I have pumpkin fever (I went on a dessert rampage during Hurricane Sandy that included pumpkin cheesecake, pumpkin cookies, pumpkin cupcakes and pumpkin ice cream) so I thought I'd take a look at two collaborations with Disney, both based on Cinderella. Mmm, pumpkin carriage…oh wait, that's not edible.
Sephora's Cinderella collection is vast, but I want to look at just a few highlights. First up is the Midnight Hour Eye Shadow Palette. "Reenact the drama and flash these whimsical shadows as the clock strikes twelve. Original artwork created by Disney brings the magic to life with an elegant screen print of the legendary countdown." I must say I like this image.
Then there are the Storylook Eyeshadow Palettes, which are dotted with Swarovski crystals and once again feature "original artwork created by Disney". The colors in each are also based on the actual Pantone colors from the movie.
Finally, we have the compact mirror which shows an aqua and gold filigreed clock. Strangely enough, this seemed to be the hit of the collection – it's sold out online and in every Sephora store I've looked.
(images from sephora.com)
The other Cinderella collection is from Japanese brand Lissage, which will be released for the holiday season in mid-November. Actually it's not so much a collection as a single, albeit large, makeup kit.
It's hard to tell from the picture whether the pumpkin carriage design is a plastic covering or imprinted onto the makeup. My instinct tells me it's just on the plastic.
(images from lissage.jp)
Disney is really cleaning up on these collaborations (see previous collections from Pixi, MAC, E.L.F., Urban Decay, and Paul & Joe). And I'm still grappling with why these are being marketed to grown women and whether this is a form of infantilization. For both collections, while the entire concept is to make women temporarily feel like princesses in a fairytale (i.e., pretty and privileged), Cinderella is rendered only in tiny, silhouette form. Are the images an attempt to downplay the more childish feel of a Disney collection and make it seem more a harmless escape from the drudgeries of real adult life? I'm not sure, but I do know that the designs for both collections could have been way worse – they could have used a lot of pink and more cartoony images of Cinderella. But while the understated, shadowy images of the fabled princess signal these collections are meant for adults, I still find it just a little strange to be marketing Disney-themed makeup to grownups.
Anyone want to weigh in on the Disney makeup phenomenon?
I tend to associate floral-patterned palettes with spring, but this offering from ArtDeco for their fall 2012 Mystic Garden collection made me think of pretty fall blooms. These look like dahlias and chrysanthemums, rendered in autumnal shades of magenta, plum and fiery orange.
(image from artdeco.de)
The white outlines do lean a little spring-like, especially when compared to the ones in several pieces from Marni's spring 2013 collection.
(images from style.com)
Overall though, it definitely feels more like fall. I won't be buying this but I do think ArtDeco did a nice job of creating a seasonally-appropriate floral palette.
Here's an odd fall 2012 collection from Italian cosmetics brand Pupa. They've borrowed from other cultures before (see their nesting doll collection) but I don't think this collection had too much thought put into it. Called China Doll, the collection is supposed to embody "the preciousness and elegance of the Eastern world to
create a new, refined neo-geisha style…four new multiplay colors in a limited edition that complete the look with delicate Oriental-chic details." Fair enough, but traditional, genuine antique china dolls (as in glazed porcelain) were mostly made in Germany, then in the U.S. and Japan – they actually don't have anything to do with China. Even if Pupa was referring to a china doll-like "porcelain" look that can be achieved with the products in this release, it still doesn't make a lot of sense.
What's even stranger is the star of the collection, a highlighting blush which shows a geisha (?) holding a parasol. I don't know what is to the left of the parasol – is that her hand coming out of a robe? A rickshaw? Hard to tell from the picture.
(image from pupa.it)
Even if Pupa was trying to do a Chinese theme, geishas originated in Japan. The company sort of glossed over what exactly was the Asian influence in the collection description, throwing out generic, made-up words like "neo-geisha" and "Oriental-chic".
To sum up: this is yet another case of a cosmetics company getting its cultural references wrong (see my previous post on this).
(Thanks to Beautiful With Brains for bringing this collection to my attention).
I'm not sure why fashion brand Sonia Rykiel's makeup line is only available in Asia, but I do know that it's not fair! Animal prints are shaping up to be even bigger than usual this fall, but Sonia Rykiel got a head start by releasing a leopard-tastic collection, named Fauve, for summer. I'd love to get my hands on the eyeshadows.
(images from chicprofile.com)
I've already given a brief lesson on Fauvism way back when I posted about Yves Saint Laurent's 2005 Fauve palette so I won't rehash it now. I will say that I think it's odd that Sonia Rykiel released this collection while leopard print made zero appearances in the brand's 2012 summer and fall runway shows. I also think the pattern is less feral than the Fauve moniker would suggest – these look more like sweet kitten pawprints rather than ones made by a ferocious jungle animal.
What do you think? I do love leopard print and these palettes would fit in nicely with several exhibition concepts I've been contemplating, but I don't think I can get them easily here in the States so I may not pursue them.
Japanese brand Coffret d'Or released several delectable lace-patterned palettes for spring and summer. The first is a new compact foundation:
And the other is a collection of four blush and eye shadow combination palettes. I like that the lace pattern makes its way to the blush on the inside of the palette in addition to appearing on the outer case.
Then Asian-based brand (and fashion designer) Jill Stuart released its warm-weather collection appropriately named Summer Dress, which also features white lacy packaging.
(images from imomoko.com)
Stuart's summer 2012 fashion collection didn't include any lace, but there is a definite resemblance in these palettes to the pieces in the 2013 resort collection. None of them actually have lace, but the lightweight, frilly silhouettes and the use of fresh white are echoed in the summer palettes.
(images from jillstuart.com)
I'd love to buy all of these since they would fit well into a re-imagined, expanded Woven exhibition. Alas, the fall collections are calling to me so I will have to pass for now.
(Thanks to A Touch of Blusher for the heads up on both of these collections! The Curator has some difficulty keeping up with non-U.S.-based brands).
I saw this collection at Beauty Crazed months ago but am getting around to posting about it only now. New-to-me brand Marcelle released Riviera Maya for their spring lineup.
(images from beautycrazed.ca)
Pyramid-shaped cosmetics aren't really anything new, but I am enjoying the Goddess Glow pyramid face powder since it appears to have bricks in it much like an actual Mayan pyramid. Behold Chichén Itzá in Mexico:
(image from britannica.com)
However, I am slightly troubled by the fact that the eye shadow quad is named Cleopatra's Gems. Which pyramids are Marcelle referring to – those of ancient Egypt or the Mayans? It's as mysterious as these civilizations themselves.
In any case, the face powder is cute, although not worth owning since Marcelle seems to be confused as to the inspiration for their collection. 😉
Argh! Beauty Addict has done it again, i.e., make me want another cute palette from German brand Misslyn that I can't get stateside. It's a highlighting powder from their summer collection called In the Navy, featuring a shimmery gold anchor against a blue and white striped background.
(image from https://typischich.at)
(image from https://rebecca-desiree.blogspot.com)
Sigh. At least I could buy MAC's similarly-themed Hey Sailor collection, which I'll be posting about tomorrow – I thought the Misslyn palette today would be a good warmup. So get ready for some more nautical goodness with MAC…and a very excited Sailor Babo. 😉
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?
Japanese brand RMK is celebrating its 15th anniversary this year, and in honor of that milestone the company released two quite adorable palettes.
The palettes each have a "flower fairy" designed by illustrator Hiroshi Tanabe. They're shown in profile with antennae sprouting from their bobbed haircuts, sporting round-beaded necklaces and clad in wavy, pastel petals.
Here is Pink Coral (01):
With flash:
And here's Brown Beige (02):
With flash:
There was also a tote bag available as a gift with purchase, but I wasn't able to get my hands on it.
(image from blog.naver.com)
Now that we've seen the cute flower fairies, let's take a look at some of Tanabe's other work. Starting out as a graphic designer, Tanabe branched out into illustration early in his career. He is known for clean lines and flat, two-dimensional planes of color that take their cue from traditional Japanese wood cuts.
Tanabe's commercial designs include these ads for Bergdorf Goodman, Clinique, and Anna Sui (which is more or less identical to the illustration on the RMK bag – if I were RMK I'd be mad that he used the same design!):
In looking at the artist's website, what stood out to me is how often the women are shown in profile. And if she is facing the viewer, more often than not her visage is somehow obscured or mostly erased – sometimes there's a single eye, but usually we can't see the whole face. The feminist in me isn't sure what to make of that. Here are some examples.
Pucci ad, 2002:
From his Marie Antoinette series:
From his book, Blue Mode:
Getting back to the RMK palettes, I think this work is the most similar – the graceful, undulating lines of the hair echo the wavy petals the fairies wear, while the whisper of an eyelash peeks out from the faces of these girls as well as the fairies.
Candy, 2010:
(images from hiroshitanabe.com)
While a fairy motif can arguably be a little bit juvenile/twee (see the PixiGlow collection for Target), I think in this case Tanabe's modern style prevented these palettes from striking a childish chord. The lines are simple and feminine, elevating the fairies from cartoons to more real, woman-like figures while still maintaining a sense of whimsy and playfulness. I am curious to know why a fairy was chosen to represent the company's 15-year anniversary, however.
What do you think? Do you think Tanabe and his fairy illustrations were a good choice for RMK's 15th anniversary palettes?
I came across this bronzer at Sephora over the weekend and was curious to know what the pattern was. To my eye it looks like squares of crinkled silk.
(image from sephora.com)
Compare it to this silk fabric:
(image from ec21.com)
Unfortunately the product description doesn't say what the design is supposed to be. However, I spotted the spring "Capri" collection from new-to-me brand Collistar at BeautifulwithBrains a while back and couldn't help but notice the striking resemblance between their palettes and the Givenchy powder.
(image from collistar.com)
According to this source, the weave pattern on the Collistar palettes "aims to recall the hand-woven fabrics of Italian craftsmanship, in addition to the straw/wicker baskets that complete the Capri holiday look." Interesting! Given how similar these are to Givenchy's bronzer I think it's safe to conclude that the pattern on the latter also recalls fabric. Both the Collistar and Givenchy palettes, therefore, would have been fitting for the Woven exhibition – too bad I didn't grab them before it went up! (Although I don't think I can even buy Collistar in the States).