Dior and Chanel SS14 Collections

With Christmas and New Year done and dusted, it seems that the realm of retail has no qualms about ushering in spring and summer frightfully quickly; there’s a sudden influx of bikinis in shop windows (GO AWAY! I’ve just spent a month stuffing myself with calorific treats, I don’t want to feature in anything less revealing than a onesie), and the arrival of spring/summer makeup collections. The latter of which, despite not feeling even remotely summery, is rather exciting for me. Sadly this year, I’ve been rather disappointed. Following the drop-dead-gorgeous winter makeup collections, it seems that the cosmetic geniuses at Chanel and Dior were having a bad day when they designed their Spring 2014 collections. Normally these two brands in particular parade the the collections which are the most drool-worthy; the packaging, the colours, the finishes… well… not this year.

Starting with the worse of the two: Dior. I really wanted to like this collection, I did. The gorgeous Marie Antoinette-esque ad campaigns and delicate details of the palettes were swoon-worthy, but the actual contents, not so much. Dior’s spring “Trianon” collection is all too predictable. Pastels, pastels and more pastels with the occasional burst of colour in the form of their lipsticks or blusher. It’s not simply the fact that pastels for spring are oh so cliché, but also that the colours are incredibly difficult to pull off. Butter yellow? spring green? baby pink? Perhaps for Barbie dress up makeup (circa 1999), but not for the average woman. The model in the ads can pull it off, but only because, well, she’s a model, and it’s all very high fashion. If I were to walk down the streets with toilet blue eyeshadow on, I’d most certainly be stared at, and asked if I thought we were still in the 90s. Clashing pastels Dior… Really? I think I’ll pass on this one.

For Chanel, their collection didn’t have me calling makeup 911 as Dior’s did, but it was lacking in something nonetheless. The collection is based around reddy pink tones, with some purple thrown in (but not My Little Pony purple à la Dior!). The seasonal eye quad is my favourite piece from the collection because it features a gorgeous champagne shade and some mauve that will flatter any eye colour without looking too garish. The lip products are all red or pink toned, with the odd lighter shade thrown in to balance it out. The collection is far from terrible, but, sadly, it doesn’t have me hot under the collar as the winter collection did. The cream blushes are scarily bright reds and pinks, which, no doubt will sheer out upon application, although as a blushophobe myself, I wouldn’t be vouching for these anyway. Finally, a limited edition face powder completes the collection, which I may have a snoop about.

I’d recommend the Dior collection to those who aren’t afraid to get experimental with their makeup,  but if your comfort zone is in the realms of neutrals or more traditional makeup hues, I’d stay away. As for Chanel, the eye products have potential, and the bright lip and cheek products are a must for colour lovers (though nothing particularly original).Overall however, they just lack that je ne said quoi… Sigh, I suppose I’ll just have to wait for the winter 14/15 collections now!

What are your thoughts on these hot-off-the-press collections? Girly or garish?