Rohit Bal's "made up" range for Lancome

When MAC partnered with Manish Arora to create an India-inspired makeup range, the results were fabulous. The dazzling colours of eyeshadows, lip glasses and blush blew away women around the world.

So when I read about Rohit Bal's Lotus collection for Lancome, I knew I had to check it out. Here's what I had in mind- new colours, some never-thought-of makeup tools and eccentric packaging, perhaps even guy makeup! Oh boy, was I disappointed. The collection is more or less a glammed up version of a discount scheme.

This is how it works:

1. You choose your shade from a fixed set of products, such as concealer, blush, lipstick etc from Lancome's existent range. You can have either 12 products (silver set) or 21 (gold set).
2. If you choose the silver set, you get 12% discount, which means Rs 15,000. And the gold set comes for Rs 25,000.
3. This is all put together and wrapped neatly in a cute vanity case.

This is a great idea especially for brides, who want everything handy, customised and coordinated. And even the women who want to indulge themselves.

But why tag Rohit Bal along? The crazy-creative notorious designer has added nothing to the Lancome brand, nor to his own. The only claim being that he "handpicked" the collection. Why would Rohit Bal want to lend his name to something so silly? How does the Delhi designer become anything different from cricketers and actors endorsing brands? (At least they display their acting skills). We would have loved to see Rohit Bal getting creative with something other than fabric.

Speaking Chic's opinion: It's a foolish marketing gimmick to draw footfalls to the stores. The concept does have some weight, but I would have pegged it as the "Lotus Bridal" collection or something similar, and kept Mr. Bal out of the equation.