One of the joys of Chinese New Year – besides the red packets (of course), good food and cheer – is the limited-edition capsules beauty brands launch to celebrate the festive period. Dressed in specially designed red packaging to welcome the Year of the Rabbit in 2023, here are eight to collect right now.
Dior is adding a touch of luxe to its core beauty products with the help of Italian artist Pietro Ruffo who is a frequent collaborator for the French house. The Dior Prestige La Micro-Huile de Rose Advanced Serum, Dior Rouge lipstick in the iconic 999 shade and Miss Dior perfume come wrapped in respective constellation-themed red packaging. Meanwhile, lipstick lovers can also get the Rouge Dior set consisting of four lipsticks (in shades 720, 760, 840 and 999) and a lip balm (in shade 525).
Charlotte Tilbury has decided that the plum blossom is the print for the season. Clock the pattern being printed across Charlotte’s Magic Cream, Airbrush Flawless Finish and Airbrush Flawless Setting Spray. The British makeup artist also dropped a new Matte Revolution lipstick shade called Blossom Red – which is an orange-red hue that is said to warm up the complexion and nourish puckers with lipstick tree and orchid extracts.
Kiehl’s tapped on the Shanghai-born and Edinburgh College of Art-trained illustrator Shan Jiang to give its cult products a festive outfit. The Ultra Facial Cream, Calendula Herbal-Extract Toner, Rare Earth Deep Pore Cleansing Masque, Clearly Corrective Dark Spot Solution and Super Multi-Corrective Cream now come wrapped in a design that amalgamates the rabbit, traditional Chinese stories and heritage and culture of Kiehl’s.
The Facial Treatment Essence containing Pitera is synonymous with SK-II, so it is not surprising that this is the product of choice for a celebratory remake. The skincare brand has reimagined the packaging of the essence by incorporating the wrapper design of favourite childhood snack for most Asians: the White Rabbit candy. The essence also comes with a three-piece set worth $99.
Titled the New Year Shine collection, M.A.C. Cosmetics has robed fan-favourite makeup products in sleek red packaging. The 10-product range includes the Extra Dimension Skinfinish Highlighter in Beaming Blush and Show Gold, Shine M.A.C.Stack Mascara in Black Stack, Shine Glow Play Blush in Heat Index and So Natural, Prep + Prime Fix+ Setting Spray, Shine Eye Shadow Palette and four Shine Matte Lipstick in Taupe of the List, Russian Red, Lookin’ Like Wealth and Chili.
Infused with the fermented prowess of kombucha, Fresh has transformed its well-loved Kombucha Antioxidant Facial Treatment Essence with a blue and red flora and fauna design by paper-cutting artist Qiu Jia. The design is limited to the large 250ml size.
In the spirit of Sulwhasoo’s minimalistic approach, the brand’s First Care Activating Serum has also been given a similar treatment for the Lunar New Year. Look closely and you’ll find a pair of rabbits resting under plum blossoms on the clean white bottle.
Shu Uemura celebrates the new year with some sparkle. The Firework Sparks collection has two Rouge Unlimited Amplified Lacquer bullet lipsticks in RD152 and RD175 (both high-shine reds offering a lacquered shine) and two Rouge Unlimited Amplified Liquid Pigment liquid lipstick in RD190 and BR793 (a duo chrome and brown lip respectively). Other products in the lineup are the Ultime8 Sublime Beauty Cleansing Oil, Petal 55 Brush, Hard Formula Eyebrow Pencil, a pressed eyeshadow and a custom case.