Saturday 29 May 2010

Another fashion house braves the world of makeup - Burberry cosmetics


Tom Ford has just come out with his lipstick line - which has received quite a few raves for its luxe and glam feel, and highly pigmented colours. Definitely if you can't afford the clothes, the sunnies (I myself would love to bag a pair of Anouk sunnies) paying £35 might seem worth it just to attain a bit of that glamour. But not for me....I'd rather spend that money on a high end foundation : D

So Burberry is due to launch their line in July and it wil feature foundations, powders, bronzers, eye shadow, eyeliner, lip gloss, lip definers, lipsticks and mascara. Sounds pretty much on the mark of a standard makeup line. Burberry has done well in their fragrance line so why not try out cosmetics?

This is where I come over all British : D As much as my brain tells me to be positive and champion a much loved traditional British fashion brand, I don't have high hopes. We've been here before. Both Calvin Klein, Diane von Furstenberg have tried and failed. Though makeup and fashion are inextricably linked, a great fashion design house does not a great cosmetics house make.

This is not to say that it can't be done - YSL, Chanel, Dior make a great success out of it. And it is not to say that newcomers can't be welcomed. But it's something that Chanel and co are cosmetic brands which have been around for a while and have already developed that 'classic' status. I thought Missoni were going somewhere when they brought out a highligher palette a couple of summers ago (I think) but then that also went nowhere. The only newcomer that has successfully made the leap is Giorgio Armani. But come to think of it, I don't even own anything from his line either. That probably says more about me and my tastes. The majority of my collection is made up of items from makeupartist lines. Not to say that I don't rate fashion house lines - some of my fave items have been precisely from Dior, YSL and Chanel! I guess I feel that I respect and 'trust' those items from makeupartist lines. They appeal more to me.

Equally, you don't find many makeup brands that foray into fashion. What type of fashion would MAC or Shu Uemura produce?!!! Or Bobbi Brown!? How about Clinique or Lancome?

The Burberry line is featured in this July's Elle UK. Alongside images of a neutral colour selection of powders (which would normally have me on high alert) - eyeshadows, bronzers, blushers - etched with the Burberry check, it is promoted as the makeup to 'check out'. Turn the page over and the British supermodel Rosie Huntingdon-Whiteley is quoting her summer bare necessity is a sweep of Burberry bronzer (£30). Marketing indeed.

Yes I am being cynical in this post. I will indeed be checking it out and will gladly and most happily blog about whether I purchase anything. Burberry is a line that is reknown for being very popular with the Far East, especially Japan, so if they have factored that in - it could do well - like Jill Stuart. Come to think of it too, I have some great Mary Quant eye shadows and wish that line would get more notice.

I'm all for being fair and I will give the line the benefit of the doubt. Sometimes, it's all about the surprise if something turns out to work for you which makes a makeup product all the better.

What do you think?

3 comments:

  1. I don't think the Burberry makeup collection would amount to much either ;) I love their classic stuff- but to be honest, I feel that they are very much stuck in a rut when it comes to fashion design (maybe except for the Thomas Burberry line). They put out the same thing almost every season (then again you can't do very much with trenches) and I think the youngest thing they've done so far is to hire Emma Watson to be their spokesmodel. Anyway, my point was, makeup should be young, trendy, exciting (but maybe that's cuz MAC's conditioned me that way) and I don't think Burberry can cut it. It feels like the most "exciting" thing they'll ever put out would be smokey eye and soft lips. Maybe I might have to eat my own words but beauty-wise, I'm just going to stick to Burberry's perfume for now (which I've been using for the past 9 years).

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  2. I agree with you 100%...I really can't muster even a drop of excitement about the new Burberry line. I'm actually shocked that the blogosphere is buzzing over this incredibly boring-looking product lineup. But then again, I'm not a fan of Burberry fashion, either.

    Having seen so many exceptional makeup brands falter in the past few years (Rock & Republic, Cargo, Shu Uemura, and Kevyn Aucoin, just to name a few), I wonder if Burberry even has a chance. However, Dolce & Gabbana has managed to hang in there, and the new Burberry line will probably be more similar to D&G than to any of the brands I mentioned above.

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  3. Its really nice blog. Cosmetics products helps to look younger. Everyone wants to look younger and beautiful Beauty cosmetics do that. Beauty Products give you a Gorgeous look.
    I am Agree with you. world is crazy about Fashion. Fashion Change the world.

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