August 2013

I was drooling over the Limited Edition LUNASOL Summer 2013 Kit which was only exclusive to Japan as soon as it was released, so when my dear friend Elaine happened to be in Japan at that time, I jumped the gun and asked her to purchase this set for me (along with some other beautiful makeup items)!  I just received all the goodies today and this set is truly taking my breath away – I love every single product included in the set and particularly the beautiful coral eye shadow quad.

The coral themed LE Summer 2013 kit contains the following items which retails for $8400 YEN + tax that is very good value for money!

* Summer Eyes 2013 EX01 Light Coral Beige (full size)
* W Gloss Lips EX03 Fresh Coral × Fresh Red (full size)
* Lucent Cheeks EX03 Light Coral (mini size)
* Nail Finish N EX16 BrightRed (mini size)
* a well-made canvas cosmetics bag

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The Summer Eyes 2013 EX01 Quad is the main reason that got me to purchase the set. I love the fact that it contains a soft coral and a pink color that just add a different twist to a “tired” neutral palette. It is a very fresh and feminine palette to wear during spring and summer. Wearing a pop of pink or soft red shade on the eyes is trending in Asia lately as they make your eyes appear more innocent and youthful looking. Along with this quad, my other favorite pick is the Suqqu Blend Color eyeshadow EX16 from its Fall 2013 Collection which also contains a hot pink shade that is on the way!

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The quality of this quad is of typical premium Japanese eye shadows (very similar to Addictions) – all of the eye shadows are velvety smooth and cushiony soft. All shades are moderately pigmented in pearly translucent finish, and they all have micro shimmer with a soft gleam.

Swatch of Lunasol Vivid Clear Eyes Summer 2013 EX01

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Swatches of the rest of the items:

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EOTD:

Wearing (A) all over the lid,  (B) over the eye socket area and (D) along the upper lash line with (E) added on to the outer-v.

Wearing (B) along the lower lash line, then (C) is added to the tear duct and lined (E) to the outer one third.

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Lip Gloss Swatch with both colors layered together:

Bottom Line: You should not miss out on this kit if you can get your hands on it! Please refer to this post on Rouge Deluxe for availability in Japan.

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I am so excited that I finally have the CLOUD NINE Hair Curling Wand which has been on my wishlist for so long! And I cannot be more happy with it – it is worth every penny and it does everything I ever wished for a hair curling tool can do. Prior to this I have tried tons of mid range curling tongs, and although they function as expected, the Cloud Nine Wand just completely blows the others out of the water in terms of design and performance.

For those of you who are not familiar with the brand Cloud Nine, it is a company that makes professional and revolutionary hair styling tools. The founder of Cloud Nine is actually the creator of the legendary GHD straightener, and they have established this relatively new brand after the huge success of GHD. So as soon as I heard about this I just knew their products would wow me.

CLOUD-NINE-Wave-Curl-Wand-review-1Packaging is sleek and modern, it also comes with a glove to protect your hand

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What is CLOUD NINE Wave & Curl Wand:

It is a hair curling/waving wand that has 3 heat settings.  The barrel is coated with their signature ceramic finish which is designed to give your hair added shine and smoothness. The tapered barrel design also gives you the freedom to create different sizes of curls. When I first received the wand, I was quite surprised at how big this wand is compared to others.

The Wand comes with a protective heat guard in frosted finish

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Compared to the other large hair curling tongs

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Why should you have it?!

1. It heats up within 2 seconds. The design is very sleek and it looks and feels expensive.

2. I normally use the highest heat setting which works magical for my hair type. I have naturally frizzy medium/coarse hair which is very curl resistant. The problems I had with my other ordinary curling tools is that they take a long time just to curl one small strand of hair. Since I have so much hair, by the time I reach the other side of the head, the first section of hair became straight again! So I always had to go back and re-curl some hair over and over, and  the entire process was very time consuming and frustrating. With the Cloud Nine Wand, it takes literally no effort to curl the hair – I can just grab a large strand of hair and wrap it around the wand and take it off immediately (without holding it for seconds). And voila the curl looks smooth and stays in its shape all day! It allows me to curl all my hair within 10 minutes with very minimum effort.

3. I have previously mentioned in my other hair tool review posts that I am very bad with hair styling, especially with curling my hair. This wand is a life changer for me as it is definitely designed for novice users like me. The tapered design of the barrel gives you the freedom to create all types of curls, and the extra large size is also a bonus for people with long hair. I can easily create the looks below in a short time:

  • Wrap a small section of hair around the thinner end of the barrel to create tight and mermaid-like curl.
  • Wrap a medium section of hair around the whole barrel to create voluminous Victoria Secret like waves.
  • Wrap a large section of hair around the whole barrel to create an effortless beachy waves.

Bottom Line: When it comes to electronic beauty items, I am a firm believer in what you pay is what you get. The Cloud Nine Wand is a life changer for hair curling for me. If you are frustrated with the fact that you can never achieve the “magazine perfect curls” as you’ve seen on celebs/models with the tools you have, then I highly suggest you give this one a go. It works with all hair types, and it will blow you away at how easy and fast to use. The CLOUD NINE Hair Curling Wand is available here (currently on special!) with more information on the product.

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