Make-up launches have taken a back seat to skin care in the past few seasons because fashion has led on pared down grooming basics. With the exception of the adorned lashes of winter 2009, and the ever theatrical Mac seasonal collections, the big cosmetic product launches have been in cleansing and anti-wrinkle skincare.
Spring 2011 changes that with classic colors in bright shades. Happily, themes are still about quality and functionality. The credit crunch highlight on value and longevity in beauty products has not been lost and high performance rather than throwaway gimmick seems to be here to stay. But fun has been injected in to make-up shopping again. This spring look out for make-up products that are well designed, highly functional and make you feel a million dollars.
Mac Wonder Woman and Beyond
Setting the tone for spring and summer make-up is Mac’s Wonder Woman collection. This limited edition assortment of classic colors and sparkle, promises to be bold and fun but extremely useful; everything this season’s make-up direction demands. With the fashion for comic book films at a height, it was about time that one of the professional make-up brands brought out a larger than life, super-powered line. And with a history of artistry and famous collaborations, who better to do it than Mac.
- The range is already on sale in the U.S.
- Buyers in Europe should register for notification on the Mac website, as the line will quickly sell out when launched in March.
For a small but intriguing valentines make-up collection, that conjures up comic book glamor, try Illamasqua’s Heart Throb. Rather than relying on selling as many different products as possible, this artistry inspired line shows what can really be done with a few high quality items.
1980s Vintage Beats Cheap Retro Fashion
Anyone who misses the glamour of the ‘80s, in the sense of Paloma Picasso and Nouvelle Cuisine rather than noughties retro pop style, should seek out the new Terrybly range from By Terry. Spring 2011 sees the launch of five hot red and pink shades of high-performance Terrybly nail lacquer. These offer lasting coverage with a vinyl effect. With By Terry known for extreme performance, Terrybly nail polish should be adorning toes and fingernails all summer long. Taking over in grandiose lipstick packaging, where Chanel left off too many years ago, the Terrybly range also includes bright, lipsticks with a "Terrybly" signature engraved in them.
Nars' advertising campaign for their spring launch reveals a directional trend for make-up. Despite being created with easily wearable (and saleable), earthy colors, the visual depicts a ‘90s luxe androgynous look. This is not about slavishly recreating the model’s face but is made to inspire a clean, rich looking simplicity that has not been seen for a decade.
Spring 2011: Natural Make-up Starts to Break Through
An exciting make-up trend in 2010 was that natural make-up started to make inroads in to the high street. Launches such as the Lush Colour Supplements brought viable natural foundation options to customers looking for performance as well as fun. And Neal’s Yard launched the first collection ever to include Soil Association certificated cosmetics.
With issues of the use of ingredient nanoparticles, minerals and sunscreen often confusing the issue for natural cosmetics fans, having more natural based mainstream ranges is positive. It is a step towards being able to buy pleasant textured natural products without having to go to specialist suppliers.
Due to ingredients confusion, natural make-up devotees still need to be wary of what they buy, but having a choice of ranges helps with shopping convenience. It also might bring natural, organic products to a wider range of people, thereby boosting commercial viability: Aveda, one of the ‘90s biggest success stories in eco cosmetics, gained popularity by having outstanding products and fabulous hair cutting. This enabled them to attract a wider range of customers, who were simply interested in the performance and style of the brand.
Bright Color Items
If you followed winter’s trends for luxury, simplicity and performance, you should still have long-term make-up essentials, such as a good eye shadow palette. So the best products to buy for Spring 2011 are fabulous limited editions and individual, beautifully packaged color products to inject a little glamour in to the usual routine. Popular colors include:
- hot pink
- bright red
- peacock and metallic turquoise
- bright coral
- '60s nude
These update your wardrobe more cheaply than a new outfit, nail polish, lip gloss and lipstick being key items. Fruity lip shades are everywhere with shiny gloss making a comeback. It goes without saying that all of these items make fabulous gifts.
Direction in make-up once again comes from the usual professional artistry lines. Very few high street or department store brands are stretching out of their comfort zone this season, opting for chunky palettes in the usual pretty pinks and pale violet shimmer. This season the best make-up items are the ones offering real quality and glamour, so it is worth looking around for something that really makes you feel glamorous. Make-up is still confident, clean and strong whether you opt for a basic nude look, or something more colourful.
Shefali Choudhury - Writer and visual artist, Suite Beauty topic editor, Shefali spent 10 years in professional makeup artistry from beauty to blood ...
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