Earlier this summer, Ulta Beauty launched a collection of makeup, beauty tools and accessories in conjunction with the Frida Kahlo Corporation to celebrate her 112th birthday on July 6. The Frida Kahlo Corporation is the official licensing agent for commercial products bearing her name and likeness. In fact, Vans has come out with Kahlo sneakers.
When I first heard about the Frida Kahlo Collection at Ulta, I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. I sort of felt the same way as I did the first time I heard Beatles music being used in advertising or Bob Dylan actually appearing in advertising for products other than his music. But I’m a big Frida Kahlo fan. Over the years, I have seen quite a few of her paintings, I’ve watched documentaries and movies about her life, I’ve read books and articles about her and her work. Frida Kahlo wore makeup, especially her signature red lips and black brows. She used makeup (and fashion) to help create the persona that she wished to show the world. So I do feel that having a Frida Kahlo makeup collection does make sense in theory, whereas the Vans sneakers are kind of a stretch.
I decided that even though I’m not sure what the Frida Kahlo Corporation does with the money they earn by licensing her name and likeness (I hope they use the money to maintain the Frida Kahlo home and museum in Mexico with it!), I wanted to own at least one of the items with her likeness on it. Sort of like the Mondrian plate that Jeff bought for me at the Gemeentemuseum in The Hague, Netherlands.
The Frida Kahlo Collection includes:
- Artist Brush Set
- Blush and Bronzer Duo
- Brow Master Palette
- Cosmetic Bag
- Face Primer
- Liquid Illuminator
- Matte Liquid Lipstick in a peachy-coral-mauve shade (I wish it had been a traditional tube/bullet of red lipstick like the Revlon lipstick she used)
- Signature Box.eyeshadow palette in brights and earth tones, dry brush cleaner and keepsake box.
The prices range from $10-30.
At my local Ulta, there was a good selection of products from the Collection. (Sorry my Ulta pic is so awful.)
The product I wanted – the Cosmetic Bag – was in stock. There was one bag left after I purchased mine. All of the products appear to be in stock on Ulta.com.
My friend, Andrew, sent me an article about the Frida Kahlo Collection that he found in ArtNet entitled:
A New Line of Frida Kahlo Makeup Seems to Have Forgotten About the Artist’s Signature Unibrow, and Her Fans Are Furious
The article is very interesting, and I recommend that you read it, if you’re interested in Frida Kahlo. It reports that the way Frida Kahlo is portrayed minimizes her masculine features, e.g. her famous unibrow and mustache. Yet Ulta claims that her images on the products were taken from actual photos of Kahlo, and they do appear to (although her face on the products looks longer and slimmer than in the photo on which it was based).
My feeling is that I don’t care that they chose photos in which her unibrow and mustache are less evident. But I am surprised that the Brow Master Palette doesn’t include a black brow product since she is so well known for her black brows. I’m also ticked off that the one available lipstick isn’t red and it’s a liquid. Oh well. It appears that Ulta created the Frida Kahlo Collection based on current trends and contemporary makeup preferences as well as sales figures more than from the actual makeup products and shades that Frida herself wore.
Since the article in ArtNet claims that “her fans are furious”, I decided to read the reviews of the products in the collection on Ulta.com and see how people who bought the products feel. By and large, the reviews are very positive, although a few reviewers thought that Frida who was anti-capitalist would hate the idea of selling her image. There were a couple of complaints about the lack of black brow products. And two reviewers felt that the faux patent leather material used on the cosmetic bag was “cheap” even though one “reviewer” was judging only from the online photo. The majority of reviewers loved the images of Kahlo, the vibrant colors of the product packaging and the products themselves, and they felt the collection honored Kahlo’s legacy.
As I said, I bought the Frida Kahlo Cosmetic Bag during Ulta’s 20% off in July. I also used some of my Ulta points toward the purchase, so I didn’t put out much money for it. It’s priced at $20 that is a little pricey for a plastic makeup bag. But I really like the Cosmetic Bag. It’s spacious, lightweight, and I like the gold zipper that goes all the way around the bag. I love the photo of Frida surrounded by colorful flowers. (BTW, the white on the right hand side of the bag is the light shining on the faux patent leather. A person who left a review on Ulta.com thought it was a tear in the material.)
Here’s additional product info about the Cosmetic Bag:
- Measures 20 cm wide x 12.5 cm tall x 8.5 cm deep at the base
- Exterior gold tone metal coil zipper and hardware
- Made of PU that is wipeable for cleaning
- Fully lined with black fabric
There isn’t a right or wrong opinion on the Frida Kahlo Collection at Ulta, but I’m curious to hear what you think about it. Let me know in the comments. Did you pick up anything from the collection?
As you can imagine, I also have very mixed feelings about the commodification of her likeness.
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Yes, I understand. This was a hard one for me. But I guess people want more Frida. Even before Vans came out with the sneakers, other Frida sneakers, boots, shoes, T shirts have been offered on Etsy. I hope that the Frida Kahlo Corporation will do something good with the money at least.
I thought awhile on getting the box but, decided the collection wasn’t worth the money to me!
I agree, Sherry, the box at $30 was just too expensive
Oh wow that’s so cool!
I didn’t know this exists. The Detroit Institute of Arts is associated in my mind with Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera since there are murals he drew on the walls of the museum. It seems odd to me that someone would “review” from the pictures online but that’s because they aren’t a true makeup lover or they just like to criticize.
I would love to go to the Detroit Institute one of these days because it’s a great art museum and I would love to see those Rivera murals. Although I knew this would be a somewhat controversial collaboration, I ultimately think it’s a good idea. I think it may possibly introduce Frida Kahlo to some women/people who may not know her but come upon the collection in the store. Also, so many people seem to want to own something with Kahlo’s likeness on it: T-shirts, sneakers, boots, shoes etc. While I wish the collection included red tube lipstick and black brow products, I still am happy I got the cosmetic bag with the gorgeous picture of Frida and flowers
I considered this collection and decided against it but I wouldn’t mind having the makeup bag.