Paul & Joe is feeling lovey-dovey with their fall 2012 collection called Love Story. "Your beautiful love affair with Paul & Joe began 10 years ago. Let's celebrate with these gorgeous new products! Love story is a sweet, tender, and sometimes passionate assortment of original new colors, textures and products that celebrate love and romance."
The Collection Sparkles lineup consists of three blushes, each bearing a unique print and two kissing parakeets imprinted into the powder.
I also enjoyed the updated brush. The brushes that come with Paul & Joe products used to have the Paul & Joe name on it, but these have the initials in a fancy scripted font. I'm not sure whether this is just for the fall 2012 collection and they'll go back to the old brush style with future collections or whether they'll keep the initials, but I like it.
First up is Les Tourtereaux (079):
With flash:
The same print appeared on a dress for the fall 2012 collection.
This delightful pelican pattern appeared on both a dress and a top for the fall 2012 collection. I must say I never thought pelicans would work for clothes, but Sophie Albou really knows what she's doing when it comes to prints!
Looking at these made me think of the work of bird-watching king John James Audubon and his amazing book The Birds of America, containing literally hundreds of bird prints and drawings. In honor of the creatures used in the Paul & Joe collection, here is a Carolina parrakeet (now extinct, sadly), and the American white pelican. Audubon also provided detailed descriptions for each bird and their behavior (and addressed the reader – seems very quaint!)
"Doubtless, kind reader, you will say, while looking at the figures of
Parakeets represented in the plate, that I spared not my labour. I never do, so
anxious am I to promote your pleasure…The flight of the Parakeet is rapid, straight, and continued through the
forests, or over fields and rivers, and is accompanied by inclinations of the
body which enable the observer to see alternately their upper and under parts.
They deviate from a direct course only when impediments occur, such as the
trunks of trees or houses, in which case they glance aside in a very graceful
manner, merely as much as may be necessary…" (You can read the full description here).
For the American white pelican, Audubon noted, "I feel great pleasure, good reader, in assuring you, that our White
Pelican, which has hitherto been considered the same as that found in Europe, is
quite different. In consequence of this discovery, I have honoured it with the
name of my beloved country, over the mighty streams of which, may this splendid
bird wander free and unmolested to the most distant times, as it has already
done from the misty ages of unknown antiquity…the birds experience the cravings of
hunger, and to satisfy them they must now labour. Clumsily do they rise on
their columnar legs, and heavily waddle to the water. But now, how changed do
they seem! Lightly do they float, as they marshal themselves, and extend their
line, and now their broad paddle-like feet propel them onwards…Thousands there are, all gay, and the very manner of their mirth, causing the
waters to sparkle, invites their foes to advance toward the shoal. And now the
Pelicans, aware of the faculties of their scaly prey, at once spread out their
broad wings, press closely forward with powerful strokes of their feet, drive
the little fishes toward the shallow shore, and then, with their enormous
pouches spread like so many bag-nets, scoop them out and devour them in
thousands."
"Gay" and "Mirth"? I guess using a pelican as a cheerful print was a very good choice.
So, what do you think of the Paul & Joe Collection Sparkles? Which one is your favorite? And do you bird-watch?
Stay tuned for the rest of Paul & Joe fall 2012. 🙂
Ugh. Usually makeup ads don't send me into a blind rage, but this particular campaign for MAC's latest collection, entitled Office Hours, has hit a nerve.
When you create a collection based on the idea of the modern-day working woman but make her appear as an over-the-top '50s secretary whose main job seems to be filing (in between doing her nails), it just doesn't sit well with me. Why didn't they make her look powerful rather than decking her out in every shade of little-girl pink in the universe? Plus, MAC has done ads with this this sort of creepy retro feel before (see Shop MAC, Cook MAC).
The makeup mixed in with the office supplies is one of the saddest things I've ever seen. I don't want my love of beauty conflated with my hatred of administrative work. And no amount of pink will ever make work utensils appealing.
These ads remind me of a time when there were very few career options for women. I think Edward Hopper completed one of the best representations of just how trapped women were professionally. At least, that's how I've always read Office at Night (1940):
The New York Times explores this idea but also proposes that the woman is more powerful than initially thought: "In 'Office at Night' a man in his 30's or 40's sits at a heavy desk in a
sparsely furnished room, a voluptuous secretary standing with her hand
in a file drawer nearby. Twisted in a provocative if physically strained
position — both breasts and buttocks are visible — she could be looking
at him. Or maybe she's wondering how her skin-tight dress will allow
her to stoop down to pick up the paper dropped on the floor, and if she
does, what the outcome will be. A breeze enters an open window and
rustles a blind as the man reads a document, apparently oblivious to the
situation. Or is he? Hopper leaves those impressions blurred and layered…is the
relationship between the man and the woman emotional? Sexual? Or have
they, like so many urbanites squashed into cramped quarters, simply
become inured to each other? At the time, the position of
executive secretary was a relatively prestigious role for a woman,
though inherently subservient. Still, this woman, with her fashionable
attire, her makeup and her come-hither pose, could be the one with the
power." I'm not sure I'm buying that, especially if you look at how the arm of the chair and the filing cabinet are pressed right up against her figure – she is nearly physically pinned by the structure of the office, hence why I always read it as working women being trapped in a position of submissiveness and in a state of unfulfilled professional potential back then.
On a more personal level, I have endured way more than my fair share of administrative drudgery in my working life, so seeing
anything resembling that special kind of hell while trying to make it
seem "fun" makes me want to hit
somebody. Additionally, there's a pretty insulting jab at temps in the collection description: "She's a glamorous go-getter with nothing temp about her! Full-time,
overtime-her makeup, like her day, goes on and on. What she loves: the
no-fade staying power of these M∙A∙C Pro Longwear formulas – including
new M∙A∙C Pro Longwear Blush." You know, nobody actually WANTS to temp. Nobody says to themselves, "Someday I'll be a temp!" Temping is a last resort for those of us who were unfortunate enough to lose permanent employment. Temps, by and large, are good workers who just got really unlucky. At one point, I temped for over a year before finding a permanent position, and it wasn't because I couldn't properly do a job – I just couldn't get a break. To imply that temps are somehow not as good as other professionals (like the "go-getters") is a real slap in the face. Plus, is MAC aware that temping is pretty horrible for most people and shouldn't be mentioned, like, ever? It can be triggering for some of us!
So, to summarize my issues with these ads:
1. I don't like the implication that working woman = secretary.
2. Unless I am getting paid to blog about beauty (at home, where I wouldn't even have to deal with office culture), I have no interest in makeup collections taking on a work theme. These two spheres – work and my love of cosmetics – should never meet, unless, like I said, I can write about beauty for a living.
To take the edge off, I will now present you with a clip from the classic movie Office Space. "It's not that I'm lazy, I just don't care."
Did you know there's an entire line of cosmetics based on the work of Austrian artist Egon Schiele? Neither did I until a few months ago, when one of the company's representatives emailed me (full disclosure: I did not receive any compensation whatsoever for posting about this line). Sadly, the packaging is fairly non-descript. If the company is able to use Schiele's name I'm not sure why they wouldn't put his images on the packaging.
Egon Schiele (1890-1918) was an Expessionist artist best known for his highly sexualized, grotesque figurative images, mostly of women but many self-portraits as well. By his untimely death at the age of 28, he had produced over 3,000 works on paper and 300 paintings. Let's take a look at some and try to figure out what it is about them that inspired a whole cosmetics brand.
Reclining Woman with Blond Hair, 1912:
Woman in Black Stockings, 1913:
(images from wikipaintings.org)
Seated Nude, 1914:
(image from egonschiele.tumblr.com)
The Egon Schiele cosmetics website refers to these women as "sensuous beauties", whereas I find their frank depictions to be more blatantly sexual rather than sensuous. From a color standpoint, the decision to make Schiele the inspiration is…unusual. Schiele is not known for his use of color, or at least bright, pigmented color. The website maintains that "the colors have been carefully chosen and developed to perfectly compliment the lustrous hues of Schiele's paintings and drawings." I haven't seen Schiele's work in person so the colors may in fact be "lustrous", but online they look washed out and diluted – even strong shades like red:
Standing Woman in Red, 1913:
Here are a couple more of his more colorful works, which still aren't as vibrant as those of most other Expressionists.
Portrait of Edith Schiele, 1915:
Seated Woman with Bent Knee (Artist's Wife), 1917:
(images from egonschiele.tumblr.com)
There's nothing wrong with muted makeup, of course, but somehow I don't think that's what the line was aiming for. And while the website shows color swatches of their products next to some of Schiele's drawings, they don't correspond exactly; it seems like they took random works and put them next to the swatches, and then gave them a vaguely Schiele-related name on a whim. (An excellent example of a literal interpretation of color from paintings is Rescue Beauty Lounge's limited edition nail polish collection that dares not speak the artist's name).
Ultimately, I don't think this line has a strong identity – it appears to be Schiele-inspired in name only. The website notes that "application of Egon Schiele cosmetics will make you look and feel like the creation of a famous artist." That's a nice sentiment, but it could be any famous artist. If I were writing the ad copy I'd make it specifically about Schiele and say something about how the cosmetics would make you feel/look like one of the women in his work (even though I'm not necessarily sure most women would want to strive for that), or at least, capture the artist's unabashed, bold spirit.
What do think of both Schiele and the makeup line inspired by him? I think it's an extremely odd choice!
Art Info posted a picture of these lovely Warhol-inspired shadows by NARS. Can't wait to see the rest of the collection!
(image from artinfo.com)
How is this collection looking to you so far? Are you as excited as I am?
For the past few years I've been mildly obsessed with visiting the desert. Not so much the far-flung deserts of Africa but more the American Southwest. I have this urge to wander through cacti, canyons and feel the dry heat and intense sun. Perhaps my yearning has been encouraged by desert-inspired collections, like Smashbox's Desert Chic (2008), Armani's Sienna Minerals palette (2009), Paul & Joe's Sahara collection (2010), Laura Mercier's Canyon Sunset collection (2011) and Maybelline's Summer Glow bronzers and Bobbi Brown's Desert Twilight collection this year. And that's only the tip of the iceberg (canyon?). So many products take their design cue from the desert's sun-drenched, wind-swept sands or the patterns in rock formations.
If I were doing a real-life exhibition, I'd include all of these objects. I'd also try to get some of the amazing photographs by David Benjamin Sherry from his 2012 Astral Desert series on loan. 🙂
Breaking Blue Dune Walls, Arizona:
Sand v (Citrine, California):
Sand xii (Violet, New Mexico):
Tangerine Sweep, Death Valley:
(images from davidbenjaminsherry.com)
Wouldn't these look great next to all those desert-y compacts?
Lancôme released this very pretty, if enormous, bronzer for their summer 2012 Bronze Diva collection. While the design isn't new, I was pleased to have picked this up seeing as how I missed it the when it was originally released with the Bronze Riviera summer 2010 collection.
The palette features a cluster of bamboo leaves and a setting sun against a textured background. I love the Asian-inspired feel to it.
With flash:
While bamboo has been a traditional theme in Asian art for centuries, the way this particular design is silhouetted, combined with the woven texture, looks like the work of contemporary L.A.-based artist Devon Tsuno. Tsuno works with spray paint and acrylic on handmade paper, and his most recent paintings focus on "L.A.'s non-native vegetation."
Here's a peek at some of his work from 2011, which I would dearly love to hang up in my imaginary beach house on some tropical island.
Blue Palm:
Transplant:
Transient Seedlings:
(images from devontsuno.com)
Do you see the resemblance between these and the bamboo bronzer? Tell me in the comments!
Well, today is the last day of the Museum's On the Water week. But I'm not sad because summer is just getting started!
Today I'm taking a peek at two pool-inspired palettes: Benefit's Cabana Glama and Too-Faced Summer Eye.
Cabana Glama (love the name!) includes a host of summer essentials encased in a vintage postcard designed palette.
(images from benefitcosmetics.com)
Too-Faced's Summer Eye palette has a mix of pink shells and flowers on the outside, and summery eye shadows set in a swimming pool background on the inside. The water looks so refreshing!
(images from blushingnoir.com)
Both of these make me want to lounge by a big pool at a fancy resort with drinks being brought to me…ah, summer dreaming. I'm not the only one who likes the idea of cooling off poolside, though. One of British artist David Hockney's recurring themes is the swimming pool.
A Bigger Splash, 1967 (read about it at the Tate's website):
(image from dailyartfixx.com)
Portrait of Nick Wilder, 1966:
Pool With Two Figures, 1972:
(images from ibiblio.org)
Since I'm short on time and can't discuss these as fully as I'd like, here's a description of Hockney's fascination with the Southern Californian swimming pool from Socialphy: "He's best known for his iconic swimming pool paintings that were a key part of the pop art era. His obsession with pools stems from the time he spent living in sunny California in the 1960s. He got inspired by the blue sea, sun, sky, young men and luxury. Who wouldn't? But you wouldn't think that paintings of swimming pools would attract so much hype but looking at them, they do have a certain hedonistic charm and appeal. It's the simplicity of them, the inviting aqua-marine water, sunny LA setting and his use of bright colors."
What do you think of these palettes? And Hockney's swimming pool paintings? I think all capture the relaxed yet glamourous spirit of summer days by the pool.
I've always admired Korres's understated packaging, but the company upped the design ante with their new cream blushes. In a nod to its cultural heritage, Korres incorporated some Greek elements1 to the packaging.
Chara Cramoisi:
Philia Rose – I feel like the name for this one should be switched with Chara Cramoisi to better match the rose illustration:
Eros Coral:
(images from sephora.com)
I find the last two, Philia Rose and Eros Coral, to be the most interesting from an illustration standpoint. The patterns on Philia Rose are reminiscent of those found on ancient Greek vases from the Geometric period:
(images from trentu.ca and greece-athens.com)
And the woman on Eros Coral looks quite a bit like these busts of Aphrodite, particularly because of the hairstyle. You can read more about them here and here.
(images from thecityreview.com and art-unwashed.blogspot.com)
Come to think of it, since Eros was the male god of love, Aphrodite Coral might have been a better name for a cosmetic product geared towards women. 🙂
I haven't purchased these blushes because I don't see them fitting anywhere into an exhibition yet, but I liked that Korres branched out from their usual packaging and showed some Greek pride. What do you think?
1If you'd like to read more about ancient Greek art, this book is an excellent primer.
