Revlon Shanghai Collection by Gucci Westman Fall 2012

Revlon Shanghai Collection by Gucci Westman (with a barely recognizable Emma Stone, and I thought Revlon signs her for her face...) for fall is finally here. It's actually one of the collection I have been literally anticipating forever (i.e. a Revlon collection with no item that I want to buy from) . The jerk in me just wonder how many cool collections does it take before Gucci ran out her brain juice...
Super Lustrous Lipsticks in Red Lacquer, Cherry Blossom (such a Japanese-sounding name in a Chinese inspired collection) and Pink Pearl- Wouldn't it make much more sense if they name the red lipstick Plum Blossom (beside the Chinese cultural symbols thing, some plum blossoms are actually red)?
Top Speed nail lacquer in 24K, Forbidden, Sterling and Orient Express
Cherry Blossom Nail Stencil
Midnight Express palette.

Comments

  1. Hah, cherry blossom!

    And I was annoyed that Pupa Cosmetics' China Doll Blush has a Geisha pattern:
    http://www.pupa.it/eng/Collection/autumn-collection-2012/china-doll-blush_607531.aspx

    Guess "The Orient" is still one big blob to some people.

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  2. Ahh, I feel you (and I almost bitched on other blog where I first heard this from, then I realized that she isn't the one who came up with the collection). It doesn't bug me that much when people mistake Japanese (people or culture) with Chinese one, since they have some similarity and have been influencing each other through out the history anyway.

    What it bugs me is when the...white people (who else?) come up with something specifically Chinese or Japanese, they just create the thing based solely on their assumption, without any basic research whatsoever...

    It's like Chanel Paris/Shanghai allover again, where they had American take-out box and kokeishi dolls). They don't really care the specific culture, they just like the idea that "those oriental things" are foreign, delicate (ie vulnerable and submissive), doll-like and objectify-able...It's worse when the thought is carried by white males (I have the rotten luck to have met a few), talking about racism+sexism...

    I am going off tangent but sheesh those guys (middle-age old men) are creepy!


    OK, having blabbed about all that, the Revlon collection doesn't bother me as a whole though (Even though I am not interested in the products at all). Since the rich burgundy-purple kind of shade really does remind me of those songtress back in 1930 Shanghai... Collections like this is so overdone these past two years so I just stopped caring.

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  3. Exactly!

    I don't mind the collections, but the lack of research (and therefore the lack of interest in what they're doing) is just sad. Especially for a global brand like Revlon. Heh, I wonder if they'll bring this collection to Japan and China?

    I kind of avoid thinking the underlying exotic-ification of "The Orient" behind these collections, as it tires me out.

    Yeah, the collection doesn't bother me either. I like the nails! Although the cherry blossom pattern is again funny. It's interesting about the timing though - Pupa's China doll, then Guerlain and their Turandot collection, and now Revlon.

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    Replies
    1. I doubt it, they don't even get the complete permanent Revlon range in China or Japan...so I doubt the LE will make it there (but in the other hand, Revlon LE shades do tend to get added to the permanent line later on).

      The Guerlain collection itself is just generic-Asian and nothing offensive to me(Some people don't like the fact that they didn't use Asian as model...I don't care since it's just the idea). And I am actually really tempted by the meteorites, the case is so pretty and regal...

      The thing about Liu (the role) is that, she is everything that a creepy Asiaphile imagine an Asian woman to be: "submissive (duh, she is a slave), respectful (as with most women a few hundreds years back), and a loyal servant for her, wait for it, foreign lover/master...WTF.

      I mean can't company just pick a more feminist inspiration,if they want to go "classy and operatic", like Jiang Qing in Nixon in China? (whose famous aria goes like "I am the wife of Mao Tze Tung...". lol) At the very least she is a woman of power and a good-looker/aspiring actress back in the days.

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    2. Yeah, it would be nice to have a stronger inspiration like that.

      Just to clarify, I don't have any problem with the Guerlain collection - it's quite lush and tastefully done, I think. I just thought the timing of all these "Asian"-themed collections was interesting.

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    3. Haha, I was actually being sarcastic.It's pretty much impossible for Western companies to come out a collection inspired by more positive figure (plus Jiang Qing is hardly positive), especially French brand like Guerlain. Mainly because.

      1. The opera Nixon in China is American, which for many European, just equals to "bad and vulgar"...I suppose they would think, "so is anything Chinese".

      2. Jiang Qing is actually a horrifying historical figure (who has not yet been turned into an legend)so I suppose it's a little too early. Even for Chinese to poke fun of it...

      3. I rarely see beauty collection that's inspired by somebody positive (like white female scientist/politician that has her own distinct spot in the field)Most of the time it's just someone like a sex symbol...Come on, it's a company who film naked woman rolling around in bed trying to sell their perfume.

      It's an industry dominated by white male decision makers after all...

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