Melissa Meisel , Associate Editor03.04.15
The power of a precisely lined eye flanked by a fringe of flirty lashes complete with a primed and pigmented pout can’t be denied for 2015, insist industry insiders. Growth in color into 2015 is shifting to the eyes and lips, according to market research firm The NPD Group.
Eyebrow makeup and eye shadow are two areas that saw the most bounty within eye makeup in the 12 months ending November 2014 (34% and 9%, respectively), while lip color (13%) drove growth in lip makeup. Of the top 100 new shades of lip color on-counter in 2014, pink surpassed red as the leading color, bringing in 23% more dollars. In contrast, color enamel prompted the nail segment’s dollar decline, with a 10% drop in sales.
“The shift in where women focus their color needs and desires is a natural one, and it will no doubt change again,” said Karen Grant, global beauty industry analyst, NPD. “Color is key when it comes to makeup. It’s the area where consumers play with fashion and are willing to experiment, as they seek ways to make bold statements and refresh their look.”
Recent data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI) shows that eye cosmetics are on the rise in mass too, as sales increased 1.2% to $2 billion in total US multi-outlet (supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains) for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 28, 2014.
According to the data, mascara makes up the bulk of sales, which remained almost flat at $947.2 million. The small but mighty segment of eyebrow makeup soared 22.5% to $106.7 million in this category. During the same period, facial color cosmetics sales maintained at $1.9 billion, reported the Chicago-based market research firm. However, consumers are seeking out other ways to base the face, as foundation, the largest segment in facial SKUs, slipped 2.4% to $947.7 million. Lip cosmetics stayed flat at $752.1 million, but lipstick itself jumped 6% to $537.5 million, according to IRI.
“Marketers and consumers are seeing that makeup and color are affordable ways to try what’s new and in vogue. Much of the power lies in speed of response and putting that in the hands of trendsetters as well as the early adopters. This responsiveness to the consumer environment will continue to shape the future of color in beauty,” added Grant of NPD.
Shoppers everywhere have become much braver when experimenting with colors—and more importantly, they want to experiment, observed Craig-Ryan French, artistic beauty director and global artist for Paul & Joe, Toronto. He told Happi, “There is a playful element to makeup that hasn’t been seen in decades—winged eyeliners, graphic shadows, outrageous lip colors—it’s very exciting for both the MUA [makeup artist] and the customer!”
For Spring 2015, as far as makeup products go, it’s all about accentuating the client’s best features, noted Luis Casco, a global makeup artist with Mary Kay, but there are cosmetic benefits that always work and will always keep consumers coming back—“great lashes, a realistic contour to the face and beautiful cheeks.”
Head-On Approach
Customers are still looking for multifunctional products. According to Ingrid Jackel, president of Physicians Formula, City of Industry, CA, “The alphabet craze isn’t going away. However, these products are evolving—some are becoming more generalized and others are becoming more focused to provide women with an abundance of ways to multi-task while addressing specific skin problems.”
Physicians Formula’s latest rollouts include an argan-oil infused BB cream with SPF 30 and an Organic Wear 100% natural origin all-in-one beauty balm (BB) cream SPF 20, to name a few launches at the company. A unique “coconut cocktail” of coconut water and botanical extracts fuel the latter launch. The brand also debuted City Glow, a daily defense bronzer with SPF 30 made from active botanical and fruit extracts.
Clinique compiled a collection of cheekbone-chiseling essentials for the season. For a smooth, dewy application, the Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight crayon contains pearlized, light-reflecting pigments to add a luminous sheen that makes features appear more prominent. Meanwhile, the Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palettes feature “stay-true” blush powders said to deliver rich, lasting, buildable and blendable color for a naturally fresh flush and a beautifully-emphasized bone structure. It is available in four different shade combinations: Defining Nectars, Defining Roses, Defining Berries and Defining Nudes.
Also in prestige, a cult-classic product is getting a flawless makeover this year. Laura Mercier originally created Silk Crème Foundation to ensure her celebrity clients looked photo-ready throughout their long shoots under bright studio lights. She was inspired by the soft and luminous finish of silk, and incorporated the ingredient into the formula. In April, the Silk Crème franchise is expanding, and will be available in two silk-infused formulas—the original, renamed Silk Crème- Oil Free Photo Edition and the new, Silk Crème—Moisturizing Photo Edition.
For those looking to perfect and correct, there’s Lorac’s Porefection Concealer, an oil-, paraben- and fragrance-free concealer. It is infused with anti-aging antioxidants of vitamins A, C and E, olive leaf extract, lemon fruit extract, papaya fruit extract and white peony to help brighten and nourish the delicate under-eye area and conceal imperfections for a healthy, youthful and radiant look.
Big in facial makeup news is L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation—L’Oréal Paris’ first professionally inspired demi-matte finish liquid foundation. Its innovative air-light texture provides a soft-focus demi-matte finish that imparts dimension to the face, and is never dull or flat, said the company. Built-in blotting spheres instantly absorb excess oil and help regulate oil throughout the day. Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation brings to the mass market a new vision of matte in a 100% oil-free formula available in 12 easy-to-wear shades, according to L’Oréal.
Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Fix Makeup is touted as a fast and easy stick cosmetic that works to instantly retouch skin anytime, anywhere. With a formula featuring light filtering technology, it finesses the face with light/medium coverage and broad spectrum SPF 20 in nine high-resolution shades ranging from Ivory to Rich Ginger. Revlon also recently rolled out PhotoReady Airbrush EffectMakeup, an innovative foundation that gives skin a poreless, airbrushed look with medium to full coverage.
Also prominent in the mass market this season is Maybelline New York Master Prime by Face Studio—primers available in three options said to blur imperfections and fine lines to make skin appear flawless. The non-oily formula hydrates the skin without the heavy silicon feel, contends the company. Selections include Blur + Smooth, Blue + Illuminate and Blur + Redness control.
The next generation of skin primers has arrived with the launch of Make Up For Ever’s Step 1 Skin Equalizer. According to the company, women can create flawless skin in a flash with 10 specially designed primers that target and perfect all skin types, tones and textures. These unique formulas balance the full spectrum of skin concerns to create the perfect canvas. Developed with an exclusive Equalizer Complex, the unique formulas triple the power of your foundation for smoother, more even, longer-lasting makeup.
These advanced primers are formulated with hyaluronic acid to hydrate and firm, vederine to help skin appear more even and acti tensor 3D helps to smooth the skin for longer-lasting makeup coverage, according to the company.
Back in 2000, Smashbox founder and photographer Davis Factor developed Photo Finish Foundation Primer to help makeup look better, last longer and blur imperfections on shoots. Fast forward 15 years and a new icon is born: Photo Finish Primer Water.
According to the company, it has the benefits of Smashbox’s original primer in a super-fine mist. Passed through positive energy fields during the production process, this enriched water instantly absorbs into skin for lasting hydration.
“I used to mist models’ skin with plain water as the first step in any application, but now I don’t know how I lived without this primer. It’s a triple threat. I use it as a super sheer primer before makeup, as a setting spray to keep makeup in place and as a misting spray throughout the day to refresh skin. It’s like a spa in a bottle,” commented Smashbox global pro lead artist Lori Taylor Davis.
“Soft, radiant, supple skin is in this spring. The ‘no-makeup’ look will become even more refined with foundations containing subtle light reflection and weightless formulas. Hydrated skin is happy skin and dewy skin has a more youthful appearance,” she added.
Optical Illusions
Bold pops of color on the eyes are everywhere this season. According to Ami Shvartzman, national director of education, Osmosis Skin Care, Evergreen, CO, “This is a breath of fresh air for your traditional makeup regimen. Spring means flowers, warmer weather and more color in the landscape. Echo this by placing beautiful and bold colors on the eyes.”
For example, significant at Estée Lauder this season is “the Little Black Dress” of lashes, the new Little Black Primer. According to the company, it triples its duties as a primer by moonlighting as a subtle lash tint and a water-resistant topcoat. Estée Lauder takes the simple primer two steps further by adding a subtle black tint to the patent-pending formulation, making it longwearing—not just from day to night, but overnight. The gently curved brush adds extra curl and lift.
Avon’s Super Extend Winged Out Mascara features Avon’s breakthrough brush and lengthening formula said to let lash edges soar. The unique formula contains raven-black fringe fibers that encapsulate each lash like a cocoon, for lashes that instantly look longer and darker in three shades: Blackest Black, Black or Black/Brown.
The latest creation at Maybelline New York is Lash Sensational Mascara. The fanning bristle brush is constructed of 10 layers so that it coats each eyelash without producing a clumpy effect, according to the company. For optimum results, twist the brush away from the eye to make the coating more precise.
Meanwhile, CoverGirl’s Eye Collection is in Full Bloom. The company introduced a trio of new products for lashes, lids and brows. Leading the pack is Full Lash Bloom by LashBlast Mascara, said to deliver soft and full lashes without the flaking or smudging from volumizing mascaras.
Wet N Wild is also amping up its color cosmetics arsenal with MVP—Max Volume Plus, touted as the most advanced mascara that the brand has ever put out on the market. It is enriched with d-panthenol to help strengthen, and is formulated with oils such as macadamia nut, jojoba and olive oils for conditioning. The unique proprietary brush separates, lifts and extends for extreme voluminous lashes with no clumps or breakage, said the company.
Getting ‘Wow’ Brows
Brows are going to lead the trend in fall into 2016, noted Taylor Davis of Smashbox. She told Happi, “Be on the lookout for new, innovative textures and components in everything from pencils to powders.”
A noteworthy launch in prestige this season is Build-A-Brow Waterproof 5-in-1 Micro-Fiber Crème Gel Stain from IT Cosmetics. According to the company, it coats each brow hair and adheres to skin with melted fiber technology that looks like real hair, fills in gaps and tames every last strand. This clinically proven 24-hour, waterproof and budge-proof gel stain won’t wear off and releases brow-loving ingredients to deeply condition brow hair while easily shaping and defining the perfect brow, contends the company.
Create brows that “wow” with Jane’s new All Angles Always Brow Pencil, a double-sided brow tool to define and enhance natural brows. The propel-repel pencil features a unique, triangular tip that’s ideal for perfecting brows from any angle. The soft formula is the ideal texture for building and filling in color, while the spooly grooms brows for a perfectly polished look.
“Spring 2015 is inspired by Nature: the Sun and Earth. Eyes are neutral hues of warm browns with creamy silky textures—with brows that are full and brushed up,” said David Birdwell, global director of creative artistry and education at Jane Cosmetics, New York City. “I am loving the Jane Cosmetics All Angles Always brow pencil for its easy to use “pyramid” shape. I use the top of the pyramid to create hair-like wisps for that youthful brow, and the on the opposite end is a brush that helps tame brow hairs.
According to Birdwell, “drugstore brands are getting more love because they not only stepped up their game, but are offering more product assortment and ingredient stories like that of luxury brands.”
Sealed with a Kiss
Colorful lips are everywhere this spring, observed Shvartzman of Osmosis. “A bold lip is a quick and easy way to look more pulled together and a simple way to go from day to night,” she said.
Marketers are innovating in this category to expand on everything from lightweight tinted balms to full-pigment lipcolor.
For example, Urban Decay extended its Revolution Lipstick range with Sheer Revolution Lipstick. According to the company, it’s everything consumers love about the Revolution Lipstick with a sheer and shiny finish. Like the original formula, this sheer version hugs your lips and has a buttery-smooth application. Available in 10 shades, each one has a rich, creamy feel and a high-shine finish. Founding partner and chief creative officer Wende Zomnir began mixing Revolution Lipstick with Naked Lipgloss to create more sheer lip colors when it hit her that she needed to create a sheer version of the lipstick. The formula is laced with Maxi-Lip, which helps to define and hydrate lips while making them look plumper and fuller, along with shea butter, jojoba, olive and babassu oils and vitamin C and E.
Estée Lauder unveiled its newest “object of desire”—Pure Color Envy Shine Sculpting Lipstick. According to the company, its new lipstick collection was reimagined to deliver a sheerer, high-shine finish. The lipsticks are also housed in a new, slim-line package design—with one click, case closed. From stick to lip, Multi-Faceted Color Pigments create shape, definition and volume. A uniquely modern formula envelops lips in long-lasting moisture featuring a new and exclusive Time Release Encapsulated Moisture Complex with micronized hyaluronic spheres that help boost lips’ ability to attract, capture and seal-in hydration.
Priced for collecting and blending, the new CoverGirl Colorlicious palette features 36 on-trend shades expertly curated by CoverGirl’s global creative design director Pat McGrath. They are grouped into four distinct color families: nudes, pinks, reds and plums. The pigmented, moisturizing lipsticks are comprised of shea, avocado and aloe butters; olive-derived squalane (which replicates skin’s natural ingredient to condition itself) and antioxidants like white tea and vitamin E.
Consumers can take the guesswork out of finding the perfect shade of lipstick with the Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss Lipstick collection. In hues of pink, berry, red or nude, the hydrating, buttery formulation contains a complex of hydrating ingredients including jojoba and coconut oils as well as vitamin E.
Also delivering a wash of sheer color is Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm. According to the company, the formula hydrates, nourishes and delivers plush pigment with jojoba, passion fruit and sunflower oil in eight neutral to bright shades.
For smoother, hydrated lips in a flash, Avon is offering Ultra Color Indulgence, a new wax-free lipstick in 12 full-color hues. In a consumer perception study, 96% of women loved the moisturizing feel and smooth texture, according to the company.
Burgeoning beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury brings a cheeky pop of color for dewy, youthful lips and cheeks in one effortless stroke of these easy, twist-up color sticks. A unique, cream-turned-balm mix of smoothing ceramidone, glowing pigments and light-diffusing spheres are formulated for both lips and the face.
“My beach sticks are the ultimate homage to an Ibizan summer. Simply twist up and blend onto lips and cheeks with your fingers for a dewy, youthful look. I call them a summer glow in a stick!” said Tilbury.
An Illustrious Forecast
The shift in where women focus their color needs and desires is a natural one, and it will no doubt change again, according to industry analysts and makeup experts.
“Color is key when it comes to makeup. It’s the area where consumers play with fashion and are willing to experiment, as they seek ways to make bold statements and refresh their look…while consumers look at craftsmanship and point of difference, they continue to seek instant gratification, from facial masks and bronzers that offer radiance, to bold lips and a mood-boosting scent,” said Grant of NPD.
According to Jackel of Physicians Formula, exotic lands such as Morocco and Brazil will most likely impact color ranges, ingredient trends and designs in 2016.
Birdwell of Jane has a more subtle outlook for color cosmetics. He told Happi, “I feel that we have to look forward to a humbling feel in 2016, a more graceful look. Think soft romantic ‘blush tone’ and ethereal hues with plush full lashes, instead of intense dramatic makeup. Spring is always about a renaissance, a rebirth into a fresh new year.”
Social media also get a nod when it comes to what’s around the bend in this burgeoning segment. According to Casco of Mary Kay, “Hollywood ‘it’ girls posting selfies with cool and sophisticated looks will certainly affect people’s attitudes toward makeup. In my opinion, it will be all about products that have true color pay off and that just plain out deliver. I also see people becoming less and less afraid to try something new with their makeup—and that part about it I’m really excited about.”
French of Paul & Joe agreed. He said, “As we experiment with color, we want to expand our boundaries. It’s exciting! Ten years ago you’d rarely see an average, young woman wearing a bold, red lipstick in daytime—it was all about ‘the gloss’! Five years ago, most women never experimented with colored eyeshadows or dramatic liners—now you see women everyday wanting to have fun and play with cosmetics! History has taught us that as we experiment, we become braver and braver.”
Eyebrow makeup and eye shadow are two areas that saw the most bounty within eye makeup in the 12 months ending November 2014 (34% and 9%, respectively), while lip color (13%) drove growth in lip makeup. Of the top 100 new shades of lip color on-counter in 2014, pink surpassed red as the leading color, bringing in 23% more dollars. In contrast, color enamel prompted the nail segment’s dollar decline, with a 10% drop in sales.
“The shift in where women focus their color needs and desires is a natural one, and it will no doubt change again,” said Karen Grant, global beauty industry analyst, NPD. “Color is key when it comes to makeup. It’s the area where consumers play with fashion and are willing to experiment, as they seek ways to make bold statements and refresh their look.”
Recent data from Information Resources Inc. (IRI) shows that eye cosmetics are on the rise in mass too, as sales increased 1.2% to $2 billion in total US multi-outlet (supermarkets, drugstores, mass market retailers, military commissaries and select club and dollar retail chains) for the 52 weeks ended Dec. 28, 2014.
According to the data, mascara makes up the bulk of sales, which remained almost flat at $947.2 million. The small but mighty segment of eyebrow makeup soared 22.5% to $106.7 million in this category. During the same period, facial color cosmetics sales maintained at $1.9 billion, reported the Chicago-based market research firm. However, consumers are seeking out other ways to base the face, as foundation, the largest segment in facial SKUs, slipped 2.4% to $947.7 million. Lip cosmetics stayed flat at $752.1 million, but lipstick itself jumped 6% to $537.5 million, according to IRI.
“Marketers and consumers are seeing that makeup and color are affordable ways to try what’s new and in vogue. Much of the power lies in speed of response and putting that in the hands of trendsetters as well as the early adopters. This responsiveness to the consumer environment will continue to shape the future of color in beauty,” added Grant of NPD.
Shoppers everywhere have become much braver when experimenting with colors—and more importantly, they want to experiment, observed Craig-Ryan French, artistic beauty director and global artist for Paul & Joe, Toronto. He told Happi, “There is a playful element to makeup that hasn’t been seen in decades—winged eyeliners, graphic shadows, outrageous lip colors—it’s very exciting for both the MUA [makeup artist] and the customer!”
For Spring 2015, as far as makeup products go, it’s all about accentuating the client’s best features, noted Luis Casco, a global makeup artist with Mary Kay, but there are cosmetic benefits that always work and will always keep consumers coming back—“great lashes, a realistic contour to the face and beautiful cheeks.”
Head-On Approach
Customers are still looking for multifunctional products. According to Ingrid Jackel, president of Physicians Formula, City of Industry, CA, “The alphabet craze isn’t going away. However, these products are evolving—some are becoming more generalized and others are becoming more focused to provide women with an abundance of ways to multi-task while addressing specific skin problems.”
Physicians Formula’s latest rollouts include an argan-oil infused BB cream with SPF 30 and an Organic Wear 100% natural origin all-in-one beauty balm (BB) cream SPF 20, to name a few launches at the company. A unique “coconut cocktail” of coconut water and botanical extracts fuel the latter launch. The brand also debuted City Glow, a daily defense bronzer with SPF 30 made from active botanical and fruit extracts.
Clinique compiled a collection of cheekbone-chiseling essentials for the season. For a smooth, dewy application, the Chubby Stick Sculpting Highlight crayon contains pearlized, light-reflecting pigments to add a luminous sheen that makes features appear more prominent. Meanwhile, the Sculptionary Cheek Contouring Palettes feature “stay-true” blush powders said to deliver rich, lasting, buildable and blendable color for a naturally fresh flush and a beautifully-emphasized bone structure. It is available in four different shade combinations: Defining Nectars, Defining Roses, Defining Berries and Defining Nudes.
Also in prestige, a cult-classic product is getting a flawless makeover this year. Laura Mercier originally created Silk Crème Foundation to ensure her celebrity clients looked photo-ready throughout their long shoots under bright studio lights. She was inspired by the soft and luminous finish of silk, and incorporated the ingredient into the formula. In April, the Silk Crème franchise is expanding, and will be available in two silk-infused formulas—the original, renamed Silk Crème- Oil Free Photo Edition and the new, Silk Crème—Moisturizing Photo Edition.
For those looking to perfect and correct, there’s Lorac’s Porefection Concealer, an oil-, paraben- and fragrance-free concealer. It is infused with anti-aging antioxidants of vitamins A, C and E, olive leaf extract, lemon fruit extract, papaya fruit extract and white peony to help brighten and nourish the delicate under-eye area and conceal imperfections for a healthy, youthful and radiant look.
Big in facial makeup news is L’Oréal Paris Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation—L’Oréal Paris’ first professionally inspired demi-matte finish liquid foundation. Its innovative air-light texture provides a soft-focus demi-matte finish that imparts dimension to the face, and is never dull or flat, said the company. Built-in blotting spheres instantly absorb excess oil and help regulate oil throughout the day. Infallible Pro-Matte Foundation brings to the mass market a new vision of matte in a 100% oil-free formula available in 12 easy-to-wear shades, according to L’Oréal.
Revlon PhotoReady Insta-Fix Makeup is touted as a fast and easy stick cosmetic that works to instantly retouch skin anytime, anywhere. With a formula featuring light filtering technology, it finesses the face with light/medium coverage and broad spectrum SPF 20 in nine high-resolution shades ranging from Ivory to Rich Ginger. Revlon also recently rolled out PhotoReady Airbrush EffectMakeup, an innovative foundation that gives skin a poreless, airbrushed look with medium to full coverage.
Also prominent in the mass market this season is Maybelline New York Master Prime by Face Studio—primers available in three options said to blur imperfections and fine lines to make skin appear flawless. The non-oily formula hydrates the skin without the heavy silicon feel, contends the company. Selections include Blur + Smooth, Blue + Illuminate and Blur + Redness control.
The next generation of skin primers has arrived with the launch of Make Up For Ever’s Step 1 Skin Equalizer. According to the company, women can create flawless skin in a flash with 10 specially designed primers that target and perfect all skin types, tones and textures. These unique formulas balance the full spectrum of skin concerns to create the perfect canvas. Developed with an exclusive Equalizer Complex, the unique formulas triple the power of your foundation for smoother, more even, longer-lasting makeup.
These advanced primers are formulated with hyaluronic acid to hydrate and firm, vederine to help skin appear more even and acti tensor 3D helps to smooth the skin for longer-lasting makeup coverage, according to the company.
Back in 2000, Smashbox founder and photographer Davis Factor developed Photo Finish Foundation Primer to help makeup look better, last longer and blur imperfections on shoots. Fast forward 15 years and a new icon is born: Photo Finish Primer Water.
According to the company, it has the benefits of Smashbox’s original primer in a super-fine mist. Passed through positive energy fields during the production process, this enriched water instantly absorbs into skin for lasting hydration.
“I used to mist models’ skin with plain water as the first step in any application, but now I don’t know how I lived without this primer. It’s a triple threat. I use it as a super sheer primer before makeup, as a setting spray to keep makeup in place and as a misting spray throughout the day to refresh skin. It’s like a spa in a bottle,” commented Smashbox global pro lead artist Lori Taylor Davis.
“Soft, radiant, supple skin is in this spring. The ‘no-makeup’ look will become even more refined with foundations containing subtle light reflection and weightless formulas. Hydrated skin is happy skin and dewy skin has a more youthful appearance,” she added.
Optical Illusions
Bold pops of color on the eyes are everywhere this season. According to Ami Shvartzman, national director of education, Osmosis Skin Care, Evergreen, CO, “This is a breath of fresh air for your traditional makeup regimen. Spring means flowers, warmer weather and more color in the landscape. Echo this by placing beautiful and bold colors on the eyes.”
For example, significant at Estée Lauder this season is “the Little Black Dress” of lashes, the new Little Black Primer. According to the company, it triples its duties as a primer by moonlighting as a subtle lash tint and a water-resistant topcoat. Estée Lauder takes the simple primer two steps further by adding a subtle black tint to the patent-pending formulation, making it longwearing—not just from day to night, but overnight. The gently curved brush adds extra curl and lift.
Avon’s Super Extend Winged Out Mascara features Avon’s breakthrough brush and lengthening formula said to let lash edges soar. The unique formula contains raven-black fringe fibers that encapsulate each lash like a cocoon, for lashes that instantly look longer and darker in three shades: Blackest Black, Black or Black/Brown.
The latest creation at Maybelline New York is Lash Sensational Mascara. The fanning bristle brush is constructed of 10 layers so that it coats each eyelash without producing a clumpy effect, according to the company. For optimum results, twist the brush away from the eye to make the coating more precise.
Meanwhile, CoverGirl’s Eye Collection is in Full Bloom. The company introduced a trio of new products for lashes, lids and brows. Leading the pack is Full Lash Bloom by LashBlast Mascara, said to deliver soft and full lashes without the flaking or smudging from volumizing mascaras.
Wet N Wild is also amping up its color cosmetics arsenal with MVP—Max Volume Plus, touted as the most advanced mascara that the brand has ever put out on the market. It is enriched with d-panthenol to help strengthen, and is formulated with oils such as macadamia nut, jojoba and olive oils for conditioning. The unique proprietary brush separates, lifts and extends for extreme voluminous lashes with no clumps or breakage, said the company.
Getting ‘Wow’ Brows
Brows are going to lead the trend in fall into 2016, noted Taylor Davis of Smashbox. She told Happi, “Be on the lookout for new, innovative textures and components in everything from pencils to powders.”
A noteworthy launch in prestige this season is Build-A-Brow Waterproof 5-in-1 Micro-Fiber Crème Gel Stain from IT Cosmetics. According to the company, it coats each brow hair and adheres to skin with melted fiber technology that looks like real hair, fills in gaps and tames every last strand. This clinically proven 24-hour, waterproof and budge-proof gel stain won’t wear off and releases brow-loving ingredients to deeply condition brow hair while easily shaping and defining the perfect brow, contends the company.
Create brows that “wow” with Jane’s new All Angles Always Brow Pencil, a double-sided brow tool to define and enhance natural brows. The propel-repel pencil features a unique, triangular tip that’s ideal for perfecting brows from any angle. The soft formula is the ideal texture for building and filling in color, while the spooly grooms brows for a perfectly polished look.
“Spring 2015 is inspired by Nature: the Sun and Earth. Eyes are neutral hues of warm browns with creamy silky textures—with brows that are full and brushed up,” said David Birdwell, global director of creative artistry and education at Jane Cosmetics, New York City. “I am loving the Jane Cosmetics All Angles Always brow pencil for its easy to use “pyramid” shape. I use the top of the pyramid to create hair-like wisps for that youthful brow, and the on the opposite end is a brush that helps tame brow hairs.
According to Birdwell, “drugstore brands are getting more love because they not only stepped up their game, but are offering more product assortment and ingredient stories like that of luxury brands.”
Sealed with a Kiss
Colorful lips are everywhere this spring, observed Shvartzman of Osmosis. “A bold lip is a quick and easy way to look more pulled together and a simple way to go from day to night,” she said.
Marketers are innovating in this category to expand on everything from lightweight tinted balms to full-pigment lipcolor.
For example, Urban Decay extended its Revolution Lipstick range with Sheer Revolution Lipstick. According to the company, it’s everything consumers love about the Revolution Lipstick with a sheer and shiny finish. Like the original formula, this sheer version hugs your lips and has a buttery-smooth application. Available in 10 shades, each one has a rich, creamy feel and a high-shine finish. Founding partner and chief creative officer Wende Zomnir began mixing Revolution Lipstick with Naked Lipgloss to create more sheer lip colors when it hit her that she needed to create a sheer version of the lipstick. The formula is laced with Maxi-Lip, which helps to define and hydrate lips while making them look plumper and fuller, along with shea butter, jojoba, olive and babassu oils and vitamin C and E.
Estée Lauder unveiled its newest “object of desire”—Pure Color Envy Shine Sculpting Lipstick. According to the company, its new lipstick collection was reimagined to deliver a sheerer, high-shine finish. The lipsticks are also housed in a new, slim-line package design—with one click, case closed. From stick to lip, Multi-Faceted Color Pigments create shape, definition and volume. A uniquely modern formula envelops lips in long-lasting moisture featuring a new and exclusive Time Release Encapsulated Moisture Complex with micronized hyaluronic spheres that help boost lips’ ability to attract, capture and seal-in hydration.
Priced for collecting and blending, the new CoverGirl Colorlicious palette features 36 on-trend shades expertly curated by CoverGirl’s global creative design director Pat McGrath. They are grouped into four distinct color families: nudes, pinks, reds and plums. The pigmented, moisturizing lipsticks are comprised of shea, avocado and aloe butters; olive-derived squalane (which replicates skin’s natural ingredient to condition itself) and antioxidants like white tea and vitamin E.
Consumers can take the guesswork out of finding the perfect shade of lipstick with the Almay Smart Shade Butter Kiss Lipstick collection. In hues of pink, berry, red or nude, the hydrating, buttery formulation contains a complex of hydrating ingredients including jojoba and coconut oils as well as vitamin E.
Also delivering a wash of sheer color is Bare Minerals Pop of Passion Lip Oil-Balm. According to the company, the formula hydrates, nourishes and delivers plush pigment with jojoba, passion fruit and sunflower oil in eight neutral to bright shades.
For smoother, hydrated lips in a flash, Avon is offering Ultra Color Indulgence, a new wax-free lipstick in 12 full-color hues. In a consumer perception study, 96% of women loved the moisturizing feel and smooth texture, according to the company.
Burgeoning beauty brand Charlotte Tilbury brings a cheeky pop of color for dewy, youthful lips and cheeks in one effortless stroke of these easy, twist-up color sticks. A unique, cream-turned-balm mix of smoothing ceramidone, glowing pigments and light-diffusing spheres are formulated for both lips and the face.
“My beach sticks are the ultimate homage to an Ibizan summer. Simply twist up and blend onto lips and cheeks with your fingers for a dewy, youthful look. I call them a summer glow in a stick!” said Tilbury.
An Illustrious Forecast
The shift in where women focus their color needs and desires is a natural one, and it will no doubt change again, according to industry analysts and makeup experts.
“Color is key when it comes to makeup. It’s the area where consumers play with fashion and are willing to experiment, as they seek ways to make bold statements and refresh their look…while consumers look at craftsmanship and point of difference, they continue to seek instant gratification, from facial masks and bronzers that offer radiance, to bold lips and a mood-boosting scent,” said Grant of NPD.
According to Jackel of Physicians Formula, exotic lands such as Morocco and Brazil will most likely impact color ranges, ingredient trends and designs in 2016.
Birdwell of Jane has a more subtle outlook for color cosmetics. He told Happi, “I feel that we have to look forward to a humbling feel in 2016, a more graceful look. Think soft romantic ‘blush tone’ and ethereal hues with plush full lashes, instead of intense dramatic makeup. Spring is always about a renaissance, a rebirth into a fresh new year.”
Social media also get a nod when it comes to what’s around the bend in this burgeoning segment. According to Casco of Mary Kay, “Hollywood ‘it’ girls posting selfies with cool and sophisticated looks will certainly affect people’s attitudes toward makeup. In my opinion, it will be all about products that have true color pay off and that just plain out deliver. I also see people becoming less and less afraid to try something new with their makeup—and that part about it I’m really excited about.”
French of Paul & Joe agreed. He said, “As we experiment with color, we want to expand our boundaries. It’s exciting! Ten years ago you’d rarely see an average, young woman wearing a bold, red lipstick in daytime—it was all about ‘the gloss’! Five years ago, most women never experimented with colored eyeshadows or dramatic liners—now you see women everyday wanting to have fun and play with cosmetics! History has taught us that as we experiment, we become braver and braver.”
What’s a season without some standout color cosmetic partnerships? Here’s a look at some new releases by way of entertainment and fashion:
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