By Jessica Ye (Jessica Yap)
That’s right, SGD$470 for a quad.
Before we start doing the maths, have a look at this little beauty.
La Beauté Louis Vuitton has given its LV Ombres eyeshadow palettes a rather extravagant makeover, dressing two limited-edition versions in the house’s iconic Monogram canvas. And yes, they are every bit as pretty as you would expect.
Created with Dame Pat McGrath and Nicolas Ghesquière, the palettes celebrate 130 years of the Louis Vuitton Monogram, with two colourways to choose from: Monogram Dune (below), a soft combination of luminous neutrals, and Monogram Infrarouge (featured image), a much moodier mix of berry, mauve and charcoal.
But honestly, we are not even sure the colours are the main attraction here. It is the little case.
There is something slightly ridiculous — and rather wonderful — about seeing four tiny pans of eyeshadow sitting inside Louis Vuitton Monogram. It looks less like something you are supposed to use every morning and more like something you might keep in a glass cabinet.
Which makes us wonder: would you actually use it?
Because if we are being honest, there is a very real possibility of buying this, opening the case, admiring the Monogram and then deciding that the whole thing is far too pretty to get covered in eyeshadow dust.
Oh no, I can’t possibly put a brush into that.
And really, this is where Louis Vuitton knows exactly what it is doing.
The house has always been rather good at making ordinary things feel desirable. A handbag, a trunk, a travel case — none of these things are particularly revolutionary on their own. It is the Louis Vuitton treatment that turns them into objects people want to own.
Now it is doing the same thing with makeup.
The LV Ombres itself is already designed to be kept and refilled, with Louis Vuitton describing its case as a “precious keepsake”. But wrapping the limited-edition versions in Monogram takes the idea a little further. Suddenly, the compact feels like part of the collection rather than simply something containing the collection.
Still, four colours for SGD$470.
A rather large price tag for eyeshadow.
But then again, it is Louis Vuitton.
And that little Monogram does have a way of making us forget about the price.
The La Beauté Louis Vuitton LV Ombres Monogram Eyeshadow Palettes area available online and in-stores.
