This is such a great collaboration – really, a joyful celebration of colour that’s a delight to see and use. Whether you have any connection with the design duo (confusingly, not called Proenza or Schouler, but Jack McCollough and Lazaro Hernandez) or not doesn’t matter (although the Lancome/Alber Elbaz is always going to be my favourite collaboration) as long as you have an affinity with colour. If you’re all about the beige and neutrals, it’s not for you.
The big hitters in the collection are the Chroma Palettes (£50) but they’re not actually my personal favourites. The textures are perhaps the most exciting thing about the palettes is the mix of creme and powder. I’ve put several shades to the test on my lids from the above palette (Cold Chroma) and they have even more vibrancy and nuance on the skin than in the palette itself. If you’re in a John Lewis store, do some swatching!
This one is Warm Chroma (I haven’t swatched it yet) so they’re very clearly divided into warm and cool toned offerings. You’ll probably prefer to use your own brushes – the included ones are pretty but the textures need a high grade brush to get the best from them. I should say that almost all the colours have a shimmery (as in tiny bits of twinkle) element to them. I noticed that the darker colours, in particular, get more nuanced and shade shifty the more you blend them. It’s why I say you really need to see them in action in store… my swatches are not doing them justice at all… there is so much more depth than I can replicate with my camera (and low skills!).
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I realise it’s not a particularly summery collection of colours but once autumn hits it will come into its own.
My favourites from the collection are the lipsticks – they’re sheer but vibrant, taking strong shades and making them completely wearable – as in, you wear them, they don’t wear you. I love the blackberry shade, Abstract Burgundy, and the more pigmented Minimal Red. The third shade is Pure Nude – its very sheer and barely there (so there is a bit of beige in this collection!). They’re £25.50 each. The Matte Shaker in Round Purple is so stainy I think I’ll have it on my arm for a month, and bizarrely it has stained a hectic pink rather than the purple colour that it appears…I’m not sure what you’d end up with after a few hours.
There are a few other things that look interesting that I don’t have here – mainly the Lip Kajals which are definitely worth a glance or two. Over all, I think it’s an exciting collaboration that’s used colour less predictably and more interestingly than most. If there is such a thing as a ‘must buy’, I’d flag the lipsticks. They’re lovely. You can find the entire collection at JL HERE.
Non aff HERE
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