Thanks to Evonne, I had the chance to drop by Make Up Store's preview event where I was introduced to their Summer 2012 range.

At a very appropriate location by the beach at the East side of the island, Make Up Store explained that this Summer, it is all about the majestic oceans and what lies within. Very fitting for that refreshing dip in the hot summer heat! While we rarely have seasons, aside from rainy and dry, I think it's safe to say that the weather has been hot, hot, hot of late.

The deco, drinks and atmosphere was played up very well to suit the theme of the event and nothing was left out. All right down to the location and that was a marvellously meticulous effort on Make Up Store's part.

p.s. the salmon was delish.

But back to the collection!

The idea behind the Coral collection is allowing your face to "illustrate the ocean with it's immaculate landscape of seaweed and starfishes". That sounds entirely vibrant and captivating and while in the pan the colors do look rather daunting if you are a neutral lover, you would be glad to know that they aren't as hard to pull off!

Products in this Coral collection include:

• Microshadow in Starfish - yellow (S$27)
• Microshadow in Lagoon - blue (S$27)
• Microshadow in Algea - moss green (S$27)
• Eyedust in Sea Moss (S$29) - this one is beautiful!
• Eye Pencil in Wave - blue (S$27)
• Eye Pencil in Water Spring - green (S$27)
• Lip Pencil in Pink Soda S$27
• Lipstick in Attitude (S$29)
• Lipgloss Pot in Sea (S$27)
• Blusher in Pink Reef (S$32)
• Nail Polish in Tanja (S$22)
• Nail Polish in Jari (S$22)

The lipstick, lipgloss pot and lip pencils are all in complimenting shades. The way the lipgloss pot functions would be for those who want a hint of pink without that vibrancy of a lipstick and with added moisture.

When worn on the lips, it actually looks fairly similar, as you can tell with the models below. The one in pink is wearing the lipgloss pot and the one in white, the lipstick.

I did some swatches of the shadows and liners available in this collection and Yina had helped me snap a shot below.

They Microshadows carry a decent wash of color, which you can build, along with a soft (what they refer to as) 'Tahitian Mother of Pearl' effect.

The swatches were done without any primer of any sort but I think these would look lovely over a base. That random white streak you see at the right is their Hi Tech Lighter, an intense base color for eyeshadows to adhere to.

Here's a shot of the model's makeup look during the makeup demonstration.

What I forgot to swatch was the Eyedust in Sea Moss, which looks absolutely gorgeous in the pot. It's just, me being afraid of a mess didn't want to fuss with it but Kas has a beautiful swatch of it here.

I will go into the blush, lipstick and some other interesting stuff in my next post where I showcase and swatch the items from the goodie bag. Do look out for that!

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In the mean time, aside from solely mentioning their Summer 2012 offerings, Make Up Store had also introduced some newly released products.

One of which is this Body Butter (in Melon), a savior for those with dry skin conditions. It feels a little heavy on and is something that I would use at night to prevent the aircon from drying my skin out.

Though a very welcoming use for this was through a hand massage that was performed on us the minute we arrived.

This tub costs S$59 which may sound like a lot but it's a fairly big disc and I would reserve it for going over dry areas like elbows, knees and heels along with an occasional sweep across legs and arms. I believe in my posession, as a moisturizer drainer, I could use it for a good while.

Another really interesting product is this Candle Massage Oil. From my memory it feels like I have heard of such a product before but I just can't recall where from right now.

Containing shea butter, almond and coconut oil, this candle releases a lovely chocolatey aroma as it burns and sweetens the area though in a way that isn't cloying or sickly. After burning the candle for a good while, you can actually dispense the melted oil and use that as a massage oil.

The very first thing I thought of as they went around pouring a little for everyone to try was "Isn't it hot?!".

As turns out the oil has the ability to prevent itself from heating up too much. I really can't explain the science of it but it carries a nice warmth to it without feeling scorching hot.

Again, being an oil, it runs quite thick and would be ideal for a choco scented massage. It would feel quite indulgent to use it daily or regularly.

The candle holder has a tiny spout to aid with dispensing the oil though it can still run down the sides if you aren't careful. All in all a very novel product since there aren't many out there but honestly I have this nagging feeling in the back of my head about hearing of this somewhere else. Where is that somewhere else?!

Aside from the Summer collection, there are loads of other new inclusions to Make Up Store's shelves, including pouches, soaps, body wash and all. The best would be for you to pop by the stores and give everything a look for yourself!

The Summer 2012 Coral Collection is currently available at all Make Up Stores.

Paragon #03-20 Tel: 6887 5828
Vivocity #01-02 Tel: 6276 0988
Raffles City #B1-33 Tel: 6337 5688
313@Somerset #04-10 Tel: 6884 6008

Have you dropped by the stores or eyeing anything from their new products?