This is what I was going to tell you…

“David LaChapelle, not to be confused with David Chapelle (something I myself am prone to doing, as well as mistaking Paul Danan for well, most Paul’s), is an American photographer whose lure was so great to me in my teens that I essentially chose a degree that had lead to graduates becoming his photographic assistants. I left two weeks later. However, my hankering for all that is fluro and lurid is only really satiated by his work. Like a Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, his photographs are a heavy, saccharine hit. Here are some pieces from his latest work, it’s a play on Botticelli’s Venus and Mars, and manages to be quite dark. That said, enjoy.”

But you know what? If you fancy saccharine imagery that still packs a punch, the Rankin collaboration with Alex Box should hit the spot. Not only are the images astounding – Box trained as a fine artist before turning her hand to skin – but she’s a pretty cool cat.

Images courtesy of tumblr, pathofzin, makeupbeat, tumblr