.
I really wanted these shades to work for me, but, unfortch, beige is not my best lip color, and these shades didn’t really pop on my lips like I wanted them to. My favorite one was Petal Brown Beige, mostly because Petal Pink and Petal Orange looked so much alike to me. I’d suggest that unless you really lurve beige, save your pennies and splurge instead on the eye palettes.
Petal Brown Beige Rouge Unlimited Lipstick, $23
Petal Orange Beige Rouge Unlimited Lipstick, $23
Petal Pink Beige Rouge Unlimited Lipstick, $23
Loading ...Happy Thursday, ladies! Just have to make it through today at work, and then I’m in the clear for a few days, yea! My week hasn’t been all puppies, flowers and rainbows, but things are starting to look up.
Hope you’re having a wonderful day.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
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OMG! The swatches I’ve been long waiting for! I have this feeling I’ll nab all of them and live in just the brown bag til January 2009.
*sigh* Thanks so much Karen! 
Phoebe´s last blog post..Love At First Swipe: MAC Lipstick in SO SCARLET (and more!)
The lipstick don’t do anything for me but those palettes are absolutely gorgeous! I love the color combinations and the packaging is so pretty too. Thanks for the swatches.
gio´s last blog post..How to choose the right hair brush
it’s like you entered my mind! i was looking at the shu website today (coupon for free shipping/travel size samples in my email)…and was staring longingly at the palettes…i ended up getting my normal cleanser…and now i wish i had gotten the palettes
Thank you soooo much for the swatches! There’s no Shu counter where I live but I’m getting my local Holt’s to send Midnight Sakura & Luscious Rose my way from another city. I requested them last week – but they aren’t even on Canadian counters yet, which is odd because some of the palettes are already sold out in the US.
Girl did you get all three palettes? If you did you are my hero! If you didn’t, which one(s) did you pick up?
OK-I give you my permission to judge me, but I’m still gonna tell ya some things about me and my makeup obsession…
1. I don’t really like “ornate” makeup packaging. I much prefer plainer stuff. Even though it’s the stuff on the inside that appeals to me the most.
2. I don’t like to mix cream with powder in palettes. Weird, I know for for some reason I feel like the cream will get contaminated!
now, all that said…..WOW! the photos of the inside of the palettes and swatches are amazing!!! I actually lost my breath a little bit. I LOVE my shu eyeshadows, they do totally rock. I could perhaps be persuaded to overlook the cream+powder, sharing the same little slot.
And, I know this makes no sense given my statements above, but I really, really love the red casing on the lipsticks! (not really a fan of the palette cases though-don’t shoot me). I actually *like* beige and love the petal orange-it looks like the elusive nude, peach lippie I’m constantly searching for. Do you know what formula these are?
Adorned Marguerite is sooo freaking gorgeous! I like how vibrant those colors look.
Hope you have a great night.
Marisol´s last blog post..TILT 10.30.08
the palettes remind me of those old crayola painting palettes used in art class from grade school. if i had to choose one it would be the secret luscious rose one…
I really like the Secret Lucious Rose Palette! I’m not too fond of the packaging though..I think it would be nicer if the cover maybe a soft gold or white? The eye shadows are to die for, though! I really want to buy it but $65?!
Hey hun! I like the petal pink beige…for me I would keep it in my pocket all day for a quick lip!
I have been great and crazy busy! My hubby and I have been going out of town alot for wedding and stuff…we went camping for the first time EVER in my life and it was a blast! I loved it!
My Bday was Tues and when we first got married (18 months ago) we always said that around my 32 bday we would start trying to have a baby…but it kinda started to freak me out a bit so we are just at a cross roads, ya know? I love, love, love kids and I want to have them I just am not ready to give up my saturday shopping days and cocktails with my girls! Or so thats what I keep thinking…Sorry for rambling! bleh.
I hope your week gets better and that you have a fun Halloween!
KK
ps – how can I find ya on face book? do u even have fb?
The lipsticks have names, yay! I always find it amusing that Shu Uemura put codes on their products instead of names. I love Shu and want more Shu in my life
These palettes are gorgeous and the lipsticks look sheer.
I posted my Halloween look today, please come and take a look at it. Also, tomorrow’s post is for Tabs and I hope he likes it.
These are all so amazing. I’m going to have to go to C.O. Bigelow to swatch, swatch, swatch:) Thanks for the pic!
HomeSpaGoddess´s last blog post.."Boo"utiful Beauty Bash Giveaway #22
The lipsticks aren’t my cup of tea either from the look of them. LOVE the palettes though. Especially the first one
Karen B´s last blog post..Top 200 my ass
Biggest lemming-inducing post ever…hot hot hot!
Adorned Marguerite….swoon!
Hi Phoebe,
Nice! Which one is your fave?
Hi Gio,
You’re welcome! I love the color combos, too. The pairings are kind of unusual, but the colors are still wearable.
Hi Anna Marie,
Aw, do you have a Shu counter nearby? Maybe you should just go and play!
Hi Cloudburst,
The company sent me the palettes to review. Which one is your favorite?
Hi Amanda,
Ah, I can now see why you are TEAM BOBBI… her packaging is always clean and modern!.
I get annoyed when cream products are located next to powders, too. I just try to be extra careful about getting powder in the cream by doing stuff like swiping the brush in away from the direction of the cream.
I’m pretty sure the lipsticks are the original Rouge Unlimited Formula…
Hi Marisol,
RIGHT? All of the sudden I feel compelled to wear bright yellow eyeshadow. That’s a new one for me…
Today has mellow for me so far and I’m really enjoying it. How are you doing?
Hi Lexi,
Oh yeah! They totally do. I remember really loving those when I was a kid!
Hi Lindsay,
Oh, a soft white would be really pretty… very modern, which it totally Shu.
The are pricy, but only need very little to get a lot of payoff. Plus, you can take it everywhere!
Hi KK,
I was thinking about you the other day and was wondering how you’ve been. Glad to hear that you’ve been busy, yet still having fun. I sooo don’t camp! Did you have running water at the camp site?
Happy belated birthday! You and I are around the same age.
I’m actually going through some of the things you are… I feel like I’m in a place where I’m ready to have kids, but at the same time I know that life is going to change permanently, and that frightens me.
I am on face book. I’m listed as Karen with the last name Makeupandbeautyblog!
Big hugs to you, and I hope you’re having a great Halloween! Did you dress your puppies up?
Hi Dao,
I know! I was sorta relived to find they had names, too. Makes it a lot easier to remember than P2355t8LLLg, ha ha!
Tabs and I popped on over! You look fab, Ms. Vampire!
Hi HopeSpaGodess,
You’re welcome! I hope you like them when you seen them in person!
Hi Karen B.,
Yeah, that one is really pretty! The blues are ever prettier when you see them in person.
Hi Laura B.,
Hi Jane,
That palette made me swoon, too! And those are shades I would never think to wear, LOL!
ah! i always loved shu’s rich pigments! i have to go get one of those palettes now, the colors are so beautiful:)
ariell´s last blog post..A Little About Me
That’s awesome Shu sent you all 3 – you get to keep them right?
I think my favourite packaging wise is Midnight Sakura, but shadow wise its a toss up between that and Luscious Rose. Adorned Margarite reminds me of the Manish palette, which I was lucky enough to get.
Is Tabs dressing up for Halloween?
Am torn between Secret Luscious Rose and Midnight Winter Sakura. EEEP!
I’ve been staring long and hrad at these palettes wondering which one to buy. They are look so lovely, thanks for the swatches.
And I thought I could live without the winter sakura palette…now I might *need* it again…lol.
Adorned Marguerite fo’ sho’ – I’m on a brights kick at the moment. The packaging looks even cuter when all three are together though… FOTDs now please!!