Despite being a shopaholic, I managed to miss the fact that one of my favourite brands, RMK, had actually launched it’s 4th UK counter in Selfridges, Manchester Exchange Square in December.
RMK was founded in 1997 by Rumiko, a Japanese make up artist and the brand is HUGE in Japan. That is no easy task because the Japanese market is so competitive, ever changing, always evolving, always tempting consumers with new beauty inventions.
I popped in during my lunch time to meet Eva Gomoriova, their leading make up artist who talked me through some of their new products.
The counter itself is a temporary one so is quite small but very busy – be aware that the full range is not on display because of the space!
Eva (who is a tall, very striking looking and very passionate about RMK) began by cleansing by skin (RMK have bibs, isn’t that cool? Nothing worse than getting your make up done and you find globs of foundation and powder on your top later)…I am super paranoid about people using their random skincare on my at the moment, but because I know the RMK products, I know my skin is ok with it!
Eva used a massage balm on me to do a quick facial massage – first I had heard of it – and it was just LOVELY. The product was lovely too, not too greasy despite the face it is a balm and it sunk into my skin and smelt lovely – not too overpowering as some massage products can be.
Eva also did my nails (I don’t know how she did it all so efficiently – multi-tasking!) using a sheer pink base then going over the top with their very cute nail art polish which has a pointy brush for precision.
I like the result a lot – I guess you could use a normal glitter polish with a paint brush but as I am quite lazy with nail polish in general, a read made nail tip product is perfect for me:
Eva did my make up and it was a very fun look using the new products from the Spring collection (double ended pencil and lip crayon) – the stand out for me though was the base products.
I was sat under a super bright light which showed up every single pore and flaw – horrible – but it was only when I stood under a more natural light I could marvel at how great my skin looked – glowy and natural.
Base products used were:
- New Polished Primer in 002
- Liquid Foundation in 104
- New Loose Powder Compact to set
The other stand out product was the Separate Curl mascara. I have a few mascaras that hold curl but this stuff totally ENHANCED it too. Sorry about the naff photo:
RMK also (at the moment) operate a loyalty scheme where you get a stamp for every £30 spent, and when you have collected 10, you get a gift. I used to collect them a few years back and the gifts were always generous.
I think it’s a great idea – when a individual spends £100s of their hard earned money on your products, a little thank you goes far.
So there you go, if you are in Manchester check out the RMK counter in Exchange Square. It’s a much needed fun brand for the City Centre if you ask me, and the staff I met all seemed so enthusiastic about the brand (in a genuine way).
Note:
RMK is currently exclusive to Selfridges and has 2 stores in Manchester, one in London and one in Birmingham. You can buy the range online now too from Asos.com (not the full range) and lookfantastic.com and beautbay.com
{ 5 comments… read them below or add one }
Wait one darm tooting minute!! There’s one in Birmingham!?! Why have I never spotted this when I hang around Selfridges like a bad smell!! I’m gonna have to drag myself there on Saturday morning now…after a quick trip to Specsavers to get my apparently rubbish eyesight tested!
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That mascara looks great on you! It really holds your curl and defines your lashes
Stacie xoxox
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I could have bought that massage balm just for the scent alone…it’s gorgeously lemonly but not in an overt way! I did end up buying it because it reminded me of the Suqqu (which unfortunately we don’t have up in Manchester yet, any way of petitioning for them to open a counter?!) Ganskin massage technique, and the balm actually comes with instructions for facial massage very similar to the Ganskin method, as well as a spatula to keep everything hygienic, and a little mitt for you to exfoliate after the massage if you so wish.
Me and my friend went to the RMK counter on its opening day, but were a bit disappointed to find that there wasn’t anyone on the counter (think perhaps she was on her break?). BUT the last time we went past there were 3 staff members and all were very friendly (as you would expect from RMK!), helpful and not overly pushy like some counters can be! And I loooooove the loyalty scheme, other brands should take heed, I think it shows that the brand actually appreciate our custom
And that mascara looks amazing on you…almost looks like falsies the effect is that great!
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oops I meant *Gankin* lol
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i went to an RMK workshop last year and was quite dissapointed wif them coz they sold me products manufactured in 2005 eek! i got the skintuner (smell wonderfully nice tho), eyegel, sunscreen base, and lots more
xoxo elle
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