Looking pretty with make-up on would be one of the motivators to rise from bed early morning and head for work. Then, Coronavirus happened. And just like that, we lost our reason to use cosmetics. Initially, everyone tried getting a little innovative and artistic by looking pretty for Zoom meetings. Eventually, though, even that stopped.
Does that mean that we have given up on beauty altogether? While being locked inside their homes, people have realized the importance of more permanent solutions. They have chosen to replace cosmetic products that hide their under-eye circles and blemishes with skincare products that give more permanent results.
The focus is now on the glow of health.
The world over, people have become more conscious about health and hygiene. Healthy living, clean eating, and a hygienic routine have taken the front seat for everyone. This shift in our focus has improved skin conditions to a great extent. It has given us a natural glow, which is more intrinsic than cosmetic. And we’re loving it!
There’s no harsh sunlight or pollution to deal with.
Staying inside the house may be boring and borderline triggering for people with mental health issues. But if there’s a hidden perk it’s that we have managed to avoid sun and pollution. Our skin got the chance to recuperate from years of harm caused by the environment.
We have gone natural.
With no online shopping sites delivering beauty products at our doorsteps or salons offering a menu of attractive, chemical-laden services, we have shifted to homecare remedies. It has given us an opportunity to rethink the effectiveness of beauty tips that our mothers and grandmothers used to follow growing up.
Our skin is breathing again.
With no layering of correctors, concealers, foundations, highlighters, blush, and more, our skin finally has the time to breathe. There’s a reason experts suggest that you wash your face properly and be religious about removing makeup. It’s not healthy to keep them on for too long. During this time, there has been complete freedom from these skin-clogging products.
So, what has our new skin told us? We learn that when we concentrate more on our health and hygiene, use natural products, and follow a homecare routine , we can look younger and more beautiful.
By the time the lockdown started to come to an end, we started getting more and more comfortable in our own skin. This has created an obvious decline in the demand for cosmetics. Now that our favorite beauty stores are back in business, we are still hung on to the belief that taking care of the skin is better than hiding its flaws.
There’s another way to look at this entire picture. The lockdown also prevented cosmetics companies from coming up with new make-up lines. By the time they attained the position to start over again, they realised that the demand for skincare has overshadowed the need to look temporarily flawless.
What’s behind the mask?
So, what are companies doing now? For one, there are incredible discounts for make-up lovers to encourage women to loot lipsticks, eyeliners, and more – and it’s not going too badly for the companies. Cosmetics patrons who had kicked their habit during the lockdown are once again giving in to the temptation of colors.
Make-up users’ strategies, however, have shifted. With the mask being a part of our everyday lives, base makeup products like foundation have taken a backseat. Cream lipsticks have been pushed aside by long-lasting liquid lip colors. Why use something that can be hidden and rubbed off by the mask?
Meanwhile, eye make-up has become huge. Kohls, eyeliners, eyeshadows, eyebrow pencils, etc. are now every make-up lover’s best friends. With half of the face covered, it’s natural to focus on the parts that are exposed. Hence, bright eye colors, perfect eyebrows, and dramatic wings are a must.
Companies are changing their strategies.
Since customers are now more interested in “healthy” cosmetics, companies now have a new strategy. They are now developing cosmetic products with ingredients that are healthy for the skin. Products like lipsticks with shea butter and foundations with argan oil have become their new USP.
The crux of the matter is, skincare is the priority for customers now, even though they have not rejected cosmetics completely. While skincare products with natural ingredients or no harmful ingredients are the hot picks now, this has led make-up companies to rethink the way they create products taking into consideration the skin health of users.