A
fter 20 years of writing about make-up, I’m not easily bowled over. But I have just painted my eyes and lips with a selection from Louis Vuitton’s new make-up collection and — just WOW! I consider myself impervious to hype and as this is undoubtedly the beauty launch of the year, I made a point of turning down my “pro” bias when I got my hands on a sneak preview a few weeks ago. But the colours, the formulations, the longevity, the precision in the pigmentation and grown-up shimmer, the powdery yet silky eyeshadows are truly something.
But then, it is Dame Pat McGrath, the legendary British make-up artist — emphasis on the word artist — who has created them as the new cosmetics creative director of Louis Vuitton La Beauté, the maison’s first foray into make-up. Her vision was to make something that contained the codes of the brand — craftsmanship, travel and luxury — but the products have the inimitable McGrath signatures too: smart colour choices, and unbeatable formulations and textures. “I envision the collection as a beauty experience rooted in the art of travel, a signature of the maison,” McGrath says. “This collection has its own language of beauty rooted in heritage and craftsmanship. It is something that you can travel through life with, tangibly and figuratively.”
