Archived Post

What beauty brand would you love to takeover for a week?


What beauty brand would you love to takeover for a week? Share!

MAC! I want to be a fly on the wall of their forecasting meetings when deciding how much to create of each shade.

Thanks to reader Karina for today’s question idea Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.

64 Comments

Comments that do not adhere to our comment policy may be removed. Discussion and debate are highly encouraged but we expect community members to participate respectfully. Please keep discussion on-topic, and if you have general feedback, a product review request, an off-topic question, or need technical support, please contact us!

Please help us streamline the comments' section and be more efficient: double-check the post above for more basic information like pricing, availability, and so on to make sure your question wasn't answered already. Comments alerting us to typos or small errors in the post are appreciated (!) but will typically be removed after errors are fixed (unless a response is needed).

We appreciate enthusiasm for new releases but ask readers to please hold questions regarding if/when a review will be posted as we can't commit to or guarantee product reviews. We don't want to set expectations and then disappoint readers as even products that are swatched don't always end up being reviewed due to time constraints and changes in priorities! Thank you for understanding!

Comments on this post are closed.
Alana Avatar

Christine, please please *please* can you update the swatch gallery to include a swatch of Tom Ford’s lipstick in “Black Orchid”?! Can you please also include dupes for it since it’s discontinued? I just found out that it’s 1/2 of the the lip combo used in that ubiquitous picture on pinterest of the girl with the dark red lips who’s voguing with her hands. (I think you’d know the picture if you saw it). I’m dying trying to find the lipstick on ebay but it’s not available (although I did see some which sold in June for over $100!) Please, if you read these comments, add swatches of Black Orchid!

xamyx Avatar

NARS, so I could bring back some DC’d eyeshadows I never got a chance to buy, like Santorini, Night Bird, Cancan, Moulin Rouge, Notorious, Belly Dance, & Arctic…

MAC could be one, as well; I’d bring back some of the more obviously poular LE items permanent! Like, why would they make sculpting products LE? Does anyone actually thinknonce someone runs out of a staple, everyday product, they’ll just stop? No, they’ll just move on to a different brand.

Alice Avatar

Ha, amen to that! I’d love to hear their reasoning behind making so few of the LE items, and see if it’s anything other than “oh it generates mystery and demand.”

Or maybe Urban Decay and bring back some of the odd & dark colored lipsticks in the Revolution formula like they did with Gash. I think opaque versions of Oil Slick, Apocalypse, and Confession, as well as some of the REALLY old ones (like the blue I can’t remember it’s name though) would be awesome.

Madelyn Avatar

OCC! I love all their products, and I love mixing my own colors. I would make a collection based on my favorite comic book icons, I think. ;>

MakeupTray Avatar

MAC for me too. I would have done this Simpson collection so much better. First, I would have not made it an Urban Decay, Electirc Palette knock off. lol.

candleashes Avatar

MAC instantly comes to mind for me too, but for figuring out a cool collection with them. Too Faced would be fun too, the owners seem really cool.

Can you please stop posting ads that automatically play video with sound? It’s 2AM right now and the car commercial was blasting out of my speakers because I forgot to turn them off earlier. It slows down my browser too. This deters me from checking your site as often as I used to

Sadra Avatar

I’ll be sure to note it down, because I’ve had a couple from the site as well. Scares the daylights outa me! Expecially if I’m actually reading a different tab and I have to find where the audio is coming from.

Ryou Avatar

What a sensible answer. XD

I’d either takeover MAC and get them to streamline the collections (and be better about quantities produced) or I’d takeover Chanel and train their sales associates better.

Alternatively, I’d like to takeover a small/medium indie brand just so I can see how things work and learn!

Jen Avatar

I would love to takeover MAC as well. I get so mad when they do not make enough of their products. It is beyond frustrating and had made me turn to other brands lately.

xamyx Avatar

MAC doesn’t set the international pricing schedule; in order to bring the price down, they’d have to lower the MSRP, which would be unfair to them, and ultimately raise prices for other countries, which would be unfair to the consumers. Illamasqua did that a couple of years ago, and immediately after that, the prices here jumped $2-3 on each item, and I’ve never seen any brand raise the price so dramatically at one time. I don’t know for sure if thatbwas the reason, but considering that it happened pretty much simultaneously leads me to believe it was.

Sylirael Avatar

I suppose the thing that bothers me is that, at ~$50 a lipstick, MAC is more expensive than Estee Lauder ($50 – MAC mineralize lipsticks are $56) and Clinique ($40), and almost as expensive as Chanel ($60) and YSL ($65). Although these markets are not mutually exclusive, I feel like MAC’s campaigns target a younger/’edgier’ audience generally, which is an audience that is less likely to have $50 lying around to spend on one lipstick (especially with no returns here), but might be more likely to buy a bunch of different items at once and chase after LEs and special editions and unconventional shades, which MAC makes lots of. Their prices here are kind of directly at odds with their method of releasing a new collection every month!

Obviously, it’s all a luxury anyway, but I think the additional amount they’d sell if they lowered the prices just a bit (obviously, I’m not asking for NZ prices to equal US prices or anything zany) would make up for the ‘loss’ in the MSRP balance. Given how well-established and popular MAC are here anyway, I feel like they would just get even more sales *and* good PR.

I guess I just don’t see why when a host of other brands both above *and* below MAC on the US price scale are only ~2x here, MAC has to be 3x…that’s the core of my problem.

xamyx Avatar

I find it intersting that all but one of the brands you listed expressly are all under the Lauder parent company… It seems maybe the retailers are jacking up the price on MAC, due to the popularity of the brand? I can’t see MAC or Lauder upping the pricing schedule on just the one brand… With Lauder owning such a large percentage of the cosmetic brands available to you (from my understanding, your choices are limited), Lauder is really upping the competition among itself. When Proctor & Gamble took over Max Factor, they pulled it out of the US to take competition away from CoverGirl, which they then “revamped” and tripled the prices.

Even at US prices, I can’t keep up with the rate of new collections!

Natalia Avatar

Hi! I’m so with you on MAC’s pricing. Granted it’s not as ridiculous as in NZ here, but still pretty steep and, as they never have sales or discounts you can get Bobby Brown or EL stuff at almost the same price when the store selling it has a good sale. Very strange pricing policy.

Ivana Avatar

MAC! I´d slow down the limited edition releases and work on the permanent line, especially by making the PRO products available everywhere (I know this is impossible due to lack of space/space restrictions in counters and stores, but let me have my fantasy).

I would discontinue Lustre finish eyeshadows and generally some of the grittier shadows, cut down the Frost finish lipsticks by half and make some of the awesome LE products and some discontinued products permanently available.

And most of all, I’d make the prices in Europe cheaper!

Kristy Avatar

Ditto what Christine said. I actually have stopped purchasing MAC, because it’s very annoying when things sell out the instant they are released.

Jennifer Avatar

Take over as in be in charge, or take over as in steal one of everything? Lol.

I’d take over Clinique because their “hypoallergenic” products contain an ingredient I’m allergic to and it drives me bonkers. Or maybe Inglot to make their web site more user-friendly.

But if I can get into Guerlain I’m just gonna nick one of everything.

Erica Avatar

I’d take over all of the high end brands the week they meet with their Board of Directors and their largest stakeholders (percentage wise). I’d ask them why they don’t expand the range of colors for foundations, powders, concealers and eyeshadows. I understand exclusivity and brand image. However they are minimizing their profit margin by restricting the range of colors pertaining to customer complexions ( very pale – very dark). I’d start with Cle de Peau for one week and work my way through Chantereille, etc.

Rachel R. Avatar

Too Faced, so I could force them to make a “Very Fair” version of the Cocoa Powder Foundation, and collaborate on some fun eyeshadow palettes. I’d also reformulate their mascaras so I wasn’t allergic to them.

Kate Avatar

Great question! I thought of two answers immediately (which is probably cheating):

1. Le Metier de Beaute, because I would want to have a serious talk on how to expand distribution and media coverage before they become entirely lost. I feel like they’ve put so much effort into doing specific items for certain retail locations and nothing into making new customers aware of their existence. I love their products, but in Canada, I really can’t get many of them.

2. Chanel, because as much as I think of them as a leading prestige brand, I feel like they’ve lost their way recently. The new shadow palettes look great, but it seems like they are becoming the “safe” brand, with nothing really exciting or surprising to offer. Guerlain, Armani, YSL and Dior all look more innovative and more modern. As one of the only major cosmetic brands that’s not owned by a larger conglomerate (Shiseido, L’Oreal, Estee Lauder, LVMH), Chanel should be revelling in its freedom and independence. Instead, it seems to be going in the opposite direction.

Jacquelyn Avatar

MAC for sure because I want to bring back some of the most popular, HTF lipsticks and make them part of the permanent range as well as some HTF eyeshadows, MSFs, EDSFs, dazzleglasses and blushes.

Jeanette Avatar

I’m going to be the odd ball here and say Urban Decay. Not only do I love their products, but from a business perspective I would love to be a part of their behind the scenes process.

Mariella Avatar

MAC here too – I’d immediately re-promote and make permanent all my favourites (Jardin Aires, Moth Brown, Subtle Breeze, to name just 3) and make other products more widely available (starting with Yield to Love and the 231 brush!). Then I would reign in on all the collections on top of collections on top of collections and make them wait and release products that all were up to the standards of their BEST products. Oh, and I’d reintroduce Starflash AND Mega Metal shadows and make those formulations permanent. Oooooh, I’ve got lots of plans for MAC (and I’d add GWP items too and also make the products on the “good-byes” section of the website discounted by maybe 20% or perhaps more!). Wouldn’t I be good????

Cindy Avatar

I would love to take over MAC!!! I get very frustrated at the limited amount of lipstick shades released in a promotion. For example: Party Parrot!!!! I would love to spearhead a campaign to bring it back into their permanent collection!

zFashionizta Avatar

Definitely MAC!
I would make all of my favorite limited edition items permanent.
I would also create a line of semi-matte nudes, browns & green shadows because I can’t find a line that makes this texture and redesign the empty palette (I dislike that new one).

We try to approve comments within 24 hours (and reply to them within 72 hours) but can sometimes get behind and appreciate your patience! 🙂 If you have general feedback, product review requests, off-topic questions, or need technical support, please contact us directly. Thank you for your patience!