I always forget that there are a handful of fashion retailers who have expanded into beauty within the past few years and offer lots of indie brands you won't find at the big beauty stores. Even though I browse Anthropologie's clothes pretty regularly, it was only recently that I managed to remember to click over to the beauty section of their site. There's really not a single product with bad packaging, in keeping with Anthropologie's dedication to good aesthetics, but a few items especially jumped out at me. Despite my disinterest in prints for clothing, makeup with cute prints always pulls me in like a magnet.
First up are these adorable lip balms by Philadelphia-based surface designer Kendra Dandy.
(images from anthropologie.com)
In an interview for Anthropologie's blog, Dandy discussed her inspiration for the designs and how she found her way into surface design: "I’m a real believer that nature is the best designer, so I just tried to add my own personal touch to the fruit and floral prints. I love drawing citrus because there are lots of different ways you can paint it: whole, sliced in half, wedged. Citrus fruits look particularly lovely when they still have their leaves attached…I wanted to be involved with the fashion industry, but I don’t have sewing skills or an interest in merchandising, and I wanted to be able to use my painting skills in a practical way. When I found out that people could actually make a career by creating surface designs for textiles and various other products, I was sold. Surface pattern illustration involves me applying what I love mostpainting and drawingto any sort of product, be it home décor, beauty, apparel or tech. It’s always incredible to see something you’ve painted on an object that people buy."
The flamingo and floral prints are quite nice, but the fruit prints are my favorite – so bright and cheery! It's interesting that Dandy noted her love of drawing citrus fruit, because I actually think that's the best print out of all of them.
The other ridiculously cute items I found were more lip balms, this time designed by Brooklyn-based illustrator Danielle Kroll. Kroll worked in Anthropologie's art department upon graduating from the Tyler School of Art, but after a few years went out on her own. Anthropologie wanted to continue working with her for their Artist Studio series, and it's obvious why – Kroll's whimsical and charming prints are perfect for the company's vintage-inspired yet thoroughly modern vibe.
(images from anthropologie.com)
In an interview with stylist Christine Dovey, Kroll describes her aesthetic: "I think my work can also be distinguished by its playful and humorous quality. Life gets hard and there are tons of artists who make beautiful work about serious issues. But for me, I get more inspired by the silly things in life and just hearing that my work made even one person smile always makes me feel some validation for what I’m doing." I like this perspective a lot. Some days makeup can feel like a chore, so having an item with fun packaging sitting on your vanity or peeking out of your makeup bag can instantly cheer you up.
What do you think of these two designers? Which pattern is your favorite?