Ipsa Skin Beauty Face Color in H562

Ipsa skincare and makeup are renowned for their quality and have also long struck me for the clean, beautiful lines of their packaging, perhaps because no other brand I know of has got the same look and feel as it does. 

Pictured above is the Face Color in H562 (now renamed Skin Beauty Face Color). On Ipsa's English website, the product description goes as:

"A face color that evenly adheres to skin with a smooth, moist texture to produce a finish irresistible to touch. Can be applied to various areas including eyes and cheeks."

The square case has rounded edges that keeps the case looking soft and elegant while being modern and futuristic at the same time. The center of the cover is a see-through plastic surrounded by a metallic, reflective border. It is easy to see the actual shade even when the lid is closed. The face color can also be clipped on and off from the container easily. The high-quality plastic case feels very sturdy and smooth.

It was hard trying to pick up H562 among the massive selection. I remember testing many colors in HK Causeway Bay's Lane Crawford counter (when it was still on the ground floor; Ipsa has now relocated to the basement level). My one perfect color had to satiate my desire for all the lovely, colorful shades laid out on the counter (I know, unreasonable), as well as serve as a functional "every day" eyeshadow. In the end, I settled for H562 because it looked like the holographic peach shade is basic enough to pair with any look, while the fine gold shimmers in it would help creating a lively 3-D effect. 

The texture is buttery soft and smooth.

The shade applies sheer with some visible gold bits that provide an ethereal, special finish. It doesn't wear well without an eye makeup base though. Perhaps because it is a multi-use product, it doesn't have the staying power of most Japanese eye shadows.The product can be slowly layered to build a strong wash of color. I wouldn't recommend piling on this color though, because it is a light color, too much of it made my eyes look unflattering-ly smaller. With a good eye primer, it stays put for a good 8 hours or so. I did try to use this as a highlighter on the cheeks, but alas, it turned out to be too shimmery and the result looked unnatural and greasy-looking.

The eyeshadow pan (I call it such since I mainly use this as an eye shadow) is clear too so that the color is still visible from the back (really cool). On both sides, notice the levers that make this eyeshadow clip in and out of the case easily. It contains a good 2g. The Face Colors now come in a new packaging that I have not had the chance to try. I do know they increased the price by ¥100 and there are 39 colors in all. This product only cemented my continuing love and support for Ipsa.