Myths, Magic and Making Up - Member Article

 by Rosie.

 As anyone who has been anywhere near the Adore Beauty Forum in recent times will know, I am off to the US of A very shortly, and am planning a major spree. 

As I attempt to compile my ‘Must Try’ list I am forever being distracted by a mythological, fairytale, or magical being.

We’ve got mermaids (Too Faced) Smurfs (Too Faced); I can find fairies (Fresh) Fairytales (Lulu Guinness), a dragon (NARS), and even Barbie puts in an appearance (Stila). Venus (Goddess of Love) puts in a few appearances, gracing Guerlain, YSL, Calvin Klein and NARS. Butterflies abound.

Medusa is very much in sight, with her likeness gracing all things Versace. Cupid pays a visit to Clinique. Goddesses of the un-named variety appear at Smashbox, Urban Decay (although, theirs has a colour) and their glow is offered by Benefit.

We have an old school pinup girl in Buxom Betty at Bare Escentuals. The Balm has Hot Mama, Bahama Mama, and the Down Boy femme, who looks a wee bit like Marilyn M. Any one of these ladies would have looked mighty fine gracing the nose of a WWII bomber.

Those who aren’t into Barbie, mermaids and mythical creatures are not forgotten, but that’s a story for another day.

So, what is it about these images of myth and minx that makes them such great marketing tools? Cynical as I am, I have already added quite a few of the things I have mentioned to my list, based purely on the packaging, or the name.

I adore the pin up girl packaging; The Balm, and Too Faced are up for a very close look-see. I love the vampy, powerful image that the women (make-believe though they be) who grace the packaging of these products. I want to be them. I want to be Rosie the Riveter. A woman doing a man’s job, in charge of her life, and wearing her perfectly applied (red) lipstick while she’s at it. A woman to admire was Ms Rosie.

This, of course, is what the houses marketing these products rely on – our seeing ourselves – or who we would like to be, in these women. They appeal to our love of fantasy, and our memories of childhood tales, with Smurfs, mermaids and fairytale creatures.

They feed our desire for beauty by wrapping their gorgeously coloured and scented products in opulent packaging (hello Givenchy and Guerlain). They know that, while we may never regain the innocence of childhood, and most of us will never be able to afford a designer bag, let alone an entire outfit, we will most certainly find room in our budget for these miniature works of wearable art.

Knowing the purpose behind the packaging, and often the products themselves, does this stop me wanting them? No. I want them for their beauty, for what they make me feel when I see them, and for the memories they invoke.

I still want to be Rosie the Riveter. Actually, I’ll settle for being able to wear lipstick that well. It doesn’t even have to be red.