Monday, August 23, 2010

Fall 2010 Makeup Trends: Chanel's "Paint Print" Eye: Hate it or Love it?

One of the awesome things about being a blogger, as opposed to a beauty magazine, is that I don't have to wax lyrical over every beauty or fashion trend that comes out. If I think it's ugly, I can say it, and there's nothing you can do about it! Neener neener!

As you might know, I don't follow fashion trends, whether it's clothes, makeup, or nail polish - I'm a "I'll-wear-what-I-like-dammit" kind of girl. Besides, most Autumn/Winter 2010 makeup trends seen on the runway have been nothing out of the ordinary so far (dark lips, check, smokey eyes, check). But this one surprised me, so I just had to show it to all of you.

Apparently Chanel decided to reproduce the print on their new bags on their models' eyes. Hence making for some really strange-looking eye makeup.

(Image from Style.com)


Of course, the fashion press calls it visionary and inspiring, and I guess it is visionary - the concept of taking a print from a bag or an article of clothing and attempting to reproduce it as makeup is not a common one. So I guess Chanel scores points for originality. (If you want to, you can read more about it HERE.)

But I just can't feel the look on this one. I don't know about you, but to me it just looks like messily-applied eyeshadow. All the way up to the temples and eyebrows. It looks like a five-year-old attempted to apply mascara on the model. (It isn't, of course. It's eyeliner and pigment, carefully applied with brushstrokes.) While I kind of think the concept of transferring prints is cool, and while I like the print on the bag (white bags with a black bottom? Very practical!), I don't really like how it looks as makeup on a person's face. I mean, I know beauty on the runway is usually about putting on a show and creating some drama, and thus highly exaggerated, and us mere mortals are supposed to use it as "inspiration" and reinterpret it for everyday wear, but I'll be darned if I know how to be "inspired" by this one. I don't really think the fashion powers that be meant for us to do our makeup that way, in any case. I think they meant for us to look at the eyes, and then buy the bags, since the print eye was a mimic of the print on the bag. But as a makeup junkie, you know I like to look at everything in the context of makeup. And in the context of makeup, it just looks weird.

Maybe it just means that if I accidentally get mascara on my eyelid, I'll just claim that I'm on the cutting edge of beauty! Thanks Chanel, for saving me the 2mins I would otherwise spend wiping mascara off my eyelid.

I guess I kind of love it as an artistic endeavour, but hate it as an actual makeup look. What about the rest of you? Hate it or love it?