There's a simple evolutionary reason why the human eye is naturally drawn to anything that shines. It's not because crystal chandeliers and geode formations are pleasing to the eye, even though they are; rather, shiny things remind us of our fundamental need for water, the glistening surface of a stream. It's simple — we're just thirsty, that's all. What seems equally fundamental, but isn't quite so cut-and-dry, is the question of why humans have been obsessed with our dogs for thousands of years.
Psychologists and behavioral scientists have yet to find a compelling explanation; some believe it's because the affection we show them triggers a response not unlike the one a parent experiences when caring for their own child. Others think that we only love our dogs because they've gamed us into it, vying for our attention and care like a kind of cute, fluffy social parasite. But take the fundamental compulsion toward sparkle and shine and multiply it by the much more mysterious (but still very real) love of canines, and you get something that's all but biologically irresistible.
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Like Chantecaille's new limited-edition Poudre Lumière highlighter — it was designed to commemorate the coming Year of the Dog, but it's really just perfect for anyone who likes gorgeous, shimmery iridescent highlighters that leave skin straight-up pearly. And dogs. Which is most people, probably, unless you're one of the cynics who believes that dogs are, in fact, the most manipulative creatures on God's green earth. But who could ever resist those puppy-dog eyes...
Chantecaille Limited-Edition Year of the Dog Poudre Lumière, $42, available in January at Bergdorf Goodman.
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