The Makeup Museum

MM holiday/winter exhibition 2011

As I always say, better late than never.  That's pretty much the motto of the Makeup Museum.  :P  Here's the holiday 2011/winter 2012 exhibition.

Starting with the top shelf and moving left to right, Dior Crystal Boréal Pendant:

Wong Kar Wai for Shu:

Guerlain Météorites Impériales:

Second row, Armani Madreperla palette:

Guerlain Parure de Nuit powder:

Third row, Clé de Peau Holiday Vintage palette 2009:

Chanel Lumiere Sculptée Highlighting Powder:

Bottom row, Paul & Joe holiday 2009:

NARS Hanamichi eye shadow palette:

I also set up a little holiday/winter fun auxilliary exhibition.  This one is devoted to parties, presents and frolicing in the snow.  :)

Top shelf:

Bottom shelf:

Roses are red...and blue, and orange

If you didn't get flowers yesterday, no worries.  This spring a fresh crop (ha) of roses has popped up to adorn your cheeks.   I like to think that makeup companies were aware of my disdain for traditional rose patterns and had their design teams come up with new twists on the motif just for me.

First up is Anna Sui.  Like Lancôme and Chantecaille, the emblem of Sui's makeup line is the rose so we've seen this before.  However, these particular roses are more lush and certainly more colorful than past offerings, plus they are actually scented with tea rose.  (I can't vouch for this as I don't own them...yet).

(image from gooddealer.com)

These are the available colors.  I'm trying to resist the urge to get all six, but wouldn't that make a lovely bouquet of blushes?

Next, let's take a peek at Boots 17 Spring Fling palettes in Hazy Days and Spring Brights.  I spied these over at Lipglossiping.  I like that while it's a more traditional rose rather than one of those big ruffly garden ones, the leaves and background keep it from straying into the boring territory into which other roses have fallen (I'm looking at you, Chantecaille Fall 2009 palette).  The vintage-y looking photo and chevrons on the outside of the compact are a nice touch.

(images from glitter-junkie.tumblr.com)

Finally, drugstore mainstay Milani steps up their game with their new Illuminating Face Powders.  I think these are the most romantic-looking of the bunch...

(images from milanicsometics.com)

...as they remind me of the clusters of roses you'd see on a wedding gown, like this one by Monique Lhuillier:

Or J. Crew:

(images from weddingbee.com)

So what do you think?  Are of any of these rosy palettes appealing to you?  I know that for me, there may be a rose garden exhibition in the works.  ;)

Valentine's Day smackdown!!

Valentine's Day is almost over, but I'm still going to put up a V-day Museum smackdown!  It's the perfect antidote to all those cutesy cards and stale chocolate. 

What makes this smackdown different from previous ones is that three (instead of 2) valiant items will be fighting for the champion title.  (Insert "three-way" joke here). 

LET'S GET READY TO RRRRRRRRUMBLE!!  *ding*

First up we have Stila's Make Me Blush palette from 2011.  Make Me Blush's overlapping hearts include some gilded ones that mimic candy hearts.  Stila cleverly put the company name in the middle of one.

Our next warrior is Stila Love at First Blush palette from 2012.  Like its 2011 predecessor, this palette features overlapping hearts, but sets itself apart by a square shape and gradiated shades of pale lavender, pink and rose.

With flash:

Our third competitor hails from the drugstore.  Physician's Formula Happy Booster blush boasts a pink metallic outer case and a plethora of pillowy hearts.

With flash:

So which one captures your heart and comes out on top in the Museum's Valentine's Day Massacre?  Will Physician's Formula's fluffy-hearted, shiny pink offering conquer Stila's palettes?   Will old-timer Make Me Blush, with its sprinkling of gold hearts, dominate its newer competitors?  Or will Love at First Blush's trendy yet subtle ombre shades vanquish its two foes?  Tell me in the comments!

Curator's Corner, 2/11/2012

As someone who thinks Valentine's Day is pretty stupid, I'm a little tired of seeing all the V-day related stuff at all the various blogs I follow - I can't wait for this "holiday" to be over! Still, there's some good stuff to be had.  For example:

- LUSH is bringing back my precious Magic Mushroom Bubble Bars as part of their Valentine's Day collection.  You can see previous gushing about these here.  And check out this adorable video that came out last year.

 

- I did enjoy seeing this heart-shaped pizza complete with heart-shaped pepperoni. 

- I was also intrigued by these Sally Hansen V-day nail decals.  They're just cheesy enough to be worn ironically.

- In non-Valentine's Day news, it was World Nutella Day on February 5. 

- Loved this "Living in..." post devoted to Twin Peaks over at Design Sponge.

- These custom temporary tattoos are such a good idea!  Must steal. 

- Also must investigate the idea of a museum app, like this one for the Guggenheim.  How cool would it be for the Makeup Museum to have its own app?!

What things were you digging this week?

E-bay stalking: Holika Holika Hello Holika Chic Blushes

The life of a makeup museum curator requires me to be regularly on the prowl (ha) for items that managed to slip through my hands when they were first released.  Occasionally in my searches I come across more collectibles that I had no idea about previously.  Case in point:  these cat blushes from Asian brand Holika Holika.  I stumbled across them last week, but waited to post about them since I thought they'd be an appropriate follow up to yesterday's post. 

(images from thecutestmakeup.com)

Pending the Advisory Committee approval, I'm ready to add these to the Museum's collection.  They will make a great addition to a cat-tastic exhibition.  ;)