If you could revamp one brand, which one and why?
I’d have to say MAC or Urban Decay because they’re both brands I really enjoyed years ago but am less drawn to these days – not that they don’t have some stellar products in their core ranges or some interesting limited launches, but there’s something missing. With MAC, I think some of the permanent ranges could use a revamp, like the eyeshadow range could be more diverse and higher quality (even with recent improvements) and some of their greatest formulas were limited edition (why!). With Urban Decay, I think they tend to lean in too much into a good thing (like Naked) rather than branching forward and creating something new.
— Christine
It is my understanding—and please correct me if I’m wrong—that Kat Von D has nothing to do with the KVD line anymore. I read that they even changed the initials to mean Kindness, Vegan, and Discovery. Therefore, I think they need to make some big changes to truly reflect this disconnect from Kat Von D. They’re still not being reviewed here on Temptalia and I’m still not comfortable buying their products. If Kat Von D has absolutely no stake in this company anymore, then the new company needs a major revamp before I will even consider looking the products.
Kendo did completely buy out Kat Von D, so she doesn’t have any lingering say in the business or future direction of the brand. A lot of the packaging still says “Kat Von D” on it, though. I was surprised that they didn’t do what they did with Bite Beauty (which is also owned by Kendo) – where they did a full rebrand from packaging to the range, so they also did a massive clear-out sale of all the old stuff. Their two “new” releases on Sephora include mini Everlasting Liquid Lipsticks and a small eyeshadow palette that both say “Kat Von D” on them (not just KVD).
Thanks for the clarification, Christine. I won’t touch the products until the entire line is completely free of Kat Von D!
I do not get that logic.. Isn’t her name the problem?
It makes me wonder how long-term/short-term the decision was to get KVD out, e.g. they had a lot of stuff already in the pipeline with packaging already made. For a brand like Kendo (which is owned by LVMH), I’d rather them use the old packaging but significantly reduce the price (fire sale) OR donate all profits to an appropriate charity organization until it’s sold through. Then, they can minimize waste but not profit from it – and something good could benefit from it.
Similarly, I get why they wanted to retain the “KVD” acronym – to capitalize on all the prior brand goodwill – but you’d think they would want to distance themselves from that history at this point. It’s just interesting that Bite does a whole re-brand with updated packaging, shade ranges, formulas, names, etc. because they go vegan, but KVD can’t do the same when I think it would be of greater benefit in the long-run.
You don’t think that consumers would dig an edgy, alternative makeup range in the Kendo portfolio? If they discontinued everything, and then came back with everything updated… just seems splashier.
Completely agree with this. I had no idea that Kat Von D was no longer a part of it but I still would never buy anything with her name on it.
On a lighter funny note (although I don’t want to minimize such important matters), it would be `great` seeing KVD donate profits to support charities that help people affected by the current virus and organizations involved in developing the vaccine so much needed to control it.
????
Ana Maria, I like the way you think!
I was so surprised the new quads coming out were using the same old packaging with Kat’s name on them. I applaud them for not wanting to waste packaging, and I realize time was probably a factor, but it just seemed extremely weird to me.
I too have been really surprised that they didn’t clear out and rebrand.
I’m really curious how they’re going to continue with the brand going forward, since a lot of its appeal was Kat von D’s name and style. I really loved the aesthetic of a lot of the packaging. To me, a fair amount of the KvD products felt like UD before they went full Naked. Now I feel like Melt is going for that crown, lol.
Are they going to hire someone to essentially rip off KvD’s artwork for future packaging? Or are they going to change the aesthetic so it’s still kind of Gothy and edgy but different from her designs?
AJ, I’ve been wondering that, too.
I think they should have just retired the brand, and anything that was left in the pipe, release it to clearance – go “straight to DVD” so to speak. (Or KVD, in this case), then seal the coffin. With this brand, it’s not just the name, the whole aesthetic down the the lettering was Kat. A new creative director will have to redesign the whole brand anyway, but why not just start fresh with a new concept, name, aesthetic and story?
Ditto for me with everything said in this thread. I haven’t purchased anything from the line in so long that I can’t even remember what it might have been. When I visited Sephora last, which granted is quite a while ago, the shelves were pretty picked over so I assumed the brand was having a fire sale. There were a few products that I really enjoyed but both my daughter and I decided not to support the brand over 5 years ago. In our little Sephora inside JC Penney’s, I resent the space that KVD is taking up and would really like to see another brand in that space.
Not to sounds stupid, but what exactly did KVD do or say to cause all this?
Kitty, she’s said a lot of dumb and controversial things over the years, ranging from racism to a feud with Jeffree Star, but I believe the most recent thing she said that led to the total boycott and most likely to the buyout is her anti-vaxx stance.
I wish Urban Decay would go back to their roots, doing their own thing. I miss the awesome lippies, lip gunks, polishes, mini sets, Face Cases, and sets (can’t remember exactly but they were 2 ES, 1 lipstick, and a Polish at least).
I’d also have to say MAC and UD. MAC because we know they can do a great job with makeup when they want to, but the endless quantity (and uneven quality) of their releases has made me unwilling to take a risk on them. If they’d strip back their releases and focus on making them the best they can be — while also updating their existing lines to take advantage of recent advances in makeup formulations — I’d trust them enough to give them my money AND be tempted to do so! For example, if they did a LE collab with someone and JUST released a shimmery pink blush and a tan eyeshadow—but I could trust it would be an excellent pink blush and the best-possible tan eyeshadow—I’d be much more likely to purchase than if it’s a massive release with patchy purple shadow and glitter fallout. Reduce the noise and improve the formulas, MAC!
Urban Decay used to be the cool brand that tried things other brands wouldn’t (especially when it came to color—it felt like they leaned hard into dramatic color at a time when everyone else was playing it safe), and they used to be a leader in the quality of their products as well. I feel like they haven’t stayed ahead of the curve in either innovation/ risk/ uniqueness or in quality either; the Moondust shadows are the most recent release that felt truly old-school Urban Decay to me, in the sense that they were unabashedly fun and better than so many other glitter formulations (so in-your-face sparkly! Synthetic mica instead of glitter!). ColourPop is consistently making shadows that are more interesting and reliable than Urban Decay’s recent stuff, and that’s a darn shame. I want UD to take back that crown. If that means fewer—but better—releases and a lot more time spent brainstorming truly unique products? So be it!
I think I would revamp Too Faced… make everything less childish/sexual and make the branding more uniform across the board.
I fully agree. The brand’s mixture of sexual and childish is very off-putting. Also, either stop the scented eyeshadows or offer scent-free versions.
I actually like Too Faced packaging… I think the fruits are cute, and it reminds me a bit of Korean brands. I wish they had unscented versions of their products though.
Too Faced, Tarte and Colorpop really need to remove all their thousands constant releases and go back to the core basics. Seriously, each time I enter their website and see how many products they have… it’s overwhelming… I know they are big companies, but you can’t put good quality efforts into things when you launch tens of product each month.
At this point, if I go to Too Faced website I never even heard about 90% of their palettes. And Tarte is even worse since they have those huge face and body cosmetics line; sometimes I go to their website just for the fun of seeing what they released.
Is anyone else put off by the name Too Faced? In my day, I’m aging myself, but back then it referred to a person who wasn’t so nice. Anyway, I agree on changing the childish packaging and removing scents. At this point, they should have went scent free already.
I would take back MAC to its origins. I started buying MAC way, way back, when the eye shadows were in screw top pots and the lipsticks had squared top caps! I fell hard in love with the brand, and while I do like some of their newer products, I would take it back to its roots, make the powder products the best they can be, launch only one fabulous collection per season, maybe even just two a year, forget about the holiday crap, and just take it to its former glory.
I hate to say it, but most of the time, Estee Lauder ruins the brands they touch. Bobbi Brown is another example of a great brand gone mediocre.
ABH – I’ve grown out of love. Sad because I think they had good momentum at one point. The heavy focus on pressed pigment isn’t my thing.
It will be interesting to see how the dust settles on many with Pandemic protection duking it out with a full Instagram face of makeup.
Maybe it’s a very personal opinion, but I think ABH as a standalone brand should have stuck to brow products and brow bars. Maybe create a separate full make-up line under the umbrella for the other products and the palettes, but keep it to a classic line (like the original eyeshadow palettes) for the `normal` day to day users. And let Norvina have a separate line for colorfull on trend make-up for artists and social media influencers.
ABH was a brand that was on my radar to try and I took the plunge last year. Then it got weird and I became disenchanted and gave away all of the palettes I’d bought. I used to think the brand elegant and sophisticated but after those 3 mega palettes and the visually cacophonous color stories lately, I’ve lost respect for the brand.
I completely agree that Norvina’s stuff should have it’s own line. And better quality. If the quality were better, I’d be eating up those colorful palettes.
Mac,. Estée Lauder used to have great eyeshadows and took away most of them and the new are no good! Everything about Mac, lip liners are dry and don’t last on my lips. The eyeshadows need revamping even though they just did. All the changes they do to make them more money doesn’t impress me. I used to buy makeup from high end department stores but haven’t for years now!
Never been impressed with urban decay, a lot of patchy and fall out with eyeshadows.
24/7 pencils were ok.
I buy from independent small companies like Sydney Grace!
I am going to agree with you and some readers that MAC and UD could do a lot better than what they are releasing at the present time. Go back to their roots please.
Oh thank God, I thought I was alone in thinking MAC and UD had been missing the mark lately. MAC’s releases have been lackluster for about two years in my opinion, and Urban Decay lost me once they started doing Naked EVERYTHING. A curated line of Naked products would have been great, but they ran it into the ground by slapping Naked on over half of what they released.
So this is in direct opposition to what I said last year when you posted a similar question: I would revamp Guerlain. Back then I was still hardcore fanboying them from a research aspect as I’d just finished going through their long (and impactful) history, but my adoration has fizzled to a tiny spark of interest. I love the revamped lipsticks but that’s about it. My obsession with their Meteorites has dwindled significantly and, even though I still love the history and the luxury the brand brings to the table, there’s just not enough good staple products to make me fanboy over it like I used to. I will always be a fan of Guerlain simply from a historical aspect, because they really paved the way for most brands we see on the market today; I just wish their current product lineup reflected their magnificence.
I agree although I am still loving my Meteorites and will go to my grave buying those. I do wish the packaging for their LE Meteorites was a little more luxe and unique.
Same about Meteorites – I haven’t found anything else that melds and brings it all together as a finishing powder the way Meteorites do/does.
I lost most of my interest in Guerlain when they’re beautiful eyeshadow formula went down the tubes. I do still like Meteorites, but I don’t care about their color releases much. I don’t even remember any recent color releases aside from lippies.
Agree with the above opinions and adding that I would like to pry every PET glitter shadow away from Colourpop’s clutches and bury it somewhere so secret only Abe Simpson would have a tattoo as evidence it ever existed.
YESSSS to that, Lauren! I despise PET glitter in eye products, too.
NYX Cosmetics. I think they have a lot of great products at a great price point… but the keyword here is a LOT. I get decision fatigue just looking at their display. There’s so many different formulas, especially for lip products. I’d love to see them streamline a bit, focus on their best formulas.
And I agree with everyone who says UD needs a revamp.
Yes, NYX started getting repetitive with even their more unique colors. It seems we seem them in every “new” line. I also feel they discontinued some really good formulas while keeping worse ones. I still love them, but they’re losing ground.
Personally I don’t want brands to revamp. I want brands to stop revamping and launch continuously new stuff.
I want brands to go back to their core line of products, permanent in their line, which nowadays seem forgotten `heroes`. I want to see brands continuously investing money and research to improve those products in time, from formulas to packaging to number of shades. I want to also see brands promoting those core cult products, I actually liked that at some point Estee Lauder tried to re-promote Double Wear, but they didn’t push is as much than they should.
I don’t consider update to the permanent ranges and `core` products revamping.
Thinking about your answer Christine… I actually wish MAC and Urban Decay to go back to what they used to be 4-5 years ago.
LOTS!
Too Faced needs to go back to their more sophisticated roots of long ago. Before they began to flavor things with sodium saccharin and chocolate, they were actually quite good without all those gimmicky add-ons! They also desperately need to fix their holiday collections snd make them far better quality than what they’ve done recently. And drop the childish packaging on certain products and vulgar/immature names on others.
My beloved MAC also needs a big boost! MAC; please bring back all the old eyeshadows that you discontinued but in the new, improved formula, m’kay? Also, they need to make their limited edition products consistent across the board when it comes to the quality.
Urban Decay is another one that has got to get it together! While I really love Naked Honey palette, the whole naked thing has got to go to sleep. I’m still waiting for their last copyrighted Naked palette called Naked AF to eventually drop, just because I’m curious to see what that’s about. Who knows, maybe they renamed it Reloaded…I do wonder about that! Again, another brand who needs to do more when it comes to their limited edition collections and products in the quality department.
Unpopular opinion, but there’s nothing `Naked` about the Honey and Cherry palettes. If they want to go to the edible route like Too Faced, at least they should create another line.
Agree Ana Marie.
Heat didn’t feel “Naked, ” either.
That one I don’t even remember. 😆
Revlon. The lip products are classic and fantastic. I still like their foundations. But I miss the curated collections they used to do. Pre-internet, they’d have magazine campaigns and drugstore displays with looks that went together. If they updated the packaging and used better formulas for their eyeshadows they could be a real contender.
A few. Some revamping involves more modern packaging and refreshing the logo and design.
Clinique has had some recent products that were nicely packaged. The clinical look is not really appealing and can be updated. You walk by the counter and the products seem a bit of a turnoff.
Urban Decayed. Maybe a victim of its own success. Only buy an occasional item. Orange and yellow eyeshadows don’t work for me. Maybe some blues, greens, jewel tones,
Estée Lauder. Excellent lipsticks, foundations, and skincare. Years ago, they had decent eyeshadows. I still have the original Modern Mercury (saved one). They also had beautiful collectible powder compacts. The past few years? Nothing has appealed to me. No sense of luxury or taste.
Tom Ford. Not a revamp. Quality control. If you are producing a luxury item, don’t make it mediocre in quality.
Elizabeth Arden. The line has some good products but it seems tucked away in the store and it seems very aged. Some modernization.
Too Faced. I am not the demographic and feel it is too juvenile.
Shu Uemura. The brand is incredibly innovative in some ways yet frightfully stagnant in others (not to mention, completely absent from US stores – not that this currently matters). Also, the quality runs the gamut from the very best items ever to some of the worst. I really wish that I could swatch their lipsticks, though, because there are so many colors to explore!
KVD for all the reasons stated here. I was so happy they’ve dumped her, but, now they to dump her aesthetic and initials.
I want all brands to take the time to put out a quality core offerings with a few unique and special limited editions released a year. I’m sick of the constant limited edition releases.
Sadly, MAC. I still buy from them because it’s one stop shopping and I pride myself of my own personal knowledge and history with the brand but it’s just not “it” anymore. They have some great products but I think they rode too long on their status from the 90s and early aughts and they’ve been trying to catch up ever since 2013 or 14ish. I think they thought they were above leveraging and monetizing social media and it has done irreparable damage. They are one among many, many brands now vying for views and dollars on any given social media feed and they can’t seem to get their foothold back. Pat McGrath (to me) sets the standard now the way MAC used to back in the day.
ABH – I don’t know what happened but to me, it feels like it went from consistently sophisticated, chic glam to romper room in (a) palette(s), just because someone wanted to be edgy. Not my thing. I know there is room for both in the market as well as within a brand and she (and her daughter(s)) can do whatever they please because it’s their brand. Maybe it’s brand expansion growing pains. Maybe it’s not and I’m a snob. I preferred it only being one aesthetic, I don’t like it being both.
Smashbox. They used to have an eyeshadow color I loved and they discontinued it. They could have a bigger variety of foundation finishes and more palettes. I think they are focusing on their printers too much.
I mean primers not printers lol
Urban Decay. They started relying too much on the Naked line, got dependent on it, and took it too far. Now the Naked palettes so imitated, that they don’t know what to do or where to go (retiring and revamping the iconic orginal Naked palette was NOT the way to go, IMHO). When UD was bought out by L’oreal, the quality of the product, packaging, and creativity became much more hit and miss. They lost their edge, and then the plot. I’d love to get them back to the UD we used to know and love. Naked Honey was a good, creative twist on a neutrals palette, but Wired was so, so bad and disappointing.
If not UD, I’d choose Stila. They have a few good products still, but they also lost all sense of identity and consistent quality when they were bought. They used to be one of my favorites, I literally have been using their products since almost their very beginning (I won a traincase full of their products in the 90s, right before they launched online and nobody new who they were), and now they’re barely on my radar.
I’m worried about what we’ve been seeing with ABH, and hearing about how they’re not doing well financially right now. I think Norvina could use some guidence.
*knew, not new
Honorable mention: I just want MUFE’s eyeshadow formula to go back to the original Artist Shadow formula. lol
MAC has great products; what they need more than anything is a marketing rehaul. New website, increased Instagram presence and a really strategic collaboration.
This!!!! I absolutely can not stand the Mac website layout! It gives me a headache and leads me to purchasing else where!
There are a couple of brands that I would like to see re-vamped:
bareMinerals – they were onto a good thing with their Ready eyeshadow formula and the brand seems to have moved away from this in recent years. As I own quite a few of their 8 pans, 4 pans and a duo their eyeshadows were highly pigmented, long lasting and of excellent quality in a range of neutrals and jewel tones. My favourites are the Playlist and Soft and Smokey…
Too Faced/Nars – to move on from their overly sexualised names for their products and childish gimmicks. It’s time for both of the brands to grow up.
I don’t know if this counts as a revamp, but I’d personally like to see Urban Decay 1) do more pop culture tie-in collections (3 examples from the past decade or so: Alice in Wonderland, Gwen Stefani, and Game of Thrones), 2) do more cool-toned products, 3) do more vivid colors (like Electric and Born to Run), and 4) stop leaning on the Naked line so much. Especially 1, because it seems to me like the tie-ins are more adventurous and often have better quality.
Oh, and bring back the Pocket Rocket lipglosses from like 10 years ago with the lenticular clothes-to-skivvies male pin-ups on the wand handles! I still have my Colin-the red gloss with a firefighter on the handle.
Ditto on MAC! I think it’s sad to see the decline when I felt that they led the way more recently in being inclusive of women of darker tones in the thinking of their formulas and colors. They weren’t the only ones, but the first that I recall that helped women of dark tones seem a part of the greater fashion beauty makeup world.
I completely agree with Christine. MAC used to be the company for makeup but they have not kept up with the trends. Their products are quite expensive in comparison to all the new indie products and do not perform as well. Especially their eyeshadows. They are boring.
I kind of want to revamp MUFE. I feel like they have SO many really great products, but I get intimidated and lost because I’m not a professional makeup artist. I get that their target is professional makeup artists that need all kinds of mixers and detail products and such, and I think all of that should continue to be available for you profesh peeps 🙂 I just wish they had a mini-line, or kits or something tailored for the average person.
I honestly love TooFaced and Tarte for their fun kid-like products, scented makeup, etc. I totally understand a lot of the comments here about each. It’s just a personal preference. Sometimes I want to pull out my Charlotte Tilbury and look really chic and put together, and sometimes I want to have a TF matching palette and stuffed animal or a Tarte sparkly brush set and some glitter lol
MAC would be my first choice because they were my first makeup love and I miss the sorts of products they had way back when I first got into them. At that time, there weren’t nearly as many limited products and that meant a much greater focus on a permanent assortment. That assortment usually included excellent staples but also some more outlandish and unique shades, which meant that it was both practical and exciting. Their seasonal collections usually included both limited edition products and permanent products that focused on a certain look or trend and that often gave some fresh ideas about how I could use/ apply makeup. I feel like that emphasized their position as the brand with makeup expertise, people who could produce innovative products but also help everyone up their makeup game.
The other brand I’d like to get my hands on is Guerlain, who I feel have lost their way in the last few years. Their Rouge G lipsticks remain wonderful but they’ve dropped the ball in a number of other areas. I’d want to give them a solid core of products that reflected their classy (but not necessarily understated) heritage and have seasonal collections with limited products and a little more of an edge, or that were a little more tied to existing trends. Since they are originally a fragrance house, and since they’ve taken such care over time to build up the character of their classic fragrances, I’d love to do capsule collections that tied in to those as well.
I browsed the comments and it’s interesting how most people want less releases and better quality.
I think a lot of us feel saturated and jaded with launches. When you already have a complete collection of makeup products, a new item really has to stand out and the quality has to be great to generate interest and make us spend our money.
Also I think every brand should expand their shade ranges to work with all complexions.
Personally I used to be a hardcore UD fan, at some point almost all my makeup was UD. I love a colorful look, but recently I have been thrown off by the inconsistent quality of their eyeshadows. I am the demographic for a rainbow palette AND a Naked-type neutral palette, but I thoroughly research reviews before buying, and, with the competition that there is today from other brands, including some that are SIGNIFICANTLY cheaper, if the quality is not competitive there is no way I’ll give them my money.
Also, I do LOVE some Benefit products, but in France (where I live) their prices are comparatively CRAZY. It’s the same price point as luxury brands, whereas Benefit’s packaging is mostly cheap-looking cardboard.
Also, this pinup/retro aesthetic grew stale, so they could use a modern repackaging and price moderation while maintaining the same quality.
Finally, everything called “orgasm” or “climax” or “better than sex” should go. You’re trying to sell me a freaking mascara, not a dildo. This is dumb and unappealing.
I am really sad with what mac has turned their brushes into. Their brushes really feel cheap now. I used to love the old ones. If I could bring them back :/