This collection caught my eye as I was browsing at Sephora, as I was immediately drawn to the graffiti typography. Sure enough, Smashbox's newest release is the result of a collaboration with artist Curtis Kulig. I picked up Be Legendary lipstick and Entice Me eye shadow palette.
I'm noticing a lot more companies designing the inside of the boxes as well (see previous examples here and here).
The plastic lettering lifts up so you can apply the shadow more easily.
With flash:
Here's the lipstick.
Raised in a family of artists in North Dakota, Curtis Kulig moved to L.A. when he was 19 and later relocated to New York, where he currently resides. Early sketches included animals and human faces, but soon developed into words. Of the "love me" tag, there was no formal decision to create it. He says, "I just did it. And I kept doing it. And it's just something that I continue to do. I've done it over and over so many times, obsessively, that this is what it's become." Indeed, examples abound in NYC.
(image from adeenmagazine.com)
(image from streetandstage.com)
(image from streetgiant.com)
"Love Me" also appears in several spots in L.A.
(image from thedirtfloor.com)
(image from flickr.com)
"Love Me" has many incarnations, and has also been elevated to "high art" in galleries, rendered in neon lights and and steel:
(image from curatedmag.com)
(image from artobserved.com)
I wanted to find out more about the collaboration, and fortunately, Smashbox provided some great information at their website. "As major as this collaboration is, as universal as
the concept is, it's sometimes hard to believe that it was literally
done over lunch. It took all of a minute to decide that Smashbox
Cosmetics and artist Curtis Kulig – with his famous 'Love Me' mark –
needed to work together. The message that Curtis spreads is amazing.
Love is universal. It's relatable to any human being, anywhere in the
world. But the thing that sets Curtis apart is that he treats that
message in such a fun, fresh way. There's an incredible energy around
it, and that's why it's so perfect for us. Our message and his message
have the exact same vibe. Everything about this collection is true to
Curtis, to his art. The red lipstick is a Pantone match of his
signature red. The eye liner looks like the paint pens he uses. The
design of the eye shadow palettes makes 'love me' the canvas."
The video on the collection, shot at Smashbox Studios in L.A., provides some background on the artist and sheds a bit more light on the evolution of Kulig's "love me" tag. He says, "Everyone either wants to be loved, and/or wants to love". He estimates he's written the two words half a million times. As for cosmetics, he has never applied them himself but sees the face as "another canvas".
Overall, I liked this collaboration. I thought Kulig's work was translated well onto the makeup, and Smashbox is a good match for his style. I also enjoy the ideas contained in Kulig's signature – it's a positive, universal message that's powerful and breathtakingly simple at the same time. As Kulig's friend Harry says, "It's not a bad thing, man."
What do you think?