Oh, Benefit. You're at it again with a cleverly-named palette with a hilarious retro image. Say hello to the Perk-Up Artist, a kit for concealing and brightening that will refresh a tired-looking face.
It was the video that really cracked me up though. In just under a minute, Benefit manages to poke light-hearted fun of the slightly sleazy pick-up artist stereotype, the cheesier aspects of the '70s, AND tell you how the palette works.
I don't think Benefit has had anything this funny since the Weather Girl palette, which for some reason beyond my comprehension I do not own.
Anyway, have any of you picked up (har har) the Perk-Up Artist palette?
This week's links (a little late because I was out of town). By the way, did you like the first installment of the Museum's new Color Connections series?
– I was pleased to see this slideshow devoted to palettes at Art Info, but I think they could have added information for each piece. All of these are either pieces I already own or will own soon.
– Finally, I was up in NYC for a wedding this weekend. It was lovely, but I don't think we had nearly as good a time as Sailor Babo, whom we took to first outpost of Ladurée in the States. A full post on his adventure will be forthcoming over at Postcards from Sailor Babo.
I have a crazy busy week coming up and since I was away I had no time to prepare posts in advance, so I will be taking this week off from blogging. But I will be back next week with some fall goodies so check back then. 🙂
The second installment of Stila’s 2012 travel palette series features a brunette taking a stroll through downtown Seoul at dusk, as indicated by the soft purple-pink horizon dotted with stars.
For the life of me though, I can’t figure out what buildings are in the background. The two tallest ones on the left look vaguely like Jongno Tower. However, there aren’t two of those towers as far as I know, and the palette clearly shows two similar looking buildings.
Anyway, here’s the inside of the palette.
And the quote, which is actually a Korean proverb. Now that I think about it, it would have been kind of cool to have it written in Korean in addition to English (same goes for the Rio palette – they should have had the quote in Portuguese).
This isn’t my favorite Stila travel palette because I don’t know what the buildings are! Can anyone help me identify the architecture in the background?
Armani's summer 2012 collection is the lead inspiration for the Museum's upcoming summer exhibition, but Paul & Joe's summer collection captured my imagination as well. Midsummer Nights evokes the whimsical qualities of fairies and forest nymphs while still managing to feel grown-up.
"Just close your eyes and dream…'cause all the world's a stage…and this season you're the lead player! 'Midsummer Nights' is a sumptuous, enchanted dreamscape of colors, textures, and tones that will convince you that all your secret Paul & Joe dreams and wishes have come true. Join us on this magical adventure to discover how fantasy becomes reality with Paul & Joe."
First things first: I'm in love with the minty green packaging as it's one of my favorite colors.
I like how the Paul & Joe website cleverly separates the collection into play acts, and each item has a little description and quote. They're also beautifully photographed against an enchanted forest-type background. Act 1, "Fairy", describes the pressed powder: "Softly shimmer like moonlight on a fairy's wings with this exquisite, spellbinding, 3D shimmering powder designed to captivate and charm." (As with Armani's collection, there's the fascination with light reflections). The quote is directly from the play: "Tis almost fairy time".
The pressed powder features a pink butterfly, outlined in green, against overlapping rose and pale pink winged creatures (the one in the upper right looks like another buttefly, while the one at the bottom looks like a dragonfly). While the butterfly may not be so detailed in terms of color, the cutouts on the wings are impressively intricate, showing why this palette can definitely be considered a collector's item.
With flash:
Green dots splash across the powder – I like to think they're dewdrops, given the website picture with its fresh blades of grass and soft rays of morning light:
(image from paul-joe-beaute.com)
I also picked up one of the Face Colors, Nymph. I couldn't resist the cheery flowers springing upwards – they look like they're greeting you.
With flash:
Finally, I just had to pick up the nail polish in Fairie Queen, since it would be "like imaginary fairies dancing on your fingertips." That description pushed me to buy it – who wouldn't want to have fairy-like fingertips?
All in all I think Paul & Joe did an excellent job with this collection. It represents the spirit of fairies and summer magic while remaining sophisticated and, dare I say, high-brow – after all, it was based on a Shakespeare play. 🙂
What do you think?
You may not know this, but the Curator has quite the affinity for any object with a skull on it or that is shaped like one. (Hence, why this store is my favorite). Skulls' morbid nature and appropriation by punk culture speak to me a on a very deep level. While I don't like skulls and crossbones as much as a plain skull motif, I still appreciate them since they are synonymous with pirate lore, for which I also have a weakness. And this is why I had no choice but to pick up both of Anna Sui's summer palettes from the pirate-inspired Beach Adventures collection.
The outer box shows a worn scroll (treasure map?) featuring a skull and crossbones flanked by flags.
The outer case of the palette has a mishmash of motifs – a flag with a small rhinestone on the left and one with a skull and crossbones on the right, with a crown atop a compass design in the middle. Sui's name and signature roses appear at the bottom.
The palettes themselves have a trio of eye shadows in the shape of coins and a lip gloss with the skull and crossbones design layered on top. Here's palette no. 1 (Ocean):
With flash:
And No. 2 (Sunset):
With flash:
Looking at these got me wondering how the skull and crossbones became a symbol for pirates. I didn't think it had much basis in reality – I believed the skull and crossbone flag (along with the wearing of eye patches, having a parrot as a companion, the swilling of rum, saying "aaarrr", etc.) was just something Hollywood dreamed up, or at least made it appear as common knowledge that all pirates flew one. But I discovered that the skull and crossbones did, in fact, adorn many pirate flags throughout Western history. The exact origins of the skull and crossbones and its use on pirate flags aren't clear, but the first recorded use of the design on a pirate flag was in 1687.
There were many variations of the skull and crossbones. I picked out my four favorites (you can read more about each one here). The one on the upper right was allegedly flown by "Calico Jack" Rackham and was used in the Pirates of the Caribbean franchise – I knew it looked familiar!
(images from pirates.hegewisch.net)
I have to admit that reading more about the history forced me to think about pirates as actual people who existed, which almost ruins the fun. Ever since the aforementioned Pirates of the Caribbean movies were released I perceived pirates as relatively harmless figures who partied a lot. But this little bit of research reminded me that true pirates were quite nasty and that the Jolly Roger flag was indeed threatening – it was not a symbol to be taken lightly. Flying the skull and crossbones was a warning to those that may try to resist the pirates' conquest, signaling that the pirates would offer no mercy if those they wanted to capture tried to fight back. Yikes.
However, I'm not one to let reality intrude too much, so I will continue to enjoy the skull and crossbones in the context of makeup and silly movies. :)
What do you think of these palettes? And do you like pirate paraphernalia?
Just a quick post to say Happy International Museum Day! This year’s theme is “Museums in a Changing World: New Challenges, New Inspirations”, the description for which reads as follows at the IMD website:
“Today, the world is changing faster than ever. New technology delivers new ideas, gigabytes of information, news of an increasingly unstable climate, all shared by social media. Modern museums must compete for an audible voice against the furious pace of this background.” (I’ll say!)
“Museums in a Changing World is recognition that institutions are faced with interpreting, and existing in, a field that is becoming increasingly fluid. Each may face a unique set of goals, interests and audiences.”
It’s an interesting theme and something I will be exploring in a future installment of MM Musings. How does something traditionally so static as a museum keep up with today’s breakneck pace?
It’s a topic for another day, but for now, let’s celebrate the existence of museums and their contributions to society. I would be lost without them!
Good Lord, yet ANOTHER travel-themed palette from Stila, this time in collaboration with Nordstrom. And like a good little Stila girl addict I bought it. The On the Road palette features a blonde girl with a '60s hippie/folk singer thing going on, complete with floppy hat and guitar.
The inside colors are in rectangle form rather than circles. (And once you take off the plastic on this section of the palette it can't be replaced, so as a collector I was loathe to remove it).
Not Stila's best effort – we have a location-less Stila girl, no quote on the inside of the palette and a subject (travel) that's been done by the company approximately 3,762,009 times already…but I bought it anyway because there may be a travel-themed exhibition on the horizon. 😉
I don't know about you, but I associate so-called peacock colors (i.e., vibrant purple and intense teal) with fall. But a couple of international brands have released some peacock-themed palettes for spring this year. I spotted this bejeweled eyeshadow palette, Elegance Phantom Eyes at A Touch of Blusher a few weeks ago:
(image from atouchofblusher.com)
And before that, Beauty Addict posted this spring 2012 highlighter by elusive German drugstore brand Misslyn (I say "elusive" since it's proving impossible for me to get my hands on it in the States, even though E-bay!) I like that it eschewed the usual purple that's associated with peacocks and instead made this a mostly beige highlighting powder.
(image from beautybutterflies.de)
I have to say that while I love the designs, I'm still finding the choice of color and theme to be odd for spring – I think these would be better for the fall. What do you think?
Lancôme's spring 2012 collection definitely has the most decadent-sounding copy ever.
"The sheer joy of a blissful afternoon spent in a rose garden in full bloom. Voluptuous pleasure, freshness, spontaneity… the very essence of joie de vivre. Savouring nature’s beauty. Luxuriating in sun-dappled shade. Lounging, eyes skyward, on a delicate-as-lace filigree bench in the heart of the rose garden… The breeze is tinged with the irresistible scent of lightness. A remarkable garden punctuated with thousands of roses in the most delectable shades imaginable, an array of tempting treats: macaroons, éclairs, cupcakes, candies and seasonal fruits… Time to indulge in delicious delicacies. Suffused with all of the pleasures of a radiant afternoon, 'Roseraie Des Délices' marries sensual pleasure with joie de vivre, and coquettish allure with playful fantasy…
Shades infused with guilty pleasures
Spring fruits, macaroons, barley sugars… A trio of delectable shades sets the tone for this collection: candy pink, tangerine and soft green exist in pastel or tangy incarnations, evoking a basket of sweet delights as well as a blossoming rose garden. As sheer as watercolours, radiantly capturing the light of spring… the 'Roseraie Des Délices' shades illuminate the face with infinite softness. Set against an enhanced complexion, lips are adorned with translucent pink, orange or fuchsia, inspired by the most vibrant flowers, whilst eyes are illuminated with subtle shades of pink or green. As for nails, the hues of choice are tangerine, powder pink and almond green, as if playfully dipping hands into candy."
Candy and cupcakes and pretty flowers – not only decadent but incredibly girly. And Lancôme didn't hold back in creating a very feminine palette as the centerpiece for the collection. La Roseraie ("bed of roses") higlighting blush features a large, lush rose with shimmering stripes bursting out of it, alternating between two hues of pale pink.
With flash:
According to the company's blog, "One of the places most cherished by Nelly, the wife of the Lancôme founder, was her rose garden, a unique hideaway created by Armand Petitjean. There, they would enjoy the mild days of spring surrounded by the blossoms of their favourite flower, which also became Lancôme’s emblem." So that's the inspiration for the palette. I just wish Lancome would have included a picture of the garden at their website (I am unable to find one).
I think 2010's Coral Flirt palette, which was also a variation on Lancôme's famous rose, was more interesting than this but it's pretty nonetheless. What say you?
So exciting! There’s a new beauty exhibit at the Center for History in South Bend, Indiana called “Gizmos, Corsets & Concoctions: Our Obsession with Health & Beauty.” From the website: “Gizmos, Corsets & Concoctions: Our Obsession with Health & Beauty explores some of what has been experienced over time in the pursuit of health and beauty. Seeking to look or feel better, people have willing to imbibe, don and endure many interesting cure-alls throughout the years. A wide variety of medicinal and cosmetic offerings have been available, some hawked by fast-talking peddlers and others provided by highly respected institutions. Whether looking for better health, treatment for ailments, or transformation into the current pinnacle of beauty, people have turned to medical sources, even the ‘magic potions’ of sideshows. Some did the trick; others caused more harm than good.”
The exhibit contains beauty ads from the 19th and 20th centuries, contraptions like a “permanent wave” hair-styling machine from the ’30s, and even a replica of a doctor’s office with elixirs and tonics. Too bad I’m not going to Indiana any time soon! I’d love to see it.
