India is known not just for it’s bustling cities and beautiful monuments, but also for a profusion of bright colors: oranges, yellows, vibrant reds, hot pink, gold, silver, emeralds and sapphires. These bright colors were seen all over the Spring runways and are absolutely trendy. Givenchy has captured some of the life and beauty of India and it’s glamorous Bollywood films, in a new Spring-Summer 2009 makeup collection by Nicholas Degennes, featuring two color harmonies: pink, and orange, with gold and silver that flatter warm and cool, deep and fair skin tones, like a sunlight, or a sunset. When you open these products, you can’t help wanting to play with the color.
For exotic eyes, there’s Precious Sari Glitter Eyeshadow. “1-Maharani Gold ” and “2-Maharani Silver are housed in Givenchy’s square, clear, wanded tubes, but the black tops are highlighted with gold “Bindi” accents around the top and bottom. Inside, these limited edition shadows are reminiscent of the opulent detail on high quality saris. They offer a quick drying, layer-able “wash” of color that offers a sheer, glittering metallic effect, or layer it for a seriously glamorous and glimmery metallic that is so trendy, now
Add an exotic accent with Givenchy’s intense, black, Magic Kajal Eye Pencil. The inky-black, super-soft pencil lets you line (or ring) your eyes with a bold, exotic line as in the photo of the model at the top of this post, or smudge the super-bend-able pencil right onto your lids for a smouldering effect. The small, chunky pencil comes with it’s own pencil sharpener. 
Faces will glow this season with two, limited edition products look as beautiful in their square, mirrored compacts as they will on your face. The Sari Glow Iridescent Blush is available in “43-Maharani Pink” and #44-Maharani Orange.” Both are exquisitely detailed with gold bindi design on the cover of the black, square compact. The delicate bindi design is featured bordering the interior mirror and overlayed in gold on the pressed powder blush, as well as on the handle of the flat, mini blush brush housed in the hinged compact below the powder. This makes these covet-able items for collectors. Both the pink and orange are neon-bright in the compact, but on your face, they’re sheer and flattering… a glowing pick-me-up for dull complexions!
The Givenchy Prismissime Visage” compartmentalized into a checkerboard of nine, small, individual squares of pinks, beige and shimmery bronze, is pressed powder extraordinaire, to brighten fair complexions. (“21 Maharani Pinks) or apricots with shimmery bronze and orange (“22-Maharani Apricots”) to flatter darker and tanned complexions. The sheer powder leaves a subtle, light-reflecting glow that make skin better than bare, or polished with foundation. The compacts, mirrors and brushes are also decorated with the India-inspired gold bindi detail. It’s so pretty, I had trouble forcing myself to sully the squares with a brush! However, either makes for a more polished face. I promise you — open one of these to freshen up and you’ll be the envy of every woman, there.
Lips matter and Givenchy Rouge Interdit Lipstick is a silky, good-for-your-lips, moistly-creamy stick of color you won’t want to be without. The stylish, black, squared-off lipstick tube is highlighted with a subtle bit of gold bindi design a the very top, and the signature Givenchy fabric “tab” at the bottom is also black, with gold metallic thread in the bindi design. There’s nothing more chic than pulling one of these out of your makeup bag, lifting off the cap, and revealing the Givenchy logo embossed on the silvery tube. Two limited edition Rouge Interdit Lipsticks are “41 Maharani Henna” a glorious, intense,brick red reminiscent of India henna, and “Maharani Rose,” a perfect, bold, clear rose that rivals the beauty of the actual flower in a rose garden! These lipsticks have moisturizing, creamy, sexy as all get-out color. Although I didn’t try them, there are two Vernis Please! Limited Edition Lip Glosses in Maharani Pink and Maharani Tangerine, to compliment the lipsticks, and the entire pink and orange (warm and cool) collection.
TIP: the designer of this collection, Nicolas Degennes, recommends using the pink harmonies in the collection with the silver Precious Sari and the orange toned products with the gold Precious Sari. The Advice Sisters say…Go Play!