LUSH co-founder Rowena Bird’s words ring true for any makeup enthusiast: “I love lipstick but why wasn’t one great color ever enough, why was I drawn to a particular one on different days or even sometimes feel the need to change color part way through the day?”
And from this idea, LUSH Emotional Brilliance was created. The range–consisting of lip colors, eyeliners and eye shadows–is all about your mood. Because let’s face it, beauty girls can moody–red lips one day, bright pink blush the next, black eyeliner last night (or everyday, in my case), we are constantly changing our look based on how we feel. That’s why I love this collection: each vibrant color from this fun vegan line has corresponding words like glamorous, take control or fantasy that play on this emotional cosmetic connection. LUSH even worked with a strategic behavioral therapist to develop each color-word combo.
Bette Midler as Winifred in “Hocus Pocus,” at her cauldron |
At the launch last week, I was taken into a candle lit room with a smoky witch cauldron-esque spinning color wheel and told to pick the first three colors that resonated with me in that moment. Not my favorite colors, not the colors I was wearing, but the ones that spoke to me in that instant. The first one symbolized my strength: charm, a bubblegum pink lipstick. The second choice represented my subconscious need: calm, a light turquoise liquid eyeliner. And the third choice was my talent: independent, a sleek black liner. I left with these goodies and a renewed sense of self, color and makeup.
Emotional Brilliance ($23 each) launches July 21, 2012 in LUSH stores worldwide and online.
Follow Julia Casella on Twitter at @julia_casella.