Hello Kitty Beauty Graffiti Collection “Gets Up” At Sephora Starting Today!
Don’t let her affinity for hair bows, blue overalls, country chic aprons, and all things pink fool you — while the cupcake- and cookie-loving character may be associated with girlish innocence, there’s a more rebellious, thrill-seeking side to Hello Kitty’s personality. As it turns out, Hello Kitty is taking a cue from female graffiti pioneers like Lady Pink and renowned muralists like Toofly, writing her name using every lettering style imaginable (bubble, wildstyle, and quick tag letters) and flaunting her paint-covered, drip-accented ensembles for all to see. Or, at the very least, she’s serving as the blank canvas for urban artists, occupying the moving museum role once played by New York City subway trains. See, the new Hello Kitty Beauty Graffiti Collection, launching at Sephora stores today, features several pieces created by Tokyo-based, Hello Kitty designer Yuko Yamaguchi alongside LA-based graffiti artist POSE (whose tags and illustrations appear on the surfaces of these cosmetics offerings).
Though more concise than prior collections, the new Summer 2011 Hello Kitty Beauty Graffiti Collection is considerably edgier, sparking the interest of street art lovers, beauty fiends, and Hello Kitty fanatics alike. Rather than an arsenal of cosmetics, the collection includes only one palette: the Hello Kitty Eyeshadow and Blush Palette ($35 at Sephora.com), which includes four eye shadow shades (a mossy greenish gray, soft petal pink, moody teal, and dark charcoal gray) and, underneath it, a pull-out tray with two powder blushes (one peachy pink and a light bronze). Frankly, I was relieved to discover that there weren’t too many eyeliner sets, lip gloss palettes, nail lacquers, and other cosmetic offerings in this limited-edition collection since my experience with the Hello Kitty Beauty collection has been that each product’s packaging way surpasses its contents in terms of quality. Given that, then, I was ecstatic about the collection having such a strong emphasis on tools and accessories.
Aside from the Hello Kitty Rollergirl ($18 at Sephora.com), a rollerball fragrance that resembles a Pez dispenser, with a sculptural, kitty-shaped head as the tube cap, the remaining items in the collection place more of a premium on decorative concerns. The Hello Kitty Compact Mirror ($18 at Sephora.com) features retro, Beat Street-esque lettering along the top lid of the cat head-shaped compact, while the medium-sized Hello Kitty Makeup Bag ($28 at Sephora.com) features a tarnished silver, slightly crackled, leather-like backdrop with misty splatters of bright color like yellow and teal adding a sense of excitement to the zip-top design. Each makeup bag measures 6.5″ x 4.5″ x 2.5″ and is adorned with one-of-a-kind artwork, making each roomy piece feel all the more precious.
But the tour de force in this collection is the Hello Kitty 5-Piece Brush Kit ($49 at at Sephora.com), which features a Face Brush, Eyeshadow Brush, Shader/Blending Brush, Angled Eyeliner Brush, and Lip Brush — all hidden inside a tag-covered, silver figurine with a removable head that reveals the brushes neatly tucked inside a reusable, easy-to-clean plastic cup nestled in the bottom section (the body) of the container. Measuring 4″ x 4.5″ x 6.5″, the Hello Kitty 5-Piece Brush Holder is sure to go All-City in a matter of days, so make sure to grab yours pronto!
