The Makeup Museum

Simply splendorous: Clarins summer 2013 bronzer

We have another pretty bronzer for summer 2013.  Clarins Splendours Summer Bronzing Compact features a translucent red case that holds a bronzing powder with an exquisitely intricate design.

I had a lot of trouble getting a picture of the case without getting a ton of reflections.

So then I tried putting the flash on, which worked a lot better.  The way it went off in this picture makes it look like there's a candle inside the palette, spreading a warm glow and softly illuminating the pattern.

Here's the collection description:  "Sunshine into gold. Travel to far away lands, to the heart of an ancient people…and discover the splendours of a pre-Columbian civilization that worshiped the sun. Gold, a rich cultural symbol, is the highlight of this summer make-up collection. Sprinkle it on the eyes, neck and lips. Jade, sapphire, ruby and tourmaline appear as crystalline gemstones and illuminate this elegant sun-kissed collection." 

Of course, they don't mention specifically which Pre-Columbian civilization.  As we saw with the Guerlain Terra Inca collection, I'm in over my head in trying to decipher what specifically this palette is based on - I'm no archaeologist or Pre-Columbian scholar.  But after a brief search on Google I think it most resembles this Aztec sun stone:

(image from nationalgeographic.com)

Looking closely at the palette, I'm more inclined to think this particular stone was the inspiration for the design.  The circle in the center surrounded by four square shapes is found in each, along with the concentric triangle at the top of the center circle and the four dots placed around the squares and one at the bottom of the inner circle.  The tiny horseshoe-like pattern appears throughout both as well.   The triangles with the scrolled edges in the stone find themselves in the outer case of the palette and are also present in the powder, albeit slightly deconstructed there (the triangle is broken up into its base shape with two scrolls on each side).  Additionally, this stone (weighing in a whopping 24 tons - wow!) is actually believed to be an altar or ceremonial container for the sun god Tonatiuh rather than a calendar.  So it would make sense that the Clarins collection, based on people that worshipped a sun god, would choose an item used in worship instead of a calendar for their inspiration. 

I think this is a beautiful palette and for once, Clarins provided at least a glimmer of explanation as to their vision for the collection.  What do you think?

Couture Monday: Matthew Williamson for Benefit

Designer collaborations are rare for Benefit, so natually I was pleased to see them team up with British fashion designer Matthew Williamson for a makeup kit called "The Rich Is Back".  I had heard of Williamson but wasn't familiar with his work.  However, the Rich Is Back serves as a crash course of sorts in his designs.

Let's see, we've got peacock feathers, a honeycomb pattern, a floral print, some sort of geometric print and what appears to be multi-colored leopard.

I went hunting for these motifs in Williamson's most recent collections.  Finding none in any of the 2013 collections, I realized that maybe my best bet was to search for them all separately.  This is what makes this palette so interesting visually - instead of choosing one print or motif, Williamson and Benefit did the whole kit and kaboodle.  This makeup set boasts a mishmash of some of his oft-repeated prints from seasons past. 

First, the peacock feathers.  Starting all the way back in 2004 Williamson established himself as a master of this print.

(images from style.com)

It has since appeared in his pre-fall 2009 collection...

(images from style.com)

...along with his spring and resort 2011 collections:

(images from style.com)

But perhaps the most famous instance of his use of the colorful bird feathers hit in 2009 in a collaboration with H&M. 

(images from fashionisima.es and nitrolicious.com)

Celebrities couldn't seem to get enough of this dress!

(image from shinystyle.tv)

While peacocks didn't strut their stuff in any of the 2013 clothing, they are still plentiful in accessories.

(images from matthewwilliamson.com)

Next up is the floral print, which, to my eye looks almost tie-dyed.  As far as I know this print appeared only in the spring 2009 collection. 

Williamson has also taken on leopard, which you can see a little better on the inside of the Benefit makeup set.  Some examples from spring and fall 2011:

(images from style.com)

And pre-fall 2009:

(images from style.com)

But the most colorful instance of leopard print and the one that most resembles that found on the Rich Is Back set comes from the fall 2007 collection:

(images from style.com)

Then we have the honeycomb print, which Williamson used in his spring 2006 collection.

(images from style.com)

Lastly, there's the odd, pastel-hued harlequin-style geometric print, which was coupled with touches of black in the fall 2007 collection.

(images from style.com)

I'm curious to know whose decision it was to use all these prints on the Rich Is Back set.  It could have been Williamson who selected his personal favorites, or perhaps Benefit chose ones they thought would look best on a makeup kit.  Most likely it was a combination of the two.  

While I passed on buying this set for the Museum, I do think it's a thorough representation of Williamson's designs to date.  What do you think, both of the Rich Is Back and Williamson's work?

Walk on golden earth with the Guerlain Terra Ora collection

Guerlain served up a heaping helping of bronze goodness this season.  Here's the Terra Ora collection description from the press release:  "The Terra Ora collection draws its essence from an era of magnificence. The elegance of antiquity stands the test of time with its splendour and aura intact. An ode to gold. With dazzling radiance, Terra Ora bronzing powder and the precious Météorites Perles primer adorn the skin in a warm, divine-like light, giving women the appearance of a modern vestal goddess. Skin kissed by the summer sun is beautifully enhanced." 

The star of the collection is the Terra Ora bronzing powder, outfitted in a substantial wooden case with gold lettering and a magnetic closure.

I was strangely fascinated with the pattern in the wood.

The bronzing powder is embossed with a chain pattern radiating out from the center, with the Guerlain "G" positioned just off to the right and swirled about on top of the chains.

A nice little detail was the chain pattern repeating on the inside of the box.

So what about those chains?  The Terra Ora bronzer design "revisits the jewelled chains worn by vestal goddesses."  I think Guerlain did a nice job tying in the compact's pattern to the imagery in the promo ad.  Not only is the model wearing a chained bracelet and fastenings, she looks quite goddess-y between her golden headband, white dress, and the halo decoration in the back, and of course the gorgeous (albeit photoshopped) glowing skin. 

(image from armocromia.com)

While I couldn't find any examples of any sort of jewelry worn by either ancient Roman vestal virgins or the goddess Vesta, whose temple the virgins were charged with protecting, I did find this 19th century drawing of a chain necklace found at Pompeii.

(image from gutenberg.org)

Here are some other examples of ancient Roman gold chains.  Necklaces from the 4th century AD (click to enlarge so you can see the chainwork, particularly on the one in the middle with the green glass):

(image from rubens.anu.edu.au)

This one with emerald from the 2nd century AD:

(image from flickr.com)

And this one from the 3rd century A.D.:

(image from metmuseum.org)

Guerlain's description might have benefited from being more vague than it is currently.  I think referring to ancient Roman jewelry in general might have been more appropriate than suggesting a specific Roman goddess or her worshippers (let me tell you, I spent a good chunk of time searching for vestal virgin/goddess jewelry, and there is none!)  Having said that, there are many more examples of ancient Roman gold chained jewelry where these came from, so Guerlain wasn't totally off  base. 

I still think this piece, with its chain detailing and wooden case, is slightly more special than the other compact in the Terra Ora collection: 

(image from nordstrom.com)

I didn't buy it but I am tempted because it's so summery - a sun motif that's reminiscent of ancient Roman mosaics, perhaps? 

While it's not my favorite offering from Guerlain, I thought they did a good job linking (haha) the chain design to the press release description and promo image they cooked up.  It's certainly evocative of ancient cultures and the goddesses that starred in them.  Now I'm seized with the urge to book a trip to Rome and spend a sunny day walking amongst the ruins. 

What do you think?

Curator's Corner, 6/8/2013

Links from this week and last...so busy lately!

Beauty and art:

- Wild Beauty gives an excellent overview of the history of the hair dryer.

- Shu Uemura creates red and black custom false eyelashes for a Christian Louboutin exhibition.

- Pleasureflush provides an exciting glimpse of what Chantecaille has up their sleeve for fall 2013. 

- I'm a Perrier guzzler and Warhol fan, so this is a very intriguing collaboration.  Some might argue it's not right to use Warhol's images to sell fancy bubbly water, but it's very meta, and I actually think Warhol would have gotten a kick out of it...even more so had it been Coke. 

- Createquity asks, what is a museum?  As you'll see, this seemingly simple question actually has quite diverse and complex answers.

Locally:

- Oooh, new pizza place opening in Hampden.  Can't wait to try it.

- Speaking of Hampden, HonFest is this weekend.  I missed it once again.  D'oh.

- The Daily Beast ran a piece on the stars of The Wire - where are they now?

The random:

- I mentioned in the last edition of Curator's Corner that there is a new Animal Planet/Discovery Channel special on mermaids.  This year people seem even crankier about the fake "evidence" than they were last year when the first special aired, and I'm baffled as to why.  Chill out, everyone!  Mermaids are freakin' awesome and you should appreciate this show even though it's not real. 

- In other mermaid news, a double amputee receives some very special prosthetics.

- On the Riot Grrrl front, I received my copy of the Riot Grrrl Collection book.  And now I may just indulge in some Chapstick or a replica of Kathleen Hanna's dress courtesy of the VFILES.  Additionally, Bratmobile's seminal album Pottymouth turned 20!

- I see another addition to the Makeup Museum family in the future!!  That's right, make way for Superman Babo!!

I just hope Power Babo doesn't get too jealous - after all, he's also a superhero of sorts.

What have you been up to?