I finally managed to install the fall 2010 exhibition. It's a little all over the place, much like this fall's releases. But I think I still captured the essence of fall. :) Sorry these are blur-tastic, the daylight was fading quickly but I was determined to take pictures anyway!
Main exhibition:
Here are some details.
Stila fall 2005 booklet, Paul & Joe fall 2010 eye shadow, YSL Opium palette:
MAC She Who Dares eye shadow, I Love Sephora button (got it as a freebie over the summer!), YSL Fauve palette:
MAC Nocturnelle postcard, one of the Shu Florescent palettes:
Paul & Joe fall 2010 lipstick, Shu Instinct postcard, MAC Wicked Ways lip gloss:
Stila fall 2000 paint can and MAC Sinister lipstick (and a Smorkin' Labbit):
Paul & Joe spring 2008 eye shadow, another Sephora button, Chantecaille Bengali Tiger bronzer:
Dior Impression Cuir palette, Stila Nordstrom September palette, and poor little Maurice – apparently he's very disgruntled!
Auxilliary exhibition in the hallway:
And the other auxilliary exhibition:
Some details.
Benefit Scene Queen palette and Paul & Joe Fall 2010 lipstick (and an argyle Domo!):
Shu Florescent palette, Stila Passage to Paris trio, and Paul & Joe spring 2008 eye shadow (I realize I've used 2 Paul & Joe spring 2008 shadows, which is odd for a fall show, but they had cats on them and cats are huge this season!)
Stila Pretty in Paris palette, Dolce & Gabbana Sicilian Lace bronzer:
MAC Cult of Cherry postcard, Chantecaille Bengali Tiger powder:
MAC Untamed postcard, Stila Bohemian Beauty paint can, MAC Hot House lip gloss:
I hope you enjoyed it!
Chantecaille got in on the feline trend for fall by releasing their Tigers in the Wild palette. This release coincides with the Year of the Tiger and 5% of profits will go to an organization called TRAFFIC to help save the animal. It features the same design as their 2008 Bengal tiger collection, so I wasn't thrilled with this.
(image from neimanmarcus.com)
Still, it may be a nice addition to to the Museum – I'm on the fence as to whether to buy it.
The Museum's Advisory Committee was too lazy to play a prank like they did last year, so in lieu of an April Fool's joke I'm bringing you spring makeup trends. After sifting through all the spring issues of my magazines (I subscribe to no fewer than 7 fashion/beauty mags) and seeing what companies have lined up for their spring collections, I have determined the biggest trend for spring 2010 is…pastels! Now, pastels are always in for spring, but this year they're really huge. From mint greens to soft lilacs to pale nudes, muted versions of colorful shades are this season's It makeup. Here's a little collage of the products leading the pastel way.
Clinique Fresh Picked Pear eye shadow; Dior quint in Coquette; MAC Blooming Lovely lipstick; Armani Nude Contrasts palette; Nars D. Gorgeous eye shadow; Shu Egerie eye shimmer duo in Starry Violet; Chanel nail polishes; Stila Yumberry Crush lip and cheek stain; Sephora ad.
Will you be partaking in pastels this year? I can't wait to break out some of my faves – Stila Cha-Cha eye shadow (pale, fresh minty green) and Becca Rosebud cream blush.
I would be remiss in my curatorial duties if I did not cover the major fall 2009 trends. Even though I'm a bit tardy and the holiday collections are landing at counters, here is my fall trend roundup. As opposed to last year where the standout was super-dark lip color, this year I feel there were 2 major trends that demanded attention instead of just one. Enjoy!
(Note: I am in the midst of planning my nuptials and collages depicting
the color scheme and/or style of a wedding, called "inspiration boards" in
the wedding blogosphere, have been my obsession as of late. That explains the wacky collage I came up with for each trend.)
1. Black, black and more black. This fall, black is the new…well, you know. This shade is meant to be worn on eyes (more so than lips, which was the case last year) and is even the inspiration for an entire MAC collection. While dark smoky eyes are always the rage in the autumn months, this year the look is especially heavy with more of an edgy, early-80s punk aesthetic rather than uptown glamorous. Adding to this style is the new matte finish for dark nail polish. Chanel Black Satin? It might have been considered a little rebellious in 2006, but today the truly edgy way to wear black nail polish (or any dark vampy shade) is with a shine-free finish.
Images: Stila Little Black Dress smudge pot, MAC lipstick in Black Knight, Chanel Les Folies Noirs eye shadow palette, Sephora catalog promo, Armani Manta Ray eye shadow, MAC Mattene lipstick in Midnight Media, MAC Style Black collection ad, Chanel Noirs Obscurs ad, Zoya Dovima nail polish, Philosophy Black Licorice shower gel
2. Garden of earthly delights. Gold, bronze and green eye shadows are always hot for fall, but 2009 ushered in a new era of super-pigmented, bolder-than-bold earth tones.
Images: YSL promo ad, Shu Primitribe eye color sticks, Nars Mekong eye shadow, Bobbi Brown gel eye liner in Forest Shimmer, Smashbox Reign palette, Bobbi Brown Autumn Leaf eye shadow, YSL Bronze Gold eye shadow palette, Lancôme Rose Liberté powder, Estee Lauder Sensuous Gold palette
Which trend was your favorite? Personally I'm torn. The punk in me loves the matte black eye shadow and nails combo, but greens and gold are really flattering on my eyes, so both are winners for me!
So instead of looking at pretty packaging and today, I'll be examining the more technological side of cosmetic design. Estee Lauder released its Turbo Lash mascara in July, while Lancome has just released its Oscillation mascara. "Feel the buzz, as the gently vibrating LashSonic Brush™ with micro-pulse bristles works its magic, moving rapidly through lashes…the motion brush keeps lashes clump-free," reads the copy for Turbo Lash. And according to Lancome, "the actions of the oscillating brush that moves with 7,000 vibrations per minute, organizes and evenly coats the lashes with an ultrafine formula designed specifically for the product."
Sounds pretty cool, right? But does this really work better than the usual stable mascara wand or is it just a pricey marketing gimmick? Despite the hefty price tag I'm itching to try one of these to compare it to its non-moving counterparts to see if it's really superior. On the other hand I have a feeling this is just another marketing ploy - there are some great mascaras out there already, and I see this as more of a short-lived fad rather than something that will permanently take hold.
In any case, if anyone has tried these latest marvels of technology, post your comments below!
(photo from lancome-usa.com)
I'm taking a little break from talking about packaging and design to discuss the dominant fall cosmetics trend: super-dark lip color. It seems to be everywhere!
Sephora featured the look on the front cover of its fall catalogue and equates dark lips with power:
(photo from sephora.com)
Meanwhile, MAC's new collection, Cult of Cherry, presents them as a little dangerous: "With its sense of way-to-go dark, this is how we separate the bitter from the sweet…"
(photo from maccosmetics.com)
Lucky magazine had a slightly different take on the look in its September issue, saying that it gives a sort of "naughty-librarian" vibe. The page featured Shu Uemura's pure black lipstick:
Taking the trend to the extreme (or rather spearheading the trend) is Yves Saint Laurent's Gloss Pur Black.
(photo from yslbeautyus.com)
Incidentally, YSL models all sported this look down the runway for the fall collection:
(photo from style.com)
Finally, the author of the blog at Makeup Moxie says that Lancome will be releasing a pure black lip gloss as well:
"To help achieve this hot lip look, Lancome’s new artistic director for makeup, Aaron de May, has created a sexy new lip color set that’s scheduled to launch in November.
The set includes a Color Fever Lipstick in Piha Red, a shade which was inspired by the signature red soles of Christian Louboutin shoes. In addition, and perhaps even more interestingly, the set will also include a black Color Fever lipgloss."
It seems another Goth trend has been appropriated and corporatized for the mainstream beauty world. Instead of black nail polish being all the rage, as it was in the fall of 2006 (when Chanel's Black Satin nail polish became the must-have polish for the season and went for upwards of $80 on E-bay), nearly-black lips is the look du jour. I'm guessing it could be partly because dark purple is this season's "it" color.
Sadly, as with the black nail polish, this trend is too severe for most working professionals who do the 9-5 office grind (unless you're in a creative field that encourages following fashion trends). And unlike black nail polish, which can look good on every type of nail and hand shape, intensely dark lip colors can only be worn by those blessed with full lips – if your lips are on the thin side they will virtually disappear with colors so dark. Still, that doesn't mean the trend can't be modified for those of us (like me!) who lack Angelina-like puckers. You can still wear a deep crimson or plum, and a bit of gloss on top helps make lips look fuller. My favorite dark-but-not-too-dark fall shades: Clinique Crushed Grape lipstick, Nars Captiva and Flamenco lipsticks, and Stila Cranberry and Black Cherry lip glazes.
For more on the dark-lip trend, check out this post from Makeup Minute.