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What do you hope to see from beauty in 2017?
I’d love to see more brands releasing products that will suit more skin tones, which includes in base products (foundation, concealer, etc.) but also in the sense of warm/cool and light/medium/dark color products – like I’d love to see more brands release a cool AND a warm cheek palette rather just a warm toned one (which is what is typical). I know the expectation is for even more acquisitions to come, but I hope we’ll see some brands remain independent and that new brands can still emerge despite a consolidating landscape.
— Christine
I’m hoping for a continuation of the colored highlight trend. That was my hope for 2016 and I’m so happy that it’s a thing in mainstream makeup brands now. I want brands to embrace color. I am soo sick of completely neutral palettes. I hope for them to throw a ton of blues and greens and things like that in eyeshadow palettes, that’s what I would love 😀
Hi Rosey,
I haven’t tried it yet because I just got it two days ago, but CoverGirl released a new TruNaked Eyeshadow Palette called Jewels and it includes a blue, a green, a gold, a purple, etc. Definitely NOT a neutral palette. I’m looking forward to trying it out.
-Rebecca
Piggybacking a bit on what you said, I would love more cool toned palettes. Both for eyes and cheeks, not combimed though. There has been such an influx of warm palettes recently that I hope cool tones lovers like myself get some love in 2017.
Totally with you on that! I am so tired of red and orange in eyeshadow palettes.
I think I’d like to see more high end brands – the ones I never get to buy- offering smaller products (i.e., tiny lipsticks) at (slightly) more affordable prices.
Definitely your first point as it’s also a major beef I also have with most brands, namely, a much more inclusive range of shades and tones for common face products. If fact, I think I said the same thing last year! But still not a whole lot of improvement on that front, except for UD and KVD adding several extra shades to their foundation lines. We come in so many different hues, that there ought to be enough for everyone to have options in various formulas and price points.
And here’s hoping that the dry-down liquid matte lipstick fad dies out soon!
I’d like to see the same as you, Christine – companies catering to a wider variety of skin tones and basically making more of an effort to ensure all customers have a variety of options.
I’d also like to see fewer limited edition collection coming out. There’s nothing wrong with an LE collection provided it’s well thought through, carefully curated and excellent quality. Right now, however, they seem to be coming out every other week and it’s tiring,exhausting and disappointing because often the products don’t live up to the hype.
I have to agree with Christine again!! I would like to see more brands develop products for a wider range of skin tones and undertones. My daughter is of mixed decent and it is difficult for her to find foundations with the right depth and if she does then the undertone is off.
I would hope for greater innovation in product development and less hype.
Probably my greatest wish would be for makeup to have good skin care ingredients, less chemicals and more organic, healthy ingredients. It is worrisome that over a life time of makeup use how many chemicals one is exposed to. Makeup should be more than just looking pretty but should offer significant benefits to the skin. Oh, and I would like companies to continue to move towards cruelty free products.
A greater push towards cruelty free status would be nice.
Also quality consistency within lines, rather than hit or miss. Money is tight, product can be expensive, at least make it worth our dollars.
Also, a realization that we are not all 19 years old, please take some time to produce product that would be appropriate for those of us in the autumn and winters of our years.
I’d like to see more small affordable palettes like the Smashbox Cover Shot ones, with consistent decent quality. More and more people are into makeup and like to experiment and wear different looks. I know I balk at $100 for some large palettes, but don’t think too much about $35 Cdn if I like the colours and it has good reviews. Drug store palettes are constantly rising in price, and personally I’d rather pay a few dollars more for better quality.
Very well said, Christine. Here’s hoping. . .
I would like to see more guidance/tutorials from the brands themselves on using their products. I think it is so lacking and a place where customer service could be enhanced rather than leaving it totally in the hands of variously skilled YouTubers.
Charlottle Tilbury and Kat Von D do more than many. But here’s one example… I would have loved to see a Nars tutorial (from the brand itself) on the Unfiltered Cheek palettes — a collection of shades that together look like a puzzle of cacophony to me. With some guidance, maybe I’d buy it. I’d at least learn more and expand my POV.
Same with my Viseart palettes. There are tens of thousands of combinations to try. Sure, I can figure it out and even replicate other palettes I like, but it would be nice for this high end brand to service the non-pro MUA audience that also buys its products. A new warm mattes palette just released the other day. Perfect opportunity for Viseart to teach customers how to use it, how to combine it with their other offerings, etc.
Also re the acquisition craze, Living Proof just got sold to Unilever the other day.
Ugh, that sucks to hear about Living Proof. I hope they stay cruelty-free (I know, I know, parent companies) but I can’t remember any Unilever-owned brands that did.
If we’re talking what we hope to see from companies and not trends (which I think we’ve discussed several times lately), I hope to see more good-quality reasonable makeup for older women/skin. More matte eye shadow palettes that aren’t boring, more moisturizing lipstick. Also, older models. It doesn’t make sense to show makeup for 55+ on a 19-year-old with perfect skin.
And I’d REALLY like all beauty companies to drop parabens and lead from their products!
And mercury from Mascara… Slightly horrified to hear that one was still happening in the USA.
Yes! I was horrified at the most recent report about lead in lipstick. 🙁
I want to see more cool-toned eye palettes! I took me a long time to buy Urban Decay’s Naked2 Basics, because it was so dusty in the pan. But it looks great on. Warm tones are still nice, but, with my new “granny hair” color, it’s been a little tricky finding eye shadows. When my hair was brown, the Urban Decay Naked palette looked amazing. It was a “Wow!” moment whenever I wore it. I just want a palette that still gives me “Wow!” moments.
The thing I want the most? Clever names that aren’t embarrassing and inappropriate.
Good one!
Oh yes! Let’s stop glorifying drug addiction and violence like they were chic!
Agree whole heartily.
Yes! That’s been a huge deterrent from a couple of brands.
I agree, but … there will always be a place for companies like UD that are (or used to be) all about edginess, even in naming.
But for the companies that don’t clearly make that their schtick, they need to give it a rest. They’re limiting their market by creating a situation where people avoid buying some products because of the name (and who in their marketing department thought that was a sensible thing to do?). Seriously, *everything* doesn’t need to be cool or edgy (just like it doesn’t all need to be uplifting or “woman power.”), though I guess they’re trying not to name one more thing “deep rose” or “cream,” I’ve developed more and more sympathy for MUFE’s number system — awkward, but cuts through the hype. I really like TF’s “Lips and Boys” idea; can we have more outside-the-box thinking like *that*?
Less Limited edition and more promotion into permanent products. If brands keep relying on LE to pay the bills they should really be looking at why that is instead throwing more out theirs (Too Faced and Tarte). For MAC it’s a necessary because it’s a way for the company to tease people into their stores but they also like to have collaboration. (I still feel they can pull back to 1 LE a month instead of 3 LE ones)
But NYX on the other hand now has store fronts and are doing well in major cities without LE products because of social media brand outreach on permanent products.
More push for cruelty-free status in North American. There are too many brands that live under a parent company that does have the testing technology to do this and are only avoiding for the Asian market. In Europe they have to be made in a cruelty-free way to be sold in the countries (Including L’Oreal brands). If these brands can’t say their products being sold in Asian are not tested on animals then at least show that they can do in the America’s as well. At least take that one step.
Along with your comments regarding MAC (they seem to have been the trend setter in the “LE” hysteria that now is pervasive), why on earth would they discontinue SUCCESSFUL things like their Matte2 and Pro Longwear (the powder ones) eyeshadows. Particularly Matte2 had some really iconic and hugely successful shades – Blanc Type, Typographic, Copperplate and (I think) Handwritten. They were sort of the “backbone” of many people’s MAC shadows and always received positive reviews and comments. Yet they d/c’d those but keep cr*p like Carbon (which they try to force upon customers in most of their pre-made quads and palettes).
Yeah Blanc Type was a staple and I do have a backup for it and wanted them to make more Matte2 shadows….. but they killed off the formula instead.
Fun question; my two cents: > For brands present in stores — more of their products in stores (vs online only) for those of us who need touch/test/feel. > LE’s — fewer, longer availability, a whole lot less frenzy-making, convert the popular items to permanent. > More consistent and customer-friendly customer service — e.g., I don’t get when a brand says they’ve been busy as excuse for delays or mistaken orders; I cannot imagine it would work if I said I’ve been busy and was late to pay a credit card bill but don’t worry, the money is coming so please send me my stuff. > More medium brown non-waterproof mascaras for us very fair folks with contacts. > In the current race to the middle: consistent quality low end and high end brands will end up ahead, so those brands shouldn’t lose those edges.
Seconding the call for more cool-toned palettes (not just cheek, but eyes). I know that cool-tones don’t necessarily catch the eye the way warm do, but we’re not all tanned goddesses and it’d be nice to have so more options out there!
I’d like to see fewer limited edition products and a real effort to create high quality permanent products. I’d also like a comeback of a sheerer, more natural looking base. More of a focus on radiant and polished, less on flawless.
I’d like to see the end of the matte lip (sorry, I just don’t like it…I think even young lips look older and more lined with matte lipstick). And I’d like to see an end to what looks to me like an actual deliberate attempt by some companies to see just how much they can seriously overcharge for cosmetics and still get away with it and con women into spending ridiculous amounts of money for a lipstick or nail polish. I often get the feeling that they’re busting a gut laughing, and saying “Okay, they’re willing to pay $80 for a lipstick….can you believe it? And let’s see what happens if we jack up the price of the next release to $90 per tube. Anyone wanna make a wager?”
More posting of complete ingredient lists on brand and retailer websites. Potential buyers shouldn’t have to search online for photos of boxes to see ingredients, or pester bloggers about whether products have specific ingredients.
Less use of fragrance in skincare items and makeup items. There’s no reason that blushes and highlight products, for example, need added fragrances. Adding fragrance to skincare items is ludicrous too (even if this is done to hide the fragrance of another ingredient), especially when fragrance is higher up on the ingredient list than beneficial skincare ingredients.
I agree about having more products for cooler skin tones.
I also agree with the comment that more makeup ads should include older women, especially ones that are realistically older and not botoxed and squirrel-cheeked.
Does anyone else remember the Dove advertising from a few years ago? It featured models who actually looked like real women. All ages, shapes and colors. That would be nice to see.
Yes I do! And I agree!
An all purple/plum eye shadow palette that isn’t all pale colors and isn’t sub par in quality.
I definitely agree about embracing diversity of skin tones and undertones. My other biggest wish is that animal testing would be banned worldwide, but especially in the U.S. and China.
It looks like the matte craze is starting to lose its hold, and I’d like to see that continue. I’d also like to see the mainstream embracing of unconventional colors continue, and to see more colorful choices on the market in general.
I’d love to see less impossible-to-get LE collections and false hype a la Too Faced Sweet Peach’s original release, but sadly, I don’t think that will happen anytime soon.
Ugh. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, so I’m about to be unreasonable. And my ideas aren’t really just about 2017, but rather about makup in general. The short answer is: more natural, more like oneself, but with one area of emphasis. You should probably stop there, but if you want the long answer, keep reading (at your own risk).
I’d really like to see a combination of natural and offbeat looks being explored and hyped by beauty bloggers, but I don’t mean “no makeup,” I mean the type of makeup that expertly perfects the rest of the face (and I *don’t* mean contouring and highlighting) while emphasizing one feature in an unusual way (which is just as difficult, and requires just as much artistry, as the pseudo-drag-queen thing that’s been so popular on Instagram). I’m talking about natural, “see your skin and face shape” looks (unless you need a lot more coverage, then I mean almost “blank canvas” with just enough color to keep from looking lifeless), paired with one unusual feature that plays up something about the individual.
I’d like to see eye looks that are more like the 50’s eye, (one- or two-color, close to one’s own flesh tone) but with radical eyeliner and mascara — offbeat colors, unusual application, etc., (but something other than dramatic wings … pleeeeaaase!). I feel like I’m seeing more images in media of eye looks that are almost nothing except a skin tone eye from lid to brow with boldly colored liner/s, and I love that. More of that please!
Maybe looks that somehow celebrate the shape of the wearer’s face instead of everyone trying to “carve” their face in the same way (there’s real artistry for you, beauty bloggers! get on that!). Is your face round? Amazing! Make it rounder! Are your lips small? Sweet! Make them anime-style! We’ll never lose the desire to have features that tend towards looking more youthful (covering dark circles, blurring discolorations, contouring to strengthen the jawline, etc.), but we don’t all need to strive for the same general features. I know there are studies out there that claim that certain face shapes/eye proportions/lip sizes, etc., are more attractive, but if you already don’t fit that standard, great! There’s nothing more freeing! Look like you, instead! A lot of women are offended by the “take her swimming on the first date” joke, but I have sympathy for the underlying idea — that some women change themselves so radically with makeup that it’s almost impossible to tell what they really look like without it. (None of that has anything to do with the degree of coverage one may need in foundation because of skin issues.)
Wouldn’t it be great if the makeup artists started exploring and displaying how to add drama based on one’s own features, instead of teaching us how to look like them, or like every other makeup artist/blogger out there? What would it look like if a woman with a full head of silvery hair perfected her skin with foundation, added a touch of her-own-skin-but-better cheeks and lips, groomed and emphasized her brows, then used nothing but white liner and white mascara on her eyes? Could it be amazing? I honestly have no idea, but someone should try it.
Or a redhead with “fresh-faced” natural makup and Bite Beauty Kale lips. OR … any other skin or hair tone with eyebrows done in a non-eyebrow color. OR blue blush. OR … you name it. The current super multi-layered, carved, emphasized looks we’re seeing from gurus are completely unrealistic anyway (designed to be seen in certain lighting in front of a video camera) so why not admit that and start playing with looks that celebrate individual features in “unrealistic” ways, but that at their base put us closer to a natural look than the popular Instagram face.
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could create a trend that lets the average woman be perfectly comfortable being her natural, “perfected” self, but with one feature — her best feature — emphasized in an unusual, even unnatural (depending on your tastes) way? I’m not talking about “The Capitol” from the Hunger Games, where everything is over-the-top, I’m talking about *one thing* that sets someone apart, on top of whatever looks most natural on them. Do you have fantastic brows? How would they look if they ombre’d out to burgundy at the tails? Do you have great bone structure? How would it look with lavender highlighter? Full, luscious lips? Navy blue lipstick! I don’t mean in 2017, I mean … some day.
Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using makeup to just nudge your looks towards “me, but with sleep,” I just can’t help but think that makeup’s true potential lies in that *plus* …
It looks like most everyone took the question to mean: what do the want from cosmetics companies? I think my number one would be … maintain quality levels!!! The smaller companies have shown us that it’s possible to have consistantly good quality at a lower price; if you want to charge a higher price, then fine, but you’ve no excuse to churn out mid-to-low quality products, not even in the LE items — ever!!!
Fantastic, well thought out response. I love so many of your ideas. Tomorrow it shall be natural toned lid-to-brow with cool looking liner!
I loved everything Alecto wrote! Signed on just to say that.
Some of this is my go-to summer look. I never contour, but my face kind of naturally has that shape (sorry!). In the summer, I am tanned and on my eyes, I just put a bright eyeliner, usually yellow or turquoise above the eye, and a coat of mascara for my invisible lashes. Brings out my green eyes and makes them look huge. This insta look that everyone has a strong opinion about, comes really easy to me, just not as polished. I have the face shape and the big eyes, just not the big lips. I also love unusual lip color, but more subtle than blue or green. I like bluish purple or white lipstick, or gold or silver.
Less contouring! I never really got into it, and although the application can be beautiful it can also be over done. Strobing, however, can stay lol ha
My beauty wishes for 2017 include:
Brands delivering ALL their products to Australia, not just 1/2 or 2/3 like we currently get.
Wider shade range in foundations, catering for pink, neutral and yellow undertones
More cool toned eye shadow palettes
Less releases and more focus on quality
Better skincare products with SPF at affordable prices.
I hope for liquid lipsticks
I would like mac to produce mini lipsticks like the ones in the nutcracker sweet collection in more colours and maybe permanent.
I’d like to see cosmetics companies solicit better detailed experience feedback from customers, so they don’t discontinue their best products based on sales stats (whose poor stats included all the would-be customers who had never heard of or tried the product) when what they needed all along was better marketing outreach for an excellent product. That includes more sensitivity to loyal customers who, after comparing a new and “improved” product to the classic product, find the new product wanting and the classic product superior — like quit the corporate ego stuff and revert to the classic as it was, if many customers prefer it for good reason. Make the new if you want to, but keep the classics, and keep them as they were.
More options without SPF either chemical or mineral (toxics).
More color range in brow gels.
Ensure that brow gels, including the lighter colors, actually cover white eyebrow hairs in 1 coat. The more expensive brands do cover white, the least expensive don’t, and the more expensive brands need more color options especially for mature brows.
More frosts and metallics.
More cream eyeshadows in tubes so they don’t dry up quickly like in pots.
A creamy pencil eyeliner that doesn’t irritate sensitive eyes. Haven’t found one yet.
I love your thoughts. I have really sensitive eyes and have no problem with NYX slide-on liner. I have every shade. I also use Lord & Berry Kajal Stick Oriental, but I don’t know if this comes in colors other than black. Their Back to Black mascara is everything too, by the way. But back to the liner…both of these are creamy pencils that stay on after they set for a minute, and no irritation. If you meant creamy eye shadow pencils, I’ve done great with Wet n Wild Color Icon.
I’d love to see a creamy consealer that doesn’t show wrinkles under my eyes.
Balance Me and It Cosmetics are the best I’ve tried for this. They both come in the little squeeze tube.
I like the matte liquid lipstick trend. I don’t think it should be discontinued at all. I’ve stopped wearing traditional tube lipstick since liquid mattes became popular, but I also don’t think traditional lipsticks should be discontinued because different people like different things, and there should be lots of options for everyone. I love that there’s a new sort of liquid lipstick, the satin finish, that’s not as drying, and a lot more comfortable. Right now, it seems only ColourPop and MakeUpGeek are making them, but I hope to see other brands offer that option as well.
Speaking of ColourPop, I really find it overwhelming that they (and a few other brands) seem to release LE products every week that sell out in hours. I hope in 2017, that brands will focus on permanent products that are great quality, because these are the products that make up the bulk of our stashes anyway, and I’m personally over the LE hype.
I agree about brands making products for different skin tones and undertones, but I really want them to consider skin type too. I was disappointed that the new LA Girl Foundation seems to be geared towards normal to dry skin, and I hope they’ll make something a little less dewy for those of us with oily skin in 2017. I’ve also noticed that most cushion foundations are sheer to medium coverage, with a luminous finish, with only Lancome making a cushion foundation with full coverage and a more matte finish, at Lancome prices. I really hope to see a drugstore brand make a cushion full coverage, mattifying cushion foundation in shades for deeper skin.
I hope to see indie brands improve their customer service. Honestly, saying you’re busy is not a good enough reason to excuse poor customer service.
Finally, Elf cosmetics launched international shipping, but when you’re shopping from places like Africa, the cost of their products double. And I’m not talking about shipping. I mean $6 brushes will show up as $12, and so on and so forth, for every single product on their site. Ive beem shopping from Africa for years now, from sites like Asos, MakeupGeek, Selfridges, House of Fraser even ColourPop more recently, and Elf Cosmetics is the first brand I’ve seen this unusual practice from.
I really hope they address that in 2017.
I also hope more brands offer affordable shipping to Africa, because we love makeup over here too. Brands like Asos and MakeupGeek have shown that shipping to Africa can be quick and affordable, and brands like Smashbox, Clinique, Estee Lauder, Sigma, BlackUp even go so far as to have official partners in countries like Nigeria and Ghana, which makes their products more accessible to us and prices close to the official prices. I hope to see more brands do that.
I would like to see brands release new foundation/concealors for all skin-tones AT LAUNCH not months later. I’d like to see the end of over-hyped releases. I want to be able to purchase a product at my leisure and not get worked into a frenzy/stay up late or wake up early to purchase because I don’t risk it being sold out. Makeup brands should feature older women, and should send PR packages to older YouTube beauty bloggers.
I would love to see more inclusive foundation, concealers, and finishing powders. My skin is a fairly difficult match, I can only imagine a woman of colors dilemma. I have to usually mix two colors to get a good match in the winter, I pull pink, and in the summer, I pull more olive. So far, I have been able to use Urban Decay’s Naked Skin foundation in 3.0 and 4.0, and I mix them in the fall, winter, and early spring. I would also like to see more corrective primers. I have mixed a few of those in order to even my skin tone out ans well as cover up under eye circles, dark marks from blemishes, as well as trying to help my skin look brighter. I liked Nars concealer stick in Custard, but that option isn’t available in the Creamy Concealer option. I have light medium, but it still is a bit off from Custard. I just wish I could find a foundation that is more of a true representation of my natural skin tone. I wish I didn’t have to mix foundations, and then I would also like to just be able to use foundation to even out my imperfections, but I am stuck having to do full face application because I can’t get a perfect tonal color. Tinted moisturizer isn’t enough, and I would love to be able to get NARS creamy concealer in Custard, which is by far a better match for me.
My wish for the future of the beauty world, no parabens, no toxic stuff on products, absolutely no testing on animals. More extreme make up choices for the pale as well as for the dark skinned woman. Lots of it is one way lots of neutrals tones it too orangey which on this (ghost!) looks nasty! For myself I’d like to find more cool tones outthere very few companies do have them like Clinique or Elizabeth Arden both carry decent colors i can wear.
A trend to wear less and more natural Ive seen plenty of beautiful bloggers with excellent skin covering up with such heavy foundation, etc. just too overly made it up on eyes, blush (uh! some of those blushes and so much countouring/sculpting look like a punch) and overly sized produced lips. I mean for a show, or Victoria’s Secrets model something like that I guess is fine but there’s just too much (I always wonder when these girls come out of the shower whether their boyfriends will recognize them with tons of yellow stuff Lol!). More foundation makes sense if you don’t have clear skin, with a great beautiful skin as many of these beautiful models/bloggers have why cover it up so heavily? Ahhhh! And I firmly am starting to believe drugstore makeup is stepping up with high ends! I have both and am starting to see less differences and hearing from some pages about so much hype on some high ends products from Sephora whith not so great quality upsetting plenty of customers. And on a final note, yes, let’s keep it the names pretty or fun, feminine or modern for makeup but not call it some random weird names as Jeffrey Stars has named his products such as ‘pussy’ whatever. I think is demeaning on women and he acts so full of it as if he had discovered the cure for cancer (no honey is just makeup) let’s keep it clean and classic there’s many young girls, teenagers getting into make up that do not need to read these vulgarity and many women don’t exactly appreciate it either. Gross!
Viva la makeup I love it mostly all! Oh! And keep highliters alive! And glitter for the holidays and for us mermaids! ❤ it all! 🙂
I would like to see more creativity in what is regarded to collections and products. I’m tired of so many brands copying each like crazy and copying every single beauty fad.
These brands need to listen to you!
Definitely more color options for foundations and concealers.
And two color temperatures for some big releases (cool and warm toned).
I hope to see a reduction in the crazy amount of highlighter/contouring amount of products out there.
Maybe more stains, tints, and balms? I think painterly products might be refreshing.
I wonder how the Pantone color of the year will affect beauty this time around? The rose quartz really made an impact last year, especially with Glossier.
Greenery! A gorgeous yellow-green. I already bought my pantone lip and nail shades from Ulta 🙂
I agree with you! I’d also like to see more variations in looks as well as more ages, weights, grey hair, and all sorts of cultures in american beauty campaigns. It’s far too exclusive. A little less photoshop would be nice too!
I want to see the unexpected – something I didn’t know I needed and am impressed with. Mac’s Mariah Carey collection, Kat Von D’s Alchemist palette, and her upcoming Goth Pastels are all my kind of thing. What I don’t want to see is more contour. My bone structure is my best feature and I have no desire to alter that in any way, even with makeup.
I am also totally down with anything that makes lines disappear, along the lines of Miracle Blur. On my forehead and the 11’s. I would love to blur the lines around my eyes, but I have such sensitive eyes that most eye treatments and products, and some mascaras, can cause me a month of swelling so I tread very carefully with anything going on my eyes.
Every time I find a bronzer that hits my sweet spot – not too sparkly, not too muddy, not too dark, not too light – it gets discontinued (Revlon, then Chanel), so if 2017 can throw me a bone there I would love that. I recently bought a couple of Ulta brand to try out.
And if 2017 wants to bring even more beautiful shades of purple, brown, and pale pink lipstick, I will buy them!! Metallic/Shimmer is my fave, but I’m open to other finishes and formulae.
Guess I had a lot of hopes for beauty this year 😉