Kitty cometh

What do you think of MAC’s new Hello Kitty line of makeup?

I for one can’t wait for the official launch of the products on February 12. Ironically, I was one of a minority of girls in my high school (during the mid-1990s) that resisted the urge to deck myself out in Hello Kitty and Keroppi (the Sanrio frog character) accessories, as dictated by a worldwide trend.

So it's a bit difficult to explain why, when as soon as I heard from a friend the other day that there was a Hello Kitty-goes-to-the-dark-side line of makeup coming out, I squealed like a pig in lipstick.



I know for some people, getting into Hello Kitty stuff is a stroll down memory lane, but for me it isn't. (I have no recollection of HK as black and shiny as patent leather as she appears in the ads... unless I missed something.)

No, for me and I’m others I’m sure, indulging in Kitty-inspired makeup is about feeling girlie and glam, but also about being able to approach one’s beauty routine with a degree of playfulness and humor. Rather than a chore (as in you have to put on your concealer or risk looking blotchy, you have to brush on your mascara or risk being told you look tired). Seriously, isn’t putting on your makeup supposed to be fun?
Now, whether or not a violet hued lipstick or an aqua shimmer shadow will be flattering at all on a 30-year-old face (like mine) I haven’t a clue, but I’ll try it before engaging in my normal, instinctual response to any new trend. That would be an eye roll. (If for no other reason than this time of year, it’s all too easy to land in an uninspired beauty rut caused in no small part by skin-drying winds, static-y hat hair and too-short days.)

So perhaps next time I end up doing the same old thing I always do—muted lips with smoky eyes, I’ll replace my trusty neutral pink lipstick with a touch of hot pink Hello Kitty gloss.
I’m also spying with my little eye what appears to be a sleek, black HK face-shaped compact.
But if none of that sounds like your cup of tea, don’t worry. The line also features a few reliable neutrals for lips and face.

Purr purr purr.