Top brands glitter, gloss and glow
The Makeup Show NYC kicked off in May, with an address from director of artistry James Vincent. As a makeup artist with decades of experience working in every facet of the industry, Vincent offered a firsthand account of the trends that are fueling social media, driving sales and shaping product development.
1. The unicorn effect: Duo-chrome and holographic finishes: Unicorns are a huge trend right now, with beauty mavens favoring a bright, ethereal glow and moving away from darker, smoky looks. Tarte has launched a unicorn-themed collection, and NYX recently launched its Duo Chromatic Illuminating Powders. “They give you that intense, unicorn glow that everyone is obsessed with right now,” Angela Grigoryan, senior product development manager and resident artist for NYX, told Drug Store News. “It’s a holographic finish, along with the combination of colors, [such as] lavenders and lilacs that have a blue or pink [reflection].” The Kat Von D Alchemist Holographic Palette is another notable product in the category.
2. The glitterati: “Makeup artists like Pat McGrath have elevated glitter to new levels,” Vincent said. Urban Decay is leading the trend with breakthrough formulations that are long-wearing and have a luxury feel. “We’ve taken classic products like our Heavy Metal Glitter Liners and added more of a luxe feel to it with micro-glitter,” said Urban Decay artist in residence Amanda Rodriguez. “People come to us all the time for our Moon-dust products and glitter liners.”
3. Pops of color: Vincent pointed out that pops of color were a huge trend on the runways, particularly at the shows for Max Mara and Ferragamo. Attendees at the Makeup Show were among the first to see the new Aqua XL Ink Liner liquid eyeliners and Color Paint creams from Makeup For Ever. Lahnie Strange, Makeup For Ever’s SVP of marketing for the Americas said the new products were a big hit: “We saw a really positive response to these new collections at the show — specifically the bold, colorful shades.”
4. Non-touring: Skin is in, and makeup is moving from structured contours and hard shadows to soft, matte finishes and sheer to light coverage. The dominance of contouring is giving way to a flush of color and “a wearable glow” — a highlighting technique referred to as “non-touring.” “It’s a glow that’s highlighted in the right places; it doesn’t look overly done; it doesn’t make you look like a tin man,” said Lori Taylor, global pro lead artist at Smashbox. Such social media stars as Casey Holmes are leading the way, and Smashbox teamed up with the beauty guru to create its Spotlight Palettes for highlighting.
5. The liquid lip: The liquid lip trend continues, with every brand — from drug store to high-end — coming out with some version of the product. In the race to create the best liquid lip that is long-wearing, comfortable, water-resistant, nondrying and highly pigmented, Kat Von D has one of the top-selling and most popular liquid lip products on the market. The Kat Von D events team explained that Kat’s personal needs and high standards are what drive product development. “As a celebrity with oilier skin, she wanted something that could last 10 hours without constant touching-up,” the company said.
6. Glossing over: The glossy wet look is in, for both the cheeks and eyes. NYX recently launched a product called Dose of Dew, a cream-based stick product designed to bring the runway’s intense, strobe effect to consumers.