Shiseido Holiday 2010 Collector's Edition Makeup Palette

I wrote about the Shiseido Holiday 2010 Collection in August! Now that it's available in the stores, I decided to remind you how nice it is. Here is my August feature. I noticed last week that the palette is for sale while I was VIB shopping at Sephora. What a great time to purchase it, with a 20% discount!

I'm convinced Dick Page, Artistic Director for Shiseido Makeup, is a genius. Not only can he craft stunning, theatrical looks for the runway, he easily slips into his role creating stunning, wearable looks for us regular gals who want to look our best - day or night.

He has created his first complete makeup palette for the face, a limited-edition beauty that arrived at my doorstep about a week ago. Page commented that Shiseido's Collector's Edition Makeup Palette ($50) is "simple, chic, and elegant - essentials for every woman."

The palette contains seven new shades for lips, eyes, and cheeks. Page designed the collection so that women can create customized day-to-night makeup looks, all with one palette. He carefully selected shades that can be worn alone or in combination - shades that will perfectly complement any skin tone.The palette is a unique collection of makeup designed to create looks that take you anywhere, casually dressed in jeans, or glamorous in a black dress. These exquisite colors were calculated to work with every skin tone. Perfect beauty is now created
with one makeup palette. – Dick Page

Not counting the foundation that most of us feel we need and the essential mascara, this palette provides everything to dress the face.

To demonstrate the palette’s ability to create a variety of makeup looks, all Shiseido makeup counters are featuring “Glamorous” and ‘Casual,” exclusive makeup looks created by Page. By visiting a Shiseido counter (it's easy to find one), you'll learn how to re-create these looks, shown at right, with Casual at the top and Glamorous below.

The shades in the Shiseido Collector's Edition Makeup Palette are all gorgeous. See my arm photos below for a taste of Page's brilliance.

Lip & Cheek Tint (one shade on left of palette) - This compact lip and cheek tint (shown on my arm at bottom of post) was inspired by traditional Japanese lip paint, originally created with safflower. The base color appears to be a true bright red that is tinged with a shot of gold. To my eye, on my skin it's a sheer rose that can be applied lightly for a gorgeous day look or more heavily for a glam evening look. Here's a tip from Dick Page: “For day, lightly pat color on lips with your finger. For more of a punch, apply Lip & Cheek Tint with a lip brush.” I love the fact that the Lip & Cheek Tint is a dual-purpose cream charmer.

Eye Color Base (one shade) - This transparent pinkish-beige base shimmers without a glittery effect. Tip from Dick Page: “This base can be used under powder eyeshadows, providing increased color intensity.” Tip from Charlestongirl: This base is a perfect highlighter. Even if you don't use it as an eye shadow base, use it under the brow, on the high point of your cheekbones, anywhere you want an extra glow. It's drop-dead gorgeous, and the texture is divine.

Eye Color (two shades) - This neutral-toned eye duo consists of a pearly charcoal-gray that I will wear down to the bottom of the pan, paired with a matte mid-toned brown. Tip from Dick Page: “Each shade can be worn alone or together to create a beautiful refined finish.” Check out the two eye shadow shades and liner at right (and no jokes about my veins - thin gals live with their prominence).

Cream Eyeliner (one shade) - A glossy, dark-purple cream eyeliner is the fall trend. This one applies like a dream and leaves a pure dark purple look that, because it's close to the lashes, even a purple phobe can wear. It coordinates perfectly with the silver and brown shadows. Tip from Dick Page: “This liner is beautiful when applied alone or blended with eye shadow for a smoky finish.”

Blush (two shades at left) - The blush colors, Glowing Golden Coral and Shimmering Bright, provide just the right hint of color to the cheeks. Tip from Dick Page: “These shades may be worn alone or swirled together to create a glamorous third shade.” When I took the photo at left, I used the brush that came with the palette and applied the blushers to my arm individually.

The textures of all of these shades are "Shiseido-stunning," and every shade is long-wearing. None of them will wipe off easily with a tissue, my initial test for longevity. I wore them on my arm to show you, and I wore them to work.

Under Dick Page, Shiseido has quickly arrived at the top of my must-have collections list. Some think Shiseido is better known for its skin care. He's changing that!

The palette is available at department and specialty stores nationwide. Shiseido makeup is also available online at Macy’s, Nordstrom, Bloomingdale’s, Saks, Dillard’s, and Sephora. To get more information or to find a store location near you, just pop over to the Shiseido Web site.

Photos, palette courtesy of Shiseido
Arm photos by BTiB