On this day back in 1928, a Japanese makeup artist by the name of Shu Uemura was born. Destined for greatness, he was the only male student at the Tokyo Beauty Academy and launched his first cosmetic product in 1960. He went on to open up his first boutique store in Tokyo in 1983. And as the old cliche goes, "And the rest is history..."

This year we celebrate the 25th Anniversary of the Shu Uemura brand and the summer 2008 collection is aptly named HANA-BI which means "fireworks". The collection includes 100% natural origin fragrances consisting of Despea water and unique color palettes that bring out the essence of each fragrance. Mr. Uemura himself commissioned Tokyo industrial designer, Gweneal Nicholas, to design the packaging for the collection.

I'll be trying out the eyeshadows in this collection, so stay tuned for a review!