Ok. So apparently, hot pink/magenta IS the cosmetic color of choice for Spring. Two posts previous to this one, I discussed my negative feelings about the Nars cosmetic collection for Spring. We could call that collection, “Pink: Done Wrong.” On the other hand, we could retitle Lancome’s “Pink Irreverence” Spring campaign as “Pink: Done Right.” Look at the picture of the model displaying the Nars Spring cosmetic collection and now contrast her appearance with the model displaying Lancome’s Spring collection. The Lancome makeup makes model looks vibrant, healthy, and sexy. The colors (and their application) of the Nars Spring collection make the Nars model look ill or as though she’s been injured in the eye area. I think one of the key things to notice is that there are no clear lines of demarcation in the eye makeup of the Nars model. Her entire eye area (eyelid, lower lid, inner corners, brow bone area, etc) are a haze of pinks, mauves, browns, and magenta. The fact that these colors are all seamlessly merged together is part of what makes it appear as though she’s recovering from a black eye. She might be wearing a bit of black eyeliner on the inner rims of her upper eyelids but it does little to take away from the “recovering from black eyes” look. On the Lancome model, we can clearly tell she’s wearing eye makeup and it’s fine that we notice that. The pinks in the Lancome collection are sharper, brighter than the colors in the Nars campaign. Also, take time to note the heavy black, smudged eyeliner on the upper and lower lids. The strong eyeliner serves as a fine contrast with the multiple pink shades and prevents that whole “my eye is puffy and pink with infection/injury” problem in the Nars picture. The most potent hot pink shade is reserved for the crease where it a) looks lovely and b) is far enough away from the eye that it does not highlight any red, tired eye look. A light cotton-candy esque shade of pink has been used on the lids. It’s colorful enough to be noticed but not in that pinky-purple-maroon family of color that was chosen in the Nars lineup. Please also compare the lipcolors of the two different women. On the Nars model, the lipcolor is mostly matte and is extremely similar (if not identical) to the main eyeshadow shade. On the Lancome model, the lip color is, quite literally, “Electric Pink.” The strong shade brings a wonderful pop of color to the model’s face and it is a much more pigmented hot pink than that used on her eyes. With a bit of toning down (but certainly not removing altogether) the eyeliner (perhaps only doing one layer instead of two with smudging) you could easily wear Lancome’s “Pink Irreverence” lineup during your normal, daily activities. The full look is obviously more suited for a night out or other special occasion. As for the Nars lineup, when exactly is a good time to look like you’ve been attacked or have/are becoming a member of the undead? I don’t know. I do know that I splurged and bought Lancome’s “Laque Fever Electric Pink” lip color and “Irreverent Madame” eyeshadow collection yesterday.
