YSL Spring Collection 2012 Candy Face

Yves Saint Laurent 'Candy Face' Spring 2012.

With the sun shining very brightly outside and despite the frosty chill in the air, my mind has been wondering to spring, and of course....spring collections!

Although the collection isn't as inspiring (in my opinion) as the Look Noel Christmas 2011Collection, the colours of this are youthful, bold, and fresh. The campaign embodies the sweet smells and colours that emerge in the springtime and capture that excitment and anticipation of the summer.

Fresh faced, popping candy pastel colours, and of course an updated YSL manicure.

Lloyd Simmonds; "The gleam of an infinite profusion of dazzling fruit jellies, translucent raspberry and wild strawberry, mandarin orange, melon, mango and persimmon bring a gorgeous flush to the Yves Saint Laurent woman’s face. Her smile is as bright as shining sugared drops and syrups: shocking cherry, tangerine, grape and pomegranate, crystallized rose petals, mint and chocolate.” -Lovely!

Limited Edition Ombres 5 Lumieres No 113- The standard 5 shade eye palette that is consistent throughout each collection. No. 113 incorporates perfect pastel hues that remind me of European ice cream stands. The colours are quite diverse and will take some skill and confidence to use. I would suggest using only one colour on the eye as an accent colour in a chosen look, i,e. paired with a neutral shimmer for example or used solely on its own as in the campaign photograph. Going overboard and using two or more colours could end up looking quite amateur.

Limited Edition Vinyl Candy Palette- Two pearl finish and two satin finish eyeshadows available in a palette that I deem more useable than the Ombres 5 Lumieres. These colours could be incorporated into a dynamic smokey eye, or used together to create a graduated look for the eye. This palette is believed to have been inspired by a box of sugar coated sweets.

Limited Edition Voile de Blush- Gel- like texture, these liquid blusher pigments are suitable for a subtle wash of colour and could probably be built up create a stronger pop. They don't stand out to me as must haves in the collection because I was slightly disappointed with their watery finish when I swatched them, however these would be perfect for a dewy, natural cheek stain on top of a tinted moisturiser for a lovely day look.

Golden Gloss no.49 and no.50 - I'm happy to learn that these are going to become permant colours in the line of Golden Glosses. YSL lip glosses are truley fabulous, if you haven't tried them yet you must! The colours are feminine and super pigmented, with fine glitter particles that add a stunning finish on the lip. The pink is quite a deep fushia pink that is really flattering and the no. 50 is a coral, apricot colour. Both shades run with the sickly sweet colours throughout the collection. These are my favourite items in Candy Face.

Rouge Volupte Perle- The pigmentation of these on the lips is very soft and have a moisturised, nourishing feel to them because they are a shiny finish. You have to work quite hard to get  a strong colour on the lip, so if you are a matte/bold lady, these ain't what you're looking for. I love the colour options though, very feminine and Nicki Minaj-y.

Limited Edition Manicure Couture Duo, no. 8; A tangy, manderin orange varnish to be used as the basecoat, and a fresh bubblegum pink to be used on the tips. The YSL manicure is based on the standard French manicure but each collection adapts it to fit the colours of the collection. Look Noel was a matte black basecoat with a shiny black varnish for the tips. 

Conclusion; Although the majority of the colours appear very bright, the pay off and pigmentation is really quite subtle and almost natural in finish. If you're looking for bolds, deeps, mattes, etc this may not be the collection for you. The shadows, blushes and lipsticks are all quite washed and watery when on the skin, but of course colour is buildable. I love the fruity, sickly sweet inspiration behind the collection, but in comparison to Look Noel 2011...well there just isn't the edge. These points aside, after all they are my personal opinions of the products available, all the colours and finishes are very freshfaced, and who doesn't want that?

Will you be buying from this collection? What spring collections have caught your eye?