When I need to get out of my head for a while, I usually fire up something brainless on TV and plop myself down on the couch.
But sometimes, TV isn’t enough. Sometimes, I need even more escapism than that…like to the drugstore, or the cupcake shop, or the coat section at Nordstrom’s to try on all of the Burberry trench coats I know I’m never, ever going to buy.
Sometimes, though, not even those places are distracting and soothing enough, and at those times, when I need to really, really get away…I go to Dior.
And poof! Just like that, I feel like a different girl.
No more sitting at my desk in sweats, an oversized UC Davis t-shirt and a grandpa sweater with missing buttons. When I’m at a Dior counter playing with makeup, I’m a girl wearing a gown at a fancy ball…
The gown? It’s golden layers of silk and tulle, and through some miracle of light, it doesn’t make me look short. I do all of the fancy ballroom dances, too, like in that scene from the Sound of Music at the Von Trapp house, when the guests are all twirling together, and manage to eat two tiny sandwiches and sip champagne without spilling anything on my dress…
Wait — where was I?
Oh, yeah! Dior. 🙂
The centerpiece of their upcoming holiday release is a 15-piece makeup collection called Grand Bal. Inspired by ball gowns and fantasy fetes, it looks dazzling in its special edition packaging (ZOMG! — the nail polishes!). Some of the pieces, like the bejeweled Grand Bal false lashes ($28 each) and uber-luxurious Palette Grand Bal ($85), really do look fit for a fancy ball.
For the girl who has everything, how about a $120 set of temporary Golden Tattoos?
The kicker, both silly and amazing: they’re made out of 24-karat gold.
The holiday release also features more “practical stuff,” like palettes and sets. While not as flashy as the pieces in the Grand Bal collection, the two Expert Palettes, one for the eyes ($65) and one for lips ($62); the Mini Brush Set ($62); and Manicure Essentials Set ($62) should appeal to practical people who can’t deny their love for Dior.
I wore the Expert Eye Palette, which comes with a serum-infused eye base, a brow liner, eyeliners, mini mascara and eyeshadows in brown, taupe and champagne, out to dinner with El Hub and my in-laws last night. I only had five minutes to get ready beforehand, and this kit saved my butt.
But the Grand Bal pieces are the ones that are driving me wild. I can see it now…
There I am, touching up my makeup with the Grand Bal Palette in an opulent powder room with overstuffed chairs. Soft yellow lights illuminate the scene, and I’m surrounded by the sounds of soft laughter and rustling dresses as women wearing opera-length gloves and tiaras float in and out.
Grand Bal is like the kind of makeup I can see myself wearing in a dream, or in a wonderful memory I recall when I’m older and just about to fall asleep in my reading chair.
Your friendly neighborhood beauty addict,
Karen
P.S. TGIF!
Wow, this collection is the peak of luxury. I wouldn’t even be able to touch anything if I bought it.
By the way, is Tabs going to release a single? I would buy that!
I love those taupes in the palette.
What a gorgeous collection! Everything looks so luminous and golden — a getaway from real life indeed 🙂 I can’t wait to read what you think of everything, Karen! (Those criss-cross lashes are absolutely stunning.)
Stunning collection! Really just beautiful. Although, thanks to you I now have “Ken Leeeee” stuck in my head -__-
Karen, I hope you’re going to model those lashes for us! How gorgeous.
wow,darn lucky you girl..getting to see,touch and test around those stuff..and I would have exactly the same dream as you said..all these are just too precious and etheral!I hope we can see your posts on these,cant wait!
What a gorgeous collection! I don’t know if I would buy any of the products, but I sure am enjoying the makeup eye candy!
Eeee oh my God! Look at that palette! The lip shades can cease to exist for all I care, but the gold and silver eyeshadows… I die!
Gorgeousness!
Everything looks so beautiful and luxe! I really want to know more about that Grand Bal eye palette.
Sorry this took so long I just realized I have to take my jaw off the floor.
Yeah, this collection is what you use when ball length gowns is considered the minimum at the soiree (not party) you are attending that night. I especially need that gold and silver eyeshadow palette in my life. I wouldn’t even know what to wear this to. Maybe I’ll bow in reverence when I open the palette. Gorgeous, fabulous, luxurious, and all those other fancy words that end in -ous. I am the makeup Don Quixote and I have found my (latest) windmill to chase!
I totally try on the Burberry trench coats too. So gorgeous. I pretend I’m Angelina Jolie. But even at the outlet, I’m still never ever going to buy one.
I swatched the collection the other day and everything was so gorgeous! So pretty and shimmery! Perfect for holiday parties for sure!
I keep telling myself that one day I’ll own a Burberry trench coat. One day…
I love the little nail polish bottles! I don’t think I’d ever use them, but I want the bottle just to sit on my vanity!
That eye palette is gorgeous. Oh Dior, why do you tempt me so?
Wow!! That is luxury at its best!! Would love to get my hands on that palette!
I think the Expert Eye Palette is the only piece from this collection that has really tempted me so far. The silver and gold shades from the Grand Bal palette are just a little too metallic for my taste. Plus, from the swatches I’ve seen online, the glosses are way too sheer to even be worth it. Nice packaging though–this goes for all the pieces. I’d love to have those polishes so they could sit pretty on my vanity, even if the colors aren’t particularly exciting for me…
Such a gorgeous collection! I can’t wait to get my hands on some of the pieces and am also eager to know what you think of them!
THAT is a STUNNING collection!!! WOW! Dior can really do NO wrong!
This collection is fantastic! Going bananas for those eyelashes!