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What makeup brand do you think has really upped their game in the last couple of years?
What makeup brand do you think has really upped their game in the last couple of years? Share!
Drugstore brands in general, but in particular, Maybelline, Milani, and Wet ‘n’ Wild (the latter has some misses, though). I think Urban Decay is on the upswing again, as they now have more hits that aren’t just Naked-related. ColourPop is a brand to watch, but they came with their game high from the get-go.
Thanks to Kate for today’s questions! Do you have a question idea? Submit yours here.
Definitely Milani with their lipsticks, bella gel shadows, rose-shaped blushes, highlighters. They definitely deserve more shelf space in stores. NYX with their NYX lipsticks, glosses, blushes, some shadows. Maybelline with their matte lipsticks. And Colour Pop started with awesome shadows and just kept raising the bar with their lipsticks, highlighters, blushes, and great collections. They just came out with eyeliners (yaaay!) –hope you will swatch/review 🙂
Urban Decay has definitely stepped it up with the Revolution line of lipsticks, whether matte, sheer, regular. Also the Revolution lip glosses, bright new e/s singles and many other great newer offerings. I feel that MAC’s newer matte lipsticks and Ultimate Lipstick formulas are really nice! Noticed too, their LE Collections have become more consistently better (but just this past year).
Then on the DS end, innovative, interesting new products cropping up in Nyx recently ( Intense Butter Gloss!!! Prismatic Eyeshadow!!!) Plus the 3 you mentioned: Maybelline, WnW, and Milani have had many well formulated new or improved products!
I feel like Pur Minerals has just come out swinging. They changed their name to Pur Cosmetics, which says to me that they’re refocusing and remarketing their brand. Their spray foundation is excellent, they have some gorgeous shadow palettes, and now they have the Lip Lures and Eye Polish, which I’m going to be buying very soon.
I know many people mentioned it in their answer to your question about brands that really need a makeover a few days ago, but I’m gonna say Lancôme. They’ve had a few makeup launches in the past couple years that I think have put them back on the map: the In Love lipsticks and glosses, their Lip Lover, the Grandiôse mascara, the Shine Lover lipstick, plus a bunch of seasonal LE items that were just amazing (I’m thinking about this summer’s cream blushes, plus some of their nail polishes). They have a ton of new products launching for fall that I’m excited about: liquid matte lipsticks, 3 other matte lippie formulas, their big Audacity palette, the range of eyeliner pencils (with some “it” shades like yellow, hot pink and highlighter shades), etc…
I hadn’t thought of Lancôme, because their audacity in Paris palette was kind of a miss, but you’re right about their new eyeliners – the gel ones, I just swatched some of the more interesting shades in Sephora and was totally smitten with them. Gorgeous!
For sure agree about drugstore cosmetics — I’d add L’Oreal’s foundation/concealer selection (WAY improved from ten years ago) and Physicians Formula’s bronzer/powder options. So smooth!
Too Faced is definitely higher quality than it used to be. They used to make little palettes that looked like steamy vintage novels — SO cute, and SO terrible to actually use. I still cringe in fear, trying their products, thinking it will all be cute marketing and no substance. Au contraire! Those latest Love blushes? The Shadow Insurance primer? Shoot, they sit at the big kids’ table now, as far as I’m concerned. Some misses, but totally legit makeup I can actually use, for the most part.
Estee Lauder has done spectacularly on the lipstick front. I think it must have been a big gamble, changing their image and actual product so much. I, for one, am a huge fan.
Seriously about Este Lauder, I haven’t been interested in the brand for over ten years until they recently launched their sculpting lipstick line! Definitely awesome makeover
And they now have Born This Way, which is (for my needs) the ultimate foundation.
Clinique seem to have upped their game recently.
I wish Laura Mercier would up her game. This years holiday sets were so predictable…
I’d give the “Upped Their Game Award” to 3 brands: Wet n Wild, Jordana, and LA Girl.
All 3 of these brands were my go-to makeup when I was in my early teen years. I’d get my Wet n Wild from Rite Aid or Walgreen’s, Jordana from Job Lot, and LA Girl from Sally’s or one of the local hair shops. At the time, all of these brands’ primary beauty focus had been on lips, and I don’t think any of the products had cost more than .99¢. And with a makeup item costing that little, well, you got what you payed for. The formulas were always hard as a rock; especially the lip pencils (which is what I had always bought). By the time I had graduated high school, I’d completely wandered away from these brands.
After many, many years of marketing silence, I was taken by surprise when these 3 brands started gaining a spontaneous and popular following in the makeup community.
✯ Wet n Wild was the first to come out swinging by reformulating their eyeshadows. They went from chalky, good-for-nothings to MAC comparability. Those ‘Color Icon’ palettes’ popularity was insane (“Vanity” was featured in almost every video makeup tutorial)!! Wet n Wild followed up nicely with the launch of the ‘MegaLast Lip Color’ line. It’s still one of my favorite matte lipsticks to wear.
✯ Jordana improved immensely when it came out with its ‘Easyliner for Lips’ retractable pencils. OMG, their [previous] gravel-like lip liner formula wasn’t trying to skin my lips anymore! Yaaay! The new formula and shades are quite amazing! They’re so buttery smooth. If you haven’t tried them yet, then you’re missing out.
✯ Lastly, is LA Girl. My initial reaction to the brand’s comeback was, “Wait… They still make LA Girl products???” But talk about kicking butt and taking names! ??? LA Girl practically neck chopped MAC with the release of its hugely popular, ‘Pro HD Concealers’. And they stared Melt Cosmetics dead in the face ? as they launched their ‘Glazed Lip Paint’ (which was so-so, but still popular). The brand’s new products and formulation is a complete 180 from what it used to be. I’m still shocked at how good their concealers are, for only $5.
I don’t know what happened, or who came in and revamped these brands, but I need to give those responsible a high five. ✋
Well done!
LA Girl has some FANTASTIC eyeliner pencils also!
Sephora’s own brand. I often purchase their products over other brands because the quality and selection are SO GOOD and the prices are such excellent value.
Oh yes, forgot to mention Sephora! Definitely some gems in their collection and getting better all the time
Agreed! I LOVED the gigantic, high quality palettes like the Cinderella one. That was an excellent way to have a sort of introduction to color without having to commit to something expensive. Impressed!
I’ll also add that while I wish that they had more representation in terms of the Disney Princesses they chose, I think the formulas themselves are really quite impressive!
Clinique! I especially love their blushes.
Estée Lauder. Not really in terms of quality though but it’s just become SO much more appealing for younger women now!
Totally! I saw EL as a “mature woman” brand my whole life until recently!
Maybelline, NYX, Milani, IT Cosmetics (I can’t get enough of their Ulta brush collections).
Colour Pop came out swing since day uno! The fact that there is such a variety and that they carter to light, med, AND dark skin tones!?!?!…these brands seriously need to be on the lookout and start taking notes.
Definitely ELF. They started out as the cheapo makeup you can get for $1 at the grocery store and now, they’ve expanded and created so many new products and lines that follow the current makeup trends, all without upping their prices too much.
I have to say e.l.f. too. They make some of my favourite brushes of all time in the studio line. Theres a lot of misses too but they seem to be consistently working on their range, and some of the rcent releases are amazing, like the blush palettes!
I was just about to mention ELF myself. I’ve been shocked at the quality of products offered for next to nothing, and now they’ve got a skin care line that I’ve loved so far.
I also love that they sell ELF at 7/11. No more makeup emergencies, there’s always a place to get eyeliner, lol.
Drugstore: Wet N’ Wild – I remember my first WNW lipstick in 1993 – was worse than a dollar store crayon. And the packaging – was kid’s play makeup. Now it deserves its shelf space with Revlon, etc.
High End: Urban Decay. The Naked theme is a real hit. Again I remember the original products from the 90’s, when they were on-par with Hard Candy as a luxury bad-ass edgy makeup brand. Hard Candy went down-market and Urban Decay is just killing it!
I agree that drugstore brands are upping their game big time – I’m pretty impressed with Milani specifically, I haven’t been able to try their new liquid lipsticks but they look heavenly in swatches. Also Nyx’s newest releases look pretty bomb and they even have brick-and-mortar stores now so my expectations are high. I’m also inclined to say Colourpop what with all these new releases (AND GEL LINERS COMING SOON! OMG) but like you said they’ve had a pretty high game from the jump
Too Faced for sure. They’ve overcome their cheesy aesthetic to deliver some really solid products that have forced me to take them seriously.
Clinique and Milani.
Mid-range/High end: Urban Decay, Too Faced, Kat von D, and Sephora Store Brand.
Drug store: E.l.f., Wet n Wild, Hard Candy, Milani, Nyx, ColourPop, City Color Cosmetics, Jcat, Jordana, Makeup Revolution/Freedom London, and Sleek. In general, I think most drugstore brands have been really upping their games and coming closer to mid-range and high-end in quality (and sometimes price).
Urban Decay is really starting to compete with MAC as my favorite boutique brand, the only thing keeping it as second is the price increase (not that it isn’t necessarily worth it, just out of my budget) and I don’t like their lipstick shapes (bullet over slanty stick anyday….I’m weird)
NYX also continues to impress me with their range, seems like I like them more and more every year. Milan also plays the drugstore game really well, I’m really interested to see what they do next.
A lot! The first one that comes to mind is the Sephora house brand, but also Clinique with the cheek pops and Maybelline with the creamy matte lipsticks. Oh, and MUFE with the primers and Artist Shadows!
Wet N Wild! Love their lipsticks, still don’t know how they get all that pigment in $1.99!
colourpop has established themselves high in a little time though also MUG… urban decay has been gettin some praises aside from the naked palettes and im happy for that. clinique too!
I agree with a lot of posters that Clinique and Este Lauder have definitely piqued my interest in the past year for the first time in forever. (I just heard frozen when I wrote that! Lol) I’m really interested in Lancome’s brand new eyeliners also. Revlon with their HD glosses and lip butters in the last couple years, Maybelline with their matte lipsticks, Loreal with their silkissime liners, and Milani has some good blushes! And W&W and ELF – these are two brands I would have never considered buying until the last year! I had overlooked most drugstore cosmetics for the better part of the past decade, so im impressed by a lot of their stepping-up! As someone who worked for Dior and bought almost exclusively HE products, this blog and some of my favorite youtubers have really enlightened me of all the fantastic quality cheaper products out there now!
Clinique and EL seem to be modernizing which I like.
I know, it’s so funny that this is a common response to both the brands that have lost ground, *and* the brands that have upped their game in the last couple of years. I think both are going through a sort of period of trying to rebrand and stay relevant, so while they aren’t *the* brands they way they were decades ago, there have been some releases in recent years that are really, really good.
I definitely agree about drugstore brands. Maybelline with their FitMe line and their matte (ish) lipsticks had me really impressed. L’oreal’s Infallable line was also quite impressive. I only wish they would start having samples or better shade “swatches” on hand (in the US) as the prices are going up so I’m not willing to purchase a foundation that may or may not even work for me shade, formula and finish-wise. Marc Jacobs is relatively new but I feel like they’ve been doing really well. MAC surprised me with their new matte lip formula, and my sister loves their new Studio Waterweight foundation (I’m too pale for it unfortunately). I think Sephora’s house brand has been doing pretty well too.
I’d say that L’Oreal and NARS have upped their game in the last 2 years. For NARS, look at the things they’re bringing out, the Audacious and Intensity lines. Bobbi Brown has also brought out new products that are game changers like the new eye serum and concealer, and new Luxe lipsticks although I’d love to see the packaging change a bit more, all she’s done is add a crest. Pixi used to just produce makeup and they still do that but they’ve expanded to include skincare (which is AMAZING by all accounts – Pixi Glow has become a cult product).
Charlotte Tilbury has done a great job in creating a high-end, desirable brand, Bobbi Brown could take a few pointers from her, I think.
NYX for sure!
Inglot definitely. I love their products, and being in the U.S. for only like 5 years, they have a lot of room to expand ❤️❤️❤️
I have to agree Christine with your feelings on Milani. When they first came out and I was pleased to see they were looking out for medium and deeper tones but nothing ever spoke to me. Now every time I walk into Walgreens they have something I have to have. I would say ELF, NYX and Hard Candy have definitely stepped their games up.
I would have to agree with you Christine – Maybelline – especially for their lipsticks; Milani – lipsticks, eyeshadows and blushes and Colour Pop – for just about everything.
It’s a shame that some of the HE or Middle end brands aren’t represented here.
L’oreal – lipsticks
Bourjois – Foundations
I would definitely say Estee Lauder. The new releases have been really impressive. I think BareMinerals is light years from where it used to be with the old swirl, tap and buff. They have fantastic lipsticks and eye primers. I also agree with Urban Decay. Their eyeshadows are always great quality and they have some of the best liners (just like lauders doublewear liner) that truly last all day.
I concur with Urban Decay . There eyeshades are vibrant and long lasting .
Urban Decay!
Milani and MAC
makeup forever definitely. their new ultra hd foundation (not better than the old one per se but definitely good), the shadow pencils, cream blushes, the artist lipsticks, the ARTIST EYESHADOWS OEMGEE.
i wish they would improve the eyeliners though
nars have a few things i like, like the foundation and powder but i think the old ones are more “cult” worthy. except for the audacious lipsticks. i’d MARRY those lipsticks.
mac matte lipsticks have tons of inprovement though i use only 2 or 3 of them.
anything else for drugstores, because milani and colour pop isn’t very common in singapore i can’t really comment but maybelline does have a few things that strikes me as surprisingly good of quality.
Urban Decay was the first brand that came to mind. I feel they are less likely (in my experience) to release a complete dud than many other brands. They seem to care more about a product’s performance than, say, MAC.
I’m a bit nervous for ColourPop. I mean, when you start out near the top (of their product type), it doesn’t leave a lot of room for improvement. Not that they need much improvement but, eventually, if they don’t release a new type of product, they might end up releasing similar colors over and over again (like a couple of other brands we know…).
Lorac. It was one of those brands on Hautelook then they just really re-invented themselves. I kind of fell out of love with UD, maybe I need to comeback. I also find a lot of the luxury makeup lines have really stolen me away. Chanel, YSL, Estee Lauder used to be such bland brands but now they’ve started leading trends. Especially YSL. The glossy stains, lipsticks, etc. They’ve started trends.