Beauty & The Mask

Masks are changing the way Americans use makeup, with an interest in bold eye makeup prompting a rise in sales of products like eye shadow. So ditch the lipstick and focus on the eyes.

The Eyes Have It

Eye makeup sales are up 204% year-over-year for the three-month period ending on June 28th, according to a Kantar Media. Suddenly how-to guides for bold eyes and tips on applying mask makeup are popping up everywhere among beauty influencers on YouTube and TikTok, with the latter amassing more than 53 million views from videos tagged #MaskMakeup.

Lipstick, on the other hand, has been an early casualty of the pandemic, with Amazon sales of "lip care and color" dropping 15% and prices declining by 28% for the month ending on April 11th.

Lipstick sales aside, McKinsey wrote in a May report that the beauty has proven "relatively resilient" thus far, though it still has a long way to go to make up for lost sales when stores were temporarily shuttered early in the pandemic. McKinsey anticipates that the overall global beauty market — currently valued at $500 billion — will decline by 20-30% in 2020 as a result of the coronavirus. Still, some beauty brands are finding silver linings amid the coronavirus outbreak with growth in eye makeup and skincare sales and planning to double down on eye makeup products.

For consumers who don’t know where to start, or how to expertly apply eye shadow and liner, Miné Stencils has launched shadow stencil kits featuring eye shadow templates, brushes, instructions to simplify eye shadow application, help users create professional-looking eye makeup at home.

Photo courtesy of Miné Stencils

The stencil kit comes in a lovely brown travel case with eyeshadow templates in Daytime, Evening, Perfect and one to Highlight. The kit also includes a three-pallete shadow kit, three brushes, applicator, two mini-brushes and instructions.

“Makeup is a daily pick-me-up for many, even in times of anxiety and uncertainty such as we are experiencing with COVID-19,” said Kerri M. Butcher, president and founder of Miné Stencils. “Changing beauty trends resulting from the use of face masks calls for more emphasis on the eyes and consequently, we are seeing an uptick in consumer demand for eye shadow.”

In developing the product, the brand consulted with makeup artists and tested prototypes on over 100 women of various ethnicities and ages. Based on the research, Miné Stencils designed templates that are universally applicable regardless of different facial features, such as the size or shape of the eye, or the brow height.

A survey by Euromonitor reveals that person-to-person recommendations are currently the top factor influencing beauty and personal care purchases from digital media. And, 30% of consumers seek personalized color cosmetic products.

Source: Euromonitor International Beauty Survey, fielded in June and July 2020

Top Beauty and Personal Care Purchase Influencers

For example, Sephora's e-commerce business has grown 75% since the pandemic began, with the Sephora has also added new services to its online store, creating a virtual shopping option for consumers so they can get an expert consultation without leaving their homes, and expanding payment options. It’s even expanded payment options like Klarna’s “buy now, pay later” option, which it added in May and has proven most popular among shoppers under 20, said Sephora’s SVP and general manager of e-commerce, Carolyn Bojanowski.

Consumers have been more focused on above-the-mask products like eye shadow, eyebrow pencils and shapers, and treatment options for “mask-ne” — the pimples that form underneath those face masks — added Bojanowski.

Photo courtesy of KVD Vegan Beauty

KVD Vegan Beauty debuted its 2020 holiday collection with 14 new products, including a fully recyclable, 14-pan eye shadow palette with wet/dry glitter shadows, six eye shadow sticks, three styles of the brand's first-ever vegan false lashes and four gift bundles. The ideal gift for anyone looking to bring fantasy makeup looks to life. For the bold and daring, choose the Dazzle Sticks in Flash Storm (dreamy sterling), Electro Bolt (fierce copper), Force Field (fiery ruby), Hail Surge (soft pearl), Lightning Strike (bold bronze) and Thundercloud (cool silver).

The set also includes Tattoo Eyeliner as well as a Shake Primer to prep eyelids with for a long-lasting look, with true-to-pan color. What more could one ask for to accentuate those peepers?

Eyes wouldn’t be complete without attention on the brows. Lunchbox Wax came out with eyebrow collection DEFINE. Whether it's creating a strong brow line, extending the tail end with precision or adding depth to sparse areas, LunchboxWax's latest products come in various shades to enhance eyebrows of every shape, color and skin tone. The collection includes pencils, highlighters and gel tints to create bolder, fuller eyebrows. The brand also sells mascara and liners.

The eyebrow set is currently being sold in LunchboxWax waxing salons only, but we hope to see them in-store soon.

Photo courtesy of LunchboxWax

Don’t Forget Facial Care

Another area to make sure to take care of is your facial skin. Masks might include fibers that can irritate sensitive facial skin. Skincare sales are also booming as Americans seek out self-care resources and ways to mitigate the rise of getting a face breakout caused by masks. Products such as serums with Vitamin C and hyaluronic acid have been among the rising beauty trends during the pandemic.

As consumers are not visiting salons for facials or other skin care regimens, self-care now includes at-home face mask treatments. The most common types are cream, gel and peel-off masks. However, consumer use of sheet masks has grown to 35% in 2020 from 22% in 2015, reveals a survey by Euromonitor International.

Here are a couple products to help keep facial skin bright, clean and healthy.

The Beauty Independent Innovation Awards program, the leading award platform that recognizes the innovators and leaders within the global Beauty industry, chose Soo'AE for the Facial Peel Product of the Year award for 2020. The Soo'AE Purifying Brightening Peeling Gel is gentle and a nutrient-infused exfoliator with Vitamins C and E for even sensitive skin types. The Soo'AE peeling gel comes in a 3.38 oz. tube.

Photo courtesy of Soo'AE

One serum that recently launched is Versed’s Sunday Morning antioxidant oil-serum. The vegan brand’s new serum comes in a 1 oz. bottle with dropper and includes sea buckthorn extract and camellia oil for the moisture and nourishment of an oil with the lightweight, hydrating finish of a serum. Ingredients are said to reduce redness and prevent moisture loss plus chamomile extract, vitamin E and sodium hyaluronate to keep skin hydrated and bright, and this oil-serum is ideal for all skin types.

Photo courtesy of Versed

Opening photo by LightFieldStudios / iStock via Getty Images

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