When you receive as many products and press releases as I do, you begin to spot trends within the new launches hitting the beauty aisles.
The latest being a category of makeup that appeals to people on-the-go.
The era of convenience and ’24/7′ has created new requirements for makeup.
Foundations packaged in glass-bottles still have a place within makeup routines, but they aren’t ideal for touch-ups in the back of cabs or dimly lit restaurant bathrooms.
On-the-go products need to provide the same quality as their pump-pack counterparts. They must be travel-friendly, light-weight and trusted to keep it together when thrown into the cut-throat territory of a handbag.
The solution? Makeup housed in stick formats and compacts.
M.A.C is the latest brand to jump on this bandwagon with the release of Studio Fix Soft Matte Foundation Stick.
Earlier on in the year, Bourjois released the Always Fabulous Stick Foundcealer, and Revlon recently launched the ColorStay Life-Proof Foundation Stick.
The M.A.C offering fits alongside the existing Studio Fix range and embodies the new definition of the ‘matte’ description, which is another trend emerging within pocket-sized makeup.
M.A.C Director of Makeup Artistry in London Terry Barber believes the formula is different to anything on the market.
“It’s premium skin; enhanced, plumped, smooth and packed with moisture. Matte in the past was associated with dryness and dullness whereas new matte is about soft focus and blur with no blanket coverage,” says Barber in the official press release.
This type of finish lends itself well to a stick format as these formulas need extra ‘slip’ to glide on effortlessly and stay solid in the packaging.
The perfect on-the-go product should strike a balance between polished and realistic.
Consumers are happy to have some flaws peeking through, opting for a natural airbrushed finish as opposed to the removal of all imperfections.
“There is a definite ‘real skin’ moment happening right now,” says Barber.
And maybe this explains the surge of on-the-go makeup. Real skin reflects real life; one that is fast, ever-moving and no-longer dictated by the limits of our foundation.
Feature image courtesy of iStock.