FGW: Spring Collections Coming soon!

I know that everyone and their mom covered Spring collections already, but I just HAD to give my two cents. I don’t think it’s physically possible for me to keep my opinion to myself, especially when everyone is going gaga for things I’m not really impressed by. Time to give my thoughts instead of press kit snippets!

The Dior Lady Dior collection is beige, taupe, pink, brown. Excuse me, New Look beige, Elegant taupe, Couture pink, and Actress chestnut. But look, they added shimmer to a couple of them! Same old, same old, this isn’t really collection material. Yawn.

Chanel is blah, filled with colors that have become pretty standard from just about everyone. I got a similar quad palette from Lancome in a GWP years ago, so this is really nothing new. The Vendetta nail polish should prove to be popular though. Since Vamp blew everyone away in 1994, Chanel’s been the front runner in the dark colors everyone wants. Nice to see Vendetta in the Spring collection instead of the same old pink and beige, but it’s the only real stand out of the collection. I don’t know why everyone is fawning all over this.

You know what, let’s just list the people who did either pastels or browns this season and get it over with to save us all time, shall we? Clinique, Estee Lauder, YSL,  Stila (though they did add navy and green to their eye palette and I’m still deciding if the pomegranate products give them a full pass).

I have to mention Shu Uemura’s collection because while they chose to go with the same soft pastel colors, the presentation is more ethereal fantasy than the fresh, natural spring look we usually see. The pictures are gorgeous.

NARS has managed to supplement the usual soft spring colors by offering both garnet and yellow “marigold” eyeshadow and metallic raspberry lipstick, so kudos to them on that. The “new” multiple duo contains Orgasm and South Beach, an apricot color, pairing something most people already have with another color and hoping the “limited edition” label prompts us to buy. If you really want to buy a new duo, try Maldives/Riviera instead. I’m happy that they give something to kick it up a notch if that’s what you prefer, but they still played it pretty safe. If you are generally a fan of NARS then you will probably love this collection.

I’m surprisingly intrigued by Smashbox’s MUSE collection. I really like the variety of shades offered in the eye palette, 10 shades that cover both the subtle and colorful ends of the spectrum. Good colors that have a little extra boost to stand out from other spring collections. And I’m excited to hear how everyone feels about the mascara in Black Violet, it piques my interest for sure.

Too Faced kept it simple for spring, and I wish they would have done a better job of showing the colors in the Insurance Policy palette instead of just offering a description. It could go either way when I actually go see it and touch it, I’ll let you know. The pocket size Pink Leopard bronzer is very tempting though!

Urban Decay must’ve been reading my mind when I started peeking at the new collections. I almost fell asleep after seeing the same old thing over and over. “Why doesn’t someone throw in a vivid green to spice things up?” I wondered. Spring doesn’t have to mean soft and limp, let’s get a little pop in here, something to keep our spirits up between the brutal cold of winter and the stifling heat of summer. Bing-O bang-O, 24/7 Glide-on eye pencils in 4 new shades including gorgeous green Graffiti and Ransom, a must have royal purple.. Green also pops up in new Heavy Metal Glitter and Cream Shadow, showing that Urban Decay knows how to place a theme throughout a collection without playing it safe or beating us over the head with it. I didn’t LOVE the Cream Shadows last time around, but I didn’t HATE them either, so I’m totally willing to give them another shot, especially considering the enticing array of colors. If you love Midnight Cowboy eye shadow (a best seller for, um, forever) then you will be thrilled to hear that you can now get it as a Heavy Metal Glitter AND a lipstick to round out your stash. I’ve heard rumors about the ever popular Primer Potion in a new color, but I have yet to find official information on the site, so just keep your finger crossed

I am totally stoked to see Lancome stepping up and getting all hip and junk with their Pink Irreverence spring offering. I’m not huge into pink, but I will always bend that rule for a good hot pink/magenta/fuchsia. Pairing soft and hot pink eye shadows with a black shadow for SPRING shows more daring than many of the other lines and I really, really like it. I think it was a smart move for them to balance the collection with more neutral bronzes and really cover all their bases. There are several things I can’t wait to check out from this collection, including the Piha Black Color Fever gloss, Rebellious Berry eyeliner, Pure Sparkle liquid liner, and the Irreverent Madame eye shadow quad, natch. Glad to see a standout collection hearkening back to the fresh, bold Lancome I fell in love with years ago.

Seeing a lot of peach on cheeks this year, which I’m not crazy about, but I’m happy to see everyone finally moving away from the “apples of the cheeks” philosophy. I already have nice round cheeks and don’t like to emphasize that, so it’s good to see colors being presented under the apples and in the hollows of cheeks again. A lot of lines have carried the smoky eye over from winter, but are using softer colors so a few color tweaks and you’re season current. And red lips are still around, which surprised me a bit but I’m not complaining. Soft and pastel seems to always be the thing for spring and there’s just more of the same this year. A few lines decided to color outside the lines though, and that offers a bit of fun for the rest of us!