When I hear the name 'Giambattista Valli' my mind automatically steps off the ledge of reality into a world filled with Roman architecture, sequins, lace and fashion beyond any girls wildest dreams. However it's fashion that wasn't beyond Giambattistas'. After studying Fashion Illustration abroad in London, it was an assistants role in Capucci's design studio that called the Italian home. There he truly fell in love with a world of color and a world of Haute couture. Now? His designs are gracing the run way of Paris Fashion week four times yearly and his most recent venture? A collection with M.A.C Cosmetics.Inspired by his own designs, fuelled by his passion for colour and etched with his affinity for femininity.
For any of you who know me at all - if something includes the word M.A.C I'm in. I don't even have to read the rest of the email, text, or hear the end of the conversation. I'm in, I want ten of them and I'm already in love. When I heard that this collection would be a lip focused collection? I pretty much spun off my regularly sturdy desk chair. Then I see the words 'Giambattista Valli' and next second - my Macbook is covered by the coffee that moments before was in my mouth. I mean this collection could not go wrong; MATTE lipsticks. One of my favourite designers. My favourite make up brand. I mean I could not express the excitement levels. My facial expression reselembed the excitement of a child on Christmas morning. I was so bloody excited that I wasn't sure I could physically wait to see the collection.
'Inspired by his own designs, fuelled by his passion for colour and etched with his affinity for femininity' I had the head lines for a blog written and I hand't even saw the collection.
So before we talk about the Valli collection can we just sit down for a second and discuss M.A.C collections in general? They are my favourite and least favourite things in the entire world. They bring out these beautiful, exciting products and two months later they leave me sitting on my bedroom floor crying into my empty lip glass holder knowing that although I knew it was 'limited edition' - it didn't really set in until I knew I could never have it again. That's the thing, they make this big deal about them; which they should because some of them are phenomenal. But to me it's like finding the most beautiful, honest, funny guy and after letting you fall in love with him for three months - shipping him off to war forever. To be honest I think that would hurt me less than my detachment issue's I have with M.A.C limited editions.
So then I see the products the five lipsticks and a lip gloss :
MAC Matte Lipstick in Margherita — a yellow(ish) tone bright peach
MAC Matte Lipstick in Bianca B — a pale very cold white pinkMAC Matte Lipstick in Tats — a bright hot pink
MAC Matte Lipstick in Charlotte — a rich yellowish red
MAC Matte Lipstick in Eugenie — a dark cherry with blue undertones
MAC Crystal Glaze Gloss in Lena — a clear gloss with multicoloured flecks of pearl
Instead of going in-dept into each product I decided to do an over-all pro/con list of the collection :
Pro's Valli Collection :
- The shades are so simple and beautiful. I want to marry Eugenie and Bianca B.
- The names : I don't know if I'm reading too much into it but I'm guessing the fact that his lipsticks and some of his named 'influences' of fashion are the same isn't a coincidence?
- Lip Gloss - who doesn't want lip gloss?
- Like all M.A.C lipsticks the pay off from the swatching looks incredible.
- They are all MATTE aka my favourite type of lipstick.
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| M.A.C classic packaging and branding |
Con's of Valli Collection :
- It's limited edition so the second I fall in love, I'll already be thinking about being without it.
- The packaging. I hate it. I hate limited edition packaging in general because I feel a brand like M.A.C with such a definite and definitive brand - it should ALWAYS be kept like that. I'm so into branding that it gives me the worst anxiety to have non typical M.A.C lipsticks next to 'limited' edition designed ones. I know they are only out for a while, but they are still a direct extension and reflection of the company. BUT COLOR TUBES? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? NO. NEVER. NOT OKAY.
- Although I had a 'pro' of loving the shades - at the same time, it's nothing life changing. Will I be heart broken if I don't get every shade? No. I'll go to boots and find dupes.
- The pot of the lipgloss is just impractical for a girl on the move. I'm never going to be standing in the middle of Grafton street - see the boy of my dreams in the corner of my eyes and think : the only thing that would make him love me would be if my lips were sparkling - SO lets fish this pot out of my handbag, open the lid, get a lump out on my finger, smudge it across my lips, try and clean my now filthy finger, try not get my product filthy, and get it back in my bag before I miss the opportunity to let him see me. (I wish when I wrote these things in my blog I was being overly dramatic but I mean I do the sneaky lip gloss application ALL the time, it works)
- Maybe I'm just underwhelmed because in my eyes Valli is a fashion genius, but this just did not match up.
- SIX PRODUCTS? M.A.C are you having a bloody laugh? Rihanna got about 6 hundred.
-Kellyhope xo
*As far as I know this collection is out from the 7th of July which is the day this is posted but will be out as late as August 12th in some stores depending on locations/stock demands.