I’m a little tardy with this one, but if you have been to Parkson stores, you may have noticed a new skincare brand. Or maybe you haven’t noticed :P I don’t go to Parkson stores much but when I was at Parkson Pavilion recently, I did see the pale pink Aupres counter from afar.
This new brand is Aupres – A cosmetics brand with a French name, under Japanese cosmetics giant Shiseido, and before appearing in Malaysia, sold only in China. How’s that for international? Its not sold in Japan, I’m told but then, neither was ZA Cosmetics until very recently :) Aupres apparently means “next to you” or “close to you” in French but we’ll need one of our resident French speakers to confirm this one ;)
It is quite a comprehensive brand, with 5 major skincare ranges to suit most if not all skin types, and a rather wide range of makeup products as well. Some of the makeup palettes reminded me a lot of a range Shiseido used to carry, but was discontinued. I’ll tell you about it when I show you the image, and you can tell me if you remember the brand Inoui ID ;)
I must say that from a general overview at the press launch a couple of months ago, I was impressed most with the prices. The prices of the skincare are quite affordable, and start from RM45. Yes, RM45. Its a face wash, but still, think about the last time you stepped into a department store and managed to pick up a face wash for RM45. Go on, take your time… ;) The priciest item is RM275 so that isn’t exactly bank breaking territory either. This will just serve as a quick overview and introduction to the brand. I haven’t tried anything from it yet but I will quite soon and when I do, you’ll know ;)
The skincare comes colour coded which makes it easy to find the one that suits your skin or rather, your skin concerns. The peach one you see above Hydrating Pro-Balancing is as the name implies, a range to address hydration and moisture. One of their star products in the range is the Aqua Active Sleeping Mask (RM95/50ml). Its a light textured gel that you apply on skin and go to sleep in. Very popular in Asia, this sleeping mask phenomenon.
Then there’s the pink Time Lock range for anti-aging, a white Ultimate White whitening range (Asians you know. Can’t have skincare without a whitening range :P ) and a light blue Pureness Brightening range.
At the highest end is the gold Premium range for cell renewing, which uses stem cell research, and is has more premium, richer ingredients. That said, remember I said above that the price range was from RM45 to RM275? Well, that maximum price range would be found in this Aupres Premium range, which, when you think about it, isn’t too hard on the wallet.
The range that caught my eye the most is the Aupre City UV Care Sunscreen range. There are different textures with different SPF levels to suit everyone. Interestingly, the little one you see on the left is a body sunblock. I was terribly amused that it came in a smaller bottle than the rest!
Like most Japanese sunblocks, the texture is very light on the skin. I found that one of them did not smell very nice, although I cannot remember which now, while I was happier with another. It might be this one that I felt more comfortable with.
The sunblocks range from RM60-90 for a 60ml bottle (I can’t remember if the small bottle is 60ml) which isn’t terribly pricey. Then again, I’ve just finished up bottle #2 of the Shiseido Perfect UV Sunscreen that’s RM150 a bottle so yeah, I’m probably not the best person to ask about pricing LOL!
Onto makeup then! You get the full range from foundation to eyeliner. I’ll just show you 2 items that caught my eye.
These are the Aupres Expanding Image Eyeshadow palettes which are a very affordable RM80 each and come in 8 different shades. The quality is pretty much your typical Asian/Japanese eyeshadow palette, read: shimmery and light. So I will not say that they’ll suit everyone, but if you like Japanese makeup you could always check them out. RM80 a palette isn’t bank breaking :)
The palette that grabbed my attention the most was this one. Pretty right? The colours reminded me of the now discontinued Inoui ID eyeshadow palettes which were a Japan exclusive from years back. Inoui ID was also owned by Shiseido. Does anyone remember it? I had a couple of their palettes but I later discovered much to my chagrin (and the pain of my wallet) that my eyes were sensitive to them. They had a lovely silken texture with sheer and shimmery shades. The texture of these Aupres eyeshadows are nice, but based on my recollection not as silky as some others I am more familiar with. Still, they are pretty and a nice little treat.
Here’s another item that caught my eye. I like these multicoloured powders a lot, it would seem, and the Aupres Lively Finish Pressed powder at RM100 looks pretty! There are 3 shades and are more highlighters than all over powders, I’d say. I found them a bit shimmery but for a highlighter, its pretty.
I’d place Aupres somewhere around Laneige in terms of pricing and affordability. They are affordable and apparently are doing very well in China where they were conceptualised and sold. Malaysia is just the 2nd country in the world after China to get the line and it will be expanding thereafter.
In terms of the makeup, I’d place them at being more affordable than Shiseido Maquillage. The textures of the products that I managed to test were quite similar in that regard so if Maquillage appeals to you then so will Aupres. I personally gravitate more towards the Shiseido Makeup range so the Aupres makeup does not quite grab my fancy as much as the regular Shiseido ones will.
Have you heard about the Aupres brand before this? Its been around for 2 months, so has anyone given their products a trial?
I would be up to trying the skincare, I know. Since it comes under Shiseido’s umbrella, I’m more likely to give them enough credit to actually give it a go, as opposed to if it has been a standalone brand. I know, snobby! :P As for the makeup, they are pretty and affordable, but if I do try anything it might be one of their lip products, just to see if they live up to my Japanese lipstick ideal. I’m very particular about my lipsticks! :) Yourself?
Paris B
Aupres by Shiseido skincare and makeup is available only at Parkson stores for now
I use their Aqua Sleeping Mask. I wouldn’t call it a mask since it’s leave-in. It’s more like a night cream. To my surprise, it is the most hydrating night cream I’ve ever tried. Now I’m planning on to get their sun screen.
How is it compared to laneige’s sleeping mask? *o*
I only tried the Laneige sleeping mask once. I can’t really judge if it’s better than the Laneige one. But I like the texture of the Aupres one better.
I think its like the Korean sleeping packs – masks you wear to sleep :) Thanks for sharing your experience!
Oooh these are pretty, especially the eyeshadows and highlighting powder. I’ll be sure to check this range out when I’m back for CNY next year ;)
Best of all, its not bank breaking! ;)
Heard of them but never used them before… I don’t know why since I have been in China for like 8 years… Maybe cos it’s too cheap to be true? Yeah, I know.. Snobby no.2 … Maybe I shall give it a go since I am a fan of shiseido skincare… Need new toner… And maybe the sleeping mask…
Hahaha I know what you mean Eezy :D When its too cheap, I get a bit suspicious too. But that its backed by a brand like Shiseido gives me better confidence that it won’t kill me? ;)
Can they blame us after so many horror stories out there? All we can do is stick with the big boys, right? Like you said, since it’s backed by Shiseido, Aupres suddenly looks much more appealing… *grin*
I fully agree! I’m less adventurous these days, preferring to stick to the known and to the big boys, as you say ;)
Yes, Aupres means ‘close to you’ ‘behind you’ :)
I never heard about it- of course :D I wish we had more japanese/korean brands here. They focus more on preventing that european brands- trying to fight with the results… Not logic at all
Ah thank you for the confirmation, Catherine! :D I do think that Japanese and Western brands operate quite differently mainly beacuse I think there is a different sort of thinking when it comes to skincare and makeup. My skin can tolerate some Asian skincare but it tends to prefer the Western creams as opposed to the Japanese emulsions. Funny, considering I’m asian and these brands tell me its formulated for me LOL!
Never heard of this brand before, but the eyeshadow quads look really pretty. I wonder if this will be released in North America or not.
They might slowly spread their wings or it might remain an Asia only brand. I have to admit the packaging does grab my attention too
the price is something worth to consider and the best part is under shiseido. perhaps you should represent all of us to try the lipstick first? i am more interest of the lip products. waiting for more reviews on this Aupres :)
Hahaha… yeah maybe the next time I go to the counter, I’ll check out the makeup and see what attracts me :D I have a sample of some skincare so we’ll see how it all fares
that powder is a beauty! :)
And applies like one too! Tempted? ;)
Hm…very interesting! Never heard of this brand before. Those shadow palettes remind me of Estee Lauder palettes! And at that price it’s easy to pick up a few to try! Thanks for another great post!
Hmm.. now you mention it, yes they do look like EL palettes! Won’t be as pigmented though. Most Japanese makeup aren’t.
Oh I bought two of their eyeshadows two months ago. It looks pigmented when i swatch it but unfortunately, it doesnt look as pigmented on the eyes. Though I understand Jap eyeshadows tend to be shimmery and light but at least the texture and effect should be beautiful. I should hv just stick with my lunasol eyeshadows.
Thank you for the feedback Liyeun. Its a pity the shadows didn’t quite live up to expectation :( I do know what you mean about Japanese shadows. Most of the time they are sheer, but they have a multi-dimensional quality that is just so lovely on skin. Pity you didn’t see it in this, but its half the price of a Lunasol palette so that might have something to do with it ;) I am starting to really like the new Lunasol palettes again! They lost my attention halfway but its picking back up :D
Am in China now… Would probably check this out. Thanks PB, your price analyses will surely help!
Ah! I love it when the reach extends worldwide :D Enjoy your time in China and would love to know what you think of this
Ahhh …snooped the Aupres counter this evening. i could only remember the price of the eyeshadow palette – RMB190. No significant difference fr RM. And agree with you on the highlighter… Too shimmery. But i have to caveat that I only swatched on my hand… Not my face. :D
Thanks for the update, Ching! :D I’m told that in China, there’s a 20% tax on products so it tends to be cheaper here where its duty free so you can snoop there then come back here to buy teehee ;)
Hi, my wife want’s me to buy some Aupres lotions when I go to Singapore. Anyone knows if they sell Aupres in Singapore, and where ? Thank you for any help !
I’m not sure if Aupres has entered the Singapore market but I haven’t read anything about it yet.
I used to work for Shiseido Malaysia company. The Aupres brand is actually derives from China and is top brand at the country.