“I absolutely have no idea why Miranda hired her”
“Tell me about it. We were in the Beauty Department and she held up this Shu Uemura eyelash curler and said ‘What is this?’”
– The Devil Wears Prada
When Shu Uemura rocked up to his first day at the Tokyo Beauty Academy, he was the only male in a class of 130 pupils. An outlier in a sea of eager learners. Now his name has joined those of the highest order within the beauty industry, and even finds itself mentioned in cult movies.
Renowned for his masterful makeup artistry since 1958, Shu Uemura helped pioneer the concept of the makeup artist, merging makeup and art through his bi-annual mode makeup collections and on-stage makeup performances. A kaleidoscope of inspiration to create individualized beauty for every woman, Shu Uemura boasts an unrivalled 100 shades of eye colour and over 150 shades of lip colours.
Working with the likes of Shirley McLaine, Edward G. Robinson, Frank Sinatra, and Lucille Ball, Uemura paved the way towards innovative skin care and makeup, following his philosophy that the health of his customers’ skin should be the most important aspect of cosmetics, believing in enhancing a subject’s natural beauty, not artificially creating it using cosmetic products.
Employing a unique blend of nature, science and art combined with Shu Uemura’s pioneer spirit, the brand creates avant-garde make-up, high performance skincare and artistically-crafted professional quality tools that fuse simplicity and elegance.
THE MUST HAVES
1) Depsea water facial mist
Depsea facial mists come in 8 different fragrances providing a refreshing or relaxing scent, all formulated with natural origin phyto-ingredients. The range includes; bergamot, chamomile, hamamelis, lavender, mint, rose, and fragrance free. Pictured on the left is the Depsea Water Facial Mist in mint.
2) The Depsea Moisture range
Refined and fortified with extracts of blue algae, brown and red seaweed, the range is rich in group B vitamins, moisturizing micro-polysaccharides and essential amino acids to promote the skin’s hydrating ability. Pictured above-center is the Depsea Hydrability Moisturizing Cream.
3) Cleansing oil
The secret to Shu Uemura cleansing oil is protecting the skin’s delicate moisture balance while removing makeup and impurities in a single step. Blending rich botanical oils, including avocado and jojoba, with natural phyto ingredients, cleansing oils are formulated in six varieties for perfect, gentle cleansing specific to skins daily needs. Gentle, thorough cleansing is the first step to beautiful skin. Pictured above-right is the High Performance Balancing Cleansing Oil Advanced Formula.
Eyelash Curler
Shu Uemura’s eyelash curler has been a cult favourite amongst makeup afficianado’s for its amazing ability to curl lashes. The curler is definitely a must-have for any make up bag.
Each lash set is handcrafted by dedicated artisans adding style and dynamic colour to every look from subtle sophistication to the dramatic premium edition masterpieces for an avant-garde make-up creation. Shu Uemura is renowned for their range of false lashes, from the subtle to the not-so-subtle (such as their polka dot lashes!). The Shu Uemura Tokyo Lash Bar is a definite place to visit if you’re interested in amazing false lashes.
Black Velvet Feather False Eyelashes
Images courtesy of Shu Uemura
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