I realize it's only November 5th, but I wanted to get a head start on holiday goodies! So I'm starting with Paul & Joe's eye and cheek color set in Sugar and Spice.
The set contains an eye shadow duo, cream blush stick and eye gloss all in an adorable pouch featuring three of Paul & Joe founder Sophie Albou's favorite animal.
We've seen the kitty-shaped blush stick and lipstick before but seriously, how cute is it?!
While I feel like this collection was just phoning it in – there was no narrative detailing the theme of the collection, and it's certainly not as creative as 2012's holiday's collection – it was still worth purchasing. I don't think one can ever have too much cat-shaped makeup. 😉
What do you think? Will you be picking up any Paul & Joe kitties this season?
Um, wow. I was pretty excited for the latest NARS collaboration with fashion photographer Guy Bourdin…until I actually started looking at his portfolio. As a feminist I found it troubling, to say the least. As someone who enjoys art and fashion, I can appreciate how groundbreaking Bourdin was in terms of fashion photography. And I understand why Francois Nars chose him as inspiration for this collection, as it was Bourdin's work that inspired Nars to become a makeup artist – the way he captured the rich, saturated hues in many of his photos was truly genius. I recognize that the collection isn't meant to glamourize violence against women but rather to celebrate the bold colors in Bourdin's work.
HOWEVER.
I'd say about half of the Bourdin photos I've seen portray violence against women, and another sizeable portion seem to signify that women are nothing more than blow-up dolls to be used and discarded. I could even consider overlooking these disturbing images if they were part of a larger body of work that didn't glorify dead/objectified women, but I found nearly all of his photos to be fairly repugnant. I could also perhaps consider separating the images from Bourdin himself – just because his photos dehumanize women doesn't necessarily mean he is a misogynist. Unfortunately, that's not the case on that front either. He was just as anti-woman as you would suspect from his photos. Maybe it's because I'm from a different generation. In the '70s these images would have been considered "daring" and "pushing the envelope". In 2013, using offensive pictures to sell something isn't a novel idea. The "edginess" of showing a woman stuffed headfirst into a trashcan has long worn off; this image and others like it are solely abhorrent.
In my cursory research on the matter I found that I'm not alone in my dismissal of this collaboration. These bloggers said it better than I could, so rather than write any more about this I encourage you to read their thoughts on the topic: Temptalia and InTruBeauty.
What do you think? Will you be passing on this collection?
2013 truly was/is the year of punk revival, and since punk style and subculture are near and dear to the Curator, I decided to devote the fall exhibition to this glorious trend. It's a smaller exhibition than in years past, but I was committed to the theme and didn't want to do a bigger exhibition with non-punk-inspired pieces in it. This is basically a long way of saying I couldn't reconcile some of the fall pieces we've seen (Chantecaille Wild Horses palette, Dior Bonne Etoile) with the punk trend, and decided to sacrifice size in exchange for a more cohesive exhibition. Since it was on the small side I couldn't really go into the history of punk makeup, which would have been great to incorporate somehow, but I think overall it works.
So many magazine images inspired me. I was enthralled by the emphasis on plaid, tweed and houndstooth and the punk update most of the items in these fabrics received.
And as you can see in the exhibition, I added some magazine pages at the top – these were my favorite images.
Magazine images, left to right:
Top shelf, left to right.
Dior 5 Couleurs in Rose Ballerine and Les Tissages de Chanel in Amber:
Sephora Drop Dead Gorgeous makeup brush set:
Do you not love the skull pattern on the handles?!
MAC Rebel Rock postcard and Benefit Rockateur blush:
Sephora eyelash curler and Urban Decay nail polish in Vice:
Thoughts on the exhibition? Are what do you think about the punk trend this season? When it comes to badass details like studs and skulls and chains, I can't get enough!
Links from this week and last, plus a recap of my first marathon. 🙂Â
– This Jezebel article on makeup’s meaning is sort of bad news for people like me, who enjoy wearing lots of makeup in dramatic shades. Sorry, but the minimalist bare-faced look just isn’t for me.
And now, I will post a recap of my very first marathon!! You may remember last year I ran the half marathon at the Baltimore Running Festival and hoping that this year I would be one of the people with the “full” sign on their back. Many miles later, with a lot of blood and sweat along the way, it happened. (I do have photographic evidence of the blood and sweat but decided to spare you and not post it.) Interestingly, I also ended up wearing the same shirt I wore to the half last year.
I was so nervous I ended up running faster than I normally do, but I had no idea until I checked the Runkeeper app on my phone around mile 6. I thought it was wrong and just ignored it. But when I got to the halfway point I saw the husband (and the great sign he made for me!) and he told me I had in fact been going faster than usual. I was so happy to see him.
That photo was taken through the sign he made for me – in the shape of Jeero, Museum Advisory Committee member and my official coach.Â
The next half was rough…lots of hills and I got really tired around mile 16. Fortunately the last 3 miles or so are mostly downhill or flat. Here I am heading towards the sweet sweet finish line.
I was so happy my parents and mother-in-law came to see me cross the finish line! My mom kept saying she couldn’t believe I did it. I understood since I couldn’t believe it either! Plus, my mom remembers all those years of me struggling through gym class and her having to call the gym teachers to beg them not to give me a failing grade…and now I run marathons.
I have to admit, I was kind of terrified for the next 24 hours or so. I was really nervous before the race and fine during it, but once I finished I was afraid I would keel over from exhaustion, that I had pushed myself too hard, that my body couldn’t handle a full marathon and that my heart would just stop. I was more or less on the verge of a panic attack till the next day, when I figured that if I had made it through the night I was probably in the clear. Odd, but I guess if you’re as wound up as I am it made sense to worry about such a thing. I wouldn’t be me if I didn’t worry about everything in the whole wide world!
Some observations and fun facts:
Best sign I saw while running (besides the husband’s, of course): “Run, Omar’s comin’!” So perfect for Baltimore.
Craziest thing I saw: a guy in a Dunkin’ Donuts costume who was also running the full marathon. I have absolutely no idea how he managed to run the entire time being dressed as an enormous coffee cup.
Number of people wearing Lululemon, including me:Â 5.
Number of people wearing Under Armour:Â 26,995 (there were about 27,000 runners total.)
Worst stretch: between miles 16 and 19, where it was pretty much all uphill. I ended up walking most of those 3 miles.
Best stretch: Besides the few yards to the finish line, the best part was around miles 5 and 6 because a. it was downhill and b. part of my regular training route. Running along a familiar street helped ease the nerves.
Post-race meal(s) – slice of pepperoni pizza about 2 hours after I got back from the race; then a cheeseburger with bacon and a fried egg, french fries and an ice cream sundae with bananas (need that potassium!) and peanut butter sauce. Then the next morning I went to brunch, which included migas, home fries and 2 mimosas. It’s safe to say I ate back all the calories I burned and many more. Oops.
Despite the drizzly, humid weather I had a good time. I was pleasantly surprised that there were still so many spectators out on the course by the time I finished, and like last year the race was well-organized with plenty of volunteers. Also, I had a super secret time goal and I beat it by 4 minutes, so I was really happy with that (dare I say I was proud of it?). Finally, for all the kids who made fun of me in gym class, the teachers who berated me for being weak and slow and uncoordinated, to them I say:
EAT IT WITH A FORK!!Â
I’m still slow and uncoordinated, but I’ve got enough stamina and just enough coordination to put one foot in front of the other for 26.2 miles. So they can take their stupid jock worship and silly Presidential Fitness tests and stick ’em where the sun don’t shine.
Barring injury, I plan on running more marathons…just 1 or 2 per year and definitely no ultras, but I want to run more and get faster.Â
What were you up to this week? And do you run?Â
Makeup
Museum (MM) Musings is a series that examines a broad range of museum
topics as they relate to the collecting of cosmetics, along with my
vision for a "real", physical Makeup Museum. These posts help me
think through how I'd run things if the Museum was an actual
organization, as well as examine the ways it's currently functioning.
I also hope that these posts make everyone see that the idea of a
museum devoted to cosmetics isn't so crazy after all – it can be done!
I bet you're wondering where the Curator keeps the Makeup Museum's collection. (At least, I hope all two of my readers are curious.) So today's installment of MM Musings is devoted to the topic of storage.
No museum can really escape the issue of where to store its collection; it's not as though curators and directors can simply toss pieces into the garbage if they don't want them anymore. While museums do regularly deaccession some of their works, this is not the most efficient way to make room for more items. However, the bigger storage issues museums face relate to organization and security, not so much lack of space. When a public institution such as a museum is planned, obviously the people behind it ensure the location they choose has enough room for a growing collection. Some museums also are able to obtain grants for either off-site storage spaces or additions to the current location should their collection outgrow the existing storage space.
But for a private collection that grows quickly such as the Makeup Museum's, finding enough space is definitely a challenge. While makeup items tend to be small, I'm adding things at a very fast pace so my designated storage spaces fill up rapidly. And since the Museum does not yet occupy a public space, I can't exactly jump on the "visual storage" bandwagon that's so popular these days (my next MM Musings post will cover that.) Everything is stored at home in several different spots.
Now I will take you through the dark underbelly of the Makeup Museum and see if you can help me come up with a storage solution that doesn't involve off-site space or deaccessioning some of the collection (the horror!).
First I'll take you through the makeup room. Actually it's technically a master closet, but since most of my makeup is stored there, including the stuff I actually use, I refer to it as the makeup room. (This is also the room the husband built to convince me to move in…he had NO idea what he was in for.)
The closet and drawers are from Ikea, the Stila poster is from the kind salespeople at the Columbia Mall who let me take it. I was upset at the thought of it being destroyed after it was taken down so I asked if I could have it when they were done with it.
Here's the drawer where I store Paul & Joe and Stila. I store these brands here because they fit better here than they do in other drawers – you'll see why shortly.
Hey, Mummy Babo! Get out of there! I guess the little scamp couldn't resist photobombing my storage pics.
The very top drawer stores makeup from brands A-K. This was nearly impossible to photograph because it's up so high – even on a ladder I couldn't get a good picture.
It starts with A's (Anna Sui, Armani) on the left and continues to the right.
The rest of the drawers hold clothes as well as my stash (the makeup I wear rather than display), and on top of the closet are storage tubs holding miscellaneous seasonal items – summer shoes, mini Christmas tree, etc. So unfortunately I think the rest of that closet is off limits in terms of making more storage for the Museum.
The rest of the collection is stored in another closet, although this one is much smaller and regrettably, probably the ugliest space in our home. It's in a weird little niche off a hallway near the bedroom and we keep all kinds of random stuff in there – flashlights and other tools, cleaning supplies, physical therapy/fitness items, etc.
I think these drawers are also from Ikea. Originally the drawers were designated just for Shu Uemura, but I had to stack some MAC bags on top.
Now the individual drawers, which as you can see, are pretty full.
This drawer has some Paul & Joe bags that couldn't fit in with the other Paul & Joe stuff, along with some other makeup bags. The black one in the front of the drawer (on the left in the pic) is a tote from the NARS Melrose boutique, while the purple one next to the red Paul & Joe kitty bag is from Chantecaille.
The last drawer contains postcards.
Another set of drawers sits to the right of that set. I cleared off the top but normally we have workout stuff (weights, etc.) sitting on it. Why, hello Swiffer!
The first drawer has totally random stuff from all different brands – brands that aren't well represented in the Museum's collection so far, i.e., ones that I don't need entire drawers for yet.
The rest of the drawers contain all my LUSH bath goodies.
Finally, there's another cart of drawers all the way in the back. I've resorted to putting more Paul & Joe stuff on top.
First drawer contains the L's – Lancome and Laura Mercier.
Then we move into MAC.
Here's where the organization really falls apart. I think this drawer originally just had Too-Faced palettes, but with MAC's constant limited-edition offerings I had to put MAC stuff in here too.
The rest of the Too-Faced collection and some Tokidoki:
Then, the bottom-most drawers, which I have trouble reaching because this cart sits behind another cart where we keep home repair stuff, I ended up shoving NARS stuff in there, along with more random items (Milani, Laduree, Urban Decay). Clearly this is no longer alphabetical. I think I did it this way because I wasn't expecting NARS to ever have LE items, so I just went straight from MAC to Too-Faced and instead of moving NARS up one drawer and the Too-Faced stuff down, I just put them in here. Lazy I know.
Then, finally, more bags and other memorabilia.
So…any suggestions how to make more room besides getting rid of things or moving them off-site? In looking at that second cart, I think I may have to strip it of the LUSH items and move them somewhere else – I can probably put them in one larger bag somewhere, there's no need for them to be spread out in the drawers. Another option is to attempt to put some things into the storage tubs on top the of the closet in the makeup room, but that really isn't easily accessible. The stuff that's up there now are all things I need only once or twice a year, but with the Museum's exhibitions happening at least 4 times a year and me constantly putting away things that aren't on display I need easier access.
Unfortunately that's all I can think of at the moment. We either need to move to a bigger house or I need to get a public space!
Thoughts? (Other than "you have too much makeup")?
I was so pleased I was able to trek up to NYC last Thursday to see Makeup in New York's show and vintage lipstick exhibition! It was fun to walk around and see all the packaging companies, but the main draw for me, of course, was seeing some highlights from Lips of Luxury up close and in person.
The show was held at Center 548 in Chelsea, which is an area of NYC I'm not too familiar with – we normally stick to Soho and Union Square, with occasional jaunts to where all the department stores are (uptown? downtown?):
Nice little brochures were provided when you checked in.
I eagerly searched to find where the lipstick exhibition was.
Fortunately it was on the 2nd floor so I didn't have to climb too many steps to get there!
Right up front were the Revlon Couturines!!
Behind those was that crazy Lenox lipstick holder:
Some other treasures:
Why yes, that IS a mermaid-shaped lipstick case!!
Huge dork that I am, I had brought my copy of Lips of Luxury with me in the hopes of getting either Jean-Marie Martin-Hattenberg (the author) or Anne Camilli (Editorial Director) to sign it, if they happened to be at the exhibition. And I thought maybe I could give them my card. I did in fact meet Anne, but ultimately I was too chicken to actually ask for an autograph or start plugging the Makeup Museum. My husband pointed out that it may not have been as weird as I thought to ask her to sign the book, as she was the one who, you know, helped write it. But I thought I might come off as annoying or worse, some kind of creepy stalker, so I just said I was a big fan of the book and left her alone.
Overall, I thought it was a well-curated exhibition. The selections were definitely what I would have chosen from the book. I did think, however, that the presentation could use a little work. The glass jars with the pink tops were cute, but the acrylic stands that some of the lipsticks were sitting on within them looked pretty cheap. And the jar wasn't the best choice of display vessel for the Alberto Guardiani lipstick shoe – it looked squashed in there! I also would have made the label text nicer and with thicker paper. Good typography and quality paper goes a long way. Of course, I have little room to talk since I tend to cram items onto the shelves I use for my exhibitions and the shelves themselves aren't tremendously well-made. Still, I think for a formal exhibition in a "real" public space I'd go the extra mile to make sure everything looks amazing.
After I was done drooling over the exhibition, we explored the other booths and saw what conference sessions were taking place.
On the way out I helped myself to a goodie bag.
I thought this was cool – it's all the packaging companies that attended the expo in Pantone swatchbook form.
A bag of samples of the latest and greatest in packaging:
Bird motifs are SO 2011. "Put a horse on it!" seems to be the rallying cry for many designers this fall, as evidenced by the clothing above. Chantecaille is on board the trend as well with their Wild Horses palette. As with previous animal-themed palettes, 5% of the proceeds go to an organization that helps the animals – in this case, the Humane Society. According to the video at Chantecaille's website, there were over 2 million wild horses roaming freely in the Western part of the United States at the start of the 20th century; that number has now dwindled to just over 31,500. Horses are quickly losing their land to make way for sheep and cattle. The Humane Society works to pass legal protections for the horses and to "persuade the government to manage populations with humane, effective, economical methods" instead of allowing them to be sold and slaughtered.
When I first saw this palette, I do what I always do when it comes to animals appearing on beauty products – try to remember whether I'd ever seen horses in an ad or on another palette. There was Paul & Joe's Carousel collection this past spring which featured horses, but they were really more merry-go-round ponies than living, breathing horses. So I decided to do a little research and, to my surprise, horses have made it into a number of makeup ads.
Elizabeth Arden first used an equestrian theme in 1937 and revisited it 10 years later.
And the best of the bunch in my opinion, simply because the ad copy cracks me up, is Revlon's Stormy Pink ad from 1963 (you can still buy this shade today!):
So horses in beauty ads and products weren't as rare as I suspected.
Getting back to the Chantecaille palette, this isn't my favorite. First of all, I'm not a horse fan. There I said it. I just don't understand how they're considered the "graceful, majestic creatures" they're usually made out to be. To me they're just not…attractive. This doesn't mean, of course, that I think they should be wiped out or that I'm indifferent to them being rounded up and slaughtered, but purely from an aesthetic standpoint I find them to be rather uninteristing and ugly – awkward, smelly and somewhat dangerous, with no real redeeming qualities. The other reason this isn't my favorite offering from Chantecaille is that this is the 6th animal-themed palette in a row (following sharks, elephants, turtles, tigers and dolphins) with the same four-pan design, so frankly I'm getting bored. Would it kill Chantecaille to shake it up a little and come up with a different design? I wish they would revisit their glory days of the Protected Paradise palettes.
Anyway, what do you think of this palette?
In preparation to see the exhibition in collaboration with the Makeup in New York event next week (so excited!), I bought Lips of Luxury by Jean-Marie Martin-Hattemberg. The book is full of beautiful, and true to the title, luxurious vintage lipsticks. Here's a little taste of the amazing objects in this tome.
Lenox lipstick holder:
Cases modeled after the Leaning Tower of Pisa – I cannot get over the exquisite architectural details.
Max Factor "Watercolor Pastels" set:
The author works in some contemporary pieces as well, like my beloved Paul & Joe.
Eye candy notwithstanding, Lips of Luxury isn't only pretty pictures to drool over. Hattenberg provides a brief history of lipstick and the many different shades of the most popular hue (red), and the third chapter is devoted to how it's made today. The last chapter consists of interviews with top makeup artists and other industry leaders, such as Francois Nars and Givenchy's Nicolas Degennes, who explain in their own words what lipstick and the color red means to them. While not as thorough as Jessica Pallingston's book on lipstick (which I will get around to reviewing one of these days) I actually think the brevity in discussing lipstick's history and future works here. Given the volume of glorious vintage items, anything longer than bite-sized pieces of interesting research and facts about lipstick interspersed within would be far too lengthy.
Having said that, I would have liked to have seen just a few more details on some of the items included. For example, there's no information other than the date on the Max Factor lipsticks pictured above – was this a display case in a store or an actual set one could buy? There was also a Chanel lipstick from 1930 in an ivory case, and I was wondering if it was real ivory or just plastic.
Overall though, I do think this is a great book for any makeup fan to have on hand since it combines beautiful pictures with some history and even a sort of abstract "theory" of lipstick. And while it's only September, Lips of Luxury would definitely make a lovely holiday gift for the beauty addict in your life!
We have another pretty bronzer for summer 2013. Clarins Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact features a translucent red case that holds a bronzing powder with an exquisitely intricate design.
I had a lot of trouble getting a picture of the case without getting a ton of reflections.
So then I tried putting the flash on, which worked a lot better. The way it went off in this picture makes it look like there’s a candle inside the palette, spreading a warm glow and softly illuminating the pattern.
Here’s the collection description: “Sunshine into gold. Travel to far away lands, to the heart of an ancient people…and discover the splendours of a pre-Columbian civilization that worshiped the sun. Gold, a rich cultural symbol, is the highlight of this summer make-up collection. Sprinkle it on the eyes, neck and lips. Jade, sapphire, ruby and tourmaline appear as crystalline gemstones and illuminate this elegant sun-kissed collection.”Â
Of course, they don’t mention specifically which Pre-Columbian civilization. As we saw with the Guerlain Terra Inca collection, I’m in over my head in
trying to decipher what specifically this palette is based on – I’m no archaeologist or Pre-Colombian scholar. But after a brief search on Google I think it most resembles an Aztec sun stone that is housed in the National Museum of Anthropology in Mexico City. This photo was taken around 1890, roughly a century after it was unearthed.
Image from Library of Congress, Prints & Photographs Division, Detroit Publishing Company, LC-DIG-det-4a03446; image is public domain
Looking closely at the palette, I’m more inclined to think this particular stone was the inspiration for the design. The circle in the center surrounded by four square shapes is found in each, along with the concentric triangle at the top of the center circle and the four dots placed around the squares and one at the bottom of the inner circle. The tiny horseshoe-like pattern appears throughout both as well.  The triangles with the scrolled edges in the stone find themselves in the outer case of the palette and are also present in the powder, albeit slightly deconstructed there (the triangle is broken up into its base shape with two scrolls on each side). Additionally, this stone (weighing in a whopping 24 tons – wow!) is actually believed to be an altar or ceremonial container for the sun god Tonatiuh rather than a calendar. So it would make sense that the Clarins collection, based on people that worshipped a sun god, would choose an item used in worship instead of a calendar for their inspiration.Â
I think this is a beautiful palette and for once, Clarins provided at least a glimmer of explanation as to their vision for the collection. What do you think?
How cool is this? A man in Torrance, California was helping a friend go through some old boxes in her garage, when he came across a virtual treasure trove of Max Factor memorabilia, including photos, corporate documents and even some makeup! The friend's father was a facilities manager at Max Factor Studios and
when these items were abandoned in company storage, he decided to store
them himself rather than throwing them out. Good for him.
One of the men in the videos, Stephen Woo, was the one who brought this to my attention. He also asked if I'd be interested in buying any of the items! Naturally I said yes, but I have not heard back. :(
See anything in the vid you'd like to get your hands on? I know I did – face powder and lipsticks!
