Product Watch: August lip trends
“Bring your desires down to your present means. Increase them only when your increased means permit,” said overdraft-dodger Aristotle.
People re-gram that quote to encourage prudence, I think, but not every follower reads the same way. Had I financial interests in a fashion or beauty company I might think of little luxuries.
“The Lipstick Effect,” which would be mood or kiss-based in a fair world, actually references how beauty sales shift towards basic colour cosmetics when women perceive financial security as less (nail polish obtained a similar distinction in the wake of the 2008/9 financial crisis).
The term was coined by Leonard Lauder, son and CEO of Estée, in 2001.
Subsequent monitoring of sales surges show lipstick to be a less than solid economic indicator but, given that research conducted over the same period found that wearing it seems to improve self-regard, employment potential and even exam performance, making it your must-have could be deemed a minor investment in your financial future.
I’m curious what male-targeted equivalents would be, perhaps small technology items.
Designer dresses might stay on the rails in a downturn but luxury fashion shifts focus to shoes, fragrance and accessories to meet sales targets.
I argue about perceived luxury with a friend of mine in fashion marketing sometimes because a front-of-store ready-to-wear buy, however smallalways beways be noticeably designer but who can tell if you spent €20+ on your lipstick?
“You,” she replies, pointing out quite reasonably that when you buy a lipstick with a designer or premium cosmetics logo “you feel you’re putting the best on your face.”
I counter that formula quality varies wildly, even within the same brand’s offering, and chemist brands owned by the same luxury conglomerate often overlap, ingredients-wise.
Why do you feel you’re putting the best on your face? Because it’s a name associated with high-end clothing? Or are we simply reassured by expense?
Marigay McKee, the former Harrods Fashion and Beauty director who began her retail career at Estée Lauder, said in 2015 Harper’s Bazaar interview that she is “always focused on what women desire versus what women need. What is a dream investment? If something is an object of beauty and desire, you find a way to buy it.” In fashion terms the kind of luxury quality that merits a ‘dream’ spend is tangible.
While I appreciate beautiful packaging and the genuine artistry that goes into some luxury beauty, I cannot help advocating for ingredients-list examination of a similar cosmetics buy.
Social media, which appears to empower consumers with independent reviews and v-logs, can widen this luxury ‘gap’ further.
Products that trend online often give rise to seasonal, trend-driven formulas.
Inadequate attention is paid to the long-term impact of some aesthetically innovative ingredients on lips’ delicate skin and natural collagen reserve.
This long-term lookout is where blogger and v-logger input, which are about nothing if not first impressions, can let consumers down.
An item becomes a bigger splurge when you give up wearing it after a fortnight because your lips are irritated or peeling.
For me, a truly luxurious lipstick formula is high in conditioning ingredients, has a great colour pay-off and does not contain alcohol or heavy fragrance. These irritants sensitise lips and encourage collagen breakdown over time. The following are upcoming lip launches worth a swipe.
NARS PowerMatte left;Guerlain’s
Bella Hadid, looking very Runaways in a campaign shot by François Nars, the omnicompetent, conveys the spirit of his new strong, gloss-free colour, appearing oblivious to the fawning Jim Morrison-type Musical styling aside, the images compositionally resemble a power reversal of the Mark Wahlberg/Kate Moss Calvin Klein Jeans, in which Moss appeared the more submissive (she has since expressed extreme discomfort with the 1992 campaign, saying in a 2012 Vanity Fair interview that she “thought she was going to die” and stayed in bed for a fortnight afterwards).
The colour itself is consistent, intense and non-drying. The formula also fades evenly. Bella wears ‘Get it on,’ a tan rose, here and I like ‘Under My Thumb’ burgundy for autumn.
On a far girlier tip, Lancôme launches a vast pink lip collection next month. L’Abosolu Rôses includes a bouquet of cream lipstick and glosses Elle Woods would adore but I am most keen on the brand’s new lip primer. L’ Absolu Rouge La Base Rosy is packed with rejuvenating antioxidants and ceramide 5.
The latter is present in skin, so supportive of lips’ natural moisture barrier, but can also contribute to a naturally fuller appearance and smoother lipstick.
Applying it over a little nude-rose liner makes for a pretty but low-maintenance day look.
Guerlain is a perfume house, so of course it’s makeup and skincare are fragranced almost without exception.
Lipsticks are that exception!
The brand also has a fondness for infusing lipstick with skin health-supporting plant fats and antioxidants.
The result is boldly coloured lips with a naturals-plumped appearance.
This palette includes a moisturising base cream and lets you experiment your way to your perfect red while keeping lips in tip-top condition.
Estée Lauder Companies bought Too Faced for $1.45 billion last year in a funny reabsorption of a talented offspring.
The latter brand, which succeeds by giving high-quality formulas cute packaging, cheeky names and medium price-points, was founded in 1998 by two ex-Lauder employees with irreverent spirits and their ears to the ground. They sold a majority stake (while valued at $500m) to private equity firm General Atlantic, which sold it to Lauder a year later.
Melted, Too Faced’s excellent take on liquid lipstick, gets a new line this month.
Melted Latex is a high-gloss take on lacquer-like, full-colour lippy.
It has older sisters in Melted Liquified Long Wear and Melted Liquified Long-Wear Matte, both €20, and has a similar lightweight, comfortable feel.
The 16-shade range, however, is far juicier in appearance and photographs better.
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